Lords of Creation: Diskworld (IC)

[Nefarion Xid]

Life breathed a collective sigh of relief as, for the first time in memory, all was still. Fires that had burned since the beginning were quenched and the world was covered with a dim twilight without any heavenly bodies to provide proper illumination. The trees dug their roots deep into the flat earth and stretched their arms into the sky. For once wind didn't scorch or freeze or howl, it just blew. Even without guidance, life grew and multiplied.

The few survivors of the long war had reached an accord, though many old grudges remained. To each, their own. The world was theirs to do with as they will... and there was plenty of world to go around.

It would have been described as a new dawn... had a sun or a concept of dawn existed.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, somewhere on Ril

Onto this newly formed and condensed world slithered a form that was clearly not mortal. For one, it was a rattlesnake and surely out of it's natural element, slithering atop cold mountains, and what's more it was massive, far larger than a venomous snake had any right to be, larger than a man by far. Besides that, it was not dressed as a snake, with it's tall black top hat sporting a skull and crossbones motif, the skull with a serpents fangs, and wearing a snake accomadated dress coat whose long double tails trailed down his back, and a dark button up shirt under the coat. Furthermore, it's face was too lean, to long, and though it kept it's serpentine shape and form, it was entirely too humanoid to be natural, not to mention the fiendish gleam of intelligence in it's eye. Creeping round the huge frosted mountains came the snake, it's eyes scanning left and right clearly searching for something as it's rattle-tail twitched and shook with irritation sending nearby animals into a fright with the sound. This was Azaerel, and he had come snooping around the northern continents frozen peaks in search of artifacts of the great war. Anything to add to his collection would be fine, whole weapons, items and corpses were preferred, but bits and pieces were more than welcome if he could find them...

[Apex_Predator]

A lone figure sat atop a snowy mountain peak near the center of Ril, overlooking a vast forest to the north and a wide plain to the west. The figure was cloaked in a robe of deepest azure, lined with silver runes of curious origin. In that starless and moonless night, one of the very few sources of light were his eyes- eyes that burned with pale flames, always shifting through every color that was part of the spectrum of light (and even then, some colors that were not). His face was shrouded in curious shadow, so that not a feature could be seen with even the flames of his eyes. In his gloved hand he carried an apple- freshly grown from the forest to the north. He twirled it through his hand calmly as he contemplated this world that bore it.

"Strange," he said- and were anyone around to hear, they would note that he sounded like many voices speaking in unison- "that so much order can come from absolute chaos..." He took a bite from the apple. A moment passed, as more of the world formed before his eyes.

"Delicious..."

He fell into a waking slumber then; the dreams of the animals all over the world, the creatures born from some inexplicable miracle, assaulted his unfathomable mind. He had seen the dreams of his brethren many times in the past, though none so clearly as those of these mortal creatures. He had no doubt that as more were born and the others brought new beings into existence, there would be more for him to see.

He looked forward to it.

"Let us see what the others can come up with for now, shall we?"

The Dreamlord continued to eat the delicious fruit and bask in mortal dreams as he watched things unfold, waiting for his opportune time.

[Carden]

As Order was made, as Chaos was ordered,
He who Wept lay against a tree.
- Two lines of an epic found etched on ancient pottery

Sko'Virin - Deep in the Easternmost Forest

Three weeks. It has been three weeks. The shadowy figure looked around at this new, stable place. Nothing he had ever known had contained so much... cohesion. One week since I found this place after the earthquakes had ended, two since they began, three since... He stopped himself before he burst into tears again. Really, he didn't know how long he had been in his torpor. It seemed like forever. He couldn't dwell on that, though, or the memories would come back.

He glanced over his shoulder at the tree that had been giving him support. It was the first time he'd really looked at the scrawny and wild thing. Green leaves covered its large branches; it had grown much in its short life. Other things grew, apples, though he knew not what to call them. Reaching up and grabbing one, he noticed it was firm. He decided to squeeze it to see just how firm. Starting off lightly, he pressed harder and harder. True, it was rather firm, but it eventually smashed into white pulp, black seeds, and a sticky juice. Heh, he thought to himself, interesting... This tree's fruit is VERY interesting. A smile half-formed on his face as he stood up. He spoke at the tree in a deep, raspy voice, "Very well, tree. You've shown me something new. Something... magnificent. I guess I should reward your vigilance in standing here for me these past few days. Watch. Watch as I try something new."

He'd begun to feel the spark in him a couple of days ago. Something about him and this world... It was like holding a magnet to another so they repelled. He felt that he could twist that spark and something would happen, something he wanted. He tried to open himself to that electricity, to let it flow through him. For a second, nothing happened. Two seconds, three... Suddenly, as though lightning shot through his veins, he could see everything for miles. Trees and trees and trees, stretching forth in a massive forest. He saw mountains to the west, lakes to the north, and the ocean to the east. Yes. The ocean. Those barren lands and the ocean. I'll change them. As soon as the thought formed in his head, he knew how.

Pushing the energy inside him into the ground, it spread out in the area he had directed it. Land grew from the sea, pushing what was there before almost silently aside. Grass grew on the land, then bushes, then trees. They grew tall and strong, as did those that were between him and the sea. The act, it drained him somewhat, but was incredibly satisfying. He looked at those trees in front of him, more towers of limb and leaf than trees now. Compared to them, he seemed so small.

"Well, I think that will do for now," thought the elemental aloud. "Not too much, but I'll see to it that it gets bigger." Turning to the fruit tree, he said, "So, how'd you like it? A bit over the top, or not quite enough? Almost makes you feel tiny and insignificant, huh... Well, I'm going to have to fix that. Here, let me try something else."

Grasping the tree as hard as he could and bracing himself, he lifted straight up. Unfortunately, the tree held still. "Well, fine then, I'll just have to do it as is." Pushing more power into the tree, he began to shape it, to grow it. Its roots pushed up out of the ground as they grew wildly, its branches reached up farther and farther, branching into seemingly chaotic patterns. It grew wide, a mile in diameter. The bark grew in a spiral, curving up into the giant's canopy. The roots at the bottom split to form a hollow, its base a hundred feet from the ground. The limbs began to coalesce into platforms and walkways, ending in a near perfect dome of leaves, splotched with red from its many apples. When it was finished, it was as tall as the highest mountain, branches stretching five miles at its widest.

"Truly, you once gave me shelter when I needed it most. I think this is the least I could do for you, fruit bearing tree. Now, you are the grandest of your peers, your lowest limb out-reaching their tallest trunk. Not only that, but from this day forth, you shall be called 'Home' by me. Above all your brothers, you will be the only one I shall truly feel sound sleeping under. Know this and be proud."

Tired after spending his energy twice in so little a time, he wandered into the hollow. Sleep called to him, and he walked calmly to it. Rest. That's what he needed, a good rest. Closing his eyes, he drifting into a sound sleep, the first devoid of nightmares in the past three weeks.

((AP 12-1(Shape Land-Ocean to Trees)-1(World Element-Giant Tree)=10 AP))
((World map re-done in OOC))

[Moose Fisher]

Azaerel, somewhere on Ril

Onto this newly formed and condensed world slithered a form that was clearly not mortal. For one, it was a rattlesnake and surely out of it's natural element, slithering atop cold mountains, and what's more it was massive, far larger than a venomous snake had any right to be, larger than a man by far. Besides that, it was not dressed as a snake, with it's tall black top hat sporting a skull and crossbones motif, the skull with a serpents fangs, and wearing a snake accomadated dress coat whose long double tails trailed down his back, and a dark button up shirt under the coat. Furthermore, it's face was too lean, to long, and though it kept it's serpentine shape and form, it was entirely too humanoid to be natural, not to mention the fiendish gleam of intelligence in it's eye. Creeping round the huge frosted mountains came the snake, it's eyes scanning left and right clearly searching for something as it's rattle-tail twitched and shook with irritation sending nearby animals into a fright with the sound. This was Azaerel, and he had come snooping around the northern continents frozen peaks in search of artifacts of the great war. Anything to add to his collection would be fine, whole weapons, items and corpses were preferred, but bits and pieces were more than welcome if he could find them...

It gleamed in the distance, he could feel its power tugging at his being. A shard of the golden sword, sharp and crooked. It was the greatest prize, a mark of command if completed. The secrets the shard held, the power...

A gray scarf coiled about like a snake in the strong wind. The gleam shifted as a three-fingered glove drew the shard from its resting place. The human-looking man who blended into the snow looked over the blade fragment, smiling with approval. The man shook the snow off his dark horns and waved to Azaerel.

"Hey bro!" Cornu called over the arctic wind, "Looks like I beat you to the prize! I'm sure you'll get the next one!"

[Fisher]

Nord - Southern Seas

Hovering motionless over the listless ocean, Nord could only stare at the placid sea. Things had changed so suddenly it was still difficult to adjust: the Immortals had won, the Elemental Chaos was no more, and many elementals had been sealed into the newly formed world.

Averting his gaze for the first time in days he glanced upwards at the sky. Dulcinea was still out there. Likely searching for other threats to remove. He had to move. He had to hide. In times like this his father would say to adapt to the situation. Use the surroundings to your advantage. Hovering alone atop an empty expanse of ocean was what Novo would call less than optimal conditions. When cover wasn't available, however, it simply needed to be made.

On the sphere that floated atop the swirling winds that made up the elemental sat a circlet of twined silver, the only remaining memento of his mother. Tapping into it's suppressed power he willed a mass of dense fog into existence that stretched outward over miles of ocean. Though it only solved the immediate issue, it was sufficient for the time being. He needed to find a safe place to search free from the prying eyes of other Divine beings. Shrouded in mist the Elemental traveled north to seek out such a safe haven.


Covering an area of 9 square miles with dense fog. Nord is heading north towards the southern continent. Wasn't sure if it was necessary to remake the map for just a bit of fog.

AP: 9/12
Week 1
- 3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, with Cornu

The giant snake looks up at his brother with a look of insane fury, though his words contain none of his anger. "Dear Brother, Why have you come to claim the prize that is rightfully mine? Father bequeathed the Sword to me, it is MY task to collect it's pieces and forge it once more, not yours. "

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan - Tundra

Ice. Snow. Cold, undisturbed snowfield away from everything. Perfect place for him.

Omorthan's thoughts moved slowly and surely as he sat cross-legged on icy rock, his broken sword hovering in air in front of him. The icy immortal merely stared at the blade, looking almost sleepy to the eyes of any observer. In truth he was quite awake and aware of his surroundings, his meditation allowing his mind to work in depths his normal, self-aware mind would have balked at. His subconsicous planned and arranged information with cold, methodical effeciency as he sat there, icy wind blowing past him and making his long robes shift slightly.

Finally he blinked slightly and sheathed his broken sword, rising up from his makeshift seat. Rising his hands, he controlled the snow and ice around him with practiced ease, creating slowly expanding hurricane of ice shards and powder snow around himself. This was truly place where he felt comfortable in.

It was his world. His sanctuary.

(No actions yet, merely RP:ing)

[Vadin]

Kagu, the central plains

Running, running, running...ripping out his cousin's throat to secure his position as leader of the pride...a flash of light! ☼

Awareness!

Thought! Knowledge! History!

Some golden metal bonded to his face, slowly commingling its divine essence with his own newfound powers. He was: elemental, immortal, angelic, exalted. The mask grew more aureate as his sense of self solidified. He stood on two legs. His paws became hands. His mane took on the color of deepest daylight sky (a color he had yet to know with his own eyes) and arranged itself in braided rows along his scalp.

The lions around Kagu still called out to him as brother, father, leader, and something new- god. Kagu, exalted son of Tag-Arwa, was their god. There was no need to kill the other male lions, they acknowledged him universally as their superior.

With this revelation came a flash of insight from the past- a shattered sword, molten metal coinciding with fleeting divinity, a deck of cards, the first dream, the first tree...scattered memories from those who came before. With almost no context, they were just images that meant nothing.

Leaving these things behind, Kagu ran from his home pride to another, establishing his dominance and superiority over the other lions on the great plains, the savannas with the tall grasses and large beasts of the land.

[Ipphli]

Nootau

The molten rock coursed upwards through the rock, finding every crack and fault, forcing its way when it must. Eventually, finally, the lava burst forth into the open air, sometimes hundreds of feet, before falling back down to the earth where it flowed sluggishly until cooling and hardening. Huge chunks of earth and stone were raised up by the eruptions, forming huge craters centered around the site of the violence.

In the middle of one of these craters, sitting immersed in a lake of lava, sat an immense creature. Flexing his taloned hands and his massive, bat-like wings, the monster smiled as he opened his eyes and glanced around at his surroundings. "At last, those usurpers have paused. The time of vengeance is finally at hand. But first, the right tools for the job must be had."

So saying, the massive creature reached into the surrounding lava and grabbed an amulet of red gold that was floating there. A vicious smile full of razor sharp teeth appeared on his face as he fastened the amulet around his neck. Instantly, the creature changed, growing smaller and more...angelic, in appearance. When the transformation was complete, the man took a few moments to examine himself before shooting through the lava and into the air above the volcano. Yes, it was time to begin.


12 AP - 3 AP (Create artifact: Amulet of Canicas) - 1 AP (Shape Land: Mountains to Volcano)

[Johel]

Naïade

For as long as the goddess could remember, water had always been her favored element. The cold liquid gliding swiftly along her soft skin as she advance through the mass of salty water, this was a feeling she liked. And the silence... No one to cry or scream.

The world was already ancient but for Naïade, it looked incredibly new, what with the unusual stillness of elements. She could still feel their eternal struggle, each trying to overpower the other. But it was barely a whisper, the last dying attempts of a fury that was no more. Nothing compared to the time of her youth.

The Mother of Waves achieved her fifth tour of the seas, having memorized the terrain. Ril was a true paradise, a large bowl so to speak, in which water had simply been poured in large quantity. Yet, there wasn't enough of it to submerge the oddities of the relief : underwater mountains of colossal proportions that her brothers of the surface would call "lands", "islands", "continents". For her, there were mountains, with the top emerging out of her kingdom.

"-Harmony rules over the still depths of the seas.
No hate, no conflict... This peace shall prevail."
Or at least it was her stance for the first decade or so.
"-...Boring."
Yeah, you can be as much a pacifist as you want, the flotsam of the ocean will quickly become too quite for your taste.

And so, the Mother of Waves decided to reshape part of her surrounding.

Large collections of coral, listening to the commands of the goddess, grew into complex shapes, guided by Naïade's fantasy. In all colors, sizes and shapes, the Coral Rifts spread. The most impressive, however, were the narrow, drilling spires that soon broke the surface of the seas, doting the shallow waters with pillar of organic stone.

The goddess imbued each of such spire with a tiny portion of her essence. Powerful streams agitated the surroundings, channeling magic, heat and life so that, even out of their element, the tiny immovable creatures would survive, monument to the once-bored goddess.

Create World Element (1 AP) : Coral Spires
These ancient monuments of unknown origin stand alone or in small groups.
It is a popular believe is that the spires only exist in the shallow waters of the inner seas or near the coastline. Nothing is more wrong, as any experimented sailor knows : the whole seabed is doted with coral spires but only those which stand in shallow waters actually appear above the waves. As such, it can be risky to venture in deep waters without a good map...
Another popular believe is that the spires are some kind of mystic places, where magic is abundant and easy to tap. This one is actually true, as Naïade herself once blessed these places. Any spellcaster of good alignment feels empowered when standing near a Coral Spire.
Finally, it is thought to be a really bad idea to break one of such delicate land feature. Indeed, bad luck will struck those who demonstrate destructive will when around a spire.

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph: Far above the North Western Ocean

Sylph had always said that if one worked hard... they were doing it wrong. Cunning was the thing, not effort. So, if you were working hard, it meant you'd not yet discovered an easier way to perform the task at hand.

Few creatures were so ancient as to remember when he coined the phrase. As far as deities go, he was far from venerable; merely older than his peers and worse for the wear perhaps. The war showed on him more than most. His one good eye fell uncomfortably on you at times and tended to linger in places longer than it ought. Many creatures were too timid to catch his gaze directly. Sylph laughed it off, saying only that his eye patch must scare them (personally, he thought it rather dashing). Those old enough to remember the latter half of the war knew exactly why his one green eye had the power to make you feel so small. "You think his eye is scary?" they said, "... should have seen him when he had two of them." Funny joke. Everyone laughs... just not to his face.

Being a clever deity (and most definitely not a hard worker), Sylph had taken off from work a bit early. He'd been tasked with sorting out things in the atmosphere, something that wasn't too taxing. He was supposed to be recuperating after all, nursing his injuries. Naturally, he finished his task far ahead of schedule by... well... actually he couldn't recall quite how he'd had made such an easy job of it. Was there a hard way to do this? He only been charged with the lightest bloody element. Little wonder he'd...

High atop his mountain home he barked with laughter. Ah yes! He'd convinced a cadre of young air elementals to do the work for him. Young and too dumb to question his authority. He wondered how they'd gotten along. At least, they seemed to have done a fair job of things.

"You want to grow up big and strong, don't you? Well, the only way to do that is to exercise! Water goes there, earth goes down there, air comes up here. Got it? The more you practice, the stronger you'll get!"

Useful little buggers. It was a nice change of pace to have elementals around who weren't trying to tear his face off. Cute too... when they're small.

Sylph continued to chuckle a bit as he strode out to the cliff's edge and surveyed what he'd actually been working on for the past century.

"Yeah. That'll do..."

Sylph's island (proper name coming later when I'm feeling a bit more creative) is a rocky C-shaped landmass less than 200 miles off the coat of the mainland. Blue-gray cliffs faces jut straight from the sea and the jagged rocks that dot the coastline make approach from the sea difficult except by the mouth of the eastern bay. The main attraction of the otherwise chilly and inhospitable island is the temperate canyon ring hidden inside the vast mountains. The canyon is home to some of the largest waterfalls in the world and the rich and exotic vegetation spilling off the cliffs gives the entire region the look of a hanging garden. Truly a beautiful, if dangerous place. There's no accounting for what kinds of creatures dwell in the deep river.

Far above the gorge lies Sylph's realm of Cielcoeur (Skyheart) on the appropriately named plane of Atimos. From Sylph's home in the Ivory Palace, one can observe the entirety of his realm from the tallest spire, or descend to the balconies of the lower levels for an unspoiled view of the verdant canyon walls, waterfalls and river below. The grandeur and scale of the palace complex and the surrounding realm serves as a monument both to Sylph's undeniably exquisite taste and considerable ego. While far from "neutral ground" all amicable guests are received warmly and implored to stay as long as they like. This goes double for mortal guests since scaling the mountain to Sylph's home situated seven miles above sea level is no easy feat.

Shape Land: "Sylph's Island" (Plane G (Ril)) - 5 AP
Building Permit for Plane 1 "Atimos, the Sky Realm"- 2 AP
Shape Land: "Cielcoeur" (Plane 1 (Atimos)) - 3 AP
Create World Element: "The Ivory Palace" - 1 P

Remaining AP: 1


http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/9590/sylphsisland.png (http://img340.imageshack.us/i/sylphsisland.png/)

The red outline indicates the border between Ril and Atimos. The plane of Atimos begins 5 miles above sea level.

[Fisher]

Nord - Southern Continent

It had taken little time to reach the first coast, a barren stretch of stone and sand. This terrain offered little more cover than the the empty sea. He had yet to see any other Divine Beings, but he could almost sense their activity being whispered on the wind. It was time to start digging. All that was required were the tools.

Extracting several long tendrils of water from the nearby ocean, Nord spun each wildly into a violent drill. Chunks of stone and earth sprayed across the shore as the water dug deeper through the ground. The work was slow but thorough. It would only take a matter of days to reach the planned depth. Monitoring the work closely, the Elemental stretched out the fog further to conceal the work.


Fog radius currently at 15 miles. Wasn't sure if it was necessary to spend 1 AP to mark where the dig was taking place.

AP: 6/12
Week 1
- 3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.
-2 AP (Acquire Building Permit, Plane -1)
-1 AP? (Shape Land?)

Planned
-3 AP (Shape Land) 16x16 Area with transformation of Solid Earth to new terrain.

Southern Continent Change

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l71/truehunter22/LoC%20Diskworld/SouthernContinent.png
Spiral Shape: Dig Site

Plane -1 (Unnamed)
Here's the work Nord intends to do once reaching deep beneath Ril's crust. Figured I'd post it here first to check for approval before typing up the action later in the weekend. If someone had other plans for Plane N1 please let me know. Nord can always dig deeper. :smallsmile:

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5670/planen1v1.png (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/planen1v1.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

[Moose Fisher]

Azaerel, with Cornu

The giant snake looks up at his brother with a look of insane fury, though his words contain none of his anger. "Dear Brother, Why have you come to claim the prize that is rightfully mine? Father bequeathed the Sword to me, it is MY task to collect it's pieces and forge it once more, not yours. "

Cornu continued twirling the shard in his hands, creating a display of dancing light. While there were other pieces of the Golden Sword throughout Ril and creation (Cornu had seen three others before this one), this shard was being treated and tested as if it were one-of-a-kind. There was a pause as Azaerel mentioned their father and his 'task', but the gray scarf kept up the dance.

"The old man made you the heir of something he never possessed? You should talk to Sylph about that," he said.

Cornu continued his inspection of the shard and brought his speech to a lighter tone, "Relax, there are plenty of these things scattered about. I know you'll find the right one. Anyway, I'll be heading to the east forests. You may want to take your search to someplace warm, the cold doesn't look good for you.

See you around."

With that, the Horned One broke off in a sprint, flying with leaps and bounds. A blast of cold wind assaulted Azaerel's face.


---------------------------------
Cornu-Easternmost Forest

Cornu landed through the canopy of the trees, creating a shower of leaves and branches. Outside the shaft of light he created and the natural ones in the distance, the forest was dim. Cornu walked through the forest, looking about. "Sko'Virin! Sko'Virin!", he called, "Where are you in this tree shade?"

[Carden]

Cornu-Easternmost Forest

Cornu landed through the canopy of the trees, creating a shower of leaves and branches. Outside the shaft of light he created and the natural ones in the distance, the forest was dim. Cornu walked through the forest, looking about. "Sko'Virin! Sko'Virin!", he called, "Where are you in this tree shade?"

The birds and squirrels hadn't noticed the figure standing near them; it was hard noticing anything in the twilight. Sko'Virin had been moving as quietly as possible trying not to disturb them. Of course, this was all ruined when a loud crash happened nearby, followed closely by shouting. I swear, the elemental thought to himself, half the joy in tending these trees is their lack of a voice. Without turning from his work, he yelled, "Over here, Horned One!"

Stepping down from his work of pruning sickly leaves and straightening individual branches, the shadowy figure spoke,"It took so long making that canopy perfectly smooth, Cornu. To what, might I ask, do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

[Apex_Predator]

An infant deer ran from a mass of shadow, an enormous beast with eyes that gleamed with strange light. The fawn ran through the underbrush, trying to find a way to escape and return to her mother. She stopped in a small clearing, trembling in a strange, heavenly twilight- not the murky glow that permeated the world she knew, but light cast from many pricks of radiance in the sky- far more than she could count. She shuddered as she heard the growling creature trampling through the bushes behind her, and she realized she had nowhere to run. The brush parted, the monstrous thing sailed into the air, silhouetted against those remarkable lights in the heavens-

The robed figure opened his radiant eyes as the nightmare passed.

"Those lights," he said in a voice that was many, "those glorious lights!"

He had not seen a dream so inspiring in spite of the dreamer's terror once in his entire existence. He looked about the icy mountain peak; snow had begun to cover him in his waking slumber. The flat dimness would be no more- this new world would be basked in that radiance.

He stood up slowly, letting the snow fall from his deep blue robes, letting the long since finished apple core fall beside him and into the powdery ice. He raised his hands before him and began to focus- power flowed through him once more, the power that could command this world.

The power of a god.

The winds began to blow and circle the figure, kicking the snow around him into a cyclone. White light seemed to seep from the twisting air, spiraling along with it into a brilliant sphere in his hands. As the light got brighter, the winds howled louder and the mountain began to shake- and then all was quiet.

The light all but faded from his hands, the winds died, and the snow drifted back to the earth. In the Dreamlord's hand was a ring- a pair of brilliant silvery-white bands twining around each other and framing a single diamond that shone with a fiery white light. He placed the ring on his gloved right hand and raised it to the lightless heavens.

"You deserve far more than this eternal darkness," he said in a voice that was many, "and you shall have it. I give you the lights to shine upon this endless night, eternal diamonds to dazzle all who look upon you."

The diamond flared with energy as he spoke; a thin but impossibly bright beam of energy streaked into the empty heavens, visible from the farthest corners of the land. That beam splashed as though it had struck a barrier and began to ripple through the sky in a colossal series of expanding rings of light; in each ring's wake, bright specks of light formed in numbers incalculable.

The event occurred in moments, but they were moments who's effects would be etched in the sky for eternity. Trailing the beam the god had cast into the sky was a pillar of those fascinating motes that would forever mark that instant of creation.

The robed man stared at the lights as he swooned slightly from the energy used to create the ring. "Glorious, indeed," he said in his many voices, "and yet..."

He waved his ringed hand once more; in the northern sky, many of the lights began to rearrange themselves. After a moment, they formed a pair of shapes; one set of the lights resembled an infant deer, and the second a massive beast pursuing it.

"A debt repaid to the ones who inspired this," he said as he sat once more on that snowy peak, resting and basking in dreams.

Forge Artifact (3 AP): Astrum Fascia
This celestially radiant ring is made of a pair of entwined bands of an unidentifiable, silvery-white metal. The bands spiral around and frame a sapphire cut diamond that shines brilliantly in even the dimmest light. Whoever wears it has the power to control the number, brightness and placement of the stars in the sky (to such an extent that, if the bearer desired, the stars could be snuffed out completely). In addition, the bearer can create a blinding light source anywhere in their line of sight that is capable of rendering mortal beings permanently sightless and even temporarily blinding creatures of higher power.

Create World Element (1 AP): Pillar of Stars
This confounding celestial phenomenon is believed to have been formed when the stars were first born, cast into the sky from the top of the mountains at the center of Ril. No matter where in the world one is, one can see a spiraling column of stars spanning a wide swath of the night sky; this column is always situated above the mountains that mark Ril's heart, and thus seems to move through she sky depending on where it is observed from (a clever person can conclude that the Pillar of Stars always leads to the center of the continent). Observed closely and patiently, the motes of light can be seen to slowly orbit around an invisible central line that leads directly into the darkest spot in the heavens, where the stars supposedly first appeared. Of course, this is all just theory; Many scholars insist that it is simply a magical anomaly, a group of lights that resemble stars. Who knows?

AP use so far: 4 (3+1)/12. Remaining: 8.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Sko'Virin

Cornu chucked, "Sorry about the trees, I get a bit carried away when jumping everywhere. I'll have to remind myself to slow down until I get my wings. Anyway, I need you for something..."

Cornu laid the shard from the northern mountains on the ground, along with two smaller shards. Their golden aura could be seen in the dim of the forest. Cornu looked to the glowing orbs of Sko'Virin's eyes and said, "Forest Lord, after I defeated you in combat you offered me a favor. In return I would respect your forest and grant autonomy. Now I come for that favor.

Take these shards and forge a blade. The large piece shall serve as the core, and you will preserve each shard's geometry as best you can. Oh, I'll also need a hilt. My gloves are tough but I don't want my hands cut up when using the blade."

((Sko'Virin can spend 1 or 2 ap towards the creation of an artifact for Cornu))

[Carden]

Cornu and Sko'Virin

"A hilt, you say? A hilt... You know, I think I know of just the thing. Excuse me for a moment." Before Cornu could respond, Sko'Virin disappeared into the forest. He knew right where he was going, and it wasn't far. The deer hadn't died but a few days ago, yet the accelerated growth in this twilit world had made the decomposition happen in the span of a couple of hours. It had truly been an amazing process to watch, if a bit disturbing.

Not five minutes had passed before he returned. "Here, Cornu, I believe these will do for your hilt." Spreading the spotless, white bones next to the shards, he noticed a weakness in the ingredients. "Something else..." he muttured to himself, "Something strong, but not too brittle... Aha!" He reached up and tore a small branch off the tree above him, placing it with the other tidbits. "Sorry, Iron Oak, but I need to borrow this piece."

"Here, Cornu, you guide the shape and purpose while I give it power and strength," mumbled the working primordial. "I never was too good with swords, but you know that firsthand, don't you? Since that first test, opening himself to his divinity had become easy. He began to pour the spark into the pieces, tying them together into something better, harder, more impressive than the pieces.

((2 AP from me, and the rest of the creation is up to you, Moose.))
((10 AP - 2 from joint Artifact building = 8 AP))

[Moose Fisher]

The worked pieces floated into the air, drifting toward one another and locking into place. Cornu held his hand open as the makings of a sword drew closer. Grabbing the hilt, the materials made a final snap and locked into place. The Iron oak wove itself around the bone, enhancing the grip and forming both guard and pommel. The shards shifted to a silver finish, the large shard in the center with the smaller ones filling in the gaps of the phantom edge.

Cornu looked over the sword. While the shards were a shadow of the Golden Sword, they had their own identity. The gaps did not concern him, this sword was commanded by him and complete in its own right. "I shall call you Averrun, and you will carve a new path."

Cornu nodded to Sko'Virin, "Thanks for your help, now you don't have a nagging debt on your hands. I'd love to stay, but there is one more thing that must be done. Call me if you need me."

The angel departed through the twisting trees, gray scarf giving one last wave.


----------------------------

Eastern Shoreline

The crashing waves ran lazily up and down the beach, a soothing sound of ocean meeting land. Cornu looked toward the horizon, coral spires scattered about. The ocean is a big place, and Naïade was but one being. Swimming the entire ocean in search of her would be time consuming.

Cornu produced another shard, broken in a hook-shaped appearance, and stuck it in the sand. He waded out to his knees, and stuck his head into the water. Bubbles burst around his head as he called for Naïade.


----------------------------
1ap (Finish) artifact: Averrun
12-1 = 11ap

Averrun
A silver sword made from shards of Gold. Averrun is the personal weapon of Cornu and he places great value in it. The sword is receptive of additional shards added to its beings, but it is easy for the wielder to separate individual shards. It serves as a symbol of independence and powerful unity.

[Johel]

Naïade, Eastern Shoreline

The silence of the deep is not easy to break. Yet, a god's scream carries a long way, far beyond physical bound. The call of Cornu did not remain unanswered for long.

Soon enough, the diaphanous silhouette of Naïade burst the crest of the waves, her hair floating around her delicate shoulders as she let the tide bring her closer to the beach.

"-Long time not see, Cornu. When was it ?"

The goddess revealed herself in half of her glory, water hesitating down to her waist, her hair falling just at the right place to cover her dignity. She answered her own question.

"-The battle of the Telemara Hurricane !! You made such a mess, trying to stop us from assaulting these Air Elementals. I think I never had seen Helios so mad when you blew up the whole thing... Only spared you because we won..."

Her mood suddenly darkened, something sad in slipping in her voice.
"-...sort of. I should have listen to your words, back then. Those were still too young to fight back. Let alone to choose a side in all this."

Naïade reached the firm ground, pulling herself out of the sea, revealing the sticky mess of tentacles and fleshy fans that formed her lower half. Far less glorious but gods were beyond aesthetic, right ?

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Naïade

Cornu stepped lightly about Naïade's tentacles (muttering a few 'ews' to himself) and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, cheer up," he said, "What's past is past, and you've come out right from it."

Naïade was spun toward the shard of the Golden Sword. Cornu smiled and whispered into her ear, "I got you a present. One look at that and I knew it was yours."

[Johel]

Cornu and Naïade

A poor smile was the only reaction Cornu received, followed by a raised eyebrow. Before she knew it, she was staring at the shiny shard stuck in the sand.

"-You hooked my interest, here."
She crept toward it, running a finger along the top, the metal reacting to her touch with a soothing humming.

"-Where did you find it ?"
Yeah, he would have to wait for a "thank you so much !!".

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Naïade

"Middle of nowhere. Tase, the Desert goddess, was so busy planning out the area she was saying yes to anything I asked."

Cornu tapped the shard as he passed by, the resonance rising and falling. He looked to the sky. "It's from the Golden Sword, but I think it's best for it to remain broken, the jovial tone of his voice was absent, "If we each take a piece, we can choose our own path. But we need to remember that we can stand united, that each shard can be brought together."

He looked back to Naïade, scarf flying in the sea breeze. He smiled at her. "Want me to help you? Sko'Virin worked on mine."

((Cornu offers 1 to 2 ap on creation of artifact!))

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, the Tundra

As the snow slid off of Aaerels serpentine face he sneered at his retreating brothers form "I go to all the trouble of tracking this shard down and he just swoops in and takes advantage of my work. How the arrogant fool can maintain his claims to honor, besides blatant stupidy, I cannot fathom." Azaerel looked about and began to head for the coldest most deserted regions he could find. He realized he was being contrary merely for it's own sake, but he didn't care as he muttered to himself quietly "First Father is denied what should have been his by Slyph, and now I by my own brother. Ah, but I shall lament the passing of poor Cornu, idiot that he is. His horns should make for a nice necklace though."

As he slithered through the ice and cold, cruel thoughts on his mind, Azaerel stretched out his mind searching for the divine and for artifacts of power.

[Johel]

Cornu and Naïade

"-Well, I guess I wouldn't mind a little help. After all, better be a part of you in your gift. Might be useful to remember why I got it in the first place... and what purpose it must fulfill."

The humming increased in volume while a pearly substance covered the top of the shard. Two intertwined lines of coral, one green, the other red, circled around the whole length of the hook as it levitated on its own, a blueish aura glowing around it.

"-I forsake weapons a while ago. This shall help me to create, not to destroy."

The hook floated toward Cornu.
"-One day, it shall unite with yours. But until then, I thank you for the gift you already made...and for the one you're about to do."


Create Artifact : 2 AP from Naïade
The Nacre Hook

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Naïade

Sand rose up and coalesced into a shifting orb. Cornu took the orb and pressed it tightly in his gloved hands. A light shone from his palms and the sand became glass. It fit under the bent arm of the hook. Before Naïade could take it away Cornu stood between the shard and her. He withdrew and smiled.

The finishing touch of the Nacre Hook was a bow-tied gray thread.


-----------
Create artifact: 1 ap from Cornu

11-1 = 10ap

[Johel]

Cornu and Naïade

She let a chuckle out.
"-My... We do get a package with it. Thank you, Horny One. It shall be put to good uses."

Taking the artifact in her hands, the goddess admired it, the blue glow reflecting on the whole length of it, curving around the gray thread then circling gently up to the tip.

Naïade gave a nodd to her friend.
"-A bit huge for a jewel but I'm sure I can find a way to carry it around without hurting myself. The thread, though..."
She unknotted it with the left hand, bringing her hair together with the right hand and then tied the thread around.

"-How does it look ?"

[Carden]

Sko'Virin - Easternmost Forest

Repairing the canopy had been easy enough. It had taken a little bit of effort to redirect the branches into a more fitting pattern, but they would grow together soon. It had, however, given him a wonderful view of the new starry sky. It somehow... fit this world. Perhaps that was his own illusions, but he felt it wouldn't have looked quite as nice above the Realms of Chaos.

Looking around, he remembered the oak he had taken a branch from earlier. "Ah, Iron Oak, I still owe you a debt. I cannot make you tall like your fruited cousin, but let me see exactly what other honor I can give you." Thinking back to what had transpired, an epiphany occurred to him. "I know, I'll take one of your branches as my walking staff. Always will I carry it with me, 'till the end of my life. I'll make it live eternally and through it I will give life to many others of your kind. That seems fitting for the sacrifice you gave me earlier."

He took a branch about nine feet in length and cleaned it of any branches. Touching it and focusing on his needs, it began to grow more green than it had ever been. Tendrils of black coiled up the staff, spelling "Oath of the Lifegiver" in the alphabet of the Primordials. From its end a new branch formed with a single leaf on it. The base grew roots that twined together to form a point, making it even taller. Twelve feet from tip to branch, it stood higher than the one it was intended for.

"There," spoke Sko'Virin, "you are now a part of something better than any sword. Now, I grow tired and my Home awaits. Tomorrow, you and I have much to do." Using his new walking stick, he wandered back to his hollow under the great tree.


Oath of the Lifegiver

This artifact is used specifically to give life to forests. It's an oak branch that is engraved with a black mark, spelling its name in Primordial script. The staff is 12 feet long, the last 3 composed of twisting roots. On top is a single branch ending in a leaf. Should the leaf be torn off, it regrows almost instantly. To use the artifact, one must plunge it into the ground before beginning to make the land. Note that it is also as hard as a diamond, harder still at the points where the shadow script appears.

((AP 8-3(Artifact)=5 AP))

[Johel]

Cornu and Naïade



"Wonderful," he said, taking in her beauty.

"-Thank you."
She conjured a vertical mirror of pure water, adjusting her hair in the reflection before concluding.
"-I like it too. I shall wear it forever."

Naïade then became serious again.
"-Back during the war, you were always preaching about how we should stop to fight for our race and rather fight for an ideal. Do you still believe this ? The world is now ours. Do you have plans for it ?"

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Naïade

A passionate fire came to Cornu's eyes and speech, "My beliefs are as strong as ever! The lines are not drawn by the outside, Immortal and Primordial, they are drawn by the inside, Good and Evil! We must fight for what is right! A chaos of destruction has been calmed, leaving us with a balance of goodwill!"

[Johel]

Naïade and Cornus

"-And I find little to contest in this..."
Naïade seemed to hesitate. She knew how involved Cornus could be in these things, losing himself in his own speeches.
"-...but do you have any actual plan for us to spread Goodness and maintain Balance ? I doubt our brothers will all be satisfied with the current stalemate. Actually, I doubt the remaining Primordials will tolerate it for long either."

In the vertical pool of water, several images appeared. Images of various peaceful coastlines.

"-I visited all of them. Each is quiet, with the eternal struggle of the tide over the sand as only conflict. The only kind I would like to see in my new home. Any plan to make this remain true ?"

[Moose Fisher]

Naïade and Cornu

Cornu's fire lost intensity, but remained strong.

"We can teach by example, offering goodwill and forgiveness. This stalemate is perfect, a combination of Immortal and Primordial. We'll build on it, creating an almost peaceful world."

A sigh leaves Cornu's lips as he looks to Naïade with a guilty face.

"I say 'almost' because there will always be conflict between ideals, but good can be maintained between opposing sides. That's why I let most of my opponents go, there was no reason for death..."

The distance between Naïade and Cornu closed. He pointed out one of the images.

"Can we go there, while it looks like that?"

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan - Moving eastwards from central Tundra

Although the peace in the Tundra had been absolute, it was not enough to calm his mind. His memories of the war were still fresh, and he had not forgiven the Immortals of their honourless actions against him. He wanted revenge, wanted to find the old Primordials that had survived and lead them into new war that would right everything. Sadly, he lacked great deal of information required for such a task: he did not even know which of the immortals or primordials were still alive. Judging by the silence all around Ril, not many. The war had surely thinned the numbers of the divine, but it should not be this quiet. Were the others sleeping?

The curiousity had gotten better of Omorthan at last, making him move eastwards in search of other primordials or immortals. He thought for long while, trying to guess where it would be most prudent to search for others. Deciding that coast was propably the safest bet, the young immortal shifted into form of great icy dragon and flew towards the eastern coast with resounding roar.

[Johel]

Naïade and Cornus

The sea goddess avoided the gaze of Cornus, looking straight at the pool.
"-There ? Hum... Yes, sure."

Tension built for a moment as she remained silent...then snapped out of it.
"-Oh !! You mean... right now ?!"

Naïade pulled herself one step away. Well... Not a "step", technically. Because you know... no feet... or rather too many. With a gurgling sound, her lower body crept back on the beach.
"-Just follow me."

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, Tundra, following Omorthon

The Well-dressed snake, somewhat out of place in the frozen lands, though he didn't show it as he slithered nonchalantly through the snow and ice, had gathered some small fragments of bone left by a creature clearly not mortal in origin when he heard the great roar and saw the ice-dragon dart upward in the sky. Smiling in the disturbing way his almost humanoid face allowed him too, Azaerel pocketed the bone fragments (though where is a secret that shall never be learned) and began to follow the huge dragon eastward, and though he did not fly he was able to keep pace with the dragon rather easily, watching the soaring immortal from far below on the icy planes the creature so obviously sought to depart.

[Moose Fisher]

Naïade and Cornu

Cornu offered up a hand.

"You swim faster than me, I don't want to lose you."

A distant form in the sky grew larger and larger, but his attention returned to Naïade. The waves climbed up their legs and down again.

[Johel]

Naïade and Cornu

While Cornu's attention was clearly NOT focused on the flying primordial, Naïade could not ignore the roaring sound that accompanied the newcomer.

The fact that she already had to look up to speak with Cornu greatly helped too. The goddess, now half back in her element, nevertheless pointed a finger at the approaching god.

"-I think you might want to delay that trip."

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan - Eastern shoreline

His powerful wings had carried him into the shore rather quickly, the flying only taking fraction of the time trudging through the lands between his belowed tundra and the sea by foot would have done. Seeing no need to keep his arrival hidden, Omorthan closed his wings and dropped into the water like a stone, freezing it into solid ice upon impact. Rising through the rapidly cooling water and shifting into his humanoid form, the god of ice watched with detached interest as the water around him continued to freeze over and formed reasonably stable surface for him to walk on.

Then his gaze settled on pair of immortals nearby, and his eyes flared up with cold, blue flame at the sight of Cornu. Despite his literally frozen expression conveyed mere aloofness, cold anger took firm hold on his mind.

There were angels for him to kill even after the war, it seemed. How very fourtuotus coincidence. Perhaps his day would not be total waste of time, after all.

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne

Some gods woke with a roar, a divine spark filling them almost to explosion. Some with a gradual coming-to of awareness, knowledge spreading through them in a near-unstoppable wave until it could fill no more and poured out of them as they rose to divinity. Still others simply grew into godhood, starting small and becoming larger and larger until there were none left to contest them.

Aithne?

Aithne entered godhood with a yawn. Or rather, re-entered. Her first emergence had been all fiery glory and explosion and such...only there'd been no one around to notice, because everyone was fighting about who-knows-what. So she'd gone back to sleep. Now, though, the world seemed quiet...no battles around her, at least.

She pulled herself out of her crater with a stretch and another yawn, and looked around. Interesting place, if a bit flat and boring...it needed a bit of her touch. After wandering around for a while, though, she came to the realization that no chunk of land was big enough for what she imagined...but there was ocean aplenty on all sides, and she could easily manipulate that into whatever land she wanted. And so she did; the north-eastern corner of the world was empty, and it was there she set to work.

It took years, building up the island out of the ocean, establishing her little haven at the center, making plants that could withstand the heat of the springs she built them around, and not only withstand it but thrive on the warm water constantly kept hot by underground pools and rivers of lava...and though most of the land was empty, still, she had what she wanted in terms of the terrain. At the moment, at least. Her will was capricious; possibly she would eliminate some of it, or build more, but as for now? She sank into her crater of lava with a contented sigh, until little more than her head was above the surface...

...But it was boring, and after a few hours she got out again, disgruntled. She wanted more; there was nothing here, really...she wanted playthings, companions. And, though it took her a while of wandering about, she finally hit on what she desired, and set to work; after another few days of perfecting her creations, she breathed life in them, and watched them split apart. Steam-dragons, small and semi-transparent, a mix of white and silver and a soft heather gray, flitted off to disappear into the rivers and pools of the hot springs; her lava dragons, burnished gold-copper-red and bigger than their cousins, though not as massive as they would be when full-grown, trumpeted their joy at being alive as they dove into the volcanoes and magma pools that dotted the central landscape. And when she joined them, they played, splashing each other in the fiery liquid...

This was more like it. Who needed other gods, when she could make companions of her own?

Steam Dragons: Small and agile, these creatures rarely grow to be more than eight feet in length. They are more serpentine than the traditional draconic image, taking instead after the sinuous shape of the Chinese dragon, and are often pearl-colored and semi-transparent. The shades range from white, to silver, to a heather gray, to any combination thereof, and these beasts retain the unique ability to disappear utterly into the ever-present steam that rises above the rivers and pools that dot Aithne's island. Shy creatures, they will often take great pains to avoid strangers; when cornered, however, they are doubly dangerous in that they are often difficult to both see and injure, and that they breathe steam hot enough to boil the flesh off a man's bones. They are also uncommonly intelligent, and it is said that Aithne often has long conversations about truth and beauty and the world at large with them.

Lava Dragons: Bigger than their brothers, these dragons can be between thirty and forty feet in length when full-grown. They are colored in gradient shades of gold, copper, and red, and look like burnished metal and fire in the sunlight (when there is sunlight to be had). Though not as intelligent as their smaller kin, they are fiercely loyal and courageous to a fault, and will fight to the death defending the tight-knit family groups that emerge. When they mate, they mate for life, and are incredibly nurturing and protective of their offspring; often, they hunt together to bring in enough food for the group, instead of being solitary creatures. When threatened, they breathe magma or fire, depending on the age; adolescents breathe fire, while the fully-grown dragons can breathe the magma itself.

Aithne's Island (Name forthcoming): A private sanctuary, the island is mostly barren at the moment. The most prominent features are the large pool of magma at the center, ringed by a volcanic mountain range that both supplies the main pool and the smaller pools dotted about. The magma pool is kept at an even level by a slow drain at the bottom, which feeds the heated liquid into underground channels that serve as the source of warmth for the hot springs and the rivers that feed them. These springs are said to have marvelously restorative properties, but at the moment are largely unused except by the dragons.

(12AP-6AP for Aithne's Island-1AP for Create World Element: Steam Dragon-1AP for Create World Element: Lava Dragon=4AP remaining)

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, Eastern Shoreline

As Azaerel followed Omorthon he saw him land him next to a pair of gods in the distance, and he slithered closer, though he was careful to keep his form low and preferably behind hills or any other obstructions. As he got closer he saw that Omorthan had taken on a humanoid form, and he also saw Cornu and Naïade. Seeing his brother again he smirked, until he felt the pulse of not one but two shards of the Golden Sword. His bastard brother was trying to keep them from his grasp! Well, he would not succeed.

He moved behind a pair of hills large enough to obscure his presence, his eyes barely peaking around them, his body low to the ground and his divine presence masked as best he could, which was quite well considering how long he'd had to practice...

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

As the cold water and ice crept closer Cornu backs up onto the dry sand, pulling Naïade with him. The shoreline stiffened with ice. Popping sounds filled the air as the waves underneath continued to shift, but the force of the water was dying. Each crack froze solid, making the shore quiet.

There was something about the icy being that seemed familiar to Cornu, but he couldn't put a finger on it. He put a hand near Averrun, just in case, and said warmly, "Hullo! We were just about to leave. I don't believe we've met. This is Naïade, and I'm Cornu.... And you are?"

[Grim ranger]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

The icy god bowed his head in smallest of gestures, fixing his cold eyes on Cornu.

"I am Omorthan, son of elder Primordial Ariatus."

He drew his broken sword slowly, forming long, sharp blade of clear ice around it's broken lenght, and took slow and purposeful step towards Cornu. The eyes of Omorthan narrowed into slits of cold fire and he brought his sword to his side in challenging gesture.

"Defend yourself, angel, for you shall not have mercy or respite from me."

With that, he darted forward with speed completely ridiculous for his frozen frame, aiming a cut at the face of the Horned One.

[Vadin]

Kagu, the Savanna

The sky was filled with little points of light and utter blackness. While magnificent, it was dull. Especially all that blackness...perhaps Kagu's imagination might make the sky more interesting.

He elevated the two largest lions he could find to the sky above and infused them with elemental fire. The hungry lion then blessed a herd of zebras with flight and the nature of a river.

The lion Dawn would chase away the darkness and lead the great blue herd across the sky. The lion Dusk would tail the herd and catch the slowest members, spilling their blood across the sky above. When the two hunters were in the last quarter and first quarter of their runs, respectively, the sky above was brightest and shadows weakest. A day, from Dawnrise to Duskfall, lasted as long as a night, from Duskfall to Dawnrise.

With this, the twin suns ruling over the blue sky above, Kagu could more fully appreciate the beauty of the world around him.

12 - 1 AP (Create World Element: The Twin Suns) = 11 AP
The Twin Suns: Dawn and Dusk are two great lions made of flame who stalk the sky, acting as two small, warm globes of light in the sky. When out together, they shine brighter and radiate warmer.

There are some eltine prophets who maintain that a day will come when the two are united into one ball of great flame, but this prophecy is largely thought of as a sort of heresy.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

The ring of metal on metal filled the air. The sky filled with the light of suns. Cornu had been pushed back and was now lifting himself off the ground. He held Averrun in a tight grip, the shards vibrating slightly.

"Hey now, let's not be trading blows now. I'm still trying to figure out where I've heard your name before!"

Both hands were placed on Averrun, a defensive stance.

[Grim ranger]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

Omorthan did not bother to even say anything. Instead he attacked again, and again and again. Metal clashed on metal in such a quick succession that outsider might have thought the noise to be melody of some sort of an orchestra. The god of ice was concentrated into the fight alone, his blade moving in blur, each stroke intended for sole purpose of cutting Cornu down.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

The blades locked, the two beings pushing with all their strength. Cornu was slightly stronger, but winning this contest would just lead to more slashes from his opponent. Omorthan could quickly recover and attack from a different direction. The stalemate continued, Cornu searching for ideas. Inspiration struck, he had one advantage.

"You're fast, but you can't keep this up! You should take a rest!"

Cornu swung his head forward, his sturdy horns reaching across the short distance and heading toward Omorthan's head.

[Johel]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

Naïade was taken off guard by all this.

The speed and fury of the duel was familiar. So was the spilled ichor, the shriek of metal and the cold song of ice. Yet, she didn't want to remember. She didn't want these memories to resurface.

With a swing of her arms, she commanded the sea, calling upon its overwhelming power. The sea answered and the answer was "Yes". Slowly, with a rising roar, the tide was pushed away from the beach, leaving a large, flat plain of wet sand.

"-You shall stop this right now !!"
The hands of the goddess were glowing with a menacing blue light. In the background, the roaring sound of the waves had stopped...but not for long.

[Grim ranger]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

Omorthan did not even miss a beat, headbutting back and not even wincing as the horn shattered some of the icicles that made up his hair. Using his control over ice making up his body, he forced his "hair" to encase Cornu's horn in creeping layer of ice and permafrost with solid intention of freezing his head. And judging by the speed the ice formed, it was not alltogether impossible. Omorthan looked at the eyes of his opponent over their locked swords.

"Rest? Hardly... I do not tire. But what about you? Isn't life so very hard? Wouldn't it be just so much easier for you to... take a rest and slip into cold nothingless? No need to fight about it...you deserve good, long rest."

He put all his powers controlling the cold against the Horned One, intending to freeze him to death if sword would not work.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

"That was supposed to be a joke, but it looks like you and I are suffering from a bit of brain freeze. But I won't slip into nothing when I've still got something! I'll keep going, even if the tide comes in!"

And the tide did come in, crashing down upon the shore with great force and flooding the nearby forest.

[Fisher]

Nord, Plane B1

After several weeks of digging the tunnel had progressed nicely. The ocean water had chiseled through the stone easily enough which the Elemental blasted upward and away with gale force winds. Sadly the search had not gone as smoothly. Though miles beneath Ril's crust, Nord had yet to find any trapped Elementals.

He missed the sky. The endless rush you feel while racing across the Chaos. Now, because of the war, he was denied the sky and his people and left to toil beneath the earth. Digging. Eternal digging! Would this be his lot for the rest of existence? Laboring at a goal that may never bear fruit?

Howling in frustration the Storm Elemental unleashed his fury in a massive storm. Expanding in size tenfold, Nord shredded the surrounding earth with cyclonic winds. Intermittent bursts of lightning battered the stones incinerating many upon contact. Sparks ricocheted off the walls and torrential rains pooled together to form violent waves that smashed the nearby rocks to powder.

On and on the storm raged, pausing not for a moment. Yet, as it did the earth relented. What was once a tunnel had quickly expanded into a large chamber. Completely barren, save for a lake within it's center, the cavern was surrounded by towering mountains which stretched to grasp the earthen ceiling high above. Formed of stone forged by the explosive winds, they hardily stood their ground against the Elemental's frenzy.

Eventually tiring of the pointless display of anger and wasted energy Nord descended slowly into the lake, allowing the cool waters to sooth his frayed disposition. Examining the newly made room he allowed his thoughts to drift to other matters, momentarily forgetting the dangers of the surface. Perhaps there was another way to go about this search. A method to investigate the entire underground. Pondering these and other matters he floated aimlessly in the clear, fresh water. Waiting for his power to recover enough to begin anew.


Licens' Circlet currently inactive. No fog.

AP: 3/12
Week 1
- 3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.
-2 AP (Acquire Building Permit, Plane -1)
-1 AP (Shape Land): Dig Site on Southern Continent
-3 AP (Shape Land) 16x16 Area with transformation of Solid Earth to new terrain.

Plane B1 (Rajuilma)


http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5670/planen1v1.png (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/planen1v1.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, Eastern Shoreline

The huge snake watched the ensuing battle with undisguised amusement, though he did not need to disguise his amusement as none could see him. He didn't know which way this battle would turn, and felt it would best suit him to stand by and watch for the outcome.

As he saw the wave coming he wrapped himself around the hills as best he could and let the wave wash over him.

[Apex_Predator]

Soreius; Eastern Shores

The seas were churning with the power of the combatants clashing above them, and the skies grew dark, covering up the newly formed stars. As the combatants backed off from one another to renew their assault, a sphere of white radiance appeared in the air between them. Before they could close once more, that light flared to an impossible brightness- and the landscape around it began to shift from one of sea and beaches to to a gray wasteland of cracked soil and burned skies. Cornu and Omorthan seemed to be alone in this strange place, save for one other- the blue robed Dreamlord, who held out his right hand (adorned with the star-birthing ring) towards the spot where the blinding light appeared. His eyes of multicolored flames were narrowed in irritation.

"I believe the lady said that she wished you two cease this spat," he said in a voice that was like many; "and as gods, I think that showing some restraint would be appropriate."

[Johel]

Cornu, Naïade, Omorthan, Eastern Shoreline (With special guest: Azaerel)

As the tide crashed upon the land, the three four gods (Sorry, Soreius...) were carried with it, dancing underwater like disarticulated puppets.

Naïade quickly recovered her balance, searching frantically for Cornu in the liquid maelstrom in which bits of wood, rock, sand and even animals were caught. Dodging those projectiles, swimming through the stream, she eventually located the Horned One.

Not looking for Omorthan's or Soreius whereabout, she pulled her friend out, just as the tide returned to the ocean again, letting nothing but ruins behind, stealing countless marvels from the land. It would bring them back one day. But not today.

Cornu, Naïade, Some far away beach

It took the fleeing duo a few hours but they eventually reached the beach Cornu wished to see. Exhausted by their escape and the amount of energy she had had to use, Naïade crept to safety on the dry sand, simply felt on her back and closed her eyes, listening to the pounding of her hearth.

She wished for peace, for tranquility and protection. She wished for hatred, vengeance and other hostile feelings to be kept away from her. And from that wish spawn the Guardian Crabs.

A hundred or so of these giant crustaceans soon emerged from the waters, scavenging around on the beach, searching for food but ignoring Naïade and the other god, as neither of them had hostile feelings.


Spawn Creature (1 AP) : Guardian Crabs.

These huge-sized magical creatures are an armored version of the common crab, their carapace several inch thick. They got a special ability to detect evil, along with hostile feelings, both driving them into a frenzy.
Scavengers, they usually don't hunt living preys but small creatures might be considered an edible snack if they look weak or simply slow.

[Carden]

Sko'Virin - Home

He had been trying to get to sleep while watching the stars in the top branches of his tree. Trying, because at the moment he got close, the Suns came into being. If the Gods had one thing Sko'Virin didn't like, it was a fondness for blasted light. Good thing I made the rest of the canopy so thick, he pondered as he gave up sleep for the day, otherwise I'd have to crawl in a hole to get any decent rest.

From this vantage point, he could see for hundreds of miles around the world, so long as it was clear. It was the main benefit of a tall tree on a flat world. So far, there had been plenty of activity to watch. Fires in the south and north, that column of stars and the new range of mountains on the western horizon. The only way which was calm had been east. He turned that way to think on why just as a massive tidal wave crushed into the first line of trees.

Sko'Virin had always been slow to anger, a fact which had saved his life more than once on the battlefield. Quick to forgive, he had always been thoughtful of the way he responded. Not today, not now. He had raised those trees just days earlier, some of them he had already named. Now they were washing out to sea, broken remnants of what they had been created to be. He flew into a rage, screaming a curse in Primordial that would have made even the most Elder Elementals tremble at the context.

In his fury, it didn't take him long to reach the shore. The waters had yet to completely recede when he arrived. "WHO?!" screamed the berserk elemental at the top of his lungs. "Who dared to desecrate this forest?! Which one of you infernal sacks of Earth erosion did THIS?! Speak up you cowardly fools!" Unleashing another battery of curses, he slammed his staff into the ground. Immediately, the water disappeared. Miles upon miles of forest grew from the waves, horrible, twisted forest that reflected his psyche. Gnarled trees grew tall, roots tearing their way through newly formed ground causing it to crack and form miniature canyons. Rain would fill them to make rivers and streams later, but that was not then, it was now. The true meaning of his act occurred at the edge of the forest, where a grand cliff rose a mile above the sea; the rock wall of obsidian was black as the forest floor and as smooth as the skin of an apple.

Turning back to the healthy forest, he continued his tirade, yelling at any movement he could see.

((AP 5 - 2 Create land = 3 AP))

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion had watched the birth of the new world with some interest. It was so different from the elemental Chaos he was used to, yet beneath the calm surface there still dwelt the sleeping tumult of ages past. Slipping as a shadow through the waking world, he had observed the great confrontation between deities with a smug amusement, gratified to learn that the old hatreds had not died. He was on the brink of following the Horned God when Sko'Virin erupted in a fury, raising his great barrier. Such delicious rage was too much for Xerion to bear, and so he emerged, flames flickering about his slim body as it came into being. Before Sko'Virin noticed, Xerion had begun applauding.

"Well done Shadow God. Such a mighty barrier will surely keep away all those who would harm your precious forest." Pausing, Xerion reached out, and suddenly there was a ripe peach in his hand. Biting into it with predatory teeth, he continued, "But will it be enough when stronger foes visit your domain?"

[Carden]

Xerion and Sko'Virin

Spinning around, Sko'Virin twirled his staff so that the point faced the newcomer. A snarl and a flash of fire crossed his eyes, but in an instant he realized no one would be fool enough to stand unarmed after causing an elemental of his stature so much trouble. "This forest claims no owner, Snaketongue," he said, literally spitting the name, "I am merely its protector. Who did this?! Why are you here?! What do you mean, stronger foes?!"

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion seems unperturbed by the violence of his welcome. It seems he is used to being spit upon, and thus his only response to Sko'Virin is a knowing smile.

"Claim what you will, this forest bears your mark Sko'Virin, and thus is yours for better or for worse. As to what foes you can expect, do you truly think the Angel gods and their ilk will leave you in peace? You are one of the most powerful elementals left after the forging of this world, and they will view you either as a threat to be eliminated or as a resource to be exploited." Xerion finishes his peach, and his tongue reaches out to lick the pit. It is an inhuman thing, long and forked, and as its oily blackness engulfs the pit a drop of clear saliva falls to the ground and begins to burn. As quickly as it flitted out, the tongue retracts, leaving a smooth black stone in Xerions hand. "Of course, there are precautions you could take to avoid them, favors you might entreat. The true question Shadow god is this: what do you truly want; to live secluded in this forest, or something greater?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph had positioned his palatial residence beneath the tops of the surrounding mountains so he'd always have his exact idea of a scenic view rather than be bothered with an eyeful of the whole bloody world each time he stepped onto a balcony. He spent his leisure time (read: every waking hour) composing poetry for some yet-to-be-discovered object of his desire, practicing with his clay flute, tending his roses or, most importantly, napping. His injuries bothered him more than he let on and he still had a considerable limp. And it worried him that he'd never be rid of it. Demons didn't play fair, and the one who'd torn out his eye had also done a number on his right knee. Their poisons lingered in the body and even gods were not easily healed of their wounds.

More than the pain, the behind-the-back comments concerned him. It was possibly the reason for his seclusion. Gods were supposed to die in a blaze of glory, if they died at all, not hobble around maimed and broken. The sharp pain in his knee and his lack of depth perception were a constant reminder that on the eve of victory he suffered his greatest defeat. Sometimes he thought he should have at least let the demon have the pleasure of finishing him.

The fact that Michael's Blade broke at all weighed less heavily on him than it perhaps should have. He'd done enough thinking on the subject and neither he nor anyone else had a decent answer. So, at length, he'd simply let the subject go. He might have obsessed on it, but it was dismissed as an act of fate. And he had decided that fate had a sense of humor which he didn't care for.

At the moment, leaning out over the railing of the easternmost balcony of his estate, he had only one concern: that big eyesore of an island that had cropped up recently. He very much liked the way the land curved in the north and his undisturbed view of the distant sea... but now all that was ruined by a big rocky pile of blah with a volcano stuck in the middle. He fancied that the island looked a bit like a rather flat breast from his vantage point. But, his childish amusement only lasted so long. At length, he decided to pay a visit to the island's architect and perhaps politely request that it be moved to the south or at least decorated with some greenery.

A day's flight later, Sylph touches down on Aithne's island

Experimentally grinding his toe into the volcanic soil of the beach he unconsciously sneers. The heat and smell of ash brought back unpleasant memories.

"... it's hot."

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne's Island, with Sylph

She'd been playing with one of the littler lava dragons, dunking it under the water, when a sentry flier backwinged into the pool; she gleaned from its frantic noise that there was another here, on her island. Frowning slightly, she pulled herself free; as she walked, the flames disappeared, to be replaced with coppery skin and red hair. Her eyes flickered like the fire she loved, and a fitting white gown edged in bright yellow and orange geometric patterns had settled about her like a second skin by the time she reached the...visitor.

"Hello there." Her voice was low, sultry, but there was the faintest susurrus of a faraway flame underneath it...

"Can I help you?"

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Xerion - Eastern Forest

"You speak of their 'ilk' like you were not one of them, devil! I may not know which one of those winged interlopers you were spawned from, but I do know how you came here with them! So which one are you, my foe or my would-be exploiter? Why should I trust the fire in front of my face just because it tells me there's more waiting deeper in the shadows?" Shifting side to side uncomfortably, the elemental cautiously lowers his stave a little, but not enough to leave him open to this untrusted entity.

Looking to the small pit left by the divine spittle to the trees and back to Xerion, he spoke again. "All I have ever wanted is to be left alone... All my clan died to your assaults, anything I have ever loved was destroyed, and now you law-ridden freaks still refuse to let me be in peace. But now, now I want reparations for the life you swill squandered here, today. The trees didn't harm anyone, nor the creatures that called their limbs home, but someone ruthlessly snuffed out that life. Someone will pay, if it takes me millennia to see to it. But tell me, why should I ever trust the Betrayer of the Primordials? Why should I EVER trust you?!"

[TheDarkDM]

As Sko'Virin speaks, Xerion simply stares at him, unblinking. He rarely blinked, and never in conversation, and the Shadow god had the distinct impression that he was being slowly dissected with that gaze, like an animal on display or some rare flower.

"I may be spawned from immortal stock, Sko'Virin, but that does not mean my goals are the same as theirs. And even when I exploit, 'tis a far more pleasant experience than their brute demands. You are so full of rage for what you have lost, you forget to wonder if anything remains." With a flip of Xerion's fingers, the slick black pit is gone, replaced by an acorn. However, it was no normal acorn to judge by the golden-green radiance emanating from it. When touched by that light, Sko'Virin did not feel pain, but rather the gnawing longing of a peace long thought lost.

"The last seed of Lynd, plucked from her body the moment the Primordials fell. Can you feel the energy within, that last spark of her nurturing spirit? I could be yours, Sko'Virin'Peritith, were I offered something of equal value."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Xerion - Eastern Forest

That light, thought the elemental, It... it can't be! But no, it has to be... He knew the god spoke the truth, even as he knew that he couldn't be trusted. "What... what do you ask of me, Xerion?"

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion's smile flashes teeth as he feels Sko'Virin give in.

"Oh Sko'Virin, I know what this seed must mean to you. I ask for nothing you have not given before. Were I to gift this seed to you, I would simply ask for the right to seek your counsel whenever I wished, and for you to provide truthful answers always. But, simply to keep this exchange equitable, I might also ask that at one point in the future, I may ask a boon of you that cannot be refused. Is this acceptable?"

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Xerion - Eastern Forest

Sko'Virin gave out a loud sigh and finally lowered Oath. He spoke in a defeated tone, "Xerion, you have me by the throat and you know it. I accept; the terms are more than fair. This I swear on my honor, my clan, and my life; I accept the terms you've presented to me: a trade of this acorn for truth, counsel, and a single favor." Pressing his right hand to his forehead, eyes, and heart, he reached his hand out for Xerion to shake.

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion clasped Sko'Virin's shadowy hand in his immaculately formed one, but as their flesh met a strange sensation washed over him. He felt a sliver of himself detach from his essence and slither into the Shadow god. Gasping with the new experience, Xerion's eyes widened as he saw a faint oily shadow wend its way up Sko'Virin's arm, coming to rest over the Shadow god's heart, where it coiled into a small, perfect facsimile of a viper. Gasping as their hands parted, Xerion slowly dragged his gaze away from the mark to smile ruefully at Sko'Virin.

"It seems this new world has some rules we are not yet aware of. Nevertheless, our bargain is struck, and the acorn of Lynd's paradise is yours."

Xerion flicks his fingers, and the acorn flies through the air into Sko'Virin's waiting hand.


1 AP spent = Confer the Mark of Xerion

AP = 11

The Mark of Xerion:
A product of the more ordered nature of the new world, the mark of Xerion adds permanence to the many bargains of that deity. Any bearing the mark are bound by ancient magic to fulfill their end of the bargain, and feel the presence of their commitment whenever in Xerion's presence. Should one of the Marked violate their oath, they are cursed with the fury of order.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Some far away beach

A crab scuttled onto Cornu's chest. It picked at the debris embedded within his clothing. It inched further up his body, pinching away until it nipped at the face. Cornu sputtered and coughed, sending the crab flying into the ocean.

The sound of waves contrasted the ringing metal and silent ice of memory. The gentle ebb and flow soothed the mind. It was dark, stars looking down at the pair as Cornu looked up at them.

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Xerion - Eastern Forest

His fist closing around the acorn, Sko'Virin turned from Xerion and examined his new marking. "It seems this world now gives the same weight to my words as I do. Now, unless you wish to expend part of your bargain now, I ask you leave me be. I must find a decent place to keep this safe, to keep it pure." He brought it up, closer to his face so he could study it better. "This seed... it deserves something more than what I know to give it, but I will find that and be sure of its safety..."

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, with Xerion and Sko'Virin

As the tide withdrew and Sko'Virin raged, Azaerel stayed hidden, watching and waiting. When Xerion appeared he smirked. Xerion was always such an interesting character, it was amusing to watch him deceive Immortals and Primordials alike. It sometimes baffled Azaerel, not Xerion's ability to temp others, but the sheer gullibility such supposedly wise beings exhibited. It would be hilarious if it wasn't sort of sad, so it remained merely amusing instead.

As Sko'Virin raged he wondered how Xerion would calm the Elder Primordial, and was a tad surprised when he pulled forth an acorn of Lynd "I thought I was the only one with one of those. I wonder if he has any other artifacts of Lynd that mirror mine?"

And so Azaerel looked on, secret observer of their deal. Though knowing Xerion as he did, he wasn't sure it was meant to be a secret anyway. Xerion learned and kept much hidden, but he didn't always care who knew of his dealings.

[Ipphli]

Nootau

Nootau glanced up sharply as he felt it: that pure wrath, that hatred,. Nootau grinned as he took to the air and began making his way towards the source of such a wellspring of emotion.

A day later, at Sko'Virin's forest

Nootau hovered in place, far above the forest. Peering down, he made out the form of Sko'Virin, bathed in a soft light from something held in his hand. Smiling to himself, he flew down and alighted before the shadowy deity. Bowing low, he smiles at the giant Primordial before him. "Greetings, noble one. It is an honor to meet one such as yourself. My name is Marek."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin - Eastern Forest

The night had been long and trying. Sko'Virin hadn't been able to sleep. The nagging light of his newfound memento had kept memories he had been trying to bury fresh in his mind. It was a reminder of those weeks he had spent wandering and sitting next to the tree he now sat under. He stared at the acorn all night long, standing to grab it only once light had begun to suffuse the tree limbs. I'll find a place for it, thought the elemental to himself, Don't worry, Lynd, I'll find a place for it...

As he wandered the forest, searching for that place, a fiery figure came to him, speaking welcomes. Still distrustful of those found in his forest, he fingered Oath of the Lifegiver warily, ready to bring it up should this new deity present any signs of violence. "Marek," spoke the shadow cautiously, "I've never heard that name. Why does this shade have to offer you today, Marek?"

[TheDarkDM]

As Sko'Virin moved back into his forest, Xerion turned away. For a moment, he stood at the edge of the great cliff, seemingly transfixed by the interplay of the stars on the shifting water. Eventually, however, he straitened an disappeared in a flash of crimson.

Behind his head, Azaerel felt a brief heat as a red spark blinded him. Recovering after a moment, he saw Xerion standing beside him, leaning on a cane of black wood. Though the devil was dwarfed by the demon's physical form, the aura of power radiating from him was palpable. Seeing he had been noticed, Xerion smiled.

"Keeping tabs on me, snake god? I would have though you had more pressing diversions elsewhere. Of course, given the horned one's propensity for beating you to the punch, I do not blame you for stopping to take in the scenery." Xerion raised a hand, and floating within his palm was a perfect sphere of clear water, the reflection of a thousand stars trapped in its depths. With a flicker of flame the sphere solidified into a blue-white crystal of incredible beauty, stars still buried in the surface. "What if I told you there was a way to preempt Cornu's next acquisition? Would that...interest you?"


Spend 3 AP = Create the Dreamstar

8 AP Remaining

The Dreamstar:
Created from the crystallized depths of the ocean, the Dreamstar appears as a perfect crystal sphere dotted with dim stars. When held, the stars shift and brighten, pointing the way to what the holder desires most, with the stars intensity depending on the distance of the desired thing and the power of the holder's desire.

[Nefarion Xid]

Aithne's Island, with Sylph

She'd been playing with one of the littler lava dragons, dunking it under the water, when a sentry flier backwinged into the pool; she gleaned from its frantic noise that there was another here, on her island. Frowning slightly, she pulled herself free; as she walked, the flames disappeared, to be replaced with coppery skin and red hair. Her eyes flickered like the fire she loved, and a fitting white gown edged in bright yellow and orange geometric patterns had settled about her like a second skin by the time she reached the...visitor.

"Hello there." Her voice was low, sultry, but there was the faintest susurrus of a faraway flame underneath it...

"Can I help you?"

Something curvaceous was definitely not what he expected and so he was momentarily at a loss for something smug to say. For an instant he ceased to be a proud war hero and resembled more a nervous schoolboy, fidgeting and crossing his arms with a sudden rise of self-consciousnesses and anxiety. Attempting to regain his rakish composure he shifts his weight to his good leg and wags a gloved finger in Aithne's direction.

"Your island is... big."

He immediately wished for a suitably sized rock to crawl under.

"I-I mean it's... charming. I like it; your island."

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne and Sylph

One eyebrow raises, a perfectly-arched curve, and she smiles a slow smile as she watches the other god fidget awkwardly in front of her.

"Your island is... big."

She laughs, and it's a charming sound. "Why yes. Yes, it is. What a clever observation on your part! It is quite large, and I haven't decided what exactly to do with it. But thank you for the compliment..."

The sentence trails off, and she looks expectantly at the other god, clearly expecting a name.

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph was a clever and knowledgeable fellow though famously absent minded; bad with names, worse with personal effects. Always playing three steps ahead of the game though often forgetting where he was or what he was doing in the moment... the sort who loses his queen because he was busy planning your demise on the wrong side of the board. (Perhaps not the sort you'd expect to be a military genius. Though, the tactics that made him famous were to warfare what a swift kick in the groin was to a boxing match. Alas, you can't lose a war on account of unsportsmanlike conduct.)

It was the reason he had failed to notice Aithne was half Primordial. Such a thing wouldn't have escaped a more attentive deity. But, in addition to being dense he was also a lech and found himself far more concerned with how to bed her than with her heritage.

And so, striking upon the most devious and effective plan his greasy little mind could conjure up on short notice... he began to swoon, then promptly recovered to a stagger.

"I-I'm sorry..." he began, brushing the sudden spell away, "I just felt a bit faint. It's an old wound... demon venom has... a way... "

And again he shook his eyes and 'forced' himself to focus on Aithne.

"Perhaps not so old after all eh? I apologize... but I'm feeling much better now..."

He manages a winning smile before his eyes shoot back in his head and he hits the dirt face first.

[hi-mi-tsu]

"Oh no!" She was the very picture of girlish dismay, of course, to find her unexpected guest suddenly fallen in a heap at her feet; and while she might have had the ability to pick him up and carry him, she simply didn't want to test that theory at the present moment. Casting out a summons, she waited; a few minutes later, one of her pet dragons appeared, unused to being out of the heated waters of his environ. Carefully loading Sylph onto the creature's back, she swung herself up behind him, ensuring that he stayed on the dragon as they half-ran, half-flew to the closest oasis. And while it was rather unfortunate to dump him in fully clothed...well. He was still a stranger, after all, and she didn't get that familiar with those she didn't know.

So, into the spring he went; carefully, so as not to burn him, and so he got used to the water. Whatever poison was bothering him would hopefully be at least eased, here...

And if he got too mad about the clothes, well. She could always dry him off.

[Ipphli]

Nootau (Marek)/ Sko'Virin

Marek shrugs as he leans against a nearby tree, careful not to harm it in the process. "I am examining this new world of ours: seeing who's still awake, admiring the scenery, that sort of thing. I noticed you and this marvelous forest, and, remembering all the tales of your wisdom, decided to introduce myself." He glances pointedly at the staff, then back at the Primordial. "I do hope I'm not intruding or otherwise bothering you. I assure you, I don't mean any violence towards you or yours."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Marek - Eastern Forest

"Intruding? No, not really that. These trees welcome all who come in peace." Relaxing some at Marek's obvious attempts to not harm anything, he continues, "It's just that some lately have been fairly... pugilistic in how they treat these woods. Forgive me if I came across as overly defensive. Now, tell me, Marek, how is it that you came to know my ways? Few were the dealings I had with the angels during the war, fewer still that those consisted of words at all."

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek and Sko'Virin

Marek shrugs before answering. "Your fame goes before you. You are quite possibly the wisest being in existence now. Which is why I'm surprised you've allowed others to mar your woods. There was a reason angel avoided you, after all: few who met you enjoyed the experience, or so I've heard."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Marek - Eastern Forest

"I was... careless. Recent events had made me blind to the threats I might have avoided, but I won't be as blind again." Grasping the acorn, he subconsciously brought it to the mark on his chest. A deal with one devil is enough to remind me of that, he thought to himself. "Now, what is it I can do for you? I highly doubt the only reason you came was just to introduce yourself."

[Ipphli]

Nootau (Marek) and Sko'Virin

Marek smiles as he once again shrugs. "Actually, as I said I was merely exploring this new world when I saw you and decided to introduce myself. I am sorry to hear your forest has had troubles; is there anything I can do to aid you?"

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Marek - Eastern Forest

Letting out a sigh, Sko'Virin looked at the other god. "No, but thank you for the offer. These trees just need time. Time to heal." Finally noticing his hand, he brought it down to his side again. A shiver went down his spine; that mark was not something he liked, but he would deal with it until it dissipated. "Forgive me, Marek, but I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short. I have much to think on and I wouldn't want to bore you with halfhearted discussion. If you'll excuse me, perhaps we can continue this another day?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph with Aithne on her island

Being immersed fully clothed into an otherwise scalding hot bath, his first instinct was to call Aithne a crazy tart and pull himself free of the water. As one might imagine, due to their natures, they two shared very different definitions of what was and was not an acceptable temperature for a bath. He pushed this feeling deep down into the pit of his stomach and instead managed a sincere and grateful sounding moan instead of groaning in pain. His body once again went limp at his insistence and he continued to fake a state of delirium and half-consciousness.

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne clucked sympathetically, slipping into the water next to her visitor; the dress turned practically translucent in the damp, not that she noticed--or would have cared all too much if she had. Tearing a piece of it off, she began patting Sylph's forehead...and at that moment noticed his skin was turning a bit pink.

"Ahh...this is probably a little warm, hm? I'm sorry...I forget that other people don't like the heat as much as I do." Concentrating, she cooled the water around them, though the dragon that had borne them in snorted twin jets of steam in protest.

"Oh hush. I'll put it back to rights after...our visitor feels a bit better. I don't want to go melting the flesh off of him before I even find out his name, you know." This was met by another snort of disapproval, and the dragon disappeared; the water was tepid, for her, which meant it would probably be on the edge between comfortable and uncomfortable for Sylph, though it was considerably cooler than before.

"There...is that any better...?"

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek and Sko'Virin

Marek smiles uncertainly. "Well, if you are sure there is nothing I can do to help you, then I suppose I shall be on my way. Much more to see, you know. But if you should need assistance, just send me a message and I will do what I can."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin and Marek - Eastern Forest

"Thank you again for your concern, Marek," Sko'virin said sincerely. "Should you ever require help, please feel free to seek me out. Also, in the case you didn't know, more gods than I have been at work. I suggest you may want to look into one of the new islands that have sprung up or the pillar of stars to the west. Many interesting things are bound to appear near those locales." Looking around solemnly, he begins to walk away. "The trees love company, Marek, be sure to come back anytime." It wasn't long before the shadow of the forest made it so he could no longer be seen.

[Johel]

Cornu, Naïade, Some far away beach

Breaking the silence, Naïade leaned on one of her elbow.
"-Did... did you know this Primordial ? It seems to held some kind of grudge against you. I mean... I guess he could have attack any of us, sure. Wasn't the war suppose to be over ?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph with Aithne

Aithne's now transparent dress (and the contents therein) hadn't gone unnoticed by Sylph, even though he was still feigning wavering consciousness. A second class lech would have blown the game at this point and gotten clocked for putting a hand on her thigh, but Sylph was a pro! After being nearly drowned and boiled, he was determined to see this plot through to a fruitful end.

He starts suddenly, as if ripped from a pleasant dream and back to cold reality (or in his case, still uncomfortably warm reality). His chest heaves, his lips part, his eyes shoot open and he gasps wordlessly. Gritting his teeth he turns away from Aithne and pretends to collect himself.

"I-I-I'm so sorry. I... I shouldn't impose on you. Really my leg is feeling much better any..."

Attempting to stand up in the hot spring, he summons up an honest sounding painful moan before falling back to his seating position... part of the way on Aithne. The writhing quickly turns into a few sharp gasps before he composes himself and relaxes again.

"I didn't think anything could hurt that bad." A long sigh.
"It's Sylph by the way..."

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, Naïade, Some far away beach

Breaking the silence, Naïade leaned on one of her elbow.
"-Did... did you know this Primordial ? It seems to held some kind of grudge against you. I mean... I guess he could have attack any of us, sure. Wasn't the war suppose to be over ?"

"I'm don't know," Cornu sighed as he laid back onto the sand, "Sometimes we forget faces. Glimpses and fragments are easily lost."

The sand was like a soft headrest, easily shaped as Cornu shifted his head to look over to Naïade. A moment passed, he looked back to the stars. "Do you remember Satar? That guy made everything a dance... Or maybe Elsine, with her hair of gold?" Cornu raised an arm to the sky, knocking stars about with his finger. The stars grew shining tales, sailing off and fading near the horizon.

"Nycoth, Tyrla, Rickenmoor... Gone. We all fought for this, yet things are still simmering. I don't think the fires will ever die down..." said Cornu as the skies filled with flying stars. Even with Cornu's pause, streaming lights could be seen in the sky.


--------------------------
10-1 = 9ap

Create World Element: Falling Stars

A frequent sight to those with sight to Ril and beyond, falling stars serve as monuments to those lost (to both sides) during the Creation War. Falling stars are nameless, falling from whatever source holds the full collection.

[Vadin]

Kagu, the Central Savanna

And so it came to pass that a number of changes came about on the grassy plains as a result of the exalted's meddling amongst the lions. First and foremost among these changes was the unusual pacification of relations between the prides- rogue males no longer challenged alpha lions' dynasties, accepting instead subservient places in the pride and the role of accompanying the females on their nightly hunts. This bolstering of the big cats' killing potential drove the smaller elephants to near extinction while strengthening the lines of the largest pachyderms.

With a bit of help from Kagu, a new line of elephant emerged, much larger than their cousins and with an extra pair of tusks. These beasts seemed to have some sort of magic about them shook the ground when they willed it, making each one a stampede unto itself. The beast lord named these monsters megaphants, and they lived much more solitary lives than their herd-dwelling brethren did. Only ever few years did a megaphant seek out a companion, and mothers were quick to leave their newborn children to fend for themselves, secure in the knowledge that a trio of lions would have trouble slaying even the youngest megaphant.

Around these mighty beasts' heads a little bug or million flew, glistening and glittering in the sunlight like a thousand tiny flickering stars. Not even Kagu is sure where the sun scarabs came from, but come they did, and in so odd a fashion. When first a megaphant was born a sun scarab or two would place themselves at the top of the base of his ears. Over the years, as the megaphant grew and grew, more scarabs would come in pairs and arrange themselves out from the first two in increasingly complex patterns. Though the scarabs drew some sort of sustenance from the monsters, no ill effects were readily apparent. At the megaphant's death, with the final heartbeat, all the sun scarabs would take off from their host and fly into the sky. It wasn't clear where they went, as they were never seen in the wild apart from a megaphant host or on their way to or from said host.

While other powers raged and pondered and wept at what had come before, Kagu carried on with his life much as he had before. He had an intellectual knowledge of the story of the past from his mother's divine spark and from what fragments of knowledge had seeped in from the gold mask, but these feuds and battles were clearly not his own. Whatever conflict any before him might once have been involved in didn't bother Kagu, father to the lions, watcher of the beasts, and king of the savanna.

11 AP - 1 AP (Spawn Creature: Megaphant) - 1 AP (Spawn Creature: Sun Scarab) = 9 AP

Megaphants: Cousins to elephants, these beasts sport an extra pair of tusks and are almost twice as large. They live completely solitary lives, coming together only to mate, and abandon their young only days after birth. Megaphants possess some rudimentary natural skill with magic, able to magnify the force and area of their charges to make caves in mountains and cause waves of destruction on the open plains.
http://th06.deviantart.net/fs31/300W/f/2008/231/e/8/elephant_by_neisbeis.jpg
Sun Scarabs: These insects' shining carapaces are very literally made of gold and magic. They spawn spontaneously in response to the presence and ambient magic of megaphants and latch onto their creator in perfectly symmetrical pairs. While it might seem that the scarabs are sucking the magic out of their host, they are in fact little more than extensions of said magic. Though they can be removed, the fact that they are composed partially of raw force magic makes this feat very difficult. When a megaphant passes on, his life force leaves through his sun scarabs and fades back into the natural world.
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs8/300W/i/2005/329/7/b/Soul_Harvest__Sun_Scarab_by_darkburraki.png

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, with Xerion

The Rattlesnake pulled himself to a more appropriate height, though not enough to reveal his presence to anyone else, "Xerion, you old snake in the grass, still enticing immortals and primordials alike I see. I'd hate to wound your self-esteem but I wasn't here to spy on you, it was just good fortune you came along when you did," He twisted and coiled around, his rattle chattering slightly he tasted the air with his tongue, narrowing his reptile eyes. "Xerion, you and I have both been at this game a long time, and I'll wager you trust me about as much as I trust you, so unless you have one of those little shards in your possession, I'd just as soon find them myself. Besides, Cornu and I are brothers and you know how it is with family, what's his is mine."

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne and Sylph

She made a startled sound, when the man fell on her, but thought nothing untoward about it; after all, he was still in pain, and she cooled the water a few more degrees before gently setting him back to rights against the edge of the pool (one would note, were they paying attention, that there was a curve in the dirt and rock much like a seat, which was what Sylph was currently perched on).

"Sylph, hm...?" The name sounded ever so vaguely familiar, from her brief stint with consciousness before; he was some hotshot in the war, or...something...

"I think I've heard of you...you were in that silly war thing that everyone was all fired up about." Laughing softly, she shook her head a little, and patted his cheek gently. "I don't know much about it, though. I went back to sleep when I saw all the fussing...still, the demon that got you must have gotten you good, for your leg to still be hurting." Then she poked his nose, lightly.

"Is he the reason you wear the eyepatch, too? ...Oh, and I have no manners...I'm Aithne, by the way."

[Ipphli]

Nootau and Sko'Virin

Nootau nodded respectfully to Sko'Virin before taking to the air and moving off in the direction of the islands the large Primordial had mentioned. "New islands? Maybe another Primordial, seeking to make something familiar. Or perhaps a lone Immortal, one no one would miss if something were to happen to him or her," he thought to himself with a dark chuckle.

In time, the two islands came into view. One was quite a bit bigger than the other, so Nootau first headed towards the smaller island. As he came closer, the sight of volcanoes, lava pools, and steaming springs caused a smile to appear on his face. "Reminds me of home."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Yeah... silly war."

He touches his eye patch gingerly and sinks his teeth into his lower lip for a moment.

"Mmm, yes it was the same demon who tore up my leg. It's not something I like discussing. But, maybe after we're better acquainted, you can coax it out of me, Aithne."

When the water approached a bearable temperature, he genuinely relaxed and sunk beneath the surface so only his head was exposed.

"You mean to say you slept during the war? That's lucky..."

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne and Sylph

As Aithne was chatting with the other god, one of her patrolling dragons flew close once more; arching an eyebrow, she listened to the aggrieved chatter, then sighed a little.

"My, my...looks like I'm just the most popular girl around at the moment. Hold that thought rest for a bit, Sylph. I'll be back." She smiled, then bounded up out of the water, drying herself off before heading towards the borders; when the figure came to rest on her island, she smiled again, though there was the faintest flicker of impatience in her eyes.

Hello there. You are...?"

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek, Aithne

Marek turned towards the sound of the voice and stopped. Her fiery nature was obvious; it called to the same within him. He smiled his most charming smile as he bowed respectfully to the woman. "Marek, m'lady. I apologize for any intrusion; I was simply exploring this wonderous new world and saw this beautiful island. Is it yours, Miss...?"

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne flushed in pleasure; compliments were the way to a girl's heart, after all.

"Aithne. And yes, this is my island; it's unfinished, as you can see. I've got a lot of space to fill...I just wanted plenty of room to work. I'm pleased that you like it..."

A little lightbulb went off in her head, and she smiled. "You know...I have another guest relaxing in one of my hot springs. Would you like to join us?"

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek, Aithne; Aithne's Island

Marek's slipped a fraction at mention of another, but he quickly resumed his smile and nodded in head in acceptance. "I would love to join you. A soak in a hot spring sounds marvelous; the hotter the better!"

He walks over to Aithne and offers her his arm. "Shall we? Now, you say you wish to work on your island some more? I would be more than happy to help you with that, should you wish it." He glances sideways at Aithne to gauge her reaction to his offer.

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne and Marek

Such a gentleman...Aithne accepted Marek's arm and began leading him towards the springs, small smile on her face. When he offered help, though, it flickered a little...

"...Help? I don't know, I'm rather fond of doing things on my own. But perhaps we can discuss it while relaxing, hm?" They arrived at the springs, and Aithne gestured to Sylph with another small smile.

"Sylph, this is Marek. Marek, this is Sylph."

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek, Slyph, Aithne; Aithne's Island

Marek nodded curtly to the bedraggled-looking man. He gestures for Aithne to enter the spring as he wills his overcoat to disappear. He slips into the water opposite the others, equidistant between the two. "When I came to this island, I hadn't realized the kind of company I would be in. First a beautiful lady such as yourself Aithne, and then the Lord of Angels himself."

While the smile remains on his face, it has obviously cooled to be more polite than genuine. Especially when his attention is directed towards Slyph.

[Nefarion Xid]

Instant loathing. The only thing that could ruin the imminent fawning and adoration over the "grievously injured" Sylph would be the sudden appearance of someone else who wasn't totally incapacitated. Wounded men were only sexy as long as there wasn't a healthy one near by!

"Marek is it? Eh..." Sylph stares the newcomer down with a long hard look from his good eye as he's first introduced. Nootau was no doubt aware of Sylph and his exploits and if there was anyone left alive who could out the demon for what he really was, it might have been the former angelic commander. The one green eye studied "Marek" far too long; longer than was polite.

In truth, he was only sizing up a rival male horning in on his territory and using his reputation to try and intimidate. Nootau's identity was perhaps saved by the fact that Sylph has a lousy memory for names and faces... and is a total lech. No ounce of suspicion ever crossed his filthy little mind.

At length he manages a wan smile and closes his eye. "Please. The Angels call no one Lord now and I was never a replacement for Michael..."
He trails off and his eye cuts to the side for a moment.

"Did you serve with me?"

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek, Aithne, Slyph; Aithne's Island

This man used to be feared amongs all his kind? Marek shook his head slightly, returning Slyph's stare with one of his own. "Yes, there was never one like Michael, and I doubt there ever will be. Although, perhaps if someone were to remake his sword...Well, in answer to your question, no we did not. I actually saw very little combat: born late into the war. But of course stories of your battles and victories over the Primordials are legendary. I'm envious." The sarcasm is nearly palpable with this last statement, although the polite smile remains on his face.

[Nefarion Xid]

True he wasn't exactly the picture of a hero or intimidating in the least... still a little lobster-red from the previous scalding, completely bedraggled, and of course chin deep in a hot spring while still wearing all his finery.

"I have it on good faith that the angels don't want the blade reforged. Who would wield it anyway? The Four have all passed and none who remain are fit to claim the title of Archangel."

Without missing a beat or taking a breath...

"I mean no offense of course; only that, for those of us venerable enough to remember the Archangels... well... such was their glory that it would be pure hubris."

Sylph wasn't so dense as to totally miss the scathing tone to Marek's words, but of course he took him yet another angel with a grudge and not a demon in disguise who wanted to rip out his remaining eye.

[hi-mi-tsu]

Aithne's eyes narrowed; they were so focused on each other that they paid her no heed, not really. Far from considering it some sort of slight, however, she found it quite telling...

But fights on her island were not welcome, not right now, and so she put on her brightest smile to look between the two of them.

"Now, now. Do we really need to get into all of that silly war nonsense? It's over, after all. Who cares? People should just get along. Let's talk about something else, shall we...? For instance, have either of you met anyone else, yet? I myself have been here, so I haven't gone exploring..."

[Ipphli]

Nootau/Marek, Aithne, Slyph; Aithne's Island

Marek's smile seems more genuine as Slyph speaks, and he nods his head in agreement at the end. "Of course. I suppose its time for us younger beings," He glances over Aithne, offering her a wink, before looking back at Slyph. "To forge this world that you venerable beings won."

At Aithne's remark, Marek shifts his attention to the beauty and once again flashes his most charming smile. "As a matter of fact, I've met one other so far. His name is Sko'Virin; a very old and apparently wise Primordial. He has a forest off that way that he's quite protective of." He gestures with a hand to indicate the direction as he continues to speak. "I'm sure there are many more around, thus my little exploring trip to see who all made it."

[Carden]

Sko'Virin - Home

He had been sincere to Marek; an offer of friendship was always sincere coming from his mouth. You taught me well, Mother, he thought to himself. What was it you always said? 'Easier to plant a knife in a loving embrace with your friend than the middle of a battle with your foe'? It had been three days since he left Marek alone in the forest and he had used plenty of that time to think.

Something in the pit of his soul hadn't sat right about Marek. It was as though certain minute facial expressions didn't fit to his face naturally, like they had been practiced on a different one much more. Sko'Virin had always been good at seeing those minor details; it's half the reason he had such a reputation for being wise. These had spread even his considerable talent thin; making it seem as though it was just a shadow of his imagination instead of true observance, but he knew better.

Sifting through the myriad reasons why it could be so, he eventually settled on one he thought most likely: Marek was using some sort of device (Most likely that necklace, though he couldn't be certain.) to disguise himself as something other than who he really was, which was probably some deity involved in either Lynd's death or the attack on the forest. Neither of which are remotely provable, but Sko'Virin has plenty of time to wait to find the truth.

A friendship, an outstretched hand, these were the things that would keep Marek close while he investigated, so he would follow through with them truthfully and honestly. If his suspicions were false? He earned another real friend. If they were true? Well, those details would be messy in more ways than one.

"Now that that's out of the way, what am I to do with you?" he pondered out loud at the seed. "I think, for now, I had best find some place to plant you. Not even Chaos herself knows when Lynd's energy will finally bleed out from you, so we might as well do this while the time is right." Reaching for his staff, he got up and left, walking into the deeper parts of the forest.

[TheDarkDM]

Contact juggling the Dreamsphere through the fingers of his left hand, Xerion smiles sadly at Azaerel's denial.

"Very well. I can understand the desire to achieve one's goals alone. I shall have to see who else desires my aid. Should you change your mind, however, feel free to contact me."

With that, Xerion disappears in a flash of dark red flame. In the scorched earth where he stood remains a flawless black diamond the size of an orange, a flickering red star trapped in its depths. Azaerel recognizes it as Xerion's calling card, an ability rumored to have been stolen from an earth primordial. If Xerion's name were to be spoken into the stone, he would hear, and know the holder's location.

Flitting through the aether, Xerion searched for more immortals in this new land. The landmasses that had recently arisen enticed him, but he had business to attend to first. Following the faint scent of hoarfrost, Xerion sped towards Omorthan's resting place. Parting the air several steps behind the ice god, Xerion cleared his throat.

"That was a rather impressive display on the beach."

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, Eastern Coast

The snake chuckled to himself as he stowed the star in his hat, potent magics sealing it off from the world, as all the artifacts he collected were. Xerion seemed nice enough, but Azaerel would damn himself for a fool if he trusted any sort of agreement with that fork-tongued man. Uncoiling himself from around the mountain Azaerel swiftly swam out into the water and looked about. In the distance, a new land mass arose. Hadn't seen that before...

Making sure to keep his hat above water, Azaerel swam steadily North.

Azaerel, Aithne's island

Some time later the huge snake emerged on the shores of the large island. Not wishing to draw attention to himself he smothered his divine aura as best he could, and shrunk down to a more natural size for a snake. Tasting the air with his tongue, he set off for the center of the island.

[Vadin]

Kagu, the Great Savanna

Some strange lions grew what could only be called 'thumbs' in a few prides. These lions were few and far between, but they were progress. Kagu would have his children. It would just take a little more time than otherwise might be expected. While these other gods were so accustomed to creation, this was new for Kagu! Certainly he could throw divine weight behind speeding up or enhancing a natural process or making one or two special beasts, but the birth of intelligence? This was a challenge.

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan, Xerion - Somewhere near Eastern beach

Omorthan turned to look upon the newcomer, his appereance stirring a memory from the war. He was sure that this deity had something to do with primordials... and he was only one who had shown proper respect and honour thus far. Sheathing his sword once again, the god of ice bowed his head shortly at Xerion.

"Thank you. I believe the time has made my skills rust, othervice the angel would not have escaped my blade."

Ice and hoardfrost that had momentarily shattered when he had hit a nearby tree with high velocity had formed back around him, his proud and distant look once again like glass. Grass and very earth itself froze at his boots hit it, strangling out warmth and life.

"Who might you be? I am Omorthan, and I think I recall you from somewhere, noble one."

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion smiled at Omorthan's welcome. Elementals were so hard to read he had half expected to be attacked on sight. Spreading his hands wide, Xerion shrugged.

"I have been known by many names, Omorthan, but the one I hold closest to my heart is Xerion. Your memory does you justice - I believe we met briefly in the court of your father. I come to you now, to offer my aid."

[Grim ranger]

"Aid? I do not even know how you could aid me, Xerion. I have no goal, no purpose. The world I loved, the world I was part of, was swept away in the maelstorm of war, and it will never come back. I am left to wander through this..." he looked around himself and hitting the trunk of nearest tree, turning it to solid ice "this meaningless existence, ruins of the world immortals took from me and from Primordials."

He gazed down momentarily, his face still as ice but small trace of true sadness flashing through his blue eyes.

"I am afraid there is not much I can offer to you, friend, as I myself am nothing in this world."

[TheDarkDM]

"No purpose, Omrothan? That was not what I saw on that beach. What I saw was vengeance incarnate, the fury of dead Gods given voice by your actions. You say that this world is but a shadow of what you know, and you are right. The angels slew your people, ad now they shape a new land to their liking. Can you let that pass?"

Xerion turns from Omorthan and walks towards the sea.

"Yet you cannot win a fight against the angels in their current state. Though that fool sot Sylph is slow to take action and Cornu's intelligence could fit into a thimble, were they threatened they could forge an army capable of sweeping away all resistance." Xerion turns, and seems to slither up behind Omorthan's shoulder, "But with the aid of another immortal, one not bound to the angel lords, you could forge a tool capable of toppling them." Suddenly the Dreamsphere is before Omorthan's face, and in its depths he sees himself, standing atop the shattered bodies of a dozen angels, a gleaming golden sword in his hand.

"With this, you could find the shards of Michael's sword, and reforge the blade in your image. Then, no angel or elemental could stand in your wake."

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan looked into the Dreamsphere and felt tinge of exitement surface from the depths of his cold, chillingly logical mind. The thought was pure lunacy, to challenge all remaining angels and other immortals for control of the world...but what did he have to lose?

Brushing his chin with his hand, he looked at Xerion.

"No, I can't let that pass. I will never let it pass. Not just like that. But the search of these...fragments... will not be easy if every other divine in this wrecked world is searching for them as well."

He felt familiar ache on his side and grimaced. The the sword angelic commander, Sylph, had wielded when defeating him so utterly all that time ago had left behind bitter mark: some of it's shards were still lodged inside his body, gained from particularly vicious sword-stroke. Resisting urge to press his hand against his side, he continued.

"But that would alone not be enough... I would need power to remake this world and a way to bring the Primordials back from the netherworld... othervice this world will be but an empty husk it is now."

He closed his eyes and massaged his temples, his depression rising another notch. He could not possibly do all of that alone, no matter how hard he tried.

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion withdrew from Omorthan as he pondered. The ice god showed promise, great promise, but needed something more. Looking down, Xerion noticed his arm was covered in frost where it had brushed Omorthan, and he got an idea.

"You're right - this world will not be the same until the power of the primordial's reappears. But together, I am sure we could find a way to draw their spirits from the netherworld. As to the others searching for the shards, I believe I can provide some help."

Drawing forth one of his black diamonds from the ether, Xerion held it before him. Slowly, it rose floating into the air, and the waters around the two gods grew agitated. As they watched, thin slivers flowed upwards around the diamond, entwining it in an increasingly complex net of water. Eventually, the shape of a sophisticated gauntlet could be made out, and as the design reached its most complex and beautiful it flash froze. As the light from the magical forging dissipated, the two gods beheld a masterpiece of ice and diamond, the black diamond of Xerion now forming the centerpiece of an unbreakable construct of divine power.

"This is Frostclaw. With it, you will have the strength to defeat all who stand in your way. I offer you this, as well as something far more valuable - a purpose. But I must have something of equal value in return."


Spend 3 AP to create Artifact, Frostclaw

12 - 3 = 9 anytime AP

Frostclaw:
A gauntlet composed of unbreakable ice and black diamond, Frostclaw sizes automatically to the wearers dominant hand. Frostclaw enhances the combat abilities of whomever wears, imbuing them with the strength of an avalanche, the solidarity of a glacier, and the speed of the winter wind. While these effects are normally of only moderate intensity, the gauntlet feeds on the negative emotions of its host, and if possessed by someone with an excess of rage, hate, or fear it becomes far more effective. This is where the terrible secret of the gauntlet hides: as it feeds on negative emotion, Frostclaw intensifies those emotions in its host, driving them further and further towards absolute evil. This is not so intense as to enact marked changes in the host's behavior initially, but instead subtly twists their normal opinions and emotions towards the darker spectrum. Eventually, the gauntlet affects the wearer's most basic nature, twisting their essence into that of a Devil. However, by that time the power is so infectious that the wearer rarely cares.

[Fisher]

Nord, Rajuilma (Plane B1)

The inert elemental stirred from it's temporary rest. It was time to begin anew. Picking a point at random Nord spun rapidly and charged the mountain face, piercing the stone like a colossal drill. Jolts of electricity sparked outward, merging with the rock and imbuing it with it's divine energy. Water from the lake trickled after the elemental, pooling lazily within the cavern's crevices.

After several short hours of work Nord stopped to look at his work. Before him lay a passage filled with light as bright as the midday sun. Satisfied, he began to gather materials for future endeavors.


Licens' Circlet currently inactive. No fog.


Week 1 12 AP to start


3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.
2 AP (Acquire Building Permit, Plane -1)
1 AP (Shape Land): Dig Site on Southern Continent
3 AP (Shape Land) 16x16 Area with transformation of Solid Earth to new terrain.


http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5670/planen1v1.png (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/planen1v1.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

AP Usage: 3/12

Week 2 +4 AP & 3 AP for Shape Land
AP: 6/7 & 0 for Shape Land

3 AP (Extra, Shape Land) (Counted a little short of 200 squares modded which would fall under the 20x20 domain plus 1 AP for difficult land conversion)
1 AP (Create World Element) Lantern Stone: Natural Gemstone found throughout Rajuilma. In small quantities it emits light like a torch while in large amounts it can produce the equivalent of daylight. After several hours the light dims, but contact with water can renew it's brightness with time. Moisture that accumulates within the cavern's walls allow the natural Lantern Stone to stay renewed.

Plane B1 (Rajuilma, Updated)

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8397/planen1v2.png (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/planen1v2.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Orange: Lantern Stone, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan looked at the gauntlet with slightly humbled expression and slowly knelt to one knee in front of Xerion, bowing his head at him.

"For this kind of aid and purpose, I will give my undying obedience and loyalty to you, Xerion. All of my powers are at your beck and call, and I will do anything you ask of me if you help me realize the dream of old, glorious days restored."

He looked at the gauntlet that hovered between them and continued to speak in quieter tone, his words as cold and flowing as river of ice.

"I already have a plan that would put the world back as it was before and put us both above all other divines. I can tell it to you if you wish to hear it. Would that plan, along with oath of my service, be of enough value to you?"

[Johel]

"I'm don't know," Cornu sighed as he laid back onto the sand, "Sometimes we forget faces. Glimpses and fragments are easily lost."

The sand was like a soft headrest, easily shaped as Cornu shifted his head to look over to Naïade. A moment passed, he looked back to the stars. "Do you remember Satar? That guy made everything a dance... Or maybe Elsine, with her hair of gold?" Cornu raised an arm to the sky, knocking stars about with his finger. The stars grew shining tales, sailing off and fading near the horizon.

"Nycoth, Tyrla, Rickenmoor... Gone. We all fought for this, yet things are still simmering. I don't think the fires will ever die down..." said Cornu as the skies filled with flying stars. Even with Cornu's pause, streaming lights could be seen in the sky.


"-I do remember Elsine. I only heard of Satar, long after his passing."
Naïade looked at Cornu's work. As the stars felt into the ocean, the goddess repressed a shiver. Was it due to the stars ? Or to Cornu's last words ? Who knows ?

"-The fires of hate shall die down. If not through mutual acceptance, then through a lack of combatants. The choice is ours as to which of these outcomes will unfold..."
She crept closer to the horned god.
"-I would rather see each of us hold each other's hands, if only to avoid more bloodshed. True friendship between our kin and the Primordials... I think it is too soon. We may dream and hope, though... Because that's all we are, after all : dreams and hopes of a different future."
One of her tentacle swirl around Cornu's hankle.
"-I wonder where this one will fall... Will it go beyond Ril's border, crossing the planes themselves ? Or will it just dive to the bottom of the depths ?"

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion placed two fingers underneath Omorthan's chin, slowly lifting the god's head until their eyes met. Omorthan felt the searching glance of Xerion as his serpent eyes seemed to bore through flesh and blood to the very essence of Omorthan's being. Eventually, his chin was released, but his attention was still held by those hypnotic eyes.

"Indeed, Ice god, your service and your loyalty are valuable, and I accept them with joy." From the place where Xerion's fingers had touched him, a black spot appeared on Omorthan's chin. Winding down, the serpent sigil embraced the elemental's frozen heart before fading from view. When the Mark finally completed its work, Frostclaw flew through the air, attaching itself to Omorthan's right hand. As he watched, the gauntlet writhed and twisted until his entire forearm was armored in shining black ice, his hand encased in a clawed glove of the same, the red star of Xerion's power shining from the gauntlet's heart. Omorthan felt strength emanating from the gauntlet as the blue white ice at the edges of his form darkened into lethal rimefire, and the air about the two gods grew deathly cold, petrifying any waves that approached them in an eternal sculpture of corrupted glass. As the gauntlet finished its work, Xerion smiled.

"Now rise Omorthan, first and greatest of my servants. We are the harbingers of a new era, where Immortal and Primordial alike shall bow before a throne of Ice and Fire. Now tell me, what is your plan for returning the power of the Elder Primordials to this world?"


1 AP Spent to confer the Mark of Xerion

2 AP Spent to gain the Corruption Domain

9 - 3 = 6 anytime AP

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Naïade

Cornu leaned close, speaking so soft as to murmur, "Wherever it may be, it will shine bright."

Their lips locked, a second lasting for an eternity. Cornu backed away. A scuttling marked the dispersal of a group of disappointed guardian crabs that were watching the two. The air crackled with energy as it gathered within Cornu's hand. He nodded to Naïade and said with a smile, "First, we need to make this world more inhabitable."

The ball of energy slammed into the earth, sending vibrating ripples out from the epicenter. The world shifted, changed, losing its barrenness and becoming a thing of beauty.

Cornu looked upon his work and smiled, only to gasp and bring his palm to his face. "The shards! I didn't think how this might have affected them! I gotta get back to searching. Give any you find to the other angels like I did with you. Good luck!"

His departure kicked up a cloud of sand.


--------------------------

13-4 = 9AP

4+3=7ap Shape Land (70x70)

[Grim ranger]

Omorthan got to his feet slowly, opening and closing his now gauntleted hand few times. It felt...right somehow, as it had always been as much a part of him as his very arm. Nodding to Xerion, he began to speak in clear and matter-of-fact voice, raising colds winds around them to hide his words from any other gods that might have been listening.

"As we both know, the essences of uncounted Primordials and Immortals have been sent to netherworld during the war and would propably take the chance of returning into physical realms once more. My plan is to distract the angels and rest of our enemies with some seemingly important task, like hunting the shards, that while seeming important is of little consequence in longer run of things. When they play with this new world, I will devote my power to crafting replacement bodies for the dead Primordials to inhabit, and make sure they are totally under our control. This way we can silently increase our power without anyone noticing and eventually form force great enough to win any battle, as the netherworld holds great many Primordials more than there are alive Immortals. Then, with this world and the ranks of the divine united under our command, we have enough power to achieve anything: even permanent return of our kind from the netherworld. What I have learned from the war is that good plans need to be kept simple."

He folded his arms in thoughtful gesture, narrowing his eyes while thinking.

"Managing to bring essence of Old Primordials back into this world will not be easy task, of course, but in the end it will doulbtlessly be worth it. If we can gather enough essences in single body, we can form beings that are incredibly powerful and completely subservient: they know that we control them fully and can banish them back into netherworld if needs must. Breaching the walls between this world and the next will take great deal of energy, however: this is why I will go to seek out allies first, with your permission."

[TheDarkDM]

Xerion appeared thoughtful at Omorthan's plan. As his head bowed in though, embers from his robe joined the rising wind, until the two deities were engulfed in a sphere of burning ice and cold fire.

"Your plan has merit, Omorthan, save for one detail. I agree that crafting our own puppet Primordials would give great power, but eventually such creatures would attempt to free themselves. The souls of the elder elementals are too willful to accept rule by the spawn of an Immortal. Better to craft a few bodies to serve as distractions, servants that will occupy the angels, and take the remaining power into ourselves, bereft of the consciousness that guides it. That way, we would be the one's with the power, rather than some indomitable servant that may eventually turn on us."

Xerion smiled then, as the knowledge dawned on him that only a few beings would have the wisdom to know how to go about such a ritual, and he held the leash of one of them.

"And do not underestimate the Sword of Michael. As our plan revolves around the souls of Primordials, I suspect that were the blade to be reforged it would resonate with the souls of slain Immortals. In the hands of the right foe, it could destroy us. So go, gather what allies you can amongst the primordials and bring them to me to receive my mark, but also be aware of the shards that litter the land." Xerion then glanced down to Omorthan's side, which still bore faint scars from the fabled sword. "And remain vigilant, for sooner or later the seekers of the shards will be drawn to the ones you still carry. I shall take the Dreamsphere with me, for it may catch a pawn willing to gather the shards for us. Now, if we are in agreement, I must go and take stock of the other Immortals, for I taste change in the air. Should you need to contact me, simply speak my name into the gauntlet."

[Johel]

Cornu and Naïade

Cornu leaned close, speaking so soft as to murmur, "Wherever it may be, it will shine bright."

Their lips locked, a second lasting for an eternity. Cornu backed away. A scuttling marked the dispersal of a group of disappointed guardian crabs that were watching the two. The air crackled with energy as it gathered within Cornu's hand. He nodded to Naïade and said with a smile, "First, we need to make this world more inhabitable."

The ball of energy slammed into the earth, sending vibrating ripples out from the epicenter. The world shifted, changed, losing its barrenness and becoming a thing of beauty.

Cornu looked upon his work and smiled, only to gasp and bring his palm to his face. "The shards! I didn't think how this might have affected them! I gotta get back to searching. Give any you find to the other angels like I did with you. Good luck!"

His departure kicked up a cloud of sand.

"-Good...luck, you too... I guess."

Now, that was an unexpected turn of event.
Watching at the flying sand as all trace of Cornu vanished already, Naïade remained on the beach for a few moments. Then she pulled herself together : that kiss had been but a way to seal an alliance, a pact between the Mother of the Waves and the Horned One. A pact to make this world bloom with life, so that there may exist something else than strife and hate.

But for life to truly thrive, much work was still necessary.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu, The Great Savanna

Cornu wandered the Great Savanna for a time till he was weary. Just then he heard a lion near him moaning and groaning and at times roaring terribly. Tired as he was Cornu rose up and followed the sounds of the lion.

As he made his way through the bushes he stumbled over the root of a tree and fell down lamed, and when he tried to get up there he saw the lion coming towards him, limping on three feet and holding his fore-paw in front of him. The great beast kept on moaning and groaning and looking at Cornu, who saw that the lion was holding out his right paw, which was covered with blood and much swollen.

Looking more closely at it Cornu saw a great big shard pressed into the paw, which was the cause of all the lion's trouble. Summoning up his innate courage he seized hold of the shard and drew it out of the lion's paw, who roared with pain when the shard came out, but soon after found such relief from it that he fawned upon Cornu and showed, in every way that he knew, to whom he owed the relief. Instead of eating him up he brought him a young deer that he had slain, and Cornu managed to make a meal from it to honor the lion.

For some time the lion accompanied the horned one and continued to bring the game he had killed to Cornu, who became quite fond of the huge beast. Together they searched for more signs of the shards of the Golden Sword, until they reached a rock jutting out from the tall grasses. The two made their way up. Cornu thanked the lion once more for being a companion. "Now... Who do you think this piece belongs to?" He said to the lion while looking the shard over, "It's heavy and nearly a square, so whoever this is for must be strong."

The lion yawned in response.

[Vadin]

Kagu and Cornu, the Great Savanna

Drawn by the whispers and rumors of the largest manes, Kagu had wandered towards the mysterious guest and his atypical companion. Kagu tried to hide in a nearby bush and spy on the strange new god (though even a drunk megaphant could have seen through the thin layer of leaves and twigs the lion god crouched behind).

[Carden]

Sko'Virin - The Obsidian Cliffs

This was the place he had been looking for. Only here could the acorn's grace be seen for miles on end. It was perfect, that is, if all went according to plan. When the star lit night shined down, this tree would light the entirety of the cliff side, a beacon that would show for miles upon miles on the sea. He had even timed his epiphany to be the first to see such beauty. Truly, Lynd, thought the shadow, this will be fitting for your legacy. I will make something new for you, as you made something new for me.

Using his the butt of the Lifegiver, he dug a small hole in the cliff side soil. While planting the acorn, an idea popped into his head. Should he funnel his energy through the staff, he could grow the tree out the SIDE of the cliff, making it even more unique and perfect. He smiled to himself and placed the tip of the stave on the acorn. Opened himself to the power, he began to funnel it through the acorn.

Maybe it was the fact it held a bit of a divine spark, maybe a trace of Lynd remained or possibly it was the Shadow's subconscious mind that made him do it, but the acorn began to absorb all the power he had. It took some into itself, more than Sko'Virin had originally planned. The rest shot out into the world, causing the cliffs to grow, but not in this area. The clever elemental couldn't direct it, couldn't stop it, couldn't even hold a bit in for himself. All he knew before he passed out was that less than half went into the acorn, the rest had spread like wildfire into the world.

When he regained consciousness, all he saw was a brilliance before him. "That horrible light," he said to himself, "When I find the immortal responsible, I'll tear him limb from limb."

"I believe you're the one responsible this time," spoke a voice close to him, one that was incredibly familiar. Lynd? he thought, No, it couldn't be. "Lynd is dead," he finished aloud.

"I don't know what Lynd is, but I do believe you may have hurt yourself when you passed out," the disembodied voice said in a concerned tone. "Stay there while I get you some water." Footsteps walked away a bit as his benefactor left.

His vision finally cleared enough for him to look around. He looked around at with a sense of awe at his new vista. A massive lake had formed where the sea was, giant obsidian cliffs with cascading waterfalls spaced about its edge. He could tell there was passes on the north and the south sides, small fjords barely a mile wide. The cliffs edges was covered in trees, not trees as grand or as terrifying as those he made, but natural trees, like those he had found. It was breathtaking. behind him, the voice started again.

"I know nothing of your sort, Shade, but I assume this water will do for now?" Turning, he let out a small gasp at the figure standing before him. A lanky humanoid, it consisted of features that were half-tree and half-angel, yet consisted of neither. Not only that, but it glowed with the sheen of the acorn he had held so dear lately. She had loose branches for hair and trunks for limbs. Her hands were a mass of smaller branches, at least a dozen fingers on each. Her feet were sturdy roots, seemingly pressing in all directions at once. About her body oak leaves had sprung, now blowing gently in the wind.

"You... you took my energy to take this form? To make this new land?" Sko'virin attempted to rise as he spoke, but he fell back down. "What have you done?"

"Me?" she said confused, "It was you who gave us life. You're the one who decided to pour more life into me then anything else. I just gave it away before it could burn me to ashes before I could rise."

"Us? There are more of you?" He sat up, deciding it wise not to try to stand again for a bit.

"Yes, many more. There are some here now, if you'd stop falling all over yourself long enough to notice." Indeed, there were more around the small clearing, some male and some female. They seemed to be of a myriad of ages, sizes, and basic variety. None of them were talking loud enough to hear, but they were whispering back and forth. "I think I speak for them," said the glowing tree-person, "At least, I seem to be the only one among them who will speak."

The elemental sat there for a moment, contemplating all that he had inadvertently created. When he nest spoke, he posed a question. "Then who, may I ask, am I speaking to?"

He took mild schadenfreude in the tree-woman's bewildered expression. Finally, she got a small taste of what he had been feeling lately. "I-I do not know." she finally blurted out. "I-I don't think I have one yet."

"Then I, as your Creator, shall give you a name." pondering for a bit, he decided. "You say you speak for the crowd? Fine. I shall call you 'Maela'. In the tongue of my forefathers, that means voice. Now, Maela, help me back to my tree. I dearly wish to rest now, and I can think of no better place to be than there." Pointing to his home, he allowed the tree-woman to half carry him. Oddly enough, she was his exact height, except for maybe some of her branches which reached above his head. Giving a final thought about the creatures he had made, he spoke again to Maela. "Do your people have a name?"

Giving an exasperated sigh, she turned to him and said, "Just as I am nameless, so are they. Would you care to give us one?"

"Why, yes, I feel that prudent. I think I'll call you the Ent. It's meaning was 'torn', and the Ent truly were born by being torn from my grasp." Giving a small chuckle in spite of himself, he continued to chat on the way back. He told Meira of all the dangers of the forest and spoke of the brief history of the world. It was entertaining, to say the least.

AP Expenditure
3 AP +4 AP +4 Land Shape (Includes staff)= 11 = 1 Spawn Creature(Ent) + 2 Raise Exarch (Meira) + 8 Shape Land

This is gonna be fun to draw. Of course, by fun I mean horrible, but, hey, 6400 squares will make a pretty awesome forest sub-continent, amiright?

[Nefarion Xid]

Hot Tub of the Gods (Aithne's Island)

After some time in pleasant (or close to it) conversation with Aithne and Marek, Sylph throws in the metaphorical towel on his romantic pursuit and excuses himself. Lying through his teeth, he assures Aithne that the soak in her hot spring had done wonders for his injuries and that he was quite well enough to return home unescorted. While this left Aithne alone with the suave angel, Sylph had a feeling that the little spitfire was more than capable of defending herself and spurning any advances. On the other hand, he was also rather tired of being scalded and nearly drowned and had begun to wonder if any woman was worth that sort of trouble.

He flies home whilst pondering the merits of celibacy.


Excusing Sylph in order to avoid RP-Lock with an occupied Hi-Mi. More substantial post coming tomorrow.

[Moose Fisher]

Kagu and Cornu, the Great Savanna

Drawn by the whispers and rumors of the largest manes, Kagu had wandered towards the mysterious guest and his atypical companion. Kagu tried to hide in a nearby bush and spy on the strange new god (though even a drunk megaphant could have seen through the thin layer of leaves and twigs the lion god crouched behind).

The lion called out to the lord of the savanna, causing Cornu to snap his head in Kagu's direction. The lion did not fear Kagu, which meant he was not a threat. Cornu waved and called out, "Hey! Come on over, it's ok!"

He paused for a moment, perhaps this lion-like being was more animal than divine? Cornu pounded his breast and said, "Friend."

[Fisher]

Nord - Rajuilma (Plane B1)

Returning to the lake the Elemental began to gather large quantities of white sand from around it's shore. Enveloping the gathered supplies he refined the clumps into a single strand of thread, shocking the sand with jolts of electricity to forge each bit together. In time an immense amount of glass string was laid bare across the stone chamber. Snapping off two nearby stalagmites, Nord collected the string into two immense spools.

Setting the spools into the lake he sat beside the water to begin the last half of his task. Slowly weaving the two sets of strands together a long, serpentine form began to take shape with six spindly legs near the front. With the first complete he continued on six more times until seven long worms of crystalline glass standing upon their thin, lanky legs filled the chamber. Besides their legs the most striking feature was their tails, which were four or five times longer than the rest of their body. Finished with his task Nord released a final strike of lightning which arced from one worm to the next till each stirred to life.

Staying not a moment each dove greedily into the stone, till not a trace of them remained. Satisfied with his work, Nord set the little remaining thread aside for potential work later on. Smiling, as best a storm elemental could, while seven new tunnels steadily began to take shape.


Licens' Circlet currently inactive. No fog.

1 AP spent creating the Silk Worms, Colossal sized creatures which burrow through the earth and consume stone and gravel. Once a month they shed or molt their skin leaving the old one behind in the process. Like the strings used in their creation, the molting can be broken down and used for weaving. Their legs are used to scale and climb the various walls found underground when they are not burrowing within the earth.

During life these creatures do not produce offspring. It is only sometime after death that their remains release up to a dozen eggs that eventually grow into new silk worms. Average lifespan is 550-700 years. When aging the creatures don't get much wider than their adult form. However, a Silk worm's age can be determined by the length of their tail which gets longer and longer with each molting.

Week 1 12 AP to start


3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.
2 AP (Acquire Building Permit, Plane -1)
1 AP (Shape Land): Dig Site on Southern Continent
3 AP (Shape Land) 16x16 Area with transformation of Solid Earth to new terrain.


http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5670/planen1v1.png (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/planen1v1.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

AP Usage: 3/12

Week 2 +4 AP & 3 AP for Shape Land
AP: 5/7 & 0 for Shape Land

3 AP (Extra, Shape Land) (Counted a little short of 200 squares modded which would fall under the 20x20 domain plus 1 AP for difficult land conversion)
1 AP (Create World Element) Lantern Stone: Natural Gemstone found throughout Rajuilma. In small quantities it emits light like a torch while in large amounts it can produce the equivalent of daylight. After several hours the light dims, but contact with water can renew it's brightness with time. Moisture that accumulates within the cavern's walls allow the natural Lantern Stone to stay renewed.
1 AP (Spawn Creature): Created Silk Worms. Colossal in size and possess a long lifespan but are especially few in number. Only 7 currently in existence.

Plane B1 (Rajuilma, Updated)

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8397/planen1v2.png (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/planen1v2.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Orange: Lantern Stone, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph spent many months (had anyone the notion to count the number of times the suns passed overhead) in the study of the flora and fauna of the world. In particular, and obviously owing to his own elemental affinity, he found birds fascinating. It was because of how they were able to fly... with no extraordinary means at all. For a god, it was counter intuitive; surely it would be easier to simply command the air to lift you up... or to be made of something less dense than the surrounding air. Naturally, Sylph was delighted to discover the principle of "lift" after a period of diligent study. And naturally, he spirited away to his realm intending to put this knowledge to good use.

A short time later, Haru was born.

Haru, Sylph's giant hawk mount, is rumored to be the fastest creature in the world, even swifter in the air than his master. Regardless of who is really the greatest flier, as a pair the two are unmatched in speed. Sylph commands the wind as they fly and together they are capable of outpacing anything else in the sky.

Haru, in his natural form, is twelve feet long from beak to tail (though considerably longer if you account for his longest ornate tail feathers) and most closely resembles the Scissor-tailed Kite. He's mostly slate gray with a white belly, but the fringes of his wings and tail are tipped with brilliant blue plumage. When not hunting or being of service to Sylph, he assumes a smaller form and politely perches on his master's shoulder or encircles the area above. Fiercely loyal to and protective of Sylph, he patrols the skies of Cielcoeur with a watchful eye on his master and often spies on him even when Sylph would prefer privacy. While not capable of speech, he understands other beings perfectly. Sylph seems capable of understanding Haru's body language, though the finer points of his tilting head and shuffling talons are lost on most beings.

Raise Exarch: -2 AP
Final AP: 3, 3 Bonus Shape Land

[Vadin]

The lion called out to the lord of the savanna, causing Cornu to snap his head in Kagu's direction. The lion did not fear Kagu, which meant he was not a threat. Cornu waved and called out, "Hey! Come on over, it's ok!"

He paused for a moment, perhaps this lion-like being was more animal than divine? Cornu pounded his breast and said, "Friend."

Kagu sighed, stood up, and walked out from his pitiful cover. "I'm big, not stupid. The beasts know me by Kagu. Your name, stranger?" The savanna king approached the newcomer with what might be taken as foolish and implicit trust, the certainty that every alpha male has when he meets someone who clearly couldn't rip his throat out and probably won't pose a threat.

[Moose Fisher]

Cornu and Kagu, Great Savanna

"Cornu," he said with a nod, "Hopefully you've forgiven any trespass, I'm making my way through searching for these shards."

Cornu stuck the square shard back into the rock. He extended his hand to Kagu in goodwill. "You seem different from other divines. Not really Immortal nor Primordial."

[Vadin]

Kagu and Cornu, the Great Savanna

Looking slightly taken aback, Kagu's words rushed out, "Trespass? Oh no no no, this isn't mine. My mother Tag-Arwa blessed the air here with the warmth of her kindness. My grandfather dreamed of many of the beasts that fill it while in a fitful nightmare. My grandmother hid in the hills and stones of the land and planted the seeds that grew to these fields of golden summer.

"When Tag-Arwa passed on, she split the sparks of her divinity into so many small fragments that all sought to prolong her line. None caught on and exalted but me, likely because of this golden mess that landed on my face in my fledgling divinity. The two combined and sparked and gave me bits of histories of both my own direct lineage and some other power.

"All this just to say...this land isn't mine. I was just born here. I rule over the lions and call all beasts prey.

"Now tell me about these shards you're looking for. What's their story?"

Kagu's natural feline curiosity was powerful indeed.

[Fisher]

Nord, Rajuilma (Plane B1)

Deep within the earth the sound of hammering could be heard. The elemental was carefully chiseling away the stone, creating a field containing dozens of stone statues. These sloth-like creatures stood lifeless, their long arms stretching down to their ankles ending in four, claw-like fingers made to dig through solid stone. Each had a sort of pouch, like a kangaroo, on their bodies half bearing one upon their stomachs while the others appeared on their backs. Though each was sculpted of the same stone their coloration varied: some a coppery red, others a golden brown, and a number of other earth tones. However, each bore a band of white that circled atop their head over two small, charcoal eyes.

Content with the result, after close examination, Nord retrieved the spool of thread left from the Silk Worm's creation. Gingerly he measured out lengths of string, slicing pieces off one after another, until a small pile lay upon the floor. Looping each strand into a ring he began to fill one with a set of unique properties: water's adaptive nature, wind's tireless willpower, lightning's energetic spirit, and stone's stubborn disposition. Adding a drop of his own essence into the mix, the ring and it's content crystallized into a round, clear mirror. Floating away from the elemental it hovered momentarily over the field until descending to a chosen statue, merging with it's very core. Quickly cracks began to form throughout the stone, shattering away all at once, releasing the now dirt covered creature from within. Shaking away the dirt like a wet dog the creature looked around as if in a daze.

Smiling with the success, Nord grabbed the next loop of string and repeated the process, until in the place of each statue stood one of the furred mammals.


Licens' Circlet currently inactive. No fog.

1 AP (Spawn Creature): Created "the Digger" Race. More information to come later. Couldn't think of a proper name.

Week 1 12 AP to start


3 AP (Forge/Possess Artifact): Licens' Circlet Capable of blanketing a radius of 25 miles with dense fog. Effect is enough to confound the senses of any god (except perhaps those with a wisdom of 7 or more) and user cannot be found unless they wish to be found.
2 AP (Acquire Building Permit, Plane -1)
1 AP (Shape Land): Dig Site on Southern Continent
3 AP (Shape Land) 16x16 Area with transformation of Solid Earth to new terrain.


http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5670/planen1v1.png (http://img191.imageshack.us/i/planen1v1.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

AP Usage: 3/12

Week 2 +4 AP & 3 AP for Shape Land
AP: 5/7 & 0 for Shape Land

3 AP (Extra, Shape Land) (Counted a little short of 200 squares modded which would fall under the 20x20 domain plus 1 AP for difficult land conversion)
1 AP (Create World Element) Lantern Stone: Natural Gemstone found throughout Rajuilma. In small quantities it emits light like a torch while in large amounts it can produce the equivalent of daylight. After several hours the light dims, but contact with water can renew it's brightness with time. Moisture that accumulates within the cavern's walls allow the natural Lantern Stone to stay renewed.
1 AP (Spawn Creature): Created Silk Worms (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8170852&postcount=128). Colossal in size and possess a long lifespan but are especially few in number. Only 7 currently in existence.
1 AP (Spawn Creature): Created "the Digger" Race.

Plane B1 (Rajuilma, Updated)

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8397/planen1v2.png (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/planen1v2.png/)
Dark Brown: Solid Earth, Orange: Lantern Stone, Spiral Shape: Ceiling Connection to Dig Site.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Azaerel, Aithne's Island

The now small snake slithered about on the island until a familiar feeling washed over it. Magic, and not just any magic. The Sword. Casting about with more than just a mortals senses, he picked up the faint limned glow of one of the Shards of Michael's Golden Sword. Making a sharp beeline on the volcanic rock he grew closer and closer until he found what he searched for. A shard of gold that glowed with an inner power unlike any artifact he'd cut, pulled, smashed, separated, taken, or generally stolen from any Immortal or Primordial he'd ever seen, whether it was a weapon, an item, or a piece of the dead divines themselves. as he flowed up to the priceless item his form shifted smoothly and unnaturally from that of a small well dressed rattlesnake to an unwholesomely tall and thin man with skin blacker sin and a wide grin whiter an angel's wings. He was as well dressed as in his serpentine form with a pair of fine dress pants and well made shoes, absently clutching a cane in one hand that ended in an overly sized rattlesnakes tail.

He bent over and picked up the golden piece of metal, playing with it idly. Such power in such a small thing. He already had several shards, but he wouldn't stop until he had all the shards. But a thought occurred. Plenty of beings searched for the shards of Michael for different reasons, but he was just one of many no matter how much better at it he might be. He would need others. As he played with the golden metal thinking to himself, a dark form darted out of the sky, no doubt having spotted the glinting metal, and at the last second Azaerel moved his hand out of the way of the birds path, keeping the metal from it's taloned grasp. Looking at the small form wheeling around, Azaerel smiled. Reaching out his hand, he implored the creature to his hand, and it fluttered curiously down to his hand. The Crow, for that was what it was, twitched it's head to and fro for a moment, before settling it's attention on the golden shard, eyes rapt upon the piece of metal. Azaerel's wide grin only grew larger.

Out from his hat he pulled a long dark feather, and a pair of oversized mandibles. The feather had come from Shriisan, the Dark Wing, a black winged angel he had been rather fond of, before she died. The Mandibles came from Qrrorizax, the Great Burrower, an Elemental of Earth he had slain himself. He pulled magics from each of these artifacts and twisted them with just a whiff of the Shard, enough to a give his new hounds their scent. He twirled all these magics together, and allowed them to seep into the crow as it stared at the golden metal. The creature began to grow larger and larger, changing slowly, and Azaerel tossed it into the air as it mutated, it's wings flying open as it began to cast a great shadow over the area. After circling twice, letting out rattling caws that sounded as death itself, before landing next to Azaerel.

It was a great beast, fearsome and intimidating. Jet black feathers covering most of it's body save for it's long legs. All four of them. These legs ended in cruel black talons capable of ripping creatures apart and breaking bones. It had huge black wings springing from it's shoulders and back, it's stature like a great Wyrm. It's face was a weird combination of bird and insect, it had two large eyes in their usual place, and five smaller eyes interspersed between them, four on either side and one in the center. All seven eyes were glittering, sparkling gold. It had a great crows beak, with a pair of large powerful mandibles to either side of this long yellow beak. Azaerel held the Shard before the great beasts eyes, his smile unchanging. "Go." and in a great clamour of black feathers and cawing, it was gone, and behind it dozens and dozens of other creatures of the same kind took off as well, heading to the distant corners of the flat world. His newborn children would search every inch of the world, above and below, looking for the Shards. Should they find any, they would hide it in themselves, smothering it's magic with their own forms, and they would find Azaerel once more. For they were his beasts. His Deep Crows.

12AP=13AP-1AP Create Creature: Deep Crows

[Moose Fisher]

Kagu and Cornu, the Great Savanna

Looking slightly taken aback, Kagu's words rushed out, "Trespass? Oh no no no, this isn't mine. My mother Tag-Arwa blessed the air here with the warmth of her kindness. My grandfather dreamed of many of the beasts that fill it while in a fitful nightmare. My grandmother hid in the hills and stones of the land and planted the seeds that grew to these fields of golden summer.

"When Tag-Arwa passed on, she split the sparks of her divinity into so many small fragments that all sought to prolong her line. None caught on and exalted but me, likely because of this golden mess that landed on my face in my fledgling divinity. The two combined and sparked and gave me bits of histories of both my own direct lineage and some other power.

"All this just to say...this land isn't mine. I was just born here. I rule over the lions and call all beasts prey.

"Now tell me about these shards you're looking for. What's their story?"

Kagu's natural feline curiosity was powerful indeed.

"So Tag-Arwa survives, despite her despicable poisoning. She lives through you, Kagu."

Cornu pulled the square shard out of the ground once more, giving it to Kagu.

"As for these shards, it's a complicated story.

During the war, the Archangel Michael wielded the Golden Sword. The sword existed before the war, but never used at full power. Not only was it a formidable weapon, it was the sign of Michael's office as leader of the angels. The blade unified the angels under its wielder, making their word law that no other angel could question. It was both a blessing and a curse...

Michael fell in battle, his command passing. The Wind Lord, Sylph took up the Golden Sword, and leadership of the angelic host. The war continued, battles even more brutal under Sylph's command. A primordial existed which the blade could not cut, yet Sylph continued hammering on. This resulted in the Golden Sword to break into shards that scattered about the world. The angels lost unity, but the war was over at that point. We were free.

The golden mask on your face is likely to be a shard of the Golden Sword, more evidence that the broken sword brings new beginnings. As long as you live, the sword cannot be put back together, a great thing indeed! No one should be put into forced service! We are our own masters, each shard a small piece of ourselves!"

In a flash of silver light, Cornu holds Averrun in its full glory.

"I search the world for everyone's shards, so they may forge the tools of their destiny! We are separate, strong in our own ways, but together we hold the potential for power greater than a Golden Sword in the hand of one! Together, we can be a spiraling pillar of greatness!"

Another shard is given to Kagu.

"I see now that these shards were meant for you! Your strength to carry the heavy shard, and one of your kin-lions in possession a thorn-shard in its paws! Your heart is brave and fights for what is right! We shall craft a brotherhood with these shards!"

The shards in Kagu's hands glow bright as Cornu invests energy into their being.

-----------------------
((Cornu is offering 1-2ap to create an artifact for Kagu))

[Ap totals go here if artifact is made]

[Ipphli]

Nootau

After making his farewells to Aithne, Nootau took to the air and flew off towards the main continent. Flying over, Nootau sneered. "All this land, and almost nothing on it," he thought to himself. Continuing on, Nootau finally reached the far side of the land masses, opposite Aithne's island. Looking out over the vast ocean before him, Nootau decided to add his own touch to this new world.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Nootau focuses on concepts he's after, not having any previous experience. He brought to mind the land he'd already seen: the open grasslands and majestic forests, the vast ocean and flowing rivers. Nootau grinned evilly as he pictured all these terrains, only corrupted and befouled.

Opening his eyes, Nootau let out a small laugh as he saw the vast swamp below him: trees twisted and stunted, seemingly safe mires ready to suck under the unwary, rivers and lakes choked with mud and filth. He liked it. To protect his new playground, Nootau raised up a ring of mountains and volcanoes around the marsh, nearly sealing it away. At the last moment, however, a few passes were kept open, just in case.

Landing in the middle of this land, Nootau nodded to himself as he watched the various fauna that inhabited the land, especially the venomous snakes and voracious reptiles. Yes, it was a good start.


Spend 4 AP (3 bonus and 1 regular) to create vast swampland. Just let me know if you think it should be more.

[Nefarion Xid]

Great Savannah

A pair of blue streaks zipped overhead of Cornu and Kagu; the tips of Haru's wings. Sylph had been engaged in what he liked to call "aerial reconnaissance"... which was just a fancy term for peering over people's metaphorical shoulders and sticking his nose into business that wasn't his. Still, it was a big world, even for a god, so it wouldn't be fair to blame him for taking in the sights.

At Haru's insistent squawking, Sylph wheels around and makes another pass to confirm what the hawk said he saw. As promised, he spots the two gods conversing on the plains. He gives a tug on Haru's reins and the pair come in for a landing nearby... slowly enough as to not startle the two on the ground. Given Haru's size and speed, a sudden dive would have looked more like an attack instead of just dropping in to say "hi".

[Moose Fisher]

Kagu, Cornu, and Sylph; the Great Savanna

A blast of air rushed past the gods on the rock, tugging at fur and cloth. Cornu's scarf floated in the air for a half second before being blown around his head from the gusts created by Haru's descent. Cornu's eyes were half-closed in annoyance as he wrestled his scarf into obedience. "Speak of their name..." he whispered to Kagu.

Averrun was hidden from view, Cornu not wanting it to draw Sylph's immediate attention. Cornu gave a mock salute as the Wind Lord descended and said, "Hey Sylph. What have you been up to?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph spends a moment on Haru's back, lovingly ruffling his feathers before sliding off and walking towards Cornu and Kagu. He jerks his thumb to the left and says, "Go get a snack you overgrown chicken. I think we passed a herd of zebras."

Haru caws smugly before whipping up a cloud of dust with his wings and blasting off to the east.

"Cornu, it's been a while. I got a new place; you'd like it. Nearly as grand as Seraph's palace I think. I'd love to hear what you think of it."

Sylph smiled earnestly while shoving one hand into his coat pocket. The other hand went up to smooth out his wind tussled hair and make sure his pony tail was still in place. His good eye twinkled. It was honestly good to see Cornu again, despite their differences and past headbutting, he held no ill will towards the angel.

"The bird is Haru." Bigger grin with a gesture towards the sky.

He then makes eye contact with Kagu and waits to be properly introduced by their mutual acquaintance.

[Moose Fisher]

"Kagu (-u must be a popular suffix). He carries a piece of Tag-Arwa's divinity and lives within this savanna.

What brings you here anyway?"

[Nefarion Xid]

Sylph wrinkles his nose and thinks back. "A fragment? I haven't seen Tag-Awra since..."

He sets his eyes on Kagu again. "How did she...?"

[Vadin]

Kagu, Cornu, and Sylph on the Savanna

With a subtle growl, Kagu spoke up, "Poison. From a demon."

"But that's neither here nor there. This, on the other hand..."

"...this is the key..."

Kagu pulled and tore and wrenched and shredded the slab of gold until it was in a thousand tiny pieces. He held the gold flakes in his hand and blew them to the winds, where most were carried to the blessed children, the lions with the thumbs.

The first of the kindred were born when Kagu the Lion tore asunder a portion of the golden sword desired by the host of angels, a fact they are all aware of. What else but destruction of divinity could create a creature with the creative spirit of the gods themselves?

"Thank you, Cornu! Just as my mother rent her divine essence to pieces to bring me life so too have I done for my own children! Haha, yes! They live!"

13 AP - 2 AP (Spawn Creature: Kindred [Lion]) = 11 AP