The Shifting Planes of the Disc of Legba were never crowded in the history of the Disc. It was always a wonder with many opaque platforms suspended in the space, reminiscent of the Disc of Jo but contained within the bounds created by the Void Library that is exactly half the circumference of the Celestial Library that encircles the entirety of the Disc, and Legba’s opaque castle close to the middle, but shifted back to contain the pillar of Divine Essence that leads up to the Lofted Disc. The opaque platforms contained various landscapes, many had castles to rival Legba’s, the most impressive aside from Legba’s being the Obsidian Castle that occupied one of the few opaque platforms of the Shifting Planes that actually moved around the space. The Obsidian Castle grew from the large opaque platform that it occupies early in the formation of Lêgba’s Disc and it became the seat of the second most power being of Lêgba’s Disc, second to Lêgba of course, who was the defacto ruler of the Disc when the Opaque Castle was empty while Lêgba was off on his adventures. The second most powerful being was never the same being for long, and there was no consensus on the Disc as to who exactly was the second most powerful being next to Lêgba because many believed it to be themselves and even more believed themselves to be more powerful, but it was an honor to hold the Obsidian Castle of the Shifting Planes that would reject any occupant it viewed as unworthy of its glorious halls.
At the moment of the Talj Rip, Kafou, the cascading nightmare, who is the personification of the jinx that is a portend of ill omens, sat the high seat of the Obsidian Castle, and the Castle was pleased. Kafou had amassed real power in the Obsidian Castle to please it so that he would occupy the high seat for longer than anyone else had. He was consorting with the Obayifo witch Ekuwa who was feared for her willingness to eat other Fonlanders and powerful because of the numbers she had already consumed. Kafou and Ekuwa ruled a coven of witches and sorcerers in the Obsidian Castle and many on the Disc were content to leave them alone to avoid conflict.
“There are many that we managed to free from the enemy we faced in that other realm,” Lêgba explains when he walks and talks with Kafou upon traveling to the Obsidian Castle. Lêgba sighs loudly before he continues. “There were so many more that perished, but we managed to save some and they will take up residence here in the Fonlands for as long as they wish. You occupy the Obsidian Castle, so I wonder if you can tell me how they can be safely assimilated here in the Shifting Planes. I don’t want to leave to finish this mess, only to return and find that some dweller of my Disc has eaten them or is using them against their will. I need them to have boring Earther lives, they deserve at least that.”
“Then take them to the Disc of Agê,” Kafou says with indignation. “There is nothing boring about this Disc. The very nature of the Shifting Planes can drive an earther mad, you should check to be sure that they still have their wits about them. I am not interested in a zoo or the upkeep of powerless things, I have enough of that with the lazy obayifo who loiter around my castle. Most of them are formidable, but the young ones don’t have the same passion for magic. Samedi warned me about making offspring with the obayifo, but I had to do something to secure Ekuwa, she is a powerhouse.”
“That is why I came to you,” Legba interrupts, “I didn’t want to put them somewhere they would be vulnerable and cause me to have to reach out to you to check on them. Moving them to another Disc can happen once we have somewhere to settle them. The area of the Shifting Planes where we staged the mission to Talj is barren and we don’t have time to construct proper homes. We need a comfortable place to put the ones who will not be fighting so that we can get back to planning. This situation will be temporary, but not as short as temporary suggests. We don’t have time to properly settle, but these beings need a place of peace to occupy until we can focus time on it. Or you and Ekwua can go throw some magic at it and transform some platforms to please them? Yeah, that seems like a great idea. Thanks so much, Kafou, I will not forget this.”
“Wait, what?” Kafou says with confusion and whiplash at how suddenly the conversation had turned to him and Ekuwa being charged with building homes.
“I really need to get to the underside, I’m sure you’ve heard about the transformation there? I will send my regards to Samedi for you. I will be back as soon as I can to check up on things.”
Before Kafou could say anything, Lêgba turns and vanishes leaving Kafou frustrated with his mouth open. He turns to find Ekuwa who appears in a puff of black smoke.
“Well, let’s get to it then!” she says with excitement that surprises Kafou.
“You heard? And you are ok with this?” Kafou asks.
“It is our time to show the Disc that we are good and benevolent rulers who accept and care for refugees. We get to rule outside of the Obsidian Castle.”
“Why does an obayifo care about that? Every Fonlander of this Disc knows that you and your kind would eat them if given the chance, that is all they will ever see you as, a predator.”
“But I cannot eat them all at once,” Ekuwa says daintily, putting her delicate hand to her breasts that are clad in a corset made of a material that looks like black leather. “While they await the most glorious possibility for their death, I would like for them to be happy and healthy and I will demonstrate that by welcoming these refugees from other realms. Do you know what they endured before the heroes of the Fonlands freed them?”
“Since when have you been a champion of the heroes of the Fonlands? You have a herd of Hira in the back of the Castle that we occasionally eat for dinner.”
“But not a herd of those hira heroes who went bravely into Talj to face the doom of the Fonlands. Get with it, Kafou, every Fonlander everywhere is obsessed with the stories in the scrolls, there are even Smiting Cards of beings from other realms in the game now. If we are not volunteering to face the doom, then we must do our part to ensure that the Fonlands is strong against the possibility that doom could make landfall.”
Kafou shakes his head. Many Fonlanders had spectated the events of Talj by duplicating the projections of the Arcana Master that had broadcast live feeds of the battle, and the ones who had not watched, had read the stories, or heard them, or were playing Smiting Cards that featured the champions. The entirety of the Fonlands was preparing for the coming battle and Kafou had hoped the seemingly successful mission to Talj meant that it would all be winding down soon. But then Talj ripped and Lêgba’s visit only confirmed that there was still more battle ahead. He would be happy when it was over and he could get back to presiding over his castle and the powers there. But he would have to do his part in the meantime.
PRL Serials 