I asked Alia to go with me to the House of Agê that straddles the forest-jungle divide of her disc. Alia is a difficult person to describe, and I don’t mean that superficially. She is a tall woman, average build with long hair that I never see down–she always braids or buns her hair–and she has very expressive eyes. She reminds me of the women in my family, even if she doesn’t look like them, she has the same way about her; affable but firm, sweet but capable and willing to assert herself. Because of my abilities, I know Alia in a way that most can’t, I can see the awesome power at her disposal, and it is extremely difficult to explain that part of her. I understand it though, it is almost identical to my own power; she is the vessel chosen by the abstracts of her existence to wield their incredible powers, to protect life and a thriving existence. The biggest difference between Alia’s powers and my own is spellcasting. Alia doesn’t wield magic, she is not familiar with arcana; if there is ancient knowledge of the secret workings of her existence, she only became aware of them when she was gifted her considerable power set and she literally rewrites them every time she wields her powers because of the breadth of her power. As the Master of Universal Arcana of my home universe, I am not able to rewrite the arcane spells that are the foundations of magic of my existence. But I am able to access the seemingly infinite spells created in my universe which allows me to do most anything; since traveling the multiversal structure as the Vodun call it, I have gained access to even more spells and arcane knowledge that gives me even more abilities. As I previously explained to the Vodun, Jo, I am not able to reveal the true nature of my abilities, which means that I am not able to teach the spells that I’ve learned, but I’ve enjoyed explaining arcana to one such as Alia who doesn’t need it. She is very curious about it and has learned a lot about spellcasting while we’ve commiserated in the Smiting Chamber.
“I’m nervous,” Alia admitted as we flew over the jungle side of Agê’s Disc. “Knowing the Vodun who come to the Smiting Chamber makes it hard to imagine what another one will be like. She’s the Vodun of all that green, it’s like a whole universe down there.”
It was hard to believe that Alia would ever have cause to be nervous, but I get it. The Fonlands are a wondrous thing to behold and traveling from disc to disc is a unique experience, even for Alia who has seen many worlds of her home existence. The Discs of the Fonlands are like infinitely large worlds and that it is difficult to wrap your brain around if you’ve never experienced such a configuration of existence.
“Thank you for asking me to come,” Alia continued. “It’s good to get out of the caves. Not that I mind them as much as Clay does, but time melts in that Chamber and it’s hard to remember if it’s been days or months since I saw light that wasn’t fire or magic. But I guess the light that shines down over the mountains of Sakpata’s Disc is just magic too.”
“I know what you mean, though. Being in the Smiting Chamber and worrying over what Yana is charting on the multiversal structure is like watching a pot and waiting for it to boil, only it is easier to watch for long stretches and not realize how long you’ve been watching. I’m glad that you are exploring the Fonlands rather than being so involved with the work. The Chamber is doing all the work and the Vodun are testing the data, all we can do is stay limber until the time comes for action.”
“Yeah,” Alia agreed, “I can’t be still for too long, or I might as well go home and come back when it’s time. But I need to learn how to use my powers like the Vodun do, like you do. It’s so much for one person to control.”
The human mind would melt if it received the powers of the Master of Universal Arcana without the arcane protection and enhancements gifted by the abstract forces of the universe that grant the powers. I assume that Alia has something similar, but because she is not well versed in the language of her existence, she is not aware of everything she is capable of and only discovers things as she uses them, and even then, she doesn’t know exactly why it is happening so her power lacks focus that she rectifies with practice at spellcasting.
When we arrived at the House, Agê met us on a large patio near the top. It was completely made of wood and expertly crafted, like a castle made of wood. I had only ever seen the House of Agê from a distance, and even then I was stunned by the craftsmanship of it, and standing on that patio only reinforced my awe.
“Welcome, Arcana Master,” Agê said as she greeted us. Her voice was deep but feminine, strong but warm. “I’m glad that they sent you, that I am finally in the loop about such an existential threat to all of existence, but it’s safe to assume my siblings made that decision and not either of you.” Agê paused for a moment. She wore a flowing dress that was made of foliage; vines, leaves, mosses. Her shoulders were bare and the dress hung down to her feet. Her hair was long and such a dark shade of green that it could have been black, but it seemed to be foliage as well. She made a movement with her hands and a Smiting table with benches on three sides grew from vines.
“I think it was just an oversight that the rest of the Vodun are only now learning about the danger identified by the Smiting Chamber,” I said, hoping to ease any tension between the Vodun. “And Lêgba, Xêvioso, and Gu had no idea the rest of the Vodun played.”
“Yes, I understand. Gu, and Xêvioso when he competes against Gu, make it impossible to enjoy a fun game. Gu can’t compete without proving he is the best and that isn’t the best way to enjoy a game like Smiting. It takes so long, it should be a time of lazy commiseration. Good food, intoxicating beverages, soothing music, Smiting is an occasion to party, not to be contentious with one another, that’s what the cards are for.”
As she talked, tables filled with sliced fruits and cheeses, roasted nuts and meats, mugs of fizzy drinks and sweet delicacies were wheeled out by Fonalnders that looked like their skin was made of tree bark. Alia helped herself as Agê produced a Smiting deck and the servers retreated inside of the large wooden house.
“This is the first deck that I created after learning the game using a set of Xêvioso’s deck. I played with Gu’s as well, but I prefer the nuances of Xêvioso’s deck, even if those nuances pale in comparison to decks like Jo’s and Sakpata’s. Sakpata won’t admit it because he takes pride in others saying it as truth, but he is the best Smiting player of all the Vodun and his first deck reflects that. But in the early days, before I made a deck comparable to Gu and Xêvioso’s first decks, I was a fan of the yellow cards. But the green that I introduced to the game outshines everything, even Sakpata uses green cards when we play casually. I don’t know why my brothers waited so long to bring me into this game of multiversal fate, of course I am what is missing.”
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