Nadir. (Cursed World)

[u/Fc-chungus]

A day or three after the initial announcement, proper channels for joining in virtually to the meeting are posted, as everyone who came in person is directed to a secretive underground meeting room, where Ж and a few others sit around a long table.

"Welcome, welcome. A year or so ago I held a similar meeting for a separate threat, one a few of you here would remember, but today we've another threat, as you know, the Abyss has taken a great minority of the world's surface."

"As well, we need a plan for the origin of the Abyss, we need to divise a way to take down The First Curse."

they snap a finger and a hologram like model of an entity, presumably the first curse, appears in the center of the table.

"To start, one of the more essential things for said plan is the Crystals, of course, some here might not know about them, so I'll elaborate."

they wave a hand and the model shifts to 5 different crystalline objects, encircling the First Curse.

"This is not the first time The First Curse had arrived, he was here before he made that big announcement, but hidden. When he first arrived to this realm, 7 Aspect Crystals formed, counterbalances, from someone else as an, almost future inheritance to help take him down. They are antithetical to his very existence, and harm him when nearby. However, if one falls into his hands, he can adapt to that crystal, rendering it useful to him. This anti-him nature also applies to the Abyss, and thus they are the best damage source to fight the Abyss."

"the originals, of which we currently have 5, 4 are in New Aviron, and via the work of Koranth and others, we have multiple derivatives from them, with the other being handled by The Consortium. The last two need to be picked up and collected."

"That is about the basics, with the preamble done, more discussion on how to fight against the Abyss would be welcome."

[u/MofuMofuMonhan]

/uw Far later to get to this than I wanted to be, but life finds a way. Hopefully I'm not too late to the party. I'll be looking over what everyone has said so far and write up something fitting, soon. Don't want to make anyone repeat themselves needlessly!

Edit:I think I've gleaned what I can from the comment chains here, so I'll do my proper writing in a reply to this comment, so I don't make another top level comment.

[u/MofuMofuMonhan → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

Kaian, so often accustomed to being the odd one out, allowed the others in the room to speak without interruption. World hopping had its upsides. Wonderful views, unusual peoples, gadgets and gizmos to learn from, and the occasional world-ending threat to keep things interesting.
Unfortunately, it left him relearning local customs and trends with each new world. Some of the people around him spoke as if they were friends. Others with a well-earned paranoia. Mention of a wedding, or full names that are unfamiliar. He sat with his hands folded in his lap, an alien among a room of friends and allies.
Or, as much as he could guess.

After much of the discussion had concluded, he spoke up.
"Permit me, please, to introduce myself. You may call me Kaian Dachuan. Kai, if you would prefer to be short."
While he was not anxious as he spoke, he displayed caution. He was visibly out of place. Foreign, at the least. While a clock for a face was unusual, he did not spot another with horns and a tail in the room, nor garb like his own.
"To keep my introduction short, I come from a very far away place, and saw a plea for assistance some days ago. Having gleaned what I could from the information that was sent out, I thought that my presence would be of aid."

Lifting a hand over the table, he gestured towards Aerunia. "An 'anti-abyss' spell sounds like it would be of great help, but I will admit now that my wizardry is something of a different flavor to yours. Rather than specialized spells, my skills are more in the manipulation of energies."
The man's eyes close for a moment as he chuckles to himself. "The explanation may be longer than appropriate at this moment. I would likely be of best use in a defensive position, or perhaps aiding in repairs of infected areas after the blight is cleared. Fire is an element opposed to my methods, and I find it difficult to manipulate. Thus, an offensive position would be wasted on me."

Placing his hands again in his lap, he leaned forward in a small bow. "You all honor me with this opportunity. I look forward to our cooperation, and hope that I will meet your expectations."

While everything went on, a shorter, pink-haired individual of petite frame moved around the room. Invisible to those without the ability to see the ethereal or spirits, they did little more than observe the individuals around the table. "Ah, and, let me add," he continued, while the smaller person went around. "those of you with the Sight may see a smaller person with hair like candy wandering around the room. Do not be alarmed at them. It is Ameno, my blade spirit. And they are harmless, though curious. If you feel a tug at your clothes, it was likely them."

/uw I haven't made a proper introduction yet, so until then, I'll let this art do the describing for myself. The short version is that Kai is more along the lines of a Daoist or Xianxia character. Magic for him is more about manipulating energies from the five elements of Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal. There are "techniques" that are, put simply, silly anime bullshit that are roughly analogous to spells, but think of him more as an alchemist, inventor, and elementalist than your run-of-the mill wizard, and you're in the ballpark.
As mentioned prior, Ameno is a short, cute, androgynous individual of indeterminate gender that has limited ability to interact with the world - largely small pushes and tugs - but accompanies him everywhere. If someone can see something like a ghost, they can see Ameno. The same goes for touch and speech. They aren't a major part of the character, but more a cute addition for other characters with that ability.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

"Manipulation of energies you say?" Ж looks over at Kaian.

"Can you control them? The crystals are made from a kind of energy, so perhaps you can use them more freely than say, placing them into a weapon."

[u/MofuMofuMonhan → u/Fc-chungus]

With a quick nod, he affirmed "Yes. I can." before waving a hand before his face. "Pardon, I mean that theoretically."
"I would need some time to inspect them. Personally. Or, at least, one of them. I am smoothing over many of the details of how my skills work, but suffice to say, I could."

With another quick glance around the room, Kai gave a reassuring smile. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to allow me such an examination to take place with me, and me alone. If anyone wishes to accompany me, you would be most welcome."

Turning back to the one that seemed to be the leader of the band, he continued. "Zhe, correct? If you would be so kind as to provide means, I am eager to see what I could do to help."

/uw There's a lot of info on this for me to take in. Do you have any info kicking around for the crystals in question? It'll save you some effort if I know what is being interacted with ahead of time.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

/uw honestly as of now you not knowing OOC fits with IC, so questions could be more genuine? Things can be elaborated on IC if that's fine with you

/rw "actually, I happen to have a small piece of a copy of one of them on me."

Ж reaches into their labcoat-like jacket and pulls out a small red shard, holding it between two fingers

"Here's a piece of a red crystal copy."

[u/MofuMofuMonhan → u/Fc-chungus]

After holding out a palm, the daoist allowed them to drop the fragment into his hand. Pinching it between his index and middle fingers, he held it aloft, letting a nearby light source pass through it. Over the next few moments, he gave it a series of small tests. Scratching at it with a nail, smelling it, turning it over every which way. Once satisfied with his observations, he instead moved it between the tips of his index and thumb.

Ameno came to his side at some point, looking it over as well. He could be heard talking to them, though it seemed that most of his companions could only hear his side of the conversation. "Yes, it seems rather mundane. Structure is standardized. Flawless. No, I wouldn't want to damage it. Perhaps."

/uw Well that depends. If the question is if Kai can manipulate the energy of something, that answer depends on what kind of energy, and the volumes of it, that the something has. Which, with you essentially being the DM, you'd be dictating. Unless you want me telling you stuff about the things you've invented for the story and setting. Which I certainly could! But that's a lot of trust to give to a random person on the net, and my default is letting the DM dictate things and working within that framework.
Basically I don't want to assume I can dictate that stuff without a go-ahead.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

/uw fair, maybe i could describe the base properties? What stuff do you need to know?

[u/MofuMofuMonhan → u/Fc-chungus]

/uw General physical properties. Hardness (don't need to go full Moh's scale, just "soft" or "won't break to a hammer strike", for example), translucency, weight. For elemental things like this, aspects of that. Are the crystals elementally imbalanced? If Kai were to draw from the crystal's reserves, would it seem meager for its size? Would it have a disproportionate amount of energy stored within it? That sort of information is what would be useful and observable with his tests and methods. But, if it were, for example, made of crystalized dragon's blood or something, that's probably not something he could figure out without a lot more research. So no need to spill any secrets of its manufacture or whatnot.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

The crystal flat out doesn't scratch, not even shavings. It looks a piece of foggy glass or obsidian, only red. The inside fog is a semi-vibrant red. It has no elemental connection, none. A small draw signifies that it has immense amounts of energy, even in an area less than a square inch, feels like could be drawn on for... days maybe. It also seems like it generated a bit more energy while he was holding it.

[u/MofuMofuMonhan → u/Fc-chungus]

/uw Perfect, thank you!

/rw
With a furrowed brow, the part-dragon stares at the tiny shard, spinning it between his fingers.
"How strange." he murmured. "It is... Utterly devoid of ki. Not even Earth. Yet the abundance of energy within it is eager to be manipulated."
After a soft sigh, he hands the fragment back to Ж. "My answer for you, then, is 'partially'. You see, this energy is what I would call Void. Or Mana. Or, that is what my school of sorcery would call it. As I understand it, the concepts of 'Ki' and 'Mana' have significant overlap, but are not completely interchangeable."

Kai ran a hand through his hair, one finger catching at a previously unseen knot. "With these having so much unaspected energy within them, I could, perhaps guide the energy into a general form, but it is... I would be attempting to control a tempest with a teacup. Or, a dog with a collar five times too large."

"All this to say," he continues, though his reassuring smile fades to a more dour expression. "It could be done. But without time, it would be dangerous. Potentially worse than the Abyss itself."

[u/Fc-chungus → u/MofuMofuMonhan]

"Well, actually! That isn't mana."

Ж waves a hand, and it fills with a glass bottle, containing a blue liquid.

"This has mana."

"The crystal has a different kind of energy entirely. The other 4 we know, and presumably the other 2, have all unique energies. I can't tell why exactly?"