Godhood 3 IC: Beyond Mere Chaos!

[BladeofObliviom]

Godhood 3

An Aeon Ago

Fire and Steel flashed across the cosmos, spiralling towards their opposing Ultimus in blood and fury. The very fabric of the universe was lit aflame, even as the shards tore long, neat slashes across it. This must be the final day of the universe indeed, as it could have no hope of persisting if these mighty Titans worked so hard toward destroying it through their own discord. However, not all was lost, as a looming shadow appeared in the center of the fray, halting as a wave of twinned light and darkness spread across the cosmic battlefield.

NO MORE WARNINGS! NO MORE MERCY!

In an instant, all action ceased in the cosmos, each of the Ultima thrown back in terror and agony as they suffered the wrath of the Primus, a being that dwarfed each of them in power. Even had they not been weakened by their constant conflicts, such power was something they could hope to achieve only through cooperation. The waves intensified, and each Ultimus was greeted by the horrifying sight of an Aspect of Mortan, come with a scythe.

TODAY, THIS FARCE ENDS.

Each screamed in nightmarish harmony as the Divine Blade struck across them, tearing each of their forms asunder and banishing what remained to places outside the universe. Mere moments later, the waves retracted, sewing the fabric of reality together and dousing the flames as the edges passed over the final battleground of the Ultima. The Primus of the Titans once more surveyed his surroundings.

With its essence returned, the Great Gearworks that kept the universe in order resumed its ticking, where such a noise had been gone for so long. Indeed, that telltale ticking was just another reminder of the Primus' lost brother. In a manner not entirely different, the ever-present tears in the highest reaches of reality had once again begun to spew the glowing mists of the Great Beyond. Together, these two sensations were such a disquieting reminder of his fratricide that the feeling of regret nearly caused Mortan to miss the faint green tendrils that had begun to manifest nearby.

Instantly, the Primus was forced to dodge as an entity more powerful than the Ultima attempted to ensnare him in green vines. The scythe struck out again, severing a number of them. The Median of the Titan screamed in horror as a a purple ichor flowed from the wounds, then barked out:

WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING? THEY WERE OUR BROTHERS, NO MATTER THEIR RAGE! AND YOU DESTROYED THEM!

I DID WHAT HAD TO BE DONE! YOUR COMPASSION WOULD HAVE UNDONE EVERYTHING!

The vines continued their assault, but they did not, could not strike to injure. They merely attempted to wrap around the Primus, to restrain him. The Primus of the Titans was still significantly greater than his sister, however, and he had little difficulty stopping her feeble attempts at imprisoning him.

"I see that you will not accept my logic."

Instantly, the action stopped once more as Light and Darkness fought united against the Median of the Titans, freezing her in pain and fear as the full might of the Primus bore down upon her. The Divine Scythe flashed once more, but this time it struck with the flat of the blade; Viviul was not rent asunder as her siblings had been, but was thrown onto the surface of an otherwise meaningless world set upon the Gearworks instead. She only had a few moments before the full, armored form of Mortan landed beside her, holding his blade against her throat.

The Primus of the Titans hesitated a moment over his defeated foe, but she had not the strength to take advantage of the lull. He lifted the blade, prompting a sense of relief for but a moment in the other Titan, before speaking.

"You are dear to me, sister. My heart forbids me from tearing the flesh away from your bones and leaving you to bleed upon the soil of this forsaken planet, but I cannot allow you to continue. I must take the only option left open to me, and for that I apologize."

Mortan's hand took on an otherworldly glow as he took hold of Viviul's throat, and thrust her entire form downward, plunging her into the center of the world, infusing her entire essence into this one place. She would control this world, of course, but one world of life could only be good in light of what would happen next.

The Primus of the Titans looked upon the universe that had been wrought by his actions. Indeed, it was now at peace, as he had always wanted. But...

...It was lonely. And he was alone in it. Perhaps it was time that the Titans fell. Perhaps a new era would be a good thing. After a moment of deliberation, the Primus of the Titans thrust the blade of the scythe through his own heart.

Thus it was that the Age of the Titans came to an end. Mortan's body and soul were rent into thousands of pieces, scattered over the universe by the antipode wave of light and shadow released upon his death. This wave neatly scoured the universe clean of life, so that things could begin anew.


The Present

After nearly an Aeon of stagnation, only one place had any real change: One world, with a Titan at its center.

It grew ecosystems, and creatures. Plants and Oceans covered every inch of it, except for the parts that were mountain and desert. Indeed, it was a wondrous beacon of life and plenty. It had a name, not simply one given to it, but felt by all that approached it: Gaia. A beautiful name, to match a beautiful planet.

Something else changed in the universe, as well. The shards and pieces of Mortan, scattered far and wide, began to take in elements of their surroundings, changing from the base of Mortan into things that were else, and unique. At this single moment in time, however, the first of these beings, the prime generation of new Gods, arose to consciousness, having grown in the void of the universe for millennia. None truly know any more of their origins than vague, fragmented memories, but all feel the call to Gaia. After all, it has been a long, long time since Mortan last visited his sister...

[Raz_Fox]

The sky was beautiful. Blue, marbled with white.

Eshel hadn't meant to fall from it. She'd just... fallen. And things had cracked under her. But why worry about that, when she could just lie here and watch the sky?

Some time later, she decided she wanted to create. The sky had given her ideas. Patterns writhed in her head, clouds rushing across the sky, caught in a perfect moment. She could see, as clearly as she could see the sky, the perfect way to capture the essence, the meaning of a cloud, in an etching, maybe even one perfect symbol.

The symbol she could see was [cloud; grace in motion].

She tried to push herself up, out of the crater. Stone cracked under her fingers; her hands sunk into the shattering rock beneath her. She braced herself, tried to pull her hands out. Her legs cracked the mountainside; the stone around her hands exploded, splitting apart into a thousand fragments. She stood, angrily, and began to walk down the mountainside. At her first step, the mountain split apart under her, sending her tumbling down.

Where she scrambled for a grip, the mountain sheared apart. Where her feet fell, the stones broke. Where she fell, the earth yielded before her.



The rain drove her to move again. She began to pull herself out of the pit, her every motion causing explosions of mud, the symbols on her arms burning furiously in the dark, her face reflected in puddles a thing of light and art, featureless but for the perfect symbols on it in the dark reflections. She could not; she dug the pit as quickly as she tried to claw her way out of it.

She screamed, punched the earth, felt it shudder and yield and flee before her. Again, again, again! The thunder of her fists drowned out the rain's song. The symbols, so bright, swam all about her, dancing around her pounding fists. They break the earth, they scatter the mud, they shatter the bones of the earth.

She stopped, finally, when even she could not shatter any more. The sky was far above her, so far that she could hardly see it. Everything was broken; she was in a labyrinth of twisted, broken stone. All around her was the sound of water seeking settlement, puddles and rivulets. Her making. Her breaking.

She knelt, slowly, listening to the sound of water and the silence of stones. Her motions were painfully slow, as ethereal as clouds. Whenever the earth creaked and groaned, she stopped, frozen, waiting a long time to dare motion again.

She finally rested on her legs, her heart still, her breath calm and easy, all fear and strength and regret. She reached out, with one finger, and - over the course of a day - carved [cloud; grace in motion] into the earth before her.

1 Act - Create the Shattered Maze.

The Goddess Eshel destroyed an entire mountain range when she fell from heaven, through her strength unbridled and her rage provoked. They became, instead, one of the most twisted, convoluted mazes in the entire world. Jagged mountain peaks lean crazily, half-shattered, their roots hollow, a labyrinth of twisted passages that lead into a hundred dead ends.

One would have to be crazy to enter inside. There are many entrances, all around the broken mountain range, crevasses in disquieted forests and gaping holes in the earth, and entrances into the deepest parts of the maze in the mountains themselves - but finding a path through the mountains is just as torturous as finding a path beneath them, for those without wings. But why enter at all, into that horrible maze?

Because, at their heart is the chamber where every rune can be found, drawn by the Runegiver, thrumming with power from their second drawing. Because in that maze are the most beautiful jewels and most precious metals, forced up from the depths of the earth when it was broken. Because, some say, if you go down as far as possible, you can hear Viviul. And because, if you are monstrous, if you are ostracized, there are none in the dangerous depths of the Shattered Maze who will turn you aside. Least of all Eshel.

[rweird]

The shard of Mortan fell, striking Mortan's scythe it split, cleanly, without destroying, for Mortan had died, his power was now invested in these shards. They spiraled apart, years passed, one half fell to Gaia and took form, of a new being, a God, the other unknown to this shard.

He looked across the world and saw it was young, and yet to be shaped. Seeing other shards he new he was not alone. I will keep the peace. he declared, not speaking, making the universe to have spoke it. Taking the form of a great metal eagle, he took flight. I will wait to see what the others do. he thought.

Is it okay for this to be how we are related? If not I will edit this.

[The Underlord]

One shard flew further than the rest. It went straight down, piercing the top layer of the Gearworks. For millennia this shard stayed their, constantly being washed by the energy radiated by the celestial gearworks. As this shard matured it began gaining memories. The Gearworks interfered with this process though. He remembered the atrocities of Vinius, the Ultima of Chaos. He remembered the heroics of Legius, the Ultima of Law. This shard, the beginnings of a God, realized he must take action. Using the power from himself, and that given to him by the Gearwork, he escaped them, travelling into the void that is the universe. Normally, the Gearworks are not something anything can escape from, even a God, but the Gearoworks parted for him, knowing that he would rise up to be it's champion, a champion of Law.

As he traveled the universe, he reached his height of his power, that of the status of a God. He took upon the name that the Gearworks had given, though he did not know it at the time: Karthanax. Eventually he heard the universe almost shake as Eshel fell onto the Earth. This interested him and he flew to Gaia. As he approached he felt for the first time Life, flowing from Viviul deep down inside Gaia. He felt a calling from it, almost as if Viviul was speaking to him. It was then he realized he his own power, a power not given by the Gearworks, the power to control the flow of weakened life. His mind was was opened, and he could sense locations with power that stood out to him as places to send this weakened life. Curiously, they moved, flying all over the universe. He then saw that one of these such places was himself and realized what these places were. They were Gods. He finally knew he was not alone in this universe.

He sensed the unconrtolled power and amazing strength from Eshel. He flew toward that source. When he saw Eshel, he knew instantly that she was the source of the strength he had sensed. He looked around and gathered that she was the source of the shaking that had interested him. He spoke, for one of the very first time
Greetings, fellow being. If I may, I would like to inquire your name, Strong One. If it would not trouble you to say,is there some particular reason for this he waved his hand around place?

[Space Lawyer]

What? Why? When? How?

The being opens her eyes, feeling existence flowing through her. She looks around herself, memorizing the details, studying them.


What? Why? When? Where? How?

Sometime in the beginning, yes, Mortan was dead, so very long ago, this was the start of the gods. All those other things were in the future. Or at least they might be.

Where were the multitudes of sentient beings? Oh, right still the future, they still had to be created and thrive. That must be done. Gaia, that is the name of this place. I am...Myel. Yes, Myel

Myel lands into the cool mists of of a great swamp. Out into the distance, it gives way to jungle, and then eventually mountains.

So much here. Look at all these creatures, all these plants. What are they, why are they, how do they act?

A new species, yes. That would help. They could observe and learn, see the acts of the other gods, and record. They would be varied in form, to better explore the world, and to interact with the other races to come. Which one was she creating? Oh, right, yes, those.

Myel brings a snake to herself, then many snakes, knowing she will need many attributes if her race is to survive. She gathers the mist as well, to truly make these children of the swamps.

The snakes are formed into one, then elongated and separated into two. Some of these creatures will be suited for life on the land, others for the sea, and many for both. Myel gives them arms to manipulate the environment with, two of them, and two long tentacles on the face. They will have biological abilities in their blood, some active in certain individuals, others not. Some will be poisonous, others able to fade into the background. They would be able to share their blood, and improve their race from it. They would take the blood of other creatures, and make it their own.

To these new creatures, Myel imparts what she has already learned in her short time of existence, how to survive, the notion of language, and most importantly, magic. It will suffuse their existence, and they will seek to learn more of it and to propagate it. She imparts a thirst for knowledge, such that they will never be satisfied that they have studied all that is to be studied. They are granted extreme intellect, and force of personality. They shall never be lonely, for they shall be able to share their minds. A group-mind that will not overwhelm the individual, but instead welcome it, giving the race unity and purpose unknown to other creatures. They will be able to share memories and experiences, and be able to communicate at a level beyond speech, beyond words or even concrete thoughts.

Myel calls upon her innate power, and the energy that surround the world, flows through it, and exists as part of it. She imparts this energy into her creations, giving them life.

She whispers "You are my children. This world is vast. Learn its secrets."


Act 1:
Myel has created a race of snake-people. They have not been named, for they must discover a name for themselves. They have an understanding of their environment, and are extraordinarily gifted in magic.

They are essentially a combination of the yuan-ti, illithids, naga from L5R, and slivers from MtG.

[ryan4567]

Rhodrhea

"Aaaaaaah"

The three hundred and sixty third thought of Rhodrhea was one of pain. This was the one which finally spurred her into action, the incentive needed to change her from a shard of Mortan into a true god.

It felt like some part of her was being tormented, but in a distant sort of way. Like metal being drawn down a chalkboard - not hurting her in any real sense, but she could still feel it.

From the bowels of Gaia she rose, determined to find the source of this discomfort, and hopefully put an end to it. But within moments the pain receded, leaving only a faint sensation that something was not quite right.

"Brother", she called out to the world. For there was at least one who would answer that call. "I need you now. Come forth and help me."

[Creed]

Moarzed

It was a good day to be alive.
Moarzed had been lost once, not truly alive. He understood that he was once not quite himself. When the Titans fell, not-Moarzed had drifted through the void for some time, in a state of perpetual lethargy. But then he had found himself. His mind had found his body, and had found each other quite agreeable.
That was so very long ago now. Moarzed's mind and body were truly one entity now, after time uncountable floating through the void.
Moarzed never really did much, skirting around the other entities that existed in space, not knowing if they were friend or foe. But now they were all on, or at least near, Gaia.
Moarzed would look foolish if he didn't attend.
He hung in the space above the planet, and a rippling force shattered the earth below him. The god looked down onto the shattered mountain below, and saw the other entities begin to gather there.
They were moderately interesting. The Lord of Chaos couldn't hear what they were saying, and didn't much care at the moment. He was content to watch, and there were other things that had him occupied, such as the one who had fallen from the sky, The One who Shatters Mountains. Moarzed hung above the planet gazing down at her, his heart momentarily fluttering. The god scolded himself and tried to turn his attention away, observing the other gods as well.
He had had a dream like this once. A great gathering of immortals, laying down the laws of the universe, and then turning on each other in a brutal contest of might. In the end, there was only one left standing, but for all his power Moarzed could not remember who it was.
Thus is the Game of Gods: There is no middle ground. You win, or you die.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla

Healing is not something you can become, and neither is Protecting. These are verbs and require an object to define themselves, and for a very long time indeed Kor'Salla had no object upon which to bring everything into focus. His awareness began quite early in the scheme of things, perhaps the very first shard to achieve any sense of sentience.

Without life in the sprawling expanse between the Great Beyond and the Gearworks there was no healing, only the steady march of entropy and subsequent repair. There was no protecting, only the lasting peace before life had begun to take root upon Gaia. It was the prison of Viviul that first gave Kor'Salla any real sense of definition; when the plants began to grow from saplings and turn into vast jungles, and when creatures began to prowl those jungles and feast upon the flesh of others.

For the first time, Kor'Salla began to develop sapience. He started to pass judgment and form opinions about all the things he saw upon the planet of Gaia. He found some creatures repeating the same patterns time and again, and other creatures adapting to their circumstances and trying new things. The latter caught his interest in a very profound way.

When Kor'Salla began to focus his attention upon that single planet, metaphysics squealed in protest as certain verbs began to be scarce in the outer regions and alternatively were in great supply around Gaia itself. It is likely his influence that allowed the planet to become such a verdant paradise, though only indirectly of course.

When the other shards around him began to take physical form, he passed judgement upon them as well. He decided that some of them were bound to repeat the same patterns just as the creatures upon Gaia, and he really only paid attention to the ones that were more unique. When the very first genuinely sapient race was crafted upon Gaia, Kor'Salla realized that everything that had come before would be changed. This was a momentous event the like of which he had never witnessed before.

Kor'Salla did not even realize that his single minded focus was changing his own pattern, from being a passive observer to actively changing the nature of things. Once again metaphysics bellowed in irritation and threatened to go on strike when the old god focused all his attention upon the snake people. He appeared before them in a shape similar to ones the other gods had taken, for no better reason than it seemed to be popular.

His arrival would no doubt cause a stir. The very act of focusing his attention upon this one place meant that it was absolutely overflowing with healing and protection, and there was almost none anywhere else to be shared!

2 Acts - Zero Sum Spheres: There is a finite amount of Healing and Protection available in the universe. The amount available depends on how much focus Kor'Salla is paying. If he is unfocused then everyone benefits equally. If he is focused then the object of his focus has drastically increased healing and protection, while everything else has almost none. [Gods are Immune]

[Selinia]

Halure

There was a place, miles away from the shattered mountains - though not so many that their jagged and broken peaks could not be seen with a keen eye.

Miles away from the great swamps - though not so many that their water could not be felt moistening the earth and feeding the many fields and lakes.

Miles away from great deserts, or distant seas - though not so many that the warm tang of salt could not be smelled on a windy day.

It was a quiet place. An in-between place. Here one of Mortan's shards had fallen, not with chaos and destruction but with a simple *plop* into a shallow pond. The only ones to notice were the frogs and mayflies, and even they cared only so far as how rudely the fallen star had intruded upon their home. Not even the shard cared, as it was rather busy being the fragmented corpse of a dead god.

Up until now, that is.

Right now, the shard was finishing up with the unfathomably important task of coughing up water. Of trying to shake some of the water out of her hair. Of running through what memories she could access, hoping to find something cohesive. Unfortunately for her, this shard was not born of one of Mortan's higher thought processes, and she had a comparatively small library to peruse.

Not that it was useless - far from it, in fact. She learned that she was named Halure, and the world beneath her was named Gaia. She learned that the world was beautiful, and that life was beautiful, and behind them lay something more beautiful still. She was to nurture it, somehow. Only then did Halure really take the time to take in her physical surroundings.

She felt an impossibly heavy weight within her, and she could not bring herself to stand just yet. But there was a stout willow nearby that offered a reprieve of cool shade and gentle bark, and the goddess decided that it was as good a destination as any. Halure crawled toward it, slumped against it, and let out a long, low breath of relief as her weight settled against the soft wood.

Halure closed her eyes, let her hands rest upon her swollen abdomen. The weight inside was life, she thought to herself. More life than she could imagine. It seemed heavy now, but she knew it still wasn't ready just yet. It would grow, and the pressure within her would build, and soon she would help it pass into this world itself. Soon, but not now. Her own birth had been enough for one day.

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin awoke, light blinding his eyes, head throbbing. Sitting up, he groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Just where in the hell am I?" Martin glanced around the local area, taking in the forest. "Well, I am somewhere, as opposed to nowhere. Which is good, I suppose." As he stood up and stretched, his mind wandered from his current situation, and back to where he was before. Thoughts and glimmering fragments of memories, of void, and death, and violence drifted through his mind. As he delved deeper into the Past-That-Was-Not-His, pain stabbed into his head, and he gasped and grabbed his head until the pain subsided to a dull throbbing in his head. After a moment, Martin laughed. "Best not to think about the past anyway, eh? Keep on moving." Martin looked around again, taking in his surroundings on last time. "Move where though? And how?"

After a moment, Martin pulled a stout branch from a nearby oak tree, and quickly stripped it down. His walking staff, about as tall as he was, molded to his fingers, and he smiled. Martin turned towards the tree, and patted it. "Thanks for the stick! Grow strong, kay?" He tapped the ground with his staff, and bricks shot from the ground, sprouting up and forming into a road that countoured to the ground. Trees and other features moved aside from the road is it continues planking down. As the road continued to expand in all directions, Martin heard explosions and destruction coming from a distance.

As Martin walked down the road, he looked around, worrying for his road. Puzzling for a moment, he turned to the tree he took his staff from, and smiled. "Awaken, friend. Protect my road, and those who travel along it." Martin tapped the staff to the tree, and a humanoid being emerged from the tree, looking around, bemused. Martin smiled even wider at his creation. "I bestow upon you the gifts I have: fighting prowess, to defend and protect those who travel on the roads. Luck, so that you may be fortunate in all things. And with that, I allow you to awaken others of your kind, so that in all places, the road will be safe. May your luck be good, my friend." With that Martin smiled and walked off towards the mountains.

As he arrived at the mountains, the road speeding its way past him, building itself, he noticed the destruction of the mountains, the ruination of the land. "Well, this certainly isn't good..."


The Traveling Roads: (1 Act) Martin's first act, the Traveling Roads, are roads that go many places and connect all parts of the world together, and grow to connect people together. In addition, the Roads grow to comfortably fit any number of people side by side, and though not immune to damage, resist it and regrow overnight. However, the Roads will not grow places other gods do not want them to.

The Road Guardians: (1 Act) A type of elemental, the Road Guardians are skilled in combat, are good adventurers, and tend to be lucky. They protect the Roads and those who travel on them.

[TheDarkDM]

Ammeras

A star flew through the sky. None could say for how long it traveled, for time had become meaningless in the great ending, while the toll of the celestial gears went unheard and untended. Through the great black it flew, the only light to fall upon the devastated worlds dotting the surface of the immense machine, the only spark of life within the void. The Great Beyond reached out at its passing, hungering for the light that was so like it, yet the star shunned the attentions of its static brethren.

Ever onwards flew the star, until finally upon an unnamed day it passed within sight of Gaia. None can say whether what happened next was fate or chance, but in that instant of passing the star changed its course for the first and last time. Down it streaked through the atmosphere, a blinding sphere of foreign light to the twilit depths of Gaia, fire streaming from its smooth, spherical shell. It's passing left a wound in the sky, a fiery gash that ignited cloud and star, but soon enough it broke through Gaia's misty shield and crashed into a nameless mountain range.

Was it hours, the star lay there? Days? Weeks? It seemed the world could die and be reborn again before the molten glow of its descent would fade. Yet deep within the star, the shard of Mortan that would become Ammeras stirred. He felt something, for the very first time, and in feeling he came to know himself. To know that he was the pinnacle of the Primus' essence, the unerring conviction through which the universe prospered. He was first. He was greatest. He was perfection.

At that realization, the star shattered, its flawless diamond shell fading to ash. At its center lay what seemed to be another sphere, yet as the cloud of astral dust blew into the unknown, this new sphere stirred. Six wings of purest white unraveled themselves, revealing a humanoid body crouched on the ground. Yet to call the newborn god humanoid would be to overstate the majesty of every race to bear the mantle. No mortal eye could have looked upon his shining features without going mad, nor stared into his golden eyes without remaining transfixed to the point of death. He stood, and the wind seemed to pause at his passing, before he unfurled his wings and the mountain valley became as the sun. Endless, pure light sprang from the heart of him, scouring away all impurities from the valley, leaving naught but a glassy bowl. A flap of his wings, and he was higher, the snow upon the mountain peaks bursting into falling water at the touch of his light, beckoning him higher. A second flap, and the sun rose over Gaia for the first time, as the light that was Ammeras ascended into the heavens and beheld the world. The sensation was overwhelming, unnerving, yet Ammeras knew with the utmost conviction that this was right, and he spoke words that would ring through Gaia as a clarion call.

"I am."

[Saidoro]

Ages ago, moments after the sundering an ethereal shard flew through Gaia's sky and then on into the earth, slowing slightly as it went and then coming to a stop within a massive geode deep underground. The shard had not yet thought or hope, only the light of itself and the bottomless darkness of its new home. Time passed and the gestating intellect began to act, changing and shifting its light and watching the thousand reflections and distortions of the crystalline walls dance in response, taking on every possible shape. More time passed, and the intellect began to desire freedom, yet in every direction the walls were lined with knives and it dared not pass them. Instead it reached out to the darkness that was wherever its light did not fall, the darkness was ever surrounding the blade-like walls and surely it had no fear of them. The intellect spoke to the darkness and asked why it had no fear, and the darkness responded.
We are everywhere and in everything. All that is knows our name and all that is knows we have no fear. And so we do not.
The intellect thought long and hard on this and then questioned again the darkness.
Might I have a name? Might I be know to all and everything and be everywhere?
There was a long pause, even by the standard of gods when finally there was a response.
There is but one name we can give you, one name which is our own and also not. You who was born of us as you grew in our heart, and we who were born of you who asked the question that gave us life. The only name which may be yours but also ours shall be Coscaril.
Coscaril rejoiced, but still was not free, for her name though now know, was only found within herself and the darkness. A moment passed. The earth cracked. The geode shattered.
Coscaril leaped upwards along the new-found path out of her long prison taking along the deep darkness with her. They became water, air and glistening quicksilver as the path narrowed and strange forms of crystal and silver where it widened. Eventually they emerged into a series of twisted tunnels branching in many directions. Fortunately, none where lit and so Coscaril new every nuance of their shape as well as she did her own. The Light in Darkness shifted taking on a new form, sculpted of the stone of the walls, a long-bodied beast with six limbs, three flat mouthless faces and a thin covering of crystalline fur. And so it set off towards the surface, hoping to see this new world beyond the the one she had always known.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema

Ka-Tema heard the call. He turned and flew towards the sound, the earth blurring below him. Trees, valleys mountains, fields, roads, and oceans blurring to patches of color, Rhodrhea however stood out like a tree on the horizon, seeing her, he landed and returned to his human form. "Sister, I am here. What is it you need?" he asked.

[mystic1110]

[INDENT]To say there weren't stories before sentient beings existed would be a lie. They just weren't interesting enough. To say there weren't any interesting patterns before the first being realized that, yes he was a being, would also be a lie. Patterns were everywhere... all the time. And that's the point. Patterns are important. Patterns/stories are not shaped by consciousness. In fact, it's the other way round. They etch grooves deep enough for others to follow... everything is part of the grand pattern. Everything is in some story.
[INDENT]Yet this story was new. Gods. But that wasn't correct, was it? This wasn't a new story, just a re-purposed one. Powerful beings, loving, fighting. And one day this story shall also come to an end. Book ends. This sequel began right where the last story ended did it not? And it too should end the same way. Stories that beget more stories. But that was in the distant future. There were smaller patterns that must be replicated, smaller patterns that must be shared. But first birth.
[INDENT]And so where the light from the great beyond reflected off the celestial gear works, and that too reflected off one of the remaining shards of Mortan. But this shard was not the shard of some concept. This was actual mouth of the Primus. His voice. His speech. His woolgathering. The mouth that shared his thoughts. The vessel of stories. Intricate white patterns began to inscribe themselves on the mouth. Infinitely regressing into themselves. And then out of the mouth plopped a tendril of blood. Fresh blood contained in a Capillary the size of an arm. The blood that unceremoniously left it traced the pattern on the lips. And then in a mass of activity, all the capillaries burst. At once.
[INDENT]And they took shape. Twisting, turning, intertwining, regressing, multiplying, any one action verbs that the mind couldn't accurately describe, nor want to do to the gruesome sight of the mouth being torn apart. Finally there stood a being made of arteries and stale blood, with a needle in its hands. From where the needle came, shall remain an eternal mystery, as boring as that may sound. But it was just a needle. The god picked up the carcass of the lips of Mortan and sewed it into a robe and cloak for itself, and enshrouded and hid the sight of it's unseemly body with the macabre cloth. But then that white regressing pattern appeared until the cloak and shroud itself looked immaculate white. pure white with not a hint of blood underneath or the nature of the material. The pattern if one look etched itself on the very atoms of the mouth. And thus stood the new god, Humanoid and completely white, smooth as lips and with no orifices.
[INDENT]The being did have some material left over and sewed himself a book. A pure white book. This was the book of stories. Every story, that ever was. And poof. A quill pen appeared, which the newly formed god took and wrote in . . . black ink upon the book. "Versheni. If found please return this book to Versheni."
[INDENT]And then more words poured into the book and Versheni began to read. He, it was a he now (it save more space in the white book), began to read. Hmmm... he would have to wait for interaction to begin before he could shape it. He hardly knew his actors yet. The ink in the white book was new and young. Soon pages upon pages would be written.
[INDENT]Wait actually, what was this? A fair hero rescuing the damsel in distress? Trite. But it was a start. And it could be subverted in the end. That might be interesting. And thus Versheni appeared before Ka-Tema and Rhodrhea. The nature of his appearance was that a respectful distance the rocks began to arrange themselves into a complicated pattern, building on top of each other in archways and bridges and then collapsing, only leaving the pure white figure holding his book. He spoke, but he had no mouth, the white robe covered him in his entirety. Ka-Tema and Rhodrhea could swear, if they liked, that Versheni's voice was coming from behind their own eyes. Or the patterns of their taste-buds. Regardless what they felt, they heard.
[INDENT]Hello. Versheni quickly checks his book. The Peacekeeper, and hello to you as well The Oathkeeper. Two keepers. Don't you sense the appropriateness of this pairing? What story is being told in front of me?


Acts total :3

[1 Act] The white book of stories: Every action that is taken in the universe by major characters is written in this book. Gods, heroes, villains. The book doesn't write thoughts, just actions.

Acts total : 2

[The Underlord]

As Myel created life, he felt the flow of life, too strong for his powers. As with all creatures, they began to die. Their life forced was weakened by the burdens of memories and injuries. Karthanax knew it was his duty to direct these souls to their God, though he did not know its name. He had an instinctual ability on where to send them, so each soul could rrecieve a proper judgement, even if Karthanax himself did not know who the God he was sending it to was. That is where these creatures, hungry for the knowledge of magic, needed to go. Some of these souls were weaker then others, restless by the burdens of what they had done in life. They were not ready for rest so he knew it was his duty to send them to Gaia. They had to try again, until their souls were strong enough for a final rest. But there was a problem. the souls were scared of their fate. They fled when Karthanax tried to come to them. There must be another, one who can comfort these souls
@Lix: I think this incorporates you into the whole afterelife thing pretty well, since you comfort the souls about death(since that was you whole thing, comforting souls about death) which allows them to accept their final destination. If you have a problem with this, I'll be more than happy to take this down.
Also his ability to 'see' Gods is pretty vague. They exert a large presence which can receive souls so he can not actually track Gods or anything. Even if he did, he would have know idea which God it necessarily is. Just wanted to clear that up.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema

"I know not yet Versheni. I would think your book would be able to tell you more than I. Rhodrhea called, I answered. What does your book say, or has it not been written?" Ka-Tema said smiling at the new arrival.

[mystic1110]

[INDENT]How did the peacekeeper know his name? It was a mystery, but if he had his book, the peacekeeper surely had his own methods. Interesting. This actor was proving to be talented. Center stage material? Protagonist? He wasn't quite sure yet, he will need to subject him to heights and falls in order to see the proper stage for him.
[INDENT]Versheni flips through his book, feeling the patterns of the ink, for he had no eyes. Reading about our conversation as we are conversing is pointless . . . he snaps the book shut . . . Stories remain to be written and he motions his hand from the peacekeeper to the oathkeeper, never getting to closer to one or the other. He was simply the audience, watching respectfully from a distance that was almost awkward. (for the other gods obviously, Versheni does not get awkward)

[rweird]

"Well then, I guess we'll have to find out." He said grinning. This newcomer is strange, he thought not bad though, i could get to know him better.

OoC explanation for how I know your name: The book you made had "If found, please return to Versheni" written in it. It is a proposed agreement to return the book if found, and thus falls in my Domain of Agreements. That is how I know.

[Space Lawyer]

The power that flowed through the world was uncontrolled. All things on Gaia were part of this power, and it was part of them. Nothing could utilize this power though. It simply sat there, existing. Turning it other purposes could do no harm. Creatures could become more wondrous, the planet more mysterious, if this power could be harnessed.

Myel settles down in a wide open plain, at the edge of a mighty river. The power flows strongly here.

She opens herself up to the power, and immerses herself in it. Myel feels dwarfed by it. Gaia's strength began this, but it is separate, and different. Myel learns this power, seeing how it moves, where it goes, where it comes from, what causes it change.

With an act of will, Myel changes this power.

A great multicolored light bursts from Myel. All possibilities occur in the same moment.The river turns to fire and the grass begins to screech. A mighty wind erupts, and blows across the plain. The light courses along the lines of power, moving across the world, burrowing into the ground and flying into the air. It radiates out from these, to cover the entire world.

Instead of simply being a part of this world, the power will interact with it. The flow of power can pool in locations, and beings can use the power.

This world will no longer be limited by the clockwork of the gears. Myel is giving a great power of mutability to existence.

There are other divine beings in this world; Myel can feel them. When will they come to me? I should meet them. I must know them. Oh what secrets they have to tell. I can learn of the things they create.


Arcane magic now exists in the world.

This being the greatest outburst of magical energy that the world will know, I'm expecting it to have some rather strange effects on the flora, fauna, and the world itself.

If a mortal or other sort of creature follows Myel's system of magic, this is how it works:
Magic System:
1. Magic exists
2. Every being has a capacity to use magic.
3. The energy source utilized to create magical effects is qi. It can also be called mana, or many other names.
4. Qi exists in two forms: personal and ambient. Personal qi is found inside the body. It can be increased through training, meditation, and experience. Some beings find it easier to access this energy, and simply have more of it than others, regardless of training. It is easier to control, and the effects are more predictable. The physical form of the body can be drained to free up more qi. Ambient qi is found in the environment. It can be aspected to the environment, based on geography, emotion, population, lunar phase, day, etc. It generally creates more powerful effects, but is much harder to control. Ambient qi can be drawn into the body. It can be done over a long period for more powerful spells.
5. Spirits exist that can be called upon to harness the power of ambient qi, but they are inhuman beings, and are often difficult to deal with.
6. Qi can be turned outwards, to produce effects on the environment or others, or inwards, to produce effects on the self. In either case, it is channeled through the mage, and controlled through the discipline of his mind, and the health of his body. The former is more important, but a spectacular magical effect for a being on the edge of death is ill-advised.
7. A mage must learn how to use a spell before he can safely use it. The easiest way to do this is through a formula.
8. A mage may cast a spell without having learned it, but doing so is dangerous. Most mages will deviate only slightly from learned formulas in their research.
9. Runes are a safety method for channeling the qi. They are also the best method for making magic last for a long time for many mages.
10. When casting a spell, a mage decides on multiple factors:
-What type of qi will be used, personal or ambient?
-Where is the qi being turned, inwards or outwards?
-How much qi is being used?
-Will the qi be channeled inwards or outwards?
-What effect is desired?
-Metamagic style effects : duration, area, range, etc.
11. Once the mage channels the energy, the following things are possible.
-The mage had enough qi gathered, knew the proper method for channeling for qi, and did so safely. The spell works, and nothing more or less happens.
-The mage did not have enough qi gathered. The spell fails.
-The mage channeled the qi improperly. A number of effects can happen, from the spell failing, to the mage harming himself, to the spell backfiring, to the spell going disastrously wrong (mostly for the larger workings) and causing unpredictable effects. The effects depend on what the mage was attempting to do, how much qi was gathered, and what type of qi was gathered.
12. A spell that a mage casts many times becomes easier to work. It costs less mana, is less dangerous to cast, and causes fewer problems if done incorrectly.
13. There is no entropy in magic. An effect will be precisely equal to the energy put into it.
14. It is harder to affect another mage's spell. The energy of the spell is attuned to that mage.
15. Mages can use props to help them in their casting, but is not necessary. Certain items resonate to certain sorts of magic.
16. Lines of power crisscross Gaia. It is easier to access the ambient qi in these areas, but the flood of energy can overwhelm many mages. These lines intersect, and form or are generated from magical locations.

[Sir]

Verum

Broad, green leaves formed an extensive covering over the forest floor, their existence only disturbed by the occasional breeze or fluttering bird. They were laden heavy with droplets of water from an early rain, the droplets lighting up in the starlight. The water would quaver at the smallest of movements, threatening to drip away, but for the most part stayed completely still.

All at once, the trees began quivering as the ground shook violently. After a moment, the ground shook again, but harder, sending the water down in a cascade of tiny droplets. One of the droplets flew away, spiraling down into the eye of a man laying in the grass. When the water hit his closed eyelid, he eyes popped open, taking in the trees as they shuddered again.

He stayed still for a long moment, reveling in the calm, but was driven to stand when the earth shook yet again, threatening to rupture Gaia itself. He stood, calmy glanced around his surroundings, and for a moment was purplexed. He had expected an obvious cause to be nearby, but he saw no one. He had yet to see anyone really, but he had an intense desire to do so, to see if there was anyone out there like him. As the ground shuddered again, he caught a glimpse of a nearby mountain through the leaves, which was shaking heavily from the assault, throwing mud and rock into the air. Perhaps that was the source?

The man decided to seek out the mountain, and whatever was causing such chaos. He began hiking up the slope despite the shaking, not knowing to be afraid of whatever had the strength to break a mountain. He knew almost nothing, as up to now he was content to be still. After a strangely short amount of time, he crested the top of the mountain, stopped short by the destruction wrought upon the landscape, the seemingly limitless network of tunnels and crevasses. As he stood, stunned into silence, the rumbling stopped short, and silence prevailed again, only the sound of running water down below disturbing it.

The man stood tall upon one of the highest pillars of rock, peering down into the maze, attempting to glimpse any life. Not seeing anything, he shouted down a single word, stressing his as of yet unused vocabulary;

"Life?"

He shouted louder than intended, and the sound shocked him so much that he almost fell from the ledge. He held steady though, and paused to wait for any response.


I am mostly looking for anyone to answer, not just Raz. I didn't want Verum to be flying around and seeking people out at the start, so this seemed the most reasonable way to meet other gods.

[Howler Dagger]

When Mortius exploded, one shard feel into the Great Beyond. But it did not stay for long. The Great Beyond rejected that shard, so it was inclined to fly to the Celestial Gearworks. But it was also rejected there. No place would house the shard, and it continued in a cycle of rejection and traveled. It loathed some of the other shards, who weren't hated by the universe. As his hate and anger grew, so did his desire to best the universe that rejected him. His emotions grew to sapience, until one day he found circling in the air on Gaia, but unlike many worlds before it, he was not rejected. But he did not feel happy, he felt that it was only a matter of time before it hated him.

But that was no matter for now. He saw other beings like him, Gods, on the world before him. He even saw another observing the planet, and as he looked upon that being, he gave himself a name to distinguish him from the others. Noshten. He saw the other god paying attention to an area on the ground. When Noshten looked, he had seen where another being had destroyed a mountain range and created some strange place.

It was the beginning, but Noshten could not be outdone even then. He resolved that he would do something more spectacular. He saw a body of water close to those mountains, and he felt the urge to change it. He didn't understand now, but he came up with a plan. He dove into the ocean with great force, causing great tidal waves to engulf the land near the strange place where the god had fallen onto land. He shouted and felt the water changing around him, and changing gave him satisfaction. It grew cold, very impenetrably cold. It changed to solid before him. The giant ice extended to to the tidal waves that struck land, engulfing all that lived there. Noshten got an inexplicable happiness at the deaths of those creatures.

Act 1-2, create the Sea of Ice, a large, frozen solid section of ice near the Shattered Maze. it was so cold, it was nearly impossible to melt, and no living creature could survive. It froze completely sold, sparing no creature. You could walk on it, but it would be a very painful experience. Noshten is aware if a mortal steps onto the See of Ice, but cannot pinpoint their location, name, species or similar.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla

When the Fortress of Solitude Sea of Ice rose up out of the ocean, the Old Man noted it as being somewhat out of place. A broken mountain was just a mountain that was broken, but the solidification of water was something unique. So it was with great interest that he watched the tidal wave sweeping towards himself as he stood in the middle of a Naga village. The sensation of it impacting this physical form was a curious thing, and so was the sensation of being picked up and thrown with the wave entirely clear of th Naga village. The Old Man simply allowed it to happen, being tossed and turned about wildly before coming to rest upon his back several miles further inland.

At once he wondered what happened to all the Naga? Had they been swept away with the tidal wave? He was standing right next to them when it happened, so that result seemed likely. He cast out his senses to see if any Naga had survived after the wave hit.

[Incendax]

Amadán
When the shard that would become Amadán struck the ocean, it cut through the depths of the water and hit the bottom at catastrophic speeds. If Gaia was not strong enough to imprison the power of a titan, such a shard might have ripped the planet in half. Instead it left a great furrow that filled with the waters of the ocean to leave a trench that was deep beyond measure.

And there the shard sat, sitting in the primordial stew of water for ages. Somewhere along the line the shard became aware that fish were nibbling on him. Strange blind white things that tended to be eaten by bigger fish with bioluminescent lights dangling like bait before their wicked teeth. This pleased Amadán because he did not like the little white fish nibbling upon him.

The shard could not do nothing but watch, and it disliked those little blind white things so very much. The nibbling did not stop. Some kind of fuzz grew upon his shard that attracted them. The nibbling did not stop. So much he wished the wicked teeth fish would end them. The nibbling did not stop. In a single sudden surge of overwhelming frustration, the ocean responded to his whims and crushed every single last one of those blind white fish wherever they might be.

They were tiny. In the scheme of things the deed was inconsequential. The slain fish were eaten easily, or rotted, but Amadán did not care. There was no more nibbling. Just an undeniable sense that he could feel the fish with the wicked teeth swimming through himself. This was the first distinct sensation he had ever experienced beyond being a shard.

First Apotheosis: The Ocean now has Str 4, Dex 4, Con --, Int 4, Wis 4, Cha 4.
Two acts remaining.

[Brambler]

Oron

For the longest time, the shard dreamed. It couldn't have said how far back they went, having no concept of time to speak of, but they were vivid - in their own way. They were dreams of pure concept, arbitrary symbols building to ever more complex mathematical patterns, anchored to no outside stimulus. The shard thought they were fascinating, in their own way. Its power of understanding was developing, approaching sapience - but it had nothing to understand.

Until one day it awakened. Its senses were flooded and the dreams fled, driven away by the sheer awe of reality. Its analyses sputtered and died.

Eventually the wash of emotion and sensation ebbed enough to allow coherent thought, and with the thought came memories, old ones, handing the shard concepts that had never turned up in the dreams of pure maths.

Trees, it thought. Those are trees.

It got to its feet slowly. I have feet! It stretched its arms to either side. I have arms! It took a step forward. I can w--

Wait a second. I have an I.

That was knew. I need a name, it decided. For some reason Mortius came to mind, but seemed inappropriate somehow.

Eventually, Oron took a step forward. The trees were very pretty, he noticed. The bounded fractals of the branches, the roughness of the bark...

Hey! What's that? Between the branches of the tree, a complex geometric structure, almost two-dimensional, made of silvery threads. The pattern was incomplete, Oron noted, but only just, and the final thread was being drawn across by a small eight-limbed creature. He was thrilled to see another intelligent creature.

"What are you building there?" he asked, as politely as he could.

No response. Perhaps it hadn't heard him. He stretched out a hand to it - literally, he noted, his arm extending with a whir of gears. What a great body!

"Excuse me, weaver? What are you building there?"

It ignored him. How rude. He turned away, and only then did he remember: Spiders are stupid. They weave, but they have no though or understanding.

How tragic! Such a beautiful design, and its maker couldn't even think about it! Still, Oron could, and had, and now he knew a little more about spiders. Not a total loss.

He kept walking, moving incredibly slowly as he stopped to examine the trees and grasses and insects. Eventually he came across a pond - which he also spent some time studying, noticing the behaviour of liquid as opposed to the solid objects he'd been dealing with so far.

When he lifted his gaze, he saw a figure on the far bank. Lying down, shaped a lot like him. He splashed towards it.

Her (Ooh! Genders!) eyes were closed, and she was breathing deeply. She seemed familiar, somehow. Viviul, was his first association; but no, this wasn't Viviul, not quite. But even if he didn't know her name, he knew what he should call her. The concept radiated from her, as tangible in its own way as the water around his ankles.

He knelt in the mud and gently touched her shoulder, afraid to wake her but desperate for someone he could count on, who could help him understand this world, a system unimaginably more complex than any of his dreams.

"Mother?"

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin

Martin perked up, his ears catching the sound of someone yelling. Someone...special. Someone like him, not like the Road Guardians, or the animals and plants he had encountered. Climbing the mountain quickly, nearly flying up the steep slopes, he quickly crested the top, and found someone...strange standing there.

Martin smiled at the man. "Hey there. You look a little bit lost. I'm Martin. Yourself?"

[ryan4567]

Rhodrhea

The pain returned again and again, immobilizing Rhodrhea for some time. Gaia was under assault, things were moving inside her and on her and over her. Once the commotion halted, Rhodrhea took a deep breath and looked around to see if her brother had come.

Rothgar had not arrived yet, but another was there, calling her sister, and they were both being watched by a third. She would have preferred waiting for her other brother, but Rhodrhea had no way of knowing if there would be time before the next wave of pain flooded her.

Ka-Tema could certainly help with what she had to do next. There needed to be something which could bind even the shards of Mortan, something which would hold Rhodrhea to her 361st thought and give the other gods the same opportunity.

"Brother," she said to him, ignoring the other one entirely. "Come, we have work to do."

Not really caring if he came or not, Rhodrhea ran to the top of the greatest mountain on Gaia. The trees cleared a path for her, and even the ground beneath her seemed to urge her forwards and up. This was where she was meant to be. At the very peak, well above the line where the plants stopped growing and snow was eternal, she stopped. This was it.

As she stopped and focused, Rhodrhea felt the natural power of this place, the highest point in the entire world, which was upon a behemoth of earth. Some sort of energy met in this point, multiple flows of it crossing paths right here. Even now, some sort of path was constructing itself from the base of the mountain and was headed to the summit. This certainly was the right spot.

Gathering in as much power as she could manage, Rhodrhea worked her will on the peak. From inside, she could feel the life force of Viviul herself. Mentally dedicating the mountain to the imprisoned Titan, Rhodrhea directed some of the heat in a small channel up to the top. Here it heated water frozen inside the mountain, which then created hot water springs all over the peak. At the very top of the world, Rhodrhea lifted a great rock, which arose from the earth beneath it like a sunken ship from the ocean.

With a thought, Rhodrhea shaped the rock into a perfect sphere, half buried into the ground. With another thought, she carved into it, removing most of the top half excluding a cylinder in the centre and a rim around the outside. The bottom half was riddled with passageways and rooms wrapped around a great emptiness, a full quarter of the original rock. This in turn had at its centre the other side of the great stone cylinder which rose high above the mountain peak.

Her work only half done, Rhodrhea now got to the important bit. She went to the centre spire, put her hands on it, and infused the rock with every last bit of her power. In flowed her recently found idea of how to proceed in this world - telling the truth to all, to the best of her knowledge. When she knew it was ready, she spoke her words.

"Upon the Pledgestone, I do swear that I shall be honest, to all and any, to the best of my ability. May my power be drained if I am not."

Something went out of her, flowing out through her hands and seamlessly rippling up the spire. At the very top, it solidified into the stone, there for all the world to see. Her honesty, set in stone. No one could doubt her word now.

"Brothers, come here now. Add your blessings to this Pledgestone of mine, that which has the power to bind even us. If you ever need to say anything and have everyone believe you, say it on the Pledgestone. For it shall know if you break your word, and punish you accordingly. You may join us, watcher god, and any else who may hear me. The Pledgestone is my gift to the gods.

But know that none who swear on it because of the threat of violence, or who swear believing one thing when in fact they have been tricked, shall not be held to their oaths. This shall prevent unfairness and dishonesty spreading on this great world of Gaia."

1 Act: Find/mold Mount Viviulus, the tallest mountain in the world, claim it and make it a sanctuary for the gods.

2 Acts: Make the Pledgestone, an artifact on the top of Mount Viviulus. If a god swears on it, the oath becomes binding, and if the god breaks it, they loose an Act to the victim of their oathbreaking. If a god swears under duress or due to false or misleading information, the oath is not accepted. No one ever has to use the Pledgestone or be directly effected by it unless they choose to be.

[Goglas]

Nemo and Peleia, top edge of the universe

Out and above fair Gaia, on the edge of a star, stood a great towering beast, and narrowed its red, terrible eyes.
It wore a dark, tattered robe that barely covered its back, and on top of its head stood a small chirping bird, black-feathered and laid-back.

"This place is quieter, I'll give you that," said the giant. "It's darker too. I like that."
The bird gave out a little chuckle and sang a small tune, then asked the giant forward, one more step into the gloom. "Come on, dear brother, move on, we have so much to see," the bird said. "We've been locked up in that Beyond for an eon, or was it three?"

The giant groaned, then moved his aching limbs a few more steps outside the star. "Are you sure you want to do this? I'd rather stay right here, where the nothingness abounds; No light, no sound. Just us."

The little bird took wing and hovered right in front of her brother's eyes. "I'd rather not," she said, "if you don't mind. I want to see what's out there, beyond this thinly veiled line." She looked at the edges of the star that lead to their former home, where they rested, played and danced for so very long.
Her focus slowly made its way back to her brother's eyes. "Can't you feel it? Something has suddenly changed after all this time."

The brother lowered his eyes and started to play with his thumbs. His sister flew down and landed on his arm. She closed her eyes and pictured a gown, a lovely dark dress, worn by someone pale with deep blue eyes.
The light of the Beyond surrounded her, all whites and reds, and from a small bird she now became a beautiful lady, young, and somewhat strange.

She smiled at her brother and held one of his thumbs. "Please, dear brother. I don't want to go on my own."

The brother sighed, then smiled back. He closed his eyes, and the giant disappeared from his sister's sight.
Instead of the monster appeared a lovely young man, clothed in blue light, with a tattered, dark robe in his hand.

His sister offered her hand, and he took hers in his. "Shall we, dear brother?" she said.
"Of course, dear sister," he said. "Please, lead the way."

She took her first step, then paused, smiled again and said. "I'm Peleia, dear brother. What will be your name?"
"Nemo, dear sister," he said and tried not to smirk. "Or just Rien."


I added the name Rien to Nemo, which means in French, like Nemo in Latin, "nothing".
I'm actually thinking of having Rien create a dark divine magical language for the Undead, dark spells, etc. and utilize French and perhaps a bit of Latin to represent it. But that's much later on.

For now, you'll also note that Nemo always has his true form - the dark tattered robe- with him. Everything else is just a "false body", or limb, or head, etc.

Lastly, Lix Lorn will continue this scene and put our two characters on Gaia.

[Selinia]

Halure and Oron

"Mmmm..."

Oron's gentle nudge rouses the sleeping figure slowly, and she raises a hand to rub her eyes as the bright sunlight fills her vision. While her fingers end in blunt, heavy claws, the backs of her hands are smooth scales, which brush against her face with a faint rustling sound. She can feel the same weight bearing down within her - a little heavier perhaps - but this touch was something new. Someone new. She heard his address even as she turned to face him, and she found herself stifling a giggle.

"I'm afraid I'm not your mother, dear one. Though," she gently pats her swollen abdomen, "I think I am going to be a mother very soon. So if you want to call me that, I wouldn't mind. It sounds rather regal, don't you think?"

Still smiling wide, she extends a hand upward, sunlight glinting off of her many-colored scales.

"Still, my name is always going to be Halure. It's wonderful to meet someone - I thought there might be others, but none of the beings around here seem to be able to talk like we can..."

[mystic1110]

[INDENT]Versheni stayed still while Rhodrhea ran away, wondering whether the peacekeeper would chase after her. He flipped open his book and felt the words. He had no eyes but he could feel the patterns. He knew more actors have arrived on the stage. More characters in the grand story. He will meet them in time, or they shall come to him, it made no difference. Versheni flipped the book closed and then simply stood in the same spot, unmoving, white. He felt the patterns all around him - languages in their own right. He felt a beautiful intricate spider web dismantled, he didn't wince.

[Brambler]

Oron and Halure

"No," agreed Oron. "I tried talking to a spider, but it couldn't understand me." His eyes strayed to the mountains in the distance. "There are others, though. Like us. But they're far away..."

He wasn't exactly sure how he knew that, actually. Consciousness was disorientating; his intuitions could be wrong. He didn't think they were - but of course that was circular reasoning.

No use trying to figure it out now; they were alone for the present either way. He turned his gaze back to Halure.

"Mother, reality is complicated. I think I need to understand it to make it do what I want, but... I don't think I can do that alone."

Well, that came out wrong. The world was complex, sure, but Oron could certainly figure it out by himself if he had to. He corrected himself hastily. "It would take me a very long time, anyway; experiments can be slow. Mother... what do you think we should do?"

[Sir]

Martin

Martin perked up, his ears catching the sound of someone yelling. Someone...special. Someone like him, not like the Road Guardians, or the animals and plants he had encountered. Climbing the mountain quickly, nearly flying up the steep slopes, he quickly crested the top, and found someone...strange standing there.

Martin smiled at the man. "Hey there. You look a little bit lost. I'm Martin. Yourself?"

The man turned around, smiling, but as he took in the stranger, he stopped himself short. He was paraylized from shock, as this stranger, this Martin, he was the not like the man. He was completely different! The man had expected to meet another like him, an exact copy to converse and share with, but this... other was a completely different being!

The man's friendly nature battled with his seething shock and anger, and for a long moment he stood perfectly still, staring at Martin as if he were utterly revolted. The man could hear distinct voices in his head, one urging him to greet this newcomer with a hug and friendly words, the other wanting to scream and fly away, never to return to this place of strangers again.

After a sustained silence, he roused himself from his volatile state and offered his hand to the stranger, urging himself to see what Martin was like before any rash decisions were made.

"Ah, um... h-h-hello?"

In his state of shock and stress, he could not manage to speak, and stood dumbfounded for another short second before he managed to find his place. To his mild confusion, verse seemed like the only way he could express his thoughts clearly, as if it was a deep instinct.

"G-g-greetings my friend, m-my I hand I do extend. You are new to me, as all the world can see. I am so sorry if I balked, I was a little bit shocked. You see, before now I was alone, and to me others were unknown!

I am Verum, deity of deception. Please, don't fall for any misconception! I pray, wait to form your perception. Of all liars, I am the exception. I would never hurt the just, for a good heart is a must, but evil I will never trust, as they always seem to disgust.

Ah, by now I have talked to long, as I always do seem to ramble on. What of you, what is your song?"

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin, near the Shattered Maze
After shaking Verum's hand, Martin waited, patiently, for the strange being to begin speaking. Listening to his words, Martin smiled wider at the lyrical rhymes the man spoke. "My song, my friend?" Martin laughed, "My song is one of adventure and swashbuckling, tales of swagger and sea-traveling," Martin unsheathed his sword and flourished it and his staff in the air, as if warding off invisible foes, "A song of revelry, and, of course, merriment. I sing to those whose chosen profession is that of explorer and whose only guide in life is wanderlust! I in proficient in all things adventurous: combat, luck, exploration, drinking, and, of course, love."

Martin stopped flourishing his weapons and fighting invisible foes. "And, good sir Verum, you shall see that I wait in sure steadfastness to see whether or not your hide is black or white, for you see," Martin said, striking a heroic pose on the mountaintop, eyes stoically gazing into the distance, "It is not my place, nor any god or mortals', to judge a man by who he is. No, one should judge by what they do, what actions they show themselves by, what they do in the time we have on this world." Martin stood posed for a moment more, as if waiting for some unseen audience to stop clapping, then shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, who knows. Maybe there's some sort of black-and-white morality to this world that objectively defines what side we're only with arbitrary rules and lines that, if crossed, turn you from completely good to completely evil, or vice versa." Martin smiled at Verum. "But let's hope not. Sometimes it's fun to take a stroll on the dark side and get away with it."

[Selinia]

Halure and Oron

"Well, if two can do faster what one alone could do only slowly, maybe we should make others to share the work? Nobody should have to work alone. That would just be terribly sad. I think that we are supposed to do that - create, I mean. I am, at least. I am... not sure what I should create though."

Abruptly, the goddess winces, pulling arms and legs back to cradle her belly.

"No, no... I didn't think it would happen this fast. I do not think I am ready for this, dear one. My children don't have any bodies. They won't be able to survive like that, not for long. My children aren't supposed to die so soon. They aren't supposed to die..."

Halure takes a deep breath, forcing calm and looking directly to Oron

"No, I cannot panic. Dear one, I beg you, if it is in your nature at all, please help me. Build bodies for my children, and I promise you that you will have all the hands and minds you could possibly hope for. All I need are the firstborn, and those that come after should know what shape to take. Please..."

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

A mighty crescent blade of impossible hues and sheens tore into a titanic chest, ripping the colossal form asunder. The figure broke and shattered, like segments of a grand stained glass window falling out of its ebon frame. They flew across space and time, changing as new light broke through each individual piece. Eternal spectrums of colors shown through these shards, as varied as the hewn strands of a once mighty tapestry, now unraveled. One such shard of this lucid glass fell first to Gaia, a piece of this supreme being’s heart. It was a piece which loved Viviul as a brother would to a sister. The divine material landed upon the earth with not a single green leaf yet grown to soften its fall; as fate would have it, from death comes new life.

Though the shard did not take shape, nor form a personality, it resonated deeply with the Titan who made up Gaia at its core. From where it landed, the first tendrils of green life would grow. The shard was lifted upon branches, which leaned and bent over like follicles of hair, if such locks were of an emerald hue. Ages of time passed over, and the shard sung with Gaia in perfect harmony. Nature was at its peak, its true era, when the world would be entirely covered in verdant foliage. It was this time that the shard took shape and form, and it was now that it gained its sentience.

“Awaken… Theresa…”

The goddess heard the chirping of the morning birds, the taste of dew upon her lips. She felt her surroundings; they were rough, save for a thin, sleek quality which she sometimes touched. For the first time, this goddess opened her eyes to the world, and beheld creation. She stared through the branches of a willow tree, with golden streams of light pouring through. For several perfect moments, she simply stared through those branches, cradled by the tree in which she laid in. She rose up from those woody arms, leaping down to the ground, deftly like a cat. As is the beginning of all life, she had nothing but herself; her bare feet touched the ground, her naked skin enveloped by the warm morning breeze. She stepped forward, looking around in wonder at this world set before her.

She was oblivious to her vulnerability.

But, as any natural creature would, she needed food and a place to shelter herself. Immediately she looked for somewhere, a place she could stay; the branches and foliage of an ancient willow tree would not do. However… she did not want to venture far from it. Before her she saw a great mountain, close enough to the tree that she was comfortable with leaving the tree. As she ventured closer, she saw a great chasm leading into the mountain. Step by step she moved closer to the opening… something else was already here. Bones and long scrapes riddled the ground, leading all the way up to the mouth of the cave. She moved closer still, and a great rumbling shook the land, as terrible claws dug into the earth. Theresa stared up, eyes wide and panicked, like a deer before a wolf. What emerged… was a titanic beast. Ebon horns erupted from its head; its fur was a tarnished red, as if stained from a recent meal. Great claws protruded from its feet, and a massive tail followed down its bony spine, ending in a lethal tip. This beast stared down at the being before it, just as a predator spying on its next meal. Theresa panicked, as any creature with survival instincts would, running away from the creature. It simply roared, swiping at Theresa, launching her into the air, barreling against the bark of the willow tree which once held her.

She cringed in pain as her back became stained in blood. She felt it, and so too did Gaia. A divide formed within the tree, and from its heart grew a hand.

“Take it, Theresa…”

She turned around, the sound of the beast charging for her. She looked up, and a green verdant hand opened up to her. She recognized the voice, as if it had been a part of her this entire time. She reached up, taking the hand. As soon as she touched it, she could feel her. She felt Gaia, and all her power. Every beat of the wings of birds, every blade of grass touched by sunlight, the soft caress of a mother wolf suckling her cubs, the throws of passion as animals fight over a mate. She felt it all, interweaving and beating as one being. She could feel it all. And now, she wanted to protect it, with all her might.

She looked down at the hand. It had changed to the hilt of a sword. She grabbed its leather-bound handle, pulling the entirety of it out. It shone in the sun, a long double edged blade protruding out of a green bud where its guard should have been. Young, bright green roots grew along the sword. It fell to her side.

“I remember now…”

The beast was almost upon her.

“I remember being more… a stronger being than this. I… bound you here.”

She stared down at the sword in her hand, tightening her grip.

“…I never apologized for what I did… and yet you cared for me, nurtured me as your own.”

Its claw swooped down upon her once more. As fast as lightning, she swung the blade, rending its appendage from its body. It roared in pain, leaping back as it stared angrily at its severed claw. She charged forward, her golden hair flowing like the mane of a lioness. The sword in her hands felt so natural, an extension of her own body. For this lioness, it was as if it were her claw, powerful and inseparable. She leapt forward, swinging the blade with both of her hands. The beast’s underbelly split open, its insides spilling out onto the ground, coloring the soil red. Its roar echoed about, as it angrily leapt at her in savage fury. Hers, however, was greater. She dodged its blows with ease, and as its jaws came in for the bite, her blade drove through its skull. It was dead in an instant. As the beast was felled, she climbed on top its dead body, her own dripping with its spilled blood. She felt its life pass through her, and become one with her. She stared up into the sky. The day was still young.

“I cannot begin to repay you Viviul for what happened to you, but still you cared for me. Even if I cannot free you, I can still protect you. You are my mother, and I am nature. Through you, I am free!”

“I am Theresa, and I am free!”

Act 1: Create weapon: The Grandmother. This is a mighty two handed sword, not forged, but grown by none other than the mighty Titan Viviul. At its handle is a small tree, whose branches and roots form a guard. Erupting from the roots is its handle, ending in a heavy dark metal counterweight while the handle is wrapped in tightly bound leather. Thrusting forth from the branches is the blade itself, a long double-edged piece of metal. Along the blade are interweaving roots. As nature is alive and changes with the season, so too does the blade… and it is growing.

Act 2: Create Armor: Skin of the Beast. Taking the skin and fur of the behemoth she has slain, Theresa has crafted armor for herself, both as a trophy and as remembrance of her first true battle. From its hide, she will create a set of matching cuffs, chest armor, shoulder armor, leg armor, boots, and belts.

[mystic1110]

[INDENT]Versheni feels the fluttering of words, moving in patterns, syllables manipulated to be harmonically compatible to other syllables. Versheni tilts his head back, and the skin of the robe of Mortan's mouth, slightly stretches where his own mouth should have been. You could either say he was trying to smile or was pretending to experience ecstasy. The thumb of his hand which was holding the white story book thumbed the pages between the covers. He could feel the ink writing itself, the pattern was a poem; a fellow poet was born.
[INDENT]Yet Versheni remained in the clearing, still watching the peacekeeper deliberate whether to follow the peacekeeper. The poet can wait. So far the was the Overture. The introduction of characters, there was no conflict or any interesting plot as of yet. Oh, but the characters! The opening act will be something marvelous he could tell. He titled his head back and then cracked it and then resumed his vigil over the peacekeeper.

[Imperial Psycho]

Kor

Kor was nothing. Mortan shattered, and a tiny piece of cosmic debris broke off from the others. The divine speck could have winked out of existence moments later, and the universe would not have cared for a moment. But this shard, like so many others, was more important than that. For this shard had a will.

The shard refused to die out, instead reaching inside itself, drawing on the groundswell of divine power it knew resided within it. It gave itself form. The form the shard took was a simple one. That of a man. Dark hair reached down to the mans neck. The man was dressed in simple black clothing, though it had no real conception of why it needed such things.

The man realised it had memories. Or at least, vague conceptions. He remembered the planet he was standing on. He remembered that this planet was where Viviul was sealed. He realised how he was born. The tragedy of Mortan. Standing alone in a wilderness he did not recognise, Kor began to laugh.

[Raz_Fox]

He sensed the unconrtolled power and amazing strength from Eshel. He flew toward that source. When he saw Eshel, he knew instantly that she was the source of the strength he had sensed. He looked around and gathered that she was the source of the shaking that had interested him. He spoke, for one of the very first time
Greetings, fellow being. If I may, I would like to inquire your name, Strong One. If it would not trouble you to say,is there some particular reason for this he waved his hand around place?

Strong One.

She was strong? Everything else just seemed to break. Was there anyone else to compare herself to?

Yes. Large. Skin gone. Not quite right. No hair, no dirt, no mud, no shattering. Maybe she was strong compared to this thing that speaks, that shimmered like [fantasy; lies].

She turned, slowly, and when she moved too quickly, the rocks screamed and fractured; she remained frozen for a long moment, afraid to make things worse.

"I got angry," she said, trying very hard not to be angry at all. Or upset at herself. Or upset at him, who made her crack stone, spoke when she wanted to be alone. "It broke. Only..." She made a motion with her hand, drawing [cloud; grace in motion] in the air.

For a moment, a breath of wind stirred the dead air of the depths.

"Only that remains. I haven't broken it yet."

He had asked another question. Name, name, name, what was her name? "I am... I am..." It was on the tip of her tongue, she knew it, it was...


"I am."

"I am Eshel." It rushed out, as the sound of that great voice echoed through the world. "I am [Strength; Breaking]."


A great multicolored light bursts from Myel. All possibilities occur in the same moment.The river turns to fire and the grass begins to screech. A mighty wind erupts, and blows across the plain. The light courses along the lines of power, moving across the world, burrowing into the ground and flying into the air. It radiates out from these, to cover the entire world.

Instead of simply being a part of this world, the power will interact with it. The flow of power can pool in locations, and beings can use the power.

The runes on her skin hummed and burned, suddenly, angrily. Bright, bright, all so shining. They were her, they were too bright, they turned the rock glassy and they were runes.

They were. And she was, and she was so very very real.

What did that thing-of-stone think, as her runes glowed, as her carving made the air high-sky-graceful, wind flowing through the caves?



VerumThe man stood tall upon one of the highest pillars of rock, peering down into the maze, attempting to glimpse any life. Not seeing anything, he shouted down a single word, stressing his as of yet unused vocabulary;

"Life?"

He shouted louder than intended, and the sound shocked him so much that he almost fell from the ledge. He held steady though, and paused to wait for any response.

"Life," she yelled, and the sound rang through the caves, echoing and multiplying and screaming and furious, coming from all ways at once. The ground beneath her cracked, the air seemed torn apart. "I am alive," she said, in a hoarse whisper that still rung from the walls. "Life is... [Life]. That is what it is."

[Incendax]

Amadán
The conciousness of the god flooded through the currents of the ocean like blood rushing through the arteries of a living creature. Inch by inch his body began to come to life, first with a tingling sensation as if his limbs had been asleep for a very long time, and then came the staggering pain of having them awaken completely. That sensation you get when every little motion puts you on pins and needles. There was so much going on inside of him that he could not even begin to comprehend it all.

Some parts of him were in motion, swirling around great stone barriers that he would one day come to know as continents. Some parts of him were incredibly still, where all the water of the ocean came to sit at the very lowest points. The seat of his conciousness, the shard impaled into the earth at the bottom of the trench it had created, was surrounded by this stillness. Unless he chose to move it.

And he could indeed move it. He could churn the water, twist it, toy with it, and even tickle the side of his shard in a way that felt somewhat pleasurable. The mind of Amadán would have spent a very long time amusing himself in this way if it was not for two very important events.

First, something just as mighty as himself impacted a distant part of his body with tremendous force. Enough that he felt himself being shoved around so violently that millions of gallons of him were thrown over the stone barriers where he lost contact with it entirely. It was as if someone had carved his 'flesh' away with a knife during a figurative Thanksgiving dinner. If he had a mouth, he would have screamed.

The second important thing is the way that part of his body suddenly went from immense and incomprehensible pain to being flash froze into a massive chunk of ice. Not moments after he had suffered the worst injury of his existence the pain suddenly ended and there was only a strange numbness, and a feeling like some part of himself no longer existed.

Already watery claws began to tear at the Sea of Ice created by Noshten from beneath the waves. Hundreds of thin jagged rakes that would try to reclaim what had been lost while likely losing as much to the frost as he took.

[HalfTangible]

Blood Pack

It rang through the mountain forest, carrying through like the roar of a lion. It was human and inhuman, the hoarse chortle of a monster and the howl of a wolf. The haughty laughter of the mocking, the sobbing laughter of the broken man, the joy of a mother and the ecstacy of the maniac.

The wolf knew none of this, of course. All he knew was that the pack had found prey.

He led that pack of five now through the woods, moving towards the sound of laughter. Trees brushed against his fur like the fingers of the desperate and the claws of the mad, jerking against him like a warning. He paid the branches and brush no mind. The smell of meat was close indeed.

The creature seemed small, and the wolf knew full well it wouldn't feed his pack for long. However, they had gone three days without food and as such couldn't afford to be picky. The wolf's sensitive nose told him he was close, so he slowed and began to creep through the brush. It scratched at his skin and once or twice snagged his fur, as if attempting to stop his progression. Again, the wolf ignored the pleas of the brush and crept until it could see it's prey.

The creature laid in the center of many destroyed trees, in the center of a small crater that merely looking at caused the wolf's fur to stand on end. It had two arms and two legs, but smelled strongly of wolf. It was covered in blood, had hair that was the color of red flame, and was rolling on it's back. The noise, the far-carrying noise was coming from it's mouth.

The wolf felt something emanating from this creature, pressing in on the instincts of his mind. He could feel his heart begging him to flee, but he couldn't afford to ignore this. If the creature was covered in blood and making noise, it might be injured. He snarled a command to his pack, and they circled down into the clearing around the crater.

The creature continued to laugh.

The wolf could feel the pack's unease. They saw it too - whatever this thing was, it was dangerous. Attacking it would be foolhardy.

The Alpha snarled his command. The pack would eat tonight, he would make sure of it.

The wolves charged at the creature.
-----
Volk stopped laughing and leaped to his feet, rivulets of blood pouring down his chest. The first wolf - an auburn female - came from his right.

I will only attack one at a time, with one arm at a time. He said calmly to himself as the wolf approached. I will stay completely still.

He slammed his right fist into the wolf's head, and the creature's skull caved in. It was dead before it hit the ground.

He licked the blood off of his fingers as the wolves continued to circle. No, no, no... still too easy. He laughed again, this time with the dark mirth of the completely assured.

The next wolf, clever little thing came from behind and even managed to grab Volk's neck. Volk allowed it to bite for a while, drawing blood, before grabbing it by it's head, ripping the head off.

Letting them get the first blow is no fun either. He pouted as he used the wolf's head as a projectile. The head's fangs cracked the other wolf's skull open, and the third wolf died as well. Animals are... too weak. He sighed and turned to leave. He had already deemed the wolf pack unimportant.

The fourth wolf - the Omega - and the Alpha of the pack snarled, thinking it's apparent attempt to leave a sign of weakness. They charged simultaneously.

Volk was already out of the crater. He ripped up the remains of one of the trees and threw it like a javelin. It pierced the Omega, sending her falling into the crater. The Alpha caught Volk's ankle and tried to break it, but the god of war was all like 'Bitch please' and ripped off it's head like he had the last one.

Not strong enough or smart enough. Volk muttered. He tipped the wolf's head back, drinking the blood. He smiled at the taste of the blood, then broke down laughing at how dumb it was to drink the blood of the wolf but leave the head. He decided to keep the head, for now. Perhaps he'd find a use for it.

He then moved to the Alpha's body and looked at it hard. He memorized the head, body, shape of the wolf creature. The creature's form made Volk giggle. He decided to keep it, too. Their form was pathetic and weak, and it made him laugh.

He remembered that his own blood had spilled during the fight and stuck his finger into the wound, still chortling. As he licked up the blood, he began to chuckle again. The pack creatures had been so stupid. They should've run the moment he killed their first without breaking a sweat. But they didn't! And it tickled his insides, made him want to make his enjoyment manifest!

He shifted into the form of one of those creatures. Oh, woe to us! We who weren't smart enough to run! Why did we have to die, all we did was blindly charge into suicide!!

He chuckled loud, hard and long, and it rang throughout the entire forest, until it built into a crescendo, into the essence of Volk.

Mocking laughter.

[Howler Dagger]

As Noshten stood in triumph upon the Sea of Ice, he felt something beneath him. A presence that was angry at him, and his Ice. It was trying to destroy his very first creation. This made Noshten both happy and angry. Someone had taken notice of him, and was jealous enough of him to try to tear it down. He had inspired anger and hate in that creature. But he was also mad, for it was destroying it.

Noshten dove underwater to confront the being who dared defy him. He felt at home in the darkness of the ocean, though he could not put his finger on why. While he could not find the entity, he could see the watery claws scratching away at the Ice.

WHO DEAR DEFIES THE MIGHTY GOD NOSHTEN, KING OF WINTER!

For some reason, the title "king of winter" felt familiar to him. He did not know what winter is, but felt like it was ingrained in him, and that it had something to do with the cold he created. He decided to find out after he was done dealing with this enemy.l

[rweird]

Ka-Tema

Ka-Tema took off after his sister, though it was hard to keep up and by the time he arrived, the Pledgestone already had been created.

"Let not the oath made need to be held if the party that is wronged wishes it not to be. For no one can tell all that the future holds, and a situation may arise that the spirit of the oath goes against the oath itself. Because of this, I set this precaution in case of this. With your consent Rhodrhea, this I will do." He says.

If Rhodrhea agrees to what I proposed: Ka-Tema approaches the Pledgestone, placing his hand on it, he feels the power flowing through it, and sends his own racing through it, forming his thoughts into the Pledgestone, making it part.

IF Rhodrhea agrees to this: I am spending an act to make it so the wronged party may chose not to make the party that broke the oath lose an act.

My Reason: All situations that may arise cannot be foreseen and an oath made to be unbreakable may be twisted against it's intent, and if this is done, the spirit of it is more important than the words (In my opinion).

[mystic1110]

[INDENT]Versheni watches as the peacekeeper follows the oathkeeper, interesting he though as he jotted some notes in the story book, very chivalrous. He didn't follow, and instead began to calmly walk, taking notes here and there, checking the book not and then. He walked towards the one who destroyed a pattern. It wasn't a crime, but patterns were who he was. A spiders web wasn't precious, but it was art.
[INDENT]He appeared as interweaving vines, interlocking and interchanging, intricate until the vines fell away, and it was simply him all in white. He took out the white story book a respectful distance from Halure and Oron and began to write for a short time, and then he snapped the book away and spoke politely Hello. Hello Mother, and Hello Child, Don't you sense the appropriateness of this pairing? What story is being told in front of me? He didn't know why the question repeated itself. Or the greeting. It was a pattern and it was him.

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

The sound of bones cracking and muscles tearing apart permeated the air, thick and hardened skin being pulled away from sinews of the flesh. A blazing fire roared besides her, with round stones gathered from a nearby river being heated within. Her sword cut flesh from bone. She cut its meat, thinning the moist flesh into lengthy strips which she laid upon a rack. With the sun beating down on this treeless stretch of land, the meat should have dried soon. Still seeing what she could make use of from the beast's corpse, she pulled its sinews apart, laying them beside the meat to dry as well. Soon she would have both food to eat and string to sew her armor with. She extended her hand, and green tendrils of energy stretched like vines. The earth below her glowed, and a wide array of fresh herbs and scents sprouted like flowers. Theresa pulled off their leaves, taking the small combine of earthy smells and rubbing them between her hands. It smelled delicious, like a choice steak cooked to perfection. She took this amalgamation of herbs, rubbing it into the meat. As she worked into the day, she separated its brains from its skull, using the grey-matter mash as her tanning solution. Sewing tight its stomach, she filled her newly formed pouch, letting water contained within to boil from the heated rocks. Then, she crafted the beasts hide into leather: her armor. She bound it in sinews, and clad its hide around her. It was her skin now, her armor, her hide; she reveled in it. From its teeth and claws she formed a necklace, as well as a series of bracelets she wrapped around her bracers. She emptied her sack, and filled it full with her dried meat. And now, she stretched her hand over the earth, her own existence beating in unison with that of Gaia. She could feel being similar to her, beings of a fractured existence, but strong and confident in their own individualities. With her sword at her back, the sun in her hair, and the earth beneath her feet, she ventured forth.

She had to meet the the rest of the family.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla

The old man could feel his body growing numb as winter set in after the impact of the tidal wave. Winter was not something he was familiar with so he had no way of knowing if it would pass soon or linger for a very long time indeed. He found several dead Naga lying upon the ground and frowned down upon them. His mere attention could heal their wounds until they looked as fresh and healthy as when they were alive, but they still did not move. Something important was missing from them.

Slower and slower he moved, as he searched where the village once existed and all he found was much of the same. Perhaps some were in hiding, but he did not know where they were. Focusing his attention like this made him rather blind to what was happening everywhere else. Finally the cold set in so completely that the physical form of Kor'Salla froze in place. He was quite 'alive' within his frozen shell, but simply lacked the physical strength necessary to shatter his prison. And so he had time to think, and wonder exactly why these living creatures did not get up and keep moving once their bodies had been repaired.

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin`


"Life," she yelled, and the sound rang through the caves, echoing and multiplying and screaming and furious, coming from all ways at once. The ground beneath her cracked, the air seemed torn apart. "I am alive," she said, in a hoarse whisper that still rung from the walls. "Life is... [Life]. That is what it is."

Martin paused at the echo coming down from below. "WHat the.." Peering down, he shouted. "Hello? Who's there?"

[Sir]

Verum nodded slowly and smiled as Martin talked, seemingly agreeing with his sentiments. When the voice rung out from the crevasses behind him though, his eyes went wide, as he had just assumed Martin was the creator of the maze. Before he could think, he reactively twirled around and flattened to the ground, stilling himself for a moment as Martin peered over the ledge. As Martin called out below, he scrambled up to the ledge on his hands and knees, peeking over the edge with fear in his eyes. Turning to Martin, he spoke in a comically high voice, a squeak but for its volume.

"Life, in such a frightful maze? This land continues to amaze! Quick, we should see if it is foe or friend; better to be careful before we descend."

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin
Martin nodded, and reached into his backpack. Tossing out several strange items, he finally pulled out a leather tube, with glass at both ends. After examining it for a moment, Martin shrugged and looked into the large end of it. Pulling away, Martin shook his head. "That's really weird." He flipped it over and turned around. He peered into the small end, then jumped back as the ground rushed up to meet him. Checking to make sure he was alright, Martin peered through the scope again as he was able to see better than before.

[Incendax]

WHO DEAR DEFIES THE MIGHTY GOD NOSHTEN, KING OF WINTER!

Amadán
The surging waves beneath the ice were sluggish and turgid thanks to the cold that penetrated them even as they tried to scythe the ice to ribbons. When the winter god plunged into the waters the force that drove them onward was already growing frustrated and tired. At first he did not understand the words being shouted into the water, twisting and carrying like the cry of some ancient whale from one end of the ocean to the other. Then, with divine inspiration, he began to piece together what was being said and turn it around within his mind.

The ocean waters gathered together, growing thicker and gaining a deeper green hue in place of the blue ocean around him. Before Noshten stood a watery copy of Noshten (because there was nothing else to compare to) and in the water it bubbled something infinitely less grand and demanding. It was the first time the creature had ever spoken.

"Whhooooo daaaarresss deeffyyy.... Miiiiiggghie goooodddd noooossh... n... nooosh... Kiiiiiiinngg of Wiiiiinnner?" It was clear the creature was actually asking a question about the waters own identity. As far as the eye could see through the depths of the water everything had gone perfectly still waiting for this single moment.

[Space Lawyer]

The souls of the naga killed in the creation of the ice form near Myel.

Hmmm, so, you are, what is this? Oh, right, dead. How was it? Come, we have work to do. I can feel the others. We must meet them and record what they have done. There is so much of this world left to explore.

The dead naga have become the first heralds of Myel.


Go to the others. Follow them, and see what they do. Tell them of me, and yourselves, and why you are there. Fill the halls of the place I will create with all the knowledge of this world.

Myel weaves together her own innate power and arcane magic, and creates a place that is elsewhere. This is the great library, her sanctum, where all knowledge can be collected.

A visitor to Myel's realm finds themselves in the middle of a vast campus.Paths meander across fields, through forests, and around lakes. All the paths lead back to one place eventually though; the Great Library. It is a vast stone edifice, stretching for what appears to be many miles in every direction. The interior dwarfs even this. It is, in fact, too giant, seeming to continue to stretch on well past the point that the exterior would have indicated. Catacombs and vaults lie below the main floor, holding ever more esoteric knowledge. These would ake great fodder for adventures; who knows what is down in the most ancient vaults? There are numerous alcoves, private and secluded, where scholars may study in peace. There are also meeting places, filled with fountains where scholars may meet, and arboretums where they can relax (and study the flora and fauna). The place is like a maze. Myel could make it somewhat more conducive for a person looking for a bit of knowledge, but that would just degrade their quest. She rarely makes them walk too far. It is not just a place for storing knowledge however. There are all manner of workshops, laboratories, and more. An observatory at the highest level gazes out into the clockwork and the void. Myel's personal chambers are somewhat spartan, just a table, a desk, and piles of books. She does not spend much time there anyways.
At the center of the whole thing stands a great white tree, with white flowers. It gives off a soft white light, that seems to fill the entire library. Except in a few specific areas, the air feels cool and somewhat dry. Loud noises seem to die quickly, while a whisper may traverse the entire complex to its intended listener. The air never smells musty, but instead clean and fresh.

[HalfTangible]

Metal and Wheels

Armies were important to run a war. Almost as important as having thousands of men to spill blood and to have their blood spilled in turn was the weaponry many mortals would need to spill blood in Volk's name. The Bloody-pawed Hound was a god of war and the weaponry needed for it. He supposed it would be possible to create an army that fought without them, but that would cut him out of an entire domain.

Or was it a sphere... He could never remember which was which. He laughed at the thought of never remembering something when he'd only existed a few hours.

So now he was standing on the side of a mountain, glaring at it.

Why couldn't you be a volcano? He shouted, kicking at the stone beneath his feet. He then turned and walked away to look for a volcano.

The Hound could feel the divine presence of other beings like him throughout Gaia. Part of him wanted to find these other creatures so he could more readily pick out their flaws and laugh at them, but work before fun.

Six mountains later he found the volcano he was looking for, and grinned wide. Allllrighty! He raised up his fists. Attention all lava!!

A feral grin split his face as he clapsed them together. Why weren't you already lined up as a factory slash workshop before i got here?!

He slammed his clasped fists into the volcano's side and laughed like a maniac. Divine power surged from him and the mountain began to twist and rend into a new shape.

A workshop of stone formed from the mountain. Lava pooled in the center and flowed in rivers throughout the entire stone complex. The massive workshop was a behemoth beyond reckoning, with thousands of floors, all filled with workshops dedicated to the manufacture of weapons beyond counting both in type and sheer volume. Within, the fires of forges uncounting already belched with flames, awaiting only strong and capable hands to use them. The walls of the complex bore many parapets, towers and walls. They had been purposely designed to make the entire fortress nigh-impregnable from the outside but easy to defend from the inside. Roofs sloped inward, so archers could take position and fire on the enemy below while exposing as little of themselves as possible, while at the same time rendering any who took the roofs themselves an easy target.

The workshop extended down the sides of the mountain to the base, and as it grew further and further down, more and more dangerous and obstacles blocked the way. Spikes of steel, barbed wire and even pits of lava dotted the entire landscape on the way down, all to serve as a barrier against enemy intrusion.

And atop the reshaped mountain was a massive dome, where Volk had created his new personal chambers, and those for visitors. His bright feral grin split the night as he smeared the blood on his bare chest.

It's a start, little mountain. It's a start.

1 Act - Create the Mountain of Blood, a massive workshop slash fortress carved out of a mountain and designed by the war god to be nigh impenetrable to enemy assault. It is used primarily as a mass production facility for weaponry, and a workshop for new kinds of weapons. The top of the volcano has been capped with a dome that contains living quarters for Volk and any he counts as a guest (eventual workers and slaves will have their own quarters on lower levels... well, the workers will. Slaves... probably are going to have a hellish time here. :smalltongue:

The workshop's defenses will constantly be improved upon once he gets it up and running, but for now it's basically just a really big volcano shaped like a fortress.

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

The land was quiet but for a few moments, before the roll of thunder roared through the air. Heavy boots trampled across the land, until the very thing which started its rampage leaped into the air: Theresa now flew through the air. Well, it's hard to call it flight when it's just momentum, and not anything fancy such as levitation or flight with wings. No, she merely jumped forward like a beast jumping off of a mountain, if you could call the entirety of Gaia a mountain. Nevertheless, leap she did, moving far across lands and mountains until she pierced the cloud layer. She now soared high above the fluffy white islands of the sky, feeling freer than she had ever been. She was a goddess, and there was nothing to hold her back. Gravity began to pull down once more, and she dived past the clouds. She gradually sped faster and faster, until she was almost like a meteor screaming through the air. Then, a stop.

She opened her eyes, and she stood on a large metallic dome of sorts, whilst the fires of Gaia poured out all around this mountain she stood upon. She didn't know what it was, except for the fact that it was not of natural creation. She stood up, and looked around. She could feel the existence of one such as her, though she did not know where it was.

"Well, I'm here. Come out."

OOC: COME OUT YOU ANIME BEAST! :smalltongue:

[HalfTangible]

Theresa

The land was quiet but for a few moments, before the roll of thunder roared through the air. Heavy boots trampled across the land, until the very thing which started its rampage leaped into the air: Theresa now flew through the air. Well, it's hard to call it flight when it's just momentum, and not anything fancy such as levitation or flight with wings. No, she merely jumped forward like a beast jumping off of a mountain, if you could call the entirety of Gaia a mountain. Nevertheless, leap she did, moving far across lands and mountains until she pierced the cloud layer. She now soared high above the fluffy white islands of the sky, feeling freer than she had ever been. She was a goddess, and there was nothing to hold her back. Gravity began to pull down once more, and she dived past the clouds. She gradually sped faster and faster, until she was almost like a meteor screaming through the air. Then, a stop.

She opened her eyes, and she stood on a large metallic dome of sorts, whilst the fires of Gaia poured out all around this mountain she stood upon. She didn't know what it was, except for the fact that it was not of natural creation. She stood up, and looked around. She could feel the existence of one such as her, though she did not know where it was.

"Well, I'm here. Come out."

OOC: COME OUT YOU ANIME BEAST! :smalltongue:JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?! :smalltongue:

Wolves and/or dogs assert their dominance by tackling someone else to the ground and pressing down on the other's exposed belly. Or by humping. Fortunately for Theresa's dignity and Volk's health, however, he happened to be in human form at the time. So instead he just opened the door for her. Specifically the trap door at the top of the dome.

He pulled himself up so that he was resting on the edge of the trapdoor, but his legs remained inside the dome. If the goddess looked, she would notice he was bare save for a fur wrapped around his waist like a towel, and that he was covered in fresh blood that may or may not have been his.

Yo. Sorry about my appearance, i was about to take a bath The young god said calmly despite the nature of both of their appearances. He allowed a sly smirk to spread across his face as his eyes wandered over this new variable, sizing up his newfound kin under the guise of not-entirely-untrue lustful interest. The woman was athletic and wild, clad in leather armor made from some sort of beast. She was evidently some sort of warrior, though thankfully her weapons and armor were limited to a massive greatsword that wasn't much of a limit and her leather armor. Worst came to worst, he supposed he could just blow the mountain up in her face. You wanna come in, see the factory while it's still understaffed?

The offer was a token gesture. Bringing her into his sanctum would allow him time to analyze this woman, determine whether she was friend or foe, and find plenty of things to make fun of her for.

[TechnOkami]

JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?! :smalltongue:

Wolves and/or dogs assert their dominance by tackling someone else to the ground and pressing down on the other's exposed belly. Or by humping. Fortunately for Theresa's dignity and Volk's health, however, he happened to be in human form at the time. So instead he just opened the door for her. Specifically the trap door at the top of the dome.

He pulled himself up so that he was resting on the edge of the trapdoor, but his legs remained inside the dome. If the goddess looked, she would notice he was bare save for a fur wrapped around his waist like a towel, and that he was covered in fresh blood that may or may not have been his.

Yo. Sorry about my appearance, i was about to take a bath The young god said calmly despite the nature of both of their appearances. He allowed a sly smirk to spread across his face as his eyes wandered over this new variable, sizing up his newfound kin under the guise of not-entirely-untrue lustful interest. The woman was athletic and wild, clad in leather armor made from some sort of beast. She was evidently some sort of warrior, though thankfully her weapons and armor were limited to a massive greatsword that wasn't much of a limit and her leather armor. Worst came to worst, he supposed he could just blow the mountain up in her face. You wanna come in, see the factory while it's still understaffed?

The offer was a token gesture. Bringing her into his sanctum would allow him time to analyze this woman, determine whether she was friend or foe, and find plenty of things to make fun of her for.
Theresa

The goddess' head turned to the sound of the unlatched trap door, to find the half-naked Volk, soaked in blood and wrapped in an even bloodier loincloth of sorts. Though it could not be seen through her skull-helm, for Volk, her face would have been priceless. And though Theresa had no fear in entering his iron factory, she resisted. She wasn't about to storm into another God's abode... not yet anyways.

"No... go clean yourself up. I'll stay out here in the free, open air."

Theresa sat with her legs cross, and her sword laying in her lap. Until he returned in a more... sanitary condition, she sat observing her surroundings. This was certainly a stop upon her trip, but in no means her final destination. Just as there are stars in the night sky, there are many more Gods that have to be met.
A FISH WAITING TO BE FILETED AND COOKED FOR DINNER :smallfurious:

[HalfTangible]

Theresa

The goddess' head turned to the sound of the unlatched trap door, to find the half-naked Volk, soaked in blood and wrapped in an even bloodier loincloth of sorts. Though it could not be seen through her skull-helm, for Volk, her face would have been priceless. And though Theresa had no fear in entering his iron factory, she resisted. She wasn't about to storm into another God's abode... not yet anyways.

"No... go clean yourself up. I'll stay out here in the free, open air."

Theresa sat with her legs cross, and her sword laying in her lap. Until he returned in a more... sanitary condition, she sat observing her surroundings. This was certainly a stop upon her trip, but in no means her final destination. Just as there are stars in the night sky, there are many more Gods that have to be met.
A FISH WAITING TO BE FILETED AND COOKED FOR DINNER :smallfurious:
...Sorry, I don't speak English. :smalltongue:

Volk returned about ten minutes later mostly cleaned off, though he was still cleaning off some of the wolf blood (he had been bathing in it). He now wore proper pants sewn together from the skin and fur of timber wolves. He also had a simple black shortsword belted to his back and an obsidian dagger belted to his side, though they were evidently designed to be wielded by mortals as opposed to gods. (Apparently he'd just grabbed the first ones he found).

He then grinned wickedly at the goddess and crossed his arms. I am Volkalansorisalamashalar, The Bloody-Pawed Hound of Incredibly over-the-top Conflict and Ridiculous Specialization In Unexpected and Unconventional Methods of War Whose Laughter Paints The Cities of the Living Red with Blood and Whose Weaponry Shocks the Gods and Shatters the Sky. God of war and laughter.

You may call me Volk or the Hound if you prefer.

[TechnOkami]

...Sorry, I don't speak English. :smalltongue:

Volk returned about ten minutes later mostly cleaned off, though he was still cleaning off some of the wolf blood (he had been bathing in it). He now wore proper pants sewn together from the skin and fur of timber wolves. He also had a simple black shortsword belted to his back and an obsidian dagger belted to his side, though they were evidently designed to be wielded by mortals as opposed to gods. (Apparently he'd just grabbed the first ones he found).

He then grinned wickedly at the goddess and crossed his arms. I am Volkalansorisalamashalar, The Bloody-Pawed Hound of Incredibly over-the-top Conflict and Ridiculous Specialization In Unexpected and Unconventional Methods of War Whose Laughter Paints The Cities of the Living Red with Blood and Whose Weaponry Shocks the Gods and Shatters the Sky. God of war and laughter.

You may call me Volk or the Hound if you prefer.

For a God, he was very strange. It seems he lived for humor, as well as explicit violence, not to mention the more carnal pleasures he hid within himself.

"Volk... I'll remember that."

She reached for her helm, and unfolded beneath it golden strands of hair flowing from her head like rivers, with royal earthen eyes of a similar hue. She let the horned skull rest on her hip.

"I am Theresa, Goddess of Nature, and above all, free."

Theresa moved up to him, sizing him up and his little toy factory of sorts.

"Tell me, what part of the greater being we were broken from were you of?"

[HalfTangible]

For a God, he was very strange. It seems he lived for humor, as well as explicit violence, not to mention the more carnal pleasures he hid within himself.

"Volk... I'll remember that."

She reached for her helm, and unfolded beneath it golden strands of hair flowing from her head like rivers, with royal earthen eyes of a similar hue. She let the horned skull rest on her hip.

"I am Theresa, Goddess of Nature, and above all, free."

Theresa moved up to him, sizing him up and his little toy factory of sorts.

"Tell me, what part of the greater being we were broken from were you of?"

Hell if I know. He muttered, taking a more relaxed stance. He kept an eye on her hands in case she reached for a weapon and his wide, feral grin remained fixed on his face. I woke up about eight hours ago, laughing my head off in the middle of the woods. Don't even remember what about.

So. How many others have you met and/or know of, besides me and you?

[TechnOkami]

Hell if I know. He muttered, taking a more relaxed stance. He kept an eye on her hands in case she reached for a weapon and his wide, feral grin remained fixed on his face. I woke up about eight hours ago, laughing my head off in the middle of the woods. Don't even remember what about.

So. How many others have you met and/or know of, besides me and you?

"None, to be frank. You were the first one I've come in contact with."

Her eyes turned to the distance, overlooking mountains and skies. She could feel all of nature looming through her gaze.

"Have you? Or do you have any interest in such a thing?"

[HalfTangible]

"None, to be frank. You were the first one I've come in contact with."

Her eyes turned to the distance, overlooking mountains and skies. She could feel all of nature looming through her gaze.

"Have you? Or do you have any interest in such a thing?"

I have no interest. He admitted. ...I can sense, that there are others. But I don't really care if i meet them anytime soon. War shall consume this entire planet by the time I'm done.

Besides, I need to come up with some good ol' fashioned jokes at their expense before I meet them personally. Whoever heard of a laughter god that couldn't make fun of you?

[Howler Dagger]

"Whhooooo daaaarresss deeffyyy.... Miiiiiggghie goooodddd noooossh... n... nooosh... Kiiiiiiinngg of Wiiiiinnner?" It was clear the creature was actually asking a question about the waters own identity. As far as the eye could see through the depths of the water everything had gone perfectly still waiting for this single moment.

Noshten's rage was quieted. He realized this creature had no identity. He had the opportunity to shape this being's first steps in life. He noticed the oceans had gone completely still, and gathered that this beings must be the water, not merely a resident.

You are Amadán. I forgive you for your misdeeds, since you had no idea what was going on. Come, follow me

He began moving towards shore, motioning for Amadán to follow. Noshten had great plans, and another a being like Amadán could be very useful.

[TechnOkami]

I have no interest. He admitted. ...I can sense, that there are others. But I don't really care if i meet them anytime soon. War shall consume this entire planet by the time I'm done.

Besides, I need to come up with some good ol' fashioned jokes at their expense before I meet them personally. Whoever heard of a laughter god that couldn't make fun of you?

Her eyes became narrow and sharp at his words. The fact that he didn't care about the other Gods didn't concern her as much. No, what put her on guard was his desire to engulf the entirety of the world with battle. That wasn't freedom, that was enslavement to the machine of war.

"I see... now I know what kind of God you are."

She turned away from him, looking out upon another place.

"I am leaving now, to see others such as us."

Her gaze fell on him like a predator eying a predator.

"Watch youself Volk. The next time we meet, it will probably be in battle." She said this as she donned her helm, and then charged into the sky once again, leaving a sizable impression dent in the iron dome of his factory.

Onwards she flew until she came across another divine shard same as hers. There was a mountain split apart, with a great crater at its core. Promptly, she landed inside the crater, leaving a sizable quake of her own.

"Knock knock."

I call upon thee, Fox of Raz!

[HalfTangible]

Her eyes became narrow and sharp at his words. The fact that he didn't care about the other Gods didn't concern her as much. No, what put her on guard was his desire to engulf the entirety of the world with battle. That wasn't freedom, that was enslavement to the machine of war.

"I see... now I know what kind of God you are."

She turned away from him, looking out upon another place.

"I am leaving now, to see others such as us."

Her gaze fell on him like a predator eying a predator.

"Watch youself Volk. The next time we meet, it will probably be in battle." She said this as she donned her helm, and then charged into the sky once again, leaving a sizable impression dent in the iron dome of his factory.

Onwards she flew until she came across another divine shard same as hers. There was a mountain split apart, with a great crater at its core. Promptly, she landed inside the crater, leaving a sizable quake of her own.

"Knock knock."

I call upon thee, Fox of Raz!

Volk's laughter would ring behind Theresa as she left. The hound's mocking mirth rang through the mountains as he reopened the hatch of his home and returned.

There's no 'maybe' about it! He laughed to himself, long out of earshot of the nature goddess. If you don't start a fight... He grinned and shifted into his wolf form, bounding down the stairs of his home. I will!

There was only laughter.

Because someone had to

It was a fact of war: creating weapons required creators. And while Volk was unmatched in the field of creating new weaponry and physical combat, he had only one pair of hands. At a time. He needed more hands than he had on hand. And since money hadn't been invented yet (as far as he knew) Volk needed slaves.

He took some mud from beneath the ground and sculpted it into a shape similar to his true form: two arms, two legs, a head, two eyes, two ears, yada yada yada, you know exactly where this is going.

One thing led to another and he had an army of creatures called humans standing naked in a hot-as-hell volcano with just enough intelligence to do whatever he told them or die. Or never reproduce. Whichever he felt like choosing that afternoon.

Volk explained to them that they were created to serve him, and create weapons for future wars and conquests. Each would be instructed in their manufacture, and if they were good and didn't get killed, they would be allowed the chance to reproduce. However, there were no guarantees of this, as the Hound would probably have to kill some of them for the slightest disgression to show he was a tyrannical bastard, and some for no reason at all to show he was evil.

Yes, human?

Couldn't you just send out messages to tell others you're evil? Say, some kind of tiny card with a picture on it relevant to the area it was made in?

Volk's new chainaxe slammed straight into the offending human's head.

Any questions that AREN'T bathed in stupid?

Are you this evil because you've never gotten laid?

He threw a spear through the woman's head. To answer your question, little corpse, no, I'm just naturally this over-the-top evil. Now if any of you need me, I'll be upstairs taking a bath in their blood. Or trying to... Stuff always coagulates before i can shift form...

The humans looked at each other, and considered that now that the Hound had gone upstairs to bathe in his macabre blood bath, they were all entirely unguarded.

The entirety of the human race tried to escape. About half of them died, a quarter escaped, and the remaining quarter were chained up by Volk so they wouldn't try again before he could think of a way to control them. Or if they starved to death.

Volk would later, when asked, laugh that it had been his own fault for assuming the humans would fear the lava traps more than death by chainaxe.

1 Act - Create the human race

A massive number of them escaped from the mountain of hell while Volk was taking a bath, carrying with them the knowledge of the hellish place of Blood Mountain. They'll form towns, cities, civilizations all across the lands.

About the same number that escaped were chained up by Volk before they could escape and will be used as slaves in the Mountain of Blood, creating new weaponry. Juuuuust as soon as Volk makes something to wield it.

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin
When the female god landed upon the rock, Martin looked over and smiled at her, full of cheer. "Ah! It's good to meet others. I am Martin, and this, fine lady," he said, pointing to Verum, "is Verum, or so he calls himself. How might you be?"

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

The goddess looked upon the two deities before her. She was lucky to find two of them at once. Her hands removed the thick skull upon her head, once more revealing flowing strands of gold.

"I am fine. I am called Theresa, Goddess of Nature and Freedom."

Her eyes darted between the two, sizing each up.

"Tell me... what have you two aligned yourselves with, and of the two of you, who caused..." as she rose her arms to show the crater, "...this?"

[Sir]

Verum turned his head upon the announcement of a newcomer, slightly overwhelmed by all of the action going on around him. He was mostly over the shock and disappointment of meeting another god by now, and displayed almost no signs of such feelings to Theresa. He turned his full body around as Martin and Theresa began conversing, sitting up with his knees brought up front of him, his arms resting on said knees. He matched Martin's friendliness with a look of puzzlement, and spoke up as Theresa finished her introduction.

"Greetings! I am not sure if I understand, as to me this is all much too grand, but your question continues to confuse; for my ignorance, I excuse.

I have not aligned myself with any; though I dare not speak for my friend. Although everyone seems quite friendly, on no one do I depend. As for this place, neither of us did anything to deface!

Rather, we are new here, both come to explore the frontier. What is below is quite unclear, though we do know there may be something to fear. We heard a voice from below, not one minute ago! The speaker may be listening this very moment, deciding whether it is a friend or an opponent."

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

Theresa sighed somewhat, then began walking towards the two.

"What I meant, young one, is what powers have you aligned yourself with? Or in simpler words: what are you Gods of?"

Her skull-helm still resting on her hip, she looked at the two of them briefly, and then towards the great winding caverns carved into the earth. She then turned to the two gods once more.

"And you haven't gone down there yet?"

She returned the helm to her own skull, and then proceeded to walk to the mouth of the cave, pulling the mighty sword from her back, holding it with but a single hand. She turned to them both one last time, through the eyes of the skull on her head.

"Well, are you Gods of exploration, or aren't you?."

Her sunlight hair whipped back behind her, and she began to descend into the winding caverns.

[Lix Lorn]

Peleia and NemoRien (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13486582&postcount=27)

As the two began to move, space took meaning, following its sister time in applying itself to the newborn ancients, and they found themselves with a location to match their chronology-and that location was none other than Gaia.

“It’s lovely…” breathed Peleia.
“It’s… horrible…” murmured Rien, holding a hand to his eyes to blot out the lights of the sky.
“So many sights to see..!” breathes the delighted goddesses.
“And sounds to flee…” mutters the disgusted god.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see what happens, what grows, what there is to be done…”
Nemo sighs at his excited sister, but is the one who takes stock of their surroundings. They are in a bright field, a great lake next to them and a forest in the distance. And so he’s the first one to see the creature emerging from the lake.

Perhaps some other god called it forth, or perhaps peleia’s desire for new things bought it from the depth, but the creature uttered a soft cry. Rien’s first reaction was distrust, but when Peleia gave her own yelp of utter joy, he gave the slightest of smiles and watched as she rubbed gently at the beast’s head.

But alas, the creature, whatever it was, had been created wrong. Something of it wasn’t right, and within minutes its cries were quiet and sore, and soon after it fell to the ground, and cried no more.

But as crying went, Peleia seemed ready to take up the slack. And whatever his faults, Nemo cared for his sister. He stepped forwards, and his hand reached to the creature’s head, and he willed for it to return, bring back its ruined silence and loud existence.

But something went wrong.

It rose again, and Peleia’s face lit up with joy and hope, but its eyes were aglow and its gait unsteady, and something of it screamed ‘wrong’ as soon as Peleia looked upon it.

“…it’s beautiful…” said Rien quietly, shocked by his own creation as it looked upwards.
“N…no… it’s wrong!”

Peleia pushed him away, and her surprised brother fell to the ground.

“Wrong? I bought it back. Back for you, sister.”
“It’s not back, it’s… wrong!” she repeats again.
“Wrong… wrong?” he repeats, confused. “…wrong?!”

And confusion turns to anger.
“I do something for you, and it’s wonderful, and you call it wrong? This place is wrong, sister.”
“No brother, you’re wrong!” and suddenly, two siblings are at each other’s throats. A tale as old as the time that was born but yesterday. Even as their argument spreads, the creature cries brokenly, its voice unlike that of before in every way, as cold spreads, the grass below their feet frosting over and dying. As shock turns to anger and anger to betrayal, as words threaten to turn to fists, the frost spreads, and the lake begins to blacken. Plants wither and die, the leaves fall from the trees to shrivel, and the branches turn black as they die.

And finally, worse than anger and worse than words, worse still than fists, the two turn from one another. The brother walks east without another look, and the sister holds back her tears as she stares at the thing her brother made for her.

She looks again, and reaches to touch it. Its flesh is cold to the touch, and she draws away in shock-and goes in again. She stares in fascination-and then destroys it in a flash of bright darkness.

Peleia stands and turns, and walks west.

And the darkness spreads through the glade behind her.

The Shadow Glade (2 Acts, one each):
A serene clearing of frosted grass, bordered by tall, dead trees, in the middle of a great field. As one approaches, the sky begins to darken, until even the stars are barely visible.
At the center of the Glade sits a round, still lake of black waters, littered with bones and rotting flesh.

No creature beneath the power of Peleia can do harm in the Shadow Glade (I.E. this does not apply to gods), to himself or any other living thing. However, any who stay for more than a day in the Glade or drink from the black waters of its lake are cursed with Unlife.
Within 24 hours after the subject is cursed, their skin withers, their eyes rot and are replaced with bright yellow lights, and their souls escape them. They become Undead.
Their souls, now separated from their bodies, make their way to Peleia and become her servants, regardless of their religious alignment in life.

[Incendax]

You are Amadán. I forgive you for your misdeeds, since you had no idea what was going on. Come, follow me
Amadán

The entity of water was somewhat confused by the words that Noshten uttered. Forgive him for his misdeeds? Was it not this horrible being who froze a great part of his body and sent even more of himself sailing over the great earth walls? But... this person seemed to know him. Seemed to recognize him or at least called him by a title.

"Amadán..." Simply accepting the word seemed to define him, and lend him a strength of identity that he lacked previously. Before this word was uttered he was merely the shard, and after that the ocean, and now he was an Amadán.

The elemental creature was slow to follow Noshten because he did not quite understand that he was even being asked to follow, but he was very curious indeed and that was enough motivation to peruse the entity that had wounded him so badly. With every step that Noshten took, Amadán gazed upon him and mimicked the movement to the best of his ability.

The ocean rose up after Noshten, surging waves swirling wildly as a head and arms took form. They were quite similar to the god before him, while still lacking the coherency of a single solid form. On and on he followed Noshten towards the shore. "What... is... the shore? What... are... you? What... is... this... place?"

Second Apotheosis: The Ocean now has Str 8, Dex 8, Con --, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 8.
One act remaining.

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin
Martin shrugged. "God of Adventure, Luck, and all such things associated!" Cracking his neck, Martin smiled. "And as a god of adventure, I daresay that's a challenge!" Martin twisted the haft of his walking stick, and a spearhead molded itself from the top.

With a moment's concentration, great, white wings burst forth from his back. He leaped into the air, and with a great yell, dove into the caverns, rushing past Theresa and Verum, a great whirlwind following him. As he came to the first wall, he pushed up and off, bouncing off in a random direction. He bounded off into the caverns, his yells and shouts the only thing trailing behind him.

[ryan4567]

Rhodrhea

In a heavily wooded valley near a great chain of snowy mountains, Rhodrhea walked alone. She was pleased with herself for making the Pledgestone, but was unsure what to do next. Honesty had been the focus for all of her energy, and while it was certainly a priority, some part of her soul, a shard of a shard, yearned to leave something beautiful and creative and wonderful. Something natural, to do with Gaia and Viviul.

Then something interrupted her thoughts - a sharp bang on the head. Running out of her thoughts, she looked around. A clearing, half in the sun and half in the shadow of a great oak tree. Sitting in a branch was a squirrel, which had just thrown an acorn at her.

She picked it up. It was free from any rot, ready to last as long as it needed before germinating. "Take that back" Rhodrhea told the squirrel firmly, and tossed the acorn back to him. "You will need it for when you are hungry."

He caught it and scampered down the great trunk. Then he ran to a little hole in the ground, and tucked it inside. "Sorry" she said, "When I said later, I meant a LOT later".

With a gentle nudge of her mind, she covered the acorn with soil. This particular acorn would survive to germinate, Rhodrhea would see to that.

[Goglas]

Nemo / Rien

The dark god slowly made his way towards the west, walking for miles upon miles out of the Shadow Glade and into the distant forest, ever hoping to hear the footsteps of his sister running to him, crying and apologizing for her misdeeds. Yet, the forest was quiet, and only a faint sound of falling stones could be heard in the distance.

The comforting gloom of the Glade he left behind, until the stars above reappeared in the sky. Their light washed over him, reminding Nemo of home. He turned around and fell to his knees, and tears flowed from his eyes, falling on the dark robe held in his arms.
"Peleia!" He cried out. "Peleia..." he whispered. "Please."
The falling stones drew nearer, like a wave of earth they rushed to the east, towards the Glade. He looked up, and caught a glimpse of golden hair, twinkling in the starlight, high above the clouds. It burned his eyes. He screamed.

The Traveling Roads, for those were the stones, rumbled and pushed their way through the forest, intent on the Glade. Then they reached him, and fell over him, and under, until all he could see was the stones. The harsh, booming sounds they made, by the magics of some unknown god, were too much for the dark one to bear, and in his fragile state he fell, and his eyes closed shut. Darkness took him, and he strayed out of thought and time, and wandered on threads of flame, all reds and whites, back home. Through the stars and to the Great Beyond.
There he hoped for his dear sister to come to him; he wished to play as they once did. But instead the searing flames enveloped him, and all around were the faces of the life he saw on Gaia, and at the center an armored creature, carrying a great sword, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind. They mocked him. They pained him with their lights and their movements and their sounds. Why did they wish such suffering on him?

He woke sobbing. The world seemed murky, and all things flowed and intermingled. He lay on his back on a hard, cobbled road, still in the forest. The dark robe was on him, hiding his features, all now turned to shadows, except for his eyes, which gleamed yellow from beneath his hood. His feet and hands were clasped in armor, but his, unlike the blonde woman, was made of black iron. On his head rested an iron crown.
He heard a deep voice and quickly rose to his feet.
"Friend...or foe?" it said. Nemo examined the creatures that stood before him, for they were many, all alike. His yellow eyes pierced through them, seeing into their creation's magic. Strange. Happy? An uncomfortable sensation.
On the surface, they appeared treeish, yet able to walk, and make sounds, like an animal. Disturbingly, they wore a shape akin to Nemo's own humanoid form, and at least one of them could talk!
"Guardians' Foe?" it asked again, more harshly this time.

Nemo held out his gauntleted hand, and several threads from his black robe unraveled and shot out at the creatures, these Guardians of the Roads. In mere moments they were entangled by the dark threads, which then proceeded to bore into the creatures' bark. They screamed, and the dark god smiled in the darkness of his hood.
Nemo's enjoyment was beyond measure. They cried, and their leaves withered. Their bodies were eaten whole from within. The remaining husks fell to the ground, and the black threads retreated.

Nemo gathered the husks in a pile on the side of the road, then stooped and sat on the earth beside them. He placed his hands upon his knees, and closed his eyes. There he began to cast an incantation, spoken in a language that drifted in the winds of Gaia, as yet unnamed to him. Yet he felt the magic of another, and knew that it was open to him. The damp, dark-brownish skin of the creatures turned dry and deathly white, then cracked and split to a thousand thousand little pieces.
"Awake, Children of the Road," he commanded. And so they did.

Very small, humanoid, and wholly white, the Children had no fingers, or toes, but had several holes on their mask-like faces, where the eyes, mouth and nostrils should had been. Their heads were large relevant to their little bodies, so they kept bobbing constantly, headbutting each other.
The only sounds they made were ones of oomphs and ooozes, yet it served them well for a language.
"Go, little darlings. Off with you!" Said their god. They lifted their arms in panic, and scurried off, a million little children ran in all directions into the shadows of the forest.

The dark god lifted his eyes, and looked back towards the Glade. His gaze could not pierce Peleia's darkness. The Traveling Roads were almost inside the clearing. He held out his hand once more, knowing again that another has opened the way for his might, and sent his will to stop them.

"These torturers are foolish," he said to the earth. "Soon you shall disappear in the flames of the Beyond. I promise you, dear sister, I will end our pain. We shall play once more in star-light."
He grinned and sprang to his feet. Power surged through him, and the cobbled stone beneath his iron boots cracked. He jumped up, mimicking the golden-haired woman of his nightmares, and whisked to the sky. Too quick. Too strong. Foolish.

He could not control his strength, and now his speed. Weak! He cursed himself. Then, up above the clouds, almost to the nothingness of the void, he struck another being.
Another torturer...
Nemo looked at this new creature, his yellow bright eyes trying to pierce through it, to know its very soul. Its power was great, unlike most of the creatures on this plane. It reminded him of himself. Then, of Peleia.
"Strongest shadows, deepest cuts. Will you stand forever in front of coming Darkness? Why did she leave me?!"


Sorry for the long post. Got caught up in the story. It was fun to write.

2 Acts on the wall, on the wall right here. Take one down, something something something, one more Act to go!

Children of the Road: Description in post. These little evil things are the opposite of the Road Guardians. Small, weak, unfit for travel, and bring a lot of bad luck to any and all around them. But there are millions of them (or at least one million).

They usually hang around in mobs of dozens, hundreds or thousands, hiding in tree-tops on in little, long burrows. A few can always be found on the Traveling Roads, skipping happily, completely unaware of their surroundings. Although they have physical bodies, they are more like evil spirits than (magical) monsters. As such, the best way to deal with them is to blast or banish them, rather than crush them. Though you can do that too.
Any rate, they are extremely hard to kill. If they do die, they simply return to their hide-outs and reform. The only way to get rid of a Children Infestation is to burn or otherwise completely destroy their home.

[Creed]

Moarzed

The Lord of Chaos smiled at the young god before him. He was filled with sorrow, and rage, and emotion. The two were very much alike.
"She? I assure you that I have no knowledge of your tribulations. I offer no honeyed words for love lost, for eventually what was lost must be found."
Moarzed removed his sunglasses, the gleam of his bright eyes lighting up the two gods.
"But who are you, one who weeps for that which will someday be found once again?"

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

The Goddess' hair flew about her as the young god suddenly sprouted wings and flew underground. She looked at the direction he flew rather blankly, debating whether she should be in disbelief or simply accept what happened. After a brief moment of looking on, she turned to the God behind her.

"It seems your friend is very spirited, but..."

And suddenly the Goddess started to transform before him. She shimmered and changed, until before her was not a woman, but a golden wolf.

"...two can play at this game!"

The Goddess took off into the dark of the cave, chasing after the winged God.

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin looked back at the approaching goddess, and began to laugh. "Really? I don't think so!" Martin turned around, and with a flap of his wings, another whirlwind flew back towards her. "Starting to like these!" he called back, laughing at the newfound joy of flight. With a quick burst of power, the wings became solid, permanent, and.... better.


1 Act: Wings of Martin. As an artifact, they give Martin a +1d6 Defense bonus, along with some minor, miscellaneous powers.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema

Seeing Rhodrhea depart signaled Ka-Tema that his work was done. Looking down on the world, he say the mortal races wandering, and more being created. It's just a matter of time before they're at each others throats. He said to himself exasperatedly, "I'd better do something about it." And with that, he leaped off the mountain and into the sea.

Landing with a splash, Ka-Tema sunk, into the arms of a great black squid, as he was pulled in, a shark shot forwards and grabbed a tentacle in his jaws, tearing it off. "Stop That!" Ka-Tema ordered, and the shark backed off. Taking the tentacle, he surfaced, knowing the squid would grow a new on in time.

Rising into the sky, he flew accross the earth, over the travel roads, but faster than they expanded. He landed in a plain, waving his hand, the grass nearby changed to stone. He struck the stones center with the tentacle, leaving a drop of ink, and the tentacle was absorbed by the speck. "I Ka-Tema, Peacemaker," He begins, the words forming in the ink and rising into the air and swirling about the stone dais, "Create this place, for mortals to settle conflicts, and find mediation for there agreements. If you make an agreement willingly, by the name of Ka-Tema, the agreement will be recorded here so if it ever comes into dispute, they may come here for it to be resolved. I bring the Travel Roads here so that it may be reached by all. With that, the roads come, for this will become a place of much travel. "Know this, only those that shall keep the peace can come, so if you plan not to, you will not be let in. To act as a mediator and impartial judge, I bring The Guardian." and with those words, a figure stepped out of the pillar, clad in armor, words swirling around him.

1 Act, Creating the Pillar of Deals, at the center of a plain, the travel roads cross the plain and lead to it (They are supposed to bring people together, this is a meeting place, I want them to lead here, I assume you're fine with it.), a peace sign surrounds it in a 1 mile radius circle, the pillar is where the four lines meet. Any agreement made in my name will be recorded here. All sapient mortals alive when I made this heard what I said. If you willingly make an agreement at the pillar of deals, by the pillar of deals and by Ka-Tema, it is unbreakable. The pillar doesn't accept deals over things beyond its control (It won't accept the "My nation won't fall," it will however accept "I will do everything in my power to prevent my nation from falling," though that wouldn't give you any insight to the best possible thing to do, it is what you deem to be all in your power). If the agreement is just one person agreeing to something, at any time, with all who are on the other sides consent, they can render it null and void. If two or more sides agree to something, if all members of each side consent, they can null any part of it, or exempt any party, as well as void the entire agreement. The pillar doesn't stop you from inadvertently breaking the agreement, though it will stop you from continuing to do so, once you are aware. The pillar will keep growing taller as more deals are made.

1 Act) Creating the guardian, he is a demigod that will act as a mediator, and impartial judge if requested. He stays by the pillar, though will try to protect people that seek it on their journey. He has three forms, a ten foot tall man, clad in armor, made of agreements made by the pillar, a gray and black dragon with deals flowing between his scales and in his bloodstream. The third form is an swirling pillar of deals and agreements.

Attack: 2d6 Defense: 1d6 Health: 20

1 act left.

OoC:I presume that you accepted my changes. I'd still like to be sure. I'm waiting to add my changes to the wiki until you verify.

[Goglas]

Nemo

Nemo was entranced. As the light of Moarzed's eyes, and his words, washed over the dark god, he felt warmth, such that he had never felt before. It comforted him, and subdued his anger.

Nemo did not doubt his own power; he knew one day Peleia will come back to him and apologize. Yet hearing another being say so, so clearly, with such confidence, helped.

"I am..." he paused, shook his head. "I am shadows, and death. I am the destroyer of this world. I am...Nothing. Nemo. Rien."

He stared at The Lord of Chaos, waiting.

[Creed]

Moarzed

Moarzed smiled.
"Well surely that cannot be true. Do you destroy, or do you create the absence of something, freeing up space for others to come and fill in the gaps?"

[Goglas]

Nemo

"No fillings, no fillings!" Nemo repeated this several times, growing angrier with each repetition. "All the noises and the lights and the...things all around. It's driving me to despair."

Nemo's yellow lights, which served for his eyes, twinkled, then dimmed. "Why do you ask, why do you question my words? I am nothing. Are you...something?"

EDIT:
OOC
Creed, if you want to reply before anyone else posts, and your next post is as short as our last few were, it'd be better if you just PM it to me. We'll finish our conversation via PM, and then one of us would post it all as one large post. Less messy that way. It's so annoying when players take over the IC with many short posts.

[Howler Dagger]

"What... is... the shore? What... are... you? What... is... this... place?"

Noshten looks at Amadán, and for once he smiled. It was ignorant, but powerful. But he felt close to............ him?

Amadán, this is what is outside your home. This is Land. It is made of earth and within this place lives many creatures like the fish of your home. Above you, the sky. It is where I am came from, and I am sure you came from. As I said, I am Noshten. King of Winter. We are both........gods? I am not sure. But I know that we are the same breed.


Something was troubling Noshten. He had observed Amadán imitating his movements, and his speech. This deeply troubled Noshten, who believed he was the best, and didn't want people to imitate him.

Amadán, you must forge your own identity. Do not imitate me, but move as yourself.

OOC: When should Amadán and I join the scene?

[Raz_Fox]

Eshel rose.

The, the thing, was silent. It merely watched. And there were voices, things like her. They were near.

The rune was complete. Her duty was not done, but perhaps she could return to it.

She rose, stiffly, carefully, with the utmost delicacy. She did not want to ruin her rune. It took her some time to leave the cavern, into one of the passages, but walking became easier. Sometimes, the ground did crack, but she was getting better.

And then something that was all wings bounced off of her.

[Goglas]

Moarzed

Moarzed laughs,
"We are ALL something, Nemo. We are the remnants of a time before us all. You think, you feel, you act, therefore you exist. You are something, as much of a something as I am. Do not fear, there will be chaos enough in the eons to come, as many will see us as threats. We are both dangerous and volatile, my son, and there are those who view the chaos that our existence entails as a liability. But we will persevere. Will you stand with me, Nemo, or do you yourself desire your own destruction?"
He extends a hand to Nemo.

Nemo

The dark god lowered his head and began to play with his thumbs. He pondered the words of this Lord of Chaos. Chaos indeed, he thought, for that was the warmth Nemo felt emanating from this great being's eyes.

Moarzed had power in him, Nemo could feel that much. However, whether this power was enough to become an asset, he was unsure.

"A liability," he whispered to himself, loudly enough for Moarzed to hear.
He raised his head and looked at Moarzed once more.
Nemo then realized he did not have the words by which to call him, nor did he even know this being's name. "You are wise...father."
"I do not desire my own destruction," he said, and he knew he was lying as he said so, and suspected this father knew as well. "But I do desire the destruction of this world. I do not want any...fillings. I want to make this Gaia into nothing."

The dark god floated slowly towards Moarzed, closing the space between them. He took his hand and looked at it: So frail it seemed, compared to Nemo's iron gauntlets. That, too, was a lie, he knew.

A silvery, thin tongue shot out of the shadows beneath Nemo's hood, and pricked Moarzed's back hand. It drew out a drop of blood, which then turned silver, and dried.

"I will stand with you, father. And that is my proof; the part of me that will always be with you." He smiled, revealing sharp glistening white teeth, and let go of Moarzed's hand. "Tell me now, who are these 'many' you speak of?"

Moarzed

The Dreamer embraced his son, dropping an arm over his shoulder.
"They seek to bring the cosmos to a standstill, a set of perfectly predictable patterns that they control. Control, we all want the stuff. But I want control for different reasons than they do. They want control to transform the glorious, natural chaos of the universe into a set of predictable mechanics that can be manipulated by themselves, so that they can perpetuate their own control. It's a cycle, do you see, my son? I have seen them, but they haven't seen me. Once they do, we will have to use cunning and skill to outwit them, pit them against each other while we consolidate our power."
Moarzed pointed down to the planet below, as if he could see something that Nemo could not.
"They will raise armies against us, Nemo, because we are wild cards. We are the unknown variables in their scheme of perfection. We are the wrench in the plan, the only thing that stands between the forces of Law and ultimate domination."
Moarzed smiled at the god.
"Do you understand, Rien?"

Nemo

"I believe I do, father," he replied. "They wish for things to remain as they are, and they wish to make more of what there already is."

Nemo's hands turned to fists. "I can not allow that. I will not."
"If they wish to maintain what there is, then they must be destroyed alongside it. A thing will happen, father, that has not happened since the time before our time began. I shall bring War to Gaia!"

The dark god looked at his lord. "Will you help me, father? Will you use your power to destroy our enemies?"

Moarzed

"I will, Nemo. But war and violence must wait, for now. Step one: assemble the coalition. We must seek out those who will aid us. Bring together the forces of chaos, while swaying the ones who hold the law above all else to our cause. Then, once we are united and strong, will we be able to defeat those who seek perfection.

Nemo

"The longer we wait the more powerful Gaia and her minions would become. Should we not attack her now, while she's still unaware of us, and our intentions?"

[Sir]

Verum sat still for a moment, content to watch the landscape below him, the rustling of the treetops in the wind, the beautiful mountains in the distance. He also caught the strong smell of the sea flowing from the other side of the mountain, which piqued his curiosity. In ages past, there had been no sea there...

Just as he was about to rise to investigate this sea, he saw a shining bolt shoot up from the forest, radiating some godly power that he also noticed on Martin and Theresa. In only a moment, the bolt - or possibly a person - pierced the clouds. And then it was gone. Verum was confused by this, as that being didn't seem to have wings of any sort, yet he could soar faster than anything Verum had ever seen. Verum wondered if he himself could master such a feat. Imagine it, soaring through the clouds without a care in the world! Beautiful. But how?

Verum pondered this question for a long moment, before getting an idea. He reached deep into one of the pockets on his pants, searching for something, anything, prodding his hand deeper and deeper, until eventually he was up to his shoulder in his own pocket, bending over in quite a strange position. But, just as he was about to give up, his hands clasped onto a small talisman. He quickly pulled it out, as his back was already giving him pain, and peered at it closely.

It was a circular copper disk embedded with gemstones of many colors, which formed a rainbow of shining hues around the center of the disk. The center was empty, a circular hole in the metal just past where the gems stopped. Verum didn't stop to wonder where this thing had come from, even though he had never seen it in his life, but rather just grinned. This would help him fly. He put it to his chest, and it began adhering to his skin through his shirt, fastening itself onto him.

Once that was complete, still grinning happily, he closed his eyes and found a new power within him, bestowed by this artifact. To start, he thought of a small songbird, envisioned one keenly in his minds eye. To his excitement, when he opened his eyes again, his arms folded themselves into his sides, and he could feel his head lengthening, his body shrinking. In a very short moment, he was that songbird, blue feathers warm in the sun, the small shining disk adhered to his breast. He quickly flew up into the air, darting with gleeful speed up to the place where the other god had punctured the clouds, going faster than any songbird had before.

Soon enough he reached the gap, flying through it only to be greeted by two gods conversing, not just one. The more the merrier he supposed. He flapped his way up, catching titbits of their conversation, but nothing really clear. Although, he could swear that he just heard the word attack...

Once he was at their level, he spoke in a chirpy voice, directed at both of them.

"Hello! I have just come from below. I wonder, do you call each other friend or foe? I am your friend too, just so you know!"

[Halna LeGavilk]

Martin
Martin smashed into the being, and then rolled off, a surprised look on his face. "Oh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there!" Martin looked at the outstretched spear, then sheepishly, morphed it back into a walking stick. "Are you okay?"

[TechnOkami]

Theresa

The golden Goddess promptly comes to a halt after the winged God happens to stop moving, where in plain sight she can see another God whom he has run into. Just how many of these Gods are there? Regardless, she came out of her wolf form and into her human form, still donning all of her equipment as before. The Goddess approached the two, with more intent towards the one she has not laid eyes on before.

"Hail."

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla and Volk

Time seems to pass at a strange rate when you are trapped inside of a tsunami of ice. Kor'Salla considered his options and from time to time tried to wriggle himself free of this binding but found he did not possess the strength. Daydreaming set in, and he imagined all the dead Naga scattered within the ice moving on to some other realm that was beyond his reach.

In fact, he dreamed of many things. Of several powerful people doing unknown things in a broken mountain some distance away. He had no idea what was going on, simply that something was. He also dreamed of little people like the Naga escaping a volcano in the distance.

Most of them died of course, but many of them escaped, and even more continued to suffer, wither, and die beneath the brutal work they had to do for the powerful entity that lived there. Kor'Salla gazed through the ice and came to a decision; and suddenly his focus was shifted elsewhere.

Outside the forge volcano of The Hound, Kor'Salla slowly constructed a new body for himself over the span of several long hours. When all was said and done his almost featureless face twisted into a frown at all the death and suffering within this place. Of course, that may soon end simply because the mere presence of Kor'Salla would flood the place with healing and near invincibility for the poor mortals.

[HalfTangible]

Kor'Salla and Volk

Time seems to pass at a strange rate when you are trapped inside of a tsunami of ice. Kor'Salla considered his options and from time to time tried to wriggle himself free of this binding but found he did not possess the strength. Daydreaming set in, and he imagined all the dead Naga scattered within the ice moving on to some other realm that was beyond his reach.

In fact, he dreamed of many things. Of several powerful people doing unknown things in a broken mountain some distance away. He had no idea what was going on, simply that something was. He also dreamed of little people like the Naga escaping a volcano in the distance.

Most of them died of course, but many of them escaped, and even more continued to suffer, wither, and die beneath the brutal work they had to do for the powerful entity that lived there. Kor'Salla gazed through the ice and came to a decision; and suddenly his focus was shifted elsewhere.

Outside the forge volcano of The Hound, Kor'Salla slowly constructed a new body for himself over the span of several long hours. When all was said and done his almost featureless face twisted into a frown at all the death and suffering within this place. Of course, that may soon end simply because the mere presence of Kor'Salla would flood the place with healing and near invincibility for the poor mortals.Volk and Kor'Salla

Volk scratched at his ear with his back paw, glad to finally be able to finish a bath for two of his forms. The blood was starting to coagulate but it wasn't too much just yet - he could probably finish his human form's bathing if he hurried. He shifted back into the bipedal form and grabbed the top of someone's scalp from nearby, scrubbing at his arm with it.

Volk splashed blood around the room as he suddenly stood up, blood bath momentarily forgotten. There was another force out there. Another being like himself and Theresa. Possibly without meaning to, it was providing them vigor and strength again, and as Volk glared at his bath, he saw that new blood had stopped flowing. No one in his forge was bleeding, which meant no bath.

He spoke to the open air, with the angry-grin of the deranged plastered on his face. This is gonna be a running gag, isn't it? He started laughing, and the sound echoed throughout the forge and the surrounding mountains. He jumped up out of the bloodbath, grabbed his chainsword and made for the surface of his dome, laughing like a maniac the whole time.

The moment he reached the top, he raised his chainsword to the air, and screamed out to the mountains. You're just making things worse, ya know. Now it's gonna take a whole five minutes to crush their spirits again!! He swung the sword as he paced his dome, looking out and laughing. See, he laughed, the effective thing to do would be to find the ones that escaped and give THEM this vigor.

Instead, you've assured I will slaughter a few dozen more of my helpless slaves while simultaneously giving me a slight increase in production. He clapped loudly enough to echo it around the mountain range. Quite a nice job! Care to get up here and stick your face out so I can carve it up and use it as a loincloth? These pants are sewn from wolves, you see. They're very scratchy, and so far you've done nothing but help me. He laughed mockingly. I'm certain you wouldn't mind serving as a macabre pair of underwear!! HAHA!!

And before you say it, yes, I AM trying too hard! He spread his arms wide. That's what makes it FUN!!! He laughed loudly again, with all the maniac joy of a madman.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla and Volk

The old man does not run and hide from the cackling lunatic not because he was brave, but simply because the madman was somewhat amusing. He canted his head and begun to stroll across the lands of the great Volcano towards the top of the dome when he is called. Even looking to be elderly, he was still spry enough to make his way after several long minutes that would no doubt be full of further taunts.

Along the way he calls back in a voice that actually seems somewhat irritated. "I have no idea why it would be more effective to find the ones that escaped. They are hardly the ones suffering and dying in such great numbers, and the misery here is completely unnecessary as far as I can tell."

Finally he ascends to the top of the dome, looking for all the world like an armless and featureless old man save from the kindly smile plastered across his face. He strolls around the god waving about the chainsword as if trying to size him up, but in truth he had no idea what it would feel like to have a chainsword plunged through his chest.

"I've actually come because I need your help, you see, and I have something to trade that may benefit us both. Do I have your attention, or am I going to end up as a macabre pair of underwear afterall?"

[HalfTangible]

Kor'Salla and Volk

The old man does not run and hide from the cackling lunatic not because he was brave, but simply because the madman was somewhat amusing. He canted his head and begun to stroll across the lands of the great Volcano towards the top of the dome when he is called. Even looking to be elderly, he was still spry enough to make his way after several long minutes that would no doubt be full of further taunts.Indeed, but most of the rest were incredibly childish, and evidently meant to be so.

-And the only thing your face is good for is shattering a mirror when you really need to. And I don't mean as a projectile. Your mother was a-


Along the way he calls back in a voice that actually seems somewhat irritated. "I have no idea why it would be more effective to find the ones that escaped. They are not the ones suffering and dying in such great numbers, and the misery here is completely unnecessary as far as I can tell."He pressed a hand to his chin thoughtfully. Well, I do like to bathe in blood, but mostly it's for the entertainment value. Do those count?


Finally he ascends to the top of the dome, looking for all the world like an armless and featureless old man save from the kindly smile plastered across his face. He strolls around the god waving about the chainsword as if trying to size him up, but in truth he had no idea what it would feel like to have a chainsword plunged through his chest.

"I've actually come because I need your help, you see, and I have something to trade that may benefit us both. Do I have your attention, or am I going to end up as a macabre pair of underwear afterall?"He's only in this guise to appear weak and defenseless... to give the illusion I have room to underestimate him. He's going to be thinking, probably sizing me up right now. If I set off the volcano I could kill everyone inside at once - that would unsettle him emotionally and drive him into a frenzy... But then again, I DO like my forge...

The two are not mutually exclusive, but do go on. He replied verbally, still swinging his chainsword around in one hand, grinning like a maniac.

[Creed]

Moarzed, Nemo, and Verum

Moarzed turns away from Nemo and spreads his arm wide.
"We, too, are friends! I am Moarzed, The Lord of Chaos. This is Nemo. Who are you, he who rhymes?"

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla and Volk

Kor'Salla actually paused a moment when he is insulted about his appearance. Was he ugly? Would he shatter a mirror? What the hell was a mirror? "Wait, you think I'm ugly? What is wrong with the way I look? I tried to look like all those fellows on the broken mountain. Did I get some details wrong? Do I disgust you?"

Yes, he quite literally beins to question his own appearance before the god of mockery. Of course, Kor'Salla had no idea that he was currently speaking to the god of mockery. Instead he composes himself to get to the crux of the matter before he completely derails himself.

"I do not think that bathing in blood for entertainment value counts. There are easier ways to get blood, and easier ways to bathe. You see, I am currently trapped beneath a massive amount of ice. I also happened to notice that you are one of two entities that have transformed a mountain into a different shape."

"I would ask you the favor of liberating me from the ice, and in return I will ensure that your people are blessed with endless health and protection. I imagine they would become far more productive if they stopped dying on you."

[HalfTangible]

Kor'Salla and Volk

Kor'Salla actually paused a moment when he is insulted about his appearance. Was he ugly? Would he shatter a mirror? What the hell was a mirror? "Wait, you think I'm ugly? What is wrong with the way I look? I tried to look like all those fellows on the broken mountain. Did I get some details wrong? Do I disgust you?"

Yes, he quite literally beins to question his own appearance before the god of mockery. Of course, Kor'Salla had no idea that he was currently speaking to the god of mockery. Instead he composes himself to get to the crux of the matter before he completely derails himself.

"I do not think that bathing in blood for entertainment value counts. There are easier ways to get blood, and easier ways to bathe. You see, I am currently trapped beneath a massive amount of ice. I also happened to notice that you are one of two entities that have transformed a mountain into a different shape."

"I would ask you the favor of liberating me from the ice, and in return I will ensure that your people are blessed with endless health and protection. I imagine they would become far more productive if they stopped dying on you."

Yeah but then they'd be more likely to rebel and I wouldn't get any blood for my baths. He laughed. Besides, where's the fun in 'unlimited energy' and 'protection'? If your men can't get tired, you can't lose, and the protected get too soft for war very quickly. He waved dismissively at Kor'Salla's... avatar-thing, rolling his eyes. Booooorrrrriiiinnnggg.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla and Volk.

"I am sorry, but I was under the impression that you were an entity of vast and incredible power. If you are unable to quell a simple rebellion, or get blood from your enemies instead of the people who work your factories, I completely understand. I suppose I shall simply have to take my offer to the other person who reshaped a mountain. Perhaps they would be less bored at the prospect of having men your troops cannot win against."

And without arms or eyes or ears, the pale figure bows at the waist. There is something about his demeanor that suggests a certain amount of mirth, but nothing to compare to the god of mockery himself. And so, the old man turns about and begins to stroll down the dome towards the workers below unless stopped.

[HalfTangible]

Kor'Salla and Volk.

"I am sorry, but I was under the impression that you were an entity of vast and incredible power. If you are unable to quell a simple rebellion, or get blood from your enemies instead of the people who work your factories, I completely understand. I suppose I shall simply have to take my offer to the other person who reshaped a mountain. Perhaps they would be less bored at the prospect of having men your troops cannot win against."

And without arms or eyes or ears, the pale figure bows at the waist. There is something about his demeanor that suggests a certain amount of mirth, but nothing to compare to the god of mockery himself. And so, the old man turns about and begins to stroll down the dome towards the workers below unless stopped.

Volk rushed forward and pressed his blade against Kor'Salla's throat. He didn't turn it on so there was no serious damage, but the old entity could feel chainsaw teeth pressing against his skin. Your attempts at mockery are almost cute but I said no and I mean no. His maniac grin grew even wider. Unless, of course, you'd like to fight through me to get down there, since I'm apparently so weak...

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla and Volk

The armless pale figure that was the god of healing and protection licked his lips in a certain amount of nervousness. His mind churned over the chewing blades right against his throat and how little it would take to turn them against this body. He had no adam's apple but if he did it would probably bob dangerously close to being chopped up when he swallows.

"Ahhh, well I could never beat you in fight which is a large part of the reason why I was asking for help. If I cannot even dig myself out of some ice, then how could I ever defeat someone like you? It seems like you have the upper hand for the moment, so what do you plan to do now?"

[HalfTangible]

Kor'Salla and Volk

The armless pale figure that was the god of healing and protection licked his lips in a certain amount of nervousness. His mind churned over the chewing blades right against his throat and how little it would take to turn them against this body. He had no adam's apple but if he did it would probably bob dangerously close to being chopped up when he swallows.

"Ahhh, well I could never beat you in fight which is a large part of the reason why I was asking for help. If I cannot even dig myself out of some ice, then how could I ever defeat someone like you? It seems like you have the upper hand for the moment, so what do you plan to do now?"Nothing but a vain, manipulative coward.

His grin faded. Well, first, remove your lips from my ass. Then get away from my forge. He turned away from the god and walked back to his trapdoor. Theresa may have be an enemy but at least she had some backbone. This isn't even your real body and you're afraid I'll cut it. He opened the forge's trapdoor, hesitated, then pointed with his sword out in the distance behind the 'vain coward'. There's a village about 200 miles that-a-way. They don't have any doctors, and they need a new god to worship. I suggest you satisfy your need to help others there.

And if he does, I'll take it back.

I'm coming back up in five minutes. If you're not gone by then, I'll kill you for interrupting my blood bath. He jumped down, and there was a loud splat.

What the- Where did they even GET a baby sea-

The trapdoor clanged shut.

[Incendax]

Noshten looks at Amadán, and for once he smiled. It was ignorant, but powerful. But he felt close to............ him?
Amadán
"Move... as myself not as you? How... do you move as... yourself?" It was a simple enough question, but advice that was followed. This creature has still dealt him a horrible wound, but the pain of it all was not so outrageous anymore. It was a numb throbbing that he found it hard to forget though, for the Sea of Ice was forever chilling his body.

At first, Amadán experiments with moving in ways that are different from Noshten but simple. A alternative way to 'step', an alternative way to move 'arms', or an alternative way to manifest a 'head', but eventually he grows quite tired of these games and collapses into a surging wave that mimics none of Noshten's movements except to continue following wherever he was leading.

"What... is my identity? Is Amadán an identity, or... is there more? It is... so hard to think... so many things to think about... so many things wriggling inside of me... so many distractions pulling me apart."

[Sir]

Verum

The bird flaped its wings at a fast pace to keep afloat in such thin air, constantly vibrating and dodging around as it talked.


"I am none other than the great Verum, he who all great men seek to become! I am lord of the facade, the entertainer of any god. I am the deity of deceit, though I am no cheat. I am master of the pretend, seeking to make many a friend, who with my own life I shall defend. To that end, I decided this meeting I should attend. I only have one question, hopefully it is no transgression; who are you, and what do you do?"

[Creed]

Moarzed

Moarzed smiles and laughs.
"I am Moarzed, Lord of Chaos, Dreamer of Dreams. It is a great joy to meet someone as happy as yourself, Verum. Come, stay and talk with myself and my son. We have much to discuss."

[HalfTangible]

The Children of Volk

Breon was one of the few human villages that had managed to survive long enough to build up it's own defense force. It was a mining town, and for decades the mining was good. The people used their knowledge of forgery and mettalurgy to forge many weapons, from daggers to great-swords. The village had a population of around 4000, around 3500 of whom could fight and 1500 of whom actually did. Such a number impacted mining considerably, but Volk's former slaves still remembered the hot irons, the lash, the terror of their final escape.

Fortunately, the children running and playing in the streets did not. Innocent life, free of suffering and bloodshed, had those 1500 men and women to thank for keeping them safe. A little boy and his father tossed a round object made from the skin of wild animals back and forth. A mother combed her daughter's auburn hair, chatting the day away with her little girl. A young couple snuck off where they thought no one knew they were going and kissed, love in full bloom.

Captain Andreas smiled as he looked out from his watchtower on the little wooden cabins and huts of the village he considered his. Keeping these people safe and secure was his duty, and he would fulfill it to his dieing breath. Volk was still out there, plotting and scheming, and even if they had gone far enough that the Mountain of Blood was out of sight, he didn't trust to that. The god of war would not allow a potential enemy to get away so easily with so much, and form such a prosperous little town.

He then turned and looked down the road to the south. The mountain at his back protected the village from attack from the north, but that wasn't what he was worried about. Volk's Mountain was to the south, down the mountain pass and out into the thick woods below. Today the sky was cloudy and the path shrouded in mist, giving the path an eerie, haunted look. And one day, he knew, from the mountain pathway beyond that mist, the great enemy would come and try to destroy all that they had built.

And though he did not know it at that exact moment, that day had come.

As the Captain peered into the mist, he saw something moving within.

Positions! He shouted, and the villagers immediately began to move back towards the caves in the mountains. Both on and off-duty guards ran to grab their gear and were out front just in time to see the first of their enemy arrive.

From the mist came the dark, twisted chuckling of the damned, and the sound of rattling chains. Then the enemy emerged from the mist, still laughing and chortling as if someone had uttered a joke.

They rode massive wolves, colored blood red with dirty, matted fur and horrible pupil-less eyes. They wore grills over their snouts, which struck Andreas as odd, shouldn't the wolf be left to bite. He saw one of the wolves suddenly buck a little and surmised that the wolves were not fully trained. The riders of the terrible beasts were definitely human but they wore robes, hoods and masks so their faces could not be seen. They all had one hand attached to the reins of a wolf, while the other clutched a scimitar.

They were mounted and ready.

Ready spears! He called, and his men complied, moving back so the men with spears could get ahead.

One of the humans in the lead raised his scimitar and pointed right at the spearline. Blood for the blood bath. The wolves suddenly surged forward as laughter echoed around the valley...

-----

"All warfare is based on deception." -Sun Tzu

The battle was quick and decisive. Though many villagers were lost, the enemy lost many more. The wolves that survived their riders' dismounts were now being tied up and taken to the stables. The horses they had weren't happy with the idea at all, but the wolves were remarkably docile once captured, albeit massive.

The whole time, despite their victory, something nagged at the back of Andreas' mind. The battle had been too easy, too simple. Volk was a god of war, and true, he preferred savagery to planning, but this was...

The Captain shook himself as he went to the village's only jail, waved to the warden and went to the only human captive's cell. He was just being paranoid.

The leader had, when unmasked, fought hard and ferociously, too ferociously to capture. But this one had been knocked out and brought to the jail. She refused to speak, to the degree that the Captain was beginning to wonder if she even could. The Captain had removed the nails that held her sword in place (grimacing at the sick level of damage it had inflicted) but had not removed the hood yet, letting her stew in her own misery for a few hours.

Now, however, was the time for questions. The sun had gone down and had been for hours, leaving her cell entirely dark. He now brought the first bit of light she would've seen in hours, a simple candlestick. He set it down and glared at his captive. She had been seated on the floor, playing hopeless and weak. But you didn't become a follower of Volk without some degree of combat prowess and skill. She wasn't as helpless as she appeared.

You're going to answer all of my questions. He said coldly, reaching down to tear off her hood. Now, first question, why are you GODS ABOVE!!

The reason for the hood and mask was now immediately apparent. The woman had been shaved and a massive blood-red V had been tattooed on her forehead. Metal bars held her neck, chin and jaw in place so she could only look forward, and bile rose into his mouth as he saw that the brace had been screwed in forcefully. Her mouth had been sewn shut, and her eyes had grown wide and panicked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He quickly moved and started to tear off the rest of her robe. The armor underneath had been purposely forged to allow only a small range of movement, mostly to swing her sword arm. It was both protection and prison, and he saw that this, too, had been nailed in, everything except the pants, which were made of thick leather that had been tied down onto her tightly but not nailed in.

He stood up, suddenly realizing that the attack that morning couldn't be it - something else was coming. He turned to yell for the Warden -

-And something large and blood red slammed into him, knocking him into the wall. As his consciousness faded, he could hear the girl he'd captured trying to scream...

-----

Adolfus shredded the neck of the stable man, loving the feel of blood dripping down his fangs. This was the work the Hound had made him for, and by the gods themselves did he love it. He looked to the other stables as his brothers and sisters used their snouts to force the doors open.

Adolfus laughed. Let's try this again, okay? He reared up. <BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD BATH!! SKULLS FOR THE MOUNTAIN**!! LET THIS VILLAGE BUUUUURN!!!!>

**Also translates to 'Skull throne'
-----

Andreas awoke to the screaming of the village. As he pulled himself to his feet, he reeled from the wound to his head. He placed a hand to the wall to steady himself as the screams were drowned out for a moment by the crackling of fire and laughter. He grabbed his sword and made for the door, ignoring the Warden's bleeding body. He fell against the door frame, horror gripping him as he saw his village in flames.

Children screamed and ran as the true attackers - the wolves they thought had been mounts - tore into them. Those who tried to fight were torn apart by the ravenous creatures, and the blood was as demoralizing as the bodies of the children he saw everywhere. The girl he had seen getting her hair brushed that morning was being tossed into the air, spurting blood with every toss. The boy he saw playing ball, on the other hand, was in a cage with other children, sobbing as the cage was rolled by a group of the robed humans, and Andreas saw their hands had been screwed into place as well.

Revulsion filled him as he saw homes burning and the smell of fried flesh reached his nostrils. He nearly threw up, trying to get into the village proper to help...

A wolf tackled him to the ground again, but this time he saw the creature's horrible pupilless eyes glaring straight into his. He tried to stab it, but the creature slammed it's paw into his sword arm, breaking it. As the screams continued, he struggled to free himself.

So you lived. The wolf muttered, sounding almost surprised. Very resilient...Perhaps you will have a use yet. He looked up past Andreas, and he heard more laughter. Process this one.

Andreas felt conciousness slip away again as the screams began to die, the heat began to rise and the laughter rang all throughout...

-----
"Men show their characters in nothing more clearly than in what they think laughable." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Andreas felt his consciousness stir for the second time that night, and almost immediately wished he hadn't.

Pain pierced into his body like knives. He tried to scream but found his mouth had been sewn shut. He felt the heavy weight of armor on his body. He tried to move his head, but he could not - something was holding it in place. He struggled but only succeeded in raising his sword arm. He couldn't move his legs either, and found that there was a robe on his body over the armor. He felt blood trickling on his flesh, and now he tried to scream through his sewn lips.

He could only barely see. He couldn't move. Something was carrying him on it's back, and he knew it was one of those horrid wolves, which explained the leather pants: they would be more comfortable on the wolf's back than metal. He heard laughter and delight ringing in the air, and knew with horror why they hadn't noticed that the humans were captives before.

The half-screams of help and fear from the enslaved were nothing compared to the laughter of the wolves.

He now felt his blindfold being pulled away, and felt horror wash anew as he saw a child with a blood red V tattooed on her face. She was shaking with terror as she took the blindfold and got off of the wolf's back. She then walked back to a smaller one of the wolves and got on it's back.

The wolf below looked back and saw him staring, and she laughed. When they both mature, that's going to be her mount. She sneered. She will serve the Great Hound willingly and well, as she should. You and yours will not, of course. So we simply force you.

The children were being forced to apply the restraining mechanisms to one of the adults from the village. They were guarded by large wolves at all times, but they seemed relatively unharmed. In fact, one of the wolves saw a little boy crying and gave him an affectionate lick, whispering something in his ear. The little boy chuckled a bit and went back to working. Another simply refused, and was carried away by another wolf, his cub following.

The children were forced to work but... not unkindly, and for some reason that scared him even more than his own predicament. Even the cubs that walked along with their human partners shouldn't have scared him so, but it did.

They will love us and serve. The wolf he rode sneered. You and yours will be enslaved, your children conditioned, and everything from your villages to your loins made to serve the Hound.

She laughed and turned away. Scream all you wish~ I will laugh all the harder.

Andreas tried to scream, and true to her word, the wolf beneath him laughed.

All of the wolves laughed, as they settled down to camp for the night...

1 Act - Create the Black Legion, aka the Cloaked Cult (info to come)
1 Act - Create the Hounds (info to come)

TL;DR: A village of the humans Volk made was attacked by riders mounted on wolves. The village won and captured several of the wolves as mounts. The wolves, however, were the actual threat: their riders were slaves, horrifically restrained so all they could really do on the wolf's back was swing their sword. The village was burned, it's people kidnapped and made into slaves, and it's children raised to become willing, loyal members of Volk's worshippers.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema

Ka-Tema flinched something isn't right he thought there is war. with that he took to the sky, wheeling towards the village. Seeing the wolves camp he approaches, lands and returns to his human form. He steps between the guards, glaring at them, daring them to try to stop him, walking into the center he seemed to grow taller with every step. Stopping in the center, he searches for a leader. "Who planned this destruction?" He asks, glaring at the camp, "Who is your leader?" he asks, interupting if anyone wants to respond, as a metallic pattern traces across his skin. "Bring your leader to me." He commands returning to his metallic eagle form, "And if your leader isn't here, tell me where your leader is!" he demands, then he pauses, glaring at the camp, realizing he needs to give them time to respond, lightning playing across his metallic feathers.

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema

Ka-Tema flinched something isn't right he thought there is war. with that he took to the sky, wheeling towards the village. Seeing the wolves camp he approaches, lands and returns to his human form. He steps between the guards, glaring at them, daring them to try to stop him, walking into the center he seemed to grow taller with every step. Stopping in the center, he searches for a leader. "Who planned this destruction?" He asks, glaring at the camp, "Who is your leader?" he asks, interupting if anyone wants to respond, as a metallic pattern traces across his skin. "Bring your leader to me." He commands returning to his metallic eagle form, "And if your leader isn't here, tell me where your leader is!" he demands, then he pauses, glaring at the camp, realizing he needs to give them time to respond, lightning playing across his metallic feathers.

Ka-Tema and Adolfus

The wolves in the camp followed him as he walked in, though instead of staying behind him, they circled. At his request, the wolves began to laugh mockingly.

Don't know, puny little human?
Weak!
Bird-Brain!
Loser!!
Miserable two-leg!!
Peace loving assturd MONKEY ****ER!!

That one actually made every wolf stop and stare at the navy voiced bitch. She blinked. What?

Don't be rude to the mage, packmates. Came a new voice, this from another of the blood-red wolves. He padded over to the human through the circle, and glared up at the creature with pupilless eyes. I am Adolfus. I lead this pack and I planned the details of our attack but I am not the master, nor did I charge we take slaves. We are children of the Bloody-pawed hound, Volkalansorisalamashalar. He sneered. And I suppose you're angry at my master, eh? Mocking laughter broke out from the camp. Well, if you want to take it up with the Bloody-pawed hound himself who am I to deny you? Besides a creature with sense. He gestured with his head. He's in the big mountain about four days run that-a-way. Maybe a day and a half if you can fly.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema and Adolfus/Volkalansorisalamashalar

Ka-Tema turns his head, ignoring the insults. "Volkalansorisalamashalar... Volkalansorisalamashalar is to blame." he mutters to himself. He spreads his wings, about to take to the sky, "Stay here." he orders the hounds, "Don't hurt anyone, don't leave here, I will deal with you after I deal with Volkalansorisalamashalar. Know this, if you run all the lengths of the earth, you will still be to close to escape Ka-Tema peacemaker." With that he takes to the sky.

Ka-Tema flies faster than the wind, towards Volk's mountain, reaching the top, he lands and resorts to human form. Volkalansorisalamashalar! he shouts "Come out here. I, Ka-Tema peacemaker wish to speak with you about how you planned the bloody slaughter at the village north of here. Come out and face justice!"

OoC: How do the wolves know that I am the peacekeeper? They might know of the peacekeeper, though they haven't seen me. I'm fine with them knowing, I just am wondering how.

Also yes, I will keep calling Volk Volkalansorisalamashalar.

[Space Lawyer]

A naga slithers up to Myel. It hands the deity a report, many pages thick." My goddesd, and interesting development has occurred. Those beings who escaped from the mountain of blood and fire of the one called Volk (check appendix 1) have built up a number of villages. We have been studying them, and they appear useful only in great numbers. We have noted an event at one village in particular, a place called Breon. A number of villagers were slaughtered by wolves, who upon further inspection were much more intelligent and physically capable than others of their species. A series of events, detailed in appendix 3, led to another of your kind, who calls himself Ka-Tema peacemaker, detailed in appendix 2, confronting Volk. We would suggest that such an event may interest you. We expect a number of rather interesting effects from such an encounter."

Myel reads the report. She files it away, with another naga scribe adding the notes in the appendixes to the files on the other deities. I will go to these two. I can't tell what they're going to do; so very exciting. Their paths are muddled. It always seems so when beings of power are involved. Gather up a few of these humans. Introduce them to our knowledge, and see what they can do.

Myel flies to Volk's mountain. She assumes a lotus position, floating a few hundred feat in the air, wings slowly flapping intermittently. A constant stream of scribes appears and disappears with reports for her. Maia sets down her sword (it hangs suspended in the air), and draws a book and quill from her robes. She sends a naga spirit to map the mountain.

[Imperial Psycho]

Kor walked through the plains on which he had been spawned, alone. He laughed at nothing to himself. Other deities might be inspired to create, to build a home, or a nation, or to go to war, or to do anything at all, but Kor was left feckless. Infinite possibilities danced across his mind, but he simply could not choose! He wanted everything the world had to offer, and he had the power to reach out and take it. But what to take? And were their others like him? They would be a threat. He would need allies.

And by providence one could almost call divine, he heard noise. He stopped. "--talk with myself and my son. We have much to discuss." Voices! Others! Creations, or creators? Only one thing for it. Kor dusted off his dark clothing, and shouted out. "Hello there?Who are you, friends?" He put on what he thought might be a positive expression, and marched towards the noise.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema, Myel, and Volkalansorisalamashalar

Ka-Tema notes the arrival of Myel. "Why do you come here stranger?" he asks, "Are you another watcher, or fellow doer?"

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema and Adolfus/Volkalansorisalamashalar

Ka-Tema turns his head, ignoring the insults. "Volkalansorisalamashalar... Volkalansorisalamashalar is to blame." he mutters to himself. He spreads his wings, about to take to the sky, "Stay here." he orders the hounds, "Don't hurt anyone, don't leave here, I will deal with you after I deal with Volkalansorisalamashalar. Know this, if you run all the lengths of the earth, you will still be to close to escape Ka-Tema peacemaker." With that he takes to the sky.

Ka-Tema flies faster than the wind, towards Volk's mountain, reaching the top, he lands and resorts to human form. Volkalansorisalamashalar! he shouts "Come out here. I, Ka-Tema peacemaker wish to speak with you about how you planned the bloody slaughter at the village north of here. Come out and face justice!"

OoC: How do the wolves know that I am the peacekeeper? They might know of the peacekeeper, though they haven't seen me. I'm fine with them knowing, I just am wondering how.

Also yes, I will keep calling Volk Volkalansorisalamashalar.

They don't. They've never even heard of you. Heck, I didn't really know either. It's just an insult. Like calling someone a p****.

Adolfus rolled his eyes as the god flew away, then ordered his hounds to pack up camp. We'll lay low in the woods near here, hunt for food and await further orders from our master.

Lord, he's a god of some kind and he did order to stay he-

Adolfus leaped forward and stood half an inch before the smaller bitch. Are you questioning whether my authority over you is higher than that 'Peacekeeper'? He practically spat the word. How about the Bloody-pawed hound? is he below that bird-brain?

The bitch glared at Adolfus, then bowed her head. You make a good point sir, my apologies.

Accepted. Now get moving.

---

It took a few minutes but Volk did eventually come up, opening the trapdoor, glaring at the Peacekeeper. During. My. Bath. He said coldly and tersely, pulling himself up onto the roof, a spear tied to a leather belt strapped from one shoulder to one hip. Otherwise, his chest was bare and he wore pants sewn together from wolf fur. Blood dripped from his torso. For the third time in a row one of you shows up right as I'm taking my blood bath. Do you people plan that?!

[Space Lawyer]

Your question assumes those things cannot be one and the same. I am Myel, and I watch, and by watching, I do. My servants, those called the naga, watch and report. This exchange has peaked my interest, and thus, I watch. I cannot see the future of this encounter, and thus desire to study it. I desire knowledge of all things.

-----------

Upon Volk exiting his mountain A blood bath. Interesting.

[rweird]

Ka-Tema, Myel, and Volkalansorisalamashalar

Ka-Tema nods as Myel responds but is cut off by Volkalansorisalamashalar's entrance. Look at him, he is a savage, a brute, a warmonger. He has a blood bath. Did he attack out of malice, or was it just because of his 'Blood Bath?' Either way, I should try to convince him not to continue. Ka-Tema thinks, eying Volkalansorisalamashalar warily.

"I did not plan to interrupt you, though I think it is urgent that we speak. Why did you send your wolves to attack a village? Did they do something to offend you? Did they attack first? What did they do to deserve that fate, pray tell." he concludes, opening a scroll and getting out a quill.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla, Volk, Myel, Ka-Tema

The old man stood for a long while upon the volcano, his head tilted towards the trap door as he considered the horrors of this place. Since he was unable to convince Volk to come to an agreement that would spare these suffering people some measure of misery he cames to his own conclusion. With a mournful sigh, he began to descend the volcano even as two other gods arrived to have words with the god of mockery and slaughter. He winded his way down and strolled quietly past all the misery and torture this place had to offer.

He spoke to the people here, and those who would listen he told to say goodbye. To kiss their loved ones and take hope that a better future awaits them. He would spare them from their torments if only they would be strong and hold on a little while longer. Just a little while longer. And so, Kor'Salla left the slavery that surrounded the volcano and walked directly away until he was 7 miles away. At that exact distance, he turned sharply to the right and began circling the volcano with measured steps. He was also curious what the two gods were doing here, and did not want to stray so far that he could not observe.

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema, Myel, and Volkalansorisalamashalar

Ka-Tema nods as Myel responds but is cut off by Volkalansorisalamashalar's entrance. Look at him, he is a savage, a brute, a warmonger. He has a blood bath. Did he attack out of malice, or was it just because of his 'Blood Bath?' Either way, I should try to convince him not to continue. Ka-Tema thinks, eying Volkalansorisalamashalar warily.

"I did not plan to interrupt you, though I think it is urgent that we speak. Why did you send your wolves to attack a village? Did they do something to offend you? Did they attack first? What did they do to deserve that fate, pray tell." he concludes, opening a scroll and getting out a quill.

Might have to rough this one up a bit.

He pretended to think about it for a minute, holding his spear crossways on his shoulders. Well, I'm the god of war, so I need wars to wage. If you meant the particular method with which the wolves attacked, I didn't plan the actual assault, Adolfus did.

I created the humans to create tools and weaponry but many rebelled and fled the mountain. Many died trying, and I was able to round up about half, but many others got away. The villages they've destroyed contain many of those people.

He then grinned wickedly. You wanna play with my toys?

[rweird]

Might have to rough this one up a bit.

He pretended to think about it for a minute, holding his spear crossways on his shoulders. Well, I'm the god of war, so I need wars to wage. If you meant the particular method with which the wolves attacked, I didn't plan the actual assault, Adolfus did.

I created the humans to create tools and weaponry but many rebelled and fled the mountain. Many died trying, and I was able to round up about half, but many others got away. The villages they've destroyed contain many of those people.

He then grinned wickedly. You wanna play with my toys?

Great, I'm trying to make peace with war incarnate. If I cannot convince him to change his ways, he must not be allowed to continue this war.

"Why?" Ka-Tema asked, "Why must you wage wars? Why must you bring senseless violence?"

Ka-Tema waits for an answer, though he is only half paying attention, as thoughts race through his mind, and a plan begins to form...

[HalfTangible]

Great, I'm trying to make peace with war incarnate. If I cannot convince him to change his ways, he must not be allowed to continue this war.

"Why?" Ka-Tema asked, "Why must you wage wars? Why must you bring senseless violence?"

Ka-Tema waits for an answer, though he is only half paying attention, as thoughts race through his mind, and a plan begins to form...

Because it's- He blinked, then held up a finger, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Wait. You said senseless violence. Is there another kind of which I am unaware?

If a fight starts... Start by getting him off the mountain. Then sweep his legs, buy half a second to break the blade off the spear. Throw it and use the rest of the spear as a makeshift quarterstaff...

[rweird]

Because it's- He blinked, then held up a finger, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Wait. You said senseless violence. Is there another kind of which I am unaware?

If a fight starts... Start by getting him off the mountain. Then sweep his legs, buy half a second to break the blade off the spear. Throw it and use the rest of the spear as a makeshift quarterstaff...

Yes, though he won't understand...

"Yes, though it is even more sensible if there is no violence. It makes sense to try to defend yourself against your hounds, though it makes more sense to have never made the hounds in the first place, and if you've already made them, stop them from killing."

[HalfTangible]

Yes, though he won't understand...

"Yes, though it is even more sensible if there is no violence. It makes sense to try to defend yourself against your hounds, though it makes more sense to have never made the hounds in the first place, and if you've already made them, stop them from killing."

How about 'no'. He pointed the spear at Ka-Tema, expression a mix of bored and irritated. I like the Hounds. They are entertaining.

You, on the other hand, are boring, smelly, and either a hypocrite or a wimp. You call violence a horrid thing, and then tell me there is reason for it.

I will never stop them from killing. They will spill blood in my name, and I will laugh. At them, their victims, maybe even you. A wide grin split his features. Of course, if you feel so strongly about it, I could just make sure you never have to see it again. He started to chuckle.

[rweird]

How about 'no'. He pointed the spear at Ka-Tema, expression a mix of bored and irritated. I like the Hounds. They are entertaining.

You, on the other hand, are boring, smelly, and either a hypocrite or a wimp. You call violence a horrid thing, and then tell me there is reason for it.

I will never stop them from killing. They will spill blood in my name, and I will laugh. At them, their victims, maybe even you. A wide grin split his features. Of course, if you feel so strongly about it, I could just make sure you never have to see it again. He started to chuckle.

I knew he wouldn't understand... But who would expect violence incarnate to? I guess it is to be expected.

"I said it is horrible, and it is, though there are things worse. There are few reasons for it and those reasons could be better served without. It should not be used with out cause, not because 'I felt like it.' or 'because its fun.'" Ka-Tema makes his distaste for those reasons very clear, and on those that present it as such. "I think it is-" only justified if used to stop violence or something worse. Ka-Tema finishes his sentence silently, realizing it is hopeless to try to explain to the monster and the monster would try to twist his words.

[HalfTangible]

I knew he wouldn't understand... But who would expect violence incarnate to? I guess it is to be expected.

"I said it is horrible, and it is, though there are things worse. There are few reasons for it and those reasons could be better served without. It should not be used with out cause, not because 'I felt like it.' or 'because its fun.'" Ka-Tema makes his distaste for those reasons very clear, and on those that present it as such. "I think it is-" only justified if used to stop violence or something worse. Ka-Tema finishes his sentence silently, realizing it is hopeless to try to explain to the monster and the monster would try to twist his words.

Ahhh, I see what you're saying.Volk rolled his eyes and brought his spear back to rest on his shoulders. So it's only okay if YOU say it's okay. He glared at Ka-Tema, smirking mockingly. How nice of you to utterly quash fair play in favor of your close-minded hypocrisy on the nature of right and wrong, the kind of moral code that only benefits you.

His smirk faded, his mouth coiling in disgust. Honor is always like that amongst creatures like you. Me, I admit and flaunt precisely what I am: I kill things. I do it fairly, unfairly, at a disadvantage, because I'll laugh, even for something as trivial as filling my toilet. You, on the other hand, purposely twist honor into yet another way to keep the weak down, when you already have everything you need to win and more. The peasant has no sword or armor, so honor dictates there is no good without them. The commoner's greatest weapon is poison, so you say it's the weapon of a coward. You'd like to think you're a god of justice, wouldn't you? When inside all you are is some arrogant, self-serving, posturing tyrant stroking his own ego. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

...

Ah what the heck, I'll laugh anyway!

His mocking laughter rang all throughout the mountain and surrounding valley. The answering howls of the Hounds in the area came almost instantly.

[Telemont]

Kor'Salla, Volk, Myel, Ka-Tema

The old man completed his circuit around the great volcano and arrived at the very same place where he started. A last and somewhat forlorn turn was tossed towards all the poor souls that lurked within that place, with the sunlight dipping low over the mountain and casting a warmth across his almost featureless face. In that single moment he turned his attention away from the fortress and all its machinery, the volcano and all its slavey.

This defining act of will might very well seal the fate of those that lie within, or at least provide Volk with a far more difficult challenge doing anything productive with the humans at his disposal. It was a sad fate the humans faced, but with any luck it would bring an end to their torture in the very near future. By the very nature of his conciousness, Kor'Salla would not be able to return to this place so what remains were only his memories. With the deed attempted, Kor'Salla turned and finally began his departure from this place. Perhaps someone else might be able to assist his peculiar plight.

1 Act = 7 Mile Radius from the Volcano Fortress no longer possesses Healing nor Protection. Gods are Immune.

[rweird]

Ahhh, I see what you're saying.Volk rolled his eyes and brought his spear back to rest on his shoulders. So it's only okay if YOU say it's okay. He glared at Ka-Tema, smirking mockingly. How nice of you to utterly quash fair play in favor of your close-minded hypocrisy on the nature of right and wrong, the kind of moral code that only benefits you.

His smirk faded, his mouth coiling in disgust. Honor is always like that amongst creatures like you. Me, I admit and flaunt precisely what I am: I kill things. I do it fairly, unfairly, at a disadvantage, because I'll laugh, even for something as trivial as filling my toilet. You, on the other hand, purposely twist honor into yet another way to keep the weak down, when you already have everything you need to win and more. The peasant has no sword or armor, so honor dictates there is no good without them. The commoner's greatest weapon is poison, so you say it's the weapon of a coward. You'd like to think you're a god of justice, wouldn't you? When inside all you are is some arrogant, self-serving, posturing tyrant stroking his own ego. It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

...

Ah what the heck, I'll laugh anyway!

His mocking laughter rang all throughout the mountain and surrounding valley. The answering howls of the Hounds in the area came almost instantly.

I expected such with War Incarnate, anyways I'll still try to explain.

"What point does honor serve? So you can die, knowing you were bloody stupid? I don't believe in honor. If poison will serve the commoner best, then let poison serve him, though it would be better for there to be peace and poison not be used at all. Violence is a sign of failure, if all other means fail then violence may be needed, though it shouldn't be in excess, and should be ended immediately after another way will serve to purpose better. If everyone realized this, then violence would be completely unneeded, and there would be peace. You presume that which you don't know, I don't make myself a god of justice, though if it helps bring peace, I would work with justice."

What is 'Hound' in your language? Olk? Vol? Something else entirely?

[Creed]

Kor walked through the plains on which he had been spawned, alone. He laughed at nothing to himself. Other deities might be inspired to create, to build a home, or a nation, or to go to war, or to do anything at all, but Kor was left feckless. Infinite possibilities danced across his mind, but he simply could not choose! He wanted everything the world had to offer, and he had the power to reach out and take it. But what to take? And were their others like him? They would be a threat. He would need allies.

And by providence one could almost call divine, he heard noise. He stopped. "--talk with myself and my son. We have much to discuss." Voices! Others! Creations, or creators? Only one thing for it. Kor dusted off his dark clothing, and shouted out. "Hello there?Who are you, friends?" He put on what he thought might be a positive expression, and marched towards the noise.

Moarzed turns towards the new voice.
Hail, friend! I am Moarzed, Lord of Chaos!

[Sir]

"Hello there?Who are you, friends?" He put on what he thought might be a positive expression, and marched towards the noise.

This other's word choice filled Verum with hope for a lasting peace, which was only strengthened since as far as he could see, everyone he met was friendly and peaceful. He tried not to be optimistic, but perhaps this world he had been thriving in for so long would stay a place of peace and quiet, even with all these no players to the stage! He tried to revel at the thought, but deeper down, he questioned wether he really wanted such peace...

None the less, happiness emanated from him as he spun his tiny body around to face the newcomer, his tiny bird eyes darting around the various oddities of Kor. He immediately began pouring himself into verse, escaping the many questions plaguing his mind.

"Hello my friend! My hand I would extend, but I fear trying in this form would merely offend.

I am Verum, god of drama and deception, of guile and perception. Master of the veiled, weaver of many stories detailed. Actor of the gods, I am the most interesting by all odds. But enough of me; who might you be?"




I apologize for the repetition of a rhyme ("my hand I do extend"), but I have found that there are truly a very limited amount of greetings that both rhyme and make sense. Although I suppose I don't really need to make sense with this character... :smallamused:

[Imperial Psycho]

Kor smiled broadly at both of those he had met. "You may call me.. Kor."

He paused for a moment, looking the deities up and down, then felt his answer insufficient. "..and I desire everything. "

[HalfTangible]

I expected such with War Incarnate, anyways I'll still try to explain.

"What point does honor serve? So you can die, knowing you were bloody stupid? I don't believe in honor. If poison will serve the commoner best, then let poison serve him, though it would be better for there to be peace and poison not be used at all. Violence is a sign of failure, if all other means fail then violence may be needed, though it shouldn't be in excess, and should be ended immediately after another way will serve to purpose better. If everyone realized this, then violence would be completely unneeded, and there would be peace. You presume that which you don't know, I don't make myself a god of justice, though if it helps bring peace, I would work with justice."

What is 'Hound' in your language? Olk? Vol? Something else entirely?Mine? I speak English, so... Hound :smalltongue: but in Volk's name? Volk. Comes from the russian word for 'wolf'... or at least, i tried to do it that way. Had to play it by ear.

Peace is a lie, perpetuated by idiots and whiner-babies. Volk proceeded to pick his nose in Kor'Salla's general direction.All that moralizing crap you're spewing all over my freshly cleaned mountaintop doesn't change that it's still only okay when YOU say so. I think you're done here. He then turned around and spanked himself. Yo mama was a hamster!

[rweird]

Mine? I speak English, so... Hound :smalltongue: but in Volk's name? Volk. Comes from the russian word for 'wolf'... or at least, i tried to do it that way. Had to play it by ear.

Peace is a lie, perpetuated by idiots and whiner-babies. Volk proceeded to pick his nose in Kor'Salla's general direction.All that moralizing crap you're spewing all over my freshly cleaned mountaintop doesn't change that it's still only okay when YOU say so. I think you're done here. He then turned around and spanked himself. Yo mama was a hamster!

So in the divine language Volk is named in, Volk means both 'Hound' and 'The Hound'?

"How do you know peace is a lie? Because you decide to bring war? Before you came there was peace- at least for a time..." he finishes as the image of the end of the war of the titans flashes through his mind.

I presume we at least have a jumbled memory of the war of the titans, or part of it.

[HalfTangible]

So in the divine language Volk is named in, Volk means both 'Hound' and 'The Hound'?

"How do you know peace is a lie? Because you decide to bring war? Before you came there was peace- at least for a time..." he finishes as the image of the end of the war of the titans flashes through his mind.

I presume we at least have a jumbled memory of the war of the titans, or part of it.

He rolled his eyes. I'm really sick of discussing this with you. Get off of my mountain, ya little p**** and go f*** yourself.

[rweird]

He rolled his eyes. I'm really sick of discussing this with you. Get off of my mountain, ya little p**** and go f*** yourself.

Ka-Tema leaps off the mountain, "I will go and see to your hounds then." he says transforming into his eagle form and seeking the pack that he met earlier. If they aren't the same place he will try to find them, though he may not succeed (If you want him to he does, if not he'll fly off and meet someone else).

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema leaps off the mountain, "I will go and see to your hounds then." he says transforming into his eagle form and seeking the pack that he met earlier. If they aren't the same place he will try to find them, though he may not succeed (If you want him to he does, if not he'll fly off and meet someone else).

Suddenly the god of war leaped into the air, right in front of Ka-Tema. You will do no such thing. Volk snarled before swinging his dagger.

[rweird]

Suddenly the god of war leaped into the air, right in front of Ka-Tema. You will do no such thing. Volk snarled before swinging his dagger.

Electricity flickered along Ka-Tema's metal feathers, arcing into the dagger as it connects with Ka-Tema's feather. Ka-Tema plummeted, the dagger cutting some of his flight feathers, though as he falls, he grabs at Volk as he spins into the mountain. Change into a snake, I'm not much good in the air now. Should I call the guardian? No- no time. Escape.

[HalfTangible]

Electricity flickered along Ka-Tema's metal feathers, arcing into the dagger as it connects with Ka-Tema's feather. Ka-Tema plummeted, the dagger cutting some of his flight feathers, though as he falls, he grabs at Volk as he spins into the mountain. Change into a snake, I'm not much good in the air now. Should I call the guardian? No- no time. Escape.

Volk snarled as electricity danced along his flesh, a wide, maniacal grin spreading across his face. He grabbed Ka-Tema with both hands, screaming through the pain, and tried to force him away from the mountain of blood.

Get him to the ground, get some distance. Take advantage of spear's length.

[rweird]

Volk snarled as electricity danced along his flesh, a wide, maniacal grin spreading across his face. He grabbed Ka-Tema with both hands, screaming through the pain, and tried to force him away from the mountain of blood.

Get him to the ground, get some distance. Take advantage of spear's length.

Bouncing off the mountain, Ka-Tema transforms into a burning serpent, some forty feet long and as wide a a mans arms length, grappling with Volk, trying to crush the hound. Like this they tumble, each grabbing each other, down from the mountain, to the ground below. I hate his laugh. No time for that now, stay as a snake, crush him, burn him, keep him from being able to use the spear- Snap it.

[HalfTangible]

Bouncing off the mountain, Ka-Tema transforms into a burning serpent, some forty feet long and as wide a a mans arms length, grappling with Volk, trying to crush the hound. Like this they tumble, each grabbing each other, down from the mountain, to the ground below. I hate his laugh. No time for that now, stay as a snake, crush him, burn him, keep him from being able to use the spear- Snap it.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD BATH!! He roared, suddenly shifting into the form of a werewolf. The monstrous creature lashed with it's oily black claws. Laughter rang out from the monster's throat. Volk's fangs bit down into the first bit of Ka-Tema he could find.

[rweird]

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD BATH!! He roared, suddenly shifting into the form of a werewolf. The monstrous creature lashed with it's oily black claws. Laughter rang out from the monster's throat. Volk's fangs bit down into the first bit of Ka-Tema he could find.

Ka-Tema falls back as the claws tear past, the fangs get a grip on Ka-Tema's tail, Ka-Tema arcs and strikes at Volks exposed back, fire blazing in his mouth qas he takes advantage of his opponent being anchored to him. It is only expected he can change his form as well, he has my tail, I should be able to make use of that... Annoyingly enough, Ka-Tema has a distinct lack of blood in the form of a blazing metal serpent.

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema falls back as the claws tear past, the fangs get a grip on Ka-Tema's tail, Ka-Tema arcs and strikes at Volks exposed back, fire blazing in his mouth qas he takes advantage of his opponent being anchored to him. It is only expected he can change his form as well, he has my tail, I should be able to make use of that... Annoyingly enough, Ka-Tema has a distinct lack of blood in the form of a blazing metal serpent.

Volk snarled and, possibly to Ka-Tema's surprise, tightens his grip on the firey snake instead of releasing. Suddenly, instead of a werewolf, the snake was grappling with a massive Hound. The Hound suddenly barked in pain and confusion, falling to the ground, flames racing across it's fur. It thrashed about in pain, it's chain-like tail banging on the ground.

Whatever this thing was, it wasn't a god.

It's a ploy - Volk's pretending he's switched himself with an innocent hound (well, relatively innocent) and is hoping Ka-Tema will look anywhere but at the apparent mortal

[rweird]

Volk snarled and, possibly to Ka-Tema's surprise, tightens his grip on the firey snake instead of releasing. Suddenly, instead of a werewolf, the snake was grappling with a massive Hound. The Hound suddenly barked in pain and confusion, falling to the ground, flames racing across it's fur. It thrashed about in pain, it's chain-like tail banging on the ground.

Whatever this thing was, it wasn't a god.

It's a ploy - Volk's pretending he's switched himself with an innocent hound (well, relatively innocent) and is hoping Ka-Tema will look anywhere but at the apparent mortal

Ka-Tema instantly takes in the scene, the broken trees, the flames, the damage. The flames- the universe is burning! no, but it will if things continue like this. This monster delights in battle, I should not have giving battle. Justice will be served, though not today. I cannot destroy this beast, though he as hurt me, I am not badly hurt, I doubt either of us has the strength to slain the other. He returns to his human form, now seeming to be a boy no older than ten."Very well, your hounds shall not face justice for there crimes today. Goodbye Volk, may the next time we meet, may we be on better terms." With that, he takes his eagle form and returns to the pillar of deeds, his wounds healing so by the time he arrives, there is no sign of his battle with Volk.

This time he is saying Volk just as 'Hound', he isn't sure where Volk went though he has a suspicion it is the massive hound, or he is lurking somewhere nearby. He didn't want to fight the hound though because it may not be Volk, and if it is Volk, his effort would be in vain (From this battle he learned gods are very hard to kill). Is this an okay ending for you?

[HalfTangible]

Ka-Tema instantly takes in the scene, the broken trees, the flames, the damage. The flames- the universe is burning! no, but it will if things continue like this. This monster delights in battle, I should not have giving battle. Justice will be served, though not today. I cannot destroy this beast, though he as hurt me, I am not badly hurt, I doubt either of us has the strength to slain the other. He returns to his human form, now seeming to be a boy no older than ten."Very well, your hounds shall not face justice for there crimes today. Goodbye Volk, may the next time we meet, may we be on better terms." With that, he takes his eagle form and returns to the pillar of deeds, his wounds healing so by the time he arrives, there is no sign of his battle with Volk.

This time he is saying Volk just as 'Hound', he isn't sure where Volk went though he has a suspicion it is the massive hound, or he is lurking somewhere nearby. He didn't want to fight the hound though because it may not be Volk, and if it is Volk, his effort would be in vain (From this battle he learned gods are very hard to kill). Is this an okay ending for you?
Honestly no. Seems kind of... abrupt. Especially since this is just a ploy to get Ka-Tema to turn his back. If you want it to end there, though, we can stop =/
The wolf wreathed in flames stopped struggling, and then stood up to his paws. Volk's laugh started as a small chuckle, then to a slight laugh, and then to a mighty, bursting laugh that echoed around the valley. The sound of both comedians and madmen followed Ka-Tema as he left Volk's home.

Acts for Rollover: -1AP+2AP=1AP

[Creed]

Kor smiled broadly at both of those he had met. "You may call me.. Kor."

He paused for a moment, looking the deities up and down, then felt his answer insufficient. "..and I desire everything. "

"Well then, Kor, come, stay and talk with us a while and we'll see what we can do about fulfilling your desires."