::Di-chan leads you up the stairs and through the Hall of the Mirror to a door well-hidden just to the side of the obsidian-stone throne next to the Mirror. Tucked away in the space between the Hall and the actual outer wall of the Tower is a spacious, well-appointed room decorated in sable and deep green. Probably the most interesting thing is that this bedchamber really isn't any fancier than the chambers of the Elementals below; bookcases, dresser and mirror, wardrobe, desk and chair-- they're all there as they were in the other rooms.::

::Sitting on the deep green velvet bedspread, looking quite relaxed and missing his cape and all of his jewelry save the signet ring on his left hand, is Lord Obsidian himself. He smiles at the guests:: I hope you've been finding the Tower to your liking. I appreciate the visit. ::A slightly sad look flickers for a moment in his deep-brown eyes:: Since the destruction of Lithos, we'd not seen many visitors at all.

::Smiles at him:: You don't mind answering a few questions I have for the guests, do you?

::Shakes his head, smiling again:: Of course not. I'd already given my permission, and I still wish to do so in the interests of hospitality.

::Nods:: For the record, then. Your name and age please.

I am Obsidian, Lord of Lithos, ruler of the Gemlords, Keeper of the Vortex Mirror and Guardian of Space. Whereas Sailor Pluto is concerned with the probabilities of Time, I watch over the physical integrity of Space. I and the Mirror were created at the same moment as the Solar system itself, around 4.5 billion years ago. ::smiles a bit:: My birthday is June 30, just in case anyone is curious.

Height and weight, if you don't mind.

I don't. ::Smiles:: I stand 6' tall and weigh around 190 in a gravity field similar to what you'd find on Earth.

Hair and eye color? ::Giggles:: I've asked that of everyone, just to let you know.

Dark brown-- nearly black-- hair with dark red highlights that's as long as my shoulder blades, and golden-brown eyes so dark, they look almost black. ::Grins:: Just keep asking away, Di-chan. I don't mind answering.

Okay. So tell me, what does the Guardian of Space do?

::Chuckles:: My duties are basically to oversee the physical existence of the whole Cosmos and ensure that the integrity of the Cosmos is preserved. I help the Universe maintain its balance, and use my powers accordingly. That's my main duty. The others I have deal with being the ruler of my race. ::Again, a cold, slightly sad look:: Though at the moment, that's not saying much with only a small handful of us alive. The rest remain as dead soulstones on a table in the Hall.

I know, but at least you have the ability to resurrect them all, one by one. ::A gentle smile:: So tell us about what Lithos used to be like. What was your culture? Your normal routine?

Hmm... Well, to begin with, there were only a few hundred of us on a planet as large as Earth. Lithos, though it was in the orbit between Mars and Jupiter, was just as green and as full as life as the other planets of the Solar system, the magic of the Mirror making life possible. I knew all of the other Gemlords personally, and we all lived together in a single city that surrounded the Tower.

All of the others were created by the Mirror to help me in my duties of preserving the integrity of Space. So it was our normal routine to have around half our population off-planet on patrols throughout the various realities the Mirror looked upon. Most of the Gemlords worked in teams, some in slightly larger groups, but all were out there helping native populations fight against the forces of Chaos wherever they were found. As a result, our own culture was a mish-mash of ideas from countless worlds as various Gemlords brought back items and thoughts from their travels. ::Smiles:: The Library in the Tower has one of the most extensive collection of books in the Cosmos, since my people were always finding things to bring back for the Library. Through my scanning of the Cosmos with the Mirror and Lord Nephrite's Orrery, I would find areas that seemed vulnerable to a Chaotic attack and send out Gemlords accordingly. The rest of my people who happened to be home since it was their down-time from patrols lived lives of gracious luxury. After all, the Mirror had magic to spare to make sure that all 500 of us were quite comfortable.

We didn't have families per se, since we don't reproduce in a biological manner due to our near-immortal status, but those Gemlords whose namesake stones were related or were the same mineral but just a different color acknowledged a kinship with the other Gemlords. Thus Lieutenants Ruby and Sapphire not only are twins in that they stepped from the Mirror at the same moment, but they're also the same mineral under different names. And Lord Garnet, Lady Almandine, Lord Pyrope and Lady Rhodolite are all acknowledged siblings in that they are differing shades of basically the same mineral. ::Faintly smiles:: I wonder how Lieutenant Emerald, Lady Aquamarine, Lord Morganite and Lord Heliodor will handle knowing the full extent of their sister Beryl's treachery...

::He shakes out of his momentary sorrow and smiles back at Di-chan and the visitors:: Anyway, our music, literature and arts were an interesting mixture of what my people found out there in their patrols, and once a decade would see me hold Court, where I would formally hear the reports of each team's patrols, listen to any disputes that may have come up and receive any ambassadors or representatives that had shown up. And once a century saw the Court where the Elementals-- who were always on long-range patrols-- would present themselves for their report. ::A grim smile:: It was on a day during one of those Courts, where all of my people were gathered on Lithos, that Beryl and the Elementals chose to try to take the Mirror. Needless to say, they all fell trying to defend themselves and the Tower.

I'm curious about something. Lithos used to be a part of the Solar system. Were you a part of the Silver Millennium?

Technically, yes, we were. When Queen Serenity united the Solar system under her rule for the peace of all the planets, I willingly went along and allied myself to her, acknowledging her as an overlord of sorts when it came to matters concerning my people and the other inhabitants of the Solar system. Her Serene Majesty was surprised when I stated that I would be merely "Lord" Obsidian-- she saw me as an equal, I think, and expected me to claim a title more royal and fitting to my true status-- but I'm not that vain of a person. Though I am the Gemlord's leader, I'm also their friend, for the most part. "Lord" is enough for me, as was the alliance I once had with Queen Serenity. So long as my duties to the Cosmos were carried out, I really didn't care if Her Serene Majesty outranked me or that I have designated myself the same as the other Gemlords.

So what are your powers?

::Chuckles:: Quite a number of things, actually. Of all the Gemlords, I'm the only true immortal. So long as the Universe exists, I and the Vortex Mirror will remain. I have the telepathy and teleportation common to us all, and I can retreat to my soulstone if severely injured. The translation power, the blending ability and telekinesis are also talents of mine, as is manipulating the energies of the Mirror itself in a number of ways. I'm tuned in to the energies of the Cosmos, and can vaguely sense when something's going wrong-- using the Mirror itself to pinpoint the potential problem. When it comes to location and finding the "where" of something, I cannot be denied. ::Grins:: If it exists in a where, the Mirror will find it. I also have the power to resurrect a slain Gemlord, and only I alone possess the ability to shatter a soulstone. Nothing else will permanently destroy another Gemlord.

I have a few powers that have spoken triggers associated with them, with the rest of what I do being purely at will or helped out by an invocation of sorts. "Crystal Freeze" is an energy attack that solidifies around a target, encasing them in a crystal of dark green glass. My victim will remain asleep in suspended animation until such time as the glass is broken. "Rebound Reflection" is a handy one, but my enemies hate it. My defensive power, it takes the form of highly reflective black plate armor, and it rebounds energy and physical attacks back at the one who launched the attack at me. ::Smiles:: Not many manage to get through that power to harm me. Though my basic ranged attack, a blast of dark-green energy, doesn't need a trigger, I do call "Shard Attack" when I want to lace my energy blast with small, razor-sharp fragments of obsidian stone. I'll usually use that one as an area attack, sweeping my hand to spread out the shrapnel. "Firestorm Strike" is when I decide to really get serious. ::A cold chuckle:: It's basically turning loose a bomb of volcanic heat and globs of molten glass, incinerating an area and anything within it. And since I, like all other Gemlords, cannot be hurt by my own attack unless it's reflected back to me or altered slightly and returned, I could stand there in the middle of a Firestorm Strike unscathed as everything else turns to ashes. "Obsidian Power Magnify" I use to boost my own personal magical strength from the Mirror's energy and "Mirror Power Magnify" is what I call to boost a different Gemlord's powers.

::Nods, then smiles at him:: Well, then, just about what I'd expect from a Guardian of the Cosmos. Any likes, dislikes or hobbies you'd want to tell the guests about?

::Chuckles:: I suppose this would be the time to mention the gardening? I love to garden, and the fence outside the Tower used to be the wall around the formal garden that I and a few other Gemlords with green thumbs took care of. Like the collection of art and books in the Library, my people brought back plants from all over for my garden. I had a number of species thriving there that were extremely rare. ::Sighs, looking very weary for a moment:: And it's all gone. Turned to dust. ::Shakes his head:: Ah well, life goes on. ::Smiles up at Di-chan:: If you don't mind, I ought to be continuing my project. Forgive my abrupt departure. ::He stands, looking every bit the regal Guardian of Space, then teleports out in a shimmer of blackish-green energy::

::Turns back to you and faintly smiles:: I guess he's rather busy. Well... ::She leads you back out of Obsidian's chamber and into the Hall of the Mirror, then stops at the entrance to the spiral staircase opposite the Vortex Mirror:: All right, then. Where shall I take you next on the tour?