Shards of Felwyn

Recursive Application

The mass of spirits was not aggressive towards Cosmo, which only filled him with a further sense of unease. From the mass of spirits materialized the head of an elder dragon, its horns curling white flames that licked at the ceiling. Within its maw were hundreds of faces, all gaping in perpetual screams of pain. What horrified Cosmo the most were its eyes, blank vacant voids of deep midnight black, which belied the true cornucopia of intelligence that surely laid behind them. Once again to his surprise, his adversary spoke first.

"A rare sight to see indeed." Plumes of white smoke flowed from in between the dragon's teeth as it chortled. "It is uncommon for an individual to have had communion with all four gods, even if that individual is Arlinn's own son."

"I claim no bastard such as that man as my father. I would prefer you to address me by the name my mother gave me." Cosmo replied, snapping at the mention of Arlinn's name. Its voice once again rumbled the room with its presence.

"Your emotions speak otherwise." It paused, a vacuum of sound. "As does your mind."

"I grow tired of encountering entities such as yourself, who seem to know all and be capable of just as much, but choose to waste such power." He responded, bitterly. "Tell me what I must do for you to grant me access to the base of the Pillar, or die trying." The sentence came out as an order, even though he had not initially planned for it to be. The mindless monotony of descending through the Pillar, as well as the pain from his fight with Galdernad still fresh in his mind combined to produce a determined anger. The fear and anxiety previously present in his heart had all but faded. Now, he simply wished to finish what he had started.

"Your success in accomplishing such a task is a discussion for another day, the outcome of which I am genuinely unsure." Smog once again billowed from its snout. "You need not defeat me, nor hand over what you hold dearest to you."

"Then what is it you desire?" Cosmo asked, before it could finish its sentence.

"A conversation." It replied.

"A conversation? A man, who you clearly had no desire to oppose, and with the power to end the world at his fingertips is on his way to become one of the most powerful beings known to Felwyn and you want to talk? I do not have time to talk to you. Everyone, everything has been sacrificed just to ensure that this moment could happen and you wish to delay my journey further?" Cosmo had reached his wit's end, incredulous with the being that now stood before him. It, even, seemed to be taken aback. "I have no desire to have a conversation with something who would not prevent Galdernad from achieving his goal." He drew Dragon's Focus, the purple gauntlet illuminating the polished bricks below.

"I cannot prevent individuals from crossing the barrier to the base of the Celestial Pillar." Was its only response, directing Cosmo's attention from a mental list of incantations back to the conversation.

"What do you mean, you can't?" Cosmo's voice softened and his incredulous tone was replaced somewhat with one of curiosity.

"I mean that it is not within my abilities. It is not my purpose." The gheist's response was the first interaction between the two that truly made him think, if only for a moment. Cosmo, after pausing and truly taking in the scene around himself, spoke once more.

"What... exactly are you?" He worded the question carefully, as he began to questions whether what was in front of him was even the Trial Varren had mentioned.

"I am the Conclave, the souls of those killed during the Eternal Sundering, given new life and new form as the Guardian of the Pillar, blessed with omniscience among other gifts. I serve to prevent those who seek the Gods' downfall from entering the chamber that still rests several hundred feet below us. I do so by entering within the minds of those who approach me."