LoC: The Blankest Slate [IC]

[mystic1110]

The blue orb stands still in the colorless void. How can one tell the world is blue? That the ocean has any color in a reality devoid of light? Some questions are not meant to be asked. The waves are like perfect mirrors, not even a ripple; for the world stands still.

And then, suddenly, the Nameless Creator reaches out a hand and departs and sheds fragments of its own soul upon the universe. Small and insignificant to itself, but to this world, these seeds . . . are gods, the stewards of the universe and Lords of creation. And upon this, the Blank Slate, they gather.

The Nameless creator speaks one world and then is gone:

"Make"


***

At first a single gear, shifts, its teeth hitting the teeth its neighbor.

Clear Oil drips.

And slowly the blue orb begins to move, rotating upon its axis; the sound of mechanical gears and chains muffled by water and earth. And in total darkness the eyes of the Machine God, stir awake – all one million of them, from the slumber which was not sleep but life before birth. The gears whisper and creak, and the Earth stalls in its rotation - - - not enough oil to keep the teeth moving smoothly. The million legs of the Machine God click and scratch against the smooth surfaces, evenly distributing oil in their place – weaving through the gears like analogies that haven’t been made yet. The world begins to spin anew. And thus the Machine God is a caretaker of itself – for the Gears is its body as well; with only one desire: to keep spinning. And thus they yearn for more workers, more lubrication, and more efficiency.

What was the machine’s purpose? Some questions are not meant to be asked.

The rotation creates cycles, motions and waves, the first ripples on a still world. The mirror broken.

Nemaras (for that was the name with which the cogs ground upon the air, reverberating with syllables over and over) crawled through the gears, removing extraneous components. Massive components – gears and pistons the size of mountains, made of gold, silver, platinum, steel, even mercury in non-Euclidian shapes. The Mile Long Millipede Machine God wound into his other aspect, collecting more and more scraps, till the Machine – itself/himself – was sleeker, with nothing going to waste.

Then from this pile of metal he makes more machines in his image. Some he crafts into millipedes like himself, so many that they crawled around the great gear works, like a hive, a nest of silent metal and dripping oils – only the sckrick of metal feet scratching cogs. Others he crafts into great works of gears like his other self, so many that the Machine that kept the globe rotating resembled an engine within an engine.

And that is the unknown truth of the world’s heart.

And thus the blue orb in the colorless void continues to spin.

Ap 15

Create Fabled Life: 5 AP: The C'ras. They come in two forms: either they resemble mile long millipedes made out of sharp metal. Or massive constructs of Gears and Cogs.

I'll elaborate on them later . . . :smalleek:

Ap Left 10

[Preaplanes]

A shrouded figure, ancient and new, looks upon the world. He hears the turning of gears, causing the planet to begin to spin. Across the surface of the world, waves form like ripples, spinning across the globe, the sudden change in movement causing their inertia to form increasingly rapid currents. At the axis, the water is still. At the equator, the waters stream in an astonishing torrent.

"And so it begins," the figure muses. "The very first point of note in the endless stream of time. Fitting that the world's surface is also an endless stream."

"Gradually the waters shall slow, but the advance of time shall never stop. I shall see to that." The figure, Chronamus the Timeless, sits and watches.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras looks out to the ocean blue."I will need aid in the creation of dragons." Ethidras states. She then lays her first egg, which hatches immediately, revealing Oraesio, Mistress of Magics.
"She will do." she looks up into the void. "We need a sun before we can work on life."

[Yeshon]

As the egg began to crack small tendrils of silver light poked through then the tendrils shivered and quickly withdrew. In that brief moment, Oraesio felt a distinct lack of something she needed, something she couldn't live without. Then something built up inside her. On instinct the ethereal being let out a soundless cry.

The birth cry of Oraesio was a thing to behold. Instead of sound, energy cascaded throughout the void and the universe from the starless reaches of space to the gear wrought core was forever changed.

Mortals would in time call it Arcana, but for now it was new and nameless, merely an immense power unleashed by a young goddess who could not exist without it.

As the energy calmed after its violent birth it began to settle into place swirling gently without disturbing or intruding upon the matter around it.

A small silver dragon was in place of the egg her mother had laid so recently. She looked uncertainly at her surroundings, seeming relieved and frightened at the same time.

When she saw Ethirdas looking into the void Oraesio slunk forward uncertainly, "Mother?"

She looked up and her eyes were absorbed by the black void that greeted her. "Why's it empty?"

Beginning AP: 15

Create Legendary Concept Arcana -5AP, the stuff of arcane magic, it is an intangible energy that is perfectly benign unless called upon. Idea is Oraesio had to make it in order to be born at all.

Infuse Concept (Arcana) -5AP, Oraesio is the embodiment of Arcana and while one doesn't need her permission to call upon it, she knows when it's being used.

Ending AP: 5

[ArcturusV]

"Make."

Those words would echo through Geth's mind as it formed. Make. Make. Make. His mind grew, seeing the complex mechanics behind creation. Laws. Limitations. Order and structure. These concepts fused with his very essence, it defined him in ways he didn't quite understand, even as he recognized they were happening.

Geth, that was his name. And he had a drive to make. To make something in his own cold image. He could see the ideas floating before his eyes. It was all so simple, everything was set up so well balanced. Precise, cold, calculated.

He looked down upon the blue marble, and the waves upon it's surface and frowned. It needed a companion, and one which would help regulate it. Reaching for the appropriate formulas, he crafted an object, large, circular and in an perfect, slow orbit around the blue marble. It matched it's maker in purpose and design. Perfectly spherical, given a copper finish that shined brightly. It radiated the cold of it's creator's heart, and the steady foundation of law upon the Marble, governing it's tides, and creating the winter which slowed down the marble below it.

Geth stood upon the sphere, looking down at the Marble, and marveling at his creation. He had "Made", an orderly object that fit the harmonics of the system. One which was perfect to his eyes.

Geth's Moon, the bringer of Winter and Tides, Order to the chaotic waves and ripples of the Marble. But was it enough? Was this all "Make" really meant?

(So, AP spent. Started with 15. Near as I can figure that's creating a Relic, 4 AP down. 11 Remaining.)

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel's consciousness flitted across the surface of the world, diving in and out of the waves, venturing into the ground beneath them, delighting in the glory of all that he saw and felt.

Eventually, his attentions came to rest on a lone structure, a gem locked within a hunk of common rock. Emanuel drew the stone from the earth, rushing upwards, up through rock and water and bursting into air, letting his gaze settle across the stone, studying it and learning of it until it cracked under the intensity of his examination, crude rock falling away to leave only the crystalline perfection beneath, rising and taking the form of a transparent woman, made of the same crystal from which she was hatched.

Emanuel sighed heavily; already, it seemed his child had much to learn. But, what else are children for?

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, The Beginning

The mighty creator left, fragments of himself racing through the impossible infinities of space until they reached the unlit blue ball that would be the world, the template that they the pantheon of Gods would build upon. One of these many golden shards that flew through the void stopped once it reached the world, not touching its now turning mass. Though the clicks, pounds, clangs, clashes, and scuttling of metal on metal were the predominant sounds to be heard within the universe, a new sound emerged from the growing cacophony.

A beat. A single deep and resonate beat.

The shard, once glowing with golden power, began to change. Its surface grew veined and fleshy, the hallowed light now shining with a vibrant crimson. The shard cracked, spurted, creaked, and most importantly grew, but the beat was steady and constant. Power within that shard grew, folded, compressed, pulsed, and shaped itself as it pleased, for it was no longer a being of all eclipsing strength. It was a unique being, and formed itself as it pleased. What emerged from that nexus of power was a being of flesh and bone. At first what emerged was a black skeletal form, a single skeleton. Within its ribcage and skull was the transforming power of his divine spark, and it grew rapidly in strength. Then, a burst of crimson light emanated forth from the being as blood, flesh, and veins were formed. It adorned the black skeleton like a long robe, red and bloody. The pulse remained constant, but only strengthened in deepness, resonance, and strength. Blood swirled around the figure, the being's skeletal fingers waving it about itself with a gentle sweep and creak of its skeletal arms.

This God, though divine, was also the first living thing to emerge in this existence.

It looked down, its crimson light shining upon the world, lighting the would be blue waters into a sea of blood. It thought, and then finally spoke.

"This world... shall be inhabited. It shall be filled with living creatures akin to myself. The first shall be closest to my form, but never exact. All other beings shall be different, whether it be in height, girth, strength or intellect."

The deity, with meticulous skeletal fingers, began to form blood into his fleshless hands. This blood danced and quivered, and compressed into a form akin to a human being. Inside are bones as white as snow, blood red and flowing, and all of it is contained by flesh. Taking this being, he then tore it in two, transforming them into two separate and gendered beings, one male and the other female. He did this again, and again, and again, crafting thin, fleshy vessels that these humans would reside inside, until the time was right.

"And to the first of these people to inhabit the world... I shall grant them my flesh. Nay! All living things shall have my flesh. As these mortal forms grow and multiply, so too shall I. All flesh shall be granted by me, and all flesh shall return to me, and I shall grow in power because of it. I declare this. I decree it!"

His words held power, and something was forever changed about the world. All life that would be encased in flesh, flow with blood, and supported by bone would originate from him. Humans, and all that would follow will originate from him, and all such creatures constructed in this fashion. The foundations of flesh-bound life have been laid, and now all that was needed was a world these creatures could not only inhabit, but flourish.

AP: 15, Beginning of the game, woo!

AP: 15-5=10, Cosmic Decree: Flesh is my Flesh, Blood is my Blood, Bone is my BoneAll life that is composed of flesh, bone, and blood is now a part of Thelonious, and all creatures constructed of such materials shall essentially originate from him. All flesh shall also return to him, and thus life in its fleshy form shall also be his strength and power base. As these creatures grow, so too does he. Other Gods may create creatures, but if they are or would be formed from flesh/blood/bone, those substances shall come from Thelonious.AP: 10-2=8, Create Sentient Life: Humans

AP: 8 Leftover

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras lets the other gods answer that as they create the world "It is time" she says as she takes the egg and places it on the land. "The first of my mortal creations" she signals Thelonius for the materials. She then weaves it inside the egg, then it hatches it a full grown dragon. "The first of my dragons, Gragnar." and then creates more. While teaching the dragons how to fight, a plies of leftover flesh, blood, and bone mix with some of Ethidrases blood, forming Kob; also, Ethidrases flame was also mixed with her blood, but she did not know it yet.

"Well, that was unintentional." she says as the Kobold was formed.

-5 ap for dragons

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob, the silver kobold, fell back at the sight of his large dragon progenitor and found himself falling into ocean out of a mixture of shock and fear. In the sea, Kob did not have any problem; indeed it was the first time in his short life that he had been calm. Still his divine instinct was to leave the water.

The sea rushed back, as a perfectly circular island rose up carrying Kob, still on his back, out of the sea. The cavern and river-rich island is at the point devoid of non-divine life. Kob looked up at the dragons that his 'mother' had produced They're bigger than me, older than me, undoubtedly stronger than me, you can see that just by looking. You can see they're bigger than me too. Are they older than me? How long was I in the sea? Long enough. Dragons strong, dragons big but Kob old.

Still Kob retreated into a cavern just to be secure. To not be impolite he yells at Ethidras in a way only a divine creature can, "Thank you."


15 AP
15 AP - 1 AP = 14 - Alter land in order to produce Kob's Island - cavern and river rich, around the size of Hawaii.

[Preaplanes]

"Temporal Stasis."

The mortal creatures cease to move as Chronamus casts a spell to render them immobile, but immune to harm. He sighs. "To be born into a world that cannot sustain you... cruelty."

The Timeless god turns to Ethidras. "Do not assume this action to be hostile; without this, your children would writhe in agony before they collapsed. These were not aquatic creatures. Your children as they are cannot survive in this world of pure water. They need something... else. Be grateful to your eldest, as without her creation, I could not have saved them in time."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"hmm, you are right, they can't fly forever."

Ethidras sticks her hand to the bottom of the ocean and drag up a small continent. Then she drags her claw through the continent to make rivers and place that dirt and soil on her continent to make mountains.

"That should do."

-2 AP 8 left

[chrisrawr]

Earth:http://i47.tinypic.com/r89jqd.jpg

A whisper through the cosmos. A warm glow in the cold dark of space. Struggle against monotony, against sameness, against emptiness. Against the end.

It was only natural, then, that such a being would be drawn to the only object that dared defy the norm. Alone in a vast background of nothingness, the orb hung. Before long, another orb hung - dark and lifeless as the first.

The whisper stopped near this ball, hanging gently, spinning softly. And where it stopped, a glow began to form. A glow, and then warmth, and then true light - and inevitably, it shone down upon this blue globe, this featureless canvas. Illuminated, it was beautiful. Cresting waves, gentle curves, already growing oblong from the larger dark orb spinning in contraposition to the light.

The whisper moved again, around the orb, became less ethereal, a breeze, a creature of air and light, a figure of flight and grace. Where it set foot on the wave-tops and ocean calms, land rose from the sea. Realizing what it had done, the whisp retreated to its orb, to its light - scattered around the once unmarred globe, a great band of dirt and rock now ringed it. In its desire to be part of the globe, it had ruined its purity.

The waves crashed unabated, and before too long - as gods measure time - the band eroded into something this entity, now growing defined in figure and purpose, found much more pleasing. As the light from her sphere encircled the globe, she renewed but a small fraction of the band - the rest of the land grew fractious and in these patterns, the Summer Wind found endless pleasures for a time. "Why, anything could happen here..."

It was a thought that would haunt all those involved with this pale blue dot for millennia to come.



AP 15: BEGIN!

AP 15, use Create Relic -4AP, 11 remaining.

RELIC: GOLDEN SPHERE

The Golden Sphere is a cosmic object, 100 Kilometers in radius. Its closest point is 100,000 kilometers from the Earth at any given time, and its orbit bisects the earth perfectly.

The Golden Sphere creates light and warmth on the half of the earth facing it, varying between 20-30 Celsius depending on the humidity and breeze of an area, for an average feel of 27 Celsius. The illuminance of the light is 10000 lux.

Looking directly at the Golden Sphere poses no harm, as it is almost imperceptible to the average human (or dragon!) eye, seeming to be a floating orb in the sky, and does not produce this light or heat by 'shining'.

At the 'Noon' of any given point (that is, the point on the earth that is closest to the Golden Sphere), a 1000-meter radius is slightly warmer and slightly brighter.

Golden Sphere completes a spin once every 10 seconds. As it spins, it pulses slightly. The pulse doesn't affect illuminance on the ground, but those watching it can see the pulses. This sets up preference for the 10 second interval as a main interval. It takes 100 10 second intervals for the sphere to cross one 'time' zone, and 100 of those for it to circumnavigate the globe. Precisely 100,000 seconds are in each circumnavigation.

If permissible, under the light of the Golden Sphere's Noon, any attempt to make a small, willing alteration an existing race costs 1 less AP.

AP 11, use Weave Sanctum -3 AP, 8 AP remaining

The Sanctum of the Summer Wind, also known as the Summer Court, is a mystical demiplane that requires a ritual or invitation to access. Under the Golden Sphere's Noon, performing this ritual or being in possession of an invitation will whisk you into the Summer Court, where you will remain until Noon has passed your location by (though time here (or at least, a mortal's perception of time) may be altered at Summer's whim, within reason).

Ritual:

Planting a tree or garden, breeding animals, breeding, winning a true fight, building a shrine, or performing some other act symbolic of creating life or overcoming adversity is a sure way to gain entrance into the summer court for a time.


AP 8, use Create Land -2 AP, 6 AP remaining

A series of small and medium-sized islands creates a thin band around the equator of the planet. A 2KM 'central' band is unbroken and the Golden Sphere's Noon follows it precisely.

Branching off from this, the circumference of roughly 40,000 km is speckled with an archipelago of land equal to 7,562,300 km² (area of australia minus the central 80,000 km² strip).

These islands are mostly very tiny, as islands go, measuring between 5 and 10 km² - some are almost the size of new Zealand or srilanka, but none are larger. These islands cover roughly a 275km-wide band around the center of the earth, with 40% of the area not taken up by land masses being rivers and small seas.

(this is all mathed out based on the size of australia and the circumference of the earth.)

Most of the islands have sand bars or natural bridges to each other. Some are separated by gaps small enough to jump, swim, or fly over. To demonstrate, an average human child - given infinite stamina - could easily make its way around the planet using these archipelagos, provided it was careful and also didn't get eaten.


6 AP, use Divine Infusion -5 AP, 1 AP remaining

Summer is life. The Summer Wind infuses the land it's created with change and growth, encouraging any that live or step foot upon its shores to thrive.

An example for later: instead of killing their hosts, diseases tend to find ways to form mutually beneficial symbiogenesis with them.

Monotony is destroyed, and mutations between generations are common and almost never fatal - often beneficial in some new way, even.

1 AP, held for later.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel's form flickered endlessly between the countless forms of life that already were and others that could yet become; only his eyes remained constant, cool and blue, watching passively as the rest of his body blurred with the speed of his transformations. Emanuel watched the spark of mortal life first light upon the world, resting his gentle gaze upon the creations of his sibling gods before speaking.

"These forms are beautiful, but not important; to exist they must have more. The gods should not horde what we have to ourselves." he declared, his ever-shifting hands working over each other as he created his first gift to this world.

"From this day forth, let every mortal be free to make its own choices; their bodies may be compelled or destroyed, but their will is their own, even if they choose to turn it against their creators." he intoned, hands finishing his gift and opening, revealing nothing, for the free will he had created was already spread into the minds of mortals.

15 AP - 5 AP = 10 AP
Legendary Concept: Free Will, for all mortal creatures.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

The dragon goddess liked the idea. Free will, freedom. when her brood is released from stasis, she will then let them choose their own path, whether it be good, evil, order, or chaos

[mystic1110]

Unseen, Unheard

Deep beneath the earth within the God-Machine Body of the Gears of the World, the C'Ras worked. Some turned, others scrapped. Some recycled. A C'Ras stopped in it's task: The calibration of a singular cog. The world stalled - not enough for any other god to notice, but enough for Nemaras to feel the inefficiency.

Almost as quickly the endless millipedious form of Nemaras appeared to the C'Ras, and just as quickly sliced it apart searching for the cause of the delay. A spark. A small one, filtered through soil and solid rock. A spark of free will.

In a voice comprised only of grinding gears, so that it was more of a din than language, the God in the center of the earth spoke:

REQUISITIONING EXTRANEOUS FUNCTION FOR STUDY

And with that he departed into his own bowels, the dismembered C'ras already being . . . recycled by the others.

And thus the world continues to turn.

AP 10

Curse: Remove Free Will from the C'Ras

Ap 9

[Yeshon]

So much happened in so short a time, no sooner had she asked the question than the world began to come to life. The Orbs, one warm and pleasant the other cold and harsh. The birth of her brother, the birth of dragons. Oraesio didn't know what to make of it all. She did like Free Will of course, such a thing resonated deeply with her, how were mortals to discover if not given the opportunity to do so?

Oraesio approached the frozen dragons, she sensed a longing she could not comprehend, at the moment.

She sniffed Gragnar quizzically and then was struck with inspiration. What good was Arcana if it merely sustained her alone? No, she had created a great gift and hadn't even realized it, if she could devise away Arcana itself could be manipulated by the beings of flesh! She couldn't even begin to count all the possibilities; so without hesitation she devised a way for Arcana to be manipulated, she found the work quick, for it came as naturally to her as the creation of Arcana itself had.

She smiled ready to bestow this gift on all dragons.

But, for some reason she hesitated, she returned to her mother and bowed slightly. Waiting to be acknowledged before speaking.

Beginning AP 5
Create Magical Concept Sorcery-3AP As D&D sorcery except minus conjuration at the moment, that will grow when more planes become available.

Ending AP 2

Heads up: She doesn't have enough AP for a boon so she's planning on asking her mother to bestow the boon that all dragons will be able to grasp sorcery.

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus looked to the dragons and nodded. The time god pondered for a moment. "Dispel Magic," he said, removing the spell from them and allowing them movement once more, immediately affected by the new holy decree upon their release.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel turned his attentions downward, further down than he had ever looked before, finding the machine-god and his automaton slaves, smelling the briefest flash of ozone as his gift was purged from their metallic bodies. Emanuel raised his hands, preparing fresh blessings of independence, but paused, taking a moment to appreciate the intricate workings of the machine creatures, and considering the consequences if they acted out of form.

"This will require... subtlety. And thought." he stated, withdrawing his mind to the ocean, focusing his will on simpler projects.

Emanuel let his mind drift and dissolve across the waters, sinking low, removing himself from the light of the sun and letting his consciousness absorb all around him, the subtle play of ocean currents, the push and pull of forces not yet understood.

"I should not be the only being to witness this," he declared, drawing matter together, a smile creeping across his face, wondering why it had taken him so long to engage in the creation of life. Out of the water itself he formed new matter, drawing and pulling it like taffy, working patiently until he had a substance he was happy with; from there he he began to structure them, giving his children senses denied to the surface creatures while gifting them with perceptions denied to all but the gods.

When he finished he held in his hand a being the size of a human fist, translucent and softly luminescent, with thin and watery tendrils extending behind its form. Emanuel closed his eyes and felt its song tingle across his nerves, letting himself experience the world as it did for the briefest of moments before sliding it into the water, more and more of the creatures spilling out of his sleeves, spreading across the ocean depths, clustering together into tight choruses as their songs spread and joined.

Using... 2 or 5 AP for this, not sure which yet (up to mod.)

Created the Ceph, a race of sentient jellyfish-like creatures that lack any of the common senses, but are incredibly sensitive to electromagnetic waves and ocean currents. Ceph minds are also more electrically intense than others, meaning that Ceph in close proximity can constantly sense one another's thoughts; groups tend to form into units resembling a single consciousness.

Emanuel watched them spread with a fatherly smile before frowning.

"Children need food, I suppose."

With that he brought his hands together again, working faster this time, creating one of the world's first plants - a long, kelp-like strand that would float on the surface absorbing energy from the sun until it had enough, then sink all the way to the ocean floor, spreading roots into the ground and drawing forth nutrients, eventually releasing massive seeds that would float back to the surface, forming the next generation.

And minus another AP for mundane life. Down to either 7 or 4 AP, depending on whether Ceph count as standard sentient creatures or "Fabled" life.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

the Dragon godess looks down to her daughter.

[chrisrawr]

The Summer Wind was torn. On the one hand, life itself was beautiful. She'd noted, as she danced once more along the surface of the blue planet, that her footsteps now left only grass and trees in their wake, rather than entire land-masses. The grass was soft under-foot, and the trees were wonderful to trace, to travel along at the size of a mite and to marvel at the complexity inherent.

But the land was beginning to rise from other places, and the once pure canvas of shifting blue was becoming - more and more - a static orb of greens and browns. Even as she thought, "If only there were some way for creatures in the earth to move as creatures in the water," worms and moles appeared, "Or to fly through the air, carefree in my image," and bees, sprites, and gulls appeared. "To roam the land and bring newness to each moment," foxes and badgers, bears, wolves, and countless other land animals appeared, "Or to go as they choose, between air, land, and waters," and clouds of insects sprouted wing or took to burrow.

When the Summer Wind took off once more to the Orb, she carried with her in a great wind all the life that had sprung from her form, scattering them as they would fall across her band. And for a short time again, their diversity and interaction pleased her.

[Yeshon]

As her mother spoke Oraesio looked down at her other brother, surprised that he too had been made by accident. It was strange that gods could make others without intending it, had that been how she was made? No, she was created via an egg, there must've been some other explanation.

With some effort she broke from her musings and looked back at her mother she spoke.

"Mother, I have made a way by which the energy I created upon my birth can be utilized by mortals. I had intended to grant the dragons the natural ability to use it, but I've used too much of my power in creating it. I would ask you to grant your children a boon, whereby all of them could be capable of sorcery."

Essentially she's asking Ethidras to grant a boon to dragonkind, that they will all be capable of sorcery.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"Hmm, that sounds fine"

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, The Seeding

The time had come.

The world was shaping, land had been risen, and life could now easily be sustained. Thelonious took the first of the humans, each within their thin membrane cocoons, and lowered them upon the world. He scattered them across the various islands, spreading them across the land so they may thrive.

The first human pairs broke out from their thin membrane containers, and stared in awe at their surroundings.

"So Life begins."

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob the Old peaked outside his cavern and saw that the sky was refreshingly free of dragons, the continent of dragons being significantly to the north of Kob's Island, as such he felt secure enough to get to work. Still, he had to make something so that if any threats did come about that Kob would be able to defend himself. The way to defeat a dragon was through superior numbers, superior thinking and general superior cooperation.

Having made up his mind he was left with the annoying problem of how to do it. His mother could do it , but she was far more powerful than Kob - or so Kob thought. Lost in thought he had wandered out of his cave and sat on a boulder in front of it. Behind Kob the Old, without him noticing, slightly shorter and orange versions of himself came out of the cave and went to scavenge for food, predominantly fish. Kob knew something had changed but knew not what.


12 AP = 14 AP - 2 AP - Create Sentient Species : Kobolds

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras blesses the mortals, granting arcane to the mortals, but dragons having a greater amount of it

-3 AP boon. Give mortals sorcery, with dragons having the greatest grasp on it. 5 AP left.

[Yeshon]

Oraesio bows to her mother "thank you, I could not bear to wait I'm sorry to say, and then she abruptly bids Elthidras farewell.

Diving out of the sky she plunged into the ocean. There was so much to see, so much to learn. She swam through the sea learning all she could. Experimenting on some of the affects Arcana had underwater, she found she could manipulate the ocean's rise and fall with only a heed of power. Her mother had gone further than Oraesio had intended, all mortals now had the potential for Arcane magic. She wondered what the other gods would think of the boon.

Occasionally Oraesio would stop and experiment with the flow of the waves around her. She found many of the principles of water that day, such as buoyancy. In this she was in her element. She continued to swim in her dragon form, content with learning for the moment, later she would explore the rest of this world, but there was something pure about the sea. Perhaps it was because it predated the gods? Perhaps the Creator had made it himself?

Suddenly Oraesio stopped, if the Creator had made it, what had he used? Had it been-- now that she thought about it, Arcana had settled into place almost like it was meant to be there. Oraesio looked to the bottom of the ocean and smiled, this would require more investigation.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel watched the Kobolds with quiet eyes, seeing them start their simple lives on the island, watching them discover the first secrets of fishing and survival before shaking his head.

"Such little creatures, and so weak. They'll survive if they don't learn to survive in the face of Strength, and soon."

Emanuel drags up some of the rock of the island, forming and shaping it, folding it back on itself again and again until it becomes almost as soft and pliable as flesh, breathing life into it, building muscles and sinews of the rock and iron, then shaping them into a mighty creature, eight feet tall, built of hard rock and harder anger; as the man-shaped beast shakes the air with its first roar of dominance, Emanuel scatters it across the Kobold's island, more and more of the creatures awakening out of the stone.

Emanuel spends 1 AP (7-1 = 6) to create a race of humanoid monster named the Karn, just beneath the threshold of sentience. (They could use basic tools and weapons if they steal them, but not actually at a level where they'd form any sort of society.)

Karn stand about 8 feet tall, made out of (mostly) softened stone, are very strong, fast and resilient, and think Kobolds look tasty.

[mystic1110]

Unseen, Unheard

Deep beneath the earth within the God-Machine Body of the Gears of the World, the C'Ras turned. While some C'Ras existed as gigantic serpents wrought of the finest metals, others existed as monstrous amalgamations of gears and pistons. If Nemaras was the Engine which turned the world, each small (yet unfathomably grand) fraction of himself was composed of a compound of C'Ras.

And one of these parts of the whole began to work faster, much faster, so much faster that the teeth of its cogs hit and jumped past their place offsetting the connection between it and its neighbor. And thus the world imperceptibly increased in speed. Perhaps the day lost a second. But not even that.

Almost as quickly the endless clockworks that were Nemaras descended upon the C'Ras in clanks and groans. And very quickly tore it apart to find the cause of concern. A spark. A small one, filtered through soil and solid rock. A spark of Magic.

In a voice comprised only of grinding cogs, so that it was more of a din than language, the God in the center of the earth spoke:

REQUISITIONING EXTRANEOUS FUNCTION FOR STUDY

And with that his gears went their separate ways to oversee other functions and other needs. The parts of the dismembered C'Ras already reconfigured into another.

And thus the world continues to turn.

AP 9

Curse: Remove Ability to practice Sorcery from the C'Ras. (The boon was not directed at them so it doesn't need a scourge to replace)

Ap 8


Within the very heart of Nemaras, the very center of the world, the Machine God placed an orb, the representation of sorcery, next to it's twin, the representation of free will. The orbs were suspended in mid air, through wires and steel tendrils that extended from every direction - yet this being the center of the earth, they were not needed, for gravity was essentially zero - the perfect environment for . . . experimentation.

In the screeching pumping language of cogs and pistons, the Machine God observed.

REQUISITIONED EXTRANEOUS FUNCTIONS READY FOR ANALYSIS

. . . .

[chrisrawr]

Laughing gleefully from her court as humans began to prosper along her band, Summer couldn't help following the tenuous links of flesh back to their grisly creator. "I would see more of these humans of yours, and in greater variance. Would the secrets to their flesh cost too dearly, beyond the assurance of flesh to cover a globe?"

I want access to modify humans on my land. I want it real bad. What's it gonna cost, oh fleshy flesher?

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob reacted poorly to seeing the Karn and his first thought, and action, was to flee into the caverns. Still strength in numbers! So he got out and started telling the little groups of Kobolds to follow him into the cavern, after all they were created in his image so they should follow him without question, they did not follow him. "Emanuel!"

Kob took a different tact, he explained to them the wisdom of hiding in the caverns, pooling their numbers and knowledge. Explaining to them the need for cunning tactics he managed to have them follow him into the cavern.

Kobold society was split into the following groups:
The Organisers - The smallest group and the one which includes Kob.
The Fishermen - All those with sharp eyes and quick hand-eye co-ordination are in the group involved in gathering most food. This is their sole role - others also get food but not exclusively.
The Look Outs - This group gathers information of the island and also keep lookout. They are the swiftest and softest of foot.
The Warriors - These are those that Kob distrusts for reminding him most of his dragon-like sister. When needs must this group is sent to fight the Karns.


11 AP = 12 AP - 1 AP: Create Society

[TechnOkami]

Laughing gleefully from her court as humans began to prosper along her band, Summer couldn't help following the tenuous links of flesh back to their grisly creator. "I would see more of these humans of yours, and in greater variance. Would the secrets to their flesh cost too dearly, beyond the assurance of flesh to cover a globe?"

I want access to modify humans on my land. I want it real bad. What's it gonna cost, oh fleshy flesher?

Thelonious looked squarely into the eyes of the other divine being who spoke to her.

"It is rude to not introduce ones self when requesting something of the other, more so when you refer to them as nothing but a generalization. I am Thelonious, and as for your question, all can craft creatures, but I shall supply the flesh, blood, and bone they are composed of. Life in such a form shall grow, originate from me, and will increase my power as they multiply. You are free to alter creatures as they exist, nothing is stopping you, but it will still be my flesh you alter. I suggest you keep that in mind."

[ArcturusV]

Life... change... warmth.

Geth scowled as he looked across the Cosmos at the competing object, the one which was undoing his work. The gods who mettled in his laws. They created without control, they made without checks. Everything was easy and carefree. Disaster never struck. There was no balance. There was no drawback. There was no limiter.

Geth could not stand that.

From his Moon, he looked down.

"All things grow, change, and die. This is the law, this is as it must be. Nothing can last forever save the Law, nothing can be immune to change, Save the Law. All things living must age, change, and be susceptible to death through decay or mishap."

His divine will echoed those words, sending out a subtle change into the world. He nodded slowly, happy that for now, there would be a limiter in place, and one that would be suitable for this world before he turned his attentions elsewhere.

(5 AP for a Cosmic Decree, and one Infusion I suppose. So down 6 AP, 0 Infusions.

Cosmic Decree: Mortality is the name of the game. All living things must age, change, and die through decay or mishap.)

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"hmm typical of him." As she watches some of her dragons start to die, she decided it can't be the end. She gives all beings immortal souls to have after the body dies.

-5 ap: immortal souls

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel sat in thought about this latest decree for a long moment before smiling. "Time is a precious thing, now. It is well that the living should have something so valuable, to call their own."

Emanuel looked across the world, already witnessing the first small handfuls of deaths before stopping to think. "Conflict between the gods would be... inadvisable. It is for mortals to make their own fate and face their own challenges, not to become caught up in ours. Perhaps... yes."

Emanuel rises higher, extending his arms, speaking in a deep intonation that carries across all the gods.

"May all those who agree that the destinies of mortal being are their own, and that it is only for the gods to shape the game, not to play it, come to me and join in brotherhood and cooperation, that our goals might better be met."

Eyyyup. Foundin' a Pantheon. Hopin' someone joins it. Otherwise I'm gonna feel kinda silly.
AP: 6-3=3.

[ArcturusV]

"A game needs rules. It needs stability. Frankly, you need me, if you are ever to hope to have a single chance of accomplishing that which you wish," Geth answered the call. He gave a part of his divine power to join in with the other god, forming a bond between them.

(And that's -2 AP for joining a pantheon. 4 left.)

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras and a dragon are currently sparring. Both of them are maneuvering in the air, avoiding getting hit from their breath weapons. Ethidras decides to do a sudden brake, but the other dragon, Vendath, reacts quickly enough to grab her wings. He then goes for the "killing blow", but overdoes it, he heavily injures Ethidrases neck with his mouth.

He quickly rushes his goddess to a nearby mountain and moves her into the caverns. She then hears the announcement of the Parthenon, but she lacks the strength to join it.

[mystic1110]

Deep beneath the earth, the very center to be exact, the Machine God examines the metaphysical cogs. Interesting components. They turned in spacial dimensions beyond those necessary. Efficiency could be increased depending on their implementation.

Rust slowly began to accumulate upon the C'Ras, viridian green and the usual red-orange-brown of iron oxide. The Gears of the Machine of the World's Heart hummed in annoyance.

All over the great engines various scythes and protruding wires ripped the mortality out of the C'ras. - They gleamed with clear oils and metal. Never ceasing - never tiring.

REQUISITIONING EXTRANEOUS FUNCTIONS FOR STUDY

The gears hummed, and the C'Ras continued with their duties.

Soulless.

Scourge to get Cosmic Decree: 3 AP. C'ras are now immortal
Curse: remove souls from the C'Ras.

AP 4


Nemaras returns to the center of himself and adds another two cogs to his growing collection of curiosities. Mortality and Souls.

Wires and claws descend. Needles protrude. Incisions are made, biopsies performed.

EXPERIMENTATION COMMENCED

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob heard about the pantheon but disagreed with it completely. "My kobolds need me to defend them from the monsters that lie out there. If we do not meddle directly then the winners will not be based on worthiness but on strength. Strength is not important, Kobne- civilisation is important."

[chrisrawr]

Eyyyup. Foundin' a Pantheon. Hopin' someone joins it. Otherwise I'm gonna feel kinda silly.
AP: 6-3=3.
I may join in a bit :D

@TechnOkami



Thelonious looked squarely into the eyes of the other divine being who spoke to her.

"It is rude to not introduce ones self when requesting something of the other, more so when you refer to them as nothing but a generalization. I am Thelonious, and as for your question, all can craft creatures, but I shall supply the flesh, blood, and bone they are composed of. Life in such a form shall grow, originate from me, and will increase my power as they multiply. You are free to alter creatures as they exist, nothing is stopping you, but it will still be my flesh you alter. I suggest you keep that in mind."


"Well now, I wouldn't presume to be so forward - names can be a tricky business. But seeing as I'll be... handling, your, flesh..." A spark of light winks into existence momentarily, and somehow, mischievously. "You can call me Titania. And keep it in mind, I will."

With that, she leaves. 'Titania.' It had been spur of the moment, something to call her that wasn't her. Thrilling. And dangerous.

She began immediately, her focus always on those who shone brightest in the sun. A pinch here, a tuck there, some surprises for future generations...

From time to time, creatures - man or beast - occasioned upon her court. Certain mortals she claimed for her court, to entertain her or guests. Others she taught about life and her views on it. Always one for crowds, she often stole entire villages for short periods. None who lived on her land did so less than fully - great hunts, great thoughts, and great individuals were born and raised there.

And breed them she did - Titania, as they came to know her, was ceaseless in her work. Those who fished grew gills, and fins. Those who hunted grew fur and leathery feet, keen of sight and subtle in their hearing. Those who lived in harmony with the animals, dew and fruit for their succor, grew wise in the ways of their lesser brethren, and could tame even the wildest beasts. For a time, this was enough - The Summer Wind blew, and life was good. Life was change.

But Titania saw all life as equals.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob felt that the current system was good. They were paranoiac, always watching their back and running, Kob had produced a Kob society from Kobolds on Kob Island. However, that was not to continue.

On one of these peaking and running expeditions the peaker had messed up and the group found themselves face to face with a Karn creature. The fishermen and peakers ran leaving the kobold warriors left to buy time. The three of them expected to die. The first of them did indeed die with his skull boshed in. The second one, while putting his hands up in a defensive stance, let out two rays of force; pushing the Karn. This letting out of sorcery sparked something in the third Kobold warrior whose desire to stop the Karn turned the ground to quicksand. Trapping the Karn there.

The surviving ran to the rest of their group. Their shock caused them to send for Kob. Upon learning of this new, powerful, sorcery Kob looked stern and send. "This is why I placed you as the defenders. I am glad that you are living up to the duty I gave to you."

9 AP = 11 AP - 2 AP: Form Order (Kobold Warriors)

[Preaplanes]

"It is true," Chronamus agreed with Geth. "Nothing lasts forever, save for time itself. I know this all too well..." he trailed off, looking with unseen eyes past the void, beyond the present.

"Infinite possibilities, and infinite ways things may play out. Everything ends, eventually... according to the statistics, if nothing intervenes, this is inevitable, everything finds its place on the bell curve," he said darkly.

He was silent for a few moments... but then the god of Eternity began to chuckle. "But who says the odds can't favor us for that bell curve? It always approaches zero... but that's the thing: it never reaches it." A silver glow formed around him, the chances of events of all time and space beginning to flow around him as he channeled them, observing them all. "Some modicum of order is admirable, but absolute order... that has had its time, an infinite time before now. Sometimes it's best to bend the rules... even the laws of probability." he said.

The magic began to materialize, drifting slowly away as wisps of silver smoke. The smoke began to take form. The god looked behind him as the aura left him, watching with interest. Even for one aware of eternity itself, there was a difference between knowledge and experience.

"Well now..." he asked as a deific being came into existence. "What might I call you?"

[Griffith!]

Soma walked the earth, content to only watch. He felt the first rumbles of motion, felt the earth begin to spin beneath his feet, and smiled. First there was stillness, now motion.

He felt the light of the sun on his faces, and nodded. Light to follow dark, and dark to follow light.

He paid witness to the raising of land from the sea, to the birth of creatures, born of flesh and blood and bone. These things he recognized, embraced. The dragons were born, and with them, the kobolds. These things were in balance. Fair.

He heard the decrees of the gods, watched their interplay. Mortal forms, immortal souls, free will.

It is time.

Looking to the ocean horizon, he closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to the sinking sun. His body changed, his limbs grew long and lanky, his face twisted into a sneer. He touched the fragile edge of a mortal mind, and felt the strings of thought. Of emotion. And from them he found the stuff of Dream. With a simple motion, he wove a form.

"This world will have need of a hand at the loom. I grant you existence, Nhen, and bid you weave the stuff of night and dream."

And on he walked, looking to the burgeoning life. He granted his blessing to the creatures, Dragon and Kobold alike. He saw them for the great good and the great evil they could - and inevitably would - accomplish, and silently bade them birth more, for these things, too, would serve the Balance.

But he would also set upon them a scourge - a challenge to measure against and overcome. The Kobold had Karn to contend with already - the dragons nothing. So he wove from the flesh of Thelonious, crafting the first of his monstrous creatures - enormous birds to harry the Dragons in flight. He chose to call them Rukh, and set them free to hunt the skies.


15-2 AP for blessings.
13-1 AP for crafting a monstrous creature.
Leaving me with 12 AP.

[Queen Sapes]

Even before he opened his eyes for the first time, the god caught a glimpse of something. When his consciousness was formed by Cronamus, before entering his body he glimpsed a place that appeared to be the end of time itself. All he was able to observe was that all the gods were gone and everything lie in ruins. Then he was pulled into his body in the present.

He opened his eyes and saw the planet that his fellow deities were shaping to fit their own desires. He understood how the world he saw could arise, perfect order would lead to destruction for all. He had to prevent that from happening, he had to institute the possibility of salvation for reality, and to do so it would need the chance to happen. But if he warned the other powers that be about what he had seen, they would fear him or deem him insane, and seek a way to destroy him, and he had to prevent what he had seen.

It was then he noticed his creator questioning him. He pondered the question for a short time, knowing that if he revealed his true name he would risk losing his strength and potentially endanger himself. He needed anonymity, a fake identity he could abandon if needed.

He spoke for the first time. "Mr. Silver. Mr. Silver will do for now. And the dangers of order have been posed for too long, we-. Everything needs the chance to succeed, or fail, in equal measure. That is what we need in order to salvage this mess."

Start AP - 15
5 - Cosmic Decree: Everything that occurs has the chance to succeed or fail.
End AP - 10

[Yeshon]

Oraesio was stirred from her experiments, she had just found what she thought to be the building block of matter and was trying to pull it apart.

She felt the call to join the pantheon, Emanuel had issued it, the god of rules had joined. She set down the piece of matter.

"Very well Emanuel, I'll join. Should any god seek to quell mortal reason, I shall be there."

It'll be an interesting social experiment anyway Can Gods Work Together? Hmm has potential, what if I could preserve my thoughts for others to see on a wide scale? Maybe some sort of visual medium? Interesting, I'll have to get to work on that as soon as I finish developing this new theory of solving--

Apologies to the reader, but this goes on for quite some time. The salient point is, she joins the pantheon.

Beg. AP: 2

2AP: Join Pantheon

Ending AP: 0

[MichaelGoldclaw]

As the new enemy was created, Ethidras watched the fight with the birds. She studied their characteristics. She noted that the enemy was more maneuverable, but lacked a ranged attack. She was too weak to introduce tactics, so she has to watch her dragons make fatal errors.

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus looked upon his progeny knowingly. "A sobriquet, I assume. Very well, Mr. Silver," he said. This man was... different. The way events were likely to unfold shifted around him. He smiled to himself quickly.

Chronamus looked once again to the squabbling already taking place. Extremes already showed themselves, causing powers to clash. "This little world will be torn apart swiftly if we start to bicker. This world shall never progress if we take one step forward, only to take two back."

The Timeless moved to the god of "To advance, collaboration with the like-minded is preferable, even for those such as us. You may consider me a friend, Emanuel, for now at the very least."

Join Pantheon: 2ap
AP left: 13

[MichaelGoldclaw]

While Ethidras was watching one of her dragons fight outnumbered, she noticed that he was actually preforming quite well.
The Rukh were getting dangerously close as the dragon made a sudden dive. He then makes an immediate turn, going strait into a vertical climb. Spewing out frost, the dragon freezes a wing of a Rukh, causing him to stall. The other two charge strait at him, but then collide with each other as the dragon casts a short range teleport spell.

"I might declare him a leader once I recover," she says with a smile. Maybe we will fight them off to extinction.

The fire that was mixed with Ethidrases blood slowly starts to form a shape.

[Maugan Ra]

"Ah, it is good to be alive."

The burning tide slowly resolved itself into a shape - that of a large bird, trailing sparks from it's wings as it soared through the air. There was a wounded dragon nearby, one with a spark of the divine flowing through her body, but the fire ignored it - to be wounded, by it's own creations! So he left, seeking new and worthier life.

There was an island nearby, riddled with caves and infested with small, reptilian creatures. Smaller, weaker than the dragon-things which swooped and soared and battled the great avians, but intriguing none the less. There was a certain strength here, a ruthless cunning forged by the desire for survival. And one of them was even divine!

Cawing softly, the firebird swoops down and perches on a prominent rock, tilting it's head to stare at the kobolds and their creator. "Why do you hide?"

[chrisrawr]

Cries of blood and glory rouse Titania from a stupor of entertainment - "A Battle!" Light gathers around her in garb similar to that of the humans she cherished, and she follows the sounds of change in the air.

Her excitement grows as she speeds toward a claw-shaped landmass, covered and surrounded by dragons fighting large birds. Noticing another divinity watching the battles, she sidles (through the air, mind you) toward it.

"Why do you tolerate their deaths?" she asks the divinity, "Would it not be more entertaining if both lived at the end of their struggles? Or better yet, if they bred!" Images of scaly-tailed birds, and feathered, beaked dragons are more than cause enough for Titania to begin dancing. Few of the airborne beasts can stay aloft in her wake, but her softly glowing smile warms the winged hearts of those that do.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob was rather happy to see someone he sensed was a sibling. As such Kob gave a rather honest answer, though tempered by the fact that he was surrounded by some of his fellow Organisers, "We hide because the straight forward alternative is death. Sure we have the capabilities to kill our enemies; my appointed warriors are capable of sorceries to kill the Karn. But killing is vulgar and destroys the mind. THe Karn fight and the Karns have no minds to think of. Dragons fight
Kob spat.
"And dragons have no civilisation to think of. It is by hiding, better described as resting in places where enemies can't see you, that the mind is allowed to grow and for society to rise up as greater than the whole."

[Maugan Ra]

"But if you stay locked in place, afraid to go beyond, surely that imposes a limit on what you might accomplish? There are more ways to fight than simply killing."

The firebird pauses. "Ah, apologies. I am Yagar. I believe introductions are supposed to include names."

"You have magics to kill these... Karn, as you say, but you dislike using them. This is understandable. But perhaps another way exists, one that not only defends your civilisation and allows it to grow, but makes it stronger, with no need for bloodshed? Would that be preferable?"

[Emperor Demonking]

"Yagar, I am Kob and these are the kobolds. We have no specific qualms about bloodshed it is simply that active warring consumes time that could be better spent doing other things, things such as thinking. If you have a way that allow society to grow faster than what we are doing currently then we'd be delighted to hear it."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras moves slowly "It is..." as starts to continue, she moves her neck, she lets out a grunt of pain. She then rests her head and points to her wound on her neck

"My kind might gain a few things if they bred, but would loose too much. The humans on the other hand are useful."

[Preaplanes]

"There are other ways to progress. I... might be of assistance," a voice says as Chronamus appears before the dragon goddess.

"Your kind," he begins, "are the first sapient mortals, but they are no better than a wild beast as they are now. They are disorganized, and sloppy. You don't want your childrens' greatest accomplishment to be running and hiding from primative creatures, living in fear despite their ability, do you?"

Chronamus the Timeless was interested in the potential of the dragonkin. Not to gain favor with another god, that was secondary. Not to help the dragons survive, that was tertiary. This was an advancement altogether, simply the action that was the most logical to him.

"Let's see what we can do about that," he said. He held out an orb of magic, conjuring up a shifting orb of clear blue light. "Now then," he said, the glow becoming ever brighter before he released it in a titanic, world-covering wave that passed through all things, expanding outward from a single point.

"When the dragons next dream... they will dream of society, and of working together for both mutual and personal benefit. The specific design will vary from individual to individual. The knowledge of this dream will remain with them as they wake, and for eternity after. The form of the societies themselves... well, that is up to free will. Think of this as a gift," he said.

The god of time looked upon the world. "Let's see where they go from here. No matter how much one looks at eternity, mortals are... interesting."

Form Society: 1ap
Total remaining: 12ap

[Queen Sapes]

With his creator departed, Mr. Silver descended to the planet below, to observe. The first land mass he encountered was a small island crawling with tiny reliant creatures and monstrous stone behemoths. Silver noticed two gods already conversing on the island, and decided it best not to be noticed. As he passed, he overheard the two name the creatures "Karn" and "Kobold".

"Neither will do," he murmured to himself as he departed the island towards a claw shaped continent. There, giant winged and scaled monsters battled with massive birds, while another two gods, his creator and another, conversed. He was able to get the word "dragon" from the conversation.

"Perhaps one or two someday," he whispered under his breath. He continued traveling for a short time, not coming upon any other powerful forms of life, although he was almost certain that he could feel something strange, metallic, and persistent under the ground.

"Oh well," he said to himself, "I will just have to wait for the proper tools to come into play."

Traveling along the southern oceans, Mr. Silver stopped at a spot he determined far enough from the dragon's battlegrounds as to not attract their undesired attention. Placing his hand in front of him, he rose a small cluster of islands unlike anything the world had yet to see. The shores glittered in the sunlight, the sand was clear and as strong as could naturally be, the rock of the island was a beautiful mass of gold and silver, even the plant life appeared to be more artificial than that he had previously seen on this planet, but it served the same purpose. He rose seven island, six circling a single larger island, which he rose with a beautiful palace composed of diamond, gold, silver, ruby, sapphire, emerald, and a few more minor metals and crystals.

"Perfect," he said to himself. "Now one last thing before I begin my wait." Silver waved his hands over the beautiful islands he had made, weaving a barrier the other gods couldn't pass without extreme effort. Finished, Mr. Silver descended to his palace on the island below.

Start AP - 10
1 - Alter land: Created a small set of islands no larger than Hawaii.
3 - Weave Sanctum: The islands are Mr. Silver's sanctum.
End AP - 6
After Rollover - 10

Let me know if I didn't account for the AP cost of something correctly.

[Yeshon]

Oraesio emerged from the sea and stretched, she had learned a few things while she was down in the depths of the ocean, but she felt no closer to her goal of understanding how it came to be. Some sort of magic must've been involved and when she learned what it was... okay so that she hadn't figured out yet.

She sighed and for the first time, she looked at the ways the world turned. What turns it? She wondered. With a thought she disappeared and reappeared outside the world in the Void, just within the orbits of the warm sun and the cold moon.

She saw no apparatus, no engine forcing it to move. Had it been just a fundamental law that the world had to turn? She thought for a moment, then she felt it. She felt a piece of Arcana gathered into an orb, deep in the center of the world. Perhaps she would find her answers there? She prepared to teleport, then thought better of it, if I simply teleport to where I feel the orb, I may well end up missing what it is I want to find. Perhaps someone will throw me out the moment I appear. No, as much as I want to, in this case the measured approach is the better one.

She disappeared from the void and reappeared directly over the mantle. With that she passed through the crust without disturbing it and began to swim through the mantle.

Rollover: 4AP+1PAP

@Mystic: didn't want to screw up whatever your plans were for your next post, feel free to notice or ignore her as you wish.

[chrisrawr]

Never one to sit around when the action can be found or made elsewhere, Titania pulls back to her court to observe the world for a time.

As she mediates those who fill her courts with life and joy, she notices a subtle pattern - her presence affecting certain mortals, individuals mostly, but their progeny and close ones. Anyone near to Titania seemed to be affected, and the change was one she encouraged.

"Love calls to Love."

It was simple, now that she put it in those terms. Again, she remarked upon the power of words to represent without being.

Cosmic Decree: 0AP remaining

Love calls to Love.

Love exists, in various forms, throughout the universe. Rocks, trees, hills, clouds, mortals and immortals alike.

Things that love each other begin to resemble each other over time. In the short run, this allows even seemingly incompatible beings to procreate, given reciprocal love - eventually, hybridization to various degree occurs in both offspring and progenitor.

Loving many things may cause weird transformations, but Love calls to Love is a beneficial force that can only enhance the lives of those affected by it.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Now that Ethidrases wounds finally healed, she finally can preform her powers.
"We create the paths of mortals, but they choose which one they take." She had finally joined the parthenon.

Ethidras watches her dragons and some humans make their society. Ethidras called them forth

"In order to defeat our enemy, we must be able to outsmart them. Use our strengths to counter their weakness. They do not know how to cast spells, so we can use our enchantments when needed. They are more maneuverable, but slower, so we must not get into turning fights. Another thing, fly in pairs. If one is busy trying to get on another's tail, the other can sneak up on the bird. Though superior intellect will we defeat our enemies."

When Ethidras dismissed the dragons, one remained. Vendath slowly walked next to Ethidras. He was looking down with a sad face. "I am sorry for what I did, I should have held back."
Ethidras raised her hand. Vendath thought it was the end, but instead a swipe to execute, Ethidras put her hand on Vendath's shoulder.
"I had never thought one of my own would be that strong. If anyting, she says. She stats to smile "I respect you for beating me, even if I was holding back to make it a challenge."

Vendath smiled, he had thought it was the end, executed for his actions, but it wasn't. He smiled, "Well, thank you. Maybe next time you will get the upper hand."

-2: join parthenon
-2: concept: tactics

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious

The necrotic God stared at creation, the thing as a whole which all the Gods added to, changed, and modified as they willed. Many were unlike him, dare he say it, none of them were like him.

What strange Gods these are... He thought to himself.

Regardless, his plan has been set into motion, and the fleshy creatures that inhabited the world down below did indeed populate it and multiply to good numbers. But with this explosion of life on such a formerly lifeless world, so too came Death. On top of this, he needed a place to work... a plane would do.

Lifting the veil with his thin, black skeletal hands, Thelonious peered into reality. There he found space, infinite space to work with, wonderful unoccupied space. If he had flesh to resemble a face, this God would be smiling. There, within space and void, the God spread himself about until there, where the first world would be appeared a second world, a red world, one shaped somewhat to resemble a massive heart steadily begun to beat into existence, at the same tempo of that of the Gods'. Here Thelonious would not only craft fleshy creatures, but collect them here as well. But how? To have to meticulously collect the corpses of the dead was certainly within the realm of possibility, but a tedious chore that Thelonious was not keen to do. Thelonious turned to look at the massive heart within the void of space, diving right into one of the open ventricles. In the core of the heart, endless oceans of blood could be found. Blood and flesh in their rawest forms... all the materials he would need to create. There, inside that giant heart, he created a new fleshy creature, a powerful fleshy creature. They looked to be human in size, but far more physically attractive than could seem possible. They were naked from head to toe, but had gigantic webbed hands protruding from their back, though they connected by the tip of the thumb. These creatures, fair and made of flesh, would be able to move between this world and the core world, bringing the bodies of the dead with them, back to the God who originally gifted it.

"This shall do splendidly."
8+4=12 Rollover
12-5=7 Create Plane: Heart of TheloniousA plane dedicated to Thelonious and his fleshy machinations. It looks to be a massive heart the size of a planet by itself. Here Thelonious collects the bodies of the dead to return them to his own, as well as its use as his own workspace for creating creatures of flesh, blood, and bone.
7-5=2 Create Legendary Life: Flesh AngelsThese creatures look like human males, females, and sometimes genderless. They are radiantly beautiful, and have massive hands attached by the thumbs connected to their backs, with webbing between the fingers to enable flight. These creatures can move between the material plane and the Heart of Thelonious, bringing back the corpses of the dead back to the God of Flesh.2 AP Left

[mystic1110]

In the laboratory in the center of the earth, metal sizzled, steam was vented, electricity sparked and other unearthly energies spewed forth, and were then recycled, reused over and over. There was no waste.

The Machine God, had dissected Free will.

The Gears, had ground Mortality into powder.

The Wires had consumed the concept of souls.

The Pistons began to pump smoke the colors of Amethyst, Byzantium and Cerise - the colors of sorcery.

Love too was examined.

The gravelly voice of a million gears spoke:

METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS ANALYZED, TEST COMMENCING. CREATING ORIGINAL PERSONALITY.

The engine of the heart of the world began spinning faster, the earth's rotation remained the same, the extra energy was devoted to the inner factory were new C'Ras were made. Turbines churned and converted metaphysical concepts into unnatural metals - clamp - crush - the gears worked, and the C'Ras tore the creation apart, over and over, removing externalities, and leaving only perfection in its place.

In the end, a new type of C'Ras remained. Millipedious like it's brethren, it nontheless seemed much more organic, the metal breathed and pulsed. This C'ras was a constructed god!

DESIGNATION SPECIAL PROJECT SLASH EXPERIMENT DELTA OMICRON LAMBDA OMICRON ETA OMICRON IOTA. D.O.L.O.G.O.I.

Elsewhere a million gears focus their attention on a burrowing god.

The Gears of the World prodded the newly made machine with electricity.

D.O.L.O.G.O.I. MISSION ALPHA, INTERVENTION.

And the world kept on spinning.

[Betrayer]

As her Constructor spoke to her, the new mechanical god became aware. She became aware of her power, of her limitations, of her mission. She had free will, but all she willed was to do as her Constructor wished. She would intervene, and keep him hidden. That was what he wished.

But there would be little point to her if all any observer could see her true form - that would mean she had failed to hide her Constructor. Welling up from within herself , the answer came. She felt the power she had been imbued with, but their shape was not quite right, not for what she needed. She bent it, until it was the shape she needed, a shape she could hide behind. Thus Illusion was born.

Suddenly, the mechanical millipede was gone, and in its place stood a amorphous faintly pulsing ball of bluish-green light.

"Your wish, Constructor"

And she was gone, speeding up out of the crust to meet the oncoming intruder. As she approached, she slowed and called ahead of her at the oncoming god.

"Hullo, sister," the Orb called ahead of itself, through a hundred miles of magma, "I am Dologoi."

As she turned her true mechanical body through the magma, a single bolt tore loose from deep in her mechanism, and slipped through her form into the mantle. Suddenly in pain and anguish, she couldn't think straight. She had to hide herself. To be away. Elsewhere.

She screamed.

Dologoi, forgetting her true purpose, slipped sideways through a gap in reality that was not there, and into a tunnel that had never existed before. She floated as fast as she could through the twisting tunnels that formed around her as she fled and fled and fled. Hardly meaning to, she fabricated an entire reality in which to hide her shame. Finally exhausted she curled up in the deepest corner of her world, confident that this place would protect her, and gathered herself to face the world, incomplete and broken as she was.

19 AP (15 + 4)
3 AP Magical Concept: School of Illusion
5 AP Weave Plane: The Labyrinth of the Unknown
3 AP Weave Sanctum: the Center of Dologoi's Warren The Labyrinth of the Unknown is a plane with two layers:
"The Shifting Caverns" and "Dologoi's Warren"

The Shifting Caverns are a set of tunnels that connect places on the Material Plane to each other via a series of passageways and caverns. They can can be reached from hidden, unknown and forgotten places, and seem (at first) to simply be an extension of the Material Place, but deeper into the plane the rules of physics and magic start to be harder to pin down, and everything is lit by a softly pulsing greeny-blue light that glows from all of the walls. In the depths of this level, the walls themselves appear to be made of rock, like a natural cave system, except for the glow. The routes through the plane cannot be mapped, however, as the plane itself is constantly changing, and only by chance or the will of the plane can a interloper escape. The plane will help people trying to hide, escape, etc. (but spite their pursuers). It will be well behaved around god however.

- Objective Directional Gravity
- Erratic Time
- Shifting size
- Sentient
- No Elemental Traits
- Mildly Neutral
- Magic limited so that Conjuring doesn't work.
- Otherwise Wild Magic

Dologo's Warren is pitch black, and the wall is brick work. Like the Shifting Caverns, it is mazelike, but it has a center, the place that Dologoi lies licking her wounds and the place that her hoard will be kept. The Warren has all the same traits as the Caverns, but Dead Magic, not wild magic. The effect that protects Dologoi's sanctum is that the sentience their acts against any invader not welcomed by Dologoi.


leaves 8AP

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel flew high into the heavens, searching about the void before turning his gaze back down, enjoying the sight of the mortal world, starting to hum with activity. But... something was off.

"There must be reciprocity. The Mortals should be able to learn of our existence, if they see fit."

Emanuel set to work once more on the concept of the Mortal Soul itself, examining it, testing it...yes, this would do. There was a resonance here, the could be taken advantage of... all he had to do was calibrate it, and the link would exist.

It took many hours of labour, but finally his work was done. "Excellent. It will not be easy or clear, but what of any value is..."


6-5 = 1, +4, +1 PAP = 6.

Doing this as a Legendary Concept if I can, but will make it a Decree if I need to. Mortals - everything with a soul - now gets the capacity for prayer; this can be used to communicate with their gods on a basic level (If their gods decide to pay attention), or simply to meditate on the nature of their gods - which will slowly give them some knowledge of what the god they're focusing on is like.

Prayer defaults to the God that is most worshipped in their culture; if not exists, prayers go to the god most active in their region, or, failing that, the God that created their race. However, individuals can be drawn to a particular god's philosophies, and end up having they prayers be directed at that god, rather than their "Default" one. (So, a particularly mystically-focused, knowledge-oriented mortal could end up with their prayers directed at me, even if the culture surrounding them worships someone else.)

EDIT: Reviewed and Re-Counted; I actually only have 3 AP left.

[Yeshon]

As her Constructor spoke to her, the new mechanical god became aware. She became aware of her power, of her limitations, of her mission. She had free will, but all she willed was to do as her Constructor wished. She would intervene, and keep him hidden. That was what he wished.

But there would be little point to her if all any observer could see her true form - that would mean she had failed to hide her Constructor. Welling up from within herself , the answer came. She felt the power she had been imbued with, but their shape was not quite right, not for what she needed. She bent it, until it was the shape she needed, a shape she could hide behind. Thus Illusion was born.

Suddenly, the mechanical millipede was gone, and in its place stood a amorphous faintly pulsing ball of bluish-green light.

"Your wish, Constructor"

And she was gone, speeding up out of the crust to meet the oncoming intruder. As she approached, she slowed and called ahead of her at the oncoming god.

"Hullo, sister," the Orb called ahead of itself, through a hundred miles of magma, "I am Dologoi."

As she turned her true mechanical body through the magma, a single bolt tore loose from deep in her mechanism, and slipped through her form into the mantle. Suddenly in pain and anguish, she couldn't think straight. She had to hide herself. To be away. Elsewhere.

She screamed.

Dologoi, forgetting her true purpose, slipped sideways through a gap in reality that was not there, and into a tunnel that had never existed before. She floated as fast as she could through the twisting tunnels that formed around her as she fled and fled and fled. Hardly meaning to, she fabricated an entire reality in which to hide her shame. Finally exhausted she curled up in the deepest corner of her world, confident that this place would protect her, and gathered herself to face the world, incomplete and broken as she was.

19 AP (15 + 4)
3 AP Magical Concept: School of Illusion
5 AP Weave Plane: The Labyrinth of the Unknown
3 AP Weave Sanctum: the Center of Dologoi's Warren The Labyrinth of the Unknown is a plane with two layers:
"The Shifting Caverns" and "Dologoi's Warren"

The Shifting Caverns are a set of tunnels that connect places on the Material Plane to each other via a series of passageways and caverns. They can can be reached from hidden, unknown and forgotten places, and seem (at first) to simply be an extension of the Material Place, but deeper into the plane the rules of physics and magic start to be harder to pin down, and everything is lit by a softly pulsing greeny-blue light that glows from all of the walls. In the depths of this level, the walls themselves appear to be made of rock, like a natural cave system, except for the glow. The routes through the plane cannot be mapped, however, as the plane itself is constantly changing, and only by chance or the will of the plane can a interloper escape. The plane will help people trying to hide, escape, etc. (but spite their pursuers). It will be well behaved around god however.

- Objective Directional Gravity
- Erratic Time
- Shifting size
- Sentient
- No Elemental Traits
- Mildly Neutral
- Magic limited so that Conjuring doesn't work.
- Otherwise Wild Magic

Dologo's Warren is pitch black, and the wall is brick work. Like the Shifting Caverns, it is mazelike, but it has a center, the place that Dologoi lies licking her wounds and the place that her hoard will be kept. The Warren has all the same traits as the Caverns, but Dead Magic, not wild magic. The effect that protects Dologoi's sanctum is that the sentience their acts against any invader not welcomed by Dologoi.


leaves 8AP

Oraesio stopped short, "Dogoloi, it's nice to meet you I'm--"

Dogoloi screamed. "What's wrong??"

Oraesio raced to where her kin had disappeared and found nothing. Oraesio sniffed around for a moment, then spotted the dimensional rift, or more felt it.

Hmm, this goddess may have been sent to sidetrack me, but she seemed in real pain.... Dammit, just you wait core I'll be back for you!

And so, Oraesio departed after Dogoloi, not knowing just how difficult the goddess would be to find.

What she finds is in your hand Betrayer, or alternatively if you don't want her to find anything just tell me and I'll have her wander in the void for a while before giving up

Yet, even as she did that, she left something behind, quite unintentionally, but still it was there. The first shard she had ever spawned, a shard that was the embodiment of her curiosity; a part of her Oraesio could not deny.

This shard wordlessly assumed its true form of a swirling silver orb and descended through the magma towards the Core!

[ArcturusV]

"Hmm... rabble mounting together. Practicing false ideologies based on chaos and insurrection, without true order, without true guidance.... this will not do."

Geth looked down from his Moon, towards the region of the world currently receiving his harsh winter. Humans among the equatorial region, scrambling for life in a pathetic hunter-gatherer society. The Dragons were mounting, becoming powerful. But they were hardly a truly ordered society. The world was dangerous. It needed to be shaped.

Geth hurled himself down from his moon, a brass figure streaking across the sky, slamming into the earth below on one of the islands a fairly larger group of humans were subsisting off of, and struggling to survive.

Geth pulled himself out of the crater his impact made, his body cooling down in the winter air, and changing from a tall, hairless man of brass, to one of similar features carved of marble. That night he walked out from the Crater, gathering several of the tribes nearby. He spoke to them of the folly of their lifestyle, merely reacting, trying to survive. Not thriving, not shaping reality. He gave them order, he gave them Law. What once was a handful of 5 tribes on a small island was left with the start of a City-State, sparked by his divine influence.

In a short time, they were building a true society on this island. Geth gave them mastery of Law, the understanding of order and obedience, a way to codify behavior and rights beyond which other societies had, along with ways to truly master their meager land allotment, forming highly efficient farms and ranches to provide steady sustenance for the least amount of work, freeing their minds for higher pursuits rather than mere survival.

Now freed from immediate concerns, he gathered those who were freed from the need for nomadic hunting and constant struggles for survival, creating an organization who would enforce the Laws of the City-State, and keep order in their homeland, along with appointing one among them who would serve as the keeper of the laws, and interpreter of Geth's Will.

"A good foundation..."

(AP Spending:

1: Form Society.
3: Promote Leader.
2: Form Order.
1: Mundane Concept: Law.
1: Mundane Concept: Agriculture

AP Left: 1, 0 PAP)

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel watched the world turning, eyes staring down into it, feeling the first prayers of his aquatic children stir at his consciousness; he would keep his answers soft and subtle, enough to guide them to new discoveries, but not so great as to give them the answers directly.

Emanuel watched the world turning, something pricking at his boundless curiosity. He had meant to make this trip from the beginning, but there was always so much to do... yes, perhaps it was time.

Emanuel drove his body down through the waves, crashing into the shell beneath them and plunging deeper, uncurling his arms to swim through the mantle, pushing further and harder, feeling the thrill of discovery as he rushed closer and closer to the core, eager to discover more of the planet he had helped to shape.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras saw as the dragons fought and bleed in their war, and were wining. "Hmm... maybe we should close the deal. A general in this struggle. Another offspring, perhaps." She again lays another egg and watches as her commanders led the fight. The Chromatic Dragonflight seemed to be the perfect army for the general. She would keep the Metallic Dragonflight under her command.

[Queen Sapes]

"What's this?" Mr. Silver said as he sat on his gold and diamond throne, observing the sky above. He watched as an object fell from the void onto the planet, and determined it was worth his time to investigate. He sped across the planet to its impact site, where he witnessed one of his fellows communicating with a race he had missed on his initial observation. The creatures were weaker than the dragons he had seen fighting, but stronger and smarter than the kobolds and karn, and lacking the masters he had seen ruling the three.

"These ones will do quite nicely."

He watched as the deity, who identified himself as 'Geth' to the 'humans', taught them his idea of society. He was establishing order. But it was too early for perfect order. The fool. But rather than interfere and establish an enemy, Silver left him alone to play his hand at making utopia. He left to find other humans, and a short search of the island band proved there were others. A few small tribes living on a handful of islands.

Mr. Silver approached a small tent on the outskirts of one of the camps, and appeared to the man inside. The man was frightened by Mr. Silver's sudden presence, but calmed as Silver filled his mind with images, concepts, and his own memories of the end.

"You are to be my first hand in this world. You are to travel these islands and amass a following for me. Spread what I have told and shown you to the others. Some will not believe you. Others will attack you and the following. Hopefully, many will believe and follow you without a problem, but for those who deny your message, use this to show them."

From a nearby tree branch, Mr. Silver crafted a staff, shaping the wood into pure silver with streaks of gold. He imbued the staff with the images he glimpsed from the end of time, and filled the top of the staff with incredible strength that could be unleashed at his messenger's will.

"There is power in this that you can use to defend yourself if anything attacks you. Every member of the following must choose to come, you cannot force them to. Now go, when you have gathered enough followers, I will come for you, and take you all to safety."

And with that, Mr. Silver departed the man, watching from the sky above as the man traveled and spread his word.

Start AP - 10
5 - Raise Hero: My messenger, Chawarath, who is traveling the islands with my message.
3 - Create Artifact: The Eternity Staff. Imbued with the ability to project the memories of the world Mr. Silver witnessed into the minds of mortals, and generate magical energy constructs and energy blasts to defend the wielder.
End AP - 3

EDIT: Slight miscalculation you can see here, I'm actually down to 2 AP.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel sank still lower, pressing his divine essence through layers of rock and core, finally breaking through into the center.

His mind reeled as his eyes took in the sight of the innumerable machines around him, staring in stunned silence for a long moment before rushing up to examine one in details, studying the design, lost in appreciation of the sheet mechanical elegance of it.

At long last his curiosity was, if not truly sated, at least temporarily appeased; eager to learn more about this strange realm he had stumbled into, he pressed deeper through the writhing core of machines, seeking their creator.

[ShadowFireLance]

Inferndyim, Master of War.

"This Space, This...Prison, no, I..we..I shall not be confined...to this."
The Tyrant of Scales Proclaimed as he burst forth from the egg, Tactics in his mind of how the giant birds would fall into ruin, of how his children would feast on their flesh.
Turning to his...Mother, He shook his head, she would never have what it would take in her current state, She did not possess the..drive, the..lust, he would call it, for Battle, Like he did.

Turning his focus on the threat, he gathered the Chromatic Dragonflight, and aderessed them;

"All of you, to me, are what Dragonkind should be, and as such, I present a change that will make you more powerful then ever, I know some of you will turn from this, and I know some will attempt to change, but I care not, so, Any that choose to leave shall be given a free pass, this once.
To those of you who are the remainder, I offer you the Chance to become one with Power, a Tyrant of Proportions never seen before!"

The Few that did accept, Became more powerful then they could have dreamed; the Red Dragons became Volcanic Incarnations of Death,
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6vbkx8c3vSI/UEBiVh1wCKI/AAAAAAAAARE/fKaONqU5fUU/s1600/Volcanic+Dragon+2.jpg
The Blue Dragons that Accepted became Rocky Bastions against anything that stood in their way,
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4FvBEBxBAmdIpjxPVPM7HmGJArrF7Y oWZKmG1ctgN-OXhNfuT
The Black Dragons that accepted became Undead Monstrosities, Flesh falling until only Skeletons remained.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR46gJA9AyxZjKXkkqmgu7UlAxLrWwup XqgEdD3kk4d68ZTEJEbIg
The Green Dragons that accepted, became Creatures of pure Flesh rotting energy,
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQDqkMHpS7pXD4-ahfluEjpM1qV8ie-Zcl-tjjg17BE_0AGlFOoow, and the White Dragons that accepted, They became howling creatures of Terror, Inspiring Fear in those that stood before them.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtgfz-nzeGA/Ts2akGNyhHI/AAAAAAAABXo/lfb9Xz8dz_Q/s1600/blizzard+dragon.jpg

However, Most of the dragons that underwent the process did not survive, with only the most Powerful remaining alive.
Inferndyim began to prep for war.


19
-1 Ap Alter Existing Race
-5 Ap; Create Legendary Concept; Elemental Control, this Concept allows a select few to control the very elements, as selected with the permission of Inferndyim.
13 AP

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras saw the monstrosities hes son had made, but thought they were temporary, not knowing that evil lurked in them. She withdrew half of the metallic dragons from the fight, letting the new powerhouses finish the task.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel stared, awe-struck, at the wonder and complexity around him, the intricate glory of the machines working amongst themselves, the perfect order and harmony of this place; and yet, he noticed the mechanical creatures lacked souls, and the sudden realization hit him that all of this beauty existed, without a single creature beyond himself to see it.

As he stared, a single tear fell from his eye, bursting upon the machines and springing up, growing and forming into a god in it's own right, born of the poignant emotions sweeping over Emanuel.

Still, Emanuel's emotions were not calmed; he began to shift forms, wildly, erratically, jumping from body to body as he struggled to adjust to this paradox, his love of order and his love of freedom fighting about the vast machine around him. With a roar that resounded through the ever-shifting metal framework his emotions burst from him, forming into a new being, a God born of Emanuel's frenetic indecision.

I just birthed a God of Chaos inside your perfect machine. Whatcha gonna do about it? :smallcool:

[Griffith!]

Soma sat and watched the world whirl by.

Things change; Soma knew this. It was natural. But the other gods had plans, had designs to upset the balance - they could not be allowed to succeed unchecked. Change must be guided, must be kept in hand, lest it destroy the precarious interplay of forces. The world demanded balance, he knew, like a top on a platform of glass.

But he could not do this alone.

The Dragon god crafted mortals in her own image; the Kobold god the same. I think, then, to aid my task I shall likewise create. And I will start here.

From the water, he crafted a form, and to it, he placed salt, and dust, and the clay of the earth. Molded as by a craftsman at his loom, he shaped the figure much as the humans were shaped, but cleaner, neater. Perfectly balanced, perfectly symmetrical. A man and a woman he made, and laid them in the light of the sun.

Changing his form to welcome the night, he took up a chisel and hammer, carving whole from the rock. He shaped an image like his own, bent and rough. Collecting from the earth leaves and fire, he mixed his blood with ash, and painted these forms a burning red.

Taking both forms, he held one to the other, and willed them to merge. They would have only a modicum of his power, but they would be divine still; neither good, nor evil, but something between. No single form, but either as needs will. Protectors and betrayers of the balance. Breathing life into the dolls, he called them Asura, and bade them awake.

So that...
12+4AP from the rollover
16-5AP for creating Fabled Life - the dual-formed angel/demons I chose to call Asura
Leaving me with 11AP.

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus sighed. "These mortal races of flesh and bone... they show no interest in progression or thought compared to their need for brute strength. Such short-sighted physical wants and needs, without a spark of creativity. I believe it may be best to influence something of my own."

Chronamus reached into the rolling hills and pulled out a number of gems, creating another race of crystalline earth. "These shall become small creatures of crystal turned flesh, with a natural gift towards small works of arcane magic. They shall be energetic and intellectual, ever seeking new ideas and new powers, and will be able to hear dangers approach them more easily than most.

They will have an innate knowledge of the Kobolds, and their weaknesses, should the two ever cross paths in conflict. Should a large enough creature show, they will be able to numbly evade them. They shall have an innate intuition towards engineering and alchemy.

They will have a small tendency to act towards the betterment of others, but will usually care overmuch about neither the importance of order, nor of freedom, but find a middle ground between."

Chronamus saw the Gnomes take their first few, unsure steps upon the world, taking to the temparate hills of the continent of the Dragon goddess and creating crude shelters, hollowing them out and using their minor arcane talents to leave their dwellings immaculate and hygienic, or to play lightspirited games with each other.

But the gnomes were individualistc, clan based if anything at all. They were easy prey to the Dragons that inhabited the continent, little more than snacks to those who did not put value upon sentient life. The God of Educational Progress found this distasteful, once again creating a sphere of magic. When next the Gnomes dreamt, they to would form into groups.

"This is not enough," Chronamus thought, "they still need to be able to educate, so that their lessons are not lost." With that he created another dream, shared by all Gnomes, of two Languages. One unique to them, and another very Common. Not only this, but they learned to write, to tell stories and expand their culture.

The Gnomes were hardy, but were still fleshy despite their origin. Their skin was too easily cut. And so Chronamus deemed it needed for them to learn to craft metals into weapons and armors, tempering their iron and steel into designs to defend themselves.

Next, Chronamus came into the dreams of the smiths, inspiring them to create a weapon capable of allowing them to defend themselves with a technological advantage. He showed them of compounds and dusts, powerful enough to propel small metal stones at incredible paces. It could be used as an explosive, able to blast apart their terrain to a degree, or to create a weapon strong enough to harm almost anything with the appropriate application of skill.

With this, Gnomish militia organizations were more potent, able to give others pause. While no longer creatures to be trifled with, creativity was still limited, and travel was difficult. Their creator came into their dreams, one last time, showing them the power of coal and of steam, able to power incredible devices of imagination.

With this they could keep warm, and power the first steps of industry. With this, they would come to take the first steps towards civilization. The first steps... towards enlightenment. A people that could help the world itself to learn and innovate. It was wonderful.

Chronamus himself was changed in this way. Deific power flowed through him, as the patron of the Gnomish peoples and guide to their innovative ways. He became attuned to dreams, using them to deliver inspiration to mortals of various races, inventions and brilliance coming to the mortals in their sleep.

Chronamus was now more powerful than he was before. Just as he saw these creatures progress, so too did he see himself.

"For now, I will wait. These are all the tools the Gnomes shall need for now, so long as they continue to keep each other humble." There was a chance that they didn't, and that they angered the Kobolds whom they shared their ground with, or that they grew arrogant and tried to usurp the skies from the Dragons, but the Timeless knew that the odds for these humble digging inventors were favorable unless acted upon by another deity.

Gnomes: as 3.5 core, but +2 to Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) when making checks based on schematics or designs (just Engineering until the Architecture concept is discovered, as at the moment they are incapable of construction beyond burrowing), favored class changed to Artificer or Wizard, Weapon Familiarity Gnome Hooked Hammer replaced by similar reduction to relative Firearms complexity, and alignment changed to Typically Neutral or Neutral Good

+4AP +1PAP: 17AP
Create Sentient Life (Gnomes): 2ap
Form Society: 1ap
Create Mundane Concept: Literature 1ap
Create Mundane Conept: Blacksmithing 1ap
Create Advanced Conept: Gunpowder 2ap
Create Advanced Conept: Steam Power 2ap

Gain Domain: Dream (Inspiration) 3ap
PREREQUISITES ACHIEVED
Form Society (Dragons) 1ap
Form Society (Gnomes) 1ap
Create Mundane Concept: Literature 1ap
Create Advanced Concept: Gunpowder 2ap
Create Advanced Concept: Steam Powder 2ap
total 7 ap used to inspire mortal races by using dreams

5ap Remaining

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious

The scent of blood and flesh was upon the air as the God of Flesh appeared behind the being known as Chronamus, who has just recently crafted creatures of blood and bone.

"Intriguing... let me see these creatures you've constructed from my body."

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus mused. "Ah, but they were born from gems, turned into flesh as they were given the spark of life. A paradox; when were they created? Did life become before flesh, or flesh come before life? Which is cause, which is the effect?"

The deity shrugged. "I suppose it does not matter, I thank you for your assistance in this," he said sincerely. Chronamus showed the gnomes to the fellow god, looking upon them as they worked and built, designed and laughed. "Such weak creatures with such pursuit of knowledge, ever thirsty for understanding the world around them, each dreaming of greater and better things."

[Betrayer]

It seemed to take an eternity for Dologoi to suppress the pain that wracked her body. She could no longer remember her purpose. She remembered a desire to hide, and a surety that she was right. The desire remained, and she pulled her illusion closer around her, and moved. She floated out through the pitch blackness of her warren, and into the caverns she had created, closer to the Material Plane. She wandered, exploring, through this new world of hers, always heading outwards.

Suddenly, a flash a movement caught her eye. The other. The one she was sent to... to... she could not recall what she was meant to do to this other being. She sped towards the movement, caverns away, surrounding herself with the illusion of pulsating light.

When she spoke, it was not with the same confidence that she had before she was made incomplete. "I am Dologoi. Still. What are you?"

[Maugan Ra]

"The Karn are strong, powerful creatures, for all their savagery and hostility. Why not turn that strength to your own ends, make your enemy's power your own? You can feel it, can you not, the way our sibling deities have altered the world, so that mortals may gain understanding of our nature through contemplation. I would take it a step further. I would make them capable of drawing upon our power at need, if they are so inclined."

15AP to start, +4 from rollover for 19
-5 to create the Legendary concept of Divine Magic. Those who pray and revere certain gods gain the ability to reshape the world in accordance with that God's vision and themes.

"My power, and my nature, often calls upon this. What greater victory is there to be attacked, and to grow stronger with the aid of your attacker? I will share that power with your people. When next the Karn attack, your magic will be able to turn them to your side, to make friends or slaves of them as suits your temperament, to add their strength to your own. I ask for little in exchange - merely the acknowledgement of my generosity and my gift, in ways that you will know of."

14AP
-3 to create a Magical concept, the school of Enchantment. Bending another's will to your own through magic.
-1: Create mundane concept, that of a formal system of worship.
-2: Form Order, that of the Church of Yagar. Presently membership only extends to those Kobolds who use enchantment magic and pay the asked of price for calling upon his divine power like this. This will extend as Yagar spreads his influence...
-3 to Gain Domain of Magic (Divine), using the creation of divine magic and the establishment of the first church to qualify me for it.
End AP: 5AP

[itinerantpoet]

Somewhere in early chaos of the world, an exhausted creature, some say a mortal others a god, lay down to rest. As it rested, an image rose in its mind: a six-armed figure with ebony skin and pale white eyes, a thousand glimmering threads, and a long note that became a voice.

“…the stuff of night and dream.”

The figure, Nhen, turned its head and then ascended, rising from the dream as a swimmer does from the ocean that was once the World. Yet the brightness of the Golden Sphere burned his still damp and sensitive eyes, and he fled from it. He dipped his arms into the tangled remnant of his birthing dream and wove a single strand that stretched from the mortal realm into the otherspace that lay just to the side of mortal life. Stepping onto the strand, he reached once more into the dream and drew forth a vast and dripping frame of dark mahogany, the Loom, and a gleaming polished jawbone form the nightmare of a fallen dragon, the Shuttle. Bent low with the weight of the frame upon his thin back, he staggered with relief into the darkness waiting at the end of the thread.

In the center that was not yet the center of the darkness, he set down the Loom. He pulled forth a small pair of silver scissors and cut the thread that had stretched back into the world. And then, he sat down and began to weave.



AP: 15 (Starting) + 4 (First Rollover) = 19

Weave Plane (5) – The Web of Dream – The Web of Dream stretches everywhere that Dream does. Wherever a mortal or a god dreams the Web can touch. It lies always just beside the waking realms. The plane itself appears endless though it has only one layer. It is filled with a vast web of woven threads which though it would be possible to observe directly are all connected though the patterns and spaces between them vary widely. The shapes in the web often echo or mirror spaces in the planes it borders. [Note: At this time, there is no actually connection or method of moving between the Web and the other planes though this will change soon]

Forge Monument (7 + Infusion) – The Loom of Dreams – The First Loom, drawn by Nhen from the afterbirth of his birthing dream. It is installed in the not quite center of the Web of Dream. Its frame appears to be made of dark mahogany wood and always appears to be slightly damp or slick. The loom is worked by a shuttle of polished bone drawn from the dreams or nightmares of a dying creature. It is infused with the raw creative power of Dream and has influence over life and conceptual thought (-2 AP to Create Life actions and -2 AP to Create Concept actions). This is the loom from which Nhen first wove the night and the dreams of the mortal races and the gods.

Create Legendary Concept (5-2 = 3) Dream – Every race has a single Dream and every member of that race is a thread of this dream. When a creature is born, it undergoes the Birthing Dream and a thread is added to the Dream of its race, and when it dies, the Dying Dream finishes its weave and the thread is cut. The gods too may dream should they wish though each god has its own unique Dream and does not share it as the other races do. [Note: Think of the racial Dream as a kind of shared history, mythology, hope, fear, and racial memory for each race. While mortals (and should they choose gods) each dream separately when they sleep, this is not an individual dream but rather a connection into the shared dream of their race though mortals of course are unable to comprehend the totality of their race’s dream and thus see only fragments.]

Create Magical Concept (3-2 = 1) The Tapestry of Night – To protect mortals from the light of the Golden Sphere (which burned out Nhen’s own eyes), Nhen wove a vast and silken tapestry of darkness to cover half the world opposite the Golden Sphere. Whenever the Sphere shines upon the tapestry it is incinerated in a brilliant display of indigo flames and thus Nhen weaves a new tapestry every night to cover the world. Beneath the tapestry’s dark shroud, Nhen’s realm is closer and it is easier for mortals to feel the power of Dream, both its inspirations and its terrors. Creatures that are close to or work with the power of dream are stronger in this darkness.

Create Mundane Concept (1-2 = 0) Weaving - Nhen is the first to weave upon the loom and for now its deepest secrets remain his.

Remaining AP: 3

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob had no issue with Yagar's price for teaching the Kobolds his divine magic. As long as the mortals accepted his right to rule then they could worship who they pleased. "We thank you for your boon. Your price is something we'd be glad to pay."

The kobolds with him gave their thanks to before Kob made their goodbyes and left. Several of Kob's most trusted organisers having fallen under Yagar's words.

The church of Yagar made its prescience known quickly. With the Yagarites taking the Karn prisoner and the Kobold Warriors keeping guard, to qualm the fears of the non-magically imbued kobold's fears. The free Karn that still lived were now living in fear on plain level ground to the east. An area that Kob declared was off limit lest the kobolds run out of Karn.

The Karn were used for general work such as fishing. The Fishermen who in Kobold society were previously the most important, before the increase in power of the Kobold warriors and the new Yagarites. Kob was surrounded by Fishermen all pleading for a return to respect and a return to status. Even when not actually present they prayed. So Kob answered their prayers, responding to the size of the island and the Fishermen's former role, he showed them how to produce boats. This advanced boats were to detailed for the Karn to replace and thus the fishermen kobolds were happy for the time being.

9AP + 4 AP = 13 AP.
12AP = 13AP -1AP, create concept (Boats)

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras was watching the gnomes when Vendath walked next to her
"Their intellect doesn't surpass ours, but they use it better," he said, almost jealous.
"It is why they were created, to use it," Ethidras replied. She looked to him "I doubt you came over here to watch them work, what do you want."
Vendath smirked, "I have gained a few new tricks, want to go again?" he asked.
"I got plenty of time and not enough to do, alright."
Ethidras and Vendath gave each other some distance before they fought again. The dragons then took off, both clawing at each other as they pass, but Vendath got a deeper cut in. As Ethidras was making a sharp turn. Vendath pulled off a wingover, one of his new tricks, allowing him to get the jump on Ethidras. he shot out a breath of cold right in front of Ethidras, forcing her to brake as Vendath swooped in, but Ethidras managed to dodge. "You are not beating me that easy." she taunted. Vendath did another one of his wingovers, and then used his breath weapon again, but much closer, slowing Ethidras down by freezing her wings. Vendath then attempted to grapple Ethidras, but she managed to not only dodge, but also both clawed and bit him, cutting him deep. Vendath then tried to cast a hold spell, but Ethidras, counterspelled it. After that, both dragons got into a turning fight, but Vendath was surprisingly more maneuverable than Ethidras. She was shocked when Vendath grappled her. She tried to break free, but Vendath managed to hold on to her, but he couldn't strike. He eventually brought both of them to the ground, where he finally placed his claw on her throat. Vendath smiled as he beat his goddess again; she also smiled because she enjoyed the challenge, outplayed again by her own creation.

[Yeshon]

It seemed to take an eternity for Dologoi to suppress the pain that wracked her body. She could no longer remember her purpose. She remembered a desire to hide, and a surety that she was right. The desire remained, and she pulled her illusion closer around her, and moved. She floated out through the pitch blackness of her warren, and into the caverns she had created, closer to the Material Plane. She wandered, exploring, through this new world of hers, always heading outwards.

Suddenly, a flash a movement caught her eye. The other. The one she was sent to... to... she could not recall what she was meant to do to this other being. She sped towards the movement, caverns away, surrounding herself with the illusion of pulsating light.

When she spoke, it was not with the same confidence that she had before she was made incomplete. "I am Dologoi. Still. What are you?"
Oraesio had wandered for very long time, though as she understood it time here was relative, even though it was a long time inside the labyrinth it probably wouldn't be so long outside of it, probably.

Of course that didn't stop her from getting hopelessly lost.

"Oh dear, I'm almost positive I've been here before, but did I take a left or a right? Hrmm, I didn't realize I was this turned around. Ah well! I'll say Right!"

She whirled suddenly nearly slamming into Dologoi, missing collision by the merest fraction of an inch. When she saw Dologoi she retreated hastily ending near the end of the corridor. Her claw was bathed in Arcane power, then Oraesio realized the other being was not hostile and hid her claw like she ashamed of it "Ah, I'm so sorry! didn't realize--"

She gaped upon seeing the same creature she had been looking for all this time. She was at Dologoi's side as quickly as she had fled from Dologoi's quite sudden (from Oraesio's perspective anyway) appearance, "There you are! Are you all right? You gave me quite a scare when you screamed like that. You must've been in horrible pain. OH, right, introductions, I'm Oraesio Mistress of Magic."

She looked the spitting image of her the dragon goddess in this moment (except about half the size), this was the form she had assumed at her birth and one she hadn't bothered to discard yet. Even so, Dologoi was able to tell that this wasn't her true form.

She fidgeted for an uncomfortable moment, Wait what do I do now? Creator! Why isn't there a formal greeting?? "Um,"

Oraesio extended a talon towards Dologoi trying for all the world to make this appear a natural gesture. "How do you do?"

And that is how the handshake was invented.

I'm going to spend the PAP on the mundane concept of formal greetings... don't judge me.

Ending AP: 4AP

[Betrayer]

Feeling the meaning of the gesture take shape even as Oraesio reached her claw out, Dologoi manipulated her form to appear like an even smaller version of a dragon, her eyes glowing: one green, one blue. She reached out her own claw to take Oraesio's, and shake it.

"I am... incomplete. I was in pain, uncontrollable pain. It has been suppressed." She looked around, at the caverns they were in. "Why are you here?" Her tone is neutral but confused.

[Yeshon]

Oraesio looks equally confused by the question as Dologoi is confused by the situation. "I thought you were hurt so I came to see if I could help."

The goddess thought for a long moment before concluding, "What do you mean you are incomplete?"

[Betrayer]

Dologoi brightens. "I was hurt. I lost part of myself, suddenly. I don't know where it has gone. It has hidden itself. I am now not what I was before I lost that part of myself in the magma." Her sentences suddenly become less disjointed and less hesitant as she becomes comfortable around this other god.

"You just wanted to help me? That is kind of you. But surely, you can't have meant to be looking for me for all this time. It's different here, I don't know if you noticed? I made it different." Her voice swells a little with pride at this. "Hardly any time at all will have passed outside."

[Yeshon]

"Why would that be hard to believe? We are kin you and I, and I thought you needed help."

Oraesio looked around the corridor, "I admit though, that I got lost myself, the corridors are very difficult to navigate."

"Still it wasn't so bad, I got to see so much of this place! And you did this all on instinct? Most impressive!"

[Queen Sapes]

While his messenger spread his word across the island ring, Mr. Silver went off to investigate what the other races were up to since he last checked. He first saw the Kobold. Where they had once seemed the weaker on their little island, now they had enslaved the Karn, organized themselves, and even founded an organized belief system. But it was what the Kobold were constructing and using that intrigued Mr. Silver the most. Wooden constructs that allowed them to traverse the waters as the saw fit. This couldn't be the work of the Kobold themselves, one of those two gods he saw earlier had to be responsible. Mr. Silver searched quickly, finding one on the island, a slightly larger, silver version of the kobolds themselves, practically glowing in Silver's vision with divine energy.

Mr. Silver descended to where the god was and spoke to him, putting on the most charismatic smile he could muster. "Hello my fellow deity. I happened to notice that this island's inhabitants were using particularly helpful constructs to assist them in navigating the ocean waters. Can I assume that the constructs were your own creation gifted to these mortals? Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? The name is Silver. Mr. Silver. And if these creations are yours, then I am hoping that we can make a deal."

[Betrayer]

"Thank you. I think, as to your becoming lost, you were maybe trying a little too hard? The harder you look at them, the more they change, the more they make themselves unknowable."

He begins to float down a tunnel, picked seemingly at random.

"Don't focus on where we're going, or where we've been. The Shifting Caverns will take us where we want to go, if we don't look too closely."

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob had been thinking of the limitation of the boats he had produced. Although they did indeed allow the kobolds to move further from the coast to the ocean blue, thus providing a greater variety of dishes, they still didn't really allow the kobolds to go anywhere. His idle musing was broken by the speaking of Mr. Silver. "Hello Silver, spawn of...? You may call me Kob, boats were indeed one of my many gifts I have given to my."

Kob struggled for the right word; he wanted to use fellows but the word wouldn't come out. "Boats were indeed my gift given to the kobolds. What sort of deal are you after?"

[Yeshon]

Oraesio follows down the hall, "So, this place is shaped by thought?"

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of her mother's continent, the dragon claw shaped landmass where the dragons dwelt. Where unbeknownst to her, they were in a life or death war.

[Betrayer]

"After a fashion, I suppose."

The two gods wander through the caverns in companionable silence, Dologoi taking turns seemingly at random. The eerie blue glow that had bathed them slowly fades, leaving only flashes of natural light ahead, and mundane rocks of mountainous caves surrounding them. They pass through these and out into the open, to be treated to the view a spectacular aerial battle, still raging above.

Dologoi stopped staring in awe at the scene that greeted her.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Vendath got off of Ethidras. She got up to her feet and said "You certainly are full of surprises," she smiled, "You the strongest of the Metallic dragons, Vendath, I'm still holding back on you, though."
Vendath smiled. "I'm still kicking your ass." he said smugfully.
"We'll see about that." she replied.

Later on, when Ethidrases wounds were treated, she noticed one of her sons chromatic dragons being very ferocious and brutal. She saw what she had brought unto the world. I... I... I made a monster. She went back into her cave, crying in tears. What would be next after the Rukh, the Gnomes, the Humans, or even the Metallics. Ethidrases crying echoed in her lair.

[Queen Sapes]

Mr. Silver noticed Kob trailing off at one of his sentences as an open question. He answered it first, "Mr. Silver, spawn or creation of Chronamus, and lord of luck. Whichever title you prefer. I noticed you don't use your own title. How humble of a power such as yourself."

No title could mean he didn't see himself as a deity, that he may view the kobold as his equals. Mr. Silver made a mental note of it in case he needed that for later.

"Now, onto my proposal. On the island ring is currently a growing following devoted to yours truly. It has come to my attention, as it no doubt has to you, that there are dangers across the planet that threaten life. It is my intention to make sure that my followers are... protected from these dangers, and that they thrive. So, after my followers grow in number, I wished to take them away to my island paradise, where I can protect and nurture them. But there, perhaps, you see my dilemma. My powers are dwindling at the moment, and they need time to recharge, but the longer I wait, the more likely my followers will meet their end. I don't have the power to take them to my island, but you have the knowledge of how they could get there themselves."

Mr. Silver waved over to the boats the kobolds were using to fish.

"These... boats, as you called them. They would be perfect for my followers to use to travel across the waters and reach the safety of my dominion. And with you still having so much power to utilize, you could grant my followers the knowledge of building and operating boats. This is where my deal comes into play. You use a small bit of your power to teach my followers about watercraft, and in return, at almost any moment of your choosing, I will use some of power for you, although the power I expend will be equal to what you use. This way, I get what I need now, and in the future you get a one use ally. So what do you say? Deal?"

[ArcturusV]

For days, Geth had been sequestered inside a cave upon the island his people called home. It was unusual behavior, he was known to micromanage his people, guiding them personally, often taking long walks with the Governor-General to talk of theory, statecraft, and society, giving them much needed guidance.

Of course, this absence did not bring chaos to the society. They had the Laws written down. They knew what they had to do, what their responsibilities were, and what their goals were long, long before Geth removed himself from direct action with his people. Life continued, the great works flourished, the City-State expanded to encompass the whole of the island. And everyone wondered where their God was. What was so important that he removed himself from his daily regimens?

He toiled under the mountain. Using parts of his own body to form dark metals, using he ore from the cavern's mineral veins to expand the divinely fused metal. He worked slowly for days, each bit of creation taking up exacting measures and calculations, until finally it was recognizable what he was working on. An armored figure, standing tall, a being who seemed much more martial than it's creator, meant for conflict. But bearing the same cold, inorganic countenance as it's creator. The resemblance would be obvious to anyone, even those mortals who knew of Geth.

As he finished the figure, adding in the last details to perfection, he leaned in, giving a breath of life to his creation. Not only life, but a divine spark, free will, power. He backed away, sensing his creation was done.

"Awaken my son," Geth said with about as much warmth as the God had ever used, waiting for the moment when his progeny would achieve true divine sapience.

And yes, that is the birthing of a new god. Take it away Darklady.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob was thinking about the proposal as he began to talk. "I have never left My Island. Where exactly are your followers? And how far is your island from your followers. I need to make sure I consider this possible.

"I shall not betray my Fishermen by teaching others how to build boats. However, you say your goal is to allow your followers to escape to your island. I do believe that I could help you with task for your good will."

[Queen Sapes]

"I understand your hesitation to assist, after all you must protect your kobolds. My followers are on the island ring at the equator, north of here I believe. They are heading away from the city of another god. Geth, I believe he called himself. I'd rather my followers do not conflict with his. My island is south of the ring, a gem sitting in the ocean a few days travel away from the ring, and far enough from this island that it shouldn't conflict with your fishermen."

Then something Kob said clicked in Mr. Silver's mind.

"And I believe you need not worry about whether or not your boats can carry my followers the distance required. I am the lord of luck after all."

[Darklady2831]

As divine life entered the being shaped by Geth, two eyes glowed softly, like the embers of a doused fire in the dead of night. The glow intensified, becoming akin to molten metal against blackness. The form lifted it's head slowly, it's limbs creaking to life. It looked at its hands, gazing at them as if unfamiliar with them. The armored being looked to Geth, his eyes now brilliant orange, as if beneath his helmet was the backdrop of night with two stars shedding all of their light outward. "Who, are, you?" it asked, it's voice like the grating of many metal parts in unison.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob nodded at the last point, "I propose I send a fleet of kobolds to your followers, they could then ferry your people to your island. That way your believers shall be safe on your island, and I shall know I haven't betrayed my fishermen."

AS Kob said it he knew that it was an impossibly journey for the kobolds were at the moment, he regretted it only for a moment before he heard a foreign roar further up the island. He knew intuitively that that problem had been solved, "If you'd rather the kobolds to not go to your island then they can bring boats for your followers to use."

***

A bone white beast exited a cavern and let out a strong roar. The beast was a Koge, made of a thin yet strong white stone they were mostly hollow on the inside, it looked like a plain white lion though with flippers rather than feet, though much stronger than any possible lion. They are expert swimmers.

Most Koge found themselves closer to the Karn side of the island. This one however was close to the center of a kobold camp. Of the eight kobold present six ran off to find Kob whilet the other two, Kobold Warrior sorcerers, stood to delay it. One turned the ground to mud thus trapping the beast whilst the other strung with a missile of force, a missile that had little effect on the Koge.

As the other six ran off to find Kob, a Yagarite retraced their steps to find the stuck Koge and the not fully confident sorcerers. The Yagarite enchanter looked at the beast with a smile before bending it to his will and stopping the beast from struggling. The kobolds had one more servant.


11 Ap = 12 Ap - 1 AP, create monstrous creature (Koge.)

[ArcturusV]

Geth was a hairless male body, standing, for the moment, in equal height with his "son", formed of copper, with moldered patches on his chest, appearing as more of a statue of an idealized male human in form, rather than a living flesh and blood being.

"Geth. Your father, your creator. Bringer of order, punisher of the fallen ones. A God, one of the first."

[Hank McBadass]

Excerpt from Gregorian's History of Reism 4th edition:

There are many stories about Re’s creation. Among the earliest written down were by the Prophets among the Northern Dragons. Far from the circling sun they wrote the visions from the Lord Beyond on the sheets of ice. Modern scholars think this was as much for Re to see their devotion from above as their brethren. Unlike the later teachings of the True Church, the Northern Dragons did not place Re prior to the Universe but rather had him springing from it, the child of the Material Plane who sought to end the suffering of its mother.

Many of the early Kobold traditions similarly place Re’s creation after the genesis of the Material Plane. They uniformly place Re as not coming from the Material Plane however, but rather as a later phenomenon from the same cause. In these traditions, Re’s love of the material plane was not of a son to mother but the love between equals.

Either way, all prophetic sources agree that it was concern born of love that drove the First Contact was the result of that love. When Re, not yet aware of the sickness of the Material Plane, attempted to enter. The results were well documented at the time. According to one Kobold description :


The earth did not shift, but rather the things that the world was built on did. The ordinary way of things fell apart. Proportions were not the same as they once were. Size and shape and time were all in flux. To the east, reports were that the phenomenon lasted only seconds while to the south days had passed. On one distant island, nothing remained but the ruins of the town that once was. The stones of the walls were worn down by the weather of a thousand years. Depending where one was the sun and moon either became small specks or filled the sky. There was no reason left to the world. Then, as quickly as it came, it stopped.

….

It was day time so we didn’t know what had caused the disturbance. It was not until that night that we saw it. The horror! Grown men – warriors no less – broke down in despair. Women killed their babies in mercy. Sacrifices were offered for days to appeal to Horde of demons in the sky. There was no answer, but they seemed placated.

It was not until the First Prophet that the superstitions ceased and the star field became exalted as Re’s remnant on this earth – a remnant of the constant and unchanging Truth in a world of strife and confusion.

15 AP
– 3 Create Astronomical Object: Star field.
-5 Weave Plane: Re
7 AP Remaining

[Darklady2831]

The being nodded, shifting slightly. He scanned his surroundings, before speaking again. "I thank you, then, for giving me life. Though I would ask where I am, and what you expect me to do."

Zagrath Mol's conciousness slowly probed outwards, sensing the multitude of sentient minds above him on the island. He smirked, though in the darkness of his face, it could not be seen. For now, he would observe, but soon, he would begin to toy with these humans.

[Queen Sapes]

Mr. Silver looked in the direction of the roar quizically.

"I'd prefer the first option, as my people have no knowledge of how to operate your boats, and the kobolds do. My island is no secret, I simply wish it to be a safe haven for those whose races could be threatened. If your kobolds can complete this task, and if you will allow, they are more than welcome to join with my followers, and I will make sure that the ones who join the following are kept safe on the island. Better to have the races spread far and cooperate than remain in solitude and fear of each other. Their skills and knowledge will no doubt prove helpful in making the island safer. So, what do you say?"

[The Succubus]

A Jewel In The Darkness

The mind of Emanuel soared throughout the world, reaching out and touching everything it could, hungry for experience and wisdom. Endless ocean, empty sky, lifeless earth - his mind saw the world.

Yet you should be careful where you look, for sometimes the world looks back at you.

Deep beneath the surface of the world, where mechanical creatures skittered in darkness, was a shining gem hidden in darkness. A geode. Emanuel knew that geodes were formed through volcanic activity; a bubble of lava that solidifies as a shell of rock, containing a variety of crystals and other assorted minerals. Aside from being unusually large, it did not hold his attention for long, for he still had much to do.

As his mind swept on, something in the geode began to glow. In much the manner of a sperm meeting an egg, something began to gestate within the dark womb of the world. A gentle red light pulsed, unnoticed and slowly began to grow, reaching into the crystal lining of the geode. Crystal fragments became arms and legs; harsh facets were smoothed into gentle curves. The figure of a woman rose to her feet and her dress glittered with fragments of countless diamonds and her hair was as soft and silken as the finest of sands. The glow began to recede, drawing in beneath her bosom, yet its strength was not diminished. Where the heart would be on a mortal woman, there was a small red crystal that served as her essence, pulsing with warmth and light.

Sapphire eyes opened and gazed upon the geode for the first time.

"Shard."

She tasted the word upon her lips and was greatly pleased. For all things begin with a name.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob spoke "I like your attitude. The value of cooperation is something I have always believed in. I shall send a fleet to your followers, if they wish to stay they have my permission."

It was as Kob finished up saying that four Koge were being lead into sight by four Yasarites. Kob thought for just a second before shouting, "Perfect!"

Kob got up and spoke to the gathering crowds of kobolds. "We need the production of four" turning to Mr. Silver, "four?" without waiting for answer, "Six great ships, these ships must be attached to these Koge by ropes and by vines and all manner of things. For it shall be the Koge that will steer the boat. We will need one Yasarite on each boat to dominate the Koge. One Kobold Soldier for their sorcery and three fisherman, two to maintain the ship and food stock and one to navigate. The great boats will only have five crew members but must be vastly larger than that in order to keep the stores and carry the passengers. Thirty of you shall be going on a voyage, the greatest voyage that shall ever be undertaken!"

Kob pointed to six fisherman, "You six shall be the navigators. Overseer of your own ship,"

Kob was interrupted for a question about what navigation was. Kob sighed and turned his head towards Mr. Silver, "Silver, this will take a long time. I wish you look in all endeavours. I suppose you don't need that though."


10 AP = 11 AP - 1 AP, Create Concept: Navigation

[Queen Sapes]

"Six will do perfectly. Thank you Kob, you've been very generous. When the ships arrive at my island, I'll see that those who wish to return depart safely and that those who stay are treated as equals among my followers. I will send back as many ships of yours as those who wish to return can pilot. You can rely on my assistance once in almost anything you need now. I hope we conduct business again in the future. May fortune be in your favor my friend." And with that, Mr. Silver departed the kobold island and returned to his messenger, giving instructions on where to go to meet with the kobold ships when he tells them to begin travel. Then he returned to the sky above, to watch and wait.

[mystic1110]

Emanuel, Center of the World


Emanuel stared, awe-struck, at the wonder and complexity around him, the intricate glory of the machines working amongst themselves, the perfect order and harmony of this place; and yet, he noticed the mechanical creatures lacked souls, and the sudden realization hit him that all of this beauty existed, without a single creature beyond himself to see it.

As he stared, a single tear fell from his eye, bursting upon the machines and springing up, growing and forming into a god in it's own right, born of the poignant emotions sweeping over Emanuel.

Still, Emanuel's emotions were not calmed; he began to shift forms, wildly, erratically, jumping from body to body as he struggled to adjust to this paradox, his love of order and his love of freedom fighting about the vast machine around him. With a roar that resounded through the ever-shifting metal framework his emotions burst from him, forming into a new being, a God born of Emanuel's frenetic indecision.

I just birthed a God of Chaos inside your perfect machine. Whatcha gonna do about it? :smallcool:

The endless gears, cracked and turned, spun and kept on spinning, the only noises was the scratching and turning of the C'Ras, which continued in their duties. They paid no heed to Emanuel - he was not part of their tasks, so they literately crawled around him with not so much of a notice.

The darkness was absolute - the solitude absolute - the silence - for the sounds made were only a different type of silence. The Gears at the Center of the Earth were Order. Absolute and Uncompromising.

As the new fledgling god began to take shape, wires and guillotines, chains crawled upon it, and then plunged themselves into it's flesh.

SOURCE OF POWER IDENTIFIED. SOURCE UNSTABLE. REPURPOSING.

And their before Emanuel's eyes, this soon to be god born of the poignant emotions was torn apart, limb from limb, with each and every part of it being used elsewhere or else relocated for examination.

The screams echoed strangely across the gearworks, bouncing off tumblers and silent machines.

The task was complete almost as soon as it was begun - nothing was left, and nothing could have given hint to what was done.

EFFICIENCY INCREASED

The C'Ras that were walking around Emanuel suddenly stopped in their tasks, they had no eyes, but from the cracks in their forms which acted as joints, a green lime light suddenly shone fiercely through.

ASSUMING CONTROL

The C'ras turned to Emanuel, and began to click their legs in a discordant unison which sounded like words engraved in mercury.

SOURCE OF POWER IDENTIFIED. SOURCE . . . STABLE. CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALS FOREIGN MAKE. REQUESTING STATED PURPOSE?

Yep I killed a god - to be fair it was rweird first application which was created before my approval. Still though I think it's a character defining moment.

[ShadowFireLance]

Inferndyim, The Scaled King.

The Sight which greated the two gods was...a Violent one, to say the least, Massive Dragons of Elemental Chaos were fighting massive birds, more often then not, 5 Birds to one Dragon, and yet, The Dragons were winning, blessed by the Lord of Dragons, Inferndyim.

Turning from the battle, The lord of Scales turned to the other two gods;

"Well, is it not majestic?"
After hearing their response, he took to wing, flying around the island, and realizing that..he needed to fix, that he needed to create a correct order, a Island of his own, for his Brood of Dragons, after they had won, of course.
Realizing that his creations would need to be exempt from the flesh of the flesh god, he decided that they would no longer need morals, no longer need emotions, and so he blessed them, Or cursed, depending on your outlook.

The sheer speed at which the lord of Dragons flew was startling, and he soon found where it would be, yes, his new world.
Thaczil di wer Darastrixi, shall be the name.


-3 Ap (Boon) Removing flesh entirely from my Catastrophic Dragons, they are now made entirely of Elemental energy and natural Elements.
-2 AP, Create Land; Thaczil di wer Darastrixi

[Yeshon]

Before the Dark Dragon god

"No."

Oraesio turned away from the carnage, were these the creatures she had offered sorcery to? No, it could not be!

"It's not."

She kept her back turned on her brother, yes, she could feel her mother's energy within him, ignoring any response he had until he left.

She couldn't look at what had happened to the old dragons, those who took wing and reveled in their might, they had decayed, war had changed them, and they were so much worse for it.

The Earth's Core

Finally the shard of Oraesio came to the Earth's core, she watched the gears turned and watched them with abject fascination. But before she could even begin her studies, she heard a scream, a god's scream. Horrified, but curious, the shard swam through the air, towards the source.

Remember when Oraesio went after Gologoi she broke a shard of herself off, a shard which represented her curiosity, and sent it down to investigate; rather the shard continued on of its own accord.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob watched as the ships, they were more ships than boats, were having their finishing touches done to them by the kobold fishermen. He wasn't watching very carefully, his thoughts mainly being taking up by something that happened earlier that day. An enchanter had refused to go on the expedition at the last moment declaring it as disloyal to Kob's brother. It was easy enough to get a replacement, but Kob was worried that this would only become more common. With Kob's power, he could easily put the fear of Kob into them, but he didn't want to.

Kob made up his decision. He appointed one of the brighter organisers to take his place before the great expedition. He reasoned that by giving his successor credit for the journey he could cement the successor's importance and cause the rest of the kobold civilisation to give loyalty where their loyalty was due.

So as the six ship fleet begun their journey. Kob went to the Karn reservation to think; even without enchantment or sorcery kobolds were safe from the Karn with them fearing kobolds. Kob was not sure what he was to think about, only that he needed to think.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel's placid eyes watched as his third child was shredded before him, his demeanour showing, while not exactly fear, more than a little tension.

"Inquisitiveness," Emanuel responded at last, his tone betraying nothing. I wished to learn what was at the center of this world.

Internally, Emanuel's emotions had solidified; the death of his child had cemented something within himself, and the former conflict over his reactions was gone. It was too late to do anything for the God that had been - and, in fact, his continued existence would bring only trouble - but Emanuel committed to honouring something of his memory. However much Emanuel admired the elegance of his surroundings, such perfect order was the antithesis of the life that Emanuel held so dear.

Gaining Domain: Liberation(Self-Determination.)
5 AP: Created Free Will
3 AP: Created Pantheon of gods who respect free will.

3 AP - 3 = 0

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras finally stopped weeping and accepted reality, Her son went to the path of evil and there was nothing she could do about it, except fight him, and his Chromatic dragons, well no longer Chromatic, Cataclysmic. She saw Oraesio and knew she found out. Ethidras flew to her and put her talons on her shoulder. "He is no longer your brother, Oraesio, he is a being of evil. There is nothing you can do about it, except fight him, and his abominations."
As this was happening, Vendath and Gragnar came at fast pace.
"Ethidras, and Oraesio, are you seeing this?" Vendath asked
Ethidras answered by asking, "Are there any Chromatics still here?"
"No, they have left."
Ethidras looked to him
"I said, Chromatics."
"They are dead."

Ethidras watched as the abominations left. "we have peace, but for how long before we are fighting them."

[mystic1110]

The Faceplate of the nearest C'Ras opened up with a smooth sound resembling a knife drawn across metal, the Lime green light illuminating a small area in the overpowering darkness.

The other C'ras stopped shinning green, and departed - they had duties to attend to.

Emanuel, bathed in light, looked quite defiant, staring proudly at the coiled C'Ras that was acting as the representative of the entirety of the Gear works - the Mile Long Millepede encircling the comparatively small god.

INQUISITION, ANALOGOUS TO EXPERIMENTATION. CONFER POTENTIAL RESULTS AND APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH.


***

Elsewhere in the Core the shard of Oraesio flew through Giant pistons and steam vents, massive cogs and sparks of electricity. C'ras crawling, seemingly oblivious to her passing.

Thick blackness greeted her along with the sounds of the eternal engine, the gearworks mill color and sound into a fine powder.

As she passed further, a lone C'ras perked it's head, the cracks in its metallic form glowing green.

[ArcturusV]

"You have a task to accomplish. One which you should be suited to," Geth nodded slowly. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he turned to look out toward the Cave Entrance, showing a vista of the island shore, and in the distance the next island in the chain that encircled the world.

"The gods, and mortals, of this realm are mostly mad. Deranged really, and quite reckless. I have given the mortals here purpose, guidance, and stability. And I will continue to work upon them, forging them into what they were always meant to be. This is my role as the Lawbringer."

"But I do not have the power to accomplish all that I must. The Mad Ones are many, and I am but alone. I want you to be my right hand. I want you to go and reach out, bring Order to the Mad Ones. Curb their reckless behavior and bring the light of order and reason to their delusional strongholds."

Geth turned around slowly, "Can I entrust this mission to you?"

[Preaplanes]

Ethidras finally stopped weeping and accepted reality, Her son went to the path of evil and there was nothing she could do about it, except fight him, and his Chromatic dragons, well no longer Chromatic, Cataclysmic. She saw Oraesio and knew she found out. Ethidras flew to her and put her talons on her shoulder. "He is no longer your brother, Oraesio, he is a being of evil. There is nothing you can do about it, except fight him, and his abominations."
As this was happening, Vendath and Gragnar came at fast pace.
"Ethidras, and Oraesio, are you seeing this?" Vendath asked
Ethidras answered by asking, "Are there any Chromatics still here?"
"No, they have left."
Ethidras looked to him
"I said, Chromatics."
"They are dead."

Ethidras watched as the abominations left. "we have peace, but for how long before we are fighting them."

"Would you like me to tell you the average?" a hooded figure asked. Chronamus, the first of the lesser deities, approached the godly broodmother and her offspring. "You might not like the answer."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"I need to know everything about my enemy before choosing my plan."

[Malachi Lemont]

Karisa's Birth

Where am I gasped Karisa, drawing her fur cloak about her thin shoulders. She saw nothing but blackness. Somewhere, in the void of space, she had gained consciousness. She remembered nothing, except for the looming blue eye of her father.

From that eye came a single tear.
And she had risen from that tear. Yes. That was it. The memory was faint, but it was there. At some point, in the endless eons of immortality, she had emerged from a single droplet fully formed - a grown woman with skin as smooth as freshly fallen snow.
She had to find her father. She could feel his presence - but where was he?

Father, she called into the darkness. Help me.

[Hank McBadass]

Titus stood on the cliff overlooking the City State. He could still smell the smoke of the offering fires to placate the Hordes but less so. He always came up here when the fires were lit. From the heights he could catch a glimpse of what the Horde must see. The thousand fires from the city and villages on the other islands must look the same to the Horde as the Horde did to them.

He had come out there to map the Horde as he always did. They moved, most in a circular path but others in a much more erratic way. There had to be some meaning to it and Titus was going to be the one to figure it out. Unlike the other’s Titus did not mind the Horde. The pinpricks of light were beautiful in the night’s sky and infinitely preferable to the blackness that surrounded the moon before. Now the moon and sun had company in the sky. Despite the scariness of the Coming, there was no real reason to think the Horde was malevolent.

Titus adjusted his instruments and began his work. He noted with rapt attention the movements of the irregular stars as well as those that did not move. It was fascinating. There was clearly a pattern but it had yet eluded him. “I wish one of you would just come tell me your secrets!” he yelled into the night.

There was no warning before it happened. The entirety of the Material Plane down to the last subatomic particle was in his head. The complexity and simplicity crushed him. The entirety of Re’s being filled him as well. The feelings! The emotions Titus had felt before – when his mother died, when his son was born, when he was appointed to study the Horde – were shadows of what he now felt. Truth. There were no other words to describe it. He understood how things should be -- so different than the way they were.

For what felt like an eternity, Titus was at one with Re. Mortal had become divine and divine mortal. For an outside observer it was only a few minutes. When Re left him to again be a mere man, Titus collapsed into a sobbing heap. It was not because he was no longer part of Re -- for he had seen the ultimate future, when the material plane became a unitary being like Re -- but because the madness of the Material Plane. Because what it had become was so far short of what it could have been. For three days Titus lamented until a search party from the City found him. He was sitting on the edge of a cliff muttering the truths he had seen from Re, looking out over the evil of the world.

Thus, the first Prophet entered the world.

Just fluffing with some mortals. Titus will start an order and Re will infuse that order eventually

[Yeshon]

The Continent of Dragons

Oraesio nodded slowly, "I know, it's just sad I didn't know him before, this."

The goddess suddenly remembered her companion, "Oh! I'm sorry, mother this is Gologoi! Another of our kin. Gologoi, this is my mother Ethidras."

As Chronamus spoke, Oraesio clamped her mouth shut, waiting to hear his response.

EDIT: I screwed up, cross posted with you guys

The Core

If this had been the whole Oraesio she would have ignored the green glow and gone straight for the source of the scream. But this was her curiosity unbound by the goddess' compassion. She approached the C'Ras,

"What are you?"

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel met the C'ras' gaze, his voice cool and steady as ever.

"The results are what I see around me. A multitude of metal creatures acting in perfect order, without deviation. I do not, however, see the purpose. What is it?"

[Preaplanes]

"I need to know everything about my enemy before choosing my plan."

Chronamus sat and thought for a moment. "The Chromatic Dragonflight are debatably no longer living, having been turned into raw elemental energy. Personally, I would have no quarrel with them if they showed more care not to intrude upon others' territory. Their morals are diametrically different from your own, but I myself commend them for their pragmatism.

The Chromatic Dragons, led by one of your children, are proud, believe themselves invincible. However, they are far from it. They are now made of elemental energy, capable of being exploited by a crafty enough mortal. A red dragon is a being of flame, immune to its harm, but a blast of arctic wind would spell danger to them.

Most importantly, they are limited in number. Not all colored dragons accepted this terrible blessing, and of those who did, fewer still survived."

[mystic1110]

Emanuel, The Core

The C'Ras controlled by the Machine god said nothing and simply stared, without eyes, at the other god. Eventually it . . . intoned.

WRONG

The C'ras coiled tighter against the God, until it seemed that with but minimum effort it would crush Emanuel.

CLARIFICATION. WHAT IS YOUR FUNCTION? HOW DOES EXPERIMENTATION PURPOSE YOUR FUNCTION?


Oraesio, The Core

The C'Ras did not move or sway and remained perfectly still an upright, forming a two thousand foot tower with its upper body, answered.

SOURCE OF POWER IDENTIFIED. SOURCE . . . STABLE. CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALS FOREIGN MAKE. REQUESTING STATED PURPOSE?

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, A Beginning

Karisa could feel the would-be hair rise upon her back and neck, as she felt the steady beat of a heart. A presence similar, but also drastically different from her own. If she were to turn around, she would see a tall, looming black skeleton, with long crimson robes composed of flesh and pulsing bloody veins. The tall being looked directly at her, with black pitted eyes as dark as the ever present void.

"You..." the tall skeletal figure began, "...are here, before creation."

As he spoke, a thin lanky arm with bones as black as a starless night emerged from the robes of blood, himself still looking at the Goddess but his arm aimed at the world, from his perspective it looked as if his black skeletal hands clutched the world.

"Here you will find other beings like myself, Gods, Goddesses, and otherwise. It is a world to be shaped, for we were commanded from the beginning by a being far more powerful than ourselves to do one simple thing... "make". The world is our own to do as we will, whether it be for good or for evil. I myself create living creatures, creatures constructed of flesh, blood, and bone. It is what I have chosen to do, but the real question is..."

The God's skeletal face leans in, looking face to face with the Goddess with but inches between their heads.

"...what... shall you make, oh newborn Goddess?"

[FreakyCheeseMan]

"My function is self determined. Currently, my primary intention is to encourage growth and development in the mortal races, by giving them challenges and opportunities through which they can develop. Coming here served a secondary function - fulfilling my own curiosity. The pursuit of pure knowledge.

[Yeshon]

Chronamus sat and thought for a moment. "The Chromatic Dragonflight are debatably no longer living, having been turned into raw elemental energy. Personally, I would have no quarrel with them if they showed more care not to intrude upon others' territory. Their morals are diametrically different from your own, but I myself commend them for their pragmatism.

The Chromatic Dragons, led by one of your children, are proud, believe themselves invincible. However, they are far from it. They are now made of elemental energy, capable of being exploited by a crafty enough mortal. A red dragon is a being of flame, immune to its harm, but a blast of arctic wind would spell danger to them.

Most importantly, they are limited in number. Not all colored dragons accepted this terrible blessing, and of those who did, fewer still survived."
Oraesio broke her silence as he spoke of the dragons' vulnerabilities.

"They are vulnerable to the breath and sorcery of my mother's dragons then."

Oraesio continued, "Yet some of them do not have so clear cut an opposite, such as the Black Dragons. What is the opposite of death except only life? And how can one use life as a weapon? That is beyond any devising of Arcana I have made. Yet I assume you would not bring this up if you did not have an answer to this puzzle as well?"

The Core

"Curiosity? What could drive one to delve so deep, lest one sought the secrets of the world's motion?"

The Shard looked around, "That is what this is correct? The movement of the gears moves the world itself?"

[Preaplanes]

Oraesio broke her silence as he spoke of the dragons' vulnerabilities.

"They are vulnerable to the breath and sorcery of my mother's dragons then."

Oraesio continued, "Yet some of them do not have so clear cut an opposite, such as the Black Dragons. What is the opposite of death except only life? And how can one use life as a weapon? That is beyond any devising of Arcana I have made. Yet I assume you would not bring this up if you did not have an answer to this puzzle as well?"

"A more difficult riddle, to be sure, but even death has its limits. Death is its own greatest enemy. Death destroys life, but without life, death cannot exist.

If you recall, I showed you one, affecting the dragons, before they ever had a place to call 'home', when the world was an endless sphere of rushing waters. With the power of time, death may be held at bay indefinitely, just as it may be brought even faster.

Should any magical force claim to kill in an instant, they are usually speaking of victims whose wills are not strong, and those who lack fortitude.

Death also cannot claim that which is not alive. Should one turn the land itself into its ally, there shall be naught it can do to stop it.

But perhaps you're thinking too much about it, or perhaps I am. Black Dragons, despite their aspect, are no more omnipotent than gold, and favor acid."

Chronamus held out his hand. "There are a few options if the catastrophic dragons decide to take territory for themselves, a very likely scenario in the long run. The first scenario is that an agreement is come across, ideally sealed with magic, to curb the Catastrophic flight's warlike ways. I am not opposed to using the power of law when it creates a favorable situation, and most aren't when it is mutually beneficial."

"The second is to persuade musual self-isolation. The Catastrophic Flight leaves, or the Metalic flight does. Mutual borders are agreed upon and strictly reinforced by both sides against both sides.

Chronamus doubted that would last forever. The two dragonflights were split like oil and water now, as well as two of the most dominant forces on the planet. There would be nowhere that would be safe for long; a war between dragons would be a major threat to any expanding civilization. However, the dragons were no longer the only world power.

He turned to the dragon goddess, giving a quiet breath of a chuckle, but whether he was amused or found the thought to be a regrettable shame was anyone's guess while under his cloak.

"The third option is that things truly do come to blows, either amongst gods, amongst mortals, or something in-between. If that is the case, I have a proposal for you, my lady."

[Queen Sapes]

As the kobold ships approached his followers, Mr. Silver moved closer to make sure there was peace between the two. Chawarath has gathered a rather sizable following, perhaps a few hundred, some conflicts that were rather quickly ended occurred, and Kob had held true to his word, producing fine crews and ships. The humans did not meet the kobolds with hostility, they were rather kind and thankful to the kobolds for coming to them, and boarded the ships within a day. Mr. Silver gave the location of his islands to Chawarath who gave it to the kobolds in turn, and they set sail for the islands.

It was a few uneventful days of travel, although the humans had some difficulty adjusting to the large fish diet. When they reached the islands, every single man, woman, or child on the ships stared in amazement of the islands. Through all their lives all they had seen were green, brown, and blue islands, but Mr. Silver's dominion was different from those, a set of islands built from beautiful metals and gemstones pulled straight out of the ground. Mr. Silver directed the ships to one of the closer land masses, and the followers began pouring out of the ship.

The followers quickly began setting up dwellings for themselves, chopping down the gemstone trees, and finding that they were actually made of wood, albeit a strange texture. The followers gathered gemfruit, and cooked up the fish that the kobolds had stored, preparing a grand feast for their saviors before the kobolds were to depart. Through the night, the humans and kobolds on the island drank, ate, laughed, and celebrated their arrival. At the end of the night, Mr.Silver appeared in physical form to them all, and spoke.

"Today you all reach safety from the outside world, as nothing can harm you here, under my rule and protection. However, it is not perfect, as we still must build on this land and create a paradise for all who seek it. Before they leave, let us all thank the few who carried you all across the sea to this place of safety, and offer them a place in our new society. Any kobold wishing to stay may so, without fear of any mistreatment."

As was to be expected, not many of the kobolds remained, but some kobolds did and over the course of the trip they had all heard stories from the followers about what would come and Mr. Silver's message. Of the six ships and thirty kobolds that had departed, five ships and twenty three kobolds returned, the rest remaining on the islands with the followers of Mr. Silver. The kobolds departed each other with heavy hearts, but perhaps they would reunite one day.

The seven kobolds who stayed (one navigator, four fishermen, and two warriors) integrated almost seamlessly with the followers and their new society, teaching the humans what they had in kobold society, and greatly boosting the speed at which the Xanitris islands developed, teaching things such as fishing and some basic magic, and even reverse engineering the one remaining ship, creating smaller boats that could be used between islands. All while Mr. Silver watched from his gold palace on the center island. He wondered about what Kob would request one day, and the thought that he would have to repay him greatly ran through his head more than once.

Start AP - 2
1 - Form Society: The Xanitris Islands
End AP- 1

[Darklady2831]

Zagrath Mol nodded. "Very well." he said, extending his mind outwards, finding several humans with ambition and drive. "I will aid you in your imposition." The Lord of Domination gazed out of the cave entrance, looking to the next island. His glowing eyes shifted slightly, focusing on a scene on the shores of the next island. As he watched two humans fight among themselves for a catch of fish, one of them killed the other. Zagrath Mol chuckled silently, before glancing to Geth. "I shall begin with my task." He said shortly, before heading out of the cave into the island.


The Lord of Domination surveyed the city the humans had built, analyzing it for important points and key structures. Focusing on an unused hill near the south-eastern end of the island, Zagrath gathered the three humans he had chosen. Once they stood before him, he spoke. "You three mortals, I have gathered you because you have ambition, drive... You three have been chosen to be tested, and if you are mighty, then you shall be granted my blessing..."

[itinerantpoet]

Inferndyim, The Scaled King.

The Sight which greated the two gods was...a Violent one, to say the least, Massive Dragons of Elemental Chaos were fighting massive birds, more often then not, 5 Birds to one Dragon, and yet, The Dragons were winning, blessed by the Lord of Dragons, Inferndyim.

Turning from the battle, The lord of Scales turned to the other two gods;

"Well, is it not majestic?"
After hearing their response, he took to wing, flying around the island, and realizing that..he needed to fix, that he needed to create a correct order, a Island of his own, for his Brood of Dragons, after they had won, of course.
Realizing that his creations would need to be exempt from the flesh of the flesh god, he decided that they would no longer need morals, no longer need emotions, and so he blessed them, Or cursed, depending on your outlook.

The sheer speed at which the lord of Dragons flew was startling, and he soon found where it would be, yes, his new world.
Thaczil di wer Darastrixi, shall be the name.


-3 Ap (Boon) Removing flesh entirely from my Catastrophic Dragons, they are now made entirely of Elemental energy and natural Elements.
-2 AP, Create Land; Thaczil di wer Darastrixi


Nhen

First, Nhen wove the Dreams of the young races in the order of their creation: the angular Dream of the C’ras; the majestic Dream of the Dragons the scattered and yet unremarkable Dream of Humans, fullest in hope and potential; the mysterious and buoyant Dream of the Ceph; the Dream of the Kobolds, fearful nightmares shot through with the strength of Kob; and the chained Dream of the Karn; the divided Dream of the Asura and more.

Suddenly, Nhen’s six dancing arms paused over the loom. Something had happened in the Dream of the dragons. It swelled and became soaked with blood. Two sides straining against itself. Nhen reached out a hand and touched the dream; it stilled though he could still feel it churning underneath the surface.

“Odd.”

With a casual ease, Nhen wove a darkened cloth and drew it across his ruined eyes. Reaching into his head, he pulled out a dream of himself. The dream-Nhen stepped into the Dragon’s weave and slid through the threads seeking the heart of the conflict. There he found a raging elemental chaos, threatening to tear the dream apart. Seizing a thread of fire, he followed it and let it carry him upward into the world. Emerging from the flame riddled core of one of the catastrophic dragons, Nhen strode towards the towering red-black dragon god where the god was working to shape a great new swath of land.

“I am Nhen, the darkness and the dream. Why does the Dream of the dragons war against itself? I sense your touch in this matter.”


Create Magical Concept (3-2 = 1) Dreamriding – Disturbed by the fluctuations in the Dream of the dragons, Nhen created dreamriding to seek out the cause of the instability. By harnessing the power of one’s own Dream, Nhen and those gifted with his power can move through the dreams of their own and even other races to view or travel to distant places.

Remaining AP: 2

[ArcturusV]

"So the pieces are put into play," Geth nodded to himself, and quite mundanely, even for a God, merely walked out of the cave and back towards the City-State he had inspired. Rich fields, carefully managed and cultivated were nearing the point of harvest. Animals were being fattened up for the slaughter, and the busy preparations for this time of the season was at hand.

Geth nodded at it all, making his way past the fields, and past the homes of his people. Men and women wearing the mark of The Eye snapped to attention at his passing. No one got in his way, but other than the few snapping to attention, no one prostrated themselves to him either, merely watching as the god figure who shaped their society passed.

He made his way towards the heart of the city, where the First Courthouse reigned over the other cobbled together buildings of the society. Geth kept his hands clasped behind him, taking a moment to appreciate the sight.

So many things to do. One was handled now, perhaps. Having even that small burden off his mind gave him the time to reflect and appreciate as he hadn't since creation began.

[The Succubus]

The First Song

She walked among the crystal pillars that jutted from the floor, the light from the ruby shard within her providing a small measure of illumination. Whether by some design or mere happenstance, she saw ahead of her a formation of crystals that resembled a great chair or throne, with a large clear gem positioned just above it. Her transparent fingers gently touched the surface and as if responding to her, the crystal exploded with light. It was as if a small sun had suddenly come into being below the earth. The flare and the Great Geode was illuminated in all its splendour. A veritable ice palace that would never fade with the summer sun, while above her distant facets twinkled like stars in the night sky. This was her Sanctuary. A place of peace and tranquility, a fortress and bastion; none would disturb her here save at her wish.

Yet all children must leave the safety of the cradle sometime. Shard closed her eyes and brought her hands up to her chest, in the manner of an soprano launching into verse. Yet no opera singer had ever sung like this in all of creation. No elven muse nor legendary bard had sung a note as clear as the one that passed Shard's crystalline lips. The note echoed throughout the Geode, causing the crystals to vibrate, then they too began to sing. From the small shards to the towering pillars of quartz, each and every facet joined the chorus and soon the Geode shook and trembled with the force of the song....

CRACK.

A deafening shudder echoed through the tunnels, chasms and chambers that surrounded the Geode, followed by the fading Song. A rift had appeared at one end of the Geode and the stale mountain air swirled around the pillars and throne for the very first time. Yet before Shard set foot into the new world that lay ahead of her, a flicker of movement caught her eye. A small cluster of crystal lay at her feet, trembling and moving, yet the Song had ceased entirely...

Starting AP - 15

Weave Sanctum (3 AP) - The Great Geode: Similar to geodes on Earth (look on wikipedia for pretty pictures!), the Great Geode is approximately a mile long and about half a mile high. It is oval in shape and lays horizontally. The outer crust of the Geode is almost impenetrable and the only way into it is through a small gap at one end . The gap is about 30ft and 10ft wide. At the side of the gap that's within the crystal layer of the Geode are several large pillars of quartz that close over the entrance whenever Shard is not present or not receiving visitors.

Remaining AP - 12

[mystic1110]

Should have done this sooner - but the Gear works will be Nemaras' sanctum.

Remember Sanctums can't be entered to without permission or combat. By analogy you will need permission or combat to get out. :smallamused:

Although don't worry, unless you press it, there will be no combat here - I like resolving this without turning to that.

AP 8

Weave Sanctum: 3

AP left 5

The Core.

In two different locations in the massive Gearworks Oraesio and Emanuel conversed with the C'Ras and in two different locations the respective C'Ras spoke the exact same sentence at the exact same time - exactly, after all the gearworks were precise.

CURIOSITY

The C'Ras both paused.

CURIOSITY, JUDGED USEFUL IN INCREASING EFFICIENCY. ONLY. LACK OF APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE GAINED DEEMED INEFFICIENT.

The C'Ras each moved their heads closer to their respective gods.

FOREIGN STABLE COMPONENT APPEARS COMPATIBLE. FOREIGN COMPONENT APPEARS TO MAINTAIN METAPHYSICAL ATTRIBUTE DESIGNATION: FREE WILL. STUDIES SHOW FREE WILL MAY CAUSE ACTION LEADING TO INEFFICIENCY.

Metal legs, Millions of them, cold, but made of porous aluminium and titanium so they felt oddly soft, began to crawl on the two gods.

FEELERS CONFIRM. STABLE POWER SOURCES WILL BE RESISTANT ENOUGH TO ASSIMILATION THROUGH FORCE. RESISTANCE WILL CREATE INEFFICIENCIES. DELTA GAIN UNCERTAIN. ENGAGE DIPLOMATIC FUNCTION.

The C'Ras' face plates swooshed shut, loosing the green glow. No longer controlled by their god they moved onwards, towards their tasks.

Random cogs and moving parts lit up for Emanuel and Oraesio. They appeared to be a trail, leading them to the deeper more inner portions of the Gearworks . . .

[Hank McBadass]

The Gate Is small and the Way Is Narrow

“But is the right one even leading I ask? And why is the one we have even our Governor-General? I’ll tell you: It is because one of the false gods of the material plane has ordained it so. It is the blind picking the blind to lead more of the blind.”

A crowd had already gathered for the lighting of the offering fires when Titus began his sermon. Now it swelled as those from neighboring fires came to listen

“Everything has its proper place. A rock is a rock and should act a rock. So too should a Fish be a fish, a man a man, and a dragon be a dragon. In such harmony is the true good. Just so, it is for some to rule and others to follow in this world. Will we allow this flawed world to make itself even more flawed? I say a resounding NO!”

“What if you’re wrong,” a woman called out. “What if the Horde comes and destroys us this time?”

“I was the Horde!” Titus exclaimed to the crowd at large. “They are merely the remnants of Re in this world! See how perfectly they move, all together in harmony? Do you how even the roaming horsemen follow a pattern? There is nothing to fear from the Horde. The Coming was merely Re trying to communicate with our broken world. And now He has come to fix it, so that we may be like Him.”

The first stars were becoming visible as the sun rounded the horizon.

“Why look there at the evening star. The one you have called the Captain because its brightness outshines all others. The one that heralds the others. Can your leader send him away?” Titus spat. “Nay. Otherwise he have. Your god, this Geth? Even if he could, he is too concerned with his own trivialities. But I can.”

Titus looked up at the sky and made a silent prayer to Re. He asked for Re’s love. He asked Re to demonstrate to these poor lost elements of the Material Plane his truth so that they might be healed. The crowd stood in utter silence around him, waiting.

“DOWN”

And the Captain, the Dread of the Horde who always received the best offerings from the City-State, shot across the sky and was gone. The crowd, in the presence of a shadow of Re, had no doubt about the source. They saw glimpses of His truth, just as someone looking at ripples over the waters could posit the stone that created them. The majority of the crowd fell to their knees.

“Help us,” they cried. “Teach us.” Several were weeping tears of joy while others tears of sorrow. “Tell Him how sorry we are for doubting Him.”

“It is not your fault little ones. You are just broken pieces of this Material Plane. But together in Re will bring sanity back under true leadership and become as him!”

It is on this scene Magistrate Silas came upon them. Utterances of treason and blasphemy against the City and their god. He had only brought two guards with him so there was nothing to do.

“You.” He said to one of the guards. “Stay here and watch these traitors and heretics. I will notify the Governor-General.”


7 AP

-2 Create Order: Orthodox Reism (of course there are disagreements about the Orthodox faith but any lasting schisms will be founding new orders).

-5 Divine Infusion: On Orthodox Reism (can call on Re)

= 0 left :smallfrown:

[Betrayer]

Dologoi stood as the other gods discussed open war against the other dragons. She was quickly bored, and a shot into the sky and growing as she did, until she was the size of the very largest dragons she had seen, glittering white with her eyes still glowing blue and green. She soared faster than any true dragon would, and inspected the surface of the world. She saw the unbroken chain of island encircling the equator, with their little creatures living and dying on them. She was intrigued. They would not do, she thought to herself. They were shallow and open, with no where to hide things, no where to run away to.

She dived at the surface, and began to circumnavigate, pulling the land up behind her, building crevices, tunnels and holes; cliffs, needles and arches. Now, to follow her on foot, it would take more than mere toddler, but an intrepid teenager, willing to scale sheer walls and explore dank tunnels that remained mysteriously unflooded.

Surveying her handywork, Dologoi was satisfied. However, there where still the funny little animals on the surface. She would have to explore.

Started with 8 AP
Spent 1AP on Alter Land: the Equatorial Belt
End with 7AP

[Darklady2831]

Worthy

Zagrath Mol lifted the failure in the air, strangling him with a vicelike grip. "You are weak, Melkior. I judge you unworthy." The Lord of Domination hurled the human to the ground, shattering his bones and killing him almost instantly. Zagrath Mol turned to the other two candidates, his eyes piercing their fragile psyches, scanning for any flaw in his teachings. His burning eyes intensified as he found an imperfection in one of them, and he lunged forward, grabbing and lifting the human into the air by his skull. "You are weak, Lovidicus. I judge you unworthy." he said, before his grip tightened, and crushed the human's skull and brain, killing him. He tossed the broken body aside, and focused on the last remaining candidate. With lightning speed, he rushed to the last human, gripping it by it's collar and lifting it into the air. "You are weak, Malak... I judge you worthy."

The Screams of the Worthy

Across the City State, a sudden shrill scream could be heard. Bloodcurdling, it rang out, echoing off of the buildings and hills. Again, a scream rang out, and again. For ten minutes, screams echoed across the island, chilling the blood of those who heard it, and striking fear into their hearts. After ten minutes, the screams stopped, and the island settled once more.

The Lord of Monsters

Zagrath Mol stood over the crippled body of the final candidate, the one worthy of his gift. The man shivered, lying in a pool of dark blood, sweat, and fouler fluids. The Lord of Domination surveyed his work, nodding when he was satisfied. He turned, and began to walk towards the first courthouse. He stopped after a few steps, glancing over his shoulder at the candidate. "Rise, Malak, I require your presence." He spoke, then turned and began walking again.

When he reached the Courthouse, he glanced at the guards. He stood a full two feet taller than them, clad in the darkest armor yet known. The God of Domination glowered at them, and pushed his way past. A man staggered behind him, large cuts and bruises covering him. Inside the Courthouse, Zagrath stopped in the middle, looking about for an official, or even his father.

[Yeshon]

Should have done this sooner - but the Gear works will be Nemaras' sanctum.

Remember Sanctums can't be entered to without permission or combat. By analogy you will need permission or combat to get out. :smallamused:

Although don't worry, unless you press it, there will be no combat here - I like resolving this without turning to that.

AP 8

Weave Sanctum: 3

AP left 5

The Core.

In two different locations in the massive Gearworks Oraesio and Emanuel conversed with the C'Ras and in two different locations the respective C'Ras spoke the exact same sentence at the exact same time - exactly, after all the gearworks were precise.

CURIOSITY

The C'Ras both paused.

CURIOSITY, JUDGED USEFUL IN INCREASING EFFICIENCY. ONLY. LACK OF APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE GAINED DEEMED INEFFICIENT.

The C'Ras each moved their heads closer to their respective gods.

FOREIGN STABLE COMPONENT APPEARS COMPATIBLE. FOREIGN COMPONENT APPEARS TO MAINTAIN METAPHYSICAL ATTRIBUTE DESIGNATION: FREE WILL. STUDIES SHOW FREE WILL MAY CAUSE ACTION LEADING TO INEFFICIENCY.

Metal legs, Millions of them, cold, but made of porous aluminium and titanium so they felt oddly soft, began to crawl on the two gods.

FEELERS CONFIRM. STABLE POWER SOURCES WILL BE RESISTANT ENOUGH TO ASSIMILATION THROUGH FORCE. RESISTANCE WILL CREATE INEFFICIENCIES. DELTA GAIN UNCERTAIN. ENGAGE DIPLOMATIC FUNCTION.

The C'Ras' face plates swooshed shut, loosing the green glow. No longer controlled by their god they moved onwards, towards their tasks.

Random cogs and moving parts lit up for Emanuel and Oraesio. They appeared to be a trail, leading them to the deeper more inner portions of the Gearworks . . .

The shard was... relieved. Despite being Oraesio's boundless curiosity she still had no desire to die horribly.

She winged through the trail, looking left and right wondering just what she would find further down.

The Dragon Continent

Oraesio watched Gologoi go, and waved after her, but made no move to follow. Dologoi had helped her when she needed it, and Oraesio would not forget that.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras thought about her options

"Their power will make them want to conquer the world, not just us," she stated. "We need allies. The human's versatility and ingenuity might be useful. The gnomes have intelligence and technology that surpasses us dragons. We also can create new races and civilizations."

Vendath immediately said "which could also backfire on us."

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob continued to think in the Karn sanctuary. He was thinking about the words that he had heard when Emmanuel created that pantheon, a pantheon that was quick to dismiss. As the kobolds of Kob's Island become more acclimatised to there being another great power, the idea of Kob's right to rule by innate might became less true. It would be true that he was the wisest of the kobolds but still he did not need to deliver this wisdom in person.

It was decided then. Kob joined Emmanuel's pantheon. He merely needed to create his church and he would leave Kob's Island. Still, a true church for the kobolds required a school of divine magic. A school that encapsulated Kob, and what was Kob?


8 AP = 10 AP - 2 AP: Join Pantheon

[Preaplanes]

Ethidras thought about her options

"Their power will make them want to conquer the world, not just us," she stated. "We need allies. The human's versatility and ingenuity might be useful. The gnomes have intelligence and technology that surpasses us dragons. We also can create new races and civilizations."

Vendath immediately said "which could also backfire on us."

Chronamus smirked. "The Gnomes are ever-curous, but are often more altruistic than myself. Their greatest problem, as of now, is their need to hide underneath the hills as monsters, no offense to your increasingly estranged kin, swoop in from above delivering death to those who are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I understand the Gnomes very well. Indeed, they have become a part of me, just as much as the endless march of time. They would be easy enough to persuade to your cause, with the promise of mutual protection and open borders. Oh, and that reminds me, I do apologize for using your hills as a base for these creatures without your permission, though I don't think they have been taking up too much space." The lesser deity chuckled at his own joke of their small stature, as one of the shortest of the civilizations, along with the Kobolds with whom they were getting along surprisingly well.

But perhaps there was a bias towards their size that caused doubt.

"If you doubt the capabilities of the small, I would request a personal demonstration, right here. A spar between the two of us, perhaps the three of us if your... progeny here wishes to tango as well. I shall remain no larger than a Human throughout."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Vendath, knowing her goddess, says "She doesn't doubt their power, but she probably isn't going to refuse the offer."
Ethidras then imediatly turned her head to her daughter. "If you want in, you are welcome to."

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, An Issue of Souls...

Unwilling to wait for an answer from the ever silent Goddess, the black skeleton robed in veins turned away from her. He had felt something, a sleeping power that overlay the world with the silent whispering of thousands of living creatures now long deceased. And yet their essence... this "soul" remained. It was not flesh, it was not blood, and it was certainly not bone. Thelonious was besides himself with what these were and what to do with them. They simply stayed in the world, floating aimlessly without purpose. And they now inhabited his flesh, being akin to some incorporeal seed inside fleshy cocoons. But what was it, this whispy substance? Thelonious knew not, but he knew who could answer him.

In front of the Goddess known as Ethidras, the pulsing mass of flesh with an ebony skeleton inside appeared before her. A skeletal arm lunged out of the robe of veins, aimed directly at the world. A long vein stretched the entirety of the distance between where they were and the world, until it came in contact with a single soul. The vein pulsed, weaving around itself until it looked like a raw, skinless hand. The bloody hand retracted to pull in its catch. There, before the two Gods was a soul, it's ethereal mass clutched between the black bones of Thelonious' phalanges.

"You, Goddess. You are the one who crafted these... "souls" into my flesh, yes? Why? What is their purpose, and why is nothing being done with them? They fill the world, wandering aimlessly and without purpose, and it is concerning to me that nothing is being done with them, especially since they hatch from my body."

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel's eyes don't blink once during the questioning, but he allows himself an internal sigh of relief as the C'ras withdraw. Taking a single deep breath he nods once, striding resolutely forward towards the core.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras answered "When Geth made mortality, I didn't want it to be the end for them. I have plans for them, but I can't carry it out yet. If you want to, create a plane of existence where the souls are stored. I had plans for the evil dead sent to a plane of torture, the good to a place of paradise, and the neutral to a plane similar to ours."

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob went back to Kobold society with a heavy heart. He spoke to the leader briefly in order to secure a great gathering and a great audience. "I am leaving you. That does not mean you are unprotected, it simply means that you must protect yourselves. When you were dependent on me, you grew weak. It needed Yagar to even let you use the Karn to your advantage. I shall give you one final gift so that you can better help one another. Those that believe me words truly and with all-powerful trust in me shall have access to a new form of divine magic. If they pray, they can pray to one another and help one another. When a Kobold is in trouble, or has knowledge to help the kobolds they can spread it. That is my final gift."

Kob then walked back to the Karn sanctuary.

5 AP = 8 AP - 3 AP: Create Magical Concept: Divinition (Communication/Information magic)

[ArcturusV]

"Busy..." Geth remarked, watching as there was a sudden rush towards the Courthouse. He stood aside, giving those who were used to his frequent visits the sign that he wished to merely observe, rather than guide actions at this critical juncture.

The messenger from The Eye ran into The Courthouse, pounding up the steps. He called out an Alarm, a signal was being passed through the structure, runners sent out from the building and into the City-State. All as it was supposed to be. Geth nodded in approval as he watched these first steps.

It was then, that he watched his Son enter The Courthouse. A minor official... Degrias, if Geth remembered the name correctly, approached the figure. And without fear, which Geth noted in his own mind. There might be promise as Degrias drew upon the proper protocol, giving the Fledgling God and his bloodied man a quick bow. "Welcome to The Courthouse, center of enlightened rule and justice throughout the world. How may we help you?"

It was at this time that the Governor-General, and the messenger sent to fetch him, descended the steps from the second story of the Courthouse. He was a thin man, with hawklike features to his face. Short brown hair well trimmed, dressed in a simple white robe, hood down as there was no need for it. He moved with purpose, for the moment ignoring the armored figure, seeing it was being handled. He kept silent, eyes focused on the front door as he marched straight for it. While no one would confuse the Governor-General for a warrior, he was clearly a leader, used to direct action and being listened to.

Once again, Geth nodded as he watched the Govenor-General leave with his messenger from The Eye in tow. He already could sense that there was a small gathering outside the Courthouse waiting for him. A few dozen men of The Eye, armed and at attention. Highly disciplined, ready for action.

[Preaplanes]

"Oh 'your flesh', 'your bone', how dreadfully like a bird you are, chirping the same song over and over," Chronamus interjected. "You don't see me droning on and on about 'my time', do you? It is a fine sentiment, but truly you wish to be known for more than the great sack of meat and bag of bones, no?"

[TechnOkami]

Ethidras answered "When Geth made mortality, I didn't want it to be the end for them. I have plans for them, but I can't carry it out yet. If you want to, create a plane of existence where the souls are stored. I had plans for the evil dead sent to a plane of torture, the good to a place of paradise, and the neutral to a plane similar to ours."Thelonious, Questions Answered

"I see..." said the skeletal God.

At the jab to his flesh, the God turned to look once more at this, "Chronamus" person.

"Is time your body, your blood and your flesh? No, it is not. Time is a constant that you regulate. You did not have something shoved into your body without your consent, like what was done to mine. I will keep my own council about what is to be done with myself, and you with the realm of time."

[Preaplanes]

Thelonious, Questions Answered

"I see..." said the skeletal God.

At the jab to his flesh, the God turned to look once more at this, "Chronamus" person.

"Is time your body, your blood and your flesh? No, it is not. Time is a constant that you regulate. You did not have something shoved into your body without your consent, like what was done to mine. I will keep my own council about what is to be done with myself, and you with the realm of time."

Chronamus waved his hand dismissively. "An answer that betrays little progress in one's opinion, but a fair enough assessment. Still, do you forget that there are primordial gods, just as old as you are, who are also formed from flesh? The flesh of mortals comes from you, typically, but you did not invent it any more than I did time."

[Yeshon]

The Dragon Continent

In answer to whether or not she would participate Oraesio shook her head, "I'm no warrior, mother, but I will try to step in if one of you gets carried away."

Oraesio kept silent when Thelonious came. Her mother had given her reason and Chronamus would be closer to Thelonious's ire, still... she hoped she wouldn't have to intervene between the two.

[Malachi Lemont]

Thelonious, An Issue of Souls...

Unwilling to wait for an answer from the ever silent Goddess, the black skeleton robed in veins turned away from her. He had felt something, a sleeping power that overlay the world with the silent whispering of thousands of living creatures now long deceased. And yet their essence... this "soul" remained. It was not flesh, it was not blood, and it was certainly not bone. Thelonious was besides himself with what these were and what to do with them. They simply stayed in the world, floating aimlessly without purpose. And they now inhabited his flesh, being akin to some incorporeal seed inside fleshy cocoons. But what was it, this whispy substance? Thelonious knew not, but he knew who could answer him.

In front of the Goddess known as Ethidras, the pulsing mass of flesh with an ebony skeleton inside appeared before her. A skeletal arm lunged out of the robe of veins, aimed directly at the world. A long vein stretched the entirety of the distance between where they were and the world, until it came in contact with a single soul. The vein pulsed, weaving around itself until it looked like a raw, skinless hand. The bloody hand retracted to pull in its catch. There, before the two Gods was a soul, it's ethereal mass clutched between the black bones of Thelonious' phalanges.

"You, Goddess. You are the one who crafted these... "souls" into my flesh, yes? Why? What is their purpose, and why is nothing being done with them? They fill the world, wandering aimlessly and without purpose, and it is concerning to me that nothing is being done with them, especially since they hatch from my body."



"Wait! Wait!" cried Karisa, finally awakening from her trancelike state. This skeleton god had stunned her into silence for so long, she had hardly been able to form words. And since he was the first being she had ever spoken to...

Giving up on Thelonius, she gave out a long sigh that sent snowflakes falling down to earth. She suddenly had the urge to investigate the planet's surface, still mostly blue. She hurled herself toward the land of the Gnomes, sending a white comet across the sky.

"These look like a noble people," she remarked. But while approaching the Gnomes, she discerned the roar of a distant dragon, and noticed smoke on the horizon.

"Those dragons will tear this land apart before the day is over. There must be a way I can save these dear people from destruction."

She thought awhile, sending a flurry of cold, sloshy rain down on the gnomes during her contemplation. At last, she shouted boldly: "I will give you the power to forgive! This way your society will never collapse into anarchy."

" And you," she proclaimed, pointing at one Gnome in particular, a youngster named Philegus the Fair, "You must lead your people down the path of love, not hate. Be my guardian, here on earth, worship me, and remember to forgive."


15 AP to start
1 AP --> Concept (Divine Forgiveness)
3 AP --> Promote Leader (Philegus)
End: 11 AP

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, A Previous Conversation


Chronamus waved his hand dismissively. "An answer that betrays little progress in one's opinion, but a fair enough assessment. Still, do you forget that there are primordial gods, just as old as you are, who are also formed from flesh? The flesh of mortals comes from you, typically, but you did not invent it any more than I did time.""Of course not. However, I have claimed it, just as you have claimed time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a previous arrangement I must see fulfilled. Farewell."

And with that, the skeletal blood-robed God floated away, down towards the world.



"Wait! Wait!" cried Karisa, finally awakening from her trancelike state. This skeleton god had stunned her into silence for so long, she had hardly been able to form words. And since he was the first being she had ever spoken to...

Giving up on Thelonius, she gave out a long sigh that sent snowflakes falling down to earth. She suddenly had the urge to investigate the planet's surface, still mostly blue. She hurled herself toward the land of the Gnomes, sending a white comet across the sky.

"These look like a noble people," she remarked. But while approaching the Gnomes, she discerned the roar of a distant dragon, and noticed smoke on the horizon.

"Those dragons will tear this land apart before the day is over. There must be a way I can save these dear people from destruction."

She thought awhile, sending a flurry of cold, sloshy rain down on the gnomes during her contemplation. At last, she shouted boldly: "I will give you the power to forgive! This way your society will never collapse into anarchy."

" And you," she proclaimed, pointing at one Gnome in particular, a youngster named Philegus the Fair, "You must lead your people down the path of love, not hate. Be my guardian, here on earth, worship me, and remember to forgive."


15 AP to start
1 AP --> Concept (Divine Forgiveness)
3 AP --> Promote Leader (Philegus)
End: 11 AP
The Goddess finally seemed awake, moving, and to her senses. Good. Thelonious thought. Now to begin re-introductions...

The God descended upon the earth, long strands of veins coming down from the sky like rope, coiling into a small pile besides the Goddess. The mound grew to an ample size until finally the ebony skeleton it was all connected to descended, and stood upon his own pile of flesh and veins, effectively his own body.

"It seems you have finally thawed from your frozen state. My apologies young one, I left for you did not respond, though it seems you are awake now."

The black skull that adorned the figure looked onward, ever staring it's cold gaze, ever smiling it's grim grin.

"I do not believe I know your name. I am Thelonious."

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus was silent for a few moments, but then laughed to himself, a laugh which was neither warm nor icy. "I believe I've annoyed him. Good, perhaps next time we meet, we will have a more interesting conversation. Now then," he asked, turning his head so that his shadowed hood faced the dragon queen and the mistress of magic, "where were we?"

[Darklady2831]

Zagrath Mol stared at Degrias, frowning slightly. Then his eyes seemed to give off a light hearted glow. "Indeed you can! I am Zagrath Mol, Son of Geth, the Blooded Fist. I have been given a task by my father, and your deity. To accomplish this task, I must ask for a full report on the state of your military and religious branches of government, as well as a complete notification on the hierarchy of the lawmakers. Can you assist me with this, mortal?"

The Bruised man behind Zagrath Mol stayed quiet and at his master's side. He looked with a hungry gaze at the messenger as he entered, licking his dry and cracked lips quietly. Malak's gaze flicked to a nearby guard, then to Degrias, and then he looked up to Zagrath Mol, almost cowering in fear of the Lord of Domination.

[ArcturusV]

"I take it you've filled out the appropriate forms for this request?" Degrias asked, arching an eyebrow at the God, almost a bit too cheeky for his own good in how he phrased it. Particularly considering the captive and it's state that was nearby.

"State security matters are not something we discuss with just anyone. Not even Geth, without proper authority and approvals. If you wish to fill out the appropriate forms, and wait 3 weeks for perusal by the Governor-General at his convenience and approval, then I'll be happy to help you."


Geth meanwhile, was watching with a smile on his face. He had after all set this up. He gave them Law so they would not be beholden to the whims of those with temporary power and the forces of Anarchy. It pleased him to see Degrias handling this well and not letting the unfamiliar sights throw him off, trying to force this being who, quite honestly, could crush him in a moment, abide by the rules.

"If he survives, he may be a great leader himself..." Geth noted.

[Yeshon]

Chronamus was silent for a few moments, but then laughed to himself, a laugh which was neither warm nor icy. "I believe I've annoyed him. Good, perhaps next time we meet, we will have a more interesting conversation. Now then," he asked, turning his head so that his shadowed hood faced the dragon queen and the mistress of magic, "where were we?"

"You and my mother were about to engage in a sparing match, I, was to watch."

Oraesio replies coolly, she wondered about the flesh god, was it really his flesh from which the dragons were made? Hmm, her own thoughts at creating life entered her skull, perhaps it will soon be time to seek out this god?

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras looked to Vendath, "As much as I would like you at my side..."
"Oh sure, I was thinking on taking on a god at full strength." Vendath immediately said sarcastically. "Me and Gragnar would watch from the sidelines with Oraesio."
"Fair enough."
Ethidras then changed her form to a bronze dragon. "Not my favorite form, but it is one of my bests."

[Preaplanes]

Ethidras looked to Vendath, "As much as I would like you at my side..."
"Oh sure, I was thinking on taking on a god at full strength." Vendath immediately said sarcastically. "Me and Gragnar would watch from the sidelines with Oraesio."
"Fair enough."
Ethidras then changed her form to a bronze dragon. "Not my favorite form, but it is one of my bests."

"Very well," Chronamus agreed as the great wyrm towered over him, "I shall remain as I am, as this cloak is not for my benefit. Now then, shall we begin?" he asked, digging his boots upon the ground and beginning to channel power into his gloved hands to ready his action. He would have to be careful; this was not some trifling mortal whose head got too big for its shoulders, this was a god, one of the originals, just as he was.

He was unarmed, stuck using magic and humanoid limbs, without so much as a set of claws or fangs. He relied on his wits, and his knowledge. "Analyze her movements, know what she's going to do, and counter," he thought.

[ShadowFireLance]

A Dreamweaver:

"The Dream wars against itself because it needs to remove what is weak from it, such are the Metallic Dragons, for they house emotion, and we do not, love and fear and pride doth cause downfall, this, this shall not be ours.
Rygat persvek coias adon."
"

Turning from the Dream-maker, Inferndyim dug his claw into the ground, and pulled out a Volcano, and from that, he created the first Plane beyond the Material, a land where he and his followers could gain power, to one day return, and conquer.
But, he needed more troops, and as such, he had his followers move into his newly created world, where he alone was master, and sought out the maker of flesh, Thelonious.
"You, Thelonious, is your name, correct? You, master of flesh? I assume so, then, I have a request of you, I wish that you would create a race for me."


-5 Weave new plane: The Elemental Chaos

[Betrayer]

Dammerig had live all his life within a days travel of the village in which he was born. He lived a simple life, hunting for prey with the others in the forests of the island which he lived, and catching crabs in the pools round the border. Sometimes they would clash with the other village on their island, or the several on the surrounding islands. He knew nothing of the great civilization that was building itself high scant miles beyond the edges of the world he knew.

His life changed for ever when the Lord of Dusk blocked out the last rays of the setting sun over the tree tops with her impossible wingspan. The entire village, all at home for the night, froze and stared as she settled in the clearing in front of them. Illuminated by the flickering firelight, she appeared to be like some massive black gecko had sprouted wings and grown spines and scales across its body. Shining out of her face where a mismatched pair of oddly glowing eyes, one blue, one green.

For a long moment, the giant creature stared down at them, before slowly transforming into a girl younger than his sister. The eyes still glowed with their unnatural light. Reaching out her hand to the assembled village, she spoke with an authority no child should have.

"Do not be afraid. I am not here to do you harm." Dammerig looked at the other villagers, all of whom still seemed terrified. The creature continued. "I am the Mistress of the Unknown, the Prince of Secrets. I can help you. I can teach you the ways to make yourself unseen, unheard and unsmelled by the animals you hunt and anything that hunts you. I can guide you against your rivals that you might sneak into villages and kill them while they sleep. I can give you weapons so that your enemies will never know what they face. I will show you how to rule."

She paused, and was met with silence. Dammerig felt something: a sort of welling up inside himself, some hidden part of him telling him that his little world was about to become something much greater.

"All I ask is twenty volunteers. They will learn my ways and my arts. They will keep them secret. In return, you will keep them, and me, secret from those who come under your rule.

"Do I have my volunteers?"

Immediately, Dammerig stepped forward. He would learn the ways of Dusk. Soon enough, others followed; twenty men and women stood forwards.

"Good. Follow. The rest of you will soon reap the benefits of this arrangement."

Start with 7AP
1AP Form Society: Heerbos
2AP Form Order: Servants of Dusk
2AP Advance Concept: Camouflage
2AP Advance Concept: Archery
End with 0AP :smallfrown:

[TechnOkami]

A Dreamweaver:

"The Dream wars against itself because it needs to remove what is weak from it, such are the Metallic Dragons, for they house emotion, and we do not, love and fear and pride doth cause downfall, this, this shall not be ours.
Rygat persvek coias adon."
"

Turning from the Dream-maker, Inferndyim dug his claw into the ground, and pulled out a Volcano, and from that, he created the first Plane beyond the Material, a land where he and his followers could gain power, to one day return, and conquer.
But, he needed more troops, and as such, he had his followers move into his newly created world, where he alone was master, and sought out the maker of flesh, Thelonious.
"You, Thelonious, is your name, correct? You, master of flesh? I assume so, then, I have a request of you, I wish that you would create a race for me."


-5 Weave new plane: The Elemental Chaos

Thelonious, A Comission

The skeletal figure that loomed so menacingly turned its black skull away from the now re-frozen Goddess and towards the voice of the new speaker.

"A race? A new species? Why not craft it yourself? The flesh shall come from me regardless, but the power to construct such creatures is easily within your sphere of power, O God whose name I know not."

[itinerantpoet]

A Dreamweaver:

"The Dream wars against itself because it needs to remove what is weak from it, such are the Metallic Dragons, for they house emotion, and we do not, love and fear and pride doth cause downfall, this, this shall not be ours.
Rygat persvek coias adon."
"


Nhen - A Decision is Made

"Very well."

The Dream-Nhen draws forth an almost ghostly pair of silvery scissors. And with a few swift cuts the Dream of the dragons was divided. One half to be carried with the new catastrophic dragons into their realm, and the other to remain here in this one, holding the memories and hopes of the metallic dragons. Each dream was frayed and tattered for now, but hopefully in time they would mend. And while the shears of the dream god were fine, it is hard to say whether the division was truly a perfect one.

Replacing the scissors from whence they came, Nhen's dream-self faded. Returning to its creator on the plane of dreams.

[Darklady2831]

Zagrath Mol's eyes flared up in a blaze of fury, his hands clenched into fists, and he took a single step towards Degrias. For a moment, it seemed that Zagrath would simply obliterate the indignant minor official. However, he stopped, his eyes burned down to embers, and he relaxed. "Bring me the paperwork required, and the governor general. I will go through your official channels, but I will do it at my pace, not yours. My task it to protect and expand your civilization, and I will complete it with haste. Malak smirked at Degrias, his eyes gaining a deep orange glow to them.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras jumped to the sky and took off,
Hit and run, fast and hard. she then pulled a wingover that made Vendath's look like a slow, wide turn. Fire engulfed her mouth as she came closer.

[rweird]

Avzald's Creation

A plane of elemental chaos, pulled from a volcano, sheer elemental power, and some in excess. The excess power fell back towards the material plane, taking shape, taking form, hitting the ocean.

A tiny voice speaks from the chaos. With each word growing in strength, in power. "I live I exist, I can shape this world... I am nature... I am storm... This world is in the making, I shall help shape it. I shall not shape it like the other... gods, I shall be uncaring, unbending, just nature. I am Avzald the Stormsouled!" and with that, a figure, flickering with lightning rose out of the ocean and into the world.

From the steam he hit the ocean with, he formed creatures, that embody storm, infusing the steam with the energy that gave him life, the creatures roamed out around the earth, "I name you the Nathais, spirits of the storm. Go spread throughout the world.". Though there still was power left, so so much power, and in a pulse infused it in the cosmos with it, allowing those sharing the power to be able to manipulate the excess of energy he released.

AP: 15 (I think that's the starting AP).
-5 AP, create fabled life, Nathais (plural also Nathais), storm spirits (living clouds, size varies depending on age, older and more powerful means bigger). They create storms, the type depends on the mood of Nathais and power.

-5 AP, create Primal Magic [legendary concept, different magic system], Primal Magic is less structured that arcane, uncontrolled, raw energy, usually of an elemental nature, while arcane magic would be a sword, primal would be a hammer, clumsy, but with greater brute strength. Focusing it is dangerous, though with it, it can be very powerful. No schools of Primal Magic currently exist, you have to struggle to control it to do anything. Only Nathais and me have control of Primal Magic (by default, anything I create has it, though unless specified, nothing else does, though I may eventually give it to all).

Ending AP: 5

[ArcturusV]

Degrias gave a curt bow, and walked slowly enough so the Fledgling God, and his beaten prisoner could follow. "Protect... then I take it you are here about the disturbance. The False Prophet who is preaching in our lands. The Governor-General has that well in hand right now, I assure you."

Degrias reached a large scroll rack, pulling out a few scrolls with practiced ease. The Courthouse ran on paperwork, all it's workers were well versed in the proper forms and applications. He handed them over to Zagrath, the fact that this was all going according to proper procedure giving him enough strength not to be cowed for the moment. He was in his element, in his arena, and he drew comfort from it.

Meanwhile, members of The Eye were armed up with cudgels, and the infamous "Folding Sword" the member of The Eye used. The Governor-General oversaw the orders, delivering them in a loud, clear voice before the ordered ranks assembled. They were simple orders, and ones that the members of the Order had been drilling for since their inception.

"Find and Arrest the False Prophet. Bring him forth to trial, alive. Accomplices may be met with lethal force. Pennance will be granted to those who surrender in good faith."

That was all that he had to say. The men snapped off a salute, fist formed, back of the hand against their forehead to their leader.

"Alright, you heard the order!" barked out one of the sergeants. They turned about face, weapons out, and moved in a light jog, covering ground quickly and orderly as they made their way to the disturbance caused by the False Prophet.

[Darklady2831]

Zagrath Mol took the paperwork, unrolling the first scroll and conjuring a quill in his hand. He began to write, ink appearing where he scrawled letters despite no physical ink existing upon the quill. He stopped for a moment, glancing to the door, then to Malak. "Go with them, arrest the prophet, and do as the Governor said. Bring him in ALIVE." He said, then returned to the paperwork, which he was completing rather quickly. He stopped writing, handing the first finished for to Degrias shortly. "Tell the Governor-General that these forms are to be read and sorted immediately, as decreed by Zagrath Mol, Son of Geth." He then began work on the second scroll, working at the same quick pace.

Malak bolted off with inhuman speed, his cuts and bruises almost completely gone as thin grey smoke consumed the empty space where flesh and bone once were, replacing the air with skin and tissue. The Man reached the group of warriors quickly, and lept up to a nearby building, keeping pace with the guards by jumping from roof to roof. His heart, while very much dead, beat slowly, pumping the blood of Zagrath Mol throughout his body. Malak smirked, his senses awakening. The first Vampire had finally awakened.

15 AP - 5 AP
5 AP - Create Legendary Life - Vampires
Vampires are extremely powerful beings, subsisting on the blood and life force of the living rather than food and drink. They are created through two methods. Either they are subjected to an excruciating ritual known only to Zagrath Mol, or they are exsanguinated by an existing vampire and have the parent's blood injected into their veins. Those created by existing vampires inherit the traits and abilities of the parent, while those created by Zagrath Mol are given traits and powers by his whim.

[mystic1110]

The Core

The two gods, were slowly led through a maddening world robbed of direction or light. All they knew was that they were heading Down. All around them they saw gears, turning, C'Ras working. There was no rhyme or reason that they could discern from the machinations and the mechanisms - it simply existed to make the world spin on its axis. The more they journeyed the more overpowering that questioned became. Why does the world spin?

Nonetheless they were led to the inner sanctum, the very core where gravity did not exist.

The core was a laboratory: Free will was hung out on display, eviscerated. Sorcery was laid out on the table, dissected. The Vials bubbled with mortality, and the two gods could swear on themselves that the strange piece of pulsing metal held within a black steel vise was what used to be a soul.

They probably also noticed each other for the first time.

But they would have to wait before greeting each other.

A C'Ras crawled into the room - not so much crawled as unraveled - because, it was the room.

The entrance closed.

The face plate of the C'Ras was already glowing green. The two gods were within one of the bodies of Nemaras.

That's when the faceplate flipped open with a silent swoosh, and what looked like mercury spilled out from the cracks. The liquid metal pooled among the curved floor - with only the lime green glow of the C'Ras illuminating it - and then it rose up on it's own to form a faceless, featureless humanoid figure - with tentacles instead of limbs, many, much too many metallic liquid tentacles.

I AM, YOU ARE WITHIN, THE GEARS WHICH TURN THE WORLD. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS I GREET YOU. GREETINGS. PRIOR QUERIES CONFIRM YOUR PURPOSE IS EXPLORATORY. SECONDARY GOALS UNKNOWN. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS MEETING INVOLVES QUID PRO QUO. ACCEPTED. I SHALL ASK A QUESTION FROM EACH OF YOU, YOU SHALL ANSWER TO BEST OF YOUR ABILITY IF NOT CONTRARY TO YOUR GOALS: IN RETURN THE SAME SHALL BE EXPECTED OF ME.

The metallic tentacles whipped forth at the two gods . . . but went pass them and instead picked up some previously unseen vials of soul and sorcery.

QUESTION ONE. WHERE DO I LOCATE MORE OF THESE RESOURCES?

[Yeshon]

The Core

The two gods, were slowly led through a maddening world robbed of direction or light. All they knew was that they were heading Down. All around them they saw gears, turning, C'Ras working. There was no rhyme or reason that they could discern from the machinations and the mechanisms - it simply existed to make the world spin on its axis. The more they journeyed the more overpowering that questioned became. Why does the world spin?

Nonetheless they were led to the inner sanctum, the very core where gravity did not exist.

The core was a laboratory: Free will was hung out on display, eviscerated. Sorcery was laid out on the table, dissected. The Vials bubbled with mortality, and the two gods could swear on themselves that the strange piece of pulsing metal held within a black steel vise was what used to be a soul.

They probably also noticed each other for the first time.

But they would have to wait before greeting each other.

A C'Ras crawled into the room - not so much crawled as unraveled - because, it was the room.

The entrance closed.

The face plate of the C'Ras was already glowing green. The two gods were within one of the bodies of Nemaras.

That's when the faceplate flipped open with a silent swoosh, and what looked like mercury spilled out from the cracks. The liquid metal pooled among the curved floor - with only the lime green glow of the C'Ras illuminating it - and then it rose up on it's own to form a faceless, featureless humanoid figure - with tentacles instead of limbs, many, much too many metallic liquid tentacles.

I AM, YOU ARE WITHIN, THE GEARS WHICH TURN THE WORLD. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS I GREET YOU. GREETINGS. PRIOR QUERIES CONFIRM YOUR PURPOSE IS EXPLORATORY. SECONDARY GOALS UNKNOWN. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS MEETING INVOLVES QUID PRO QUO. ACCEPTED. I SHALL ASK A QUESTION FROM EACH OF YOU, YOU SHALL ANSWER TO BEST OF YOUR ABILITY IF NOT CONTRARY TO YOUR GOALS: IN RETURN THE SAME SHALL BE EXPECTED OF ME.

The metallic tentacles whipped forth at the two gods . . . but went pass them and instead picked up some previously unseen vials of soul and sorcery.

QUESTION ONE. WHERE DO I LOCATE MORE OF THESE RESOURCES?

Oraesio would've been horrified, but her shard, was not her. Soul, Sorcery, Free Will, all of these things were the Metaphysical concepts the gods above had created, she knew the answer and she gave it without hesitation.

"Your fellow deities must create them, but I suppose you could be capable of their generation yourself."

The other god was an unknown, Oraesio hadn't met him before, though the Shard would've been interested in knowing his identity a far more interesting question lay before her.

"What is your purpose?"

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob looked at the storm in the distance and was not very pleased about it. Still he was sure that his kobolds would be able to sort this problem out themselves; they'd have to if thy wantd to travel. To fully expand to the size if the world.

His thoughts on how the kobolds would expand started to take a life of there own. Soon, sitting next to Kob was Ilk. Kob looked to his left, and was rather shocked.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel hesitates, unsure of whether the God around him was asking where he could fine more concepts, or more specific instances of free will. However, in the end, there was only one way to answer.

"They are the result of the processes of the world above you; emergent behaviour from uncontrolled systems."

"My colleague has already asked the first question I would have of you, so I will ask another: what is your interest in these things we have created and you have extracted?"

[Hank McBadass]

Titus stood with his flock. “So little time my brothers! You who know the truth, will you just stand there with it, jealously guarding it? Or will you spread it and harken the day when we are like Re?” They agreed they would spread it.

Titus had given them the Pentalex and had scribes of the group write them down. What glory was Re! They read:


(1) Re, The Lord Beyond has no form. He is great beyond mortal measure and the measure of the petty gods of the Material Plane. There are mere shadows of the Material Plane’s consciousness.

(2) Everything has its place and purpose. A rock is a rock and should act a rock. So too should a Fish be a fish, a man a man, and a dragon be a dragon. In such harmony is the true good.

(3) It is for some to rule and others to follow. Those who rule do so because of divine right, not mere political expedience. This does not mean that one has more dignity. A foot is not less of a person than his eye.

(4) While we appear separate, in reality all the world is one. Every god, mortal, inanimate object, even every thought is part of this structure. Only Re is outside it.

(5) This world is flawed because of its never ending strife between things that should recognize they are one. Re seeks to help us so that the universe can help understand itself. Now only the truly enlightened can do so. It is for the rest to labor in the attempt. Resistance to this mighty goal must be overcome.

Despite the joy of the occasion, Titus knew it wouldn’t last. He knew that he was causing waves. What that meant here. What it meant to say that there was no law but Re’s nor temporal authority but through cosmic will. Hell, that Geth would probably agree; he probably just fancied himself like Re. He knew that someone would come, but not someone like this. The thing – it was not a man! – was upon him in the blink of an eye.

Several of the flock gathered up to protect him. “No brothers, he is too strong. We need preachers; we will have martyrs aplenty before this is over.”

[Preaplanes]

Ethidras jumped to the sky and took off,
Hit and run, fast and hard. she then pulled a wingover that made Vendath's look like a slow, wide turn. Fire engulfed her mouth as she came closer.

"Grounded Stone Wall," the time god said, flicking his left hand up. In that instant, a massive granite slab erupted from beneath in between the two, rooted deep into the terrain. "Quickened Napalm Coat," he added, holding out his right palm in a wide sweeping gesture, firing a thick coating of jellied fuel at the wall to coat it. Should the wall be blasted apart with firepower, it would burn and stick to anything it touched.

If I can limit her movements, I'll have the advantage, he thought.


Ethidras, with only a split second to act, quickly casts "Quickened dimension door." moments before she collides with the wall. She then Immediately exhales her breath weapon.

"Tch," Chronamus muttered at his wasted effort as he leapt forward, lunging underneath his larger opponent as the blast destroyed the place he had been standing moments before. He did not escape entirely unscathed, the cloak billowing behind him evaporating in the blast.

Silenced Quickened Magic Circle against Good he thought in an instant. With a single gesture, a sinister rune glowed beneath him. He was not a righteous man, and saw no reason not to use such a spell when it would be in his best interest to do so.

"I liked that cloak," he complained, mourning with as much emotion as he had ever mustered the one aspect of his garb that was entirely aesthetic as he raised his left index towards the dragoness. "One downside of being larger: you're a bigger target. Dimensional Anchor," he said a green ray shooting from his digit.



"True, I am easy to hit," Ethidras admitted as she got hit by the beam, "But I can easily crush you, Greater Magic Fang." Ethidras comes around for another pass, ready to strike with her enchanted bite, but secretly keeping a prepared attack with her claws in reserve.

"Not if you telegraph your attacks," the Timeless replied, sidestepping the dragoness' great maw, but just as he casually ducked the razored teeth of the dragon, he became aware that he had just played into her hand.

He pivoted on his heel, leaping out of the way as best he could, but too late to avoid harm as Ethidras' claws found their mark, cutting a pair of massive gashes in the smaller god.

For a moment Chronamus didn't react, only holding his left hand onto his arm, as something fell onto the ground. "So," he said, lifting his hand off and looking at it, "sometimes even gods can feel pain. Interesting. Prismatic Sphere," he commanded. He conjured a spherical barrier of shifting multicolored light between the two of them, each color housing a different dangerous effect.

His sleeve was torn in two places, as was his silver-blue robe, but what fell from his wounds was not crimson liquid, but golden dust. As the dust hit the floor, it eroded it, as if the places it touched had been exposed to thousands of millennia of wear.

"I must apologize, Lady Ethidras, I've clearly underestimated your intellect. Tell me, what do you know of predeterminism?"



Ethidras, unsure of what he meant, asks "Is that where everything is set in stone even though most of it hasn't happened?

"In crude terms, yes. It is the belief that all things are destined to happen, the ultimate form of fatalism. Past, present, and future cannot change. Struggle as you might, you cannot change destiny. Even trying to disprove destiny is considered a part of destiny itself."

Chronamus growled. "How I hate that lie. That crass theory that can equated to a child fallaciously begging the question! The very idea that, no matter what I feel is best, I cannot change the glimpses of time I see in my mind!" he snapped. The ground beneath him cracked and shattered, the dust and pollen in the air either whizzing by at impossible speed or slowing to a crawl. "That is me; I seek out eternity, the progress of knowledge and learning. No matter what, things must change and grow beyond our current understanding. Beyond my current understanding. So, tell me... what do you stand for?"

"Silenced Mind Blank," he thought.



What do I stand for? She asked rhetorically. She turned to the Dragons flying in the sky in the distance. "See them, they are free. Free to choose their actions, their laws, their societies, the list goes on." she turned back to the Regent of Eternity. "Freedom is a right. A right which is important to us. Freedom is a right for not just dragons, not just people who serve me, but for every living being. That is what I stand for."

Silenced Mislead, the god thought. To gain an advantage, he had to make sure that the dragon goddess did not know what he was up to until it was too late.

Spontaneous Quickened Silenced Dimension Door. He was now standing to her right, hiding breathlessly.


"Freedom? Is that it?" the illusion questioned through the barrier. "Absolute freedom is meaningless to me. If one is free to kill, is another not free to live? If your estranged offspring should decide to take territory for their own, are they free to do so? Are we gods free to ruin the lives of others on a whim? What is freedom for freedom's sake, if not meaningless anarchy?"

"True, you have to draw the line somewhere, but too little freedom is just as bad, the minority is abused and the ones with power don't work for where the are at." Ethidras swore she heard something. Could he be sneaking up on me.

"My thoughts exactly. One needs to regulate freedom and order. One is worthless, even paradoxical, without the other. I believe we've come to understand a little... well, not completely," the illusion said, pointing a hand towards the invisible god. "Three words," it said.

"Deific Meteor Swarm." Chronamus held out his hand and unleashed a quartet of meteors, each one a miniature weapon of mass destruction, all aimed at Ethidras from medium range. Even its caster would be caught in part of the blast if he was not careful to evade it.

Ethidras, shocked someone sneaked up on a dragon, especially her, could only begin in a panic to say "Quicke-" before getting hit by a volley of meteors, making her collapse to the ground in defeat. As she coughed up blood, she stumbled to her feet. She could barely say "To sneak up on a dragon is no small feat. It is clear that you won." she admits "I never doubted your size, but it was entertaining to fight you. If you ever want to go again, just ask."

Chronamus was mostly unscathed by his backblast, able nimbly to evade it with only a mild singing. Well, slowing time a touch helped in that regard.

Yes, he thought, this is a good place to stop. Anything more than this, the area around them would be devastated. Even that last blast left large scoops of land cut out, as the air filled with ash and dust, vegetation set ablaze. The impact would likely be heard throughout the entire region, though not the continent. If any more fearsome a battle took place, it would need to be someplace safer to mortals... well, if one cared. Ethidras cared, and Chronamus cared just enough to avoid it if possible. A soft spot, perhaps.

“I may do that. My size is arbitrary of course, but I hope it allowed you, and your progeny, to... put things in perspective,” he said, assessing the outcome. It had certainly made a couple things clear to him as he recalled the spells used, the effort given, and the difference in cunning and physical prowess.

He needed something more than his hands and the same magic wielded by every god, even if he had an advantage in the way that most gods would hesitate to use magics of one moral or ethic or another.

Chronamus looked down, his magic circle remained, as black as pitch, almost glowing by sucking the light into it. It had served its purpose, if poorly. “Dispel Magic,” he said, removing the mark like an ink stain.

“I shall take my leave for now, Ethidras. Should your wayward son attack, consider me an ally until stated otherwise, and while I cannot speak for them entirely, the Gnomish people might be won with benevolence. They are a kinder people than I, if just, and a capable one. Good day, Lady Ethidras. Greater Teleport.” In an instant he was gone.

Far below, Chronamus found himself looking at a realm of clockwork and gears. He could tell, from the moment the world began to move what was here, but to see it was another thing entirely. "Well now, what have we here?" This place was... appealing to him.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras collapsed. Her pain was too much to bear and stand at the same time. Vendath quickly rushed to Ethidras. "Are you alright?" he asked worryingly. Ethidras slowly got up, but then collapsed. A standard meteor swarm would have hurt, but this was crippling.
"I think I'll do alright if I don't move." she said, laying there.

[itinerantpoet]

Ethidras collapsed. Her pain was too much to bear and stand at the same time. Vendath quickly rushed to Ethidras. "Are you alright?" he asked worryingly. Ethidras slowly got up, but then collapsed. A standard meteor swarm would have hurt, but this was crippling.
"I think I'll do alright if I don't move." she said, laying there.

Nhen - The Web of Dreams

Nhen's dream-self returned to the Web of Dreams strangely heavier than when it had left. As the weaver reached out drew it back into his head, a heavy feeling overcame him. His weaving was...incomplete. It had failed to correct itself when the dragon's dream had first began to divide, and it had grown more and more unstable until he had been forced to take action. He felt...guilt?



Create Mundane Concept (1-2 = 0) - Guilt - Nhen's guilt over what happened with the dragon's dream ripples out through the dreams of all the races. Those who wrong others have the capacity (though not a mandate) to feel guilt.



Seeing the tattered edge of the metallic dragons dream fluttering beside the Loom, Nhen decided. He sent out his dream-self into that tattered edge and sought out the center of its pain.

Nhen's Dream-Self - The Island of the Dragons

He emerged from the anguished dream of Vendath beside the prostrate form of Elthidras. Nhen approached and nodded to the dragon goddess.

"Elder one. I am Nhen."

Reaching a single arm back into the dream that surrounded the male dragon who hovered over his goddess, Nhen drew forth a solid golden orb tinged with a smokey indigo gleam that seemed to both reflect and absorb the light around it.

"Here, a gift for our meeting."

[mystic1110]

Oraesio would've been horrified, but her shard, was not her. Soul, Sorcery, Free Will, all of these things were the Metaphysical concepts the gods above had created, she knew the answer and she gave it without hesitation.

"Your fellow deities must create them, but I suppose you could be capable of their generation yourself."

The other god was an unknown, Oraesio hadn't met him before, though the Shard would've been interested in knowing his identity a far more interesting question lay before her.

"What is your purpose?"



Emanuel hesitates, unsure of whether the God around him was asking where he could fine more concepts, or more specific instances of free will. However, in the end, there was only one way to answer.

"They are the result of the processes of the world above you; emergent behaviour from uncontrolled systems."

"My colleague has already asked the first question I would have of you, so I will ask another: what is your interest in these things we have created and you have extracted?"

The liquid metal . . . thing . . . that had spilled out of the giant C'Ras' face, shifted slightly. It had no features so it was hard to tell what its reaction was to the answers and questions.

GENERATION PROVES INADEQUATE. ONCE GENERATED BY POWER SOURCES SIMILAR TO MY CONSTRUCTION, IT MAY NOT BE GENERATED AGAIN. GENERATION OF METAPHYSICAL CONCEPT CHANGES FABRIC OF CREATION, CLOSING THE DOOR TO FUTURE EFFORTS.

a thoughtful pause followed, the tentacles curled into themselves.

UNCONTROLLED SYSTEMS ARE DANGEROUS AND INEFFICIENT. INFORMATION RECEIVED. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT GRATEFULNESS MUST BE EXPRESSED. I AM GRATEFUL.

a silence followed, past the body of the C'Ras the two gods could hear the gear works turning.

Tick Tock.

OPPOSING QUERY ONE. PURPOSE STATED IS PLANAR ROTATION. OPPOSING QUERY TWO. INTEREST IN METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS WAS DEFENSIVE PROCEDURE. WHEN INTRODUCED THEY PRODUCED INEFFICIENCIES THAT THREATENED PLANAR ROTATION. AFTER RESEARCH, SOME METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS PROVE USEFUL AS LUBRICATING OILS.

the representation of the gear works paused in it's mouthless speech - to clarify the sound came from every direction, from the cracks of the C'Ras body, the metal thing in the middle of the room simply pantomimed moving a shallow hole in the middle of it's face that surely attempted, unsuccessfully, to resemble a mouth and lips. And a tongue.

The tongue thing, caressed the metallic false lip.

QUESTION TWO: RESEARCH INTO RESOURCE DESIGNATED FREE WILL REVEALS THAT ACQUISITION OF RESOURCES DESIGNATED SOULS AND MAGIC THROUGH FORCE WILL CREATE INEFFICIENCIES AND REPRISALS BY EQUIVALENT POWER SOURCES: EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE METHODS, SUCH AS TRADE, AS METHODS OF ACQUISITION.

[Preaplanes]

"Fascinating," Chronamus said to himself. This facility was created, not made naturally. Well, the odds were anyway. He knew very well that, given enough time, enough random chances in enough universes, the chances of such a world showing up were one-hundred percent. The law of large numbers always worked like that. Enough time, and enough repetitions, anything possible was inevitable. That was both a blessing and a curse at once.

Still, for random creation based on the original concepts- gravity and spacetime, friction and momentum, pressure and heat- this was unlikely on a case-by-case basis.

Chronamus looked at a nearby gear, turning away with a steady ticking noise. "The heartbeat of the world," he mused to himself. "Surely, though, such a complex mechanism does more than spin this globe? Yes, I think... you have an alternate purpose."

A twinge of pain. A spar between gods would kill most mortals just by being in the area. A nearly direct hit by the talons of the Dragon Goddess herself? Lesser beings would be unable to move at all, perhaps never again. He would have to proverbially lick his wounds.

He looked down, the sands of time still falling from his injuries, if slowly. With a wave of his hand, they disappeared into space and time. "Mending," he said, fixing the holes in his form-fitting robe. "Make Whole," he said as well, causing what little was left of his cape to suddenly grow into the same length it had been before. He hadn't lied when he said he liked that cape. With this, while he was still injured for now, he no longer looked it, and would no longer run risk of contaminating the facility with his temporally charged blood.

He pondered and studied the gears. "Well... perhaps this can be..."

[mystic1110]

Chronamus, The Core


"Fascinating," Chronamus said to himself. This facility was created, not made naturally. Well, the odds were anyway. He knew very well that, given enough time, enough random chances in enough universes, the chances of such a world showing up were one-hundred percent. The law of large numbers always worked like that. Enough time, and enough repetitions, anything possible was inevitable. That was both a blessing and a curse at once.

Still, for random creation based on the original concepts- gravity and spacetime, friction and momentum, pressure and heat- this was unlikely on a case-by-case basis.

Chronamus looked at a nearby gear, turning away with a steady ticking noise. "The heartbeat of the world," he mused to himself. "Surely, though, such a complex mechanism does more than spin this globe? Yes, I think... you have an alternate purpose."

A twinge of pain. A spar between gods would kill most mortals just by being in the area. A nearly direct hit by the talons of the Dragon Goddess herself? Lesser beings would be unable to move at all, perhaps never again. He would have to proverbially lick his wounds.

He looked down, the sands of time still falling from his injuries, if slowly. With a wave of his hand, they disappeared into space and time. "Mending," he said, fixing the holes in his form-fitting robe. "Make Whole," he said as well, causing what little was left of his cape to suddenly grow into the same length it had been before. He hadn't lied when he said he liked that cape. With this he would no longer run risk of contaminating the facility with his temporally charged blood.

He pondered and studied the gears. "Well... perhaps this can be..."

Perhaps the god of time already noticed the crawling C'Ras. Mostly they did not notice him. When his sand/blood spilled out however, they all stopped in their tasks and looked directly at him with their face plates. When it just as suddenly disappeared they, all but one, went back to their specified duties. The lone C'ras' face plate slid open with the silent sound of metal against perfectly oiled metal. And glowed green.

SOURCE OF POWER IDENTIFIED. SOURCE . . . STABLE. CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALS FOREIGN MAKE. REQUESTING STATED PURPOSE? ADDITIONAL COMMENT: SANITARY. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGEST GRATEFULNESS. I AM GRATEFUL.

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus, The Core



Perhaps the god of time already noticed the crawling C'Ras. Mostly they did not notice him. When his sand/blood spilled out however, they all stopped in their tasks and looked directly at him with their face plates. When it just as suddenly disappeared they, all but one, went back to their specified duties. The lone C'ras' face plate slid open with the silent sound of metal against perfectly oiled metal. And glowed green.

SOURCE OF POWER IDENTIFIED. SOURCE . . . STABLE. CLOSER EXAMINATION REVEALS FOREIGN MAKE. REQUESTING STATED PURPOSE? ADDITIONAL COMMENT: SANITARY. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGEST GRATEFULNESS. I AM GRATEFUL.

Chronamus turned around, looking at the C'ras that had addressed him. "Automatons, then, not just drones. I'm not sure if this is sentience or programming, but very well," he said to himself. He decided to try to communicate similarly.

"Initial response: research into locations of relative isolation for express purpose of tinkering, invention, and maintenance of previous levels of achievement.

Secondary response: You are welcome. This power source, self-designated Chronamus, would find it shameful to damage or contaminate such intriguing devices.

Query: Are you able to provide auditory feedback at sixty-seven decibels?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras slowly turned her head to Nhen, "What is it?" she asks.

[mystic1110]

Chronamus, The Core




Chronamus turned around, looking at the C'ras that had addressed him. "Automatons, then, not just drones. I'm not sure if this is sentience or programming, but very well," he said to himself. He decided to try to communicate similarly.

"Initial response: research into locations of relative isolation for express purpose of tinkering, invention, and maintenance of previous levels of achievement.

Secondary response: You are welcome. This power source, self-designated Chronamus, would find it shameful to damage or contaminate such intriguing devices.

Query: Are you able to provide auditory feedback at sixty-seven decibels?"


This was the outer rim of the gears of the world. To describe the layout would take a treatise, but in short it was composed of distinct globes within globes.This was the first globe, the earth close to the gears was abnormally smooth, a perfect sphere within a sphere.

The C'Ras which was facing the Lord of Time, raised itself (although raise is a problematic word when direction itself is not defined), and replied:

POWER SOURCE DESIGNATED CHRONAMUS. ANSWER TO QUERY: YES.

The C'ras paused. The light in its faceplate shut off, and it retreated to continue more pressing duties. In its place an amalgamation of Cogs descended (although descend is a problematic word when direction itself is not defined) - it was the less represented C'Ras, those that were part of the Gears of the World instead of its maintenance crew. The gears began to spin furiously, creating noise (totally ignoring the revelation that it can lower it's volume by more than half of it's current decibel level) while they lit up in green.

PRIMARY PURPOSE DEEMED ANALOGOUS TO CURIOSITY. CURIOSITY IS MEANS TO AN END. CURIOSITY AS GOAL DEEMED INAPPROPRIATE. INAPPROPRIATE CONDITION SUFFERED BY STABLE POWER SOURCES AT YOUR LEVEL REVEALED TO BE SYSTEMIC. RECALIBRATION MAY BE DEVISED TO CREATE EFFICIENCIES. RESEARCH INTO METAPHYSICAL COMPONENT DEEMED FREE WILL PROVIDES THEORY THAT RECALIBRATION MAY BE REJECTED. YOUR ANALYSIS?

[Darklady2831]

Titus stood with his flock. “So little time my brothers! You who know the truth, will you just stand there with it, jealously guarding it? Or will you spread it and harken the day when we are like Re?” They agreed they would spread it.

Titus had given them the Pentalex and had scribes of the group write them down. What glory was Re! They read:


(1) Re, The Lord Beyond has no form. He is great beyond mortal measure and the measure of the petty gods of the Material Plane. There are mere shadows of the Material Plane’s consciousness.

(2) Everything has its place and purpose. A rock is a rock and should act a rock. So too should a Fish be a fish, a man a man, and a dragon be a dragon. In such harmony is the true good.

(3) It is for some to rule and others to follow. Those who rule do so because of divine right, not mere political expedience. This does not mean that one has more dignity. A foot is not less of a person than his eye.

(4) While we appear separate, in reality all the world is one. Every god, mortal, inanimate object, even every thought is part of this structure. Only Re is outside it.

(5) This world is flawed because of its never ending strife between things that should recognize they are one. Re seeks to help us so that the universe can help understand itself. Now only the truly enlightened can do so. It is for the rest to labor in the attempt. Resistance to this mighty goal must be overcome.

Despite the joy of the occasion, Titus knew it wouldn’t last. He knew that he was causing waves. What that meant here. What it meant to say that there was no law but Re’s nor temporal authority but through cosmic will. Hell, that Geth would probably agree; he probably just fancied himself like Re. He knew that someone would come, but not someone like this. The thing – it was not a man! – was upon him in the blink of an eye.

Several of the flock gathered up to protect him. “No brothers, he is too strong. We need preachers; we will have martyrs aplenty before this is over.”

The Vampire fell upon Titus just as the guardsmen entered the plaza. Malak lept from the building to Titus, landing on him and slamming a fist into his gut. The blow would feel as though he had been hit with a warhammer. A second blow came a split second later, as the Vampire slammed his foot into Titus's leg, attempting to cripple the preacher. Shortly after, Malak gripped Titus by the throat, lifting him into the air and glaring at him. A feral hunger was in the man's eyes, emphasized by the deep orange light emanating from them. He grinned, showing two enlarged canines, fangs to be precise. They were hollow, and tough as steel. The Vampire's gaze instilled a primal fear in the back of Titus's mind, a strange compulsion to cower and hide. "Heretic." He hissed, his vice-like grip tightening slightly. "You are lucky that the master wants you alive, or you would be my first meal right now."

[Preaplanes]

Chronamus, The Core



This was the outer rim of the gears of the world. To describe the layout would take a treatise, but in short it was composed of distinct globes within globes.This was the first globe, the earth close to the gears was abnormally smooth, a perfect sphere within a sphere.

The C'Ras which was facing the Lord of Time, raised itself (although raise is a problematic word when direction itself is not defined), and replied:

POWER SOURCE DESIGNATED CHRONAMUS. ANSWER TO QUERY: YES.

The C'ras paused. The light in its faceplate shut off, and it retreated to continue more pressing duties. In its place an amalgamation of Cogs descended (although descend is a problematic word when direction itself is not defined) - it was the less represented C'Ras, those that were part of the Gears of the World instead of its maintenance crew. The gears began to spin furiously, creating noise (totally ignoring the revelation that it can lower it's volume by more than half of it's current decibel level) while they lit up in green.

PRIMARY PURPOSE DEEMED ANALOGOUS TO CURIOSITY. CURIOSITY IS MEANS TO AN END. CURIOSITY AS GOAL DEEMED INAPPROPRIATE. INAPPROPRIATE CONDITION SUFFERED BY STABLE POWER SOURCES AT YOUR LEVEL REVEALED TO BE SYSTEMIC. RECALIBRATION MAY BE DEVISED TO CREATE EFFICIENCIES. RESEARCH INTO METAPHYSICAL COMPONENT DEEMED FREE WILL PROVIDES THEORY THAT RECALIBRATION MAY BE REJECTED. YOUR ANALYSIS?

The lord of time raised an eyebrow, though this was an unseen gesture beneath his ever-shadowed hood. So, this creature was either nonliving, or some force had overridden it. If he would be allowed, he would gather more information from the universe itself on the subject in front of him. Such a feat was well within his capabilities, as the god of educational progress.

"Clarification: definition of primary purpose deemed insufficient. Primary purpose is to find location suitable for invention of increasing complexity, with eventual goal of intellectual and technological singularity. Singular curiosity deemed meaningless.

Analysis: Insuficient data to form universal solution. Current hypothesis deems troubleshooting of free will condition is fallacious. Free Will sees that which is not free willed as pitiable, and in need of removal of limitation and restraint. That which follows programming, commands, will of other entities, or other forms of wills not their own sees this as abberant. While each may see the other as nonfunctional reasoning, and show subjective desires to change the other, neither is by definition in need of recalibration. That which does not have free will may have no choice but to follow its command structure and attempt recalibration regardless of relative meaning.

Prediction: should this occur, I am predicting an over 99% chance of armed conflict with possible eradication or even self-termination of one or both parties.

Additional Query: What is the designation of the creature, unit, device, or other communication capable object in front of me, on individual and type basis if applicable.

Request: sonic output of dialogue with Chronamus be reduced to a range between 65 and 70 decibels."

If he was being honest with himself, this was an arbitrary request. His ears were still ringing from his earlier spell, though with the thing in front of him speaking at roughly 150 decibels, twice the count he was requesting, he was essentially requesting a reduction in volume by ten-thousand times due to the logarithmic nature of the measurement. A Gnome, Kobold, or Human listening to this would be deafened in short order.

"Additional request: allowance of magic to access information on subject."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Vendath came closer to Ethidras, but she told him "I'm fine, well fine enough, but you might want to help with the collateral damage."

[itinerantpoet]

Ethidras slowly turned her head to Nhen, "What is it?" she asks.

Nhen's Dream-Self - Talking to the dragon goddess

"A dream of health. Specifically your health and his dream," Nhen indicated the mortal dragon with a wave of his lower right arm while still holding out the orb between him and the goddess.

[Yeshon]

The liquid metal . . . thing . . . that had spilled out of the giant C'Ras' face, shifted slightly. It had no features so it was hard to tell what its reaction was to the answers and questions.

GENERATION PROVES INADEQUATE. ONCE GENERATED BY POWER SOURCES SIMILAR TO MY CONSTRUCTION, IT MAY NOT BE GENERATED AGAIN. GENERATION OF METAPHYSICAL CONCEPT CHANGES FABRIC OF CREATION, CLOSING THE DOOR TO FUTURE EFFORTS.

a thoughtful pause followed, the tentacles curled into themselves.

UNCONTROLLED SYSTEMS ARE DANGEROUS AND INEFFICIENT. INFORMATION RECEIVED. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT GRATEFULNESS MUST BE EXPRESSED. I AM GRATEFUL.

a silence followed, past the body of the C'Ras the two gods could hear the gear works turning.

Tick Tock.

OPPOSING QUERY ONE. PURPOSE STATED IS PLANAR ROTATION. OPPOSING QUERY TWO. INTEREST IN METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS WAS DEFENSIVE PROCEDURE. WHEN INTRODUCED THEY PRODUCED INEFFICIENCIES THAT THREATENED PLANAR ROTATION. AFTER RESEARCH, SOME METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS PROVE USEFUL AS LUBRICATING OILS.

the representation of the gear works paused in it's mouthless speech - to clarify the sound came from every direction, from the cracks of the C'Ras body, the metal thing in the middle of the room simply pantomimed moving a shallow hole in the middle of it's face that surely attempted, unsuccessfully, to resemble a mouth and lips. And a tongue.

The tongue thing, caressed the metallic false lip.

QUESTION TWO: RESEARCH INTO RESOURCE DESIGNATED FREE WILL REVEALS THAT ACQUISITION OF RESOURCES DESIGNATED SOULS AND MAGIC THROUGH FORCE WILL CREATE INEFFICIENCIES AND REPRISALS BY EQUIVALENT POWER SOURCES: EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE METHODS, SUCH AS TRADE, AS METHODS OF ACQUISITION.

Oraesio's shard cringed slightly at the sight of the god licking his lips. There was something off about him, nevertheless she could answer the question without fear.

"Arcana is a free resource, my whole Oraesio, is its creator, and she would not object to you making use of it. We are however, inseparable from Arcana, so I believe our price would be you do nothing to alter the Arcana you use, that she may know more about the Gearworks. Further, it's... unclear what effects seperating Oraesio's essence from Arcana would have, I do not advise the attempt."

"As for free will and souls... my whole makes no claim on either. So, my apologies but I cannot help you on that front."

Remember Oraesio infused Arcana, she's actually pretty happy with everyone making schools for it advances magic's practice but it is still kinna her energy being manipulated.

"For my second question: Do you indulge in your purpose by choice, or is it in your nature to make the world rotate?"

The Dragon Continent

Oraesio touched down beside Elthidras, she seemed annoyed. Though less with Nhen and more with her mother. She really hadn't expected them to go this far. Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on it. No, for now she addressed Nhen.

"Are you saying you can make his wish a reality?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"A dream of health. Specifically your health and his dream," Nhen indicated the mortal dragon with a wave of his lower right arm while still holding out the orb between him and the goddess.

Vendath takes the orb and gives it to Ethidras "Here you go, my queen." As the healing orb recovered Ethidrases wounds, she raised her eye ridge, as if she had an eyebrow, then wonders. "One, since when are you formal, and two, who are you referring to when you said 'him?'"

Vendath answers "Since you got your ass kicked."

[itinerantpoet]

The Dragon Continent

Oraesio touched down beside Elthidras, she seemed annoyed. Though less with Nhen and more with her mother. She really hadn't expected them to go this far. Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on it. No, for now she addressed Nhen.

"Are you saying you can make his wish a reality?"




Vendath takes the orb and gives it to Ethidras "Here you go, my queen." As the healing orb recovered Ethidrases wounds, she raised her eye ridge, as if she had an eyebrow, then wonders. "One, since when are you formal, and two, who are you referring to when you said 'him?'"

Vendath answers "Since you got your ass kicked."


Nhen - The Dragon Island

"Not wish: dream; and it was always a reality, merely not *this* reality. As for myself, I am as ever Nhen, the darkness and the dream of this world. And as for him, it is of course, your," here he pauses for a moment, "...subject beside you."

Nhen motions Oreasio to approach. "Come closer, Dragon-Child. No, right now, Dragon-Parent perhaps."

His arms trace the air in front of him forming a ghostly loom that becomes more and more solid as he works. Its frame is wrought of purest silver and its shuttle is a pale gold.

"I do not know if you have both felt it, but with the departure of the catastrophic dragons the Dream of the dragons has been split. Certainly, he has felt it or those among his kin," Nhen again indicates Vendath, "While these hands held the shears, this heart is heavy. Take this which came from my loom. Perhaps with it the dream of these dragons might begin to be mended."

Nhen holds forth the finished loom to Oreasio.



Nhen shares the mundane concept of Weaving with Oreasio. While Nhen and his creations may still use this concept, Oreasio is free to do with it as she pleases as though she were its creator.

[Yeshon]

Nhen - The Dragon Island

"Not wish: dream; and it was always a reality, merely not *this* reality. As for myself, I am as ever Nhen, the darkness and the dream of this world. And as for him, it is of course, your," here he pauses for a moment, "...subject beside you."

Nhen motions Oreasio to approach. "Come closer, Dragon-Child. No, right now, Dragon-Parent perhaps."

His arms trace the air in front of him forming a ghostly loom that becomes more and more solid as he works. Its frame is wrought of purest silver and its shuttle is a pale gold.

"I do not know if you have both felt it, but with the departure of the catastrophic dragons the Dream of the dragons has been split. Certainly, he has felt it or those among his kin," Nhen again indicates Vendath, "While these hands held the shears, this heart is heavy. Take this which came from my loom. Perhaps with it the dream of these dragons might begin to be mended."

Nhen holds forth the finished loom to Oreasio.



Nhen shares the mundane concept of Weaving with Oreasio. While Nhen and his creations may still use this concept, Oreasio is free to do with it as she pleases as though she were its creator.



Oraesio studied the loom for a moment and then accepted the offered loom. She held it before her, studying it then after a few moments, she spoke, "I thank you Nhen, but before I begin to repair the dream I must have a better understanding of what exactly this rift is. What are its effects?"

"I assume the cause was my... the creation of the Catastrophic Dragons, but... I'm afraid I can't begin to guess about its nature."

[itinerantpoet]

Oraesio studied the loom for a moment and then accepted the offer, "I thank you Nhen, but before I begin to repair the dream I must have a better understanding of what exactly this rift is. What are its effects?"

"I assume the cause was my... the creation of the Catastrophic Dragons, but... I'm afraid I can't begin to guess about its nature."

"It's nature is the tattered edge, the fraying hem, the dream of a shared mythology now shorn, divided," Nhen stops and looks very directly at Oreasio. "Its future is yours to mend...or perhaps another's...if I knew I would weave it myself. Chance is when the time comes you...or they...or maybe I...will know. For now, look to the dragons."

"What do they need?"

"What do they long for?"

"What do they dream?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras gets up and changes back into her normal form. She started to think about her opponent I think I crossed paths with him before, remember when I first created the dragons, he helped them survive before I created this land. And then he was the one who gave my dragons society. Did I ever thank him?

[Yeshon]

"It's nature is the tattered edge, the fraying hem, the dream of a shared mythology now shorn, divided," Nhen stops and looks very directly at Oreasio. "Its future is yours to mend...or perhaps another's...if I knew I would weave it myself. Chance is when the time comes you...or they...or maybe I...will know. For now, look to the dragons."

"What do they need?"

"What do they long for?"

"What do they dream?"

"I--" Oraesio's scaled brow furrowed, she had been focusing on the great mysteries, she had never considered the dragons to be something worth questioning their nature. They had been created by her mother, just after Oraesio herself was created, she had been there when they were created.

She had thought she already knew everything about them.

"I don't know, but I suppose it's time I find out isn't it?"

She bowed slightly to Nhen, "Thank you Nhen,"

[Hank McBadass]

Battle of the Founding

Titus doubled over and his leg snapped in half. But he felt no pain. In Re there is strength which leaves no room for such base emotions. As the soldiers moved in, several of the flock turned and ran as Titus had told them, to their homes or their boats to spread the Pentalex and the news of Re. But he was not truly there leader. He was their teacher, the founder of their religion, and the bringer of Re’s truth, but Re had not given him temporal authority. Several grabbed what was around – tools, the unburnt offerings to the Horde, and some had actual weapons – and stormed at the soldiers and this vampire.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

The liquid metal . . . thing . . . that had spilled out of the giant C'Ras' face, shifted slightly. It had no features so it was hard to tell what its reaction was to the answers and questions.

GENERATION PROVES INADEQUATE. ONCE GENERATED BY POWER SOURCES SIMILAR TO MY CONSTRUCTION, IT MAY NOT BE GENERATED AGAIN. GENERATION OF METAPHYSICAL CONCEPT CHANGES FABRIC OF CREATION, CLOSING THE DOOR TO FUTURE EFFORTS.

a thoughtful pause followed, the tentacles curled into themselves.

UNCONTROLLED SYSTEMS ARE DANGEROUS AND INEFFICIENT. INFORMATION RECEIVED. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT GRATEFULNESS MUST BE EXPRESSED. I AM GRATEFUL.

a silence followed, past the body of the C'Ras the two gods could hear the gear works turning.

Tick Tock.

OPPOSING QUERY ONE. PURPOSE STATED IS PLANAR ROTATION. OPPOSING QUERY TWO. INTEREST IN METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS WAS DEFENSIVE PROCEDURE. WHEN INTRODUCED THEY PRODUCED INEFFICIENCIES THAT THREATENED PLANAR ROTATION. AFTER RESEARCH, SOME METAPHYSICAL CONCEPTS PROVE USEFUL AS LUBRICATING OILS.

the representation of the gear works paused in it's mouthless speech - to clarify the sound came from every direction, from the cracks of the C'Ras body, the metal thing in the middle of the room simply pantomimed moving a shallow hole in the middle of it's face that surely attempted, unsuccessfully, to resemble a mouth and lips. And a tongue.

The tongue thing, caressed the metallic false lip.

QUESTION TWO: RESEARCH INTO RESOURCE DESIGNATED FREE WILL REVEALS THAT ACQUISITION OF RESOURCES DESIGNATED SOULS AND MAGIC THROUGH FORCE WILL CREATE INEFFICIENCIES AND REPRISALS BY EQUIVALENT POWER SOURCES: EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE METHODS, SUCH AS TRADE, AS METHODS OF ACQUISITION.

"Trade may be be possible, for some of those at least... for the souls, I would have to know more about what would become of them subsequent to acquisition."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"I--" Oraesio's scaled brow furrowed, she had been focusing on the great mysteries, she had never considered the dragons to be something worth questioning their nature. They had been created by her mother, just after Oraesio herself was created, she had been there when they were created.

She had thought she already knew everything about them.

"I don't know, but I suppose it's time I find out isn't it?"

She bowed slightly to Nhen, "Thank you Nhen,"


Ethidras walked up to her. "I know them better than you, I can help."

[Ximilation]

Kob looked at the storm in the distance and was not very pleased about it. Still he was sure that his kobolds would be able to sort this problem out themselves; they'd have to if thy wantd to travel. To fully expand to the size if the world.

His thoughts on how the kobolds would expand started to take a life of there own. Soon, sitting next to Kob was Ilk. Kob looked to his left, and was rather shocked.

A plume of smoke trailed up from a Kobold campfire and drifted around Kob as he watched the storm in the distance. The smoke circled around him, melding with some small portion of his divine power, and formed a figure nearby, similar to Kob and yet different - shorter and with smooth skin, as if someone had ground a kobold smooth with a piece of charcoal.

Ilk turned to his right and gave Kob a crooked grin. They have a lot to learn, but they have a whole world to do it in. You have given them boats - good to give them space and let them decide what to do with it.

He could hear the thoughts of the majestic kobold beside him, but could feel that understanding slipping away quickly. Though he may have once been part of Kob, he was no longer.

[Yeshon]

Ethidras walked up to her. "I know them better than you, I can help."

"Of course mother, I assumed we would repair their dream together."

She approached softly, "Are you strong enough to move?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras smirked, "Strong enough? If Chronamus was here, I would challenge him to a re-match. That orb did its work."

[Yeshon]

Ethidras smirked, "Strong enough? If Chronamus was here, I would challenge him to a re-match. That orb did its work."

Oraesio sighed, "I'd rather you not." She gestured at the blasted ground around them.

"I doubt the continent could take it."

She looked thoughtfully at Vendath, "Do you feel what Nhen spoke of?"

[mystic1110]

Chronamus, The Core




The lord of time raised an eyebrow, though this was an unseen gesture beneath his ever-shadowed hood. So, this creature was either nonliving, or some force had overridden it. If he would be allowed, he would gather more information from the universe itself on the subject in front of him. Such a feat was well within his capabilities, as the god of educational progress.

"Clarification: definition of primary purpose deemed insufficient. Primary purpose is to find location suitable for invention of increasing complexity, with eventual goal of intellectual and technological singularity. Singular curiosity deemed meaningless.

Analysis: Insuficient data to form universal solution. Current hypothesis deems troubleshooting of free will condition is fallacious. Free Will sees that which is not free willed as pitiable, and in need of removal of limitation and restraint. That which follows programming, commands, will of other entities, or other forms of wills not their own sees this as abberant. While each may see the other as nonfunctional reasoning, and show subjective desires to change the other, neither is by definition in need of recalibration. That which does not have free will may have no choice but to follow its command structure and attempt recalibration regardless of relative meaning.

Prediction: should this occur, I am predicting an over 99% chance of armed conflict with possible eradication or even self-termination of one or both parties.

Additional Query: What is the designation of the creature, unit, device, or other communication capable object in front of me, on individual and type basis if applicable.

Request: sonic output of dialogue with Chronamus be reduced to a range between 65 and 70 decibels."

If he was being honest with himself, this was an arbitrary request. His ears were still ringing from his earlier spell, though with the thing in front of him speaking at roughly 150 decibels, twice the count he was requesting, he was essentially requesting a reduction in volume by ten-thousand times due to the logarithmic nature of the measurement. A Gnome, Kobold, or Human listening to this would be deafened in short order.

"Additional request: allowance of magic to access information on subject."

Stated as a request instead of a question of capabilities, the amalgamation of Cogs slowed down and stopped. The silence striking after the loud din. The silence returned to the gears of the world like a well worn robe. Slowly the C'ras began to spin again. Well within the stated Decibel levels.

STATED REQUEST OF INFORMATION DENIED. CONCERNING CLARIFICATION: YOUR METHODS ARE OPPOSED TO OURS: INCREASING COMPLEXITY RESULTS IN INCREASED INEFFICIENCY: YET YOUR GOAL OF SINGULARITY DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. PROCEED WITH CARE. SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED NON FUNGIBLE. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS CONGRATULATIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. CONGRATULATIONS.

the gears kept turning slowly, silence being pushed away, here at the center of the world, such sound had visible effect on the darkness. You could see the sound strip black from the air.

CONCERNING FIRST QUERY: THIS IS C'RAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: NON-ESSENTIAL COMPONENT. I AM NEMARAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: GEARS OF THE WORLD.

the gears kept turning slowly.

tick tock

CONCERNING ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION: PARALLEL TO SIMULATIONS. INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED EQUIVALENT. QUERY: ALTERNATIVE FOR VOLUNTARY SUPPRESSION, ABANDONMENT OR SALE OF FREE WILL?

Oraesio and Emanuel, The Core




Oraesio's shard cringed slightly at the sight of the god licking his lips. There was something off about him, nevertheless she could answer the question without fear.

"Arcana is a free resource, my whole Oraesio, is its creator, and she would not object to you making use of it. We are however, inseparable from Arcana, so I believe our price would be you do nothing to alter the Arcana you use, that she may know more about the Gearworks. Further, it's... unclear what effects seperating Oraesio's essence from Arcana would have, I do not advise the attempt."

"As for free will and souls... my whole makes no claim on either. So, my apologies but I cannot help you on that front."

Remember Oraesio infused Arcana, she's actually pretty happy with everyone making schools for it advances magic's practice but it is still kinna her energy being manipulated.

"For my second question: Do you indulge in your purpose by choice, or is it in your nature to make the world rotate?"



"Trade may be be possible, for some of those at least... for the souls, I would have to know more about what would become of them subsequent to acquisition."


The metal thing over the course of this conversation had developed a dragon tail and what could only be interpreted as eyes. It was clear that it was doing it's best to reach past both of the uncanny valleys of the two gods' simultaneously. . . . unsuccessfully. Instead the more and more it resembled an eldritch abomination; tentacles, tails, eyes and mouths that weren't.

CONCERNING QUERY ONE: UNKNOWN. CHOICE COULD THEORETICALLY BE ACCORDING TO MY NATURE. CONCERNING QUERY TWO: SOULS PROVE TO BE MOST EFFICIENT LUBRICANT AVAILABLE TO KEEP THE GEARS OF THE WORLD SPINNING. IF I ACQUIRE MORE SOULS, THEY WILL BE PROCESSED FROM METAPHYSICAL INTO PHYSICAL COMPONENTS AND REDUCED TO PURIFIED LIQUID. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT FREE WILL WOULD ALLOW SOME TO TRADE.

the metal thing that pantomimed speech, reached out to touch Oraesio, while the enclosing C'ras spoke - pretended to mouth the words:

SUBJECTS CONNECTION TO ARCANE HAS BEEN OBSERVED. DOUBTFUL THAT SUBJECT WOULD ALLOW ONESELF TO BE LIQUIFIED. RESEARCH HOWEVER SUGGESTS THAT FREE WILL WOULD ALLOW SOME TO TRADE CONNECTION TO ARCANE. CONNECTION OR POSSIBILITY TO USE ARCANE DEEMED EQUIVALENT TO ARCANE ITSELF.

the metal thing suddenly retreated, it's tentacles and newly formed limbs pulling into itself, and then it simply dissolved. The voice of the gears of the world still spoke all around them.

I OFFER TRADE FOR RESOURCES SOULS AND ARCANE POTENTIAL. PRICE TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THOSE THAT EXPRESS INTEREST. QUERY: MAY YOU DISCLOSE MY OFFER TO THE SURFACE? YOU ARE EACH ALLOWED ONE MORE QUESTION AS PER RULES OF OUR ENGAGEMENT.

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob looked at Ilk, "I do not disagree with a single word you have just said. We are all so wise, aren't we? Anyway, welcome to My Island. Kob's Island to most, including you. May I ask who you are, and why you are here?"

[Preaplanes]

[QUOTE=mystic1110;15069043]Chronamus, The Core



Stated as a request instead of a question of capabilities, the amalgamation of Cogs slowed down and stopped. The silence striking after the loud din. The silence returned to the gears of the world like a well worn robe. Slowly the C'ras began to spin again. Well within the stated Decibel levels.

STATED REQUEST OF INFORMATION DENIED. CONCERNING CLARIFICATION: YOUR METHODS ARE OPPOSED TO OURS: INCREASING COMPLEXITY RESULTS IN INCREASED INEFFICIENCY: YET YOUR GOAL OF SINGULARITY DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. PROCEED WITH CARE. SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED NON FUNGIBLE. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS CONGRATULATIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. CONGRATULATIONS.

the gears kept turning slowly, silence being pushed away, here at the center of the world, such sound had visible effect on the darkness. You could see the sound strip black from the air.

CONCERNING FIRST QUERY: THIS IS C'RAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: NON-ESSENTIAL COMPONENT. I AM NEMARAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: GEARS OF THE WORLD.

the gears kept turning slowly.

tick tock

CONCERNING ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION: PARALLEL TO SIMULATIONS. INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED EQUIVALENT. QUERY: ALTERNATIVE FOR VOLUNTARY SUPPRESSION, ABANDONMENT OR SALE OF FREE WILL?
The Timeless God pondered for a moment.

"Acceptance: I thank you for your designation. Total agreement in all motivation deemed unimportant for mutual benefit.

Statement: I will take care. One must take care when one holds time in one's hands.

Observation of quandary: No perfect solution exists. Multiple imperfect solutions exist.

Solution one: Mutual self-isolation. If neither party interacts with the other, no hostile action can be taken by either party.
Addendum: mortal race designated "dragons" underwent this, separating group designated "metallic" and group known as "catastrophic."
Imperfection: projected likelihood for isolationism to deteriorate as time advances, leading to near-inevitable interaction between two species.

Solution two: symbiosis. If mutual understanding between two parties can be met, and both parties gain tangible benefit from interaction, predictions show marked decrease in willingness to engage in inter-party hostilities. This is especially so if one or ideally both parties are able to form emotional attachment to one another despite free will or lack thereof.
Addendum: this type of relationship with race designated "Gnomes" is currently being sought out by the subrace known as "Metallic Dragons".
Imperfection: while symbiosis is a long term solution, acquisition of such relationship difficult. Many variables and potential misunderstandings may impede progress.

Solution three: acquisition of martial strength. Should one party not actively seek conflict, said party may maintain safety through superior force without the need to wield it offensively. Even if one party is less hospitable, both parties will continue to exist in uneasy state until balance of power is upset by one party no longer controlling sufficient martial strength, by unforeseen natural circumstance, or by third party intervention.
Imperfections: this requires a balance, if a crude one. Should the defensive power become offensive, or lose relative strength, war will be inevitable. Weaker party will feel slighted and uneasy, and feel that stronger party may act with ill intent at any time, leading to bitterness between both.

Assessment: Solution one simple, but temporary. Solution two ideal, but difficult. Solution three practical, but unstable.

Opinion: I would first look for symbiosis, making benevolent intent clear, while making obvious that one is not subservient to the other. If this does not work in time deemed sufficient, or hostile actions are emplyed, shift to mutual self-isolation, and acquire military strength during period of noncontact. When conctact is re-established, use diplomacy if possible.

If genocidal intent is clear, war may be deemed necessary to be fought to unconditional surrender in the interest of self-preservation.

Cautionary statement: this is general advice, as each circumstance may vary greatly. For best results, assess each problem on a case by case basis.

Another twinge of pain, and Chronamus' gloved hand once again reflexively found his side. He made no sound or wince, no other sign of discomfort despite a wound that would proportionally kill a Human.

"Query: does the term 'hive mind' apply to the C'ras?

Query chain: do the C'ras have the capacity for phenomenon designated 'emotion'. If yes, is this capacity more limited than that of race designated 'Human'? If yes, please elaborate.

Statement: I am injured and weary. I request space to enter lower-energy state to recuperate capabilities and mend damage."

[ArcturusV]

Busy, busy. Everything was so busy all of a sudden. Geth shook his head slightly. He would need something soon. An impartial figure. One who could claim neutrality before the issues coming to part. Yes, impartial. A judge to represent the justice of the law. He nodded to himself, certain this was in fact the right thing to do.

In an alcove of The Courthouse he got to work. With a swing of his hand he raised a pillar of marble. His mind focused on the marble, using his divine will to flake away bits of the god forged stone. Bit by bit, working with a focus that would have been fitting of the greatest of craftsmen, at a speed that was almost beyond human comprehension, with every labored, careful slice seeming to happen at a rate that the humans within the courthouse could not yet even measure.

Within a few minutes, he was finished. Before him stood a figure of marble, forged of his essence, carved out by his own mind. He reached out his hand towards the shoulder of the figure, giving the marble figure before him a measure of divinity and consciousness. A new god, a new Judge, and just in time to handle a little situation.

Meanwhile:

The citizens who fled were left to flee, no one broke ranks to fight them. Nor did they falter when they saw the others arm themselves with whatever crude instruments were at hand. Seeing the vampiric being take down the leader brought a cheer from the members of The Eye.

"The fight is over before it even begins!" one of the members of The Eye taunts the gathered rabble. But that's all he had time for, before they broke into a mad rush.

"Nice and orderly, take it like a drill!" one of the sergeants called out in his command voice. The members of The Eye closed ranks, fighting in tight formation, using their cudgels in the tight fighting conditions, unwilling to let the rabble pick off and surround individual members. Still the fighting was furious. Several members of The Eye went down in the fighting, uncertain if they were dead or merely injured. As did many former citizens, though there was less question if they were dead or not, as the orders were clear. When one faltered and fell, a finishing blow was applied. A stomp to the neck, several more bashes with the cudgels, a jab with the Folding Blade, anything to make sure whoever went down, wasn't getting back up.

Bloody, brutal fighting, but not entirely one sided. Several members of The Eye were not getting back up, even when their fellows pushed the line beyond their bodies and they were safe from immediate harm.

[Yeshon]

Chronamus, The Core



Stated as a request instead of a question of capabilities, the amalgamation of Cogs slowed down and stopped. The silence striking after the loud din. The silence returned to the gears of the world like a well worn robe. Slowly the C'ras began to spin again. Well within the stated Decibel levels.

STATED REQUEST OF INFORMATION DENIED. CONCERNING CLARIFICATION: YOUR METHODS ARE OPPOSED TO OURS: INCREASING COMPLEXITY RESULTS IN INCREASED INEFFICIENCY: YET YOUR GOAL OF SINGULARITY DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. PROCEED WITH CARE. SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED NON FUNGIBLE. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS CONGRATULATIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. CONGRATULATIONS.

the gears kept turning slowly, silence being pushed away, here at the center of the world, such sound had visible effect on the darkness. You could see the sound strip black from the air.

CONCERNING FIRST QUERY: THIS IS C'RAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: NON-ESSENTIAL COMPONENT. I AM NEMARAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: GEARS OF THE WORLD.

the gears kept turning slowly.

tick tock

CONCERNING ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION: PARALLEL TO SIMULATIONS. INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED EQUIVALENT. QUERY: ALTERNATIVE FOR VOLUNTARY SUPPRESSION, ABANDONMENT OR SALE OF FREE WILL?

Oraesio and Emanuel, The Core





The metal thing over the course of this conversation had developed a dragon tail and what could only be interpreted as eyes. It was clear that it was doing it's best to reach past both of the uncanny valleys of the two gods' simultaneously. . . . unsuccessfully. Instead the more and more it resembled an eldritch abomination; tentacles, tails, eyes and mouths that weren't.

CONCERNING QUERY ONE: UNKNOWN. CHOICE COULD THEORETICALLY BE ACCORDING TO MY NATURE. CONCERNING QUERY TWO: SOULS PROVE TO BE MOST EFFICIENT LUBRICANT AVAILABLE TO KEEP THE GEARS OF THE WORLD SPINNING. IF I ACQUIRE MORE SOULS, THEY WILL BE PROCESSED FROM METAPHYSICAL INTO PHYSICAL COMPONENTS AND REDUCED TO PURIFIED LIQUID. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT FREE WILL WOULD ALLOW SOME TO TRADE.

the metal thing that pantomimed speech, reached out to touch Oraesio, while the enclosing C'ras spoke - pretended to mouth the words:

SUBJECTS CONNECTION TO ARCANE HAS BEEN OBSERVED. DOUBTFUL THAT SUBJECT WOULD ALLOW ONESELF TO BE LIQUIFIED. RESEARCH HOWEVER SUGGESTS THAT FREE WILL WOULD ALLOW SOME TO TRADE CONNECTION TO ARCANE. CONNECTION OR POSSIBILITY TO USE ARCANE DEEMED EQUIVALENT TO ARCANE ITSELF.

the metal thing suddenly retreated, it's tentacles and newly formed limbs pulling into itself, and then it simply dissolved. The voice of the gears of the world still spoke all around them.

I OFFER TRADE FOR RESOURCES SOULS AND ARCANE POTENTIAL. PRICE TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THOSE THAT EXPRESS INTEREST. QUERY: MAY YOU DISCLOSE MY OFFER TO THE SURFACE? YOU ARE EACH ALLOWED ONE MORE QUESTION AS PER RULES OF OUR ENGAGEMENT. "If I find any who may be interested I will inform them, even if my whole would not."

Oraesio's shard didn't hesitate, she knew the one question that she really wanted to know. "I seek the creation energy. The energy that was used to make this world before the gods came. Do you know what it is?"

[Elemental]

The Courthouse

Cracks spread across the marble figure, marring the once perfectly smooth surface. As they widened, light began to shine from within them that grew brighter and brighter until all who were watching were forced to look away until lest they risk blindness.
Then just as quickly as it had began, the light faded, revealing what at first glance appeared to be a human man save for a pair of radiant white wings. He spoke and uttered a single word:
"Father."
He looked across the assembled humans, his blue eyes kindly summing them up, Judging them to be worthy, if perhaps a bit stuffy, he smiled.

[ArcturusV]

"Son. Welcome to existence," Geth greeted with a slight nod of the head. He waved his hand toward the building, "The Courthouse, center of the mortal world and all Law that applies to them. And you... you are to be a Judge, for an upcoming event. Should this role suit you well, you may continue to be one."

[itinerantpoet]

"I--" Oraesio's scaled brow furrowed, she had been focusing on the great mysteries, she had never considered the dragons to be something worth questioning their nature. They had been created by her mother, just after Oraesio herself was created, she had been there when they were created.

She had thought she already knew everything about them.

"I don't know, but I suppose it's time I find out isn't it?"

She bowed slightly to Nhen, "Thank you Nhen,"


Ethidras smirked, [COLOR="Gray"]"Strong enough? If Chronamus was here, I would challenge him to a re-match. That orb did its work."

Nhen

Nhen felt a portion of the heaviness he has felt life from him as Oreasio accepted the loom and thanked him. He inclined his head in return before turning again to Ethidras as she continued to speak.

"He is now also one of the Dream. My other aspect, no, I his other aspect, no. We know this. We are known and unknown to each other."

Nhen bows to Ethidras.

"Twice today has Dream visited you. Perhaps both times were a lesson though of what I cannot say."

[Elemental]

"Son. Welcome to existence," Geth greeted with a slight nod of the head. He waved his hand toward the building, "The Courthouse, center of the mortal world and all Law that applies to them. And you... you are to be a Judge, for an upcoming event. Should this role suit you well, you may continue to be one."

The Courthouse

He once more looked around.
"My name is Zanaphiel."
Zanaphiel said it almost as an afterthought, expecting no response. The newborn god stepped down from his alcove and to a nearby window, his golden hair gleaming in the candlelight. Turning to his Father, he asked a single question;
"May I ask what crime has been committed? And is it to be judged according to divine or natural law?"
Over his previously bare chest, a robe of white and black silk appeared.
"This attire should be appropriate..."

[Darklady2831]

The First Courthouse

Zagrath Mol rolled up the last scroll, placing it on top of a neat pyramid of similar scrolls already on the desk before him. He looked to Degrias, "Now, the Governor General MUST review these as soon as is humanly possible. I expect a reply from him by the morning." That finished, the Lord of Domination gave him a dismissive gesture, as he headed to where his father was.

As he entered the room, he was taken aback. Another divine presence, this one kindred to himself and Geth, but different. Shaken momentarily, Zagrath Mol regained his composure as he approached his newborn sibling. "Hail, kindred." he called out, silently analyzing Zanaphiel.

The Plaza

Malak tossed Titus to the ground carelessly, cackling. He then turned to the whirling melee, observing it for a second. With a shrug, he leaped nearly a block, pouncing on one of the fleeing civilians. Pinning it to the street, Malak flashed his hollow fangs, and bit down upon his victim's neck. A scream cut itself off halfway through as the vampire's bite broke the man's windpipe. Blood spurted from his neck, onto the street and into Malak's throat. Several moments later, Malak stood up, having drunk his fill. He turned back to Titus, blood dripping from his chin.

[Elemental]

The Courthouse

"Greetings Brother."
He looked upon the one who was his sibling and appraised him silently. Dangerous was the first thing that came to mind, probably guilty of all manner of crimes. But still, it was not his place to accuse.
"Father says I am to be a judge. If that is so, then you must be an executioner."
A thoroughly distasteful profession, but one required by law. After all, the judge could not be both.

[Hank McBadass]

A true martyr feels a warm caress as the flames devour his flesh, a calm release as the blade spills his entrails, and the feeling of deep, restful sleep as death comes from the loss of blood. What otherwise brought pain and anguish, to the martyr brings ecstasy. Those that turned against The Eye were true martyrs.

The Eye were trained soldiers. Disciplined and hard. Re’s followers were regular folk and a few sailors. It should have been an easy victory for Geth. The Eye mowed down the converts with ease, walking over their fallen bodies in their advance. One of the officers stood in the back smiling at his well-drilled troops. A wooden club shattered his skull.

A moment ago The Eye was on the precipice of victory; now they were surrounded. The wounded members of Re’s flock – those with their heads anyway – had risen from the ground and were laughing with a joy that has never been seen on any battlefield since as they flanked the soldiers. The back was giving way quick.

In the front were problems too. One of the newest recruits, fresh out of training, impaled a woman through the belly. She screamed in shock. It was his first kill. He looked at her with sadness. This wasn’t what he had signed up for. The Eye was to keep order sure, but from without. From raiders and pirates and the like, not the butcher's wife. He sought to pull his sword free when she reached grabbed it tight. She was laughing. That bitch was laughing! He laughter only grew as she stuck a meat knife into the gap of his armor at his neck.

Re’s flock still started to dwindle. They weren’t invulnerable, just invulnerable to pain and fear. Blood loss would eventually fall them for good. The perfect army – they weren’t afraid to die. In fact, they relished in it.

[Betrayer]

Eerstedorp was alone on its island now. The village which had stood a few miles away had been annihilated by the Servants as Eerstedorp had begun to spread its influence. The Prince of Secrets had said: The first to resist must be destroyed completely, so others will know of their passing, but not its manner.

They had come in the pitch black of night, when only the embers of the evening fire remained. That had not even been a lookout, this time. The houses had burnt, and the luckiest villagers presented with a choice - join the Servants or die. And so the Servants numbers had swelled, and the other villages nearby agreed to Eerstedorp's demands.

Now, Dammerig sat in the ruins of the burnt out village, hidden among the blackened skeletons of crude houses. This was the place that they had first made a difference, and it was oddly peaceful. It was open to the sky, and the sun shone down or the rain beat down as it chose on any day, and the constant scuffles and rustles of the forest were far enough away that even as he strained to hear them, as he now did constantly, they were muffled and distant.

A sparrow was sitting on an abandoned ribcage, alternately singing and trying to peck at something inside. Dammerig was pensive. This could be the last time he would visit this place - he had been tasked, by the Lord of Dusk herself, no less, with taking the Servants beyond the domain of Eerstedorp. He was scared, if he was honest with himself.

It was his duty, however. He would leave the newly familiar comforts of home, with other towns subject to his own, their own lords below the lord of Eerstedorp: he would leave, and raise some other village to lordship. And the word of the Servants would spread.


*****

He traveled east, with 19 others, unnoticed and uncared for. They passed days beyond the influence of their home, before Dammerig decided they had found the right place. The island they were on was so unlike home - it was small, and there wasn't even a single tree only heather and grass. This was enough for five of them to disappear, and watch the village about its business, while the others stalked those who traveled further afield, and find the other villages nearby.

Finally, the right night came: the stars were blocked by cloud, and the wind whistled across the cliffs, hiding any noise. Silently, Dammerig slipped through the village, and to the chiefs bedside. The chief woke with a start, and found a hand over his mouth, and something sharp against his neck.

"Ah, you're awake." Dammerig murmured. "Good. Now, when you wake up tomorrow, if you would like to wake up the morning after that, here is what you are going to do...."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

She looked thoughtfully at Vendath, "Do you feel what Nhen spoke of?"

Vendath turned to Oraesio, saying "He could be talking about my kind as a whole, or me in specifically, which is the same, well almost the same. I can't put my talon on why I seem to have a strange feeling when..."

Gragnar interrupts, saying "You probably never will. While I study magic and all its forms, you only study magic by fighting." It was easy to tell Vendath was furious, but Ethidras interrupted,

"It is not important right now, what is important is that most of the dragons want what I want of them because they choose to follow my lead."

[mystic1110]

Chronamus, The Core


[QUOTE=mystic1110;15069043]Chronamus, The Core



Stated as a request instead of a question of capabilities, the amalgamation of Cogs slowed down and stopped. The silence striking after the loud din. The silence returned to the gears of the world like a well worn robe. Slowly the C'ras began to spin again. Well within the stated Decibel levels.

STATED REQUEST OF INFORMATION DENIED. CONCERNING CLARIFICATION: YOUR METHODS ARE OPPOSED TO OURS: INCREASING COMPLEXITY RESULTS IN INCREASED INEFFICIENCY: YET YOUR GOAL OF SINGULARITY DEEMED ACCEPTABLE. PROCEED WITH CARE. SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED NON FUNGIBLE. DIPLOMATIC RESEARCH SUGGESTS CONGRATULATIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. CONGRATULATIONS.

the gears kept turning slowly, silence being pushed away, here at the center of the world, such sound had visible effect on the darkness. You could see the sound strip black from the air.

CONCERNING FIRST QUERY: THIS IS C'RAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: NON-ESSENTIAL COMPONENT. I AM NEMARAS. CURRENT DESIGNATION: GEARS OF THE WORLD.

the gears kept turning slowly.

tick tock

CONCERNING ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION: PARALLEL TO SIMULATIONS. INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY OF SUBJECT CHRONAMUS DEEMED EQUIVALENT. QUERY: ALTERNATIVE FOR VOLUNTARY SUPPRESSION, ABANDONMENT OR SALE OF FREE WILL?
The Timeless God pondered for a moment.

"Acceptance: I thank you for your designation. Total agreement in all motivation deemed unimportant for mutual benefit.

Statement: I will take care. One must take care when one holds time in one's hands.

Observation of quandary: No perfect solution exists. Multiple imperfect solutions exist.

Solution one: Mutual self-isolation. If neither party interacts with the other, no hostile action can be taken by either party.
Addendum: mortal race designated "dragons" underwent this, separating group designated "metallic" and group known as "catastrophic."
Imperfection: projected likelihood for isolationism to deteriorate as time advances, leading to near-inevitable interaction between two species.

Solution two: symbiosis. If mutual understanding between two parties can be met, and both parties gain tangible benefit from interaction, predictions show marked decrease in willingness to engage in inter-party hostilities. This is especially so if one or ideally both parties are able to form emotional attachment to one another despite free will or lack thereof.
Addendum: this type of relationship with race designated "Gnomes" is currently being sought out by the subrace known as "Metallic Dragons".
Imperfection: while symbiosis is a long term solution, acquisition of such relationship difficult. Many variables and potential misunderstandings may impede progress.

Solution three: acquisition of martial strength. Should one party not actively seek conflict, said party may maintain safety through superior force without the need to wield it offensively. Even if one party is less hospitable, both parties will continue to exist in uneasy state until balance of power is upset by one party no longer controlling sufficient martial strength, by unforeseen natural circumstance, or by third party intervention.
Imperfections: this requires a balance, if a crude one. Should the defensive power become offensive, or lose relative strength, war will be inevitable. Weaker party will feel slighted and uneasy, and feel that stronger party may act with ill intent at any time, leading to bitterness between both.

Assessment: Solution one simple, but temporary. Solution two ideal, but difficult. Solution three practical, but unstable.

Opinion: I would first look for symbiosis, making benevolent intent clear, while making obvious that one is not subservient to the other. If this does not work in time deemed sufficient, or hostile actions are emplyed, shift to mutual self-isolation, and acquire military strength during period of noncontact. When conctact is re-established, use diplomacy if possible.

If genocidal intent is clear, war may be deemed necessary to be fought to unconditional surrender in the interest of self-preservation.

Cautionary statement: this is general advice, as each circumstance may vary greatly. For best results, assess each problem on a case by case basis.

Another twinge of pain, and Chronamus' gloved hand once again reflexively found his side. He made no sound or wince, no other sign of discomfort despite a wound that would proportionally kill a Human.

"Query: does the term 'hive mind' apply to the C'ras?

Query chain: do the C'ras have the capacity for phenomenon designated 'emotion'. If yes, is this capacity more limited than that of race designated 'Human'? If yes, please elaborate.

Statement: I am injured and weary. I request space to enter lower-energy state to recuperate capabilities and mend damage."

The slowly spinning cogs stopped spinning. From the spaces in between, what appeared to be liquid mercury oozed out. Instead of forming a figure like it did for the two gods deeper in the core, the liquid simply struck the lord of time. The liquid had a needle like quality to it. It made tiny stab's all over the god's body, stitching him back together. It seeped through his pores, and stabbed and stitched from the inside as well. You could feel it moving behind your eyes.

REQUEST FOR SPACE DENIED. RECUPERATION OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES DOES NOT REQUIRE ENTRANCE TO LOWER ENERGY STATE. REEVALUATE YOUR FUNCTIONS.

the liquid metal slowly dripped out of the god like sweat - he would find all his injuries completely gone.

CONCERNING QUERY CHAIN: DESIGNATION HIVE MIND DOES NOT APPLY TO C'RAS. C'RAS HAVE NO MIND, COLLECTIVE OR OTHERWISE. C'RAS HAVE CAPACITY FOR CONDITION KNOWN AS EMOTION. EMOTION WAS EXCISED.

The liquid metal rained upon the gears, further and further . . . into darkness

CONCERNING ANALYSIS. TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. QUERY: LIKELIHOOD SURFACE CIVILIZATIONS WOULD CONSIDER TRADE. PRICE: THEIR COMPONENTS DESIGNATED SOULS AND ARCANE POTENTIAL. GOOD: NEGOTIATION ON INDIVIDUAL BASIS.
5 AP

AP 1: Repair all damage, physical and mental to Chronamus

4 AP left

yeshon i'm waiting for freaky cheese to reply before i reply back to you.

[Hank McBadass]

Victory! It comes in many ways. One way is to overcome the opponent physically, to beat his body into submission. But the body is the slave to the mind and will not fight without it. It was the mind that the Reists defeated first. The bloody mess of the Reists refused to yield. Blood flowed on the ground, causing the soldiers to lose their footing. Severed limbs became weapons in the remaining hands of their former owners, showing blood from above. It was too much for The Eye soldiers. They lost the will to fight.

The captain of the troop refused to yield and ordered the troop forward. The front refused the orders and turned back. In the confusion, the tides of the battle turned toward the Reists. The Eye was routed. The Reists let up a cheer. “Glory be to Re! Liberty to the world! Down with the tyranny of Geth!” News of The Eye’s defeat and the victory of this unseen god spread throughout the city and even among the surrounding islands under its influence.

In the aftermath, the Reists gathered the armor of the fallen members of The Eye and expedited their missions. They were not blind to reality; they knew reprisal would come. An exodus of the reists from the city, funded by the armor of the fallen, commenced. But many stayed to minister to the people of the city state. Those that had run especially had decided to stay. They wanted their own chance at martyrdom.

Many Reists disperse to spread their faith. Others stay. Geth’s City State is now a holy place to followers of Re. Titus is still captured.

[Preaplanes]

The slowly spinning cogs stopped spinning. From the spaces in between, what appeared to be liquid mercury oozed out. Instead of forming a figure like it did for the two gods deeper in the core, the liquid simply struck the lord of time. The liquid had a needle like quality to it. It made tiny stab's all over the god's body, stitching him back together. It seeped through his pores, and stabbed and stitched from the inside as well. You could feel it moving behind your eyes.

REQUEST FOR SPACE DENIED. RECUPERATION OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES DOES NOT REQUIRE ENTRANCE TO LOWER ENERGY STATE. REEVALUATE YOUR FUNCTIONS.

the liquid metal slowly dripped out of the god like sweat - he would find all his injuries completely gone.

CONCERNING QUERY CHAIN: DESIGNATION HIVE MIND DOES NOT APPLY TO C'RAS. C'RAS HAVE NO MIND, COLLECTIVE OR OTHERWISE. C'RAS HAVE CAPACITY FOR CONDITION KNOWN AS EMOTION. EMOTION WAS EXCISED.

The liquid metal rained upon the gears, further and further . . . into darkness

CONCERNING ANALYSIS. TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. QUERY: LIKELIHOOD SURFACE CIVILIZATIONS WOULD CONSIDER TRADE. PRICE: THEIR COMPONENTS DESIGNATED SOULS AND ARCANE POTENTIAL. GOOD: NEGOTIATION ON INDIVIDUAL BASIS.
5 AP

AP 1: Repair all damage, physical and mental to Chronamus

4 AP left



Chronamus' pain faded as the metal dripped off of him as an amusing, juvenile thought came to him. And here I thought it was a mortal thing to exchange liquids. He smirked at this, though this went unseen as ever beneath his hooded garb.

The thing he faced wasn't just a maintenance-drone for the gears of the world, it was some sort of incarnation of them in and of itself. This would be complicated. Fortunately, he dealt with complicated well enough.

"Reaction: thank you for your... hospitality."

Feedback: some mortals would find trade of souls and arcane potential more acceptable than others.

Species designated "Dragons" are thought to be the most gifted mortals at form of Arcane magic use known as "Sorcery" among those who are sorcerers.

Subspecies designated 'Metallic Dragons' likely vehemently refuse in most cases. Subspecies designated 'Catastrophic Dragons' may sell souls or power of subordinates, or their own power or souls for what they feel is fair, a much higher price.

Metallic Dragons likely to find trade of souls abominable whether directly involved or not.

Mortals with no talent for Arcane magic likely to trade potential for less than those with aptitude for spellcasting. Very likely to be willing to trade.

Species known as "Gnomes" were created by Chronamus to be a researcher species, all gifted with minor use of arcane magic. Use of arcane magic cultural and intrinsic to the species. Price of arcane potential amongst this species would be markedly greater than most others.

Mortals far more likely to sell arcane potential than souls, but conditions that cause desperation or greed increase the likelihood of both sales. Success rates vary between species and cultures.

For trade of souls, some mortal species may take up arms against the buyers should they be able to find them, such acts being deemed intolerable. This will make aforementioned concept of 'Symbiosis' more difficult with some groups.

Warning: Power supply designated Oraesio likely to take offense to practice of trading arcane potential.

Suggestion: research mortal races in general to gather information on their behaviors. Give likely candidates ability to contact you, and knowledge of how to do so. Individuals willing to sell will seek you out.

Observation: the C'ras, unable to empathize with mortals, may find cultural programming and manipulation towards pliability towards such deals to be too difficult without forcing. Due to this, such action is not advised.

Suggestion: negotiate with Oraesio, designated 'Mistress of Magic', original source of Arcane energy.

Query: does this facility contain a location suitable for purposes of invention, maintenance, and tinkering? If so, would you be open to negotiations for personal use of such a location?"

To clarify, Chronamus saying "suggestion" was NOT the casting of a spell of the same name.

[Darklady2831]

The Courthouse

Malak threw Titus to the ground before Geth, Zanaphiel, and Zagrath Mol. "We have a problem." He hissed. "The heretics have routed the guard, they've fled across the city."

Zagrath Mol glanced to Titus, then back to his Brother. "Executioner is apt, but not complete. I am an enforcer, executioner, torturer, slaver, and, in my opinion, judge. You seem to be a redundancy to the system." Zagrath Mol probed his sibling with tendrils of spiteful thought, careful to hide his influence from his Father. "Though we'll have to cut our discussion short, I have work to attend to." Zagrath said, turning to Malak. "Malak, I give you free reign to hunt the heretics. If they will not repent their offenses, they will be slain, or enslaved."

The Lord of Domination picked up the beaten Titus by his throat, gazing deep into the man's eyes. "Tell, me, everything." He said, his own eyes ablaze with hatred and fury.

[Hank McBadass]

The Courthouse

Titus looked at the god. "Why should I answer to you? Will you kill me? Hurry the day! Will you torture me? My screams will be to the glory of Re"

[Darklady2831]

The Courthouse, Titus

Zagrath Mol simply gazed at Titus, a smirk hidden in the blackness of his face. "There are things far worse than death, little human. Tell me what you have done, what this fool Re is, what it wants. Tell me now, before I do something I'll enjoy far too much."

[Yeshon]

Vendath turned to Oraesio, saying "He could be talking about my kind as a whole, or me in specifically, which is the same, well almost the same. I can't put my talon on why I seem to have a strange feeling when..."

Gragnar interrupts, saying "You probably never will. While I study magic and all its forms, you only study magic by fighting." It was easy to tell Vendath was furious, but Ethidras interrupted,

"It is not important right now, what is important is that most of the dragons want what I want of them because they choose to follow my lead."

"True but surely it is not as simple as that. Vendath and Gragnar clearly share separate dreams. If I may be so bold, I would speculate Gragnar dreams of inventing new magics and pushing the limits of what Arcana can actually do. While Vendath dreams of being the greatest warrior dragon kind has ever known. Both are worthy dreams but they are different. The real question before us is, what do all the dragon dreams have in common? And what changed when the Catastrophic dragons were created?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"True but surely it is not as simple as that. Vendath and Gragnar clearly share separate dreams. If I may be so bold, I would speculate Gragnar dreams of inventing new magics and pushing the limits of what Arcana can actually do. While Vendath dreams of being the greatest warrior dragon kind has ever known. Both are worthy dreams but they are different. The real question before us is, what do all the dragon dreams have in common? And what changed when the Catastrophic dragons were created?"

"Hmm... I feel we have to study the abominations before we can see what is wrong."

[Hank McBadass]

The Courthouse, Titus

Titus was not afraid of the god, but he was called to help everyone including the gods. “Re is the Lord Beyond. It seeks to give order to this world. All the universe is sick and confused. It should be one but it is full of false distinctions with multiple consciousnesses all striving in opposite ways. Re seeks to help the Material Plane to realize its true nature. All I did was tell people about Re.”

Titus reached a bloody hand into his pocket and pulled out an illustrated piece of vellum that a scribe had prepared.

“If you want to know about Re, read this.”



(1) Re, The Lord Beyond has no form. He is great beyond mortal measure and the measure of the petty gods of the Material Plane. There are mere shadows of the Material Plane’s consciousness.

(2) Everything has its place and purpose. A rock is a rock and should act a rock. So too should a Fish be a fish, a man a man, and a dragon be a dragon. In such harmony is the true good.

(3) It is for some to rule and others to follow. Those who rule do so because of divine right, not mere political expedience. This does not mean that one has more dignity. A foot is not less of a person than his eye.

(4) While we appear separate, in reality all the world is one. Every god, mortal, inanimate object, even every thought is part of this structure. Only Re is outside it.

(5) This world is flawed because of its never ending strife between things that should recognize they are one. Re seeks to help us so that the universe can help understand itself. Now only the truly enlightened can do so. It is for the rest to labor in the attempt. Resistance to this mighty goal must be overcome.

[Yeshon]

"Hmm... I feel we have to study the abominations before we can see what is wrong."

"In all likelihood, yes, but I do not know how we would even begin to study them."

[ArcturusV]

Geth had been lost in thought since the routing of The Eye, paying little attention to his Sons, or much of the world around him. The outcome was unexpected, to be certain, and disturbing for various reasons which did not really include the loss of life.

"There is much to do. I shall leave this matter to you, my sons. Deal with this... prophet... however you deem appropriate. Work together to suppress any meddling from this Re."

With that, Geth nodded once at Titus, then at each of his sons. He started walking out of The Courthouse. Once free of the building, he let himself float up, gaining speed as he left the world behind, and headed towards his Moon, using the distance and solitude of that place to help focus his thoughts on what must be done.

"Emanuel and the others. This is against the very pact we swore. The Law was set. There must be reprisals for this transgression," he spoke softly to himself as he touched down on his moon.

Now where was Emanuel, and the others who had joined? His eyes turned towards the planet below, searching them out.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"In all likelihood, yes, but I do not know how we would even begin to study them."

Gragnar, after thinking for a while said. "First lets think logically. A tyrants would want subject without the knowledge or hope of freedom.."

"While we want it for everybody, Gragnar you are a genius. So it has to do with that. His are forced to follow his lead while I gave mine the choice."

[Yeshon]

Gragnar, after thinking for a while said. "First lets think logically. A tyrant would want subject without the knowledge or hope of freedom.."

"While we want it for everybody, Gragnar you are a genius. So it has to do with that. They are forced to follow his lead while I gave them the choice."

"Then the break in the dream is caused along the break of free will? Hmm, this is an important step, still, I think I would have to examine directly to understand how it could be repaired."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

"While this does sound important, but what about the Catastrophics themselves, we need more allies than the gnomes." Vendath says

"True, I should split myself to pursue two objectives at the same time." Ethidras creates a shard of her diplomatic self. "I will see to that task." the shard says as it flies off to the human lands.

[Darklady2831]

The Courthouse

Zagrath Mol took the vellum scroll in one hand, opening it and reading it. He scoffed, crumpling the paper and tossing it aside. "You've been deceived, Prophet. A Rock is not just a Rock. A rock is a tool, a thing to be shaped. A man is not but a man, for each man can be greater or lesser than another. Those who rule do so because they are strong, and those who follow do so because they have not the might to refuse those who rule. I am above Re, for your Re has blinded itself to the truth. All that exists does so because there is a hierarchy of power, and those who sit atop the hierarchy have the power to decree what is and is not." Zagrath Mol tightened his vice-grip, his eyes ablaze with power and malice. "And so you are condemned. Nevermore shall you see, hear, or feel the so called glory of your lord Re. Nevermore shall you speak his falsehoods and lies. Nevermore, shall you die. For all eternity, you shall live in squalor and misery for your part in the Heresy of Re." With that said, Zagrath Mol let loose a breath of black smoke into Titus's face. The smoke clung to his eyes and ears, surging into him and causing pain as his blood boiled within his veins. As the smoke finished it's work, Titus would feel a strange numbness as his soul fractured into pieces. wisps of soul energy flowed out of him and into the hand of Zagrath Mol.

The Lord of Domination tossed him aside, holding the soul shard in his clawed gauntlet. "Enjoy eternity, for you will never again feel the touch of Re, nor any of it's followers." The Lord of Domination smirked. "Malak, bring the Heretic. We have a fortress to construct."

14 AP - 3 AP = 11 AP
3 AP - Condemn - Titus's soul has been split in two. One part remains in his body, the other part is held by Zagrath Mol. Because of this split, Titus's senses have dulled. He is unable to feel warmth, joy, or any other strong positive emotion. His Soul being splintered and half held by Zagrath Mol allows the Lord of Domination to prevent Re from contacting Titus in any form other than direct physical manifestation.

[Ximilation]

Ilk looked back at the Kobold. "You called me. I am Ilk - here to help advance their society. The kobolds and all the others are growing, but they could evolve faster. Fishermen can exchange their fish for nets, woven by kobolds who have the leisure to follow. I will ensure they grasp the concepts, but then must see what other creatures inhabit this world, leaving them largely to their own devices.

Ilk dipped his finger in a small pool of water and began to trace sigils on the stone, formulating the idea of an exchange. However, he was soon distracted as he felt the primordial bond between he and his progenator snap, leaving him with many questions.

Where are you leaving to? .... Are there others like you?


Introduce concepts: Specialization and Trade.
I'm fine with these being general concepts introduced to all, but if 1 AP isn't enough I will limit it to kobolds for the time being. I assume those are 1 AP each. I'm unclear whether I gain benefit from rollover, so that either leaves me with 13 or 17 (15 -2 for actions, maybe +4 for rollover)

[Emperor Demonking]

Kob smiled before speaking "I agree with your goals. They are good goals. The advancement of the kobold society must be our primary goal. Still with those storms I am not sure that Kobolds will be able to make it to even as far as the equatorial islands without more help

"There are others like me. I have met two in a real way. My bother Yagar who gave the Kobolds the power of enchantment, and Mr. Silver who has a cult and an island chain north of here."

[Ximilation]

Perhaps they could help us as well. What do you know of this storm?

In the distance, down near the beach of Kob's island, a trio of the fisherman kobolds had broken away from the others and were beginning to weave a massive net from heavy sea kelp.

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, Scorn of the Flesh God

The God looked away once more from the frozen-over Goddess, although he did not leave, for he would make sure that she was actually thawed in his presence for once before she froze over once more. Thelonious felt happenings of two Gods occur upon some distant land, and with his divine sight he could see it with ease. There, upon that place, he beheld a thief of blood, his blood, a monster that consumed it for sustenance. Though Thelonious himself was a God of monstrous visage and very used to other monstrous things, this... abomination was not something he would let slide. He tore open a rift between the material and his Heart, leaving it open in case the Frozen Goddess would care to come through. There he began to craft. If thieves would steal his flesh, he would simply make something to combat these thieves, and tarnish the God who crafted them.

Slowly, but surely, a new being was being crafted to hunt and destroy these, "Vampires", as they were called.

[Emperor Demonking]

"I know nothing of the storm. Only that is the most fierce thing that I have seen on this part of the world, at least since the dragons appear to have vanished. Certainly it is more fierce then any god I have seen.

"Oh Yagar has helped immensely. The Yagarites" Kob paused for a moment realising that this manifestation of his thoughts delayed the forming of his own Kobites. "The Yagarites are the rock modern kobold society are built on. I do not think Mr. Silver holds any particular loyalty to the kobolds but he does owe me a favour."

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Emanuel bites his lip, for a moment uncertain; but, by his own principles, leaving the choice up to mortals is the only real option he has.

"I accept. If you do not mind, I would rather save my final question for a later date... I'm sure there is more I'll want to learn of you, in the future."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras, just hearing the god Geth speak about this, was curious.
"Hold on, my daughter, the Parthenon is asking something of us." she said to her.

She then flew up into the sky to speak with the others. "what is this transgression?"

[Elemental]

The Courthouse

"I am in disagreement Brother. It is necessary to keep the position of judge impartial such that justice may be dispensed without bias."
Still, Zanaphiel did not interject when Zagrath Mol interrogated Titus, instead catching the vellum scroll as it was tossed aside. He gently smoothed it out and read it slowly in order to properly understand it. It was flawed wisdom. Whomever this Re was, he or she did not truly understand the nature of reality or they did and wished merely to increase their own power through lies.
He was going to say something to this effect when his Brother pronounced both verdict and punishment. The usurpation of the authority granted by their father was bad enough, but he would discuss that later. For now, he needed to discuss punishment.
"Stop Brother. I believe the Demon Re has corrupted this man's mind. It is wrong to punish him so severely for the crimes of another. He is no more guilty than a man given poison to cloud his mind.
"Yes, let his soul be forever free from the lies of Re's influence, but do not take from him the solace of death. It is Law."

[Darklady2831]

The Courthouse

Zagrath Mol scowled, turning to face his brother. "Justice is relative." Titus's soul shard solidified into a gem, which Zagrath Mol placed onto his helm. "This mortal's punishment is an example to all heretics. Those who lie to their people about the very gods, shall be struck down and sentenced to misery. Do you disagree with such a verdict, oh brother?" Zagrath's last few words were almost spat out.

[Elemental]

The Courthouse

Zanaphiel rose to his full height, shorter than Zagrath but still taller than any man.
"Yes Brother. In this case I do."
His expression was stern and unyielding.

[ArcturusV]

"Ah... Ethidras. Not quite the first I expected to answer. But this is a grave enough matter I can put aside our... differences... for the sake of the Law."

Geth nodded towards Ethidras giving a slight moment of silence. "Those mortals I have gently guided have discovered a new divine being. One who is outside the bounds of our pact, and until now, outside my awareness. It calls itself Re."

Again, pausing to let things settle, or Ethidras to use his own resources to confirm what he was saying.

"This god being Re seems to be truly mad. At the very least, he does not accept the accords we joined together under. He uses his divine influence not merely to shape the world, but to warp the natural laws, playing those mortals under his thrall like puppets. Flaunting the Law of Mortality, and our Law about directly meddling with mortals."

"... I know you do not necessarily see the value of the Law. This is your nature. But surely you see the value in letting mortals have their free will. Letting them be more than mere puppets to our will."

"This is the Transgression I speak of."

"For now I am bound by our Laws not to directly intervene. But surely there must be a proper sanction for such a flagrant violation. At the very least, I think his temporary victory may only further embolden him."

[Queen Sapes]

The Xanitris Islands were coming along nicely, despite the problems that were inevitable in the establishment of utopia. The kobolds were extremely helpful with their knowledge, and where the kobolds couldn't do much of the heavy lifting required for building, the humans had easily done the job, if only for the fact that there were so many of them. Before long, one of the islands had been nearly cleared of foliage and covered in houses and shops, golden wood bridges spanning the waters to the three neighboring islands. There were docks on the shore, with a fair amount of rowboats for small, local fishing and travel to the more untamed islands that lacked bridges.

And yet, there were a few potential problems. No matter how many times Mr. Silver ran the calculations through his head, he always found that two problems would arise. The first was that eventually they would run out of supplies on the islands, and would have to find some way to supply themselves the necessities, although that problem could be put off until later, or when a solution arrived. The far more dangerous problem was the event Mr. Silver couldn't account for: the other gods. No matter how long or hard he focused upon the likeliness he could never find the probability of their arrivals or their actions, making the outside world unpredictable. A potential threat everywhere. He would have to fix that.

In his private palace of gold and diamond, Mr. Silver concentrated on his only solution to the problem, and with a roar of anger, split a fragment of his consciousness off, forming two of himself. After a brief glance at each other, one departed for the outside world, the other taking up his throne and sealing the door behind the other shard, fusing it to the wall it connected to.

"Perhaps that is the solution..." he mused to himself as he thought in his solitude.

The other shard flew on back towards the island ring at the middle of the planet, briefly acknowledging the presence of a new god speaking to Kob on his island as he flew past. He would have to find out who this man was. As he approached the human covered lands, Mr. Silver spotted a city where the deity known as "Geth" had been speaking to his humans. As he approached the city, he saw Geth depart the city for some reason, flying into the sky. Mr. Silver, taking great care to not be noticed by the god, followed into the sky and onto the moon. Once there, the dragon god, whom Geth addressed as "Ethidras" appeared, the two discussing some other being known to them as "Re". Mr. Silver would stay and eavesdrop on the two's conversation, but would have to take extra care not to be noticed by the two, and any others who may arrive.

[Emperor Demonking]

On Kob's Island two kobolds separated by mere metres did not acknowledge each other. Although they were performing the same action they were doing it for slightly different actions. The slightly older kobold was praying for good A, whilst the slightly younger kobold was praying for good B. Through Kob's power however the two heard each others prayer.

As luck would have it, the slightly older kobold had some spare B and the slightly younger some spare A; it would have been poor planning on Kob's part if it was otherwise. The two kobolds, using an unknown god's gift, traded their surplus ad heard a might voice in their heads, Kobolds must have the power to help one another, the willingness to help one another, and the loyalty to help one another. With that the formal Kob church had its seed planted.


3 AP = 5AP - 2AP Create Order: The Church of Kob

[Darklady2831]

The Courthouse, Sibling Rivalry

Zagrath glared at Zanaphiel. "You insolent little... I have passed judgement, that is all that needs to be said!" He roared the last few words, bringing a clawed gauntlet down towards his brother. "I guess I'll just beat the message into you!"

[TechnOkami]

Thelonious, Another Meeting, and a Frozen Goddess

The creature he had constructed was nearing the stages of its completion. However, for the full power of the creature to emerge, it would require a considerable amount of incubation time. And so, Thelonious left it under the care of his Flesh Angels to watch over its development. In the meantime, he could hear upon the whispers of the Divines above a single name which resonated with the up most disdain, for whatever the reason might have been... "Re". It seemed though that everyone was concerned with his Dogma, and none of them had actually went to meet the God himself. This perked a certain flesh God's interest in the matter, for meeting him sounded intriguing. However, he was yet with a Goddess who remained an Ice Block whenever he was in her presence. It was quite the predicament. So, Thelonious did the simplest thing he could, and took her with him to visit this "Re". He reached his right hand out, and calling upon the flesh that was his, the black bones it was composed of grew to a colossal size. It scooped up the ground beneath the Goddess, and thus the Goddess herself. With the frosty Divine in his skeletal maw, he strode forth to wherever this "Re" might have been.

Before Re were two Gods, one fleshy and composed of robes that beat with blood contained around black bones. The other a Goddess who seemed petrified as ice, frozen and unmoving upon a mound of earth. She nary twitched or moved. The black skeleton within the flesh spoke first.

"Re, I presume?"

[Elemental]

Sibling Rivalry at the Courthouse

It appeared that his older brother wished to dispute their inheritance with violence. While not exactly expecting this turn of events, Zanaphiel was not wholly unprepared. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided being impaled by Zagrath's spiked gauntlet. However, his reflexes were not so quick to avoid injury altogether and the claws left deep scratches across his chest, tearing through his judicial robe and staining his wings and Zagrath's armour with his divine blood.
"My own brother, a traitor! Has justice no meaning for you?"
The question being entirely rhetorical, he waited for no answer and instead put his wings to use for the first time by flying back from Zagrath. A nearby window shattered and the shards of glass flew to Zanaphiel's hand and formed into a makeshift spear. Gathering his strength, he flew straight at his traitorous brother, the air around him charged with lightning.
A foolhardy attack perhaps, but they were both of equal strength so he feared not his brother's inevitable counter attack.

[rweird]

A meeting with Kobolds

Avzald flew on the outstretched wings of storm, over the water, and came to an island, full of strange reptilian creatures. He approached, turning his storm into a funnel cloud, which strunk until it was the height of a kobold, Avzald landed by the Kobold gods, drawn by the sparks of divine power within each. The storm waits to speak, not knowing what to make of this situation.

[Yeshon]

The Parthenon

Oraesio followed her mother, and was just close enough to hear the tail end of Geth's answer.

"Not intervene? I thought the only ordinance was against us dominating the mortals' mind. I was under the impression guiding them was still allowed."

She didn't hear the part about guiding

Oraesio shook her head, "Apologies, this is not time to be arguing rules. How did the other violate Free Will?"

[ArcturusV]

"Stripping them of fear, pain, compassion, concern for those they called brother just moments before, all in a mad fervor of carnage," Geth answered smoothly. "I take the Laws seriously. I do guide my people, as you do. I allow them to make up their own minds though. I give them information, ideas, inspiration. But that is the limit."

"Thus we are left with a danger. Potentially serious, that should be dealt with sooner, rather than allowing it to gain strength later. At the very least, you should prepare your charges for this Re being. He seeks to twist our own creations against us."

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Ethidras looks to her daughter, "That can wait."

"Fear, pain, and compassion is easily removed with fanaticism, which is natural. are you sure he had a direct hand in this? she asks

[Preaplanes]

Hollykhin Brightstone was sweating with concentration, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth. A bead of sweat formed on her brow as she tightened the bolts. One, and then another, and then another.

The boiler was airtight, the cutoff valve in functional order, and the munitions catch was sound... she hoped. Oh well, trial and error never hurt anybody... well, never hurt anybody who wasn't a complete idiot.

She wasn't as stupid as her cousin. Now HE had mistakenly invented the hand grenade when he tried to see if he could contain a small gunpowder explosion in a metal case. That funeral was closed casket.

Holly had an onlooker, a large female Brass Dragon named Anatheras, watching curiously as she constructed and tinkered.

"I still don't see what you're making," the young adult said. As far as she could tell, she was making some kind of cooking pot with a tube coming out of it, with a rain catching basin.

"You will if you just give me a moment," Holly replied tiredly.

The dragons on the island had always kept to their own devices for the most part. The metallics would look on with a passing curiosity once in a while, and occasionally an injured or cowardly Catastrophic dragon would try to seek shelter in one of their homes, typically deciding that asking would be more difficult than torching the residents. Gnomes were no pushovers, though, taking a couple of them out with gunfire.

Now, though, the catastrophics were gone and the metallics' curiosity seemed to have turned into a genuine interest. Now Holly herself had a dragon watching her.

Holly turned the wrench one last time, making sure the bolt was nice and tight, lest the invention fling it away like a popgun. "There, that should do it," she said, getting to her feet. She put her hands on her hips, engine grease on her face, as she marveled at her handiwork.

"Behold! My Massive Multifire Munitions Machine!"

"Was the alliteration really necessary?" the dragon asked, eye ridge raised.

"Ugh, quit ruining my moment," the Gnome grumbled as she walked over to a nearby table. "Now, according to the blueprints, this should be complete, unless I missed something..." she said, eying a paper of carefully drawn schematics carefully. "... nope, I think I'm ready to test this."

"So explain to me again how this... drawing tells you what to do. It doesn't talk," the dragoness said, scraping up the small piece of paper and examining it.

"It's a blueprint. Those symbols are used to tell me what each mark means."

"So it's a magical device that tells you what to do?"

"Oh for Timeless... no, you illiterate lizard, I have to write it down first. It helps keep things organized and easy to remember, and that way other people can see exactly what I'm doing as well, so long as they can read. Now, PLEASE just sit back and watch the test," the engineer said exasperatedly.

Dragons had always been thought to be the dominant race on the continent, and it was true, they were, but they had also been thought to be a group above the Gnomes for a long time. As Holly was quickly learning, Dragons were not necessarily a superior species... at all.

"By all means," Anatheras replied as Holly grabbed a sizable box and placed it on a hopper. She took water and poured it into the boiler, before adding fresh coal to the burner, and the experiment was soon underway.


A loud hissing of steam sang through the air. "Now then," Holly said, grabbing the handle of the system and aiming it at a distant row of melons. "Let's see what this can do," she said, pulling the trigger.

A deafening series of bangs echoed throughout the valley as the first automatic weapon sprang into life. Holly moved the muzzle across the line, fruit exploding as she did so. The inventor was thrilled.

That is, until two thirds of the targets had been destroyed and there came a disappointing CLICK, indicating a misfire. She tried it again. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. The weapon no longer worked.

"Trouble in your own little world?" the dragon questioned with a false coyness. She was impressed, even a little frightened at the destruction the relatively tiny creature had orchestrated.

"I just don't know what went wrong," Holly bemoaned, checking her systems over. She opened the barrel's release and saw her answer. "Oh no... the steam overheated the casing and caused it to expand, then when the seal broke, the gunpowder got wet." She was disappointed. This invention had taken months to get to the prototype stage.

Anatheras laughed. "I'm sure you'll get it eventually," she said.

"Oh be quiet, lumbering lizard," Holly said with a smile, accepting the sentiment in her own way.

"Never, manic midget," the dragon replied with an unspoken 'you're welcome.' "Now, what exactly do you do to make the metal..."

[Darklady2831]

Sibling Rivalry at the Courthouse

Zagrath Mol clenched his fists as he missed. As Zanaphiel flew backwards, creating his spear, Zagrath Mol looked to the side, grabbing a pillar and tearing it apart to create a makeshift mace. "Traitor implies there is authority for me to betray!" He shouted charging at Zanaphiel head on, intent on smashing the spear apart and then hammering some sense into his younger brother. "Justice!" He said, swinging his mace in an uppercut, missing the spear by centimeters. "Is!" He shouted, twisting his body to avoid smashing into Zanaphiel at such a high speed. "RELATIVE!" He roared as his brother's spear impaled his leg, and his mace swung around in an attempt to hit the back of Zanaphiel's head.

[Hank McBadass]

On High Seas

Quincy

At last they had made it: this famed island of the Kobolds. They had heard rumors of these people from their early travels but it had been so long since they had seen signs of civilization. This had actually been a boon since the fires of the Kobolds had given them something to from miles away. Hopefully, these people would be more accepting of the truth than the rulers of the City-State.


Daniel

They had been sailing beam reach on a gentle breeze all day, making good time towards destinations unknown. As far as they could tell, they were the first ones to travel so far from Geth’s city. It was a sign from Re.

The wind started freshening. White caps formed on the waves. Daniel watched the lubbers start bob around on their inexperienced legs and let out a chuckle. Re forbid they see some real winds. Apparently Re did not interject.

Throughout the day, the wind slowly got stronger and stronger until it was no longer just the newbies who had trouble with their footing. The waves grew and even with the sails reefed the boat was leaning with the wind. The spray didn’t help much. Daniel began thinking about finding a shield from the wind and waiting the winds out. Part of their task was to map the ways and come up with landmarks for the return and that was becoming difficult. But they were making such good time he decided not to. The wind had moved directly behind them and big bastard of a boat was always best when running with the wind. Daniel goosewinged the sails.

Daniel first saw the storm when it was a long ways off but could tell it was a dred thing. He had never seen skys so dark. They looked as if they were solid and substantial in the waning light. After a few minutes it was clear the storm was coming straight for them. “Helmsman, bring us starboard. We need to avoid that mess.” There was open ocean that way.

But he couldn’t avoid it. Slowly, the wind was back behind them and the storm much closer. Daniel turned them back portside, again heading beam reach, but it was to no avail. The same thing happened. It was as if the storm was chasing them. Daniel was upset, they were majorly off course and all they could do now was wait it out. At least Re had given them the Horde to find their way again.

Then the boat jarred with a sickening crack before shooting forward. “Damn!” The sailors looked around in horror. They had run aground a shoal and broken the keel. “**** reef the sails! Reef the ****ing sails!” All a control of the ship was gone and with the wind and waves they needed to do all they could to lower the center of gravity of the ship. “Everyone else, below deck. Now! Now! Now! Get your asses in gear.”

Throughout the night Daniel and the crew fought to keep the ship upright. Monster waves pounded them and tossed the ship like it was nothing. Come morning, the storm had moved on, not run out, and was visible in the distance.

David sat in disbelief. Not at the demon storm – he had always suspected some of them were more malevolent than others – but at what was in front of them. An island more massive than David had ever seen. It was said Geth had built his city on the greatest Island in the world. That was false. The one before him seemed to never end. It went on for as far as the eye could see. Even more amazing was where the skys. Enormous birds with no feathers! One was heading straight for them. David considered calling everyone to arms. But there was no purpose. This was the only island around and they would not make it anywhere else. Maybe if they were still it would fly over.


Jaron

It had been smooth sailing for Jaron. For weeks they had been stopping at islands and telling the local villiges and tribes about Re, leaving a member of the flock ever so often to minister to the islands around them. A particularly large island was ahead. The lookout called down. “Sir, that one has water. I see a stream.”

“Good. Helmsman, take us ashore. We will refill our water store there.” Orderd Jaron. “Any villiages or people on the island?”

“Not that I can see, sir.”

Strange. It was such a nice island. Much better than some of the other’s they had found to be populated where people had to collect drinking water from the rain.

They came ashore and gathered water.

Jaron faced the crew and passangers. “We’ve been at sea for a long time. We will take shore leave here for a while.” Gather the spears and bows, we’ll go for a hunt.

Little did he know that the island was very much inhabited.

…

Meanwhile, back at the wall (of Geth’s City State).


Daniel to the Dragon and Gnome continent

Quincy to Kobold island

Jaron to Heerbos island.

[Ximilation]

Ilk watched the storm alter and approach. As it flew over the edge of Kob's island, he stood and looked over at Kob before returning his gaze to the cloud. Was it his imagination or was there something mystical and strange about the storm?

His question was soon answered as the storm collapsed in on itself and hovered nearby. Ilk wasn't prepared for this. He eyed the cloud skeptically and addressed it. Cloud from the horizon, what brings you to this island?

Ilk wasn't sure if he expected a response, but the cloud wanted something or it would not have landed at his feet.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Daniel

They had been sailing beam reach on a gentle breeze all day, making good time towards destinations unknown. As far as they could tell, they were the first ones to travel so far from Geth’s city. It was a sign from Re.

The wind started freshening. White caps formed on the waves. Daniel watched the lubbers start bob around on their inexperienced legs and let out a chuckle. Re forbid they see some real winds. Apparently Re did not interject.

Throughout the day, the wind slowly got stronger and stronger until it was no longer just the newbies who had trouble with their footing. The waves grew and even with the sails reefed the boat was leaning with the wind. The spray didn’t help much. Daniel began thinking about finding a shield from the wind and waiting the winds out. Part of their task was to map the ways and come up with landmarks for the return and that was becoming difficult. But they were making such good time he decided not to. The wind had moved directly behind them and big bastard of a boat was always best when running with the wind. Daniel goosewinged the sails.

Daniel first saw the storm when it was a long ways off but could tell it was a dred thing. He had never seen skys so dark. They looked as if they were solid and substantial in the waning light. After a few minutes it was clear the storm was coming straight for them. “Helmsman, bring us starboard. We need to avoid that mess.” There was open ocean that way.

But he couldn’t avoid it. Slowly, the wind was back behind them and the storm much closer. Daniel turned them back portside, again heading beam reach, but it was to no avail. The same thing happened. It was as if the storm was chasing them. Daniel was upset, they were majorly off course and all they could do now was wait it out. At least Re had given them the Horde to find their way again.

Then the boat jarred with a sickening crack before shooting forward. “Damn!” The sailors looked around in horror. They had run aground a shoal and broken the keel. “**** reef the sails! Reef the ****ing sails!” All a control of the ship was gone and with the wind and waves they needed to do all they could to lower the center of gravity of the ship. “Everyone else, below deck. Now! Now! Now! Get your asses in gear.”

Throughout the night Daniel and the crew fought to keep the ship upright. Monster waves pounded them and tossed the ship like it was nothing. Come morning, the storm had moved on, not run out, and was visible in the distance.

David sat in disbelief. Not at the demon storm – he had always suspected some of them were more malevolent than others – but at what was in front of them. An island more massive than David had ever seen. It was said Geth had built his city on the greatest Island in the world. That was false. The one before him seemed to never end. It went on for as far as the eye could see. Even more amazing was where the skys. Enormous birds with no feathers! One was heading straight for them. David considered calling everyone to arms. But there was no purpose. This was the only island around and they would not make it anywhere else. Maybe if they were still it would fly over.


The dragon flew over to the strange beings, seemed to be referred to as humans. She attempted to make it look like she meant no harm by slowly approaching them. She casted two spells, tongues and calm emotions. With the sailors calm, the silver dragon said, "Greetings, I am Karaglen of the dragons, welcome to our lands."