LOC: The Finished Hearth (IC)

[Emperor Demonking]

Once there was everything. A burning flame that encapsulated the whole universe. Then the flame started to die. Pockets of nothing managed to come into existence. That was the beginning of the end. The pockets stole the light of the flame, and became themselves divine. The flame rapidly lost the mass to survive. It collapsed upon itself, leaving just a world as its last remnants.

There is not even a sun. A ball covered in ice is all that is left.

[Eldest]

Tsalal stares at the emptyness, and radiates icy displeasure. "This won't do at all." Their roots writh, and beneath them rock grows, silver and gray, circling the planet. They breath on the moon, and it begins to glow, softly, lighting the new world.

Create Land 1 (with discount): The moon.

[Zhentarim]

Ax popped into existence. This place was boring. A faint memory from the fabric of nothing. Nothing can hold memories. He conjured up a hunk of meat that belonged to a creature from the previous universe and started eating it. It was cold and raw, and bland. Bored with that, he started to sing. He flew around and around in circles, just waiting to encounter something cool. Not encountering anybody or anything, he decided to create a friend to keep him company.

"With a little...nothing...and more...nothing....I create the...something...and while I'm at it, I'll make something else too."

[Warmatt]

To say that it came into existence would be a paradox, for it was the nothing, or at the least, it was a part of the nothing, bound and entwined, a mirror with agency and will, able to influence and act. Still, their was no form, for there was no need, no purpose for having one. Still, in that timeless void, between the moments of nothing and creation, thoughts came to it, a purpose and a need. There would be small creatures in this world at some particular point, but it's purpose was not to create them. Rather, it was to prepare for them.

At that moment, and for an infinity between moments, it considered the means for doing so. It would be their adversary and judge, the one that would test their convictions and abilities, to bring about their fullest potential by means of conflict, though preferably of a somewhat subtle nature. But, in truth, it was not to be so much a physical/material adversary, as a spiritual one.

And so, it grasped and wove, creating a place aside and inside and between, a realm not of the world, but in part of it, shifting mirrors and mists, a place connected already to the well of souls and the flow of mortality, a place where the dead, for mortals flesh and blood does not endure forever, come to rest for a time. Afterwards, they may move on, or they may be reborn, though that may be the choice of others.

It would also, in part, act as a gateway realm of sorts, a bridge and buffer between the realm that mortals were to inhabit and other more spiritual realms, though really, he/she/it has no ability to force others to use it as such.


13/16 AP
3 AP sent to Weave Plane (Spirit World), sort of the Ethereal Plane from D&D, and meant to be a buffer between the physical and spiritual worlds.

[Nebula]

In the twinkling of an eye, one ember burns dimly from the flame. Expanding, unfolding as it develops a golden glow, the form of a man is shaped in countless layers of tangled gold parchment... and then the parchment tightens around the man as a mask of white porcelain is revealed, covering the figure's face. Reaching into a fold of his garb, he pulls out a silver quill and holds it out in his hands.

Looking to the quill and to the blank surface of his golden parchment-wrapped figure, he feels empty, incomplete... and he desires to fill his form with words from his silver quill. He looks and sees a moon and other beings like unto himself, and the countenance of his mask stretches into a grin.

He smiles for the first words he will write will be a promise unto himself:
"And as long as there shall there be others to harken, I will be Eid, and I will cover my form with the testaments of bonds, and they shall be marked by my hand"

He then begins to carelessly float through and around all that is of existence, and looks to the others he sees.

[Emperor Demonking]

Elizabeth, The Void

The First Wizard cackled. It was from the cackle that the magic of wizards begun to diffuse across the multiverse. It accomplished nothing. Absolutely nothing. There were no wizards in the world. Still, perhaps a little raising of divine hair on divine neck could provide a clue to its existence.

The cackle stopped to turn into a scream, "Anyone. Present yourself to me, or know that you will never be my servant."


13 AP = 16 AP - 3 AP Create Mystical Concept: Arcane Magic (plus discount)

[Eldest]

Tsalal ignores the cry of the Magus King and raises their branches to the world below, stirring the ice. They desired more to watch, more to toy with, and there was nothing but their siblings thus far: bland folk at that. The ice starts to melt, slowly: the poles furthest away from the moon, the center of their attention, hold on the longest, and remain frozen and desolate still. The water warms, starts to turn. Hidden currents spring into motion, as a chain of islands rise up, near the equator, humid. Mine. They stir the ocean, adding yet more heat to the currents, until it spills into the air, white and grey clouds forming. Before long lightning flickers, and Tsalal is amoung the clouds, striding on top of them, steering them, body a slender shape of mist. There was power within those storms, their power, carefully placed their to see who, if anything, takes ahold of it, and uses it. The island too was new, land upon which they could walk. Ferns and thick, low trees covered them, with birds singing to each other and wild boars foraging for mushrooms next to quiet springs. Beneath them, as the storm beat down upon the ocean, raindrops became fish as they hit the water, in fascinating numbers and colors, darting away to the depths to flee the lightning and thunder. They laughed, and formed more storms, spreading them across the seas, creating a vibrant aray of life under the waves. Mine. Finally, they take the lightning from the storm, the water from the ocean, and the soil from the islands and craft a man, with dark skin and curling ram horns, 9 feet tall. Mine. they say to him, and the word brings him to life.

Okay, so. 2 ap to create the ocean across the world. 4 ap to create the mystical concept of the storms, which both has the intent of creating life in the ocean, which is self sustaining even without the storms, and, later, mortals being able to harness and store the energy of the storm. Shamen could try right now but it'll be wild magic. Which will be bloody tricky, but hey, they can try. Some might even pull it off. :smallbiggrin: 1 ap for creating the island chain, which is currently rock but I'd like to have be tropical, 2 ap to create the First Man (notably he won't die of old age, but he can be killed) as a hero, and 1 ap to claim the Ocean(Storm) domain. Which puts me at a grand total of 5 ap left.

[Warmatt]

As the storm raged, and a god of magic cried, a shadow could not hear them, not lurking about the realm physical, delving deep corridors of shadow and flame and frost, iron and worse then iron passages through the deepest reaches of the spirit world, passing out and through it, though there was a gate, a massive edifice of metals and malice, seeming to radiate despair and apathy, a primal dread of the non-light nimbus pulsating around runes that grimly proclaimed 'Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here', a scar in language and understanding itself.

Still, beyond it, the realm itself was wrought and carved and delved, a foundation quickly established. And yet, it was also strangely empty, it's always stretching halls despondent, it's forges and manufactories not yet lit, places of torture and gardens of twisted flesh silent, no screams and sobs tearing through the air. A forest of jagged mirrors, distorting only an infinite reflection of other trees. Elsewhere, a great basin is empty, the tears of the betrayed and innocent condemned not yet having been born to fill it. The foundations for massive mountains, the corpses of all those that died of violence, are exposed, not yet having their flesh-price to cover them.

And yet, as the First Man takes his first breath, he does not merely breath in storm tossed air. No, he breathes in wisps of the spirit realm, as with life, that ethereal, invisible realm draws oh so close to the physical world, a small grove so close by as to smell and hear the movement in the braches, rustled by the wind.

And yet, in the darkness, with life established, there must be a movement, a passing... a cycle of sorts. For while the realm of spirits was established, there was not yet a means to draw them in. And for a time, it thought on that.


Weave Plane; The Infernum (Evil Domain Discount) 2 AP
Portal; Between the Spirit World and the Infernum 2 AP
Manifestation Zone; Small Grove near the First Man, Spirit World and Material 1 AP
8 AP remaining

[Nebula]

Eid heard the deity Elizabeth as she screamed... and he hearkened unto the call. Swooping before Elizabeth, Eid's mask continued to smile as the god presented himself. His voice was thick like honey, but flowed like silk...

"While I'll be no servant but unto mine own, surely we can come to find agreements and make exchanges one to another? For I can give your majesty servants, should you give me something in return..."

He begins to sketch a contract upon his sleeve, and then he unrolls the parchment it is on until it extends towards Elizabeth as the quill floats toward her as well.

"In exchange for a race of dutiful creatures unto you, I require that you enter into a covenant unto me. Together we shall form a pantheon, an alliance, a bond for others to see."

Essentially the deal is that Eid will make a sentient species and a society for Elizabeth upon signing his contract and agreeing to form a pantheon with him. Declining him may miff him a little bit, but nothing he'd act on.

While he talks, he also noted the first steps of the mortal Lunzli, and started plotting another deal he'd make...

[Emperor Demonking]

Elizabeth & Eid

"Oh some automatoms. DO not quibble! That is what they'd be. I do not care for those. Still an alliance? I would see no harm in that." She suddenly felt the existance of the first man, but she decided to continue dealling with the other divinity, "Are you sure you would not rather be my servant? Learning by my side? Still, I have changed my mind on the society. You would indeed serve me by creating creatures. However, not a one of these creatures ought to be a wizard. They should have some magic adeptness so they can teach, but mostly they should be sneaky scribes. Spies. Yes, I desire duplicitious spies to serve me. Can you fulfill that?"

[Zhentarim]

With that, Ax decided to make his move. With life established, the cycle of light and dark must come next, as well as the cycle of life and death. Ax closed his eyes and willed his will into existence.

I finally made my dragon idea work in my head:

Fabled Life (6 AP): Star Dragons are unfathamably colossal creatures that are such massive beings they create their own gravitational pull. They are highly intelligent, and each have their own personality. Using magic, they can selectively warm and both light and heat nearby (within a few billion miles) objects. They do not need to eat, breath, or sleep unless they want to, and can selectively supress their abilities for enhance their abilities for everything in range, or just certain targets. They can also shoot lasers from their eyes and use magic to propell themselves through space at high speeds. They have wings and feet, but this magic is their primary locomotion. They often collect planets to orbit around them so they can send their eggs there to hatch. At night, more distant dragons can be seen as "stars". They can cast Detect Magic and Charm Person, as the Pathfinder spells, at will. Also, they can see souls as they journey to their new bodies. These dragons live 20 billion years before either reincarnating or ceasing.

Create Subspecies (1 AP): Not all of the eggs sent to the worlds these creatures collect reach full maturity. Some hatch from the eggs and are only medium creatures, but otherwise look the same as their forebearers and have similar traits. After living on the planet, however, they begin to rely on the air and food found there. These smaller dragons live about 20,000 years, and females lay an egg every 100 years, fertilized by a male or not.

Gain Domain (1 AP): Dragons (Star Dragons): This was earned through star dragons and their subspecies.

Create mystical concept (4 AP): Reincarnation has been restarted by Ax, and he, with the assistance of councils of star dragons, decide the next form the creature will take. Ax, being a creature of whimsey and experimentation, lets creatures keep only the vaugest memories of their past lives while they are corporeal, unless they choose to meditate and to unlock the secrets stored in their subconscious through study. Creatures may have different personalities than they did in a previous life, but there is often a common thread. This cycle ends when a creature has experienced all that can be experienced, and has meditated enough and become wise enough to teach for a lifetime. After that, the soul ceases to exist. Even once other dieties maker planes as reward spots for their followers, souls are just born their and live there unil they use up their karma, die, and are reborn on the material plane. Ax's split personality means he sometimes chooses to incarnate people into amusing situations, and sometimes to help a soul grow.

Create Artifact (3 AP): Staff of True Resurrection: Sometimes Ax found an individual mortal or entire army so amusing or helpful to whatever goal he had at the moment that he chooses to recall their soul to that body they just left and fully heal them, also allowing them to keep the memories of that life. This healing "weapon" can turn the tide of mortal battles, as well, if Ax is favoring one side over the other--maybe due to an alliance or entertainment.

Gain Domain (1 AP): Healing (Resurrection)

[Nebula]

Elizabeth and Eid

While the two discussed the details of the contract, Eid beheld that dragons and the concept reincarnation had been brought into existence, and yet more still...

The slender figure motioned his quill to write an addition to the contract presented before Elizabeth with the flick of a wrist, and continued talking...

"As it is written, so shall it be done... however I will merely create and organise them into a functional society, teaching them to read and write among other things will fall to you... unless you are willing to divert a portion of their worship to me AND gift me with an object of power... then I shall teach them the arts of scribing and espionage."

He waits for the silver quill to finish, and then lists the contents of the parchment, still extended away from Eid as it floats directly before Elizabeth.

"As shall be marked eternally on my being, I Eid will weave a race of automatons to dutifully serve Elizabeth as a society in exchange for an alliance to be forged between I and Elizabeth.

In addition to organizing these beings into a society, I Eid will personally bestow upon them the knowledge of scribing and espionage... should Elizabeth gift me with an artefact of her power as well as a church of these beings to worship and sacrifice to me. The artefact must be capable of cursing mortal beings with inescapable anguish until and beyond death.

In either scenario, these servants will be created with a limit on their magical potential and will be personal property of Elizabeth, free to use them as fit... providing it does not violate this contract."

Eid finishes talking, and eagerly awaits a reply from the deity of the arcane.


As soon as Elizabeth signs for what she wants, Eid will do the following...

2AP - Create Sentient Species (Automatons, limited magical potential, incapable of becoming wizards)
2AP - Form society


in exchange for...

Elizabeth being in the same pantheon as Eid... which Elizabeth will pay 1AP for. If both deities have to pay to form a pantheon, then Eid will payt 1AP too.


And if Elizabeth agrees to the secondary terms...

Eid will teach the mundane concepts of writing/scribing and espionage which totals to 4AP from him
Elizabeth will create an artefact and an organisation within this new races which will worship Eid, totalling to 4AP.


I'm just going to note that although Eid probably won't qualify for a discount, I haven't factored any discounts into Elizabeth's actions. Also just checking, it is possible to create an artefact which can curse a set amount of mortals per turn that torments them with pain even after reincarnation? If not, then just to when they die would be good (I'd edit what Eid read from the contract). I'll also just quote this bit OOC just to make sure all us well.

[Warmatt]

Inside Hell, the shadow stirred, considering what had just occurred. Reincarnation was a part of the purpose, a part of the cycle of souls. This was acceptable. However, much as good, as it applies to differing cultures, religions and peoples, is to be rewarded, so too must evil be punished. That the evil being punished would differ from place to place, time to time was self-evident. Nothing was in stasis after all, and mortals, from what the purpose was able to derive, would be extremely dynamic. And the dark presence could not oversee it, for there needed to be a lack of bias, and there was none inside of the god.

And so, he reached into the foundations, to weave of the essence of the Infernum to create the great judges and wardens, those who would oversee the punishments of mortal souls, though they themselves would not be the ones to directly torture, watch or gather evidence for the trials, so that they can mete out justice of sorts... though there was a fleeting memory of times to come, of hero's and paladins on trial for their wonton theft and murder of the less civilized races.

This amused the dark presence.


Create Fabled Species; The Devils, a small race of creature bound to the Infernum, and unable to leave. Creatures of Law, they judge the souls that come before them, sentencing them to their fates. While they have no jurisdiction over the gods, they are the rulers of Hell, and they have the power for it. In addition, Devils will serve to regulate their demonic kin, and enforce contracts between demons and mortals. While demons have not been created yet, they are all subjected utterly to the commands of the Devils.
2 AP remaining

[Emperor Demonking]

Elizabeth & Eid, The Void

Elizabeth was never going to agree to make the artefact, however she looked aghast when she heard what it was for. What sensible reason was that, "No, I can teach them all they need to know. Thank you. However, the creatures although you and I know them as automatoms, pawns in our deal, to themselves they should have no such awareness. Nor should any other mortals. Sapient. Do not skimp on the deal.

"However, the deal has been made." Her hand glowed an icy blue as she first signed the parchment and then held it out to be shook.



12 AP = 13 AP - 1 AP: The Alliance
Elizabeth chooses how the pantheon action is taken, but she can also change how the pantheon action is taken if agreed by evey oher member of the pantheon.

(I'll have Elizabeth change how the action is taken when Eid gives it.)




Eid would have to pay for being part of the pantheon. A post-reincarnaton suffering rtefact would be possible.

[Zhentarim]

Ax was pleased with his creations and decided to sleep until he was rested.

(OOC: Assume Ax is asleep until the next rollover)

[Eldest]

Tsalal looks to the skies and smiles wildly. Now that, that was interesting! None of this nonsense of contracts and death. They spring up, turning into starlight on mist, and examine a dragon in detail, uncaring of if they are seen.

[Zhentarim]

"Ahh, it seems I have a visitor! I'm Calistria sun and mother of the world a few billion miles over yonder."

Grabbing an asteroid, the mighty dragon squeezes it, and a juice comes out.

"Would you like a spot of space tea? I'll just need to warm it for you!"

[Eldest]

"Ahh, it seems I have a visitor! I'm Calistria sun and mother of the world a few billion miles over yonder."

Grabbing an asteroid, the mighty dragon squeezes it, and a juice comes out.

"Would you like a spot of space tea? I'll just need to warm it for you!"

The shape stays still, a sense of disconnect coming from their manifestation, and then a great belly laugh errupts from them, and the storms on the planet briefly laugh with them. Oh, yes, I would like some... space tea, you said? And I know who you are, I am sister to your creator, as well as being the Moon. A minor obligation at the time, really, but I feel it will be more important as time goes on. They wave their hand and a white china teacup appears in it, held out for some of the "space tea".

[Zhentarim]

The shape stays still, a sense of disconnect coming from their manifestation, and then a great belly laugh errupts from them, and the storms on the planet briefly laugh with them. Oh, yes, I would like some... space tea, you said? And I know who you are, I am sister to your creator, as well as being the Moon. A minor obligation at the time, really, but I feel it will be more important as time goes on. They wave their hand and a white china teacup appears in it, held out for some of the "space tea".

"How lovely! I can see those storms compliment you. Are you their mother? It gets so lonely out here sometimes. I wish I had life on me, but my spawn either stay small and on that world, or they grow huge and leave for the outer reaches. But, at least I have you to spend this lovely day with...not that its ever not day where I am, but you get it...aha...hahaha!"

[Eldest]

They raise an eyebrow of starlight. Do you want to know night? Not forever, of course.

[Nebula]

Elizabeth & Eid, The Void

Eid nodded his head, the porcelain on his head contorting into the form of a smiling man's face raising an eyebrow... which settles back into a neutral state a few seconds later. With a twitch of his finger, the silver quill signs Eid's name on the parchment as soon as Elizabeth has signed.

"As it is written, so shall it be done. I will create a society of unaware servants to your name, of which you'll have to teach, and an alliance will now be forged between ourselves..."

He floats toward the offered hand, growing to meet Elizabeth's size as he does, and shakes on the deal. Then turning towards the creations, Eid flies onto an island far away from the first man. Landing feet first, Eid stretches his form until it glistens like unto polished silver and gold, taking the form of an intricately made 6 foot tall Automaton bearing a finely sculpted humanoid face.

Pointing to the earth beneath him, Eid raises metals of every kind and fashions them into automatons like unto himself... yet still not awake. Taking one made of platinum and bronze, Eid bestows upon it a fiery touch, stirring it. Pointing to the rest of its kind, Eid shows the automaton the way to awakening its brethren, and how to fashion even more from the ores beneath them. Once a large group of Automatons had been crafted and awakened, Eid gathers them together and appoints the first awakened to be leaders over the rest.

Then when in the company of no other than himself, Eid snaps his fingers and appears before Elizabeth in his original form.

"As it was written, so has it been done."

Eid motions to the contract, now wrapped fast around his chest, and his countenance beams with glee.



Create Automatons - 2AP
Create Society of Automatons - 2AP
Join Pantheon with Elizabeth - 1AP

11AP remaining.

Of course being automatons I have shown them how to reproduce and how to organise themselves... I hope that doesn't step out of the boundaries of creating a society. Also, I'm just going to have Eid wait just a bit seeing as he's done a bit before he starts trifling with any mortal beings.

[Warmatt]

As mortals increased in number, the purpose itched and drove the darkness on. Taking an aspect of devil-kind, a smaller set was spun and blown, formed to watch and wait, to record the deeds of mortals into great black books, one for each, even as in hell a great spire rose, reaching forever, carrying inside a book for every mortal creature. For in order for there to be judgment, their must be evidence. Thus would The Watchers record the lives of mortals, so that they may be judged in their entirety.

Inside it, three Devils take form. At the height of the tower, overlooking all of the fields of the damned, atop a throne of pure jade and ivory, Occulus fixes his gaze towards the realm of mortals, his stare never wavering, utterly silent as he bends the whole of his thought and senses to observation. In the central reaches of the tower, a feminine figure in grey robes, her hair a bushy cascade of red and gold, Hermione watches over The Watchers, and the books filled with the lives of mortals, her domain to read and understand, her library of eternal mortality. Lastly, standing near the doors of the great gates, already preparing the massive indexing system, rests Dewey, whose duty is to search the tower for the book or books required at the trial of a soul.... and to ensure they are returned unharmed.


And thusly, the Infernum was another step closer to completion.


Create Sub-species; Watcher Demons are lesser fiends and a Magical species that are masters at divining.... but only so long as they are recording the deeds of the mortal they are assigned to record. They are unskilled in other arts, though they may move quickly though The Black Library. In addition, they are archivists, record-keepers and scribes.

And, three Devils and their purpose/duties are revealed.

1 AP left

[Zhentarim]

They raise an eyebrow of starlight. Do you want to know night? Not forever, of course.

"Why yes, night sounds lovely! So long as it doesn't hurt, I suppose."

[Shortstuff]

http://orig02.deviantart.net/e5c0/f/2012/366/5/f/monolith_by_narandel-d5pvvrf.jpg

There was a heartbeat within the earth. (http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=tartD6jC4Gw)

No one can say when the Earthlord's heart first beat. No one can say when he was born. Whether he came before the other gods or after them, he labored in the dark long before he made himself known to the others.

He awoke in a pool of magma, so they say, the warm blood of the earth swirling around him. He knew this warm comfort long before the world above was fresh with life, for the world above was cursed with ice and frost. But the heart of the earth beat with fire, and so the Earthlord's heart beat with the same. He rose from the hot, primordial muck, his scrawny body entirely bare. Molten rock dripped off of him like the liquid of life that would one day fall from newborn mortals. The Earthlord was alive.

At once, the Earthlord knew that he wanted to explore. So, he took his first steps out of the magma, his feet scorching the yet solid rock they eventually found. He looked around and saw only rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Doing so, he immediately knew one thing: he liked rocks.

So, the Earthlord began walking through the earth. And walk through it he did: he simply stepped into the stone and it parted to make way for his passage. It formed steps at his feet as if his mind were a mason. A brush of his hands across the walls left scars in them which remain to this day, scars that serve as the only hint at the place of the Earthlord's birth, scars that can guide the adventurous to the very center of the world.

But nobody knew about this yet, for the Earthlord was hidden deep beneath the earth, far from the prying eyes of gods.

The Earthlord continued to walk through the earth, collecting the prettiest rocks as he went, until he came upon some shining stones. They were brilliant in color: not brown or gray or black, but a bright green. The Earthlord decided this was a fine color, and so he put the green stone in his mouth, having nowhere else to put it.

The next thing the Earthlord found was a pool of water deep underground. He was fascinated by it, and at first began to experiment with it, but soon found a small, angry looking creature with a huge beard and a fearsome nose staring at him from beneath the waters. At first he tried to fight the creature, deciding he didn't like it very much, but soon realized it was himself. And then he realized that it was bare of skin, and he saw those parts which are best left unmentioned, like many secrets.

"Goodness!" he cried. "But I am not at all pretty like my stone!" So, the Earthlord took his green stone and broke it into pieces, then used those pieces to make himself a nice, tall hat and a shirt. He decided he liked the color brown, too, and made himself a pair of pants using the other rocks he'd found.

"Ah, now that is a handsome look!" he declared. And he brushed his hand through his beard and puffed his mustache about with his breath. "And now I feel no more urge to beat that monster in the water! How much better this is!"

Pleased with himself, the Earthlord began to wonder if the world around him, too, could be shaped to be more handsome. And so he began the long and lengthy process of making caves.

Aye, the Earthlord made a world of his own. Caverns he shaped with his mind. Earthen teeth with his hands to decorate the ceiling and the floor. Crystals of brilliant hues he planted like seeds all throughout this underground realm. Magnificent spires of rock rose up from the cave floor, reaching up to the ceiling, spiraling this way and that in beautiful, complex shapes. Molten rock and water poured through holes like blood and tears, and here and there were mixed together to make beautiful black stone: obsidian. And in making this realm beneath realms, the Earthlord began to speak words, searching with his tongue for the right sounds that would define this place.

He found it, finally. "I shall call this the Great Open Place!" he decided. And so he quickly dug a hole upwards to see how high he could go.

Upon reaching the surface, the Earthlord promptly found the sky, and decided that was the Great Open Place, actually. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he closed up the hole before anyone could notice him (he was very skilled at hiding), returned to his world beneath worlds, and searched for a new name.

And then it hit him - quite literally. You see, the Earthlord was pacing as he thought, struggling to find the right name for this place of his. Then he fell through a hole, falling down into a huge, empty pit. It was deep - utterly deep - and he continued falling for hours before he hit the stone at the bottom. The Earthlord stood up, twisted his nose back into place, and then he laughed.

"Of course!" he decided. "This is the Great Below, my Underworld. It is below the realm above, and it is my realm, so that's that." And so his world was named, and ever since all peoples have known it by those two names. They have known it by other names, too, but those names have always been here.

And so the Earthlord returned to his games, happily exploring and expanding his Underworld. He fashioned more clothes from the rocks he found, and he made more shapes. But soon he began to be lonely.

"I've learned so much," he mused, "but there's nobody to share what I've learned with. I need friends."

Thus, the Earthlord gathered up all his favorite stones and a lot of others he didn't care much for. He took these to a pit of magma, and there he built a great, huge oven. Into this oven he made three bunches of rocks. He made them each into shapes not unlike himself, then poured his blood onto them each. Then he closed the oven and began to draw on the walls while he waited.

The Earthlord waited for a day before he decided to pull his friends out of the oven. But the first one he pulled out surprised him to touch: it was a small creature, like himself, but with very little hair and with very soft skin. It was not at all tough, and cried out in pain when he picked it up.

"Well, you're not what I was looking for," the Earthlord decided grumpily. "You didn't get cooked long enough. I suppose I should put you back in the oven."

"No, no!" the creature cried. "Don't put me in the oven! I like what I am and would rather be me!"

"Well, that's fine I suppose," said the Earthlord to the soft creature. "But I'll need you to wait while the others bake. I think I will call you Halfling, my friend, because you are only half baked."

And so the Earthlord and the Halfling talked to each other and made merry for a time. In this time, the Halfling became good friends with the Earthlord, and it would be from that point on that the little Halflings would always find it easy to speak with bigger folks, and would never want for friends.

One more day passed, and the Earthlord reached in to pull out his next friend. This one was bigger and burlier, and also grumpier (like the Earthlord). It shook itself out of the Earthlord's hands and shook its fist at him.

"I'll bust you good if you do that again!" it decided angrily. "I don't much like being cooked!"

"Well, I suppose that's fair," the Earthlord admitted. "But now you're here in the nice, cool air, surrounded by firm rock like the sort I made you from."

"That's much better," decided the second friend.

"I think I'll call you Dwarf," said the Earthlord. "That's because you dwarf us in size, you see. Now, we must wait for our third friend. Since you came out so well, surely he will be even better once he's cooked more."

And so he did. Dwarf was very big. But he was also very jealous of the friendship that Halfling and the Earthlord had. Because he did not spend as much time with the Earthlord, he spent more time exploring the Underworld, and he learned a lot about digging and making beautiful things of his own.

The Earthlord waited one more day before pulling out the third and final friend. But this friend was very angry, and his skin was harder than rock, and his eyes were red like fire. He pounded his fists on the floor and broke the stone.

"You cooked me far too long!" he cried in pain, still burning as he rolled about, trying to put out the fire that covered him. "I hurt all over! I burn all over!"

And it was at this moment that the Earthlord truly began to feel bad. He only then realized what he had done. By cooking his friends for so long, he had made them all feel pain. And so, the Earthlord reached out and threw his arms about his third friend.

"I am sorry," he told him earnestly. "I am very sorry. I will make your pain go away."

And so the Earthlord made himself bleed, and he poured this blood over his friend. And the burning rocks hissed and bubbled and popped, and this third friend was no longer hurting. Indeed, he would never feel any pain ever again, and because he had the most blood of the Earthlord, he would always grow back parts of his body when he lost them.

"I will call you Troll," said the Earthlord to his friend. "I call you this because you rolled so much."

"That is a bad reason to name me something," said Troll.

"Yes," said the Earthlord, "but I like it. Shutup."

And so the Earthlord took his friends with him. He learned they needed things he did not, so he made the Underworld better for them. He made moss grow, and mushrooms, and he filled the underwater lakes with fish. He made the ground soft in some places so their feet would not hurt when they walked on it. And overall, they were all very happy.

But eventually they, too, became lonely: they wished to be able to make friends themselves. And so the Earthlord pondered how to fix this, and then he came upon an idea.

"I know!" he said. "Since ovens make life, I shall give you all ovens, that way you can make friends whenever you like."

"But where shall we put these ovens?" asked his friends.

"Well, I shall put them in your bellies, that way you can always carry them with you," said the Earthlord.

And so the Earthlord built little ovens, and he put them each inside the stomachs of his friends. And so the first Dwarf, the first Halfling, and the first Troll were women.

And with that, the Earthlord decided to let his friends take care of themselves for a bit. He decided he wanted to go exploring the surface for a while, that place far above his Underworld, because it was so very different and interesting. However, as he was heading up the shaft he'd made, he realized that he did not know what was above. He knew that mortals could feel pain, and he did not want anyone to hurt his friends.

So, the Earthlord quickly changed the shaft. He made it much more twisted, much more confusing, and made it a maze, too. He made sure only someone who knew the earth very well could find their way into the Great Below (or someone very patient). And then he retreated down into the earth, back to his secret place where he was born, and reached into the magma that birthed him. There he found something precious, something strange, something that nobody to this day knows the true nature of. This stuff he used to make the Heart of Earth.

The Heart of Earth is a magic thing. They say that it keeps the secrets of the Underworld hidden from the creatures of the above world. They say it makes the tunnels of our world bend and twist, that it makes our deep realm seem like a labyrinth to surfacers. They say this is why dwarves, halflings, and trolls are masters of the earth in ways no other race may ever be. They say that when the Earthlord was done making the Heart of Earth, he buried it in his birthplace, that hidden pool somewhere in the center of the world, so that nobody might ever steal it. He used it to make secret the nature of Earth.

And when he was done, the Earthlord finally found his name. It simply came to him.

"I am Randolin," he said to himself. "I am the Earthlord. I am the Gnome."

And as Randolin became what he was, his spark became clearer to the gods of the surface, as he now truly began to be a God. Soon enough they would discover him, and perhaps he would finally find himself treading above the ground.

4 AP - Create Land (x2), the Underworld. The Underworld is small right now, not terribly large, but it's sufficient for the population that exists beneath the surface at present. It's got mushrooms and stuff.
4 AP - Create Sentient Species, Dwarf.
1 AP - Create Subspecies (Sentient), Troll.
1 AP - Create Subspecies (Sentient), Halfling.
3 AP - Create Artifact, the Heart of Earth. This mystical artifact protects the Underworld from intrusion by the surface, especially in the form of knowledge. It keeps the Great Below rather mysterious to the forces of the world above, and makes it difficult to navigate for those not guided by a creature of Earth.

Total AP spent = 13. 3 AP remaining.

[Emperor Demonking]

Elizabeth, The Void & Autom Isle

When Elizabeth saw where her creatures were put she scowled to herself, she should have given greater instructions for their placement. This was an oversight not worthy of a great Wizard. This was why she needed free apprentices. Still would have to make do.

When Eid reappeared she bowed, "Thank you." and she was away.

She stepped onto the island where they were placed, and realised at once that allowing them to leave the island was the first port of call. But how? Their magic had been commissioned so that they could not directly use wizardry to leave; they simply lacked the power.That was when she heard the sound of bird-song. Her hands glowed again and the songs gained substance as they wre transformed into neighing Pegasi. These could leave. But Elizabeth gave them strict instructions to wait a while.

She strolled into one of the machine-men camps, and some sneaked off to find their leader.When he arrived she bowed, "I know your creator thus we shall have a deal. I shall teach you how to bend creatures to your will and you will survey the world for me."

When the Chieftan began to speak, Elizabeth's mien was clear that any answer of "yes" or "thank you" would be a very bad answer, thus the leader of this tribe sputtered out, "Yes, thank you."

"I am glad." Elizabeth's posture chnged and she was all smiles as she began to teach the creatures charms.



12 AP = 13 AP - 1 AP Create Monstrous Life: Pegasi
10 AP = 12 AP - 2 AP: Create Mystical sub-Concept of Arcane: Charm - The magic of compelling creatures to do as you wish, or to sense what you want them to sense is at this point the most developed.

[Eldest]

Lunzi smiled and spoke to the ewes he was putting to sleep. "Did I tell you of how the first eclipse came about? The Moon went to visit the Sun, for the Moon is ever curious and always moving. And the Sun too, was curious, for he had only seen day. And he asked the Moon, what the night was like, for she traveled through both the day and the night. And the Moon embraced him, and showed him the night." A quiet baaah comes from the stubborn ewe who refuses to sleep with the others, and Lunzi tuts. "How did she show him the night? That is not for you to know yet! Wait until you are a strong ram and ask again. But the Sun knew the night even in the middle of the day, for a time, and so did we here on the land. And the Moon went along, ever traveling, but twice a year she visits the sun and shows him the night again." He smiles and steps away, closing the gate to the pasture, and walking away. The last ewe had been pacified, and it was time for the night hunt.

[Zhentarim]

A tiny terrestrial dragon named Abendigo was flying over the fields, faintly glowing with power. Over the horizon, he saw a barn and decided to land and rest. He had been flying for hours, and his wings ached. Finding an the entrance, he saw a human, and asked for a place to sleep for the night.

[Nebula]

Eid & the Void, the Underworld

After mindlessly drifting around existence, Eid spied a new spark, another... sibling...

Eid grew curious, why did this spark appear so late? Eager to find out, the deity changed himself into a silver wind, charging through the skies and into the crevices below... of which he then took the form of a worm as he burrowed his way down into the underworld. After taking his time to note all the strange creatures he saw on his way, he eventually found the new spark. Once out of sight of any other being apart from Randolin, Eid changed his shape once more into that of a Halfing wrapped with fine silks and linens of many colors, obscuring most of his face apart from pasty-white large nose. A muffled voice trickles from Eid.

"Hello one-who-lives-below. I am Eid, a divine one like unto yourself... and like you I desire to make tings. I saw the curious creatures I presume you cleverly crafted, as well as this realm we stand in now.

Now I Eid prefer to make contracts and deals, and I have seen a great opportunity for both our interests... I desire to obtain many of the ores and precious gems of this world, and if your peoples were to mine and offer them unto me. I in return would teach your people how they might trade these same treasures to other creatures... of no doubt your people will encounter, as well as using my influence to help convince others that they might trade with you. This would be great for your people, as there are many things above which are desirable below, as vice versa."

The God smiled, unveiling the toothy grin of his Halfling form from beneath his cloth attire as he lets out a pleasant chuckle.

"Of course, I do not expect you to come to such a grand decision so rashly. Let us make conversation! I am sure there is much to talk about, much to aid you in your decisions and interests. Like news of the void that exists beyond the surface; did you know that it is inhabited by colossal creatures, one which sheds light onto the surface above?"

[Shortstuff]

To put it bluntly, Randolin was really freaking suspicious of this deific stranger.

Standing in the midst of a dark, mushroom-filled cavern, Randolin had been building himself a little home when a great, big worm tunneled right in through the ceiling, checked to make sure nobody else was coming, and then transformed into a halfling right in front of him.

I'm inventing doors, the Gnome decided. And people will learn how to use them or else.

Oh, and this new God had chosen to clad himself in the most resplendent and gaudy of colors, with clothes that were of a different material than Old Randy's (different enough to make him jealous). And then he'd offered trade.

Trade? What in the name of the thus unnamed chunk of Earth this world was fashioned from was trade?

It took the big-nosed deity a few precious moments to register this concept, his mind grasping it as if it had always been known to him.

"Oh, trade," the Earthlord answered. "You want trade. I see, I see. An exchange of things; some of my stuff for some of your stuff. Right, right." The Gnome paused, scratched at his nose, and then raised a finger.

"How in Infernum - huh, I didn't know that place existed - how in Infernum is that a fair trade?" Randolin's huge nose puffed up like some sort of balloon, and turned red as one as well. "Oh, sure, I'll just give you a whole bunch of my prettiest rocks, and in return you teach the Earthfolk how to trade! The first lesson of which is don't make a bad trade, right?" The Gnome squinted across at the halfling-shaped god and waved his fist at him. "And don't pretend to be something you're not! You take off that skin right now, you, you - you salt-sucker!"

Grumbling, the Gnome lifted a rock into the air with a wave of his hand, then idly started smacking the boulder against the cave floor in lazy looking frustration. He just waved his finger up and down as he sat on a mushroom and thought. "Now, I'm thinking, here. You see, I think the lesson of trade, as you call it, that lesson should be exchanged for the possibility of trade. After all, if the Earthfolk didn't know how to trade, then you couldn't trade with them. You teaching them opens up your options. There's a start. So, if you want stones and gems and the like, you'd better have something of real value to offer in return.

"And besides," the gnome added, snapping a piece off the mushroom he sat on and shoving it into his mouth, "it'sh jushm no' - oh, excush me." He chewed noisily for several seconds before swallowing, belching, and continuing: "It's just not my decision to make. See, I made these mortals, but that doesn't mean I own them. What, do you think you own your mortals?"

Randolin gave Eid a long, wary stare before speaking again.

"So, you can teach them to trade, and in return they might trade with your mortals. They might bring your people some rocks and stuff, and your people can meet them and bring something they'll want. I'll let them make that decision for themselves. But..." The Gnome lifted his finger and slowly pointed it at the other god's face. "I don't want any funny business from you. If I find out you've tried something funny with the Earthfolk, I'll knock you back to when there was only fire. And you can't hide funny business from me. Nothing's secret from me."

[Eldest]

A tiny terrestrial dragon named Abendigo was flying over the fields, faintly glowing with power. Over the horizon, he saw a barn and decided to land and rest. He had been flying for hours, and his wings ached. Finding an the entrance, he saw a human, and asked for a place to sleep for the night.

Lunzi looks up at the surprise guest, and gestures to his hut. "My house is yours." He then wags his finger at the dragon. "But do not wake up the sheep. They just got to sleep."

[Zhentarim]

Lunzi looks up at the surprise guest, and gestures to his hut. "My house is yours." He then wags his finger at the dragon. "But do not wake up the sheep. They just got to sleep."

The Dragon then asked the man, "Are you the only one of your kind?"

[Nebula]

Eid, the Underworld

Mortals... what about them? This sibling was angry, Eid understood one might be hesitant to trade with another being, but the earthy one didn't care about this. He cared about... mortals. Eid hadn't, well, THOUGHT about mortals before. He'd made automatons, he'd seen the sky dragons and the first man, but he hadn't considered them to be actual people. Or had he? Did Eid like mortals? Eid liked the concept of trading with them but... could he respect them, or love them?

Yes, wait, no. Yes? But if he liked mortals, then he would have to care for them... he couldn't take from them. What about the contracts? WHO CARES ABOUT THE CONTRACTS. No, I care about the contracts... NOTHING WILL STAND IN THE WAY OF MY CONTRACTS!

Eid grew restless while Randolin spoke, shifting into his form adorned with the golden parchment of contracts. As he did so, he remained deathly silent as he looked at his first contract, and then to his silver quill. Stretching the nib of the quill into a dagger, he proceeded to trace around his chest with the blade, pushing aside his treasured contract-paper to reveal Azure skin as he traced a bloody line around its surface. Reaching suddenly into the crimson circle, he plucked out his own heart... and threw it with all his cosmic might, travelling through stone and into the void.

He shifts the porcelain on his face into a polite smile

"Sorry about that..."

He waves a hand, returning his state to 'normal', as well as filling and mending the hole he created in the ceiling.

"Where were we... right, you were asking some questions, of which I now have answers; I have had created mortals, but they are not mine. Should a mortal bargain their freedom in exchange for something from me, I would not hesitate to take it.

Now as for clarifying my intent behind the bargain; I still do not see how it would not be a fair deal for your people, I would only require a small but regular offering to me. In return not only am I offering to teach them the art of trade, but I will clarify that I was offering to help establish trading relations between the citizens of your realm and those of the surface, of which I can guarantee that at least one trade agreement would be established.

I understand you believe the people should have a choice in this, and of that is fine. I chose to come to you because it is my understanding that a sibling may not appreciate a spontaneous interaction with another's creation. However I will make it clear that if I go to them and they accept the terms, I will hold them to the contract as much as I hold it to myself!"

Eid continues to speak calmly with deliberation, showing no sign that he was offended by the earth god's insults.

"As it shall be written, so shall it be done. If you do not wish for you and your people to make a deal with me, that is fine, I'd honor that on the condition you would not interfere with my affairs either. Just know that I am always open to negotiating trade."

Eid looks and sees he missed a spot of his blood on the floor beneath him, of which he removes from existence with the final flick of his forefinger. He waits and hopes for a reply from the earthlord, before remembering he forgot to ask the man's name;

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, but I forgot to ask how I should address you, what is your name master of the caverns?"

[Eldest]

Lunzi raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the question."

[Zhentarim]

Lunzi raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand the question."

"Are there more like you?"

[Eldest]

"It's not possible for there to be more like me. I don't understand. There aren't more like you. You are unique."

[Shortstuff]

Randolin watched in silence as the other deity reached into his chest and removed his heart. He watched as he hurled it away, the earth itself spreading apart to let the divine essence pass through. He watched as the ceiling of his home got torn open again.

"Well," he observed aloud, "that was melodramatic."

The Earthlord listened to his divine kinsman speak of contracts and of holding people to them. He wasn't very pleased with this, but gave more thought to the matter. He was quiet for a while.

"Oh, look," he began with a grumble. "I won't stop you from trading with them so long as you're not trying to cheat them and trick them into owing you for generations. I'm not going to tell them they can't talk to you, though I might tell them you're a bit of an ass. But I do promise that if you do try to cheat them or bind them in some sort of web of lies - or half-truths or deceptive truths or what have you - you're not going to like me very much.

"Oh, and one more thing," the little god mentioned as an afterthought. "STOP BREAKING MY HOUSE, SIR-GABS-A-LOT!" Grumpily, the miniature deity used his magic to move the earth underneath the other god's feet and lift him up back into the hole he made in the ceiling. "And tell the other gods that the next time someone visits Old Randy, they can USE THE DOOR! You're going to like doors! THEY'RE GOING TO BE GREAT!"

And with that, Randolin plugged up the holes in his ceiling with stone, adjusted his robes, tilted his tall and pointy cap back, and sat down on a rock to relax.

[Warmatt]

In a cave, there is a knock, a dull echo coming from nowhere. It was less a sound, and more a silence deeper then the silence around it, carrying through the tunnels. For anyone that looked, there was nothing there, merely shadow and darkness. Much as the same that was underground, but at the same, it was a polite darkness.

[Shortstuff]

The Earthlord sat up straight at the sound. Truthfully, he rather liked the sound: a gentle knock upon the stone. It seemed right to him.

"That's how a door will sound like," he decided before standing on up with a groan. And although he saw only darkness as he stared out from the entryway to his 'home,' he sensed something was there. Something... Some kind of something, a divine something. He couldn't tell much more than that at first, but he knew, at least, this was a polite something.

So, he decided to be polite back.

"Well, alright," he called out. "You can come on in, whoever you are. But I'm going to make a little light first, the better to see you." So, Randolin reached his hand out toward the ceiling and willed iron to worm out of the earth. With his hands, he shaped it a basin of sorts, strong and cold. Then he picked up a rock, rubbed his hands against it with supernatural speed, and in doing so turned it into magma. This he poured into the basin, and this basin he let dangle from the ceiling from chains of metal, forming a sort of dangling brazier that lit the whole room.

"That's better," he said with a smile, and he sat back down on his rock.

[Warmatt]

There was a whisper, a scraping of wind and water over the rock, the long slow drip of limestone wearing away even as stalactites formed, fangs and pillars both, the wind dancing a lonely song between them. For a moment, there is a sense of rippling, both more and less real, maybe and static, as a presence that was not made it's way into the caverns of the world, though in a way, it had already been there, gathering like water condensing into clouds. For a moment, tendrils of shadow and darkness move into the light, a distinct lack of anything.

And then, the figure stepped in. It was close in form to a troll, tall, wide and strong, but seemingly made from a strange crystal, a black so deep that light was drawn in, devoured and made null. Matte black, it moves into the light, clad in robes much of the same shade and material, distinct only by the separation. Wisps of shadow move off the body as light strikes it, even as whispers emerge from the hem and movement of the robes.

Still, the figure inclined it's head. There was no opening of the mouth, though silence, deep enough to understand still emerged. "Greetings, Lord of the Underworld."

[Eldest]

There comes a knock from the other side of the home, almost inquisitive. There comes a silver line, and then two more, forming the shape of a rectangle on the wall. The rock inside the shape draws aside like a curtain, and Tsalal walks in, appearing as a willowy elf. She smiles at you two, in one hand a satchel. Hello dear brothers. Sorry to intrude, but I felt it was time to properly meet the family.

[Shortstuff]

It was in the presence of not one but two other deities that Randolin began to wonder if there was merit to those contract things the other god kept talking about. A contract about writing before one visits seemed like a fine idea.

Of course, the Earthlord couldn't complain all that much. There in the room stood two immortal beings who had politely made their entrances. No ceilings were busted, and the wall was only a little misshapen by the entrance of the second, uninvited being (though might she have thought herself invited?). One was a bit too tall for living in a cave, and was slender enough that Randolin would've sworn a strong breath of air might knock her over. The other was emulating the trolls, but not pretending to be them, instead making clear that it was all shadow and darkness and stuff.

Well, shadow and darkness and stuff was quite familiar to the Earthlord, given his locale, and the slender woman at least was very polite. Of course, there were a few issues he had with them...

"Why is everyone so insistent that we're all related?" The Gnome furrowed his brow and looked between the two deities. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I didn't hatch out of an egg with anyone sharing it with me, and I certainly don't remember anyone being cooked in the same oven as me. Besides, if some deity ever tries to seduce me, it's not going to work if I think they're a sibling, now, is it?"

Grumbling once more, the Earthlord waved his hands and made sitting stones for both of his visitors. He'd made one for each of them: dark obsidian for the shady one, and pale marble for the skinny one. That seemed a polite thing. For a finishing touch, he dug into the cave floor with his finger and planted some spores which grew up into large, bushy mushrooms. He snapped a few of these out of the floor and began chewing them.

"Well? Sit down!" he ordered. "And have a bite to eat! And tell me what in the blazing Infernum you nosy folk are doing here. This Lord of the Underworld - I prefer the title 'Earthlord,' you know - this Earthlord has a lot of doors to be building, and a lot of learning to be doing."

[Eldest]

Tsalal smooths out the rock behind her, and sits, biting into a mushroom thoughtfully. You know, this would go well with some fish. As for being a brother... we are, in a way, all related in that we were all created, formed, at the same time, yes? But in my case, I consider us kin more in that we are all aspects of similar status, power, and reach. A brotherhood of deities, if you will. She sits on the obsidian stone, pondering for a moment. What's a door?

[Warmatt]

The shadow, for in truth the only names it had were those given to it by others (never having bothered to really define itself, that was what The Purpose was for after all) seemed to consider the words, nodding as it fractured and split and was both less and the same, sitting down at a smaller size, a dwarf in shape this time, though there were elements of First Man in the appearance as well a subtle blend that could not be touched on, merely felt on some level.

"I do not assume relation. Purpose does not have biological/pre-established interconnectivity/shared-ancestry. Thus, relationship status professional, similar, know only singular Purpose, unaware of others." It shrugs, or appears to shrug, though in part this is almost a translation of a shrug, as it's speech continues to be silences deeper then the surrounding ones.

Still, there was a sense of focus, even as bites, no sign of a movement towards a mouth, were taken from it's share of the spores. "Appreciation/Gratitude for hospitality. Acknowledgement of designation, will refer as such." There was no tone, no expression on the pseudo-dwarfs face, almost as if it were a statue or projection, or an ill-fitting costume the wearer was unfamiliar with.

"Purpose of meeting. My purpose, test mortals, provide challenges so they may achieve potential. Permission to begin work?"

[Shortstuff]

"Doors are great," the Gnome began to explain, but as he tried to think of specifics for this yet-to-be-invented object, the darker visitor began to speak. And speak it did, and oddly at that, the way it explained things just off. The way it ate was off, too, like salt pretending to be ruby. It didn't seem right to the Gnome, and truthfully, he began to feel a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.

So, Randolin decided to be helpful. He cleared his throat and pointed at his mouth.

"No, see, you use this. This is a mouth. You open it. Then you clamp your teeth down on what you're eating, see?" The Gnome demonstrated by cramming his chunk of mushroom into his mouth and swallowing it whole. "That's how! And this is how mortals are going to eat, I think, so we need to make certain you know what that's like, because how else will you understand them?

"Anyway," he continued with a wave of his hand, leaning on back on his stony seat, "I think you need to learn more about mortals before you go about challenging them. What are you challenging them for, anyway? Shouldn't we be glad that mortals are happy and healthy and hearty? So long as they don't fight each other or make too much noise, we'll be in grand shape!"

After an awkward pause, the Earthlord added, in a jovial tone, "Doors go in walls. They're like mouths for a house, or mouths for a room: you go into the mouth to get inside. And they're good because then you don't have to worry about strangers breaking in through the ceiling and ruining all your hard work."

[Warmatt]

The very shady visitor seems to acknowledge this, inclining his head, and picking up a spore.... though at several places it seems that the shadows drifting off of him seem to hold it instead of fingers. Still, while the expression was blank, there was the sense of being puzzled. "Then what is there purpose? How do they know one thing without the other? How can they experience [awareness/emotional-spiritual-texture/complexity]? Are they content? Or are they simplistic, unable to grasp [nuance/graduations of state/being]?"

There was no malice, no antagonism in the silence, only a sense of interest and curiosity, as he took a bite of the spore, all the while looking artificial, like he has never eaten before.

[Eldest]

What're these mortals you seem to be so keen on? Do they use doors? She smiles. Do you think Lunzi will like them?

[Shortstuff]

"Well, they don't use doors yet," the small god answered, "but once they see how handy they are, I promise you, there will be doors that lead to more doors!"

Truthfully, though, the Gnome was a little troubled. He hid it well - very well, as the God of Secrets ought - but although the dark god spoke with no malice, Randolin felt there was something strange about these 'challenges' it spoke of. He was wary.

"Look, if you want to know about mortals, then you should go and meet them," he told both of the other gods. "I made these mortals, the Earthfolk, because..." Randolin was about to say "because it gets lonely underground," but he didn't like making bare that truth. "Because of reasons," he said instead, "and I don't like the thought of seeing them hurt. I only want for them to be happy, and to be able to choose for themselves what to do, as I'm sure anyone else would want for their friends. Although, should they choose to make loud noises when I'm trying to sleep, I might have to make loud noises back.

"So if you've got challenges and purposes for them, I hope you can explain why they're better off having them than lacking them, because I'm of a mind to smack any thoughts of making trouble for them out of your head!"

[Warmatt]

He nods. Or he does not. There was surprisingly very little difference in the movement/non-movement. "Choice is the key. But what do they choose between? When the web of [choices/fate/sympathy] is limited to a singular or narrow set of [divergences/options/possibilities] what becomes the [outcome/resolution/next choice]? And, dualistic [evaluation/contrast-enhancement] of experience. Singular state, no [depth/richness/complexity]. Mortals have [potential/greatness-seed]. But...." There is an almost pensive, though directed inward in the non-tone silence.

"If given [stable/single-state] existence, mortals will not grow into [potential/equal]. They will remain [immature/juvenile/child]. But, cannot force them along a path. That would eliminate [choice/will/potential]. Always, must be choice."

There is a seriousness to the darkness, though a simple one. "Must acknowledge [flaws/evil/imperfections] as well as [virtues/qualities]. Must be...." There is a pause as he thinks, and speaks, the word echoing and reverberating inside the silence. "Whole."

[Eldest]

Tsalal leans forward, eyes narrowed. You seem awful focused on these mortals discovering their bad side, brother. And you say it's for them. I don't believe you.

[Warmatt]

There is a shrug, and expression of not caring, almost a sign posted behind the figure. "To hold onto [convictions/purpose] when there is nothing to challenge them, this is easy." And then there is a sense of weight, of surety, of a kind of spiritual gravity. "[Desire/want/need] does not enter into the equation. This is Purpose."

[Shortstuff]

"You keep using this word 'purpose,'" the small god said with a deep, deep frown. "I do not think it means what you think it means."

With a flare of his nostrils, the Gnome stood up on his rock and pointed a chunk of mushroom down at the strange, shadowy figure.

"It seems to me that purpose, to you, is exactly whatever you want done, no matter what bad things it means for others. Well, here's a tip, my grimly garbed compatriot: we can make this conversation gallivant about until we've discussed everything that has been or will be, and it won't change the simple truth that the only 'purpose' I ever made the Earthfolk for was to enjoy their company. Yes, I said it!" The Earthlord shook his fist down at the others, clenching it tightly about the fungal food in his hand. "I made them so the place would be livened up! And they did that! And now I don't want you bothering them just because you've got this idea that hurting folk is good for them!

"In fact, if you want to test something, why don't you go see how you measure up to your own tests?" The Earthlord squinted at the dark creature, folding his arms over his chest. "Because, frankly, I haven't met a god yet that isn't immature or childish, so maybe we could all do with a bit of growing up before we decide to impose on some folk who aren't much younger than we are!"

[Emperor Demonking]

Automan, Descent into the Earth

Launched on a pegasus, a band of 15 automans were following orders from Elizabeth to explore the world. The instructions were particular and sent them to a hole, there was a discussion about whether to go down, the discussion could only have had one answer. The autos went down the hole and got promptly lost.

A voice entered their heads. The witch taught them a spell. It did not assist their being lost.


16 AP: 2 AP: Sub-Concept of Arcane Magic: Communication Magic; allows the altering of anothers senses, including communication at a distance, but also illusions, and such.

[Nebula]

Eid, Elizabeth's descent into the earth...
Eid had nodded and had said nothing in reply to Randolin, merely giving a nod of confirmation. The sudden lack of a heart left him feeling cold and breathless. While he had no need for an anatomy, he still felt empty... so as he walked he began using his quill to connect the words of his contracts, making them arteries and veins for ink, of which would be his new blood. While Randolin had expressed his disapproval of using one of the earth-people's forms, Eid didn't feel right showing his divinity out-rightly to the mortals.

He compromised by concealing his presence until he reached a gathering of the cavern dwellers, and then he took the form of a solid ball of gold. He began to speak in their minds, offering a contract... of which they accepted. Eid was pleased when they etched their names into the surface of his form and repeated their vows, as were they when he confirmed his role in the contract. He began teaching the present gathering the art of negotiating a bargain, and he shed some of his divine influence to help them master it. He let the cavern dwellers go on their way and told them to meet back with their offerings at the same spot.

Figuring that it was about time to discuss some more matters with his recent ally, Eid started looking for her spark. Disappearing and reappearing in an instant, Eid chooses to take on his silver and gold automaton form once more as he appears floating before Elizabeth. He makes sure to mask his presence from the senses of the Automatons for the time being...

"Elizabeth, dearest ally! While it may have seemed moments, it has been too long since we have discussed details - dealings as it were. It has come to my attention that we share in some new power, and I believe I know a way to apply it. I can assure you, it will be very beneficial to the both of us. I have recently found some under-dwellers interesting in trading the ores and precious stones of the Earth, and naturally I understand your Automatons are of in need for at least some of those materials. So perhaps the first use of our shared powers could be to teach your automatons the art of trading? It would serve to be very useful in your quest to expand their power..."



Mundane Concept (Trading) 2AP
+5AP per rollover
Previously 11AP, now 14AP


The present members who sign this document will guarantee that they will continue to offer previous minerals and gems to Eid monthly, and Eid in turn will teach them the art of trading. Additionally to this, Eid will guarantee that the present signed members will have opportunities to trade through Eid's assistance. This contract is expandable and contractible; signed members can choose to remove themselves from this contract providing they give 1 year's notice, and new members can be added after their first payment. If a signed member ceases paying then they lose membership and are worthy of punishment at Eid's discretion.

[Emperor Demonking]

Elizabeth, Autom Isle

"Trade. T-r-l-r-r-ade." The wizard gave it more thought than she would have if it anyone, but Eid, otherwise she would have just dismissed it. However, as her mind began to ponder over it, it became more reasonable than she had first thought, "Yes, that would be a good idea. It is beneath the dignity of my first holders of magic to dig for ore, and such things. I consent for you to use the power produced by our agreement for this endeavour."

As she finished writing in some unintelligible script was produced in dancing blue flames and danced around the gold and silver automaton.

[Warmatt]

The darkness looks at him, and there is a sense of chains, wrapping and forming, of things far harder then a simple length of steel or stone. Around the darkness, inside of it, pierced straight through, it nodded, it's gaze as blank as ever, it's silent voice as flat, yet deeper then the seas, deeper the void. "For that is not my purpose." And indeed, it was not, so he, she, it, did not ever consider it, was not capable of considering it.... for that would not align with it's purpose.

Oh course, it knew what free will was. It also knew that it did not possess it. That it was fundamentally limited. It had great cosmic power, but all of that was wrapped up and tied to directives that it could not break, for to break them was to utterly destroy it's own identity, the only thing that it really had. Or, to use another analogy, it would be to carve out it's own heart to change it's appearance.

That said purpose was to challenge and test mortals, to give them something to overcome, to allow those special few, whose number with cultivation and care would blossom and flourish in the eons ahead, and if all went according to plan, to be rendered obsolete? To be made redundant? To be unmade by the hands of mortal hero's who have fully embraced their potential and overcome their own inner darkness? It did not matter if he felt joy and anticipation, or sorrow and disappointment when they would fall short.

For that was his purpose.

[Nebula]

Eid's countenance shined as he heard Elizabeth's consent. Unraveling a portion of his arm into parchment, etching in a smaller portion of writing onto his garb as it soaks up Elizabeth's writings into his being.

"As it is written, so shall it be done..."

Eid re-forms himself completely into his guise as an automaton, rapidly shifting his placement in all of his existence as he enlightened each Automaton with visions of trading methods. As he did this, he drew upon the power of his contract between him and Elizabeth. A thought did enter Eid's mind as he toiled to teach the Automatons, and that thought was that it was tiring to do everything himself... perhaps it was time he made his a race to call his own, one which would share in his desires and duty to fill his form with contracts...

Eid put those thoughts on hold. He had just visited the last Automaton, and he appeared before Elizabeth again in his own form this time...

"As it was written, so has it been done..."

Eid then proceeds to appear at the meeting place he established with the cavern-dwellers, and he began to spin the threads of space and time in preparation for creating a new plane...

Only thing used is the Pantheon action totalling at 2AP for teaching a mundane concept to the Automatons...

[Nebula]

Eid reached into the fabric of the cosmos and sifted out a new plane from the rest...

In the fabric of this plane did Eid weaves its rules; that all that enter must do so through contract between Eid and them, and the same for leaving. He had so much more to add to it, but for now Eid capped his creation with a portal leading to the underground cavern where Eid taught the under-dwellers how to trade. He shaped it in the form of a golden boulder, the same he had taken before, except with the conditions of entering Eid's new realm.


To enter and leave the plane of contracts, you must sign your name upon the appropriate portal, under this contract.
If you try and bring or take anything other than yourself that has not been signed to leave or enter, Eid is free to take action against you.
The realm is neutral ground, no bloodshed is to occur else Eid is free to take action against you.


Eid also left a message on the floor of the cavern to the under-dwellers, telling them to enter the realm to leave their offerings to Eid.

Eid then appeared among the Automatons, this time as a mere iron and stone Automaton (wrapped in worn cloth) as he waited for news of contact between them and the under-dwellers. While he waited, Eid struck up conversations of daily life with those who would stop and talk.



3AP weave plane
2AP portal

previously 14AP now 9AP... although aren't we due for a rollover soon?

[Eldest]

Tsalal growls at the god mascarading as a dwarf. You have naught more of interest to you than to oppose? Bland, boring, baffling! Not worth my time. She turns to the other god. You, on the other hand, may yet be of interest. What say you?