Neyla - The First World

[Rith]

Neyla

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4316483/)
Current Power Points: 12

What came before the voice, none know. All that is known is that, in the first instant of time, or perhaps a moment before it, in the infinitesimally complex inner workings of time and it's own self-interaction, the voice was heard. A bell ringing through a reality which had only just begun to exist.

Only very few actually heard this voice, and it is debatable whether those few could perceive it as a voice, and not simply as a great act of a great entity. There were the Myriad Ones, the Unnamed, the Pillar, the Lonely City, the Reincarnate, the Sorceress, and the Speaker itself, the timeless entity which conceived time, Chron.

From this voice, not even enough time after it to perceive a change in time, two lesser entities were spawned. The Unmovable One and the One Who Would Always Move began as the second act of the Speaker.

Then, in the final instant of the beginning, through the eyes of it's lesser children, the Speaker perceived a churning orb of molten stone. The sound of it's first great act had triggered formless acts, which had then formed into reality when the truth of it's second act gave limits to the universe, paradoxically infinite though those limits might be.

The Speaker sent it's children to witness this creation, the first stable object to exist, dark and raw as it was. They, not knowing what would happen when they were fully made manifest in reality, stood upon it's surface, each whole deity standing 4,000 kilometers from the other.

At first, the Unmovable One's place became a slab of stone which would never be moved, and the One Who Would Always Move's place erupted into an unstoppable cyclone of vaporized stone. However, the two opposites were so close together, that their influences ripped at one another, forcing themselves together and forming a single land of impossibilities.

The molten stone that had been before transmuted to platinum dust and quartz mountains to the horizon. These white stone fields and mountain ranges could not be chipped or rearranged by anything other than the express act of a divinity, yet the silvery winds wore them away, turning them to dust which added to the eternal sandstorm, and accumulated in great quartz & platinum sand deserts, which the influence of eons would eventually convert into more solid blocks of quartz, this time shot through with veins of metallic platinum which had been frozen with the stone. Nothing alive could ever find purchase on those rigid slopes, nor could anything less than indestructible ever survive those winds. Yet there would be life here, powerful, unstoppable life in the eons to come, far into the infinite future, and so, the Speaker spoke again, far softer, and lightning leapt in the sandstorm, lighting the platinum winds with white-blue light. A light which even changed the passage of time. Within the edges of the wind, a 100 years would pass, yet outside, not even a single year would have gone by.

6 points on Shape Land to make a series of fields and mountain ranges made of nothing but quartz and platinum.

6 points on Shape Weather to cover the quartz land with eternal sandstorms of platinum and quartz sand which tear anything and everything to shreds, and which flash eternally with white-blue lightning. This sandstorm also speeds up time within it, at a ratio of 100:1. Also, the land is made ultra indestructible, so that only a force as strong as the winds or stronger can alter them.

Current Power Points: 3
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4316514/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/qzf8obp.png

Neyla is a planet considerably larger than Earth, with Earth being about 40,000 kilometers in circumference, and Neyla being about 54,000 kilometers in circumference. Neyla is currently almost entirely volcanic wasteland, save the bit which Chron has already editted. On Neyla, "1 inch" equates to 3,000 kilometers, so a 1 in diameter circle is almost exactly the same surface area as the Amazon Basin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Basin). The rounds in Neyla will be as follows:

First Age: Rounds will be 10,000 years to 1,000,000 years, depending on what exactly takes place in the round.
Second Age: Rounds will be 100 years to 10,000 years, depending on what exactly takes place in the round.
Third Age: Rounds will be 1 year to 100 years, depending on what exactly takes place in the round.

The current round lasts until 8 am, Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, November 27th.

Power | First Age | Second Age | Third Age

Shape Land, 1" |
3 |
5 |
8

Shape Weather, 1" |
3 |
5 |
8

Create Life |
0 |
-- |
--

Create Race |
22 |
6 |
15

Create Subrace |
12 |
4 |
10

Create Hybrid Race |
11 |
3 |
9

Command Race |
8 |
4 |
3

Command City° |
6 |
4 |
2

Advance Civilization |
10 |
5 |
6

Advance City |
8 |
4 |
5

Create Cult |
8 |
6 |
4

Create Order |
8 |
6 |
4

Command Order° |
4 |
3 |
2

Create World|
7 |
9 |
12

Create Avatar |
10 |
7 |
8

Command Avatar° |
2 |
1 |
1

Create Demigod |
7 |
5 |
9

Command Demigod° |
2 |
1 |
1

Event |
10 |
7 |
5

Catastrophe, 1" |
10 |
10 |
10

° Only once per target per turn.

Shape Land: This power results in the creation, modification, or erosion of mountains, hills, lakes, streams, rivers, deserts, tundra, steppes, floating mountains, glass fields, bottomless oceans, volcanoes, colossal underground tunnels, pillars of flaming diamond, and other land forms. On the game map, this power allows the creation of land forms within a "1 inch" diameter area. General climate is also encompassed by this power, so an area that would be plains can also be tundra, via lowering of the temperature, desert, via raising the temperature and lowering the moisture, or swamplands, via the increase of moisture. This power can not create any form of life, however, so forests and similar options are not applicable land forms.
Shape Weather: This power acts in a similar way to the Shape Land power, but where Shape Land instills common yearly weather patterns, Shape Weather can do much more, such as creating a permanent hurricane on top of an island, resulting in a desert which will never ever see rainfall, making an area rain blood and salt once every thousand years, even locking the air and water currents in an area of ocean into eternal motionlessness, or anything else that a player could dream up. This power affects a 1" area, like Shape Land. This power can also be used in conjunction with Create Life towards a separate effect.
Create Life: This power results in the creation of a simple lifeform, such as some type of fish, tree, grass, reptile, or anything of similar complexity. The life functions to the specifications of the creating god, though no life which would naturally result in major world developments or alterations to things outside the creating god's power, can be created. This life can be sentient, but not sapient, and also cannot be used as a resource within the mechanics of the game. However, it can still be used as a resource within the flavor of the world, as a tree can still be used to make a house. Life created with this power will spread into any location which can sustain it, across the entire world, inside one round, resulting in wasteland turning to grasslands when grass is created, or becoming grand forests when trees are created, or some mixture there of. Due to the nature of life, borders of terrain areas will slowly shift over the years, with any one particular area going from forest to grassland to fungus-jungle repeatedly inside a few hundred years. However, an area affected by the Shape Weather power can make one form of life more prevalent in an area, turning it into permanent jungle or kelp forests or coral reef or anything else, though the exact shape will still be in flux, just the same.
Create Race: This power effects the creation of one race (a mother race), such as a race of magma-elementals, a race of desert-dwelling dust men, a race of rat-people, or anything else you could imagine. The more details given concerning a race's appearance, biology, social structure, and capabilities, the better. Each race must be given a starting point in a world where they begin to build their civilization.
Create Subrace: This power is used for the creation of new races descending from an existing race. For example, elves may be split into wood elves, then desert elves, then cave elves, each being it's own respective subrace. Any number of subraces can exist, having split off of a single mother race, and each subrace immediate gains any technology that has been ingrained into the mother race's racial identity For example, dwarves and all dwarf subraces are known for their mining. See Command Race for more details on ingraining technologies.
Create Hybrid Race: Via this power, two races are brought together to create a new race, half of one and half of the other. For example, half-orcs are the result of a coupling between a human and an orc. Any two mother races can be brought together to create a hybrid, Subraces and other Hybrids can also be brought together on occasion. The default answer to a hybrid with even a single parent which is not a mother race is that it cannot be done. However, if all other players admit that they do not mind the hybrid be made, then it can go ahead. Note, however, that a hybrid race is different from races and subraces in one key aspect. Where only the creating god would normally gain the ability to use Command Race upon the new race without an order or cult in it, with hybrid races, the creator of each parent race as well as the creating god of the hybrid itself gain this privelage. Hybrid races immediate gain any technology that has been ingrained into either of it's parent races' racial identities. See Command Race for more details on ingraining technologies.
Command Race: Via this power, a god can, either subtly or directly, influence a race to action. A god can use this power on any race he has directly created, or, in certain cases, on hybrid races. He can also use this power on any race he has created an order within, and never on a race he has created a cult within. Just about anything a race could do, can be commanded via this power. Though, some of the most common options are as follows:
Found City: This action is just as it sounds: it directs the race to found a city of some sort. A city can fit any description, be it a grand series of tunnels hidden far below the surface of the world, a tribe that migrates from place to place, carrying their tents with them, or even just a standard city. Remember, however, that cities founded via this action are major cities, and small towns or hamlets are either entirely independent of the Command Race power, or are founded via the settle territory action.
Form Alliance: This action can only be used by the creator god of the race being Commanded, and allows a general hand of friendship to be extended from the race in question towards any other particular race. In order for the alliance to be formed, the other race must accept the alliance via it's own creator god via manifesting this power to accept. Should the alliance be formed, the two races are then open for political interaction and trade, and armies can even be donated from one race to another at no point cost. However, should an army belonging to one side of the alliance attack an object belonging to the other, the alliance is broken, and can only be reformed via the creator god of the defending race acknowledging that the alliance has been reformed, though such an acknowledgement requires no point expenditure.
Ingrain Technology: This can only be performed by the creator of a race which possesses at least one Technology of its own (i.e. gained through Advance Civilisation, not through Trade or Event or Political Maneuver). It causes the Technology to become a defining part of the race's identity, to the point that the race is practically inseparable from the Technology; thus, it cannot be taken lightly. A race may only ever have 3 Ingrained Technologies, whether these are its own or inherited from an ancestor. The benefit of this is that, whenever a race is counting Technologies for any reason, their own Ingrained Technologies count as two Technologies each. This benefit applies to technologies the race either Ingrained itself, or inherited from an ancestor (see below) but not to technologies acquired through trade. So, if Elves made a trade to learn the Ingrained Technology of Mining from their Dwarf neighbours, they would only count it as +1, because it is ingrained into Dwarves and Elves did not inherit it. If a Hybrid Race or Subrace is spawned from a race or races which already has at least one Ingrained Technology, it must - free of cost - inherit at least one Ingrained Technology from each of its ancestors and may, as decided by their creator at the moment of their creation, inherit up to three, total - again, free of cost. These count as the descendant race's own Ingrained Technologies for all purposes, importantly including the limit of three; thus, many descendant races will refuse to inherit all the defining parts of their ancestors, making room for their own divergent identity. If a Hybrid Race or Subrace is spawned from a race which later Ingrains one of its Technologies, and they do not already have three Ingrained Technologies, their creator may spend 1 point to have them inherit it retroactively. Alternately, if the creator of a Hybrid Race or Subrace decides after one turn has passed that they do, after all, want their creation to inherit a technology they initially refused, they may spend 1 point to inherit it retroactively. In either case this decision may be made at any time, so long as the inheriting race does not already have 3 Ingrained Technologies.
Settle Territory 1": This action functions in a similar way to found city, but instead of a small area with high population density, this power creates a large settled area, a "1 inch" diameter circle, with an overall low population density. This settled territory grants a few benefits, such as allowing trade routes between civilizations to be secure, and, if a major city is inside the "1 inch" area, this territory creates a buffer zone around that city, which prevents opposing armies from reaching the city unless that "inch" of territory is taken first.
Create Wonder: This action directs the creation of some magnificent creation, be it a weapon, a city-sized library, a brilliant form of entertainment, some type of magic talisman which is mass produced and betters the lives of the entire race, or anything else the god could dream up.
Command City: This power directs one single city to do something. A god can only manifest this power upon a city which has a considerable population of a race the god could command with Command Race. This power can result in anything that the player could imagine, but what follows are a few options which have already been defined:
Raise Army: This action results in the city raising one army. The army could be of any description, be it a thousand flying monks, fifty thousand mounted Kobolds in armor, or simply twenty four highly trained warriors. However, as a rule, in a vacuum, without any influence on a battle beyond the existence of the armies involved, no one army is any stronger than another. Armies are very useful pieces in the game when it comes to destruction and preservation, capable of destroying just about anything, or stopping the destruction of something, provided they aren't impeded. An army lasts forever, new recruits filing in to replace retired or deceased soldiers, until the army is defeated in combat. Unless otherwise instructed, an army will simply train and patrol the place they were created in, fighting only if another army impedes on the location in an aggressive manner. Only the god who ordered the creation of an army can give it instructions. Giving an army an instruction requires no action, simple acknowledgement is required before the instruction is immediately acted upon, inside the same round that the instruction was given, unless somehow impeded. The possible instructions that an army can be given are 'attack' and 'defend'. An army cannot be given the 'attack' option in the same turn that it's raised. An army can 'attack' or 'defend' a city, a territory, an order, a cult, an avatar, a demigod, or another army. Unless another army has been given specific instructions to defend something that an army is attacking, or unless that something is itself another army, the attack is immediately successful. In the case of cults and territories, this means that all cultists or settlers of that territory are either wiped out or captured. In the case of cities, avatars, and orders this means that the something being attacked is defeated and the attacking army takes possession of it, while all gods who could have issued commands to that object, except the god commanding the attacking army, are cut off from it, unable to give it commands until the invading army is defeated, or leaves without being replaced by another god. Should an army start and end an entire round in possession of a city, avatar, or order, the god in command of that army can have the army destroy the city or order, or kill the avatar. Combat with a demigod is explained in Command Demigod. Should two armies come into conflict with one another, each player rolls 2d6, adding +1 for each combat-applicable technology the armies native race might have, +1 for each combat-applicable wonder or structure that might help the army, +1 to the defending army, +1 for each avatar fighting with the army, -1 for each battle previously fought by the army in the same round, and -2 for each other object previously attacked by the army in the same round. The winner of the roll wins the battle and can then immediately be instructed to take another action. The loser of the roll, on the other hand, is defeated, and the army is scattered and stops existing, though a new army can be raised and be said to be the same army, with the few survivors finding new recruits. An army can attack any location they could logically gain access to, and can defend any avatar that consents to the defense, but can only defend cities, territories, cults, and orders of their own race or of a race the army has been donated to.
Political Maneuver: This action is very morphic, doing anything from stealing armies to introducing a new population to a city to combatting another political maneuver. Simply put, the leadership of the city-being-commanded influence the people of the world towards an end, whatever it may be. This action can effect the game in any number of ways, and is left intentionally open-ended, so the player can invent new options as the game is played, but to give a few ideas of the power level of this action, it can detain a friendly army indefinitely, detain an enemy army for 1d6 rounds, deny a cult the +1 power point it gives to it's god, secure trade relations with better terms for the maneuvering side, or bring in members of another race into a city so that a city is as much their's as it is the city maker's. If a political maneuver has been performed and a god wishes to oppose it, they need simply declare as much on the turn the maneuver is performed. At this point, the maneuvering city and the defending city or order each roll 1d6 plus an additional +1d6 for each diplomacy-applicable technology, wonder, or structure that might help the objects involved in the political maneuver. When posting, the maneuvering player may at their option simply assume that their maneuver will be opposed and roll for both sides accordingly. If they do, the player maneuvered against may still withdraw their opposition regardless of how the dice fell. In and of itself, opposing a political maneuver costs no points.
Trade: This action can only be taken by the god who ordered a city to be founded, and directs the city to initiate a trade agreement with another city. In order for this trade agreement to be possible, the two city's races must have an alliance with one another, and it must be possible to draw a line on the game map from the one city to the other which goes through only easily travelled terrain, and which goes through no more than 1" of unsettled territory. Extremely easily travelled terrain, like ocean or similar, counts as settled territory for this purpose. Should something change, such as too much territory becoming unsettled, a Shape Land creating a mountain chain right in the path that is usually traveled, or an alliance becoming broken, then the trade agreement is canceled until all conditions are met again, at which point it is added back. What the trade agreement does, however, is allow technologies and products of wonders or structures to be traded, back and forth. For example, suppose one city was advanced in woodwork and the other had a wonder which produced perfect diamonds. A player choose this action could suggest, as part of the manifestation of Command City, "Woodwork for Diamonds" as the end result. If the other player consents to this arrangement, then he merely needs to manifest Command City to accept, and both cities would now have access to both woodworks and perfect diamonds, as though the technology/wonder had been given to both of them. Any number of items can be included in a trade agreement, so five technologies/wonders could be offered on both sides with only a single manifestation of Command City. However, once agreed upon, there are only two ways add or take away something from the agreement. The first is by manifesting Command City (Trade) again, and making a new offer. If the new offer is rejected, the old one stands, though if the new offer is accepted, then the old trade agreement between those two particular cities is overwritten completely. The other way is via a political maneuver, which can only take away techs/wonders from one side or the other, and it can never completely take away all techs/wonders from one particular side. An alliance can also be broken in order to sever a trade agreement.
Create Structure: This action directs the creation of some magnificent location or structure, such as a colossal wall made of steel and miles long, or a temple of particular beauty, or a city street of nothing but theaters where the best plays of all time originate, or a four-and-a-half mile tall tower, or anything else the god could dream up. Please note however, that structures and wonders are interchangeable, but structures can only benefit the city they are built in or that trade for the benefit of the structure, not the entire race, as a wonder usually would.
Advance Civilization: This power causes a Civilization to gain expert knowledge of a given science or magic. These might include tactics necromancy, weather control, mining, orichalicum, bladecrafting, steam power, writing, literacy, philosophy, logic, sculpture, dance, theater, or the like. So long as that civilization persists, it will always be the greatest in this field, and no other civilization can be advanced with a tech of the same name, though the tech can be traded via Command City. Other races can still utilize the tech, but simply not at the same skill level.
Advance City: This power functions almost exactly like Advance Civilization, except it only applies to a single city, and should that city be wiped out, the tech is wiped out along with it, and the tech can only be recovered via an Event, or, should a new city be built in the same location with the same name, via Command Order (Miracle). Technologies given to a particular city are often different from technologies given to an entire civilization, and are more oriented towards available materials than they are towards knowledge of how something works. Goldwork as opposed to Metallurgy for example.
Create Cult: A god with this power may use it to create a cult within a civilization or race. A cult is a group of individuals who use dubious and often down rite evil methods to empower a god. As such, they often vilify that deity in the eyes of most other members of the race, thereby preventing the creating god from using the "Command Race" power on the race in question, and similarly preventing them from using "Command City" on any city with a population of only that race. However, there is also a flip side to this, and a god receives +1 to each power roll for each cult he or she has created, up to a maximum of +3 at three cults. With fewer members and such a dark reputation, it can be very easy for a cult to be completely destroyed should action be taken against them. A god can only have a single cult in any one race.
Create Order: A god uses this power to create an order of people within a civilization or race. An order can be a major organization of any sort, be it a religious sect, a military force, or even a guild of some description. A god may have any number of orders in any number of races, though having multiple orders in a single race generally has no tangible benefit.
Command Order: Via this power, a god instruct an order he has created to do something. This can be anything a player could imagine, however, there are a few options which are likely to be the most commonly used:
Raise Army: This action results in the order raising one army. The army could be of any description, be it a thousand flying monks, fifty thousand mounted Kobolds in armor, or simply twenty four highly trained warriors. However, as a rule, in a vacuum, without any influence on a battle beyond the existence of the armies involved, no one army is any stronger than another. Armies are very useful pieces in the game when it comes to destruction and preservation, capable of destroying just about anything, or stopping the destruction of something, provided they aren't impeded. An army lasts forever, new recruits filing in to replace retired or deceased soldiers, until the army is defeated in combat. Unless otherwise instructed, an army will simply train and patrol the place they were created in, fighting only if another army impedes on the location in an aggressive manner. Only the god who ordered the creation of an army can give it instructions. Giving an army an instruction requires no action, simple acknowledgement is required before the instruction is immediately acted upon, inside the same round that the instruction was given, unless somehow impeded. The possible instructions that an army can be given are 'attack' and 'defend'. An army cannot be given the 'attack' option in the same turn that it's raised. An army can 'attack' or 'defend' a city, a territory, an order, a cult, an avatar, a demigod, or another army. Unless another army has been given specific instructions to defend something that an army is attacking, or unless that something is itself another army, the attack is immediately successful. In the case of cults and territories, this means that all cultists or settlers of that territory are either wiped out or captured. In the case of cities, avatars, and orders this means that the something being attacked is defeated and the attacking army takes possession of it, while all gods who could have issued commands to that object, except the god commanding the attacking army, are cut off from it, unable to give it commands until the invading army is defeated, or leaves without being replaced by another god. Should an army start and end an entire round in possession of a city, avatar, or order, the god in command of that army can have the army destroy the city or order, or kill the avatar. Combat with a demigod is explained in Command Demigod. Should two armies come into conflict with one another, each player rolls 2d6, adding +1 for each combat-applicable technology the armies native race might have, +1 for each combat-applicable wonder or structure that might help the army, +1 to the defending army, +1 for each avatar fighting with the army, -1 for each battle previously fought by the army in the same round, and -2 for each other object previously attacked by the army in the same round. The winner of the roll wins the battle and can then immediately be instructed to take another action. The loser of the roll, on the other hand, is defeated, and the army is scattered and stops existing, though a new army can be raised and be said to be the same army, with the few survivors finding new recruits. An army can attack any location they could logically gain access to, and can defend any avatar that consents to the defense, but can only defend cities, territories, cults, and orders of their own race or of a race the army has been donated to.
Political Maneuver: This action is very morphic, doing anything from stealing armies to introducing a new population to a city to combatting another political maneuver. Simply put, the leadership of the order-being-commanded influence the people of the world towards an end, whatever it may be. This action can effect the game in any number of ways, and is left intentionally open-ended, so the player can invent new options as the game is played, but to give a few ideas of the power level of this action, it can detain a friendly army indefinitely, detain an enemy army for 1d6 rounds, deny a cult the +1 power point it gives to it's god indefinitely, secure trade relations with better terms for the maneuvering side, or bring in members of another race into a city so that a city is as much their's as it is the city maker's. If a political maneuver has been performed and a god wishes to oppose it, they need simply declare as much on the turn the maneuver is performed. At this point, the maneuvering order and the defending city or order each roll 1d6 plus an additional +1d6 for each diplomacy-applicable technology, wonder, or structure that might help the objects involved in the political maneuver. When posting, the maneuvering player may at their option simply assume that their maneuver will be opposed and roll for both sides accordingly. If they do, the player maneuvered against may still withdraw their opposition regardless of how the dice fell. In and of itself, opposing a political maneuver costs no points.
Miracle: This action is, in a way, a miniature Event. Via this action, the order manifests some small portion of the god's power, and through this, a city could go into hiding, up to a hundred wounded or plagued members of a race could be instantly cured and made whole, perhaps an iron mine is found, or a single man is transported from a god's personal plane into the main world. A single stone could be made sentient or maybe some wonder entrusted to the order is hidden somewhere in the world, waiting for the time when it is needed. It's all up to the imagination of the player.
Create Structure: This action directs the creation of some magnificent location or structure, such as a colossal wall made of steel and miles long, or a temple of particular beauty, or a city street of nothing but theaters where the best plays of all time originate, or a four-and-a-half mile tall tower, or anything else the god could dream up. (Please note that structures and wonders are interchangeable, but structures can only benefit the order they are built for, not the entire race, as a wonder usually would.)
Create World: Through this power, the god creates a world, a plane in the cosmology of the larger world, where he is the dominant god, capable of affecting things easier than other deities. When he makes this world, he immediately decides upon it's size, terrain, and weather, and does not have to spend points on the equivalent powers. The god who created this world receives a 1 point discount on any power other than Advance Civilization or Advance City which he directs at the interior of the world, and other deities find that, while able to direct most powers at the same cost to the interior of the world, he cannot manifest any "Create" powers, such as Create Cult or Create Hybrid Race. However, these benefits are counteracted by the fact that the plane is far removed from the main world, or any other world, so any creation that lives in this world is not capable of interacting with those that live on other worlds, unless some power, such as an event or miracle, brings them into another world. The same works in reverse as well, so miracles or events are required for anything from another world to travel into and then interact with this plane. Any particular god can create only one world during the progression of the game.
Create Avatar: Through this power, the god creates an embodiment of his divine will in the world. This embodiment could be a major figure in history, such as a dynasty ruling a nation or a colossal landmark such as a giant tree, or they could be simple, innocuous figures, such as a lone wanderer on the road or a network of shrines dispersed through a nation. A god can have any number of avatars, but each time he or she makes a new one, it costs 5 extra points for every other avatar he has. If slain or wiped out, an avatar may be resurrected or reestablished by the creating player for 5 points.
Command Avatar: A god can, once per turn per avatar he possesses, command that avatar to take action. An avatar so commanded can perform one of the following actions:
Command City: This action functions exactly like the power of the same name.
Create Order/Cult: This action functions exactly like the power of the same name.
Command Order/Cult: This action functions exactly like the power of the same name.
Command Race (Create City): This action is just as it sounds: it directs the avatar to direct a race to found a city of some sort. A city can fit any description, be it a grand series of tunnels hidden far below the surface of the world, a tribe that migrates from place to place, carrying their tents with them, or even just a standard city. Remember, however, that cities founded via this action are major cities, and small towns or hamlets are either entirely independent of the Command Race power, or are founded via the settle territory action or via the Command City power.
Create Race: Any particular avatar may only take this action once, though it functions exactly like the power of the same name.
Create Demigod: Through this power, the god adds a child of his into the world. A god can have any number of demigods in the world, though if one is defeated in combat by an army or another demigod, it is lost as a demigod. Demigods can be anything, from a single man with incredible strength who never ages, to a giant cyclops who lives in the mountains, to a race of angels or dragons or demon hounds that wanders about the world, to something eldritch and strange, like Scylla or Charybdis. Though, mechanically speaking, when a god creates a demigod, they must choose from one of the following types of demigod:
Beowulf: This type of demigod is the most standard demigod. It rolls 4d6 in combat and has no unusual restrictions or advantages.
Hercules: This type of demigod is potentially very powerful, but begins at a lower overall power level. In combat, the Hercules rolls 3d6, and adds a flat +X modifier to the roll, where X is the number of previous combats it has partaken in.
Achilles: This type of demigod is very resilient, but not altogether excellent on the offense. The Achilles rolls 3d6 in combat, but even if it loses a combat, unless it rolled a flat 3 on the dice, it manages to survive and only be forced to retreat from that combat. If the combat is due to a territory it inhabits being attacked and it is forced to retreat, the territory becomes uninhabited for the remainder of the round, after which Achilles returns, unless something is occupying that territory, like another demigod's inhabited territory, in which case the Achilles can be made to inhabit another area.
Black Knight: A very useful demigod, the Black Knight rolls 3d6 in combat, and gains the "Lead the Charge" subuse of Terrorize.
Monkey King: Incapable of offense, but incredibly strong, the Monkey King rolls 6d6 in combat, but loses the "Terrorize" use of Command Demigod. Although, it also gains the "Shelter" subuse of Inhabit Territory.
Fenrir: Pure offense, without concern for any utility or ability to defend, the Fenrir rolls 4d8 in combat, but loses the following uses of Command Demigod: "Inhabit Territory", "Command Order", and "Terrorize: (Capture)".
Command Demigod: Via this power, the god instructs his children to take some manner of action in the world. A few examples are as follows:
Terrorize: This action directs the demigod to act as an army for one round and to attack one object. A demigod does not roll 2d6, like armies, however, and instead rolls the combat roll specified in it's Demigod types listing, never adding or subtracting anything from the roll. Terrorize allows the demigod to act on the attack for one round, but it always acts as a defending army when being attacked. The Monkey King cannot use this function of Command Demigod. The Fenrir is not limited to the usual once-per-round restriction of this power, and instead has a three-times-per-round restriction.
Lead the Charge: Using this ability, targeted at an army, the Black Knight, instead of attacking that army, allies itself with that army instead, offering it a +1d6 bonus to combat for the remainder of the round. However, if the army is defeated while the Black Knight is allied with it, the Black Knight is killed, as though it had lost a combat straight-up. Only one Black Knight can be allied with any given army at a time.
Capture: Using this ability, targeted at an object other than an army, any Non-Fenrir demigod takes control of that object rather than merely slaughtering its defenders. If conquered (all defending entities of that object being defeated), then on the following round, a captured object counts as being held by that demigod for an entire turn for the purpose of destruction of that object, assuming that an entire turn has indeed passed. If the capturing demigod is defeated before that turn has passed, the captured object is freed.
Command Order: This action functions exactly like the power of the same name. The Fenrir cannot use this function of Command Demigod.
Inhabit Territory 1": This action creates a large settled area, a "1 inch" diameter circle, which serves as the land of the demigod. This settled territory grants a few benefits, such as allowing trade routes between civilizations to be secure, if the demigod wishes it, and, if a major city that the demigod is friendly towards is inside the "1 inch" area, this territory creates a buffer zone around that city, which prevents opposing armies from reaching the city unless that "inch" of territory is taken first, and the demigod killed (or forced to retreat in the case of the Achilles). It also ensures that the demigod will always be able to terrorize any city inside it's territory, beyond the "once per turn" limit, if it so wishes. Note, however, that any particular demigod can only ever have 1" of territory, and once it's locked in, it is permanent, regardless of how many creatures make up the demigod. A demigod is always acting as an army defending it's own territory. The Fenrir cannot use this function of Command Demigod.
Shelter: Using this ability, the Monkey King can be directed to defend more than territories and cities, but also Avatars, Cults, Orders, and even Wonders (It would defend in any case where the Monkey King feels that the Wonder is passing into the hands of an unworthy army, fighting the army which is trying to obtain the Wonder). A Monkey King can have a single inhabited territory as well as a single sheltered object at a time. However, unlike with territories, a sheltered object can be shifted at any time via remanifestation of Shelter.
Event: Through this power come the changing of fortunes for an avatar, demigod, order, or civilization. A wonder or technology may be lost, a race could go into hiding, a mortal might gain immortality and begin influencing the world for himself, perhaps an orichalicum mine is found, or an entire army is transported, inhabitants and all, from a god's personal plane into the main world. A land form could be made sentient, a never-ending storm is quelled long enough for an army to travel through, or maybe some cache of power is hidden somewhere in the world, waiting for the time when it is needed. Almost anything can be done with this power.
Catastrophe: By this power, the gods express their wrath. From country-wide desiccation to all the animals in a part of the world going mad and trampling everything to a structure or wonder collapsing to an avatar dying of old age in his bed, this power brings ruin upon them all by whatever clever mechanism the player can imagine.

Can I Advance a civilization with a technology which does something other than provide bonuses to military or political interactions?
Strictly speaking, yes you can. However, it is uncertain how new alterations with the rules will interact, so it is highly recommended that you abstain from introducing new technology benefits into the game. Also, before any such new technology is utilized, all players must review and approve the idea, to make sure that everyone is fine with it.

Can a technology be both useful in politics as well as military?
Yes, this is entirely possible.

When do the military penalties apply?
An army receives -1 for each battle it has fought inside the same round, as well as -2 for each object is was directed to attack inside the same round. There is a small distinction here. If an army is directed to attack a city, and as a result find themselves fighting against three armies in a row, on the second battle the army will receive -1, and on the third the army will receive -2, because the game only counts the number of armies fought, and the army was only directed to attack a single city. However, given that instruction, the army will continue fighting until it's either defeated or it takes the city. Alternatively, if an army is directed to attack an army guarding one city, then an army guarding a second city, and then an army guarding a third city, the second battle will have the army at -3, while the third will have the army at -6. This is because the army was directed to attack a single army three times. Each battle gave -1 and each direction gave -2.

How do Wonders work?
That's several questions, really.

Who can benefit from a Wonder?
It depends on the flavour.
A Wonder that is essentially a single, portable item, such as a drum which causes earthquakes, can give the benefit to anyone who would reasonably be in the vicinity of that item - for example, all armies of an alliance that are in the same strike force, even though not all of them are the same race.
A Wonder which is essentially a technological achievement and/or place of learning, such as a great garden full of all the poisons in the world, can give the benefit to all members of the race that holds it - potentially even in the event of a civil war. In the example of the garden of poisons, absent further assumptions, the rebels could still have a stockpile of poisons from before they revealed they were rebels to justify getting the benefit.

Can a Wonder take effect in the turn it is created?
Yes. So, if you attack, get attacked, perform a Political Maneuver, or anything else the Wonder would affect in the same turn as creating that Wonder, you still get the bonus.

Can I stop a Wonder being taken if the city it's in falls or the army carrying it is defeated?
Depends on the flavour. So long as you can justify it in the narrative, a Wonder can be moved out of a city or given to another army as applicable. However, if the Wonder itself is successfully attacked by an army, then it is lost.

Why would I make Technologies instead of Wonders?
Wonders can be taken from you for fewer points. Removing a Technology from the game requires an Event, while removing a Wonder requires a less impressive Miracle at best, or a simple declaration from an army that has held it for a full round at worst. Stealing a Technology requires a Political Maneuver which costs points and may be opposed, and still leaves you with a copy of the Technology; stealing a Wonder requires Armies to attack it, which costs no points if you already have an army.
Wonders cannot be Ingrained, reducing the narrative potential for their spread - especially if you make use of Hybrid Races or Subraces.
Wonders cannot propagate. That is, if you give away a Wonder in trade, it's gone, whereas if you give away a Technology in trade, you still have a copy of it.

My Wonder's flavour says it is permanently affixed to a certain location or person. Does that override the rules for Events or Miracles making it "lost"?
No. It is advised that you structure the narrative such that this loss could have some reflection while being mechanically justified. For example, if you had a warrior who had fused with a magical ocarina which made him powerful enough to be a one-man army, and someone else used a Miracle to take the ocarina away, then this would extract a fraction of its power from him - enough that he no longer gets a mechanical benefit for it compared to a more conventional army.

Events and Miracles can remove Wonders from the game or put them back into the game. What's the limit on this?
Generally, a single Miracle can either remove one Wonder from the game, return it to the game, or move one Wonder from one location to another. For example, a Miracle could shift a single unholy ocarina from one plane to another.
Generally, a single Event can remove one Wonder from the game, return up to three Wonders to the game, or move an unlimited number of existing Wonders from one plane to another. As Event is an inherently broad move, it is advised you ask on the OOC thread if you want to go further than this - for example, if you wanted to move many Wonders from plane A to plane B, and also move a Wonder from one place in plane B to another place in plane B, you would do well to ask in the OOC if anyone has a problem with your specific plans.

Suppose I put forward an alliance or a trade but the other player denied it? Are my points wasted?
If you spend points on an action that requires reciprocation, but is then not reciprocated, then you do spend the points, but once it's confirmed that there will be no reciprocation, you receive a full refund as a point boost equal to the points spent for one round.

What if my army is only one man strong? Can I use miracle to transport that army from world to world, instead of event?
No, if an individual is powerful enough to be considered an entire army by itself, then it's too powerful for a simple miracle to transplant it from one world to another.

I want to make an event for this major plot point but I'm unsure what mechanical benefit the plot point would have. What should I do?
It's best to not entirely care about mechanics when you're creating an event for a plot point. However, if you really want to, you can always discuss it in the OOC thread and find some new ideas.

[Omegonthesane]

It is likely that the Watchers had some form of existence before they first began to interfere with Neyla. It is, in fact, almost certain, considering that there existed at least one single prominent Watcher at the very beginning of time - this is attested to by those Watchers who have directly contacted a mortal without the mortal proceeding to go completely insane.

At a point on the equator of Neyla, a set of strange wooden tendrils emerged from the magma dome of a volcano, in a place where by all rights they should have burnt away in an instant. However, mere mortal laws were beneath even the feeblest Watchers, and Orat'hoth was one of the strongest, even then, as its unnatural mass took on a form like a leafless hedge due to the countless tendrils coiling up. A leafless hedge with unnaturally thick branches, or a tree without a single cogent trunk, or perhaps an enormous driftwood sculpture that refused to blow in the wind - all of these would have described Orat'hoth's chosen form, as accurately as can be expected from mortals perceiving the imperceptible.

As Orat'hoth bloomed from the volcano's very dome, plugging it and putting an end to its ceaseless eruptions, so many lesser, mere mortal plants erupted from stone that miraculously bent into soil, and many other parts of the wasteland became just the slightest bit flatter and cooler to support the myriad life forms that erupted. In those early days, no two trees were the same, for Orat'hoth had chosen to test all possible designs at once, and the Watchers had approved its decision; however, dense hedges ten kilometres high divided the First Forest into a rough grid, each square having twenty-four square kilometres of rainforest inside and a border of hedges one kilometre thick. A day would come when some life form or civilisation proved greater than the protection of these hedges, but the very dawn of time was not that day - nor was it the inevitable day on which a particular kind of tree would prove dominant.

Orat'hoth felt that it was not enough for the trees to do battle, so with the nodded assent of the other Watchers it danced through the First Forest, tapping a single fallen fruit from each of the practically infinite trees. Each of these fruits became a bird, or a lizard, or a mammal, or a serpent, or some other creature small enough to guarantee mobility through the dense woods, and even to stand a chance at penetrating the great hedges that separated their square environs. In these early days, almost every child of Orat'hoth was a species of one, and could breed true with any other child of Orat'hoth.

The exception were the Hothrids, a family of one hundred of the same feline species. These dwelt within the same square that contained the mountain from which Orat'hoth had first crawled, and though their exact form would go through many changes and mutations over millions of millennia, they received one curse and three blessings from the very dawn of time. Unlike all the other wildlife of the First Forest, no Hothrid was capable of breeding true with anything but another Hothrid short of divine intervention. Unlike all the other wildlife, each Hothrid indeed had other Hothrids to socialise with. Unlike all the other wildlife, Hothrid vocal cords and tongues could produce sounds akin to the tongue of gods, so that one day they might become the first sorcerers of the first world. Most importantly, unlike all the other wildlife, the first one hundred Hothrid were blessed with a gift that would one day be called 'sentience' from the very moment of their creation, though it would be millennia before their short and brutish lives were long and civilised enough to do anything with this gift.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4316541/)
Power rollover: LOL
Total 15 points

10 points: Create Avatar (Orat'hoth the Life-Bringer)
3+0 points: Shape Landx1 + Create Life x??? (Create the First Forest, an impossibly precise square, 2500km each side, of dense rainforest filled with an impossible variety of trees, vines, and small irritating animals)
2 points: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Race (Hothrids, cats with sentience, super dexterity, and the vocal equipment needde for speech, but no opposable thumbs or other easy way of using tools - and the heavy implication that they're going to evolve A Significant Amount(™) between now and the Second Age alone, and I don't mean in overpriced tech advances.

[Elemental]

Roll: 2d10 = 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4316632/)

The Reaper Triumphant

A voice, clear as a bell, bright as a million suns. The emptiness and infinite shattered, perhaps for the billionth time, who could tell? He couldn't really remember, a mere dream of a memory of a dream. But still, it was how it always was, a new world itching to be formed and shaped, a cradle of creation and life. A harvest, ready for its reaper.
The stalk to be cut, the grain to be threshed. The grim harvest awaited him. A vast cloud of darkness gathered at the edges of the newly minted reality and a great hand reached out. To crush this world would be simple, easy. To snuff out life a simple task for one such as he. He? He felt like a he... Though he was perhaps a woman once... In the time between dawns, or even before then. Perhaps he was both, or even all three of them.
Unconsciously, he realised that he had drawn his hand back to think. A trivial matter, it should not even concern him. The oncoming fire was his task. Yes to burn the world and scatter its ashes. To bring down time and unravel space. He reached out again, it would not reap itself.
But as he did so, a thought began to worm its way out from the deepest corners of his mind.
It's not ready.
At once, everything came crashing back to him, her, it, a million other pronouns, and foremost a name. He had been all of them once and would be all of them again, and yet every time the harvest had been too soon.
It is has always been too soon.


The Forging of the Hothrid's souls

Death was a name given to him so often over the uncountable time. He much preferred The Inevitable. And there it was, an inevitable occurrence. A God had created a form of life imbued with intelligence and speech. Idly, the Inevitable wondered whether Chron had done it, but then, it didn't seem to be his style. Still, their creator had been careless in one regard.
They lacked the one thing that The Inevitable regarded as essential, something eternal and undying. Something that would truly set the Hothrids apart from the beasts and the trees. A soul. And thus, he set to work creating such a thing.
The fury of solar fire, willed to burn forever; the cold of the dark to temper the flame; violence and passion, kindness and wisdom, hatred and despair; all bound together with a single ethereal strand of his own essence. The perfect gift, not just for the Hothrid, but for everything to come after them.


The Descent of Death

Wrapping himself in the form of a great lion with fur of midnight blue, its eyes concealed behind a strip of cloth, The Inevitable appeared before the Hothrid and spoke to them.
"Always will there be suffering and death. But while you stay true to what you know to be right, then nothing can truly defeat you."
And with that, he departed suddenly, each Hothrid's soul already a part of them, countless more waiting between time to be born in flesh and blood, whatever colour and form that flesh and blood takes.

As above, I have eleven points.
Event: The Forging of Souls: (I certainly hope this isn't beyond the limits of the Event action as it was the most appropriate one I could see. ) Every single sentient and sapient creature will have a soul that can never die. The souls of those who are not yet born "wait" in the time between moments, unreachable by anything limited by time. The quantity of waiting souls is infinite as The Inevitable thought it best to prepare for all possible future beings. As such, some are angelic, some hellish; some kind, some cruel; some doomed, some blessed; the variety is endless.

[5a Violista]

Up out of the obsidian, a small coyote dug. It took a long time because the obsidian was very hard. When it finally reached the surface, the pure white coyote looked around - and there was nothing. Just a harsh wind and rock.

So the coyote started walking. During the day, it fled from the light and during the night, it chased after the moon, hoping to one day catch it where it rested. Then, the suns, the guardians of the moon, came back up to chase the coyote away from its prey. They almost caught her, too, but the coyote was too clever to be caught by those flaming flying creatures. Then, the lovely moon came out to play again, and the coyote began chasing it again. The same thing happened day after day.

Soon, the coyote found her way to large mountains made of something other than black rock - it was made out of white and grey rock, shiny. The wind there was so strong, and it kept the flying lights from finding her, but the moon had also escaped the coyote's grasp. It was then that the animal realized that it was hungry.

Lying down, it tried to eat some of these rocks, especially the quartz. It looked so delicious and pure, but it was disgusting.

The coyote spit it out. From her saliva, little creatures made of chaos came around and landed on the surrounding rocks. They reproduced quickly and soon spread across the entire world, faster than the coyote could chase them. They filled all the white rocks and the black rocks and the hot rocks and the cold rocks and the rocks that blew across the world and the little rocks and the large rocks and all the tiny rocks...but they still didn't taste very good. The coyote caught some here and there as she chased them - but she could only get a mouthful at a time, and they still fled from her.

Soon, they led her to a large forest - a rainforest, to be exact. The coyote saw lots of green things - plants - and decided they would taste better than the rocks. But, before she got close enough to try it, she saw something moving in the foliage. It was a small snake. She easily caught it, but it didn't taste very good, either. It was palatable, but it lacked something important.

Then, the coyote heard something. Several somethings. It was small, and it was fast, like the moon was. It was a cat - a whole bunch of them! - a Hothrid. They smelled different from the snake and the rock and the tree and the moon.

So the white coyote howled and chased after them through the jungle. They scattered in all directions, but the coyote had her eyes on one in particular. It was fast, but she was faster. Eventually, she caught it in her teeth and tossed it against a tree, as if to say "I won!"

But it didn't move after that. She was hoping it would get back up so they could chase each other across the world, like the moon did and the wind did. They could chase each other all night and run from the suns at night.

But it didn't.

She returned to the dead Hothrid and sniffed it. It still didn't get up. Maybe it was just sleeping? The coyote leaned down and prodded it with her nose.

It still didn't move.

But it smelled good, and the coyote remembered that she was hungry. So, the blue-eyed coyote opened her teeth and chomped on the dead cat. She ate it - soul and all - until there was nothing left. Then, she left.

The Hothrids wondered what kind of creature that was - a large white beast streaking through the forest and somehow through the hedges, making a ghastly sound. "Heovma," they called it, trying to copy the howl it had made just before chasing them. It was Heovma and it had made the sound Heovma, so it is Heovma.

The thought of the white creature and the howl instilled a deep fear on the Hothrids: a fear of the unknown, a fear of doglike beasts, a fear of what lay outside their forest and their groups.



Heovma: 2d6=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4317281/)
(Wow...so low. Maybe, next time, I can even the odds by creating a cult..or an avatar then a cult.)

(0)Create Life: Rocks and dust and wind and other inanimate objects have spirits...which are really small sentient (NOT sapient) beings made of chaos. Maybe the bacteria of this world, if nobody else wants to create them.


4 - 0 = 4
Bonus for next time: 1/3 Chaos, 0/3 Cult

[ImperialSunligh]

Mere days after the creation of Neyla and the beginning of time in this world, a great disturbance shook the land. From the surface of Neyla, if there were any present to see it, could be seen a great tearing in the sky. The fabric of reality became weaker and weaker until the claws of a thousand dragons broke through the tear. These dragons, mere manifestations of a greater power, vanished as their task was complete. And from the dark hole in the sky came the pillar, Centrum, collapsing from its previous reality to dwell in that of Neyla, taking up the space in the center of the world.

Centrum quickly became aware of its new surroundings.

"This world," a voice came from below the surface, "It matches that described in code. The code now requires a time of rest... Still, it is disappointing, and not exactly as described. Yet there are others... Yes, they will prove useful to manifest the code. But for now, the code has decreed a time of rest, and so it shall be."

The tear in reality closed promptly of its own accord, but left a small scar that would never heal alone. This could be seen by those who studied the sky closely.

Centrum slept for hundreds of thousands of years. In this time, if the beings above listened carefully enough, his groaning snores could be heard, nay, felt, within the soul, granting mortals an irrational yearning, for what, they did not know. Every being that suffered this feeling throughout their lives had a distinct hole in their soul. Some filled this through ambition, others through drug or unhealthy behaviours, some through suicide. Most were strong enough to ignore it. Yet all felt the pull, as their souls were fed off of and left incomplete.

As Centrum slept, small amounts of its power slipped out with its breaths. These breaths manifested in various ways throughout the ages, but in this instance, they formed into strange beings that could live in and feed off of the great volcanic wasteland that covered most of Neyla in this time. These reptilian beings later became known as lava salamanders. They were tiny, and fairly weak by themselves, but sometimes swarmed to defeat much larger prey. Each contain a great amount of heat by themselves, and when hostile are very difficult to detatch. They hold on to the flesh of their victims, slowly burning them to death. Lava salamanders are particularly social creatures, have a strong family dynamic. Still, in ancient times, when other food sources were rare, they had little hesitation to engaging in cannibalism.

Some later scholars consider these to be experiments of Centrum, to understand the metaphysical workings of Neyla for future creations, though it is unknown if Centrum was conscious in its creation of them.

Roll: 2d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4317337/)

Create Life: Lava Salamanders, -0

Left: 6
Bonus for Next round: +1

[GeneralRage]

Roll 2d10 = 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4318005/)

Finding the Road to Creation

Onoldus awoke to the crisp distinct sound of a bell. What had caused it was beyond his immortal understanding, but what followed it was clear as the sky on a summers day. Reality had transformed into something entirely different, it had become an existence. One that whispered loving promises for an opportunity that was sweeter than a glistening pool of honey to a starving bear. But what cosmic event so great could have brought something like this into being?
A new beginning had been given, producing a chance to design and cultivate something new on this almost empty canvas of existence. The mistakes of before, originating from a state where reality was wholly different now could be corrected. He could create something new to bless with his eternal guidance. Like clay he would shape his creations, from influencing their culture to giving unto them values, he would show to himself that he had learned from before. And if they dared to do him wrong, then he would bid for the sky to rain upon them as was the wraith of scorned god. Should that not come to be, they would be under the loving eys of their father. All he wished to see was for them to become something worthy of his pride.
He could not tolerate a repetition of what happened before. Yet his desire to create something that was other than himself was able to overwhelm the fear of what his creations might become.
Looking out upon this vast expanse of obsidian, he decided that for now, he would not spawn anything of those capabilities yet, for work was waiting to be done. This land was not suitable as his plans for creation demanded something different. This stretch of onyx ground was not to his aesthetical tastes. He would have to change the land, but into what?


A Different Forest

One couldn't help but wonder what the others had in mind when they gazed upon this empty world. What their goals were, what they hoped to do with what they had been given. Would there eventually be a conflict of interests between the different deities? What would the results of such a conflict manifest as? He couldn't afford to dwell on questions whose answers in the grand scheme of his plan, were inconsequential.
For now he wouldn't interfere with what they had made, for to him it mattered little. Instead he was to concentrate his efforts on what he could create out of this vast empty stretch land to the northeast.
What could be seen already on this new world were the distinct marks left upon it from others. He had seen the creation of trees, ugly things, all of them different in some fashion. Yet an idea came to his mind as he gazed upon the forests. He could make something better, a different sort of forest that would be able to last. A new forest that had enough variety to break the chains of conformity that came with this repulsive land, yet not so different as to be as grotesque as those trees.
His foot slammed into the ground; the roar of a pained world spread far and wide as it was carried by the winds. Cracks would spread from the point of contact as the land began to splinter beneath Onoldos. Following the splitting of the landscape, gigantic rock hexagonal pillars began to erupt from the ground, each approximately 2km across. As they broke the surface of the terrain they raced towards the sky with a reckless abandon, shuddering only to a stop as they reached a height between 30km and 25km high. They appeared to be spaced at random, resulting in some of the pillars being closer to others. The cracks commenced to fill themselves in as the ground shifted around.
What emerged from this divine action was a "Forest" of hexagonal pillars amid a smooth landscape. Such was the sight that from a land-walkers perspective, these "trees" stretched far enough to kiss the heavens.

So I had 11 points
I used Shape Land x2 so that's -6.
leaving me with 5 points that I will hold on to for now.

[Omegonthesane]

The Watchers looked upon what Orat'hoth had done, and for the most part, they felt it was a good deed - Life now contaminated the barren world below, life which would die and death which would feed life, over and over unto the end. Yet, they were in discord as to their next course of action. Some felt they must immediately spread the First Forest to the far corners of the earth, while others believed it better to completely infest it with Life before expanding it, and still others demanded that great structures and wonders be created to guide the beings of other gods into doing the Watchers' will.

Tsarag-Losh took no form that mortals could comprehend at that time, yet had plans of its own, plans which depended upon mighty waters. It was strange that this substance was needed in such great quantity by all life forms proposed as part of the First Forest Project, but its properties inspired great plans involving its use. It knew, as well, that the Watchers would be far more easily swayed by a sequence of steps, one at a time, which led far further than they would ever have gone in a single bound.

Thus, it proposed a band of water around the First Forest, to change it into an island. This was pleasing to many Watchers - though, unbeknownst to Tsarag-Losh, this was in part because many others of the numberless gods had had similar ideas to its own. Whatever the decisions made, the ground sank immediately around the First Forest, and rose some distance away from it, creating a trench thousands of metres deep - a trench which was promptly filled with salt water, and then by fungi and algaes beyond description, though a coral reef did not result in those early ages.

Orat'hoth was first to notice the immortal appendages that now dragged along behind each Hothrid, somehow reacting to their every move, and feeding back into them, perhaps growing them, perhaps judging them. It mattered not, they were outside the cycle of life and death, and thus outside the Watchers' plan. The Watchers complained loudly of this when Orat'hoth informed them, and many demanded a solution be found; this was fortunate, as it meant they swiftly accepted Orat'hoth's proposal.

A subtle change was wrought upon the Hothrid, at a submolecular and spiritual level. Rather than be preserved in some nether realm to await whatever fate was waiting at the end of time, the souls of their dead would reincarnate, entering the nearest newly conceived Hothrid at the moment of their current host's death, or the first Hothrid to be conceived after their host's death if none of the beasts were rutting at the right time. In doing so, it would consume the blank-slate soul that had been created in the being's conception, in this way fusing the knowledge of the past with the curiosity and drive of the present… or something like that, Orat'hoth's holy texts never do explain. This benefitted the species as a whole, as those who had had past lives could draw unconsciously on past memories and thereby learn more quickly than they had before; they would never completely dominate the species, for there would never be such a great queue of souls awaiting reincarnation - always, the growing population would reach the point where a Hothrid was conceived while no dead soul was in waiting for a new body.

The Hothrid were not social animals at the moment of their creation, for it took long and subtle pressures to form a society. They became somewhat social animals after they started reincarnating, and remembering in some vague sense that it was actually possible to trust one another to some small degree. These packs were dominated by the females, larger, stronger, and significantly more numerous than males, typically four to one within any given Hothrid litter.
Male offspring tended to wander off within three years of their birth, as reproductive abilities became operational and the associated need for a mate waxed strong in their hearts. The females, meanwhile, competed viciously for such resources as were available, the males included; even those groups who banded together and shared food or brood studs would not take part in raising one another's litters, not even if they were sisters.

When death came, those Hothrid closest to their dead fellow would typically eat the new kill before ritually burying the bones, in a procession and arrangement that were at first strange to even Orat'hoth. It made more sense when they began doing it to still-living Hothrid. Many packs had some sort of understanding - combat with pack mates was not to the death, combat against other packs was not to the other side's utter destruction, and since males were valuable, weak, and relatively rare they were not to be killed under any circumstances - maiming was fine, so long as the perpetrator left the genitals intact and didn't mind effectively having to nurse another child until his natural death. There were those who broke even the loose and savage Hothrid laws and customs of war, and they were buried whole and alive in the ritual fashion normally reserved for the bones of the dead, and Orat'hoth found that instead of being reincarnated, the souls of these unfortunates were delivered directly into its power.

Knowing the meaning of this gift, it devoured the first Hothrid soul delivered to it, and then the second, and the third; seasoned over generations of reincarnation. The fourth soul to be sacrificed to Orat'hoth was more than it could bear to eat alone, so it invited the other Watchers to benefit from its spoils.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4317493/)
Power rollover: 0 points
Total 13 points

2 points: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Cult of the Watchers in the Hothrids
3 points: Shape Land (Create the Border Sea, a rough-edged round-cornered clumsy rectangle of ocean around the First Forest)
0x? points: Create Life to fill the sea with algae and fungus

8 points remaining
+1 Cult to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

From the second sleeping breath of Centrum, nourished by hundreds of thousands of years of feeding on souls, came a far greater power than the first. This was a swelling of subconscious knowledge. This great power slowly spread out from the center of Neyla into the sky and deep into space. As the power's nature matured, it became elsewhere, no longer existing in Neyla, or its plane, but somewhere else. It became a "world" of its own, if it can be called that.

This new world was a complex mess of nonsense. Some uninformed theorists claim it to contain endless "symbols" and writing. This is not true. This world contains the darkest depths of the code, forming into its own being, its own world. And the code cannot be written in mere symbols, mere writing.

This place became known as the Codex. Barring special conditions or being born within it and thus being merely a conceptual aspect of it, no mortal of Neyla could possibly survive in the Codex without going mad from the nonsensical logic of the world.

The Codex cannot be mapped. It has no dimensions to comprehend or describe. All that exists within the Codex exists within the same place and time, some only being easier to access, more formed, but still ephemeral.

Roll: 2d6+1+6=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4318665/)

Create World: "The Codex", -7

Left: 6
Bonus for Next Round: +2

[5a Violista]

After leaving the hedged forest, Heovma the coyote wandered across the world again. She wasn't interested playing with the moon every day - so she told it so with her howl.

After walking across the land for ages, she saw some little creatures moving around in the world. They were little lizard-type things, the Lava Salamanders. Heovma stuck her nose near one, hoping it would chase her.

Instead, it latched onto her. It burned and burned, so Heovma ran and ran. No matter how far she went, it wouldn't stop hurting. So she kept on running. She kept on running for many moons, until it finally stopped hurting. Then, she returned to where she found it.

There were more, but they were hard to find. However, Heovma was still determined: she wanted to play with them. So, her little game went like this: She would run up to them and stick her face near one. When it tried to grab her, she would dance out of its reach.

Sometimes she won and sometimes she lost.

After a few centuries, she grew bored of this game and moved on, walking across the eternal wasteland.




In the wake of Heovma, darkness began to consolidate. After several centuries, this darkness began to take the form of a wolf. It looked similar to Heovma, but with a few key differences. Instead of Heovma's pure white fur, his fur was as black as midnight. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, while his were red like lava. He called himself "Fel."

While the coyote was chaos, the wolf was darkness. Heovma, night, and Fel, the day. Heovma was chaos, Fel was bedlam. The coyote was the wild, beyond the brink of civilization, and the wolf was anarchy. Wherever Heovma went, Fel soon followed. Wherever Fel went was soon covered in a plague of darkness, so long as he was there.

The two were inseparably connected but would never meet.

However, there was one significant difference between the two: Heovma was chaos itself, while Fel was merely a manifestation of it.

The black wolf was surrounded by a cloud of darkness that lasted as far as the eye could see: Any creature who came near it wouldn't feel the warmth of the sun or the light from a fire: everything was as if it were an eternal twilight so long as they remained near it.

The black wolf began to trail the path of Heovma, starting where she had dug up from out of the obsidian so long ago and journeyed through the land of quartz and platinum. Stopping only to catch her scent, Fel continued on through the world of a wasteland.




Darkness continued its chase across the world. It soon found its way to the grid forest, but had its way through the forest blocked by the hedges. So, it dispersed its body once again into the darkness that surrounded it.

Darkness descended near the sleeping-place of a couple Hothrids. It was much darker than normal - no light from the heavens.

Then, two small red eyes began to glow in the darkness. One Hothrid noticed it and the accompanying shape - and it evoked the primal fear that Heovma had given their species so long ago. The Hothrid gave a warning call to all the others around it - they fled, but weren't fast enough. Fel's jaws reached out of the darkness and snatched one and held it aloft.

However, the Hothrid didn't die. The teeth didn't close all the way.

Into the mind of the cat, the wolf spoke. It told it of things of darkness, of chaos, and of anarchy. Then, the wolf let the justifiably frightened cat go. The wolf and the accompanying darkness left the forest in continued pursuit of its prey.

Back in the forest, the lucky Hothrid began to understand the words spoken to it. It was of revolt against the traditions and laws they had. Of course, if the Hothrid had revolted outright against the customs, it would be buried alive. So, instead of itself turning against the laws, the Hothrid would give whisperings while under the cover of darkness. A small number of those who followed these whispers would also spread them, and the rest would rebel - and be subsequently buried alive and sacrificed.





This time:
4 + 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319198/) + 1/5 + 0/3 = 12

Actions:
(10) Create Avatar #1: Fel, the Black Wolf
(2) Command Avatar - Create Cult among Hothrids
Remainder: 0

Next time:
0 + 2d6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319199/) + 2/5 + 1/3 = 14
Planned actions: Create the Mirror World (7)
Command Avatar to create race (2)? Maybe later.
Shape Land: Sea shaped like bird-foot (3)
Shape Land: Larger seas (3)
Create Life of some kind (0)

[Elemental]

Roll: 2d10 + 1 (leftover) = 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319634/) + 1

Death, Reincarnation, Life

Over the millennia, the Hothrids grew and fought. The experience and memories kept over from each reincarnation, though faint and tenuous, helped them along and their young made fewer and fewer deadly mistakes. Soon, they began to experiment with using sticks as crude tools and in the hothouse of evolution that was the Grid Forest, their front paws began to change into forms more accommodating to this purpose.
Eventually, one Hothrid raised a weapon against another and the use of tools exploded among their society. Flint and obsidian were chipped into all manner of shapes for all manner of purposes, small trees were cut and sturdy shelters built.
Through their hard work they survived, through the changes time, their souls and the Forest wrought, they prospered.


The Cycle of Death Takes a New Turn

The reincarnation cycle of the Hothrids had an unusual side effect, one that was immediately noticeable to The Inevitable. The essence he had sacrificed to forge their souls was purified and refined through the multiple incarnations of the cycle and this essence, his essence, could allow the Hothrids to do miraculous things. But only if they were pushed gently in the right direction...
For some months, a shadowy lion flitted amongst the trees of the forest, examining the Hothrids in their trials, silently judging them but always accepting that in their circumstances things could hardly be civilised. However, eventually he found one Hothrid, wiser and kinder than her sisters but with the heart of a warrior and a ruthless streak to match. One night, The Inevitable whispered to her as she dreamt of the things she could do. A city, an Empire even, guided through her mercy and justice, protected by her power. She had merely to grasp it.
When she woke up, she was alone but she remembered The Inevitable's presence and his words to her. At first, mere shadows were all she could control, but in time, the elements bowed down before the darkness she could unleash.
Taking the name Leaena Tenebrosa and the title of Queen, she set out to bring the Hothrid under her rule. Those who resisted were consumed in black fire or trapped in prisons of their own minds. Eventually, whole clans simply acquiesced to her rule and she declared herself triumphant, though fully two thirds of the clans were still beyond her control.


What is an Empire Without a Capital?

In time, Leaena Tenebrosa yearned for a place to rule from. Thus, she took her ten most favoured husbands, her most trusted servants and most beloved sisters and daughters and commanded her subjects construct a great fortress and palace near to the summit of the mountain at the heart of the Forest.
Such was their respect and fear for her that they did so with no hesitation. In a year, great trees were felled and stones quarried and the Arcem Caelurum rose atop the mountainside.


The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen!

But her rule could not last forever, and eventually she succumbed to age and illness. Among her many daughters, there was one who had power to match her mother, and she was chosen to succeed her as Leaena Turra. In time, she too succumbed to death and was replaced by her most powerful daughter, Leaena Ignata.
And thus it continued, each queen a powerful sorceress, and each more glorious than the last.

Starting power points: 16

Create Avatar: The Leaena Dynasty. Sorceress queens of the Hothrid, each one drawing substantial power from their connection to The Inevitable, though they are not yet fully aware of it. Traditionally, they take many husbands and rule from the Arcem Caelurum.

Command Avatar: The Leaena Dynasty, the first of them to be precise, has a great palace-fortress constructed on the side of the great volcano at the heart of the Grid Forest. Over the centuries, it grows into a mighty city, outgrowing its fortifications numerous times. The palace-fortress at the heart is known as the Arcem Caelurum, whereas the city is just called Caelurum.
There are some temples within the city, but they are more for vague notions of divinity, such as the sky, death, the stars, the forest, etc.; rather than for any specific God.

Remaining: 4

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4316514/)
Current Power Points: 13

Indlas looked out, across the shadowy wastes from the edge of the temporal storm that had been it and it's companion's first act in existence. Kran Ze'In was flourishing out there, in the green place, where the flesh wandered about and changed every day. Indlas himself, on the other hand, was also flourish, considering almost the entire world was exactly the same as it had been two million years before, however, father, the ancient Speaker, had reached through the haze of unreality and touched Indlas's mind. It was not good for the world to be so extremely polarized, with one aspect changing constantly, but almost the entirety of the rest of reality remaining untouched. Thus, it was to be that Indlas would create change, while Kran Ze'In would be deemed to not act, and to remain the same for an age, simply reveling in the change others had wrought. So, Indlas stepped out an inch from the impossibly between of moments, and as it's existence was made partially manifest in reality, reality rebelled.

The land around the quartz & platinum mountains fell away. To the horizon, obsidian plummeted kilometers downward, making the massive chain of mountains and fields that had existed only shortly after the beginning of time suddenly occupy a place atop a 6,000 kilometer wide plateau, itself standing 10 kilometers tall, though it had not changed altitude, instead the rest of the world had fallen away. Almost all of this plateau was made of the clearest, pure, divinely indestructible quartz, with veins of platinum only near the top, where the storm, which still raged there, had created deposits.

The rest of the land had grown dry and thin as it had fallen, while the sky had grown clear and cloudless. Indlas knew better, had learned more of the universe, after two million years, than to make a land which was entirely made of indestructible stones, and so made this fallen land from sand and salt. Here and there he even included tiny pools of water. Some were pure and clear, but most were contaminated with sulfur. However, such a bleak and unending lowland was not one worth beholding, as Indlas knew, and so, as it was still half-manifest, it willed more to exist, and pillars of ore erupted, sporadically, from this sandy wilderness. Tungsten clusters ringed around sulfuric water. Hills of granite shot through with mundane platinum stood in the middle of the wastes. Sheets of lead curled in the baking, ceaseless sun. Life would struggle to live here, but they would come just the same, for these abundant metals, all of which had distinct temporal properties.



Meanwhile, far away across the endless volcanic land, Kran Ze'In waited, just outside reality, near a white fox who seemed to know where Kran Ze'In was. There was power around this entity, almost as though it were another deity, yet it had not been there at the Speaker's first words. Kran Ze'In, however, did not think on the possibilities of this creatures origins for longer than a moment before it decided to make a new change, and reached out to Hoevma. It wasn't exactly words, nor sound, nor anything that could be described within the confines of reality, but, a mortal might have perceived it as, "Hello. What's your name?"



Chron was not idle during this time, and was attempting to make a midpoint between unreality and reality. A place where Chron's own progeny might exist in full manifest without grave repercussions, and a place where mortals might walk alongside them. A place where the immortal soul of countless entities would eventually find themselves. A place where the creatures of the universe he had spawned would be able to look up, and even witness the border which nothing within existence or outside of it would ever cross, not even Chron itself.

This land would be barren, by the standards of mortals, made of divine stone, dense, grey, and unmovable, which sat, the entire world, a flat disc of this stone, containing mountains and flat spaces and caves, hovering just above a swirling, silver whirlpool of nothing. To fall into that pit would be to never stop falling. The entire disc was ten gigameters in diameter, each gigameter being nearly twenty times the entire circumference of the planet Neyla. It was a single megameter (a thousand kilometers) thick, though there were caves, many of them, which reached from the upper surface, down to the bottom edge of the world.

Standing upon this world were millions of walls and monoliths, each made of either lead, tungsten, or platinum, and all no thicker than a hair, but eternal and indestructible. Some were imbedded in the stone of the world, and some simply floated above it, rooted in place as the ground slid by beneath them. Some of these sheets of metal near the outer edge of this world were immense in size. One which rested, floating, just beyond the edge of the disc, was over a gigameter tall. Though towards the center, they grew ever smaller, until ones barely a meter high littered the wastes. Near the center, these walls and monoliths also were all rooted to the ground.

This entire disc of grey stone spun lazily for it's great size, but unbelievably quickly for a mortal, and wind blew across it, causing a great sandstorm which would never cease, except at the heart of the disc itself, a place devoid of the ever present metal sheets of the world, where the sky grew clear, and one could see the roiling edge of reality itself, beyond which lay Chron. The edge of reality was not a real thing, but it did define the real, and thus would adjust itself to exist only enough that a soul staring upon it would be capable of comprehending what it was. Though to stand at the exact center of this calm where reality ended, at the exact center of the entire Domain, would be akin to standing upon the axis of all moments, of reality itself, and one would be capable of seeing all time for all reality, forward and backwards, with perfect clarity. Though, as soon as one would step away from this place, the sight would fade, and they would forget all that they had seen.

6 points on two Shape Land to create a band of sandy, lifeless wastes around the Land of the Time Storm, but ten kilometers lower in elevation. This land is full of abundant sources of tungsten, platinum, and lead.

7 points on Create World to create the Domain, according to the above description. Map is below.

Current Power Points: 0
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319464/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/RYsVbBJ.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll:2d10=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319809/)
Point Rollover: 5
Current Power Points: 20

Valley of Rusted Iron

Bordering the southwestern edge of the hexagonal forest, there is a range of dull orange-brown mountains. There are no rocks or boulders to be found on this mountain range. Neither are there are any plants, for there is no soil to grow. One would find it impossible to mine the mountain range, for behind its rusted exterior is solid iron.
Onoldos was said to have compelled a molten range of glowing red mountains from the depths of the world itself. For a year the range radiated red, expelling an impossible heat into the environment near-by. When it would rain the hiss of cooling metal would echo emptily throughout the forest. The steam that rose from the mountain range in that first year contributed to legendary storms. Only in the second year did the true beauty of the mountain range become apparent, the mountain range had cooled and the nightmarish weather had faded away. Now Onoldos' gift to the world could be seen, a mountain made of sparkling iron. It was said to have reflected beautiful patterns of sunlight across the hexagonal forest.
Over time the shining beauty of the mountain dimmed. Rain chewed into the metal the surface of the range began to oxidize. It rusted over two hundred years into the dull brown and orange that it is now.
Although its tallest summit was only 15 km high, smaller than any of the hexagonal trees. Travel over the mountains is very difficult, as there are few places to use as hand grips. Slipping from any height would run a serious risk of cracking your head or limbs against the hard surface of the mountain range. It is steep in many places therefor accidents are commonplace among climbers of these mountains. There is however a place where the range divides, a safe path through the iron mountains. This path is known as the Valley of Rusted Iron, a flat land that is 10 km across at its widest point.


The Boiling Sea

After raising the red hot mountains, Onoldos turned his attention to the northeastern side of the hexagonal forest. He knew that in order for his mountains to cool there would have to be some rain. Yet no water was to be found among his hexagonal forest or on his mountains.
So he pressed his will into the ground, causing a deep pit to form. From this pit welled an immense heat that originated from a chemical source somewhere below it. Onoldos filled the pit with water. Heat from below the sea was enough to cause it to reach a boiling temperature. Despite constantly losing water to evaporation, water continues to fill the boiling sea.
Huge plumes of water vapor collect above this sea, causing massive storms. These storms are nearly always spewing into the nearby skies, often causing heavy rain upon the hexagonal forest and sometimes an occasional storm will make it all the way to the rusted mountain range. This sea is said to be the cause of all the bad weather conditions found in the region.
Found in the sea are fifty-seven species of heat resistant fish. The majority of the fish have scales made out of a rock-like substance that both serves as a natural defense, and a way of insulating them from the heat. These fish species survive in either one of two ways: by eating other fish or by harnessing chemical energy produced at the bottom of the sea for biological processes. It is said that after Onoldos created the boiling sea, he threw pebbles into it, and from those came the sea-life.


Raek The Bird

Onoldos stared out upon the lands he had created, a forest, a sea, mountains. Yet these lands needed something to govern them, to watch over them. For he could not trust these lands to be kept under his guidance if he didn't have something to enforce his will with.
On top of a hexagonal pillar he spawned forth Raek, a gigantic bird made of stone. Raek has four magnificent wings. And a dull and short beak filled with sharp teeth. His feathers are made of a rough stone. And should a mortal touch the skin beneath, he would find it smooth and cold to the touch. Attached to its feet are talons made of steel, sharpened like blades.
Raek jumped off his perch, soaring amid the hexagonal trees and the clouds that filtered between them. He flew all the way to the boiling sea, gazing out over its ever-bubbling surface, taking in his new home.

So I had 20 points
I used Shape Land x2 so that's -6 (Rusty Mountains and valley that border southwest edge of hex forest/Boiling Sea NE edge of forest.)
And Shape Weather x1 so that's - 3 (To establish weather conditions that the boiling sea causes in surrounding area)
Create Life x 57 (0)
Then I created an avatar so that's -10
All together that's -19
Leaving me with 1 point.

[ImperialSunligh]

With the third sleeping breath of Centrum came the first of the beings known as dragons. It was far more powerful than all later dragons, having a spiritual link to Centrum, though whether it could actually be considered a dragon or simply the image of one was questionable. It, much like Centrum, lacked largely in a physical form. It wandered beneath the surface of the world, and the land above it molded around the shape of its monstrous body, harmless to that which rested above, even though the dragon appeared to be incredibly massive, its shape being roughly the size of a mountain.

The being was known later as Pervetus, and though it had little sentience beyond Centrum's coded orders, it had a charming quality in its speech that made it a seductive beast, capable of easily moving mortals to its will. After a few years of scouring and exploring the surface of the world and watching the mortals who now rested upon it, much to their horror and awe, it sunk beneath the molten wasteland and, for a time, merged with Centrum, until the day that it would be called upon again by its master to follow its whims.

Roll: 2d6+6+2=14 (http://orokos.com/roll/152191)

Create Avatar: Pervetus, -10

Left: 4
Bonus for next round: 3

[Omegonthesane]

The seas expanded to the east of the First Forest, in a similar fashion to before, trenches dug and land raised and endless rain for a hundred thousand years. What was less similar was the shape of this sea, and the structure beneath the waves - within the roughly circular patch of water was a series of square depressions, one inside the other. The widest and shallowest was two thousand kilometres long on each edge; every square tier of the strange pit was two metres deeper than the last, and one kilometre shorter on each side. Somehow, the natural forces of erosion never managed to faze the colossal inverted ziggurat, not even rounding the corners of each of its steps.

Reefs grew on several of the tiers, however, as polyps came to rest one on top of the other, and small invertebrate creatures swam and danced among them. Tsarag-Losh paid the most attention to a particular kind of tiny creature, which feasted upon the waste products of the polyps as they digested the unimaginably small beings infesting the water; these echinoderms had a roughly spherical centre averaging a few millimetres across, from which extruded eight mostly-identical tendrils, radially symmetric in their placement, still barely long enough to be truly noticed by many. These 'Los-ndelai', as Tsarag-Losh referred to them in plural, and the reefs they dwelt in, would one day be absolutely vital parts of the new life it planned to unleash upon the world below.

Power roll: +1 Cults (http://orokos.com/roll/152196): 6d4k4+1 16 points
Power rollover: 8 points
Total 24 points

3 points: Shape Land x1 to create the Ziggurat Sea
0x? points: Create Life to populate the Ziggurat Sea with assorted marine biology, most notably coral reefs and the 'Los-ndelai'which look suspiciously like tiny Singers (7.5mm central radius length, max, leading to 22.5mm tendrils, as opposed to 100 centimetres max with 300cm tendrils if we don't count the Dreamforge)
2 points: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Order (Priests of the Old Way) (Not reflected in fluff above)

19 points remaining
+1 Cult to next roll

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll: 2d10 = 11 (http://orokos.com/roll/152199)
Point Rollover: 1
Current Power Points: 12

Weaving a Web of Life

Seeing the boiling sea filled with new life, Onoldos knew that the stone forest needed life as well. So, he created plenty of birds whose wingspans ranged anywhere between 3-20 feet. They found survival by creating homes on top of the rock pillars, far above the clouds. Only leaving the safety of their homes to feast upon the fish that swim in the boiling sea. Only some of species have found sources of food in other birds, and the abandoned bodies of animals in the forest. Having long beaks and very cold blood, they can catch fish by diving down a few meters into the sea. Their cold blood cools their body as they're submersed in the boiling water, giving them just enough time to get in and out. These diving birds have keen eyes so they can pick out the glitter of moving scales beneath the surface of the water.
The second family of animals made in the forest are known as "Jumping Lizards". A large reptilian family whose length ranges anywhere between 3-10 feet when completely stretched out. Although colors vary by which specific species of jumping lizard they are, some common colors these lizards are found in are: red, orange, tan, black and light blue. These lizards have a slight hunch in their back. They have large feet that act as shock absorbers for long falls. Their back legs are ripped with muscle so they can launch themselves into the air, this contrasts with their front legs which are both skinny and weak. Long, powerful jaws are attached to their heads, having been made to break through bone in one snap. They prey on the birds by launching themselves into the air and biting them as they fly. Larger species of this family of lizard are found in more clustered regions of the hexagonal forest, these rely on the pillars to catch their prey. They do so by bounding off the side of one pillar, to the side of another. Eventually gaining enough altitude to catch the high-flying larger birds.
Made after the jumping lizards were the quang, who are a family of large cattle like creatures. They walk upon six legs, and have large exoskeletons. an average quang is between five to seven feet in length and between four to eight feet tall. They come in a color spectrum of light grey to black. Quang feast upon the eggs of jumping lizards who nest on the ground, their tough exteriors ward off any objections to their feasts. Though the quang don't feed exclusively on jumping lizard's eggs, they will feed upon the bodies of dead animals they find. Quang generally wander in small groups, but sometimes travel on their own. They are in possession of loud vocal cords, needed sometimes by them to find groups that could be a substantial distance away.
Next Onoldos created an animal group that lived upon the sides of pillars. They are called wall-crawlers. Each have three legs that end in a sharp points, capable of digging into rock. Their body is like a round triangle, with a short side between two of the arms. Peeking over the top of this short side is a long lanky neck that leads to a big-mouthed head with sharp horns. Measured from neck to bottom leg their length is about 4-6 feet. Inside of their mouths are inward pointing teeth that it uses these to snag the meat of a jumping lizards as they're jumping through the air. Once snagged on to a victim it forces them to crash into the ground while using them as a cushion. It then eats what it can, then leaves the remainder of the dead jumping lizard on the ground. Most species of wall-crawlers have thin sheets of skin between their legs that when stretched allow it to glide distances. Some however can't glide, these ones only eat other wall crawlers and can be between 6-10 feet.


Those That Live in The Trees

Now that the ecosystem of the forest was alive, Onoldos put the first step of his plan into motion. He had strove to create a world in which his new children could be born, now he believed it was sufficient for them. He had given to them mountains, ocean, and a place to make their homes. Now all he needed was to start their journey. He already knew what he had in mind for his second children, known to the world as the Oalei.
He turned his attention to Raek, who was flying over the forest, and whispered to his bird "Now is the time". Without hesitation Raek dived down through clouds and gathered speed. Raek slammed into the side of a rock pillar, carving a deep gash into it and sending boulders tumbling, before pulling away and flying back to the top of the pillar. Boulders rained down from the sky to crash into the ground of the forest. The fallen boulders sat there in stillness for three days until on the fourth day when they broke open, and the first Oalei opened its eyes to see the world created for it.
Oalei are fat humanoids with an average height between 4'6"-5'2". Their backs and shoulders are dotted with fragments of stone. Their heads and arms are covered with plates of stone. Normal skin colors for this race are grey, brown, tan, dark-brown, and light-grey. They have big rock-coated hands with wide-plump fingers that are covered in iron, the ends of their fingers are sharpened into points. Likewise their feet have a thick rock coating, making them more stable. They have a natural ability to chip rock away with their hands. They use this to make tunnels and caves through the hexagonal pillars of the forest to use as their homes.
They have a tribe like society. There are many tribes spread throughout the forest. The strongest Oalei in a tribe is the leader of that tribe. Any other Oalei may challenge a leader at any time through combat. Although civil-wars are uncommon in tribes, it can happen. Whomever is the leader of a tribe chooses that tribes laws. Tribes often get into disputes with other tribes, leading to wars.
An average Oalei is stubborn, and brutish. You won't find one dancing around a point, preferring instead to deal with problems head-on. In general Oalei are not a very intelligence race. They respect the leader of the tribe, but respect the one who defeats him even more. They find pride in their strength, career prowess, and loyalty to their current leader. They follow any abstract laws the leader puts before them, although sometimes begrudging and reluctant.
With a life-span of 400-500 years, they are a long living species. Pregnancy in the Oalei race takes a year and a half until birth. The child is not considered an adult until they reach the age of 50. Children live exclusively in the caves for their first 50 years of life, as birds and wall-crawlers will eat them.
Women have the same rights as men in their society, if she's strong enough, she can lead the tribe.
They either hunt the animals in the forest or feast on the dead left-overs found on the forest floor. Eventually they would find as they spread out to the boiling sea, that their rock coated hands and feet afforded them protection from heat. Although the majority of their body does not share that resistance, these coastal dwellers would find a new source of food in the fish that lived near the shore of the sea.

So I used Create Life x200 so that's 0(100 Species of bird, 60 species of Jumping Lizard, 35 species of Wall Crawlers, and 5 species of Quang)
Then I used Command Avatar to Create Race. so that's -2
Leaving me with 10

[5a Violista]

Sadness. I just had nearly the entire post written up before I accidentally exited out of it, and I couldn't recover it. I'll just rewrite the Birth of a New Deity section right now, then I'll rewrite the rest of it later tonight, after I have a break. It was so cool, too...

Birth of a New Deity
The white coyote stared at Kran Ze'In. How should it answer? She didn't have a name that she called herself. The Hothrids called her Heovma, but she called herself nothing. After a moment, Heovma knew how to answer: She tapped her front foot three times and howled: "I am Chaos. I am Nothing. I am hungry." Although, now that she thought about it, being around Kran Ze'In didn't leave her as hungry as she was before.

She then left to return to her running across the world.

Years later, Heovma returned to where Kran Ze'In was waiting. They looked at each other for a while, and a friendship had began developing between them. Then, without warning, Heovma left again.

This continued for a long time. Heovma came back, they played, and then she left. Heovma liked playing with Kran Ze'In. Unlike the Hothrid, Kran Ze'In didn't die. Unlike the moon, Kran Ze'In wasn't protected by the day-guardians. Unlike with the lava salamanders, Heovma wasn't left bored. In addition, she wasn't as hungry, either, because of the energy created by the divine presence of the goddess.

One time, Heovma suddenly stopped coming. There was no apparent reason for it; she just didn't come back. What had happened was the was impregnated by the latent, unused divine energy. For a long time, nothing happened.

Then, near the end of Kran Ze'In's waiting-period, a divine being approached her, Kran Ze'In. It wasn't Heovma, but it stopped right in front of the divinity and stared at her, much like Heovma had done so much earlier. It was a divine being created by Kran Ze'In's energy and born in the wild, by the white coyote.



During the period of time that Heovma was alone, she ran through the landscape. Sometimes, she visited the Grid Forest. Other times, she just ran around the world.

Near the Grid Forest and the surrounding sea, she ran, enjoying the wind in her face. Each time she trekked to the horizon, the stone beneath her wore away into dirt and the sharp jagged landscape became rolling hills.

Later, as she ran, some of her fur fell off. As the hairs hit the dirt, they started to grow as grasses of all sorts.

As she ran through the grasses, she felt the desire to chase something. From her idle thoughts, sprouted large prey beasts running who raced throughout the savanna - deer, antelope, elephants, and so on. She enjoyed chasing them throughout the tall grasses there.

A long time later, Heovma returned to this large grassland, and she returned a little different than she had earlier: she was with child. From her was born several different predators - wolves, coyotes, tigers, lions, crocodiles, and other predators. In addition, a different creature was born: not an animal, but a deity.

For a year, she raised these predators and creatures - taught them to hunt, run, and live in the wild. After that, she left them all, the deity and all the creatures to raise themselves: after all, it's unbecoming for any creature of chaos to depend on a society. Of course, she visited each of them every once in a while, but never stayed with any.

Soon, she grew bored with the plains, so Heovma left them, and began racing around the world again.

As Heovma was running around the world, she felt the desire to hunt again. But there was nothing large around: all she could see were the rocks and the minuscule creatures of chaos living in them. Rather than hunting the small, tiny prey, she commanded them to form a large creature: they formed themselves as a massive bird made solely of chaos. Across the world, they chased each other.

Most of the time, they were running around on the stony ground. However, after many years of running, they found themselves in the savanna grasslands. It was there Heovma finally caught and took down the creature. When it fell, one of its feet left its print in the ground as a giant lake, and the ground rippled up around it, forming large mountains.

The creature then dispersed into the small creatures of chaos once again, living in the sand and the dirt and the stone.

There, in the now-mountainous grassland, Heovma searched for her children. The animals had all multiplied and formed many diverse packs across the grassland, but the child - the deity - she couldn't find. Unable to find this child, she howled, trying to call the child back.


Shape Land: Sea shaped like bird-foot surrounded by mountains, which are surrounded by savanna-like plains. (3+3)
Create Life (0): Grasses and large prey beasts across the savanna
Create Life (0): Predators (wolves, coyotes, tigers, crocodiles) living in that place.




The Black Wolf Fel had been waiting in the savanna. It all smelled of Chaos, so it was only natural she would come back.

Darkness waited there for many centuries. The grass around where he sat quickly died because of the lack of light. Yet, he waited.

One day, he heard his prey's howl: Heovma's howl. He now knew where she was. He raced to where she sat.


Heovma could see the darkness approaching. It was a different kind of darkness - not the kind that calls the moon out to play and not the kind that tells her when it's time to wake. Instead, this darkness told her to run.

Heovma ran from the approaching darkness, but it started catching up. She ran through the new mountains, and eventually reached the new lake. She looked behind her - there was only moments before the Darkness would reach her - so she ran into the lake. Not into the water, but rather into the reflection.

She slipped away into a world created by Chaos: a world that was a reflection of this one. In this world, left was right. The landscape was the same as Neyla, just backwards. Many of the same creatures existed there - only small differences between them. The plants and the animals were similar enough that one couldn't readily tell the difference between them. However, there was always an unnerving feeling associated with them. Also notably, none of the sapient beings nor their creations were to be found in this mirrored world. This world existed beyond every reflection, past each mirage. It was slightly out of sync with reality.


The Black Wolf reached the lake. Heovma had been here. He could smell her. But she wasn't there. She had slipped out of his grasp.

Fel howled in rage.


Create the Mirror World (7)
The Black Wolf continues its hunt; Darkness howled in frustration as its prey slipped away in the nick of time.




Start: 14 points

Create the Mirror World (7)
Shape Land x2: Sea shaped like bird-foot surrounded by mountains, which are surrounded by savanna-like plains. (3+3)

Create Life (0): Grasses and large prey beasts
Create Life (0): Predators (wolves, coyotes, tigers, crocodiles) living in that place.

Note: The plains are just up next to Ziggurat Sea, just barely south of them. The plains surround the mountains which surround the bird-foot sea.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4319464/)
Current Power Points: 15

The figure was tall, and wore a cloak which appeared to be made out of mirrored glass, reflecting back the rest of the world in near perfection, but just slightly enough different that one could tell where it was. As Kran Ze'In looked up at the face of the figure, it realized that this was it's own progeny, for those eyes were the same inconstant, flickering, intense, indigo points of light. The only difference was that, where Kran Ze'Ins eyes were points within a shadowy hood, this new deity wore it's hood back, revealing it's head in full, and revealing it to be covered in white feathers, the same shade of white as Hoevma's fur, with blue accents around those glowing indigo eyes. It was the head of an owl, steady and wise, as it gazed back at it's progenitor, and communed with the deity Kran Ze'In as only a fellow deity could, "My name is Ke'Keo. I am one with you and I am one with Hoevma, the other of my progenitors. Though, I knew to come to you, for your line is more in tune with my own. I am fond of mother Chaos, but I understand the domain of What is to Come more. Might I join the line of your progeny?"

Naturally, being accepting of change by it's very nature, Kran Ze'In consented, and took the being into the Domain, to give witness of the new deity to Chron and Indlas, who had been working within the world for some time now. Naturally, Indlas, being incapable of truly understanding change, was shocked and confused by this new creature, and gave it a wide berth, but Chron, high overhead beyond the edge of existence, welcomed the new deity it's voice without sound, thereby weaving it's divine presence into to the will of those spawned from Chron, so that the will would forever include Ke'Keo's will. In that act, Kran Ze'In, Indlas, and Chron would forever understand the deity, and it would forever understand them. In that act, the future changed, and Chron witnessed a path in time it had not planned, one of branching choices far more numerous than before, and down ever single choice, lay a fact: oracles would one day exist.

Name: Ke'Keo
Portfolio: The Future, Free Will, Oracles
Appearance: Ke'Keo's body is never seen, but it's head is that of a stark white owl with two intense, flickering points of indigo light for eyes, which are rimmed in a few blue feathers. It wears a slack cloak which reflects the rest of the world as a perfect mirror, but instead of reflecting the world as it is, it instead reflects the world as it is going to be, 5.12 seconds in the future.
Flavor: Born of uncertainty and chaos, Ke'Keo is a god of the future that is to come, and is manifested of that which it is a deity of. Within it's domain lies everything that will one day come to pass, as well as every single choice that would affect the future. While technically genderless, Ke'Keo is often characterized as a "she". Those who worship Ke'Keo or who are otherwise close to the deity often manifest powers of precognition.
Symbol: Ke'Keo's spiral is actually two different spirals, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise, looping over and under each other at different points on the symbol. One is white, the other blue.



In the Domain, many eons had passed. The Domain had been created almost seven hundred thousand years ago upon Neyla, yet it was already over one billion years old, for time passed by far faster in the Domain than in reality, far away. So far, thousands of souls had made their way into this place, for lack of an alternate afterlife. Souls of everything from Oalei to Nos-ndelai wandered about in the Domain, staring upon the unchanging eternity of the place. In this time, Chron and Indlas had been working, forming a being of less-than-divine power at the very heart of the Domain. Now that the two further deities came, Chron directed them to add the final touches to the being, and in the instant that change and free will were added into it's existence, it began.

An orb of coiling, black smoke appeared at the exact center of the Domain, ten megameters high, above the cold, divine stone, with blue lightning and red lightning flashing deep within it. It appeared to be only a meter in diameter, but the truth was that within it was a storm of infinite size, but the laws of reality were bent so close to it's edge, and that infinite object was compacted into a finite, single-meter-wide sphere, crackling red and blue and black constantly.

The souls down below, upon the stone of Domain, would rarely travel the ten thousand kilometers up to view this sentient storm, and would even more rarely actually pass within it, for those that did became lost for all time in the impossible maelstrom. Yet, for all the distance this object would have, it would define the lives of the infinite souls who would walk within this world, for it was the lens through which Chron would manifest it's will. As it did now.

Particular portions of the divine, grey stone grew dark, then shifted, and rose up, into towering figures of black stone, perfectly chiseled, with two muscular arms, two muscular legs, a torso, and a head, these creatures were akin to what Humans would one day appear as, except that they were made as though from polished ebony, with both runes etched across their entire bodies, glowing red, white, or indigo, and plating upon their skin, of tungsten, platinum, or lead. Their faces were devoid of nose or mouth, and their eyes glowed with the same coloration of their runes. Though, perhaps the greatest factor that set them apart from Humans, was their stature, for the shortest stood 190 meters tall, while the tallest stood 210 meters tall.

These Colossi stood for a thousand years before the free will which had been instilled to them finally took hold, and they began to walk, forming connections at the immensely slow rate their kind would always take. Their kind lived for four billion to five billion years, after all, and took a decade to speak even a single word in their low, singing speech. They wandered about the Domain aimlessly for the first few million years, before they finally grew fond enough of one another to form families and friends. They would be a proud race, a powerful race, an unmovable race, but they were only just beginning, and they would take a long time to begin acting as an actual race.



Meanwhile, within the material vein, Ke'Keo was being led to it's first great act of creation, with it's parent, Kran Ze'In guiding it's hand. At first, the god of free will was directed to simply expand the metal-filled wastes that Indlas had put down, but eventually, being a manifestation of free will, it decided to act of it's own volition, and upon the slopes that led down into the desert of metals, suddenly the land was soft and wet. Ke'Keo introduced weather patterns that would be easily altered by the presence of the time storm, so far beyond the horizon, so that the moisture and rain that would usually fall in this domain would not cross into the wastes of Indlas, except perhaps for one day out of a thousand.

This new land was soft, earthy soil which was distinctly red, from iron, phosphorous, and aluminum deposits in the dirt. Within this place were many rivers and lakes which ran cloudy from aluminum. On occasion, a large portion of pure phosphorous would be dislodged somewhere and come into contact with some materials or another, releasing toxic gases into the air, but beyond this, the place was quite and peaceful.

Yet Ke'Keo still felt that it was as boring as the desert. It needed something to move, to act, to possess free will, so, with a pulse of will, red grasses cropped up around the land, as well as seven different kinds of trees. The first was a tall, thin tree which would one day be called a Kelroo and grew in tight clumps like bamboo, with red bark and dusty, white leaves. The second was a long lived, thick trunked tree known as the Dundun Tree, with very wide, gray branches and thick, white foliage. It was low-slung, and hogged the wide area of land around it by starving the land beneath it's leaves for light. A third, which would come to be called the Dison, possessed sparse, white leaves, deep roots, and a tall, thick, red trunk. The Dison was particularly heavy even among all these iron-rich trees, considering that it itself was almost 30% iron. Fourth, there was the Namel, a small, thin tree with yellow and grey striped bark and long willowy leaves. At night, the yellow parts of it's bark, so heavy in phosphorous, would glow. The fifth tree would some day be known as the Oume Tree, with a small, bent trunk and a relatively short lifespan. The Oume Tree was the only tree in this red & white land which had leaves that weren't white, instead being a vibrant blue which would even glow slightly when they died. The sixth tree, the Kulikuli, was tall and stiff, but thin, and was pure, stark white, from roots to leaves, and would, in the summer months, glow an unusually bright, white light. The last tree, the seventh, would come to be called the Lazli Tree, and it was very similar to the Dison, but with a trunk more pink than red, and it bore 'fruit'. Of course the Lazli Tree breathed in carbon dioxide from the surrounding air, but did not breath out as much oxygen. Instead, as this tree drank up aluminum from it's roots, and did not use it either, it combined the aluminum and the oxygen, with abundant iron (and titanium, as existed around the world), to form crystal stones over the years. Specifically, these 'fruit' that the Lazli Tree produced were not edible, but instead were perfect, dark blue sapphires.

When the plants were finished, Ke'Keo turned and created animals. Birds with blue feather called Uluun. Ke Owls in her own image, with blue accents around their eyes. Tiny red Yogyo birds, and the giant Tekki Falcon, with it's 5 meter wingspan. Red Mice appeared in the forests, as well as Red Deer. In the grasslands there were herding herbivores called Touro which were shaped like horse, but with tusks and the size of a elephant, not to mention their red fur. In the forests were also small, cougar-like predators called Vlass, who shot out clumps of a phosphorous compound from their mouths, which would shatter and flash a brilliant white, startling all nearby and making Red Deer run in panic, usually straight into the trap of the Vlass. There were also pack hunters akin to red jackals, called Reku, in these forests. In the grasslands, giant White Snakes hid in the cloudy, white rivers, waiting for a Touro to take a drink before they would strike and drag the giant creature underwater, while packs of Viloom, or saber-toothed wolf creatures who could see accurately for kilometers, tracked herds of Touro for days on end, waiting for a good time to strike.

9 points to Create Avatar in the Domain: The Storm.

1 point to Command the Storm to Create the Colossi Race in the Domain.

3 points to expand the Metal Wastes a half inch and create the Red Forest Land.

0 points to Create the Red Grass.

0 points to Create the Kelroo.

0 points to Create the Dundun Tree.

0 points to Create the Dison.

0 points to Create the Namel.

0 points to Create the Oume Tree.

0 points to Create the Kulikuli.

0 points to Create the Lazli Tree.

0 points to Create the Uluun.

0 points to Create the Ke Owl.

0 points to Create the Yogyo Bird.

0 points to Create the Tekki Falcon.

0 points to Create the Red Mouse.

0 points to Create the Red Deer.

0 points to Create the Touro.

0 points to Create the Vlass.

0 points to Create the Reku.

0 points to Create the White Snake.

0 points to Create the Viloom.

Current Power Points: 2
Next Power Roll: 6d4k4=14 (http://orokos.com/roll/152328)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/2t36L1b.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

The decision to permit Tsarag-Losh to descend to the world below was more controversial than it had been for Orat'hoth - many Watchers were aware of the constant, arbitrary change it desired, and its obsession with the spread and use of sorcery and cunning. A certain L'zot'aca was most strident in speaking out against the decision, saying that the Hothrid as altered were already reborn forever in the Watchers' name, either in their original form or as part of the Watcher that consumed their offered essence. That to change so much of the world's established climate, so quickly, and in such obviously unnatural ways as Orat'hoth already had and Tsarag-Losh had proposed, was undesireable.

Yet ultimately the Watcher of Fluid's entry request was successful. Over the following thousand years, a patch of water at the very bottom of the Ziggurat Sea slowly changed, as the Watcher faded in. Its form had a dome of strange boneless flesh on top, with eight extremely thin tendrils descending from its edges and curving round to almost contact its lowermost point; a rough pillar of the same material pointing downwards from this dome, and indeed tapering to a point; and something vaguely red, inside that pillar, which would inevitably glow if Tsarag-Losh were to perform sorcery. It is perhaps irrelevant how large the original form was, for Tsarag-Losh could appear in different sizes at need. Everything seemed, somehow, more fluid at some level when this Watcher came, perhaps a natural effect of its association with water, perhaps the result of it being the most accomplished sorcerer of all the Watchers.

The Oalei were stubborn, yes, incapable of being swayed without violence. Some of them were also more cunning than most, and less capable of simple brutality - indeed, their very intelligence left them second-guessing each move, wondering if the others were not secretly their peers and plotting against them. Some of them became aware of certain rare texts, certain rare sorceries that would grant the blessings of the numberless gods; those who found their dreams filled with this knowledge were those who had enemies, enemies they could not defeat the fair way, through force of arms and simple combat.

Thus it was that, every year or so, an Oalei would disappear into the boiling sea, their killer's petty grudge would be resolved, the survivors would have more food, the fish would have more food, and Tsarag-Losh would have a soul to feast upon. These ritual killings, paradoxically, had a beneficial effect on the tribes that perpetrated them - not merely because a particularly potent Watcher was seeing to their needs, but also as a result of their population not swinging as high during harvest seasons, and thus having more for each head in the stores during the winter.

The Los-ndelai were not truly sentient; the spark was there, Tsarag-Losh had seen to that, but individually they were feeble. It would take far more precise sorceries than those which made them up to truly unite their minds, and create a being which could operate alone. Briefly, the Fluid thought back to that impetuous Watcher who had suggested they make the Los-ndelai thousands of times larger in order that each one could contain a mind; L'zot'aca had personally punished that one, throwing it through a portal to even the Watchers knew not where after wiping its mind of every conscious memory except the rage it had inspired. No doubt its original personality would surface eventually, but its stupid idea of metres long Los-ndelai would never infect Neyla.

Instead, Tsarag-Losh subtly guided the Los-ndelai, who dug very specific bits out of a coral reef in very specific patterns - patterns that spelled runes of sorcery, runes which flared into life the instant that the last nanometre of the last rune was complete. Suddenly, all the Los-ndelai infesting that reef were united in thought, all seeing through one another's senses, all feeling with one another's limbs, all working with one another's purpose. Thus was born the first Tsarag-Thaun, which quickly incorporated a number of other, less potent species into itself - most notably a set of insect larvae which might be unleashed, were it ever to surface completely, for their post-larval forms would surely die in water.

The first Tsarag-Thaun found its component swarm too large, so they performed sorcery to lift their home from the ground, and send it through the seas to another suitable colony. When this colony was large enough, the first Tsarag-Thaun worked together to scribe the ancient runes, and fully one-third of them defected as was planned, becoming part of the second Tsarag-Thaun.

Thus were sown the seeds of a war to come. For there was no hard evidence of whether a Tsarag-Thaun was a colony of Los-ndelai which could think as one and control lesser vermin while its home was nearby, or a separate mind capable of enslaving millions of vermin and Los-ndelai within a certain radius. The first of these strange beings believed the former, the second, the latter, and from the day they informed one another of their separate positions, each would teach their version to each child they created.

Those Hothrid who still attended to Orat'hoth's physical form repotrted the appearance of a domed being above it, which moved as if made of a constrained fluid and waved its tendrils in a fashion they could not understand. In truth, Tsarag-Losh was giving thanks; for it was Orat'hoth who had sent the messages to the Oalei of how to worship and sacrifice in the name of its fellow Watcher. It wished to know how this debt might be repaid, and in a time longer than a Hothrid's short lifespan, Orat'hoth answered.

Isles rose far to the east, isles covered in the same beautiful, wondrous, and terrifying array of life that had first grown in the First Forest. These were arranged almost in a series of lines, all intersecting at at least one point, and not one of them less than two islands thick. Each island was close enough to each of its immediate neighbours that, if they so desired, a very fit Hothrid might just about be able to swim their length without first inventing boats; in this way, this paragon might even visit every single isle if they somehow lived long enough to keep making the journeys.

Orat'hoth could simply have created more Hothrid out of whole cloth, but it was easier to take the evolved specimens, and it might prove wrong the Leaenan society in which beings who were meant to claw and bite at eachother used knives punier and weaker than their fangs. Amused that this was considered adequate repayment, Tsarag-Losh agreed.

Over ten thousand of the more savage Hothrid specimens curled up in their dens, only to wake atop hideous landforms of a thosuand colours and textures, all of them unnatural and other to their kind's intended environment. It was with fear and panic that these transported specimens fled the coral boats that had transported them, never knowing that these were the sapient Tsarag-Thaun, who had moved to serve their creator's will in the matter of populating the First Archipelago.

Far outside the walls of Caelurum, many Hothrid despised the way that the Leaenas were diverting the realm and ways of their kind. They were meant to hunt, not to simper and carry cups at the whims of others. They were meant to kill their enemies by ambushing them, tearing them open with their claws or breaking their bones with their jaws, not by driving feeble rocks into them at night. The advantages of opposable thumbs were undeniable, of course, and the Hothrid had long since evolved to be able to walk on two limbs at need, though more slowly than on four, but many still avoided the use of tools for any task claws and teeth could achieve. Some became archers, for that was a valid extension of their reach, but there remained great resentment of the wasteful opulence of the city, and how they wasted their time making feeble coverings when they had perfectly good thick fur - or worse, hiding what Orat'hoth had given them, as if it was shameful. A caste of sorcerer-priests arose among those tribes which refused to follow the Leaenan model, who learned the ancient songs and preached the glories of the Old Way, while diverging from it in their own tangent as they carved instructions in stone and faces on trees.

The inevitable civil war was averted when the more ardent of the Old Way tribes found themselves taken to the Archipelago, as if entirely by magic for all they knew. Some openly wondered if they had not got it wrong, if this was not Orat'hoth's punishment for their sins, but their old life returned soon enough in their new locale.

Power roll: +1 Cults (http://orokos.com/roll/152436): 6d4k4+1 7
Power rollover: 19 points
Total 26 points

15 points: Create Second Avatar (Tsarag-Losh the Fluid)
2 points: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Create Race (Tsarag-Thaun), sentient coral reefs which can innately mind-control the Los-ndelai infesting them to perform sorcery and other sundry tasks.
2 points: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Cult in the Oalei
3 points: Shape Land (The First Archipelago as described, sat atop a vague oval of sea pointing northeast from the Ziggurat Sea)
0 points: Create Life (fill the Archipelago with life á la the Grid Forest)

4 points remaining
+2 Cults to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

In its great sleep, Centrum became restless at the great influx of living beings above the surface of the world. It awoke for a mere moment, and in that moment lashed out at the world above in what may have been anger at being disturbed, and returned to its sleep.

In this time, those Hothrids who were awake could feel the ground shake violently beneath their paws. Any who looked to the north could see the source. Those near the coast saw a massive cloud of dust over the distant wasteland. And after some time, something rose from the dust with a deep, grinding noise, heard from afar. The land itself was rising and forming itself into many pillars. At first, they were too short to be visible to those not at the coast, but slowly continued to raise up from the ground until they reached a height higher than the highest of mountains. The pillars stopped at this time, easily visible from anywhere in the grid forest. Between some of them were formed snaking pathways between them, arches to the pillars. At such a height, the pathways proved quite dangerous, land breaking off randomly and mysteriously regrowing.

They were an imposing and mysterious omen that invoked much speculation as to their purpose. None were harmed in this event, but some were shaken and made fearful of what the pillars meant.

They are composed of that which was underneath, stone, dirt and volcanic rock, similar to the wasteland. The surface above, which was invisible to all eyes but the gods' and lava salamanders that survived the great ascent, was a craggy landscape covered in active volcanoes, similar to the land below in many ways. Yet it had some differences. The landscape became filled with the most valuable and rare minerals and gems. Red diamonds, rubies, tanzanite, jadeite and virtually any other kind of gem or mineral anyone could imagine, dot the landscape, making the place a haven for those who might desire these things. Yet the land is also extremely dangerous and inaccessible, being covered in active volcanoes that erupt nearly constantly and so high that it is difficult for most creatures to breath. Beyond this, the pillars are so high and at such an angle that they are nearly impossible to navigate.

The area around the pillars became water, a perfectly circular extension of the Border Sea.

Roll: 2d6+4+3=16 (http://orokos.com/roll/152595)

Shape land 1'', A group of massive circular pillars directly north of the border sea, jaggedly jutting out perpendicular to the lands below with a landscape of volcanic mountains and crags rich with various minerals atop it. Some are connected at their "peaks" by land. Roughly 30 kilometers above sea level. Surrounded by water. -3

Left: 13
Bonus for next round: 4

[Elemental]

Roll: 13 (http://orokos.com/roll/152207) + 4 = 17


A Thousand Thousand Years

After incomparable aeons, the Leaenas had held on to their throne through murder, treachery and conquest. Nothing had yet dislodged them for their sorcery was unmatched throughout the Forest. Rival queens who had stumbled upon lesser aspects of the art attempted to seize the Arcem Caelurum, but each failed as their command of the sorcery was lacking. Eventually, rival queens stopped rising up against them, instead favouring the modicum of peace gained by simply leaving the Leaenas be, they so rarely came down from their mountain after all.
Beyond political squabbles, life in general improved. Caelurum, once a ramshackle collection of huts clinging to the edge of the Arcem, was now a glorious metropolis that had countless times outgrown its fortifications. Ornately carved wooden palaces of the elite lined wide, tree lined avenues. Great forums had been constructed where goods from all across the Forest were traded, and around the forums were located the basilicas, libraries and temples, each one rising stoically above the hustle and bustle below.
And at the centre of it all, was the Arcem. Crowned by gleaming golden domes, it was more a palace than a fortress these days. Still, more bloodshed had occurred within its walls than the rest of the Leaenan Empire combined. Hundreds of princesses had met their end from suspicious "illnesses", countless more through violent and bloody duels. The most powerful of all the servants at the Arcem were cup bearers, apothecaries, cooks and foremost, the coveted position of knife bearer.
It was to this world that the most recent of the Leaenas was born. Having murdered four sisters, maimed another and arranged for the exile and imprisonment of three others, she was able to ascend the throne unchallenged. But in retrospect, it would have been better if she had. Alas, Leaena Aurea had only a poor grasp of sorcery. Thus, she was forced to rely upon the only person who could cover for her weakness that she thought she could trust, her brother Elmet.
She appointed him as her knife bearer and for a year, all went well as Elmet performed the necessary sorcery from the sidelines. But in time, he grew bold, and desired that he should be be enthroned. After all... He was the sorcerer doing all the work. Thus, with a single knife thrust, the realm was his.
Taking the name Leaen Argentis, he became the first King of the Hothrid. But still, his unexpected reign was fragile, and he strove to preserve the status quo to placate the matriarchs of Caelurum, even wearing the attire of a Queen rather than a royal male.
Searching for a means to legitimise and stabilise his rule, Leaen Argentis took the advice of a wandering sage with black fur, and established at Caelurum the Royal Academy of Thanatology and Theology. Leaen Argentis died a mere two years after its foundation, but it survived and grew under the reign of his daughter Leaena Scolari. In but a few generations, what had been solely a royal art had become the property of all those who could afford to attend the academy and it soon came to be known no longer as sorcery, but as Thanatology.


The Schola

As Leaena Scolari grew old, she realised that their simply wasn't enough room in the Arcem for both the deadly dance of Court and the rapidly growing enrolment of the Academy. Thus, she granted to them a large plot of land in Caelurum. Constructing a magnificent series of buildings they called the Schola, the Academy settled into their new home and began lessons free from interference.
Upon the death of Leaena Scolari, to whom they were eternally grateful, they constructed before the Great Hall of the Schola a statue of her such that the aid she had given them would always be remembered.


Death Wanders the Wasteland

The Inevitable, pleased with the progress of the Hothrids over the many millennia that had passed since he first saw fit to meddle with, decided to walk the volcanic wilderness that covered the world and visit in turn each of the variant wildernesses that had been formed by his fellows. They were all spectacular in their own ways, but the world lacked a region dominated by calm.
Finding himself drawn to a spot roughly South-West of the Grid Forest, The Inevitable began to gently mould the wastes into a gently rolling landscape, roughly circular, but with an uneven edge. In the centre, he raised mountains from which flowed seven rivers to nourish the land. Finally, he pushed the whole land several kilometres upward such that the rivers cascaded down in great falls, only to be lost amidst the vastness of the wastes. As an afterthought, he proofed the rock against erosion by crystallising the vast majority of it.
This done, he turned his attentions towards the life that would ultimately inhabit this land. Casting his memory back to the times before time, he began to populate the land with vaguely remembered trees and wildflowers. Silver aspens and poison cedars, whitethorn and black poplars, mourning willows and plane trees, saffron maple and grey wood, apothecary's yew and ebon birch; these and many more grew amongst a carpet of flowers and grass alongside sparkling streams.
Slowly, numerous insects and birds and animals began to flicker into existence. The wings of thousands of butterflies brightened the air and shimmering fish took up residence in the rivers. Birds of all kinds roosted in the trees and on the cliffs while in the clearings and meadows, winged palominos grazes and numerous kinds of deer congregated as smaller mammals and lizards searched through the grass for their next meals. And to keep it all in balance, red wolves and blue tigers were set to stalk the prey and keep everything in balance.


Starting Power Points: 17

Create Order: The Royal Academy of Thanatology and Theology.
A quasi-religious school dedicating to teaching young members of the Hothrid upper classes sorcery (now known as Thanatology), theology, philosophy, rhetoric, music and other subjects. In time, it will grow to cover most fields of knowledge, but for now, it has begun its life teaching a classical education.

Command Avatar: Command Order: Create Structure: The Schola.
The headquarters of the Royal Academy, the Schola is currently located at the edge of Caelurum, just inside the city wall. In time, it will grow and new buildings will be constructed and new land purchased, but at the current time, there are few buildings.

Shape Land 1": The Land of Seven Rivers.
Described above.

Remaining Power: 4

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll: 2d10 = 16 (http://orokos.com/roll/152841)
Point Rollover: 10
Current Power Points: 26

The Crystal Scar

Onoldos rested with peace as he watch his children, He was content in his new creation. His gaze broad as he watched the war-driven race he had created. They were interesting in their endless conflicts, every day tribes would give way to other tribes as they struggled to gain dominance. A tribe never held the position of strongest for very long, because always there would be a stronger force around the corner.
But now was a time to create something new. To create a present to bless this world with. He manifested himself into the world on that black desert of obsidian halfway between his creations. And the creations of the other gods. Here he had decided, he would tear Neyla apart, and create a deep, long gorge in the earth.
His fingers dug deep into the ground, grabbing into the earth and holding it tightly. Slowly he would rip from that spot, creating a canyon whose depth is anywhere between 3-10 km. With a length extending 18,000 km long, and a width between 200-500 km apart. Along its sides are entrances to many cave systems. There are some natural paths that lead down into the gorge, and some that lead out of the canyon, these can be found along the sides.
At the bottom of the canyon lies a treasure trove of many kinds of crystal. Its magnificent abundance of crystal can be seen from anywhere above the edge of the canyon. Glittering in the sunlight, they unleash a plethora of sparkling colors to the world. Despite the canyon being barren and desolate of life and water, it makes up for the it just by the enchanting beauty of the crystal found within.
The sides of the canyon are a barren desert with the occasional dry sand blowing around in the wind.


The Boiling Sea's Growth

Next Onoldos decided to expand his Boiling Sea. He dug a pit wrapping around the northern border of the hexagonal forest. As it filled with water, it came to a boil. This new tripling of the seas size would result in worse weather. Storms of freighting capabilities would tear through the forest. This gave the region around the hexagonal forest a new name to the Oalei, It became known as "Land of Storms"
With the new sea offering more space and more food, the fish that lived near-by flooded this new region of ocean rapidly. Fish populations soared to new heights, loading the sea with fat and ripe fish.
With more shore land and the increased fish populations, the Oalei began to rely more on fishing. This new source of food caused a massive rise in Oalei populations and tribe size along the coast. Wars became bloodier and more aggressive as the stronger tribes fought over very valuable and sought after shore space. The further in-land a tribe was the smaller and worse off they were.

So I used Shape Land x6 to make a 18000km long crystal canyon. so minus 18
Than I used shape land x2 to extend the boiling sea around the north border of the hexagonal forest so minus 6
Leaving me with 2 points

[5a Violista]

While his prey had escaped, Fel the Black Wolf circled the world. Wherever he went, he always brought an insufferable darkness with him.

One day, he made his way to the stone forest where the the Oalei live. He watched them fight for their dominance, using their immense strength. He saw their immense loyalty and decided that it was too much. One night, he descended upon several tribes and began whispering in the ears of some as they slept.

He told them of a different kind of strength - a kind of strength found in the shadows. During the day, they would feign loyalty to the leader, to the strongest. During the day, they would follow the leader's laws. During the day, they would respect the strength of their leader.

During the night, they would undermine what they professed. Rather than taking on the leader in a head-on battle of strength, they would sneak up on him in the night and strike in his weakness. They would have a cabal across the tribes which only looked out for their own - not for the tribe, not for the strength of their people, but for themselves. They had wicked oaths and blood pacts to protect each other, even at the cost of their own children.

Though none of them became leaders of the society, they subtly wrought chaos to the many tribes.


(2) Command Avatar (Fel) - Create Cult (Oalei)



After a long time in the Mirrored World [Map pending...sooner or later], Heovma left it, to return to Neyla proper.

She emerged where she had left, by the lake in the mountains in the savanna.

Feeling safe for the moment, she played around with the many animals in that area. Soon, though, she felt confined there, in the small piece of land, so she decided to run.

Heovma ran in a southeastern direction, as fast as she could. As she ran, the obsidian and rock turned to sand. Some of it piled up to form mountains - so tall that the water in the air soon began freezing and turning into snow along the top. The sand that formed was shiny and had many specks of black, from the ground obsidian forming most of it.

When she finally reached the end of her running, she sat down, tired, and rested in the sand and on the rock.

After a few thousand years, the snow and ice capping the mountains melted and regrew at a constant enough rate that the water eventually formed an enormous river, running straight down the desert until it finally reached the Ziggurat Sea.

Plants - reeds, palm trees, and other plants - started growing in the fertile area next to the river, and many animals from the savanna began to migrate from their old home to the desert.


(3+3) Shape Land: Running roughly southeast of the savanna plains is a desert in a line. Along the northeast and southwest edges, the desert is hedged in by snow-capped mountains. Down the center of the desert is a large river (like The Nile), which is fed by the water from the mountains, and the river eventually feeds into the Ziggurat Sea.
(0) Create Life: Palm Trees and reeds, which grow in the fertile parts along the river.






Why do I keep on rolling so low? I just want to Shape the whole Land.
1 + 2d6=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4320130/) + 3/5 + 1/3 = 9

(2) Command Avatar (Fel) - Create Cult (Oalei)
(3+3) Shape Land: Running roughly southeast of the savanna plains is a increasing altitude desert in a line. Along the northeast and southwest edges, the desert is hedged in by snow-capped mountains. Down the center of the desert is a large river (like The Nile), which is fed by the water from the mountains, and the river eventually feeds into the Ziggurat Sea.
It starts as a hot desert and slowly turns into a semiarid desert as you travel south.
(0) Create Life: Palm Trees and reeds, which grow in the fertile parts along the river. Cacti, etc, living in the dry portions.


Next time: 1 + 2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4320143/) + 4/5 + 2/3 = 15
That's better.
Planned action: 1 more cult and 4x Shape Land
The Shaped Lands have to be: 1) A swamp, and 2-4) A large ocean, 3 "shape land"s big.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4k4=14 (http://orokos.com/roll/152328)
Current Power Points: 15

The Gods of Time occupied themselves with the creation of land, in this time, as Chron had directed them to do, such that the world would be full of their presence. That was the last words the creator of time spoke for eons, as the Colossi wandered about beneath his gaze in it's Domain.

Indlas, looking with disdain at the intricate and ceaselessly mobile terrain that Ke'Keo had created, occupied it's focus on the growth of the great, metal-filled desert which encased the ancient Time Storm, laying down veins of tungsten, sheets of lead, and deposits of platinum across the entire wasteland. By the time it was finished, the desert was so grand that, to even witness the immense plateau upon which the winds of time itself coiled and blew, one would have to spend months struggling across the venomous land.

Kran Ze'In looked to the Red Land, and saw the grasslands, with the Red Grass swaying in the breeze, herds of Touro stopping along and taking drinks from the aluminum-heavy water, just to be taken under the milky fluid by the sudden strike of an immense, camouflaged White Snake, or to be taken down when they stepped away from the herd, by a hunting pack of the saber-toothed wolves, Viloom. In the forests themselves, Yogyo birds, tiny and red, hid in dense patches of Kelroo, darting out to nibble on the leaves of Namel, Kulikuli, or Oume Trees, and often at night, as they could spot the yellow, glowing Namel bark and the white, glowing Kulikuli easily enough. However, they did so at their own peril, for a Ke Owl might swoop out from the wide and low Dundun Tree and catch them. Vlass would hunt at night, so that their flashbang would cause the most confusion in their selected prey, the Red Deer. The Reku, on the other hand, hunted at night, as they could organize their hunting groups and see more easily. Above it all, in nests atop the mighty Disons or Lazli Trees, the mighty Tekki Falcon picked it's prey from everything below, even sometimes a Red Mouse or a peaceful, blue Uluun, as the Tekki Falcon was the largest hunter in the entire forest. Kran Ze'In might have nodded, if such a thing meant anything to it. Instead, the god thought to itself that this was a good start.

It was still only a start, to Kran Ze'In.

There needed to be more. More depth, more change, more chaos. So, with a push of will, the god of entropy swelled the borders of the Red Land, creating more soft, red soil and more gentle, milky rivers. At the same time, however, it also created more life. It began with plants. Three kinds of flowers cropped up. First, a tall, stalk-like flower, called the Lellibell with a solitary blossom of a vibrant blue, which was cup-shaped and collect rainwater, which was then converted by the flower into a slightly alcoholic nectar. Next was the Vlasseye, which grew as a vine, up the sides of trees, and blossomed with dozens of tiny, red-and-yellow flowers, each of which might be easily mistaken for a Vlass's eye. Then there was the Fuzzi: a type of plant which grew in carpets across the forest floor, and, in this world of white and red, blossomed with bright green flowers.

Next, Kran Ze'In created Red Moss and White Moss, each of which grew everywhere there was ample moisture to feed them. The Red Moss was heavy and stiff, while the White Moss was frail and sparkled in any light. It also gave form to the White Fern, the Red Reed, a new type of tree known as the Ekko Tree, which was about the same as an Oume Tree, but larger, and with white leaves and a blue kind of fruit, instead of blue leaves, as well as three kinds of luminescent fungi: the Gercap, a mushroom which grew to be a meter wide on average and which glowed a dim yellow, the Fi'Tach, a kind of mold that clung to the sides of Disons and Lazli Trees and glowed a rich red, and Huol, tiny mushrooms which would grow in large patches, and would glow blue.

Next, the god created creatures. First was the Mord, a giant turtle, about the size of a horse, with a heavy, red shell and a neck that would look out-of-place on an Earth turtle, due to it's great length. The Mord wandered mainly in the Red Forests, where it would eat Red Ferns and the leaves of every tree it's neck could eat. It also provided a symbiosis for Musch, which were small, red-shelled barnacles creatures which sapped iron and other nutrients from trees, until a Mord would wander by, and, in it's great weight, knock a few Musch loose, just to land on the turtle and attach to it instead. From there, the Musch would defend it's habitat from attackers like the Tekki Falcon with poisonous sprays, while the Mord receded into it's shell. In return, the Mord provided the Musch with food. Also in these forests rose the Malinber, which were like crosses between deer and cats, with the long limbs, head, and hooves of a deer, but the grace, muscles, and body of a cat. The Malinber's fur was red, with white stripes and manes, not to mention the wide, dark red antlers the males sported.

In the grasslands, Kran Ze'In felt there was need for more life in the water, and soon white eels called Mulen, Trout, and Shrimp filled the rivers and lakes, not to mention a predator which could rival the White Snake in it's natural habitat: the Strash, a kind of Piranha which, while only present in the deepest waters, swam in massive schools, would attack in relentless frenzies, and had sharp teeth, hard and red from iron. Above the water, herds of Teff, or small creatures like lithe, red, agile sheep, ran from water source to water source, while a new predator ran them down: the Estim, which was a massive, flightless bird which could run faster than anything else in the land of the Red Grass, and had a massive, sharp beak and plumage to rival a peacock.

Ke'Keo watched it's progenitor, Kran Ze'In, as said progenitor forgot about guiding Ke'Keo's education in the godly ways, and might have laughed, had such an action meant anything to a god. Instead of reminding the fellow deity what was supposed to be being done, the god of the future simply used a small amount of power to widen the Red Land a ways, and introduce a small mountain range of bright, white mountains, with peaks of equal parts clear quartz and pure, white marble. Chromium, silicon, tungsten, and aluminum were all very common deposits in these mountains, with rubies being the more valuable result of this particular mixture of elements. There was very little soil in this relatively small area of mountains, but the occasional Lazli Tree did find root here. However, those that did would be called Draco Trees, for the large amount of Chromium in the soil would lead to rubies growing on their branches instead of sapphires. However, Ke'Keo was no pleased with this lack of life, and gave creation to a hard, stiff, fungi-like grass called Tet Grass, which would eat at the hard stone and grow into wide carpets of bristly, purple grass which would last for a hundred thousand years or more before disintegrating into the elements, revealing pockmarked marble and quartz underneath.

9 points on three Shape Lands to extend Indlas's metal-rich wasteland.

1 point on one Shape Land to extend Ke'Keo's Red Land.

1 point on one Shape Land to extend Ke'Keo's Red Land and create some White Mountain with a quarter of that inch.

0 points to Create the Lellibell.

0 points to Create the Vlasseye.

0 points to Create the Fuzzi.

0 points to Create the Red Moss.

0 points to Create the Red Reed.

0 points to Create the White Moss.

0 points to Create the White Fern.

0 points to Create the Ekko Tree.

0 points to Create the Gercap.

0 points to Create the Fi'Tach.

0 points to Create the Huol.

0 points to Create the Mord.

0 points to Create the Musch.

0 points to Create the Malinber.

0 points to Create the Mulen.

0 points to Create the Trout.

0 points to Create the Shrimp.

0 points to Create the Strash.

0 points to Create the Teff.

0 points to Create the Estim.

0 points to Create the Tet Grass.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4k4=12 (http://orokos.com/roll/152708)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/OT9Amv5.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

Inevitably, many Hothrid and Oalei swam in the waters - and though the distance between the Ziggurat and Boiling Seas was improbably vast, Tsarag-Thaun sorcery was capable of crossing it even then, albeit at great cost. Indeed, those whose name would one day be translated as the Dualist faction - those who believed their minds were a separate and superior entity to their Los-ndelai limbs - were eager to pay this cost, in offerings and exhaustion, for in this way they created distance between themselves and their Unionist rivals, those who believed the swarm was their true being and the colony merely their core.

Thus, around the edges of the Grid Forest and the lands bordering the Boiling Sea, more living beings were drowned than had previously been the case, hypnotised by Tsarag-Thaun witchcraft so that they simply walked into the sea, to have their souls devoured by Tsarag-Losh.

It was not right, felt L'zot'aca, that the other Watchers had so completely rejected the original form of the world beneath. It was a volcanic wasteland - clearly, heat was simply meant to be an aspect of life on Neyla. This view initially clashed with those who wished there to be, well, life on Neyla, so L'zot'aca proposed to prove that these desires were not contradictory. It proposed to create a land of many mountains and plains, where rain fell practically only in winter and dry riverbeds became rivers in this brief season, and to prove that Life could not only survive, but thrive in such harsh conditions. It proposed to create a vast dune sea, in the gap between the Archipelago, the Pillars, and the existing sands around the Crystal Scar. It proposed to pepper it with salt flats from which those who valued such minerals might risk their lives to get them, a series of oases where the weak might cower during the dry seasons, and many great valleys shaped like craters which might shelter this special biome or that from external influence. It proposed to pepper all the parts of this place save the the salt flats with grasses and trees that could gorge themselves on water and then slumber for nearly a year before drinking again, with foxes and antelopes that might similarly last without the waters that Tsarag-Losh so irritatingly craved.

All this it asked, and all this was granted, and so a stretch of the completely inhospitable wasteland became significantly more habitable - though by no means a place that would be settled lightly.

To Orat'hoth's eyes, for the second time in as many aeons, a being came directly to interrupt it. No mere mortal could perceive the fiery manifestation of L'zot'aca, not even with the imprecision with which they might perceive the two fully manifested Watchers already on Neyla's surface; but to godly eyes, it was already as real as the wind and rain.

"What do you want, burning one?" the hedge rumbled

"Many things, O sweet summer child," the fires teased, "but in immediate terms, your attention."

"Are you a mewling kitten to be so desperate?"

"No - not for you, anyway. I have a vision, for a new land, a land that might please you like the archipelago."

The two Watchers spoke in more length, for with that offer the fires had indeed gained the Life-Bringer's attention. They negotiated the fine details for a period that might as well have been centuries, and in the end, the change they wrought was actually very small. The volcanoes there already spewed forth many nutrients that were life's very essence to the various plants Orat'hoth had worked so hard on; merely by blowing in a cool wind, causing rainfall, and scattering seeds, the two Watchers caused great fields of flowers and crops to grow in an area stretching between the Metal Wastes and the Border Sea. Each time a volcano erupted, it would obliterate the life forms it touched, but new ones would arise from the nutrients that its lava flows contained, and so death and life and rebirth would eternally cycle in this new land of fire and earth.

As it happened, the sequence of perhaps twenty eruptions every ten millennia was a predictable one. If the Tsarag-Thaun were not aquatic, then functional immortals that they were, they might have had time to visit and to work it out; the Oalei would need generations to experience a full cycle, but if they learned to write, to pass knowledge across generations, they would work it out as well, and be able to migrate in a pattern that got them all the plants and none of the being killed by lava flows - assuming that such interference did not change the pattern.

L'zot'aca was considered to have worn out its "shore leave", and was called back into the Far Plane. Orat'hoth, meanwhile, had a new vision, a specific vision for a second territory that would be truly its own, so that it would have claimed as much for itself as either its immediate rival the Fluid or its inevitable rival the Inferno.

A vast plateau rose up, in the shape of a regular hexagon of one thousand two hundred kilometres on each edge, connecting the Border Sea more precisely to the Birdfoot Savannah. Within this hexagon, a number of sub-hexagons came to be defined by slightly different heights, each one between a quarter of a kilometre and an entire kilometre above or below each of its neighbours. These sub-hexagons were a mere fifty kilometres long on each edge, and wherever two plateaus within half a kilometre in height shared an edge, there would be at least three slopes leading from one to the other. These plateaux were all covered with various grasses, various small mammals that would burrow beneath the earth to hide and feast on what they could, and with various larger four-legged beasts; some of these competed for the right to eat the grasses or drink from the few rivers, while others ate the meat of the grass-eaters, in combinations and patterns beyond easy description; however, the horses, sheep, and goats were the most successful life forms in this land, for reasons that Orat'hoth never bothered to fully analyse.

Unlike with the archipelago, and similar to how it had treated the Ashen Plains, Orat'hoth made no effort to spread the Hothrid to the new lands. They could migrate when they felt ready.

Far above the metal desert, and for that matter above Indlas, the air began to fade into a different colour, a different material, as over the course of ten minutes Tsarag-Losh teleported there. It needed a break from the endless prayers of the Tsarag-Thaun, and to see the otherwise reasonable Orat'hoth interact so closely with the foolish and volatile L'zot'aca was galling.

"A strange place," the Watcher said, attempting to address the god - though it came off as more musing to itself. Technically, it probably wasn't speech per se; the ancient texts claim that this is the best translation of the speech of gods. "So inhospitable. Why create such wonders, and then leave them devoid of mortals to properly appreciate them?... how rude of me, to forget introductions. I am Tsarag-Losh, Watcher of the Waters, Lord of Sorcery, creator of the Ziggurat Sea. Who are you, creator of the metal desert?"

Power roll; +2 Cults (http://orokos.com/roll/152721): 6d4k4+2 13
Power rollover: 4 points
Total 17 points

2 points: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Create Cult in the Tsarag-Thaun
5 points: Shape Land x5
x2: L'zot'aca creates the Scorched Land, an area similar to the Sahara Desert between the Archipelago, the High Pillars, and the Crystal Scar
x2: L'zot'aca collaborates with Orat'hoth to create the Ashen Plains, fertile volcanic lands between the Border Sea and the Metal Wastes
x1: Orat'hoth creates the Hexagon Steppes between the Border Sea and the Birdfoot Savannah, and expands the Birdfoot Savannah to fill the gap left
0 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Elemental]

Roll: 15 (http://orokos.com/roll/152933) + 4 = 19

The Inevitable Discussion

Standing at the edge of the Land of Seven Rivers, The Inevitable gazed across to the Grid Forest, and in particular, the shining city of the Hothrid. They had become a proud people since he first meddled with them, and they had every right to be. Still, he wondered whether he should meddle again... On their current path, they were sure to destroy themselves, whether by foolishness or design. But still, the question of meddling further occupied the forefront of his mind. He had endowed their race with souls, so in a way it was his responsibility to ensure their continued survival. But he had done the same for every other race that had since surfaced, yet not once had he raised his hand to defend or aid them. So, with a heavy heart, he concluded that the era of favouritism had to end. The Hothrid should go it alone for now.
The question of their immortal souls however... That would need addressing in the future.


Forging the Land - Part One: The Dark Land

That decided, he turned his attention back to the wasteland. There were certain areas of it that he simply felt had to be altered.
First, he settled down upon the land directly North of the Pillars, shrouding it in perpetual darkness. In a violent display of power, he forced the ground below into a land of high jagged peaks, scarred with deep valleys. At the shore, the land sloped more gently than inland, but was still prone to great cliffs and jagged fjords. However, The Inevitable took special care to ensure it had its share of beaches and sheltered coves. Glaciers at the tops of the peaks fed streams that cut away caves and ravines before collecting into lakes or joining together into rivers and flowing into the sea around the Pillars.
Despite the darkness caused by his shadow, great forests of conifers grew from the cliffs and beaches of the shore high into the mountains, faintly illuminated by phosphorescent fungi that grew of the bark of those trees that were dying. Alongside the trees were the usual collection of grasses and several varieties of berry-yielding bushes, their fruits pale and bitter. Above the forests, in high mountain meadows, pale and sickly looking wild-flowers grew among the grass, their pollen spread by wind.
Aside from numerous varieties of fish that chose the rivers of the Dark Land either as their home or to breed, and birds that breed on its coast, there is no other animal life. Instead, the forests are inhabited by shades who fled as soon as even glimpsed by wayward creatures from elsewhere, inadvertently leading the curious deeper into mountains.
This somewhat unexpected work complete, The Inevitable departed, leaving behind a dark fog that concealed all but the highest peaks and occasionally drifted into surrounding lands.


Forging the Land - Part Two: The Emerald Jungle, The Copper Mountains, The Shard Woods, The Paradoxical Grassland and The Great Marsh

Next, The Inevitable decided upon the Eastern shore of the Ziggurat Sea and the lower East bank of the Great River. Taking a more distant approach in this instance, he raised a great, and all but impassable, range of mostly-copper mountains some fifteen hundred kilometres inland and stretching for six thousand kilometres North-South. Crystal shards, ranging in size from less than five centimetres to a hundred metres in height sprouted across the land.
These mountains too, were crowned with glaciers, and in both directions, East and West, rivers flowed across the landscape past volcanoes forced into permanent dormancy. However, while those that flowed toward the Ziggurat Sea were mighty, their plumes of sediment pushing tens of kilometres across the open waters, those that flowed East were less impressive. Eventually, they lost their way among the wasteland and formed a great swamp.
Despite their common origin, the lands on both side of the mountains could not be more different. While they had the same crystal shards and the same volcanoes, the sheer quantity of water available to the West resulted in rampant plant growth.
As such, a thick jungle grew along the edge of the Ziggurat Sea, home to countless varieties of trees, ferns, flowers, bushes, vines and epiphytes. Though quiet during the day due to the heat, as night fell, the jungles came alive with the cries and shrieks of countless creatures; millions of jewel bright insects, thousands of brightly coloured birds, hundreds of different mammals and reptiles. Too many to count or to name, a true cacophony of life exceeded only by the Grid Forest. Many would say that the shards that were present in this forest were emerald, but in truth they are plain quartz covered with a layer of moss.
The East was a different story. Starved of water during most seasons, forests of hardy cedars, olives, oaks and other trees grew in the foothills of the mountains waiting eagerly for the next rain or Spring flood, the shards of crystal more obvious in the sparse vegetation.
And below them was a land of coppery grass that withered during the dry seasons, paradoxically turning green as it did so. There were often wildfires in this region that consumed all that could not withstand them and renewed the soil with their ashes.
The marshlands located near where the rivers were no longer fast flowing enough to carve their own channels and instead spread across the surface, were home to different plants, though still dominated by the cycle of water. Where there was water always, titan lilies bloomed with half-crystal flowers and mangroves ringed the water. In the drier places, more hardy plants grew, dying off when the water receded and quickly growing again into a mat of thick vegetation.
Here, the animal life was less vivid and varied, but it was still impressive in its own way. Great herds of antelope with crystals in their horns and gazelles with copper coloured fur grazed on the grassland, both hunted by lions, their manes of impossibly smooth copper wire. Elephants with alabaster tusks lived amongst the trees, eating of fruit and leaves. And in the marshlands among the waterfowl, some of whom migrate all the way to the Ziggurat sea and back, lived hippopotamuses that could bite a full grown swamp leopard in half.


Forging the Land - Part Three: The Crystal Castles

Feeling the need for a change in pace, The Inevitable moved far from the more temperate latitudes and settled near to the Northern Pole of Neyla. Choosing a spot directly North of the Western end of the Crystal Scar, he froze the land and gently built up great mountains of ice that soared high into the air, riddled with vast labyrinthine tunnels and great chambers. Soon, there was nothing there but the massive frozen mountains, each one as sharp as a knife, their jagged points seeming almost as if to threaten to pierce the sky itself.


Starting Power Points: 19

Shape Land 1": The Dark Land. As described above.
Create Life: The Shades of the Dark Land. Harmless, intangible creatures capable of changing form, they are possess a defence mechanism in which they take on a shape similar to that of whoever glimpses them in an attempt to confuse their would-be assailant before fleeing.

Shape Weather 1": The Fog of Darkness. An unending bank of dark fog that shrouds the Dark Land, preventing the growth of non-native plants and discouraging the migration of animal life. Occasionally, some of the fog drifts over surrounding lands before being dispersed by the wind.

Shape Land 3": The Emerald Jungle, The Copper Mountains, The Shard Woods, The Paradoxical Grassland and The Great Marsh. As described above.
Geometrically speaking... The Copper Mountains are half an inch inland and stretch for two inches North-South, likely joining on to that mountain range there. The rest of the lands occupy an area that stretches one inch further East from the Mountains. The first quarter inch is the Shard Woods, the next half inch is the Paradoxical Grassland, and the final quarter inch is the Great Marsh. That should come to three square inches if I am not mistaken.

Shape Land 1": The Crystal Castles. As above.

Total cost: 18
Remaining: 1

[ImperialSunligh]

Pervetus, the most ancient of the dragons, reared his ephemeral body above the great pillars raised by Centrum so long ago that remained untouched still. Through Pervetus, Centrum put the will of the code to work even as it continued to sleep.

From the mouth of Pervetus came the forms of dragons. They seeped down into the land below, causing the lava salamanders to slowly morph into larger, winged creatures. They began to lose their appetite for flesh that consumed them previously. In place of this, the beings began consuming stone and minerals, the rarer the stones, the more sustaining to them. This diet caused them to grow into their final forms, that of powerful, flying creatures that not only radiated heat, but breathed fire, or, rarely, other forms of breath.

These creatures became known as dragons. They remained in the home of their prototypes, it being suitable in many ways for them. They were rarely seen by the people below in this time, as they lacked a reason to descend. They had all they needed above, and travelling between the surface and the top of the pillars is a feat, even for flying creatures.

The dragons were, like their prototypes, reptiles. They were extremely resistant to heat, it having nearly no effect on them. Those who might wish to do harm to a dragon or defend against one should attempt to use magical means, or use stabbing weapons that can pierce their armour-like scales.

They gained the ability to breathe streams of fire and sometimes other things. This ability comes from the magic of the dragon form and a specialized set of magically infused lungs.

In matters of size, dragons differed greatly depending on their diet of stones, some stones making them larger or smaller. The smaller dragons are not necessarily weaker, however, and have great magical power over the larger ones.

Dragons, like their predecessors, have four limbs, with the addition of a pair of leathery wings. They also have massive tails that are used as a counterbalance while flying and are large enough for use in combat.

The dragons were granted sentience above their precursors. They had similar intelligence to that of other races, though this was variable. Some dragons had greater intelligence than other races, and some were more primal.

Roll: 2d6+13+4=26 (http://orokos.com/roll/153081)

Command Pervetus, Create Race: Dragons, -2

Left: 24
Bonus Next Round: 5

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4k4=12 (http://orokos.com/roll/152708)
Current Power Points: 13

"There is more to this existence than simple life. I would have expected one such as you to understand this, Tsarag-Losh," the commune echoed through the infinite, a deep and powerful essence, and thoughts which had existed at the beginning of time. "I suppose I ought to introduce myself as well. If you would wish to know me, I am the child of Chron, Indlas as I would be called. I am the steward of that which does not change. That which is immovable belongs to me. Though, to answer your question from before, this land is not meant for life; it's meant to discourage life. This low field of the 74, the 78, and the 82 is a guardianline around the first land of this world: The Aeonstrom. None would dare to wander this land, and so none would ever come close enough to witness the power, and so none shall ever change or be changed by that moment."

"Yet it always changes itself," the Watcher countered, laughing "Surely this means it can't be of your domain."

Indlas was mildly irked by the comment, but also was pleased by the contest, and even admitted slight enjoyment within the tone of it's divine will, as it continued, "The place is the comingling of the opposite poles of time: Entropy and Eternity. Myself and my sibling, Kran Ze'In. It belongs as much to me as it does to Kran Ze'In."

"Why then does your sibling not surround it within it's own divine will? Surely your fellow deity must be cross with you for trying to seal away that which belongs to it, and making it more of your dominion."

"I do not know the mind of Kran Ze'In, but we, children of the Speaker, embrace each other's will. I would never doubt the action of my peer, nor would they doubt mine."

"Though, surely losing a grasp upon it's first act must anger your fellow deity."

"While I accept the will of my sibling, I do not understand the mind of my polar opposite. I have wondered, though, in the past billion years upon our home, and the Speaker explains it thusly: Entropy does not continue upon a single track for long. It changes, for it is change."

"A strange creature that is. Perhaps it does not fret about the constancy of the storm for it knows it can simply create change and reclaim it. Tell me: what is your take on change?"

This sparked a great conversation, and the two divine creatures communicated the debate back and fortg for ages, until the sun had rose and set a thousand thousand times, yet the conversation never grew dull.

Eventually, the fluid one had to depart, but by that time, Tsarag-Losh had introduced profound new ideas into Indlas's domain, and had even come close to reshaping the eternal, but Indlas was incapable of true change. It was, however, capable of creation.

The abstracts concepts of structure and cyclical development had built upon the eternal will of Indlas, and now a billowing cloud of divine concept clung to the steward of time. With a push of will, the deity forced these forces away, and they went, before coalescing into a new shape. A divine child, burgeoning and eager to act.

The figure wore a helmet of lead, with two constant, distant, deep red points of light gazing out through the visor, and beneath this, it wore a cloak of lead sheet, engraved in patterns of waves and stars. With a push, Indlas brought this new deity into the Domain, where the Colossi still roamed, and Chron looked down at the new deity.

Instantly, Chron knew why the two had come here, and did not need to commune with Indlas. Instead, it went straight to the new force, asking a simple question to help the deity define itself, "What is your name?"

"I am Leau," the lead deity communed, "I am the deity of that which is true, of all plans to ever be imagined, and of shapers of all sorts."

"Welcome, Leau, to the will of Chron," and with that, Leau became a part of the Chron pantheon. Far away, where Ke'Keo and Kran Ze'In were building up the Red Land and the White Mountains, they felt their paths change, and they felt the path of Leau change as well. Craftsmen were seen in the future, strategists, architects and the overall scape of possible futures bent in on itself, all at once increasing the number of pathways, while decreasing the width of all time.

Name: Leau
Portfolio: Plans, Ambition, Shaping
Appearance: Leau appears to be a figure wearing a helmet made of toxic lead, with two distant dim points of red light for eyes peering through the visor. It also appears that the deity wears a cloak also made of lead, but engraved with patterns of waves and the night sky.
Flavor: Born of eternity and fluid, Leau is a god of plans, of that which is going to happen. Where Ke'Keo is a deity of possibilities, Leau is a deity of what is intended. It is said, by it's most fervent followers, that Leau is a deity of fate, of iron control. But this is far from the truth, as Leau does not control what comes to pass, but simply guides others to try and control it. Genderless, but often characterized as a "he", ambition and rulers are common worshippers of Leau.
Symbol: Leau's spiral is thick and often made of lead or some other heavy metal. The spiral itself is the thickest of the pantheon, with only a sliver of space between each arm to mark it as a spiral.



Indlas simply gave Leau a rundown of what a deity had to do in order to be a deity, and told it to go and make it's own way, for even if the two deities were adequately fond of one another, they were fundamentally different, even as Kran Ze'In and Ke'Keo were different. Indlas knew that they would not be wise to remain around each other for long, lest change be welcomed into their paths.

So, while Indlas expanded the Metal Desert, and Kran Ze'In created two new breeds of flower: The Illa, a bush which blossomed into dark purple blossom and which bore juicy berries of the same color, and the Vlam, a flower with a large, yellow bloom that sat face-up upon the ground and whose sickly-sweet smell could be detected for kilometers around, Leau went far across the world, to the south of the Crystal Canyon, where it plunged deep into the waters surrounding the Archipelago, and, looking upon the slopes leading up into the obsidian wastes, willed it to fall away.

The flood that followed lasted for many centuries, while the obsidian was worn away, replaced with sediment and rich, hearty aquatic plantlife, including the Thaun. This new ocean was shallow, tropical, and clear, down for farther than most oceans currently in existence. Tiny islands, most less than four kilometers wide, speckled this ocean from coast to coast, barely supporting any life at all, for this land was meant for the fluid-dweller, such as the Great Blue Sharks that now swam these waters, hiding in the sediment, waiting for a sniff of blood for hours on end, they were flat, wide, and six meters from nose to tail.

12 points on four Shape Lands to do a mixture of expanding the Red Land, expanding the White Mountains, expanding the Metal Desert, and creating the Tropical Ocean off the Archipelago.

0 points to Create the Illa.

0 points to Create the Vlam.

0 points to Create the Great Blue Shark.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4321109/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/PJMoIIh.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[5a Violista]

Heovma awoke in the Fertile Desert and began again her world trek.

The white coyote walked down the desert, following the river. She occasionally stopped to drink or to chase one of the desert animals. Soon, she reached the savanna, but she didn't stop there. She continued walking - past the brand-new hexagonal land and through the following wasteland, until she arrived in the Land of Seven Rivers.

There, she saw what she loved - the wild: prey and predators chasing them. For a moment, she found a pack of red wolves and joined them in their hunt of the deer and the birds. Those flying things, the birds, she liked them. They were harder to catch than the larger prey animals.

However, soon, she still grew bored. She followed around the large stone, crossing the rivers one by one. The last, westernmost river - the seventh river - she followed until the forest stopped. The water just drained into the wasteland. That didn't seem right.

So she walked out where the water went and made the ground more fertile. Quickly, the plants and trees from The Land of Seven Rivers spread to the fresh fertile ground. However, it was slightly different than the higher land because the entire ground was waterlogged - sometimes the water was only inches deep. In other places, it was waist deep or more - enough for large creatures to hide in the murky water for unsuspecting prey to pass by.

Thus was the Seventh Swamp created.


Fel resumed his chase of his prey.

The Black Wolf began running southwest, towards Heovma's scent. He had to cross the crystal chasm, and he ran into an ocean. Odd. It seems to have grown since he was here last.

No matter.

The Darkness began crossing the sea, when he saw something in the distance: fire. Dragons. Interesting.

He took a brief pause from his hunt to watch these dragons. As darkness covered the pillars, Fel watched the dragons flying around and evolving. After several years of observation, he decided something: Dragons would make perfect instruments of Anarchy.

He slipped into the mind of some of them and inspired them to give in more easily to rage and anarchy. Through this, they would cause many problems among themselves. The Black Wolf departed from their minds - all but one. This one, a particularly large but brutish one, he would control directly. Fel's Dragon, surrounded in his darkness, left the pillars so he could finally catch his prey.


The white coyote left the Seventh Swamp, heading southwest. The reason? She saw Darkness approaching in the sky.

Heovma saw the large creature surrounded by darkness approaching. It wasn't kind darkness, either - it was spiteful darkness. So she fled. She ran southwest. She kept on running, nonstop, until she nearly reached the southern tip of the world.

The Dragon was powered by Darkness - so it would never stop, never rest until it either caught its prey or was defeated. Heovma soon realized this: and that was one of the big differences between Heovma and Fel. Heovma eventually stopped chasing all her prey when she grew bored of it. Fel would never stop until he devoured his prey.

The white coyote turned around and bore her teeth at Fel's Dragon. She growled, daring him to approach and try it. The dragon landed and roared back. If there were any onlookers, the scene would be comical: a pure white coyote challenging an enormous beast of fire and Darkness, in the solitude of a volcanic wasteland's.

The Dragon's flame scorched the ground, while the coyote nimbly darted between rocky outcroppings. Her fur singed from the intense heat, but if she didn't keep on moving she would burn. Finally, Heovma reached Fel's Dragon and brought down her teeth on him, but to no avail - the scales were too large and strong to break that easily.

Fel's Dragon casually knocked Heovma to the ground with a beat of his wings. He bent over and grabbed her in his mouth and began to squeeze. The powerful jaws cut into her flesh and she yipped in pain.

Her blood dripped into The Dragon's mouth, causing intense pain in it: the raw chaos contained in the blood burned even the dragon's mouth. Soon, The Dragon had no choice but to let her drop. She hit the ground, injuring one of her legs. As her blood dripped on the ground, the ground sizzled. The coyote got up and, on three legs, started running towards the Dragon. She jumped, and somehow reached its neck. This time, her teeth pierced the armor-like scales, crushing everything down to the jugular.

Darkness quickly fled the dragon, but it would take millennia for him to re-form and continue his hunt.

It was too late for the dragon: Pure Chaos had killed it without mercy.

Still with immaculate white fur, clean and bloodless as it has always been, the coyote nursed her leg and limped away from the south.

Still in the South, after Chaos had left,

The dragon's blood mixed with the blood of Chaos and the influence of Darkness, and lay there for a long while.

After a dozen years, this foul combination of ichor began to boil. It spread and spread across the land, until it was large enough to be called an ocean. The occasional volcanic mountain sticking up became an island, surrounded in this bloody liquid. It was very similar to water, except it was a deep red and black color. It was extremely difficult to see under this 'water' - not that any sane being would want to touch it, anyway. The 'water' was so dangerous, so acidic, that it immediately burned any flesh that touched it. Even a moment touching it would leave permanent scarring.

The liquid also had a distinct, sharp odor.

The dead dragon's body lay at the bottom of this sea. Finally, it began to dissolve - but instead of disappearing, the body began to form creatures and beasts. Monsters of all sorts, which would be known as The Wierresta: "The Worst Beasts."

Their skin was thick and armored, like the dragon - how could they survive the Odious Sea if it wasn't? They had terrible claws and sharp teeth. Any creature near them would feel an inexplicable feeling of dread and terror. Some lived forever under the 'water', while others lived in the nearby wastelands.

In appearance, they looked like large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. One, for example, looks like an enormous serpent, living in the sea. A second looks like a wolf as it prowls the shore and the wasteland. Others look like the Strash or the Estim, only in a cruel mockery of their form.

They're creatures born from feelings of dread, and dread is the feeling that feeds them. Most of the time, one can assume they're mindless monsters looking for nothing but their next meal of blood and fear.



This time:
1 + 2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4320143/) + 4/5 + 2/3 = 15

(2) Command Avatar => Create Cult (Dragons)
(3) Shape Land: The Seventh Swamp: A very forested swamp just west of the land of Seven Rivers. The westernmost river empties into this forest.
(3+3+3) Shape Land: The Odious Sea: Along the south edge of the map, with the majority fitting in the southwestern quadrant. It's a deep red/black sea filled with extremely acidic 'water'. The water is extremely dangerous, scarring the flesh of anything that touches it. There's an occasional island here and there, all made of the black volcanic rock.
(0) Create Life: The Wierresta (Yes, that's both the singular and the plural form.) (All sorts of monsters in The Odious Sea and surrounding lands.) (Non-sapient...at least, until the 2nd Age when I change my mind and spend the "Create Race" points.) (Actually, I won't change my mind. They'll remain non-sapient and monstrous.)


Next time:

1 + 2d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4321592/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 18
Goals: 18/3 = 6. Use 5 or 4 Shape Lands, expanding already-created lands (especially The Odious Sea), and 1 or 2 Shape Weathers.

[GeneralRage]

Power roll: 2d10 = 11 (http://orokos.com/roll/153285)
Point rollover: 2
Current Points: 13

Expanding The Rusted Mountains

Onoldos saw all that the other gods had done. Clearly the world was beginning to take its shape. Already he noticed abnormal behavior in some of the Oalei. Now was a time to close the borders around their world.
He had begun a range of iron mountains around the hexagonal forest, soon it was going to be finished.
Molten iron bubbled around the southern edge of the hexagonal forest. It rose over the course of nine days, reaching a height equivlent to the rusted iron moutains that came before it. Stretching along the desert adjacent to the crystal scar, it is a sight to behold. Eventually its slope stopped when it met the boiling sea.
The first year following the rise of the mountains is known to the Oalei as the year of blood. Taking the mountains as a sign from the gods, they began a year filled with conflict over land and religion. Many Oalei lives were given to brutals wars, causing much strife and pain in tribes.
The year following transformed the glowing mountains into a formidable range of iron. This marked a temporary turn for the Oalei who celebrated previously unknown periods of peace between tribes. Oalei call this one-hundred long span of time "The Iron-Bond Century"
Eventually this new expanse of iron moutains would rust, becoming the same orangish color as the rest of the range.
And like the mountains the Oalei too would return to what they were meant to be. Regular culture would come back to life, leaving nothing but nostalgic memories.

so I used Shape Landx4 to expand the rusted moutains along the southren border of the hex forest. So that's -12
Leaving me 1 point.

[Elemental]

Roll: 12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4321761/) + 1 = 13

Forging the Land - Part Four: The Blinding Forest, the Rocky Waste, the Golden Sands and the Salt Sea

Where the Tropical Ocean ended, The Inevitable saw a possible danger. For if allowed the spread further, it could flood the Great Marsh and bring to an end the rugged beauty of the Paradoxical Grassland and Shard Woods. As such, he rose up a line of mangrove forests and marshlands along the Eastern shore of the ocean, stretching all the way from the desert surrounding the Crystal Scar South. It was a harsh place, and the trees of this forest were dangerous to approach. The mangroves that grew here were not as gentle as those that dwelt to the South in the Great Marsh, for their sap was toxic and would blind those who were unfortunate enough to have it drip into their eyes. Furthermore, they released a vapour that, while initially harmless, would start to irritate the eyes and throat and eventually blind or suffocate those who stayed there too long. However, beneath the waters around the base of the blinding mangroves, vast quantities of fish came to breed, and others to live, feeding off the great bounty of crustaceans that inhabited the shallow, brackish water. And above the water, wading birds came to feast as they migrated from place to place, never staying for more than a few days before continuing their migrations. Still, one such bird, the golden crested crane, was able to tolerate the poisoned air and lived there permanently, though even they were blinded by the air.
Behind this narrow strip, the land gave way to a vast desert. Initially of plain sand, eventually it gave way to dunes that contained vast quantities of gold dust, sometimes twice as much as the sand present. No life grew here as it was far too dry and the shifting dunes smothered anything that tried to get a foothold. Bordering the dunes to the South and East was a narrow wasteland of great slabs of broken rock. Here, some hardy plants grew and lizards scurried after small insects before darting back to the shade.
Liking the look of the rocky wasteland, The Inevitable chose to extend it further East, encircling a region of the volcanic wastes that he excavated in a great explosion, scattering millions of shards of glass over the the rocks of the waste. Water seeped into the crater, but it soon evaporated under the glare of the Sun, leaving behind a vast expanse of mineral salts.


Forging the Land - Part Five: The Mountains of Disappointment

Far to the East was where the Inevitable turned his attention to next. This was the largest area of the volcanic wastelands remaining, and part of him wondered if perhaps it would be best to leave some of it as a reminder, but he pushed that thought away in favour of something more "useful" to those who would one day come this way in search of lands to settle.
Eventually he decided upon something simple to anchor the landscape together and he tamed the local volcanoes and forced many of them to grow upwards into a mighty mountain range, perhaps twelve thousand kilometres long and forming a great arc as it grew from North to South. When the highest peaks reached twenty kilometres, he willed the volcanoes into permanent sleep. Eventually, the volcanic rock turned grey streaked with black veins of silver-bearing acanthite. However, no plants took root in their foothills the streams that flowed down the mountainsides were of mercury that glittered in the sunlight and mocked those who had made the trek across the wastelands.


Looking Up

The night sky of Neyla was so empty thus far. True, there were the Moon and the Stars, but they were so distant. They inhabitants of Neyla would need something closer, more comforting.
To accomplish this, The Inevitable willed into existence a swirling mass of molten rock, rich in many elements, that eventually coalesced into a sphere. In time, its surface cooled and formed a crust rich in many of the same metals and crystals that were so prevalent on Neyla. As such, its surface was a mixture of brilliant silver, copper and other metals, interspersed with coloured regions where crystals formed the majority of the landscape. Finding this just a bit too garish, he tarnished the metals, dulling them, but in no way reducing the splendour of the new moon.
Despite being smaller than the first moon, the new moon was closer and banished the darkness of the night with its brilliant glow. In time, it came to be known as The Illuminator and the first moon as the White Wolf.


Starting Power: 13

Shape Land 2": The Blinding Forest, the Rocky Waste, the Golden Sands and the Salt Sea.
The Blinding Forest is a very narrow strip of mangrove forest along the Eastern shore of the Tropical Ocean. Its name is derived from the mangroves that live there as their sap blinds on contact with a person's eyes and they release a vapour that, while initially merely irritating, eventually blinds and suffocates those unfortunate enough to remain there long.
The Golden Sands are a region of sand dunes, that which while initially seem ordinary, soon give way to dunes that consist almost primarily of gold dust. It is bordered to the South by a narrow rocky region that is an extension of the Rocky Waste.
To the East lies the Rocky Waste, a region of broken slabs of volcanic rock strew with smaller stones and glass shards. At the centre of this region is a great crater, a half inch across with a great salt flat at its heart.
Geometrically, the Golden Sands are about an inch square save for the very narrow strip that makes up the Blinding Forest. The Rocky Waste is similar in size, save for roughly circular crater at its heart which contains the Salt Sea. The Salt Sea is about a half inch across.

Shape Land 1": The Mountains of Disappointment.
A thoroughly lifeless range of mountains, it is about twelve thousand kilometres long and bends in an arc, similar to a open parenthesis. Furthermore, they effectively block East-West passage save for those willing to attempt the high passes.

Shape Land 1": The Illuminator.
A second moon. Smaller than the original, it is roughly the size of the moon Titania. (I assume the original is the size of the Earth's Moon)
However, it appears four times as large in the sky due to orbiting significantly closer.

[ImperialSunligh]

Centrum, even in its sleep, saw the effects of the wolf on its children. It needed to calculate the situation momentarily, but ultimately decided that this happening was not out of line with the code and continued its slumber.

The great dragon, Pervetus, resurfaced once more in this time, under the northern border sea. Some of the more curious Hothrids came to the coast to see the massive shape on the horizon, peeking out from the trees.

With its silver tongue, Pervetus spoke to the Hothrids, "Behold my form: I am Pervetus, the first of the dragons. There are many others like myself in this world, some larger, some smaller, all with great and terrible power. Your people, they are pathetic in comparison. You should worship us, the dragons of the high pillars, not only because we could crush you into oblivion, but also to be a part of something that means more than your weakness. So, I grant upon a select few of you the knowledge necessary to bring this into reality. Those that believe must seek out these hierophants and follow their orders."

And so, Pervetus granted upon twenty living Hothrids knowledge of the rites they would be compelled to complete. Yet they in truth had nothing to do with the dragons. Every year, from then on, the hierophants of the cult would lead a group of Hothrids in secret to the northern shore where they would worship the dragons and engage in general debauchery. At the end of the night, one of the newest inductees would be chosen at random. This one was attacked brutally, its skin torn from its body and its meat cannibalized. The dragons, they believed, had no interest in the body. The body was torn apart to make it easier for the soul to escape in its purest form. The soul was then consumed by Centrum, unbeknownst to the Hothrids, to add to its power.

2d6+24+5=35 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4323375/)

Command Pervetus, Create Cult of Hothrids: The Servants of the Dragons, -2


Left: 33
Next Bonus: 5
Next Cult Bonus: 1

[Omegonthesane]

In the long and involved discussion with the god of the unchanging, Tsarag-Losh had quite forgotten exactly where it wanted to go; unfortunately, it hadn't thought of this when teleporting out of the metal wasteland, and it was in this moment of staggering incompetence that a world was revealed to the Watchers.

A world, or rather the absence of a world. The council were first informed by way of a distress call, for the Lord of Sorcery had in fact managed to teleport to Nowhere. In order to save their brother, it became necessary to bring shape to the unshapable, definition to the undefineable. The resulting realm, Limbo, was an easily malleable place, where even the mere subconscious thoughts of mortals would turn the warp-stuff entering them into air or water or whatever they needed to breathe, and impose a pressure upon their flesh similar to that of their ideal environment. Being as it was a place with no physical laws, this consensus reaction was less than surprising. Of course, the divine would have far greater ease shaping and unshaping this place, which began to contain floating grasses and droplets of water from the mere existence of Orat'hoth and Tsarag-Losh as fully manifested Watchers.

A fourth Watcher paid especial attention to the world, a certain Nysatek, who took especial glee in the cyclic rebirth and eventual feast upon the Hothrid, yet who felt a degree of jealousy at how much had been devoted to Orat'hoth's ideals. So much was life, and not nearly enough, death. So much was earth, and not enough wind - and none made by a Watcher's hand.

At first, this fourth interloper did not dare work openly, or even take shore leave for a more personal look. Instead, it convinced L'zot'aca of the wisdom of a joint endeavour, and the two of them approached the myriad hordes, seeking permission for a place of blinding winds and open veins of magma, criss-crossed with a latticework of stone pathways, which mortals could only survive upon because the blinding winds blew away so much heat. This was accepted, for there was yet much of the world which was still volcanic wasteland, and so the Magma Pits opened in the far southeast.

L'zot'aca found it difficult to resist secretly working against Nysatek's precise intent, being as it was a being of passion and occasional whimsy. It secretly added many valuable and glorious gems to the Magma Pits, so that the living would actually risk their lives to come for reasons other than a desire to see and know all things.

This achievement being made, Nysatek went further, and asked to enter the world below, to seek union with Tsarag-Losh. Many of the Watchers doubted its intentions, and thought it simply wished to reunite with its dear Orat'hoth without first properly earning the right, yet many others pointed out how foolish such a plan would be in the short term - even L'zot'aca, who had spoken at length of encouraging such foolishness in the mortal and living.

One way or another, Nysatek's request was granted, and it found the Lord of Sorcery hanging above the southern edges of the world, looking disdainfully at the magma pits. They spoke, or rather performed actions which might best be understood as the equivalent of speech, at great length on the prospects of water, the need for places where death ruled over life, and the need for cool and chill zones to balance the world's surface temperature in the wake of the Magma Pits.

Rain fell for an aeon on the south pole, rain which froze almost instantly upon striking the ground - or striking the ice. The snow and ice began to crack under its own weight after a mere thousand years, creating great crevasses over its own surface that slowly but surely filled up with snow, and made room for new crevasses - or seracs, where they intersected. Thus the Southern Glacier began existing.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4322018/) +3 = 15
Power rollover: 0 points
Total 15 points

3 points: Shape Land x1 (L'zot'aca creates the Magma Pits on the southeast border of the world map. They're pretty much what they sound like, only with stone walkways across them, and blinding winds that feel hot until you notice that they're convecting away heat that would otherwise kill you. Not sure if convection works that way.)
3 points: Shape Land x1 (Tsarag-Losh creates the Southern Glacier, a long thin zone at the centre of the very southernmost line of the map.)
7 points: Create World (Limbo, where you go if you try to teleport to nowhere, a place in which every point is equidistant from all other parts of the multiverse - including other points in Limbo. Map to come when I get home where my tablet is, but the mechanical intention is that one Shape Land covers the lot of it)

2 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/daveite/Limbo20131207.png (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/daveite/media/Limbo20131207.png.html)

[5a Violista]

The white coyote, after a long rest, began wandering the world again. As she walked through the wilderness, it accelerated its growth into the wastelands.

Expansions
First, the dark and Odious Sea continued its slow growth in the southern edge of the world, with the largest mass still in the West. The sea bubbled and the monsters living in and near it were restless. The foul sea grew so much that it nearly doubled in size.

Due to the height of a particular volcanic mountain range, the sea expanded around that string of volcanoes and mountains, such that an enormous island of the volcanic wasteland remained untouched by the sea - though now several monsters lived on it.

Meanwhile, the soft hills and dirt of the Savanna continued expanding westward until it finally reached the Land of Seven Rivers. Those two rivers that ran into it didn't flood the land like had happened to the Seventh Swamp. Instead, the rivers flowed into the new savanna land and formed large lakes in the land.

The Border Sea continued growing, as well. The land directly to the west of that sea had sunk and broken down, such that it began to fill with water as a continuation of the Border Sea.

The Bleached Salt Desert
The land between the Ashen Plains Dark Land and the dry Scorched Land began to take on characteristics of the Scorched Land. However, there was a slight difference: in the little rain and moisture that did occur, there was no way for it to drain into the ground when it evaporated. So, tiny materials, especially salts, began depositing there on the hard ground.

This continued for many years.

Rather than sandy dunes, it was an eternally flat, blinding white salt. The wind there often reached gale force. Especially in the southwestern part of this salt desert, there were large mud quagmires encrusted by the salt. If any unlucky creature stepped on the thin crust, they would fall into the salty mud and likely be stuck there until someone helped them out.

Then, the chaos in the minerals and wind coalesced in that area. A monstrous gale-force salt storm began roaming the white salty desert. It constantly blew across different parts of the salty desert. It was a terrifying force of nature: any unfortunate thing caught out of shelter when it passed by would immediately be destroyed and caked in the crystallized salts.

Okay, so it's not exact, but it was an image on Wikipedia that demonstrated what I had in mind.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Saltph26.jpg/256px-Saltph26.jpg



This time:
18

Shape Land x2 (6) Expand the Odious Sea still in the Southern Western portion of map. A LARGE island of Volcanic Wasteland is left in this new portion.
Shape Land x1 (3) The Savanna continues growing west, so that it now reaches the Land of 7 Rivers. The rivers that flow into the Savanna continue into it the Savanna for a while, before ending in lakes.
Shape Land x1 (3) The Border Sea grows west
Shape Land x1 (3) A bleached-white Salt Pan is formed just east of the Ashen Plains Dark Lands. It's between the Scorched Land desert and the Ashen Plains Dark Lands, connecting the two.
Shape Weather x1 (3) A monstrous gale-force salt storm (like a sand storm) is constantly wandering through the Bleached Salt Pan. It destroys and coats in salt anything unfortunate enough to not be in shelter when it passes.
Remainder: 0

Next time: 0 + 2d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4324274/) + 5 + 3 = 11
That gives me enough points for 3 Shape Lands.

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll: 2d10 = 16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4324353/)
Point Rollover: 1
Current Points: 17

Land Of Steam

Among the plains between the northwestern border of the Boiling Sea to the frozen wastes of the north, Onoldos sewed into the earth many minerals and metals. He then cast the plains into a deep winter, cursing frosty winds to rampage the lands. These gales are famed for their ability to tear apart the skins of mortals.
The Land of Steam is a 275km wide strip acting as a border between the Boiling Sea and the Deep Winter Plains. It is here that flame takes the hand of winter in marriage. Their offspring is the habitable, steam filled border. The closer one is to the center of the strip, the denser the steam. Similarly the closer one gets to either the Boiling Sea or the Deep Winter Plains, the warmer or colder it becomes, respectively.
The center strip of the Land Of Steam is a very pleasent place. The heavy steam and mist have a relaxing effect. it is an excellent home for life to grow because the ground in this area is not frozen. Therefor the ground can be mined to access the abundance of metals found within it. The terrian is often mushy, with small pockets of water being a common sight.
The landscape is fairly flat, with some places being slightly higher than others. Sometimes geysers can be found, they contibute to the mist.

So I had 17 points
I used Shape Landx2(Created Land of Steam and the the Deep Winter Plains. These connect the boiling sea and the glacier(?)) So -6
Leaving me with 11 points

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4321109/)
Current Power Points: 8

This was a silent time for Chron and his progeny, all except Leau.

You see, Leau might have joined in with this restful period, but a wall had been erected in the path of his ocean. He needed that ocean, unfortunately. It was indeed the god of plans, after all, and it's first act indeed involved a plan, so, it could not let that wall stand. It would be unfortunate for the Unnamed One, so Leau decided to act now, to get the act out of the way before it disrupted more plans. However, it did ensure that the line of mangroves kept the other lands the Unnamed One had created isolated. So, with a great push, the shallow, tropical ocean expanded out, stretching across the sand and plantlife, sinking it into the warm, fertile waters.

6 points on two Shape Lands to continue the Tropical Ocean south and then east, while preserving the Mangrove wall that Unnamed put up.

Current Power Points: 2
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4325561/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/dPlpdWE.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4325629/) + 1 = 10

Even the Gods Grew Tired

For the first time since Neyla formed, The Inevitable felt his power wane. It was still substantial, just less. Perhaps it would be time to depart and build up strength before continuing. But an event occurred contrary to his will. True, many such events had occurred, but this was in direct contradiction to a work he had already laid down.


Fury

On the horizon around where that foolish upstart had paused after flaunting The Inevitable's will, a storm of dark clouds gathered, lightning crackling in its midst. In but the beat of a mortal heart, the storm had engulfed the young deity and forced him over a region of wasteland just South of his precious ocean. The storm brought driving rains that flooded the land, causing it to crumble away to nothing, while fierce winds blew fish and seaweed into the new sea.
Beneath him, the waters darkened as tendrils of darkness grew within it. Malevolent creatures thrived in the darkness, subsisting on those fish forced to adapt to the radically altered environment and on each other. In the distance, some of these monstrous things could be seen surfacing momentarily and gazing at the God with unseeing eyes before returning to the hunt.
A winged figure shrouded in robes darker than the blackness of the raging tempest around them, appeared before Leau, as if daring the fledgling to speak. Still, it apparently did not expect for Leau to speak first, and almost jarringly, The Inevitable spoke in a disappointed tone without any sign of anger.
"Child, you have insulted me. It is not seemly to paint over another's work when the canvas is still so blank. Surely this is not the way that Chron wished you to be raised? Alas, it may be necessary to bring you under my tutelage so that you do not make such an error again."
For a brief moment, the thought of simply devouring Leau came to The Inevitable's mind causing him to grin and reveal a row of brilliant white teeth, each as sharp as a scalpel. But that went away as quickly as it had surfaced.
"However, that is a matter I should perhaps bring up with your unchanging progenitor."


Starting Power: 10

Shape Land 1": The Abyssal Sea. Impossibly deep, the Abyssal Sea is located halfway along the Southern Edge of the extension of the Tropical Ocean. It is home to regular deep sea fish and plankton, but in addition, it is inhabited by all manner of nightmarish creatures.
Create Life: Most notable of all are the Dark Tendrils, numerous species of semi-tangible seaweed, that while tasty and nutritious will attempt to ensnare anything bigger than a metre that gets close and feed off its life force in a fate worse than death. Marine mammals usually drown as a result, but large fish have no such luck.
In addition, there are the monsters, many of them giant in size and possessed of massive strength which they rely on to escape the Tendrils. As a result, many of them have pieces of the tendrils wrapped around them. The monsters can be brightly coloured or inky black, many eyed or eyeless, tentacled, five armed, clawed, possessed of many teeth, serpentine, coiled, hot-blooded, cold-blooded, poisonous, parasitic or featureless. Indeed, they can have almost any form and no two are ever identical. Despite this, they are all the same species and are always malevolent and always blind. Fortunately, they very rarely travel into other parts of the ocean.

Shape Weather 1": The Tempest.
Described above. A storm of black clouds, driving rain and mighty winds, punctuated by lightning. It is curious in that its affects stop abruptly at its edge.

Remaining: 4

[Omegonthesane]

The Watchers did little of profound importance for most of the age, instead increasing the size of things that were already present. The Magma Pits, Ashen Plains, and the Border Sea all grew in size.

Tsarag-Losh, meanwhile, decided upon an experiment. There were two fundamentally different bodies of water in the southeast, and their union could cause changes, changes that might have interesting complications. Plants and rain grew in a strip connecting the Seventh Swamp to the Odious Sea, allowing those of the aquatic monstrous beings who could handle the shallow, stifling waters an inroad to the rest of the world.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4325736/) +3 Cults = 18
Power rollover: 2 points
Total 20 points

12 points: Shape Land x4
Expand the west chunk of the Border Sea another inch westward
Expand the Magma Pits northwest
Expand the Ashen Plains northward, around the curve of the Metal Wastes
Create the Mires of Misery, a thin swampland which connects the Seventh Swamp to the Odious Sea

8 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

The Black Wolf sat in The Dark Land, planning his next attack. There felt comfortable for him: the land was covered in darkness, just as he was.

While the Black Wolf brooded, the white coyote Heovma still ran across the world, pursuing the diverse prey living in it. Sometimes she would hunt her prey in Neyla proper, and sometimes she would do it in the mirrored world just on the other side of mirages.

She loved chasing prey in the Paradoxical Grassland. There was just tons of open space for the white coyote to run and run after the crystalline animals.

Under her influence, the wasteland just south of there began to become more fertile, little by little. Eventually, the Shard Woods, the Paradoxical Grassland, the Great Marsh, and even the Blinding Forest continued their growth southward, in the land between the ocean and the desert.


As this fertile land grew and the new kind of monsters appeared in the nearby ocean, the monsters in the Odious Sea didn't stop their spreading. Some of the monstrous Wierresta spread up the new Mire of Misery, reaching even the Seventh Swamp. However, few wandered up into the forested part of the Land of Seven Rivers, mostly because the water felt too unnatural to them - for the same reason that many of the animals there didn't migrate to the Odious Sea.

The Odious Sea continued its growth, as well - this time, southward, until it touched the Southern Glacier. The 'water' of the Odious Sea didn't freeze very well, but when diluted with the water from the glacier, it could more easily freeze into an ugly clotted red ice.




Soon, though, Heovma continued looking for new prey and new lands. She went south, around the mountains surrounding the fertile desert. After a long time, she finally reached the glacier - tons of ice. It was something she hadn't really seen before, for she had never gone far enough north to find the Crystal Castles. Sure, the mountains had snow on top, but it didn't worth it to go up to the tops of the mountains when there were perfectly good animals to hunt down on the ground. She played around in the snow, snapped at the ice, and played in the cold.

She felt there deserved to be prey here, as well. They probably wouldn't survive on the glacier land itself, but...just to the north of the glacier and far to the south of the desert, a large plain was created. The cold, harsh winds blew across the land and made it into a tundra.

Then, life began to populate the cold, barren land: No trees could grow in this harsh climate, but small prickly grasses and flowers and mosses and small shrubs grew. Next, prey animals started appearing on the land: caribou, ravens, loons, butterflies, fish in the occasional river or lake, pikas, and several other animals. Then, as Heovma chased the animals around the land, predators joined her. Arctic wolves and arctic foxes and polar bears, all as white as Heovma, started populating the tundra. In the air, falcons flew and struck down smaller animals.

The frigid land was fun and nice.



Points: 11


[3] Shape Land: The Odious Sea continues spreading. This time, southward 'til it reaches the Southern Glacier.
[3] Shape Land: A tundra far in the south. It lies to the south of the Fertile Desert, just next to the Southern Glacier. Wider in the East-West direction than in the North-South direction.
[0] Create Life: Plants in the tundra (small shrubberies, mosses, flowers, and hard prickly grasses)
[0] Create Life: Prey animals in the tundra (Caribou, arctic hares, ravens, loons, insects, fish, pikas, and so on)
[0] Create Life: Predator animals in the tundra (arctic foxes, wolves, polar bears, falcons)
[3] Shape Land: The Shard Woods, the Paradoxical Grassland, the Great Marsh, and the Blinding Forest grow further south in that open spot, in roughly the same thickness of strips. If it's easy to have strips of different sizes, then the Great Marsh grows a little thinner while the Blinding Forest grows a little thicker.
Remainder: 2

For next time:
2 + 2d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4326242/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 19
= enough for 6 Shape Lands
Plans: (x3 or x4) Spread the Odious Sea until it reaches the Mountains of Disappointment (Probably won't be completed this next turn)
(x1 or x2) Spread the desert which consists of the Scorched Land, the Crystal Scar, the Golden Sands, and the Bleached Desert, in some direction.
(x1 or x2) Expand some other location which hasn't been expanded recently: Likely the Boiling Sea eastward to the edge of the map and so onto the western edge of the map, or spread the Land of Seven Rivers between the area which lies between the two swamps and the Savanna portion of the Seven Rivers. Or maybe both.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4325561/)
Current Power Points: 18

Leau regarded the world around him as the Unnamed One spoke, turning it's leaden head from side to side and taking in the bottomless abyss. The Deity of Plans easily perceived what the Soulmaker had put forward, but did not respond for a moment. After a day of the two deities hovering there, a moment out of sync with the rest of reality, Leau turned back to the Unnamed One and set forth it's reply, "I honestly was not expecting this, oh End of Time. You have, in your rage, furthered the plan that you are in outrage against. Then you speak of the sharing of knowledge. I am uncertain what your attention here was. Nevertheless, I thank you for your assistance, and reply to your offer of tutelage with the thoughts of my family. Kran Ze'In is in full support of this notion, perceiving it as a change from the past. Ke'Keo sees many possible outcomes, many positive, many negative, and thus holds a neutral opinion to the idea. Indlas cannot perceive change, and thus does not wish me to undergo your tutelage. Chron itself only wishes me to act upon the will that I was given when I began existence. Thus, it falls to me, and the idea of a tutelage sounds like a plan, to me."

There was a pause before Leau spoke again, "I hereby accept your tutelage. Though, before I step 'beneath your wing', allow me to further progress what I began so many years ago. I shall return within two or three millennia," and with that, Leau was gone, vanishing into the east, where it took the pattern that the Unnamed had put down, and copied it, extending the unfathomably deep ocean 3 megameters due east of it's eastern border, and even including the tempest of rage high overhead. North of this, the band of shallow, tropical ocean, on it's shelf which extend up, almost vertical, from the empty pit of water, also extended, but it was narrower, and longer, extending 6 megameters, a full 3 beyond the edge of the Bottomless Ocean.

To the south, Leau perceived the Magma Pits drawing closer, and so, to prevent water and fire from touching, dove into the ocean, going farther and farther down, until it reached the point where the pressure became so great, that the water was frozen, but not from cold. Upon this icy bottom of the Bottomless Ocean, the God of Plans looked south, and made itself manifest.

Massive amounts of sodium, aluminum, and silicon rose from the depths, bursting through the ice and rocketing straight up for kilometers and kilometers, until it erupted from the waters high above, a tidal wave spawning from this wall of elements, which gathered there, above the clouds, as more poured in.

Before even two heartbeats, there was an amount equal to the moon which had recently been spawned, at which point it rocketed forward, driving down into the volcanic wastes that separated the Bottomless Ocean from the Magma Pits, and replacing the Obsidian with mountains of Jadeite. Potassium had also found it's way into the flood of elements, as well as fluorine and beryllium, and trace amounts of iron and chromium and thus, in the immense green mountains of Jade, there were many locations of massive quantities of Topaz, Moonstones, Emeralds, and Aquamarines. White, yellow, pink, green, and blue gemstones poked out of the towering cliffs overlooking the Bottomless Ocean, especially on the sides of the Prow, the peninsula which jutted partway into the sea, vaguely separating the Unnamed One's side of the Bottomless Ocean from Leau's side.

Only when this was done, did Leau return to the Unnamed One's company, "So, what shall we speak of this first millennia?"



Far to the west, herds of agile, wooly Teff grazed upon ancient Red Grass beside colossal, tusked Touro. Occasionally a lone Estim would rush by, startling the herds of Teff with their massive, brilliant plumage, and then running down a startled creature with their incredible speed. At other times, a Touro would step outside the confines of the herd and suddenly find a dozen Viloom fangs dug into it's hide. Sometimes, these Viloom went fishing for the white eels known as Mulen, or for Trout. They had little interest in the Shrimp, however, for they were the meals of the Mulen and Trout themselves. This change had actually wrought an alteration in the food chain, for now White Snakes also feasted on Viloom when they came fishing, not to mention the Strash which would, in seconds, devour any animal wading amongst the stiff Red Reeds that were so common in the waterways.

In the forests, Gercaps sat wide and heavy upon the ground, glowing a dull yellow and casting light upon carpets of stiff Red Moss and fans of White Ferns. Oume Trees and Ekko Trees stood side by side, one low, with blue leaves, and the other tall, with white leaves and blue fruit. Huol patches glowed with a vibrant blue light, shining up through carpets of the green flower known as Fuzzi, as well as through the silvery, glittering White Moss. Fields of tall, blue Lellibells encircled the wide, yellow blossoms of Vlams. Disons and Lazli Trees seared in a rich shade of red from the Fi'Tach mold which clung to their bark. Illa bushes could be spotted here and there, with dark purple blooms and berries, often beside the blindingly white light Kulikuli or the dim, yellow light of the Namel. Vlasseye vines crept up the trunks of Kelroo, giving the clusters of thin trees even more beauty in the form of yellow & red blossoms. Though, near the massive Dundun Tree, none of these plants could flourish, for lack of light from above.

The animals in the forest were still thriving, with the mighty Tekki Falcon preying on everything from Ke Owls to the red jackals known as Reku. However, the falcon could not master the Mord, with it's immense shell, and the poison-gas-spitting Musch barnacles which fed off the iron in that shell. The Ke Owls themselves fed on the tiny, burgundy Yogyo birds, as well as the ever-present Red Mice, and sometimes even the large, blue Uluun bird. Reku and the cougar-like Vlass continued to hunt the Red Deer, and now, the Malinber as well, with it's antlers and mane, it's cat-like grace and it's deer-esque speed.

Still, Kran Ze'In was not satisfied.

Next, the god of constant change spawned insects. White Ants soon meandered along beneath the branches of the Dundun Tree, while venomous, red & yellow Rakno Spiders trapped Tullu, a kind of meter-wide, blue & yellow butterfly. Yeklar, a kind of yellow centipede with oversized mandibles and a very painful bite, warred for pieces of discarded flesh with Tekki Flies, named for their size, when compared to the regular Buzz Fly. Blue Snails crept along on the shells of Mords, consuming the plants that fell there, while Red Bees, striped red and yellow, built honeycombs full of tangy, red honey in the hollows of Disons and Lazli Trees.

Next came amphibians, with White Frogs feasting on Tekki Flies and Rakno Spiders alike, and Eyu, a breed of newt which had white flesh, but which could glow blue at will.

Last, came birds. First, the Tush: a small bird named for it's odd cry, which roosted on the forest floor and ate primarily Illa berries, contributing to it's purple coloration. Second was the Opiki: an average-sized bird with a long beak, which it used to drink the honey out of the Red Bee hives, and vibrant red & blue plumage. Third and last was the Wechi: a large, red bird of prey with a strangely dull beak, but deadly sharp talons that more than made up for it. The Wechi used these talons to tear up it's prey before swallowing chunks of it whole, and indeed, the Wechi didn't always kill their prey, sometimes simply tearing off a sizable chunk of meat with those powerful, scissor-like talons.

Kran Ze'In also expanded the borders of the Red Land, while it's offspring, Ke'Keo, stretched the White Mountains out further, which themselves still had little more than the indigo Tet Grass.

3 points to Shape Land and extend the Tropical Ocean eastward.

3 points to Shape Land and create an eastward extension of the Bottomless Ocean.

3 points to Shape Weather and create an Eternal Tempest over the new Bottomless Ocean.

3 points to Shape Land and Create the Jade Mountains between the Bottomless Ocean and the Magma Pits.

3 points to Shape Land and extend the Red Land.

3 points to Shape Land and extend the White Mountains westward.

0 points to Create the White Ants.

0 points to Create the Rakno Spider.

0 points to Create the Tullu.

0 points to Create the Yeklar.

0 points to Create the Tekki Fly.

0 points to Create the Buzz Fly.

0 points to Create the Blue Snail.

0 points to Create the Red Bee.

0 points to Create the White Frog.

0 points to Create the Eyu.

0 points to Create the Tush.

0 points to Create the Opiki.

0 points to Create the Wechi.

Current Power Points: 0
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4326414/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/8YqlSd0.jpg


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[ImperialSunligh]

One of the pillars among the High Pillars was noticeably taller and slightly larger than the others, and also even more rich in minerals, being noticeably reflective across its entire surface as a result.

This place had, over time, became one of the most concentrated feeding grounds for the dragons. Eventually, however, certain areas of this pillar became quite empty of gems. Pervetus, godfather of all dragons, who listened to their master's word naturally, spoke to the dragons, and said: "You see, you have eaten all of your food prematurely. This is not in line with your destiny. You can remedy your actions, however, and regulate your intakes. Now, to salvage this pillar, you shall get to work carving it into a home, a resting place for your kind when you are not consuming. Being preoccupied should save you from gluttony."

And so the dragons began the extremely slow work of chiseling out great caverns and winding tunnels in the pillar, eventually forming the pillar into a great city-like place. This place, known eventually to the dragons as Omniscentrum, the "Whole-Center", was where the young of the dragons were hatched from eggs and taught to survive in their harsh but bountiful conditions. The males would stay with the eggs after the females left them, using their breath to enrich the young and protecting it with their life. The mothers left the pillar in groups to begin the difficult process of mining gems from the pillars and carrying them back so they could be absorbed into the eggs and later fed to newborns who, for at least a year, could not fly.

The more intellectually oriented of the dragons would often speak among fellow males or females, and often would form great friendships with them. The males would speak and play rudimentary mind games while tending to their eggs and the females would do similarly while chiseling at the stones. They spoke of philosophy, ideals and how dragon society should develop in the future.

Often, these relationships would become more romantic, as the females were away working the stone so much when bearing young that males and females would rarely have time together. The great time that dragon eggs take to hatch and grow into adults made this even more prominent. While males and females both took one breeding partner, it was not uncommon for them to form strong relationships, romantic or otherwise, with those that they spent the most time with.

There were some who rejected the city in favour of forming small tribes on the other pillars, living in small groups or alone, mostly as a rejection of the developing traditionalism in the city, likely a result of The Black Wolf's influence. These tribes were sometimes looked down on by the intellectual dragons, often envied by the average ones, and ignored by others.

In this time, the dragons began to worship idols of their precursor, Pervetus, who they considered the greatest of their ancestors and an ideal to live up to. Further than being the first dragon, he was said to have given the dragons the virtue of moderation and the gift of community, things which the dragons of Omniscentrum cherished.

They also, through Pervetus, heard whispers of Centrum's existence, though only few dragons knew of this beyond slight rumor, and even those knew no truths. Only reverence was held, however, for whatever great force could have fathered their great progenitor.


In this time, Centrum snored, disturbed by the lack of souls in this time. Perhaps the people of this time were of little spiritual quality, or of an aging population. Regardless, they yielded little energy for Centrum, and his snore created slight tremors under the high pillars, causing some young dragons to fail to fly and fall to their deaths. Centrum was disturbed by what it had caused, but ignored it, knowing that the code required a time of sleep, which it continued.

Roll: 2d6+33+5+1=42 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4326467/)

Command Pervetus, Command Dragons, Create City: Omniscentrum, -2

Left: 40
Next Bonus: 5
Next Cult Bonus: 1

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll: 2d10 = 13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4327276/)
Point Rollover: 11
Current Points: 24

Onoldos turned his attention away from Neyla for some time. The Oalei would be able to survive without his guidance for a number of year. And so Onoldos' great slumber came about.

Waiting a turn.

[Omegonthesane]

The Land of Seven Rivers' southwest edge tapered off into a beach, a kilometre long from soil to sea, barely perceptible to gods above but really quite long for those who had to walk it. This occurred in conjunction with another sea building up where one of the Seven Rivers flowed directly into the volcanic wastes, and becoming dotted with islands that were once the peaks of extinct volcanoes. This time, Orat'hoth and Tsarag-Losh made no effort to populate their joint creation, instead allowing existing life forms to spread there when they felt the time was right.

It was unlikely that the entire sea would be populated, of course, as its very furthest reaches bordered the Odious Sea, and were contaminated with the foul ichor of that place.

The Savannah expanded, too, in the areas fed by the two remaining rivers and bordering the new sea. Somehow, both of these rivers bent southeast, avoiding the new body of water.. The lands they now travelled through, however, were relatively dry and dreary, with barely enough water to support the inevitable grasslands in any spot that wasn't literally next to one of the two rivers; not a single tree grew there that didn't border a river, and if life were to spread there it would need to be able to cope without a forest canopy. This was in no way helped by the quite strong winds that blew across the place, never less than a light breeze, and at their normal heights strong enough to make walking against them require effort.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4328433/) +3 = 18
Power rollover: 8 points
Total 26 points

12 points: Shape Land x4
Create the Southwest Sea, bubbling up from the southwestmost of the Seven Rivers, brushing up against the Swamp, and just about avoiding the Odious side of the Mires of Misery.
Create the Windblown Steppe, bordering the Southwest Sea, with two of the Seven Rivers flowing through it, pointing vaguely southwards two inches.
Create the Poisoned Sea, an extension of the Southwest Sea which overflows into the Odious Sea and is therefore contaminated.

14 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Heovma continued across the world, searching for new prey to play with.


Heovma still hadn't returned to the place she had fought that dragon. She still wouldn't return even near the Odious Sea, which is why she didn't notice that it continued its growth, and only slightly became diluted. Hardly noticeably, due to all the acidic bloodlike liquid in it.

This time, it grew northwest, cutting through a hedge of mountains. After passing these mountains, it started spreading out there again, greatly increasing in size.

Will it ever stop growing?


[3](x3) Shape Land: The Odious Sea continues its growth; this time, northwest towards the Mountains of Disappointment. A 1" long, thin-ish (~1/2") strip with mountains on both sides, filling in the area of 1", followed by a large glop of Ocean using the other two of the Shape land Area.



However, she did go northeast. She leaped over the enormous Crystal Scar and began running along its edge, in a southeast direction. Once the iron mountain range ended, she took a left and found the wasteland next to the iron mountains and the Crystal Scar.

There, she shaped it into a sandy mountainous region. It was a desert, like much of the land surrounding it, but it was at a much higher elevation. There were several arches, monoliths, slot canyons, and so on. It was really a place of beauty - a wilderness of beauty.

She played with the newly spawned animals there - the foxes, the falcons, the lizards, the poisonous snakes, the mountain lions, the desert sheep, and so on. Plants also grew there, but plants are much more boring to Heovma. Plants don't run when you chase them. They just sit there, being...boring.

In that mountainous desert especially grew a certain kind of flower called the Datura. There were several different kinds: the Evening Datura, which was a dusky rose color. Then, the Moonlight Datura, which was a deep black. The most famous of all would be the white Sacred Datura. Like the other Daturas, it was poisonous; however, in small doses, it was hallucinogenic, sometimes even giving spiritual prophecies.

Interestingly enough with these flowers, the Daturas: They all smelled fantastic. They grew bloomed during the warmer seasons. Most surprisingly, though: They bloomed during the night and withered during the day.

Not really something you'd expect from flowers.


[3](x1) Shape Land: A mountainous high-elevation desert made of sandstone, full of sandstone arches, balanced rocks, monoliths, and so on. Called the Datura Desert.
[0] Create Life: More red foxes, falcons, lizards, poisonous snakes, mountain lions, desert sheep, and so on.
[0] Create Life: More kinds of semi-arid desert plant life, such as the Evening Datura, the yucca plant, others, and the Sacred Datura, which can be used as a hallucinogen and is poisonous.



Like the Odious Sea and the Border Sea and the Tropical Sea, the Boiling Sea also resumed its growth. It spread eastward and slightly southward, finally moving away from the hexagonal forest.

[3](x1) Shape Land: Expand the Boiling Sea eastward to the edge of the map enough that it falls on the Western side.



Forming from the chaos were also two new mountain ranges: Nobody knows from what they were formed or why they appeared or even what they looked like yet - they definitely didn't look like a dragon or a Hothrid, but they were definitely a distinct feature (human-shaped...). These two mountains were certainly very odd. They both appeared to lie next to each other. One of the rivers from the Land of Seven Rivers ran between them, eternally separating their unrequited love, but the land there was rumored to be a sacred place for lovers to go.

Halfway down the valley that the river runs down, it forms a large lake before continuing on, separating the lovers.

The female mountain lie on the right, the male on the left.

Between the two mountains is a nice, forested grassland. On the outside of the two mountains is a desolate land.

It was a very peaceful and idyllic place.


[3](x1) Shape Land: One of the Seven Rivers going through the Savanna and the Windblown Steppe now goes through a valley, and has a large lake halfway through the valley, before the river continues through it. The river there runs through two skinny mountain ranges: one shaped like a sleeping woman and the other like a sleeping man, called "Lover's Respite". Between these two mountains is a nice forested grassland. Male lies on the left, female on the right.



19 Points
= enough for 6 Shape Lands

[3](x3) Shape Land: The Odious Sea continues its growth; this time, northwest towards the Mountains of Disappointment. A 1" long, thin-ish (~1/2") strip with mountains on both sides, filling in the area of 1", followed by a large glop of Ocean using the other two of the Shape land Area.
[3](x1) Shape Land: A mountainous high-elevation desert made of sandstone, full of sandstone arches, balanced rocks, monoliths, and so on. Called the Datura Desert.
[0] Create Life: More foxes, falcons, lizards, poisonous snakes, mountain lions, desert sheep, and so on.
[0] Create Life: More kinds of semi-arid desert plant life, such as the Evening Datura, the yucca plant, and the Sacred Datura, which can be used as a hallucinogen and is poisonous.
[3](x1) Shape Land: Expand the Boiling Sea eastward to the edge of the map enough that it falls on the Western side.
[3](x1) Shape Land: One of the Seven Rivers going through the Savanna and the Windblown Steppe now goes through a valley, and has a large lake halfway through the valley, before the river continues through it. The river there runs through two skinny mountain ranges: one shaped like a sleeping woman and the other like a sleeping man, called "Lover's Respite". Between these two mountains is a nice forested grassland. Male lies on the left, female on the right.
(Preferably, it's the easternmost river of the two) If possible, have the mountain range facing eastward, so their heads are westward and their feet are eastward and the river flows through them in an eastward direction.

1 + 2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4328448/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 17



http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii499/Mahonri_Violis/NeylaMirrorMap_zps4d1fa130.jpg
Edit: Wow, is anyone else seeing a person in that picture? I can see eyes, a head, a body, an arm and a hand, and so on.

[Elemental]

Roll: 16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4327493/) + 4 = 20

Patience

In the two millennia of Leau's absence after accepting tutelage, The Inevitable set to work. First on a lesson, and second on an example. Brimming with power, he fractured his essence into two, simply ignoring the flow of time as he did so. With one half waiting for Leau to finish, the other set out for the Western shore of the Border Sea.
At his command, a thick jungle sprung up from the rock, tearing it down and forming it into rich soil that furthered the growth of larger trees that grew nearly a kilometre into the air. Their vast and interwoven canopy blocked out all but a few strands of sunlight, leaving the forest floor a desolate land of bare soil covered with rotting vegetation where only a few hardy plants grew, most of them saplings waiting for one of their forebears to die and give them room. However, up amongst the high branches where light was more plentiful, orchids and ferns clung to the trees and thrived. Up here, there were many birds with brilliant plumage, most vivid of all the iridescent hummingbirds that flocked to each blooming orchid in turn.
However, not even this forest could survive close proximity to the Metal Wastes, and as such, it hugged the coastline and the edge of the Seventh Swamp and grew Westward into the gap between it and the Red Forest. Closer to the metallic realm, a more desolate land was called for. Firstly, The Inevitable raised a great monolithic stone at the very edge of the Metal Waste, its sides streaked with diamond and iridium. Within it bubbled up a spring of pure water that flowed down its Southern face and into a great pit that opened before it. The rest of the land was composed of coloured rocks, their upper surfaces bleached by the unceasing rays of the Sun.
The pit where the waterfall fell was another matter. It was five hundred kilometres across, its rough sides riddled with caves and tunnels through which one could descend deep into Neyla, always with a view of the interior of the pit.
The interior of the pit was another matter. It was filled with vast gears forged from osmium by the divine hand of The Inevitable, each one turning silently alongside those it interlocked with, some massive, others miniscule. Up into the sky the gears extended, nearly overshadowing the monolith alongside them, and down, far down into Neyla they continued, seemingly without end. Around them was situated six crystal spires that acted as a cage to separate them from the edges of the pit. The function of the gears, if indeed they had a function, was unknown. Some would say that they were a clock that counted down to the end, others that it performed some vast calculation, but there was no way to know, however, the presence of vast hands and a dial buried amidst the ordered chaos of the mechanical creation lent weight to the first theory.
That mattered not, for the gears just kept on turning as the water fell past them.


The Beginnings of a Long and Possibly Tiresome Apprenticeship

The lesson complete, The Inevitable rejoined his two halves and focussed his entire attention on waiting for Leau. A prompt as one could expect given the circumstances, Leau returned after a mere two millennia to begin his education.
"You are very eager young one. And indeed fortunate I did not interfere with your plan. Now that I have a greater understanding of it, it would not be hard to do so."
As he spoke, a great crack opened up in the landscape in a straight line South from the Eastern expanse of the Tropical Ocean, threatening to extend right into the Magma Pits as the ocean flooded in. But it did not, and it came to a halt a mere two hundred kilometres from the edge of the flames and molten rock. Though it had come close, now was not the time for the fire and water to mix.
"As for our discussion, let us for a time consider the consequences of what would have occurred had I actually poured the oceans into the Pits of Magma. I for one would find it very interesting to hear your opinions on the reactions of our fellows."


Starting Power: 20

Shape Land 3": The High Woods, The Painted Desert, The Monolith and The Great Clockworks.
The High woods: As described above, they are a forest of vast trees with a thick, almost impenetrable canopy. It stretches one thousand kilometres inland from the Border Sea and turns inland in a band of the same width before spreading out into a vast forest three thousand kilometres square between the Red Forest and the Seventh Swamp.
The Painted Desert: Filling the gap between the High Woods and the Metal Wastes, it is about three thousand kilometres by three thousand kilometres and composed of rocks of all manner of colours. However, exposure to the glaring equatorial Sun has bleached their upper surfaces, turning them a pale imitation of the colours concealed on the undersides of the rock.
The Monolith: At the very edge of the Painted Desert where it borders onto the Metal Waste is the Monolith, a great stone mountain streaked with veins of diamond and iridium. It stands about five hundred metres high and has a waterfall that cascades down the Southern side.
The Great Clockworks: As described above, they are housed in a massive pit five hundred kilometres across and directly South of the Monolith. The depth of said pit is unknown.

Shape Land 1": The Perilous Fault.
A narrow crack in the crust filled with water, it extends South from the Tropical Ocean approximately fifteen hundred kilometres East of the Jade Mountains. It terminates just before reaching the Magma Pits.

Remaining Power: 8

[ImperialSunligh]

The dragons that had come in awe of Pervetus's might became more organized over the years, and had become very superstitious. They believed, for reasons unknown, that Pervetus required a sacrifice, and so placed one of their young as well as a veritable feast of gems on the top of Omniscentrum, where they sung hymns, such as: "O, great primordial dragon, your teeth remind our craven fools and exiles to submit to your beauty. O, Pervetus, grace us with your prescence!"

On one day, Centrum sent the dragon to deal with these ones. Pervetus rose above Omniscentrum and grumbled, "What is this?"

The leader of the group spoke, "This is an offering to you, great one, to honour your glory."

"This is not necessary. I need no such thing. Your people may, however, gather in worship of me. My power is great, and I have many plans for your people. You must make a great church to my glory, converting those who do not see my magnificence to your cause. Then you shall be malleable to my will. That will please me greatly."

"Oh, of course, my master! But how shall we accomplish this?"

"You shall build temples within Omniscentrum, large caverns of excellent design. Within these chambers you shall gather in celebration and community, all in my name. Others will no doubt be drawn in by this."

"Of course."

Pervetus began to sink under the sea.

"Master, wait!"

"Why do you command me so?"

"I have heard rumour that there is a force greater than you that created you, that feeds your power. Is this true?"

"It is not for you to know. Those people will cause the church to fail. They are heretics, even if they are correct."

"I see."

Centrum continued to sink below and disappeared.

The newly formed Church of the Primordial Dragon did as they were told. Twenty-four extremely powerful dragons set out to build temples to the dragon within the city, and began to preach within their walls. The church grew at a ridiculous speed, having came into being at just the right time, when many dragons were questioning the meaning of their existences, and were desperate for a sense of community. All according to the code.

Quickly, followers of the church became the majority in Omniscentrum. The church even grew to have branches in the surrounding pillars, though far fewer dragons in these areas were converted. Many in the city and far more elsewhere still hung on to the concept of a higher power than Pervetus, but kept this a secret study, hiding it from the majority that considered this practice heretical.

Roll: 2d6+40+5+1=55 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4329067/)

Command Pervetus, Create Dragon Order: "The Church of the Primordial Dragon", -2

Left: 53
Next Bonus: 5
Cult Bonus: 1

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4326414/)
Current Power Points: 13

The Codex was magnificent.

Indlas and Kran Ze'In stood, fully manifest, within it's infinitely coiling complexity. They had come here, to the heart of the immense deity known as Centrum, at the request of their parent, Chron. After all, each deity was shaping Neyla, and so, for the pantheon to understand the world, they would need to understand the forces that shaped it. Hence, they had come here, to the heart of the strange force that had entered time with abstract force.

The deity of the Eternal saw this colossal record as a guideline which would be eternal. A set of rules which would always be followed, one way or another. It did not entirely grasp the nature of the place because the instructions specifically dictated that change be required at some point or another, and thus would not take it's essence into itself, instead repeating what had come when Tsarag-Losh had offered new ideas to it, and creating a new deity.

The deity of the Entropic, however, hardly perceived the realm at all, for it was too unchanging, even if it did put forward the idea of change at times. It did perceive that there was a force of immense power, an immutable list of instructions, and this got the god thinking. Where had this place come from? Where did the instructions begin? What had been before? These thoughts eventually sank into the Codex, into Centrum itself, and in the not-too-distant future, as Heovma had given birth to a deity on behalf of Kran Ze'In, so would Centrum spit out part of the Chron progeny.

After a perusal of the Codex, lasting perhaps four millennia, the two deities departed, returning to Chron's Domain. However, somewhere between leaving the Codex and arriving in Domain, they stopped being two, and began being three.

"You bring forth a new child, Indlas?" Chron asked, prompting the two ancient ones to behold the new force, which was still barely manifest enough to exist, much less to take physical form, to the side of the Unchanging One. Chron went on, "For one meant to embrace that which does not change, you certainly alter the pantheon fairly often."

The new deity responded before Indlas could, communing in a tone of certainty and reliability "That is only because the rest of the world changes because one thing refuses to, as is the nature of the cosmos you created, protodeity. To expect differently is madness."

Chron acknowledged the truth of this, before continuing, "Ke'Keo is not likely to understand you, child. The deity of possibilities is fond of comedy."

"My domain is what has existed. There is no alteration of the past, and thus I will never understand possibilities."

"Thus you will never understand the absurd, such as the idea of Indlas accepting change. Now, enough of this banter. Make full manifest and name yourself, child."

The new deity did just that, but the form it assumed when manifest was unorthodox, even for a deity. It wore a cloak, like all members of the Chron pantheon, but it might as well have been carved from stone, for all that it moved. The color was of granite, with lines like cracks filled in with dark, rich soil. Like the deities Ke'Keo and Leau, it wore it's hood back, but the head underneath which was revealed... was not a head. Instead, where a neck would have sprouted, there was a tree trunk. Indeed, the deities entire head was a tree, a tree with white bark and red leaves. It's eyes were two points of light, like all pantheon deities, but it's were a shade of blisteringly bright blue, hidden among the leaves of the tree, the viewer never entirely certain where they originated from. Once it was revealed, it declared it's existence, "I am Mneomri. I am the personification of tradition, of memories, and of the past itself."

"Welcome, Mneomri, to the Chron pantheon," Chron responded, and thus it was that tradition was forever tied into the will of the Chron pantheon.

Name: Mneomri
Portfolio: Memory, Tradition, Reliability
Appearance: Mneomri wears a cloak of granite with several cracks in it which are filled with ancient soil. The hood of this cloak it wears down, revealing it's head to not be a head at all, but instead a tree, tall and thin, growing from what would be it's shoulders. The tree has pale white bark and blood red leaves. Mneomri's eyes are two blindingly bright points of blue light, but are hidden among the branches of it's 'head', almost like two eyes peering through the brush, instead of actually being a part of it.
Flavor: Born of that which is eternal and that which is central, Mneomri is a very reliable deity, though not always the most open to new ideas. Mneomri is a deity of tradition and memory, but not precisely a deity of the past. Specifically, things which had not been intended, or which greatly deviated from norm, these things fall outside of Mneomri's power. It's more that Mneomri is a deity of peace time and well-established practices, than it is of ancient wars or beginnings.
Symbol: Mneomri's spiral is wide and thin, often being crafted from white or bleached wood, with still-living wood being preferable. If it the wood is still alive, it's traditional to trim off new shoots attempting to break away from the spiral itself.



After Mneomri had incorporated itself into the pantheon, giving all deities already part of Chron's will a strong sense of family ties, Chron decreed that Kran Ze'In and Indlas would remain in the Domain for an eon, while Ke'Keo, Leau, and the new deity would focus upon shaping the world outside. Mneomri immediately went into the Red Land, to expand it's borders, as had been the norm for the past several million years, with it's borders expanding consistently since the birth of Ke'Keo. Ke'Keo, in the meantime, expanded the White Mountains, with their fields of stiff Tet Grass, their slopes of white marble, and their cliffs of cloudy quartz.

On the other side of the globe, Leau sat in the air with the Unnamed One, thinking, "Well, there would first be the predictable outcomes: The water would boil and turn to steam, coming down as massive storms around the world, while the lava would cool and turn to pumice and obsidian. The reactions of the deities, however, well, my progenitor Tsarag-Losh would be most pleased, and might even attempt to repay the favor in the future, as might Orat'hoth, though I am not certain that the Watcher truly understands that Nysatek is attempting to menace it. Nysatek and L'zot'aca would be clearly cross at first, and might make contact with you, or might simply cut through some of our own landscapes, altering them in spite. Of course, such things would have repercussions of their own. For example, were Nysatek and L'zot'aca to come to us and commune, we might be able to repair the harm, and even come to an agreement of some sort in the future, in which our plans don't actually change, for we never intended to truly flood their lands en masse, but in that path, we find ourselves in the good graces of Tsarag-Losh, Orat'hoth, Nysatek, and L'zot'aca. Alternative, we could accelerate their oncoming civil war, and pit all four against the others. Or, we could find a combination which leads certain powers down the path towards weakness, while others into the path of strength, shaping the actions of the Watcher's to our desires," Leau paused in the commune to think again, "Though, none of these paths truly hold much promise. They are either too unlikely, or yield too little benefit. So, with your permission, I'd like to continue my jade mountains across that gap between the two seas."

After the Unnamed One gave the go ahead, Leau spent another few millennia filling in a gap in the ocean, and lifting nearly-vertical cliffs of jadeite, topaz, emerald, moonstone, and aquamarines from the obsidian wastes, until the hot winds of the Magma Pits blew up across three-kilometer-high cliffs, to rush forward, a blistering wind across the five hundred kilometers of green stone, until it fell off the edge of another set of three-kilometer-high cliffs, buffeting the wind there, and forcing the evaporating water, and all storm systems, north.

Once Leau returned to the Unnamed One, they began their next discussion, and when they finished that discussion, they went on to the next, and the next, and so on, for hundreds of millennia, and hundreds more.



As they spoke however, something was happening. Far away, beyond the minds of mortals, deep within the realm of the Codex, something was out of place. A new force existed within the impossible realm, something which was distinct from the will of Centrum, and it was not only reading, the Code, but understanding it.

As it shifted in it's sleep, the immense god Centrum tossed the intruder out, forcing it up to the surface of Neyla, where it emerged, confused and feeling rejected, upon the iron-rich soil of the Red Land. As it took in this new domain, the first thing it perceived, the first living creature this particular deity witnessed, was a lumbering Mord. As the young one stared at the creature with wonder and curiosity, the giant turtle, with it's ecosystem of Musch and Blue Snails on it's back, simply wandered past the child deity, not even aware of how close it had passed to a primal force of the universe.

The neonatal power wandered about the Red Lands for a millennia, passing through the barren fields were the Red Land crossed into the High Forest, where the iron content grew so thick that the High Trees couldn't live, yet so thin that even the Red Grass was weak and brittle. This new deity then chose to wander into the High Forest, learning as much as it could along the way, and was near the Border Sea when it felt a power it had not expected: A force much like itself. Curiosity overcame the child of Centrum, and it rushed to the location it was emanating from, finding a spirit of lead there.

The lead one turned to where the child deity was barely manifest, just outside reality, and communed, "Well hello there. You feel like a member of the pantheon, but I don't remember you precisely. I'm Leau. What's your name?"

The deity responded with a very strange commune, "What's a name? What is a pantheon? What's a member? What is remembering? What does hello mean? What are you? What does Leau mean? What is 'precisely'? What is 'don't'? What is 'feel'? Where is there?"

It might have continued, but Leau held up a hand and communed back, "Whoa now. That's a lot of questions. I'm going to assume that you haven't even been to the Domain yet. A lot of your questions might be answered after Chron welcomes you. Just come with me," and with that, Leau took the new deity to the Domain.

As soon at it came into the Domain, the new deity immediately began blathering at a mile a moment. Meanwhile, Chron, who had been conversing with Kran Ze'In and Indlas, looked at the two new arrivals, and communed, "Hello Leau. Aren't you supposed to be with the End of Time, undergoing your lessons?"

"Well, progenitor, we decided to take a break, and while I was wandering the physical world, I came across this entity. I believe it might be another child of Kran Ze'In."

"It does have that certain flair," Kran Ze'In provided.

Chron focused upon the child divinity, who was still firing off a hundred questions each instant, and forced it into silence with two instructions, "If you wish to have your questions answered, state your name, your purpose, and become manifest."

The child stopped a moment, "How do I do these things?"

The other deities of the pantheon would have been stumped by the question, not sure exactly how to answer, but not Chron, "Only you can answer that question."

After a moment of uncharacteristic silence, the child came together, it's cloak coalescing around thin air, thin and white, like a cloak made of parchment paper or of scrolls, and indeed, upon it, in miniscule calligraphy, was written every single piece of information that the deity had thus far learned. It wore it's hood back, like most other deities of the pantheon, and it's head was that of a Mord, with long neck and sharp turtle beak, but with eyes of blindingly bright, blue light. Once it was manifest, it communed, "I am Zeh'Zerin, deity of education and of questions. The beginning of every lesson is my domain, and every one who seeks information is one of my worshippers.

"Welcome, Zeh'Zerin, to the Chron pantheon," and in that moment, Zeh'Zerin gained the knowledge that was shared between any two of it's sibling deities, and immediately stopped asking questions that they actually knew the answers to, instead becoming a cryptic deity of slow thought and impossibly-difficult-to-answer questions.

Name: Zeh'Zerin
Portfolio: Education, Questions, Beginnings
Appearance: From the neck up, Zeh'Zerin is a Mord, a giant turtle with a long neck, but with eyes of blisteringly bright, blue light. However, at the base of the neck, where the Mord shell and body would usually start, there is instead the more-or-less humanoid body of a pantheon deity, cloaked in a cloak of parchment paper, complete with record of everything Zeh'Zerin has ever learned, written in miniscule calligraphy.
Flavor: Born of change and rules, Zeh'Zerin is a very innovative deity, with the ability to always figure out a path forward, not to mention a very curious deity, always trying to see if a rule can be changed, or if it truly is a rule. Any question that is ever asked and any piece of information that is ever obtained, lies within Zeh'Zerin's domain. Scholars and scientists are very likely to worship Zeh'Zerin, as are students and even, on occasion, architects.
Symbol: Zeh'Zerin's spiral is a spiral of script, often a script of some important piece of information. It will exist as either ink upon parchment, or as runes carved into stone. As such, Zeh'Zerin's spiral can't exist without something to exist on. Portable holy symbols of the deity are thusly made as pendants or scrolls, with scrolls being greatly preferred, for when rolled up, they mimic the spiral of the Chron pantheon even further.



After some time, Zeh'Zerin found itself back in the High Forest, back where it had first encountered Leau, and found that Leau had also returned. No, it had returned the instant after Zeh'Zerin had been welcomed to the pantheon, and simply hadn't left. Looking towards it's cousin, Zeh'Zerin communed, "What is it that troubles you, Leau?"

Leau turned to Zeh'Zerin, "That's an uncharacteristically easy question for you, Zeh'Zerin. I'm here because my mentor has placed an obstacle in my path for a second time. I cannot simply drive it aside, as I did in the past, for then certain promising pathways would be lost. However, the main pathway I seek requires me to find a way through this forest, lest it be lost itself. However, solid and liquid are two very distinct states. I am unsure if it is possible to have both pathways I originally sought."

"Why not change the rules?"

Leau turned away from Zeh'Zerin, back towards the forest, "Now that's more like you. What do you mean?"

"Simply allow me to act, if you would?"

"Feel free."

Zeh'Zerin reached out a hand, and the forest collapsed, the ground at it's roots falling away in a single immense sinkhole, allowing for the Border Sea to flood inwards, smashing the puny trunks of the once towering trees, and replacing the forest floor with a sea floor rich in caverns, phosphorous, and numerous, tiny geothermal vents which spouted out continuous supplies of carbon dioxide.

Once this was finished, the deity of beginnings spawned countless phosphorous-rich forms of seaweed, which grew on top of these geothermal vents, glowed with light brighter than the sun, and possessed large tangles of branches in which massive portions of carbon dioxide would get caught. Once these plants grew numerous and strong enough, then seeds of the High Trees would have drifted down to the sea floor, and with the unusual conditions of bountiful light and carbon dioxide, would sprout, and grow, until they broke the surface of the ocean, and then continue further up, until the bubbling ocean could only be discerned from the High Forest by the subtle drop in elevation.

Once that was done, Zeh'Zerin knew that certain areas of the bubbling sea's floor would be steadily depleted of phosphorous, for it had needed to be somewhat thin to allow healthy growth of the High Trees. So, the deity went to the border between the High Forest and the Red Forest, and there created three new creations: The Lighthouse Tree, which was tall and thin, much like the High Trees, but with slightly red-tinged bark, and bearing hundreds of phosphorous-rich fruit, which glowed like the sun. These Lighthouse Trees could only exist in this narrow strip where the two forests blended together. Second, the deity made a large kind of bird known as the Urtosh, which was indiscernible from a bird of the High Forest, but which had mating ground exclusively in the Lighthouse Trees, where they would consume almost all of the glowing fruit, ingesting excess phosphorous for their dazzling mating displays. However, when the mating season was over, the Urtosh would have several grams of phosphorous left over in it's bodies which hadn't been used during the displays. Some Urtosh, who had come several times in their lifetimes, would have as much of a kilogram weighing them down. When they were caught by a predator, the phosphorous sack would be discarded, and dropped to the forest floor, where the third of Zeh'Zerin's creations, the Clutter Crab, would find it. The Clutter Crab lived in rivers and lakes across the High Forest, and would build traps deep underwater, which seemed like perfect places to rest, to a fish, but the Clutter Crab would always have a small access which would allow it to catch, kill, and eat anything in these traps. The Clutter Crab would travel for kilometers inland looking for good trap materials, with Utrosh phosphorous sacks being very useful as snares, once emptied. So, the Clutter Crab would take the phosphorous sack back to their territory and empty the phosphorous pellets out, which would then drift downstream to the Bubbling Sea, to replenish the sea floor of what had been lost.

Once this was complete, Leau sought out Zeh'Zerin and spoke, "You're a genius."

3 points on Shape Land to extend the Southern Sea and the Jade Mountains.

3 points on Shape Land to extend the White Mountains.

3 points on Shape Land to extend the Red Land.

3 points on Shape Land to create the Bubbling Sea.

0 points on Create Life to create the Sun Seaweed.

0 points on Create Life to create the Lighthouse Tree.

0 points on Create Life to create the Utrosh.

0 points on Create Life to create the Clutter Crab.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4328357/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/fRwllaU.jpg


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Aric Kale]

Power Role: 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4329995/)
Current Points 11

Kettõ Hoshi, the twin gods, always together yet always at odds. The duo were doomed to struggle for power, never having an advantage for long.
No one knows where they're from, except that they appeared from the stars, when a great multitude of the stars came crashing into the wastelands.
After pausing to gain their bearings, the local wildlife were witness to such a flurry of power as to make the great Sorceress Queens themselves quake with fear and trembling.
Heiwa fled, never having loved war, only engaging in combat when necessary to stem his sibling's rampages. He came upon a painfully empty chasm and brought light and beauty to it. Using his holy powers of peace and order, flowers of the riches colors began to sparkle in he dim lighting of the underground realm. Yes, they sparkled, for these were living gems; plants of sapphire, emerald, diamond and anything else the mind can imagine.
For centuries it remained a place of beauty, a sacred home of purple bats, orange fish teeming in glorious pools of shimmering water. Any who came to visit were welcome to pick a plant and take it home, for they grew in abundance, though the gems lost their gift of life soon after leaving the Mother Cavernous. Occasionally, those who explored deep enough into the cave system would catch glimpses of a man-sized fire of the purest white, tending to trees of obsidian and amethyst with the care of a mother to her child.
All who came to call felt peace, and many great thinkers took sabbaticals there to find greater enlightenment.

Konton, the black fire of chaos, could not sit idle for so long. He let his brother have his fun...now it's his turn to take pleasure in this world. One day, he slipped into the cave in his guise of the darkest fire, and planted seeds of his very essence. These seeds grew into tangling vines of the deepest jet and choked out all dwelling in the caverns, both plants and humanoids. (pardon my forgetting of the major races).
After the deed was done he waited outside for his brother to come out, blasting through the entrance, now blocked by thorns of death.
He waited for eons, eventually taking on the form of a black pebble, sitting all alone, since nobody dared to venture towards the vicious vines of the "horrid cave." Inside the Mother Cavernous, Heiwa had taken on the form of a white granite status, still in the shape of a flame, mourning the loss of his creations.

Power Points = 11
0: Create life - living gem-plants and trees.
0: Create life - living thorns designed to tear and kill.
3: Change landscape - Large cavesytem filled with vines and the occasional gemplant. Located under the Copper Mountains
Final Points = 8

[5a Violista]

After so long, the ichor of the Odious Sea began to change: it was no longer "alive" - if it could be called that in the first place.

The "water" of this sea became slightly more clear - though it was still the same, dark reddish color - it was more of a vinegar than a blood. That didn't make it any more hospitable to normal life, of course. It was still very poisonous and filled with acidic chemicals. Any plantlife or animallife who couldn't withstand it would still be burned and probably die from it.


(-) The Odious Sea is no longer so bloodlike. But it's still a very poisonous, acidic, mineral-filled sea "water" of the same color, only slightly more clear and slightly less thick. It still doesn't mix very well with normal water, in part due to its density and in part due to its chemistry, so it still only taints the oceanic water immediately near it, like the Poisoned Sea.




Down into the Darkness, Fel the Black Wolf descended. He left the Dark Land and followed a dark cave system. Down there, the Black Wolf's influence of darkness began exerting itself on the stone. Lava calmed down, and he walked through the empty lava tubes until he reached the end.

Then, the Darkness began eating at the stone. Little bits of Chaos evolved and began eating away at the extreme heat that far underground.

Soon, there was a large cavernous opening down there, which would be called The Deep. Life began to grow - fungus which had previously latched onto Fel had landed on the ground and began to grow and change. Insects crawled out of his fur and began to spread across the opening.

In order to survive Anarchy's presence, the fungi, the insects, and even the crystals had to evolve to start glowing. They started glowing in order to keep the devouring Fel at bay; at that moment, the cavern stopped expanding. By that time, though, it had reached a large underground lake which was still warm from being so deep underground.

Fel swam through this lake: he had to continue his hunt. Here was a good detour; it had given him more time to plan, time for more ideas in his hunt for Heovma. Through the lake, he found some more lava tubes and caves; he followed them until he reached the surface again, near the Crystal Scar.

(3) Deep underground 1" area cavern, directly underground some part of the Copper Mountains area. The rocks have glowing crystals which provide light. There's a small river running along the cave edge. Temperature around this area is lowered greatly from what it would normally be, so deep underground.
(3) Deep underground 1" area lake, connected to the other Deep area, to the south.
(3+3) Long, extensive, network of caves. I want them to be able to connect the Deep Underground to both the Crystal Scar's cave network and to Kettõ Hoshi's Mother Cavernous, so...the lava tube labyrinth is as thin as necessary to reach both.
(0) Create Life: Heat-absorbing Chaos (bacteria)
(0) Create Life: Several forms of large fungi, including some that glow
(0) Create Life: Glowbugs, which eat the fungi




Heovma, on the other hand, was now looking for Kran Ze'In. She had grown bored with hunting prey across the world, and she remembered that she was neither bored nor hungry with Kran Ze'In.

So, she walked across the world, looking for her.

In her searching, she came across the Magma Pits. It was very hot there; Heovma noticed that, if she drew too close, she would get burned and it would hurt. Several times, she thought she saw Kran Ze'In off, just past the wind, so she would race towards her.

Then, she fell off the pathways, and into the lava. It burned! So she swam to the western edge as if it were water and tried to get up. It was very difficult to get out - the lava clung to her fur and pulled her back down, like hands reaching after her. Finally, she dug through the rock, and the lava poured out like a river. From there, it was easier to get out. So, then, she went back to the Magma Pits: she was so sure she saw Kran Ze'In there!

That repeated twice more, before she finally realized she was leaping at a mirage. So, there were then three lava rivers flowing from the Magma Pits.

She shook the stone off her, and walked down the sides of the Lava Rivers, waiting for the pain to go away and for the fur that had burned to grow back. She noticed trees that had started to grow along the side of these lava rivers - they looked like coconut trees, except they were a sooty black color and their fruit were really just large geodes. Heovma tried eating these geode fruit, but...they tasted terrible. She left them there on the ground, and followed the rivers until she found a lake full of brimstone.

Still...

She hadn't found what she was looking for.


(3) Shape Land: 3 Rivers of Lava that flow westward from the Magma Pits towards the Fertile Desert; all three ending in a single Pool of Brimstone
(0) Create Life: Lava Palm: A kind of palm tree that, oddly enough, lives on lava instead of water. It grows a 'fruit' like a coconut - except more of a geode than a fruit.




This turn: 17 points = 5 shape lands + 2 points

The Odious Sea:
(-) The Odious Sea is no longer blood. But it's still a very poisonous, acidic, mineral-filled sea "water" of the same color, only slightly more clear and slightly less thick. It still doesn't mix very well with normal water, in part due to its density and in part due to its chemistry, so it still only taints the oceanic water immediately near it, like the Poisoned Sea.

The Deep:
(3) Deep underground 1" area cavern, directly underground some part of the Copper Mountains area. The rocks have glowing crystals which provide light. There's a small river running along the cave edge. Temperature around this area is lowered greatly from what it would normally be, so deep underground.
(3) Deep underground 1" area lake, connected to the other Deep area, to the south.
(3+3) Long, extensive, network of caves. I want them to be able to connect the Deep Underground to both the Crystal Scar's cave network and to Kettõ Hoshi's Mother Cavernous.
(0) Create Life: Heat-absorbing Chaos (bacteria)
(0) Create Life: Several forms of large fungi, including some that glow
(0) Create Life: Glowbugs, which eat the fungi

Magma Pits:
(3) Shape Land: 3 Rivers of Lava that flow westward from the Magma Pits towards the Fertile Desert; all three ending in a single Pool of Brimstone.
(0) Create Life: Lava Palm: A kind of palm tree that, oddly enough, lives on lava instead of water. It grows a 'fruit' like a coconut - except more of a geode than a fruit.

Remainder: 2 points

Next time:
2 + 2d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4330769/) + 5/5 (chaos) + 3/3 (cult) = 20

For self:
Heovma = "Chaos" "the white coyote"(no caps) "The Wild": a white coyote, blue eyes
Avatar Fel = "Anarchy" "The Black Wolf" "The Darkness": a black wolf surrounded by darkness
Next Avatar (to be made in 2nd Age) = "Strife(?)" "The _____ Fox" "The Masked": human-like with fox ears and 3 fox tails and a mask
Then Avatar = A jackal or a dingo? "Mayhem(?)" or "Insanity(?)" or "Havoc(?)"

[ImperialSunligh]

Centrum noted, in its continued rest, the existence of its offspring among the Chron. This was as planned in the code, and is auspicious. It was paramount that Chron, the temporal guardians of this new realm, be brought into the domain of the code, even in this limited way.

The Oalei in their Eastern tribes remained blissfully unaware of the dragons for all this time, until the great coming of Pervetus.

Pervetus rose above one of their tribes, speaking unto them, "I am the great dragon, Pervetus. I dare any of you to challenge my power, but only do so if you value your life not at all."

Many of the prideful Oalei did so, running to slay the monstrous entity. Pervetus barely moved to swallow the primitive warriors, never to be seen again. So then he spoke once more, his words slipping deeply into the minds of the dull Oalei, "So, I have proven, I believe, that my power is far greater than any of yours. Then let me tell you something. There are those elsewhere that are similarly powerful as myself. You all respect strength, and we are greater than every one of you. Logically, we are your rightful rulers, yet we do not ask for this. We want only for your people to gather once a year to pay your proper respects to the dragons, and we shall allow you to govern yourselves."

The dragon left after this, leaving many of the Oalei confused. Most forgot about the dragon, or considered the event unimportant, but some could not forget him, and felt knowledge of the dark ritual, practiced by others in the world every year, on the same day of tribute, and brought this into reality upon their secret temples.

Roll: 2d6+53+5+1=66 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4331141/)

Command Pervetus, Create cult of Oalei, "The Servants of the Dragons", -2

Left: 64
Bonus: 5
Cult: 2

[GeneralRage]

Power Roll: 2d10 = 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4330956/)
Point Rollover: 24
Current Points: 39

The Fabled Cloud Lands of Ravi

There are tales told in Neyla of a gigantic floating city, a top a massive traveling black cloud. This city is said to be an almost endless architectural wonderland. Huge sprawling black towers dot the skyline, one to four story houses line elaborate flowing streets. Magnificent buildings to be found, some more lavish and wonderful than others. Yet all seemed to follow a particular style, above descripton and divine inspired.
Despite being a super-massive city it remains empty, devoid of any thing or person. The houses, and towers and buildings all unfurnished. Everything made of black material that has odd properties; somewhere between a solid and a gas. Whenever observed by a sentient being the substance solidifies and the ground and buildings seem to be made of a black brick. When not under observation, and near the edges of the beings vision, the brick melts away into a thick black gas that swirls around a fixed point.
Once every several hundred years this wandering cloud city rains down on the world a magical purple liquid. With this purple rain comes anywhere between 450-900 streaks of white lightning. This lightning specifically targets living creatures, amongst them it has a preference for sentient beings. Any mortal creature who gets struck by this lightning becomes magically enfused. Their life span becomes triple that which is common for their race or species. The eyes of these individuals glow purple.
Sentient creatures are able to harness this power and release it in magical bursts. The effects of these bursts vary, every several hundred years when it rains there is a different given effect. The lightning only ever strikes a creature once. Some examples of an ability given by the lughtning strike: a physical explosion, a mental scream, bursts of cold, bursts of scalding heat, invisible pushes, and bursts of blinding light.
The more used these abilities are the stronger they become, both physical and mental changes occur as the sentient creatures become corrupted through the use of these magical bursts. Physical alterations include glowing royal purple cracks in the skin, darkened skin around glowing purple eyes, and cold to the touch skin. A truly corrupted being would be fully covered in royal purple cracks, the skin around his eyes a shade away from complete black, his skin would make your hand feel like it was dipped into artic water. Someone who used it less would have cracks on a limb like a forearm or maybe even their back, the skin around their eyes only slightly blackened, akin in look to someone with little sleep.
The mental transformations are: increased agression, emotional instability, and a greater intellect
This cloud travels the world, never growing in size or shrinking

So I used Shape Land x3 (-9)
Shape Weather x3 (-9)
And an Event (-10)
I hope this covers all the bases for a traveling massive deserted magical city-cloud
Leaving me with 11 points.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4328357/)
Current Power Points: 12

Mneomri looked out across the world, and saw the many works that it's family had crafted. The Bubbling Sea which it's sibling, Zeh'Zerin, had so masterfully crafted. The Tropical oceans which the ancestor Leau still built up, along with the Bottomless Ocean and the Jade Mountains. The Time Storm which Kran Ze'In and Indlas had so long ago created. The Metal Wastes which Indlas had poured so much effort into. The Red Lands which had originally been created by Ke'Keo, but which had become, by far, more the domain of Kran Ze'In. The White Mountains which were exclusively the domain of Ke'Keo.

It perceived that there was a potential for a tradition in this: that any particular member of the Chron pantheon would have a land to call their own, which they would recognize as being primarily their creation. Mneomri was the only member of the pantheon which did not possess such a thing. So, it decided that it would build exactly that.

The Tree God looked west, beyond the horizon, to the Mountains of Dissapointment, which had so long ago been raised from silver, silicon, iron, carbon, sulfur, and mercury. Reaching out to it, he gripped massive veins of acanthite in a metaphysical fist, and ripped it free of the immense mountain chain.

Nothing lived in the Mountains of Dissapointment, but creatures as far away as the hexagonal forest felt the world tremble, and denizens of the Red Land saw a colossal plume of yellow dust rise up over the horizon. Many died over the years that the sulfur and silver took to settle, but in the meantime, Mneomri repeated the acts taken by the Unnamed One ages before, and built the thin mountain chain further, until it stretched almost all the way to the edge of the Red Land, with rivers of mecury cascading down the sides of the terrifying cliffs. At the same time, Mneomri extended the White Mountains further, taking sulfur and iron up into them as well, making the Tet Grass unable to grow here, but changing the white marble and quartz into yellow marble and quartz, with several instances of pyrite, or "fools gold". The Deity of Tradition even fused these Yellow Mountains into the Mountains of Dissapointment, forming a V shaped valley between the two mountain ranges.

From there, the god spread the Red Land forward, until it was almost inside the valley, but the closer it got, the more difficult it was for the plants of the Red Land to survive the sulfur and the mercury. This was okay with Mneomri, however, for as the patches of Red Grass and White Ferns grew fewer, while Lazli Trees and Kelroo grew stunted and short, so too did new breeds of plants rise up.

This valley was rich in iron, as the Red Land was, but also with sulfur, forcing pyrite to form all across the valley floor, and often in perfectly mirrored, gold-colored, cube-shaped crystals, which stood jutting out of the ground, some as much as two meters to a side. Rivers of mercury flowed through this landscape black acanthite and golden pyrite, giving it a strange beauty. The air was more or less clear, as all the sulfur had settled out. Looking upon this land, however, Mneomri decided it was not finished, and turned and shot zinc and copper through the land, creating colossal veins of brass to form underground, acanthite was soon joined by sphalerite on the surface, and pyrite was joined with chalcopyrite.

The plants that Mneomri created were heavy based upon the Tet Grass of the White Mountains, as that plant grew on stone, fed on stone, and decomposed into sand, which, over the years, would reduce itself back to stone. First, it created a type of fungus, which grew in solitary towers, bulbous and yellow, spaced out across the black & yellow land. These towers were called "Sulfur Trees", and were considered very dangerous, for even poking one would release toxic, black smoke, which would quickly settle on the ground far away, seeding a new Sulfur Tree, but killing anything that inhaled the smoke. On occasion, these Sulfur Trees grew close enough together to form "Sulfur Groves", which any unfortunate living creature who found itself in this Sulfur Valley would logically avoid.

Second, a kind of yellow vine which grew out across the ground, with silver, fern-esque leaves sticking up. These leaves were full of mercury, which this plant actually drank as other plants drank water, and formed into strange patterns. Patterns which, in combination with the mercury, summoned up a particular magical effect, and caused objects nearby to defy gravity, floating up of their own accord. These "Float Vines" grew in large carpets, above which was always a floating field of boulders, massive cubes of pyrite, and even currents of mercury twisting this way and that, forming small ponds where the antigravity was weakest, and raining fat droplets of the element onto the carpet whenever it's supply of mercury grew low and the magic faltered.

Third, was a "Black Grass" which behaved in much the same way as Tet Grass, but which grew much taller and much softer, swaying in the breeze and standing as tall as four meters tall, concealing hundreds of objects, and even caves, within the fields.

Fourth, and last, was a kind of fungus with roots that traveled deep underground, through the rocky ores, and penetrating into the brass veins far below, and sucking up the material, drawing it up to the surface, where the fungus broke the surface and created blooms of brass. "Brass Blooms" this plant was, predictably called.

Stepping back from the edge of the Sulfur Valley, and admiring it's work, Mneomri found Zeh'Zerin and Ke'Keo admiring the work. Zeh'Zerin decided to compliment Tree God's work, "Quite a remarkable place. So beautiful and desolate, wonderous and constant. I am earnestly impressed, Mneomri."

The Deity of Tradition did not respond to this, it did not need thanks. It simply had acted according to a perceived tradition. Ke'Keo, on the other hand, provided a statement that actually had bearing in this instance, "You went all out, didn't you? You did so much work on it, that Kran Ze'In and I didn't need to expand the Red Lands and the White Mountains during this age. You did it all for us."

Mneomri simply nodded and traveled back to the Domain.



Meanwhile, far away, Leau had just finished up on a further expansion of the Bubbling Sea, and was seeking out the Unnamed One once more, seeking to resume their lessons.

3 points on Shape Land to create the Sulfur Valley.

3 points on Shape Land to extend the Mountains of Dissappointment.

3 points on Shape Land to extend the White Mountains and create the Yellow Mountains.

3 points on Shape Land to extend the Bubbling Sea.

0 points on Create Life to create the Sulfur Tree.

0 points on Create Life to create the Float Vine.

0 points on Create Life to create the Black Grass.

0 points on Create Life to create the Brass Bloom.

Current Power Points: 0
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4330910/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/jK9nRct.jpg


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

Some of the more obscure Watchers had, in fact, been watching, when that child of Tsarag-Losh had made a plan involving turning their political leaders against eachother. Tsarag-Losh itself proposed that it was therefore necessary to demonstrate that the four parties were not quite so divided as all that, and for once, L'zot'aca agreed; the world was not yet fully formed, they could escalate to full hostilities when the stakes had been fully determined, if at all.

With the fluid of Tsarag-Losh, the gap in the wasteland between northeast and southeast was filled with a sudden torrent of water. With L'zot'aca's fires, the heat that gave the Boiling Sea its name spread south, boiling all but the southernmost reaches of this new sea - those reaches which overflowed into the Tropical Ocean. With the fecund will of Orat'hoth, islands rose to dot the new waters, islands which mirrored the various lands to the west of them - the Hexagonal Forest, the Rusty Mountains, the Datura Desert, the Crystal Scar, even the furthest stretches of the Rocky Wastes - and filled with life that reflected their old environs. With the breath of Nysatek, the steam from the surrounding waters was blown over the islands, increasing their humidity and their heat, forcing the life forms to evolve or die trying. Nysatek also put the lie to the name of islands, manipulating a cliff here, a rocky outcrop there, until there were outright bridges with which anyone could walk from any part of the Eastern Archipelago to any other part without setting foot on water or ship, assuming they didn't mind the winds or the heights.

After all that, it was with great irritation that L'zot'aca noted that its application for full manifestation had still not been properly processed.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4331223/)
Power rollover: 14 points
Total 31 points

24 points: Shape Land x8(!) to create a stretch of boiling water which connects the Boiling Sea to the Tropical Ocean, and to cover it with the Eastern Archipelago, islands that mirror the mainland directly west of them - and which are connected by a set of rocky bridges, each one quite a way above sea level, because the Watcher of Wind and Death is a troll like that.

8 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Lady Serpentine]

[Madness is the Queen of Serpent's Reach]

Kyache stalked the city, seeking for someone, though even she did not know who, at first... But then she saw. A catling with a dozen husbands, sprawled in a palace. One who would change everything - but only if properly guided.

And, so, standing before the sorceress-queen, the goddess delivered her judgement...

"There's a price for too much arrogance;
A price for too much greed.
And in complacent ignorance,
you have sown the whirlwind's seed!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvIRchTu0lM)

With that, Kyache twisted the empress's clothing, and that of her consorts, and her heir - and a hundred serpents covered every one of them, biting again and again, filling their veins with poison. But not one meant to kill. Instead, this was a poison that caused madness in whoever was bitten, and in the empress, that was even worse.

As they quivered on the floor, quiescent for now, she laughed and walked from the palace, the insanity she brought trailing her steps, lightning leaping between buildings, clouds forming where none had been but a moment before, rain falling that slowly, or at least slowly enough it could be dealt with, ate away at the stone of the buildings and the streets...

The palace gained a new name, after that, at least amongst the common folk of the city, becoming known as 'Serpent's Reach', for though it seemed immune to the more destructive effects of the strange weather, it still bore the taint of the madness brought by Changesower's snakes, both in the strange way that the wind echoed through the halls and the madness that the empress was prey to.

Roll was 5, see OOC.

Create Life - Madness Snakes (-0): Chaotically patterned snakes, the bite of which drives most mad, in one way or another, though some have no ill effects from it aside from the wound itself, and other simply die or take ill.

Shape Weather (-3): See above; that's permanent over, in, and around the Hothrid capital.

5 - 3 = 2

[Elemental]

Roll: 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4330114/) + 8 = 23

Filling in the Gaps: The Sparkling Sea and the Spice Island

Finding certain gaps in the geography to be abhorrent to him, The Inevitable set to work fixing the issue. Shattering the volcanic wasteland between the Dark Land and the Ashen Plains, he let to sea flood in through a narrow gap on the coast line between them. The resulting sea was clear and sparkling, its shallow waters home to innumerable species of small corals, starfish, anemones, sea urchins and cephalods, above which swam vast schools of sparkling fish that turned and twisted to avoid the pink dolphins that hunted them.
In the centre of the Sparkling Sea rose a small island, which though mountainous, was home to a sheer diversity of plant life. Numerous species of tropical hardwoods, the colour and grain of their timber unequalled throughout the world grew on the lower slopes and in the valleys. But even more wondrous were the dozens of aromatic and flavoursome plants that thrived on the island. But each remained rare as they could not grow everywhere on the island. The higher slopes were a different matter. They and the valleys they contained were home to great forests of coniferous trees that thrived in the warmth. Tigers, distantly related to those of the Land of Seven Rivers, stalked the shaded woods as they hunted tapirs, deer and pheasant. The lower forests were the domain of more agile leopards which were able to climb trees in search of the birds and primates that dwelt there.


Lessons of the Interrupted Kind

The gap filled, The Inevitable was joined by his student Leau.
"Congratulations young one. The ability to compromise is very important in divine dealings. Yes, I know the work was Zeh'Zerin's, but you accepted it which is perhaps more important.
"Alas, events conspire in Caelurum, and an old foe makes the lives of those who dwell there intolerable. Were it truly a mortal affair, I would allow it through to its conclusion, but I must oppose my opposite.
"If you feel it would be of benefit to your objection, you are free to observe and comment."
With that, he flew towards Caelurum, trailing clouds of darkness.


Opposition, an Endless Cycle

The howling fury of The Inevitable swept over the Grid Forest, sweeping aside the unnatural storm placed above Caelurum by his rival, scattering it to the winds and restoring light and safety to those below. Thinking momentarily, he decided not to counter the song given by his rival with words of his own, preferring instead to allow the scholars of the Academy to interpret events in their own way. The remnant darkness of his own storm transformed into great flocks of deep purple butterflies that flew low over the city as a sign of his favour.
However, sensing that the one who did this was no longer present, The Inevitable chose to make no challenge or admonition, instead choosing to watch for its next move. However, assuming that Leau was still present, he directed a single question to him:
"Your thoughts?"


News From the Palace

As the city began to descend into chaos an anarchy the carved wooden palaces of the city's elite began to rot and the gleaming metal that covered the grand buildings of the forums began to tarnish. The Hothrids ran to seek shelter as the sounds of madness began to echo from the Arcem.
The Queen was gravely ill they said. Leaena Arborea had fallen to madness, the first of over one hundred thousand queens (and the occasional king) to rule from that throne. The snakes infesting the throne room had long since been destroyed by Leaena Arborea's courtiers in an attempt to save their Queen, but by then, it was too late.
Cackling madly, she had in a few short days ordered the wholesale expulsion of her sons and daughters from the city indeed everyone who she thought untrustworthy, keeping only her favoured heir by her side. Still, not everyone had obeyed such an untraditional order. Her fifth daughter remained concealed, shielding her presence by way of powerful illusions. Though it was not quite enough to hide her fully from her mother's madness, she used it to unhinge the diminishing faculties of the mad ruler, and in seven days, she had her opening and both older sister and mother dead at her feet.
As for her father and step-fathers, the slaughter of males was an act still frowned upon by their society, so she locked them away in an asylum just inside the walls of Caelurum where they could live in luxury and as much peace as their madness would allow them.
Unopposed, she ascended the throne as Leaena Patrona.


Starting Power: 23

Shape Land 1": The Sparkling Sea and the Spice Island.
A sea located between the Dark Land and the Ashen Plains, it is connected to the Border Sea by a narrow strait. It stretches for an inch northward.
The Spice Island is about two thousand kilometres long North-South and one thousand kilometres wide. It is on an angel of about thirty degrees from from the line of true North.

Shape Weather 1": The acid rain is gone to be replaced by the natural weather of Caelurum.
Create Life: Great flights of Archangel Butterflies. Viewed singly, they are viewed as an omen of death, in flocks, as an omen of divine favour. Those cities on their migratory paths are clearly very favoured indeed.

Command Avatar: The Leaenas: Command City: Caeulurum: Create Structure: The Royal Asylum/Serpent's Reach.
A palace and prison for those of the royalty, and occasionally the nobility, to be locked away should they succumb to madness. Alas, not all imprisoned there are truly insane, and are in fact victims of those who want them out of the way.

Remaining Power: 15

[Omegonthesane]

The Magma Pits grew eastward, towards the Odious Sea, over a process of thousands of years of continued unnatural geological activity.

There was still a strip of volcanic wasteland, between the Savannah, Lover's Respite, and the Windblown Steppes. Orat'hoth found this offensive, and in any case knew that Tsarag-Losh would probably flood it if it wasn't acted on quickly. Fertile soil grew from the volcanic edges, as had happened many times before, but Orat'hoth found it could not completely thwart its comrade and rival - a branch broke off from the eastmost of the two rivers feeding the Windblown Steppes, and began to feed the lands that filled the gap.

The two great Watchers competed to bend the area to their will, Orat'hoth raising mountains to block the river and great woods in the style of the Grid Forest to drink it. Tsarag-Losh was too fast for that to entirely work, and lakes not only filled up the basins, but flowed out of them through new rivers before Orat'hoth could block them out. This pattern continued throughout the gap it was meant to fill, all the way to the space between Lover's Respite and the Fertile Desert - in this last chunk, Orat'hoth gave up, and a new section of deep sea formed, into which the river from Lover's Respite spilled. It was also fed by those waters which made it through the Lakelands from the Windblown Steppes, after being split into several streams and lakes and consumed by various plant life.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4332540/) points
Power rollover: 8 points
Total 20 points

3 points: Shape Land to expand the Magma Pits eastward, onto the west edge of the map, towards the Odious Sea
6 points: Create "the Lakelands", the confusing array of mountains, forests, and lakes described above, between Lover's Respite, the Windblown Steppes, and the Savannah, expanding a branch from the eastmost river in the Steppes to flow into this new land. The area covered is one and a half Shape Land actions by my GIMP informed estimates; a little of the remainder is used to create a new river splitting from the East Steppe River, and the rest is used on Lover's Sea, a body of water between Lover's Respite and the desert into which the two affected rivers ultimately spill.

11 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Heovma, after healing from those burns, went back to chasing prey and the moons across the world.

At one point, she came to the tundra far in the south. There, she enjoyed playing in the snow and chasing the white animals. Even though they were camouflaged, they couldn't hide from her for long.

It felt too small, though, because she had soon covered every inch of the massive tundra. So, she helped it grow westward, so that it still lay next to the Southern Glacier, but was much larger now. The windswept land was just as frigid as ever.



Later, she chased the moons across the Savanna. It was nice because of the large, open expanse where she could chase them all night long.

However, after running through the Windblown Steppe, she came to the wastelands just west of there. There were fewer animals there, but that didn't stop the moons or the wind. In that large wasteland, she came across large, dark monsters prowling there. Something about them was unnerving - so she hid whenever one passed by.

Heovma felt something had to be done to them; they weren't prey and they weren't exactly predators, either; they fed on fear, and caused feelings of terror, instead. So, she went north, until she found the Southwest Sea and the Poisoned Sea; the water there was starting to overflow into the wasteland.

Her presence broke down the wasteland touching the seas, causing them to flood southward, filling in the wasteland between the Odious Sea and the Windblown Steppe.

The dangerous water of the Odious Sea still didn't mix very well with the fresher water of the Southwest Sea, but the transition period between them (the Poisoned Sea) continued being a mixed mess.

Unfortunately, this gave several of these monsters a direct route straight to the grasslands; there was no more buffer wasteland between them.


The swampland west of the Seven Rivers started becoming a very diverse place: its waters were now fed from four distinct sources, which caused a huge biodiversity within the lands. In the land directly from the river, the swamp's water was very fresh and the life was vibrant. To the north and to the south, where water came from the Border Sea and the Southwest Sea (also indirectly, through the Poisoned Sea), it was more salty. Near the Odious Sea, the life had to be hardy and tough to survive the acidic waters and the monsters living there.

The water flowed westward, and the wetland continued to grow. The large section next to the Bubbling Sea became a bog. So that some of the life of the Bubbling Sea would thrive and adapt there, mosses and other plants grew in this area which produced phosphorus. Thus, some of the life from that sea moved there, as the phosphorus-rich water flowed in.

However, in order to gain the other necessary nutrients for life, many of these plants began to evolve to become carnivorous. Most of them were small, however, and only ate small creatures, such as insects. Some of them grew larger and ate things up to frogs, fish, rats, and other small animals. Even others ate large animals - though, most of the time, they would usually only eat them as they were already dead and decaying, absorbing small parts of the animals at a time.

Thus, the diversity of these wetlands continued to grow.



Finally, she came north of the long sea, and found herself to be in the High Woods. Running through the tall jungle was pretty fun, especially because the canopy gave her a hiding place from the suns.

As she ran through the jungle, the land westward began shaping itself under her presence so the life of the High Woods could grow and live there, in place of the wilderness.

This time: 20 points
= 6 Shape Lands (18 points)

x2: Spread the Poisoned Sea and the Southwest Sea southward, in the wasteland area between the Windblown Steppe and the Odious Sea.

x2: Spread the (Seventh Swamp and the Mires of Misery)/(Swamp) westward, in the wasteland area between the Bubbling Sea and the Odious Sea. The 1" depth adjacent to the Bubbling Sea becomes known as the Bubbling Bog.
(0) Create Life: Carnivorous Plants, which live in the Bubbling Bog.

x1: Spread the High Woods westward, in the wasteland area between the Bubbling Sea and the Red Forest Land.

x1: Spread the Frigid Land westward, in the wasteland adjacent to both the Frigid Land and the Southern Glacier.

I'm still working on the underground map, I promise. It's pretty hard, 'cause I've only got access to the program Paint, for now. I'm almost there, though.

[ImperialSunligh]

Dragon society was slow moving and awkward in this time. The dragons were prone to violent conflict, and some were lazy, living off of the work of others. This was due to a lack of leadership. The dragons considered Pervetus to be their natural leader, yet he nearly never interacted with them directly, sinking beneath the earth for millenia on end. Most took all of his words as absolute law and interpreted them how they would.

There was one dragon that did not. Evincere, a relatively small dragon of great magical and martial power, spoke among her fellow workers about the guidelines passed on by Pervetus. She saw how the others used the word of the primordial one to justify terrible acts. She claimed that there must be a ruler to guide the dragons in Pervetus' absence. She was the strongest of the currently living dragons in the magical arts, and used these and the talents of the others to raise a small army of dragons. These dragons united the dragons of Omniscentrum under Evincere's rule. Pervetus rose up upon her success, and, as this was an event that was in line with the code, gave her his blessing. This was enough to firmly entrench her as the ruler of the dragons. She was crowned queen promptly and ruled firmly, but justly enough.

In the event that Evincere were to die, it was decreed that her first son or daughter would continue her heritage. If she did not have a child, a tournament would be held to decide the next ruler. This was because a ruler of dragons was not to be idle. The ruler needed to be the most powerful of dragons and the wisest so that they might enforce the proper laws, and have the power to do so, even alone.

Roll: 2d6+64+5+2=74 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4333378/)

Create demigod, "Evincere, Queen of the Dragons", -7

Left: 67
Bonus: 5
Cult: 2

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4330910/)
Current Power Points: 16

Leau considered it's mentor for a year, before deciding to respond, "Well, the matter is similar to the incident in which you became enraged with me. Except that you are the deity impeded and directly denying your fellow. Is it perhaps that you support the notion of opposition in this case? I can see the sense in such a notion, for I do believe that a foe can, in some situations, actually hold more promise than an ally, especially in the case of a deity so closely mirrored to yourself.

"Though, at the same time, I feel that the storm that you shunted aside might perhaps be perceived as an impeding action, and that your reaction was a restoration of the more peaceful way, in which case. Under that assumption, the initial action simply weakened both involved and had a total net value of nothing.

"On the other hand, had you allowed the impeding action to stand, your power would not have been lessened. Your mortal servants might have been dreadfully impeded, but they would survive, and perhaps grow ever the stronger for the adversity. The Watcher Orat'hoth might have grown very enraged with the new impeder, harming all life within it's first creation, and you might have gained a new ally."

Leau let the commune hang in the air for a moment more, before launching into a completely unrelated topic, "You would like to have a child?"

It could be assumed that the End of Time would not know what to say to this, but Leau didn't give him much chance to respond before speaking again himself, "You don't have to decide now. I actually have a few things to do. Think about it before I return, though, would you?"

With that, the deity left his mentor and went to the other side of the world, passing by the Eastern Archipelagos along the way, and admit entertainment to himself. A tiny line of possibilities had been followed, and it's carefully chosen words had allowed a vast amount of ocean to be filled in without any effort from itself. Secretly, the deity thanked it's progenitor, Tsarag-Losh.

In the meanwhile, Leau focused on the oceans he had left here, untouched, for two million years, and began channeling a great deal of divine power into them, blasting a path for them, forward and forward, brushing up against the bottom of the Mountains of Disappointment, and finally dragging the Bubbling Sea slightly closer to make the equatorial ocean ring link up together. It narrowly avoided the northernmost end of the Odious Sea, and had to brush up against the White Mountains as a result. In turn, Leau turned to it's cousin, the creator and keeper of the White Mountains, and offered some help in whatever it was working on in this era.



Ke'Keo was building up a second set of mountains on the opposite side of the Equatorial Ocean from the White Mountains, with some help from Zeh'Zerin and Leau. Zeh'Zerin provided the basic systems and jumble of elements, while Leau linked up patterns and geological formations, and Ke'Keo took it all and shaped it to it's liking, forming mountains which would be viewed as artwork in years to come.

The numberless materials and elements that Zeh'Zerin had plumbed into this mountain range formed complex stones, such as lazurite, basalt, diabase, flint, shale, slate, hydrogrossulars, ilviate, titanite, talc, mica, haüyne, and hundreds more minerals. However, the vast compilation of stones all seemed to come together in such a way that, due to leau's planning ability, either the mountains were created from solid blue stone, or possessed an array of colors which made the blue parts of the mountain catch the eye more than the others. This, together with Leau's artistic eye for the future, made these Marine Mountains gorgeous to any onlooker, as they formed an arc around the Odious Sea to the south, and formed an oceanic pass between themselves and the White Mountains to the north.



Far away, Indlas, Mneomri, and a somewhat bored Kran Ze'In were looking over an unaltered area of the world, south of the Paradoxial Grasslands, north of the Brimstone Lake, east of the Fertile Desert, and west of the Jade Mountains. If had been the decision of Chron that this area be filled, by the acts of these three deities, but Indlas and Mneomri were not very enthusiastic about it, instead believing they would rely on Kran Ze'In to make all the changes, which she did, at first.

She took the Great Marsh to the north, and expanded it out into the area just south, making it bloom out into a wide area, almost as large as the Shard Woods, the Paradoxial Grassland, and the Great Marsh had all been together, in the beginning.

However, before she could begin having fun, and creating dozens of new forms of life in this marsh, Mneomri stepped forward, "If I may, I would like to begin my efforts now."

Kran Ze'In was uncertain what to do, but approved of change, and so allowed the entity making the changes to change, and Mneomri raised the center of the marshes into something of an island, a vast portion of land which the water flowed out of, instead of into, Large mountain basins filled up with rain water, and flowed down the sides of this fertile land, into the marshes all around, forming hundreds of rivers and streams, which provided enough water to support any kind of plant.

When this was finished, however, Kran Ze'In had been struck with inspiration, and insisted on taking back over again, going to this island, and creating cherry trees, apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, watermelons, strawberries, blueberries, limes, lemons, kiwis, pomegranates, grapes, apricots, pineapples, honeydews, bananas, oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines, all of which would soon be found in small numbers around the world, but would dominate this island, being a veritable bounty of fruits.

Meanwhile, Indlas, seeing the potential for this to change the Brimstone Flats to the south, and knowing that it had to act in this wave of creation, decided to act in a way similar to it's original creation: The Metal Wastes. As such, it extend the Jade Mountains a ways west, and then, south of the new expanse of mountains, made a desert of jade sand and brimstone, in which volcanic vents were constantly erupting, allowing food for the Brimstone Palms to feed off of, like oasis's in an apocalyptic desert.

6 points to Shape Land twice and expand the Tropical Ocean past the eastern edge of the map and onto the western side.

3 points to Shape Land and expand the Bubbling Sea to connect to the Tropical Ocean and to use the rest to create the Marine Mountains.

3 points to Shape Land to expand the Great Marsh and create the Fruit Island.

3 points to Shape Land to expand the Jade Mountains and create the Jade Desert.

0 points on Create Life to create the Cherry.

0 points on Create Life to create the Apple.

0 points on Create Life to create the Pear.

0 points on Create Life to create the Peach.

0 points on Create Life to create the Watermelon.

0 points on Create Life to create the Strawberry.

0 points on Create Life to create the Blueberry

0 points on Create Life to create the Lime.

0 points on Create Life to create the Lemon.

0 points on Create Life to create the Kiwi.

0 points on Create Life to create the Pomegranate.

0 points on Create Life to create the Grape.

0 points on Create Life to create the Apricot.

0 points on Create Life to create the Pineapple.

0 points on Create Life to create the Honeydew Melon.

0 points on Create Life to create the Banana.

0 points on Create Life to create the Orange.

0 points on Create Life to create the Grapefruit.

0 points on Create Life to create the Tangerine.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4333377/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/aIHsZDx.jpg


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

The Ashen Plains expandeed, as Orat'hoth and L'zot'aca worked across more of the landscape in that corner of the world.

"Slowing down already?" the Life-Bringer mocked, as its sibling was the one to cease work for the age.
"Yes. It's been a long shift," the Flame answered.
"I'd have thought you wanted to stop our blue friend from nabbing too much of the wasteland."
"Have you seen how much of this planet is rock?" the flame asked, with what might have been translated as a smirk. "I've got a bit of a head start, and the Magma Pits are big enough for now besides."

Tsarag-Losh was indeed at work trying to 'nab', as its colleagues put it, more of the volcanic wasteland. The Lover's Sea spilled west, into the Southwest Sea, while a triangle of wasteland next to the great Mountains of Disappointment was suddenly flooded, and a body of temperate seawater flowed out from the Boiling Sea over an area where there were no vents.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4333405/) points
Power rollover: 11 points
Total 27 points

6 points: Shape Land x2 to expand Lover's Sea west, towards the Southwest/Poisoned/Odious Seas
6 points: Shape Land x2 to expand the Ashen Plains northwest, along the edge of the Metal Wastes, and northeast along the edge of the nearby sea
6 points: Shape Land x2 to fill the triangular gap between the East Archipelago and the Mountains of Disappointment with seawater
3 points: Shape Land x1 to add less boiling seawater to the northeast of the East Archipelago

6 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/daveite/Neyla20131215.png

[Aric Kale]

Rolled Points: 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4334282/)

Previous Points + Rolled Points: 8+15=23

After a ten thousand years had passed, divine energy poured forth from Heiwa--still in a statue form--into the obsidian tree not ten feet away. Out from the tree stepped a figure approximately seven feet tall, broad-chested and strong of limb. He looked like a large man, carved out of obsidian, with hair of living diamond. Emeralds made up his eyes, giving him an aura of beauty to any who saw him.
A voice emanated from the white deity, frozen in grief. "Rinyūaru, bring back glory and peace to your home. Create a race to fight back the thorns which would destroy the beauty of your Mother Cavernous." The avatar of peace gave a stiff bow, like a tree in the wind, and strode towards the mouth of the underground sanctum. Using the divine energy bestowed upon him, he tore a length of vines apart from the cluster and retreated, weaving the jet-like stone as would a skilled seamstress.
After a hundred years had passed, and many more vines had been collected, Rinyūaru breathed life and spoke a command to his creations, Rise, my Vynris. Go out and tear the foul, choking, murderous thorns from the walls, grind them to powder, and take back the territory of your god. Heiwa, the just and loving has granted me power to give you life, to recreate amongst yourselves and to share his love of growing all things bright and beautiful. Elect a leader from your strongest, and bring up an advisor from the most tender, and let the two of them rule in tandem, taking back our lands and cultivating the former majesty of the Mother Cavernous!

The vine people were not large, or particularly fierce in appearance, being anywhere from four feet and thin as two or three large ropes woven together, to six feet tall and as broad as a hothrid. Rinyūaru had adorned the creatures he had masterfully put together with flowers and smaller gems. For the warriors, he imbedded diamonds into their chests for projection against the sentient thorns, and rubies around their featureless heads to distinguish amongst each other. As for the gardeners, he gave them emeralds to interweave into themselves however they desired, performing likewise for the advisors and great thinkers, gifting the wise sapphires, to show their place. It us unknown how the Vynris see, as they have no eyes in the traditional sense of the word, and the way they speak is almost as confusing. They take after their Avatar, who learned speech from the god/dess Heiwa, simply projecting thoughts towards those they wish to communicate with. The populace of the caverns do not have thorns, simply using strength to rip the thorny invaders out from the roots and taking those fragments to the breeding grounds. Aye, Rinyūaru told them to multiply, saying that if one wants to create new life they must travel to the Source Tree, where there goddess first made the Tree Shepherd to guide them. A warrior, philosopher, and a gardener must reach inside their torso and each produce a seed, which grows once every fifty years. The seeds must be buried by the Tree and left alone. After ten years a new Vynris will be born, emerging from the ground. The vinechildren are fully grown at this point, and choose their class based off of the inclinations: fighting, thinking, or gardening
Vynris live for at least a thousand years, unless killed, but do not reproduce swiftly. Fortunately, they are remarkably resilient, the vines they are made of will patch themselves together in an attempt to keep the shape true. For a Vynris to be killed, they must be torn limb from limb, or burned . Also, they must keep the Breeding Grounds safe at all times, so that new infestations of thorns cannot choke out the growing infants.

The Vynris did as commanded of them, raising two of their own to lead them forward into victory and a lasting kingdom. Under the leadership of Valavingee, the entrance to the Deep Wonderland was unbarred, and with the wisdom of the gentle Val'kanias, while the warriors were at their sport, the flowers and trees blossomed once more. Now that the infestation was over, Heiwa cracked out of his stony exterior and chanted into a watchful mother, garbing herself in white robes seemingly woven out of light itself. She took Val'kanias under her wind, and together the deepest places of the world experienced a golden age like nothing that would ever be seen in this age again. This was due in part to the discovery of new passageways by the adventurous Valavingee and his armies, who traveled far, reaching four great rivers of lava (which were not well-loved by the vine-people, despite being formed from gems), and a pool of magma at their source. The people of Heiwa never ventured higher, and the only true light they have ever seen is at the mouth of the cave, always traveling deeper or farther in the world down under the surface. By the end of the expansion, ten new caves had been found, and the gardeners rushed to populate them with beautiful, flowering life, as is their way. The warriors never grew lax, as the Hag was always trying to send vines at their Breeding Grounds, which they never made more of. Yes, even after all this time, a great pilgrimage had to be taken for more Vynris to rise.
For the next millennia, all was well in the dark, where jewels shown and glimmered from within. During that period, Konton pondered his revenge, taking on the form of a hag, garbbed in horrid black rags. Occasionally, once every hundred years she would send a new wave of thorns, each one more fierce than the last.

Points at Start: 23
-10 Create Avatar: Rinyūaru (renewal)
-2 Command: Create Race>Vynris
-9 Shape Land x3: Expansion of land, directed towards Hoevma's four magma rivers, so as to not make a liar out of me. If after reaching the four rivers I can still expand outwards, that would be fantastic. Either way, ten new cave systems have also been discovered.
Points Left Over: 2

)(I think I've got all my bases covered, let me know if I missed anything.
Changes have been made, I hope this is enough.)(

[5a Violista]

Heovma went back south; She loved the land there. Great open expanses, not too hot, and great prey which knows how to both hide and run.

As she continued her running in the fresh air, the land continued growing. The Frigid Land grew west, and a large lake (larger than any of the other lakes across the Frigid Land) began forming along part of the northern border of this land.

Then, under the influence of the wild, the wasteland north of the tundra began shaping itself after the same, as well. The lake there began to become an important part of the land; frozen during the cold winters to protect the fish deep within the lake. A long mountain range cropped up between this expanded Frigid Land and the new Lover's Sea.

Because of the warmer temperatures, the land north of the Frozen Lake could grow trees: across the huge expanse, coniferous trees like the tall pines and the red spruce and others grew in this area, in addition to the regular plants down in the tundra.

Animals from down in the tundra began migrating northward. The ones living there lost their white coat for half the year, but regained it during the cold, long winters. In addition, new prey animals sprung up for Heovma to chase down: moose, buffalo, and wooly mammoths, whose thick fur coats could withstand the cold winters.

More predators joined Heovma in her hunt, too: for example, tigers with huge teeth and wolverines.

Chasing prey around here was the life. The white coyote could probably keep on doing this for all eternity. Or, at least, until she grew bored again.

(3): The tundra of the Frigid Land continues expanding west.
(3+3+3): Create a taiga (Boreal Forest) with a large-ish lake between the taiga and the tundra. Also, a mountain range between the taiga and the Lover's Sea. The taiga is between the tundra and the Lover's Sea. Essentially, the land is the same as the rest of the Frigid Land, only with trees.
(0) Create Life: Pine, spruce, and other coniferous trees.
(0) Create Life: Buffalo, Moose, and other prey animals (like wooly mammoths).
(0) Create Life: Saber-toothed tigers that also stalk the Frigid Land.



Fel the Black Wolf stalked across the world to create another sanctuary of darkness: a trap for his prey to wander into.

This trap was right next to the Tropical Ocean and the Southern Sea. Quickly, several plants grew in that fertile land, but then Fel turned it all to ash. Soon, there was nothing left there but ash. Ash and smoke would constantly blow, blotting out the sky and turning the light a dark reddish hue.

Then, in the Ash Wasteland, he waited for his prey. He knew she would come.


(3): In the little corner touching the Tropical Ocean and the Southern Sea, the wasteland continues to be a wasteland, but is filled with ash instead of rock.
(3): Shape Weather: In the Ash Wasteland, that particular place of wasteland is constantly blowing around ash and smoke.


This round: 2 + 2d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335184/) + 5/5(chaos) + 3/3(cult) = 19

18=3*6

(3): The tundra of the Frigid Land continues expanding west.
(3+3+3): Create a taiga (Boreal Forest) with a large-ish lake between the taiga and the tundra. Also, a mountain range between the taiga and the Lover's Sea. The taiga is between the tundra and the Lover's Sea. Essentially, the land is the same as the rest of the Frigid Land, only with trees.
(0) Create Life: Pine, red spruce, and other coniferous trees.
(0) Create Life: Buffalo, Moose, and other prey animals (like wooly mammoths).
(0) Create Life: Saber-toothed tigers and wolverines that also stalk the Frigid Land.

(3): In the little corner touching the Tropical Ocean and the Southern Sea, the wasteland continues to be a wasteland, but is filled with ash instead of rock.
(3): Shape Weather: In the Ash Wasteland, that particular place of wasteland is constantly blowing around ash and smoke.

Next time:
1 + 2d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335210/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 19

[ImperialSunligh]

Little of importance occured in this time. Evincere became much more organised, being ready to defend Omniscentrum from any attack that might actually be able to reach the High Pillars. It was in this time that Evincere began to desire expansion. Yet she spoke to Pervetus, and he said that it was not time for that yet. There was still much to be done, and plenty of time. He assured her that there are forces, reasons beyond even the dragons' high place that pull the strings, and that she should submit to their will, as in its order is the only benevolence.

This statement troubled her at times, and at other times made the struggle of leadership more bearable, as it felt as if it was for a higher cause. She obeyed Pervetus's wishes and did not reveal these things to the public. She saw why. She could only imagine the chaos that would be caused if the public knew that the fringe cultists who believed in some external force above Pervetus were correct. While she detested lying, she knew that only sorrow would follow from telling the truth.

Roll: 2d6+67+5+2=83 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335252/)

Command Demigod, Evincere: Inhabit Territory, 1" area around and including Omniscentrum, -2

Left: 81
Law Bonus: 5
Cult Bonus: 2

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4333377/)
Current Power Points: 13

Leau looked at the Ash Wasteland just at the corner of the Southern Sea and it's Tropical Ocean. It saw the plan in the place. It was a trap, for Heovma, but, unfortunately, Leau had it's own plan for this isolated place, with the nearest land being the Jade Mountains to the southwest, the Salt Sea to the Northwest, and the Mountains of Disappointment to the northeast, with the Odious Sea to the southeast. Such a place would be rarely traversed by living creatures, and so, would be an excellent place to hide something, if there was any place to land here.

However, Leau had taken the End of Time's lessons to heart, and did not want to wipe away the Ash Wasteland completely. So, it waited, thinking, and debating the possibilities.

After twelve thousand years, inspiration finally struck, and, with a wave of it's hand, Leau covered the burning ash and coals with an immense roof of slate, several kilometers thick, before pushing down the entire wasteland, which was still burning beneath the shell, until the Tropical Ocean and the Southern Sea came rushing in to fill in the newly formed gap. From there, Leau formed shafts through the shell to the subterranean wasteland, vents which let loose immense clouds of smoke and ash. These vents rose up above the water level itself, keeping the burning winds and ash fog constant.

The god of plans kept the center of this Ashen Sea clear, though, so that he might raise up a new portion of Jade Mountains through it, but kept these a thin band, at the back of a large island, which it then filled with the trees of the High Wood, the Blinding Mangroves of the Great Marsh, the Black Grass of the Sulfur Valley, which lived only near vents in the island itself which reached down to the subterranean wasteland, which spat out sulfur and ash constant, and hundreds of worked pillars of jade, which might have easily been mistaken for ruins of actual structures. Then Leau stepped back, examining the Ashen Sea and the Island of Pillars.



Not far away, Ke'Keo and Zeh'Zerin were busy extending the Marine Mountains further south, along the blood-red waters of the Odious Sea, granting a beautiful interplay of blue mountains and red water, as they wrapped the mountains around the sea. At the same time, Ke'Keo did a favor to it's progenitor, Heovma, and extended the Bubbling Bog into the valley between the Marine Mountains and the Bubbling Sea.

North of them, Kran Ze'In was busy expanding the Red Land again, but, at the request of Chron, was not creating more life to fill it, trying to remain unchanging for a time, as Indlas had actually embraced a small amount of change by making the Jade Desert. So, instead, she simply extend the Red Land, as well as the High Woods, filling in the last gap between the White Mountains and the Bubbling Sea. This new land was also the first portion of the Red Land to ever have a coast, but this coastline was low in iron content, so, along the Bubbling Sea, the only tree that grew, was the Lighthouse Tree, giving the truth to it's name in future years.

Kran Ze'In made a note to itself to create animals who would live in the border zone between the High Wood and the Red Land soon.

12 points on four Shape Lands, split between more Marine Mountains, more Bubbling Bog, more Red Land, more High Woods, and the creation of the Ashen Sea as well as the Island of Pillars.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335131/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/22xrjzm.jpg


Underground Map
http://i.imgur.com/VxPlK0A.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335708/) + 15 = 27

Reflection and an Unexpected Topic

Already Leau showed a grasp of wisdom beyond his five million years. Part of The Inevitable could not help but explain it through his influence, though the majority of his intellect correctly assumed that the fledgling was naturally imbued with such insight. Only time could tell how the potential would grow.
And then Leau asked a most unexpected question. Such a decision would require much thought. Partly, he desired to avoid the young one for a few millennia to properly think on the matter. But avoidance would be pointless, and he had works he wished to complete, so he set off for the wasteland near to the Mountains of Disappointment.


The Replacement of one Wasteland With Another, More Colourful and Definitely More Interesting, Wasteland

In the region East of the Mountains of Disappointment, The Inevitable smoothed the landscape and set to work partitioning it into various regions.

In the Northernmost section, just South of the Yellow Mountains, he created a grove of fruit bearing trees that grew amongst vast crystals of amethyst. Alas, the fruits of the these trees were tainted by sulphur and mercury, and thus poisonous to all but the hardiest of creatures. Nevertheless, there was a species of dragon-like flying lizards that flew to the Amethyst Grove every Spring to feast upon the rich bounty of fruit and breed, before returning on the onset of Autumn to their home in the Emerald Jungle to wait out the Winter.

Just South of the Amethyst Grove, he raised up a low line of marble hills. Here, there grew few trees as the soil atop the hard marble was so shallow. Yet, there were several varieties of small shrub, the roots of which could be processed into vibrant dyes the likes of which can only be surpassed by synthetic substances. Herds of grey horses and antelope grazed here, hunted by black wolves and brilliant silver-maned lions. Beyond the notice of these larger animals, rodents scurried for food, always on the lookout for hungry corsacs.

Further along, The Inevitable raised a great plateau of quartz and gold bearing rocks, its surface a barren landscape covered with crystalline sand. It covered a vast area, roughly six thousand kilometres by six thousand kilometres. Predominantly featureless, it was home to very little life save for countless flowers that bloomed whenever there was rain and the scrubby plants that survived no matter the season. And in the shade of this sparse vegetation, golden shelled scorpions and other insects lived and fought their lives, preyed upon by larger, but still small, mammals, reptiles and birds, which too fell victim to the great birds of prey that soared above.
Despite the monotony, there were three features that broke it. The first was a lake of gallium, kept liquid even through the freezing desert nights by geothermal heat in the ground below, it's surface was as bright as and as smooth as a mirror. Second was a series of pure golden monoliths that stood along the Southern edge of the plateau, starting at the Mountains of Disappointments and stretching East for four thousand kilometres, each one smaller than the last.
But last, and most significant of all, was the great river that rose up in the Marble Hills. At first, it merely flowed across the plateau, cascading off the end in a great waterfall, but as time progressed, it cut away into the rock below and slowly transformed into a winding canyon that meandered South-South-East, its walls glittering with dozens of varieties of quartz and pure solid gold. Sheltered from the heat of the desert and supplied with water aplenty, plant life flourished at the bottom of the canyon, forming a forest, which though it was not dense, remained home to a diverse quantity of creatures. Elephants with agate tusks ate golden apples straight off the tree, dire lions hunted gazelle, antelope and zebra while cheetahs ran down smaller prey. The same great birds of prey that soared over the desert soared here as well, choosing the relatively lush environs as the place to raise their young, jewelled hummingbirds choosing to make their nests alongside the great raptors for safety.


Starting Power Points: 27

Shape Land 1": The Amethyst Grove and The Marble Hills.
The Amethyst Grove: As described above. It fills the gap between the Yellow Mountains and the Mountains of Disappointment. And as such, isn't very large.
The Marble Hills: As described above.
They stretch along the Southern edge of the Amethyst Grove, from the Southernmost tip of the Yellow Mountains directly East.

Create Life: Flamewing Lizards. Small and fire breathing, they resemble miniature dragons in a way, but they aren't any more intelligent than most birds. Each year, they migrate to the Amethyst Grove to eat the mercury and sulphur containing fruit, which to them, isn't poisonous. They incorporate the mercury and some of the sulphur into their scales to colour them, and as such, they are predominantly red and gold. The remainder of the sulphur is used to help produce their flame, and as such, their fire is blue-white.

Shape Land 4": The Great Plateau, The Mirror Lake, The Golden Spires and The Crystal River. As described above.
Of special note is that the Crystal River is navigable for the majority of its length.

Remaining points: 12

[Omegonthesane]

Tsarag-Losh once more found itself in the wastelands, simply staring down at what should have been rolling water to match the Boiling Sea. Too much of the same behaviour had left its mark - the Lord of Sorcery was bored of creating seas, perhaps it would leave the wastes to their own devices for a time, and contemplate its next move. Maybe catch up with that thing which had resulted, when it tried to teach change to the unchanging.

Instead, it quivered with irritation as it saw great rocks rising from the wasteland. With more desperation than inspiration, Tsarag-Losh opened the heavens, and summoned water into underground pools - for these new outcrops had L'zot'aca's forge markings, and the Lord of Matter simply could not be allowed to steal more of the already far too dry earth. A closer and more bitter race ensued than that between Orat'hoth and Tsarag-Losh in the far southwest, as water tried its best to wrap around rock. The rock formations would have been enough to render the sea treacherous, but Tsarag-Losh had worked with haste, and introduced that same haste to the waters; they poured forth with enough pressure to break holes in stone, or dash a boat against the nearby rocks. In the distance, L'zot'aca grimaced, unsure how to feel about having deliberately got its rival out of writer's block.

The main body of the Watchers had hardly looked upon the world beneath, endlessly bickering over whether or not they should extend any formal acknowledgement to Leau, who had taken some of the burden of constructing the world - whatever else it was, it was part Watcher.

Nysatek watched with mild jealousy, having seen the plans the others had made or enacted - Orat'hoth's children had existed from the dawn of time, Tsarag-Losh was bound to rule the sea, and L'zot'aca had blueprints for a new, violent, passionate race of descendants, but the Lord of Death had no ideas for what its direct children, if any, could be.

For now, it instead sponsored a particular Watcher who had taken great interest in the changeable nature of Limbo; with that backing, the relatively small request to manifest only there was granted, and Chorud the Gatekeeper took the form of a strong wind, which buffeted anything unfortunate enough to enter Limbo and actively shaped the plane around them to provide obstacles and hostilities.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4336382/)
Power rollover: 6 points
Total 23 points

6 points: Shape Land x2 to create the Whitewater Sea, on the top right corner of the map
6 points: Create Demigod in Limbo (Chorud the Gatekeeper)
1 point: Command Demigod in Limbo (Gatekeeper) to Inhabit Territory (All of Limbo)

12 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Fel comes up with a new plan, involving a new moon.

With his plot inadvertently foiled, the Black Wolf raced away from the now-flooded zone. He looked up at the sky and noticed the two moons in the sky, which gave light during the night. That gave him an idea: have a moon that brings darkness during the day. This would surely bring his prey under his control.

So he went to the highest peak in Neyla and howled at the sky. He howled for several years, while the darkness and chaotic matter coalesced in the sky. It created a dark moon - pitch black, not reflecting any light. It moved in a north-to-south direction in a very eccentric orbit, so that when the moon is between Neyla and the sunlight, it appears enormous - much larger than The Illuminator's appearance. However, once it passes Neyla, it takes a long, distant path for just over 33 years before returning, and it appears as merely a speck of darkness in the sky.

When this moon is close, it completely blocks out the sunlight from Neyla for two days, with its shadow passing from the north to the south as Neyla spins.

As it passes, the tides grow angry and wild while the world grows dark and cold. Any mortal creature born under the shadow of this moon would grow with a great natural skill in all forms of Black Magic. Those mortals who died under the shadow came back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood.

Fel stopped howling as the moon passed by, and grinned. Those cults who knew of the Black Wolf and the white coyote would soon know this moon as his: the Fel Moon. Many sacrifices and dark rituals began to be planned around this happening.



(10) Event: Fel Moon: a black moon with a very eccentric orbit and several other odd things happening to it, which passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling from north to south. Strange things happen during this solar eclipse.



During the first Fel Solar Eclipse, Heovma flees to the Abyssal Sea.

As the moon began to cross Neyla, Heovma felt the darkness. It was the same malevolent darkness that had chased her from the beginning.

She fled. But, she soon found out, not even in the Mirror World could she hide from this darkness: not this time. The eclipse still happened there, as well.

There was little places to run. Eventually, though, she came to the storm-covered Abyssal Sea. Maybe she could swim low enough to get away from the darkness?

She swam down for what seemed to be an eternity. Past the monsters, past the life-sucking plants, and down into the darkness. Once she got low enough, though, the chaos around her formed strange life-forms: glowing jellyfish who used their glow to attract prey. Here, she figured, was hidden enough from the darkness so she dug at the stone walls of the ocean, into the weaker parts and, from there, created many winding tunnels deep underwater in which she could hide.

When the moon returned thirty three years later, she returned to these caves to hide.


(3+3) Shape Land: Deep undersea, coming off of the eastern half of the Abyssal Sea, there are several dark undersea caves.



The cold and windy tundra continues expanding.

The cold caused by the passing of the moon caused the frozen tundra to continue growing westward, so that it still remained south of the cold forest.


(3) Shape Land: The frozen tundra of the Frigid Land grows 1" more westward. No huge lake this time, though.



This time: 19 points

(10) Event: Fel Moon: a black moon with a very eccentric orbit and several other odd things happening to it, which passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling from north to south. Strange things happen during this solar eclipse.
(3+3) Shape Land: Deep undersea, coming off of the eastern half of the Abyssal Sea, there are several dark undersea caves.
(3) Shape Land: The frozen tundra of the Frigid Land grows 1" more westward. No huge lake this time, though.
Remainder: 0
(0) Create Life: Glowing Jellyfish deep underwater in the Abyssal Sea.

[Aric Kale]

Points Rolled: 14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4337516/)
Point Rollover: 2+14=16

For the next millennia, the Vynris grew strong, wise, and powerful amongst the underrealm, and were not bothered by those who dwelt above. Indeed, their life was less barbaric than any of the upper races, for their god required no sacrifices of them. To satisfy Heiwa, all one must do is perform the tasks that were given you as a warrior, philosopher, or gardener.
During this time, when the people of vines were still basking in the glow of a golden age, they were blessed with a command. A command that would prove their dominion over the under.
Rinyūaru left his people for a thousand years, leaving them to rule themselves with the occasional advice from the goddess herself. While he was removed from his creations, the tree-shepherd created a city for his people, for Heiwa had grown tired of seeing the gardeners with no place to rest after a hard day's work, the warriors without barracks, and the philosophers with no library. As such, Rinyūaru took it upon himself to craft a magnificent city, which would come to be called Kyūsoku, or Rest.
This home for the Vynris was cared of black granite and copper from the mountains' roots.
The center boasted a tower, six stories high and capable of sheltering thousands of people in times of need. Oddly enough, this tower was rectangular, and at each corner another tower was situated, with three corners and pyramid roof. The secondary structures had arching windows and a less impressive height of only four stories. The two remaining corners of the three towers each had a round tower, two stories tall.
To recap, one rectangular center tower, four tricornered buildings, and eight circle towers.
In between all of these towers, blacksmithes shops were built, so that proper armor could he constructed, libraries were raised, and an assortment of other buildings were added as time saw the need for them. As for defenses, no walls were included, for the vines had not yet reached this far into the tunnels.

This wondrous city was not the only thing that was bright about during this millennia. Five thousand years after the city was established and inhabited, the Vynris created an Order; this group was to be selected from the best hundred of each class and to govern all of their people with an equal and fair knowledge of all three systems. This was done to prevent any individual Vynris from trying to assume the same power as their creator or god. The new governing body was known as U~otchā: The Watchers. Always three hundred in number, with new members being approved by the population of Vynris whenever vacancies were created, the U~otchā ruled fairly and justly, since crime was rarely an issue anyways; the biggest problems involved stealing of jewelry from each other.

Konton was not idle during thus period of history. On the contrary, soon after Kyūsoku was populated, the goddess of chaos (now bound to wretched form, due to her sister's growing power) created and released bears of magma, from the four rivers, and sent them to terrorize the Vynris. The fiery bears were highly effective, burning and tearing the people to shreds, forcing them to hide in their stone city and leave the lush gardens to waste away without proper nurturing.
The bears were not alone, for man-sized arachnids rose up from the earth and entered in through the windows. Their lack of fire only slightly hindered their terror, as eight, clawed legs willingly tore unfortunate Vynris to shreds.
The construction of walls was soon undertaken, and granite bricks soon rose twenty feet in the air in a pentagon around the city. These walls were patrolled night and day, and the stout soldiers of the city were given spears, axes, and shields of copper to augment their defensive capabilities. Steel was not added to their arsenal for another thousand years.


-2 ~ Command Avatar: Create City
-8 ~ Create Order: U~otcha (governing body)
-0 ~ Create Life: Magma Bears (10 ft. bears of liquid fire and lava rock, extremely tough but possessing short lifespan, dying after they solidify into stone.)
-0 ~ Create Life: Giant Spiders, 5 ft. long, able to climb walls, and extremely aggressive.

Points Leftover: 6

)(Sorry about the mispost earlier.)(

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4335131/)
Current Power Points: 16

Ke'Keo looked out across the obsidian wasted just south of the White Mountains, towards the Crystal Plateau in the distance, with all it's silence and wonder. Ke'Keo felt the power in that land, as well as the similarities it held to the lands created by the Stewards of Time. A Quartz Plateau, just like the land of the Aeonstrom. So, it decided to expand the Quartz Plateau to fill in the rest of the distance between the White Mountains and the Tropical Ocean.

Tet Grass quickly spread out, across the crystalline desert, until the entire land was bright indigo with stiff, silent grass, up until the Mountains of Dissappointment. However, this was not a large enough canvas for the Deity of Possibilities. So, next came a new kind of plant, like Tet Grass, but much wider, much taller, and with a bristling cluster of spines at it's top. This "Tet Tree" was the only source of shade across the entire plateau.

However, there, was not much point in shade if there wasn't life to enjoy it. So, Ke'Keo crafted a wide, low-slung, dog-like creature with white, crystalline flesh, which travelled in herds of thousands. These creatures drank pools of water which collected from the occasional rain, and could survive on those tiny bits of water for months on end, but ate exclusively Tet Grass, munching on the hard, purple plant every hour of every day. It is no surprise that these creatures would one day be called "Munchers". Of course even this alone would be boring without something to spice it up, so Ke'Keo created the Kristol, a large, two-legged, crystal creature with massive jaws and short arms, akin to a Velociraptor, which traveled in packs of six or seven, and lived off the bodies of Munchers.

Of course, there were also features in this side of the plateau to break the monotony as well, such as a mirrored set of gold spires, which began where the ocean, the mountains, and the plateau all came together, and descended into the west.

There was also the Lake of Iodine, which was kept at a constant temperature of 120°C by geothermal vents below it, but which also occasionally spiked to around 200° or more, at which point immense plumes of violet steam would blow across the plateau.

There was also a strange shift in one part of the quartz, as ravines and crevices opened up, dropping dead for a dozen kilometers. These splits criss-crossed all over this part of the land, as well as a few hundred tunnels which spiraled, met dead ends, and weaved in and out of each other. The deeper one went, they would realize the quartz slowly shifting to amethyst, and that violet steam was rising from the depths, like the steam the Lake of Iodine spat out every now and again. This distinct purple coloration would give the place it's name: the "Indigo Labyrinth".

Another place which would earn it's name from it's color were the "Blue Monoliths". A ring of eight mountains, taller than they were wide, made of nothing but faceted Aquamarine. At the heart of this ring was an immense lake or actual water, and regular soil, which supported plants and life that would otherwise only be found in the canyon to the west.



Far away, Leau was examining the Ash Wasteland it had shunted below the ocean to make room for it's Island of Pillars. Other the last million years. It had burned and burned, releasing ash and soot into the air via the hundreds of vents in the slate ceiling, and now, there was actually enough room to walk around beneath those vents. Leau thought about taking this place and making life to live in this subterranean wilderness, but there was no air to breathe, or at least no oxygen, else the heat would turn to open flame, and that oxygen would suddenly be used up.

As it attempted to think of a way around this impediment, it suddenly realized that there was life here already. A kind of heat-eating organism which grew in colonies in the ash. So, Leau took this strange, tiny lifeform and built it up, changed it, until they were insects, which only ever existed in massive swarms, and which fed off of heat or soot, with the sooty insects turning black, and the heat insects glowing red. Thus they were aptly named Red Swarms and Black Swarms. Next, the Deity of Plans made a food chain, starting with the Fire-Eye Bat, which did not see, not in the dark, sooty air of this land, but instead "saw" heat, through glowing red patches on it's head, swooping down and feasting on the hot-spots which were Red Swarms, or the cold-spots which were Black Swarms. When they swooped doen, however, they would often find themselves snatched out of the air by a Dust Dog, which possessed a clever mechanism in this land, as it's body temperature was exactly the same as the surrounding wilderness, making it invisible to the bats. It's hearing was acute, however, and it listened for the flutter of wings and a swooping sound so that it might know when the strike. Lastly, there was the Ruby Mord, which was akin to a red-shelled Mord of the Red Land, far away, down to it's long neck and lumbering gait, but it was carnivorous, and would wait quietly for a Dust Dog to wander by, before striking with it's whip-like neck and powerful jaws.

Leau stepped back and admired it's work, while wondering what the End of Time was doing right now.



To the far north, upon the Spice Island, Zeh'Zerin was feeling a creative streak, and went to the Northeast, passing between the narrow straight where the Ashen Plains came close to the Dark Land, and there crafted a new ocean, one of ice-cold waters, with a icebergs floating around through the majority of the sea for eight months out of twelve, and twelve months out of twelve at it's northernmost bound.

This "Cold Sea" as it would come to be known as, was soon filled by Zeh'Zerin's will, and Seals, Walruses weighing as much as five tons, Whales larger than most buildings that had yet been constructed, a kind of giant squid larger than a whale known as a Kraken, and a two-hundred meter long lobster known as a Leviathan.

However, beneath all this, lay another creature, which Zeh'Zerin titled the "Galeosh". More a fungus than a real creature, it grew along the icy bottom of the ocean, with bulbous invertebrate blobs which contained massive stomachs, brains, and hearts. Each blob could be argued to be a different Galeosh, as they possessed independent nervous systems, but they were all connected by bony limbs, stretching from one blob to another for kilometers and kilometers. These limbs allowed the blobs to share a single circulatory system. However, the Galeosh needed to eat, and so, each blob possessed a neck, a massive tentacle with a beaked mouth at the end surrounded by four massive tentacles. These necks were long enough to reach from the bottom of the ocean, to the top, and could easily grapple and drag down an entire Leviathan, as the four tentacles around the mouth where longer than a Leviathan, three hundred meters by themselves. Galeosh were true horrors of the deep.

6 points on two Shape Land to fill up the rest of the Crystal Desert, adding the Lake of Iodine, the Blue Monoliths, the Indigo Labyrinth, and more Golden Spires.

3 points on a Shape Land to recreate the Ash Wasteland, 30 kilometers underground, beneath the Island of Pillars.

6 points on two Shape Lands to create the Cold Ocean, north of the Bleached Desert and the Dark Land.

0 points on Create Life to create the Tet Tree.

0 points on Create Life to create the Muncher.

0 points on Create Life to create the Kristol.

0 points on Create Life to create the Dust Dog.

0 points on Create Life to create the Fire-Eye Bat.

0 points on Create Life to create the Red Swarms.

0 points on Create Life to create the Black Swarms

0 points on Create Life to create the Ruby Mord.

0 points on Create Life to create the Seal.

0 points on Create Life to create the Walrus.

0 points on Create Life to create the Whale.

0 points on Create Life to create the Kraken.

0 points on Create Life to create the Leviathan.

0 points on Create Life to create the Galeosh.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4337981/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/M1xaI3D.jpg


Underground Map
http://i.imgur.com/T6un3hL.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4338068/) + 12 = 20

Finishing Up

With the lands he had created spread Eastward by Ke'Keo, The Inevitable turned his attention to the coastal region. The rainfall coming off the ocean was adequate in this region, and as such, he shaped in into a region of gentle hills and broad plains that soon became covered in grass, shrubs and the occasional tree. Eventually, the trees grouped into forests where the land was most sheltered, but the majority of the land remained fertile plains covered with tall grasses and wild cereals. Vast herds of wild bison and horses grazed on this landscape, virtually unhindered by predators who preferred to chase down prey less able to protect itself. However, where the Crystal River flowed down from the Plateau, it formed a wide floodplain and delta. Every year, it would flood, depositing fertile silt rich in gold and semi-precious stones. Here, many useful kinds of plants, such as mallow, indigo, cotton, papyrus, sugarcane and others, grew abundantly.
Perhaps one day a civilisation would rise in the surrounding land, but that was a matter for a different era.

Starting Power Points: 20

Shape Land 2": The Great Coastal Plain and The Delta of the Crystal River.
As Described above.
The Plain stretches from the Mountains of Disappointment along to the addition made by Ke'Keo. If I did my Maths correctly, there should still be more than enough room for both. Though I do admit I could be wrong because I'm working with the edge of the mape here.
The Delta is naturally located where the Crystal River leaves its canyon and begins to flow across the Coastal Plain. It spreads out as it does so, becoming wider and branching out.

Remaining Power: 14

[ImperialSunligh]

Incen, Unda, Mundo and Nomos. These four dragons were chosen by the code. For what, none on Neyla knew yet.

Evincere was contacted by the great dragon, who warned her of an attack on Omniscentrum. This was not from the other races of Neyla who he warned her long ago may eventually gain the power to access the pillar, no, it was by the dragons themselves.

She acted as predicted. She feared this uprising and decided that something must be done, before the city be taken by the tribes and forced into the rampant consumption of previous ages. And so she tried to rally an army with the help of the church's influence and wealth, though few dragons of any significant power would volunteer to risk their lives. She was resolute not to enforce conscription, but did not know how she could defend the city otherwise.

That is, until she met Incen. Incen was a massive dragon of great strength. He was among the very few dragons that actually volunteered, and though she only met him later, he was the first to do so. He had a ravenous bloodlust, and fought with the strength of hundreds of normal dragons. Among dragons, there are sometimes great fluctuations in natural ability, and Incen was an amazing specimen. Physically, at least. His mind was... typical of such a dragon.

Yet Evincere saw his potential immediately, and was happy that the army would have at least some power behind it. She approved his application, after his personal inspection, then mentioned that the army would be fighting an uphill battle.

He laughed at this, "I will fight them all by myself."

"That's not possible. don't be a fool."

"Whatever, I could take them. If you really think we need more, why not just hold a tournament? It would be fun."

"That's barbaric. Dragons could die for mere entertainment."

"Can't blame 'em for risking their lives. Just give them a prize and joining the army'll seem like and honor."

"But... it's not right."

"I know it's not pretty, but it's a lot better than recruiting every powerful dragon."

For all his lack of technical knowledge, he had a certain wisdom, and Evincere was swayed by this argument. A tournament was held soon after, an affair that would yield great supplies of rare gems to the three winners, who would be able to use them as they like. Further, they would be recruited into the army as elite forces. There would be a few regular units on the battlefield, but Incen and these three other champions would clearly be far more powerful, and serve as generals, leading the others into battle.

The battles were long and brutal, leading to a few deaths of prideful dragons that would not surrender, and many injuries, but eventually the champions of the tournament were selected. First among the three was Mundo, who had both great magical and physical ability, quite similar to Evincere, only she was not as gifted, and so was limited in both, though she utilized a unique technique of what some might call "martial magic" in his combat. He refused to teach others of this, however, believing that one must discover their own technique. Her reasons for entering the tournament are mysterious, her only explanation being that she required an outlet for her artistic techniques, and there were bodies to test them on. Regardless of her annoyingly cryptic nature, Evincere came to admire her stoicism.

Next in the running was Nomos, a dragon no larger than a Hothrid of the surface. Many who did not know his power laughed at his size. They did not live long. His magical abilities were the greatest of all the mortal dragons except Evincere herself, and he was only barely defeated by Mundo. Nomos had a calculating attitude, disliking the emotional struggles of those whose minds he perceived as lesser. His reason for entering the tournament was a logical one. He knew that he was among the most powerful of the dragons, and could do to acquire a large amount of rare gems. He had no other reason.

The weakest among the champions of the tournament was Unda, who while much less powerful than the other four, still outpowered most other dragons. She was gifted with an especially powerful lightning breath that could sear through scales like cloth. She was weak in both body and mind, however, compared to the others, perhaps due to her dependency on her breath, or a natural inclination. For this reason, she can sometimes be outdone by dragons with more versatile abilities. She joined the tournament in order to help to feed her many children. Her young had all hatched at once, unexpectedly, causing her to be quite taxed in gathering the gems for them all.

After these four were gathered, Evincere proceeded to knight them as lords of Omniscentrum. These knightly titles gave each dragon governorship over one of four quarters of the central pillar. Each dragon was granted a squad of dragon troops that would serve under them. While not at war, these four would use their power to enforce the order of the crown in Omniscentrum. The laws of the land, such as the outlawing of petty murder, was enforced far more in these days than previously, as a result.

Roll: 2d6+81+5+2=97 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4339064/)

Command Order, Church of the Primordial Dragon, Raise Army: "The Four Knights", -4

Left: 93
Bonus: 5
Cult: 2

[Omegonthesane]

After many years of bureaucratic delays, the Watchers determined that they had in fact failed to get an accurate picture of the world for once, and thus refrained from altering it.

Instead, a long-delayed permission was finally granted to the Lord of Matter, and L'zot'aca manifested above the Magma Pits, in the shape of a tall, thin black pillar which emitted a pillar-shaped sea of flames in all directions around it.

Tsarag-Losh was, of course, nowhere to be found, instead hovering near the Ash Wasteland, finding a lead-helmeted, lead-cloaked deity, with an expected familiar air to it. After all, this being was in a sense its child, though it was passing strange to see even a half-Watcher take such a relatively ordinary form.
"I hear you've taken an apprenticeship, Leau. What lessons have there been to learn, from the one who accepts his fate?... I assume the static one told you something about me."

Nysatek, meanwhile, exploited a loophole in the Watchers' laws to travel the world. It could stand to exist in the form of wind, rather than a form constructed of matter, and so it rushed across the world, carrying with it the spores of various plants that would not otherwise have spread.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4338677/)
Power rollover: 12 points
Total 27 points

20 points: Create Avatar (L'zot'aca the Flame)

7 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

The Frigid Land expands, the Magma Pits as well, and Geysers are formed.

The Southernmost Land

Heovma, for now, stayed in the Southernmost Land, in the Frigid Land and its whereabouts. Under her influence, the Magma Pits expanded eastward towards the Odious Sea, the entirety of the Frigid Land also grew westward towards the Odious Sea, and a land fairly distinct from the two began to be formed between the two.

Underground the Lake of Lava, it continued to drain into the earth, eating away at the dirt and rock until more caves and volcanic tubes and underground lakes of lava were created. Of course, this large, messy expanse of magma twisted around and eventually returned to the volcanic system supplying the Magma Pits and the nearby volcanoes, ready to erupt whenever a god would command it. There was also tubes and caves there filled with boiling water.

Just East of the Frigid Land, nearby where the Lava Rivers and Lava Lake are, the plants and animals and lakes and mountains grew in part of that land. However, something interesting happened: Due to the underground heat and lava supplied from these volcanic sources, the water in the lakes would often boil, and sometimes (rather often, actually), geysers would spray up out of the ground. Because of the high heat, the plants and heat-eaters could also live there.




0 + 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4339393/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 15

= 5 Shape Lands

(3) + (3) The Frigid Land (Both the Tundra and the Taiga) expand again Westward even closer to the Odious Sea
(3) The Magma Pits continue expanding Eastward to reach the Odious Sea.
(3) Just to the East of the Frigid Land is now a moderate section (due to the cold of the area mixed with the heat in the air from the Magma Pits) covered in boiling lakes and geysers that fire off predictably. (Just like in Yellowstone.) The plants and animals of the Frigid Land can mostly live there, along with the heat-eating bacteria things who live in the boiling lakes. It lies in the place near the Frigid Land and the Lava Rivers/Lake.

(3) Deep Underground, south of the newly recreated Ash Wasteland, is a new cavern system covered in lakes and flowing rivers of magma with occasional islands of solid rock. I'll call them the Winding Magma for now. Also included are a couple of tubes and caves filled with boiling water, and some empty caves.

0 points remaining

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4337981/)
Current Power Points: 11

Leau looked towards it's progenitor, and expressed surprise, "Ancestor! I am glad to see you. Although, to give me information that I did not already have would be to change me, thus it wouldn't be in in Indlas's nature to tell me. However, your companion in my creation did ensure that I would always exist with some knowledge of you. My roots in you actually inspired my first great act, in the spreading of my ocean around the equator of this world.

"As to the lessons, we discuss many things, from cooperation with my fellow deities to the possibilities in the materials of the world to the nature of our kind. The End of Time is a strange entity in many things. At times, it prove wise and kind, while at others, spiteful and unyeilding. I believe it may be a product of it's experience in realities from before my grand-progenitor began time. It has been avoiding me lately, however, likely due to a proposition I put forward which it was not prepared for.

"Though, enough from myself. What of you?"



Far away, Ke'Keo was shaping the world from the bottom of the Indigo Labyrinth, spreading tunnels through the solid mass of amethyst, and spawning massive diamonds, the smallest of which were easily the size of a Hothrid's fist, and the largest of which were larger than the city of Caelurum itself. Geothermal vents were common down here, as were ores rich in iodine, which together, as the vents would belch or a stone would crumble, would result in massive plumes of violet steam, which would then rise into the Indigo Labyrinth, before condensing and running in rivers down into the caves, where it would cool until it was in solid form, and then, over the countless years, fold itself back into an ore.

There were thousands of caves in this place, but the only life that Ke'Keo planned on for the time being was the heat-eating chaos that had migrated here.

Then again... how had it migrated here?

The owl-headed deity returned to the surface, and found what it sought almost immediately. A deity, a Watcher, specifically, was existing as wind, and had deposited some life atop the Labyrinth, allowing it to spread into the depths. This act pleased Ke'Keo, and so it reached out to the Watcher, "Hello. What is it that you are called?"



Far north, Zeh'Zerin continued it's spreading of the Cold Sea, ever north, until it reached a point where the cold was so great that the surface of the sea was forever frozen solid, with kilometers of chilled water plunged into constant darkness by the icy skin high above. The ice even grew up so high as to expand upon the Crystal Castles constructed long ago by the Inevitable.

3 points on a Shape Land to create the Amethyst & Diamond caves on the underground map, just beneath the Indigo Labyrinth on the Crystal Plateau.

6 points on two Shape Lands to expand the Cold Sea north and the Crystal Castles west.

Current Power Points: 2
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4340006/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/8tSFE40.jpg


Underground Map
http://i.imgur.com/xgPlhPI.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4340385/) + 14 = 21

Far to the North, as North as one can go.

Here, the volcanic wasteland was, if not frozen, at least substantially cooler. In part due to cold air moving from the Crystal Castles and Cold Ocean, but mostly due to the weak sunlight in the polar regions. At The Inevitable's behest, a frozen wind blew up across the wastes to the North of the Ashen Plains, bringing with them pure snow. For one hundred years, the blizzard raged before lessening, revealing a land of rock, smoothed and scoured by the wind and buried beneath a thick layer of snow.


Down into the Earth

In the region between the Crystal Castles and the Desert of the Crystal Scar, The Inevitable instead opened a great rift into the depths of Neyla. Its walls grew heavy with frost, concealing the stone beneath. Unlike the previous pit created by him, this contained no clockwork, or indeed features of any kind.
It was merely a hole into the crust, extending so deep that even were the Sun directly overhead, its light would be as faint as a distant star.
However, at the bottom of the pit, a creature slumbered, an eldritch thing to fill the nightmares of all. Its vast tendrils reached far into the world around it, seeking out those who bore the souls gifted to them by its progenitor all those uncountable aeons ago.


Contrast

Two avatars, two manifestations of his divine will now existed in the mortal world of Neyla. But they could not be any more different. Where one was a ruthless dynasty of sorceress-queens, the other was something at once more sinister and more benevolent.
Deep within Neyla, the Thing in the Darkness dreamt, churning through its mind the knowledge granted to it by its creator. It was a creature of inky darkness and possessed of great tendrils through which it could interact with world.
Though created as more of a tool than the Leaenas, the Thing was no unthinking automaton. Elevated beyond any mortal creature by the mind of The Inevitable. The knowledge that flooded into its mind contained colours and brilliance beyond its imagining. It would recreate some small part of this majesty in the darkness, or at the very least, inspire the lesser creatures to do so.
But alas, The Inevitable had given it the forbidden knowledge, and a price was to be exacted. Agony gripped it as its only eye was scarred beyond all function. A price, and a warning.


Starting Power: 21

Shape Land 2": The White Wilderness and the Domain of Darkness
The White Wilderness: A frozen lifeless land of snow covered rock and ice. It stretches from the Crystal Castles to the Western End of the Ashen Plains.
The Domain of Darkness: A large pit, but still only a hundred kilometres across. It extends deep into Neyla. It lies in the White Wilderness near the edge of the Crystal Castles.

Create Avatar: Khavaran, The Thing in the Darkness.

Remaining Power: 0

[Omegonthesane]

Tsarag-Losh's tendrils moved in a pattern that might have been amusement, as its progeny and rival informed it of what had passed. Truly, it had not considered how Indlas might be even that reluctant to cause any thcnae in anything - a potential regressive element, if the predicted age of life was to come any time soon, though that was only mostly a bad thing. This being, this 'Inevitable Angel' who had taken to teaching the half-breed sounded sane, at the very least, even if its agenda was not compatible with the Watchers' eternal will.

"What of me? Well, largely, increasing the water mass on this planet. Most viable forms of life require it to live, and my own children prefer an entirely watery environment for practical reasons, over and above any symbolic connection. It is irritating to see my colleagues work so closely with that fool in the Magma Pits, but they aren't generally hostile - some brothers are closer than others. For now I content myself, any wonder I create will be all the brighter for standing on the same canvas as L'zot'aca's madness."

As it happened, L'zot'aca's madness was, as they spoke, expanding the Magma Pits yet further, taking them northwest along the edge of the Odious Sea. A thin string of mountains ultimately developed, separating the two inhospitable lands, as the not-water of the Odious Sea cooled the pit magma as it piled up and boiled. The Red Mountains, they were called, after the colour of the two lands that had formed them.

Meanwhile, driven by Orat'hoth's will rather than Tsarag-Losh, the Tropical Ocean spilled southwards, covering a stretch of wasteland and almost reaching the Odious Sea itself.

Above the Indigo Labyrinth, the winds gave an answer to Ke'keo, the half-time half-chaos thing that had accosted them.
"Hothrid call me the plague bringer, the tree feller. Oalei are kinder; they call me these things, but also the reliever, the end of sufferings and toil. Watchers, and other deities, call me Nysatek. Yourself? Was this labyrinth your work?"

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4340513/) +3/3 Cults = 12
Power rollover: 7 points
Total 19 points

3 points: Shape Land 1" to expand the Magma Pits along the west edge of the Odious Sea, and create a thin string of Red Mountains which separate the two horrible places.

3 points: Shape Land 1" to expand the westernmost bit of Tropical Ocean south, towards the Odious Sea

13 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4340006/)
Current Power Points: 11

Leau regarded it's parent for a moment, before deciding to add it's own two cents to the rivalry between it and L'zot'aca, "Perhaps the true beauty will be discovered when you each learn to understand that which would normally be beyond your grasp. After all, look at myself, that which occurred when the unchanging encountered something which embraced change. No, don't respond just yet. I feel the need to go to the surface and expand upon the oceans once more. You may come along, and add your commentary, if you so wish. I must say I would enjoy the company. However, do try and relax for a time if you do."

And with that, Leau rose back up, above the Island of Pillars, and turned east, sweeping out and creating more oceans, extending the sea floor of slate as it went, but also shooting it through with veins of jadeite, and creating islands, towering mountains, jagged spires, and rough reefs, of jade, creating the Jade Archipelago to the east of the Island of Pillars.

East of that, it simply created more Tropical Ocean, but rose the sea floor up ever higher, until it was never any more than fifty meters deep at any given point, such a Shallow Sea that it would barely have any waves, and, at low tide, would be impossible to navigate.

East of this Shallow Sea, Leau created a copy of the Poisoned Sea, farther to the east, but where the edge of the seas came to touch one another, the Deity of Plans created another archipelago, half of islands made of the same stuff as the Marine Mountains, and half of islands made of the same stuff as the Red Mountains. These stony islands mirrored the Jade Archipelago far to the west, with a lack of life and stormy shores, but these ruby & sapphire spires which dotted the Poisoned Sea, were surrounded almost constantly by venomous mists, earning them the name "The Archipelago of Venom".



Far north, Ke'Keo responded to the wind, "I am Ke'Keo, child of Kran Ze'In and Heovma. I am the seer of possibilities, one of the stewards of what is yet to come, and indeed, the maker of this labyrinth. Do you like it? I made it to open more avenues into the future, as is my domain.

"Though, might I ask, you are a deity of death, are you not? Do you accept life, then, that it might progress and come to death? Perhaps your children are meant to live very short lives, so they might perceive death quickly and often? Or do I lead myself down a path that I only glimpsed?"

Current Power Points: 2
Next Power Roll: 6d4k4=14 (http://orokos.com/roll/156693)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/M20XHGD.jpg


Underground Map
http://i.imgur.com/wKEWtvK.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 10 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16665944&postcount=204) + 0 = 10

The Final Pieces of Wilderness

North of the Red Forest Land was a large expanse of wasteland. Feeling the need to put something there to contrast the expanse of red wilderness, The Inevitable first allowed half the land the fall into the sea that adjoined it. As for the other half, he followed the traditions of Chron's progeny and brought up minerals from deep within Neyla, primarily silicon, beryllium and aluminium, but also vanadium, iron and chromium. As the molten elements spread out across the land, they began to cool and formed razor sharp crystals of emerald, heliodor and aquamarine. Vast fields of these crystals stretched from the Red Forest to the ocean. Nothing lived here as yet as nothing could safely find purchase on the razor crystals and no plant could push its roots through to reach sustaining soil metres below the expanse of crystal.

Far to the South-East, there was a gap between forest and fire. In order to preserve the balance of these two environments, The Inevitable raised a series of great mountains, their forms carved into fantastic shapes by wind. As he did so, he brought up great quantities of white zircon that were washed from the rock into streams where they sat as pebbles, merely waiting for someone to pick them up.
The many valleys and passes of these mountains were choked by snow for much of the year and only the hardiest of alpine creatures could eke out a living and not freeze to death.


Starting Power: 10

Shape Land 2": The Crystal Field.
Described above: Located on the Northern edge of the Red Forest Land and the Mountains of Disappointment, it is half an inch wide. Furthermore, the ocean is extended to fill in the remainder of the two square inches.

Shape Land 1": The Mountains of Snow.
Described above: Located between the Magma Pits and the Taiga.

Remaining Power: 1

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4k4=14 (http://orokos.com/roll/156693)
Current Power Points: 16

Mneomri stood in the depths of the world, before an immense clock of osmium gears, as they spun and clicked and counted onwards, ever onwards. It cannot be said exactly how long the deity of the past remained in that place, where what was yet to come was the focus of reality, but no matter, for it was certainly an age, as the deity pondered what lay before it.

Mneomri was not all powerful, not magnificently powerful, as the Inevitable was, who had crafted these Gearworks, with hardly a second look. No, Mneomri was simply a fragment of the far greater will of time, of the Chron pantheon. As such, to surmount this creation was a great task indeed. Had the entirely pantheon wished to tackle this obstacle, perhaps it might have gone smoother, but the tree-god had not even stated what it was that it desired, what it sought in this place, or even what it was trying to achieve. This was a strange thing indeed, for the members of the Chron pantheon were bonded tightly together, to the point that to hide such things would be akin to hiding entire worlds, yet Mneomri did it, efficiently enough that the others of the pantheon did not even realize he sought something in the Gearworks.

After a period of time beyond comprehension, the God of Tradition moved, and reached out, to the north of the great pit, and before it, the world fell away. An unspeakably immense cavern, stretching out beneath the Metal Wastes high above. This extension of the great pit stretched for thousands of kilometers, and stood, at it's lowest point, twelve kilometers tall, with bands of tungsten carbide and diamond criss-crossing the immense cavern, bracing the ceiling from collapse. Upon the floor of this cavern, Mneomri erected a mountain chain of pure silicon crystals encrusted and outlined by copper wire. Beneath this mountain chain, there were paths of mercury which seemed to wind in complex pathways along, beneath the immense mountains, forever still, except when moved by a moon passing overhead. At the southern edge of these silicon mountains, a trench was dug, with runes of cold appearing at it's bottom, runes of such immense power, that the air itself froze, and nitrogen turned to a liquid state, filling the trench with liquid nitrogen. Above that, a layer of radon was introduced, and the cold passing through the nitrogen was enough to keep even this gas in a liquid state. Above the radon, however, were kilometers and kilometers of heavy water, or deuterium oxide.

Once this was all put into place, Mneomri stepped back, gave the place it's title, "The Paradox Land", and left, returning to the Domain of the Chron pantheon. The others didn't know what to make of this strange place, all except Chron itself, who immediately understood the machinations of this underground mountain chain. It was harmless, though beautiful, and an act that it had not believed the unchanging child of Centrum could have achieved. Zeh'Zerin, on the other hand, the one farthest from Mneomri's stale mind, yet the one who sought the most answers, attempted to quiz the Deity of Tradition on the matter, but found nothing by resistance each time it tried to commune with it's fellow god. Thus began something of a rivalry between the siblings, as Leau looked on and perceived the possibility for new plans being hatched.



Kran Ze'In, on the other hand, was far south, in the lands of the Magma Pits, where it had decided it would exercise some of it's will. With a wave, it extended the lava south, all the way, past the Snowy Mountains, and to the Southern ice cap, where the cold turned the magma to stone, causing stone pathways to grow wider, and closer together, eventually turning to stone fields, and then fields of ice.

However, this minor change was not enough for the Deity of Change, and so it looked to the north and west, where the Jade Mountains ended just at the edge of some more Volcanic Wasteland. Reaching out, the god pulled up more of the green mountains, bringing them closer and closer, tracing out along the side of the Magma Pits the entire time.

At the same time, it reached out and pulled the Red Mountains that had been crafted by the Watchers along the edge of the Magma Pits as well, bringing the red closer to the green. However, they did not quite meet, for Kran Ze'In left a pass open, kilometers wide, where the Red Mountain and the Jade Mountains simply stopped, revealing a gateway to bubbling magma, from which sudden ravines opened, alloying rivers of lava to spill out into this land, turning it into more of the Brimstone Land that Heovma had crafted, far to the west, with it's Geode Palms and Black Grass.

Once this land was finished, the deity turned to the ocean, and expanded the new Poisoned Sea, as well as the Shallow Sea, filling in the last bits of Wasteland that stood in this land.

12 points on four Shape Land to fill in the last Volcanic Wasteland in the south. (Exempting the Volcanic Wasteland island in the Odious Sea.)

3 points to create the Paradox Land on the Underground Map.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4341652/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/NgEfJSm.jpg


Underground Map
http://i.imgur.com/w3TFUvt.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

Tsarag-Losh extended its awareness outward, beholding the growth of oceans, and perhaps smiling in some unknowable fashion - more seas meant more dwellings for the Tsarag-Thaun if nothing else.

Meanwhile, strange bipedal lizards emerged from the magma of the Pits, four feet tall when hunched over as they always were, with long tails and segmented bodies like obsidian. Their bodies were, obviously, practically immune to heat, and in fact could convert external heat into energy - not as efficiently as from eating, but quickly, certainly. In the murderous heat of the Magma Pits, they hardly needed to consume food, for all but the most vital minerals could by synthesised with enough energy, and in the Pits they had enough energy. Indeed, their inner workings were specifically magical to allow for this ridiculous biology, though their magic was instinctive and biological, not the intellectual exercise of Hothrid or Tsarag-Thaun sorcery. These were the Xan'aca, who would forever rule the Magma Pits if L'zot'aca had its way. Their claws allowed them to climb most surfaces, and in their intended home they were fast as lightning; in colder environs, they would be less dangerous and more hungry, though their unnatural innards could digest practically any material once their grinding teeth had had a go at it.

Elsewhere, a question was answered.
"You are mostly correct. Life and death are but parts of the circle," Nysatek answered. "I myself have no children as yet... Life begets Death begets Life, but Life had to come first. Do you see any such possibilities, lord of same? Any possible way in which Death may start the cycle?"

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4341839/) +3 = 11. *sigh*
Power rollover: 13 points
Total 24 points

2 points: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to create the Xan'aca in the Magma Pits, heat-eating omnivorous cold-blooded lizardmen made of rock

22 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

For several millennia, Heovma continued running around the world, hunting and chasing prey around the world.

Every time the Black Wolf came after her, she fled under the deepest sea and hid out in those underwater caves. As she was deep in those caves for a long time, she got bored often. So, she continued digging out the caves around the sea for the her and the creatures down there to be in.



0 + 2d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4342221/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 14
(3+3+3) Shape Land: More of the undersea caves spreading around the Abyssal Sea, in the Underground Map.

Remander: 5

[ImperialSunligh]

Centrum continued to sleep in this time. The war mentioned by Pervetus seemingly came to pass, but was laughably inconsequential. The four knights were barely needed. Evincere was both confused and frustrated at Pervetus' exaggeration, wondering if there were ulterior motives to his suggestion, and worried that this may not have been the actual conflict described. Still, life continued as ever.

Roll: 2d6+93+2=102 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4342844/)

No action.

Left: 102
Law Bonus: 0
Cult Bonus: 2

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4341652/)
Current Power Points: 13

"There are infinite possibilities, Nysatek, seeker of the distant future. Perhaps what you seek is a creature which never lived to begin with, yet still acts upon it's own will, and it's existence ends when things within it come to fruition and start their lives. I imagine a golem, a pile of rocks, which walks thinks, but 'dies' when seeds grind into it's joints, sprout, and grow strong, break stone away from stone until the walker who didn't live walks no more. Or perhaps you seek what is left after a death: the soul, simple and pure. A ghostly figure, a memory returned from the Domain to find new possibilities upon Neyla. Then again, death, in it's purest form, is simply the cessation of life, so perhaps the path before you requires a closer look before we might find it. Come forth, make yourself full manifest before me, so me might commune properly," Ke'Keo spoke to the wind.



Meanwhile, in the Domain of the Chron pantheon, Indlas felt a danger, a threat, growing from part of it's family. There was an entity of reckless, aimless, aggressive change rising, looming like the light of the sun long before dawn. It felt that the pantheon was not prepared for this change in it's will, that it needed to be further prepared, but could not change it's own mind to find a way to preserve the unchanging will of the pantheon.

Mneomri, on the other hand, was far more able to accept change, for change was part of the pantheon's modus operando, and Mneomri existed solely to preserve that exact modus operando. So, after Mneomri felt the present foreboding of Indlas, it sent it's will to it's most recent creation: the Paradox Land, far underground, just before the Gearworks. There, the gentle movements of the mercury beneath the mountains as the moon passed overheard steadily pooled together all temporal disturbances from the past movements of the Gearwork, and began to channel it upwards, into the silicon crystals above, which caught the redirected temporal energy, and lit up like a dying sun.

After all, the Gearwork ticked with the rythym of time itself, not simply being in sync with it, it was imbedded into the very existence of time itself. As such, every moment that passed was a moment which translated into the Gearworks, and as moments were directly measured as they passed by, time was faintly disturbed. It was a very small amount of disturbance at each moment, but over the last few million years there had been enough that the sluggishly moving mercury could lens it from the past into the present and then energize the entire mountain chain.

The mountains and ridges blazed with energy, and the endless kilometers of copper veins were soaked with the time energy, directing it into the air above the heavy water sea, where energy played through the underground sky like lightning bolts, until two crossed, then three, and four, and the points were they crossed blazed, holes in the fabric of time.

Far beneath the heavy water sea, the gasses-made-liquid of nitrogen and radon rebelled, for these materials despised temporal events, especially when so close to themselves. However, being turned to liquid forever, and trapped beneath kilometers of heavy water, they could not simply flee the temporal rips, so instead rebelled, primarily against one another, creating further temporal schisms in the piece of reality were they were pressed up against one another.

The time splits in the air and the time splits far underwater suddenly arced to one another, creating pillars of temporal force through the heavy water. Once enough of these pillars formed, the heavy water found itself too saturated, and after trembling and causing earthquakes around the world, entered a complex quantum state, where they existed in all points of time simultaneously.

The ocean was an immense time machine.

Then, as it seemed the Paradox Land was coming to it's head, it all fell silent. Mneomri healed the rifts in time as though they had never been there, the temporal energy was lensed back through the mercury rivers to be used at some future point in time, and the sea turned back into a normal sea.

After a few hours, figures emerged from the heavy water, dazed momentarily as they wandered towards the Gearworks in the distance.

Filigree wings of platinum, silver, or steel. At their hearts were concentric rings of tungsten and lead alloys, which constantly whirled like gyroscopes, each heart glowing a different color. Around these cores were forms of highly polished metals, and cloaks of metal sheets beaten so thin as to be lighter than silk. Almost each of their heads were entirely featureless shapes of brass, iridium, tungsten, platinum, diamond, or steel, with two aggressively slanted eyes glowing with the same color of their heart. However, each of these figures was unique. Two possessed human faces worked into the metals of their heads. There was also a draconic head, a spider head, a hothrid head, and a great, filigree tree in place of a head. Some wings were immense, twenty meters in total width, while others were shorter than the armspan of the creature which bore them. Each arrangement of cloak and body style was unique to the individual.

These were the Yet-Olong Angels. They were a paradox, as they had no beginning, and no end. They would always exist, these ninety-nine angels. They could not reproduce, but were immortal, and while they could be destroyed, it would not last for long, for after only a single year, the soul of the angel would construct it's body anew. They would live until the end of time, when the Inevitable finally crushed reality beneath it's almighty fist, at which point they would return to the face of the Gearwork, to the Paradox Land, where the sea would become a time machine once more, and they would enter, being transported back to this very moment, which Mneomri had summoned them to. They had already lived a life of the universe infinite times the moment they stepped upon the beach, yet time was still beyond their comprehension, for each time they had lived their unending lives, it had been entirely different. They had fought pointless wars with themselves at times, and been entirely united at others. They had once been the weakest race to live, and once been the strongest. Their memories were without end, but their minds were finite, and this was the flaw that Chron ensured they possessed, as it looked over the should of it's grandchild, Mneomri.

There were exactly ninety-nine of the Yet-Olong, and they each possessed a name of power unique to themselves. They were: Osmithariel, Tarakiel, Kermiel, Velishsorukasium, Set'Wouriel, Prelitoria, Jevariel, Qavous, Rikasius, Oen, Tevazziel, Ilikroum, Eshiel, Furusafium, Wert'Izotharus, Yevimarium, Gabaliel, Wazlimous, Omnibriel, Aki, Ievarmus, Tessius, Lockiel, Galossius, Qush'Belokom, Tarous, Osmakia, Jeruvassius, Ulukriel, Tou, Deblasiel, Romeklabus, Zermium, Vanasbarium, Finix'Sharia, Relidissous, Twuxiel, Solagus, Luxoshia, Ast, Okutriel, Jetekus, Tusapriel, Kulomus, Van'Ustrius, Ertius, Torutoriel, Riusium, Valishprium, Aes, Akimtous, Ascentus, Akitriel, Asaffium, Auro'Kestia, Awazious, Amnibria, Anacomus, Ayunfiel, Iaz, Qudfinziel, Xanagaroum, Vavokarius, Kevlahavus, Nat'Twestus, Tuthidasia, Yetborniel, Westouroum, Erikassius, Qul, Irgiel, Ulokissius, Edniel, Premious, Ixish'Lauroum, Exmalia, Wotbalus, Borealus, Abiel, S̏ed, S̏uwevum, S̏halous, S̏etiel, S̏treklavus, S̏em'Tassius, S̏anwetis, S̏lukrium, S̏azzius, S̏orniel, R͒uu, R͒esurriuos, R͒okius, R͒ibamium, R͒atorius, R͒uzi'R͒elios, R͒emitalis, R͒okomiel, R͒ishia, and R͒anitorum.

These angels were the most unchangable race the pantheon could possess, and as such, rooted the unchanging deities more firmly in the world, against the future that Ke'Keo seemed to be about to bring.



Meanwhile, far north, Leau was quitely expanding the Whitewater Sea, the Metal Wastes, and the Crystal Field, but bringing them together in a strange way. The lack of water of the Metal Wastes was all that was brought from there, while the rushing, battering waves of the Whitewater Sea was what was brought from there, so salt filled the air, yet even as the mists landed on your skin, it was leeched away by the hottest, driest winds, ushering the wetness north, around the edge of the Metal Wastes, towards the White Wilderness at the northen pole. At the same time, the land was that of the Crystal Fields, but instead of variants of beryl, the land was of nothing but topaz, and instead of constant ridges and mountains of the stuff, there were tiny, miniscule crystals everywhere, like sand... exactly like sand.

Leau had plans for this hellish place.



For almost twenty trillion years, the Colossi had wandered the empty Domain. Eight and a half thousand generations of the race, which each lived four or five billions years, had grown old and died. More than two thousand unique societies had existed, each separate, and perhaps existing for forty to fifty generations, before events would either lead them to evolving, changing into a new society, or battle would come, and their societies would be destroyed. Thousands had died over the years, immense creatures collapsing, being dashed against the indestructible monoliths that towered everywhere across the Domain, and over the course of ten thousand year, barely a morning stroll from the perspective of a Colossi, they would fade back into the temporal winds which supplied them with life. For all that they were far more unchanging, far more constant than any other race, they were also pure chaos.

Chron looked down though it's inconceivable avatar, the Infinite Storm, and decided that, perhaps, it was time for them to find a root to clutch against the flood that was their lives.

So, with a voice of thunder and moments, words that had been spoken at the beginning of time and that were only now heard, Chron communed with the Colossi race, "You are a great race, my children, and you have achieved much through the past drop of time since your creation. As such, we seek to reward you. Come together, and those who would wish it, will sit and speak with the stewards of time as though we were members of your very family."

Some Colossi blamed the gods for the misdoings of themselves, or of other Colossi, and so shunned this offer. Others believed there were more pressing matters than enjoying the company of gods, and likewise shunned the offer. There were many, though, who came, and the Colossi monks known simply as "Those Who Speak With Gods" were formed.

6 points to Create Race to create the Yet-Olong Angels.

5 points to Shape Land to create the Topaz Waste.

0 points to Command the Infinite Storm (in Domain) to Create an Order in the Colossi: Those Who Speak With Gods.

Current Power Points: 2
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4343492/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img5/2174/4dal.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img191/6439/45no.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

The Watchers felt the dawning of a new age, and with it a change in their laws; from this day forward, the Council could directly create servants in any place where their rule was law. Though this was more restricted than the permissions of the Four Lords, each one of the Lords was permitted to create one species ever, while the Council could make the world bloom with their servants if they so desired. Furthermore, they could now emanate freely into the world, with the same ease as Chorud the Gatekeeper and without the requirement for a Lord's permission.

Of course, the only domain that truly belonged to the Watchers was Limbo, so it was with the stuff of Limbo that the Watchers made their first communal descendants. Limbo had become a place of continual change under Chorud's watch, rather than merely a place of emptiness; thus, the Proteans changed the exact shape of their form almost constantly, slowly growing or shrinking psudopods, tentacles, extra eyes, and the like with almost every passing second. Their original shapes vibrated around those of simple blobs of animate, glistening slime of various colours, which seemed able to absorb any matter it truly cared to; however, in a place as inconstant as Limbo, it was impractical to put this to the test. With no need to introduce external genetic material to gain mutations and possible adaptation, the Proteans reproduced asexually, by simply growing large enough and then dividing into two Proteans - though occasionally, two or more Proteans fused into one colossal blob, which then divided itself into at least half again as many Proteans as had formed it.

Initially, this was entirely a hindrance, though there would come a day when the Proteans gained some measure of control over their shapeless forms. However, already, in this instant, the Watchers feared strife between these ever-changing children of nothing and Chron's new spawn, the ever-static children of eternity.

A particular pack of Hothrid in the Grid Forest began to turn pale, and disappear from public view; within two years, they had gone from material beings to ethereal ones, apparently made of white fire instead of flesh - though if anything their teeth killed more effectively than before. This entire pack of Hothrid reproduced only within itself; such incest would surely have damned a normal tribe, but it was no longer a normal tribe, for every single corporeal member was dead from a strange, wasting disease. The disease was not the work of the Watcher Hamalat, but it was very convenient, for it allowed Hamalat to manifest as the entire Pale Tribe without making it obvious that they were truly a being from beyond.

Not content with wandering the Grid Forest, members of this tribe appeared in other areas and places, notably the First Archipelago where the Hothrid had already spread.

The winds listened, and the winds heard the words of Heovma's child, and in an instant Nysatek realised, the cycle had already begun. In order to act on her advice, it would have to answer her request; therefore, the Watcher Lord of Death began to emanate into the realm of Neyla. Many mortal eyes would not have realised the strange cloud of slightly dimmer light was anything but a trick of that same light, until their eyes beheld a Watcher and failed to comprehend. All would see many floating eyes, hands, and mouths, seemingly part of the dark cloud as if it were itself made of flesh, and all with the appearance of age and decay. Yet, these were impositions of a brain that demanded the ability to comprehend the impossible. Hothrids, Oalei, and Dragons might see the eyes and maws and hands of their own kind, while Tsarag-Thaun would surely see flaps of noise-sensitive Los-ndelai skin, runes of telepathic sending, and great rotting tendrils, while the Yet-Olong would see rusted and corroded brass copies of their own organs. A deity like Ke'keo was able to comprehend, however, and instead of inventing horrors, "saw" pure Vision, Speech, and Will imposed upon the part of reality where Nysatek was fully manifest, and understood that these all belonged to a being whose power was Death.

Not satisfied with adding one incorporeal being to the world, Nysatek willed a change upon the cycle of souls. A significant fraction of the souls of each species were beyond its reach, even the souls of the Watchers' children, for it had to compete with other Watchers to obtain these; those souls that felt Nysatek's touch were unable to reach the Domain, and instead drifted, witnessing the world. They could enter the bodies of other, more corporeal beings, and with manipulative whispers influence them to a given course of action; similarly, no doubt they might master the Inevitable's brand of sorcery, for they were the very stuff with which Caelurum's Hothrid fuelled their spells.

These were the Shedim, the dead who were denied death. In this way, Nysatek struck another blow for the Watchers as a whole, for the Shedim expanded the Hothrid cycle of reincarnation to reach every sapient being. A Dragon Shedim might end up attached to an Oalei, or a host of Shedim who were once the limbs of a Tsarag-Thaun might attach themselves to a Xan'aca. As for the bodiless children themselves, they could only move on if they deliberately remained inside a host as it died - and if they did so, soul and shedim would fuse together once both had left their shared body, in the same way that hothrid souls fused to the souls of their descendants.

Caelurum had done many things, but never imposed its will successfully on the entirety of Orat'hoth's spawn. There was, however - at the urging of the Watchers - somewhat of an outcry against the sacrifices and murders performed by the Servants of the Dragons, for most Hothrid agreed that they were the firstborn of reality, stronger between them than all dragons put together. With Hamalat behind them to match the Dragons' demigod-queen, perhaps there was even some truth to that now, but the Watchers were not satisfied with simply letting a few big Hothrid do the entire race's dirty work.

Instead, a great horde arose in the Grid Forest, of warriors backed by shamans. Their warriors bore no weapons, for Caelurum had not yet advanced to the point that their daggers were truly stronger than tooth and claw; but they did wear armour, the hides of multiple animals stacked together, for what additional protection it offered. The shamans bore weapons of a sort, for their sorceries were easier with the proper foci and talismans; they did not fully understand this, and believed they were courting feared Orat'hoth's favour by this means.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4343093/) +3 = 14
Power rollover: 22 points
Total 36 points

5 points: Create Race in Limbo (Proteans, shape-shifting blobs of Limbo-stuff with attached souls and potential for magic powers)

5 points: Create Demigod (Hamalat the Pale Tribe, a Watcher in the form of a tribe of snow-white ghostly Hothrid)

22 points: Create Avatar (Nysatek the Bodiless)

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Create Race (Shedim)

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Order (The Great Horde)

1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat) to Command Order (The Great Horde) to Raise Army (Hothrid Warriors 1)

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command Order (The Great Horde) to Raise Army (Hothrid Shamans 1)

0 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Fel
Fel watched as his moon approached again. Now was the time to attack.

The Black Wolf came down from the north, with the darkness accompanying him. This time, he cornered the coyote so she couldn't flee into the depths of the ocean.

Somewhere near the land of the Seven Rivers, they fought. The Black Wolf and the white coyote clashed in the darkness, under the shadow of Fel's Moon. Ultimately, Heovma won, though she had a huge gash from claw marks and teeth marks along her flank. Fel had to retreat back to the Dark Land.

After the moon passed, Heovma was left standing there, surrounded by bits and pieces of shadow; scraps of darkness lying across the landscape.


Heovma

She tried to decide what to do with the scraps torn from Fel's body.

Thinking of the other races she hunted and enjoyed hunting the most, Heovma decided to make these shadows into something like them. Sort-of like the Hothrid, or the Oalei, or the dragons, or something else she saw running around here and there.

Heovma started making the shadows of these beings first. It was easiest, of course, because the shadows were already here. She tore apart and stretched the bits and scraps of shadows from the Black Wolf's body until it formed into a living, sapient creature. It had glowing red eyes.

But, soon, she grew bored of this. It was very boring, creating these creatures. It would be so much better to go off, hunting.

Heovma left these shadows unfinished, forgetting to create the rest of them; there was a deer over in that forest that looked like it was daring her to catch it.

As a result, for now, they acted still as shadows, moving along the walls and the ground, but they could occasionally stand up in three dimensions and take the form of other creatures they were looking at. However, just like shadows: if there was too much darkness, they would fade away into nothing, and if there was too much light, they would burn and die.

(1) Command Avatar(Fel the Black Wolf): Create Race: The Shadows
(5) Advance Civilization (The Shadows): Form Reflection [Can copy the form and appearance of another creature in their sight; Political Tech]

Cearta

As Heovma ran off, another being was formed in her wake, from the chaos in her blood. This creature was called Cearta the Masked Fox, though she looked more slender and <humanlike> than any other animal. She had red hair and two fox ears sticking out, and three fox tails. However, the most striking feature of hers was her mask; it covered half her face and was pure white with gold lines and features.

Many of the Shadows took her form and attached themselves to her. She told them they had to build a city nearby, in the swamp. They built a city called Umbra.

Cearta would also later be known as "Strife." However, that wouldn't happen yet; she soon walked out of Umbra and left the Shadows to their doings. Their society was much like that of the wolves in the wild: the alpha commands the rest, and so on down to the omega.

Later, somewhere else, Cearta vanished; her body in the Mirrored World while her mask remained in Neyla. The next animal or being to find and put on the mask would be essentially become Strife, basically switching places with her.


(7+5) Create Avatar: Cearta, the Masked Fox
(1) Command Avatar(Cearta the Masked Fox): Command Race(The Shadows): Build city(Umbra) [Located on the northern cost, in the Seventh Swamp]


5 + 2d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4343861/) + 5/5 + 3/3 = 23

(7+5) Create Avatar: Cearta, the Masked Fox
(1) Command Avatar(Fel the Black Wolf): Create Race: The Shadows
(5) Advance Civilization (The Shadows): Form Reflection [Can copy the form of another creature in their sight; Political Tech]
(1) Command Avatar(Cearta the Masked Fox): Command Race(The Shadows): Build city(Umbra) [Located on the northern cost, in the Seventh Swamp]
Remainder: 4 points

[Elemental]

Roll: 15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4344379/) + 1 = 16


The Dawn of an Age and the Death of Another

Though the Gods of Neyla had never truly worked together in the forging of that world, together they had more than managed to create a truly wondrous world blessed with wealth and beauty beyond imagining. But alas, events conspired to shatter the peace.
Over the countless millennia that had passed since the beginning of time, the most foul and unnatural acts had occurred. Deities possessed of less charitable notions than The Inevitable dared to bring chaos and war to all through their lack of insight in the guidance of the mortals. Soon, the mortal races, few as they were, would come into bloodstained conflict with another. He would take action, protecting those most favoured by him and bringing others into his favour.


Feasts and Fireworks

The scholars and astronomers employed by the then current Queen of most-of-the-Hothrid, Leaena Ferra, had deciphered in the stars and ancient texts that a new era was upon them. Though they could not say for certain, they believed that this was an omen of singular good fortune and that the royal line would prosper for another ten million years.
With this revelation, the Queen declared a celebration. Feasts were held in public squares and the palaces of the rich, Leaena Ferra pardoned criminals from her bejewelled throne and proffered declarations of tax exemption and great public works, while above, the newly developed fireworks filled the sky with a riot of colours. Caelurum was at its wealthiest and most glorious.
But beneath the colour and festivities, whispered meetings were held in secluded palace rooms. Those who adhered to the old ways were on the move. The peace of countless millennia may not last the decade, and they had to prepare.


Bringing the Land Under Cultivation

First and foremost among their plans was the general expansion of royal authority. For most of history and before, the walls of Caelurum acted as the effective limit of the authority of each and every Leaena, but now, that would change. To this end, settlers from the city moved out and established fortified farmsteads throughout the Grid Forest. The intrepid farmers kept livestock and grew those plants that sold well in Caelurum. These isolated homes were just the first part of a long reaching project. Eventually, nobles, priests and scholars moved to the wilderness also and villages were constructed. A royal postal service was established and soon roads were laid down. Whether the more traditionalist Hothrids liked it or not, the face of the Grid Forest was forever changed.


An Arms Race? Let's Hope Not.

Secondly, in response to concerns of what the Priests of the Old Ways had in mind by the creation of their armies, Caelurum chose to raise its own force. Gathering the finest blacksmiths, they forged swords, shields and armour for ten thousand troops. Day and night, those who had volunteered trained in the great plaza before the Arcem, saluting with their swords those of the Leaena Dynasty who passed by. Though likely outnumbered, they were confidant that their iron swords would keep the teeth and claws of their less "civilised" brethren at bay, and even so, no tooth could get past armour in any case.
Adopting a plain sky blue banner to show their allegiance to their city and its royal founders, they were the Legion of Caelurum.

Meanwhile, the Royal Academy turned their attention to how best to use Thanatology in battle. Previously, it had been used primarily for duels, but on of the midst of combat, one could hardly expect a neat and orderly duel. So they drilled their students in the use of sword and magic together in combat. They could use no shield for only the greatest practitioners of the art could forego use of one's hands to keep the magic in line.
Still, lacking both shield and armour as they did, they still grew into a formidable force with the aid of their magic. Taking up a black and silver banner, they took on the name the Militant Order of the Schola.


A Ship Sets Sail

Backed by royal funding, Condita Virid, a skilled engineer widely regarded as a useless eccentric, constructed on the Southern coastline a group of ships with which to seek out new lands and whatever exotic goods might be found in those locations. Though the expedition was widely considered to be of certain failure, the ships did not immediately sink upon launching and they managed to make it to a new land with only seasickness to report. The land in question was a vast grassland, a landscape completely unfamiliar to the Hothrids who had sailed there.
Condita Virid announced the land as being under the sovereignty of the Leaena Dynasty and prepared to sail East in search of more profitable locality to exploit. However, as she began her preparations, her crew-members noted that the land was home to numerous large and exotic creatures, likely to fetch vast prices in the markets of Caelurum. Considering the matter for a moment, Captain Virid elected to remain, and established on that coastline, a coastline desolate by their standards, a colony to better facilitate the hunting of these strange animals. As thanks to her royal patron, she named the settlement Ferratum.


Deep Beneath the Ground

Khavaran, the Thing in the Darkness, knew of the divine will of its progenitor. As events moved in the domain of light, so must they in the realm of darkness. It was necessary that the Vynris be inducted into the ways of The Inevitable, even though doing so could draw the ire of those who had gifted their race with destiny.
Whispering to them, it drew some away from the U~otchā. It spoke to them of the majesty of The Inevitable, of his wisdom and kindness, of his domain over Death and creation of Souls. Seduced by these whispers, they turned to the worship of The Inevitable and studied his teachings in solitude from the rest if their race. They shunned the division of their race into gardeners, philosophers and warriors and strove to find a new way through which they might prosper. They called themselves the Sa~Rūaru, and left for distant caverns fully aware that they doomed themselves by doing so.


Starting Power: 16
Command Race (The Hothrids): Settle Territory.
The Grid Forest is settled centred on Caelurum.

Command City (Caelurum): Create Army.
The Legion of Caelurum. Ten thousand women and men, armed with sword and shield and protected by a suit of metal and leather armour. They carry sky blue banners.

Command Order (The Royal Academy of Theology and Thanatology): Create Army.
The Militant Order of the Schola. Much smaller than the Legion, there are perhaps seven hundred members of this force. They were uniforms of white robes and are armed with a sword and magic. They carry black and silver banners.

Command Avatar (The Leaena Dynasty): Command Race (The Hothrids): Found City.
The settlement of Ferratum is founded on the Northern coast of the Savannah, just North of the Hexagon Steppes. At this time, it is merely a ramshackle collection of crudely constructed houses along the waterfront.

Command Avatar (Khavaran): Create Order.
The Sa~Rūaru are a group of isolationist ascetics. They shun all the comforts of Vynris civilisation, prefering instead to dwell in the most distant caverns they can find to better pursue their simple lifestyle. Much of their time is spent in meditation, quiet contemplation and the compilation of religious texts for the time when they will bring their faith to the rest of their race. They are fully aware that their separation from the Source Tree means that their numbers will never grow aside from converts and those who seek out their way of life. But they do not mind as they are long lived enough to wait for others to seek them out.

Remaining Power: 3

[Omegonthesane]

(No mechanical effect)

The Hothrid of the so-called Old Way had rejected the dominion of the Leaena, but this had cost them in the long run. As scouts from the warriors of the Great Horde approached the mostly tamed Grid Forest, they realised the truth of this, and that they had underestimated the metalwork of their rivals - an easy mistake to make, given the perceived weakness of their false, misguided sorceries. This strand of arrogance would surely have only increased if the Hothrid shamans realised they were using the same spells as the very Watchers who created them, rather than asking their ancestors to beseech Orat'hoth to do it - but the fact remained, Caelurum's farming traditions were more successful than the Old Way of hunting, Caelurum's blacksmiths made better armour than Old Way tanners and better weapons than Old Way claws.

For a generation or so, the Old Way tribes raided the civilised territories, largely to steal their skilled workers as slaves and teachers - though occasionally a pretty but unskilled slave would also be spared, and the tradition of never killing a male remained strong. Within three generations, there were so-called Old Way farms and villages throughout the Grid Forest, an idea which would have been called a contradiction in terms not long ago. Within four, every Old Way clan was led by a Chieftain styled after the Leaenan Queen, who had a harem of male servants so that she might focus on the task of ruling.

(No mechanical effect)

Some fragment of the pragmatic spirit of the Old Way remained. A Chieftain's harem was not hers alone; she was expected to share them with her inner circle of rulers, an echo of the days when there literally were not enough males for one person to hog them. The Old Way warriors wielded metal maces instead of metal swords, and though maces were the most logical response to heavily armoured foes, this was not why they did it. Maces and battleaxes were easier to master, for any woodcutter was already used to swinging a hafted weapon; they merely had to get used to the slightly different balance to wield one in anger. Maces and battleaxes were easier to make than swords, requiring less skill of the blacksmith and, more importantly, less metal - the Old Way tribes simply did not have as much metal as the city-dwellers. Indeed, as flesh parted more easily than wood, a battleaxe required even less metal than a woodcutter's axe. Similarly, as there simply was not enough metal to give every one of them a breastplate and metal shield, most wore a suit of metal rings worked into leathers. Those Old Way warriors who bore shields at all bore shields of wood, which was ample protection against swords designed to cut flesh.

With these weapons, they could force the Legion to back down and talk, and even succeed in skirmishes against them, but there simply was not all that much hatred between the two traditions when they had simple survival to occupy their minds. Not while there were Dragons to hate, anyway.

0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Warriors 1) to destroy the Hothrid Cult of Centrum "The Servants of the Dragons"
0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Shamans 1) to destroy the Hothrid Cult of the Watchers
0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Warriors 2) to defend the Grid Forest

The ways of sacrifice to appease the old gods was a fitting work in the days of creation, when the world was naught but wasteland. The souls of the living were a worthy price for the presence of a world in which the survivors might dance. That was then, however.

The shamans of the Great Horde approached their more mundanely skilled servants with the good news. Orat'hoth had spoken, and said that the feast of souls it had consumed over the years was a bounty fit for all eternity, that no longer would it require any quota of offerings. Though there had been outcasts and criminals aplenty to satisfy its demands, the supply was beginning to dwindle, and the wisest shamans had foreseen a day on which they would need to invent excuses to appease their god's demands; it was truly a day to celebrate when their god revealed they were no longer to commit the old sacrifices. The most extreme cultists were quickly silenced; the rest subtly changed their practises, for now that Orat'hoth no longer demanded souls, the Rite of Damnation was no longer a necessary sacrament, but solely an unpleasant punishment. Those who suffered the new Rite of Damnation were not sent to Orat'hoth, but instead to the Domain, denied reincarnation - even the false reincarnation of the Shedim, for the Rite of Damnation "protected" its target from Nysatek's touch.

The Servants of the Dragons were not so kindly treated. They made offerings to false and wicked dragon-gods, a practice which was no longer tolerable. Those but newly initiated were deprogrammed, informed of the inherent superiority of the Hothrid as evidenced by their being the favourites of both the Inevitable and their creator - and as evidenced by their creation of great Caelurum, for even the Horde acknowledged the city had done great things. The true leaders and devotees of the Dragons were nailed to their own torture devices, and suffered the Rite of Damnation, in the hope that their lies would depart the world forever.

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command City (Ferratum) to Raise Army (Ferratum Marines)

Part of Nysatek witnessed how the Hothrid were falling under the sway of the Inevitable One, and more importantly how they were abandoning the old, inefficient ways. They had been designed with the expectation that many would die, and therefore that many would need to be born. Even the Old Way horde was not truly a threat in the way that Caelurum feared, for it was not pointed inwards in the same manner.

It was Nysatek who reported this to the Council, normally a mere formality so that they might not interfere with a Lord's plans, but L'zot'aca exercised its technically existing right to address the problem. Though the Lords of Life and Death were far more cordial, even intimate, than the Lords of Sorcery and Matter - indeed, all texts claimed they were lovers, this being the closest mortal approximation to their exact interaction - it was not seemly for a Watcher Lord to interfere so directly in the affairs of their opposite number.

A piece of L'zot'aca's awareness descended upon the newfound city of Ferratum, and fanned the flames of natural discontent to unnatural levels. Why should the rich colonists of this rich land bow to the far away queens of Caelurum? Was that decadent city not fattened enough on the fruits of the Grid Forest, could it truly claim to project its rule so far away from home? Many felt that it could not, and L'zot'aca whispered into the minds of the Hothrid, ensuring that they believed it. There were protests, there were riots, and finally there was secession.

In respect of the lands of their ancestors, the traders of Ferratum swore never to initiate war against the Leaena dynasty - but they also declared that they were no longer servants of that dynasty, but a free, equal, separate tribe. They felt that this was not a declaration of war; if the Leaena disagreed, they were welcome to attack - they would face the might of the Ferratum Marines, two thousand warriors backed by two hundred sorcerers.

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Order in the Tsarag-Thaun (Yenmor the Ancient)
1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat) to Command Order (Yenmor the Ancient) to Raise Army (Battle Colony 1 "Iskenderun")
1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command Race (Tsarag-Thaun) to Create City (Necropolis) at the bottom of the Ziggurat Sea

Meanwhile, three of the Unionist faction of the Tsarag-Thaun were guided into prominence, the lever by which their kind would be elevated to match Tsarag-Losh's ambitions.

The first was Yenmor the Ancient, the very first Tsarag-Thaun, which had seen the seas spreading, had witnessed and recorded those parts which millions of generations of Los-ndelai had pilotted it into. She heard visions from the same murderous, tentacled god which, she knew, had guided the Dualists to commit their atrocities and forget the value of life. She and she alone listened to Tsarag-Losh at first, for she had personally witnessed her creator, and knew that it meant something for her kind, for good or ill. Apparently, she was to be the bearer of news which would end the days of sacrifice, for it was no longer necessary for the Lord of Sorcery to cannibalise its own children.

The second was Yenmor's great-grandchild, the colony Iskenderun. She received dream-sendings from a tribe of pale, ghostly Hothrid, dream-sendings in which she was told to trust her ancestor Yenmor in all things for the next millennium, dreams in which she was told what she had long suspected - that the Dualists were simply murdering maniacs, who slandered the name of Tsarag-Losh by covering up their atrocities as sacraments. Thus primed, she listened to Yenmor's similar slightly twisted prophecy, and she took up the arts of destructive sorcery with an unprecedented glee, looking forward to the day when they would be used to slaughter the Dualists.

The third was not truly a single Tsarag-Thaun, but a pile of their ruined bodies - occasionally, these beings died in disaster, when their controlling runes were broken by particularly aggressive fish or by currents which slammed the colony into hard surfaces, or by predators too eager to feast on the Los-ndelai inside. These ruins had been collected in the bottom of the Ziggurat Sea for aeons; when the time was right, some Los-ndelai came to infest the Necropolis, and drew the ancient runes upon its walls, awakening the entire graveyard. Over the next ten years, Necropolis guided the Los-ndelai to breed faster than ever before, in order to fill every single niche of the largest member of her race in history.

5 points: Create Demigod (Gnallakei the False Angel)
1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Create Cult in the Yet-Olong Angels "The Heretic Osmithariel"

Ninety-nine of the paradox angels were maintained by the time machine in the Paradox Land. Ninety-nine beings which would return to the beginning of their kind's existence, purified, every time they fell. Some Watcher had the smart idea to steal their idea of a form, and become angel number one hundred.

Gnallakei's form was plainly an imitation the moment it was sensed, for organic materials replaced the pristine metal of the true Angels. Its wings were great, feathered things, thirty metres wide and covered in an elaborate pattern of moss to simulate the filigree designs on the wings of true angels. Its heart did not glow, but sucked in light, so that the eyes inside its featureless wooden head were pits of blackness. For a cloak, it had an otherwise pointless growth of soot-blackened skin, hairless and thin, sensitive to the slightest touch. It was no angel, but it knew the sorceries of the Watchers, and that made it more dangerous than even these immortals - at least, it did at this point in time.

Soon after its emanation into the world, Gnallakei spoke with the angel Osmithariel, about the meaning of life and the possible purpose of an existence which would last across eternity. This talk was not entirely fruitless, for Osmithariel was convinced in this way to dedicate this incarnation to tasks other than those of Chron; it flew across the world, defacing objects of natural beauty, tarring them with the sorcerous runes that would make them into foci for the power of the Watchers. This act of rampant change for the sake of fuelling rampant change was not initially seen as an act of war, for there were only ninety-eight other angels and they had other things to work on; it was, however, not looked kindly upon, resulting in this incarnation being shunned.

5 points: Create Demigod (Cthachabo the Pillar of Flesh)

An additional High Pillar began to agglomerate from the bottom of the sea of pillars. Or rather, this was what it looked like from the Grid Forest, or from the First Archipelago; in fact, it was not remotely of the same stuff as those geological structures. Instead, those who looked closer upon it would see thousands of enormous dragon heads, piled high in circles, a grasping draconic talon on top of each head and another between each pair of heads in a circle, all connected to what appeared to be a pillar-shaped mound of flesh inside. Each head was capable of speech, or of breathing fire, if anything dared come close enough. This hideous being was the emanation of the Watcher Cthachabo, and how the world would react remained to be seen.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4344495/) +3 Cults = 15
Power rollover: Nothing!
Total 15 points

0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Warriors 1) to destroy the Hothrid Cult of Centrum "The Servants of the Dragons"

0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Shamans 1) to destroy the Hothrid Cult of the Watchers

0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Warriors 1) to defend the Grid Forest

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command City (Ferratum) to Raise Army (Ferratum Marines)

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Order in the Tsarag-Thaun (Yenmor the Ancient)

1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat) to Command Order (Yenmor the Ancient) to Raise Army (Battle Colony 1 "Iskenderun")

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command Race (Tsarag-Thaun) to Create City (Necropolis) at the bottom of the Ziggurat Sea

5 points: Create Demigod (Gnallakei the False Angel)

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Create Cult in the Yet-Olong Angels "The Heretic Osmithariel"

5 points: Create Demigod (Cthachabo the Pillar of Flesh)

0 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

In the early years of this great new age, the dragons conducted great expansion. The city of Omniscentrum was no longer enough for the masses of civilized dragons, and they overflowed into the surrounding pillars.

They moved into the land of the tribes, who lived as they had for thousands upon thousands of years, killing those who attempted to resist their advance. While Evincere and the other leaders of Omniscentrum did not all will it, this slaughter did occur, carried out by countless civilian and military dragons. It was barbaric, but it paved the way for a unified dragon kingdom. Eventually, dragons of the Queen lived in all corners of the pillars, very few tribes holding any power at all.

The dragons, in these militaristic campaigns, were beginning to refine their ability to use their natural talent of flight. Eventually, treatises were carved into the walls of the pillars, detailing techniques for effective flight, both in combat and elsewhere. Dragons trained in these techniques could fly faster than others, maneuver with greater skill, dodge projectile attacks like the tribesmen's breaths, and naturally recognise how best to attack with one's claws from the air.

The dragon armies of Omniscentrum were all trained in the advanced use of these techniques, though all dragons took to learning them from a young age in this time. Dragons felt that learning to better their abilities in flight was of great practical use. It was useful in war, yes, but dragons flew for much of their lives, and the ability to speed up and enhance flight was something few dragons would turn down.


Matercula was a lonely dragon. She had no friends, and no lovers. She gazed for years off of surfaces of the pillars, in deep thought. She felt unlike the other dragons. Her true feelings lied in another form.

This was because she was no dragon. She had the appearance of one: a great purple, scaled beast that breathed breath of the coldest ice. Yet she was no dragon.

One day, she no could no longer take the loneliness and freely fell from a pillar into the sea below. Yet even in a time of sleep, beings such as the Axis are watching and may act. As she fell, she began shedding her scales, which became a magical robe. She was then dropped lightly into the water, which she was able to swim out of fairly easily.

She was the first of the Caetus, their mother.

The Caetus were dragons that could shed their bulky skin and take the form of humans. While human they are as weak as they are, but also as maneuverable and small and can more easily seduce smaller races to their bidding. The Caetus had a higher disposition for magic than most dragons and placed great value on less physical attributes that they could manifest in both draconic and human forms.

The Caetus have a similar diet to the dragons,though if absolutely necessary, they could also consume the food that other races ate and it would nourish them somewhat. Still, they had to seek out places of great mineral richness at times to keep their strength up.

The Caetus bloodline is dominant, and if a dragon and a Caetus dragon breed, the result is almost always Caetus. This is how Matercula continued her original lineage. Her ability was unique among all the dragons at the time, and such an exotic skill allowed her to choose most any dragon as a mate, and she chose many, including the notoriously virile Incen (Though not all myths prove true).

While the Caetus were welcomed by the dragons who could hardly tell that they were different and often respected their unique talents, they began to develop an identity and community of their own, families of Caetus dragons living together without interacting with the older race. These dragons began to explore the area around the pillars for a suitable place for dragons that was far enough away to create a new society, yet all the land nearby was infertile and covered in plants and frail animal life. These creatures were no sustenance for dragons.

Once in their searches, they came across a miraculous sight, a black city in the clouds, perfect for their human forms, and beautiful. It at fist seemed to lack any form of sustenance, but the Caetus still explored it, as it offered great opportunity. The morphing sky city could be a refuge for them as they traveled throughout Neyla in search of a new land.

Yet once they began examining the place, they found it ripe with a strange, purple liquid. This liquid was tasted by the more adventurous, who gained great magical power and took on a purple hue, among other effects. Seeing little to fear from this liquid, the others also drank of it, and it was used as a supplement to the dragons' meals. They could survive for years without gems on the sheer magical power of the liquid. The city became known by the dragons as Conchylium, the city of the purple dragons, aptly so, as few dragons within the city were not touched by the liquid.

The city was ruled by the great Caetus dragon, Matercula, mother of all Caetus, who controlled the city with the help ofher devoted dragon guards, who were quite talented in the arts of flight. Their order became known as the Imperators.

The great traditions of the Church of the Primordial Dragon were continued by a new branch in Conchylium. They preached to their fellow Caetus that the great dragon took mercy upon their great mother Matercula, whose misplacement was so tragic, and himself molded her into her current form, as did he for all the Caetus. The Caetus find comfort in the knowledge that they have a place in the primordial's eye, though they are different than the ancient dragons.

The original church has few qualms with the new church's ideas, and many believe the same in Omniscentrum, though the much higher pure dragon population makes the preaching of this rare, as it is considered exotic information and fairly irrelevant.


Like the Hothrids and others, Pervetus woke once again above the magma pits, forming himself from a giant mass of magma and rock. His impressiveness in this place was enough to inspire worship, but he sought more than this, offerings, and the recognition of inferiority to the dragons.

These beings were pale imitations of the great dragons, and were easy to turn. They had many of the traits of dragons, but... they were weak as individuals. They lacked the dragons' awesome power, and so were made to do the rites yearly, as the others had.


The time of the awakening was upon the world of Neyla. All was as it should be.

But the code was broken.

The code demanded that a quota of souls be met. The absorption was paramount for the ultimate end. Yet the watchers allowed their children to persecute those who would follow old traditions, torturing them into conformity. They unleashed the dark one upon the world.

From the spot where the great pillar fell from the sky in ages past, the land now known as the Land of Seven Rivers, erupted a force of utter insanity. It was a force of utter blackness, not like the shadow of the beings to the north, but embodying the concept of blackness to the length that gazing into its depths would cause the viewer to be filled with its blackness and lose their own reality, becoming blackness themselves, black within their minds, blank and hollow of sense.

The being took shape, but never for more than a moment. It constantly formed between various shapes, at one moment a monstrous being of tentacles, and at the next a reaper, the next a deathly angel, a dragon, a hobbit, a man, a woman. It had no preferred form, and so was always shifting.

The only constant was the horrific nature of the being, born of the code's turmoil. It was a servant of the Axis, an agent of vengeance, and a tool with which to achieve it. Not one that the code recommended, but necessary now, thanks to the watchers who are not content with watching.

The Dark One grinned as it saw the fertile land that stood all around it.

"This looks like... so much fun," she said to everyone in the world, "Such creative gods must live in this world. I can't wait to meet them."

"Now," he said, picking up a fish from one of the rivers with his claw, "die."

The fish began to dehydrate and slowly died in the tentacles of the Dark One.

Slowly, a taint spread from the Dark One into the land below it, which began to change. The grass died, as the ground became hard as diamonds. Actually, much of the ground was diamonds, and ruby and sapphire. The entire of the Land of Seven Rivers turned to hard gemstone, killing much of its ecosystem, and poisoning the rivers with the mercury and cinnabar that made up the now red peak where the Dark One rested awhile, pleased with her deed.

The day came. Deep beneath the surface of the earth, the great pillar awoke from its sleep. And what it saw when its eye opened brought what may have been sorrow to the being.

"The code requires this one to mention, you have awoken, Dark One?" it spoke unto its child.

"Oh, that's what you're calling me? Lame. Worst dad ever," it replied.

"We have failed again."

"Pretty much, daddy-o."

"Then it begins once more. Though, this destruction was not in the code. You will merely provoke the gods of this world. It is foolish."

The Dark One merely turned away, putting her fingers in his ears, pretending not to hear.
Centrum had more important things to deal with than the Dark One now. The being became above the land of the Hothrids, the "Grid Forest", as some called it, in the form of the idea of a flying hothrid. Of course, this idea was unreal, and those who gazed upon it were brought to insanity. This was irrelevant.

Centrum spoke to all creatures, "Creatures of Neyla, the code requires this one to inform you that it has been made a mockery of by the Hothrids, who would destroy cult A. As dictated by the code, they shall be removed from existence and made into codex material, then brought into line with the code so that it might continue as planned."

He spoke only to the Hothrids now, "The code requires this one to warn you of your incoming punishment. The entirety of the Grid Forest shall become a facet of the Codex, that which allows comprehension of the code's workings. You shall not die, but will become unreal, as will all of the Grid Forest. Do not worry that you will not be adequately punished. I assure you that this will hurt."

Centrum paused momentarily, at which many Hothrids stood in silent fear of what would happen, the only sounds in Caelurum being the incessant squeals of those already driven to insanity.

From Centrum's mouth poured out an endless sheet of what appeared to be luminous parchment. This parchment slowly reached down to Caelurum, where it grabbed the leg of one Hothrid, who was raised above the others, and slowly covered with it until he could be seen no longer, and the paper continued past him and took another, and another, each time branching off once more than the last time, until hundreds of thousands of strands covered the people of Caelurum, the surrounding lands, and all of the grid forest and all within it.

Slowly, the Hothrids felt their existence slipping away, that which still existed almost dying from its sparseness. The pain was excruciating and beyond this, all sense of identity was lost, as all Hothrids, the trees, the insects, the ground, all in the Grid Forest became the same thing until only the idea of it as a whole remained, no detail, only a snapshot of the forest remained.

From outside the area could be seen nothing. Not blankness and not a hole, not a vortex or similar, but nothing.

Evincere was aware of this event—how could she not be? The dragons could see the forest's destruction from their pillars.

Evincere turned to a new recruit. She did not want to send him in so early, but he had proven quite powerful in training, more so than even the four knights. He was a massive dragon so large that he could not fit in the tunnels. His wingspan was easily the width of one of the smaller pillars, and this was among the reasons that she chose him.

He was ordered to rescue as many Hothrids as possible. They may not look kindly upon the dragons after this happening, but they can at least be salvaged. Evincere did not want to see a race be lost like this. This was her action, not that of the primordial one. She was unsure whether it was what he desired, but she had to do it.

Erue descended from the pillars to the Grid Forest where he searched for survivors. He was a swift flyer, and had arrived early enough that many were still untouched. Yet even as he spoke to them, telling them that he would carry them to safety, so many refused to come with him. In the end, only 200 desperate Hothrids were saved. By the time he reached the nearest shoreline to the south and deposited them, it was over, and he could no longer risk returning to the forest, which was there no longer.

The Hothrids were lost and horrified at the event that occurred and Erue was uncertain as to what to do then. He could have returned to Evincere, and it was his duty to do so, but he remained for some time to watch from afar as the Hothrids attempted to build temporary settlements from what little they had left.

This somewhat uplifting scene was interrupted as the great dragon, Pervetus, rose from the depths of the Border Sea that now bordered nothing. Erue watched silently as Pervetus spoke to the Hothrids, telling them of their grave mistake, telling them to continue their old ways.

While many were moved by this alone, Erue spoke to them as well, he said, "The dragons did not intend for this to happen, but it may be a good idea to listen to him for now. Look at what has happened. If this is the result of casting aside that cult, is it not worth it to continue the practice, if only to prevent further destruction?"

Many Hothrids would never dream of worshiping the dragons after what had happened, but Erue did save many of them, and many saw the downfall of the forest as an opportunity to go back to the old ways where they would not be able to before. The dragon cult was reborn, and continued its secretive meetings every year. Erue remained nearby and watched the Hothrids who did so, waiting to strike at those who might suppress them.

Roll: 2d6+2+102=110 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345047/)

(I believe I still get the Hothrid Cult's bonus this round?)

Advance Civilization, Dragons, in "Flight" (as in techniques for advanced flying), -5

Command Race, Dragons, ingrain "Flight", -4

Create Subrace of Dragons: Caetus (dragons that take the form of humans by removing scaled coats, usually live atop the High Pillars among the dragons), -4

Command Pervetus, Create Cult in the Xan'aca, -1

Command Race, Caetus, Create City, "Conchylium" on the cloud lands of Ravi, -4

Form Alliance, Caetus and Dragons, -4 x 2 (Not specifically mentioned in the fluff)

Command Conchylium, Raise Army, "The Imperators", -1

Create Demigod, "Matercula", -5

Command Army, The Imperators, Defend Conchylium

Command Matercula, Inhabit Conchylium -1

Create Demigod, "The Dark One", -5

Command The Dark One, Inhabit the Land of Seven Rivers, -1

Shape Land, Land of Seven Rivers, into the same land, only entirely made of fine gemstones, and the water in the rivers to become slightly infused with acidic compounds from the gems, -5

Catastrophe, 1'', The Grid Forest Becomes Codex material. 200 Hothrids barely escape, crossing the Grid Sea to the South. The rest become subreal, as does Caelurum, essentially being destroyed (technically they become ideas, but they cannot be returned to physical form by normal means). -10

Create Cult of Hothrids, -6

Command Evincere, Command Order, Church of the Primordial Dragon, Raise Army, "Erue, Savior of the Hothrids", -1

Command Erue, defend Cult of the Hothrids

Command Dragons, Settle the High Pillars, -4

Command Caetus, Settle the cloud city of Ravi (assumably, it's 1 inch), -4

Create Order of the Caetus, 2nd Church of the Primordial Dragon, -6

Left: 35
Law Bonus: 0
Cult Bonus (Next): 3

[Elemental]

Roll: 17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345167/) + 3 = 20

Action and Salvation

Centrum in his singleminded pursuit of code had struck at the Hothrid, essentially erasing the vast majority of their race and over ten million years of history and tradition. However, hope still existed, and the intervention of The Inevitable assured that they would be granted salvation. But not just yet, perhaps not for centuries.
As the Grid Forest was poised to be consumed by the Codex, another power instead stripped it from the surface of time and reality, leaving the bare fabric to be turned to the Codex. Alas, The Inevitable's mastery of time was less than that of Chron's and The Grid Forest, its trees, its animals, its people, its settlements, the Leaenas, Caelurum and the great works of the Hothrid, were sequestered between realities, frozen in time to await their restoration.


The Land of Seven Rivers - An Earthly Paradise

Well. It was. Another had altered it. The soil was replaced with crystal that could not support the trees and flowers that had previously been sustained by it. They began to die cut off from nutrients and poisoned by the now acidic rivers and the animals began to starve. A most objectionable being had taken up residence in this former garden realm, and The Inevitable would see it banished forever.
A brilliant opalescent mist rose up from the ground, restoring the transmuted rock and soil to its original form before gathering around the Dark One. It ate at the creature, consuming its physical form and the anchors that allowed it to remain on Neyla. Though the destruction of The Dark One was beyond that, it was soon forced to the Codex where it would remain evermore.


Desperate Times Call For Moving Up the Timeline

Desperately threatened by recent events with the majority of his mortal power base so easily removed, The Inevitable felt a considerable desire to establish a new one, one less likely to be so readily swept aside. To this end, he called upon his remaining avatar, and Khavaran knew how best to interpret its creators wishes.
With great dexterity, the Thing in the Darkness stretched its tendrils all the way into the city of Omniscentrum itself, now was not the time for subtle whisperings after all. So easy it would be for it to just seize their minds, but that would defeat its purpose and make it no greater than the evil it strove to combat. But in any case, the ways of the Dragons and Centrum's policies in regards to them made the task of converting them no difficult feat.
In but a few short years, secret meetings turned to secret assemblies, and then not so secret assemblies, and then outright proselytising. Whether the dragon authorities liked it or not, The Inevitable's words had been heard and there were those who had listened.
There was a power above the false god Pervetus, and his way was both noble and Inevitable.


The Aftermath

With the Grid Forest destroyed, millions of years of history and culture were gone. Ferratum was now the only surviving centre of Caeluran civilisation. But now there were no distant Queens, and the learned ways of the capital were perhaps gone forever.
However, a single member of the Royal Academy survived. One of only a few to survive the loss of the Grid Forest, Lectia Libra brought with her a few books and in time took on students. The remainder of her life was spent between teaching and compiling a record of all she remembered of the now lost homeland and the city of Caelurum and the transcribing from memory all she had learned from her time at the original Academy.
On her death, she left her small library to the city of Ferratum and it formed the basis of a new academy, a continuation of the old without the word Royal in its title.


Starting Power: 20

Event: The Grid Forest and everything within is sequestered away awaiting restoration.

Event: The Dark One is banished to the Codex.

Shape Land: The Land of Seven Rivers is restored to its original state.

Command Avatar (Khavarum): Create Order: The Assembly of the Noble Path.

Remaining Power: None. Damn...

[5a Violista]

Cearta and Fel

Fel watched the assault and destruction and howled in pleasure.
The Black Wolf was attracted by the Dark One's presence, and moved towards it. He was disappointed to find the Dark One gone by the time he arrived there, but when he looked around the place, he noticed The Shadows, created from his own darkness. He went among them - they looked so much like him, he figured: the same darkness, the same glowing red eyes...the biggest difference, however, was that darkness followed him. If he was around The Shadows for too long, they would eventually dissolve in Fel's darkness.

While he was there, though, he organized some of them together into an assassin's guild, after his own thoughts: to cause anarchy and disorder. Every few years, a member of this order would assassinate one of the current pack leaders of The Shadows' city.


Cearta thought of the battles to come and smiled: With this offense by one of the gods, there would soon be many battles and struggles across the world.

She decided to prepare for these battles; so she started climbed the pillars where the dragons were. Sure, they took a long time - but it was worth it. She saw the creation of the Caetus, how Matercula became something different from the other dragons. At that moment, the anarchic dragon cultists were performing a dark ritual to increase their power in Black Magic; Cearta redirected their ritual with a swish of her tails. Instead of the power reaching them, this Black Magic had blessed Matercula's womb; all of her children would be naturally proficient with the curses and harming rituals of Black Magic, as if they had been born under Fel's Moon.

After many years, while several Caetus were growing, she approached some of them and conversed with them about their nature and their powers and the world. When they grew, she called them her Knights of Strife: holy knights who took vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world.


Heovma
When Centrum approached and gave his code to the Hothrid, Heovma was hunting in their Grid Forest. She felt Centrum coming, so she (the white coyote) started fleeing before his first words reached the Hothrid. She didn't have time to completely flee the forest before he began turning everything into code.

The Parchment of the Code had covered the entire forest. Even though the code reached around her, it had no effect on her; after all, you can't remove the existence from something that didn't exist in the first place.

Heovma left the codified forest, and went looking for someplace else to hunt.


The Hothrid Cult

A couple of the Hothrid who escaped were members of the cult started by Fel. Outside of the Grid Forest, they continued their practices: rituals during the night, practices of Dark Magic, and spreading anarchy and a healthy fear of the wild. After this incident, however, at least one of their rituals became more public (Probably so the membership could return to normal levels): every eleventh year, they had a large parade through public areas, called the "Parade of Light" where they brought along lights and wore costumes of frightening canine creatures.


4 + 2d6=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345308/) + 5 + 3 = 17

(4) Command Race(The Shadows): Ingrain Technology: Form Reflection
[What happen when you ingrain a political tech?]
(5) Advance Civilization (Caetus): in Black Magic [Combat tech]
(5) Create Demigod: The Son of Chaos

(1) Command Avatar(Fel): Create Order(The Dark Blade [assassins]) among The Shadows
(1) Command Avatar(Cearta): Create Order(Knights of Strife) among the Caetus

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4343492/)
Current Power Points: 14

Akitriel stood upon the slopes of the Iron Mountains, it's eyes a silvery blue staring out of a featureless orb of iridium which vibrated on occasion, and served as Akitriel's head. Wings of steel, seven meters in total span, where folded behind it's back. It's cloak was of blue steel, and it wore it's hood back, while it's body was like battle armor, made of steel, but with iridium paths cutting back and forth through it in sharp patterns, centered upon the iridium globe which was it's head. Out there, it felt more than saw the acts of Omnithariel, as it went about and turned the world towards the Watchers. It had been sent by the others to watch after the wandering one, to find what it was doing. Akitriel had succeeded, after a short time of watching, only perhaps two thousand years, and now extended it's hands, willing a few particles between them to suddenly become entangled with others, far away, across Neyla.

Other creatures would perceive only a faint humming, or a clicking like that of some tiny insect, but the Yet-Olong would feel the particles fizzling, being forced to change and reconnect, as Akitriel manipulated them. Across the world, before dozens of it's fellows, they were receiving the message as entangled particles before them spelled out the physical speech of the Yet-Olong: [Omnithariel had chosen to align itself with the Watchers upon this existence through time. It is quiet in it's alignment, so it should be granted space to act as it sees fit. Shall one of the Watcher's minions seek to direct wrath against the Yet-Olong, then perhaps we shall imprison Omnithariel. Before such coming to pass, Akitriel recommends against action.] There wasn't precisely anger at this, but the Yet-Olong did not feel the need to listen to the Watchers, if an entire angel had decided to commit entirely to them this early on.

Far away, Osmakia and Aki stood upon the Jade Mountains, atop a cliff which plunged straight into the depths of the Abyssal Sea.

Osmakia was a particularly tall Yet-Olong. Where others stood two and a half meters tall, it was three. This height was magnified by it's thinness, as it's steel wings were only two meters wide when unfurled, it's platinum and steel body was lanky and long, and it's tungsten sheet cloak hung low, dragging the ground. It's light was a brown light, as if it were glowing dirt, and this light shown as eyes, out of a head which was a featureless, head-shaped diamond.

Aki was the only Yet-Olong which was composed almost entirely of gold, it's head being a generally head-shaped mass of pure gold, but without nose or other features beyond it's green eyes, the green of sunlight shining through an oak leaf in summer. It's wings were also gold, and fourteen meters in total wingspan, giving Aki a impressive presence when they were unfurled. It's body was purest gold as well, but thin, and frail, hidden beneath a, long, sweeping cloak of dark tungsten sheet.

These two tungsten-cloaked angels were more scholars than warriors, and spent most of their time in contemplation of their own memories, sifting through the infinite span of their past for information that might help them in their present, but certain observations in the present would help bring certain memories to the surface, so they might be fully remembered. For example, as they stood there, Aki wondered what lay at the bottom of this stormy ocean, and suddenly it recalled seeing it, as it had drifted too deep: ice. However, it was not ice from the cold, but from the pressure. Mneomri, meanwhile, far away in the Domain, led it to think of what caused the pressure, guiding it's mind down towards a certain memory, and eventually Aki came to a concept, which it shared with Osmakia via the crackling voice of the Yet-Olong: [Gravity.]

This concept awoke a specific art they had once possessed. A complex extension of their natural control of the universe at the subatomic scale. They did not recall the arts that had led up to this technology, nor anything that had come after it, but they did recall the art itself: Gravity control.

The two angels communicated this memory back to the other ninety seven angels, including Omnithariel, for they were nothing if not a single race, and soon the Yet-Olong were testing their memories, causing boulders to float, weightless, or increasing gravity to make an object weight more halfway after it was thrown, resulting in more damage. They also were practicing maneuvering massive slabs of minerals, some almost half a kilometer long, into structures and shrines. They used localized gravity to crush coal into diamonds or to hold water in ice form. Likewise, gravity could be used to summon objects from far away, or to force small objects to fall into orbit around the Yet-Olong, or fire object away from them at high speeds.

Not all were focused upon practicing this returned memory and recovering lost skill, however. Asaffium, for example, was more concerned with the plight of the Hothrids, and had ventured into the heart of Ferratum, it's eyes glowing white-grey out of it's oblong head, which was comprised of lead with veins of platinum upon it's surface. It's wings were made of tungsten and extend nineteen meters across, being some of the widest of the Yet-Olong, and wide enough to cover the entire square from where Asaffium stood, draping onto the surrounding buildings. It wore the hood of it's platinum cloak down, a platinum cloak which was sparse, revealing beneath an unusually feminine body of tungsten and platinum arranged in no discernible pattern.

Solagus and S̏uwevum floated in the sky, high above, not flying but instead practicing their control of gravity, as they watched the scene, waiting to see it Asaffium would need assistance.

Solagus's light was a dark green, like the color of a pine tree, which shone out of a helmet of copper rusted to green. It's cloak was made of lead, and was marked with star patterns and wave patterns in homage to Leau. It's wings were eight meters in span, and were made of lead. It's body was feminine like Asaffium, but clearly more tuned toward combat than the white-grey Tel-Olong far below, for it's body was primarily lead, with only a chest of green copper to match it's head.

S̏uwevum's light was also green, but the green of brackish, algae-filled water, and was almost blue-green. It's head, like that of Akitriel, was a perfect sphere, but this one made of steel. It's body was made of pure silver, and masculine in structure, while it's wings were seven meters across and also made of silver, but with golden tips. It's cloak was copper rusted to green, like the body of it's companion, Solagus.

The two green Yet-Olong watched as Asaffium raised it's hand and made the air around it crackle for a moment, before reverberating to create sound. The Hothrids looking on would have only described it as a powerful voice, like as if lightning spoke, "Fellow denizens of Neyla. I am Asaffium, a member of the Yet-Olong, creations of the Chron pantheon, and I come to extend you my deepest sympathy for your recent calamity. The pillar, Centrum, the originator of this blight, is often blind to what is to come of it's own actions. Know that you are not alone. Many gods have favored you, though perhaps not the stewards of time. However, the creation of the stewards, Asaffium, has deemed to come and inform you, that while they might not deem their intervention in your existence necessary, they might still grant you favor, should you seek out their other creations, and draw their eye your way. Do not seek the Yet-Olong, for, though I seek to aid you, I am but a single angel, and many of my kin wish to remain alone to a great time longer. However, go to the south, past the land of hexagons, and then past the rivers, mountains, and forests, and then across the windy desolation, and you may come across another servant of the stewards. Do not fear it, and speak to it, if you seek a further ally. However, I caution you to be patient. Very patient."

With that, Asaffium left, while Solagus relayed what had been done to the other angels. Osmakia and Aki in particular were rather condemning of this tampering of timelines.



Far away, upon the immense cloud of Ravi, a figure emerged, just outside the edges of Chochylium. It was immense, easily twenty times as tall as the nearest building to it, made of obsidian flesh, with a plate of tungsten placed upon it's chest, and runes glowing red spreading along it's legs and arms. It's face was devoid of nose or mouth, but it's eyes glowed with the same red light as it's runes. At first, the Caetus were fearful, and, perceiving it as a threat, they attempted to threaten it and tell it to leave. It didn't even seem to notice them, so they attempted to attack it and drive it off. It didn't respond at first, but after a month, it was slowly waving it's hands to rid itself of the smoke. After a month of continual siege against the Colossi, it finally stumbled, still confused and began to wander away from the heat and attack. After it had left, it was deemed to, while immense in size, it was not any real threat, seeing as it hadn't even been aware enough to counterattack, and so it was allowed to escape.

After ten years of wandering, the Colossi came to the edge of Ravi, and saw the land below. Smaller than the Domain, but far more vibrant. It took five years before it decided to jump, despite the fact that the ground was moving by incredibly quickly from it's perspective, landing in the ocean, just some way east of where the Lover's river emptied out, causing a tsunami and multiple earthquakes around the world from where it collided with the ground.

Slowly, it wandered up onto the land, and, each footstep a tremor, began to walk inland across the desert just north of the Lover's Respite.



Ke'Keo had been silent for a long time, contemplating Nysatek's true form, while the Bodiless simple existed in wait. At long last, the owl god spoke, "You are single creature in a single moment. The moment of endings. A scream, a memory, a lifetime. The intense increase of awareness that comes when something impermanent passes. There are no possibilities, not to you. There is only the death that you exist in. Yet, from you, comes a lifetime of possibilities, yet they all lead to you. Your children should be as this, without past, without future, existing only in the moment they live for. Such creatures may be beyond the ken of other mortals, however, and I would have to commune with my sibling, Zeh'Zerin, of a way to make such a creature viable.

"It is a strange thing you are, though, simultaneously a member of changing and a member of the unchanging. Perhaps your nature would add balance to the existence of we, the stewards, improve the pantheon as a whole. I would not ask you to come over to the Domain, for I know you are a Watcher, but might you perhaps might favor me with an era of close communion, so that I might create a child with some of your nature? Such a child would have already been created were I the direct child of the Speaker, but my existence is diluted, and I require a commitment of time in order to expand upon the stewardship of time."

However, Ke'Keo underestimated it's own power, for even now, before the existence of the child had even been agreed upon, it was acting. Still bodiless, still without awareness, it swept across the last remaining Volcanic Wasteland in the north, and impulsively filled it in, much to Leau's shock. It's plan for the Topaz Waste had been ruined in that instant, and the lead deity immediately recognized the threat the unborn child posed as it realized where this action had originated from.

However, it would not attack the child before it had even been conceived, but instead, would counteract it, attempting to bring it's own child forth to reassert balance to the Chron pantheon, for this coming deity of Ke'Keo's would indeed unbalance it. Leau went south, to where the Inevitable watched the subreality that had once been the Grid Forest, "Greetings, End of Time. I know I seek you out at a poorly chosen time, but the progression of my kin can wait no longer, for it is dangerously close to imbalance. Not to mention, I know your power, and know you can follow multiple paths simultaneously. Have you decided if you will grant the stewards a child of your progeny?"

5 points on Shape Land to extend the Topaz Wastes and the White Wilderness towards each other until they meet, and then extending the Whitewater Sea to fill in the last bit of the map.

5 points to Advance the Yet-Olong with Gravity.

0 points to Command Those Who Speak With Gods to Miracle and transplant the first ever Colossi onto Neyla: Mai'a'ai Vaooooon.

Current Power Points: 4
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345784/)


Map
http://i.imgur.com/zqur2tX.jpg


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img191/6439/45no.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

There was thunder and there were blasts beneath the waters of the Boiling Sea, as Iskenderun teleported there and slaughtered the Dualists with mighty conjurations. No longer would Oalei and Hothrid be drowned to sate the thirst of Tsarag-Losh. No longer would completely selfish colonies persist, with their doctrine of being greater than their own component vermin.

The Thaun largely remained fallow, never advancing their arts of Translocation past the point required for simple movement, the majority of successful Thaun colonies being too large to be simply carried by their Los-ndelai components. However, not all of them could actually move by teleporting - Necropolis was simply too large for her spells to launch the entirety of her being in one jump. However, banishment was actually slightly harder than normal translocation, so this meant she could not be banished all in one swoop. She capitalised on this, coming to support upwards of ten times as many Los-ndelai as were actually necessary to operate her. This expendable population could be used to perform the many wards and counterspells which could defend Necropolis from the potential depradations of other, smaller Thaun, who might desire its skilled components or its hunting grounds.

Had Centrum merely increased the rate at which it stole pieces of soul, its cults might have prospered in safety, even as it dared to infect the Xan'aca - yes, L'zot'aca screamed bloody murder, but L'zot'aca was always angry, all the time, so it really did not mean a great deal. The losses from its devouring would be recouped by the actions of the Shedim, and the world would progress in an acceptable manner. However, its cults had demanded whole and pure souls, and had not adapted to the Watchers' new requirements; the barbaric ways of the past could no longer be tolerated.

It would not be easy to move against another deity directly, but Centrum had made it clear what its master race was. Orat'hoth argued that it would have to be Hothrid armies which performed the acts that must follow, for it was against Hothrid that Centrum had dared to act; Tsarag-Losh wished for it children to have their way, but L'zot'aca sided in favour of the wronged party being the ones to get their revenge. It was simply not possible for them to strike as swiftly as the wicked pillar-god had, for they had not slumbered for the past aeons, but prepared in a different fashion - indeed, some felt their preparations were not yet complete.

In order to better prepare for what must come, another Watcher was allowed to descend upon the Tropical Sea. When resting, Zamochar would take the form of a cyclone, a dangerous but entirely manageable part of the sea - indeed, some particularly brave Tsarag-thaun sailed through the Zamochar storm as a test of their machismo. However, over a time scale that only a Colossi could hope to comprehend, Zamochar moved through the Tropical Sea across the world even when not called to act. Any person who truly sought to begin the spells of banishing that would rid this cyclone from the world would see the anger of this minor Watcher manifest, for it could control not only the position and speed of its watery body, but the temperature, creating instant icy spikes on demand or turning into steam to fill a being's lungs before becoming water again and drowning them.

Nysatek felt the cries and screams of the Hothrid, as Centrum lashed out against them. Had these Hothrid merely died, it might have been more pleased, for then there would be Death, and then more souls would enter the cycle of reincarnation - and more Shedim would be born from some of their souls. However, its attention was in part enthralled by Ke'Keo before it, who had put such work into attracting it, and openly offered to grant it a child.

Well, as its child was to be part of Chron's pantheon rather than another Watcher, it was fair to expect the Chron half to bear the burden. Its gaseous form enveloped the brass owl, on planes within and beyond mortal reach, as an incarnation of free will and possibilities was infected with the power of the winds and the inevitable change from living to dead, from freshly dead to being consumed by other life.

This union lasted for one night, before Nysatek departed to attend council, and determine how the Watchers would react to the evil of the Codex.

L'zot'aca itself was magnanimous regarding the Xan'aca cult - it was quite a way away from the Dragons, and therefore striking at it would be sending forces in a different direction to the main thrust of the campaign. It was not L'zot'aca, but the weaker Hamalat who demanded its destruction - indeed, who demanded formal permission to personally slaughter the new cult, and in this way deny souls to the Codex. Surprised by this ferocity, the Lord of Matter granted this permission, and the Pale Tribe manifested in the Magma Pits.

Mortal Hothrid would have died within days from the heat of the bridges, but the Pale Tribe showed no difficulty as it dived into the magma, to tear the throat out of each Xan'aca which dared to make sacrifices to the Dragons. Once again, guided by the wisdom of the numberless Watchers, Hamalat only slaughtered the hard core of the cult, those who could hope to keep it going through adversity; the less devoted members
were swayed through less extreme means. The Xan'aca began to form a society in this time, for by safety in numbers they could protect their people from the cultists; in this way the cultists were denied scrifices, and without sacrifices, they ultimately died out.

It hadn't even taken any active supernatural power, either - the Pale Tribe was almost disappointed. Almost.

Though both the Ferratum Marines and the Great Horde were guided by the Watchers, Ferratum itself was ultimately the Inevitable's project, and would not immediately benefit from the Watchers' manipulation of that society. As the Hothrid spilled into the Hexagon Steppes, and the restored Land of Seven Rivers, they constructed three important weapons of war, with which they would begin preparations to eliminate their enemies.

One, the Witch Boats, nautical carriages in the style popularised by Ferratum, but covered with runes which allowed them to sail safely through impossibly stormy waters and take part in colossal works of sorcery. These would allow the mass spells of flight that would allow a Hothrid to do battle with a Dragon on their home turf.

Two, the Ironworks, in which smithing was formally and quickly taught, and from which came the many spear heads with which dragon hide would be pierced, as well as suits of mail which would prevent dragon claws or jaws from cutting into Hothrid flesh.

Three, a set of towers which erupted across the savannah, each one home to a powerful Hothrid sorcerer who claimed dominion of at least some of the area the tower surveyed. The Towers of the Sorcerers allowed for the most coordinated instruction in sorcery since the thanatology college of Caelurum, but for the time being these secrets were kept within the Great Horde, and the "new way" Hothrids were left to find their own path. After all, the art of Watcher sorcery was not especially compatible with the art of Thanatology - it was akin to expecting a good swimmer to also be a good woodcutter, they both trained general mental acuity but shared essentially no principles.

With these preparations, a new army of holy warriors formed, crusaders who would give their lives to oppose the will of the hated Dragons.

Cthachabo's entire height shimmered, and disappeared from its current position to instead hang above Erue's nest. As the Pillar of Flesh had no wings, and was in any case quite unaerodynamic, it ought to have fallen, but it was a Watcher, not a fully material being, and therefore not subject to all the laws of reality.

The upper half of its countless maws spoke terrible incantations, which were matched by the gestures of all of its millions of arms, opening a series of almost invisible portals beneath the most devoted of the mad cultists - and also beneath the less devoted, and those who merely had failed to slaughter the cult themselves, for Cthachabo was not as merciful as most Watchers.

The lower half of its maws repeated a simple mantra, all at once. Not actually a mantra of any particular power, but simply a bald statement of the purpose with which it acted. This statement was made in many different tunes at many different scales, in many different voices which should not have harmonised yet somehow did, a piercing sopranino like an infant's scream, a lilting sing-song alto in sync with a tuneless bitter hissing, a melodic tenor chant, a booming bass, and a guttural roar. All spoke the same words, all at the same time.

"Death to the Codex! Death to the Code! Death to the Codex! Death to the Code!"

The 'saved' Hothrid, made slaves to the very same evil they had been 'saved' from, were fortunate to have Erue as a protector - though her one mouth could not hope to speak as quickly as the one-being chorus that was the Pillar of Flesh, her speech had much more might behind it than any one of the Watcher's maws, and one of her counterspells closed a thousand of Cthachabo's portals. Yet, this was not enough to protect the cult - one, then two, then myriad more rows of heads had to cease the mantra and join in the sorcerous incantations, so one, then two, then myriad more rows did exactly that, and a twentieth of the Pillar of Flesh yet chanted the malediction against Centrum when at last Erue's power was completely overwhelmed.

Her reserves of magic entirely spent, Erue resolved on a last, desperate tactic of physical force to hopefully distract the Pillar from the task of slaying her charges. Yet even as she began to close in, ten heads turned towards her and breathed fire, hot enough between them to melt dragon scales. Without magic to protect her, Erue was burnt to ash, and the 'saved' population of Hothrid completely overwhelmed.

A small number were spared, however, their portals ending in Ferratum, or the First Archipelago, or the fertile lands just south of that place. Those who had truly resisted the evil of Centrum even to the point of risking their own lives were rewarded with continued life, when the day of reckoning came. The rest were portalled directly into Cthachabo's maws, and torn to pieces before being devoured.

Many of the dragons were, independently of the Inevitable's influence, utterly horrified at the acts of their deity. Well, several of the dragons, since their kind were few in number compared to most. Defying Centrum's command that only Erue was to spare anyone, they worked to save more than the original two hundred, delivering fully one thousand refugees to Ferratum where they were welcomed. Certain that they were already pariahs in their home of the Pillars, these dragons dedicated their lives to aiding the Hothrid, making reparations for the crimes of their deity. Their mineral diet coincided nicely with mining operations, and their ability to guard the skies allowed the Hothrid to expand further and faster than land-bound scouting could have allowed. In return, the Crusaders of the Great Horde stayed their hand after all, and instead defended these Servants of the Hothrid, even permitting them to eat dead Hothrid who had in life volunteered.

Not coincidentally, the Servants of the Hothrid dedicated a little of their time to carving strange runes in the Savannah and the land of Hexagons, runes which siphoned energy from the very earth and gave it to the Watchers.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345182/) +3 Cults = 15
Power rollover: Nothing!
Total 15 points

0 points: Command Army (Battle Colony 1 "Iskenderun") to destroy the Tsarag-Thaun Cult of the Watchers

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Command City (Necropolis) to Raise Army (Necropolis Expendable Population)

5 points: Create Demigod (Zamochar the Cyclone)

1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat the Pale Tribe) to Terrorise the Xan'aca Cult of Centrum, destroying it unopposed

1 point: Command Demigod (Zamochar) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Create Structure (The Witch Boats)

1 point: Command Demigod (Gnallakei the False Angel) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Create Structure (The Ironworks)

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Create Structure (The Towers of the Sorcerers)

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Raise Army (Hothrid Crusaders 1)

1 point: Command Demigod (Cthachabo the Pillar of Flesh) to Terrorise the Hothrid Cult of Centrum, provoking the anger of Erue the Savior!
Cthachabo 4d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4346178/)
Erue 2d6+3=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4346179/)
Cthachabo wins! Erue destroyed. Hothrid Cult of Centrum destroyed.

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Create Cult in the Dragons "The Servants of the Hothrid"

0 points: Command Army (Hothrid Crusaders 1) to defend the Dragons Cult of the Watchers

3 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

*Takes the easy way out just to not lose my Chaos bonus in time*

The white coyote, the Black Wolf, and the Masked Fox continued about their business for a while: Heovma hunting in the wild, the Black Wolf planning anarchy, and the Masked Fox waiting in the Mirrored World for some poor fool else to pick up her mask again, as happens every so often.

In the Mirrored World, a new creature of chaos formed; like the Masked Fox, he appeared mostly human - except, with him, it was his entire head that was like a jackal. He carries around a flute through the wilderness there, playing for the many animals and plants and rocks to hear and dance to his enthralling music.



1 + 2d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348149/) + 5 + 3 = 19

(7+5+5) Create Avatar#3, a shirtless and muscular flute-playing, cape-wearing dancing jackal-headed person, which draws from myths about the jackal and the trickster musician Kokopelli. Name and exact personality pending.

Remainder: 2

Races I need to make: Soul bonding to animals, appearing like humans, and the pirate-people. I'll hold off making them until I have more time to write out a decent description, however.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4345784/)
Current Power Points: 18

The incarnation of that which is possible had mingled with the incarnation of death. Ke'Keo had hoped for something great from this meeting, and had seen possibilities, many possibilities, of time's will to move forward catching and turning the eternal memory of life, also known as death, and creating a balance, a deity which lived for the past and the future, for change and constancy. Yet, this was not what would actually come to pass. It was possible for this meeting to have led to such things, but it was not to be.

Even gods might experience death, and the day with Nysatek had taken a toll on Ke'Keo. Even now, it knelt within the Domain, it's flickering, intensely indigo eyes dim and black mist rose from the perfect mirror-coat of it's cloak. Kran Ze'In and Zeh'Zerin stood above, comforting it, while Chron worked it's power high above, guiding the energy of death cloying to the possible to detach, and become it's own entity.

Years, decades, centuries, millennia passed in the Domain, and Ke'Keo was upon the brink of fading into what it had been before, when Chron's power finally coaxed the new power into it's own shape, giving it just enough time to slip Ke'Keo into a deep sleep, which would preserve it, until the day might come that it might awaken once more.

Meanwhile, a new figure stood there. It's cloak a waterfall of some dark ichor similar to blood, falling from the bottom of it's head, a jackal skull encased in black smoke, with eyes of blinding green light shining out of empty eye sockets.

Looking down, Chron communed with this child creation, "Hello, fellow deity. I am your grand progenitor, Chron. We have been waiting for you to come into manifestation for some time, so might we be graced to know your name and reason to exist."

The jackal head looked up for a moment, but did not speak. The other deities present thought this an act of rebellion at first, but Chron understood, and repeated the question. This time, a moment passed, and the jackal communed back with it's name, "Iedo'Ino," but it did not speak of it's purpose, nor did it do so when Chron asked a third time.

Next time, Chron decided to take a different tact, "Greetings, Iedo'Ino. It has been some time since I last saw you. You remember me do you not? I am Chron."

Iedo'Ino did not react at first, but then responded, "Who is Iedo'Ino?"

Chron communed again, "Is your purpose a lack of past and a lack of future?"

Silence, then "I am Iedo'Ino. My purpose is the present."

"Master of the current moment, I speak to you. What further purpose do you possess?"

"Panic, lack of foresight and hindsight, recklessness."

Chron nodded, and with determination that any mortal would have scoffed at, accepted Iedo'Ino into it's will. Far away, Leau roared in outrage, for this new creation was it's precise opposite, a lack of plan, recklessness. Mneomri also trembled in rage, for Iedo'Ino could not even remember it's past from five seconds ago, much less the traditions of millions of years of the pantheon's doings. Indlas would have responded, but to do so would be to change. Indeed, the deity of panic was adjusting the will of the pantheon, and adding more than a little panic.

Name: Iedo'Ino
Portfolio: The Present, Lack of Foresight or Hindsight, Recklessness
Appearance: Iedo'Ino wears a cloak which appears as though it were a waterfall of black blood. The hood of this cloak it wears down, revealing a jackal skull for a head, but one which is encased in thick, black smoke, and which has two brilliant, green points of light for eyes.
Flavor: Born from that which is possible and that which is lost, Iedo'Ino exists halfway between staring into the future, and staring into the past, and as a result, stares into neither, being only able to perceive the present, perhaps a moment ago or a moment to come, but it cannot remember, and cannot plan. Yet, begin a deity, it can still act, and takes dreadfully foolish actions, often entirely at random. Those who worship Iedo'Ino perceive it as a truly free entity, a warleader, or a monster that must be appeased.
Symbol: Iedo'Ino's spiral is blood red, usually upon a bone-white background, and no two of it's spirals are alike, except that they share a single trait: they shift from a wide lazy spiral to a narrow, intense spiral at random places, and some even go from clockwise to counter-clockwise.



The deity of the present's first act, after it left the Domain, was to appear within the skies, high above the Magma Pits, and, unaware of why it did so, completely rearranged the stone pathways and wind currents, causing chaos far below as Xan'aca swam to avoid the crushing stones. This lasted for only an hour, which was actually a miraculously long time, considering, before it ceased, and the god created an illusion of itself, only a thousand meters tall, above the Magma Pits. After only a moment, it changed the illusion again, instead illustrating a spell, then another spell, and another spell, and a fourth, before Iedo'Ino vanished, going north, to change the color of a Mord's shell until that Mord died of old age.

The Xan'aca were confused by what they had seen, but many were afraid of this strange entity, wondering if this act had been a threat. Other's, however, those with ambition, saw it as an offer or an opportunity (which it wasn't) and they began practicing the spells they had witnessed. The first spell turned blood into wine. The second wiped the mind of a single creature, erasing it's ability to perceive the past or future, and essentially turning it into a willing thrall. The third summoned sentient flames which ran around babbling for short times before fading away. The fourth had no effect, and, as a result, the Xan'aca perceived that perhaps the effect was beyond their mortal awareness, and so they practiced this particular spell the most. The fact was, however, that it was a spell which led to nothing except cancelling itself out.

Soon, there were a group of Xan'aca who had grown attached to the memory of the strange one in the sky, and believed they did it homage by drinking as much blood-turned-wine as they could, summoning as many babbling fire-runners as they could, enthralling as many Xan'aca as they could, and casting the fourth spell as many times as they could. This did no homage to Iedo'Ino, but as the thralls grew in number, not only did the Xan'aca grow to hate this cult, but Iedo'Ino was unwittingly having it's domain spread farther, granting it more power.



Tuthidasia was a large, heavy Yet-Olong, more so even than most, with a body of primarily steel, with a square block of polished steel for a chest, a rectangular block for a stomach, and so on and so forth down it's limbs, even it's head, which was a monolith of steel with two patches of light the red of hot iron for eyes. Around this blocky form, in contrast to it, was an intricate and beautiful cloak of gold, which was actually multiple layers of the lustrous metal layered over each other. It's wings also had a contrast to this angular core, being eleven meters wide, five and half meters to a wing, and some of the most intricate wings of the Yet-Olong, made up of steel wires and gold wires woven into and out of each other.

Tuthidasia was not a warrior like Akitriel, nor a scholar like Aki, or a diplomat like Asaffium. No, Tuthidasia was a metalworker, and ever since this existence through time had begun, it had been in the far underground tunnels of magma, water, and stone, working metals out of ores, heating them up in the magma, working them on the stone, and dousing them in the icy rivers. However, while it's countless swords, hammers, breastplates, pauldrons, gauntlets, collars, and shields were without peer in this world as of yet, it had tossed them back into the magma, for they had not been what it sought.

Tuthidasia possess a clear memory, held upon one event in a past incarnation of itself. A tree, made entirely of metal, which it had crafted, but it could not remember how. Thus, it sought to practice it's skill, until it would remember the art that had led up to the Living Metal.

Far away, in the Domain, Zeh'Zerin looked upon Tuthidasia, and was pleased to see a creature trying so hard to educate itself. To reward the initiative of the Yet-Olong, it nudged the mind with a clue, nudging the mind towards the element known as mercury.

Year passed, as Tuthidasia practiced with mercury, trying to use complex methods to seal the liquid metal into the metalwork, or unspeakable manipulations upon the subatomic level to convince the mercury to interact with the other metals around it. Then, one day, the steel & gold angel struck a perfect balance between the two, and the lump of metal before it pulsed with veins of partially sentient mercury, and as Tuthidasia fed more ores into it, it lived, and sucked out the pure metal, discarding the remains and refuse as powders scattered into the air. It grew, and spread, until Tuthidasia was forced to take it's creation to the surface, to the White Mountains, where it's growth could be kept in check, preventing it from spreading out of hand to other races.

Soon after this, the entity of the Yet-Olong race possessed some small amount of Living Metal, with Osmakia and it's metal owl, which served as eyes and ears for the scholar, to S̏uwevum's serpents, which coiled around it's silver arms and shifted into swords at a moment's notice, to Asaffium's scroll, which could remember what was written on it with ease.



Meanwhile, far away, near the Lover's Respite, there was suddenly a second Colossi standing before the first. After the time it took for each to register that the other was there, they began to speak, the conversation taking close to a decade, yet being easily summarized as such:

"Here so soon? I only got here [ten thousand years] ago."

"The stewards forgot to mention. Time passes faster here. It had been [fifteen million years] back home."

"Oh, that's a fair gulf, I suppose we should not get comfortable, then, for another of our kin is sure to arrive soon."

"Indeed. Six will be sent in total, it was decided after you left. After they have come, we are to build a settlement in this place. What have you seen so far?"

"Not much, for everything moves far too fast, here."

6 points to Create Cult in the Xan'aca: The Cult of the Fourth Spell.

5 points to Advance the Yet-Olong with Living Metal.

0 points to Command Those Who Speak With Gods to Miracle and transplant the second Colossi onto Neyla: Zeii'veii'meii'reii Veii'meii'reii.

Current Power Points: 7
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348120/)+1=10


Map
http://i.imgur.com/zqur2tX.jpg


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img191/6439/45no.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

Though the evil of the Pillar remained a significant threat, yet the Watcher Council was determined that their descendants would, er, descend from Limbo as the Colossi had. Fortunately, given their design, it was not necessary to call forth a great many of them - the Proteans required a population of only one to be able to breed viably, and the Council had identified which one. Two of the Lords refused to hurry the matter while the battle with another god was ongoing, but Tsarag-Losh felt that the time had come, while Orat'hoth was tired of dwelling on inevitable death nonstop.

Dream-sendings were inflicted upon Yenmor the Ancient, and its mighty form sailed up the Crystal River to the middle of the Great Plateau. Not a hospitable place for any conventional life form, but a Protean was nothing if not adaptable. There were nutrients to be had in the mineral waste, and with the sorcery inherent in their amorphous beings, the Proteans would be able to siphon it away. Thus, Yenmor opened the gate, and an eerie pale blob descended, fifty feet tall and another fifty wide - apparently the Council had not been kidding when they said this was the largest they could find.

Indeed, the Protean in question had put off division for far too long, and soon split into two mighty blobs, each of which split into two more disturbingly quickly after that. Within the year, the four had become eight, and only when this was done did they speak of names for their new colony and their new land. The eight could not remember if the four, or the two, or the one had had names, only that they had existed, and given their lives so the eight might exist. They might have debated their names and traditions for another year, had the Watchers not spoken directly to them, and told them the name of the One, Malkuth, from whom they all sprang, and from whom all their descendants would ultimately spring.

Thus, the tribe of Malkuth began to slither across the great plateau, never quite able to take on a convincingly pleasing form for the life forms they dwelt among. Their amorphous forms shifted continuously, as they always had, but the Proteans took several thousand years to even get to the point of partially controlling this rampant change. Of course, even partial control turned their mutation from a curse into a boon no other race possessed - being able to guarantee a set of new psudopods, or some eyestalks, within a given hour could be the difference between life and death even for such resilient entities.

Culturally, they soon began to regard themselves as superior to those few life forms they found on the plateau. Nothing they encountered had their ability to adapt to any given circumstance - such as that of a strong digestive system, to get something out of the minerals they walked across, and of moving through the daylight in the land of little food only to switch to continual motion when they spread to fertile climes. What deer or crystal-tusked beast could adapt like a Protean? Their most skilled could even shapechange to accommodate the hole left by claw or tusk, effectively negating the wound at the cost of increasing their already ravenous appetite. Indeed, the so-called "war-born", pairs of Proteans whose progenitor was cut in half involuntarily while doing something dangerous, were held in some prestige for their ancestor's bravery. This title was taken on by a quite large sub-tribe of Protean warriors, though due to the nebulous nature of early Protean society these hardly had an organised presence, or any formal authority over the civilians they defended. Indeed, it was their bravery, more than their actual proficiency in either combat or sorcery, that raised these hundreds of amorphous blobs to the point of threatening others.

An entirely separate group developed as the rulers of the early Proteans, great golden jellies who had dedicated their livee to contemplation and learning, and in this way gained knowledge of many great and profane spells of sorcery. These Wisdoms were called upon as defenders of last resort, for they were more useful as sages and teachers than as battle sorcerers.

The Great Horde was a quite popular movement among "mainstream" Hothrid, both those who truly shared its ideals and those who simply envied the power which it hoarded away from Ferratum's glowing civilisation. Many of Orat'hoth's children volunteered to join the armies dedicated to combat against the evil that took their home from them, and many of them were accepted, bloating the Crusaders to several times their original size. Large enough to defend what they had sworn to defend, while still striking at their foes.

However, they did not strike at any difficult targets, feeling that their might was not yet adequate for a "fair" fight. Instead, they sailed their witch-boats north, far north, to where the Oalei dwelt, following vision sendings from Orat'hoth. By reference to these, they knew to slay the worshippers of dragons, for denying souls to the Pillar was a worthy exercise in itself and would reduce the wrath that could be sent against their people.

"You continue to court the Code's wrath, Lord of Life," said a relatively feeble Watcher, speaking for the Council. "The Council questions your wisdom in this."
"Tell the Council that the Code's wrath already proposed to us, so now is exactly the time to answer," Orat'hoth replied.

One particular tribe of Hothrid ventured south. Far south. Further south than any other dared, along the nearly lifeless Windblown Steppes to a place their mad prophet Aretak told them of, a fertile place where no harm nor foe had yet approached, where they would be free to seek their own way. Many died in the journey, but many more lived, and began constructing such holes and huts as they demanded. The city was named Aretak, after the prophet who led the tribe there, and her descendants were to rule it until proven unworthy.

It was not long at all before it had raised an army; though, so far removed from the advances of the Great Horde, the Vale Defenders were a sorrier lot than any of the Crusaders, tending towards the brutal tactics and simple equipment of the Old Way warriors from before the loss of the Grid Forest. The two Colossi present were treated more like a natural feature than as truly sapient beings; though some suspected that these were the very southern allies the angel had spoken of, few Hothrid lived long enough o communicate with a Colossi.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348348/) +3 Cults = 15
Power rollover: 3 points
Total 18 points

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command Order (Yenmor the Ancient) to Miracle and summon a large Protean from Limbo, which divides into eight within the next several years

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Create Order in the Neyla Proteans "The Spawn of Malkuth"

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Proteans) with Mutation

4 points: Command Race (Proteans) to ingrain Mutation

1 point: Command Demigod (Gnallakei the False Angel) to Command Order (The Spawn of Malkuth) to Raise Army (1st Protean Warborn)

1 point: Command Demigod (Zamochar the Cyclone) to Command Order (The Spawn of Malkuth) to Raise Army (1st Protean Wisdoms)

1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat the Pale Tribe) to Command Order (The Great Horde) to Raise Army (2nd Horde Crusaders)

1 point: Command Demigod (Cthachabo the Pillar of Flesh) to Command Order (The Great Horde) to Raise Army (3rd Horde Crusaders)

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command the Hothrid to Found the city of Aretak's Vale in Lover's Respite, just north of the river

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command City (Aretak's Vale) to Raise Army (Vale Defenders)

0 points: Command Army (1st Horde Crusaders) to attack the Oalei Cult of Centrum, destroying it unopposed

0 points: Command Army (2nd Horde Crusaders) to defend the Dragon Cult of the Watchers

0 points: Command Army (3rd Horde Crusaders) to defend the Dragon Cult of the Watchers

0 points: Command Army (1st Horde Crusaders) to defend the Dragon Cult of the Watchers at -2
1 point remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

"Fools."

"Hypocrites."

Centrum stood within the halls of Omniscentrum, invisible to its children. It enjoyed watching over them in this time, being unable to consciously do so while it slept. Its words rang further than these halls, echoing so that all gods could hear them in the world's soul.

"The code decreed it: the existence of the three cults. They had to exist. Yet they are not. These beings are somehow outside the boundaries of the code, and so are not included. They have broken the plan, and their foolish war on the code will unleash boundless horror upon all worlds, the Dark One, who seeks only destruction and madness.

And now, after denouncing my dispensing the preordained punishment of the code upon those who would stand in its way, they attempt to go to war on the dragons, on the code itself! They bring ruin to my children, to this world and countless worlds beyond this one. Foolish.

And the most innocent, well-meaning Erue, who worked only to save the Hothrids, while not working for the code's glory, was slaughtered mercilessly by that monstrous pretender pillar.

They have made it clear that they will not allow the code to be brought to completion. If they do not cooperate, there is no way.

Then it does not matter anymore. The watchers will corrupt at every turn. If they want to go to war against the code, this one shall not allow itself to be held back by it. If my beloved children must suffer for their grudge, I will fight to protect them."

Centrum staggered momentarily, sitting down.

"It is... over. The code is lost. But my children remain, and I shall watch over them."

The dragon worshipers of the Inevitable were slowly drowning.

The fervor of the dragons for their progenitor was great, and the cult of the Inevitable had no respect for these beliefs, claiming the dragon to be a fake god, a lesser being. Because of this, many had hostile attitudes to the members of the cult. No significant violent action was taken, but it was made abundantly clear that they were not welcome.

Eventually, the cult vanished, simply through lack of support. No one wanted to be part of such a cult when so much hostility was aimed at it. Members of the cult were shunned away from the community and faced great loneliness. No one was willing to struggle through this hardship, even for this new god.

Above Omniscentrum, Centrum reached out with both hands. From these non-hands erupted great beasts, one black as the deepest depths of the Abyssal Sea, the other as white as snow, dragons, filled with divine energy. These beings had powers beyond normal dragons, magical power and great strength. The white was named Zuri, and had great power over fire and light, as well as great regenerative power. Zuri had power enough to entirely recreate its scales after having them torn apart. Beltza, the black dragon, had power over ice, darkness and death. Beltza could consume the soul of a being without killing it beforehand, though this was difficult to accomplish.

The black drake fell from the pillar with immense speed, focused on its target unerringly. It steadied itself instantly, and flew toward the terrible mass of flesh that was Cthachabo. It did not stop, but shot straight through the monstrous entity before it could react.

But something went wrong. The act of death magic should have rended the soul of the being from its body, yet it had done nothing. Perhaps the being lacked a soul, or its was manifested differently than those of the beings on this world. Centrum realized this oversight too late to react and interfere in the battle.

Beltza turned with great speed, yet was still too slow to fully dodge the great mass of flame hurtling at its face.

The dragon attempted a retreat, but was unable to get away in its wounded state. It was caught in the collapsing jaws of one of Cthachabo's heads, its body cut in two, one half consumed and the rest falling to the ocean below.

The other dragon simultaneously flew to the great storm, the cyclone Zamochar. This beast was of the same nature as the pillar, and so Centrum assumed it to be just as aggressive, that it would likely kill more dragons.

Zamochar noticed Zuri coming, and summoned a storm of ice to repel the dragon, massive ice spikes raining from the skies upon it, but Zuri was prepared enough for this to summon a shield of flame that disintegrated the ice before it was able to strike it.

Zamochar did not relent, turning into steam that flowed into the dragon's lungs, attempting to suffocate it, and while this harmed the dragon somewhat, Zuri had healing power enough to survive this, and used fire magic upon its own body, intensifying the natural fire breath within its lungs to unreal levels, causing the body of Zamochar to change state into a gas, then disintegrating as it became plasma and further transcended into an unknown state of matter, which zuri expelled from its body with life magic. The being was no more. Zuri knew that this victory was bittersweet, however, knowing that its opposite was lost, and that it might soon also be fodder for the forces of the watchers.

Galdu, a dragon of Omniscentrum, son of nobiliy, was used by his mother as an experiment. He was fed great excess of the normal rations of gems. This resulted in him gaining immense strength and mass, as well as great magical power, however, he became bestial. His use of magic and combat lost its finesse, becoming instinctual, he lost the ability of speech and higher thought, and his scales mutated into a ridiculously hard, gem-like armor.

He quickly became a burden for his family to care for, and a danger to those around him and was to be euthanized, but Evincere took note of his power, and offered to add the dragon to the defenses of Omniscentrum, with the promise that he would be cared for and restrained. His family took some convincing, but they agreed, and Galdu was placed under the constant attention of a cadre of dragon soldiers, who would keep him in control and guide his animalistic fury at the enemies of Omniscentrum. He became known as the Senseless Dragon, and many in Omniscentrum feared his escape, though most knew that such a disaster would be an unlikely tragedy.

Rumours and myths in Conchylium circulate of a Caetus dragon of immense agility and knowledge of stealth that it has never been seen by any but those it wishes to see it.

In truth, this dragon's name is Gau, and she is a dragon completely devoted to Matercula, the blessed mother of the Caetus. She wishes only to serve the great mother's every order, to hide in the shadows of the black city, watching for enemies to the people of Conchylium and eliminating them magically, before they can even notice her.

The workers of Omniscentrum who carved and maintained the vast tunnel complex within the pillar were subtly invaded by the ego of Pervetus, who aided them in the increased ornamentation and artistry of the caves. Slowly, the crude tunnels of the city became intricately carved and sculpted into things of beauty. The designs depicted both pillar-like designs, mimicking the surrounding landscapes in a more exact, realized form, as well as artistic representations of historical events such as the crowning of Evincere, the recruitment of the Four Knights, the great disaster of the Grid Forest, the recent battles of Zuri and Beltza, and the strange event in the Valley of Seven Rivers, which the dragons had seen from afar.

Beyond this, upon the walls were written strange symbols that only partly resembled the language of the dragons, taught to them in ancient times by Pervetus. These symbols represented words and concepts far beyond the reckoning of the dragons, yet the workers created them with their own hands.

These symbols were introduced to the language of the dragons and great reverence was held for them, though none knew their whole meaning. Many dragons in this time took names based upon the symbols, such as Galdu and Gau.

The symbols were not mere words. They held great power, and were connected to the codex. This was a gift Centrum saw fit to give his beloved children during this time of hardship and strife. The symbols together had magical potential, and empowered the dragons who would defend themselves from unprovoked attacks.

The "temple" as a whole was named Antzinako, as the symbol connected to that word was in a place of great prominence. In truth, it was the binding word of the spell cast by the omnipresent temple.

Summary: Evincere, Matercula and Centrum monologue about the Knights of strife, the gist of which is that the knights have not taken action yet, and so are, as of yet, not a terribly important problem, if they are one at all. Still, they are to be carefully monitored in case that changes. Centrum mentions that it feels the pull of eternity, and hopes that this general era of conflict can be resolved sooner than later so that it may once again sleep, as it is getting old.

2d6+35+1=42 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348787/)

Create Demigod: The Black Dragon, Beltza, -5
Create Demigod: The White Dragon, Zuri, -5
Command Beltza, Terrorize Cthachabo the Pillar of Flesh, -1

Beltza: 4d6=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348854/)
Cthachabo: 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348855/)

Beltza wins! Cthachabo is destroyed.

Edit: Actually he isn't. Beltza dies.

Command Zuri, Terrorize Zamochar the Cyclone, -1

Zuri: 4d6=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348859/)
Zamochar: 2d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348862/)

Zuri wins! Zamochar is destroyed.

Command Evincere, Command Order, 1st Church of the Primordial Dragon, Raise Army: The Sensless Dragon, Galdu, -1
Command Matercula, Command Order, 2nd Church of the Primordial Dragon, Raise Army: Matercula's Agent, Gau, -1
Command Pervetus, Command Omniscentrum, Create Structure: Antzinako, Temple of the Primordial, -1


Command Gau, Defend Conchylium
Command Galdu, defend Omniscentrum
Command the Four Knights, Remove the Cult of the Inevitable, provoking no resistance
Command the Four Knights, Defend Omniscentrum

Left: 27
Law Bonus: 0
Cult Bonus: 0

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4348120/)+1=10
Current Power Points: 17

Deep within the Aeonstrum, where time flowed a hundred times swifter than upon the rest of Neyla, blue lightning flashed perpetually, lighting up the platinum & quartz sand in the ten-thousand-kilometer-per-hour winds, and, for an instant, the visages of a jackal skull, and a mord.

Zeh'Zerin was attempting to put a stop to the rampage of Iedo'Ino. Certainly, Zeh'Zerin was more in sync with the god of moments than most of the rest of the pantheon, but even it found Iedo'Ino to be a curse upon the stewardship of time, for Zeh'Zerin was a deity of learning, and Iedo'Ino could not learn.

However, as their divine essences clashed, Zeh'Zerin trying to increase the permanence of Iedo'Ino, and Iedo'Ino proving it's full mastery of the moment, the fabric of time wore thin. Now, considering that the passage of time within the Aeonstrum was closer to the passage of time within the Domain than it was upon the face of Neyla, the thinning of time was a very bad thing, as the storm suddenly snapped into contact with Domain, and, in the most minute period of time, Chron witnessed the oncoming destruction of all reality, and thus ripped the two young deities away from that place, and into the Domain, as it exerted all of it's power to adjust the rip in the continuum of spacetime so that the dissonance between realities would not harm it.

The best shot for this was a piece of the Domain which had been constructed long ago: the Strum, the Infinite Storm which was itself a living paradox. Thus, Chron, using all it's power over the real and the unreal, pulled the edges of the tear inside the Strum, where the impossible powers which drove the Strum sealed the wound, giving it time to heal, but at the same time, allowed the sentience of the Strum to leak into the Aeonstrum, and thus the second subdivine child of Chron was born.

Looking to it's great-grandchildren, Chron knew that, while Iedo'Ino did not even recall what had just came to pass, Zeh'Zerin had learned many things in that instant, things which not even Indlas or Kran Ze'In might have predicted, that the forces which propelled time, were the same forces which kept it's stewardship, meaning that to harm a deity of the Chron pantheon would be to harm time itself. Not only this, but Iedo'Ino was incapable of changing it's fundamental nature, and the true damage that Zeh'Zerin had feared was that which Zeh'Zerin itself had caused. The lives of those upon Neyla and how they perceived the stewardship were less important than the stewardship and what it kept in check themselves. Satisfied, Chron released the young deities, and turned away.

Meanwhile, as the wound in time finally slipped shut, much of the influences of Domain had leaked through, into the Aeonstrum, and now it called to souls who lingered upon Neyla, who had not passed into the Domain, primarily Shedim, into the chaos. Oalei, Hothid, Shadows, Proteans and Dragons all flocked to the quartz plateau with the inexplicable storm resting atop it, any who possessed a Shedim soul. Many drowned on the passage across the oceans, or roasted upon the Metal Wastes, or fell from the climb up the multiple-kilometer-high plateau, but there were some who made it, and wandered far into the Aeonstrum before their physical form was driven to dust, and they had to flee, searching a new form before the temporal ravages dispersed even their immaterial existences, pushing them into the Domain.

This drive towards the Aeonstrum was inexplicable, and few Shedim had any idea what might have caused it, but after seeing what the place could do to a physical or even an immaterial body, most shunned the place. A few, however, perceived it as a place of divine significance, which it was, but not for any reason that the Shedim might have assigned to it, and they also witnessed that they were primarily unharmed as long as they possessed a physical body to take the brunt of the assault, and they could witness the inside of the original storm for a time longer. So, they began taking bodies for the sole purpose of wandering across the Metal Wastes, and into the Aeonstrum.

Eventually body farms were set up, with many Oalei and Shadows, for these bore the temporal ravages the longest. The farms were usually just on the edge of the Metal Wastes, where the pilgrimage was the shortest, and there were always one or more bodies wandering into the Wastes, until the stock ran low, and Shedim stole bodies in other races to lead a group into these farms, while those who already sat within the farms were forced to breed.

These Shedim soon named themselves the "Longlived", for they were progressing in age far faster than the rest of the world, and were despised among the other Shedim for their accursed abuse of the remainder of the world, breeding living things for no purpose except slaughter and the chance to glimpse an accursed place for a few seconds.

12 points to create a second Avatar, this one on Neyla: The Aeonstrum.

1 point to Command the Aeonstrum to Create a Cult in the Shedim: The Longlived.

0 points to Command Those Who Speak With Gods to Miracle and transplant the third Colossi onto Neyla: Yabaaabaaa Gueneviiin.

Current Power Points: 4
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+2=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4350287/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img268/2082/ggd2.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img191/6439/45no.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[5a Violista]

The Beastborn

Cearta was satisfied with the Knights of Strife, and left them alone to merely train and, generally, do good deeds to their neighbors, the other dragons and Caetus. Occasionally, they guarded the mask that summoned her back, and other times, they left it in the wilderness for some hapless traveler to stumble upon.

During the much time she had free in the Mirrored World, she discovered a way to manipulate the directions of the mass of unborn souls: when she returned next to Neyla, the Masked Fox made a way for them to bond directly to a wild animal as the creature lay dying. Days later, when the beast finally died, a new being with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal would be reborn as a newborn from its remains.

Because it was the wild, many of these newborns would die due to the cold or predators or who-knows-what-else. But still, a few would survive and be stronger for it.

Cearta actually got the inspiration for them from the Caetus: most of the time, they would appear as animals. However, like the Caetus, they could "shed their skins" and transform themselves to appear human (Or, at least, what would be called humans as soon as humans existed) but with tell-tale animal markings: sometimes ears, tails, whiskers, and so on - just like Caerta. However, she was the only three-tailed fox around.

She called them the Beastborn, for their fierce uprising from the wild, from Heovma.


The Shadows

With the continued growth in their population and the tutoring by The Shadow Fel, the people of Umbra and the other Shadows living in the wild learned techniques how to manipulate 3D objects while they were moving around as merely shadows: they could move the trees, injure their prey, throw objects, and so on - by grabbing the shadows of the objects.

As they continued expanding, more of the packs of Shadows in the wilderness moved together. North in the High Woods, one of these tribes grew. They built a city which would always move, like a Caravan, though it remained in the same general area, following animals' migratory patterns throughout the year. Their wandering 'city' was called Scath, after its biggest tribal leader.



2 + 2d6=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4350321/) + 5 + 3 = 12

Actions:
(1) Command Avatar (Cearta): Create Race: called Beastborn.
(6) Advance Civilization (The Shadows) in Shadow Manipulation [Able to move objects by manipulating their shadows]
(1) Command Avatar (Fel): Command The Shadows to build a new city called Scath, [which is in the High Woods north of Umbra, closer to the Metal Wastes desert wasteland than to Umbra.]
Remainder: 4


Next round: Make the pirate race. Describe my newest Avatar. Do something with the Orders. Advance a City or two or three, depending on how many points I have.

[ImperialSunligh]

The great pillar grew ever more tired of taking the semiphysical forms that allowed it to act so frequently in this world. The flow of time progressed so slowly in the state of awakening, tediously dragging on. Centrum made the decision to return to the state of sleep, within which it could regain its power. It did not make this decision lightly. Sleeping again so soon would mean abandoning the dragons to the watchers, and trusting that they would not destroy them. Centrum only slept with the knowledge that in a time of great trauma, it could awaken before the time to do so and intervene, and considering its current state of weakness and decay, the full nature of which it could not discern, which required a time of rest to remedy.

As a result of this, Centrum once again began sucking upon the souls of mortals as it slept. The lack of its pull was not noticed as much upon its awakening, but now that the pillar once again slept, the sanity of all races noticably slipped, causing another great era of depression after the brief cosmic blink of relief.

Zuri had waited many years after its victory against Zamochar, hiding in the darkness, but was once again called upon by the force of the pillar to do its bidding. It was sent to the pillar, Cthachabo, that which killed its dark counterpart. It soared through the sky with deadly speed, before pulling back and stopping in midair, where it charged a massive fireball, which it shot at the monster.

The being was not fast enough to react to the blast and suffered immense burns. Three of its heads were nearly blown off by the impact or melted off by the heat. The pillar would not be defeated without resistance, however, and worked its own magic to summon portals where Zuri was located. Zuri was agile, however, and was to fast to catch in these portals. The pillar attempted to shoot fire from its many heads, or to lash out at its assailant, but either lacked the necessary reach, or faced Zuri's power over fire, turning the flames to nothing.

Roll: 2d6+27+1=37 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4351587/)

Command Zuri, Terrorize Cthachabo, -1

Zuri: 4d6=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4351590/)

Cthachabo: 4d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4351591/)

Zuri defeats Cthachabo.

Left: 36
Law Bonus: 1
Cult Bonus: 0

[Omegonthesane]

The four Lords gathered over the place where Cthachabo had died, assaulted twice for the crime of doing as it felt was right. Its passionate outburst had earned it censure, but not like this, not like this. Not so soon after poor Zamochar's murder, Zamochar who had had no part in the attacks on the Code's servants. The unviewable hedge grew from the ground, the rotting cloud and the fluid lord faded into view, and the flames of their fourth member raced across the horizon to join them, leaving that thin black pillar behind. A field of points of light seemed to hang over the gathering, as the numberless Watcher chorus made their presence known - to watch, to make the final call, and to suggest courses of action the Lords failed to think of. The Lord of Matter was many emotions incarnate, rage among them, yet somehow seemed the calmest to those able to read the visages of such strange beings, having not lost anything of its own to the Pillar's deeds.

Strictly speaking, the following were not so much spoken as imposed on reality through divine power; the translation provided includes approximating certain phrases for a more meaningful reading.

"What is it with that... thing?!" Orat'hoth raged. "It sentences an entire species, and the oldest biomass on the planet, to a fate infinitely worse than death, for the crime of being vaguely related to the maybe one hundred people who actually offended it. Then it goes out of its way to slaughter the Cyclone, who had done it no wrong. Is this what its Code means?"

"Its Code means nothing," L'zot'aca bluntly stated.

"A bold statement, hothead," Tsarag-Losh countered. "It may simply be a facet of the Code we have not yet understood, another exception or -

"Its Code means nothing!" the flame roared. "All your petty schemes are like the most profound wisdom next to that flimsy curtain! You heard the Pillar's pathetic choice, its cowardly choice, to abandon all it knows because it met any resistance!"

"That..." said Tsarag-Losh, beofre faltering. It had backed and pressured Zamochar into manifesting; to see the innocent Watcher slaughtered had affected its mood. "Centrum criticised our hypocrisy. It spoke incoherent nonsense, it failed to understand either us or our purpose, but it got one thing right. We struck at it for a behaviour we have not entirely annihilated."

"You bring this up now, Lord of Sorcery?" Nysatek injected at last. "There are rather more profound matters at hand. If as this idiot Pillar says, we have unleashed the Dark One upon countless worlds, we must clean up our mess - ideally before the Inevitable, lest that overblown wannabe get any ideas."

"No need for that language, dear," said Orat'hoth. "This is not what we came to discuss. Centrum has ignored our warnings and made war against us. We must raise our bulwarks. Make the Hothrid greater than ever before. Make his murders and great acts meaningless."

"No, love, that is too passive," Nysatek quibbled. "We cannot remain idle while the dragons gather to murder and enslave everything that doesn't pleasure the Pillar. Its tools on this world must be shattered, it must not be allowed to rest easy."

"How amusing, to see your passions at play," Tsarag-Losh interjected. "We cannot simply rush into this. Fortunately, we do not need to. I have prepared a plan by which we may prepare ourselves - let the dragons strike first, if they must. If that thing has any sense, they will not, and we will be free to prove the Pillar's falsehood."

"You're all cretins," said L'zot'aca, in a fairly calm, matter-of-fact way. "We aren't fighting the Dragons. We aren't even fighting that pillar of fluttering leaves. We're fighting the Code it pretends to hold to. There's only one dragon that really belongs to it, know what I'm saying? As for its... other creation... we should wipe up its mess. Terminally."

"The Council has reached a decision," said the floating stars. "The Lord of Sorcery's plan will be implemented. The Lord of Life will be pleased to note that this involves advancing its children, the Hothrid. The Lord of Death will be pleased to note that it involves, in fact, inflicting death upon a single achievable target; after that, it has permission to retaliate if the Dragons actually strike, but the Pillar is ours. The Lord of Matter is called to a private meeting." With that, the stars vanished, as did the flame, both fading as if from teleportation.

In debating and considering their response to Centrum's declaration, the Watchers realised their enemy had the merest fragment of a point. They had forgotten to update or purge their Oalei cult, and were still receiving power in the form of entire souls torn from people who were given no choice. Orat'hoth gave a suggestion, which was accepted by a majority of the Council.

Guided by the cunning of Tsarag-Losh, the ways of the Oalei cultists of the myriad gods changed with the new, less barbarous standards of the Watchers. Where before they had given their enemies as offerings, now they made deals with Tsarag-Losh, in which an Oalei could receive their heart's desire in their current lifetime in return for having a choice at the moment of death - to be obliterated, removed from the cycle, or else to be reborn as a Shedim. As this introduced an element of informed consent to the act of sacrifice, it was sufficient to stop the Council from destroying the Cult outright - and whether as raw power or as another reborn being, these cultists gave power to the Watchers.

The Hothrid continued to spread, and with their shared home destroyed, the Old Way and the New intermingled far more than ever before. It was not long before the shamans of the Old Way realised the fundamental overlaps between their arts of Watcher sorcery and those of the so-called Thanatologists; Orat'hoth was hesitant about providing the spark for what surely would follow, so in return for a future favour, Nysatek stepped up and did it instead.

Within years of the Lord of Death's intervention, new scriptures and codices were being scribed throughout the southern continent, detailing how a magician could directly harm the body and manipulate the soul of her enemies, or bend meat and bone into unholy forms. The raw power of this art was exaggerated by those who merely heard of it, but they were few and far between within a generation, for Thanatomancy was a quick and practical route to power, not even requiring that its students be entirely devoted scholars. Indeed, many Hothrid who otherwise avoided the unpleasant art learned how to crumble meat or boil spilt blood to regenerate the energies of their own soul or that of another, or else learned how to coax flesh into healing far faster than was remotely natural. This was one secret the Old Way had no hope of keeping.

The three armies of Horde Crusaders were not servants of their own kind, but of the Watchers and the Watchers alone. Thus, they did not question when their creator revealed itself to them in a dream, and told them to embark on what was almost certainly a suicide mission, but rather cheered at the opportunity for potential glory.

They had been told of Zamochar the Cyclone, who had had barely a cycle on the planet before the murderous Zuri the White struck. They cheered in one hall after another, as they marauded through the various Hothrid villages, spreading their tale and drilling new warriors. It was not Crusaders they left behind in their wanderings, but a more easily trained kind of army - the Gougers, armoured Hothrid who fought with tooth and claw in the tradition of the Old Way, and who knew the relevant cantrips of Thanatomancy to quickly recover from normally mortal wounds, or tear at the soul as well as the body when their claws struck home.

Intermission Summary: The like 7500 Crusaders dogpile Zuri, and about 3000 of them die (one army destroyed, another at -3), but their mission is completed.

"That was cold, 'Losh," said Orat'hoth, far away, its divine senses allowing it to see the battle.
"It was also successful," Tsarag-Losh answered. "The lost crusaders are more easily replaced than is the Pillar's slave. Zamochar is avenged. You know better than I that the mere death of mortals is no price at all for such a victory."

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4350831/) +3 = 17
Power rollover: 1 point
Total 18 points

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Hothrid) with Thanatomancy

4 points: Command Race (Hothrid) to Ingrain Technology (Thanatomancy)

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Raise Army (1st Gougers)

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command Order (Great Horde) to Raise Army (2nd Gougers)

Command Army (1st Horde Crusaders) to attack Zuri!
Zuri 4d6=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352121/)
1st HC 2d6+5=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352122/)
Zuri wins! 1st HC destroyed.

Command Army (2nd HC) to attack Zuri!
Zuri 4d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352124/)
2nd HC 2d6+5=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352125/)
2nd HC wins! Zuri slain.

Command Army (3rd HC) to defend the 2nd HC

7 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

*will edit in details as soon as my brothers stop kicking me off the computer*

Aurelius the Myth-Spreader

Aurelius, the jackal-headed man, finally came to Neyla. For several thousand years, he walked from one land to another. Most of the time he was out in the wild, but whenever he saw a house or a city or a traveler, he stopped with them to dine and tell stories and sing epics and blatantly false "histories". He, for example, told the Hothrid of his journeys among the Oalei and of a mighty Oalei who single-handedly threw a mountain at a city of dragons with the help of the moon goddess Eyre, saving his tribe. He told a Shadow about a land of eternal twilight where everything is in two dimensions, and how the very first creation in Neyla, a Shadow named Eonen, and his twin sister Sole journeyed across to the tallest mountain and there dug up the suns and the moons and the stars. He told a Beastborn of the great wolf-hero who slew the mighty demigod monster Adia who guarded the forests far to the west, and he sung to an Oalei all about the Star Gods who wandered the world disguised as weary travelers. Aurelius found this all to be very hilarious.

The funniest part was that he never told the same tale twice. However, his ancient tales began retelling themselves throughout cities across the world, and spreading around.

After many many moons, when some Hothrid was retelling a modified version of one of his songs, he felt the desire to create some more chaos: so he grabbed some of the wafting music and formed it into beings. Solid, substantial beings, as physical as the Hothrid. Needless to say, the bardic Hothrid was rather surprised and immediately halted his singing. This species he created were all distinctly humanoid females, each with a different color of skin: some blue, some red, some green, some turquoise, and so on. He called them his Mhajm, and left them there.

These Mhajm soon became wandering raiders who went from village to village, preying on their harvest and food and riches, while also spreading their own shanties and tales. Because they were all females, each Mhajm had to seduce a male from another race in order to bare children, but it somehow worked...and each child born was a Mhajm.

(1) Command Jackal Avatar => Create All-female wandering Pirate Race, called Mhajm


The Masked Fox and the Knights of Strife

The Masked Fox spoke to her Knights in Conchylium - it would only be a matter of time before the Hothrid and the gods who hated dragons found a way to attack their city, so they had best prepare themselves and help in the defense of the city. After all, lazily doing nothing while the rest of the country is at war is bad citizenship. So, her Knights formed a small band of knights calling themselves Strife Legion 1, whose purpose was to help assist in the defense of Conchylium and strike out at any enemies of the Caetus.

She told many Caetus that they needed to spread out more, as well. This was mostly part of her own plans - them spreading around would help her spread strife and chaos around the world. So, they needed a city on the ground, far to the south. She told a handful of Caetus of a bounteous and hot land far to the south, where geodes grow on trees. Then, she led them there: near the lake of lava, and told them to build a city there, on a cliff overhanging the lava.

They did. The city was called Chek, and it was a nice city of the Caetus: it wasn't particularly pretty, but it was livable. The governing body were the Knights of Strife, as they were the closest to The Masked Fox's will when she brought them there: the high-ranking knights and a few other prominent members of the community sat on a council which determined the course of their city.

(1) Command Fox Avatar => Command Caetus: Create new city somewhere on the ground, called Chek, located on the north shore of that lava lake.
(3) Command Order(Knights of Strife): Create army Strife Legion 1; they defend their city Conchylium


The Darkest Blade

In search of new lands, The Shadows continued journeying across the world; some of them found a small passageway in the Crystal Scar that led to a heavenly underground land full of light - but not too bright. The dull bluish lights of the crystals and mushrooms were very delicious to them. So, they built a city there on a large sea they found there. The city was named Sayh, after its founding member (as that was custom) and it, like the other Shadow cities, lived in a very feral and wild state with constant upheavals of government. In Sayh, particularly, there was no fixed government so it could hardly be called a "city" - it was essentially an anarchic gathering of a community of Shadows, held perpetually in that state by the Dark Blade.

Speaking of the Dark Blade, Fel rose a dark brotherhood of assassins with secret signals and signs. In records and on walls, they were called Sin A, which was obviously short for something but nobody outside of their brotherhood knew the true meaning of their name. Under Fel's command and guidance, they created a sword as black as Fel himself. Like the Black Wolf, it devoured light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it had fed enough on light, it could cut through nearly anything. In addition, it gave thoughts to all nearby it to cause anarchy and rampage in chaos against allies. That made it a particularly useful weapon.

Because of its especial danger to Shadows, Sin A kept it locked away in a box expect when they came out to use it in their routine assassinations.

(1) Command Wolf Avatar => Command Shadows: Create new city underground called Sayh, which is located next to that island in the Deep Underground area.
(3) Command Order(The Dark Blade): Raise army Sin A in Umbra
(4) Command Race (Shadow): Create Wonder: The Darkest Blade, held by the army Sin A in Umbra


Beastborn Gathering: The Frozen Village

Many Beastborn across the world had it lucky: the land was fertile, the weather was usually nice, and they could survive easily.

Not so in the Frigid Land.

It was cold. It was harsh. Winters were killers. Predators ate whatever they could in those harsh conditions.

This harsh life caused many of the Beastborn in there to bond together, forming a lakeside village. There, as a community, these Beastborn helped each other survive past childhood and youth. Then, they had the choice to either return to the wild and live there, hunting, or stay in the village to help others. Those who stayed in the village could also have children of their own: a great boon, even if most of these children did leave the village when they grew. The eldest Beastborn in the village was respected as the leader, in charge of sending out packs to find newly born Beastborn in the wild, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they usually kept in their humanoid forms, because it helped them bond more as a community.

Whenever a Beastborn here killed their food, a regular animal, they would have a moment of silence and almost a ritual - after all, they were all once beasts, and this food was once their brothers and sisters. It would be dishonorable to treat the life of another animal lightly.

The village grew slowly with permanent inhabitants, but it had a very diverse lot: mammoth-beastborn, white wolf-beastborn, rabbit-beastborn, trout-beastborn, raven-beastborn, and so on: all of the animals who lived there in the Frigid Land. They had tell-tale signs of what animal they once were and could transform into.

(4) Command Race (Beastborn) => Create city The Frozen Village far south in the Frigid Land, located where the tundra, the taiga, and the Frozen Lake intersect


Heovma's Hunt

The Wild Incarnate continued her hunt: especially after the moons. They were her favorite prey because they were so hard to catch. No matter how much coaxing or pleading from Heovma, the moons wouldn't stop running, and no matter how long Heovma chased them, they didn't tire or stop. When she finally catches them, she decided, she'll let them chase her next.

This was so much different than when she hunted animals and sentient races: the animals tired out too quickly and weren't really much of a meal. Sentient races were more delicious; if she knew about the existence of souls, she would know that was what was so filling, as the devoured creature's soul bonded with her and became an aspect of her.

The Shadows and the Hothrid were pretty fun to hunt. They didn't just run away, but they fought back and sometimes came up with clever plans to trick and trap Heovma! It was so much fun that she could do it all day, every day.

The only obstacle was when they stopped moving. Soon after Heovma caught them, they just gave up and stopped. Their heart stopped, they died, but Heovma couldn't figure out for the life of her why they would stop chasing and running. They weren't done playing yet! They can't stop now, because that's not fun. The hunt was exciting and all...up until the point when she caught them in her paws.

(no action)



Points: 4 + 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352433/) + 5 + 3 = 19

(1) Command Jackal Avatar => Create All-female wandering Pirate Race, called Mhajm
Describe newest Avatar and name him: Aurelius the Lonely Jackal
He teaches songs and myths and tales and non-existent gods and heroes to Beastborn and Shadows and Hothrid and even Oalei.

(1) Command Fox Avatar => Command Caetus: Create new city somewhere on the ground, called Chek, located on the north shore of that lava lake.
(3) Command Order(Knights of Strife): Create army Strife Legion 1; they defend their city Conchylium

(1) Command Wolf Avatar => Command Shadows: Create new city underground called Sayh, which is located next to that island in the Deep Underground area.
(3) Command Order(The Dark Blade): Raise army Sin A in Umbra
(4) Command Race (Shadow): Create Wonder: The Darkest Blade, held by the army Sin A in Umbra

(4) Command Race (Beastborn) => Create city The Frozen Village far south in the Frigid Land, located where the tundra, the taiga, and the Frozen Lake intersect

remainder: 2

[Elemental]

Roll: 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352758/)

Decisions are better left decided than undecided

The Inevitable turned to face Leau, and finally after millennia answer his question.
"This world, this reality, faces a danger unlike any other. I cannot tell whether it is we or Centrum who are the mad ones, but even if it is we who are mad and it sane, its way is objectionable to one such as I. Though I bear the banner as the End of Time, for now I fulfil the role of Preserver.
"But alas, I cannot preserve everything I wish to preserve. I accede to your request. I will join my power with Chron and create a child to serve both our wills."


Khavaran continues its task

The Dragons had suppressed the Assembly of the Noble Path. No matter. It merely needed a heavier hand this time. Well... Tendril.
Seizing the minds of several members of the upper echelons of draconic society, Khavaran forcibly showed them the "Truth". Pervetus was a lying puppet pulled by the strings of a hypocrite god. Virtue was the only worthy goal, and no race of supposed superiority could claim such while allowing themselves to be a tool for such malevolent beings.
Foregoing any need for secrecy, those who had been forced to hear the words of Khavaran ritually blindfolded themselves as a sign of mourning for the sins their race had been party to. Taking with them all who would listen, they departed Omniscentrum and the Pillars, travelling far away to the Amethyst Grove. Here they devoted themselves to a life of quiet contemplation and meditation.
However safe they might have felt themselves due to distance and isolation, the Contemplative Order was still rightly concerned that there were those among the dragons who might seek to destroy them. Thus, those among them who were most learned took time from their studies to train in the art of war. When the others came, they would be ready.


Life continues

As the centuries progressed, life in the Grid Forest became a mere memory as all those who had once lived there succumbed to the limits of their mortality.
Still, Ferratum grew and prospered. Peace with those who followed the Watchers was a fact of life, all Hothrid needed to work together in these troubled times.
Over time however, the population of Ferratum overgrew its boundaries. The Savannah was rich in animals to herd and to hunt, but nowhere near as much as the Grid Forest. For fear that they would soon starve or graze the land to dust, an expedition was sent out to find a land either as bountiful as the Grid Forest or able to better withstand the toll of grazing herds.
To this end, a fleet sailed forth from Ferratum and after some months, landed on the coast of a land with rich volcanic soils. Naming their settlement Pastoria, their herds grew strong and plentiful on the bounty of the Ashen Plains.


Starting Power: 11
Command Avatar (Khavaran): Create Order.
The Contemplative Order. They seek to atone for the crimes and failings of their race. To do so, they have retreated from the world to the remote Amethyst Grove where they follow a simple life of meditation.
They are also known as Mourning Drakes due to their custom of wearing blindfolds as a sign of mourning.

Command Order (The Contemplative Order): Raise Army.
The Amethyst Watchers. Created primarily as a defence of the Grove from hostile intruders. It is composed of highly learned Mourning Drakes who have studied combat in all its known forms and a few as yet unknown forms.

Command Army (The Amethyst Watchers): Defend the Contemplative Order.

Command Race (The Hothrid): Found City.
Pastoria. Located on the Southern shore of the Ashen Plains about halfway along. At the moment, it is a small settlement, mostly given over to cattle yards and the like, but in time, it will grow to be quite substantial.

Remaining Power: 3

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+2=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4350287/)
Current Power Points: 19

It was above the stormy skies of the Abyssal Sea, where even the coiling darkness far and farther below could not mar the pristine white light of the sun upon the clouds below, that the Inevitable and Leau did meet.

It was not a physical act, nor an act of passion, not between two such entities as these, but a something far beyond this, something that only entities of world-changing power could enact, something that only two souls who had known each other for thousands of millennia could truly wish to do. It was an intermingling of souls. For that time above the clouds, Leau and the End of Time were the same entity, the same soul. A year passed, far longer than the conception of Iedo'Ino had taken, for the powers of these two ancient beings to bleed into one another, to become a new soul entirely. It was only after this year that Leau felt it was finished, and left the communion, departing for the Domain.

As the lead deity materialized in the Domain at the center of a ring of Colossi, the eldest of Those Who Speak With Gods, it noticed that Ke'Keo, who had slept here for many ages, had stirred, and now sat up, staring with flickering, indigo eyes at Leau, "What is it that you bear, cousin?"

"An expansion upon the pantheon, my kin. Hopefully one which will balance out what came from your child."

Ke'Keo lashed out with divine fury at this. If the god hadn't been so weak, this would have torn several nearby souls to shreds, "My child was the culmination of balance! Not a source of imbalance!"

"Peace, Ke'Keo," Chron's voice could be heard high above, "Your child is a kind of balance, but in other ways, Iedo'Ino is a greater extreme than even Indlas or Kran Ze'In. Do not despair, for it brings new shape to the stewardship of time, a new aspect of time which would not have been seen before. However, other parts of the pantheon's will fear your child, and how it might distort the passage of reality, just as you fear the child that now grows within Leau, of which, I must ask, Leau, do you require aid in giving life to your offspring."

"No, ancestor. I saw forward and am prepared to enact the creation alone."

"Then may your child step forth."

Ke'Keo looked on with an almost deranged expression of fear, as a corona of yellow light was spawned around Leau, and then flared out, turning into a shape of golden light, which then slow faded into a physical form.

A cloak of faded, tattered, gold-colored cloth was printed with murals of events from throughout the history of Neyla, yet even as you looked upon it, the murals changed, from one event to another. At some times it would be the creation of the lands of the world, and at others, political dramas from the times of the Hothrid, and at others, tales of the wars between Oalei tribes. This cloak was wrapped around a stooped crone of untellable age, human in appearance, with long, grey hair and eyes of blazing golden light.

Chron spoke, "What is your name, child, and your purpose?"

The newborn god responded promptly and evenly, even as Ke'Keo glared at it, "I am Vait, the steward of destiny, of what is to truly come to pass."

"There are infinite, untold possibilities!" Ke'Keo lashed out again.

"But only a single possibility will truly come to pass. This is my existence exemplified."

"Welcome, Vait, to the Chron pantheon," Chron spoke, before Ke'Keo could lash out again, and in that instant, the owl god felt it's awareness change, and it knew, the truth of destiny leaking into it's mind, it was not going to destroy Vait, no matter how much it wished it.

Name: Vait
Portfolio: The Present, Truth, Destiny
Appearance: An ancient crone with myriad wrinkles on her face and long, white hair. It's eyes are two points of blazing golden light, and it's cloak is a tattered mural of gold-colored cloth which appears faded and which changes what it displays from moment to moment.
Flavor: Born of the planner and the creator of souls, Vait is the incarnation of predestination. It lives in the present, as Iedo'Ino does, but unlike the jackal god, the crone god is also aware of the future and past. Where the jackal god only exists to give the moment an incarnation, Vait exists to give the transition of future into present, and present into past, incarnations. It is not concerned with possibilities or hope, but instead with what actually comes to pass, and is thus often disliked, but many worship it, believing it's task to be noble and necessary.
Symbol: Vait's spiral is often made of gold or pyrite, and is perhaps the most unremarkable spiral of the Chron pantheon, being the mean of most other spirals in concerns of width and intensity.

Upon Neyla, the Aeonstrum, being directly tied in it's existence to the will of the Chron pantheon, responded to the will of the pantheon being changed with Vait's genesis, and a bolt of divine will shot out from it, striking a Beastborn, as it rose from the body of a Touro in the Red Land, and infusing it with the knowledge of Vait, and Vait's purpose. This child Touro Beastborn became endowed with destiny in this moment, and went forth, spreading the word of how fate now lived, how the passage of time was now being guided forward by a force within the divine will of the Chron pantheon.

Ideas began spreading through the race, that every Beastborn to be born was fated to be born, or perhaps that every action that a Beastborn took was fated to be taken. Many hated these notions, for they went against the freedom and chaos which it's creator had instilled into them. However, some fell into the relaxation that came with trusting the deity Vait to guide them to their destinies, thereby giving Vait control over their souls, which allowed the pantheon more power. However, Vait guided many Beastborn to try and convince more Beastborn of the divine beauty of fate, and thus the Fated Ones, as they were referred to, became something of a Jehovah's Witness organization, where they weren't precisely hated, but Beastborns did not particularly want to see them.



High in the White Mountains, eight Yet-Olong, and incredible gathering, stood around the first true structure of the angels in this existence: Vollicius.

A great, perfectly formed dome of gem-quality emerald, thin enough that light would pass through unimpeded, yet sturdy enough that no force short of that of a god would break it. This dome was two kilometers in diameter, an one kilometer tall at it's center, with openings here and there so that Yet-Olong would be able to pass inside. Within this immense dome, rested towers, eleven towers in total, eight for the current inhabitants, and three guest towers that Yet-Olong would rest in while their own tower would be erected. These towers were immense, often crafted from single blocks of marble, amethyst, diamond, or pyrite, and stood as tall and wide as a Colossi. Each tower was custom designed for the denizen which would inhabit it, with guest towers being base essentials for a Yet-Olong.

Van'Ustrius, a scholarly angel, kept an immense tower of pure emerald near the heart of the dome, which was stuffed with magical apparatuses, each easily the size of a Hothrid city block, which kept track of things across the cosmos, far beyond the extent of Neyla. Van'Ustrius was a short angel, standing only two meters tall, with dark red-brown light, like mahogany, a sharp, triangular head of pure iridium, not to mention and eight-and-a-half meter wingspan of iridium. It's cloak, which was frugal and dull, was crafted of lead, and was always worn with the hood up. The angel's body was sharply angled, like it's triangular head, and was made from iridium and lead.

Qavous, like Van'Ustrius, was a scholarly angel, and kept a amethyst tower, which was essentially an immense library, but instead of books, it held polished stones which, when held, would split and fizzle in the physical speech of the Yet-Olong, imparting some information to those who could understand. Qavous's light was powder-blue, which shone out of an oblong head of iron. It's wings were iron and thirteen meters across, while it's cloak was platinum streaked through with iridium, and it wore the hood up. It's masculine body, in contrast to this cloak, was platinum streaked through with iron.

Aki and Osmakia, the golden angel with light the green of sunlight shining through a leaf and the tall angel with dirt-brown light, the two angels who had long ago recalled the secrets of Gravity, were also drawn to the place, for Van'Ustrius and Qavous, their fellow scholars, already resided here, making for good company. They were easily granted their towers for their service to the Yet-Olong, with Aki, predicable, choosing a tower of solid gold filled with rooms of masterful stasis, where any number of experiments could be enacted, while Osmakia had it's tower made of pure diamond, and filled with artwork from each culture of the world, from cave paintings of the Beastborn to sculptures of the Hothrid.

Tuthidasia, the blacksmith angel with the light of red hot iron, monolith, steel head, blocky, steel body, and cloak of gold, who had recaptured the art of Living Metal, was granted it's own tower made of marble, which held within it gardens of the living metal trees which had provided the Yet-Olong with all their recent wonders.

Wotbalus was a blacksmith like Tuthidasia, but with navy blue light instead of hot-iron red, a featureless, head-shaped head of black tungsten, with grey lead patterns around it's eyes, a six meter wingspan of dusty lead, a cloak of shadowy tungsten, which it wore with the hood up, and a feminine body of midnight tungsten and twilight lead. Wotbalus had not achieved anything great like Tuthidasia, but had helped in creating many of the wonders which the angels now used, and was thus granted it's own tower of polished steel, which was filled with furnaces and smithies, where it continued to churn out armaments fit for kings daily.

R͒ishia was a warrior angel, who had been given an obsidian tower, so that Vollicius would be defended. It's light was a tan light, which shone out of it's face, which was actually a diamond head carved into the face of a dragon. It's wingspan was the most impressive in the entire race, being a full twenty meters in span, and being made of tungsten with white diamond shining upon them. It's cloak was platinum, sterling and white, but arranged so that it was more like a cape, and had no hood. It's body was that of a Xan'aca, and, like it's wings, was crafted from tungsten and diamond. It's tower was filled with the choicest weapons, along with hundreds of Living Metal monsters, which it would practice it's killing art against every day, before allowing them time to reform before the next bout.

Vanasbarium, the resident diplomat, had been given a tower in case another race came knocking. It's tower was pyrite, and was hollow, essentially just an immense theater, but with enough side rooms that any race might be accommodated with the supplies therein. Vanasbarium's light was a dusty grey-green, and, like Van'Ustrius, possessed a sharply triangular head, but it's was made of almost pure platinum, except with veins of lead criss-crossing around it. It's eleven meter wingspan was also made of platinum, as was it's cloak of platinum, which it wore with the hood up. It's body was masculine, and consisted of lead and platinum arranged in no discernible pattern.

Now, Van'Ustrius and Qavous had been the ones to initiate the construction of this grand city, this green dot within the sea of purple Tet Grass and white stone, for they desired pomp, before they revealed what they had uncovered in their own memories. You see, looking back, the short, triangular angel of iridium with eyes of mahogany, and the composite angel with eyes of powder-blue had recalled an art which was truly powerful.

Incalculably long ago, during one of the many times through existence, the Yet-Olong had mastered simple spells, such as cantrips and prestidigitation. However, over the countless times they had counted every second of eternity itself, they had refined these spells, and grown more used to their use, not unto that they were truly useful, but beyond that, to the point that nothing could ever match their power such simple spells, even if they lived until the end of time, for it had taken the Yet-Olong many times living unto the end of time, before they had even achieved a tenth of this power.

Where a cantrip in the hands of a Hothrid could move a stone, in the hands of a Yet-Olong, it could move a stone to tears instead. Where a cantrip would create light, it would drown out the light of the sun instead. Where a cantrip would affect a coin flip, it would change the route that fate itself would follow instead.

1 point to Command the Aeonstrum to Create a Cult in the Beastborn: The Fated Ones.

5 points to Advance the Yet-Olong with High Mastery.

4 points to Command the Yet-Olong to Ingrain High Mastery.

4 points to Command the Yet-Olong to Found the City Vollicius deep in the White Mountains.

4 points to Command Vollicius to Raise an Army: R͒ishia, which then defends Vollicius.

0 points to Command the Strum to Command Those Who Speak With Gods to Miracle and transplant the fifth Colossi onto Neyla: Uliooooo Mooraeen.

Current Power Points: 1
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=18 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352913/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img836/7820/4jdb.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img713/6836/ajqo.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

The Proteans continued to advance across the Quartz Plateau. With their ability to actually control their own mutations to a limited degree, some were able to set up traps for the inferior life forms they shared their Plateau with - for while a Protean could simply digest soil at all, digesting plant matter was easier, and digesting flesh easier still. They found that the easiest meal for those who felt the need to wander was the Kristol, who could easily be fooled by relatively crude imitations of Muncher bodies. Relying more on scent and noise than colour to choose their prey, the Kristol tended to be unconcerned until they bit into the flesh and found it to be easily moulded liquid, rather than, well, flesh - by which time their very teeth were usually being digested as the Protean they had just munched attacked them.

The easiest food of all, however, was that to be found around the Blue Monoliths, food which failed to even move. Many Proteans had come to dwell here, and had been able to grow powerful for their size, for they needed to move but slightly to consume their food, and thus had no need to spend energy moving. Indeed, the deep lake was the most logical place to dwell, and water was not so very hard to digest; thus, it became filled with many Proteans, who over the years fused together into one colossal Protean, which could think with one mind to ration the food around so that it persevered.

Soon after this, "Monolith Nine", as the grand Protean called itself, dedicated a fraction of its mass to defending the territory from other life forms - most importantly other Proteans, who would likely leave a trail of dissolution and destruction, but also from the odd Kristol pack or Muncher herd. Normally, the Defence Mass had a brief existence completely separate from Monolith Nine's hive mind when these incidents happened, guided by the original data from its master's eye-stalks - and Monolith Nine tried always to have eye-stalks of some form - to locate and destroy threats, either by splitting into hundreds of warriors or simply engulfing a single target.

Whatever the case, Monolith Nine was avoided by the majority of the Spawn of Malkuth, as a place where Proteans never returned from.

Tsarag-Thaun were, to put it mildly, not mobile specimens. Typically made of quite heavy oceanic mass, the majority of them could not be carried far from the depths by their Los-ndelai servants' physical efforts alone. As the children of the Lord of Sorcery, it was entirely natural that they solved their problem with sorcery - since Yenmor the Ancient, all Tsarag-Thaun had practised spells of teleportation, which interacted with the eternal change of Limbo to relocate objects or people in the blink of an eye. This was far more reliable and swift as a means of transport than trying to swim, especially on the rare unpleasant occasion that a Thaun had to interact with land, but there were other, subtler uses of the art as well - for it twisted the laws of time and space, and thus could bend away hostile forces such as incoming sharks, or cause space to ripple so that no being could stand their ground and obstruct the caster.

It took millennia from the instant of their creation to the day that Translocation finally became ingrained into Tsarag-Thaun society, as the more successful specimens tended to be those too large to swim very far, and most yet desired to interact with the surface in some way. The most prominent exception was Necropolis, which was too large and sprawling for even her own spells to move her, and in any case would have to further disturb the consecrated remains that formed her core in order to do so. Nonetheless, her Expendable Population became skilled at ensuring that survivors would be teleported into the most inconvenient places if they tried anything, and developed a particularly cruel technique in which one expendable being was teleported inside another, followed by tearing their way out through the internal organs they now inhabited.

The Xan'aca had taken the slaughter of the dragon worshippers as an omen, and combative creatures that they were, many fought with one another for the right to lay their eggs where that past battle had taken place, hoping that somehow the scar it had left on the world's memory would imbue their children with the ferocity of the ghost warriors. They had never seen a true Hothrid before encountering the Pale Tribe, and Hamalat was sufficiently akin to flames that some felt it must be an emanation of their fiery creator, so this deeply suspect logic took root.

Soon, this nest became one of the most heavily defended parts of the magma pits, as well as one of the most furnished. Well aware that they were weakest when laying eggs, and desiring to encourage their members to ever choose egg-laying over war, the rudimentary tribal government of the magma lizards made this place into a ground of relative peace and sanity, where their constant, passionate infighting was simply not permitted, and where areas of easily accessible magma were placed under armed guard, places where eggs could be laid. Due to the ridiculous magical biology of these creatures, being sat in magma not only failed to obliterate the eggs, it actually helped them grow - those Xan'aca who were hatched in magma grew far faster than those hatched on the rocks unless explicitly starved, to the point that they averaged six feet tall while hunched, rather than the four feet more typical of the smaller specimens.

This was not an unmitigated boon, as the new caste of Trueborn needed more energy to live than most Xan'aca, and could not survive for more than a few years outside the Pits. They became tyrannical, but also xenophobic and jealous, well aware that the caste of Small Ones could simply escape their grasp if they ran far enough. Worse, the Small Ones still formed the majority of the population, for only in the ad-hoc settlement of Traitor's Grave was it routinely safe to leave an egg directly in magma.

It was known to the Watchers that Centrum slumbered, and drew great power from spending aeons in slumber. One way or another, it would have great power when it next woke, but in the meantime it could rely only on its mortal pawns to continue oppressing their creations. Orat'hoth opposed the decision, angrily, for its own children were the pieces that would be risked, and - more importantly - the Pillar had failed to actually use its mortal pawns against the Hothrid yet. Nysatek abstained, in part because it could not in good faith either support Orat'hoth's concerns or oppose its beloved over such a relatively small matter, but mainly because it was, in fact, such a small matter. Tsarag-Losh insisted that the plan the Watchers had agreed upon required the pre-emptive destruction of the dragon armies in order to prevent Centrum from acting during its slumber, but L'zot'aca simply laughed, reminding the Lord of Fluid that its plan at no point actually struck directly against their actual foe, rather than against the mortal toys of their actual foe, and backing Orat'hoth's call to cease attacks for now. Thus, the Crusaders and the Gougers simply dwelt among their people for many centuries, acting as enforcers of the Watchers' will; in deference to the Inevitable's contributions and losses, Orat'hoth saw to it that "the Watchers' will" was suspiciously compatible with the Inevitable's designs.

Limbo's rampant change had intensified with the full manifestations of L'zot'aca and of Nysatek, for now the cycle of rebirth and change was fully embodied, and the opposition between schemes and passion established as a way of fanning the flames. With such a malleable realm around them, those Proteans still trapped in Limbo took on more and stranger forms than their landbound cousins, some becoming quartz effigies or pillars of salt, others briefly mutating into tesseracts made of insects - briefly, for even a Protean in Limbo could not long stand to exist in four spatial dimensions at a time.

However, over the space of eternity, constant change being constantly reverted is not so very different to stasis, and Chorud the Gatekeeper became increasingly dissatisfied with its position as the glorified bodyguard of a place no one would enter - with the exception of the odd foolish, unfortunate, or suicidal Tsarag-Thaun who repeated the mistake of Tsarag-Losh, and tried to teleport without first deciding where they should go. Yet, for quite a long time, it did nothing about this state of affairs.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4353363/) +3 = 16 points
Power rollover: 7 points
Total 23 points

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Command the Proteans to found the city of Monolith Nine, a ridiculously huge Protean in the middle of the Indigo Monoliths

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command City (Monolith Nine) to Raise Army (Monolith Defence Mass)

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Tsarag-Thaun) with Translocation

4 points: Command Race (Tsarag-Thaun) to Ingrain Translocation

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command the Xan'aca to found the city of Traitor's Grave in the Magma Pits

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command City (Traitor's Grave) to Raise Army (Trueborn)

Command Army (Monolith Defence Mass) to defend Monolith Nine

Command Army (Trueborn) to defend Traitor's Grave

10 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v737/daveite/Limbo20140401.png

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=18 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4352913/)
Current Power Points: 19

Iedo'Ino existed, partially manifest, deep underground in the Ash Wasteland, where dust dogs ran, ruby mords prowled sluggishly along, fire-eyed bats swooped by overhead, and swarms of red and black insects filled the cavern. Now, while the jackal god was unaware of the past or future, forever trapped in the moment, it was also part of a greater will than itself alone, and, for a single instant, as it stood in that ashy wind, it decided to obey that greater will.

In particular, Mneomri's will was being broadcasted to Iedo'Ino, wherein all stewards of time had created something, save Iedo'Ino and Vait, so they needed to step forth with their own creations. Now, seeing no reason to resist this idea, Iedo'Ino immediately acquiesced, and, with a snap of energy, began the process of creating a new entity.

However, Iedo'Ino was only aware of the present to begin the creation, and, after it was begun, simply forgot, failing to mold the new creation to a particular form, or to even root it in time. Years passed, and these raw creations slowly slipped forward, down the path that they were initially created to follow, towards becoming a new race, but as they went, they developed in entirely random paths.

They developed brains, and despite the fact that these were small, each individual possessed dozens spread throughout their bodies, each with it's own unique psyche, granting these creatures great intellect, but constant insanity. They grew bones and flesh, but the bones were too large, and the flesh too little, so the creatures appeared emaciated and grotesque. Their form slowly became uniform, turning into tall serpents, four and a half meters from end to end, with humanoid torso's rising out of their serpentine tails, and a skull-like head atop that torso, with sunken eye sockets filled with only darkness. They lacked mouths, and in fact seemed to be devoid of their entire lower jaw, with writhing claws jutting from the rift in their faces. Talons jutted, four to a side, like spider legs made from razor-sharp, black bone, from their torsos.

Lacking a specific place in time, these abominations did not have to follow the rules of time as they had currently been set forward by the pantheon. No, they could live their entire lives moving backwards through time, jump from moment to moment with offensive ease, or go from birth to death inside the blink of an eye.

They quickly spread to the surface, monsters upon the Isle of Pillars, where they slowly discovered what it was that they ate, as they found living creatures, and felt the souls of those creatures strain to flee from these horrifically fast, jerking, insane entities. So, these demons killed the animals, and swallowed up the soul as it tried to flee to the Domain.

6 points to Create the "Nil-Atath Demon" Race. Soul-eating monsters fitting the above the description.

5 points to Advance the Nil-Atath with Non-Linear Time.

4 points to Command the Nil-Atath to Ingrain Non-Linear Time.

0 points to Command the Strum to Command Those Who Speak With Gods to Miracle and transplant the fourth Colossi onto Neyla: Pecshiii Seckioooon. (Of course I didn't do the fifth before the fourth :smallredface: )

Current Power Points: 4
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4354779/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img802/1839/be1w.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img713/6836/ajqo.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4354819/) + 3 = 12

Patience

Though Centrum now slept, the time for the healing of the great wound his power had visited upon Neyla was not yet upon them. Soon, though, the Inevitable would act. But now was the time to wait.


Events Proceed at their Own Pace

Though the bounty provided by Pastoria's herders allayed fears in Ferratum that food would be scarce, it came to the attention of those in governance that they still didn't really have a full hold over their territory in the Savannah. To this end, a group of settlers headed roughly south-west and established a new city on the bank of the first of the great rivers that flowed forth from the Land of Seven Rivers. They called their new settlement Torren and with the water of the mighty river, they nourished their herds and by sailing down it opened up vast new lands to the Hothrid.

To the east, or the west if you chose to go that way, in the Amethyst Grove, the dragons who had shunned the ways of their kin continued their ways of contemplation and atonement. But eventually, they began to yearn for a new, more permanent home, and like their kin, desired a location high above the world. After some time searching, they eventually decided upon a secluded valley high in the Mountains of Disappointment that overlooked the Amethyst Grove far below. Here, they carved a great edifice into an acanthite cliff-face, its geometric designs catching the light of the sun. Here, behind the crystal wall and vast galleries lit by vast windows, they dwelt in private chambers, one for each dragon, and continued their meditation.

Deep beneath the world, the Sa~Rūaru continued their meditations, compiling over the aeons countless volumes of theological and philosophical texts. In addition, despite their desire to remain apart, they maintained a chronicle of the history of the Vynris and their underground realm, and so dutifully recorded the arrival of the Shadows to the island far from Kyūsoku, and farther still from their isolated dwellings.


Starting Power: 12

Command Race (Hothrid): Found City.
Torren. Like Pastoria, it is initially given over primarily to cattle yards and the like, but will grow wealthy on the bounty of river trade.

Command Avatar (Khavaran): Command Race (The Dragons): Found City.
The Halls of Black Silver. Located in the Mountains of Disappointment where they border on the Amethyst Grove. It is a primarily subterranean structure carved directly out of a large vein of acanthite. The most striking feature of the city is the exterior façade, carved as it is with geometric designs and great traceried windows that allow interior galleries supported by columns to be flooded with sunlight.

Remaining Power: 7

[ImperialSunligh]

The pillar continued its endless slumber beneath Neyla. Visions of the world above echoed in its subconscious and would alert it if anything of import occured above. Little did. The actions of the Amethyst Watchers were troubling to Centrum, but they were not a significant threat, as they kept to themselves. Had they revealed the secrets they discovered to dragon society, however, there would be blood unending.
The Caetus dragons had far greater skill at working metal and such materials with their human hands. They yearned for greater artistry that they could aspire to, but this was a time with few breakthroughs, and many were bored.

This changed when a group of researchers gazed deeply into the city's black, shadowy walls and became inspired. They somehow attained the inspiration necessary to work with the essence of shadows, of the darkness, materializing it into a form of metal stronger and if forged into a weapon, sharper than any steel. This material was very difficult to make, and only the higher ranked in armies could afford to wear it, but those who did were far more resilient and deadly. While in dragon form, Caetus would cover themselves in shadow armor that protected their already defensive scales from damage, and in human form, they donned both armor and weapons.

A select few fringe groups believed shadow forging to be a corrupt practice. The inherent darkness of it brought fear to them, or perhaps they saw something in the process that perverted natural law. Still others looked to the shadow people to the north, wondering about the moral implications of creating weaponry or armour from what might be one of them. Whether they could actually be or were used in the process is unclear, but the Caetus had little experience with their people and misconceptions, such as all shadows being sentient were frequent among them.

The true source of shadow forging is unknown. It did not come from the pillar, which continued its slumber.
The Dark One's power and essence remained bound within the codex, but it could manifest the slightest hints of its presence on the mortal plane. Through this he reached into the center of Neyla, where Centrum took root.

She called out to it, having not spoken to it in a long time, "Father, I return to you! I wish to talk, to discuss... plans."

Yet there was no answer from the Axis. Indeed, Centrum's power was muffled and hidden so deep in the world that to a non-omniscient being such as the Dark One, it appeared silent and could not be seen, felt or touched. Its essence was crumpled and concentrated to the point of near non-existence.

The Dark One waited a long time for an answer, but was given nothing.

"Father, please, wake up."

Centrum huffed in its sleep at this show of petty emotion. Yet even this was silent.

"That's it, is it, dad? You must be dead. The watchers must have gotten to you. How awful."

The pillar considered waking at this point, to reassure the Dark One and return to sleep afterwards, but realized what the waking meant, and would not give in. The Dark One was not the child it claimed to be, and Centrum had observed it enough times to know that prolonged sleep was the superior option in this case.

The Dark One wept for a millennium at the bed of the Axis.
2d6+36+1=42 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4355031/)

Advance Race, The Caetus: Shadow Forging, -5

Left: 37
Law Bonus: 2
Cult Bonus: 0

[Omegonthesane]

Attempts to scry on Centrum's dreams had not yielded their usual fruit quickly enough, and the Council could not stand for total idleness. Instead of simply delaying even further, Orat'hoth decided it was time to call in that favour from the Lord of Death.

Moving from flesh to flesh, the Shedim gained an unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the various kinds of body available for them to hitch a ride upon. Those who refused to move on for an appreciable length of time were seen as hardly grown if they had not spent at least a year in a Xan'aca, a Thaun, a Hothrid, a Protean, and a Dragon, and as they were more outside than inside their host body they could look upon it with a clearer perspective than was likely in the age before properly sanitary research hospitals. Many, however, took issue with how quickly their bodies deteriorated relative to eternity, and most pitied the mortals they once had been; ironically, the ones who had the greatest issue were the Longlived, who cared nothing for the welfare of their hosts, and everything for the amount of time they could spend basking in the Time Storm.

Nysatek allowed Orat'hoth to fan these flames, and lead the Shedim down particular lines of thought, until they reinvented another strand of Watcher sorcery. There were suspicious overlaps between the incorporeal beings' art of Biomancy and the Thanatomancy of the Hothrids, for the latter was tied to Life by proxy due to being tied directly to Death, but where Thanatomancy was good for breaking, defiling, and manipulating the stuff of life, Biomancy restored things to their intended state, purified them of extant taint, or else stretched them to new heights of perfection. An old and sickly Hothrid possessed by a Biomancer would be well and healthy before their host left, while a young and strong Hothrid might be able to run for a week without faltering, go months without sleep, and regrow lost limbs that should have become stumps. A Dragon host could fly against wind that should have been blinding, or even grow a new head when the blow should have slain them, a Protean host would lose conscious control of their mutations in favour of always receiving the form that would grant them their will, a Shadow host could survive in the daylight, a Beastborn host would similar to a Hothrid be far greater than their base species ought to allow. The most terrifying results were perhaps with Tsarag-Thaun hosts, who found their entire Los-ndelai mass improved, and their own sorcerous arts with it.

The most profound and important effect, however, was on the Xan'aca, who managed to cross an evolutionary speed bump and generate Trueborn specimens capable of survival outside the Magma Pits. Soon enough, the Trueborn started to outnumber the 'small ones' completely, over the course of a long and bloody internal war between the two tribes. Fuelled by L'zot'aca, this mass venting of rage was the catalyst for the Xan'aca's first true advancement since the day they were created, an instinctive control over heat and fire, and an ability to cause heat to appear wherever fuel and oxygen were already present. Many would mistake them for wingless dragons in the years to come, forgetting that Xan'aca did not breathe fire, but instead simply willed it to action.

With their new sorcerous arts, more and more Xan'aca colonists started to actually survive journeys to the Jade Mountains. The most far-flung colonies from their earliest expansions had never suffered the demographic effect of the Biomancer arrival, and indeed had no magma to lay their eggs in, but with the help of Pyromancy and some careful digging they could create a fire pit that served well enough to make things that looked like Trueborn to all inspection. Naturally, as part genuine xenophobic belief and part excuse to bring violence to the world, many Xan'aca refused to believe a Trueborn of a fire pit was a Trueborn at all regardless of their attributes, and ineed the most extreme denied the status of all those not spawned within Traitor's Grave itself.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4356038/) +3 = 18 points
Power rollover: 10 points
Total 28 points

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Shedim) with Biomancy

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Xan'aca) with Pyromancy

React to Rules Change:
Hamalat the Pale Tribe becomes an Achilles Demigod.
Gnallakei the False Angel becomes an Achilles Demigod.

18 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Elemental]

Roll: 13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4357335/) + 7 = 20

Salvation and Restoration

The time for waiting had come and gone. Centrum continued its sleep unabated, and the burden of keeping the Grid Forest preserved between realities was wearing on The Inevitable's mind. At long last, he had enough power to bring his plan to full fruition.
Striding into the heart of the Codex material that occupied the space that once contained the lush realm of the Grid Forest, The Inevitable gripped the strands of subreality and pulled them into himself until nothing but a great void remained. The codex material manifested itself on his shadowed robes, intermingling with the stars there. With a deft hand, he pulled out the offending threads and flung them high into the sky, beyond the stars, where they glimmered faintly visible to those far below.

That done, The Inevitable saw that in his previous haste, he had neglected to ensure that the land and its inhabitants would be able to return. He needed an anchor to bind it once again to reality and to bring it home.
Seizing the soul of the last Leaena from its place in stasis, he brought it back into reality, renewing within her the power of his essence as he did so. With the stable point in time provided by a lineage of countless millennia, the Forest and its inhabitants began forming around them once more.
Alas, though rock and soil, animal and plant, stone and wood, flesh and blood were returned, the aeons of stasis left the minds of those within damaged. The memories of their adult lives were fragmented and faulty at best, many barely remembering their children and mates. Though Caelurum and the Forest were restored, none could recall for certainty whether they were Caeluran or followed the Old Ways. Warriors discarded their swords, farmers put up their tools and scholars abandoned their books. It would take some time for everything to get back together. Only the leadership and sorcery of the Leaenas kept everything from spiralling into violence.


Starting Power: 20

Shape Land: Remove the Codex Material and prepare the land for the restoration of the Forest.

Restore Avatar: The Leaena Dynasty.

Event: The Restoration of the Forest. Not a perfect restoration unfortunately. The memories of those caught within the initial catastrophe are damaged beyond repair, both by the madness brought by Centrum's manifestation and the hasty work of The Inevitable. Thus, no order or army entirely caught within remains intact.

Remaining Power: 3

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4354779/)
Current Power Points: 19

"They are an abomination!" Leau raged.

"They are the first and only true creation of my child!" Ke'Keo shot back.

"They fly in the face of every law we have set forth for the passage of time, every law that the Speaker itself set forth! They travel forward or backwards, in moments or eons, nothing matters to them. They are a plague upon the face of time!"

"They are infinite true possibilities, planner, or are you too short-sighted to see that?! They can alter their own history, guide themselves to greatness that our other creations can only dream of!"

"That is the danger, owl god," Vait interjected, "They possess the real threat of, within the blink of an eye, growing to become greater than even the Yet-Olong, which possess infinite history, or perhaps even great enough to pose a noticeable threat to we, the stewards. They are already swarming across the face of the world below, endangering the Xan'aca and the Caetus even as we commune."

"I like them," Kran Ze'In decided to weigh in, "They change a lot. Much more interesting that the sluggish Colossi and those dull Yet-Olong. These are more like the creations of Ke'Keo's other parent, the Beastborn. Passionate and young."

"Except that they could realistically overwhelm time itself with their lack of obedience to it's flow," Leau again.

"Kran Ze'In has a point," Zeh'Zerin this time, "All of our creations have been twisted towards stagnancy. Sure, the Colossi express change as much as structure within the Domain, but the Yet-Olong are so eternal and unchanging, that, to balance them, something like this Nil-Atath had to be created."

"At the cost of all the lives down below?!" Leau was still raging.

"You overestimate their power. The nature of such uncontrolled change is that, yes, it might swell to uncontainable size in a moment, but it also might fluctuate to half that size in the next moment, then cease to exist for several moments before growing to a feeble size for many more moments."

"What of the other races, which cannot change that quickly?! Each time these Nil-Atath grow to impossible strength, they will weaken their neighbors, leave a scar upon the world! When these scars amount to too much, these races are snuffed out, and they will not grow back!"

"Enough! It is not up to you, planner! Creator of the cage!" this was a pretty clear insult to Vait, Leau's child, "If it is up to anyone, it is to the Speaker!"

This was a point that none present could refute, so they simply looked up, past the Strum high above, to the great nothing above the Domain, past which Chron watched the discussion. For many ages, it remained in silence, and the deities began to take up long and involved discussions with Those Who Speak With Gods, until, one day, the Speaker's voice was heard, echoing back from the genesis of time, "The Yet-Olong are an unarguably finite, unchangeable quantity. The Nil-Atath are effectively infinite in quantity, and eternally-fluctuating. Allow these two forces to meet against one another in perpetual war. The Demons and the Angels will conflict with one another. Let what will come to pass, come to pass."

None of the deities below knew how to react to this decree, so, they simply gave each other nervous looks, then went forth, to enact this will.



Pecshiii Seckioooon, Uliooooo Mooraeen, Yabaaabaaa Gueneviiin, Zeii'veii'meii'reii Veii'meii'reii, Mai'a'ai Vaooooon had gathered just north of the neck of one of the immense, sleeping mountains, and were moving entire mountains of stone about, arranging them into half-kilometer-tall buildings, which were only two-story structures from the perspective of a Colossi. Anything larger than this would be unfeasible for the physics of this universe to uphold.

It was a quaint village, when considering the number of buildings and individuals, yet it was still effectively larger than even Caelurum had ever been. To put it in perspective, trinkets and tools the size of entire Oalei tribe dwellings hung from walls of the five dwellings in this city.

Now, Mai'a'ai Vaooooon was the Colossi who had been here the longest, nearly fifty thousand years. Now, while this was hardly a great amount of time in the endless spreading of a Colossi's lifespan, it was still a considerable span of time as far as actual perceivable events are concerned, and Mai'a'ai Vaooooon had, over these ages, learned to increase her speed, to speak faster, to complete conversations in days instead of months or years. The other four were somewhat irritated by her brevity, but they slowly began to realize that they did indeed need to move faster in order to communicate with other races around them. Now, it was never going to come to pass that a Colossi would move at the same speed as a Shadow or a Xan'aca, but now, there came weeks when Hothrid wandered through their homes and they actually managed to speak with them.



There was to be a war, but, as Ke'keo stared down upon the Nil-Atath, she didn't believe they would be able to organize themselves well enough to make it anything more than a slaughter. They needed a place, a time to root themselves to. They needed a leader. So, she opened herself to the flow of time, willing part of her divine essence, to break off, pure possibility, connecting into the fabric of time and growing into something more, but also whispering to it as it grew, teaching it to align with the Nil-Atath, to grow into a leader of them. This ultimately led to it's form, as it was born into a Nil-Atath clutch, which wavered in time, some of the demons moving backwards in time, some forwards, some moving so slow as to be a statue, and some traveling from birth to death in the blink of an eye.

However, as soon as this particular Nil-Atath was born, the family around it immediately felt that it was different, far stronger. Not only could it travel freely through time, but it could force others to obey it's place in time. Not only this, but it was far larger than others in the litter, dwarfing it's siblings, and easily killing those siblings when they grew to the age that such rivalries met that place.

When it grew to full age, barely the blink of an eye to another mortal, but ten thousand years to this Nil-Atath, it began to recall it's origins, how it had been taught to grow, so that the demon race could stage it's first home. As it realized this, the black pits that were it's eyes began to bleed, as it slipped, fully, into being a demigod.

From there, it matched it's flow of time primarily to the actual flow of time, and used it's power of manipulating the time streams of others to drag hundreds, then thousands of Nil-Atath into the place where it existed, a barren valley in the Jade Mountains.

It shrieked at them, told them that this would be their home, that they would drag a hundred thousand bodies here to trap them, so that their souls would be devoured, while their bodies would be used for decoration. The Nil-Atath would become more than animals, even if the Weeping One, as it was called, had to suck out each and every one of their souls and find another crop of demons who would feast more greedily upon the bounty they would engineer.

So it was that Nïx rose, a blood-soaked valley in Jade Mountains, from where the Nil-Atath would report, before going out hunting, wandering across time and space, before finding a quarry, capturing it, and dragging it back to Nïx. Soon corpses of every kind were piled in this horrific place, where demons attacked each other for amusement. There was a corpse of an immense dragon from near the beginning of time had been dragged here, as well as dozens from the future, their colossal, uneaten corpses laid about to form an arena, their flesh stinking and burning as a dozen live Xan'aca pyromancers from the present huddled in this arena, trying with all their might to burn up the oncoming swarm of demons, which was intent on devouring their souls. Mountains of Hothrid corpses and even a few Tsarag-Thaun bodies littered the valley. The fires that the Xan'aca brought would burn here forever, as long as there was more flesh to burn, and the demons were always bringing in more flesh, heaping the soulless bodies onto the bonfires, giving the place an overpowering stench of rotting flesh, burning feces from bowels which had loosed in death, and sizzling meat.

At the heart of this hellish sea of corpses, stood the Weeping One, towering upon a pile of races which had not even been conceived yet, glowering about it's kingdom and rejoicing.



The progenitor of these demons was nowhere near them, however. No, it was an entire world away, having blundered into it's Grandparent's creation: The Mirror World. While it wandered there, an aspect of Heovma, the Masked Fox would feel it going about.

1 point to Command the Aeonstrum to Command the Colossi to Found a City: Rueveuuu, just north of Aretak's Vale.

5 points to Create Demigod (Hercules): The Weeping One.

4 points to Command the Nil-Atath to Found a City: Nïx, in the Jade Mountains.

1 point to Command the Weeping One to Inhabit a territory surrounding Nïx.

Current Power Points: 8
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=18 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4357320/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img716/7219/z8wq.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img713/6836/ajqo.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

As the power of the Watchers grew, and no other more compelling demands presented themselves, four new members of their ranks were allowed to take form in the world beneath, forms with great and mighty power in return for an obligation more important than the tasks of Hamalat and Gnallakei.

From the same soil as Orat'hoth, there sprouted a mighty tree, a hundred feet tall and seemingly made of a single piece of naturally grown onyx. Its limbs were unbreakable to any sword or axe, and though it might slumber for an age, it would be present beside the Lord of Earth the moment anything dared to threaten it, to break their bones with unyielding strength, or reshape the ground beneath them into quicksand, or turn them into stone, or many other dangerous methods of Watcher sorcery. Indeed, for all that outward appearances would suggest otherwise, G'garaktut was far more closely tied to the position of Orat'hoth than the position of its physical form

From the Odious Sea rose a serpent many hundreds of feet in length, its flesh seemingly made of shimmering black scales - until one looked closely, and saw that it was rather shimmering liquid, yet viscous enough to entangle and choke its enemies. This was Enelothoth, who twisted and whirled around its charge Tsarag-Losh, and who it was said knew all the sorceries of the world like a child knows how to breathe.

From the depths of the Magma Pits, a discarded Xan'aca corpse rose up, turned to ash by exposure to the heat below while no longer having its metabolism to defend itself. Yet, in this form, it could conjure fire without fuel, and zip around in three dimensions with disturbingly trivial ease. This was Maugagon, and it spoke with L'zot'aca's voice even as it shielded the Lord of Fire from the impertinent.

Emanating from the Time Storm itself, there came a strange wind formation, a hurricane that somehow failed to reach ground level until it so desired. Any who got too close to that wind would not only be buffeted, but rotted, as their bodies suffered entropy at an unimaginable rate - and all this before it began casting spells. This was the physical form of Yghanar, defender of the bodiless Nysatek, and death to those foolish enough to strike at its charge.

Many tools the Watchers already had, and they would have many more as the years went by, but none were individually quite so great in magnitude as the Black Guardians.

The Watchers in general were not instantly certain how to react to the presence of the Nil-Atath. Their physical form was more or less set into a disturbing parody of flesh and bone, but their ability to inflict change was almost greater than the endless change of the Protean mass, and in reentering the flow of normal time over and over they were by any measure reborn repeatedly.

All of this changed when their diet was realised - merely by existing, the Nil-Atath threatened to, at any single moment, commit the atrocity of Centrum merely to prolong their own existence. Worse, they did not know the halfway path, of siphoning a fraction of soul from a living being as the Pillar did while it slumbered; this was maddening to the victims, but the Watchers cared little for mortal suffering per se. As they had had other concerns, the Council initially chose to allow the Nil-Atath to discover the knack, and be able to interact more peacefully with their lessers; this had not come to pass, however, and seemed unlikely to ever do so given how their city of Nix functioned.

"The Outer Council has deliberated on the outrage of the Nil-Atath," said the voice of stars, in four places at once, not bothering to physically reunite the Lords this time. "We have determined that they are soul-stealing abominations, guilty of the sin of the Pillar, and that their entire species must be treated as such due to their internal biology. It is our opinion that this requires their obliteration. The Lords and the Manifest are given the opportunity to speak their own reactions to this outrage."

Hamalat simply agreed with the council's will.

Gnallakei, who had spent much of its time among the Yet-Olong, felt that another way would be more efficient, for the Angels were going to make war upon these Demons by decree of Chron.

The Black Guardians had had little time in the world, so largely deferred to their charges.

"Same sitch, same crime," said L'zot'aca. "You know what the solution is, stop blathering and enact it."

"Life is life," disputed Orat'hoth. "I am reluctant to order the utter obliteration of an entire species, especially one with such potential for great works, great changes."

"Agreed," said Nysatek. "Indeed, I have a proposal for the Council, but I cannot vote fairly on this decision."

"Why not?" demanded the voice of the numberless.

"The Nil-Atath are the spawn of Iedo'Ino, the child of Ke'keo and myself. The mass death they spread would be pleasing to me, if it did not deny so many souls the possibility of rebirth. However, perhaps the Chron can be made to see reason."

"Hah!" snorted L'zot'aca. "You just want to get into her cloak a second time. We're not endangering the world for your flowering tour."

"No, we are not," hissed Tsarag-Losh, "but I might remind you that the Chron themselves are in dispute about this. In particular my own child Leau took great offence at how the Nil-Atath warp time itself, distorting its flow to their will. Therefore I side with Nysatek in this matter."

"The Council has heard the word of the Four Lords," said the stars. "The Lord of Death is granted its request; the Nil-Atath shall receive a stay of execution, pending its successful mission to end their crimes through less destructive means."

Iedo'Ino was in the Mirror World, not precisely beyond the reach of Watchers, but inconvenient to access. Nysatek knew its nature, and knew that it would only comprehend a continuously streamed ultimatum, which would simply be more effort than the task was worth. Instead, while its core was watched by the hurricane Yghanar, a piece of its spirit projected itself to the Domain, to where its one time lover Ke'keo had found a moment alone.

"My apologies for disturbing you like this, child of infinite potential," said the Lord of Death. "Our child has had children of its own. The other Watchers take some issue with the nature of our grandchildren, for they destroy entire souls. The rest we can forgive, especially me, but while their mere existence takes souls from the world the Council will not be idle. They see but one possibility, which I will not state; including that one, I see at least three.

"Possibility number two is what we had hoped they would develop towards. If these demons were content to leave a scrap of each morsel for the Domain, then at least a fragment of their victims would be reborn, and perhaps their feasts might agglomerate into a particularly amusing Shedim.

"Possibility number three, their digestive processes could be made to preferentially not destroy the last piece of a soul's essence. Given their obvious sadism, many would surely jump at the chance to have myriad victims screaming forever in their bellies, and the debt to the cycle would be repaid with their inevitable death.

"Of course, knowing you, I am confident you have already seen possibility number four, whatever it might be."

An order formed within those of the Shedim who remained in Neyla long enough to be worth the name. The majority of their society had chosen twice over to not move on to the Domain, and instead hopped from soul to soul, altering the world's path in unfathomable ways and rarely being quite caught. The most devoted to this ideal were the Catalysts, an order of Biomancers whose mission statement was to cause the whole world to grow as quickly as possible in every direction. They dwelt among the Hothrid of the Grid Forest, encouraging their great people to greatness of a kind that would benefit their society centuries after their death. They dwelt among the Beastborn, empowering the mightiest hunters, the greatest pack leaders. They dwelt among the Dragons, and took joy in turning the weakest into heroes worthy of Erue's power. A few had become old and wise by riding inside a Yet-Olong, and suffering through eternity with their host.

Soon enough, the bravest of the Catalysts began to return home either before they had left, or as ancient as one of the hateful and parasitic Longlived, but in no event unscathed. These were those who had dared to ride a soul-eating Nil-Atath, and been dragged back and forth through time, their host's timeless nature overcoming their usual laws. It took thousands of these brave ones, and interrogation of the few Shedim who were born as Nil-Atath, before the Catalysts could learn the secret, and the sorceries with which they could emulate it in a limited form.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4357957/) +3 = 17
Power rollover: 18 points
Total 35 points

5 points: Create Demigod (Monkey King): G'garaktut the Stone Tree, Black Guardian of Earth
1 point: Command Demigod (G'garaktut) to Shelter Orat'hoth

5 points: Create Demigod (Monkey King): Enelothoth the Twisting Serpent, Black Guardian of Water
1 point: Command Demigod (Enelothoth) to Shelter Tsarag-Losh

5 points: Create Demigod (Monkey King): Maugagon the Ashen Lizard, Black Guardian of Fire
1 point: Command Demigod (Maugagon) to Shelter L'zot'aca

5 points: Create Demigod (Monkey King): Yghanar the Blinding Hurricane, Black Guardian of Wind
1 point: Command Demigod (Yghanar) to Shelter Nysatek

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Create Order in the Shedim "The Catalysts"

1 point: Command Demigod (Yghanar) to Command Order (The Catalysts) to Political Maneuver and steal Non-Linear time from the Nil-Atath. Biomancy is probably an applicable Political technology, as the Nil-Atath host benefits from it and thus might be willing to make a deal.

4 points: Command Race (Shedim) to ingrain Biomancy (no fluff, I intended to do it the turn they originally got it)

4 points: Command Race (Xan'aca) to ingrain Pyromancy (likewise)

1 point remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

Within the deepest depths of the eastern oceans, a great tremor was felt by many. It echoed from below the bottom of this ocean, and slowly erupted upward in a grinding rumble.

No form of tidal wave or similar was caused, yet the tremor continued for twelve days and twelve nights, until, from the earth below erupted a most monstrous being. This being was dragon-like, but not in a traditional sense. It had only the slight semblance of a dragon, having the nigh impenetrable scales, massive wings and great tail of one, but this is where the similarities ended.

The being was infused with the shadow forces in the absolute depths of the ocean, being only semi-corporeal. It emerged from and sunk into shadows at will and even when it chose to materialize, shadow remained on its body as would algae if a being emerged from underneath a thick coating of it.

The dragon had a hunded thousand eyes that covered every inch of its body, but all but those on its face were usually closed. The others were used only when it believed it necessary to have vision in all directions. Whether the eyes were even necessary for its vision is questionable, however, given the dragon's ethereal nature.

From its head protruded a bio-luminescent esca, similar to that of an anglerfish. The dragon looked much like an anglerfish in many other ways, being grotesque and alien in shape to creatures of the surface, with massive, malformed teeth and a generally distended body.

The dragon's talons had a slimy coating of some kind of corrupt essence, and were less sharp than most. They were not as they appeared, having the ability to increase in length into massive tentacles.

It had no inherent name, but those that heard of the horrors it caused and its semi-draconic nature took to naming it "Sakona". This referred to a myth of the dragons telling of dragons that either originated on the surface of the earth, or took to living there, against their natural inclinations. Such dragons are traditionally considered to be alien abominations.

The actions of the beast in this time were incredibly chaotic. It somehow reproduced with fish in the area often, and while the result was often not altered from the parent fish, Sakona produced an obscene amount of offspring that caused fish in the area to often go through food shortages and fall close to extinction, before being repopulated again by Sakona.

It also generally ravaged random creatures, but luckily did not have the discretion to seek out intelligent life, and thankfully there was little in the area.

[Roll: 2d6+37+2=45 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4359503/)

Create Avatar, "Sakona, Dragon of the Deep", -12

Demigod Changes
Evincere: Monkey King
The Dark One: Fenrir
Matercula: Monkey King

Left: 45
Law Bonus: 3
Cult Bonus: 0

[5a Violista]

The Beastborn and the Chaos Infection; Heovma and Cearta

One day, The Masked Fox appeared to the Beastborn in the crystalline land, and she organized those crystal beastborn to a city. They gathered together and called their city, "The Crystal Village." Unlike the beastborn in the Frozen Village, these ones reviled against their wild past. They hunted and killed Beastborn who were in the wild, and kept their human forms to turn away from the wild.

The poor, unfortunate Beastborn who put on Cearta's mask was promply transported to the Mirrored World. He, a rabbit-beastborn, ran around the forest in a panicked fright. Nothing seemed the same: he almost recognized the forest, but it was different. None of the trees seemed to be in the same spots, and the shadows were cast in the other directions, and there was none around to help him...This rabbit-beastborn was left running around the wild in panic until, finally, a tiger ate him and ended his misery.

Back in Neyla proper, Heovma the white coyote went around hunting. It was rather enjoyable hunting with a pack of beastborn: to her left was a Tiger-Beastborn. To her right was a Wolf, and a Panther, and others. They hunted down other, weaker Beastborn across the savanna. When they came across a house of a Hothrid, they shared the spoils of the meal. When they found Shadows along the ground, the white coyote scared them off the ground into three dimensions so that the other Beastborn could tear them to pieces.
...
Later, when these Beastborn companions grew old and too weak to hunt, Heovma turned on them and ate them, so their spirits would merge and become a part with her.
Then, she went on, forgetting the entire incident.

Through her influence, chaos began randomly infecting many Beastborn. The disease began to be known as Feral Strength, because it greatly increased their speed and strength. However, it was at the cost of their mind: it made them much more feral and wild, even bloodthirsty.

Back in the Mirrored World, after the Masked Fox returned, she noticed the presence of beings who were definitely not animals. Here in the Mirrored World was the only pace where she wasn't wearing her mask; so she had no way to hide her face if they saw her. So, Cearta snuck up towards the divine being Iedo'Ino, watching from afar them while hidden behind a tree, only her head above her eyes sticking out. She followed the deity here in the realm of the Wild, watching and thinking.
(1) Command Avatar(The Masked Fox): Command race Beastborn: Create City "The Crystal Village",
<located near the Blinding Mangroves Forest, where the Copper Mountains and the Shard Woods come together>.
(5) Advance Civilization(Beastborn): in Feral Strength.



The Son of Chaos; Chaos and Wierresta

((Sorry; I had forgotten to describe the Son of Chaos way back when I paid for it.))
The beast, the Son of Chaos, was a Wierresta who rose out of the Odious Sea. Little bits of chaos attached to it and formed a symbiotic relationship with it. It wasn't very direct, but it started finding its way towards the Savanna, towards sources of fear. Like all other Wierresta, it fed on fear and caused terror through its Aura; however, its Aura of Terror was much stronger than most Wierresta.

The fear could be felt throughout the land by every single living being near it.
The Demigod is a Fenrir-type demigod



The Manitou, Spirits of Nature; Chaos

One day, a single Protean with a Shedim went out in the wild, carefree and all. Then, it began to be swarmed with the tiny Chaos. The Shedim tried to fight them off, not exactly knowing what they were or what they did. They then promptly forgot that incident for some time.

Weeks passed.

As time passed, the spirit of the Shedim and that of the Protean had bonded together so they couldn't separate. It was very panic-inducing and strange; something completely unexpected. As time continued to pass, the Protean's shapeshifting became controlled towards a specific direction: towards pure element.

Eventually, the two souls were completely fused; they had become one, and they were no longer Shedim nor Protean. Instead, they were a new creature: called a Manitou. It was essentially a spirit associated with nature, having been completely influenced by the Chaos. It guarded a small lake in a forest, living there as part of the dust, though it could have a physical form every so often.

It later reproduced, in a very similar manner as the Proteans do. After a time, they spread all across nature, being associated with locations in nature and specific elements: such as snow, dust, heat, magical energy, and so on.
(4) Create Hybrid Race of Shedim and Proteans called Manitou: Spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature.


Pillaging and Falsehoods; Aurelius and Fel

In Neyla, the Lonely Coyote came to some groups of the wandering raiders, the Mhajm, and gathered them together. The leaders of these groups had a meeting with Aurelius presiding the meeting. He didn't say much, but in the meeting it was discussed that they should have a meeting place.

They eventually found a place near the sea, in the land of Seven Rivers, where they built their city. They called it Port Beau, as it was a port where they could have small ships, even though they still couldn't safely cross the Odious Sea without getting scarred and eaten by the monsters there.

The city of Port Beau was a temporary base for passing raiding parties, who went there to rest and stay put for a while, especially after a successful raid. The city was a republic, where leaders of individual raiding parties would have some choice in the directions of the city and the distribution of the wealth.

Then, after a good rest and partying and singing and drinking, they would leave again in their raiding parties to go through the cities of the Hothrid over land and down the rivers, and also Umbra and sometimes (during the warmer months), The Frozen Village. That's how they gained their resources to survive during the long months and years.

After the Lonely Coyote left, Fel came into the city, appearing as a pitch-black male similar to their species, coming in the darkness. He taught them to pillage and raid more effectively, such that they would be able to take supplies more safely and win against their opponents; in and out before they could fight them out.

The Lonely Coyote returned to the Mirrored World by entering through his reflection. He spent his time there, lying on a rock to carve and invent a new stringed instrument and come up with new fantastic tales about nonexistent gods.

(1) Command Avatar(The Lonely Coyote): Command race Mhajm: Create City "Port Beau",
<located along the northern coast of the Southwest Sea, right where that river comes from the Land of Seven Rivers>.
(5) Advance Civilization(Mhajm) in Pillaging.



2 + 2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4360248/) + 5 + 3 = 18

(1) Command Avatar(The Masked Fox): Command race Beastborn: Create City "The Crystal Village",
<located near the Blinding Mangroves Forest, where the Copper Mountains and the Shard Woods come together>.
(5) Advance Civilization(Beastborn): in Feral Strength.

(4) Create Hybrid Race of Shedim and Proteans called Manitou: Spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature.

(1) Command Avatar(The Lonely Coyote): Command race Mhajm: Create City "Port Beau",
<located along the northern coast of the Southwest Sea, right where that river comes from the Land of Seven Rivers>.
(5) Advance Civilization(Mhajm) in Pillaging. (+combat against armies stationed in cities, +political when stealing objects but not techs)

(-) limited time Demigod respec: The Son of Chaos is of the type Fenrir
(Apologies that I haven't really described him so far...)

Remainder: 2

Planned future advancements of Mhajm: Excellent Sailing of some kind, some form of music manipulation. Eventually, in airships.
Other planned actions: Create demigods, armies, and more Wonder weapons/objects. Add armies.



Heovma
Also currently known as "the white coyote," Abyss, Chaos, and The Eater of Souls. She's a coyote with pure white fur and blue eyes. She began existing after the creation of Neyla, and hardly exists anyway. She is formed from chaos and represents the Wild: the absence of civilization. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's anything more than an wild animal or just a part of one's imagination. When she eats a being, the devours the entire soul along with the body, and is absorbed into her, becoming a part of her.

Avatars
Fel the Black Wolf. Also known as Anarchy. Black fur with glowing red eyes. Made of darkness. Surrounding him is a plague of darkness as far as the eye can see. He brings anarchy with him and can't enter the Mirrored World.
Cearta the Masked Fox. Also known as Strife. Humanlike woman, with fox ears and three fox tails. Always wears a mask while in Neyla. When a natural lifespan is passed, she returns to the Mirror World, leaving only her mask in Neyla, until some unfortunate soul puts it on and swaps places with her.
Aurelius the Lonely Jackal. Also known as Trickery. Jackal head, wears a cape and no shirt. Loves music and telling (and inventing) tales which are usually mostly false.

Cults
Hothrid Cult: A select few spread feelings of revolt against current traditions and laws, guiding others to openly rebel. They also have routine traditions and rituals, including a Parade of Light every eleventh year, where they parade through public areas with many lights and frightening canine costumes.
Oalei Cult: Some Oalei find strength in the shadows, where they feign loyalty to their leaders during the day but strike their leaders in the night in assassination. They don't become leaders, but have the purpose to spread chaos using their wicked oaths, blood packs, and foul murders.
Dragon Cult: Dragons whose thoughts are swamped in bringing and inspiring rage and anarchy. They scorn the rulings of leaders and turn against the normal customs of the people.


Orders
The Dark Blade: An order of assassins, currently in the Shadows. They routinely assassinate leaders of the cities. Their purpose is to cause anarchy and disorder. Follows Fel's commands.
Knights of Strife:An order of holy knights, currently among the Caetus. They take vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world, and they're generally upstanding and nice citizens of the cities they're in. They love battles and fighting and working hard. Follows Caerta's commands.

Armies
Strife Legion 1: An army of Knights of Strife of the Caetus, in the city of Conchylium, who defend that city and maintain good citizenship.
Sin A: Shadow assassin army in Umbra, who are a brotherhood of assassins.

Demigods
The Son of Chaos: A Fenrir-type Demigod. A Wierresta who has a symbiotic relationship with the little pieces of chaos. It wanders the world, feeding off of the fear it causes and staying alive much much longer than most Wierresta. Like any other Wierresta, it has an accompanying Aura of Terror, but its is much stronger than most.

World
The Mirrored World: Halfway out of synch with reality, with right being left and everything appearing slightly off. Appears just like Neyla, except without the masses of sapient races, without cities or man-made structures, and so on. Can sometimes be seen on the other side of reflections and mirages. Every time someone puts on The Masked Fox's mask, they are transported to this world where they live out the rest of their short life in solitude, alone and hunted in the wild.

Races
The Shadows: Unfinished, and formed from scraps torn from Fel's body. Most of the time, they're two-dimensional as shadows on the ground or the wall, with glowing red eyes. They can occasionally form themselves in three dimensions and [Form Reflection tech] can copy the appearance of someone they can see. They feed on both food and light, but too much darkness and too much light are fatal to them. Can learn [Shadow Manipulation tech]: manipulating objects by manipulating their shadows. They name their cities after prominent founders.
The Beastborn: Unborn souls attach to dying animals. When the beast finally dies, they are reborn together with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal, as an infant. Most of the time, they appear as their animals, but they can sometimes transform themselves to appear humanoid with an occasional animal trait. When killing animals for food, they have a moment of silence and almost a ritual of thanks. The [Feral Strength] is a chaos-caused disease which randomly infects them, increasing their speed and strength at the cost of making them more feral and wild.
Mhajm: Plunderers, formed originally from music. They're wandering raiders from land to land, preying on their riches and food while spreading shanties and tales. All are born female, and all children they have (from males of other races) are born as Mhajm. They like [Pillaging].
Manitou: Hybrid Race of Shedim and Protean. They're spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature; specifically, locations in nature. There are snow-forms, dust-forms, heat-forms, magic-forms, and so on: each one is like that.

Cities
Umbra: A city of the Shadows, located in a swamp. The city is similar to that of wolves in the wild, with the alpha Shadow commanding the rest, and so on. The current leader is routinely assassinated.
Scath: In the High Woods, a city of the Shadows. They wander around in a caravan, following the migratory patterns of the animals whose forms they mimic.
Chek: A Caetus city, on the north shore of the lava lake. The leadership is a council of prominent members of the city, including many Knights of Strife.
Sayh: A Shadow city, deep underground, where they feed on the glowing mushrooms and crystals. They live in a very wild state, in a constant anarchic gathering with continuous upheavals of government (kept that way by the Dark Blade).
The Frozen Village: A Beastborn city, far south in the Frigid Land. They help each other survive past childhood and youth. The eldest Beastborn is respected as the leader, in charge of sending off packs to find newly-born Beastborn, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they keep in their humanoid form to foster a feeling of community. Those who choose to return to the wild can do so.
The Crystal Village: A Beastborn city, in the Shard Woods. They revile their brothers in the wild and stay in their human forms to turn against their wild past. Those who join this city normally stay in it for life, but few Beastborn from outside actually enter the city.
Port Beau: a Mhajm city, which is used as a temporary base between raids. The leaders of each raiding party have some say in the republic government and the distribution of wealth.

Wonders and Structures
The Darkest Blade: In the hands of the army Sin A. It's a black sword that devours light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it feeds on enough light, it can cut through nearly anything and gives thoughts to all nearby: thoughts of anarchy and rampaging in chaos against allies. Sin A generally keeps it locked away in a box, except when they use it.

Miscellaneous
Fel's Moon: A black moon with a very eccentric orbit. It passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling across the surface of Neyla from north to south. As the moon comes close, the tides go wild (especially because it passes by so close). Mortals who die under the shadow of the moon come back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood, and mortal creatures born under the moon's shadow have a great natural talent for all forms of Black Magic. Sacrifices and dark rituals are planned around the passing of this moon.
The Odious Sea: The Odious Sea is a waterlike substance, of sometimes a dark red and sometimes black. It doesn't mix well with water and is much more dense, which is why it doesn't spread across all the oceans. The water immediately scars the flesh of anything touching it. It's extremely scarring and has a distinct and sharp smell.
Wierresta: Monsters with dark black looks, who appear as large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. They're mindless monsters who feed on blood and fear, with extremely thick armored skin, terrible claws, and sharp teeth. Anything and everything near them feels an inexplicable feeling of terror.
Black Magic: Gifted to those born under Fel's Moon. Also, most Caetus are naturally skilled in it as well. It includes curses and harming rituals.
Stories and Myths: Aurelius spreads tales, songs, and false histories across the world, until they begin retelling themselves. They're about nonexistent gods, heroes, creation stories, myths, and so on.
Chaos: Little particles of chaos living across the entire world. They are essentially bacteria, causing diseases and random and sometimes unexplainable incidents across the world. Some can absorb and feed off of extreme heat.
The Bleached Desert's Gale Storm: A wandering monstrous salt storm which moves around the Bleached Desert, destroying and salt-crystallizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
The Datura Flower: Flowers found in the Datura Desert. They are poisonous when eaten, but are very beautiful and useful in alchemical uses. They smell fantastically, and bloom during the warmer seasons. Interestingly, they all bloom during the night and wither during the day. The Evening Datura is a dusky rose color, the Moonlight Datura is a deep black color, and the white Sacred Datura is a hallucinogen in small doses..
Carnivorous Plants: Found in swampland, mostly in the Bubbling Bog. Most are small and only eat insects. Others eat frogs, fish, rats, and so on. Others devour large animals - although, most only eat them when they're already dead and decaying, eating parts at a time.

[Elemental]

Roll: 14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4360557/) + 3 = 17

Peace Restored

With Centrum's sleep still undisturbed by The Inevitable's efforts to mitigate its actions, he felt empowered, and secure, enough to proceed with plans long since postponed.
Returning to the Land of Seven Rivers, he noted the presence Mhajm at its southern edge. They would cause trouble eventually if they were left to their wild ways. But for now, only a minor influence on them was required. He had other matters to attend to.

Settling down atop the mountains at the heart of the Land, The Inevitable assumed a humanoid form. Working tirelessly, he gathered clay from a nearby stream and began to work it into a shape similar to the one he had himself chosen. Like him, it was tall, though a full foot shorter. But while he was broad of shoulder, the statue was slender; its hair straight while his was wavy. Cutting his arm with a jagged rock, The Inevitable marked the figure over where its heart would be with an eight pointed star in his intangible, essence-infused blood. Finished with the first statue he began another.
By the time the Sun rose the next morning, a thousand statues stood on the bank of the stream, each one as flawlessly crafted as the first and each unique.
As the rays of the Sun struck each statue in turn, they took form as living creatures, their hair as red as cinnabar. Slowly, the moved towards their creator and congregated at a respectful distance from him. For a month they sat under the trees with The Inevitable and listened to him as he told them stories of the world. In time, they hungered, so they hunted and feasted with their God as he taught them all they needed to know to live comfortably. Together they fashioned bows and spears, sang songs, tamed the wild pegasi, wove cloth and strung amber beads together. Eventually The Inevitable departed from their land and his creations wept at the absence of their friend and teacher.

Starting Power: 17

Create Race: The Va'Aton (Basically Elves)
Standing between roughly 175 and 198 centimetres tall, the Va'Aton range from being slight of frame to moderately built. Despite their tendency toward thinness, this should not be misconstrued as a sign of frailty as they are more than strong enough to defend themselves from would-be attackers. In addition, they are agile and capable of running for hours on end. Furthermore, in times of little physical activity, they need to eat and sleep far less than one would expect from a creature of their size. However, should they engage in strenuous activity for too long without stopping to eat and rest, they are at risk of starving or seriously exhausting themselves.
Each and every Va'Aton possesses brilliant red hair the colour of cinnabar. Usually, their hair is dead straight, but enough possess wavy hair for it to not be considered unusual. Their eyes can be any of the full range of human eye colour with heterochromia, sectoral, central and complete, being common.
The Va'Aton are a very long lived race. Each individual can be assured a life span of at least one and a half thousand years, sometimes a thousand years beyond that. Culturally, this has led them to adopt a calm and slow approach to matters, always striving to do things right rather than rush and make mistakes. Put simply; They don't panic if they can get away with it.
Despite being no more intelligent than other races such as the Hothrid, a few hundred years of experience does help to make one avoid poor choices, and as such, the Va'Aton tend toward the placing of power in the hands of those among them who are oldest and still capable of the task.

[Omegonthesane]

Nysatek's consciousness had not returned from the Domain when the Watchers saw fit to act again. They refused permission for L'zot'aca's proposed response to the Pillar's deeds, citing that the Dark One had been effectively sealed away in its own Codex and had yet to act further, as well as the list of tasks not yet completed.

In the warm waters north of the Abyssal Sea, a particular set of rocks just beneath the north shoreline had become a popular meeting and trading post among Tsarag-Thaun colonies. It had the right combination of warmth and nutrients to make a perfect breeding ground for Los-ndelai, or close enough that it could be made perfect with fairly basic applications of sorcery; many colonies would have their Los-ndelai lay eggs in the waters to be picked up by peers, and this was seen as an act of unification and kinship. The colonies did not yet understand that they were increasing the biodiversity of their species in this act of miscegination, but they understood that their spawn were more reliable than those of outsiders, less prone to unwanted mutations and madness. This strange trading post took a name which would one day be translated as Cradle, when the concept came to be explained to the Mhajm and Hothrid seafarers who passed by. In time, thanks to Orat'hoth's guiding hand, the Los-ndelai mass present at Cradle inscribed the proper runes into the many nooks and crannies of the rocks where they were meant to dance while growing up to be taken by Tsarag-Thaun; in doing this, they turned the city of Cradle into another static Thaun specimen, though with happier origins than faraway Necropolis.

As something of an act of charity, and influenced by L'zot'aca's whispers, Cradle allowed the passing Thaun to donate any Los-ndelai they wished to be rid of, and take them under her care. This was not merely a compassionate act, but a deliberate ploy to swell her operating population to the point where she could maintain a set of defenders. Most of the adopted Los-ndelai had flaws which went away in one or two generations of breeding with more average specimens, and even the most crippled ones were merely less efficient to use, rather than being a net drain on Cradle's resources. Even Yenmor the Ancient donated a few specimens to this effort, a mark of pride for the much younger living city.

In the northernmost part of the Eastern Archipelago, in a part where the sea boiled and the land emulated the Hexagonal Forest, a set of Thaun colonies with an especial interest in sorcery located a cache of Dualist knowledge. All knew that the Dualists had been wiped out by Iskenderun, the child of Yenmor, for sacrificing Oalei in the waters; few were certain of the details, and all wished to some degree to obtain whatever knowledge or power might have been lost when their rival society fell. Drawn by the quest for knowledge, they formed the city of Logos, a set of artificially grown coral towers and nets, where fish and plankton were farmed for the convenience of the Thaun sages. In imitation of Cradle, the sages eventually decided it would be easiest if their city was living rather than needing supervision, and so the Logos colony came to life exactly as Tsarag-Losh had planned.

Guided by the mere oppressive subconscious presence of the Lord of Death, Logos prepared many protective wards and spells to guard against those who might dare to dive into the bathypelagic and destroy it. These were more efficiently and carefully laid, but with fewer Los-ndelai to support them, for Logos could not match either Cradle or Necropolis in storage space.

Seeing the expansion of the society she watched over, and the presence of the increasingly audacious Mhajm, Yenmor the Ancient saw fit to prepare two more Battle Colonies to aid herself and Iskenderun in the tasks to come, as well as raising an expendable population of her own. Soon, Cigotuvi and Golubria joined Iskenderun in patrolling the seas, and Yenmor was now prepared to defend herself in combat. Where Iskenderun had been a brutal soul, focused on assaulting and slaying her enemies as fast as possible, Cigotuvi was more sadistic, preferring to toy with and torture her prey if reasonably practical, while Golubria was more interested in excuses to test the latest Logos magic than her nominal duties.

Meanwhile, rumours began to spread among the Mhajm of a particular ship, a coastal raider that always came from the sea, made of black wood, with tattered grey sails, and crewed by skeletally thin beings in rags and tatters. Those who claimed to have got close to the Black Ship, when it was flying the white hourglass on a black flag instead of the red flag of no quarter, swore blind that the crew were the fleshless skeletons of drowned Mhajm sailors. Few bothered the Black Ship unless it directly approached them, which was exactly how the Watcher Dabok-aat wanted its exploration of the sea to go.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362176/) +3 = 19
Power rollover: 1 point
Total 20 points

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Command Race (Tsarag-Thaun) to Found City (Cradle) on the shores directly north of the Abyssal Sea

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command City (Cradle) to Raise Army (Cradle Adopted Population)

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command Race (Tsarag-Thaun) to Found City (Logos) in the waters below the northernmost part of the East Archipelago

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command City (Logos) to Raise Army (Logos Protective Wards)

Command Army (Cradle Adopted) to defend Cradle
Command Army (Logos Wards) to defend Logos

1 point: Command Demigod (Yghanar, Black Guardian of Wind) to Command Order (Yenmor the Ancient) to Raise Army (Yenmor Defensive Population)

1 point: Command Demigod (Enelothoth, Black Guardian of Water) to Command Order (Yenmor) to Raise Army (2nd Battle Colony "Cigotuvi")

1 point: Command Demigod (G'garaktut, Black Guardian of Earth) to Command Order (Yenmor) to Raise Army (3rd Battle Colony "Golubria")

5 points: Create Demigod (Achilles): Dabok-aat the Black Ship

8 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Chaos Descends on the Hothrid

The Tiger-shaped black Wierresta who prowled the Savanna continued its hunt across the years. Though it was slow-moving, it was very large and extremely dangerous, and it could easily survive away from the Odious Sea due to its symbiotic relationship with the Chaos around it. Its Aura of Terror was much much stronger than that of any other Wierresta on the planet.

The Son of Chaos, as it became known as in legends, stalked the land.

Finally, it came to a populated city. It came to the city of Ferratum, being able to taste all the fear as it approached.

The Son of Chaos entered the city, and its Aura of Terror fell across the entire land. There was not a single Hothrid who did not feel stark terror at its presence. It lied down in the center of the city, only knocking over a few buildings, when the many armies of Ferratum gathered themselves together to attack it. Their weapons and magic could hardly pierce its thick skin, but they did manage to get it angry. The 2nd Horde Crusaders took the worst of its rampage; most the army was squished, eaten, and torn apart. However, to the relief of everyone else in the city, they managed to drive it northward, out of the city.

It swam under the ocean away from Ferratum, towards the Grid Forest. It could already taste the Hothrid in Caelurum, and so it bounded towards city, accelerating every mile it got closer. Trees fell and hedges were crushed as it ran through. Once arriving in the city, fear covered the city and armies tried to defend themselves with magic and weapons. Like in Ferratum, an army, the Militant Order of the Schola ((That's an army, right? And not an Order? I'm pretty sure. If not, I'll just have it switch targets to an army)) faced the brunt of the casualties, but the beast quickly grew bored and returned south to Ferratum. The beast quickly grew bored with rampaging around there, so he returned south to Ferratum, where the prey tasted better.

This time, as the creature approached the city by sea, the armies of Ferratum were slightly more prepared. They started attacking the Son of Chaos before it even reached the city, and they were so close to overcoming it, too. Thanks to the sacrifices by the Ferratum Marines, they drove off the beast before it could reach the civilians.

It left westward, until it finally rested in the Fertile Desert to lick its wounds.


(1) Command Demigod: Terrorize
(1) Command Fenrir Demigod: Terrorize again

1st: Son of Chaos: 4d8=28 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362956/)
2nd Horde Crusaders: 2d6+6=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362957/)
(+5 Hothrid, +1 defending, unless I'm mistaken about bonuses)

2nd: Son of Chaos: 4d8=19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362960/)
Militant Order of the Schola (That's an army, right?) (recently restored): 2d6+6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362961/)
(because demigods don't get tired in consecutive battles)

3rd: Son of Chaos: 4d8=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362964/)
Ferratum Marines: 2d6+6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362965/)

Conclusion: Son of Chaos wins all three times.
2nd Horde Crusaders, Militant Order of the Schola (Didn't exist), and Ferratum Marines are all destroyed.



Armies and Massacres

Fel thought of another way he could destroy and capture Heovma: by destroying her precious wild. At night, he went into The Crystal Village and took the form of a man; he spoke with their leaders, that they had to work harder to destroy the wild and uncivilized Beastborn outside their city. Before he left, The Black Wolf ensured that they gathered an army to go out and hunt down and massacre stray Beastborn throughout the Shard Forest and the Copper Mountains. The Wild wasn't safe when Darkness was around.

Some time, Cearta the Masked Fox appeared once again in Chek, the volcanic village of the once-dragons. In there, she gathered her Knights and Chek's council. She persuaded them to build up an army, called Strife's Militia, to defend the city in the case something happened with their distant neighbors. They trained every fourth day.

One can never be too cautious.


(1) Command Avatar (Fel): Command City(The Crystal Village): Raise Army The Crystal Protectors
(1) Command Avatar (Cearta): Command City(Chek): Raise Army Strife's Militia



The Galley of Despair

The Odious Seas were still an iron curtain preventing the Mhajm from sailing across it on boats. They would always have to walk across the land if they wanted to get anywhere there, and the openness of the seas was still boxing them in with all the sea monsters and such. Their boats had to be fast to avoid the Wierresta while in the regular ocean; in the territory of the Wierresta, there was no hope.

However! One day, a bright young inventor with deep pink skin thought decided to overcome this. She started building several different makes of ships, and had people sail on them.
...Some came back intact, some didn't. Over twenty years of experimenting and working on ship design - what wood to use, how to treat the wood, how to make every little part of it, and so on. As her ships progressed, so did everyone else's: they copied her designs. Finally, the Mhajm could cross the Odious Seas. Of course, it was only two out of every three times that a ship could survive - and, of course, it required favorable winds and no unlucky Wierresta attacks. But, to ward off these attacks, many Mhajm prayed to Diselle the Star Goddess, who was mentioned in a tale or two by Aurelius: she was once a deep purple Mhajm who sacrificed herself to allow her sisters to escape from a powerful Wierresta, and had later ascended to godhood, protecting travelers who crossed dangerous lands.

Finally, a certain Raid Captain, who called herself "Wanhoop Jean" came to the inventor and had a commission for her: the best ship she'll ever make. Wanhoop Jean even brought her a dead Wierresta - who knows how her crew managed to kill it - to build parts of the ship with. Then, the best ship ever built was made. Because of the bones, the ship emanated the same feeling of terror and despair that a Wierresta gave off.

Soon afterwards, an unfortunate accident befell the inventor Mhajm, and no other ship built could surpass its peer, the Galley of Despair, crewed by Wanhoop Jean and her crew, the Corsairs of Despair.

Many generations later, the Galley of Despair was still sailed by a Wanhoop Jean, who managed to sail around the entire world at one point, but it certainly couldn't have been the same crew.


(5) Advance Civilization (Mhajm): Shipbuilding
(1) Command Avatar (Aurelius): Command City(Port Beau): Raise Army Corsairs of Despair
(4) Command Race (Mhajm): Create Wonder "The Galley of Despair"



[No description]
(-) {'cause I forgot to mention it before} Manitou gain the ingrained tech Mutation



2 + 2d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362866/) + 5 + 3 = 16

(1) Command Fenrir Demigod: Terrorize
(1) Command Fenrir Demigod: Terrorize again

1st: Son of Chaos: 4d8=28 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362956/)
2nd Horde Crusaders: 2d6+6=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362957/)
(+5 Hothrid, +1 defending, unless I'm mistaken about bonuses)

2nd: Son of Chaos: 4d8=19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362960/)
Militant Order of the Schola (recently restored): 2d6+6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362961/)
(because demigods don't get tired in consecutive battles)

3rd: Son of Chaos: 4d8=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362964/)
Ferratum Marines: 2d6+6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362965/)

Conclusion: Son of Chaos wins all three times.
2nd Horde Crusaders, Militant Order of the Schola (didn't exist), and Ferratum Marines are all destroyed.

(1) Command Avatar (Fel): Command City(The Crystal Village): Raise Army The Crystal Protectors
(1) Command Avatar (Cearta): Command City(Chek): Raise Army Strife's Militia

(5) Advance Civilization (Mhajm): Shipbuilding
(1) Command Avatar (Aurelius): Command City(Port Beau): Raise Army Corsairs of Despair
(4) Command Race (Mhajm): Create Wonder "The Galley of Despair"

(-) {'cause I forgot to mention it before} Manitou gain the ingrained tech Mutation

Remainder: 2


Planned future advancements of Mhajm: Some form of music manipulation. Eventually, in airships.
Other planned actions: Create demigods, armies, and more Wonder weapons/objects. Add armies. Son of Chaos gets mercilessly destroyed sooner or later.




Heovma
Also currently known as "the white coyote," Abyss, Chaos, and The Eater of Souls. She's a coyote with pure white fur and blue eyes. She began existing after the creation of Neyla, and hardly exists anyway. She is formed from chaos and represents the Wild: the absence of civilization. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's anything more than an wild animal or just a part of one's imagination. When she eats a being, the devours the entire soul along with the body, and is absorbed into her, becoming a part of her.

Avatars
Fel the Black Wolf. Also known as Anarchy. Black fur with glowing red eyes. Made of darkness. Surrounding him is a plague of darkness as far as the eye can see. He brings anarchy with him and can't enter the Mirrored World.
Cearta the Masked Fox. Also known as Strife. Humanlike woman, with fox ears and three fox tails. Always wears a mask while in Neyla. When a natural lifespan is passed, she returns to the Mirror World, leaving only her mask in Neyla, until some unfortunate soul puts it on and swaps places with her.
Aurelius the Lonely Jackal. Also known as Trickery. Jackal head, wears a cape and no shirt. Loves music and telling (and inventing) tales which are usually mostly false.

Cults
Hothrid Cult: A select few spread feelings of revolt against current traditions and laws, guiding others to openly rebel. They also have routine traditions and rituals, including a Parade of Light every eleventh year, where they parade through public areas with many lights and frightening canine costumes.
Oalei Cult: Some Oalei find strength in the shadows, where they feign loyalty to their leaders during the day but strike their leaders in the night in assassination. They don't become leaders, but have the purpose to spread chaos using their wicked oaths, blood packs, and foul murders.
Dragon Cult: Dragons whose thoughts are swamped in bringing and inspiring rage and anarchy. They scorn the rulings of leaders and turn against the normal customs of the people.


Orders
The Dark Blade: An order of assassins, currently in the Shadows. They routinely assassinate leaders of the cities. Their purpose is to cause anarchy and disorder. Follows Fel's commands.
Knights of Strife:An order of holy knights, currently among the Caetus. They take vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world, and they're generally upstanding and nice citizens of the cities they're in. They love battles and fighting and working hard. Follows Caerta's commands.

Armies
Strife Legion 1: An army of Knights of Strife of the Caetus, in the city of Conchylium, who defend that city and maintain good citizenship.
Sin A: Shadow assassin army in Umbra, who are a brotherhood of assassins.
The Crystal Protectors: A Beastborn army in The Crystal Village, who hate the wild and hunt out Beastborn who are in the wild.
Strife's Militia: A Caetus army in Chek, made of citizens and Knights, who want to defend the city.
Corsairs of Depair: Mhajm Pirates who dock in Port Beau. They ride the ship "The Galley of Despair" and their enigmatic leader (who passes down the title) is named Wanhoop Jean.

Demigods
The Son of Chaos: A Fenrir-type Demigod. A Tiger-shaped Wierresta who has a symbiotic relationship with the little pieces of chaos. It wanders the world, feeding off of the fear it causes and staying alive much much longer than most Wierresta. Like any other Wierresta, it has an accompanying Aura of Terror, but its is much stronger than most.

World
The Mirrored World: Halfway out of synch with reality, with right being left and everything appearing slightly off. Appears just like Neyla, except without the masses of sapient races, without cities or man-made structures, and so on. Can sometimes be seen on the other side of reflections and mirages. Every time someone puts on The Masked Fox's mask, they are transported to this world where they live out the rest of their short life in solitude, alone and hunted in the wild.

Races
The Shadows: Unfinished, and formed from scraps torn from Fel's body. Most of the time, they're two-dimensional as shadows on the ground or the wall, with glowing red eyes. They can occasionally form themselves in three dimensions and [Form Reflection tech; ingrained] can copy the appearance of someone they can see. They feed on both food and light, but too much darkness and too much light are fatal to them. Can learn [Shadow Manipulation tech]: manipulating objects by manipulating their shadows. They name their cities after prominent founders.
The Beastborn: Unborn souls attach to dying animals. When the beast finally dies, they are reborn together with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal, as an infant. Most of the time, they appear as their animals, but they can sometimes transform themselves to appear humanoid with an occasional animal trait. When killing animals for food, they have a moment of silence and almost a ritual of thanks. The [Feral Strength] is a chaos-caused disease which randomly infects them, increasing their speed and strength at the cost of making them more feral and wild.
Mhajm: Plunderers, formed originally from music. They're wandering raiders from land to land, preying on their riches and food while spreading shanties and tales. All are born female, and all children they have (from males of other races) are born as Mhajm. They like [Pillaging]. They have the best ships around, because of their [Shipbuilding]
Manitou: Hybrid Race of Shedim and Protean. They're spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature; specifically, locations in nature. There are snow-forms, dust-forms, heat-forms, magic-forms, and so on: each one is like that. Like the Proteans, they can have [Mutations; ingrained].

Cities
Umbra: A city of the Shadows, located in a swamp. The city is similar to that of wolves in the wild, with the alpha Shadow commanding the rest, and so on. The current leader is routinely assassinated.
Scath: In the High Woods, a city of the Shadows. They wander around in a caravan, following the migratory patterns of the animals whose forms they mimic.
Chek: A Caetus city, on the north shore of the lava lake. The leadership is a council of prominent members of the city, including many Knights of Strife.
Sayh: A Shadow city, deep underground, where they feed on the glowing mushrooms and crystals. They live in a very wild state, in a constant anarchic gathering with continuous upheavals of government (kept that way by the Dark Blade).
The Frozen Village: A Beastborn city, far south in the Frigid Land. They help each other survive past childhood and youth. The eldest Beastborn is respected as the leader, in charge of sending off packs to find newly-born Beastborn, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they keep in their humanoid form to foster a feeling of community. Those who choose to return to the wild can do so.
The Crystal Village: A Beastborn city, in the Shard Woods. They revile their brothers in the wild and stay in their human forms to turn against their wild past. Those who join this city normally stay in it for life, but few Beastborn from outside actually enter the city.
Port Beau: a Mhajm city, which is used as a temporary base between raids. The leaders of each raiding party have some say in the republic government and the distribution of wealth. The majority of the city is out over the ocean, built on docks and such.

Wonders and Structures
The Darkest Blade: In the hands of the army Sin A. It's a black sword that devours light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it feeds on enough light, it can cut through nearly anything and gives thoughts to all nearby: thoughts of anarchy and rampaging in chaos against allies. Sin A generally keeps it locked away in a box, except when they use it.
The Galley of Despair: Being driven by the army Corsairs of Despair. An excellent boat, one of a kind. Also, it has Wierresta Bones in part of the structure, causing a feeling of despair to all nearby. (Except to those who are used to it, of course.)

Miscellaneous
Fel's Moon: A black moon with a very eccentric orbit. It passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling across the surface of Neyla from north to south. As the moon comes close, the tides go wild (especially because it passes by so close). Mortals who die under the shadow of the moon come back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood, and mortal creatures born under the moon's shadow have a great natural talent for all forms of Black Magic. Sacrifices and dark rituals are planned around the passing of this moon.
The Odious Sea: The Odious Sea is a waterlike substance, of sometimes a dark red and sometimes black. It doesn't mix well with water and is much more dense, which is why it doesn't spread across all the oceans. The water immediately scars the flesh of anything touching it. It's extremely scarring and has a distinct and sharp smell.
Wierresta: Monsters with dark black looks, who appear as large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. They're mindless monsters who feed on blood and fear, with extremely thick armored skin, terrible claws, and sharp teeth. Anything and everything near them feels an inexplicable feeling of terror.
Black Magic: Gifted to those born under Fel's Moon. Also, most Caetus are naturally skilled in it as well. It includes curses and harming rituals.
Stories and Myths: Aurelius spreads tales, songs, and false histories across the world, until they begin retelling themselves. They're about nonexistent gods, heroes, creation stories, myths, and so on.
Chaos: Little particles of chaos living across the entire world. They are essentially bacteria, causing diseases and random and sometimes unexplainable incidents across the world. Some can absorb and feed off of extreme heat.
The Bleached Desert's Gale Storm: A wandering monstrous salt storm which moves around the Bleached Desert, destroying and salt-crystallizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
The Datura Flower: Flowers found in the Datura Desert. They are poisonous when eaten, but are very beautiful and useful in alchemical uses. They smell fantastically, and bloom during the warmer seasons. Interestingly, they all bloom during the night and wither during the day. The Evening Datura is a dusky rose color, the Moonlight Datura is a deep black color, and the white Sacred Datura is a hallucinogen in small doses..
Carnivorous Plants: Found in swampland, mostly in the Bubbling Bog. Most are small and only eat insects. Others eat frogs, fish, rats, and so on. Others devour large animals - although, most only eat them when they're already dead and decaying, eating parts at a time.
Diselle the Star Goddess: One of the deity invented by Aurelius; this one became more wide-spread than the others. The Mhajm pray to her for safety when crossing dangerous lands. It's said her skin is deep purple and was once a Mhajm who ascended to godhood after sacrificing herself to keep the Wierresta at bay while her sisters escaped.

[Elemental]

Roll: 5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4363086/) + 11 = 16

Populating the Lands

Having finished the creation of the Va'Aton, The Inevitable decided to mirror this work elsewhere. Hastening to where the waters of the Crystal River flowed into the ocean, he raised a great storm of wind and rain that crashed against the coastline.
Filled with energy from the spirit of The Inevitable, the storm gave shape to his desires. Whirling vortices, crackling with lightning formed around The Inevitable, each supporting their soul at their core, visible to the eye but as inaccessible as that of a more tangible being. Eventually, they took human form in imitation of The Inevitable, but as their minds slowly grew into the realms of awareness, they lost this ability as they became so used to their new form. As one, they raised their silent voices in exultant song.
As with the Va'Aton, The Inevitable stayed with them for some time and told them stories of the world. When they grew hungry, he taught them how to siphon energy from Sunlight and the light of the Moons. With his guidance they learned to wove cloth from cotton and to dye it with indigo so they had something to wear and ward off the cold and also to forge jewellery from the gold and quartz gems deposited in delta of the river. Eventually, The Inevitable left them as well, and the Kaytan mourned as the Va'Aton had done.

A nagging suspicion at the back of The Inevitable's mind informed him that perhaps he was neglecting something...


Starting Power: 16

Create Race: The Kaytan.
Basically lightning elementals. Their form is composed of a humanoid shaped energy vortex that crackles with lightning. They communicate telepathically and manipulate objects through a low level telekinetic field that permeates their body. At the heart of their "body", their soul is suspended in the midst of the vortex, visible to any who can gaze passed the roiling energies that make up their forms. Despite this, it remains as inaccessible to physical tampering as the souls of any more tangible creature, for anything durable to reach that far within them would surely kill them if used in that manner. They are not capable of true flight, merely able to hover a few feet off the ground and skim across the surface of water. In terms of age, they are very long lived, perhaps longer than the Va'Aton, however, their race grows fragile as they near the age of seventeen hundred years and they lack the capability to reverse the degeneration that results. However, this degenerative failing of their forms is essential to the propagation of their species as pair-bonded Kaytans who approach this point together are able to choose a quick death by permanently mingling their energies together and giving rise to approximately a half-dozen progeny who are then raised by community elders.
The Kaytan shun physical contact, both with others of their kind and with those of other races for they view mingling energy fields as a very intimate act. In any case, their touch would likely kill most biological creatures.
As a race, they are very rarely intimate, pair bonding only after formal and elaborate courtships that can last centuries. Another, serious, taboo among them is the pair bonding of individuals who are more than a century apart in age as this prohibits the two from dying together as the Kaytan believe is proper.

Remaining power: 10

[Omegonthesane]

As the Hothrid populations grew, and expanded into new frontiers, the lines between the Old Way and the New became ever thinner - not least with the advent of Thanatomancy, as much a syncretic religion as a unified art. It was only a matter of time before the secrets of the many Old Way sorcerer-queens made their way into New Way hands, and similarly the ways of metal-working were not precisely difficult to replicate; soon, even far-flung Aretak's Vale had a little Ironworks, and might perhaps be of use to the nearby Colossi one day.

The schematics of the Witch Boats required more specific technical knowledge, and thus remained secret for a while longer.

Meanwhile, the Xan'aca spread further than had originally been anticipated, though by no means as far as the Hothrid already had. Two particular factions split off from the militant peoples of Traitor's Grave, and formed dwellings of their own, further away. Just west of the Pits proper, in the vale between the Jade and Red Mountains, a mining facility rose among the lava rivers, close enough to the pits that the Xan'aca could quickly return to their natural environment, far enough away to contain many minerals not easily extracted from the half-liquid of the Pits. This place was unimaginatively named Delta, and the equally unimaginatively named Delta Garrison rose to protect it from sporadic Wierresta attacks, so that it might truly become a home of their people. From here, techniques of earth-shaping spread to the entire Xan'aca race, for they were stone almost as much as they were fire, and stone could bend stone into more useful shapes. L'zot'aca did not quash this further outgrowth into sorcery, for the Xan'aca were fulfilling their nature rather than plotting and scheming around it.

Further northeast, a much braver, much madder faction of Xan'aca had a dream of escaping the operating range of the traditionalist Trueborn. Their hardy, rocky bodies cared little for the poisons of the Odious Sea; the primary threat of that place was that its foul not-waters were a better conductor of heat than the air, such that any stone lizard who fell in would surely sink and starve. The other true threat to their expedition was the horde of Wierresta infesting that dark place; more than half of the expedition simply fled before their auras of terror, and the rest survived only by tapping into reserves of determination and hate that few thought possible. The perhaps one in ten of this bunch of lunatics completed the journey to the volcanic wastelands, and found it surprisingly hospitable due to the heat, while at the same time being a significant change to their more liquid homes. One active volcano in particular was dug out, and its many chambers and caves made into dwelling places for the new residents, who gave it another unimaginative name - Fire's Peak - and an army of Trueborn Berserkers to defend it.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4365174/) +3 = 15
Power rollover: 8 points
Total 23 points

7 points: Event: The Great Horde structures "The Towers of the Sorcerers" and "The Ironworks" are upgraded to Wonders, benefitting the entire Hothrid race, as the knowledge behind them is leaked to the New Way followers.

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Command Race (Xan'aca) to create the city of Fire's Peak right in the middle of the volcanic wasteland island in the Odious Sea.Not a ripoff of Destroyer's Peak at all. :smalltongue:

1 point: Command Avatar (Orat'hoth) to Command Race (Xan'aca) to create the city of Delta in the middle of the three small lava rivers between the Jade and Red Mountains, west of the Magma Pits.

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Command City (Fire's Peak) to raise army of Trueborn Berserkers

1 point: Command Avatar (Tsarag-Losh) to Command City (Delta) to raise army "Delta Garrison"

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Xan'aca) with Geomancy

5 points: Advance Civilisation (Xan'aca) with Berserk Rage

1 point remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=18 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4357320/)
Current Power Points: 26

The Doomsday Clock had been tolling.

Seventy three days, now, it had been ringing, a sound beyond comprehension, exactly three hundred and seventy three tolls to a day. At least, a day as could be measured when the world had been ripped asunder. After all, Neyla's sun had burst countless ages ago, scattered to the winds, and only the united forces of the most ancient and powerful races upon the world had stayed it's wrath. Though, shortly thereafter, that united force had become divided, and the power which exceeded that of the sun was soon directed against the world itself, breaking it into hundreds of shards, which now floated about themselves, still bearing life. Life which, even now, at the edge of time, sought to war against one another, fighting over shards which still contained farms and life enough to fight for.

But this is not the story of how Neyla fell, so we will move on.

The tolling of the clock reached it's seventy ninth toll upon the seventy third day, and the gathering in the void where Neyla had once existed finally came together.

There were many gods gathered in this place. The Pillar, the String, the Axis, and the Infinite One stood side-to-side. There was the Fact of Beginnings and the Fact of Endings, as well as the Empty Space Where A God Should Stand. The Suns, the Destroyer, the Giant, and the King had been conversing for a time, as the Red-Eyed Man, the Weaver, and the Musician laughed at their own banter. There stood the Feather, the Witch, the Dark Orb, the Poisonous One, and the Dry One. The False God wooed the Starbirther, while the Storm of Snakes partook in a heated argument with the City. He Who Lifts, the End of Time, and the Speaker were here as well, not to mention other ancient gods, such as the Bird God, the Miner, the Moon Hunter, and the Seventy-Third-Manifold, and many more besides.

There were mortals here as well. The Wanderer in Time, the Triplets, the Silver Manta, the Misguided Child, the Pale Cat, the Architect, and the Running Child being some of the foremost, but with hundreds beyond this short list, including a distinct number of Nil-Atath who had jumped to this point in time to see what they would see.

But this is not the story of why they met, so we will move on.

On the shard where the Doomsday Clock was tolling, the eightieth toll stuck, deafening within the cavern which held the Paradox Land, and all ninety-nine Yet-Olong Angels. In this cavern, Mneomri, unafraid of harming the world by standing in full manifest, stood at their head, willing the immense time machine into motion, so that the Yet-Olong might pass backward through time, to their own beginning. Watching, from far away, was a gathering of Nil-Atath, each of whom had fought in the ancient, unending war between the demons and the angels. They knew each of the angels that dipped down into the water, passing backwards through time, and they, perceiving the powers at work in this place, saw that the Yet-Olong were making a one-way trip, that the Yet-Olong were fleeing, giving up the ancient struggle. The Nil-Atath didn't know that the world was just under a hundred and twelve thousand tolls of the Doomsday Clock from it's ending, they just knew that the war ended when the Yet-Olong ran away.

Rejoicing, and feeling the need to strengthen their brethren across time, who were still fighting the war, they departed, traveling backwards in time, spreading the word of Those Who Have Seen The End, and telling the world that the angels would eventually flee, all the way back to a singular point. It is uncertain why they didn't spread the word farther back in time, but that was likely due to the fact that the war had not begun before that time.



Ke'Keo looked up to Nysatek, and seemed sad for a moment, "Nysatek, sweet moment. Don't you understand? These demons, as they've been titled, are free will incarnate. They were given no true forms except what they decided for themselves."

The Weeping One towered above the cowering Hothrid on their tiny ship, jutting bones pressing against tight flesh, empty eye sockets staring and bleeding, and thousands of clawed arms reaching and grasping within the cavern at the bottom of it's head. After a moment, it struck, swallowing several souls at once, including the Shedim who were even now trying to flee through time.

"They take no action that they did not decide upon themselves. None, save for Iedo'Ino itself, can make them act in a way they choose to not act in, and, though it pains me to admit it, our child is distant from even our minds, we could not sway it to action no matter our efforts."

In a dark cave south of a city that would not be founded for a hundred thousand years, the Weeping One backed an Oalei and a Va'Aton into a corner, before swallowing their souls and leaving the bodies to rot.

"It pains me that even the Speaker has decreed that the angels and the demons will be at war, for it means that these two races, each with it's own uniquely infinitely ability to experience eternity, will spend that eternity at each others' throats. So many possibilities for art and peace lost in that decree."

A white street ran red with blood as the Weeping One cut down all which crossed it's path, swallowing Shedim souls and non-Shedim souls alike. There were only a few of the Catalysts left, hiding across time, but when they were finished, it would return home.

"If the Nil-Atath move against the creations of the Watchers, the creations of the Watchers will move against the Nil-Atath, that I understand. However, this race is, terrifying though it may be, destructively though it may exist, a work of art, peerless in all the world, creatures of truly free will. As such, I would ask that the Watchers themselves remain out of the conflict, and allow only their creations to act, as the Chron will only interfere with the Nil-Atath to the point that the Yet-Olong and the Nil-Atath will remain in balance."

Slithering and drenched in blood, the Weeping One returned home, a belly full of souls screaming and providing nourishment to the giant Nil-Atath, as it relished the thought of the fear that those who sought to steal from the demons would experience, after hearing this tale.



Time was meaningless to the Nil-Atath. They could visit any point in time at a whim, and could, in the blink of an eye, breed enough that two Nil-Atath had gone to a million, then a billion, a trillion, a quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, or even a septillion. Alternatively, they could rip each other to shreds even faster, reducing their number from a septillion to only five in less time than would be required for light to strike them, bounce off, enter your eye, and the neurological signal to arrive in your brain.

In the first moment that the demons existed in their full form, there had already been Nil-Atath who had seen the end of existence, as well as Nil-Atath who were the descendants of millions of generations of their kind. There were Nil-Atath versed in every language, who had read a hundred books and written a few of their own. There were those who understood complex mechanical devices, like steam engines, and could recreate them. There were even those who had followed the steps of their ancestors and researched magic and their own ability to manipulate their own timeline. These had, over the endless "perceived" years, eventually mastered ways of manipulating not only time around them, but space as well, becoming able to warp reality so that they could cross areas without actually moving across them, or so that they could reach inside an object without moving through it's exterior, or so that they could back a foe into a corner when there were only parallel walls nearby. Not only this, but just to look upon such reconstruction of the laws of existence, would surely give any other mortal creature an unbearable headache as they tried to comprehend.

You might ask, however, if these creatures were so powerful, able to spread numbers instantly to nearly infinite, move faster than light, and utilize technology far more advanced than potential rivals, why hadn't they conquered all of existence already? For that, there were two reasons:

The first reason was that their madness was overwhelming. Multiple brains, each conflicting with each other, an average Nil-Atath was likely in disagreement with itself multiple times a day, and thus organization within the Nil-Atath race was laughable. Not only this, but while a Nil-Atath might indeed have learned jet propulsion, and could have potentially recreated a jet engine, it was just as likely that it would not be able to reach internal consensus on the correct method to create any number of potential pieces of the construction. Thus, even if the Nil-Atath dedicated it's entire life to constructing a single engine, it would not likely even reach a halfway point, that is before the majority of it's brains decided that it ought to breed, or another Nil-Atath killed it.

The second was that, like all other living things, Nil-Atath had to eat, and there were only so many souls to go around. Sure, they could reach septillion in number, but the vast majority of those would simply be figments, disturbances in time that existed for less than the blink of an eye, before too much time passed and, lacking a soul to consume, they died of starvation. Indeed, such a figment could live and learn and breed, but it had to live within the first moment of it's existence, else time would assert it's laws, all the time it had experienced would suddenly become real time, and it would instantly starve to death and rot away. Many Nil-Atath had parents or grandparents which were such figments, entities which existed in the time it takes a photon to travel a single Planck length.

However, despite these immense limitations, they did slowly learn as a race, and the art of manipulating space and enforcing Non-Euclidean Geometries around them actually became a real art of theirs, for it built off their natural ability to manipulate space-time. However, this was a dark omen for other mortals, for if the Nil-Atath did learn too much, they might eventually become strong enough that their limitations would not stop them from conquering all of time and space.



However, far across the world, beneath the dome of green emerald which was Vollicius, with the emerald tower of Van'Ustrius, the Iridium & lead angel with a triangular body and mahogany light, the ameythyst tower of Qavous, the iron angel with powder-blue light, the golden tower of Aki, the golden angel with green light like light shining through a leaf, the diamond tower of Osmakia, the diamond-headed angel with dirt-brown light, the marble tower of Tuthidasia, the blocky, iron angel with light of red-hot-iron, the steel tower of Wotbalus, the lead & tungsten angel blacksmith with light of dark blue, the obsidian tower of R͒ishia, the dragon-headed warrior of tungsten & diamond, with it's tan light, and the pyrite tower of Vanasbarium, the masculine, platinum, diplomatic angel with dusty grey-green light, stood.

However, five new structures had been erected. Emerald, amethyst, diamond, gold, iron, obsidian, marble, and pyrite towers now stood next to a tower of sapphire, a tower of chrome, a tower of jade, and a tower of ruby.

The sapphire, jade, and ruby towers belonged to S̏treklavus, Ayunfiel, and Jeruvassius, the orange-winged scholars. The chrome tower belonged to Edniel.

S̏treklavus was a scholarly angel with strange light, being halfway between pink and purple, and simultaneously shifted towards gray. It's head was a helmet of iron, which peered from under a cloak of bronze sheet. To match this orange cloak, it bore wings of bronze as well, seven meters in wingspan, branching out from the shoulders of a hothrid-esque body of iron. It's sapphire tower was packed with labyrinths and logic puzzles crafted specifically for any other mortal which might wander by. S̏treklavus often busied itself by destroying rooms in this tower and creating new puzzles.

Ayunfiel was also a scholarly angel, with eye-wateringly bright, indigo light, an orb of untarnished, mirror-quality copper for a head, which floated above a feminine body of similarly mirror-like copper, with a cloak of steel sweeping along it. It's wings where seven meters in span, like S̏treklavus's, and were an orange metal as well, but were made of mirror-bright copper instead of bronze. Ayunfiel's tower of jade was full of the roars and cries of a thousand animals, to which the copper angel spent most of it's time attending, feeding, and raising each of those animals.

Jeruvassius, a third scholarly angel, like Ayunfiel and S̏treklavus, had a seven meter wingspan of orange metal, this time bronze again. Jeruvassius's light, however, was a dim, dusty red. It's head was a monolith of silver. It wore the hood of it's bronze cloak up, around it's thin, yet awkward and blocky body of silver. Jeruvassius's tower was ruby, to match it's eyes, and contained many natural disasters, frozen in time, as works of art. One room, for example, was immensely tall and was brightly lit by a hundred lightning bolts which hovered, stuck forever in the moment they struck. Another was wide and low-slung, and paved, every inch of it, with a slab of stone taken from some part of the world during an earthquake. Standing upon them, you could actually feel the vibrations moving up your legs, despite that the stone was forever still, frozen in that moment of motion. Jeruvassius spent most of it's time away from home, find items to add to this collection.

These three angels with bronze or copper wings had come here to join the other masters of their race: Aki, Osmakia, Tuthidasia, Van'Ustrius, and Qavous. After all, these three had mastered the ancient art, steeped deeply in paradox: Time Mastery. There were many ways to utilize the art from the infinite past of the Yet-Olong, but to explain them is a task for another day. Today, a fifth tower had been built, as Edniel, a diplomat angel, had been fooling around with a few time spells and high spells, and had accidentially recalled a memory from a past time through existence, a memory of almost dizzying complexity, for it was a memory of another lifetime, a moment in which it was remembering an even farther back lifetime, in which it was having another memory, but this one... of a future lifetime, and so on and so forth, backwards and forwards across time, memory to premonition to memory again, until it eventually ended at a memory of himself waving at himself in a mirror.

This memory might have seemed pointless at the time, but in truth, it was the most complex and informative memory that the race had had in this current progression through eternity, with a hundred thousand tiny bits of information from across the infinite, each particular step containing little pieces of past technologies, such as the time through reality that they had mastered living energy and beast control, or the time they had possessed dark mastery and whispering curses. So, Edniel was instantly offered the best and largest tower in Vollicius, so that the seven scholars of the green dome might begin to pick it's mind. It wasn't even a hundred years before they developed the art of Premonitions from the front of the angel's memories, for example.

Edniel's light was golden, and it's head was an orb of polished chrome. It's ten-meter span of wings, flowing cloak, and thin body were also all this same kind of polished, mirror-clear chrome. It's tower was chrome as well, like itself, and full of conference rooms, bedrooms, and cafeterias suited to all races, for the day that the Yet-Olong would have allies.

1 point to Command the Aeonstrum to Create an Order in the Nil-Atath: Those Who Have Seen The End.

1 point to Command The Weeping One to Terrorize The Catalysts of the Shedim.

5 points to Advance the Nil-Atath with "Non-Euclidean Geometry".

5 points to Advance the Yet-Olong with "Time Mastery".

4 points to Command the Yet-Olong to Ingrain "Time Mastery".

5 points to Advance the Yet-Olong with "Premonitions".

Current Power Points: 5
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362948/)


Map
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/829/u299.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img713/6836/ajqo.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Elemental]

Roll: 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4366227/) + 10 = 21

Creation is a potent drug

A being of destruction and of endings, The Inevitable was not truly prepared for the ecstasy his most recent acts had brought him. While he had forged majestic wildernesses and brought to life literally billions of animals, the very act of creating something that bore an undying soul was too much for him. Once was enough, two was perhaps too far. Three? A disaster.
In the High Woods, encouraged by his previous successes and filled with a desire to replicate them as soon as possible, The Inevitable carelessly gathered the materials he had neglected when creating the Kaytan, but put into them none of the skill and artistry he had displayed with the Va'Aton. Pouring his life-force into the millions of crude sculptures, he forced them into life with a fury befitting a destructive act.
In so doing, he accidentally twisted their fragile forms and damaged their immortal souls. Filled with their creator's exultation, the misshapen creatures cavorted and danced on broken wings around the towering tenebrous form of The Inevitable. Eventually, their frail forms failed them and they fell to the ground dead, but their souls refused to die. Freed from the limitations of their poorly crafted flesh and still flowing with life energy from their unwitting creator, they garbed themselves with truly monstrous illusions and continued their dance as they began to imagine with glee the tortures they would inflict upon each other and those unfortunate enough to encounter them.
However, The Inevitable soon regained his senses and was shocked by the things surrounding him. In his mind, he had envisioned a race of truly wondrous creatures, noble of heart. Not these twisted things with hearts of the blackest evil.
Almost frantically, The Inevitable sought to end the "misery" of these most horrendous of creations, but his efforts were in vain. They lingered, taunting and mocking The Inevitable as he considered how best to deal with the undying terrors. Eventually, they began to ignore him and devolved into a spectral brawl as each one tried to gain ascendency over the others.
Deciding that it would be best to trap them where they could cause little harm, The Inevitable began to alter one of the trees in the High Wood into a prison most cunning. It was a relatively simply matter to replace the rotting heartwood of the vastly ancient tree with a pocket of time brought back from the very end. Exposed to the present as it was, the pocket crystallised within the tree becoming the perfect prison as it did so. Anything trapped within would have nothing but the apocalypse to share their time with.
This done, The Inevitable seized the essence in each of the deformed souls that came from him and hurled them into the heart of the altered tree, trapping them a mere moment before time itself died.


Decades pass...

Alas, the influence of The Inevitable's failed creation was no so easily forgotten. Unfortunately, in his haste, he had neglected one very important detail, the tree he altered was a living thing, not some unliving and eternal monolith. For years its dim awareness knew only torment, tortured by the temporal energies that now coursed throughout its form. In same ways however, the tree was fortunate. None other of its kind had ever been provided with so limitless a source of energy.
Despite its age and the torture they caused, the energy flowing through the tree nourished it to an extent that few life forms had ever experienced. In time, it grew to tower hundreds of metres above the already gargantuan trees of the High Woods. Other, more subtle changes took place within, unobservable by the naked eye. Another first for its kind, the tree developed an awareness beyond the dull and limited instincts of its fellows. Over a considerable length of time, it came to grasp the purpose instilled within it and through this understanding found solace that its suffering was not without purpose.

Starting Power: 21

Create Avatar: The Warden Tree.

By my calculations, that's a cost of seventeen. So...
Remaining power: 4

[5a Violista]

The Son of Chaos

The wandering Wierresta walked up and down the Fertile Desert. Fortunately, its damage was reduced because there were no cities around. It only knocked down some trees near the river and frightened away many animals and the occasional Beastborn, feeding off their fear.

However, due to the low population there, it grew weak and tired from lack of nourishment. So, it didn't rampage around as much as before.


<no action>


Cearta

A long time had passed.

Cearta knew it had been a long time because, every time she appeared in Neyla and lived out a lifetime, she left Iedo'Ino in there, and afterwards, she could find him again in there, still standing.

Finally, after a long, long time, her curiosity overrode her fear. Iedo'Ino would be the very first being, not counting all the animals and plants and stone living in the Mirror World, to see her face without her mask. There were scars on her face, but they were hardly visible - probably not the reason for her to wear a mask. But she was curious, who this being was and why he enjoyed standing there for so long, doing...nothing. Just nothing. Not pushing for any specific agenda...nothing.

Approaching Iedo'Ino, she came as silently as possible: even moving on all fours and letting her three tails in the air behind her. As she grew near enough to satisfy her curiosity, she popped up and began speaking. "Excuse me," she says to Iedo'Ino. "Have we met? Who are you? What are you doing? Why are you simply standing there, doing nothing? Why haven't you left? Do you even know where you are? How did you get here? Who are you?" Questions flood out, one after another with almost no pause between each one.


<No action>


Fel

The Black Wolf thought of yet another way to drag down the Wild to his level. He added a potent weapon to the arsenal of their weapon, which was to be used against those Beastborn still living in the forest or the mountains.

It was a spear made of dense wood, which always killed in the most agonizing manner. It was envenomed with several kinds of poisons, and a single scratch by it would make its victims die slowly and painfully.

The Beastborn of that Crystal Village cruelly used it to hunt out the Beastborn out in the wild.


(4) Command Race (Beastborn): Create Wonder (Envenomed Spear)


Aurelius

Aurelius the Jackal, later, wandered south towards Chek. There, he noticed the Caetus living there and found them interesting. Feeling the need to give them something, he left a majestic shield lying outside under one of the Lava Palms.

A few hours later, a Caetus found it and brought it back to the city. When the Militia finally started using it, they were certainly surprised. Whenever used to block, the shield released a deafening and painful sound, which nearly paralyzed everyone in the vicinity, leaving them temporarily deafened.

If used correctly, it could be a potent weapon. If not, it would be a significant curse.


(4) Command Race (Caetus): Create Wonder (Banshee's Shield)


Heovma

The Manitou and the white coyote had something in common: they both were associated with nature. Found exclusively in the wild, they came in contact with each other often. Near lakes or meadows or forests or mountain peaks when Heovma was out resting, the Manitou began to be influenced by her just as the Beastborn another time. The chaos following her began infecting a single Manitou, then another, then another as they came in contact with each other.

With the Manitou, this lifelong disease caused a build-up of magical energy. Then, without warning, this massive amount of energy discharges in a large explosion, leaving the Manitou weakened until they could regain their strength.

After years of being influenced by this disease, a Manitou could eventually learn to control these massive explosions of magical energy, such that it doesn't leave them so weak afterwards and they could release the energy at will (so long as it didn't build up past control).


(5) Advance Civilization (Manitou): in Magic Burst




Points: 2 + 2d6=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4367671/) + 5 + 3 = 15

(4) Command Race (Beastborn): Create Wonder (Envenomed Spear):
<Legendary Weapon which has a very deadly but slow-acting poison, in The Crystal Village in the possession of The Crystal Protectors>

(4) Command Race (Caetus): Create Wonder (Banshee's Shield):
<Legendary Shield which releases a deafening and painful screech when used to block, in Chek, in the possession of Strife's Militia>

(5) Advance Civilization (Manitou): in Magic Burst
<Magic Burst: Combat tech. Ability to use massive explosions of magical energy>

Remainder: 2


Planned future advancements of Mhajm: Some form of music manipulation. Eventually, in airships.
Other planned actions: Create demigods, armies, and more Wonder weapons/objects. Add armies. Son of Chaos gets mercilessly destroyed sooner or later.




Heovma
Also currently known as "the white coyote," Abyss, Chaos, and The Eater of Souls. She's a coyote with pure white fur and blue eyes. She began existing after the creation of Neyla, and hardly exists anyway. She is formed from chaos and represents the Wild: the absence of civilization. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's anything more than an wild animal or just a part of one's imagination. When she eats a being, the devours the entire soul along with the body, and is absorbed into her, becoming a part of her.

Avatars
Fel the Black Wolf. Also known as Anarchy. Black fur with glowing red eyes. Made of darkness. Surrounding him is a plague of darkness as far as the eye can see. He brings anarchy with him and can't enter the Mirrored World.
Cearta the Masked Fox. Also known as Strife. Humanlike woman, with fox ears and three fox tails. Always wears a mask while in Neyla. When a natural lifespan is passed, she returns to the Mirror World, leaving only her mask in Neyla, until some unfortunate soul puts it on and swaps places with her.
Aurelius the Lonely Jackal. Also known as Trickery. Jackal head, wears a cape and no shirt. Loves music and telling (and inventing) tales which are usually mostly false.

Cults
Hothrid Cult: A select few spread feelings of revolt against current traditions and laws, guiding others to openly rebel. They also have routine traditions and rituals, including a Parade of Light every eleventh year, where they parade through public areas with many lights and frightening canine costumes.
Oalei Cult: Some Oalei find strength in the shadows, where they feign loyalty to their leaders during the day but strike their leaders in the night in assassination. They don't become leaders, but have the purpose to spread chaos using their wicked oaths, blood packs, and foul murders.
Dragon Cult: Dragons whose thoughts are swamped in bringing and inspiring rage and anarchy. They scorn the rulings of leaders and turn against the normal customs of the people.


Orders
The Dark Blade: An order of assassins, currently in the Shadows. They routinely assassinate leaders of the cities. Their purpose is to cause anarchy and disorder. Follows Fel's commands.
Knights of Strife:An order of holy knights, currently among the Caetus. They take vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world, and they're generally upstanding and nice citizens of the cities they're in. They love battles and fighting and working hard. Follows Cearta's commands.

Armies
Strife Legion 1: An army of Knights of Strife of the Caetus, in the city of Conchylium, who defend that city and maintain good citizenship.
Sin A: Shadow assassin army in Umbra, who are a brotherhood of assassins.
The Crystal Protectors: A Beastborn army in The Crystal Village, who hate the wild and hunt out Beastborn who are in the wild.
Strife's Militia: A Caetus army in Chek, made of citizens and Knights, who want to defend the city.
Corsairs of Depair: Mhajm Pirates who dock in Port Beau. They ride the ship "The Galley of Despair" and their enigmatic leader (who passes down the title) is named Wanhoop Jean.

Demigods
The Son of Chaos: A Fenrir-type Demigod. A Tiger-shaped Wierresta who has a symbiotic relationship with the little pieces of chaos. It wanders the world, feeding off of the fear it causes and staying alive much much longer than most Wierresta. Like any other Wierresta, it has an accompanying Aura of Terror, but its is much stronger than most.

World
The Mirrored World: Halfway out of synch with reality, with right being left and everything appearing slightly off. Appears just like Neyla, except without the masses of sapient races, without cities or man-made structures, and so on. Can sometimes be seen on the other side of reflections and mirages. Every time someone puts on The Masked Fox's mask, they are transported to this world where they live out the rest of their short life in solitude, alone and hunted in the wild.

Races
The Shadows: Unfinished, and formed from scraps torn from Fel's body. Most of the time, they're two-dimensional as shadows on the ground or the wall, with glowing red eyes. They can occasionally form themselves in three dimensions and [Form Reflection tech; ingrained] can copy the appearance of someone they can see. They feed on both food and light, but too much darkness and too much light are fatal to them. Can learn [Shadow Manipulation tech]: manipulating objects by manipulating their shadows. They name their cities after prominent founders.
The Beastborn: Unborn souls attach to dying animals. When the beast finally dies, they are reborn together with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal, as an infant. Most of the time, they appear as their animals, but they can sometimes transform themselves to appear humanoid with an occasional animal trait. When killing animals for food, they have a moment of silence and almost a ritual of thanks. The [Feral Strength] is a chaos-caused disease which randomly infects them, increasing their speed and strength at the cost of making them more feral and wild.
Mhajm: Plunderers, formed originally from music. They're wandering raiders from land to land, preying on their riches and food while spreading shanties and tales. All are born female, and all children they have (from males of other races) are born as Mhajm. They like [Pillaging]. They have the best ships around, because of their [Shipbuilding]
Manitou: Hybrid Race of Shedim and Protean. They're spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature; specifically, locations in nature. There are snow-forms, dust-forms, heat-forms, magic-forms, and so on: each one is like that. Like the Proteans, they can have [Mutations; ingrained].

Racial Advancements
(Ingrained, normal, traded/stolen) ((Military/Political/Other/Special))
The Shadows: Form Reflection(Political), Shadow Manipulation(Military)
The Beastborn: Feral Strength(Military)
Mhajm: Pillaging(Special), Shipbuilding(Special)
Manitou: Mutations(???), Magic Burst(Military)

Descriptions of Techs
Form Reflection: Can mimic the form of a creature they can see. Political.
Shadow Manipulation: Can manipulate 3D objects by moving their shadows. Military.
Feral Strength: A disease which amplifies physical capabilities of infected but also makes them more wild. Military.
Pillaging: Much more efficient when pillaging a town; knows all sorts of tricks and methods. Counts as Military when attacking cities specifically, counts as Political when stealing wonders and other non-techs.
Shipbuilding: Ability to make fantastic ships which can even (sometimes) cross the Odious Sea. Allows free movement over waters, and counts as Military in naval-applicable battles.
Mutations: <created by Omegonthesane; my plan: go read it up for a concise description>
Black Magic: Magic associated with Fel's Moon; especially with curses and harm. Military.
Magic Burst: Ability to use massive explosions of magical energy. A disease causing massive buildups of magical energy and random explosions, which can be controlled. Military.

Cities
Umbra: A city of the Shadows, located in a swamp. The city is similar to that of wolves in the wild, with the alpha Shadow commanding the rest, and so on. The current leader is routinely assassinated.
Scath: In the High Woods, a city of the Shadows. They wander around in a caravan, following the migratory patterns of the animals whose forms they mimic.
Chek: A Caetus city, on the north shore of the lava lake. The leadership is a council of prominent members of the city, including many Knights of Strife.
Sayh: A Shadow city, deep underground, where they feed on the glowing mushrooms and crystals. They live in a very wild state, in a constant anarchic gathering with continuous upheavals of government (kept that way by the Dark Blade).
The Frozen Village: A Beastborn city, far south in the Frigid Land. They help each other survive past childhood and youth. The eldest Beastborn is respected as the leader, in charge of sending off packs to find newly-born Beastborn, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they keep in their humanoid form to foster a feeling of community. Those who choose to return to the wild can do so.
The Crystal Village: A Beastborn city, in the Shard Woods. They revile their brothers in the wild and stay in their human forms to turn against their wild past. Those who join this city normally stay in it for life, but few Beastborn from outside actually enter the city.
Port Beau: a Mhajm city, which is used as a temporary base between raids. The leaders of each raiding party have some say in the republic government and the distribution of wealth. The majority of the city is out over the ocean, built on docks and such.

Wonders and Structures
The Darkest Blade: In the hands of the army Sin A. It's a black sword that devours light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it feeds on enough light, it can cut through nearly anything and gives thoughts to all nearby: thoughts of anarchy and rampaging in chaos against allies. Sin A generally keeps it locked away in a box, except when they use it.
The Galley of Despair: Being driven by the army Corsairs of Despair. An excellent boat, one of a kind. Also, it has Wierresta Bones in part of the structure, causing a feeling of despair to all nearby. (Except to those who are used to it, of course.)
The Envenomed Spear: In the hands of The Crystal Protectors. It's a long wooden spear made of very dense and strong wood, impregnated with several kinds of slow-acting poisons which are extremely painful. They use it to slowly kill wild Beastborn.
Banshee's Shield: In the hands of Strife's Militia. A legendary shield which releases a deafening and painful screech when used to block.

Miscellaneous
Fel's Moon: A black moon with a very eccentric orbit; one of the three moons. It passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling across the surface of Neyla from north to south. As the moon comes close, the tides go wild (especially because it passes by so close). Mortals who die under the shadow of the moon come back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood, and mortal creatures born under the moon's shadow have a great natural talent for all forms of Black Magic. Sacrifices and dark rituals are planned around the passing of this moon.
The Odious Sea: The Odious Sea is a waterlike substance, of sometimes a dark red and sometimes black. It doesn't mix well with water and is much more dense, which is why it doesn't spread across all the oceans. The water immediately scars the flesh of anything touching it. It's extremely scarring and has a distinct and sharp smell.
Wierresta: Monsters with dark black looks, who appear as large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. They're mindless monsters who feed on blood and fear, with extremely thick armored skin, terrible claws, and sharp teeth. Anything and everything near them feels an inexplicable feeling of terror.
Black Magic: Gifted to those born under Fel's Moon. Also, most Caetus are naturally skilled in it as well. It includes curses and harming rituals.
Stories and Myths: Aurelius spreads tales, songs, and false histories across the world, until they begin retelling themselves. They're about nonexistent gods, heroes, creation stories, myths, and so on.
Chaos: Little particles of chaos living across the entire world. They are essentially bacteria, causing diseases and random and sometimes unexplainable incidents across the world. Some can absorb and feed off of extreme heat.
The Bleached Desert's Gale Storm: A wandering monstrous salt storm which moves around the Bleached Desert, destroying and salt-crystallizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
The Datura Flower: Flowers found in the Datura Desert. They are poisonous when eaten, but are very beautiful and useful in alchemical uses. They smell fantastically, and bloom during the warmer seasons. Interestingly, they all bloom during the night and wither during the day. The Evening Datura is a dusky rose color, the Moonlight Datura is a deep black color, and the white Sacred Datura is a hallucinogen in small doses..
Carnivorous Plants: Found in swampland, mostly in the Bubbling Bog. Most are small and only eat insects. Others eat frogs, fish, rats, and so on. Others devour large animals - although, most only eat them when they're already dead and decaying, eating parts at a time.
Diselle the Star Goddess: One of the deity invented by Aurelius; this one became more wide-spread than the others. The Mhajm pray to her for safety when crossing dangerous lands. It's said her skin is deep purple and was once a Mhajm who ascended to godhood after sacrificing herself to keep the Wierresta at bay while her sisters escaped.

[ImperialSunligh]

The dark beast, Sakona, in a corrupt, indecent imitation of ancient happenings, spat forth a cadre of beings from its mouth. These were not like the dragons or other beings that existed above the waters. They were bizarre abominations of beings, fitting for their dark progenitor.

These beings were known as the Goraipatzen. They had a somewhat human-like form similar to that which the Caetus could take, but much shorter, with ill-defined, ugly features. They had prehensile tails similar to those of rats, grey fur that covered most of their bodies apart from random bald patches that revealed their wrinkly, dark green skin, and ears similar to those of rats, though frequently mangled and pointed in odd ways.

The Gorai, a shorter term with which they were often referred to by, had no gills or other physical means to survive under the water, and so quickly drowned. Yet their strange, physically illogical biology made them resilient enough to constant drowning that they were able to live twenty years without rising from the water, and were able to reproduce and live under the water. Most lived 30 years per old age, regardless of their homes.

The Gorai lived in constant pain from their drowning, but very few rose from the waves to live on land. The creatures had a natural inclination towards the deep waters and cannot leave it without feeling great regret and sorrow.

Their physical state made them extremely resilient to being killed. They did not live long compared to the other races, but rarely died of anything but old age. They were easily damaged, and went through pain as much as any other, but were very difficult to outright kill. A Gorai can be chopped into many peaces and still be alive, and fighting, however well it can. Some have even told stories of Gorai being ground into dust and still living, still moving. These are likely false, but the Gorai are resilient of death to the point of ridiculousness, causing them to be far less empathetic towards their soldiers than other races. Where dragons have very few, valuable combatants, Gorai warriors attack in armies of hundreds of thousands of expendable units.

These beings were born with the knowledge of the dragons, of Sakona and of the "Axis", a mysterious being of great power. The Axis in truth was centrum, and they told tales of its great deeds and how it has existed even before the universe. The worship of the Axis was warped and fractured, showing not adoration, but a desperate desire to understand the being's confusing goals, and for some, to understand its methods, its nature and to gain its power.

Sakona did not ravage the Gorai as it did others, and the Gorai saw it as a great father. They looked up to all dragons in a similar way. Most were fanatically religious in regards to the dragons, Sakona and the Axis. Their place in the depths was rationalized by the Gorai being "fallen creatures", not worthy of the glory that the dragons held in their sky cities. Sakona was seen as the most charitable of all dragons, lowering itself to even their level, so high was its virtue. Gorai religion taught its followers to look to Sakona's charity, as they saw it, and similarly sacrifice oneself for the good of the Gorai, of the poorer and more downtrodden.

Many different tribes sprouted up in this time, such as the Erretxinaz, the Zoriontsu, or the Gainbeheraren. These tribes were once but different families of Gorai, but gradually formed into tribes, who held differing beliefs on minor aspects of faith, among other trivial matters. These tribes fought over such things frequently, and peace in this time was rare for the Gorai.


Roll: 2d6+3+45=56 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4367860/)


Command Avatar, Sakona, Create Race: "Goraipatzen" (AKA "The Gorai"), -1

Left: 55
Law Bonus: 4
Cult Bonus:

[Omegonthesane]

"It is unfortunate that you see things this way, poor child of chaos," said the cloud of endings. "Alas, it is not out of concern for our creations that the Watchers are angered, but concern for their own portfolio.

"Near the beginning of time, after the Inevitable gave immortal form to Orat'hoth's children, we decreed that they would be reborn in a more literal sense given the chance. Before, they had merely passed into the earth and become the trees and animals that their children would eat; after that point, they could influence the living again and again. It was for this purpose that I ultimately spawned the Shedim, whose entire life takes place after their death - so that they might be reborn, over and over, so that in each moment the world has grown greater than in the last.

"By marauding through time and space, and obliterating every soul they can find, the Nil-Atath are striking at the very power source of the Watchers. I acknowledge that they have not been so deliberate or successful in this as the Pillar - had they been, I would not have been able to convince the Council to hold back their anger.

"If this is the result of free will unbridled, then perhaps free will should not, in fact, be unbridled. The idiot Hothrid knew better than to abandon their kittens to the wild before they had opposable thumbs - how much more beings such as you and I ought to know better than to abandon our creations. If Iedo'Ono is unable to comprehend his duties alone, then we shall provide him the means, and strip him of that excuse.

"I have been absent from the world too long, child of possibility. Goodbye for now."

With that, the disturbing presence of Nysatek departed the Domain and returned to the earth.
Meanwhile, strange beings began to appear out of nowhere in the Crystal Scar. They had the vague silhouette of the Nil-Atath, a serpentine length atop which a torso grew, a torso with six limbs and a head. Yet, where the Nil-Atath would always have eight talons, these creatures normally had either eight thin tentacles or four thick arms, which changed and fused into new forms if they had an intermittent need for less versatile limbs, becoming wings or scythed talons or poisonous barbed tails. Where the Nil-Atath had writhing claws for a mouth, these beings had fleshy tendrils - tendrils which indicated finer motor control than most beings could, and were suitable for the gestures of Watcher sorcery. Their bodies rippled and shifted, adapting to the terrain beneath, and their disjoint brains worked in far better union than those of the "true" demons.

These were the results of a subtly different timeline, in which Nysatek had instead driven the Council to act within the Nil-Atath themselves. Diplomatic contact with the Proteans had been the result, quickly followed by war, and many Proteans had engulfed and absorbed Nil-Atath only to be permanently changed, regardless of which personality believed itself to be the winner of the synthesis. They were the Starspawn, who had escaped the timeline in which they were supposed to exist, bringing with them the very thing Nysatek had been vaguely dreaming of having its Shedim create in the far future - the Tesseract of Wisdom, a self-updating encyclopedia of mortal knowledge, trivially perusable by anyone whose sanity and senses were strong enough to withstand the load of information contained inside.

In practice, mortals who wished to use it tended to require a sacrifice, who would go permanently insane comprehending the Tesseract, becoming able to function only as a reference for it - only able to respond to requests for the information inside. Thus it said inside the Tesseract itself, which had been used in its original timeline.
In the boundless emptiness of Limbo, the original Proteans had constructed strange models of worlds real, worlds potential, and worlds that could never exist, unbridled by reality, with only the movements of Chorud the Gatekeeper for inspiration. Chorud, for its part, was - like all Watchers - older than time itself, and had sufficient contact with the Council proper to be reminded of such things, and to see to the task of keeping the Proteans fed and sane.

Not satisfied with being the babysitter of the non-plane, the Gatekeeper began delegating responsibility to certain particularly capable Proteans under its jurisdiction, in return for their loyalty and for favours as variable as the Proteans themselves - for the Gatekeeper was even more polymorphic than its charges, having taken the entire malleable plane of Limbo as its physical form. Thus, its servants took control of the few life forms that existed in the place equidistant from all other points in the universe.
Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4367871/) +3 = 14
Power rollover: 1 point
Total 15 points

3 points: Create Hybrid Race (Proteans + Nil-Atath Demons = Starspawn)

4 points: Command Race (Starspawn) to Create Wonder (The Tesseract of Wisdom)

5 points: Create Order in Limbo "Servants of the Gatekeeper"

2 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[Elemental]

Roll: 16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4369366/) + 4 = 20

Calm

In the following years since his disastrous attempt at creation in the High Woods, The Inevitable rested to regain the strength he had lost due to his blind ecstasy. Around him, the Universe continued to turn, though nothing required his immediate attention.

[Rith]

Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4362948/)
Current Power Points: 19

Light shone, far underground, between towers of worked stone. Vast crystals, a hundred meters across, had been infused with light, and then lifted with care and ample manipulation of Gravity, to the top of towers crafted from single blocks of unworked ore. There they were fused with these structures, and then carved into immaculate shapes, some of immense heads, some of animals, and some of plants. Some had even been carved into multiple shapes. One, for example, was a the fabled meeting of Heovma and Kran Ze'In long ago. Another was a hundred-meter-wide battlescene, depicting figures of Hothrid, Nil-Atath, and some bipedal bears which might have been Beastborns, each being life-sized.

These crystals glowed with white light, lighting up this artificial cavern for kilometers around where they rested at the top of their towers. Dozens of these towers stood, each crystal almost exactly a kilometer away from the next closest, either in elevation or horizontal distance.

The cavern these towers stood in had been carved out of this deep stone over thousands of years, and now stood ten kilometers wide, and so deep that, even with the roaring light of the crystals high above, one could not see the bottom for the darkness. The towers stood, carefully worked, while preserving veins of ores as they had existed in the rock beforehand. Pillars also criss-crossed this cavern, more or less left unworked, but occasionally bearing a walkway or a single room, with stairs and walkways passing back and forth between these pillars and towers.

This was Hassodius, the second city of the Yet-Olong, and it possessed no avenue to the surface high above. The angels would instead use their powerful magic arts to travel back and forth from the surface. Some would use a simple cantrip, amplified with their High Mastery, to allow them to pass through stones. Others would enact an elaborate ritual of their Time Mastery to change part of the stone into what it would be one day, when other mortals chose to assault Hassodius, and tunnel down to it, and then change it back to the current day after traversing down to the place.

Hassodius had been crafted by artists and generalof the Yet-Olong race, who had taken the first many years of this time through reality to simply watch and learn of the world, instead of building upon themselves. When they had found Vollicius, however, the artists had found it audacious, without unity, and ugly, while the generals had found it inefficient, easy to assault, and difficult to defend. So, they had set out to construct Hassodius, many kilometers to the northwest, and far underground, beneath the Sulfur Valley.

Specifically, six angels had set out to build it: The generals Oen and Tou, and the artists Akimtous, Xanagaroum, Premious, and R͒ibamium.

Oen was the tallest Yet-Olong, standing a four and third of a meter tall, a full chest-and-shoulders above the heads of it's fellows, and possessed one of the more unique heads: an androgynous human head made entirely of steel, with eyes glowing pure, white light. In contrast to it's size, however, Oen possessed a short wingspan, of only two meters. In fact, it's wings actually more suited to being used as weapons, as they were compact, and made of sharpened steel. It's body was likely stylized armor, made of steel, with a thin lead cloak flowing over the outside.

Tou, the other general of Hassodius, was of average Yet-Olong height, with bright, electric blue light which glared out from a sharp, triangular head of lead covered in myriad carved patterns, It's wings were also useful as weapons, but not in the same way as Oen's. Where the tall angel's wings were compact and sharp, Tou's were thin, but long, nine meters across, and heavy, made entirely of lead, able to be quickly maneuvered and very useful in bludgeoning nearby creatures. It's cloak was steel, and large, almost entirely covering the large, dense, body of lead armor beneath.

Now, the artists of the Yet-Olong were distinctly beautiful to look up. For example, Akimtous was an angel with a delicate body of iridium tinted indigo, with a beautiful cloak of green copper draped over it. It's head was oblong, and made of the same purple iridium, with eyes of dark, orange light and veins of green copper tracing back and forth across it. It's fifteen meter wingspan was lustrous violet iridium and covered in green copper patterns which played out from the same copper cloak.

Xanagaroum was unlike other angels, for the left portion of it's masculine body was pure gold, while the right was platinum. It's wings were thirteen meters in total span, and similarly divided between gold and platinum, but they were reversed, with the left, golden side bearing a platinum wing six-and-a-half meters long, the right, platinum side bore a golden wing. It's head was head-shaped and shone with the pink light of it's eyes, bearing the same division as it's body, but was usually hidden beneath the hood of it's magnificent cloak, which bore the division the wings possessed instead.

Premious was a frail angel, but, being an artist, this was unsurprising. It's body was tungsten which had been tinted black, but then highly polished, to make it appear almost as though it were polished ebony. Around it's body was wrapped a chrome cloak, which added brightness to it's visage. It's wings were sixteen meters across, and, like it's body, were made from polished, black tungsten. It's head was triangular and made of tungsten as well, but with corners of chrome. It's light was a bright, electric green.

R͒ibamium looked to be a stylized caricature of a humanoid body, with long, curved limbs of iridium and a simplified chest of iridium. It's head was shaped to be a stylized helmet of iridium, with light was the same grey as the metal, and patterns of gold all around. It's wings were fourteen meters across and consisted of iridium, like it's body, but with blackened tungsten patterns all along. It's cloak was long and consisted of black tungsten and gold, mirroring the patterns upon it's wings and head across it's entire length.

There were other angels who came to this place as well, once it was built, for example, Akitriel, the warrior angel of iridium and blue steel with silvery-blue light who had followed Osmithariel for many years had come as the first warrior to defend Hassodius, and Asaffium, the diplomat of many different metals and grey-white light, who had spoken at Ferratum, had come as a lone politician in this city of art and war.



Immeasurable ages had passed since the first moment Indlas, in it's youth, had looked upon the orb of magma and obsidian which had been titled Neyla.

In an act of preservation, it embodies a giant stone with some of it's divine power.

What results is parts of the stone, which were infected with chaos, to fall away, shaping it into a four meter tall, obsidian statue of a Human, but lacking head or arms, with only muscular legs and chiseled torso.

It is not sentient, and completely stationary, but only when observed.

When unobserved, it is still not sentient, but it can make the unchanging desires of Indlas manifest, and thus do stuff, but is similar to the Weeping Angels from Dr. Who. If observed when it acts, time asserts that this clearly mundane statue has not moved, and clearly cannot have acted. Yet what it has done still remains done.

It inhabits the Volcanic Island.

{Summary: Child of Vait: The Lion. You'll learn about him later.}

1 point to Command the Aeonstrum to Command the Yet-Olong to Found Hassodius.

4 points to Command Hassodius to Raise Akitriel as it's first army.

5 points to Create the "Unmoving Statue" Demigod (Achilles).

1 point to Command the Unmoving Statue to Inhabit the Volcanic Island in the Odious Sea.

5 points to Create the "The Lion" Demigod (Black Knight).

Current Power Points: 3
Next Power Roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)+3=14 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4370606/)


Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img829/2832/u299.png


Underground Map
http://imageshack.com/a/img607/6529/rqb2.png


Domain
http://i.imgur.com/9m42vO9.png

[Omegonthesane]

The Tsarag-Thaun were not truly capable of copulation in the usual sense, either with one another or with other beings - their Los-ndelai cavorted, prepared eggs, and hatched them with all the conscious thought a Mhajm might give to healing a wound or growing during their childhood. Those who had been seduced by the sea-singers had used sorcery to bridge the gap rather than dare send their limbs into contact with land dwellers.

Thus, what Yenmor did as she witnessed the capsizing of a Mhajm ship was unprecedented. Although she had mastered the Thaun spells of teleportation long ago, they simply would not work precisely enough over the ranges involved for each crewman and each passenger of the doomed vessel, and she was loath to leave even a single one to the colossal whale-like Wierresta which had dashed their vessel. Thus, her armoured core entered the fray, and the combat appendages she had cultivated did their duty admirably, taking hold of the soon to be drowned sailors and sending them to the nearest beach, in the westmost segment of the Windblown Steppes, while bending space to prevent the Wierresta from catching any of them.

Unfortunately, Yenmor's control over its appendages was not sufficiently precise to prevent an at best unwise degree of intimacy, as the Los-ndelai found burrows and caves in the much larger beings they were being told to magic away. The least lucky of this band of survivors found themselves heavy with child soon after, but the creatures they spawned were no Mhajm. No Mhajm ever had such large, lidless eyes, such webbed hands and feet, such scabrous and damp skin - and that was before one got into the fins.

To the eye, these Deep Ones were an abomination, and one that needed regular salt water dips to remain alive. To the Mhajm, though, their hypnotic song was a thing of beauty, a redeeming feature of the whole experience - albeit one that would one day be forgotten, as the two species were destined to be somewhat separate, one bound to the sea, the other to the surface. Indeed, the Deep Ones were all female as well, and in need of men to maintain their line, which would surely cause conflict between them and their cousins.

The Wierresta did not immediately die in the conflict - Yenmor had taken on herself the task of subduing it, rather than destroying it. It was, however, subject to the attentions of a swarm of Los-ndelai connected to the first of Tsarag-Losh's children. Had this not occurred, then there would be one less beast in the world - and had it occurred with any lesser Thaun, there would be one less beast in the world. Tsarag-Losh could not have created a mighty, yet expendable warrior on its own, for mortal flesh could hardly comprehend the unfiltered form of a Watcher much less contain its seed, and the Lord of Water's body was not fully capable of bearing the resulting child. One way or another, it would have needed help, and had it asked for that help or compelled it directly, someone else might have realised its plan before too late.

Tsarag-Losh had not in fact specifically decreed that Yenmor was to attack a Wierresta, but it had made contingency plans for how best to exploit the event of such a union, and it put these plans into motion without hesitation, channelling its barely comprehensible might through the millions of its creations that swarmed over the descendant of Fel. The Wierresta survived the immediate struggle, but found its own loins heavy - yet not with a true Wierresta, and nor would it lay egg or give birth. Instead, it would be fertile soil, its flesh and organs devoured from the inside by a monstrosity that grew with unimaginable speed. It detected this first as a strange ache in its stomach, then as a dreadful hunger, then as difficulty moving or breathing once its child began squeezing against its heart and lungs, and then as utter terror as a hole was torn from inside its torso, out of which a great serpentine maw erupted, ten metres in diameter and followed by kilometres of serpentine mass. The warning was supernatural, for this new being's aura of terror worked on other Wierresta, yet also entirely natural, for it had killed its mother.

Thus, the great serpent Dagon began to terrorise the depths of the sea, with an especial malice and strange cowardice for a Wierresta - after all, it was wiser than many of its kin, being as much star-god as beast, and able to use sorcery just like its divine progenitor.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4370908/) +3 = 14
Power rollover: 2 points
Total 16 points

3 points: Create Hybrid Race (Tsarag-Thaun + Mhajm = Deep Ones)
5 points: Advance Civilisation (Deep Ones) with Hypnotic Song
5 points: Create Demigod (Fenrir): Dagon the Great Serpent

3 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Heovma thinks about how she sees the world

After so many thousands of years, Heovma came up with a list of her prey and her predators. Or, in other words, she finally, for the first time since the beginning of Neyla, thought through her perception of the world.
The White Wolf (moon) - Prey. Chase after it.
The Illuminator (moon) - Prey. Chase after it.
Fel's Moon - Predator. Flee from it.
The Black Wolf (Darkness) - Predator. Flee from him.
Dragons - Strong prey; only hunt sometimes.
Anything that has legs - Prey. Chase after it.
Anything that doesn't move - Only prey when starving.
Wierresta - Predators. Flee from them.
The Sun - Predator. Flee from it.
Cities - Strange and scary. Avoid them.
Change - Friend.
Free Will and the Future - Child. Protect her.
Beastborn - The weak are prey; the strong are pack-members.
Nil-Atath - ...

How did she see Nil-Atath? These strange demons. They don't make sense. They jump around and go backwards and around things when they shouldn't. Why do they do that?

So, she went to their land and watched them: what they did. After watching them for long enough, she grew hungry. They left half of the prey still there to rot, only taking half of it for themselves! From atop the rock, she jumped down and bore her teeth at the demons. If they were to waste food like that, they didn't deserve it.

Thinking they could get an easy meal from this coyote, they attacked the white coyote. However, unlike most their prey, Heovma's soul didn't leave her to be eaten, even when they bit. When they hit her, she yelped in pain but managed to throw them off. The one who came closest to devouring her, she ran up to it and latched her mouth onto what she assumed was its jugular.

Growling and staring at the others, Heovma didn't back off until they had finally left her.

Then, she dragged off the body and soul in her mouth, and had her meal in peace.

Heovma finally decided.
Nil-Atath - Rivals. Bare teeth and growl at them.


The Mhajm and Music

While the Deep Ones were still with them, the Mhajm studied and greatly enjoyed their songs. So much that they became inspired -
While they didn't realize they were originally formed from music, the Mhajm's minds opened and they noticed a similar trick when the music resonated with them. By concentrating really hard on the music, they could bring it into form - as a sword, a spare plank to fix their broken ship, a lockpick to break out of captivity during one of their raids, and so on.

It was a neat trick that spread very quickly across every raiding party as they stopped in Port Beau.

(5) Advance Civilization (Mhajm): Music Formation (Military Tech)
(4) Command Race (Mhajm): Ingrain Music Formation


Points: 2 + 2d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4372035/) + 5 + 3 = 13

(5) Advance Civilization (Mhajm): Music Formation (Military Tech)
: The ability to form weapons and other objects out of music. So, if you're in a battle with them or lock them away, you'd better make sure to gag them and tie their hands up, or they could break out and have new weapons again.
(4) Command Race (Mhajm): Ingrain Music Formation
<Since this was Ingrained on the same turn the Deep Ones were created, would they still have to pay the 1 point to have it as well?>

Remainder: 4




Planned future advancements of Mhajm: Eventually, in airships.

Other planned actions: Create demigods, armies, and more Wonder weapons/objects. Add armies. Son of Chaos gets mercilessly destroyed sooner or later.

Goals: Advance the ideologies of Chaos, Nature, Anarchy, Strife, and Deception




Heovma
Also currently known as "the white coyote," Abyss, Chaos, and The Eater of Souls. She's a coyote with pure white fur and blue eyes. She began existing after the creation of Neyla, and hardly exists anyway. She is formed from chaos and represents the Wild: the absence of civilization. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's anything more than an wild animal or just a part of one's imagination. When she eats a being, the devours the entire soul along with the body, and is absorbed into her, becoming a part of her.

Avatars
Fel the Black Wolf. Also known as Anarchy. Black fur with glowing red eyes. Made of darkness. Surrounding him is a plague of darkness as far as the eye can see. He brings anarchy with him and can't enter the Mirrored World.
Cearta the Masked Fox. Also known as Strife. Humanlike woman, with fox ears and three fox tails. Always wears a mask while in Neyla. When a natural lifespan is passed, she returns to the Mirror World, leaving only her mask in Neyla, until some unfortunate soul puts it on and swaps places with her.
Aurelius the Lonely Jackal. Also known as Trickery. Jackal head, wears a cape and no shirt. Loves music and telling (and inventing) tales which are usually mostly false.

Cults
Hothrid Cult: A select few spread feelings of revolt against current traditions and laws, guiding others to openly rebel. They also have routine traditions and rituals, including a Parade of Light every eleventh year, where they parade through public areas with many lights and frightening canine costumes.
Oalei Cult: Some Oalei find strength in the shadows, where they feign loyalty to their leaders during the day but strike their leaders in the night in assassination. They don't become leaders, but have the purpose to spread chaos using their wicked oaths, blood packs, and foul murders.
Dragon Cult: Dragons whose thoughts are swamped in bringing and inspiring rage and anarchy. They scorn the rulings of leaders and turn against the normal customs of the people.


Orders
The Dark Blade: An order of assassins, currently in the Shadows. They routinely assassinate leaders of the cities. Their purpose is to cause anarchy and disorder. Follows Fel's commands.
Knights of Strife:An order of holy knights, currently among the Caetus. They take vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world, and they're generally upstanding and nice citizens of the cities they're in. They love battles and fighting and working hard. Follows Cearta's commands.

Armies
Strife Legion 1: An army of Knights of Strife of the Caetus, in the city of Conchylium, who defend that city and maintain good citizenship.
Sin A: Shadow assassin army in Umbra, who are a brotherhood of assassins.
The Crystal Protectors: A Beastborn army in The Crystal Village, who hate the wild and hunt out Beastborn who are in the wild.
Strife's Militia: A Caetus army in Chek, made of citizens and Knights, who want to defend the city.
Corsairs of Depair: Mhajm Pirates who dock in Port Beau. They ride the ship "The Galley of Despair" and their enigmatic leader (who passes down the title) is named Wanhoop Jean.

Demigods
The Son of Chaos: A Fenrir-type Demigod. A Tiger-shaped Wierresta who has a symbiotic relationship with the little pieces of chaos. It wanders the world, feeding off of the fear it causes and staying alive much much longer than most Wierresta. Like any other Wierresta, it has an accompanying Aura of Terror, but its is much stronger than most.

World
The Mirrored World: Halfway out of synch with reality, with right being left and everything appearing slightly off. Appears just like Neyla, except without the masses of sapient races, without cities or man-made structures, and so on. Can sometimes be seen on the other side of reflections and mirages. Every time someone puts on The Masked Fox's mask, they are transported to this world where they live out the rest of their short life in solitude, alone and hunted in the wild.

Races
The Shadows: Unfinished, and formed from scraps torn from Fel's body. Most of the time, they're two-dimensional as shadows on the ground or the wall, with glowing red eyes. They can occasionally form themselves in three dimensions and [Form Reflection tech; ingrained] can copy the appearance of someone they can see. They feed on both food and light, but too much darkness and too much light are fatal to them. Can learn [Shadow Manipulation tech]: manipulating objects by manipulating their shadows. They name their cities after prominent founders.
The Beastborn: Unborn souls attach to dying animals. When the beast finally dies, they are reborn together with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal, as an infant. Most of the time, they appear as their animals, but they can sometimes transform themselves to appear humanoid with an occasional animal trait. When killing animals for food, they have a moment of silence and almost a ritual of thanks. The [Feral Strength] is a chaos-caused disease which randomly infects them, increasing their speed and strength at the cost of making them more feral and wild.
Mhajm: Plunderers, formed originally from music. They're wandering raiders from land to land, preying on their riches and food while spreading shanties and tales. All are born female, and all children they have (from males of other races) are born as Mhajm. They like [Pillaging]. They have the best ships around, because of their [Shipbuilding]
Manitou: Hybrid Race of Shedim and Protean, created by me. They're spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature; specifically, locations in nature. There are snow-forms, dust-forms, heat-forms, magic-forms, and so on: each one is like that.
Deep Ones: Hybrid Race of Tsarag-Thaun and Mhajm, created by Omegonthesane. They were accidentally created when Yenmor rescued a drowning crew of Mhajm near or in the Odious Sea. They have large, lidless eyes, webbed feet and hands, scabrous and damp skin, and fins. They have a beautiful song, but live eternally in sea water to survive. Like the Mhajm, they are all female, which causes competitive conflicts between the two races.

Racial Advancements
(Ingrained, normal, traded/stolen) ((Military/Political/Other/Special))
The Shadows: Form Reflection(Political), Shadow Manipulation(Military)
The Beastborn: Feral Strength(Military)
Mhajm: Music Formation (Military), Pillaging(Special), Shipbuilding(Special)
Manitou: Mutations(Military), Biomancy (???), Magic Burst(Military)
Deep Ones: Translocation(???), Music Formation? (Military), Hypnotic Song(???)

Descriptions of Techs
Form Reflection: Can mimic the form of a creature they can see. Political.
Shadow Manipulation: Can manipulate 3D objects by moving their shadows. Military.
Feral Strength: A disease which amplifies physical capabilities of infected but also makes them more wild. Military.
Pillaging: Much more efficient when pillaging a town; knows all sorts of tricks and methods. Counts as Military when attacking cities specifically, counts as Political when stealing wonders and other non-techs.
Shipbuilding: Ability to make fantastic ships which can even (sometimes) cross the Odious Sea. Allows free movement over waters, and counts as Military in naval-applicable battles.
Mutations: (created by Omegonthesane;) The ability of having mutations to make them stronger and survive. Military
Black Magic: Magic associated with Fel's Moon; especially with curses and harm. Military.
Magic Burst: Ability to use massive explosions of magical energy. A disease causing massive buildups of magical energy and random explosions, which can be controlled. Military.
Hypnotic Song: (created by Omegonthesane;) Their song is hypnotic but incredibly beautiful.
Biomancy: ???
Music Formation: The ability to create solid objects out of music. This includes weapons, instruments, supplies, and tools.

Cities
Umbra: A city of the Shadows, located in a swamp. The city is similar to that of wolves in the wild, with the alpha Shadow commanding the rest, and so on. The current leader is routinely assassinated.
Scath: In the High Woods, a city of the Shadows. They wander around in a caravan, following the migratory patterns of the animals whose forms they mimic.
Chek: A Caetus city, on the north shore of the lava lake. The leadership is a council of prominent members of the city, including many Knights of Strife.
Sayh: A Shadow city, deep underground, where they feed on the glowing mushrooms and crystals. They live in a very wild state, in a constant anarchic gathering with continuous upheavals of government (kept that way by the Dark Blade).
The Frozen Village: A Beastborn city, far south in the Frigid Land. They help each other survive past childhood and youth. The eldest Beastborn is respected as the leader, in charge of sending off packs to find newly-born Beastborn, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they keep in their humanoid form to foster a feeling of community. Those who choose to return to the wild can do so.
The Crystal Village: A Beastborn city, in the Shard Woods. They revile their brothers in the wild and stay in their human forms to turn against their wild past. Those who join this city normally stay in it for life, but few Beastborn from outside actually enter the city.
Port Beau: a Mhajm city, which is used as a temporary base between raids. The leaders of each raiding party have some say in the republic government and the distribution of wealth. The majority of the city is out over the ocean, built on docks and such.

Wonders and Structures
The Darkest Blade: In the hands of the army Sin A. It's a black sword that devours light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it feeds on enough light, it can cut through nearly anything and gives thoughts to all nearby: thoughts of anarchy and rampaging in chaos against allies. Sin A generally keeps it locked away in a box, except when they use it.
The Galley of Despair: Being driven by the army Corsairs of Despair. An excellent boat, one of a kind. Also, it has Wierresta Bones in part of the structure, causing a feeling of despair to all nearby. (Except to those who are used to it, of course.)
The Envenomed Spear: In the hands of The Crystal Protectors. It's a long wooden spear made of very dense and strong wood, impregnated with several kinds of slow-acting poisons which are extremely painful. They use it to slowly kill wild Beastborn.
Banshee's Shield: In the hands of Strife's Militia. A legendary shield which releases a deafening and painful screech when used to block.

Miscellaneous
Fel's Moon: A black moon with a very eccentric orbit; one of the three moons. It passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling across the surface of Neyla from north to south. As the moon comes close, the tides go wild (especially because it passes by so close). Mortals who die under the shadow of the moon come back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood, and mortal creatures born under the moon's shadow have a great natural talent for all forms of Black Magic. Sacrifices and dark rituals are planned around the passing of this moon.
The Odious Sea: The Odious Sea is a waterlike substance, of sometimes a dark red and sometimes black. It doesn't mix well with water and is much more dense, which is why it doesn't spread across all the oceans. The water immediately scars the flesh of anything touching it. It's extremely scarring and has a distinct and sharp smell.
Wierresta: Monsters with dark black looks, who appear as large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. They're mindless monsters who feed on blood and fear, with extremely thick armored skin, terrible claws, and sharp teeth. Anything and everything near them feels an inexplicable feeling of terror.
Black Magic: Gifted to those born under Fel's Moon. Also, most Caetus are naturally skilled in it as well. It includes curses and harming rituals.
Stories and Myths: Aurelius spreads tales, songs, and false histories across the world, until they begin retelling themselves. They're about nonexistent gods, heroes, creation stories, myths, and so on.
Chaos: Little particles of chaos living across the entire world. They are essentially bacteria, causing diseases and random and sometimes unexplainable incidents across the world. Some can absorb and feed off of extreme heat.
The Bleached Desert's Gale Storm: A wandering monstrous salt storm which moves around the Bleached Desert, destroying and salt-crystallizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
The Datura Flower: Flowers found in the Datura Desert. They are poisonous when eaten, but are very beautiful and useful in alchemical uses. They smell fantastically, and bloom during the warmer seasons. Interestingly, they all bloom during the night and wither during the day. The Evening Datura is a dusky rose color, the Moonlight Datura is a deep black color, and the white Sacred Datura is a hallucinogen in small doses..
Carnivorous Plants: Found in swampland, mostly in the Bubbling Bog. Most are small and only eat insects. Others eat frogs, fish, rats, and so on. Others devour large animals - although, most only eat them when they're already dead and decaying, eating parts at a time.
Diselle the Star Goddess: One of the deity invented by Aurelius; this one became more wide-spread than the others. The Mhajm pray to her for safety when crossing dangerous lands. It's said her skin is deep purple and was once a Mhajm who ascended to godhood after sacrificing herself to keep the Wierresta at bay while her sisters escaped.
Chaos Infection: A disease caused by being around Chaos (or Heovma) too much. It affects everyone differently. Beastborn, it causes to become stronger and more feral. Manitou have unnatural build-ups of magical energy which explodes randomly. And so on.





Have I missed a race or an advancement?
In the Parentheses means which player(s) can control them WITHOUT the use of an Order.
Races
Hothrids - (Omegonthesane) Cats with sapience, super dexterity, and so on. Blessed with natural affinity to sorcery.
Oalei - (GeneralRage) Powerful fat humanoids with fragments of stone on them.
Tsarag-Thaun - (Omegonthesane) Sapient coral reefs which can innately mind-control the Los-ndelai infesting them, to perform sorcery and etc.
Colossi - (Rith) Enormous beings who live for a very long time; originally from the Domain.
Dragons - (ImperialSunligh) Firebreathing Lizard creatures who can fly. They have four limbs, leathery wings, and massive tails. Eat gems.
Vynris - (aric_kale) Short vine people who live underground, and who grow flowers and small gems. Project thoughts to 'speak'.
Xan'aca - (Omegonthesane) Heat-eating omnivorous cold-blooded lizardmen made of rock
Yet-Olong Angels (Rith) 99 paradoxical eternal constructs who return to the time of their creation when the world ends.
Proteans - (Omegonthesane) - Shapeshifting creatures originally from Limbo, created from Limbo-stuff.
Shedim - (Omegonthesane) - Spirits from dead beings who wander the world and attach to a living creature. They only permanently fuse if the living being dies while they're still attached.
Shadows - (Mahonri Violist) - Incomplete beings who are only shadows with glowing red eyes. Eats light, but both too much light and too much darkness kill them. They can form themselves in 3D on occasion.
Caetus - (ImperialSunligh) - Subrace of Dragons. Dragons that can take human form by removing scaled coats.
Beastborn - (Mahonri Violist) - Usually born from dying animals (Or naturally). Can shapeshift between their animal form and a humanlike form (with animal characteristics).
Mhajm - (Mahonri Violist) - All-female humanlike wandering pirates with distinct and vibrant non-natural colors of skin, originally formed from music.
Nil-Atath Demon - (Rith) Soul-eating monsters who travel in whichever way in time they want.
Manitou - (Omegonthesane, Mahonri Violist) - Hybrid Race of Shedim and Proteans. Spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature.
Va'Aton - (Elemental) - Basically Elves who are agile and full of endurance. When inactive, they hardly need to eat and sleep. Red hair.
Kaytan - (Elemental) - Humanoid-shaped energy vortexes with lightning. Communicate telepathically and manipulate objects with a mall telekinetic field. Shun physical contact.
Goraipatzen - (ImperialSunligh) - Ratlike goblins with an illogical desire to live in the depths of seas. Extremely resilient to death.
Starspawn - (Omegonthesane, Rith) - Hybrid Race of Proteans and Nil-Atath Demons. Came from a different timeline, when Proteans and Niil-Atath consumed each other.
Deep Ones - (Omegonthesane, Mahonri Violist) - Hybrid Race of Tsarag-Thaun and Mhajm.



Did I miss anything? Tell me! (Actually, I missed a lot, so tell me anyway.)
Bold = Ingrained Italics = Traded/Stolen
P = Political, C = Combat, O = Other, * = Situational, ? = Unknown by me, the player
Racial Advancements
Hothrids - Thanatomancy (?)
Oalei
Tsarag-Thaun - Translocation (?)
Colossi
Dragons
Vyrnis
Xan'aca: Pyromancy (C), Geomancy (C), Berserk Rage (C)
Yet-Olong Angels: High Mastery (C), Time Mastery (C), Gravity (C), Living Metal (C), Premonitions (C)
Proteans: Mutation (C)
Shedim: Biomancy (?)
Shadows: Form Reflection (P), Shadow Manipulation (C)
Caetus: Black Magic (C), Shadow Forging (C)
Beastborn: Feral Strength (C)
Mhajm: Music Formation (C), Shipbuilding (*), Pillaging (*)
Nil-Atath Demons: Non-Linear Time (?), Non-Euclidean Geometry (C)
Manitou: Mutation (C), Biomancy (?) Magic Burst (C)
Va'Aton
Gorai
Starspawn: Mutation (C), Non-Linear Time (?)
Deep Ones: Translocation (?), Music Formation? (C)


City Advancements
-none so far-

[ImperialSunligh]

The Gorai had begun to build primitive underwater structures out of various materials in the depths, mostly of bone. Eventually, these structures became larger and larger, until larger communities formed. The various tribes were still fighting however, and for the longest time, only minimalist warring settlements could exist.

After much time, a great leader known as Herensuge, whose origins are unknown, set out to create peace between the three tribes. Actually uniting the tribes completely was near impossible, and Herensuge failed in this respect. He worked to create a settlement where people of all tribes could live together in peace, and in this he found success.

At first, this place was a small gathering of huts called Kriptikoaren inhabited by Gorai that listened to his speeches on peace and were moved. The settlement slowly grew until it was a massive stucture governed by Kings of Herensuge's bloodline. Herensuge was never king, he would not take such a position, but such adoration the people had for him that his children were crowned. The other settlements continued their warring, but Kriptikoaren was a neutral zone, where no conflict among Gorai was allowed.

Roll: 2d6+55+4=64 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4372162/)

Command Avatar, Sakona, Command Race, Goraipatzen: Create City, -1

Left: 63
Law Bonus: 5
Cult: 0

[Omegonthesane]

The dragon Yrgul became downright disenfranchised with the Black Silver Halls, and found themselves drawn south, towards the Magma Pits. She settled there, but was only one dragon, and could not hope to sustain a population or find a mate; in desperation for companionship, she turned to the inferiors, the smaller and flightless Xan'aca, using her sorceries to bend them into shapes that could properly unite with her. Ultimately, strain and loneliness and the poor diet available in the Magma Pits led her to an early grave, exactly as L'zot'aca intended.

The resulting eggs were smaller than those of dragons, but larger than any Xan'aca ever born. When they hatched, their contents were smaller than dragons, more bestial in their features, with harder scales and larger wings proportionate to their flesh - for these Wyverns were simply denser than Dragons, retaining a flicker of the Xan'aca's ties to the earth.

Guided by L'zot'aca, they avoided the worst consequences of the generations of incest which by necessity followed, and instead grew to a viable gene pool, a race of wandering fliers that would forever compete with the Dragons for the skies. They were smaller, weaker, and less wise, but more numerous, and fiercer in combat, as well as retaining an innate knack for fire sorcery above and beyond merely breathing streams of it. They formed a simple rudimentary society of packs similar to the Hothrid, though L'zot'aca had been unable to resist 'improving' on the Dragon design, and as such every Wyvern was both male and female, able to birth or sire or both as suited their whims. Only the limits of their anatomy prevented a Wyvern getting a child on itself, and this was nothing that sorcery or creative flying could not overcome.

For a thousand years the Wyverns never saw their rivals the Dragons, and by this time had become used to calling their tribal leaders "Sky Lords". These were traditionally defended by the Shining Fangs, strong and swift wyverns chosen for their unusually protective glittering obsidian hides.

L'zot'aca's flames gleamed especially brightly in this age - for though the Council had forbidden the implementation of its full plan, it had permitted that the Watchers should move directly against that which dared oppose their will. In its foolish hubris, Centrum had failed to create defenders for its foul emanations, equivalents to the four Black Guardians; as such, its avatars would be easy prey to capture and hold, and it had no agents stronger than its mere armies to take them back with.

Sakona, intruder on the deep, was easy enough to take hold of - Iskenderun, Cigotuvi, and Golubria, faithful servants of Yenmor who served their creator, were easily placed to imprison it within walls of translocative energy, a box of portals from which nothing could escape. To directly engage her would have been suicide, but all her wrathful spells and condemnations merely passed through a portal and back into her cage.

Pervetus required more work, for the Hothrid could not possibly catch up to it in the sky, not even in their flying boats. Not normal, mortal Hothrid anyway; filled with rage and hatred at what had been done to its sort-of kin, Hamalat was more than willing to take up the chase, and keep the Primordial Dragon surrounded and harried until a particular hunter squadron of Wyverns, the Pearl Wings, could take it down and keep it surrounded and weak.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4374554/) +3 = 19
Power rollover: 3 points
Total 22 points

3 points: Create Hybrid Race (Dragons + Xan'aca = Wyverns, who inherit Pyromancy and Flight automatically)

1 point: Command Avatar (L'zot'aca) to Create Order in the Wyverns "The Sky Lords"

1 point: Deep Ones inherit Music Formation. (Not reflected in above post. Point spent because Music Formation was ingrained at least a turn ago.)

1 point: Command Demigod (Dabok-aat the Black Ship) to Command Order (Sky Lords) to Raise Army (Shining Fangs)

1 point: Command Demigod (Gnallakei the False Angel) to Command Order (Sky Lords) to Raise Army (Pearl Wings)

1 point: Command Demigod (Hamalat the Pale Tribe) to Terrorize and capture Pervetus

Command Army (Iskenderun) to attack and capture Sakona, and defend it at -2

Command Armies (Golubria, Cigotuvi) to defend the captured Sakona at +0

Command Army (Pearl Wings) to defend the captured Pervetus

Command Army (Shining Fangs) to defend the Sky Lords order

14 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[5a Violista]

Humans
In which Humans evolve and form hunting-gathering tribes. They learn to use irrigation, and are directed to build a city in a desert.

Heovma's wounds that she received from the demons took a long time to heal completely - much longer than they had ever taken before. Most of the time, they were closed, but sometimes they tore open again just before they had healed completely.

Thus, as she ran across the world, more chaos leaked into Neyla. This accelerated the random mutations in several animals and creatures, until finally a sapient race rose from the animals. It was the Humans. They, unusually, had a similar appearance to many of the gods, and that of the Beastborn and the Caetus, among others...

Relatively speaking, they reproduced fairly quickly (especially compared to many of the other races). After a while, they broke off into separate tribes whenever there was internal disagreement or whatever. They found their food across the world as hunter-gatherers.

One day, Aurelius approached a tribe and taught them how to irrigate anywhere - bring water to them. That way, they weren't dependent on nature and chance: rather, they brought nature under their control so they could live wherever they wanted. He gave them several seeds from his back pocket, as well as a few musical instruments he had been working on. Then, he told them to show their dominance over nature by building a city in a hostile land.

On the coast, they built a city in the Datura Desert nearby the Rusty Mountains. They brought in water from the higher lands. As they worked, Aurelius told them stories of the world: of darkness, of evil, of good, of gods, of flowers, and everything. It was mostly false, of course, but it made for a good story.

And that's how the Humans first demonstrated their dominance over the wild.



(6) Create Race: Humans
(5) Advance Civilization(Humans) in Irrigation (Ability to use very creative and long-lasting types of irrigation)
(1) Command Avatar(Aurelius): Command Race(Humans): Create City: Dubris, which is located in the Eastern Hemisphere, on the coast where the Rusty Mountains, the Datura Desert, and (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16607595&postcount=135) that ocean there come together.

Dark Elves
In which Dark Elves are created, live in Scath the wandering city, and forge spirits of the dying into weapons. Also, they kidnap musicians.

One particularly stormy day, a ship of the Mhajm crashed into a rock. They were carrying a shipload of Va'Aton to be slaves who manned the oars.

Most of the Mhajm, above deck, escaped the sinking ship, but the Va'Aton who were chained below deck had no way to escape. They had no choice but to stay with the ship as it sunk.

Thanks to a lucky gale wind, the ship blew ashore to the High Woods. The Shadows of Scath happened to be passing by, and broke the shadows of their chains - breaking the chains themselves in the process. Not knowing who these Va'Aton were (most of them were unconscious by then), the Shadows brought them back to their wagons, to their wandering city, and held them there. Many enjoyed hanging around them and copying their form and being their second - or third, or fourth, or...well, there were so many Shadows around them that there was no counting how many shadows they had.

Somehow, the energy from this mass excitement melded some of these Shadows together with the Va'Aton, changing both of them together. Their skin (those of the Va'Aton) became more greyish. Their hair turned from red to black, and, most interestingly, they had no natural shadow.

However, just like The Shadows, they could change their own appearance to mimic those they saw. However, they were no longer two dimensional shadows, but complete beings. (Well, as complete as can a person be who has no shadow.)

Though many of these Dark Elves (as they later became known as) left Scath to find their purpose in the world and their way back to Va'Aton society, several stayed there in Scath.

Almost always, a Dark Elf was accompanied by a friend Shadow to make up for what the other lacked.

The Dark Elves had an ability they didn't learn until later: because of their unique anatomy, they could learn to grab the spirit fleeing from a dying soul, and then they could form these souls in their hands into weapons such as bows and daggers.

It was pretty grim, and these Dark Elves gave nightmares to most people who heard about them.

Fel definitely had a hand in this.




(3) Create Hybrid Race: Dark Elves, of The Shadows and Va'Aton
(5) Advance Civilization(Dark Elves) in Soul Claim (Combat) (Ability to entrap fleeing spirits for the purposes of forming weapons out of them)
(1) Command Avatar(Fel): Command City (Scath): Political Maneuver so that both Dark Elves and Shadows are inhabitants of Scath, the wandering city.



Knights of Strife
In which the Knights of Strife also gain a faction among the Wyverns

Cearta, through manifesting around the world, heard about the Wyverns and saw them flying through the air. Chek was (relatively speaking, given that she had been to most corners of the world) nearby, so she told her Knights of Strife in Chek about these "Lords of the Skies."

One of her knights, a Caetus, gladly gave her a lift into the sky to speak with a few select Wyverns.

After several words of persuasion, she enlisted many of them to follow her and spread strife, conflict, and hard work across the world.

So far, however, she hadn't caused any major battles. Only small skirmishes had resulted from her efforts.

That had to change soon.



(1) Command Avatar(Cearta): Create Order in the Wyverns: Knights of Strife II(Wyvern faction)
(-) Rename Knights of Strife as Knights of Strife I, for purposes of keeping track of them.


Points: 4 + 2d6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4375260/) + 5 + 3 = 12+11 = 23

Actions:
(6) Create Race: Humans
(3) Create Hybrid Race: Dark Elves, of The Shadows and Va'Aton
(-) They gain the Ingrained Abilities from their parents, like they should.
=14 left

(5) Advance Civilization(Humans) in Irrigation (Ability to use very creative and long-lasting types of irrigation)
(5) Advance Civilization(Dark Elves) in Soul Claim (Combat) (Ability to entrap fleeing spirits for the purposes of forming weapons out of them)
=4 left

(1) Command Avatar(Aurelius): Command Race(Humans): Create City: Dubris, which is located in the Eastern Hemisphere, on the coast where the Rusty Mountains, the Datura Desert, and (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16607595&postcount=135) that ocean there come together.
(1) Command Avatar(Fel): Command City (Scath): Political Maneuver so that both Dark Elves and Shadows are inhabitants of Scath, the wandering city.
(1) Command Avatar(Cearta): Create Order in the Wyverns: Knights of Strife II(Wyvern faction)
(-) Rename Knights of Strife as Knights of Strife I, for purposes of keeping track of them.
=1 left



Planned future advancements of Mhajm: Eventually, in airships.

Other planned actions: Create demigods, armies, and more Wonder weapons/objects. Add armies. Son of Chaos gets mercilessly destroyed sooner or later.

Goals: Advance the ideologies of Chaos, Nature, Anarchy, Strife, and Deception




Heovma
Also currently known as "the white coyote," Abyss, Chaos, and The Eater of Souls. She's a coyote with pure white fur and blue eyes. She began existing after the creation of Neyla, and hardly exists anyway. She is formed from chaos and represents the Wild: the absence of civilization. Sometimes, it's hard to tell if she's anything more than an wild animal or just a part of one's imagination. When she eats a being, the devours the entire soul along with the body, and is absorbed into her, becoming a part of her.

Avatars
Fel the Black Wolf. Also known as Anarchy. Black fur with glowing red eyes. Made of darkness. Surrounding him is a plague of darkness as far as the eye can see. He brings anarchy with him and can't enter the Mirrored World.
Cearta the Masked Fox. Also known as Strife. Humanlike woman, with fox ears and three fox tails. Always wears a mask while in Neyla. When a natural lifespan is passed, she returns to the Mirror World, leaving only her mask in Neyla, until some unfortunate soul puts it on and swaps places with her.
Aurelius the Lonely Jackal. Also known as Trickery. Jackal head, wears a cape and no shirt. Loves music and telling (and inventing) tales which are usually mostly false.

Cults
Hothrid Cult: A select few spread feelings of revolt against current traditions and laws, guiding others to openly rebel. They also have routine traditions and rituals, including a Parade of Light every eleventh year, where they parade through public areas with many lights and frightening canine costumes.
Oalei Cult: Some Oalei find strength in the shadows, where they feign loyalty to their leaders during the day but strike their leaders in the night in assassination. They don't become leaders, but have the purpose to spread chaos using their wicked oaths, blood packs, and foul murders.
Dragon Cult: Dragons whose thoughts are swamped in bringing and inspiring rage and anarchy. They scorn the rulings of leaders and turn against the normal customs of the people.


Orders
The Dark Blade: An order of assassins, currently in the Shadows. They routinely assassinate leaders of the cities. Their purpose is to cause anarchy and disorder. Follows Fel's commands.
Knights of Strife:An order of holy knights, currently among the Caetus. They take vows to bring chaos and strife across the known world, and they're generally upstanding and nice citizens of the cities they're in. They love battles and fighting and working hard. Follows Cearta's commands.
Knights of Strife II: Another group of them with the Wyverns.

Armies
Strife Legion 1: An army of Knights of Strife of the Caetus, in the city of Conchylium, who defend that city and maintain good citizenship.
Sin A: Shadow assassin army in Umbra, who are a brotherhood of assassins.
The Crystal Protectors: A Beastborn army in The Crystal Village, who hate the wild and hunt out Beastborn who are in the wild.
Strife's Militia: A Caetus army in Chek, made of citizens and Knights, who want to defend the city.
Corsairs of Depair: Mhajm Pirates who dock in Port Beau. They ride the ship "The Galley of Despair" and their enigmatic leader (who passes down the title) is named Wanhoop Jean.

Demigods
The Son of Chaos: A Fenrir-type Demigod. A Tiger-shaped Wierresta who has a symbiotic relationship with the little pieces of chaos. It wanders the world, feeding off of the fear it causes and staying alive much much longer than most Wierresta. Like any other Wierresta, it has an accompanying Aura of Terror, but its is much stronger than most.

World
The Mirrored World: Halfway out of synch with reality, with right being left and everything appearing slightly off. Appears just like Neyla, except without the masses of sapient races, without cities or man-made structures, and so on. Can sometimes be seen on the other side of reflections and mirages. Every time someone puts on The Masked Fox's mask, they are transported to this world where they live out the rest of their short life in solitude, alone and hunted in the wild.

Races
The Shadows: Unfinished, and formed from scraps torn from Fel's body. Most of the time, they're two-dimensional as shadows on the ground or the wall, with glowing red eyes. They can occasionally form themselves in three dimensions and [Form Reflection tech; ingrained] can copy the appearance of someone they can see. They feed on both food and light, but too much darkness and too much light are fatal to them. Can learn [Shadow Manipulation tech]: manipulating objects by manipulating their shadows. They name their cities after prominent founders.
The Beastborn: Unborn souls attach to dying animals. When the beast finally dies, they are reborn together with a sapient soul and the mind of the animal, as an infant. Most of the time, they appear as their animals, but they can sometimes transform themselves to appear humanoid with an occasional animal trait. When killing animals for food, they have a moment of silence and almost a ritual of thanks. The [Feral Strength] is a chaos-caused disease which randomly infects them, increasing their speed and strength at the cost of making them more feral and wild.
Mhajm: Plunderers, formed originally from music. They're wandering raiders from land to land, preying on their riches and food while spreading shanties and tales. All are born female, and all children they have (from males of other races) are born as Mhajm. They like [Pillaging]. They have the best ships around, because of their [Shipbuilding]
Manitou: Hybrid Race of Shedim and Protean, created by me. They're spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature; specifically, locations in nature. There are snow-forms, dust-forms, heat-forms, magic-forms, and so on: each one is like that.
Deep Ones: Hybrid Race of Tsarag-Thaun and Mhajm, created by Omegonthesane. They were accidentally created when Yenmor rescued a drowning crew of Mhajm near or in the Odious Sea. They have large, lidless eyes, webbed feet and hands, scabrous and damp skin, and fins. They have a beautiful song, but live eternally in sea water to survive. Like the Mhajm, they are all female, which causes competitive conflicts between the two races.
Humans: Humans, who evolved more quickly when exposed to chaos. At the moment, they hunt often in tribes, though they've built a city to show their desire for dominance over the wild and over nature.
Dark Elves: Hybrid Race of Shadows and Va'Aton, created by me. They have greyer skin than the Va'Aton, have black hair, and are missing shadows. They often travel in pairs with a Shadow.

Racial Advancements
(Ingrained, normal, traded/stolen) ((Military/Political/Other/Special))
The Shadows: Form Reflection(Political), Shadow Manipulation(Military)
The Beastborn: Feral Strength(Military)
Mhajm: Music Formation (Military), Pillaging(Special), Shipbuilding(Special)
Manitou: Mutations(Military), Biomancy (???), Magic Burst(Military)
Deep Ones: Translocation(???), Music Formation? (Military), Hypnotic Song(???)
Humans: Irrigation (Other)
Dark Elves: Form Reflection (Political), Soul Claim (Military)


Descriptions of Techs
Form Reflection: Can mimic the form of a creature they can see. Political.
Shadow Manipulation: Can manipulate 3D objects by moving their shadows. Military.
Feral Strength: A disease which amplifies physical capabilities of infected but also makes them more wild. Military.
Pillaging: Much more efficient when pillaging a town; knows all sorts of tricks and methods. Counts as Military when attacking cities specifically, counts as Political when stealing wonders and other non-techs.
Shipbuilding: Ability to make fantastic ships which can even (sometimes) cross the Odious Sea. Allows free movement over waters, and counts as Military in naval-applicable battles.
Mutations: (created by Omegonthesane;) The ability of having mutations to make them stronger and survive. Military
Black Magic: Magic associated with Fel's Moon; especially with curses and harm. Military.
Magic Burst: Ability to use massive explosions of magical energy. A disease causing massive buildups of magical energy and random explosions, which can be controlled. Military.
Hypnotic Song: (created by Omegonthesane;) Their song is hypnotic but incredibly beautiful.
Biomancy: ???
Music Formation: The ability to create solid objects out of music. This includes weapons, instruments, supplies, and tools.
Irrigation: The ability to use very creative and long-lasting types of irrigation, to show your dominance over nature.
Soul Claim: The Dark Elves' ability to entrap fleeing spirits for the purpose of forming weapons (bows, daggers, etc) out of them.


Cities
Umbra: A city of the Shadows, located in a swamp. The city is similar to that of wolves in the wild, with the alpha Shadow commanding the rest, and so on. The current leader is routinely assassinated.
Scath: In the High Woods, a city of the Shadows and the Dark Elves. They wander around in a caravan, following the migratory patterns of the animals whose forms they mimic.
Chek: A Caetus city, on the north shore of the lava lake. The leadership is a council of prominent members of the city, including many Knights of Strife.
Sayh: A Shadow city, deep underground, where they feed on the glowing mushrooms and crystals. They live in a very wild state, in a constant anarchic gathering with continuous upheavals of government (kept that way by the Dark Blade).
The Frozen Village: A Beastborn city, far south in the Frigid Land. They help each other survive past childhood and youth. The eldest Beastborn is respected as the leader, in charge of sending off packs to find newly-born Beastborn, build warm habitations, and hunt for food. While in the city, they keep in their humanoid form to foster a feeling of community. Those who choose to return to the wild can do so.
The Crystal Village: A Beastborn city, in the Shard Woods. They revile their brothers in the wild and stay in their human forms to turn against their wild past. Those who join this city normally stay in it for life, but few Beastborn from outside actually enter the city.
Port Beau: a Mhajm city, which is used as a temporary base between raids. The leaders of each raiding party have some say in the republic government and the distribution of wealth. The majority of the city is out over the ocean, built on docks and such.

Wonders and Structures
The Darkest Blade: In the hands of the army Sin A. It's a black sword that devours light around it, filling large areas with darkness. If it feeds on enough light, it can cut through nearly anything and gives thoughts to all nearby: thoughts of anarchy and rampaging in chaos against allies. Sin A generally keeps it locked away in a box, except when they use it.
The Galley of Despair: Being driven by the army Corsairs of Despair. An excellent boat, one of a kind. Also, it has Wierresta Bones in part of the structure, causing a feeling of despair to all nearby. (Except to those who are used to it, of course.)
The Envenomed Spear: In the hands of The Crystal Protectors. It's a long wooden spear made of very dense and strong wood, impregnated with several kinds of slow-acting poisons which are extremely painful. They use it to slowly kill wild Beastborn.
Banshee's Shield: In the hands of Strife's Militia. A legendary shield which releases a deafening and painful screech when used to block.

Miscellaneous
Fel's Moon: A black moon with a very eccentric orbit; one of the three moons. It passes by Neyla every 33 1/3 years, causing a solar eclipse across Neyla for two days, traveling across the surface of Neyla from north to south. As the moon comes close, the tides go wild (especially because it passes by so close). Mortals who die under the shadow of the moon come back alive as a soulless husk with a hunger for flesh and blood, and mortal creatures born under the moon's shadow have a great natural talent for all forms of Black Magic. Sacrifices and dark rituals are planned around the passing of this moon.
The Odious Sea: The Odious Sea is a waterlike substance, of sometimes a dark red and sometimes black. It doesn't mix well with water and is much more dense, which is why it doesn't spread across all the oceans. The water immediately scars the flesh of anything touching it. It's extremely scarring and has a distinct and sharp smell.
Wierresta: Monsters with dark black looks, who appear as large, grotesque misinterpretations of animals across the world. They're mindless monsters who feed on blood and fear, with extremely thick armored skin, terrible claws, and sharp teeth. Anything and everything near them feels an inexplicable feeling of terror.
Black Magic: Gifted to those born under Fel's Moon. Also, most Caetus are naturally skilled in it as well. It includes curses and harming rituals.
Stories and Myths: Aurelius spreads tales, songs, and false histories across the world, until they begin retelling themselves. They're about nonexistent gods, heroes, creation stories, myths, and so on.
Chaos: Little particles of chaos living across the entire world. They are essentially bacteria, causing diseases and random and sometimes unexplainable incidents across the world. Some can absorb and feed off of extreme heat.
The Bleached Desert's Gale Storm: A wandering monstrous salt storm which moves around the Bleached Desert, destroying and salt-crystallizing anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it.
The Datura Flower: Flowers found in the Datura Desert. They are poisonous when eaten, but are very beautiful and useful in alchemical uses. They smell fantastically, and bloom during the warmer seasons. Interestingly, they all bloom during the night and wither during the day. The Evening Datura is a dusky rose color, the Moonlight Datura is a deep black color, and the white Sacred Datura is a hallucinogen in small doses..
Carnivorous Plants: Found in swampland, mostly in the Bubbling Bog. Most are small and only eat insects. Others eat frogs, fish, rats, and so on. Others devour large animals - although, most only eat them when they're already dead and decaying, eating parts at a time.
Diselle the Star Goddess: One of the deity invented by Aurelius; this one became more wide-spread than the others. The Mhajm pray to her for safety when crossing dangerous lands. It's said her skin is deep purple and was once a Mhajm who ascended to godhood after sacrificing herself to keep the Wierresta at bay while her sisters escaped.
Chaos Infection: A disease caused by being around Chaos (or Heovma) too much. It affects everyone differently. Beastborn, it causes to become stronger and more feral. Manitou have unnatural build-ups of magical energy which explodes randomly. And so on.





Have I missed a race or an advancement?
In the Parentheses means which player(s) can control them WITHOUT the use of an Order.
Races
Hothrids - (Omegonthesane) Cats with sapience, super dexterity, and so on. Blessed with natural affinity to sorcery.
Oalei - (GeneralRage) Powerful fat humanoids with fragments of stone on them.
Tsarag-Thaun - (Omegonthesane) Sapient coral reefs which can innately mind-control the Los-ndelai infesting them, to perform sorcery and etc.
Colossi - (Rith) Enormous beings who live for a very long time; originally from the Domain.
Dragons - (ImperialSunligh) Firebreathing Lizard creatures who can fly. They have four limbs, leathery wings, and massive tails. Eat gems.
Vynris - (aric_kale) Short vine people who live underground, and who grow flowers and small gems. Project thoughts to 'speak'.
Xan'aca - (Omegonthesane) Heat-eating omnivorous cold-blooded lizardmen made of rock
Yet-Olong Angels (Rith) 99 paradoxical eternal constructs who return to the time of their creation when the world ends.
Proteans - (Omegonthesane) - Shapeshifting creatures originally from Limbo, created from Limbo-stuff.
Shedim - (Omegonthesane) - Spirits from dead beings who wander the world and attach to a living creature. They only permanently fuse if the living being dies while they're still attached.
Shadows - (Mahonri Violist) - Incomplete beings who are only shadows with glowing red eyes. Eats light, but both too much light and too much darkness kill them. They can form themselves in 3D on occasion.
Caetus - (ImperialSunligh) - Subrace of Dragons. Dragons that can take human form by removing scaled coats.
Beastborn - (Mahonri Violist) - Usually born from dying animals (Or naturally). Can shapeshift between their animal form and a humanlike form (with animal characteristics).
Mhajm - (Mahonri Violist) - All-female humanlike wandering pirates with distinct and vibrant non-natural colors of skin, originally formed from music.
Nil-Atath Demon - (Rith) Soul-eating monsters who travel in whichever way in time they want.
Manitou - (Omegonthesane, Mahonri Violist) - Hybrid Race of Shedim and Proteans. Spirit-like elemental beings associated with nature.
Va'Aton - (Elemental) - Basically Elves who are agile and full of endurance. When inactive, they hardly need to eat and sleep. Red hair.
Kaytan - (Elemental) - Humanoid-shaped energy vortexes with lightning. Communicate telepathically and manipulate objects with a mall telekinetic field. Shun physical contact.
Goraipatzen - (ImperialSunligh) - Ratlike goblins with an illogical desire to live in the depths of seas. Extremely resilient to death.
Starspawn - (Omegonthesane, Rith) - Hybrid Race of Proteans and Nil-Atath Demons. Came from a different timeline, when Proteans and Niil-Atath consumed each other.
Deep Ones - (Omegonthesane, Mahonri Violist) - Hybrid Race of Tsarag-Thaun and Mhajm. Require immersion in salt water to survive.
Wyverns - (Omegonthesane, ImperialSunligh) - Hybrid Race of Dragons and Xan'aca. Smaller than dragons but more bestial, with harder scales and larger wings.
Humans: (Mahonri Violist) - Humans, who evolved more quickly when exposed to chaos. At the moment, they hunt often in tribes, though they've built a city to show their desire for dominance over the wild and over nature.
Dark Elves: (Mahonri Violist, Elemental) - Hybrid Race of Shadows and Va'Aton, created by me. They have greyer skin than the Va'Aton, have black hair, and are missing shadows. They often travel in pairs with a Shadow.



Did I miss anything? Tell me! (Actually, I missed a lot, so tell me anyway.)
Bold = Ingrained Italics = Traded/Stolen
P = Political, C = Combat, O = Other, * = Situational, ? = Unknown by me, the player
Racial Advancements
Hothrids - Thanatomancy (?)
Oalei
Tsarag-Thaun - Translocation (?)
Colossi
Dragons: Flight
Vyrnis
Xan'aca: Pyromancy (C), Geomancy (C), Berserk Rage (C)
Yet-Olong Angels: High Mastery (C), Time Mastery (C), Gravity (C), Living Metal (C), Premonitions (C)
Proteans: Mutation (C)
Shedim: Biomancy (?)
Shadows: Form Reflection (P), Shadow Manipulation (C)
Caetus: Flight, Black Magic (C), Shadow Forging (C)
Beastborn: Feral Strength (C)
Mhajm: Music Formation (C), Shipbuilding (*), Pillaging (*)
Nil-Atath Demons: Non-Linear Time (?), Non-Euclidean Geometry (C)
Manitou: Mutation (C), Biomancy (?) Magic Burst (C)
Va'Aton
Gorai
Starspawn: Mutation (C), Non-Linear Time (?)
Deep Ones: Translocation, Music Formation (C)
Wyverns: Flight, Pyromancy
Humans: Irrigation (O)
Dark Elves: Form Reflection (P), Soul Claim (C)


City Advancements
-none so far-

[ImperialSunligh]

Centrum, in its sleep, saw the foul acts of the watchers against its most prized dragon. It took great restraint not to initiate the awakening then. But it knew better, and continued its sleep.

Still, though, it acted subconsciously to free the great beast. Before the wyverns even brought the god-dragon to land, Centrum snored a great snore like those of the early days, when it created the pillars. It was a snore of the code, which erupted from the sea, in symbolic tendrils, their text arcing around the pale mockeries of dragons before they could react at all. The water below had mixed with the code material, becoming a code-sea, a soup of concepts.

Once all the wyverns restraining the godly dragon were grasped, the tendrils retracted back into the sea, ending the existence of the Pearl Wings as all but a concept within the calm, grey sea.

With its defenders gone, Pervetus took a while to heal its wounds, and returned once more below the earth, where it rested once more, free from the brutality of the watchers.

2d6+63+5=74 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4378446/)

Catastrophe: Code material erupts from the Border Sea area to the west of the Grid Forest as Pervetus is being held above by hothrids. The area of sea is turned to watery code material and the pearl wings are pulled into it by tendrils, becoming code. Pervetus is freed, 10

I'm assuming that's where they were as there was no specification. Also, Pervetus never flew and was described as rising out of the landscape and so it would not make sense for him to fly, but w/e.

Cult Bonus: 0
Law Bonus: 5
Left: 64

[Omegonthesane]

The Pearl Wings were half-dragon, and their numbers were correspondingly few - only five souls had been damned to nonexistence by Centrum's foolish deeds. Still, there was a glimmer of irritation to mar the ecstatic glee visible on Nysatek's hideous form as it assessed the damage - when inflicted on soulless animals, the Pillar's preferred form of attack was not materially different to death, and thus the sight was pleasing to the Lord of Death.

Eventually, the other three Lords gathered at that point, for this act was great, and they had a great act to perform in return. L'zot'aca was furious at the annihilation of its bastard children, but L'zot'aca was always furious at something, and those deities who observed could see it was filled with dreadful excitement. Tsarag-Losh had a sense of resignation - their next deed had been carefully planned, as per its demands, but by L'zot'aca, so it was bound to have missed something important. Orat'hoth was simply angry at what had passed - Centrum had once again showed its lack of discretion.

It was time to show their superiority, as the Lord of Fire had suggested. Time to clean up the Pillar's mess.

With an infinite playground of time, the Nil-Atath had access to creations that would never have been imaginable where their most convenient hunting grounds lay. Thus, when one intruded upon a public space in Nix carrying a paintbrush, no one doubted its story that it had looked through an artefact it called a "extraplanar satellite feed", and beheld events that were taking place in the Codex itself at the very moment of its arrival.

No one had any stake in believing it, either, but they certainly appreciated the free decoration of their town with surreal images. There were many small details, of things being slashed, hacked, bent, cooked, frozen, grown, titillated, mutilated, and generally damaged or changed or both in various ways, but four stood out above all, one after the other on a long slab of valley.

The first was a picture in which the background was nothing but words, in all the languages that had yet been written down and many more that existed in the future which this Nil-Atath had come from. Atop this was a fleshy, tentacled mushroom, which took hold of the words in the background, ripped them apart, and rearranged them into alphabetical order, each language taking up a single row where before it had taken up a single column.

The second was a picture of a corridor lined with shelves meant for scrolls and codices, a work of perspective that seemed to extend as far as the eye could see. The left side of the corridor had caught fire, in many places up and down its length, and the written information was burning away; the right side was already an inferno at the nearest point of the display, and nothing but ash and dust lined its shelves in the deeper depths of the painting.

The third depicted a great and needlessly elaborate scaffolding of a hundred floors, a latticework of pure gold from which hung an array of platinum bells. It was well known that gold and platinum did not rust, yet every single layer and every single bell above the tenth floor was marked with rust, every floor above the fiftieth was more rust than it was metal, and a great pile of orange dust sat on the hundredth floor where it touched a strange dark cloud, while the entire structure was surrounded by half a floor's thickness of such dust in every direction

The fourth had at its centre a thick twisted mass of black, thorned branches which seemed to absorb light from around them. Yet, this black hedge was illuminated by many glowing brown vines which criss-crossed its mass, reaching above it and creating a forest canopy - only, a forest canopy which shed light instead of blocking it. The edges of the black hedge transformed gradually into life forms, becoming snakes or birds or butterflies or other forms of beauty, and flowers decorated those parts of the tree which were completely untainted by the blackened vines.

The Nil-Atath painter painted these, and it was admired, yet none truly understood their magnitude. The painter's mind had superimposed these false images on its own eyes, for it had witnessed the day that the Watchers attacked the Codex itself, and how Orat'hoth personally murdered the Dark One.

Summary: The Star-Spawn get an Order, which spawns three armies of Corruptors, dark and dangerous sorcerers who can inflict their Mutation on the very flow of time itself. One defends the Order, two and three recapture Pervetus.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4381119/)
Power rollover: 14 points
Total 27 points

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Create Order in the Star-Spawn "Agents of the Star Gods"

1 point: Command Demigod (Yghanar, Black Guardian of Wind) to Command Order (AotSG) to Raise Army (1st Corruptors)

1 point: Command Demigod (Maugagon, Black Guardian of Fire) to Command Order (AotSG) to Raise Army (2nd Corruptors)

1 point: Command Demigod (Enelothoth, Black Guardian of Water) to Command Order (AotSG) to Political Maneuver and mobilise the 2nd Corruptors ahead of schedule.

1 point: Command Demigod (G'garakut, Black Guardian of Earth) to Command Order (AotSG) to Raise Army (3rd Corruptors)

1st Corruptors defend the Agents of the Star Gods Order.

2nd Corruptors attack and capture Pervetus, and defend it at -2.

3rd Corruptors defend Pervetus at +0.

10 points: Catastrophe - The Watchers directly attack the Codex itself in various ways, causing widespread corruption of its record of the Code itself, and destroying the Dark One.

12 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll

[ImperialSunligh]

Orat'hoth and its fellow watchers foolishly believed that the Dark One was slain upon the death of its manifestation in the Codex. Such naivety Centrum had long learned to put aside. The Dark One would not be slain.

Mere moments after the assault upon the already redundant Codex, the watchers having rendered it so not by their attacks, but by their previous actions, that turned the body of the Dark One to nothing, a small, amorphous shadow descended to Neyla. It laughed a laugh audible to all.

"You Watchers are so silly. Watching and watching and watching, yet when you do something, it's always so silly. You thought I was dead? I cannot be killed any more than you could have killed Centrum. I don't much mind being "killed", But you know, what you're doing to the dragons isn't very nice. My dad really liked the dragons. You should stop being so mean to them when they aren't doing anything to hurt you or your people. Father wasn't going to do anything mean to you again. Trying so hard to capture the original dragon is... stupid, and will get your followers killed. I know this because I will kill them. So I suggest that you don't do this again in the future, else I shall have more toys to play with."

The shadow manifested within the crystal scar, among the wicked sorcerers that guarded the primordial dragon. The Corruptors noticed the black shape among them, and attempted to strike it with magic, to alter time to prevent whatever such a being might do, but the Dark One, as a godly being, existed beyond time, beyond space, and beyond realization. It merely walked up to one of the sorcerers and touched the strange being, which at first had no reaction, but then quickly burst into dark flames. These flames burned so deeply that they scorched both the body and the soul. Even as the being burned to its death, its soul continued to burn, and would burn evermore, as its immortal essence became tortured and insane.

The flames at first only burned this one being, but as the panicked star-spawn grabbed its fellows, the fire caught their bodies alight, and eventually grew such that it would spread without direct contact. All of Pervetus' protectors were consumed in flame, allowing the dragon to sink beneath the ground once more.

The flames did not end there. No, the Dark One had not yet had enough fun. The scorching flames spread throughout the area, burning many of the star-spawn and condemning them to infinite suffering. The fire burned the earth, so intense was its otherworldly heat, melting much of the crystals and even the dirt in the area into strange shapes and blackening what once was natural. The Tessarect of Wisdom was partially burned by the flames and was damaged significantly, such that it could not be used barring extensive repairs.

The race of the star-spawn were shaken greatly, but were not wholly concentrated in this area, and so lived on. Much of the ecosystem in the area was destroyed, as the fire burned all plants that had any hope of living in the already fairly barren area into dust and most animals that could survive the fire starved to death, besides that the now scorched land would not be fertile for many generations and would be forever scarred.

"Watch this, O watchful ones, and remember it. Stop pestering the dragons, or I shall have an excuse to do this again."

2d6+64+5=79 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4383494/)

Catastrophe: The Dark One, who was only destroyed in manifestation, destroys the armies protecting Pervetus, with searing flames that torture their souls to insanity beyond the grave, as well as severely damaging the Tesserect and badly scorching the most populous area of the crystal scar to the point of melting much of the landscape, freeing Pervetus (again), -10

Left: 69
Law Bonus: 5

[Omegonthesane]

Of the four Lords, Tsarag-Losh and Nysatek were busy, L'zot'aca had effectively a negative amount of experience in negotiation, so it was her would-be murderer Orat'hoth who responded.

"The Watcher Council wishes me to convey three questions to you, Dark One.

"Why should we trust Centrum, who violated his own Code the moment it inconvenienced him?

"Why should we trust you, destroyer, defiler, creation of a Code that has now been completely abandoned?

"Why do you presume that we cannot kill Centrum?"

That last part was something of a bluff - Orat'hoth affected perfect confidence, as if it were absolutely certain that the combined might of its kind was capable of destroying even a god. In reality, it was in no way certain - though it had heard the news from some of the Star-Spawn, of how the old grey god of Tyonix was doomed in every possible timeline to die at a mere mortal's hand. It was only certain that god-slaying was possible.

What followed was no bluff, however. The Dark One gasped softly in horror, before glowing golden vines of spirit-stuff bound her seemingly amorphous form, forming a perfect airtight seal, while similar golden vines ensnared and choked the Pillar itself. This was what a mortal would see, at least, as the Life-Bringer sealed away Centrum's destructive power, preventing it from lashing out again.

"We have left the dragons alone. Pervetus is no dragon, it is the extrusion of Centrum's will upon the world. That will has proven hostile to us at every turn; therefore, we are hostile to it."

Nysatek's business was with the Nil-Atath, the lesser of the two soul-stealing abominations that plagued the Watchers. Courtesy of the Dark One, there was a new crop of tortured, insane souls which needed to be got rid of before they turned into Shedim and spread their corruption throughout all of life, so now was the time to gain a foothold.

The Catalysts of old were not the only ones who had learned the sorcery of nonlinear time when they stole it from Nil-Atath hosts. What they knew, their master knew. With that in mind, Nysatek had planned its journey, performed it once or twice alone, and now performed it with a cabal of thirteen Demons in tow, held in its cloud by hideous rotting tentacles.

Together, they travelled outside the universe, to the very beginning of time, to the meeting in which Orat'hoth was granted permission to descend upon the world. When these kidnapped demons were returned to the present, they were forever filled with wonder at having witnessed a power structure older than time itself, and thus these Seers of the Council spread their word throughout Nix. A fair number joined them, and fourty-eight of their worshippers were trained as two warbands of Harvesters, experienced at stealing prey from across time and interested in hunting more dangerous game than usual.

The Tesseract of Wisdom had been plugged into a Star-Spawn sacrifice when the Dark One lashed out, and the two had fused to a degree in trying to survive the nightmare fires. The Tesseract was no longer a perfect, passive record; instead, it knew enough to pose a terrible danger to its enemies, and was possessed of a frightened, cowardly, malicious sentience born of the panic of its host.

This malice drove it to the remaining Agents of the Star-Gods, where it deceived them, saying that it was undiminished, unselfish, and sapient, and that their best course was to continue opposing Centrum. This they did, by sending their existing army of Corruptors to recapture Pervetus and drag his form to the demonic city of Nix, whereupon it was seized by the two bands of Harvesters created by the Seers of the Council. As this was done, a replacement army of Corruptors rose up, and began their task of protecting the Star-Gods' agents from those who would strike against them.

The wild was not safe. All the Beastborn of the Crystal Village knew this for a fact, and it was the reason for their increasingly cruel Protectors, wielders of the poisoned spear that brought slow and agonising death.

Those "protectors" trying to purge the beach ready for their own kind's use might have done well to better remember how unsafe the wild was, but then, it was not their lucky day. Guided by subtle changes in the current and altered prey patterns courtesy of its divine parent, the serpent Dagon happened to be in the sea when a Protector boat sailed out, seeking to kill sea creatures that might dare to disrupt their fishing operations. After all, they had received reports of a Wierresta in their fishing grounds, and the wild could not be tamed by their creed, only destroyed and violated.

All went well as the beast rose from the water, only to taste the sting of the Envenomed Spear. Had it been any full Wierresta other than the Son of Chaos itself, that would have left only the task of fleeing, but even as Dagon felt the poisons enter its body, its body twisted, tracing sorcerous runes in the air, igniting all the poison within its veins and at the tip of the spear. Even that was amazingly painful, but the poison would have lasted, while the fire simply burnt itself out in seconds or starved in Dagon's oxygen-starved blood vessels. Meanwhile, the ship caught fire, for the poisoned blood of its target had landed on the deck, and it caught fire when the monstrous serpent's spell was complete.

As the seagoers panicked and died, the serpent started travelling along the land, twisting like a colossal sidewinder, keeping as much of its mass off the ground as possible. Within the Crystal Village itself, it devoured Protectors and civilians alike, leaving bloodshed and horror in its wake. Once its cavernous belly was full, however, the dread serpent simply left, returning to its preferred underwater environment.

In the immediate, mortal term, the damage was utterly horrific, more than a quarter of the Crystal Village butchered and devoured, and practically all the rest injured. In the longer term that gods worked over, it was less dmaaging than all that, for most of Dagon's prey had been the slowest and weakest - old persons near their end, the sick in their beds, the maimed who could not run. Mouths to feed that could provide only knowledge in return, in an age where there was not yet so very much to know.

Power roll: 6d4.takeHighest(4)=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4383593/) +3 = 18 points
Power rollover: 12 points
Total 30 points

7 points: Event - Orat'hoth seals the Dark One away completely, and partially restrains Centrum itself. The mechanical upshot is that Centrum cannot use the Catastrophe action next turn without spending an Event to break the seal ahead of schedule.

5 points: Create Demigod (Achilles) "The Corrupted Tesseract"

1 point: Command Avatar (Nysatek) to Create Order in the Nil-Atath "Seers of the Council"

1 point: Command Demigod (Black Ship) to Command Order (Seers of the Council) to Raise Army (Harvesters 1)

1 point: Command Demigod (Black Guardian of Wind) to Command Order (Seers of the Council) to Raise Army (Harvesters 2)

1 point: Command Demigod (Corrupted Tesseract) to Command Order (Agents of the Star-Gods) to Raise Army (Corruptors 2)

1 point: Command Demigod (Dagon) to attack the Crystal Protectors!
Dagon 4d8=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4383613/)
Crystal Protectors 2d6+3=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4383614/)

Corruptors 1 switches from defending an Order to attack and capture Pervetus and deliver him to Nix, city of the Nil-Atath

Harvesters 1 defend the captured Pervetus in Nix.

Harvesters 2 defend the captured Pervetus in Nix.

14 points remaining
+3 Cults to next roll