The invertibrate 9 out of 10 doctors hate.
The World of the Gods, Chrome Sphere
"Well and good, Cato. Some modifications were bound to happen, of course. We'll see who takes offense. Go. Bid new players welcome."
As the bronze ovoid lazily took its new position, hanging above the sphere of the eisen, the humanoid shape, cloaked, seemed to finally 'look' directly at something. The two pinpoints of fire noted the automaton before the cloak it wore seemed to burn away once more, the flaming eyes extinguished in this sudden expenditure of its fuel. The liquid slowly sank back into the sphere, fires inside igniting again as the engine of creation rotated, casting odd refractions on it at its own attempt at understanding.
"Isn't that right, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg?" - The bravest soldier in the world, addressing celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg
The Perfect Organism
The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation Pavilion
"By my will I am Samauth, God of Death," the skeleton spoke in a dry, raspy whisper. While Samauth's tone of voice remained level, the flame of his eye continued to betray his agitation, billowing in a non-existent wind.
"It is my existence that ensures a finite end to the lives of mortals, and a balance to the cycle of life and death," he continued. "This is not my realm, the cosmos of Light and Darkness. My absence from there, for even these scant few minutes could spell an imbalance that will take an age to put right. Do you have any idea how many mortal souls are supposed to perish, every second?"
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.
Samus wasn't the first.
005.019 - Ebrinada Dynasty Capital
O'Keanu completely ignores the soldiers preparing an attempt to strike, believing it to be beneath him to react to something that wasn't going to affect him. He does, however, use his will to ensure that their swords would shatter on contact with his body instead of just bouncing off of it.
Sonny has a similar non-reaction to Queen Voight's blade being pointed at him, though after a moment he does start looking at and examining the features of the weapon itself.
"A good question. How shall I prove that I am what I claim to be? Well, any fool can commit acts of destruction, so that won't do. No, an act of creation is much more befitting of a god, wouldn't you agree? So create, I shall."
With that, O'Keanu lazily flicks the end of one of his tentacles upward. In that instant, a patch of empty seafloor nearby to the palace cracks and breaks before making way for a cubic monument, 500 meters by 500 meters for each of its 6 faces, to rise out of the earth. The monument in question, an obsidian shape decorated with pinholes from which golden light pours out, was created and put into place in a fraction of a second - yet the act of creation sent only as much vibration through the water as was needed for the whole ocean to notice, and not a tremor more.
"Beautiful, isn't it? A monument to my power, and to what we'll achieve if you place your trust in me. That said, this is just a replica. A 'proof-of-concept', if you will."
O'Keanu turns toward a point in the distance, just south-west of his current location.
"I'll now create the real thing." O'Keanu vanishes, his sudden absence barely disturbing the water. Sonny stays in place before Queen Voight, but says nothing.
006.020 - Ebrinada Dynasty Territory, Adjacent to the Capital
O'Keanu appears over a relatively flat area of seafloor, having chosen this place due to there being nothing here that he might destroy or disturb by what he's about to do. He begins by tracing out a perfect square with a side length of 1 nautical mile. Then, from the ground, he raises another black cube, essentially a scale model of the one in the capital (including the holes) - but with some differences. For one, golden accents now adorn the bottom of the cube; most importantly, though, the face that points upwards has one new hole, larger than all the rest, from which a beacon of light - visible from anywhere in the vicinity, including the capital - travels up to the surface of the water, but does not break it.
With that done, O'Keanu returns to his original position at the capital.
005.019 - Ebrinada Dynasty Capital, again
After a full minute, O'Keanu reappears where he was before, again leaving the water so undisturbed that it's like he never left. He has just one thing to say to the queen of the Ebrinada right now.
"Now do you understand?"
Ay, you! It's Gold, and I'm noble!
The Light That Blinds
Theri
...oh.
It was a tundra. She'd claimed a tundra. Maybe this was a bad idea. Who could live in a tundra? What had made her think any of this was a good idea? She had no idea what she was doing—
A bit of movement caught her attention, and she turned.
There stood a small snow fox, staring at her. Theri stared back. There was a long silence.
Then, slowly, Theri moved towards it, raising her hands in an "I mean no harm" kind of way. "Hi," she said softly, a small smile on her face. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
The world of the gods, Fountain of Creation
Ilkar marched onto the pavilion of the Fountain of Creation. He was unaccompanied besides the sword on his hip and a grim look on his face as he stared around the mostly empty space. It seemed like he was late, with the litany of gods that must've answered the call having already departed to the new world. Good, he thought. Their presence usually only makes it easier for me.
The only gods present other than him appeared to be some party god (Stella, was her name?) handing out booze, an armored skeleton he didn't recognize, and the old geezer Cato. Ilkar shot a hostile look over to the meditator, giving him and his companion in conversation a wide berth as he gazed down onto the new world.
Mostly bare, as most new worlds were. One aquatic kingdom, some fairies and little else. Not exactly ripe for conflict in its current state, but he'd worked with worse. Just a little setup and some patience and this plane could live up to its fullest potential.
He clapped his hands together and his three advisors appeared: Kadrin, dressed in the fine clothing of a businessman, or perhaps a politician. Hrakth, who quickly pocketed some sort of wicked-looking knife. And finally Dathrann, who pulled one of their long strands of hair out their face before facing their liege.
"Here is the new world," said Ilkar to his small council. "What shall we do with it?"
As he often did, Hrakth was the first to give a suggestion. "We could create a rival civilization to the shark people. There is plenty of room in the ocean to the north of their capital. If we were to make them antagonistic enough, blood would easily stain the waves."
Dathrann countered. "The ocean is small, Hrakth. The war would be local, and hard to scale up. And you know how well war goes between land and sea."
Ilkar only watched, eternally amused by the two's arguments.
"Only if you have a lack of imagination, Dathrann, and blood is blood no matter the scale."
"Blood is not our end goal." Kadrin said. "Both of your visions are far too small. We can have conflict on land and sea, it shall just take time. As for my suggestion…" he pointed to a specific point on the surface of the world. An empty grassy plain, sided on both sides by water. "We must remember that there are other gods about, following their own plans. If we could subtly divide their works… If this isthmus is blocked or removed, it splits the planet rather neatly in two, if you take into account the difficulty of crossing the mountains to the west."
Ilkar nodded. Though this particular division was certainly a long-term investment, it would need to be done now if it were to be effective.
"A good plan, Kadrin. Hrakth, this rival civilization shall wait, though I do think it would be valuable. And Dathrann… What is your idea? You have said to not follow Hrakth's plan, but have not given one yourself."
Dathrann opened their mouth but paused to think before saying anything. "I merely agree with Kadrin's scheme, and nothing else."
"Very well. My mind has been made, then. You may return to what you were doing before." Ilkar clapped once more and the three disappeared, sent back to his realm.
Quedrands, about on the border between 014.012 and 015.011
Ilkar looked around the grand emptiness of the plain and the massive sky above. It was too calm. Too quiet.
He drove his sword into the ground, grass and earth parting for the blade before he violently twisted. The ground beneath him cracked at the force and the gash began to grow, one way towards the northeastern sea and another to the lake near the center of this world.
Ilkar watched on as the crack grew to a crevice, the crevice to a canyon, and the canyon into a great abyss, eventually splitting and spreading to consume the entire stretch of land separating the two expanses of water. The sea flooded in once the destruction reached it, drowning what was left with two great waves, both eventually meeting in the middle where Ilkar had stood mere moments before.
Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.
THE SLORG!
World of the gods, fountain of creation pavilion, with Samauth (and others).
"How many? No, I couldn't guess," Cato replied, in a friendly tone, with a smile on his impossible-to-describe face. He spared a little glance over at Ilkar, the friendly smile still on Cato's face, then he looked back at Samauth. "If you are looking for someone to blame, I'm sorry that you will find none. There are workings of the universe that even us gods cannot control, and likewise mysteries even we cannot solve. It was not I nor anyone else here who caused your arrival, and similarly none of us could say why it has happened, either," the eldest god continued, keeping his tone rather polite and casual, despite the circumstances.
"As for that place you would call home though, I think you may not need to worry," Cato then said, standing up just a little straighter and preparing to address Samauth with a somewhat more serious tone. "Now, in truth I cannot be certain that what I am about to say is correct, for I cannot travel to or scry the place you would call home to verify. However, if my senses and experience are correct, then... You are merely a duplicate of the one you know as Samauth. That one is likely still there, assuming nothing has happened to him... It could perhaps even be by his own action that you are now here."
With that, Cato slouched back to his usual posture, returning to his more light hearted demeanor. "It is interesting that you say that back in your home, mortals cannot perish without a god of death. For that is most certainly not the case here," the eldest god mentioned, and turned, walking over casually to the transparent mortal world, which had just finished banking around the ethereal water of the fountain, and was starting to bank back around the other way. "Even on this brand new mortal world, untouched by any god of death here, mortals die," Cato explained, gesturing his free hand over the mortal world.
Ebrinada Dynasty capital, (005.019) almost dawn, with O'Keanu.
The swords, with a little closer inspection, were not actually metal, but instead some kind of forged coral. Through a combination of special properties of coral on this mortal world, and imbued magic in the weapon,note they otherwise for all intents and purposes seemed to have the properties of steel, with the benefit of being entirely rust-proof; though, downsides in comparison to actual steel might become apparent with more familiarity with the weapons. The biggest aesthetic difference was a coral-like pattern in the blades that was not immediately apparent until looking more closely.
Down below, thinking they had an opportunity to strike while O'Keanu was distracted, one group of guards made a charge to stab their spears into one of his tentacles. This of course resulted in the heads of the spears shattering, along with some of the shaft, leaving the guards bewildered and newly frightened again. One guard, either particularly foolish, brash, or both, moved to follow up her failed spear stab with a lunging bite; thankfully, the other guards grabbed her and pulled her back before she could shatter all her teeth on O'Keanu's skin, or even worse.
When the guards made their move, Tomasa was clearly about to make a move of her own, but paused as she saw the results on the guard's weapons. As she stared down at the group, O'Keanu started to speak again, and Tomasa turned her attention back towards him, though with an expression somewhere between dumbfounded and despair. When he created his first example of his power, she turned and stared with a slack jaw at it, barely hearing what else he said, until the last bit.
"The real... Thing?" Tomasa muttered, turning back and then just being more bewildered as O'Keanu was gone. She looked around, as did all the spectating Ebrinada near the edge of the city, until they spotted O'Keanu and the massive cube he was raising in the far distance. Though plenty still looked terrified, there was no doubt now that the Ebrinada were awe-struck. Tomasa's arms drooped, and she inadvertently let go of the swords as her hands were trembling, both slowly sinking down into the city below.
When O'Keanu returned, Tomasa turned towards him slowly, but dared not actually look him in the eyes. She floated there in silence for a few moments, still trembling, then tried to sheath her swords, finally realizing at that moment that she was no longer holding them. She looked at her empty hands, clenched them just briefly, then lowered her head. "... What would you have us do?" she asked after a little more silence, in a tone of fealty.
Out in the cold desert, (011.006) almost dawn, with Theri.
The snow fox continued to stare at Theri, but did not turn to run; something it most likely would have if not for her divine nature, letting her words, or rather the intentions behind them, be felt even to those creatures who could not understand speech. Its ears turned for a moment, then the fox sat its rear down, all while continuing to stare at Theri.
You are reading this.
Galius creating a nice forge
"Hmm cute animals, a shame I got to take a bit of this forest for me."
Galius thought out loud as he raised his hands using his powers to turn nearby trees into lumber, extract ore and rocks from the earth, all these materials conglomerating in a big structure surrounding the geyser with a hole at the rooftop to let the magic still flow naturally to the atmosphere besides he doesn't know what could happened if he deprives the zone of the effects of this geyser.
"Now for the moment of truth"
Galius held his hands together creating an iron ingot between his hands, then hold it directly in the magic stream and see what happens.
Druid Dude
Nathan Munsen, Inside Civilization
"Another one?" Nathan sighs. He stretches his arms above his head and lays back on the grass, sheep flitting around him, some butting their heads against him.
"My lord!" gasps the Guide of Agriculture, the stout old man stumbling up the hill where his god lay.
"Ah, McDonald!" Nathan smiles.
"There you are!" McDonald pants. "The Council of Humanity is looking to convene."
"Whatever for?" yawns the god of Humanity.
"Polo discovered a signal. From elsewhere. From-"
"Another world, yeah, I know." Nathan smiles.
"Do you... not plan on checking it out? The signal's been going on for a while now." McDonald asks in wonder.
"Oh, I will." Nathan nods, before jumping into a standing position, startling the sheep around him. "It's been so long since I've been active. My diplomatic skills are a little rusty."
"What diplomatic skills?" McDonald snarks. Nathan turns his head 360 degrees to face McDonald with an eerie smile, before snapping it back into place with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right." Nathan amends. "I'll go ahead now. Can't keep the caller waiting. he smiles. McDonald's jaw drops.
"B-but the council!" he yelps.
You guys'll be fine! Just don't get into another war." Nathan laughs, before disappearing in a flash of light.
Forge of Creation
The first think Nathan noticed was the saxophone and the crowd. He whistled in appreciation and looked around at all the gods. "Seems like I missed something." he laughs. "Howdy everyone." he says, just loud enough to be heard over the music.
Edited by Jules-Firenze on Aug 11th 2023 at 8:28:59 PM
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
CG for short
Stella Rosa - The Fountain of Creation - Hmm, I should get around to doing god things for once
"Tehehe, of course," The Lovely responded to Cato's request and gave him a bottle of wine.
Meanwhile, Stella joined in her own drinking, chugging down dozen of bottles of wine and other alcoholic drinks with her Lovelies. She didn't care much about the gods that gave her judging glares such as that nature goddess. As she kept on drinking, Claire approached her and gently stroked her cheek to get her attention.
"Stella, dear, I think we should get around to do something with that mortal world," Claire said. "I mean I would enjoy partying with the mortals there."
Stella chuckled.
"I'll consider it but I wanna keep drinking."
"Awwww, Stella, I really wanna have some fun with these mortals; pretty pleeeassseee..." Claire stared at Stella with puppy dog eyes. The latter playfully rolled her eyes in response.
"Alright, I'll do something with that world. I am hoping to at bring upon a permanent jazz age to at least one world, so I suppose I can make some progress on that goal. Can you please grab me a map of the mortal world, honey?"
"Of course!"
After a minute or so, Claire comes back with a map in her hand. She and Stella sat down, using a barrel to place the map on.
"So, what are you thinking of doing?"
"Hmmm..."
Stella thought for a few seconds before she seemingly impulsively pointed to a random spot on the map.
"Let's claim that spot."
That very spot is 011.011.
Stella Rosa - 011.011 - Turn Action time!
In a random piece of land surrounded by some water and desert, Stella, Claire and a few other Lovelies manifested in the area. There doesn't seem to be any nearby mortal settlements.
Stella analyzed the territory, figuring out the general climate, its size and local flora.
"Alright, I made up my mind..."
> "I'll build a wonderful theater exactly in the center of this land where performances will be held in my honor and everyone has a good time as they get themselves drunk."
Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Aug 11th 2023 at 9:51:54 AM
Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."
The Perfect Organism
The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation Pavilion
At Cato's postulation that he was a duplicate, Samauth's posture slackened and the fire in his eye condensed into a bright pinprick of light. The possibility was staggering. He and his kin had always possessed the innate ability to create extensions of their will, of themselves, capable of acting independently. Samauth's own Seers and Overseers were a prime example. In doing so however, the god's power was in no way diminished. He recalled that Anachron, the Interloper had once theorized that the gods may be able to create perfect copies of themselves. For one reason or another, no god felt compelled to do such a thing and it quietly became an unspoken taboo.
Samauth was loath to admit it, but perhaps the Lord of Mages had been right, after all. It would explain how the only things present here were Samauth and his manifestations. His menials, his Leaden Knights, even Valdash itself. Well, a portion of it, anyway. Entirely absent were the souls of the dead. If he and his realm had been transported here in whole then surely they would still be swarming about the halls in processions to their respective afterlives. Samauth regained his composure as shock was replaced with calmness at last. He was sure, somehow that the balance of life and death continued, unabated in Aezha. Wherever that was, relative to here.
"I believe you," Samauth said at last to Cato. His eye flame had settled, resembling candlelight. He followed Cato to the fountain as the old man explained a considerable difference between here and Aezha. "If a god is not required to impart something so fundamental upon this reality, then I wonder why I am here at all," he pondered, scrutinizing this new "world". Looking at it, Samauth actually chuckled, a show of mirth so rare it would have left his divine siblings in shock. But how could he not? It was so small, and flat, and carried upon the back of some ridiculous animal. It flew in the face of the physical laws his elder brother Heeros literally embodied. The God of Space would surely have smote the thing as an affront to him.
Twinkling in his sight like stardust, Samauth could see the souls of the mortals upon this world. Here and there, he could see the gods who had chosen to go amongst them, shining like novae. "Perhaps, if their ends are inevitable regardless, I might pursue the service I provide in my family's 'mortal game'," he proposed. "If I were to connect this world to my realm, Valdash, then the souls of the dead will flow unto me. I will see to it that their deeds are judged, punishment or rewards are afforded to them, and eventually, that the souls are purified and returned to the cycle." Samauth looked up from the fountain to address Cato, face to indistinct face.
"Should such a thing be permissible? I am a newcomer here, but I know better than most that there are rules to this sort of thing."
Higher beings, these words are for you alone.
THE SLORG!
The magic geyser, (012.004) almost dawn, with Galius.
What would've been an extremely reckless and quite easily fatal decision for any normal mortal was not a problem at all for a god like Galius, as he plunged his arm into the stream of raw, arcane energy. Once he pulled the ingot out and inspected it, he would find it imbued with a potent amount of magical energy, glowing with the same shifting rainbow of iridescence that the geyser itself did.
He would know, as a god of the forge, that in its current state this magic would be wild and uncontrolled, capable of a wide array of different effects, but never with any predictability or reliability as to what particular effect would happen at any given time. He could forge it into something while keeping this state, or alternatively, it wouldn't really be difficult for him to forge the magic in much the same way as forging metal, to hone it to a specific effect instead.
This was all something he could hypothetically do without the geyser anyway, since he was a god. However, having it on hand would make the task easier, as he wouldn't have to spend the time imbuing things with his own energy.
World of the gods, fountain of creation pavilion, with Samauth. (and Nathan)
Cato looked over at Nathan and gave him a simple wave of acknowledgement when he entered. Then the eldest god returned his attention to Samauth.
To that, Cato shrugged. "Perhaps whoever duplicated you is or was not aware of that being the case here," the eldest god guessed, then listened quietly as Samauth posed his question.
Cato nodded. "Our traditions here are not strict laws, but more a matter of mutual politeness. As none of us can strike each other down, no matter how hard we may try, our traditions are simply to try to reduce the bickering," the eldest god explained, then made a few steps towards the edge of the pavilion, beckoning for Samauth to follow. "Why don't you join me in my orchard, and I can explain things to you more in full, and answer any questions you have," Cato suggested, but then paused, turning his head to look at nothing in particular in the air.
"... Oh, though first," Cato muttered quietly, raising his walking stick and moving it in a circle in the air. Thin, geometric shapes were left in the air in the wake of it, almost like adrift pieces breaking off, though there didn't seem to be any harm or anything missing from the walking stick after the fact. Thus the shapes made a rough circle in the air, and between them magic started to swirl, forming a spinning vortex, a portal, only a bit larger than Cato's head. He hooked the curved end of his walking stick on the edge of the portal, and pulled to rotate the portal's frame, which expanded rapidly as it did. Once it was about twenty feet across in size, Cato pulled his walking stick away, and took a step back.
Something came through the portal, unseen, but heard clearly, through its loud thrumming of rapidly beating wings. There was a thump of something large coming to rest on the floor, and the thrum of the wings stopped. After a slight shimmer, the creature's invisibility dropped away, revealing a massive insect the size of a bull elephant, its body parts all oddly geometric, and just barely not touching each other; in terms of what insect, it seemed to be some kind of cross between a honeybee, and a black widow spider.
It was not alone, for it had actually been carrying one of Cato's apiaries between its legs, which it had set on the floor and perched on top of before they both turned visible. Workers, warriors, and some other specialist bees, all likewise looking like crosses between honeybees and black widow spiders, milled about on the apiary, but did not leave it. From two larger openings, a pair of queen bees, both around the size of a cat emerged, and faced Cato. It seemed like they probably would've been identical, if not for one sporting a noticeable scar along her side, and two of the legs there having clearly been regrown at some point.
"Eleni and Elena, I am glad you are alright. I was a little worried when you did not return upon Arcellex's ascension," Cato said to the two.
"We thought to remain there and dig in with fortifications and traps; really give Arcellex a surprise when he descended again," Elena, the non-scarred one said, as her sister nodded in concurrence.
"Did you recall us simply to check on our condition?" Eleni then asked.
"That, and because Arcellex probably won't be descending for our game as soon as he normally would. He has decided to take an interest in the latest mortal world, which just recently emerged," Cato answered, pointing over at the image of the world with his walking stick.
"Ah, and you want us to interfere with him there?" Elena guessed, her mandibles clicking in anticipation.
"No, as I said, it is not our usual game with each other," Cato replied, shaking his head. "But I would like you two to go there and use your particular skills, for observation. Not for Arcellex however; in fact I suspect his followers there may actually be allies in this case. There is a war god, Ilkar, whose actions I would like to be kept track of, as well as the rest of the gods there," the eldest god explained, and moved a little closer to the queen bees. "Of course, since it is not our game, you are not to fight with them, or provoke them to 'defend yourselves'. Simply observe what they do, and have it reported back to me."
"Hah! An easy task," Eleni said, raising her two frontmost legs for a moment.
"Arcellex could not track us; that upstart Ilkar would be lucky to even realize we were there," Elena said in agreement, also raising her two frontmost legs.
"This is not a conflict," Cato reminded them, in a friendly, slightly firm tone. "I simply wish to stay informed of his actions... Especially any that he may try to obscure through the influence of mortals."
"Very well, Cato," the two queens said simultaneously, each giving him a little bow.
"Daughter, lift us off! We go for the mortal world!" Elena yelled up to the massive bee that served as their apiary carrier. Both of the queens, and the rest of their hive daughters, crawled back into the apiary as the massive bee lifted off, hauling the apiary off the floor with her. Both the massive bee and the apiary shimmered and vanished, but the thrumming could be heard moving to the transparent image of the mortal world. Then the noise died off, as they entered the world.
The likewise transparent creature that was carrying the world finally flew through one of the openings of the pavilion, entering the sky of the world of the gods. It would continue to circle close to the pavilion for a long time still, as was typical for the newest mortal worlds.
Cato moved up to the portal he'd made, and tapped it twice with his walking stick. The swirling magic was sucked back into the shapes at the edges, as they were likewise drawn back to the walking stick. The eldest god looked out of the pavilion at something, then looked back at Samauth. "Now, my apologies. Come, I must make one short stop first, then we may go to my orchard," Cato said, then turned and walked out of the pavilion, vanishing in a swirl of cloud mist.
World of the gods, a brief stop at Rav'nixander's construct realm.
In a similar swirl of cloud mist, Cato appeared on top of the construct of Rav'nixander's realm. "Hello there. You missed my notice at first," Cato said in a friendly tone, gently tapping the bottom of his walking stick on the top of the construct a few times. "I can tell you are a fellow god in there, and a new one. Surprising to have two so close together... Regardless, why don't you come join me at my orchard, so I can answer the questions I'm sure you have..."
TWO WEEKS LATER. Mid morning on Quedrands.
Stella's theater, (011.011) during the interim.
Stella's theater wasn't exactly getting a lot of traffic, aside from her own immortals, as the main population of mortals on the world had no means of traveling there... And would have trouble doing so without suffocating, regardless.
Yet, things were not entirely without event. The same day that Stella began to make her theater, some great quake was heard out to the East. The lake just South of them, the largest body of freshwater on the world, was suddenly joined with the Northeastern ocean. The mixing of them spelled the death of many freshwater fish, and the shore was clogged with their bodies for days as the gulls and other scavengers had a feast of untold proportions.
Then, three days ago, the theater did finally have their first native customers arrive. A duo of apparently nameless, magic beings; small fairies, who were quite eager to take part in the various revelries that Stella offered at the theater. They stayed for a full day, then departed, saying that they would tell the rest of the fairies about this great place.
Tarna's fairy woods, (013.018) during the interim.
The fairies were rather unconcerned about Tarna's rule, or the immortal butterfly left to keep an eye on them. At most, they would occasionally ask it if Tarna could create new fruits with different flavors to try, or simple, inane requests like moving some tree branches for better sunbathing on the leaves. These requests were few and infrequent, however.
Over the span of the two weeks, it became apparent that a few of the fairies would occasionally leave and travel the world. They could do this at impressive speed, since they were magical beings, using what they called 'shortcuts'. The ones who traveled would then tell the others about things they had found.
A huge structure in the jungle up North, near the coast, left behind when that storm finally abated. The fairies weren't sure what to make of it, but could tell it was radiating some kind of strange magic they'd never seen before.
Some kind of 'forge' now surrounded the magic geyser at the North edge of the world. It did not actually block the geyser itself though, with a big hole in the roof, which was apparently how the fairy who found it got inside. Since the geyser itself was effectively the same, the fairies didn't care about it much.
A new island had emerged on the far side of the world, in the North Eastern ocean. Despite the fact that it had arisen rather abruptly, and was apparently covered in woodland even though it had just been under the ocean, this one was especially uninteresting to the fairies.
Some massive, living statue thing had emerged from the small ocean out to the East. The fairy who found it said the statue was clearly confused about something.
Finally, on this latest morning, two fairies arrived and spoke of a 'theater' where different alcoholic drinks were served, and shows were given, all free! While the other stories were met with only some interest, this one had the fairies quite enthusiastic.
Thus, a group of the fairies moved over to the rainbow butterfly that Tarna had left. "Hey, hey! Can Tarna help us make a big shortcut from here straight to the theater?!" one fairy asked excitedly, and the rest of the group concurred with their bell-like voices.
O'Keanu's Ebrinada Dynasty, (capital at 005.019) during the interim.
The two weeks were rather eventful for the Ebrinada, as Queen Voight swore her allegiance and that of the Dynasty to their new god, O'Keanu. The monument he'd created served its purpose in swaying the majority of the population, and for all intents and purposes the entire territory of the Dynasty was now occupied by his followers.
... But not all was well, for not all of the Ebrinada took so kindly to this change. The main focus of these stirrings in the Dynasty was one Hasso Nuadu. Hasso was the Ebrinada's most accomplished general; of course, the Ebrinada had never been in a proper war, but he was the best at the war games they had conducted, and his legion were the most skilled in keeping the Dynasty safe from dangerous predators in the waters. His reputation was such that there were even common rumors that he was the one Queen Voight would most certainly take as her royal consort, and thus become the father of the Dynasty's heir; or at least, that was what all the Ebrinada believed before the troubles began.
It was Hasso's firm belief that while O'Keanu was no doubt very powerful, he had not created the Ebrinada, which they knew from their own historical records. As such, he objected strongly to the Dynasty swearing fealty to O'Keanu. Most major government buildings and gear for the legions were modified to bear the symbol of O'Keanu (or if he did not have one/did not give it to the Ebrinada, then one that was supposed to represent him,) by Queen Voight's orders, but not Hasso's; he refused to follow those orders, and then gathered his legion and had them refuse to follow any more orders from the Dynasty, until the symbols of O'Keanu were removed. Not only that, but Hasso had his soldiers start gathering citizens who felt similarly to him about O'Keanu, to start a movement of protest in the Dynasty.
No violence had broken out yet, but things were incredibly tense. Advisors who were more fervent in their faith to O'Keanu, and the other generals who were frustrated at having to pick up the slack since Hasso's legion had stopped protecting the Dynasty's territory, all were calling for Hasso's arrest. However, Queen Voight had refused to do so yet, arguing that it would spark an all out rebellion from Hasso's legion.
Galius' magic geyser forge, (012.004) during the interim.
Galius and his immortals were mostly left to themselves up in the forge, as none of the wild animals seemed keen on interfering. The only event of note was around a week ago, when an apparently nameless fairy got into the building by some unknown means. She asked a lot of questions and poked at some stuff, then left through equally unseen means.
Meowing's new island, (022.009) during the interim.
Like Galius, Meowing's island was mostly free from any notable happenings during the two weeks. A nameless fairy showed up a few days ago, and flew around a bit while looking at the new forest. He left not long after, apparently bored.
Rav'nixander's city body, (020.016) during the interim.
Aside from various populations of gulls and other birds seeing if they could make nests upon the city body, likewise not much happened. Except, a couple days after the city body had emerged, a small fairy spotted it while she was flying through the woodlands just to the South. She flew up close to the head, looking very interested, and then somewhat concerned, and left after a few hours.
This morning, she returned, flying around the city body's head relatively slowly. She stopped in front of it, fidgeting her hands as she looked unsure if she should say what she wanted to say. "... Are you... Okay?" she finally said after some silence, in an awkward but concerned tone, her voice chiming like a little bell.
Arcellex's ziggurat, (016.012) during the interim.
There had been a massive turmoil in the lands just west of the pillar, as grasslands suddenly tore away and joined two previously separated bodies of water. A high number of dead fish washed up on the shores, though not to the extent that was happening out to the West. Thankfully though, none of this really disturbed the pillar, nor the process of the Ichor.
It was only a few days later that a few magic beings, small fairies from the South, came to investigate the jungle. They stayed at a distance though, and left not long after they had arrived.
By the end of the two weeks, the hornets, fungus, the crows, and the rabbits were beginning to change, different from their original selves, but not yet at the goal of the Ichor for them. Still, the process was underway, and would be hard to interrupt now. Harder still if Arcellex were to intervene.
Edited by FirockFinion on Aug 13th 2023 at 7:01:20 AM
You are reading this.
I'm helping!
World of the Gods — Fountain Pavilion
Meowing friendship + with Cato!"Don't worry too much about who's keeping track of that," Meowing whispers... to someone... as she sips on one of those surprisingly strong fruity umbrella drinks she got from one of Stella's Lovelies. Not that alcohol affects her like a mortal; she's however drunk she wants to be without regard to how much alcohol she actually consumed. Which, right now, is pretty tipsy.
Lucky friendship ++ with Cato!
Meowing friendship ++ with Stella!
Meowing notices Tarna and Ruviel.
Meowing notices O'Keanu.
Meowing notices Theri.
Meowing notices Galius.
Meowing notices Samauth.
Meowing notices Ilkar.
Suddenly, she tilts her head curiously. "Oh, my island's ready! Hate to drink and run, but I really should go enact step 2. Maybe I'll be back afterward! Unless I forget. C'mon, Lucky!"
Lucky gives Cato one last affectionate nuzzle before heading back to his perch on Meowing's shoulder, whereupon Meowing draws a circle in the air which becomes a portal to her cat cafe. "You can move this wherever you like, it'll lead the same place. Mostly I'm just giving y'all a way to reach me." And indeed, the moment she enters the cafe (and Lucky hops off her shoulder to curl up in a nice comfy cat bed) she vanishes in a swirl of energy.
New island (022.009)
Meowing appears. "Hmm, what this place needs is some wildlife."She begins drawing more circles in the air.
"Oh, there was a fairy here! We should have fairies here!"
Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
The World of the Gods, Ilkar's Realm
A view of the new world had been transferred onto a large stone slab in the middle of Ilkar's throne room, and now Ilkar, Kadrin, and Hrakth looked down at the changing landscape. Dathrann had been sent to lurk at the Fountain Pavilion, in order to keep tabs of what was going on there.
In the meantime since Ilkar's splitting of the continent, they had considered how to take the next step and create a civilization to rival the Ebrinada Dynasty, as Hrakth had suggested They had already agreed upon:
- That the new people should lurk in the deepest parts of the ocean, to make it harder for the Ebrinada to achieve total victory,
- And the civilization should initially be one of primitive-tech raiders, but slowly advance to the Ebrinada's level as they steal their technology and methods before hopefully becoming roughly equals.
Besides that, little else had been decided, including what these new people would look like, which had been debated down to two options over the course of multiple days. "Let them be like anglerfish," declared Hrakth. "You and your teeth," said Kadrin. "I say they should be like one of those deep-sea eels, the ones with the large mouths."
"I agree with Kadrin. The stranger their appearance to the Ebrinada, the more likely they are to come into conflict. An anglerfish would be too familiar." said Ilkar, ending the debate.
Hrakth grumbled but said nothing more, and it was that moment that Dathrann returned. "My liege," they said, addressing Ilkar immediately. "A new god has arrived at the pavilion, one that would be of interest to you. A god of humanity."
Ilkar rubbed his chin, clearly interested. "Have they made their mark on the world yet?"
"I do not believe so."
Ilkar turned and stared at the grand map for a moment before continuing. "Go on with your debates. I shall hear your arguments for the new people when I return. This new god could be beneficial to our plans, if we play our cards right."
He stood, and abruptly disappeared, off to the Fountain of Creation.
The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation
Ilkar appeared suddenly, landing on the pavilion with a thud before looking around. Fortunately, the god of humanity Dathrann had reported on was still there. "Greetings, my companion in godhood," Ilkar said. "I am Ilkar. I would like to privately talk to you about something important, but first I shall ask your name, as is polite."
Edited by AmazingGoob on Aug 15th 2023 at 6:30:56 AM
Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.
The Light That Blinds
Theri, 011.006
Theri still wasn't sure what to do.
She'd visited this tundra every day for the past week, mostly to spend time with the snow fox she'd befriended (she'd named them Khione), but everyone else had claimed the other parts of this world and she didn't want to impose. So she'd just kept visiting the small corner of the world she'd carved out for herself.
What could she do with it? There wasn't much in the way of life here, and she couldn't...
Unless...
Could she create a new people? One that could live in this frozen land? Did she have that power? She didn't need permission, this section was hers, but...hm.
Could she...should she...
Theri decided she would.
She stood up from where she'd been sitting and walked over to a patch of snow, Khione following at her heels. Theri bent down and—very carefully—began to sculpt a person out of snow.
She must've spent hours on it, painstakingly crafting a person by hand, out of snow no less. With any luck, once infused with life they would not still be made of snow, but they would still be linked to the tundra they'd spawned from. She'd prefer if they were able to survive there.
But eventually, she did finish, and stepped back to admire her handiwork. A sculpture of snow, depicting a rather average-looking person. It was nothing special, but it was something she'd made, and Theri took no small amount of pride in that.
Now... She took a deep breath, then put her hands on it to infuse it with life.
I hope this works.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
THE SLORG!
Theri's tundra, (011.006) mid morning.
The whole figure glowed brightly with Theri's divine energy, and when it dimmed, they did not look the same as they did before. By shape, they were practically a human, but their skin was stark white, while their hair was a deep sapphire. They were perfectly still for a few moments, then stirred, slowly, their eyes blinking open, which held the same deep sapphire color as their hair. Indeed, as Theri hoped, this being was not made of snow, but being made from it, they were imbued with its essence, making their breath and skin seem cold even in this climate.
From this experience, Theri could certainly make more of these beings in the same exact way. Or, she could take what she'd learned to make beings that were different, if this was not quite what she had in mind.
The figure stared at Theri for a few moments, then held up and looked at their own hands. Their expression was mostly neutral, with the only emotion at all discernable being... Confusion. "... Who?" they asked after several more moments, looking back up at Theri.
Edited by FirockFinion on Aug 14th 2023 at 11:29:02 AM
You are reading this.
Druid Dude
Nathan Munsen, Time for a Meet-and-Greet!
The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation
Nathan Munsen turned around to face the god with the garb of a black knight and smiled. An honest one. "Oh, hello there!" he waves. "I'm honestly a little lost on what to do around here. Ilkar, huh?" he hums. "Nathan Munsen. God of Civilization and Humanity. What would a god such as you want with me?"
Elsewhere in the Fountain
"Howdy!" he waved towards the newcomer. "Just came, huh? What's your domain?" He looked between Icon and Cato.
Theri's Tundra, 011.006
Elsewhere, Nathan could sense the creation of... something. Perhaps he could check it out. It was a while since he did so, but he began splitting his presence into several pieces. One of them appears in the tundra in the form of a human, hiding behind some rocks, his breath hitching as he saw the goddess create life. They're not humans, but... He immediately began thinking of what this meant for him, and he thought of talking to the goddess. How though?
Stella's Theater, 011.011
This part of Nathan didn't see the need to hide himself, and he laughed in delight at the festivities (and the drinks) of the theater. If he remembered correctly, there would be a goddess who oversaw this theater. He smiled and took one of the many drinks being offered and sipped. "Man, Sylvester would love this place..." he sighed as he remembered the Guide of Debauchery. He waded through the Lovelies and tried his best to find Stella.
Meowing's Island, 022.009
On Meowing's island, he did a similar thing, looking for the goddess who oversaw this place. It looked empty so far, but he supposed that she needed time to create.
Rav'nixander's City Body, 020.016
"...Wow." Nathan whistles, looking upon the... city-like being. He shrugs, cups his hands over his mouth, and yells, "Hello! Anyone there?! Nice to meet you!"
Edited by Jules-Firenze on Aug 14th 2023 at 8:30:04 PM
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
World of the Gods — Icon's cafe
Icon heard the call of another mortal realms creation and thought they would have wanted to leave as soon as they could the Café needed them to prepare it for extended leave. It wasn't a true rule nothing with Icon ever was, but it was part of the deception that the work had to be done. On the other hand it also was a calming ritual of sorts to Icon, and it also gave the patrons of their humble realm notice that Icon was going to be focused elsewhere.and so time passed.
World of the Gods — Fountain Pavilion
"Why Hello Cato!" An unfamiliar voice exclaimed as it's owner arrived to the mortal realms representation. They were dressed in a well fitted suit and tie, their face was covered with a white mask, elaborately carved so that it gave the illusion it's eyes were watching the observer. Behind it Icon's face and hair shifted as it was changing to be a perfect mix of everyones preference.
They gave all the other Gods a polite nod. "I hope I am not too late to join in on playing with this world."
Hiden behind the mask Icon was already eyeing a portion of the land to claim as their own.
I'm helping!
Meowing's new island (022.009)
Meowing notices Nathan.Meowing's ears perk up as Nathan appears on her island. "Hey, it's some guy!" She swooces over to him and gives a friendly wave. "Hi there, some guy!" Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
For the Horde!
Night fell once again on the Mother Tree. Normally, in the World of the Gods, there was no day or night, but in Tarna's realm, there was a full day-night cycle, so that beasts of both light and darkness would flourish. Tarna had gathered Ruviel and a multitude of her immortal followers, both wildkin and ascended animals, into her most sacred inner sanctum. The room was lit only by the light blue glow of bioluminescent fungi, and the flashing greenish lights of dozens of fireflies. Ruviel lay in the hammock-like boughs of two great willow trees, eyes closed, face up. Tarna stepped up towards the sleeping king.
The wildkin began to chant and sing, ritual hymns that professed the grace, speed and power of the Horned King, their father and creator. Tarna stood before Ruviel, closing her eyes. She put one hand on his heart and another on his forehead. Her fingers traced ley lines on his form, singing gently to him in a long-dead language from an ancient world. Then she raised a wooden bowl of the clearest spring water to his lips, and he drank it gently.
"I, Tarna of the ancient wilds, grant Ruviel, king of the forest, eternity. I grant him divinity. Sleep, Ruviel, the king. Awaken, Ruviel, the god."
Then something happened that had never happened before. Ruviel's eyes shot open, and he began to glow a brilliant green. Tarna jumped back, gasping, her heart skipping a beat. Tarna had attempted this ritual thousands of times before, nightly for the past 5,000 years. Not once had it succeeded, which had saddened and angered her. It seemed unfair to her, that she would have created someone of such strength and beauty, someone she loved with every fiber of her being, and yet true immortality, the one thing that could unite him with her, stayed forever from him.
Unfortunately, the origin of true immortality was something even Cato the Eldest had no knowledge about. The origin of gods was a mystery even to the gods. And for 5,000 years, Tarna had been trying to give her deepest love the kind of power she had experienced for eons.
Now, as Ruviel began to float into the air, Tarna's sadness and bitterness gave way to shock, wonder, and true, utter happiness. The wildkin gasped and immediately fell to the ground, prostrating themselves before their creator. Ruviel continued to light up the entire room with his brilliant green glow, and at once he began to transform, first into a green glowing fox, hanging in the air for a few moments. He let out a high-pitched yip. A moment later he then became a similarly glowing lion, roaring proudly into the night. Then his transformations started to speed up. He turned into a peacock, then a gazelle, a lobster, a swan, an eagle, a rhinoceros, a herring, a baboon, a dog, a walrus, a giraffe, pig, and a multitude of others as soon he was transforming almost faster than the eye could see.
A shockwave of glistening green energy shot across the room, and soon Ruviel stood in the center of the room, in stag form, standing proudly before the gathered immortals and before Tarna. He let out a high-pitched, whistling bellow, and then transformed back into his semi-humanoid form. Among his antlers he now had a crown of flowers and vines, and foliage draped over his shoulders. He looked stronger now, more radiant, more everything. He looked more.
Tarna just stared upon Ruviel, gazing upon him as he stood before her.
"My lady. I feel stronger, greater than ever. Life courses through my veins, my heart pounds with vigor. I can feel it, I can feel the divine energy within me. I am a god now, my lady," Ruviel told her. Tarna's breath became ragged, and joyful tears streamed down the goddess's radiant face.
"Oh... oh Ruviel! Ruviel, my love!" she cried out, running towards him and throwing her hands around him, holding him tightly. "My beloved! You've done it! You've done it!" she exclaimed. Ruviel put his arms around Tarna, holding her warmly. Tarna leaned her face towards him, and the two kissed. They embraced for a moment longer before pulling away.
"My lady, though I am now a god, I am still yours to command. I would gladly stand by you for eternity, my queen. What would you have me do?" Ruviel asked. Tarna continued to happily cry for a moment, unable to respond. Ruviel gently wiped her tears. "My love? Your command?" Ruviel whispered to her. Tarna composed herself, then cleared her throat.
"Lord Ruviel, Horned King of the woods. I renounce my claim to the beasts of the wild, the animals that move across the surface of the myriad worlds. I declare you, Ruviel, king of all beasts, lord of fauna, and ruler of all the creatures of the land, sea, and sky," Tarna proclaimed. The wildkin cheered, and the various gathered immortal beasts let out triumphant roars, bleats, bellows, screeches and all manner of cries. Tarna held out her hand. "Stand by my side, Ruviel. Come with me to the realm of Cato. There is news to reach the other gods," she explained. "And there is a world to spread your glory to."
A gap began to form in the gathered immortals. The two gods, hand in hand, ran through the gap, leaping into the air and transforming into a pair of birds, that danced in the air and flew out a large opening to the open sky, flying towards the fountain of creation.
That mid-morning, Tarna and Ruviel flew to Cato's pavilion, to meet with the other gods. They transformed into their humanoid forms and surveyed the area, seeing which gods were present. Ruviel's new divinity would shine like a beacon in the world of the gods, hopefully alerting them to the new god in their midst.
Tarna approached Cato, looking back at Ruviel with an uncharacteristic smile on her face.
"Cato, the Eldest. My Ruviel has ascended to godhood," she told him.
Edited by AllHailThrall on Aug 15th 2023 at 4:49:54 AM
I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.
Druid Dude
Meowing's Island, 022.009
"Howdy!" he shouts, then putting his hands on his mouth in surprise. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me." he coughs. "You're staking your claim for this territory, huh? What's your name?"
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation
"Just a simple suggestion. Though, as I asked, could we speak somewhere more privately? If you would, we could return to my own realm. Please, follow me."
The World of the Gods, Ilkar's Realm
Only an odd moment later and the pair arrived. "Welcome to my humble abode," Ilkar said, gesturing around him. The realm itself was oddly standard, you noticed. White marble pillars, a throne, three loyal companions standing around and not much else, besides a large map of the Quedrands in the center. "I wished to talk- you are a god of humanity, and yet there are no humans here in the new world. So, I imagine you are going to create them sometime soon. I am quite a fan of humans, myself, so I simply wanted to aid you in the process."
He moved over to the grand view of the world. "I have scouted out the perfect spot for the first humans to live." He points to a spot slightly to the southeast of the world. [~016.016] "There is wood for buildings, plenty of fish in the inland sea to the south, water and wonders in the jungles to the north, and most importantly, every sort of place a burgeoning civilization could ever hope to explore within striking distance."
Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.
Druid Dude
Nathan Munsen
In Ilkar's Realm
Nathan peers at the map, around the realm, and back to Ilkar. "Nice place ya got here." he smiles and listens to Ilkar's proposition. "That does sound like an interesting spot. Perfect for humans to grow." he turns to the god. "However, I must ask, what's your angle in all this?" his eyes narrow while still smiling. "I've known a few gods, and normally they don't collaborate with others unless they get something out of it."
World of Creation, The Pavilion
Nathan saw the commotion arising, sensing the birth of a new god. He steps forward to see the Flora and Fauna Duo, and looks interested. "You've ascended? Nice. Welcome to the pantheon (if we can call it that)." Nathan greets, hand out to shake.
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
Ilkar's Realm
"A reasonable question," replied Ilkar. "Well, if you must know, I see myself as a god of… conflicts. It sounds bad, I realize, but little conflicts are my favorite. I pride myself on the small scale- you can understand the beauty in that, no? My only motive, then, is to make humans successful, such that there are more humans and thus, more of these little conflicts. Plus, watching them interact with all these different environments is entertaining."
Across the room, Dathrann covered their mouth with a closed fist, in a simple-seeming gesture of interest.
Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.
Druid Dude
Nathan Munsen, Ilkar's Realm
Nathan looked the god up and down. Up and down. "Forgive me for my presumptuousness, but you don't exactly look like a god who prides in small-scale conflicts."
"You wish for humans to conflict. Perhaps (if my guess is correct,) even war." he looks... not exactly angry, but his eyes grow colder. [["As the Guardian of Humanity, I dislike it, even if it were just petty conflicts. But as a Guardian of Civilization..."]] his eyes return to normal. "I agree. Weird duality when it comes to conflict, but I won't stop you, as long as humanity doesn't go extinct."
"Good day, Ilkar." Nathan smiles.
016.016, The First Human Civilization
Nathan warps in, looks around the area, nods, and taps his cane against the ground. Suddenly, the area begins warping, speeding up, and in the time-lapse, you could see humans. The earliest kind going around hunting, to using stone, then metal, and slowly building more and more. Eventually, the are is completely changed, with Greek-style buildings and people roaming around. Satisfied, Nathan leaves.
Civilization, Nathan's Realm
Nathan walks into an amphitheater, where several guides were waiting with bated breath. "Alright, Guides, your time has come. Humanity has been created. They are still somewhat incomplete, however, which is where you all come in. Help them thrive." Nathan raises his arms and booms around the amphitheater, and the Guides cheer, before disappearing, ready to go and help humanity.
Edited by Jules-Firenze on Aug 14th 2023 at 9:48:05 PM
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
Coordinates 20-16
Celestial noise analysis. Return summary; vocal.
The fortress has pulled itself to the shoreline and halted, its limbs resting in the slowly sinking sand.
Cruel wall? Locate? Locate?
A cyclopean gaze in red scans the sky, picking out the stars and then turning its gaze towards the horizon.
... Discrepancies noted. Posit: Breach misaligned.
It tries to push up again and stare out towards the horizon.
Investigating celestial noise.
And the red of its gaze dims.
The World of the Gods
The bronze ovoid hanging in the skies of this place slowly drifts in the direction of the fellow metal simple solid, that being the chrome sphere of Arcellex. It does not act or even speak, it simply hangs there as though it is observing the conversation between the two gods.
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.