The OP Lich is a Returnee, Book 16 prologue

Prologue – Trade Chat

(Magical World Disharmony Server, General Chat)

UsualSuspect, manoutoftime, muon, MewTwo, Avariel, Chummer, Golddigger, CrazyCelt, Blaze, DoYouEvenLyft?, MarcoPolo, MightMakesRight, MacD, Inquisitor, OrangeQueen, Lizard, RedFox, SemiSolidSnake, BabyShark, Lichwatcher, Not_the_Face!, TheLichQueen, Scholar, Salty, Anonymous3, Anonymous4, Anonymous7, Anonymous9, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, DigDug, Backlog, DarkAvariel, Knocker, GrimDark, BloodForTheBloodGod, BackDat@55Up and DarkAngel are in the chat.

manoutoftime: Man, have you guys seen the video of that temple in Egypt?

Salty: What video?

manoutoftime: Someone did a video tour of the temple to that Murena goddess that LQ put up in Cairo. Like, full walkthrough of the place.

Avariel: I saw it. Really weird style to it. Like, Roman columns, but with gothic-style walls? All in a grey stone that definitely doesn’t fit with the local style. Everything about it has this otherworldly look to it. Not bad, but it definitely does not feel like something of this world.

Lizard: I mean, it isn’t of this world. Like, literally. The head priest, called a Huntmaster, said it was rebuilt, stone by stone, as it was in that other world LQ went to.

Anonymous9: It is stranger in person.

BabyShark: You went to see it, A9?

Anonymous9: Yes. I was in the city on business. So, of course I went to see the newest attraction while I was there. I could feel the energy warping around me all through the temple. Except, the warping didn’t feel unnatural, if that makes any sense.

GrimDark: Like wind, but it didn’t feel as though a fan was blowing?

Anonymous9: Exactly! It was like the geometry of the place made the magic flow.

TheLichQueen: That’s because it does. More specifically, it aspects the mana, collecting Death mana so that it is easier to use and manipulate in the temple, as well as collecting a reservoir of power there, without disturbing the overall flow. That, combined with the knowledge on wards the Huntmaster is giving to the local practitioners, will prevent any unfortunate happenings from occurring.

Scholar: Unfortunate happenings? Like what?

TheLichQueen: Like the Death mana infusing the land, and causing any unwarded dead it comes across to rise from their graves. Once the Prime Seal is undone, that will be less of a risk, as all types of mana will be flowing once more. But it is something to consider.

Anonymous9: So that’s why the government rounded up nearly a dozen imams from the local area and brought them to the temple this morning?

TheLichQueen: Yes. They will be taught the proper ways to ward graveyards and other tombs for the dead, using their own signs and symbols. I must say that the Egyptian government has been very reasonable through this whole thing.

Inquisitor: Like they had a choice?

TheLichQueen: There is always a choice, Inquisitor. Unless you have a slave collar around your neck, binding your soul and forcing compliance, there is always a choice. Sometimes, your choices are shit and shittier, but it is still a choice. In this case, the Egyptian government chose to treat myself and those around me with respect, and they were treated respectfully in turn.

MacD: So, skipping past the part where we avoided a zombie apocalypse, what is that glowing thing at the top of the temple? I’ve seen pictures of it being very visible, even at night.

TheLichQueen: The statue of Murena on the rooftop shows her with her bow, Mercy, and an arrow on the string. The ‘glowing thing’ is the arrowhead, made of orichalcum, and it shines with Murena’s power, and will continue to shine until she no longer has a connection to the site.

MacD: So, the glowing is a sign of the goddess’s power?

TheLichQueen: Precisely. It is glowing a little stronger than normal, but that’s because Murena manifested during the dedication ceremony to speak with us.

Blaze: Wait. What? Like, actual physical manifestation?

TheLichQueen: Yes. Such things, while not common, were not unheard of in the other world.

RedFox: So, I don’t know if you’ve mentioned this anywhere publicly, but what does this mean for gods from this world?

TheLichQueen: Short answer? It depends. If the gods are old enough that they were around before the seals, then there is a chance they could have survived, sealed up wherever they were when magic was restricted. Or, they could have died. For gods that arose after the seals? Hard to say.

Scholar: How so?

TheLichQueen: Well, without the requisite mana to sustain themselves, would the gods even be born? And what will happen to gods whose faith has fractured and seen schisms over time? The best example would be the Abrahamic god, you have three main branches, with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but many schisms within those branches, some saying wildly different things from the others.

Scholar: So, what would that mean for the god in question?

TheLichQueen: I don’t know. Situations like that were unheard of on Onerth, because the gods prevented their followers from fracturing too far. A side effect of gods actually being able to speak to their followers, you see.

MewTwo: Yeah, but bringing this back to the big things, the Prime Seal is the only one left, right? What are you going to be doing about that? You’re still punishing the Americans, right?

TheLichQueen: Yes, I have not forgiven them yet. No, I’m not going to just let the seal blow up to spite them, but I’m also not handing them a Hero.

RedFox: Aren’t you afraid they’ll try and interfere with the unsealing somehow if you don’t let them send a volunteer?

TheLichQueen: If they do that, then there is an excellent chance that the seal will blow. In that case, people living in Nevada may very well have beachfront property.

MewTwo: How? California’s in the way.

Scholar: The seal is right next to several fault lines. A large enough explosion, like what we saw in the Azores? Could set off the Big One people have been predicting for some time. Not unreasonable to say that California could become an island, or even fall into the sea entirely.

GrimDark: And the death toll of such a thing would be catastrophic, beyond even the Azores.

TheLichQueen: Exactly. So, it is in their best interests to not interfere.