Theri's tundra, (011.006) mid morning into early afternoon.

Noel looked at Nathan with a slight furrow to their brow, then turned back to Theri. "I will help," Noel said simply, both because they had nothing better to do, and because after all, they thought their purpose was to combat loneliness. They let Theri handle the finer details, and obviously the imbuing of her magic, but helped with gathering up snow and packing it into the general body shape.

Thus, the creation of the second one went a fair bit faster, and just like Theri hoped, they were a lot more expressive in their emotions. They also looked mostly the same as Noel, except with a slight pink tint to the colors that Noel had. Noel explained to the second one that their purpose was to combat loneliness, so the second one helped with creating the third, making that go faster as well.

So on and so forth it went, that after a few hours, Theri would just be doing the finalizing and magic imbuing of them. These snow folk were by then, of enough numbers and coordination that there would already be another one ready for Theri to get to before she was done with her current one. She had thus become the bottleneck of her own production, but whether that was a problem to her, was up to her.

Thankfully, all the new ones were getting along fine with Noel, despite Noel's difference to them. It was also becoming apparent that Noel felt emotions just fine, but simply didn't express them much. They had an icy exterior.

You are reading this.

Stella's Theater - 011.011, before the performance

O'Keanu and Sonny both wave a tentacle in greetings to the accommodating ladies, the latter doing so a little more enthusiastically than the former.

When Stella comes in, O'Keanu wraps one of his moist tentacles around her outstretched hand and shakes it, to complete the handshake.

"Greetings, Stella. I am O'Keanu, and this is my faithful companion, Sonny."

"Ahoy."

"I may recognise you. That is, if you were the lady musician I passed by when I first arrived here. And the catering crew works for you too, is that right?"

"Either way, the Great Gatsby sounds fine."

Sonny graciously and wordlessly accepts the drinks served to him by the Lovelies. After some hesitation, O'Keanu does the same, remembering an old adage he'd heard about the quality of one's ideas increasing whilst under the influence.

"While I'd love to say there's no pressure, I really would appreciate it if your crew got a move on."

"Speaking of which, we're all accommodated now, so we'll just wait for the show to start."

With that, both O'Keanu and Sonny sit relatively patiently, waiting for the Lovelies to get started with The Great Gatsby.

"Did you know they don't say the letter E once in this book?"

Stella's Theater, during the performance

O'Keanu and Sonny are communicating with each other telepathically, so as not to disturb whatever other audience is watching the play with them.

"Sonny, I've been thinking, and I may have gotten an idea about what to do about our little Hasso situation."

"What's that?"

"I'll let him choose. But... with the added context that I am a god and he is a mortal.

"I see... so you're gonna scare him back into doing his job?"

"Eh, somethin' like that. You stay here, keep watching the play. I have a job to do."

After that, O'Keanu teleports soundlessly out of Stella's theatre, leaving the squid to watch the performance alone. Not that he seems to mind that much.

Ebrinada Dynasty - Whatever hex Hasso Nuadu is on

O'Keanu is currently existing imperceptibly and intangibly in the same area as Hasso Nuadu. He waits and watches, and just as the general has fallen asleep, he makes his move. Entering Nuadu's dreams, the marine god begins to work his magic.

Hasso's Dream - Hasso's mind, bedtime

In Hasso's dream, he will find himself floating in a blank, infinite expanse of seawater. Before him rests the visage of O'Keanu, looking much like he did when he first appeared to Queen Voight - massive and imposing. Before he can say anything, the voice of a god booms out, commanding him to listen.

"I am O'Keanu, god of the seas and oceans, and all life within them. That includes you, Hasso Nuadu, the most accomplished general of the Ebrinada. I speak to you from within your dream in hopes that we might resolve an issue that's been plaguing the peace of the Dynasty."

"Simply put, you believe your people are wrong to honour me because I did not create you. However, that is not why I want the Ebrinada to be loyal to me. It's because, as I said, I am the god of all marine life, including your people. And, as I imagine most gods do, I want my domain to find prosperity and power. To do that most efficiently, my people have to trust, respect and honour me. The tasteful symbols they create bring honour, the honour brings respect, and the respect brings trust. Methinks your earned title of General is an apt comparison. You are honoured with your title, your crew respects you because of your honour, and they trust in your leadership because they respect you. I know you understand the importance of trusting one's leader, after all."

After O'Keanu finishes speaking, he doesn't end the dream just yet. Instead, he simply waits there. Nuadu will get the sense, just as he'll have been sensing the sincerity in each of O'Keanu's words, that now is the time to give any response or questions he might have.

Ay, you! It's Gold, and I'm noble!

20.16

"Consider. You hear about a terrible monster from someone else. And you know you have the means to slay it. Wouldn't you still go looking even though that other person may not have been correct about the existence of the monster?"

The machine body creaked a little as it tried to scan the horizon.

"What are your people like. Little one?"

Fountain of Creation

There is no verbal response from Rav'nixander on the matter of the covert observation bees, mostly because another matter has taken its attention. Namely remarks made by Samauth.

Urgent query: What is the nature of this afterlife you have devised? I may be in opposition depending on its purpose and catchment.

The glyph faintly vibrated as it processed Samauth's remarks after returning from the world.

... Only paradises? Acceptable. I am in opposition to eternal punishments. For what should be easily understood arguments.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

World of the gods, Fountain of Creation.

After standing there for a moment, Tarna leaned over to Cato and said some things in a hushed voice to him. He said nothing, but gave her a simple nod in return, with a mildly somber expression. Then Tarna stood up straight and waved her hand at the image of the mortal world; after standing there a moment longer, she then turned herself into some kind of eagle, and flew off to her distant realm. From the image of the mortal world, Ruviel emerged in the form of a hawk, followed closely by the immortal butterfly, and they went off towards Tarna's realm as well.

Cato watched them go, then turned and walked over to where Samauth and Rav'nixander were. "Tarna has decided to depart her influence from this mortal world," Cato informed them simply, in a mildly disappointed tone, then looked at Rav'nixander. "Were you thinking of adding some mortal followers of your own?" the eldest god wondered in a curious tone.

---

Now unclaimed fairy woods, (013.018) mid morning.

Ruviel gave Stella 2 a smile. "Well, I think..." He started to respond, but trailed off, turning his head and evidently listening to something Stella 2 couldn't hear. His expression shifted to a disappointed frown. "But, what of... I see... No, I understand," Ruviel said aloud, then let out the slightest of sighs before returning his attention to Stella 2, with an apologetic expression.

"So sorry, but I will have to pass, for now. I must return to Tarna's side elsewhere. Perhaps at some later date I may take up your offer," Ruviel told Stella 2, then turned his attention to the fairies that had spoken to him. "You may keep your shortcuts, as we are releasing you from our care. I wish you the best of luck," the god explained to them. He then transformed into a hawk and started to fly into the sky, quickly disappearing as he went back to the realm of the gods, with the immortal butterfly following him and doing the same.

The fairies looked around at each other, clearly a little surprised, then most turned their attention to Stella 2. "Uh... So do you wanna be our new god?" one of them offered, and some of the others murmured in agreement.

---

Heavy kelp forest in Ebrinada Dynasty territory, (006.019) mid morning to night.

Hasso's legion had stationed themselves in the heavy kelp forest, close to the capital. There they could keep themselves supplied with food, while being close to the city to more easily organize civilians for protests.

Hasso himself was a little over average size for an Ebrinada, just under six feet tall from his head to his feet, and about nine and a half feet from his head to the tip of his tail. He had the coloration and pattern of a great white shark, and moved with a commanding presence in his armor, which was seemingly made more for function than form; it wasn't actually that much different than the armor his foot soldiers wore, and had only a few ornate decorations to designate him as the general. He carried a spear, and had a short sword sheathed at his side as a backup weapon; like his armor, neither were particularly extravagant looking, appearing to be fairly normal aside from some reinforcements made to the spear handle to make it harder to break.

Hours went by of Hasso discussing with his officers. O'Keanu was able to observe them in their strategic talks, where they thought nobody could hear them and spoke more openly about what they actually wanted to do. It became clear that they actually did not want to fight with their Ebrinada kin at all, and were hoping to sway enough of the populace to force a change in favor of their goals, namely freedom from O'Keanu. However, they were still preparing for the possibility of conflict, as it seemed they were not willing to back down from their intentions.

Notably, there was a moment when one of the officers started talking about the possibility of having to depose Queen Voight, and install a different leader, probably Hasso himself. However, Hasso was adamant that they would never depose Queen Voight, becoming very angry at his officer for even suggesting it.

Finally, Hasso retired to his tent, and after spending a bit of time cleaning his armor and weapon, he went to sleep...

---

Hasso Nuadu's dream.

Hasso looked around at the infinite sea, his eyes narrowing, until O'Keanu appeared. The Ebrinada did not flee, nor did he charge the deity. Hasso did tense up, ready to try to swim quickly if O'Keanu made a move, but otherwise just watched the god with a calculating, intense glare. When O'Keanu was done speaking, Hasso was quiet for a moment, then let out a scoff.

"You speak of trust, respect, and honor, when you have done nothing to earn any of them," Hasso said in a criticizing tone, his fists clenching. "You who simply appear one day and claim ownership of us and all that we've made, calling it your domain. It was we who built our city! We who maintain our kelp crops! We who domesticated our cattle fish! We who harvest the coral and smith it into weapons and armor! We who give up our lives to keep our homes safe from the giant predators who roam the depths! It is our domain by right! I swore an oath of loyalty to Tomasa, not you!"

Hasso then pointed a finger accusingly at O'Keanu, before yelling in his most angry tone yet, "how could I ever respect you after how you humiliated Tomasa!?"

It would be possible of course for O'Keanu to probe further into the depths of Hasso's mind, if he so chose; to see what it was that the Ebrinada was thinking and feeling, but was not saying to the ocean god.

Even without that step though, there was one thing sticking out already. When Hasso was awake, speaking with his soldiers and officers, he never once said Queen Voight's first name, and always referred to her by that proper title. Here in his dream however, where he was speaking more from his thoughts and emotions directly, she was instead Tomasa to him...

---

Rav'nixander's city body, (020.016) mid morning.

The fairy put a hand to her chin, and slowly rotated upside down as she floated in place, contemplating what Rav'nixander said. "Um... I dunno, I don't think I would want to go fight a monster anyway, so I don't think I get it," she said in an apologetic tone, giving the city god a shrug as she rotated back upright.

"But us? Well, we're made of magic and like, tied to nature and stuff. So we live in some trees, but there's not a whole lot for us to do. So we like to wander around the world and see if there's anything interesting going on," the fairy explained, then seemed to get an idea. "Say, I know you're new around here; would you like to know about some of the other stuff in the world?" she offered to Rav'nixander.

Edited by FirockFinion on Sep 4th 2023 at 12:19:07 PM

You are reading this.

Stella 2 - Ruviel's Unclaimed Fairy Woods (013.018) - Well, that was unexpected

"Alright, see you later, 'hun," Stella 2 bid Ruviel farewell as she watched him and the rainbow butterfly disappear.

Noticing the Fairies turning her attention to her with that question, Stella 2 shrugged.

"Sure, why not. I can build the shortcut here, claim this territory and the land surrounding it."

Looking at the map-leaf the Fairies gave her, Stella 2 pointed at a few spots on it.

> "So, first things first, I'll claim the very territory we're on and build a short-cut to my theater here, then I'll claim some of the surrounding land which would be 012.018, 013.017, 014.018, 014.019. I'll claim more land another time."

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

The World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation Pavilion

"An afterlife of your own?" Samauth pondered, regarding Nathan directly. "Are you perhaps a god of death as well? If so, the logic of this place continues to elude me."

Samauth then found himself being vaguely threatened by another god in the form of some kind of construct.

"Apologies for any confusion, but make no mistake. Only punishment awaits mortals who spread misery and untimely death. Eternally? No, if only because my realm eventually cleanses all souls of their past lives, to prepare them for rebirth unburdened by past deeds," Samauth explained, watching Rav'nixander for any sign of a reaction. "I can craft realms of particular punishment as well. My extended family have sought my services for both, where I come from. I merely opened with the offer of paradises because they are obviously more palatable."

Higher beings, these words are for you alone.

The fairy woods, (013.018) mid morning.

Some of the fairies let out a cheer, and while the others did not cheer, they didn't look like they were upset about this arrangement either. "I don't know what those numbers mean, but sounds good to me," one fairy said with a shrug as he floated up close to Stella 2. "Though uh, I guess we should ask if there was anything you were expecting to get from us, or for us to do in return," he added, seemingly expecting a no, probably due to how Tarna responded to much the same question.

---

World of the gods, Fountain of Creation.

"If I remember correctly, Nathan is a god of Humans," Cato said in a friendly tone, giving Nathan a quick nod. The eldest god then turned his attention back to Samauth. "However, it is certainly possible for any god here to create an afterlife for certain mortals, or even several different afterlives. Though, those such as yourself are certainly more inclined to it."

Cato then turned his head, looking out across the cloudy sky of the world of the gods. "And while Nathan is not one, it is true that there have been other gods of death here before you," he explained further. The eldest god then paused for a moment, bringing his free hand up to stroke his maybe-beard as he looked at Samauth. "Perhaps you'd like to meet some of them?"

You are reading this.

Meowing's island - (022.009)

"I didn't expect anyone, no." Meowing examines the flickering portal. "Something's disrupting this... how exciting! I'll have to check it out!" And with a pop!, she's gone.

016.014

pop! Meowing appears on the other side of the disrupted portal.

"Hellooooooo there~!" she calls out to anyone who wants to listen.

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.

016.12 The crystal Citadel

An entity of liquid, a mere blob, raised itself from the water collection basin within the citadel, its inky form roiling onto the floor. Two pinpricks of light, small at first but suddenly igniting, took shape on the round mass one might call its 'head'. It gazed around at crystalline walls, each hewn with runic carvings in an indecipherable language, yet a language that felt familiar. With curiosity, this being looked around, roiling to different portions of the tower, occasionally passing other rain basins, large hollowed bowls indented into the crystalline structure filling with ink and occasionally spilling out one of these creatures.

In a test of this being's abilities, it felt something ignite behind its eyes, letting a flame roll from inside their body and hover like a lantern in the air. Effortlessly, this fire was manipulated, and in order to preserve cohesion this being pushed the fire into tight, woven threads, spinning a fine cloak without thought. Unbeknownst to any within this new world, Iqatt the Weaver had just made themselves distinct from the primordial forms surrounding them. Others soon tried what they saw, and as the fire was bent the first sparks of life began to emerge from the crystalline structure...

016.014, the jungles in strife

No. It would not be. The change was halted by the breach of several weeks, as if the storm could not continue under its own power. The ecosystem, now changed, ceased its twisting. Nothing sentient would rise here as of yet, though the larger beasts of the jungle soon grew wary of being swarmed near rabbit nests, and the watching fungus caused dismay to any creature caught in its stoic gaze, entire fungal colonies sharing 'information networks' with no brain to truly process the visual data. The insects cultivating them were now the size of one's fist. The complexity of nests between the branches remained ever-expanding. But the storm passed, and nature took its place again, bending around the shifted species and growing wild as it was meant to.

There would still be guests, but far away Arcellex felt disappointment. Perhaps it would be worth another try later, but for now, the change was minimal. The ichor lay dormant.

Nothing answered the asking goddess.

The World of Gods, Fountain of Creation Pavillion

"Heeeeey, uuuhh...."

A meek skeleton wearing a fez approached behind Samauth, appearing from them ists of seemingly nowhere, yet despite the impromptu nature of his visit it felt as if it was a duty fulfilled.

"Yeeeah, there's a LOT of dead wildlife coming in through your whole...network." The skeleton gesticulated wildly, gesturing to seemingly everything and everyone in the space. "Yeah normally I know, it's not worth worrying about but there was a flood, and a storm, and like...mutant animal murder? I don't really know, I've just been getting info secondhand. Look, don't blame me, you took my powers, yeah? No more necromancy, that's my motto, remember? So I didn't do this. I've been watching this happen the whole time. Are we cool? We're cool, yeah man? I mean this was all on Arcellex, not me."

His words shook, a nervous energy about the entity as it seemed to shrink away, vanishing into a shadow few even knew was there. "Uhhh sorry, man, bye!"

"Isn't that right, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg?" - The bravest soldier in the world, addressing celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg

016.014

"No response. How curious! Then what disrupted the portal?" Meowing examines the flow of magic in the area to see if she can identify the cause of the disruption.

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.

Nathan in the World of the Gods, Fountain of Creation Pavilion

"Well, as Mr. Cato, I believe his name is, said, I am a god of Humanity and Civilization." Nathan smiles. "There were enough death people back where I'm from. I just wanted to give humans a nice, stress-free afterlife." he chuckles, and listens intently to Samauth's pitch. "If I didn't have my own afterlife, I'd ask you. You seem like an expert on the subject." Nathan shrugs, then hears about the gods of death. "Interesting... What happened to them?" he tilts his head, confused.

022.009 -> 016.014

Nathan blinks as Meowing disappears. "That was... interesting." he muses. He scans the world and locks onto her, disappearing with a tap of his staff to her location. "Seems like some kinda magic." he hums. "Any sources of that around here?"

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Sep 8th 2023 at 10:28:45 PM

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

016.014, the crystalline tower

Liquid entities roiled and scurried from collection of runes to collection of runes, passing the fire from place to place like worker ants fulfilling an unseen task. Their actions were frantic, and each seemed to collapse back into liquid upon the completion of the task. They would have to hurry. There simply was not enough of the fire to sustain them.

Iqatt, feeling an expansion of mind none of the others had, focused on the dissemination of these fire-charged runes, arcane circuitry crackling with blue flame. Though Iqatt's understanding belonged to something beyond the mortal world, one thing was certain: there was a time constraint on this ritual. As hours passed and the storm subsided, more and more of these liquid entities expended their fire and became inky black pools once again, flowing out of the crystalline tower into the bay, the rocks, the soil. The charged symbols stretched from the base of the structure to its peak.

Few remained alongside Iqatt when the spell was cast. When the fire burned as a candle flame within became a torch and finally a roaring bonfire, consuming the weaver. But this was no act of destruction. The weaving had already begun. As the Lanternfolk gave their fire to the skies, the entire citadel began to rumble. Along the lattices of runes, it started to crack. When finally these fractures grew too great, a shattering was heard for miles. Unaffected by gravity, the crumbling azure glass began to rise above the engineered world below, forming a roughshod 'moon' in the skies above.

The coast now remained quiet, save the crashing of waves and the calls of distant animals. Soon, night would fall, and the fragments of crystal would return to earth in small pieces. The Lanternfolk, now separated into their component pieces, had served their purpose here. If the mortals of this world could not contain the fire within themselves, they had just been granted a material means of doing so. The world was seeded with spellfire and its reigns, a contingency plan for a much larger game...

The world of gods, metallic sphere

The rotation of the large, chrome sphere slowed, the fire within dimming as it came to a halt.

The work was done.

"Isn't that right, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg?" - The bravest soldier in the world, addressing celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg

Stella 2 - Unclaimed Stella Rosa's Fairy Woods - I won't ask much of you lol

"Hmm, all I want of you is..." Stella paused to think, doing an upright variant of the Thinker Pose before finding her answer. "To visit my theater, but only whether you want. You can visit it every day, once or twice a week, monthly, or even only a couple times in the year. It's free for everyone to visit and I don't want to force you to come if you don't want to. I also have rituals that consist of dancing, partying and drinking, which you are free to join in or even host."

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

Out in the jungle, (016.014) mid morning.

Meowing and Nathan would be able to tell that the storm that recently abated was the cause, as it had been arcane and magical in nature. What exactly the purpose of the storm had been, they couldn't be certain, but it seemed likely that the effect to Meowing's portal was unintentional. Which, speaking of, she would be able to stabilize immediately if she so chose, now that the storm had passed.

However while the purpose of the storm could not be discerned for sure, where it came from was incredibly obvious to their divine senses. The large ziggurat, standing like an obelisk in the large jungle trees, at the North edge of the jungle was definitely where the storm originated from.

... Of course, said ziggurat then exploded, and its pieces raised up into the sky, which was also definitely arcane and magical in nature as well.

---

World of the gods, Fountain of Creation.

Cato raised an eyebrow when the skeleton approached, but simply listened as it informed them of the death of much wildlife before leaving. "Curious," the eldest god commented simply, before turning his attention towards Nathan.

"What happened?" Cato replied, a little confused in his tone. "Well, nothing, for the most part. I know of a few that chose to end their own existence for their own reasons, but the majority of them still exist. They simply remain at their own realms, or older mortal worlds that they attend to, and have chosen not to become involved with this latest one as of yet. The same as most of the gods that exist here," the eldest god explained, with a little shrug. "I thought you already knew of this."

---

Stella's Fairy Woods, (013.018) mid morning.

"Oh, so, just what we were going to do anyway. Sounds cool," the fairy replied, then went back to the others to excitedly converse with them.

Some noise was heard, faint in the distance, but caught the attention of a few fairies, who flew upwards and looked North East. "Whoa, something's going on in the jungle," one fairy remarked, seeing the pieces of the ziggurat rising up into the sky. From here, it kind of looked like a rising cloud of glittering confetti. The fairies talked among themselves about it, curious, but seemingly unconcerned.

---

Four days later, current time, almost noon on Quedrands.

---

World of the gods, Fountain of Creation.

As usual, Cato was still at the Fountain's pavilion, watching the mortal world as it closely circled around just outside of the pavilion. He watched, a very mild frown of disappointment forming in his expression. "And so the peace of the new world comes to an end," he muttered, clearly not happy to say it, but stating it more as a simple fact than anything else.

---

The whole of the Quedrands, during the interim.

Thus as the first night fell, pieces of crystallized magic fell upon Quedrands from its new moon-like body. Up in the North, these magic crystals seemed to condense the energy from the magic geyser around them, glowing more brightly with magic by the time they fell to the ground.

Thus, Theri's snow folk were affected the most, many of them finding and seemingly absorbing these magic crystals. Soon afterward, those snow folk who did would find they were capable of shaping the snow around them with magic, and were taking almost naturally to it. This did not actually seem to change their culture much, though.

Far down to the South, Nathan's humans were affected almost as much, taking to shaping and utilizing their primitive fires with their newfound magic. The ones capable of it started to gain power in their culture, and it was clear that if left to themselves, they would soon be ruled by an elite caste of pyromancers.

Down in the deep oceans, Ilkar's Bakaal were not taking as naturally to it, but some of them were becoming shamans capable of a more subtle magic. While there was no fancy shaping of the elements around them, they could dress their warriors in paint that had a noticeable effect on their prowess; not to an intense degree, but enough to be undeniable.

South of them, the Ebrindada were taking to the crystals even less. While a few among their population had found the crystals, and were thus gaining a new magic potential, no great change was coming of it yet. In fact, with the ongoing tension with Hasso's legion, it was almost completely unnoticed in the grand scheme of things, with those who were capable of it usually practicing in secret.

Ironically, it was the fairies who were finding themselves least capable of utilizing the magic crystals, despite being made of magic themselves. A few could use the crystals as a sort of magic battery at most, but with their difficulty in carrying the crystals, none of them saw it as a particularly practical endeavor. While most of the fairies weren't bothered by this, as they were with most things, there were a small handful who were growing frustrated...

---

Theri's tundra, (011.006) during the interim to the present.

Theri's people of the snow, however many she decided to make, remained gathered in the tundra, learning how to maintain their own survival in the land. They didn't need much in the way of shelter, being unbothered even by the harsher snowfalls to occur; especially with the new abilities from the magic crystals.

There was a discussion going on among them, of a more philosophical nature. Given their apparent purpose of combating loneliness, some of them felt they should travel the world, to find if there were any other peoples, and make sure they were not lonely. Others however felt that having any of them separate and leave would be counterintuitive to their purpose, as it would make the others that remain behind feel some loneliness without their kins' presence; and that besides, it was Theri who created them so she could have some people around, so not remaining with her would almost be like betraying her.

---

Stella's theater, (011.011) during the interim to the present.

With the portal directly between the theater and the fairy woods established, Stella's theater became abuzz with the activity of the little magic beings, both metaphorically and somewhat literally as well, given their insect-like wings. It was a pretty big hit with the majority of the fairies, and even those that did not choose to visit (about a fourth of the fairies in total) had no objections to it.

There was just one thing that was possibly a source of confusion for Stella's Lovelies.

"Nah, we don't really care about naming stuff, which is why we don't have any for ourselves," one little fairy man explained, before dunking his entire head into a human-sized cup of wine to take a few gulps. When he came back up for air, he shook his head a couple times. "Now those fish people down South West? They like to name stuff. Call themselves the Ebrinada. Even made up names for the world itself and the giant creature it's on. Quedrands and Leukippos, they call them," he continued.

As like any other god, Stella's divine nature would allow her to understand words of mortal languages, even if she'd never heard them before. 'Ebrinada' and 'Leukippos' were both words made from scratch in the Ebrinada language. Ebrinada itself meant 'those who swim and talk and fight', while Leukippos meant roughly, 'great albino fish who carries the world and whose roars rumble the entire world'.

'Quedrands' however was a little different, in that it was actually a combination of two other Ebrinada words. 'Qued' was their word for the habitable ocean in which they lived; 'rand' was their word for the land, which they could venture out onto while holding their breath, but was not hospitable to them. Put together as 'Quedrands' was how they referred to the world as a whole, so essentially their name for their world was, 'oceans and lands'.

Then another fairy flew in from the entrance, a grumpy expression on her face. "Where's Stella? I want to ask her something," she wondered, looking around.

---

The South-Western ocean, (003.017) where a battle is joined.

An Ebrinada captain, an averaged sized woman with an appearance like a blue shark, looked out at the expanse of water with a frown. "Hasso's legion is threatening civil war back at the capital, and where does the queen want us? Not defending the capital, oh no, but leagues away, seeing if we can expand settlements North," she complained, shaking her head.

"Captain?" one of her soldiers said, in a mildly confused tone.

"It's nothing, soldier, just frustrations," the captain replied, waving a hand dismissively and glancing down at her formation of troops. About some two hundred in total, they were searching across the seabed, looking for caves where predators might lurk and hide. Their ultimate goal was to see if the region could be made safe enough for settlement, for which their legion had been divided into smaller groups to cover a wider area.

The captain lowered her brow as she heard a group of her soldiers yelling at the mouth of a small cave. She swam over there quickly, readying her spear, as she saw two soldiers pulling an injured comrade out of the cave. A few more soldiers then emerged, roughly handling some struggling figure, which they threw down into the seabed and then held their spears towards threateningly. The captain's expression turned to confusion as she stared at this creature that she'd never seen before. "What happened? What is that?" she asked, looking at the Bakaal.

"I don't know, but there were three more in the cave. They ambushed us when we went inside to look," one of the soldiers explained.

"The other ones are dead now," another soldier said, with a scowl.

"No, one got away!" a different soldier yelled, swimming back out of the cave and short on breath. She then looked to the captain and gave a nod before finishing her report, "there was another way out of the cave, in the back. It squeezed through and made for the deeper seabed, to the North."

"And they ambushed you, you said?" the captain asked, looking at the first soldier.

"Not just that. They were armed, ma'am," he replied.

"Armed?!" the captain replied in an incredulous tone. The soldier nodded, then held forward a crude club made of some deep sea rock. The captain frowned. "We should get word back to..." She trailed off, lifting her head as they could all hear more yelling from the other Ebrinada, along with something else, a rising chorus of harsher, more guttural yells, that were not like other Ebrinada.

The captain swam upward for a clearer view, looking towards the North, where the seabed sloped down slightly. From there, more of the Bakaal were coming, yelling in anger for their killed kin, not that the Ebrinada could understand. There had to be between two to three hundred of them by the captain's quick count, swimming in an unorganized school towards them.

"EBRINADA, TO ME!" the captain shouted, "FOUR QUARTERS, NOW!" Though frightened, the Ebrinada soldiers did as they were trained, and formed into four organized formations. Each was shaped like one quarter of a circle, with slight gaps between the four, and the center of the circle more forward than the edges.

"Llewela! Swim to the East! Find the general and report what's happened!" the captain yelled to their fastest swimmer, and that particular Ebrinada went zipping away as fast as her tail could take her. The captain then joined one of the formations, holding her spear at the ready and gritting her teeth. "Here they come! Stick together and hold fast, men!"

Blood began to run in the water as the two sides clashed. The Bakaal had a slight numerical advantage, and the few that had been enhanced by their shamans were stronger, but the Ebrinada were better equipped and trained. The battle would easily go in the Ebrinadas' favor, if there were no intervention; of course, it was ultimately just a small skirmish in the grand scheme of things, but it could set the tone for the two species, being their first interaction with each other...

You are reading this.

Theri (011.006)

Theri had kept watch over the people she'd created, making sure they could survive in the frozen tundras. The magic they'd acquired certainly helped in that regard, and after four days, she was now sure she could trust they'd live. No other god had ever come near the tundra, so she'd had the place to herself.

But now, a new query had sprung up among the people—the question of whether or not to leave and seek out others. Theri didn't have an answer. But...

"If it would make you happy to head out, I won't try and stop you," she said, Khione rubbing against her ankles. "Though I'll admit, I'm not sure if you could survive outside this place..."

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

The world of gods, metallic sphere

As the fires lit once more, a slow, methodical rotation followed, not nearly as rapid, the construct in a much more dormant state of activity now. Another entity had control of this process, an extension of will as all the Lanternfolk were, even if it was a will most never knew.

The weaver could begin great works of their own.

016.014, The skies above the storm-struck jungle

The new 'moon' of blue crystal, jagged shards arranged in oddly perfect ways to create an even, spherical shape despite the rough cracks and breaks through its surface. Within, an ichorous core radiated arcane fire, the flames crackling throughout the moon's core in vast plumes that shot with great pressure through the crags. Iqatt, now something more, now a being both great and eldritch, expanded their understanding of the universe. The Lanternfolk would only be able to return when the fire was in place elsewhere. He flowed through the moon, fire and ichor beginning a complex process of cracking free several fragments, gifts to this new creation.

A great shattering, cracking across the horizon like thunder came as fragments of this crystal began to rain, several large shards jutting ominously in particular directions. Then, with a pulse of flame so bright it could be seen within the artificial sphere, these shards were expelled, arcing towards their intended targets.

016.014, the jungle below, deep in the tangle of roots and soil

The ichor, reaching outwards, multiplied through its species which, in turn, released the ichor within as they died. The process was rapid, and soon the ecosystem within the forest was multiplying the ichor exponentially in minute increments through the short life cycles of local insects. The ichor began to spread into new roots, and trees that took in enough quickly towered over other plant life. All that touched it seemed to bloom and flower with life, surging with magical energies where once only mundane matter dwelt.

012.004, Forge of Galius

A great boulder of lapis-blue crystal streaked through the potent stream of magic flowing from the geyser, slicing like a scalpel through the current. It felt as though this natural, raw magical force cause the fire within the rock to warp, its properties bent. What remained un-tweaked was the ichorous core, which cracked open and spilled into the ground, whatever fire remaining inside of it flowing into this stone. Runes from its creation, etched in a language only known to things from a faraway realm, lit up with these flames. One such rune, resembling an anvil, was lit brighter than the rest. Should a forge of such arcane fire be made, its creations would be imbued with that power, capable of shaping the elements as its designer saw fit. Should the material itself be used to craft items, even more specific properties could be etched into the creation. There was enough raw material and pure magical potential within this stone to do both with ease. A welcoming gift for a fellow craftsman. Beneath the rune representing his works, in a language only the Gods could decipher, was a cryptic message. "For our survival, things must change for the better. Take this token of humility from Iqatt in the knowledge such change is inevitable."

003.017, The depths between

The thunderous crack was heard even in the depths, and as another fragment streaked far towards the cold and crushing waters there was an enormous crash, a great and radiant crystal penetrating the water's surface, drifting as it skewed with impact. When it finally touched the bottom of the depths, it seemed perched between both aquatic civilizations, a rune similar to a coral bloom glowing on its surface. It cracked and broke at its edge, the ichor inside pouring into the coral beds below and releasing astral fire into the stone. Both the primitive Bakaal and the mighty Ebrinada would notice this new neighbor, and the water surged with magic as the astral fire radiated through it like electricity through a puddle. What better way to greet the gods with interests below the waves than something both could claim as a prize?

011.006, The frozen tundras

As the 'moon' overhead splintered several large shards of itself, tumbling through the sky like diamonds, leaving trails of sparkling fragments that would rain over the landscape. One large fragment landed north of Theri and her snow people, melting a huge patch of snow around it with an explosion that made the earth shake. It seemed, through either luck or divine planning, none of the snow folk were harmed and, in fact, were at a perfect distance to marvel at the display of the landing without being close enough for things to register too loud. The cosmic fireworks spilled ichor into the permafrost, releasing the fire contained there as it touched the open air. The rock radiated, the rune on its side resembling stacked circles, a stand-in for the snow people themselves. This was a gift for them and them alone, a means to escape the confines of their icy home in safety and perhaps bring the cold with them. The astral fire, though it appeared as frightening as any other flame, radiated no heat. It was cool to the touch, a rather pleasant temperature for any of the snow-folk who sought to liberate themselves from non-magical mundanity.

Edited by TrapDoorSpringBreaks on Sep 11th 2023 at 10:05:42 AM

"Isn't that right, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg?" - The bravest soldier in the world, addressing celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg

Theri's tundra, (011.006) almost noon.

There was a short silence after what Theri said, as the snow folk had to consider that.

"It sounds like the risk of leaving is a bit too great," one of the ones against letting any of them leave said.

"But that is our own risk to take," one of the ones in favor of going said.

Noel, seemingly deep in thought, (their expression was still hard to read, but Theri would have been getting somewhat accustomed to the subtle changes in their face as they expressed) turned to Theri. "Theri, could you perhaps-"

Noel's question was interrupted with a loud boom of the moon shard's impact, and the subsequent arcane cracking of it releasing its living ichor and sacred fire. Once it had calmed, a number of the snow folk approached cautiously, some using the magic they had already acquired to form a shield of snow and ice in front of themselves, just in case. They calmed a bit once it seemed clear the moon shard was not going to lash out in any way, but chose not to get close and touch it yet, despite the flames evidently not being harmful to them.

"It... Seems to be the same as the crystals from the sky that gave us our magic," one of the snow folk that had approached said over their shoulder, for the benefit of those that had stayed back. "But it has runes on it. I'm not sure what it means."

Noel walked over to where the others were standing, cautiously observing the moon shard, then looked back at Theri. "Do you know what it means? What should we do with it?" they wondered.

Like with Stella hearing the words of the Ebrinada, Theri's divine nature would make her know that the rune of stacked circles was meant as a word or symbol for the snow folk that she had made. Whoever or whatever sent this moon shard down, clearly meant it for them. If she chose to reach out with her magic to investigate it further, she would also be able to find its intended purpose, to imbue the snow folk with magic intended to allow them to survive in warmer climates.

You are reading this.

Ilkar's Realm

Ilkar brooded on his throne. The throne and war room sat empty besides himself and the view of the Quedrands, which he intently stared at. So many frivolous gods this cycle- naive love, parties, and cats(?). And yet for each of them there seemed to be an equal number of wild cards, seemingly playing similar games to himself, if not for the same goals. Hmph. Let them. It'd all lead to conflict, in the end.

"Kadrin," he suddenly said, and he appeared, invoked by his name.

"Yes, my lord?" he replied, bowing shallowly. He was dressed in his usual formal attire. "Go to the far north of the mortal realm, near the fountain of magic where Galius, the smith-god, has made his current residence. Ask him to create an artifact that the mortals cannot help but lust over. One they will fight to obtain."

"Of course, my liege. Do you have any specific requests for what he shall make?"

Ilkar considered the question. "There must only be one, and it must be indivisible. As for what exactly the item is itself- I shall give you the privilege to decide when you ask the smith. Now go." And Kadrin disappeared, thrown to the mortal realm through Ilkar's power.

Galius' Forge, 012.004

Kadrin landed just outside the forge with a thud, gracefully landing on his feet and dusting himself off before taking in the building before him and the shimmering magic that flowed out from its roof. He walked up to the front door of the forge and knocked (assuming there is a door), also declaring: "Galius! I am Kadrin, loyal servant of Ilkar, and he has a request to make of you."

Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.

Galius an eventfull day.

Nothing much has happened at Galius forge appart of a wave of new creations and trinkets, thanks to the new metal the geyser provided everyone was happy pursuing their creative endeavors.

That is until two things happened. One is a giant lapis colored crystal has arrived, startling everyone except Galius, everybody stopped their work to see the mysterious gift.

"Mmh. Generally i'm the one giving gifts its nice to receive one for a change."

Galius stroked his beard as he thinks about how to improve his forge with the crystal as the structure and the geyser as the fire his creation could be even better and more convenient to make.

But that would have to wait as a visitor is knocking on his door and one of high esteem for the war god, perhaps he would come here to request a weapon?

"Yasei go get the door." he said to one of his forged ones.

"Aye" The bronze colored figure went and opened the door for Kadrin and let him in.

"Glad that visitors still have the courtesy to knock." an off hand remark to a less visible visitor. "You have a request? Lets hear it."

Galius' Forge

Kadrin stepped inside the forge and bowed to the god. "Greetings, lord-smith. Ilkar wishes to commission a great work. A single item great enough that mortal kingdoms would go into battle to obtain it, one which is so beautiful or so powerful or both that no mortal mind could resist the temptation to take it." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "I am partial to a bit of irony, so specifically a spindle, perhaps. A tool of the worker, useless to those with power who would seek it and yet it shall be sought after anyways."

"Heh… Excuse me. I am also partial to dramatic speeches, it seems." Kadrin looked around inside the forge and his eyes lingered especially upon the fountain of magic that spewed from its center. "It is a tall ask, but if you were to do this, we would be in your debt- and Ilkar is very good at rewarding those who have helped him."

Chug, chug, chug. The machine marches on.

Nathan Munsen, The Fountain of Creation Pavilion

Nathan listened to the skeleton, looking it up and down, comparing it to a human's for any differences out of slight boredom. "That sounds ecosystem-impacting."

"My bad, I just forgor." Nathan shrugs. "Plus, I'm kinda young for a god, so I don't know too much." he smiles.

016.014

"Ooooh, pretty..." Nathan whispers as the ziggurat explodes and its pieces levitate into the sky. "Now I kinda wanna explore, whaddya say, Meowing?" he gives a lopsided grin.

016.016

Nathan watched as his people began growing. He was slightly concerned when the moon started spitting rocks at them, but he whistled as they began showing skills in pyromancy. "Huh, that's new." he mutters with an almost eerie smile. "I wonder how long it'll take before they start using it on others...?"

Meanwhile his Guides appears amongst the people. They didn't do anything too special. They didn't want each civilization to be too similar, so they simply whispered in the ears of the right people, to lay the seeds of creativity in their minds. Both the Guides and Nathan knew he didn't have the memory or attention span to actually guide humanity, he was its protector.

011.016

Nathan had stepped back to watch Theri and her people, and saw their debates. He alighted next to Theri and said, "Maybe you could... expand their territory somehow? Let their civilization grow and meet others." he shrugs. "It should be fine, I hope." Then the moon sent down a shard, and he jumps back in shock. "I kinda wanna touch it." he mutters.

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Sep 16th 2023 at 10:58:36 PM

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

The Fountain Of Creation

I am pondering whether it would be advised to create mortals. As of yet there are none to inhabit the city-body...

The floating glyph rotates in place.

The matter is simple, Samauth of the dead. I see no practical purpose to eternal punishment afterlives than to satisfy a god's desire for cruelty. Souls naturally reincarnate in this universe. Their sins wiped clean for new nurture to take root. There is no recurring negative facet of a soul that requires imprisonment away from that cycle. So the only purpose to an eternal punishment. Is out of a desire for cruelty. I am ideologically opposed to cruel gods."

20.16, The Interim

There was a lot to learn from the little fae over time, facets of the world and the people that lived upon it before the gods began their work. And news from elsewhere, remarks about new people and their gods in wild places of the planet.

The beginning of showers of magic upon the land, literal mana from heaven if you will, was deeply intriguing to the god of works. Bearing no mortals to utilize it, Rav'nixander simply took to gathering the solidified pieces of magic and attempting to put them in storage within the city-body for later usage. While magic clearly seemed to be a natural phenomena of this world, Rav knew that mortals would come to define the shape of magic, and make it one of their works. A hearty stockpile of energy would be useful for experimentation when there were mortals to use it, surely?

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Picoceles' Realm

Amidst the world of the gods, a mansion sat, and deep within this mansion lay its owner, the Prince of Time, Picoceles. He was relaxing within his study, reading a red book bound in gold while one of his faceless butlers played a violin for background music, when suddenly, the doors to the study were thrust open and another faceless butler came rushing into the room, carrying a small papyrus scroll and seeming quite frantic. As the violin playing came to an abrupt halt, Picoceles looked up from his book, glancing at the new arrival. If he had possessed a human face, he would have been visibly scowling.

"What is it this time, butler?" he groaned. "What could possibly be of such importance that it could warrant interrupting my daily reading time like this?"

The servant just handed him the scroll. Reluctantly, Picoceles unfurled it, and after skimming through it a bit, did a double take.

"A new mortal world?!?!" He shrieked, dropping the scroll and nearly falling out of his chair. "How long ago did it emerge?"

The servant produced a quill and another piece of parchment from its pocket, quickly writing down the answer before presenting it to its master.

"18 DAYS?!?! Wh- but that means....I'm LATE!" Picoceles screeched, leaping out of his chair and to his feet. "I'm late by more than two weeks! This is an atrocity! A blasphemy! I'm never late! I'm always fashionably early!" He put his face uncomfortably close to the servant who'd delivered the message, absolutely fuming with indignation. "How dare you take so long to inform me of this?!? I refuse to let this go unpunished!"

Though Picoceles made no movement with his hands due to their inconvenient shape, the sound of a finger snap echoed through the room, and the butler who'd angered him disappeared in a flash of light. Satisfied, Picoceles took a deep breath, and headed out the door. It was time to take his place among the rest of the gods of this new world.

The Fountain of Creation

Picoceles arrived at the Fountain of Creation with extreme haste, dashing over to where the new mortal world lay as fast as he could.

"Cato! Cato! I'm so sorry I didn't get your invitation earlier, but I've finally arrived! I'm here to-"

Then, he spotted Nathan lingering by the Fountain, and his excitement seemed to diminish a bit.

"Oh. Hello there, Mr. Munsen. Have you been having fun populating this new world with your favorite species of featherless bipeds?" His tone was calm, yet subtly acidic. Though he wouldn't admit it, the fact that Nathan had beaten him to this world was immensely frustrating to him. If he had possessed fists, he would have been clenching them.

Something's Fishy Here...

Nathan Munsen, Fountain of the Gods Pavilion

"Oh hey there old timer." Nathan blinks and smiles placidly at Picoceles. "You're awfully late. It isn't like you." he notes with no malice but interest in his eyes. "You're looking good, except you look ticked off. Anything the matter?" his mouth curls upward at his bad pun.

"Maybe you're thirsty. In that case you can go to Stella. She can hook you up with a drink. Good enough to go back for seconds." his eyes twinkle in amusement.

Edited by Jules-Firenze on Sep 19th 2023 at 12:09:21 AM

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

Theri (011.006)

"I guess I could— aaah!" Theri let out a cry of fear as the moon shard suddenly impacted, instinctively holding up her arm to shield her face. Once it calmed down, and it was clear it wasn't going to harm them, she hesitantly lowered it, staring at the shard in shock.

When Noel asked her if she knew what it was, Theri hesitated again, then slowly approached. As she got closer, the intention became clear: it was made for the snow folk. And...

"I-it's magic," she said, blinking as the implications settled in. "It— it has magic, it can give all of you the ability to survive in warmer weather— you could go where you wanted with this! Do what you wanted! You wouldn't have to be afraid!" Her voice rose with excitement, a smile now on her face.

I don't know who sent this, but thank you—I promise to pay you back!

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."