-You seem to basically be running an information network,- I /deduced, looking at the layout and power of those who were Marked. Despite being presumably famous Grandmasters and trainers of gladiators and warriors in general, there weren't all that many here who had earned the right to take a Mark.

I noted Master Treadtoe was considerably more skilled than he seemed, sitting at a solid Rank F in power, a dangerous combatant, presumably with stealth skills on the side, but that was par for the course. There were some very skilled combatants showing here, but the links to the Marks indicated some distance.

Briggs and Sama hadn't focused on building local power. -Why am I getting the feeling you have trust issues with the Marks?- I /asked them gently.

-Exactly it,- Briggs /sighed, shaking his pale but Deep Yellow-White head. -The Marks are incredibly important, and revealing them to anyone untrustworthy would be ruinous. We have to have absolute faith in the people we give them to. Once they and their effects become known, everyone will be looking for the things. We couldn't take the risk, especially with Immortals sniffing around us more than once.-

-You can detect Immortals?- I was impressed, if that was true.

-Their presence inside our Auras is completely unmistakable, but they also become aware of it if we have our Auras out. Mostly it's by contact, usually a handshake… or by the fact that they are always at the top of the Karmic power chart.-

-Ah, yes. Although… the library at the Great School in Zanzyr said that Immortals seem limited to their own forms on the Prime Material, and have to disguise themselves with magic like anyone else?- I had to /ask.

-Immortals who came from the Prime. Immortals who rose on other planes can assume any form they like without a care, and are automatically at the top of the racial scale when they do. Or they construct an Avatar for the same effect,- Briggs /informed me.

-Ah, that's what Nifl did, then.- And why Jillius looked so human. He'd probably once been one and was in his base form, knowing nobody mortal likely was alive who remembered it.

-Nifl?- Sama /asked archly. -The Death Goddess of the Ayenser?-

-She is the creator goddess of the races of humanoids. Back in the time of Darkmoor, there were no such races, only the Beastials, a species of creatures whose children mutated wildly every generation, none ever looking like their parents. Their variations spawned the kobolds through trolls of today, and Immortals of their own stabilized them over time. I fought her Avatar at the final redoubt of their species in Blackmoor where I wiped away the last of them, save those who were removed to the Hollow World, presumably for safekeeping.-

-The Hollow World is an Immortal museum and zoo combined,- Briggs /informed me with a disdainful /sniff. -Cultures who would have died out, creatures that would have gone extinct, races that failed in their evolutions… all of them are removed to the Hollow World, given their own little corner of it, and saved from extinction by accident or invasion by the power of the Immortals. In return, they cannot evolve naturally in culture or skills beyond their native level. There are Empires down there that don't have the wheel, and their people will never use it, because they didn't have it at the time they came into the Hollow World.-

I just looked at the two of them, and they both shrugged. -On the flip side, you can see and be eaten by dinosaurs down there, so it's not completely useless,- Sama /deadpanned back, and I just rolled my eyes.

-Dinosaurs indicates that place is very, very old, or there are places where such still exist. Given the amount of world-breaking catastrophes this place has had, I'm inclined to believe the former… but if it's that old, word should be far more pervasive and legendary that it exists, and does not.-

-There aren't a lot of ways to get there, the only true one being the polar opening, and that's the equivalent of trudging across Antarctica to the pole, then down the rim of the world, then out of Antarctica, all of it inside a massive dead magic zone with creatures there actively trying to kill the walking fresh meat.- Briggs paused for effect. -Or you could take the elevator Hiawatha built on his plateau to head down there. Saves a lot of trouble, except it comes out into the remnants of the Azcapan Empire which sacrificed itself out of existence over two thousand years ago, and is fine and flourishing down there, hearts offered up to some Tzentotl bat-god on a regular basis and everything.-

I blinked. That was not a name I was expecting to hear. They saw my surprise. -You know of him?- Briggs /asked grimly. -He corrupted two of the tribes under Hiawatha, the Jaguar and the Spider. The tribes of my homeland have been at war with them for hundreds of winters.-

-He's believed to be an elven Immortal. He corrupted a clan of our people into leaving the rest of us and setting up an empire in the underdark, fed by hearts sacrificed to him and dark Rituals bringing in horrible servants. Oddly enough, the nifloids invaded the city they set up, Idhemong, and either drove them out or wiped them out, the histories aren't clear on either. In a fit of pique, the city was sent into the lava to deny it to the orcs and goblins, but that doesn't seem to have stuck. It still exists deep underground, and is populated by powerful and organized nifloids who seem to be concealing themselves from other tribes… probably because the existence of the city would galvanize them to invade again.-

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

-Huh.- Briggs was looking at me thoughtfully. -There's an elven nation down in the Hollow World that basically follows the same religion as the Azcapan, but considers the humans blasphemers and heretics of the first order, warring against them. They aren't large, but are powerful for their size… and, of course, they can't be exterminated.-

The way he said that had me tilting my head. -You don't seem particularly convinced of that,- I /noted slyly.

-There were a lot of Immortal restrictions down there that didn't affect us like they did the natives. We're pretty sure that cultural preservation effect is one of them. Of course, we never saw it, only heard about it multiple times, usually from frustrated conquerors who couldn't truly wipe out an annoying neighbor that they wanted to get rid of, and had to make sure to invade them on a regular basis to keep their numbers down.-

I just /sighed mentally. Okay, it was too much to put together for the moment. -You need to start displaying the Marks as something you can dispense, perhaps even for coin,- I /told them. -Then just don't activate the Marks. If you don't link them to the Markspace, all they are is a Stat buffer.-

-Or,- Sama /rebutted, looking at me, -we can just dispense them to members of an Allegiance whose Oath will keep their mouths shut, and a Geas from a Powered can accentuate it.-

I made a motion above my head. -Am I showing a crown or something?- I had to /ask. -That's going to be bad if people can see I'm a Monarch.-

-Aye, you're sporting a faint crown. Rank Two, I think. A Baroness?- He had the image of thinking about a fact that hadn't crossed them in a long time.

-Yes, I've less than a hundred followers of my own, and they are all Marked,- I /confirmed.

-How did you get the Allegiance Oath to work?- Sama /asked sharply. -We know it doesn't work here, there's no Divine backing to it at all, and fealty is just another asset to be traded and broken much of the time between the nobility,- she /sniffed scornfully.

-It's basically an open and willing Geas with an actual belief prerequisite that I worked out while cooped up inside that time-traveling Inn for forty years.- They both blinked at me. I pointed at them. -Your fault, locking the past tight and making it a deathtrap to leave the place. You are very lucky elves have a different sense of time and long lifespans. I have spent over ninety percent of my life within those walls. If I couldn't ride a Simulacra outside to explore, I probably would have gone a bit nuts.-

-You… could've just gone into stasis until a Contingency awoke you at the right time?- Sama /asked archly, unimpressed.

-I was, in actuality, only two years old. I needed to grow up, too, so I didn't waste the time. I got a lot done there, actually. Leaving a Powered who can Cast IX's alone for forty years with endless amounts of goldweight and supplies allows a lot of things to get accomplished, you know?-

They looked at one another, clearly having the same thought. -Will such a spell work for us?- Sama /asked seriously. -We can start some major expansions if it can!-

I considered them for a moment, thinking about that. -A Forsaken couldn't Swear the Oath via spell, no. They'll gradually throw it off like they do all magic. Could someone Swear to you and form the Allegiance tie… I believe that if you used a focus, such as a Throne or Weapon bound to you, they could. So, you'd effectively have to knight each person who wished to Swear under you directly, and I could Cast the spell and channel Duty and Loyalty through Endure and Tremble… if that's what you Named your Weapons.-

-We did,- Briggs /agreed, studying me. -So, you could Swear to us, but we couldn't Swear to you.-

I had to shake my head slightly. -I cannot Swear to you if I wish to become Eternal here. I don't have a free genetic run into post-mortal status like the two of you do.- They both blinked at me. -Stepping beyond mortality involves several tests, and one of them is leaving a legacy behind. Companions, heirs, students, a dynasty. I can't leave a dynasty behind if I am Sworn under another.-

-Huh.- Briggs looked thoughtful. -You know how they become Immortal around here?- he /asked shrewdly.

-I know the default tests the Immortals use to raise up another to their status. The actual empowerment is totally reliant on the sponsoring Immortal, who must sacrifice some of their own power to raise up another. The steps and tests involved are completely at the whim of the Immortal involved, but by mutual agreement have several common themes.-

I delineated the whole set to them in seconds, telepathic communication being what it was.

-That explains a few things we've witnessed on our journeys, and at least four apex Classers who made efforts to kill us,- Sama /mused. -I guess that priest didn't like us tearing down his little realm of fanatics like we did...-

-Given you succeeded, you probably cost him his Ascendancy,- I /nodded. -I am not going to use an Immortal's patronage, but I am going to get the attention of the Land.- I made a tapping motion. -The planet is alive, a living thing called a Megalith. It is an Immortal creature, but it is not an Immortal itself. In the other timeline, I have noticed that it rather gleefully absorbs Immortal Power devoured by vivus when Immortal beings are destroyed. I believe I can get its attention and gain its support. I imagine it is no happier at how Immortals treat it than we are, when things come down to it, but it knows it cannot defy them.-

-I noticed you were very interested in our ability to detect Immortals. Do you have a method for doing so?- Sama /asked me intently.

-Yes, I do,- I /confirmed to them, and they looked quite pleased. -My Staff is effectively an Artifact that gains strength by absorbing vivisized Immortal Power. Its 'special' power is the ability to sense Immortal Power nearby.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.