When on Olympus 2.0

[Illiterate Scribe]

In the canyon shorn from the rock of the Tempora itself, a small temple clung to an irregularity in the steamroller-track scar's progress through the plateau.

It was by no means what one might consider a particularly interesting place of worship, at least from the outside; a simple cylindrical pillar of rock, surmounted by a carefully laid, but minimalistic roof, and guarded by a pair of statues, that had they not been hovering a half metre or so from the ground, might have been mistaken for stylised depictions of the divine ones.

Within, the image of clean grace was preserved; smooth white marble from Cerulea clad the walls; but there were no adornments - no ritualistic altars, candles, censers, icons, or other such religious paraphenalia.

The only aspect of the room that marred this effect was the gaping hole in reality that occupied the centre of the floor.

To be truthful, one didn't really notice it upon walking in - just possibly as a result of its eye-bleeding nature, and the mind's natural recoiling from it - but now, something stirred within. The very matter of the pool began to curl, congealing upwards, becoming laced with flickers of white flame amongst it's own negative, until eventually - if you looked at it with your neck half-crooked, in a certain way - you could see the form of a reclining woman there. And thus, as if the act of observation itself shaped existence somehow - she was there, as if in snapshots, rubbing her eyes, kneeling, standing.

Having shaken off the clutching, sly ferns and creepers that wreathed their forms, the two guards moved, in a slightly worring synchrony, into the main chamber. They exchanged an impassive, featureless glance with the woman-shaped pllar of black fire in the centre of the room; there was a flash, as if a very sudden, very powerful charge of magic had been discharged, and then, in a perfect reversal of their earlier movements, the custodians of Aariel returned to their positions.

Around the Tempora, kings, councillors, trademasters - and, of course, gods - became aware of a previously unnoticed thought, sitting perfectly formed in the back of their minds, as though it had arrived a good while ago, but was too polite to cough, or otherwise draw attention to itself.


Aariel has woken.

Audience at the Temple is sought.

- The Bastion Guard -


Start wherever you feel like - godly realm, mortal world, whatever - but via the Augur of Dusk's Super-Sending-Spell™, you receive this information. The Temple of the Augur is in the sea-canyon in the Bastion plateau.

[Yuki Akuma]

Outside the temple, a single, ephemeral cog, apparently made of gold, fades into existance, floating in the air. It's soon joined by a second, then a third, the twisting, interlocking gears soon forming an archway. The cogs turn, making a soft noise like clockwork as, with a low humm, a bluish energy fills the archway.

Walking through the archway comes the resident Godling, currently dressed in bunny pajamas. He looks like he was just woken up... which is odd; deities don't sleep. Regardless, he complains "You woke me up..." As he shuffles into the temple.

Trailing in his left hand, the one that isn't rubbing at his unnatural eyes, he's holding what looks suspiciously like a Millia plushie.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

Brother Kingmaker looked as uncomfortable in the shape of an old mortal as most men would be in an irregularly tight coat: human lungs were a strange sensation, even if they were only worn with the same kind of casualty as bangles or bracelets. He had seated himself in the court of Frederick Marset of Persi, hoping to hear newfound resolution in the monarch's voice. What he found, instead, left him feeling vaguely ill about ever having even the slightest to do with this particular appointment.

When Belariso stood and motioned for the king's silence, it took eleven seconds from the first rude gesture for six different pikes to be leveled at his throat. Just as Frederick stood to speak, making proclamations about outrage and rudeness and how he'd never stand for such a thing in his court--despite the fact that he had, indeed, stood--a thought slid into Belariso's mind, greasy and unbidden.

If you will excuse me, he said, throwing off the mortal shape like a bad cloak to reveal himself swathed in light, it seems I have a more pressing engagement.

Light engulfed the court, and a moment later six pikemen were standing with their weapons against thin air and Belariso stood at the edge of the temple, a glorious human-shape cut from white jade and sunlight. The illumination dims in respects as he enters, ruffling Nauki's hair as he pulls out a circlet of gold from the folds of his coat and sets it spinning in the space just above and behind his head.

What's this all about, then?

[DeadlyGrim]

It had been just a few months since his father, the king, had died. The official story was that he had died peacefully in his sleep, which was technically correct.

Truth, unfortunately, has had to take a backseat to morale and politics, Daoloth mused to himself.

Daoloth was sitting, as he often did these past few months, in the King's Tower, a private sanctuary used by many of the kings of the Zindrel line. It was just a simple stone tower, looking for all the world like any of the other stone towers at the castle, but it was here that the real work of the kingdom lay. The throne room, many stories down below, was mostly for show.

Daoloth surveyed the stacks of paper on his desk as he leaned back in thought. The papers were reports detailing the state of the kingdom and her people. Quite boring, but quite necessary to maintain the smooth function of the demesne.

Soon, Daoloth thought, soon I'll be able to put this all behind me. We won't have to worry about food and raw materials. War and suffering will be a thing of the past.

Daoloth absentmindedly fiddled with the small, leather-bound book in his pocket. It won't be by raw physical force, but by magic that mankind grasps control of it's own fate. If-



Aariel has woken.

Audience at the Temple is sought.

- The Bastion Guard -

The message received, Daoloth sat in silence for a moment.

He touches a small stone in his pocket. "Brand, will you come up here? I've got to make preparations for a trip."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

In Babelohim, a man died. This is not a terribly remarkable thing - men are wont to die, even wizards of fair to middling power, such as was the case here. Calintor the Sage had, in life, been a man with a great deal of cunning, but unfortunately it had, at times, outmatched his wisdom, as was the case here. What he had thought was a perfect recipe for an elixir to cure otherwise terminal illnesses was... well, it was quite effective. At least, the imbiber was no longer concerned with whatever their ailments might have been.

He opened his eyes slowly, rubbing them, trying to remember what had happened... and then he looked down. He blinked several times, and then as he was, as it has been said, quite a clever man, he sighed, and spoke in a rather regretful voice. Ah.

He heard a soft cough, and turned slowly. His eyes opened wide as he saw the tall, slim figure garbed garments of deepest black - but black didn't really begin to describe them. There were shades and tones there, gorgeous spectra of midnight, like black shone through an ebon prism. At last his eyes rose from the figure to the face, which was obscured by a mask - a simple construction of white porcelain, its smooth face somehow sad and yet mirthful at once. At last, Calintor found his voice.

Back, fiend! I may be dead, but my soul is my own! Back to Hell with thee!

The figure chuckled softly and shook its head. One hand reached up, and the mask came off. A curious gesture sent it - well, somewhere. It was difficult to tell, really. It seemed to fold up into itself, before disappearing with a tiny *pop* into thin air.

Hmmm? Oh, I should think not. You did not pay homage to me, nor to any other of my... compatriots. - and your soul is still your own, Calintor the Sage

Once again the sage thought quickly - more quickly than when he was alive, in fact. The removal of the fleshy bits seemed to make thinking so much easier. His face assumed a more neutral posture. Ah...a god? But why are you here, then? You have no business with my soul. So why should you come? To gloat over the passing of one who did not bend his knee to you?

Montarius laughed again, a deep and merry sound, and Calintor found himself grinding his spectral teeth. He was dead, dammit, and here was some foolish god-think here making mockery of him. But at last, the creature subsided and spoke again.

You must think little of Me indeed to suspect Me of such behavior, Calintor - no... I am only doing My Duty.. My Calling... My Purpose, if you will. Will you come with me, please? It is time for... judgement. Since you never followed the paths of Myself or any of the others, your destiny lies... elsewhere.

He gave a mysterious little smile, and made another curious gesture. A door appeared in the wall - a doorway of light and shadow, mingled radiance and umbral darkness in equal proportions. Calintor might have resisted, but something in it - or behind it pulled at his soulstuff. As he opened the door, he saw within revealed a crystal stairway hanging in a void of deep blue that faded slowly to black in any direction. As he looked up at the glittering steps of gorgeous crystal, he threw one last, suspicious look at the god as he stepped inward. I do not need your judgment, nor that of any godling. And what do you mean 'elsewhere?'

The door began to shrink, and as he peered through the slowly closing hole into the world he had known, he heard once more the deep laughter, as if from a well of infinite mirth I never said who was doing the judging... And as for the latter... well, you'll have to see that for yourself.

Montarius laughed again, then slowly drifted up and out, looking down on the city from bellow. The defenses of these fortresses they built were indeed impressive - but he had never seen spell or stone lain by mortal hands that could keep him at bay, and certainly not when he was performing the Duty. As he looked down at the glittering gem these mortals had wrought for themselves, he smiled a soft, secret smile to himself - and then he heard the call.

It was only a short time later that he appeared outside the temple. A doorway, an arch of pure shadow opened in the air, and out stepped a pair of figures - The god, still unmasked, and still in finest black, though he now wore a long, dark cape trimmed with silver, and his sword hung in its belt. On his arm was his friend, confidant, and sometimes-consort, the mysterious Fox-Queen, Lady Shadowtail. He held her arm in a gentlemanly fashion, and was discussing matters with her quietly when they arrived. He favored Nauki with a soft smile, and his face split into a wide grin when he saw his brother. He heard his comment, and gave a chuckle. His voice when he spoke was, as always, soft, gentle, but unmistakably powerful - it sank into the mind like cold lead through warm butter.

Hello, brother... it seems the Oracle has something to say to us. No doubt it will be a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and likely with a few extra layers of obfuscation on the outside just for Her own pleasure. What a way to spend an evening, hmm?

[Cade Shadow]

Bocalon

Upon the moon sat Bocalon, in a rare moment with his armor off, his helmet still by his side however. He stared back at the world and imagined- Where could I send a mortal on a quest next? Perhaps to just travel, and find one by a common name with an uncommon personality trait. Years of searching and knowing. An heartless person could use that.

The message appeared. Aariel had awoken. Must the Moon God bother now with these mortals? He was enjoying himself, thinking of something weird for traits. Must they now.

"Yes, they must, I suppose. Mortals will ask as mortals will do."

The Moon God didn't care much for a special effect in his arrival. He stood in gleaming silver armor, a hand lightly resting on his sword. His hair was pushed back off of his face, the locks spilled over his shoulders messily.

"Aariel has awoken then? Whats this to mean?"

[PhoeKun]

Reclining on a towering throne, a woman of unsurpassed beauty suddenly jerks her head towards the ceiling, as though she had heard a voice. A quick glance around confirms the obvious - everything is still in its place, every guardian still at her (or his) post. She lets out a sigh, an intoxicating sound that leaves all within earshot hungry for more, and stands, taking two steps before vanishing, leaving a scent like lilacs in the air behind her.

A gate, possibly six feet tall and half as wide, appears in front of the temple. The door is a blackened sort of metal, which opens soundlessly to admit the woman, her long white skirt brushing lightly against the ground. She walks forward with calm, measured steps, silver eyes unreadable until the fall upon the godling. And then, for a brief second, a flash of happiness like the birth of stars, and the slightest of smiles, before it fades again into its former expression. Calm. Imperious. She glides up to the child, and places an arm gently on his shoulder, silently gazing at the gathering crowd...

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun sits alone in his study, quietly working. There are five large stacks of parchment on his desk and there are enough odd items that the top of the desk is concealed. After staring intently at a particular scroll, he picks up a rod on his desk and orders one of his assistant to get him whatever information they have on the country of Persi.


Aariel has woken.

Audience at the Temple is sought.

- The Bastion Guard -

"That sounds interesting", thought Saatyun. He picks up the rod and tells his assistant that he has to leave and to leave any further work on his desk. "Like that pile will ever get any smaller", Saatyun says to himself with more than a little disdain. He changes the glamor on his armor to something more presentable and with a noise like static, appears at the temple.

"Hello brother, I don't know how you get anything done when you take all these naps.", says Saatyun upon seeing Nauki.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

Oh joy, the lunar one has joined us, Belariso remarks with surprising indifference as Bocalon appears. After a moment's consideration he turns his attentions back towards his brother.

Surely you know something of this creature, this Aariel, then, brother, the reason for our summoning? I was under the impression that knowing was your business.

Belariso dims further, now a platinum-haired man with skin as white as marble. The halo tilts slightly and Brother Kingmaker fiddles with it, busily.

[Yuki Akuma]

The pajama clad godling jumps a little bit as his mother suddenly puts her arm around him. He smiles up at her, however, wrapping his arms around her own arm and cuddling up against her. "Moma..." He's always at his cutest upon waking up. Which, on reflection, makes it hard to judge when he'll be at his cutest, as he doesn't have any sort of logical sleeping pattern.

He looks up at Saatyun, giving a quirky little grin. "Work? What's that? Children don't need to work, silly."

[NEO|Phyte]

A crackling of energy announced the arrival of Turalo at the temple. A vortex of fire, ice, lightning, and sound brought him forth, and was absorbed back into his form. His 'normal' form was a simple one, vaguely resembling a human of roughly five feet in stature. Most of his body was covered in a writhing layer of elemental energies, which seemed to fight amongst themselves more than anything, giving him the appearance of being in a constant state of flux. The few times when the figure beneath was visible, it appeared to have a stony texture.

He drifts into the temple on a faint breeze that seems to take him exactly where he wants to go, not shifting from his cross-armed position, except to nod at his fellow deities. Once he arrives at a suitable location, the breeze begins to spin him about, until he faces the hole in reality. It then dies away, as his feet touch the floor.
"Have I missed anything?"

[UglyPanda]

"Honestly mother, you have to stop coddling him."

Saatyun looks around and sees each of the other gods appearing in their own fashion. "It appears the gods of life and death are here. This may be important."

OOC: How much do we already know about Aariel already? Was she some sort of prophet or elder god? Or do we have to make knowledge checks?

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius moved closer, disengaging his arm from his herald, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek. She moved off a little ways, speaking with other heralds in low tones. The Lady knew her business - She would be a second pair of ears for him. And sharp ones, at that. He spoke to his brother now mind-to-mind, obviously keeping things confidential. But he spoke out loud, as well - no point in making things too obvious, after all.


Quite a gathering we have here, isn't it? It seems someone sent out an invitation to every Power... So no doubt that whatever it is, it's important.

When it comes to the Oracles, brother mine, there is little to know... I do know much, but the Oracles predate even us... they are, I think, messengers of the One. Or perhaps fragments of his through, his memory, or his knowledge. They do not speak often, but they hold within them information beyond even our ken. Aariel, she who called us hence, is the Oracle of the Dusk. What that title means... Not even that do I know. Would that I was of more help here... but, to my amusement, this is a subject on which even I am of little aid. We shall just have to see what we can see.

He grinned at his brother, and turned his face towards the newly-arrived Velia and her kin. His smile became impish, matching her haughty, imperious expression with one of mischevious mirth, He dipped a slight bow to her, his eyes locked to hers. He was gorgeous, this dark-clad guide, handsome rather than beautiful, with roguish good looks and sculptures more finely cut than the greatest of sculptures. And his eyes gleamed softly as he spoke to her, his tone enigmatic.

And good evening to you, my lady... I'm glad to see that you and yours answered the summons to this little gathering. Woe betide us should we be bereft of you presence.

[GrassyGnoll]

The message echoed in Nauphel's mind. In his catacombs the voice seemed from everywhere. He felt anxious at any disturbance the awakening might wreak upon his current musings.

Regardless, the plan shall be put to action

By will he called to his favorite child. Her faithful arrival brought a bit of relief. "Millia, my sweet, I have a chore for you. You are to infiltrate the royal court of Persi. Collect pertinent information and report back to me when you believe you've collected enough leverage to bend their king's ear. If anyone asks you are the daughter of a wealthy sea merchant with a humanitarian streak and an interest in whatever they export. That should get their attention." Millia nodded in accordance and jauntily swam along her way. And keep her entertained for a day or two.

The Drowned Father poked his head above the bay's water. He could feel a good number of his peers had arrived already. His tentacles took over matters of locomotion as he casually strolled up the cliff's face. Once he reached the top, Nauphel made for the gathering of gods.

[PhoeKun]

Velia's eyes gaze unflinchingly into Montarius' as he bows, and speaks to her, her expression unchanging... until the mask breaks to reveal a bemused smile. Even for a god, it was simply too much effort to remain aloof with a pajama-clad child clinging to her arm.

"Then it would be cruelty beyond measure to deprive you of it."

Her attention shifts for a moment to her elder son.

"Is it so? Or do I need to start coddling you?"

She shakes her head gently, anticipating the response.

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

"Errm? Dad?" Tolin perches on her fathers shoulder, the form of a thrush covering the shapeshifters.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Zet stands in the middle of a stream, holding a massive hammer in the air delicately, slowly moving through the water, stalking fish even as the air around him quivers and implodes in on itself and the water froths to its base components around his feet.
"Wait, Zet looks up to the three creatures not on his shoulder "This ishow peoplefish, right
Taras nods affirmative, while Scraw and Bopsy look leery at the setup, as the 27 anvils and 4,985 crossbows are all creaking quite alarmingly in the slight breeze.
"Good Zet gets back to "fishing", a couple of minutes later informing Tolin that she is going to be joining in a Agipt mid-summer festival.
Several near crushings later, Zet pauses his constant motion, a thing so odd it causes even Taras to look shocked.
Then, in a voice that doesn't sound as though someone is trapped in a runaway deep-fryer, he intones; "Well, isn't that odd.", before disappearing just as a 400 ton anvil falls into the space he was, humorously flattening several fish Bopsy had charmed so they all could get out of this blasted wasteland.
Tolin re-arrives on the anvil a few seconds later, as the trio begins to realize that they've been left behind again.
.........
Well ****."

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

The Whirlwind arrives like his name would suggest, in a column of swirling air that does nothing to make the fact that he looks like a cross between a punk drummer, a Roman pitfighter and a half starved hobo any less normal.
As well as the fact that he's carrying a giant hammer with the words "Happy Fish Kill Time Yes Fun!" emblazoned on the side, but this is par for the course for Zet.
He enters the temple and wanders over to the others, his jerky, almost junkie like walk sending him into the wall several times, where he eventualy drops the hammer with a clang.
"Yo

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun goes over the possible responses in his head. Saatyun wants Nauki to mature, his mother clearly does not. Quickly realizing there is no response which results in his favor, he decides to change the subject. "Oh look, Zet's here. Let's all go talk to Zet before we have to chain him up again."

[DeadlyGrim]

It was a few hours later, after Daoloth had explained the situation to Brand. Brand was a good man. He had served the elder Zindrel for years and now he served the current king. A good man, but far too set in his ways, Daoloth thought idly to himself.

He was in his room, getting ready for the trip to the Temple of the Augur. In point of fact, all he was going to do was go to the Mage Guild and find someone capable of teleporting him there, but it was always good to be prepared. Besides, who knows how long this meeting would last?

"It's probably going to going to cost an arm and a leg," he said to his two armored companions. "But progress on the Razor is going slower than I expected. One can't be too careful when it comes to such things."

His companions were two golems that he had built by his own hand. They were his protectors. Armored in shining, gold-plated field plate from head to toe and wielding two swords, they were as deadly as they were visually impressive. And relatively cheap to make, once I figured out the proper way to make them.

Daoloth lifted up Hopefire, the gleaming blade of the Zindrel line. Commissioned by the first Zindrel to be an elegant weapon and symbol of power. A work of art and made from an exotic metal; it's luminous steel blade glowed with varying shades of pink and indigo.

Daoloth placed it in his bags. He wouldn't need it for this trip, but one can't be too careful when it comes to such things.

[MrScary]

The handsome, tanned, muscular man was lying flat upon his back. Surrounding him were golden shafts of grain reaching forth from the ground up toward the sky.

The man simply laid there, arms outstreched to the sides, looking up at the lazily moving puffs of white cloud that meandered across the azure sky.

Now and again a cloud would slowly transform itself from the indistinct puffiness that was its life and take on a new form, one with a distinct look to it. Sometimes it would be an animal...a bear, or a horse...sometimes something more..unique...would form such as a ki-rin or other odd magical creature.

On occasion, a cloud would take on the characteristics of a shapley female form...the man smiling as the buxom cloud floated past.

Then suddenly the clouds dissipated, completely. The man sat straight up, the wheat that he had been lying upon instantly springing back up, reaching toward the sky.

The man stretched out his hand and touched the tops of the golden grain. At first, his fingers seemed to take on the same golden hue of the wheat. The color then spreads over the rest of the man's body, and then he seems to fade from view entirely....

From the creeping vines that made their home among the rocky crevice steps forth the same man.

He looks around momentarily, taking in the scene.

"Looking good, my dear Velia." he says, winking playfully at the goddess. "I think you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you..." he chuckles, knowing full well that it wasn't that long ago.

"Is this your work, Bel?" he asks the god of birth. "A new project of yours, perhaps?" A wry smile is upon his face.

[PsyBlade]

A Saintly man rests in a cot. Suddenly, he jerks his head. He gets into a sitting position.

Hmm, better look into that.

He gets out of his cot, and leaves his realm.

He arrives as simply as he lives, unfortunately, he also arrives flashily. One of the downsides of glowing.

If you'll forgive my rudeness, now what?

[The Glyphstone]

Nestled in a vast pile of cushions atop an even more massive pile of gold and other treasures, what resembles nothing so much as a small mountain of cloth-coated doughy flesh snores softly.

Then the Augur's message arrives, echoing through the Halls of the Miser. With an effect somewhat like that of a Richter Nine earthquake in a titanic bowl of peach-flavored Jello, the corpulent form of the Glutton squirms into wakefulness.

"Whuzzat? Oh, blast it all..."

One arm stretches, narrowly avoiding a strange shimmering glass jar with a black rose suspended inside, while the other rubs sleep from Kyrdos's eyes, producing another small tremor across the double chins of his double chins' double chins, then reaches out to a nearby plate of food, stuffing its contents into his mouth without any real concern for what was on the plate.

"Mmphhy'd thse Orrracle havemmph to pick nmmphow to shend a sumphmons...shuppose I shhould attendmph, mmphuch ash I hate to make themmph effortsh right now...mmm..."

Swallowing with some effort, the obese god blinks, and is suddenly gone, replaced by the wasted figure of a man who could not have eaten a decent meal in months, barely skin on bones inside a wrapping of tattered and well-patched robes. Thus redecorated for travel, Kyrdos the Miser reaches out to find one of his ephemeral links.

"His" only in the strictest sense, of course - he wasn't quite sure where they had come from, or how he made them, and they certainly didn't obey anything he wanted them to do - but the barely existent tendrils remained useful for collecting information about somewhere in the multiverse - assuming there was a tendril nearby, and that whatever drove it was in the mood to share its findings with Kyrdos at the moment. Luckily for him, there were not just one, but three such tendrils in the vicinity of the temple, gently twisting around, inside, and through the planar fabric to their own strange designs. Seizing the end of the closest one, Kyrdos Travels along it, materializing in front of the temple's doors. He grumbles, leaning on the gnarled walking stick that conceals the shape of his lance Sheeshkebab in the Miser's form, and hobbles inside.

"So, what'd I miss?"

[GrassyGnoll]

"Not much", Nauphel answered. He slithered aside the emaciated man to address him more formally.

"Although I was looking forward to your arrival. Might I impose a visit on you in the coming month? There are pressing matters of commerce we must discuss"

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki sticks his tongue out at his elder brother, still cuddling against his mother for the moment. Of course, as other gods start to arrive, he starts to become a little self-conscious, dressed as he is in his pink bunny pajamas...

So, the godling snaps his fingers once. There's a sudden explosion of golden, ephemeral gears - his favourite spell effect - as his pajamas are suddenly replaced by his usual attire of an immaculate waistcoat, silken trousers, boots and so on. In his hand appears his blue hat, ties with a plum ribbon; he spins it deftly around, and places it atop his head, letting it sit slightly askew. He's still cradling that Millia plushie in one arm; it seems perfectly mundane, so he probably just likes it.

He's opted not to go for the toolbelt right now. No point if he's not going to be needing any tools, is there?

[Hairb]

Kael Nog was stalking some lost herdsmen through limestone karsts, alternatively shrieking like a furious beast and lowing like a lost calf when he felt the trembling earth speak to him.

The prized animal the men sought was long dead, its eyes now picked clean by the buzzards as it lay broken-necked at the bottom of a natural well. He had other things in mind for the frightened men; three fine yaks, descended from the herd of a nobleman far, far away. Kael Nog cared little for the beasts; they were better off in the hands of these confused peasants than in his own overcrowded treasury. As his stumbling, burbling mushroom servants tethered the yaks to a rocky outcrop in plain sight of the herders' camp, Kael Nog let loose a final bloodcurdling cry into the night air. The humans had been days worth of good sport, by turns terrified, confused and full of false bravado and bluster. They deserved their prize, but Kael Nog felt the call and abandoned his game, returning to his sanctum in the underearth.

The Haunts were a frenzied mess, as usual, as gangs of his servitors ran to and fro at crossed purposes to please him. Once again a tribe of feral xorns had fallen upon the great pile of ordure that fed his mushroom men, causing the thousand-legged Oldworm who dwelt within it to writhe in fury and cause cave-ins throughout the caverns. The whirling scrapheap raggamoffyns zipped around in search of detritus to add to their mass, while the fungus-folk tried to impose their own highly conflicting styles of order upon the place. Everywhere, the noise was deafening, and Kael Nog heard that it was good. With a sibilant hiss that seemed to drown out the cacophony around it, he whispered to nobody in particular, "Find Green Talc, and bring him to me."

Green Talc emerged from the crowd, trailing a clamouring horde of underlings behind him. "Hidden One?"

"The call...a gathering...you have heard it? It matters not. Go unto Nauphel with great haste and seek to uncover what this gathering means. Give unto his...helpers... whatever shall please them most. We must find out the purpose of this conclave. Its meaning is a mystery to us."

As Talc departed on his mission, Kael Nog scoured the underearth for the elder of the rebellious band of xorn, bidding them to head for the surface and remain there, searching through the scrap heaps of Zjui until they had found a pearl of great price carelessly discarded. As wild as they were, Kael Nog knew that they feared him too much to return empty handed. He found the xorns' antics entertaining, but recently they had grown... tiresome. The pearl would be hard to find, and he did not expect them to return any time soon. While waiting for his herald to return, Kael Nog sat trance-like in his sanctum and listened to the foundations of the world creak and groan as the universe changed.

[wadledo]

Zet, being how he is, takes a large flattened salmon out of his back pocket and wanders into the center of the room, holding it out above the pillar of black fire and whistling a little tune about life, dreams and growing up.
OOC:This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JA1BbxrPa4&feature=related)

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

The Kingmaker groans loudly at Zet's antics and looks to Velia pleadingly. He flares his light unkindly for a moment and a confusion of colors play across the simple white marble of the room. An arc of boreal light ribbons around Belariso's head.

Come now, is that really appropriate behavior for this place? Or...any place?

[PsyBlade]

Pegason's head went down, and then he shook it in the 'no' fashion.

[wadledo]

"Oh, Iam sorry,I didnot catchenough fishfor everyone
Zet then proceeds to break the salmon into "1, 2,3, 4,5, 6,7, 8...... a lot of pieces, before passing out each salmon cake and taking a nibble of his.
"Needs salt And rosemary which leads him to try and wring Nauphel's robe of some moisture, which he then vibrates into salt.
Sprinkling a couple of grains onto the still steaming meat, he looks up and asks innocently "What doesrosemary looklike

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

A trickster Grandfather Raven might be, but there was a difference between an amusing and subtle joke and senseless, inane insanity. Then again... He supposed variety was the spice of life. And at list it irritated some of the more dour gods. He shook his head slowly, still smiling his enigmatic smile.

You know, Zet, you always remind me that the Creator of the Universe must have had a sense of humor. A very, very odd one.

[PhoeKun]

"Zet!"

The voice isn't actually all that loud, but it seems to echo in the room all the same, the name dripping with a quiet sort of malice accompanied by the lash of a long white chain across The Whirlwind's back.

"Enough!"

The chain vanishes as quickly as it appears, but the area immediately around her remains charged with an aura of palpable menace...

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

"Wouldn't thatalso implythat therewas morethan oneCreator Zet takes another bite of the fish.
"Are yougoing toeat that
The chain around Zets neck hovers in the air several inches away from him while it is there, and when it disapears Zet walks over to Velia with a happy(if mildly confused) grin.
"Yes

[MrScary]

"Allow me..." the tanned, shirtless man says with a grin upon his face. Though Zet was sometimes quite annoying, bothersome and extremely unpredictible in his actions, there was something fresh about the young man.

Taking up dirt in his right hand, the man waves his left hand over top of it. After the hand passes over, a cluster of green herbs can be seen sprouting from the dirt.

He plucks the sprigs out of the dirt and hands them to Zet.

[GrassyGnoll]

Amid the confusion Nauphel turns to face Nauki. "My darling Millia has asked of you lately. It seems she would like to arrange a playdate. Although, in spite of her age Millia does work. I trust you won't mind waiting a week or two."

And so it begins

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

The god watched as Velia "disciplined" the irascible whirlwind. He turned to the goddess, eyes twinkling mirthfully. Chains. How very you, milady. I would have guessed either that, or whips. Both seem to fit your tastes perfectly. He chuckled a little, then turned back to the chastised Zet, his tone more serious

Possibly... though it's really rather difficult to say... The Creator or Creators, I would surmise, are as beyond our ken as we are beyond mortals. Trying to guess at their thoughts and natures is like a blind man trying to view a master's painting by touch alone, or a deaf man trying to understand a symphony.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki watches Zet silently for a while, brass-coloured eyes peering at him in confusion. He catches the tiny, tiny piece of fish given to him, and sniffs at it suspiciously; odd, considering it wouldn't possibly be able to make him sick. He then promptly eats it thoughtfully. "...Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro isn't a very good cook." He nods his head firmly.

As Nauphel addresses him, Nauki gives him all of his attention, naturally. At the idea of a playdate, the little godling seems to brighten up immensely. The God of Joy's smile is infectious, seeming to spread waves of happiness throughout the room. "That sounds fun!" He nods his head vigourously, then rubs the back of his head. "...Well, of course children can work, but we don't have to..."

Nauki gives Montarius a glance, hmmphing. "I'm not beyond anyone's ken."

[UglyPanda]

"Indeed. I was hoping to hire out some of this nation's citizens to help me understand our unique nature, but with these developments, I suppose I won't have to."

Saatyun takes a watch out of his left pocket, checks the time, and puts it back in. "Montarius, do you know why your sister hasn't arrived yet? She was one of the few people I was looking forward to seeing."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius smiled and arched an eyebrow gently at the protests of his fellow deities

Perhaps. But I am not sure if a mortal could understand what it is like to be a god... Could a mortal understand how it feels to sense the fall of every sparrow, the death of every insect, every plant - to feel the constant flow of life-force out of the world and back again? To touch the long, slow, lifebeat of the universe? I'm not sure[ But few among us have ever been mortal... but I'm not sure a mind gifted with the blinders of mortality could understand what it's like to gaze into infinity. He shrugged, still smiling Or perhaps I speak only for myself.

He looked at Satyuun, his eyebrow lowering and rising again in fresh inquisition Oh? Any particular reason for that? In any case, My sister''s a very busy woman... I'm sure she'll arrive at the proper moment. She has a knack for it.

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

"Thank you He takes the clump and dries the herb, sprinkling it over the fish.
Zet ponders the philosophical nature of music.
"So, youonly watchthe crowd,and never theorchestra

[UglyPanda]

"It is my own business why I wish to see her." Saatyun stares blankly for a split second. "That's odd, it feels like I'm reliving this moment, but different. It's probably nothing."

"Anyway, mortals may not know of how we are, but they're the quickest way of speaking to the old ones. I don't have the skill to bind the fallen and I don't trust anyone else to share my mind anyway."

[The Glyphstone]

Kyrdos shrugs, still leaning on his gnarled staff.

"Does it really matter? We're gods, they're mortals - who cares if they can understand us properly or not?"

A sandwich materalizes out of thin air in his open hand, and he takes a disturbingly large bite, chewing contentedly.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Yes, but not all of us see mortals as just so much walking meat... and not all of us think only with our stomachs. Not even bothering to turn around, Montarius once again addressed Satyuun

Nor are they tools for our communication. They make their own destinies and their own choices. If they want to come to me for advice, I'm happy to give it... though sometimes it's difficult to convey. But I see them all in the end, and in the end everything, as they say "works out"

[UglyPanda]

"I said hire, not enslave. I believe in fair compensation. Tell me something, Montarius. When it's your time to leave, who is going to guide you? I'm rather curious as to whether you'll show yourself out or if you'll be dragged out by something else."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius nodded approvingly at his statement That's reassuring, at any rate.

as Satyuun asked the question, smiling wryly That... is an excellent question, and one I've often searched for an answer to. And I'm afraid I have no concrete answer, though I have my suspicions... I rather fancy it will be my task to turn out the lights, clean up a few things, and leave everything in order before the last night falls... As for leaving... well, I don't see myself having to be dragged away. If I'm not showing myself out, I rather think that I'll be ready to go with who or whatever comes to show me the path. In my experience, those who run are those who fear what comes after - and by the time I've finished my duties, I think I'll be ready to see the next act.

[PsyBlade]

Pegason
The ever-weary one sits down on the simplest sitting location. I understand completely, Montarius. Considering your line of work, it only makes sense that you would be the most prepared for your end. Pegason closes his eyes in contemplation.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

You wonder too much sometimes, brother, of things that should never be, Belariso says, turning towards his brother with his spine straight and his hands laced together behind him. We are not like mortal things, and there may not yet be a next act for us. Just one long play, if you insist upon indulging this theatrical metaphor.

With that, Brother Kingmaker sighs lightly and his breath swirls around him into little birds of light. They fly about for a few seconds and then fade, evaporating like dew under the sun.

Aariel couldn't be prompt, could she? I have a rather important matter to attend to back in Persi.

[GrassyGnoll]

"Why Kingmaker, the very business of Oracles is to make people wait."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

He grinned back at his brother and tossed him a wink Yes, I suppose I do, brother mine... I suppose we'll all find out eventually, hmmm? Or perhaps, when the play is done, the bows taken, and the curtain comes down... perhaps we get to go and do it all again? some mortals take that route, as you well know. But as you say, this speculation does use little good at the moment, however enjoyable it may be.

He turned to Pegason, still wearing that enigmatic smile Though it sounds trite, it is my experience that there are very few true ends... only new begginings.

[PsyBlade]

The Saint
Every end creates a new beginning. I know that is not how the saying goes, but what I said is more accurate. Pegason smiles a content smile.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki has apparently grown bored of the conversation, as he's begun busying himself with a piece of paper and a few coloured pencils. Where did he get them? Who knows?

On the paper, he's drawn crude representations of Montarius, Belariso, Pegason and Saatyun. Each little figure has a speech bubble, saying "Blah blah"...

After a while, Nauki changes this slightly: Montarius is now saying "Blah Blah death blah", for example. Saatyun's speech bubble has been entirely changed to "Gloom doom" written over and over again...

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

Zet peers over Nauki's head, looking at the drawing critically, then takes a really long pencil from behind his back and draws himself smacking them all with a large fish.
And cackling madly, can't forget the cackling.

[GryffonDurime]

Belarsio

The Kingmaker's eyebrow pops as he examines Nauki's drawing with a carefully concealed glance. His fingers drum against the air and his figure is inked over in gold while a small, animated figure of a bird begins pecking madly against Zet's self-portrait.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Not being possessed of divine powers, it takes somewhat longer for the diverse leaders and rulers to arrive.

First come Kaerova - son of the late Kalisthite monarch, Kaere (so many Kae-s ...) - swaggering through a portal with a young and attractive member of the Agiptian council on one arm, and a flask of strong wine in the other. He has a slight flush to his leonine, half-orc features - this, together with with the generally festive air to his demeanour, suggests that he has come straight from carousing at the current 'end of the world festival' in Orr-an - for several weeks now, there had been a great deal of carousing in the city in advance of the resolution of the prophecy.

As he slowly began to perambulate around the small island, there is another pair of arrivals - the delicate scales of the Erdzheni Regent's tigulated mail flutter as she steps with a dazzling flash out of thin air, arguing with the Enkidite Tradesmaster, who wears an amused smile at her hot-headedness. Following somewhat folornly behind them through the gate is the Persi representative to the augur - King Frederick Marset looks out of place in his
everyday collection of simple, warm clothes, but seems relatively comfortable, just ambling about looking at the spectacle.

Indeed, the power gathered in this place is impressive - the rulers of the world, their gods, and one of two fragments of the greater transcendent reality should impress even the most jaded observer. There is something about it, however, that is worrying - uneasy. The air is charged, in the same way as it would be minutes before the world's greatest thunderstorm, and the various huddled groups do not mix, instead throwing uneasy looks at each other and the divine party. Some time elapses - two major parties - those from Rhadamanthys and the Bastion itself are missing.

Just as you begin to worry that something has gone wrong - terribly wrong - the air cracks slightly. A lone bolt from the gathering magical thunderhead arcs out, splitting the air in a forty foot arc across the width of the island. And some ... things ... march through.

In serried, closely ranked file, units of perfectly synchronised figures, clad from head to toe in black metal, fan out along quasi-geomagnetic lines of force from the portal, and, as one, draw long, straight swords, snapping them to attention in a simple maneuver. From their centre walks a different form - one who is similarly armoured, but bears a more elaborate suit of armour, that marks her out as above the others.

Hail, all! Rhadamanthys sends its finest to honour the augur!

There is an uncomfortable silence. A long one, at that - people huddle at the far rocky end of the island, being pressed there by the growing number of heavy infantry on the island - the gods are given a wide berth, however.

Without warning, a gruff voice answers from within the temple itself:

Miria - why this, why now? Rhadamanth and Cerulea are violating the tenets of our sacred ground by sending troops here ... you god-botherers should know that better than anyone. Regardless, the powers vested in me are enough to deal with this minor blasphemy - which, though unpunished, does not go unnoted.

With a wave of his hand, the richly robed figure standing in the doorway causes the soldiers to disappear. It is unmistakably Hadyi Murat - chief binder of the Bastion. He then turns and nods to you.

I must apologise for this lateness - I was merely performing the invocations necessary to establish contact with Aariel. Are the ladies and gentlemen of divine status ready to proceed to the chamber?

[UglyPanda]

"It appears someone has the right idea. It is not a good night to be sober." Saatyun quickly and methodically scans the area, trying to find what the mortals are hiding from him and making note of anything important (Know Secrets). He walks towards Hadyi Murat with his arms crossed and heads for the chamber.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki stands up, stretching a little bit. The paper flutters in the air, and is suddenly carried away by the wind; Nauki doesn't seem to be particularly bothered that his 'masterpiece' is flying away, though. "Why would anyone send soldiers? That's silly. Is it supposed to be intimidating?" He waves a hand. "Hello! I could take out a platoon within a minute..."

The godling sighs melodramatically, and then grins up at Hadyi Murat, before starting to stroll into the chamber. His Millia plushie, oddly, is following along after him, moving like a marionette.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius


After it was clear that time was going to be taken before the actual event, Montarius would occasionally vanish for a few moments before reappearing again, assuming that it would be understood. The Duty, after all, came first. Lady Shadowtail, however, always kept her eyes open, observing keenly and saying little, save when she and her god would converse quietly in a corner, their privacy assured by Montarius. At last, the last representatives arrived - and one, Montarius noted, with a rather inappropriate display of hubris, though the Binder seemed to have taken care of that. He gave the more elaborately armored figure a pointed, though not necessarily hostile look before turning his gaze to Murat. He waved his hand dismissively with a slight smile at the apology.

Do not trouble yourself over it, Hadyi... if nothing else, I am very, very patient he glanced at the rest of the assembly and gave a quick grin Though I cannot speak for the rest of the us. In any case, My duties are taken care of. If the oracle is ready, you may lead us to her, at least those with the qualifications and the desire to attend.

[GrassyGnoll]

The depth lord did not deign to answer the uppity mortal. Such a gaudy gesture was too foolish to warrant a reply.

Tired of displays and talk of mortals, he makes his way to the temple unaccompanied.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

I welcome the augur, Belariso remarks, his tone curt and polished. It will be refreshing to exchange one misery for another: impatience for what should doubtlessly be displeasing knowledge.

Out of respects to the oracle of dusk, Belariso dims himself to almost mortal levels as he walks forward, tucking his circlet of illuminated gold back into the folds of his soft vest.

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

"What happenedto myfish
He appears at the entrance, hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation.
"Come on,come on,come on,come ooooooooonnnn Something interestingmay finallyhappen

[PsyBlade]

The Saint
As Montarius said, we are patient. He gets up, and pauses. If it is alright with everyone, I shall go last.

If there are no objections, he does just that. If it is clear that it is seen as impolite for a deity to not go before mortals, he is the last deity in.

[NEO|Phyte]

Turalo

Turalo had been watching the proceedings patiently. Zet's arrival and subsequent antics proved a welcome distraction from the less-than-interesting conversation, though he knew better than to encourage him. He nodded to those deities that arrived after him, but was otherwise motionless, until it was indicated that it was time to enter the chamber. Turning to look at Hadyi, he gave a simple reply.
"I am ready."

[PhoeKun]

As the mortals begin arriving, Velia's expression of imperiousness returns. She remains perfectly quiet, silently gliding into the chamber behind some of the other gods...

[MrScary]

Simaeous grins widely, and allows Kaerova and his lady-friend to pass before him. He claps his hand upon the shoulder of Kaerova, squeezing it slightly in a gesture of approval. He could sense the underlying desire the two had for each other, and especially the fact that Kaerova would rather...much rather...be somewhere else, with far different company.

Perhaps, once whatever this business was going to be about was done with, Simaeous would accomodate the lovers...


"All this talk of death, people seem to be forgetting the beginning." he mutters off-handedly. "As anyone with some sense and experience in the world would know...the universe is quite cyclical in nature. For every end, there will be a beginning, which will culminate with another end..."

He winks at the Agiptian delegate. "But let us not dwell on such thoughts, eh? I'm sure we can all thing of more...interesting...things to distract us with."

He begins to sing softly as they enter the chamber...a light hearted little tune...

When a red hot man meets a white hot lady
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
Soon the fire starts raging gets you more than half crazy
Hoop diddy diddy - hoop diddy do
Now they start freaking everywhere you turn
You can't start walking because your feet got burned
It ain't no time to figure wrong from right
Cos' reason's out of the window better hold on tight

[The_Snark]

The sun stood near overhead. Here, it shone upon a small temple. Birdsong is the only sound here; the temple itself is silent. No bells mark the passing of time, no pilgrims enter the doors, and if acolytes tend to the temple, they do so without noise. The country about them is void of people, save one: a girl in simple white clothing, sitting on a waist-high rock. A sturdy wooden walking-stick leans against the rock, as if to testify that she has stopped only to rest, and regard the quiet temple.

I could wish that you had spoken, rather than your sister, the girl muses to herself. I would like to speak of beginnings, and not endings.

But things are as they are. I can always hope that my worries are nothing but a fancy. The girl pulls herself fully up onto the rock, dangling her legs off and looking about her for a few more minutes. Then, finally, she slides off, picking up her stick, and begins to walk in the other direction.

It wouldn't do to be late, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the gods begin to file into the augur's chamber, someone enters through the door, the steady tapping of a walking-stick announcing her presence before she enters. Long grey hair and wrinkled, tanned skin attest to her age, as does the slight stoop in her walk, but the elderly woman still walks without resting too much on the staff. She nods respectfully to the assembled rulers as they wait outside the chamber, her eyes clear of the fog age often brought to the old. What she does not do is cease her steps.

Past the assembled rulers they carry her, the Saint receiving another companionable nod whether he enters before her or stands aside. Without stopping or slowing once, she enters the chamber with the last of the deities. Those with senses more than those of mortals know the Bellkeeper for who she is; those who have walked with her at sunset recognize Siandene's face.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius nodded soberly for a moment, then burst into a wide grin at Simaeous. Even as he did, he took Lady Shadowtail's arm in his own and accompanied the procession with regal bearing into the temple proper.

Of course... the great Ouroboros turns ever on.. Which is part of what I was hinting at earlier He nodded a head towards the mortals, and his smile changed to one of secret knowledge. But they'll have to learn that truth for themselves. I hope they do. Perhaps it will help them relax and enjoy the road they travel, rather than wondering at either end of it.

as she arrived, Montarius gave his sister a particluarly wide smile Good evening, sister... you look well. And impeccable timing, as always.

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun

"Hello Siandene, it is nice to see you"

Saatyun communicates telepathically with Siandene, "I need to speak with you later, keep this a secret."

[The Glyphstone]

Kyrdos

Kyrdos winks at Haydi Murat as he hobbles past the binder, whispering to him, "Don't worry, it's not that big a deal - I'm sure most people will understand."

Whether Murat actually has a secret he's keeping or not, the Miser doesn't know without actively exerting power on the man - not a good time or place to be doing so - but he never misses a chance to psyche out anyone from the Bastion if he could.

[Hairb]

Green Talc returned, dripping wet. "Nauphel has left his realm, and Millia too. They must be gathering."

"Then so must we. Assemble a host."

---
The ground shook as a huge chasm split the earth. A trumpet's blast issued forth as thick fog spilled from the crack. Borne aloft by a towering mountain spirit and followed a wave of misshapen fungus creatures, whirling piles of junk and shambling mounds of dirt and stone, Kael Nog made his entrance to the brightworld.

(Ahem...creative use of Gate, Earthquake, Horn of Fog, Elemental Swarm and the Stoneheart)

"We are here."

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki seems to automatically fall into step beside his mother, hands held behind his head as he walks. The arrival of two of his... colleagues, however, distracts him. As Siandene arrives, his gives another of his infectious grins, and, disregarding all formality, runs at her to lock her into a warm hug. "Siandene!" Any mortal would probably have been flattened by the force of it, and an old woman would have stood no chance... a testament to Siandene's godly nature.

Kael Nog's arrival causes Nauki to shiver, the little godling looking about with slight concern... then, as he sees the deity, he again disregards all formality to charge back out of the temple and attempt another flying tackle hug. Childlike nature is just too much for him.

[braintitan]

Samical is standing before a table performing his skill on the still warm body laying there. Laying his hands on the creatures head he closes his eyes. A wave of black energy courses over the body, covering it in a cocoon of midnight. There is a twitch of the hand and then all is still. Turning to obtain an instrument now that his new toy will not spoil, Samical Stops as he hears the call for his presence at the temple.

Now of all times, she decides to wake up now when I am so close to this new creation to unleash. O well the body will not spoil while I am away I should go see what it is she is wanting to tell us.

With a thought he finishes from his lab. As soon as he is gone the body on the table convulses and stretches out its cocoon then lays still.


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


A black vortex opens in the bed rock of the island. Our of is shoots a six foot tall column of Blood and Carrion insects. The stench of Death and decay accompany it. As the colon dissipates Samical steps forth, clad as always in Heavy black robes that obscure his features. His mismatched , red and green, eyes glow from the shadows of his hood. He carries in his left hand a scythe made of pure midnight onyx. Darkness seems to emanate from him.

With a thought to keeping the peace Samical pulls the darkness close to him, so that it clothes him in ever writhing midnight. If anyone looks closely at the writhing darkness they can see the visages of faces forming and dissipating as they swirl around his body.

Samical moves forward toward the temple. Only glancing at the mortals with a gleam in his eye on the possibilities of what they might become in his bony hands. Moving into the temple he spots Belariso and Montarius. Not wanting to start a War among the gods Samical Takes a seat as far away from both of them as he can get. He acknowledges the two with a nod of his cloaked head and looks around at the other assembled.

[Hairb]

Kael Nog's arrival causes Nauki to shiver, the little godling looking about with slight concern... then, as he sees the deity, he again disregards all formality to charge back out of the temple and attempt another flying tackle hug. Childlike nature is just too much for him.

Kael Nog shrugged off Nauki's greeting, staring up at him with his strange, emotionless eyes. "You are here, and I see even the kings of men gather in this most holy place."

Clambering down from the mighty spirit's shoulder, Kael Nog mused aloud to himself, his original conversation with Nauki now forgotten. "I too must enter the temple as a king" As he approached the ground, the chattering mushroom-creatures pressed close to him, trampling over each each other to be near him. They lifted him above their heads, and carried him triumphantly towards the temple's door. The air was thick with the screech and burble of alien jubilation, and a cloying earthy scent filled the temple. Kael Nog and his entourage took a place next to his old ally Nauphel.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Aha, our absent friends return. It is good that you are here; it is for you, after all, that these meetings are called.

Telepathically, out of hearing of the various dignitaries, he adds a subscript.

I believe that that display was more intended for the political leaders than for you.

He bustles about Aariel, reverentially spreading silver dust around her - and, without warning, she bursts into speech. Hadyi quickly - and somewhat ashamedly - steps back, to listen.


You all, you come at this time - a time of tempest.

Yet the tempests and mortal worries are not to be tempests, lest your hands unmake that which is to come.

Ancient veils that part are being rent even as the clock's hands tick by.

When you say 'it is time'; 'it will be'; 'it has been'; you know not that of which you speak - what time of day is it when there will not be?

If you value - all that is to be valued - guard well what you let through. This is essential.

The prophecy en-

And one hundred blinded eyes cannot be allowed to see - be allowed to see - be allowed to see - beeeeeee ... beeee ... be ... cannot ... see ... cannot see ... cannot see cannot see cannot see cannot see -

With the postscript to the prophecy, Murat had pricked up his ears.

As the black flames around Aariel's edge began to coruscate wildly, throwing off great black stains of withering light that tainted the walls, crumbling them into a fine grey dust, and her speech began to degenerate into a static hiss, devoid of any higher control, he displays an understandably greater interest.

Leaping up, whispering a few words to activate a slew of contingent protections, he dives into the centre of what now is little more than a maelstrom of slowly, lazily spinning monochrome - and looks round with a manic grin.

While I would not presume to order yourselves about, may I settle this myself? Alone?

He grimaces, and turns back to the vortex of positive and negative energy, moving his hands in an extraordinarily complex binding ritual.

This is mostly a flavour matter, what with your ridiculous resistance to nasty stuff, but standing in the room will result in 1d6 positive and 1d6 negative energy damage per turn. Not much, but it's there.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius listened intently to the words of the oracle, his face carefully blank as he ran them over and over again in his mind. At the moment, however, he was more concerned with watching the reactions of the others. His eyes, and those of Lady Shadowtail, seemed to be everywhere at once, carefully gauging the reactions of the others to the words of the prophetess. Though he wasn't sure of their meaning at the moment, he would have time to puzzle them out later. Right now, the key was seeing what the others knew.

As the old man made his request to be left alone - as something was clearly going wrong, he noted - he nodded his approval. He did, however, pull his proxy close against his side, ready to get her to safety should the ritual grow wrong. As for his own safety, he remained unconcerned. He watched silently, still gauging the other's reactions, but also examining the old man's use of energy... for future reference.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

Belariso carves his expressions carefully and deliberately to seem utterly unaffected by the augur's nonsense, and briefly meets his brother's glance when Montarius begins his inspections of the others. The words tumble through his mind like soft pebbles into a pond, rippling out widely.

If ever I meet the One, someone do remind me to instruct it in the virtues of clarity in meaning, phrasing, and the like.

[GrassyGnoll]

Nauphel found this new ritual amusing. "Look, Kael Nog, at the pride of men. It's good to have a friend unbound by such presumptions. Let's watch how he handles the power of the divine."

Despite his belittlements the mortal began to worry Nauphel. If he could tame the Oracle he was worthy of some consideration.

[Yuki Akuma]

[OOC: Amusingly, we're not immune to positive energy damage. Although considering our average HP...]

Nauki stares at the oracle for a while, going over what she said in his head. You can almost hear the gears working in his head as his brilliant mind muses for a moment... "So... things are going to start coming from the other world before the worlds fully realign? I'll look out for them, then..."

He frowns at the maelstrom of energy; his first act is, of course, to make sure none of the nearby mortals are in danger, teleporting them out of danger if need be! His hands move in a flurry of arcane gestures as he erects protective spells... His aura crackles between his hands, sparks of bronze energy arcing along him.

[PsyBlade]

The Saint
The Saint goes into full Guardian mode. He quickly raises a divine shield with intent to herd the mortals out of the place. He decided to trust Murat to do what needed to be done, but The Saint would not leave until things were right. Once all mortals, save the exception, were safe, The Saint redirects his divine shield to protect himself and Murat from the crazy energies. If Murat would need his help, The Saint would lend it. In order to better lend a hand, The Saint focuses on what Murat is doing, so he would need little instruction on how to help.

Divine Shield is used as stated. Making a Spellcraft Check. This is for the unlikely situation that Murat would need help, that The Saint can lend a hand.
[roll0]
So how'd I do on the check?

[DeadlyGrim]

A minor king amidst such powers is barely noticeable at all, especially one that comes alone.

Daoloth Zindrel was a small fish in a very large pond. His two companion golems were absent, though not too far off.

He took his place, near the back of the royal processions.


\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_


"Hail, all! Rhadamanthys sends its finest to honour the augur!"

[I]Ah, keeping up appearances. Bane of mortals and divine powers alike.

"Miria - why this, why now? Rhadamanth and Cerulea..."

The nation of Rhadamanthys has all the tact and subtly of a sledgehammer.

"Regardless, the powers vested in me are enough to deal with this minor blasphemy..."

A trait which seems to be common to the Bastion as well, Daoloth thinks to himself as the chief binder makes the soldiers disappear. Daoloth had never seen Hadyai Murat before, but his reputation preceded him. They say that he has serious claim to being the most powerful mortal in the world and that he could unmake a continent if he put his mind to it. O course, they will say whatever ridiculous things somebody thought up...



\_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_ \_


The augur stalled like a golem that was only partially bound. Poor girl. To be a puppet is quite the horrible fate.

As Hadyai scurries about, being blasted by unbound energy in the chamber, Daoloth turns to one of his fellow rulers. "Delightfully cryptic, wouldn't you say? I wonder if we'll get an interpreter or whether the divine powers and the Bastion will decide to let us fend for ourselves."

[The Glyphstone]

Kyrdos

Kyrdos snaps into action, raising a shield of barely visible divine power to protect - naturally - himself. Thus warded, he settles back to watch the apparent meltdown of the Oracle.

[The_Snark]

Siandene

Siandene returns the greetings of the other gods, staggering back slightly at Nauki's enthusiastic welcome. Her brother receives a nod and a quick smile, and Saatyun another nod, this one with a faintly curious look in her eyes. Nauki receives an affectionate smile, and she ruffles the godling's hair slightly, looking rather like a mortal grandmother. She doesn't speak; this is the Oracle's chamber, and she remains quiet out of respect.

Many of the wrinkles on her face are from laughter and smiles, but the worry lines become apparent as she listens. The news is disquieting to all the gods, of course, because the world was everybody's business. But the Oracle spoke of the things that were her. It was a threat to her, and in large part her responsibility. She weathers the storm of energy without flinching, but backs away a few steps to the edge of the chamber out of respect for Murat's wishes. And there she watches, waiting to see whether the Oracle has more to say, and if Haydi Murat can coax her to say it.

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun

Saatyun quietly watches as the others do whatever it is they're doing. It doesn't seem that bad to him, surely the mortals aren't going to stick around and get hurt. "It's not that bad, I think I'll just wait for it to get worse and heal my wounds later." he thought to himself.

Sure the prophecy was worrying, but being a fairly vague (as well as fairly spiteful) oracle himself, he was trying to gauge how many grains of salt to take with this information.

[Hairb]

"Ahh, the hubris of kings makes beautiful things." he cooed, thinking fondly of the sad and tarnished baubles that filled his storehouse. "Yes. So dearly desired, and so soon cast aside." His coos and chuckles lapsed into interminable gibberings and he gesticulated at the mortal in a strange fashion.

Illiterate
Kael uses his Foresight domain spell-like ability.

[NEO|Phyte]

Turalo

It was... odd. The prophecy seemed to make little sense (to his mind), and the oracle's current state was no better. The first is to be expected in most cases, but the second...

In any event, there was seemingly little reason to remain within the chamber, even without the hostile energies slowly attempting to undo him. He left with as little fanfare as he entered with, though he remained at the temple, both to observe the mortals for a time, and to see what, if anything, his peers had to say before they went their own ways.

[MrScary]

The Sewer appeared to be unconcerned by the ramblings of the prophet. He shrugged his muscular, sculpted shoulders in an uncaring manner and did an about-face, gracefully twirling upon the ball of his right foot.

As he does so he begins humming a tune, and then begins to sing in a falsetto

I'm one card short of a full deck
I'm not quite the shilling
One wave short of a shipwreck
I'm not my usual top billing
I'm coming down with a fever
I'm really out to sea
This kettle is boiling over
I think I'm a banana tree
Oh dear

I'm going slightly mad
I'm going slightly mad.....


He exits the cave, humming the rest of the song.

[GrassyGnoll]

Pegason's interference had ruined the spectacle. "How unsporting. " he grumbled. His combined confidence in the oafs was waning and as such prepared his own abjurations.

Deathward and Foresight domain ability

[wadledo]

Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro

Zet summons a violin and places it on his shoulder, as eitheral music begins to fill the hall.Agnus Dei Mozart Requiem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKW9o_5jw6U&feature=related)
[roll0]

[Illiterate Scribe]

For those still inside

The storm begins to intensify, even as it breaks. Tiny lines of pure negative energy shoot off in either direction, to the edge of your vision, but this bespeaks a less stable whirlpool - it gains, gains, culminating - in nothing. Without a sound, everything is still - the augur reduced to a pool of bubbling energy on the floor, and Hadyi slumped beside it. He's not moving.

For those outside

Kaerova strides forward, towards the divine party. He rapidly, and imperceptibly, sheds his relaxed demeanour for a more serious one - the alcoholic haze that adorned him is slipped off like an overcoat, and replaced by a mantle of alertness. You sense that he is ready to spring into action, as he kneels before you - although the gesture is not entirely a humble one, as he scans across those assembled, looking for someone to address. His glance lands on Simaeous -

My Lord; what happened? I sensed ... a well, I do not know. Was the prophecy delivered? May it be revealed to us gathered here.

The others assembled nod their assent, each one to their own particular favoured deity, inviting them to speak.

The Enkidite Tradesmaster in particular, steps forward, shrugging his greatcoat around his shoulders in an uncharacteristically concerned gesture.

Mistress of stars, Siandene - would I be correct in believing that Dawn has been silent? At the risk of petulance - I hope your divinities excuse me, and I apologise for the base nature of our civilisation - what will be the ramifications of it?

Everyone using their foresight ability (and, indeed, portfolio sense (tingling)) can tell that there is certainly some form of divination disruption at the centre of the vortex - as if everything close to it is zipping away at incredible speeds, beyond even a god's speed of though, into the distance.

Psyblade - You notice that the vortex isn't made out of positive and negative energy, it's being highlighted by them. Another oddity would be the fact that, as your foresight and portfolio sense suggests, this is indeed of the divination school - a sink of knowledge, and change. It does not seem to be affecting the elemental nature of the universe - no effect on earth, air, fire, or water - but it is certainly strange. Furthermore, (and Montarius, looking for this, will see it), Murat's gestures, although complex, have the underlying look of someone trying to grab - and reverse - a spinning plate.

[UglyPanda]

"This is not a good sign." Saatyun walks over to where Hadyi lies and checks to see if he has a pulse. "Belariso, get over here at once"

[PsyBlade]

The Saint's first course of action is to get Haydi's body out of the room, but he'll stay just inside the building enough that no one sees the body. Next he checks on Haydi's condition, administering appropriate healing spells (Cure X Wounds, Heal, True Resurrection) as needed.

ooc: I'll need to know the results of my actions. Then I'll reply appropriately.

[PhoeKun]

Velia sits silently in the chamber and watches the vortex, her expression one of calm detachment. This was certainly an unforeseen series of events, and likewise fair cause for concern, or at least it seems like it should be. It certainly would be, if possibilities like this weren't always on her mind. A threat, of some sort, but to what? Her existence? Her power? Her divinity? Her beauty? Not, at least, to the world itself. More needed to be understood, but The Goddess was never one for research or pondering. What need, when she can be secure in the knowledge that another stronger in the areas will do the work himself? To delve into a mystery herself was a risk. Much better to watch and wait, and to understand before taking action.

Law, even Absolute Law, can never afford to be reckless...

[GrassyGnoll]

In the following silence Nauphel laughs hard and harshly. Somewhere between choking and chuckling it is a hideous noise. "I don't know what's better. Watching that mortal expire or the look on The Saint's face" he chortles. The horrific fits of laughter passing he makes his way out of the temple. Before leaving the Drowned Father looks to the representative from Enki.

Telepathic message to the Tradesmaster:
Know what has transpired here and how fragile kings are. Soon shall come a decisive time for your nation. Either you may comply with my requests and be duly rewarded or see all that your nation has worked for come to nothing. I know well the dominion you seek and by my tendrils would see it granted to you

[wadledo]

Zet looks at his instrument in bemusement as he continues to play.
"Errr, thatnormally doesnot happenwhen Iplay, right
He leaves the violin to play and goes over to the ooze, poking it with a small ceramic cow.
It goes "MooOOO!" when tipped over.

[MrScary]

"Kaerova" Simaeous replies, placing a hand upon the man's shoulder. "Rise, please."

The carefree attitude is gone, replaced with a bit more serious one.

"I sensed it too, though I fear that it was not the prophecy. Let us go back in and see what it happened."

***

Entering the temple, Simaeous is, actually, surprised to find the binder apparently dead and the augur liquified.

"What happened here?" he asks those who remained behind.

He specifically addresses the Saint. "Did the oracle or the binder say anything else?"

[PsyBlade]

Pegason takes a brief moment while casting his spell[s]. They said nothing else. The Saint then continues with his spell[s].

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki is silent, staring at what's left of the Augur and the binder. He's not really quite sure what he should be feeling; he feels upset that the binder is dead, of course, but he also feels an odd sort of detachment about it all. The Dawn turning into a pool of bubbling... whatever certainly confuses him.

He looks up at his mother, confusion evident on his face. "...Moma... what should we do now?"

[Hairb]

Kael Nog's utterances and gesticulations continued, then suddenly, as the corpse vanished, Kael Nog stopped abruptly, with a perplexed look on his face. He hissed a frustrated curse that chilled the blood.

(Kael Nog's Aura switchs to fright, affecting all mortals save his own followers, who are outsiders anyway. All mortals within 600ft become shaken, unless Kael Nog pays any attention to them, in which case they flee for their lives.)

[Illiterate Scribe]

Pegason is busy tending to the body - a body, yes, it's quite dead - surrounded by the various stunned figures, trying to avoid the charred, spitting mess that became of Zet's cow - when, without warning, the body vanishes.

[PsyBlade]

Pegason
The god was shocked. This is one thing he had never experienced. For a few minutes he is in a non-reactive state.

ooc: That means you can't get anything out of him until my next post. If you guys feel like playing with Pegason (tastefully) because of his state, go ahead.

[UglyPanda]

"Pegason, what happened? Not hearing a reply, Saatyun looks at Pegason with disdain. As much as he enjoyed fear, he despised weakness, especially from one appointed by mortals. If that is who they choose to protect them, they have grown too weak themselves.
Saatyun stands up and calmly begins speaking to the others in the room. "Someone has to decide whether or not someone should go outside and tell the mortals what has transpired. Anyone curious should figure out what happened to the body." He then speaks to Montarius using his telepathy. "Did you know this would happen? I really wanted to speak with that man, but I suppose I'll have to settle for the next best thing."

OOC: Lag sucks.

[PhoeKun]

Velia draws Nauki into her arms, and gently holds the godling against her body. Her eyes watch the bubbling pool, and see the binder vanish under Pegason's ministrations, an act which shocks The Saint. She can't help but smirk, but her expression softens when she looks back down at her son.

"Now, my dearest one, we wait. We'll know soon enough what happened here, so for now, don't you worry about it. You can go back to your nap, if you'd like, or go off somewhere to play."

She pauses to release him, and stand back up, making a mental note to keep an extra pair of eyes on him in case there really was something to worry about.

"You know, Sephriel has seemed a little sad these days guarding her gate. I do believe she's starting to miss you..."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius remained calm and collected, looking slowly around at the room and all the gods therein. At Satyuun's words, he gave the barest of nods. With a snap of his fingers he stepped... sideways. The room faded out slightly, taking on a blue-violet cast as activities slowed down. Montarius knew a little something about borders, about edges. It was part of the job. He scanned the place, looking for what he half-expected to find missing... The binder's soul. This is where it should be, on the edge between one reality and the next, just about to cross over, a place where few could travel. It was only Montarius' station that allowed him to be here, his duty as the Guide... And so he looked for the binder's soul, and for answers.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki crosses his arms over his chest. "But waiting is boring! And my mind's too busy to nap! You have to really keep thoughts outta your head to sleep, and it's hard when you're not even meant to be able to..."

The little godling pauses for a moment, and then he gives a little mischievous grin. "Oh, okay! That sounds fun." The boy beams, then squirms out of his mother's grip, raising one hand into the air. "Bye everyone! Call me if something comes up!" His body suddenly transforms into a multitude of brass gears... and explodes. Luckily, the shrapnel is only illusory.

* * *

In another place, beyond the barriers that separate the mortal world from those of the gods, another collection of gears appears, forming into the shape of... well, a young boy, who's suddenly standing there as if nothing of particular note happened. The boy grins slightly to himself, stooping down and pressing his hands against his boots. "Boots, become as a cat's paw." There is a soft, plum-coloured glow, and then, with a snap of his fingers, the godling vanishes from sight.

He then promptly begins to sneak up on the Guardian to Paradise, on his magically quiet boots.

That's a Greater Plane Shift SLA to Velia's realm, then Skill Enhancement to provide a +14 bonus to Move Silently, and then finally Greater Invisibility. Not that I really need to spell it all out and it's entirely for flavour. An entirely flavourful Move Silently check! [roll0]

[GrassyGnoll]

Nauphel's amusement, like many of his emotions gradually did, became tinged with disgust. "How pitiful, a broken god" he grumbled.

Forgetting his diversion he turns to Saatyun, "I for one do not care nor in any good sense could be considered a candidate for such. I'll be taking my leave now."

The kraken lord crept out the temple as silently as he entered. At the cliff's face he took the form of a cresting wave and dived over the edge.

In the Drowned plane a lone kraken waited on her lord's arrival. She had been called for an hour ago and still she lingered in his chasms. A telltale change in the currents hinted that her vigil was at an end.

"Nessela, is it? I was called to an unexpected council. Matters of deities, the death of a king, gloom and doom, the usual."

The celphalopod noble turned to face her master, "My good Father has need of my services, I presume"

"And by right you should presume more, my daughter. It is your Rusalka legions I require. I expect you to keep tabs on every major port in the Bastion; as well as Persi, and Enki. The fey of Persi are to scope the lives and political mood of the smallfolk. In the Bastion a simple list of exports and imports will do, as well as general demands and prices. It is Enki, however, that requires the most scrutiny. I don't want a dockhand being tipped without me knowing of it." The Drowned Father barely blinked at the prospect.

Nessela nodded in approval.

"Oh, and send Admiral Vernes out. The Bastion's cogs are his this week."

[PhoeKun]

Without another word, Velia turns from the room and walks back into the hall where the mortal kings are gathered. It would be interesting to see how they reacted to the news, and equally interesting to see if any knew manners enough to ask her for it...

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Meanwhile, in Velia's realm, a raven-haired beauty in a tight, emerald green vest and pants paces back and forth in front of a massive golden gate, her elegant black wings twitching slightly in irritation. Laughter like falling snow floats into her ears from the other side of the hall.

"What's the matter, Seph? Can't you take a joke?"

"You think it's funny, Nightshadow!? Yes well, laugh it up, Mr. Flavor of the Month. We'll see how funny you think it all is when you fall from Her favor and wind up on the other side of that G-"

Suddenly, she stops, wings snapping to full, rigid extension as her sword is drawn in a flash of movement. She looks around, at once sure and unsure she heard a noise. All seems quiet, except for the soft chuckling of Darsha, but even so, she's certain she heard a foot step...

Listen: [roll0]

[Yuki Akuma]

Very suddenly, a plushie appears before the guardians. A Millia plushie... how starnge. The plush toy jumps up and down, as if alive, to get the guardians' attention... and then promptly holds up a sign proudly proclaiming: "Hi! I'm a distraction!"

And that is when Nauki strikes! Or, well, pounces, in an attempt to either bowl the winged guardian over or at least latch on and hug tight. He becomes visible as he does this, even though the spell could have easily lasted... oooh, three whole minutes.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

Belariso motions to say something as his brother leaves, but finds himself chatting with thin air. Disgruntled but composed, the Kingmaker doesn't bat an eye as other gods begin to leave and then, shrugging, walks outside to the enclave of mortal dignitaries.

It would seem that the Binder is now dead beyond even our ability to repair, and that the augur is, for lack of a better term, a sizzling puddle of potential. She was cryptic, and now she is bubbly. Such a strange world, isn't it?

Belariso tries his best to position himself just to the side of the gathering's center, his usual position. He flexes his fingers and the glistening white wood of the Sancrozier appears in his clutches.

[wadledo]

Zet ponders the predicament of his cow, and then pokes Kael Nog in the shoulder, asking him for a crystal from as deep in the earth as they can possibly be found.
Or if it won't be given, where he could find one quickly.

[Hairb]

Zet ponders the predicament of his cow, and then pokes Kael Nog in the shoulder, asking him for a crystal from as deep in the earth as they can possibly be found.
Or if it won't be given, where he could find one quickly.

"Of course, of course. Expect a visit." Borne aloft on a sea of his followers, Kael Nog swept out of the temple, rejoining the mass of servitors waiting outside. With another blast from his Horn of Fog, they filed back into the chasm and out of sight.

Back in his home realm, Kael Nog sent out a party searching for a crystal matching Zet's specifications, and began assembling a group of his most rambunctious assistants: Manymouths, Chaggrins, Raggamoffyns, one particularly ancient and vile Xorn and a few of the most impetous Stone Spikes. At the head of this bizarre formation was the Taliss Ogg Rhan.

[The_Snark]

Siandene

The goddess nods, feeling the temptation to rest on the staff more heavily than she usually would. To wear mortal flesh meant accepting some of its drawbacks. She felt it helped keep things in perspective for her. "Aariel's sister is still silent. I have suspicions that she will be less silent a week from now, but everything may be different then."

"She warned us that the joining was beginning, and to be wary of what we allowed to come through. At the end, she started to say something else, and simply... stopped." She glances to Belariso as he gives the most recent news; she had, of course, heard everything that went on in the chamber, but that wasn't as good as seeing. "Either something went wrong, and Haydi Murat was unable to stop it, or she was simply... no longer needed." She shrugs; the plans of the One were rarely clear even to her. And she tried not to look ahead too much; there was always the danger she would misunderstand, and try to change things, and bring about more harm than the events she changed would have. "If you would like," she offers to the rulers, "I will give you her words exactly. Perhaps they were not meant for you, but this is your world too."

[The Glyphstone]

"Interesting..."

Kyrdos wanders forward to inspect the bubbling augur-goo more closely - then, pulls a glass bottle out of his threadbare pockets and tries to capture some of the liquid inside for later examination.

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun sits down and stares blankly at a random spot on the wall for a few seconds. Whispering to himself, he says, "What I truly desire is some good drink and something to drink it with.". Before him appears two wine cups and a bottle of good wine. He opens the bottle, pours some for himself, and begins to slowly sip.



OOC: Wish spell-like-ability.

[PsyBlade]

The Saint
Pegason gets up. There is something I must do. With that, he leaves for his realm.

He sits down and begins performing a ritual.

His 'Vow of Purity' requires him to do this to keep its benefits. Downside of vows, but I think they're worth it.

[PhoeKun]

Velia's gaze shifts between Belariso and Siandene, the latter in particular, to glean what she can about their understanding of the situation and compare it to her own. She does not speak. Her voice is a blessing, and the mortals have yet to ask for it...



_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sephriel glares suspiciously at the doll for a second, then raises her sword and whirls around a half second too late to avoid being bowled over by Nauki. Her rapier clatters to the ground, and she reaches for it desperately until in a moment of shock she realizes exactly what is happening.

"L-lord Nauki!" she stammers, voice shaking with a mixture of different emotions.

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun

Saatyun stands up and approaches the chamber's exit, carrying his cup of wine.

He taps his mother on the shoulder and speaks to her mentally. One of my servants wishes to enter your realm to discuss business with the one in charge of your dungeons. He insisted on obtaining permission from you.

He looks at the mortals, and finds the one he has business with. He connects his mind to Daoloth, and begins communication in a deeper tone than what he uses with his peers. "A man must carry the burden of many hardships to grow. Without pain and suffering, one is but a child yearning for his mother's milk."

[Yuki Akuma]

The God of Joy grins broadly up at the Brachnia in his grasp. "Awww, were you going to stab me?" He pouts a little bit. [color=plum]"You might've damaged your sword!"

Nauki suddenly leaps off the devil, landing almost saintily in front of her. He stoops down, picking up her sword and looking over it. "How come momma hasn't given you a better sword? Cold iron isn't so hard to enhance that you have to settle for this..."

The plushie, meanwhile, is standing where it is, looking between Nauki and Saphriel. Unlike earlier, the plushie isn't moving like a puppet; in fact, its glass eyes show a glimmer of intelligence. It's slightly creepy, honestly. It doesn't even have any moving parts.

I'm going to say that Soul of Clockwork has the side effect of permanently animating objects affected by animate objects, just to avoid confusion. >.>

[PhoeKun]

"As well he should, Saatyun. You may tell him he has my permission."

Velia watches her elder son with a sense of satisfaction and pride. So very unlike his brother... and that is exactly what she wants him to be.


_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sephriel stands slowly and dusts herself off, regarding Nauki cautiously and refusing to look directly at him.

"I-I... no, I would never..." She seems flustered. Upset, and at the same time afraid to be. "Any sword my Lady sees fit to give me is enough to satisfy my heart..."

Her body language becomes meek, and her face flushes red as she shifts about sheepishly.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki giggles a little bit. "Awww. That's sweet. I'm still gonna make your sword better, but that's really sweet!" He beams at the devil, giving her one of his very genuine smiles. Smiles that are nearly supernatural in their genuine..ness, in fact.

He darts closer to Sephriel, then snatches the scabbard for her rapier, sheathing the sword neatly and then grinning up at her. "Anyway! Let's go play!" He giggles a bit, still smiling infectiously. "Mil-plush can guard the gate while you're gone, honest."

The plushie holds up a sign which says "I am a guardian! Fear me! Rawr!"

[wadledo]

Zet appears in front of Siandene with a flourish, arms wide and hat in hand.
"Hearken, forI havewords ofthe rhymingvariety
Ethem!


I know the thing that's most uncommon;
(Envy be silent, and attend!)
I know a reasonable woman,
Handsome and witty, yet a friend.

Not warp'd by passion, awed by rumour,
Not grave through pride, or gay through folly;
An equal mixture of good-humour,
And sensible soft melancholy.

"Has she no faults then?" (Say's the envious cur)
Yes, she has one, I must aver;
When all the world conspires to praise her,
The woman's deaf, and does not hear!

Zet bows, then plucks a hair from Siandene's head.
"My prize,good lady,if youpermit
He then flips backward and vanishes, a manic grin on his face as he goes to find his next victim.
Using combination of Irresistible Performance, Perform(song) [roll0], a Touch Attack [roll1], Bluff [roll2], and Tumble [roll3].

[PhoeKun]

Sephriel finds herself smiling back at Nauki much to her surprise. No matter what, it had to be said for the little guy that he rubbed off on people, and it was suddenly easier to understand why people said his mother had softened somewhat since he was born. Still...

She looks incredulously at the doll, more than a little hesitant to leave it at her post. Still, what could she do? He had her sword. At least... that would be her excuse. She glares across the room at Darsha, silently warning him not to say anything, then gives the Millia doll one last look over before shrugging, trying to regain some sense of composure.

"All right then, Lord Nauki. Lead the way."

"Aw... how cute."

"Shut. Up."

[Illiterate Scribe]

Montarius, in his search for the soul of the binder, fairly quickly finds it. It is in the possession, unsurprisingly, of the vestige that Murat had bound at the time - one self-styled 'Rossignol the Occluded', a patron of occult and hidden knowledge - evidently the man had passed on his eternal remains to this being in order to express gratitude for services rendered. Rossignol was currently bound to an animist in a minor mercenary party in the hills north of Cerulea, but within easy contact.

Kyrdos experiences some difficulty in scooping up the augur - it is almost if she - or whatever remains of her consciousness - is actually resisting any sort of containment. When he finally manages to isolate a small portion in the vial, the rest somehow evaporates - not to somewhere else, but it's quintessential nature seems now to be inside the bottle. The Bastion are unlikely to appreciate this act.

Meanwhile, over in Citta de Persi

Millia, slightly bedraggled from her nautical journey, surfaces by the city's docks, and is watched rise up out of the water by one of the (utterly empty) dock's constables. He doesn't bat an eyelid.

It takes resources unknown to but a hundred in one Persi to requisition aquatic travel. Who graces our shores with their fair presence?


Aah, divine family life. :smallsmile:

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki grins broadly at Darsha a little bit, then takes Sephriel's hand. He then promptly opens the gate to Paradise with a vague wave of his hand; no physical contact for him! And then he leads the devil inside, leaving the Milli-plush staring up at Darsha with its glass eyes.

Nauki hums idly to himself as he strolls into Paradise, guardian in tow. "What to play, what to play..." He hmms to himself lightly. "Do you have any ideas, Sephy?"

[The_Snark]

Siandene

Siandene looks faintly surprised at Zet's appearance, and listens with a slight smile that is barely self-conscious—and then only because of the mortals. Old age does have its advantages, and an inability to blush is one of them. She lets him snatch the strand of hair without protest.

"It is very kind of you to say so, Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro," she replies as he vanishes, the smile growing. "Unfortunately, I am afraid I must take my leave of you all now; I have a great deal to prepare for this week. Farewell, and do not quarrel." With a nod to all those gathered, both mortal and divine, she begins to walk out the temple door, wooden staff tapping lightly on the stone.

[GrassyGnoll]

"Hiya mister dock chief. My name's Millia. My daddy sent me to speak with some important peoples. He's really interested in starting some human-it-ar-ian projects", the little girl cheerfully answers, "I don't know why, humans taste icky. Could you tell me how to get to the royal palace?"

Changed color from magenta to plum, in the interest of ocular comfort

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius flicked himself through the Aether with barely a thought, sending a telepathic message to the Lady to convey his apologies to the others, particularly his brother and sister, for his hasty departure... He approached the mercenary band, still invisible and intangible, and began to speak, not to to the mercenary but to the half-living thing bound within... the vestige of a creature lost from all true reality.

Rossingol the Occluded, I presume? You are in possession of a mortal's soul, bequeathed to you and but recently passed on. I need to speak with him on a matter of gravest import. If you would be so kind, release him to me for a time that I might question him, or else if you are possessed of his knowledge, perhaps you could answer my questions yourself.

[UglyPanda]

Saatyun, now feeling unneeded, quickly fades out of the temple and reappears in his study. He sees another pile of work has appeared on his desk and the other piles have become slightly larger. He looks at the new pile and sees that it's composed of literature that he is supposed to critique. It was obvious that artists drew their inspiration from tragedy, but it was exhausting to read pages and pages of horrid prose. Saatyun hoped that there would never be a way for uneducated fools to spread their awful writing worldwide.

After several minutes of extremely rapid reading and editing, he switched his focus to the pile concerning internal affairs and, after reading the third scroll, realized he could solve two problems at the same time. He wrote a long letter addressed to his mother and sealed it with his sigil ring. He placed it on a tray to be sent to one of his assistants, along with a list of other things for Caine to bring with him on his trip.

The first page of the letter to his mother: The story of Caine the Devoted Even for one of my servants, Caine is more than a little insane. In life, he wasn't a very good man, but he believed in order and was a staunch believer in your teachings. To prove his devotion to you, he had multiple marks of justice inscribed on his body, each one circular and each one seeming to connect to the previous one. As a result, his body appeared to be covered in magical chains which would punish him if he strayed too far from your teachings. His willingness to follow orders and his strong spirit caused him to quickly become an officer in the military. His wealth and power some helped him to find a wife he loved unconditionally.
One day he found his wife in bed with another man. In anger, he killed her and the man she cheated on him with using a timber axe. Feeling that his devotion to the god of marriage had not helped his own, he feared that he had somehow angered you and wished to end it all before his wife's death caused him to be punished further. In desperation, he walked into the river in full armor while chained to a large rock. While his soul considered your realm, his suicide and belief he had offended his patron had instead landed his soul within my own realm.
It was some time before he allowed himself to be revived and turned into one of my trusted servants. This did not heal his heart or mind and he had more marks of justice to his body, binding him instead to my teachings. He is still highly devoted to you and while I wish for Caine to be my ambassador to your realm, he feels he has offended you and wished for permission to enter.

[NEO|Phyte]

Seeing that the other deities were beginning to disperse, Turalo followed suit, vanishing in a puff of elements and arriving at the base of the large mountain within his realm. He strode forward, traveling not up the mountain, but into it. His first act upon reaching his personal caverns was to smooth out one of the walls, then change the rock itself to glistening mithral, recording the words of the augur. He then went about his usual activities, going over the event in his head as he worked.

[Hairb]

Upon receipt of the crystal, Kael Nog entrusted it to the care of the Taliss Ogg Rhan.
"Zet will receive this with my blessings. It will not fall into the hands of any of his... underlings. You will not return until he has received it."
Gesturing with a claw-like hand, he tore open a hole in the still cavern air, forming a gate to Zet's realm. Holding it open with the tiniest of efforts, he called forth the spirit of one of his deceased followers. The zealot wizard Pryn'ul, once one of the mightiest mortal practitioners of magic, appeared before him. Kael Nog whispered an order into the mad mage's mind and sent him off to work.

(OOC: Pryn'ul was a lvl 11 wizard.)

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

The Kingmaker disappears in a flash of sunlight, traversing the invisible gap between the mortal world and the divine to emerge on his aerie. He sheds his mortal skin quickly: now he's an outline of sun, clad in prismatic cloth. He sets his hands behind him and strides towards his keep, then pauses as he perceives the distant sound of laughter.

My dear ladies, I hope you'll not find it rude of me to ask your presence.

The laughter stifles slowly and three women appear in a rush of air, winged and crowned and clothed in silk. They stand about Belariso in a triangle, each mirroring the motions of the others, all three apparently waiting for their lord to make the first move.


I need to speak with the whole family. Regina, if you'd be so kind as to fetch my sister and Empress, my brother--yes, I know the valkyries irk you. No, I don't care if they're blond floozies. Just go fetch him. And be kind about it.

Two very disgruntled angels disappear, leaving only the tallest of the three of them, dressed in dark pink silk. She pops an eyebrow and then gestures towards the great, white-wood keep, leading the way

We've much work to do, Czarina. If you'd be so good as to collect the rest of the retainers--Vakira, Noa, the Chancellor.

***

A traveler descends unto the Road: the blue-clad angel named Regina. She seems more serene without the haughty influences of the other two, humbler and happy to indulge in the simplicity of the Road.

"Siandene?"

***

Empress emerges from the light into the darkness: Montarius' realm, caught in eternal twilight. She approaches the hall with a measure of visible disdain, and cringes when the valkyries turn their eyes to her entrance. Montarius is away at the moment, they tell her, and she sees the whispers starting already. With as much ceremony and dignity as she can bring to bear, she takes a seat at the table and pronounces her intentions slowly:

"I'll wait."

[wadledo]

"Two parts done,
Yet shall be one.

How many more
shall be born?

I do not know
To greed I go."

Zet appears in Saatyun's study, very chipper and happy as always to see someone so gloomy.
"Hey, couldI borrowsomething ofyours
He shuffles through a couple papers, looking happily dazed.
"Almost anythingwill work,it justhas tohave someof youressence init
He beams Saat a smile,
"And Iwill oweyou afavor

If it matters: Diplomacy [roll0]

And finally found my divine realm, after riping off Neil Gaiman's Interworld: From the accounts of Jay Blackbird, elven planer explorer as he traveled with the god Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro to his realm after being saved from falling through a cloud city:

We halted in mid-air and the clouds parted, leaving me standing on a violently green pathway that lead into infinity.
My savior, the god Zetetputwrirrrrzrrro, stood on a pink strip that went parallel to mine, sometimes going over, sometimes under, which also lead to infinity, and the lack of horizon and skyline brought me to my knee's as I vomited over the side.
Under me, as I watched my dinner fall forever, were countless geometric shapes, showing sometimes eight, sometimes four hundred and seven, sometimes one side, darting from here to there in seemingly random patterns.
I could not tell what they were made of, though if I had to hazard a guess I would say orange, as that was what seemed to come from them, and as several floated upward passed me, I gently touch one.
If felt like wet burlap, and gently clung to my finger.
"Where are we?" I asked Zet as he looked into a giant eye that opened wider and wider until it ultimately came back around and blinked itself closed.
"My realm, he said with half a thought, dodging a shape that came crashing into what looked like a pool of mercury at a 45 degree angle to my walkway, though it had the color of the deep sea and smelled of rosemary.
All around us these things happened, and as I looked closely I could see that there were other figures like us in the midst of this chaos, dancing and playing in the terrible crowded emptiness.
Just then I noticed how loud the barrage that was assaulting my senses was, the smell of fresh cut wood combining with carmel and burning hair and decay and my wife's favorite perfume and so many other things, along with sound layered upon sound, so many I swear my ears would burst after a few moments.
Eventually the madness seemed to die down, though I felt that if I could just listen for a while I would make some sense out of the noise and learn something vastly important.
As I watched a quicksilver tower seemed to build itself up over me and then come crashing down, only to repeat the process over again.
"Did you make all this?" I ask my host floating several feet above my head, having a staring contest with something that resembled a crocodile made of beets.
"I wastold notto makeanything tilla certainsomeone diedin acertain way,and Iwill notcreate untilthen
"Can we go now?" My head was beginning to pound, and the colors were starting to taste purple and sound like g flat.
"Certainly
With that we left his realm, and I found myself infront of my home, holding a dozen roses and a small blue blanket.
The cry of a newborn sounded out from inside as I heard the wind whisper "Say helloto theboy forme
I ran inside, pondering where the nearest temple of Zet was and how much I needed a vacation.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Persi

The constable is slightly confused at Millia's speech, stumbling as he tries to ascertain the meaning of what she just said.

... er ... well, you just said ... you would be with the Erdzheni relief effort, yes? In that case, I apologise for my former lack of courtesy, milady. Follow me to the royal complex, if you will.

He snaps an odd military salute, and then smartly walks off into the town.

In the head of Xom, Persi binder

Rossignol's voice is odd, not seeming to be a voice at all, but merely part of the ambient sounds of the world. He speaks, slowly, susurrantly:

Montarius. I. Appreciate. That. You. Wish. To. Speak. With. My. Servant.

I. Would. Grant. Even. To. A. Demanding. God. The. Essence. Of. A. Servant. Should. Circumstances. Demand. Yet. There. Is. A. Complication.

Another. Seeks. Murat. Out.

How. Shall. I. Choose. Who?

[UglyPanda]

"If I give you something, will you leave me alone and never enter my realm uninvited ever again?" Saatyun asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Saatyun bites off a piece of fingernail and gives it to Zet. "Now go away, I don't have the time."

[GrassyGnoll]

"Hee, hee, you're silly", Millia loops her arm around the constable's, "So, what's the king like? Does he like scallops?"

__________

In his abyss Nauphel prepared his next contrivances. Enki would require conditioning before it agreed to his terms. Out of the inky blackness the kraken lord crafted a message, one for Tradesmaster Mithen.

In the safety of En-Lil, Mithen listened to the petitioning of guild masters and captains. The droning of a particularly verbose supplicant caused the Tradesmaster to slip into a brief daydream. All his unseen observer needed.

Caught in his own dreamscape, the mortal found himself in a raft amid calm waters. A welcome reprieve from his courtly duties, Mithen reclined in the boat. It was a darkening beyond his eyelids, however, that warned him of the approaching tempest. In an instant the Tradesmaster found himself tossed about on a restless sea.

Beneath a frigid shower and cresting wave the man was thrown out of his vessel. His old body could not pull itself topside let alone tell which direction it was in. After nearly a minute of frantic thrashing Mithen reached the surface. In an instant his deliverance became a damnation. The ocean's top was solid as glass. Amid the raging brine Mithen's eyes could make a figure out above him, an amorphous horror creeping above the waves.

"I appreciate your nation's dealings, Tradesmaster. In time I could even bring its dreams to fruition. Today I deliver warning, but in a moon's turn I will grant your people a tremendous gift. To deny it would doom many of your countrymen to a similar fate as this.

As quickly as it came the dream subsided. The Tradesmaster found himself back in his palace. The petitioner's buzzing continued. With all eyes on the tiresome appellant it was easier for Mithen to conceal his shaking.

Some combination of Nightmare and Greater Scrying

[MrScary]

Simaeous commits to memory the words of the oracle, and then turns to exit the cave.

"It would seem that the oracle has returned to the stuff she was created from, the essence of the planes themselves." he says offhandedly to nobody in particular.

Reaching the outside, he touches one of the vines, and in a moment, he seems to be absorbed into the plant and disappears.

****
There was something in the woods, something unnatural. It had already claimed the lives of several of the region's most prestigous monster slayers. This beast was crafty, intelligent, and extremely lethal. It had decimated a handfull of logging camps, giving the Erdzhene Tezh lumber industry a mild case of indigestion.

A quiet call had gone out from Erdzhene Tezh. Of course, they couldn't outright show its weakness by asking for aid from any of its "children", thus the need for discretion and secrecy were of the utmost paramount.

Shala had landed in Erdzhene Tezh as a representive of The People to the Erdzhene Tezh government. The People were kin to the Agiptians, but as The Council of Elders had taken a "hands off" approach, The People developed into their own "state", that while technically part of Agipt, was definitely different in its culture.

The People were eater to find a market for an exotic olive that had been discovered recently. The People and The Council of Elders were working together to secure the necessary trade contracts. Shala had been elected to be the representative of The People, as the chieftains and shamans felt that this could be an opportunity to help protect/fund their way of life and culture.

Shala had not been to Erdzhene Tezh before, but had heard of their wondrous architectural marvels. This did not interest her so much, though, as their grandios forests. She had wondered if they would have any of the same trees as the ones near her village, and how expansive these forests really were.

The Erdzhene Tezh diplomat was a shrewd and experienced man who was almost always an excellent judge of character. One look at Shala and he knew that she was just the type of "warrior" that his people needed.

Approaching her with polite conversation about her and her background, the diplomat felt comfortable eventually broaching the subject of hunting...specifically the hunting of destructive beasts.

Shala regailed the diplomat with stories from her past, passionately spinning harrowing tales of near-fatal encounters with legendary creatures that had threatened her People.

The diplomat asked if she would be agreeable to help him and his people with a problem, and explained the situation.

Expecting her to readily agree and jump at the chance, he was very surprised when Shala countered with some steep demands relating to the olive trade mission.

She was no fool, and knew that the Erdzhene Tezh relied on wood as one of the foundations of their economy, so any disruption, even minor ones, were important to "fix" and to fix quickly.

For half a day, Shala and the diplomat negotiated back and forth, proposing offer and counter-offer, until finally they reached a profitible agrement for all sides (though, truth be told, one that was more favorable to The People than to Erdzhene Tezh).

All the while, the Agiptian diplomat had been nearly speechless, so amazed and impressed he was by Shala's skill.

***
For five days she tracked it, following its zig-zagging trail across a vast forest. Finally, she had found its lair, a large tree that had a hollowed out den in at the base.

It was no surprise that the "creature" was attacking the logging camps: they were a concentrated source of food for it. This thing, Shala learned, was no living creature. No, it was some bizarre nauseating mound of stinking flesh that gorged itself on living creatures.

From within its den she came, whirling and twirling, her voice singing the battle chant of The People:

Down from the sky
Into the fight
Hearts full of rage
Full of thunder and glory
Swords in the wind
Crossing the sky
Lords of doom
Bring an end to their story

I will send into the ground
All that are found
By the sign of the hammer falling
Yes Heathens will fall
I will strike down them all
Then you will know my calling

Bravery calls my name
In the sound of the wind in the night
My sword will drink blood
And I will fight
Yes I will fight
In the dawn of battle

When they see us
they will run for their lives
To the end they will
pay for their lies
Here once again
there's a battle to fight
Gather together for the
sound and the might


It was an amazing challenge, for never had Shala fought such a bizarre creature. Try as it might it could not grab hold of her, and try as she might, all she could do was to "whittle" away at the foul thing.

Finally the battle was won, and the warrioress sat hard upon the ground, heaving deeply, her ample bosom rising and falling with each deep breath.

The sound of...clapping...echoed in the now quiet forest. In an instant she was on her feet, eyes scanning the surrounding woods.

"Your performance was...amazingly arousing...on so many levels, my dearest." Simaeous said as he stepped forth from within a nearby tree.

"I am happy that I please you, Simaeous." Shala replied, with a playful smile upon her lips. "Though you could have lent a hand." she chided her lover.

"But you wouldn't have worked up such a wonderful sweat, my darling Shala." he said, running a finger down her sweaty upper arm, tracing her muscles down to her fingertips. He placed his hand into hers, interlocking his fingers with hers. She shuddered slightly, his touch was intoxicating.

"Something or someone is coming, Shala."

"I hear nobody..."

"No, silly." he smiled back as he touched her cheek with his free hand. "Not now. I have received an...omen...from an oracle.

You all, you come at this time - a time of tempest.

Yet the tempests and mortal worries are not to be tempests, lest your hands unmake that which is to come.

Ancient veils that part are being rent even as the clock's hands tick by.

When you say 'it is time'; 'it will be'; 'it has been'; you know not that of which you speak - what time of day is it when there will not be?

If you value - all that is to be valued - guard well what you let through. This is essential.

The prophecy en-

And one hundred blinded eyes cannot be allowed to see - be allowed to see - be allowed to see - beeeeeee ... beeee ... be ... cannot ... see ... cannot see ... cannot see cannot see cannot see cannot see -

"Typical shaman, weaving word knots that none can untalgle." she says with disdain.

"We must be on our guard, the world may know when it has arrived sooner than even we do. Nature has a way of trying to preserve itself. We must be vigilent about reading those signs."

She nods.

"The guardians can be our eyes and ears." she says, to which Simaeous nods in agreement.

"Do you require...anything...else....lord?" she asks, a mischevious sparkle in her eye.

The god moves in closer, his hand unlocking from hers and wrapping around the small of her back, pressing her close to his body. Their lips meet in a deep, sensual, passionate embrace. In a blink, the pair is gone....

[wadledo]

"Not aproblem
Zet grabs the clipping and puts it with Siandene's hair.
"Say helloto Mefor me
He fades from view, tipping feathered hat to the annoyed god.

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

"Hey?"
"Yea."
"Why are we all walking?"
"Because your to stupid to fly on your own, and your feathers smell."
"No, I mean why are we doing all of this in the first place?"
"Because it's easier to live with him than not live at all.
*hand gesture*
"Just shut up you demon born water-spawn."

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

A small Zet watches the pair from atop a knot of wood, frowning at the injustice of it all.
"Damn, Inever getany
He kicks at a piece of bark.
"I amthe godof freakingsong anddance, youwould thinkI wouldget itmore thanonce adecade
Mini-Zet tips back and kicks out his feet, pulling his top hat over his eyes.
"And whatis thedeal withall mykids I wouldthink thatI wouldshoot alot moreblanks thanthat
The whirlwind gently strokes his chin, pondering.
"Though, sincechaos seemsto workin apaticular way,would thatmean thatuntil Inext havethis conversationwith myself,I willnot sireanymore children
He sighs and fades away again, putting Simaeous at the bottom of his list.

[UglyPanda]

Page two of Saatyun's very long letter to his mother:
By the way, have you seen my favorite quill pen? It's dark red, ten inches long, and radiates a destructive aura stronger than that of a pit devil. I already have a replacement and I don't mind if it gets into mortal hands, but I want you to be on the lookout for it. It's a very good pen and it's enchanted to give its user ideas and advice on writing. In the hands of one of my followers or myself it works perfectly fine, but when anyone else uses it, things happen which disrupt the peace. The first time a mortal used it he became a rather good writer, achieving fame and fortune. A few months later he started locking himself in his house spending days writing at a time. He started becoming obsessed with writing, using the walls as parchment, and his own blood and excrement as ink. He eventually died of exhaustion after spending a week writing without eating, sleeping or drinking. This happened to be the sanest reaction out of the twelve I've discovered so far. The mortician stole the quill and [the following three paragraphs have been censored for the well-being of human minds and stomachs] aren't even sure where he managed to get enough skin. I had been keeping the pen on my person ever since, but I appear to have lost it again. The last time I remember using it was three weeks ago. I'm sure it will turn up eventually.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius


The god pondered for a moment, choosing his words with care I do not demand this of you... I but ask. To give the information or not to do so is, of course, your perogative. However, can you tell me what claim this other has to the soul, or to the information it posseses? I ask as part of my appointed task, and perhaps for the fate of the world itself, not for my own satisfaction. His soul belongs to you, for such was his choice, and I do not dispute your claim. I need only to question it, or to access information he held.

[PhoeKun]

Velia wastes no more time at the gathering. Without a word, to mortal or immortal, she summons her gate and steps through to her realm, the doors closing rapidly behind her. She appears two steps from her throne, and seats herself on it before happening to glance at the Millia plushie guarding the gate to Paradise. She looks inquisitively over to Darsha, who bows.

"Goddess, I am afraid the Guardian of Paradise is... out to lunch, shall we say. With a distinguished gentlemen caller."

Velia simply smiles.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"S-Sephy?"

The Brachina seems taken aback by the new pet name, but seems to recover reasonably quickly.

"Er... well, no my Lord, I'm afraid I'm not much for games when you're not around. Why not let Paradise inspire you?" She gestures to the doors that can be seen appearing and disappearing in the fields. "Open one, and see what it is you desire..."

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki's head tilts slowly to one side. He then nods, grinning and running over to a random door! He places his hand on the nob, then turns, opening it to find... "Oooh! i know this game!" Well, of course he would. "Yeah, this game is fun. They play it in Bastion..." He produces a wooden board from the door, laying it down on the floor. He then pulls out game pieces; ebony and ivory, carved in several different shapes. "It's... meant to represent war or something? You get these pieces that're supposed to be wizards and soldiers and stuff, and you put them on the board..." And off Nauki goes, explaining the rules to a game that's oddly similar to chess...

* * *

Meanwhile, the Milli-plush looks up at Velia. She tilts her head to one side, then holds up a sign: "Hello. Can you tell Nauki to give me a mouth some time please?"

[Hairb]

With a shattering rumble and a burst of foul-smelling vapors, Kael Nog emerged from the earth between Montarius and Rossignol.
I crave a word, Rossignol.

[Illiterate Scribe]

In the head of Xom, Persi binder

The spiral of words that represent Rossignol's incarnate nature expands slightly, as if to acknowledge the presence of Kael.

Montarius. Your. 'Other'. Is. Here.

Also. You. Seek. To. Question?

Occlusion. Is. My. Nature.

But. Even. Nature. Can. Be. Overriden.

What? Could? Murat's? Life? Be? Worth? To? You?

Outside the Persi Royal Palace (OK, it's a hut)

The constable walks up to the door of one of the largest of the wooden buildings - it's simple, but nonetheless bears a more refined look to it. A pair of greatcoated labourers are hauling a huge metallically-clanking crate labelled 'food' next to the entrance. The officer bows smartly to Millia.

While those of noble blood are ever welcome here, I must see the king first on an urgent matter. I apologise for the inclement whether; would you wish that I brought out some furs, for your comfort?


OoC - Damn, I've been losing tons of posts today. :smallfrown:

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

The Kingmaker sits at council with no one in particular, alone save for Czarina. The angel sighs lightly as she speaks with a voice like an echoed whisper:

"Neither of my sisters have found either hide nor hair of your own kin."

Belariso shrugs as the shadowed form of the Chancellor glides into the room and sets itself at his master's side, as groomed as ever.

Keep the lantern out, Belariso says simply as he stands and offers his chair to the Chancellor. The shadow takes it with all the indications of polite society and settles stiffly into place.
If they're busy then I intend to be as well.

***

A sound like knocking, soft and tuned, rose in Velia's chamber. Beside her nearest servant--presumably, Darsha--there appears a great piece of handsome parchment, linen threaded throughout with gold.

If you'd be so kind as to grant me a brief audience, the letter said, inked in bright, glossy black letters, inhumanly curved, I'd ask your audience.

-Belariso

The parchment hangs midair, spinning slowly, and the knocking ceases after three swift sounds.

[UglyPanda]

A gate opens within Velia's realm. Out of it walks Caine, one of Saatyun's favored servants. He is clad in full armor but carries a white flag in his left hand. He turns towards the gate, walks backwards while still staring at the gate while a horse-drawn carriage and two wagons move through it.

Caine turns again and moves a few feet away from his entourage. Being here is making him rather nervous, it was his master's request that he be here, so he did not allow himself to show an ounce of fear. He plants the flag firmly in the ground and shouts his greeting. "I am Caine, devoted servant of Lord Saatyun! I am here to conduct two pieces of important business. First I am to deliver a letter and some valuable cargo to my master's mother, Queen Velia the Fair. Then I am to speak to Darsha Nightshadow, the keeper of the Abyss." Caine quickly realized that he would have preferred to do the tasks in the opposite order.

-----

In a room at an inn in Ithiel, a man in white armor is washing his face as he prepares to rest. He has had a busy day, even having to stop a fight from breaking out in the middle of the tavern. He takes off his ring and places it on a string to tie around his neck. While he trusted the inn's owner, he didn't trust the other residents. He closes his eyes to rest, unaware of the plans the Lord of Tears has in store for him.

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Still speaking to the vestige, Montarius nodded.

Yes... that is the mark of thinking creatures, that choice can override nature. Choice, as always, is key. It is not Murat's life that I seek - That was his own, and he spent it as was his choice. But there are questions he left unanswered regarding recent events that may hold information of importance. I wish to question him concerning said events.

As for giving... are you asking a price in return for your cooperation?

He turned his gaze to his fellow divinity, giving a small not of recognition.

Kael Nog. What do you seek from the binder's shade?

[GrassyGnoll]

"No thanks, mister. Daddy always said patience was a virtue."

Hands dutifully folded, Millia waited for the constable to seek his audience. Once the man had left she reached up her left sleeve. "Mr. Cups you can come out now" she addressed her armpit. A second later she procured the tiny blue octopus familiar.

"Sorry Mr. Cups but there won't be salt water for a while, go tell daddy I've arrived. Oh, and some Erdzheni are here. Ask him not to hurt them too bad."

With a touch Mr. Cups was sent on his planar journey. Millia prepared for her meeting, both courteously and magically.

Plane Shift Mr. Cups to Nauphel's realm. Mind Blank and Disguise Self to prepare for the audience. Disguise Self to smooth over any scales and re-humanize hair and teeth.

[PhoeKun]

Velia stares bemusedly at the plushie.

"That all depends on how well you guard that gate..."

She is interrupted by the knocking and the parchment, the contents of which Darsha dutifully reads to her. As she is about to stand to leave, she is interrupted yet again by Caine's arrival. She listens to his shouted greeting, her eyes locked in a piercing gaze on him the entire time. Naturally, she recognizes him instantly, even without the aid of Saatyun's letter.

"Welcome Caine, devoted servant of my son. Your delivery will have to wait - I must leave briefly on business. Conduct your business with the Guardian of the Abyss while you wait, but I expect you to complete your delivery to me personally, do I make myself clear?"

Without waiting for an answer, she summons her gate and wordlessly enters Belariso's realm. Darsha, for his part, grins wolishly at Caine.

"You smell nervous..."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sephriel nods as the rules are explained to her. She seats herself delicately on one side of the board, flattening her wings against her back. Once inside Paradise, she seems a much more gentle personality, and much less like, well... a devil. She gestures to Nauki from across the board.

"First move belongs to the most handsome player..."

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki slowly tilts his head to one side. "Handsome? Darn, I wish Millia would say that some time..." He grins a little bashfully, as he moves his hand forward to pick up a piece, and then place it back down again on another square. "I like how you act here, Sephy. Much friendlier than when you're at the gate. I should take you to my Garden some time to see how it affects you..." Ever the curious one.

* * *

Speaking of Gardens! Silenna is currently hovering in the Garden, reading a book much too large for her. It's hovering in the air, suspended by some unseen force.

No, she's not reading anything important. I just wanted to show you that Nauki does in fact have a Herald. She just doesn't have much to do.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Xom's cranial cavity

The vestige is ruffled slightly by Montarius, its pride stung by some implied rebuke.

The. Reason. That. I. Desire. An. Exchange. Is. The. Same. One. That. Gives. Me. The. Binder's. Soul.

Not. All. Are. Beholden. To. Gods. Certainly. Not. Those. Who. Predate. Them.


Persi

After a short while, the constable ducks his head around the door, and ushers Millia in.

The king's chamber is little more than a glorified storeroom, full of odds and ends. The king himself stands by a map, unfurled upon a crate - he is fastidiously (although he cannot hide a certain anxiety and worry) moving tiny bone-chip pieces about it, and is watched intently by pair who you cannot place, but most certainly are not Persi - their skin, clothing, and ornamentation tells you that much. As she enters the room, he hurriedly straightens, seeking to hide the map, while the two flanking him merely smirk at his lack of etiquette.

So, which noble presence graces us this day, hmm?

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius sighed inwardly a bit. The creature was proving rather touchy. I did not mean that you had no right to ask for a price. I was simply trying to inquire what you would want in exchange.

[UglyPanda]

Caine breathes a sigh of relief. He then walks over to the carriage and whispers a few words to its passengers before approaching Darsha. "If I am nervous, it is only because of your master. I wish to know how much you have organized the torture of the abyss's inhabitants. Have you heard of liquid agony?"

=====

Do not read if you are easily offended by gore. Well, it's not that gory, but don't say I didn't warn you:
In a village in En-Lil, Saatyun's herald is at work. Two weeks ago, she had been told that a resident had started a cult devoted to her master. Upon examination she found that this man was little more than a death-worshiper, believing Saatyun's teachings would lead to the end of the world. One week ago he was warned, and told to stop. Now he had to be punished.
The herald knocked the blasphemer unconscious and cut out his tongue. She decided the most fitting punishment was to nail him to his church. Dragging the body there, she then shoved a nail in each of his hands, feet, and eyes. He soon regained consciousness, but could not speak without a tongue and was too frightened to scream. The herald then drained his blood into a basin and wrote the reasons for his punishment on the side of the church using the blood as ink. Once the writing dried, she put the man out of his mercy by driving the longest nail she had through the man's heart. As a final touch, she carved her master's symbol on the Blasphemer's chest using a flenser. Satisfied with a job well done, she returned to her master's realm.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Knowledge. Montarius. It. Is. What. I. Do.

What. Secrets. Are. You. Party. To?

The. Abstraction. Of. Them. Would. Indebt. Me. To. You.

[GrassyGnoll]

"Millia Tennison, your majesty," the little lady answers mid curtsy, "My father, Albert Tennison, sent me to talk with you of matters nautical and commercial. He also asked if you would have me as a ward, for the mutual education of myself and any children you may have."

Nauphel would applaud her cleverness at that last fib, she'd have to tell him about it.

"I don't want to disturb your guests, though. I'll wait until we can be alone."

__________________________

An ocean away the Mariner's Rime emerges. Only Montfort and Vernes dare stay on deck as it lunges above the waves. The captain is ecstatic at the news. In his tenure as admiral he's only been given free reign twice. He's vowed to enjoy the scourging as most he can.

"Divine us a course, Montfort. Make fer the nearest Bastion cog at no less than 5 knots. Call up a tempest if ye must."

[Illiterate Scribe]

The observers raise their eyes at this request, but amusedly seem to respect the audacity of the young woman. The king also seems self-satisfiedly confident, and simultaneously bows and beckons her forwards, to the map.

Aah, someone's seeking to sponge off us? Well, I am quite frankly amazed. Should I take this as an honour, that we are seen as nautical experts, to teach children, or a curse, that we should drain our resources?

He laughs to his advisers.

Well, let's see your mettle as a chartist ... if you were to try to move materiel without passing through the customs or knowledge of, say, the Bastion, or the Enkidites, where would you take it?

He points to several small blue-grey inlaid canine teeth scattered about the map.

______

{The Bastion has no ships nearby, but there is a large delegation of Bastion observers aboard the Enkidite vessel of uncertain purpose 'The Brigandine', not ten miles north of the Mariner's Rime.}

Albert Tennison, Mariner's Rime ... :smallamused:

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius smiled slowly, his eyes alight. Once more the veil fell from them, and his eyes glittered like galaxies in sockets of empty void. He chuckled softly. I know many a secret... many indeed. Not all, but knowledge is part of my purview. Is there a subject in particular you would like to know about?

[Illiterate Scribe]

I. Should. Wish. To. Know. What. Treachery. Is. Afoot. Within. Your. Own. House.

The word-cloud contracts, playing an excellent poker face for Montarius' reaction.

[GrassyGnoll]

"Well, your Grace, the destination is an important issue. If I wanted to move supplies to the west I'd set up a safehouse in Gul Gul and sail from there. If the Kalisthites are in the loop you can keep in sight of the coast until you're halfway through the Center Sea. Agipt is the only nation boxed in by the two, but if you wanted to take a risk you could sail beneath the Enki-Erdzhene bridge under the cover of night and black sails", Millia traces her imaginary trade routes along the map.

With a more practiced tone she presses into issues she learned of in Nauphel's court.

"If you're aiming for Agipt, the who is as important as where. If you picked a small noble house, took their eldest son as a ward by one of your more loyal houses, and cut them a stipend on dealings you could move sensitive materials under their colors. Plus if they're caught you can denounce them as rogue traders and turn them over."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

Montarius smiled slowly, but it was an enigmatic expression that revealed nothing. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to be a bit more specific. Tricks and treachery are part of my bussiness, so it is always being plotted in my house... if, by that, you mean my home. Or do you mean my brother and sister? Or still yet, do you mean the other gods?

[The Glyphstone]

"Very curious indeed...if you're in any condition to hear me, Auger, I apologize for this..."

Kyrdos stows the bottle of Oracle-stuff back in his robes, then with a blink, disappears back to his Court. He stows the bottle in a safe place, then settles down with a plate of snacks to think about what he has seen.

[PhoeKun]

Velia emerges just outside of the entrance to Belariso's realm. And there, she waits. Inside, those gathered can hear a single chime, and catch the faint scent of crushed rose petals. In the air, bright red letters trace themselves into existence in an elegant, cursive script that hangs suspended for several minutes:

"I am waiting outside, if you wish to talk."

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"H-heh... organized? Haha...The Abyss is perfect. We take everything from its petitioners... including, yes, Agony."

His grin widens, until it seems to split his face.

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Sephriel smiles demurely as she stares at the board, planning out her first four moves. Eventually, she moves a piece, which seems unrelated to Nauki's move. Of course, the early game was never very reactive, that much seemed obvious.

"Do you think so, Lord? I am... flattered by your praise. And I would very much like to see your garden. Perhaps the next time you visit?"

She runs a hand through her hair.

"I'll tell you another thing... If Millia can't return your... or won't I suppose, return your affections, you can always come to me. If you allowed yourself to be even a few years older, I do believe..."

She stops, and shakes her head.

[UglyPanda]

"Yes. The problem with Agony is that there is never enough, never ever enough. The average man can only handle ten extractions in his lifetime. While good for the creation of scrolls, it takes far too many to make anything useful, like my master's favorite pen." Caine pauses for a second to think, then continues. "You may have seen my master's garden. He believes that he may be able to extract an endless amount of agony using plant life so long as the extraction is slower than usual. However, the creation of said plant would not only take a good deal of testing, but would need a good deal of agony to fuse with the seeds itself. What I am asking for is for the purchase of enough agony for my master to continue his experimentation."

=====

Saatyun is sitting at a table in the middle of a large room about the size of three stables put together. It is filled with carriages, wagons, and random trinkets that didn't really belong anywhere else in his home. He is skimming a number of papers concerning Persi and Bastion while drinking a glass of wormwood. A few minutes ago he opened a gate into his mother's realm and a minute later he closed it. The initial purpose of the trip was simply to get his servant used to visiting his mother's realm. After some last-minute changes, what was sent to his mother became more important than his servant. Whether his servant was successful or not, he was going to leave him there for at least a few hours.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki gives Sephriel a bemused look, while also keeping his eyes on the board. He's planning his own moves, too... it's almost as if the two are playing the game several moves ahead, countering one another's tactics before they even pull them off. "...You know, as a general rule, I tend to frown on adults flirting with children. It generally doesn't go well. Oh, sure, some relationships do work, and that's fine with me, but most children are too... delicate, you know?" He slowly moves a piece across the board, also seeming to be totally unrelated to Sephriel's move... but is, of course, calculated to counter any number of different strategies she could be using.

He tilts his head to one side. "...Is it really that obvious?"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the Gates of Paradise, the Milli-plush holds up a sign. "Distilled Joy is better than Liquid Agony." The little toy nods her head once as if to emphasise this 'fact'.

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

Belariso dims his form a bit and nods his ascent, opening a great, golden portal for Velia. He gestures towards a fine throne carved from a single terrible pearl at the end of the chamber and takes a seat beside it in a comparatively unassuming golden chair.

"I'm concerned, my lady, about the message we received from the Augur. I'd hoped to speak with my siblings about it, but they seem...occupied. We may yet have troubles ahead, and there is so much mistrust and misunderstanding amoungst our ranks, and sometimes it is just good to know," he says, tone honest and genuine, "that there are those, even if they are only few, that we can truly count on."

[wadledo]

Zet comes trouncing up to Velia and Belariso, humming under his breath;
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitis, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night

There she stood in the doorway,
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

"Evening doll,Fort

[PhoeKun]

"Haha... an Agony plant? How very interesting. Of course, you must realize the Abyss gives nothing away, not even to Lord Saatyun. So then, surely, you are willing to negotiate fair recompense for our troubles?"

Darsha pauses to brush some imagined dust from his pristine white sleeve. He glances curiously over the doll guarding Paradise, his icy blue eyes catching its latest sign. He laughs softly to himself.

"Lord Nauki has such interesting toys..."

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Sephriel laughs as her hand hovers over a piece. She's backed into something of a corner already... or will be in five turns, at least. But, ah! There's the escape. She shifts her hand and moves a different piece, instead.

"And what about you, Lord? Are you too delicate for me? Well, at least trust me to remember my place. You know where to find me, no matter what you need me for..."

She stretches her wings in the suddenly (and pleasantly) warm breeze. She tilts her head in the opposite direction the godling has tilted his.

"...You were trying to hide it?"

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Velia nods at Belariso's words, offering a genuine smile and, for the moment, ignoring Zet.

"I will never abandon those who will stand beside me. I am curious, though, about what you believe the prophecy could mean. What does the Kingmaker think of all this?"

[GrassyGnoll]

Among the revelry and bustle of a sunken dreadnought Mr. Cups found his recipient lounging atop a drawn out mast. Around him kraken, Drowned, and sirens of many sorts feasted upon the flesh of fish, whale, and man. The water bubbled with the chatter and gossip of what the tide brings.

"Well if it isn't the ever amiable Cups, here to report on Millia's progress no doubt."

With a brief telepathic relay the familiar brought the kraken lord up to date.

"Hmm, the Erdzheni will be dealt with in time. I thank you for the distraction, this soirée has been dragged on to death."

Nauphel took his leave for the caverns of Kael Nog. The Erdzheni could wait, this matter took precedence far and above.

"I greet you Stonewhisperer. I seek a rock of specific properties and hope your quarry will be gracious. In return I bring a gift, yours to choose." he called into the tunnel.

___________________

"Wheel 'er about north. The Drowned Father nev'r said we had to terrorize em on their own ships."

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso

The Kingmaker shakes his head and sighs softly, setting his head down to rest his chin on folded hands.

I suppose that's what disturbs me most, m'lady. I'm not sure what to think of it. I'm not sure that I think anything of it. It's a very troubling proposition.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Xom

Then. You. Are. In. The. Unknowing. Dark. As. I.

Which. Will. Not. Persist. I. Hasten. To. Reassure. You.

Nevertheless. You. Have. Answered. My. Question.

What. Would. You. And. You. And. You. Wish. To. Ask. Of. Hadyi?

He gives an expansive gesture that encompasses Kael, Montarius, and several people who aren't actually there - visibly, at least.

Persi

Ah, ah, very astute - very astute. Even if I see how you came to those conclusions.

He shares an unreadable look with his two advisors.

But how would you approach the issue of concealment? Of course, simpletons such as me might be fobbed off with an Agiptian fall-group, but what about others looking at the same maps, charting the same courses?

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

The god still showed no reaction to the vestige's statement, his face still wearing an enigmatic smile. I wish to know if he know what, exactly, he was trying to do that caused his death... and if he has any information that might be relevant to the prophecy we heard. Particularly the last line.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki rubs the back of his head, even as he looks over the board. Ah, sneaky, sneaky... He can see what she did there! And then he promptly ignores it, making a completely different move in an effort to fake her out. "Heh. Have you heard stories about Gods of Pleasure, or something?" He sticks his tongue out at her.

There's a pause here, and he chuckles a little bit. "Well, I wasn't trying to hide it, but I wasn't trying to make it real obvious either..."

* * *

Milli-plush nods her head in agreement with Darsha. Lord Nauki does have interesting toys, if she's anything to go by! Rather full of herself for a being that's only existed for about an hour... Nauki must have imbued her with a bit more life experience, although where he got it is a mystery.

[UglyPanda]

"Is that what it is? Where did it get the sign from? It's rather small to have luggage." Caine takes out a piece of paper out of his pocket, clears his throat, and begins reading aloud from it. "Do not read this part out...sorry about that." Caine looks farther down and continues reading. "We are prepared for compensation in gold or resources with an exchange rate of five pounds of gold for each dosage of Agony. Once our project is complete, you will be given a gift of enough of the product to replenish your stock. It was not necessary for your help in completing this project, but with it we can get it finished much faster and you would be rewarded for services. You read the first part out loud, didn't...sorry again."

Caine puts the paper back into his pocket, then heads over to one of the carts and pulls out a potted plant not unlike a fern. "Whether you choose to help us or not, we wish to present you with a product of our findings. We have named these plants the Black Mercy. They attach to any weakened individual and feed their minds comforting images until the roots are fully settled inside. Once that has been accomplished, usually in less than three hours, the victim receives endless nightmares of pain and suffering beyond the limits of what a human's mind can normally process. This cart has five which are fully grown and a small bag of their seeds."

=====

The following is a note directed to Saatyun:

This is Doctor T.G. Greydusk of laboratory 63G reporting on the status of the Human Reconstruction Project. Of the 100 subjects we were given, 37 reacted favorably to the injected substance, while the remainder had little to no physical reaction. Of the 37, 23 of which turned against my men and had to be sedated and restrained. Further testing will be performed on all and a full report will be available in two weeks.

[GrassyGnoll]

"Don't be so hard on yourself, your majesty. Daddy wouldn't have picked you if you weren't plenty smart."

Millia didn't like where the conversation was going, she didn't have the stomach for much worse deceptions.

"Those kind of concealments are the kind of things my lord father would like to talk to you about. In the meantime I'd be glad to talk about his relief effort plans. How's your fishing business going?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Meanwhile...

Even as Montarius' negotations with the bound Vestige continued, a shadow slipped through the edge of space, arriving at the border of Belariso's realm. Lady Shadowtail, having changed into a plain dress of green silk edged with silver arrived, requesting permission to enter with a message her master.

[PhoeKun]

"The problem with prophecies is that doing too much to act on what you heard only serves to make the problem come faster. You know it already, but we need to be avoid acting until we know more about what will happen..."

Velia shifts a bit in her seat. She never liked admitting she didn't know everything.

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Sephriel's eyes sparkle mischeviously as they move back and forth between the board and Nauki. She gasps in mock offense as he sticks his tongue out at her.

"Are you saying my intentions are anything less than noble? You wound me! But..." she pauses, looking at him coyly. "I can't help being what I am... And being what I am, I can't help but be drawn to you, Lord, if I'm honest. You are simply too full of intriguing possibilities..."

She smiles demurely and makes her move. She seems to have been thrown off by his last move... maybe.

"Then again, all that makes you pretty easy for me to read. I do hope it works out for you..."

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Darsha tries, unsuccessfully, to supress another burst of laughter. Caine can feel the guardian's ice cold breath on his face.

"Gold for Agony, is it? Well now, well now... what can we do with gold? Ah, well there's a thought... and such a lovely gift, too. Young Erica would love a trinket like that for her... office, I'm sure. I do believe we can come to an agreement..."

The silver-haired man smirks.

"With business out of the way, care to turn to matters of leisure? You still reek of nerves..."

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki continues giving Sephriel most of his attention; after all, he doesn't need much concentration to play this game. Not to say he isn't trying his hardest; he's just very good at multitasking. "Hmm... I wonder how momma would react if she knew her servant was trying to drag me into bed..." He does actually wonder; he doesn't know how she'd react. He then makes his move, which seems to further the strategy he was going with when he opened... although he's actually closing a gap in his defenses that will exist in about five turns.

He smirks a little bit, playfully. "So, is that what you want if you win?"

[wadledo]

Zet leans on the back of the throne, opposite Belariso.
"V, Ihave neverunderstood whyyou donot justgo withthe flow,and pickup thepieces latter It seemsto beyour specialtyanyway
He smirks, knowing full well that neither one of them understands a word he just said, nor do they care.
"And inrelated matters,I needa bitof thatcoat youvalue sohighly, ifyou don'tmind

[UglyPanda]

"That is why I said the word resources. It is much easier to settle transactions in numerical terms than in the cost of humans. It's hard to establish the worth of a single man. Slaves and workers are always available for offer from my master's realm. As are weapons, armor, women, men, et cetera. The reason I said gold at first was because we have too much of it within our walls and Master Saatyun has nothing else to do with it. I actually think he is quite capable of producing as much agony as he needs through his divine spark, but it causes him headaches whenever he calls forth that much. I'm only here to follow my duties as a servant, nothing more, nothing less."
"There is something else my master wanted to know. Did he bite your leg as an adolescent or was it Nauki while teething? Most of his memories of childhood are somewhat damaged and he vaguely recalls trying to see what you tasted like."

As Darsha breathes again, Caine steps back a foot. "I mean you no disrespect, but do you eat most of your food raw? It is not good for your digestion."

=====

Still at that table, Saatyun wonders if he gave Caine too much wormwood to do his job properly. It was intended to kill his nerves, but the man wasn't very used to hard liquor. Saatyun concludes it doesn't really matter.

[PhoeKun]

"My Queen loves you too much to let me have you... I would be lucky if she only took my wings." her tone seems oddly reverant. "Of course, if you were the one approaching me, things would be different, perhaps. Your happiness is your mother's chief concern..."

Sephriel bites her thumbnail softly as she returns her attention to the board. It looks like there are two potential winning strategies left. There were three, until just a moment ago... the problem being, committing to either will almost certainly lock her out of the other. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. She makes her move, an almost sloppily agressive one, and smirks right back at the godling.

"Oh, are we playing for stakes? How fun! If I win... hm. I would like you to satisfy my... curiosity. Just for a few seconds, I'd like to see what you look like grown up..." She shrugs. "And what do you want, Lord, should you win?"

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Velia glares up at Zet. And then sighs. There wasn't much point in getting angry - the emotion never stuck to him. She rolls her eyes, knowing his garbled advice was something she did already... so long as she wasn't the one in pieces. After all, said a tiny corner in the back of her head, isn't that how she survived the birth of this world? Except... she clearly remembers being born with the world. The thought fades completely, leaving only a headache. She puts a hand to her temple, in obvious discomfort.

"You get nothing, Zet. Not until you tell me what scheme is brewing in that head of yours..."

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"We can work with that... payment will be made half in gold, and half in supplies to be specifically laid out at the time of delivery...

Oh, and tell your master that yes, he did bite my leg. I still have the scar. I don't know what his conclusion was, I couldn't hear it over Seph's laughter."

He rubs his leg slightly, remembering the incident, which is forgotten in another wave of laughter as Caine steps away from him. He grins, and sniffs the air deeply.

"Not raw... frozen. But you're one to talk. You come looking for Agony, and your breath stinks of Courage...

[GryffonDurime]

Belariso, with Zet and Velia

Touch my coat, the Kingmaker warns, and there won't be enough of you left to thread through the eye of a needle.

Satisfied, he turns his gaze back to Velia, relaxing his posture slightly.

I only hope Montarius and Siandene have had better luck obtaining a measure of clarity in this matter. For some reason, the whole prospect has just left me...uneasy. Troubled. I can only hope the Augur of Dawn will speak soon: I understand the light better than the darkness.

Czarina, to Lady Shadowtail

A familiar circle of golden light opens before the Kitsune maiden, and the tallest of the Kingmaker's three angels stands before her, waiting politely if tensely.

"Oh, such joy. Welcome, Lady Shadowtail," she says as she motions inward, voice replete with veiled distaste.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki frowns a little bit. "Momma wouldn't hurt you too much, Sephy. Momma is n-" He pauses for a moment. "It would make me sad." He nods his head. That settles that!

He seems to almost nonchalantly make his next move, seemingly totally ignoring her last one. "I... you do know I'll never be an adult, right? I suppose I could... guess what I would look like if I was mortal..." He giggles a little bit, and points at her dramatically. "And if I win, I get to see what you looked like as a child! And dress you up!" He nods.

[UglyPanda]

"That is a good thing for my master to know and I'm glad you noticed." replies Caine, Darsha's expression lost on him. "How did that woman know to laugh just now?"

=====

A semi-transparent Insoril is overseeing the construction of a tower in the outskirts of Saatyun's realm. It is Marcus the Cursed, only here as a supervisor, not for his talents. He mutters to himself while counting on his fingers. "The Mad, The Wicked, The Devoted, The Lost, The Crippled..."

[PhoeKun]

Velia closes her eyes for a moment, holding her head. Finally, the pain passes, and she opens her eyes and nods in agreement with Belariso.

"I too, am hoping the Augur of Dawn will say her piece and offer more insight into this mystery... but I am afraid the same fate may befall her as Dusk. I very much want to know what caused her... collapse."

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Sephriel laughs and shakes her head as she makes her next move. It wouldn't be long before she knew one way or the other if it worked.

"Yes, I know you won't get any older. But that's what makes me curious..." She ponders his counter wager for a moment. "All right... you have yourself a deal, Lord Nauki."

A perfectly harmless deal with a devil. How ironic.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"H-heh... You know, normally those who imbibe Courage wish it to remain a secret. You certainly are a strange one... I can smell a great many qualities and emotions on you. Do you drink them all?"

[Illiterate Scribe]

Xom

The vestige remains silent, but the words form together, describing a form that eventually coalesces into a somewhat indistinct Hadyi.

Ah, Montarius, Kael Nog. I apologise for having given you the slip in this way, and for having failed to relay the message properly.

Firstly, I am just as confused as you are about the message, but one thing does strike me: the augur, while often, well, incomprehensible, has never been wrong in a prediction; part and parcel about being one with the universe, one would think. As such, I would take the message seriously, although it may simply be a warning that spiders are scary animals - she treats all prophecy as of equal import.

Secondly

He looks a little sheepish at this point.

My death was ... well, it was caused by the fact that I messed up, to be honest. Aariel began to pour herself back into the void between our two worlds - since she effectively acts as a plug between them, you can see how that could have negative effects. My curiosity, however, overcame me - I wished (as I suspect you did too) to hear the end of the prophecy. By then, the unravelling was to far gone - I had to give myself. But, nonetheless, I am still here. The world is here. For the moment, at least, if what Murat is telling me has any merit.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki slowly slides a piece across the board, setting it down gently. "Checkmate in four turns." He gives the devil a little grin. "Of course, I could have missed something..."

He giggles a little. "I wonder if frills would suit you..."

[UglyPanda]

"Imbibe, all?" Caine ponders this for a moment and then a blush is barely visible from under his thick beard. "Normally just ale, but master tends to drink some murky green liquid often and offered me a few glasses before I left. He wouldn't let me refuse."

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

The death god remained silent for a moment, thinking quietly. After a time, he spoke and nodded. Fair enough. If there is nothing else that you can tell us, or unless there is some boon you would ask in return for your aid, I will depart.

In Belariso's realm

The lady smiled enigmatically as she walked through the gateway, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. Heartily do I thank you for your hospitality. Is your master available to speak with me? The message is a personal one to him from his brother.

[PhoeKun]

Sephriel's eyes dart over the board, looking for the moves Nauki is talking about in disbelief. Sure enough, four turns. Her only hope is if her gambit kicks in sooner... no. 5 turns. She hangs her head in defeat.

"I... don't think f-frills would look good on me..."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Darsha chuckles softly, not failing to notice Caine's blush.

"Oh, but you are fun! Do tell me you'll be visiting us again. You would love to meet Seph..."

[UglyPanda]

"I think I'll go see her now. There were some presents I was supposed to give you along with Lady Velia's letter, but I never got around to either. I think Lord Saatyun left you a new set of flensers, skin graters, thumbscrew producers, and the like."

[PhoeKun]

"Going to see Seph? You'll need to enter Paradise. Beware the... ah, h-haha... Guardian. You'll need to best that doll or have its blessing before the gate will open..."

Darsha smirks at the thought.

[UglyPanda]

Caine goes back to one of the horse-drawn carts, pulls out a trunk, and deposits it in front of Darsha. He then grabs two small boxes, appropriate for the size of jewelry, and heads to Paradise's gate. "Hello Plush Tentacle-Thing, could you let me inside? My master has something he wants me to give Seph."

[Yuki Akuma]

The Milli-plush quickly holds up a sign, which states "Halt!" She then turns it around (although Caine could swear there was nothing on the back before...), and it reads "State your business!" Even though she's just heard every word they were saying. Go figure.

* * *

Nauki giggles triumphantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were very good. I didn't even have to hold back in order to give you a chance!"

[GryffonDurime]

Czarina

"I'm afraid my master has stepped out for a moment. I suppose now I can recall Regina from that...hall...of your master's. She's been there waiting for Lord Montarius. Come in, I'll let my master know you're here."

Belariso

I suppose there's nothing to do but wait, the Kingmaker says, and stands just as Czarina enters, her head bowed.

"Lord Belariso, if you'll pardon my entrance, Lady Shadowtail has arrived with a message from your brother."

I see. If you'll excuse me, Velia? And, thank you. I'm sure the Augur of Dawn will clarify this matter. I have to be sure, he says, and offers her a rare smile before departing to meat with the kitsune.

[UglyPanda]

"I just told you my business, I'm going to give Lady Seph a gift."

=====

Back in Saatyun's realm, a stern-looking gnome in a pair of thick spectacles is at the head of a long table, leading a discussion on bizarre characteristics which humans find attractive.

[WhiteKnight777]

Lady Shadowtail

The Kitsune once again smiled demurely, though it was a knowing smile, and a light glimmered in her eyes as if she could read the angel's distaste. She moved with a liquid, silken grace, her footfalls silent as she stepped forward, waiting quietly for Belariso to appear. When he did so, she curtisied with exquisite grace, bowing her head before the god.

Greetings, Lord Belariso, in the name of my Master.

She gave a sudden, roguish grin.

I think it is possible that your servant does not altogether approve of me.

[wadledo]

While Belariso and Velia speak of more important matters, Zet zooms around the room, occasionally placing an item on Belariso's head before switching it with something else.
"Apple, no
Duck, no
Spinning top,no
Small target,no
Potato, no
......
........
Why amI hereagain
He tilts his head to the side, getting a far away look on his face.
"Oh, yes
Giant grasshoppers

He brandishes his scimitars at Belariso's retreating form.
"Fight, youvillainous curr,or Iwill haveyour essenceon aplatter

[Yuki Akuma]

The plushie seems to consider this. She rubs at her chin with her 'fingers', although her arms actually end in stubs. Which makes one wonder how she holds that sign... She spins it around again; the other side now reads "Well... alright."

[UglyPanda]

Caine passes through the gate and shouts his greeting. "I am Caine, Devoted Servant of Lord Saatyun. I am here to give a gift to Lady Seph from my master. Anyone know where she is?"

[GrassyGnoll]

Nauphel had wandered the caverns for a time and grew disheartened with his search.

"It seems Kael Nog is out on his own accord. Very well."

At his whim a dragon turtle appeared.

"Plod along now. If you see any representatives of the Wanderer tell them I'll be waiting for their master in my own abode."

His business done, the Lord of the Depths stole back to his realm. It was time to scry on his own matters and see that they resolve as they should.

_________________________________________

The Enkidite vessel was now visible off the bow. Vernes was beside himself with all the plans he had to mutilate and dismember the Bastion passengers.

"Keep rowing boys! Ramming speed ahead! But don' you think ta be plowing on through! Hook 'em up nice an' tight an' I'll take me pick o' them"

It was a rare fancy that could move the Admiral to bellow out his own orders. The deck lunging forward, he ran to the prow so as to not miss the most minute expression of eminent despair.

With his tentacles, Vernes caressed the figurehead of the Mariner's Rime.

"Ya know I always did like the headstrong lassies"

[Hairb]

Green Talc materialised out of the gloom.
"My lord wanders in the Brightworld. I will inform him post-haste."

[Illiterate Scribe]

\_ \_ \_

Aboard the Brigandine, the delicately balanced 'leaves' of force flutter on the branches of the instrument panel. Tranchant, the ship's captain, instantly realised that something was wrong - the suits (well, 'robeds' doesn't have the same ring to it) had presented it to him with instructions to monitor it carefully, and well, if this wasn't something to be monitored, he didn't know what would be. Crossing the deck, he went over to the makeshift warehouse that had been set up on the ship's low, flat, deck. A figure shrouded in leaf-like mail came to the door, standing pointedly between it and him.

Sir; that ... instrument that you gave us. Something's happening. It's -

-fluttering? Dear. That was sooner than expected.

He turns, calling out to a pair of similarly-clad figures behind him.

Load 'er up then. Two single shots across the bow, then load a reverse grav round or two. Let their gods sort them out, if it comes to that.

Even as he speaks, a large construction is wheeled out from the building - its brass fittings gleam in the sun, quite evident to those on the Mariner's Rime.

Without warning, a pair of shots skim the main rigging of Vernes' ship, expertly placed to that they do not hit it, but close enough to demonstrate that as a distinct possibility. The third barrel remains tantalisingly (and worryingly, for anyone without much appreciation for thaumomilitary hardware) unfired, and the Brigandine sails directly, warily away from the Rime, its spellshot ballista keeping perfect aim on the other ship.

I am imagining spellshot ballistae as looking somewhat like this, and approximately the size of a bus (although most of that is superstructure, the actual 'hot' part, or filament on the picture, being quite small.)

http://www.craphound.com/images/Art+Donovan-Siddhartha+Pod+Lantern-Full+View.JPG

Also, does Vernes have true seeing?


\_ \_ \_

Elsewhere

One of Nauki's chess peaces wiggles a few millimeters, pushed by the thoughts of the entire under-eleven population of Erdzhene. It seems to be eager to ask a question, in a manner similar to that of a particularly zealous student in a generally apathetic classroom.

[GrassyGnoll]

Nope, and for future reference Montfort is a level 11 cleric with the Knowledge and Watery Death domains. I suppose he's already burned a level 6 slot on Find the Path.

Undaunted, Vernes peers on. The scum had brass, he'd give them that, but he had no intention of letting them escape.

"The swabs is givin' us a proper greeting, lads. Load tha basilisks and wheel 'er within range. Thems of you on deck, suit up! We cannae board such a fine vessel without our evening best on. Montfort! Tell 'em to act all patient like."

The captain strode back to his cabin. He hadn't wanted to use them just yet, but fancy gave way to practically as he pulled out his harpoons.

"Patient like" would be a Control Water spell to sink a volume of 80x80x22 area of water around the Brigandine. If you're using dromond stats that should put them face to face with a 7 foot wall of water.

How do I resolve cannon/ballista fire?

[PhoeKun]

Sephriel takes a deep breath, and then looks up at Nauki with a smile on her face after a long pause.

"Thank you for the compliment, Lord. It's an honor to have faced your best efforts... I'm afraid I lack the ability to drastically change my form, though. I'm sure for you, though, it's no trouble at all. When you're ready, you may claim your reward..."

No sooner are the words out of her mouth then the gates open, and Caine shouts his greeting. Silently thankful that if this had to happen, it happened when it did, she stands and eyes the man suspiciously.

"You've found her. Finish your business and please leave. Paradise is not meant for those like you." Her eyes seem suddenly a little sad.


_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"If you wish to speak more, you have a free invitation to enter my realm, Belariso. I'll excuse myself while you deal with your guest. Zet. Disturb anything in here, and you will understand Regret in ways that do not yet exist. Do I make myself clear?"

The air around her pulses threateningly as she leaves without waiting for a response.

[UglyPanda]

That was not was Caine needed to hear. He walks up to Seph and gives her the two boxes and a note. "A gift from Lord Saatyun." He walks away, his head hung low, and holding back tears.

Saatyun's note:
Dear Sephie,
If you're reading this, it means that my servant Caine is here. Right now he should be dropping off cargo and giving out my gifts. Please make sure that you don't say anything to upset him, it has taken me a lot of trouble simply to get him into Mother's realm, and I don't want him killing himself a fifth time. Now, he has some business with Darsha, if you can, I hope you would keep Darsha from doing anything to him. We're been friends for a while and I would like that as a favor. If not, I'll tickle you until you cry.
Now, about the boxes. The long, skinny box contains a nice necklace. It's just a necklace, not anything special about it otherwise. The other, slightly shorter box contains a bracelet. You'll notice that the bracelet has eight beads on it. Each bead can be used to store an outfit or set of armor and weapons.
By touching a bead and saying the word "switch", you can exchange your outfit or armor and weapons with the one stored in the bead. By touching an empty bead and saying the word "add", you can place clothing inside. By touching a bead and saying the word "remove", the clothing from that bead is emptied out.
I've already stored a dress in the first bead. It has been enchanted so it'll fit regardless of your size, though my tailors did leave room for your wings. I've also been told that the bracelet looks somewhat gaudy, so I placed a glamer on it. Touching the blue bead will allow you to control its appearance. I hope you enjoy your gifts.

Your Friend,
Saatyun

P.S. Remember to take good care of the little girl. She should be showing up any second now if my servant got the chance to do things in the right order.

Seph notices that the postscript is in a different handwriting, it looks almost...feminine. Looking closer, the handwriting of the note appears slightly off to begin with. The seal on the envelope is wrong as well. It's the seal he uses for business, not his personal one. When was the last time Saatyun called her Sephie, anyway? He always calls her Sephriel.

OOC: The bracelet is a modified rod of arming. It's already slotless, so the bracelet should be as well.

[PhoeKun]

Sephriel reads the note with astonishing rapidity, dropping her gifts and teleporting in between Caine and the gate. The odd contents of the note are not lost on her, but they are unimportant. While here in Paradise, her heart was too soft to not feel this man's pain. She stares at him, sternly.

"Wait. Your business is not yet finished here. You entered Paradise without official permission, and now you must face judgment. Come with me - Paradise's own reflecting pool will show us your worthiness to be here. I... spoke out of turn, I am sorry."

As Guardian, she can lock the gate from both directions. Caine does not have a say in the matter...

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki's head slowly tilts to one side as Caine enters, listening to him wordlessly. After all, he's here to see Sephriel, not him! His attention is soon caught by the chess piece, though, staring at it for a moment before reaching out to poke at it. "Yes?" He looks mildly confused. He's sure he didn't enchant these pieces...

The little godling looks up suddenly as he senses those gifts... or at lease the bracelet. He snatches the bracelet up - he really has no manners when it coems to things like this - and looks it over critically. "A custom Rod of Arming. Hm. Clever..." He glances back at the chess piece.

[UglyPanda]

"Very well. I think my master wanted me to give Vorelejir something as well. I suppose it would have to wait.", he replies in a hushed tone. His feet drag and his eyes face the ground as he slowly walks with Sephriel.

=====

Saatyun is in his bedroom, composing music while playing his violin. The songs he plays are sad and slow, but beautiful. He was not the best musician among the gods, but he enjoyed himself regardless. The music calmed him, removing his anger and frustration far better than alcohol could. This is not to say he wasn't drinking, but he had been drinking to the point where he couldn't have another without seriously hindering his thought processes.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Ships

The Brigandine's elaborate spellshot device, now freed entirely from the covering tarpaulin, swings round, its great length almost disappearing as it draws a bead on its target. The cabin where the evident 'captain' had just disappeared into.

On the ship, the leading Bastion figure gives a signal - the two who had unveiled the ballista behind him acceding to it with practiced grace, loading and preparing the final rod. All around them, crew members slide into a carefully prepared routine, drawing weapons from concealed locations.

Let's show these scum the light of truth and reason, eh?

Light erupted from the barrel of the ballista, at the very moment as Montfort's 'patience' spread forth - both boats rock, as vast amounts of energy are discharged by the magical combat between the two. When the sparks clear, the Brigandine is rocking dangerously from side to side in the turbulence caused by the water crashing back around it - it lost perhaps half of its crew overboard in the first salvo. The Rime, likewise, suffered severe damage - the spellshot rod wrapping, at terminal velocity, the matter of the the ship's starboard side into strange, unnameable vectors, shattering its right side.

The robed figure strides through the water on the Brigandine's deck, perching effortlessly upon a bulkhead, barking orders, something about 'the warehouse shipping water'. The ship begins to wheel round.

With regard to resolving boat to boat combat, just say what's going on on the Rime and I'll resolve the results of stuff. I suspect that taking on the Lord of the Sea, at sea, may be a Bad Idea for Tranchant.

The Brigandine's not so much a dromond, more like a huge, ocean-going barge, designed primarily for carrying large, bulky cargo, of the sort that isn't easily disassembled.

In terms of its design, it's a pair of large magical 'floats' at either end, with a teak structure built around them - fairly low in the water, but a sturdy thing that's quite hard to sink (being more of a raft than a ship). No fixed weapons, but its cargo, among with some other stuff hidden under the tent, includes the aforementioned spellshot ballista. It has a goodly amount of spellshot rods, too.

Also, I've just

[PhoeKun]

"I'm sorry, Lord Nauki, but I have some business I need to take care of. I'll be back shortly, if you don't mind waiting here?"

With a nod to Caine, she leads him off into the distance, past rows of perfectly ordered trees and plants, all of them in full bloom. Men and women of varying statures and ethnicities (but all of them beautiful) can be seen laughing, talking, playing a variety of games, and generally just enjoying themselves - a glimpse into the simpler pleasures of Paradise. Eventually, the two reach a small and perfectly round pool. As Caine looks into it, he notices something peculiar - the waters reflect nothing.

"You won't see anything if you don't know what you're looking for." Sephriel explains as she gazes critically into the waters. After a very long moment of silence, she looks at him differently than she did before.

"You are... very rare. I'm sorry. I have misjudged you, and now I must delay your mission. Please return with me to the gate. I cannot keep Lord Nauki waiting, but I cannot let you leave Paradise yet, either. There is something here that requires your presence. I cannot say more, but speak to My Queen before you depart Her realm. She will tell you everything you are meant to know."

She smiles at him, and begins to walk back to the Gate. To think that someone like her is servent of Velia... and a devil, no less.

[GrassyGnoll]

Vernes' excitement tempered with shock. No ordinary ship carried that kind of firepower. Nor would he relish repairing his vessel. His face stayed steely amid all his concerns. Commanding cutthroats and killers had taught his countenance made the captain.

The admiral leaned over the starboard rail and hollered at any survivors.

"What're ya louts waitin' fer! The daft bastards opened a door for ya, get yer asses out o' it! Iron men! Keep yerselves tight, I'll not want 'em making away wit me ship."

The Mariner's Rime plunged over the depression left by Montfort's spell. Out the holes spilled a handful of raiders and more cargo. The prow thrust ahead, aimed at the center of the Brigandine's broadside.

"Call us Ancient Mariners
Here to match ye one to three
By thy shaking beards and fearful eyes
Now wherefore stopp'st thou we?

And now the storm's wrath come, and he
Is tyrannous and strong
He strikes with his o'ertaking wings,
To chase ye south along"

[UglyPanda]

"I understand. I am happy to have received your forgiveness and do not wish do cause you any more trouble. Lord Saatyun told me I was to see Queen Velia regardless of my wishes, however. There is something I must deliver that I have to see her receive." Caine pauses to consider what just happened. He had no reflection, what did it mean?

[PhoeKun]

"Put your duties aside for a moment and simply enjoy where you are. You will be permitted to leave shortly, but for now I must keep you here. There are certainly worse places to be locked in, no?"

She offers him a smile as they return to the gate and Nauki.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting, Lord. Just tell me what you'd like to do next..."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Velia returns to her realm, and seats herself upon her throne. A glance around tells her what she needs to know, but she looks to Darsha anyway.

"Our guest is visiting Seph in Paradise... I imagine he'll be a while."

Velia's smile is confident. "Of course."

[UglyPanda]

The door to the carriage opens and two heads point out of it. One is of an female Insoril, close to middle-aged and red-haired. The other is of a small girl with pale hair and eyes. Her ears show the fact that she is fey, at least partly. "Is it time to come out yet, Mister Caine?" said the girl.

=====

The end of Saatyun's letter
You may have noticed that Caine dropped off a child. Her name is Marisu Nergii, she is a daughter of a man who performed several great services for me. When I asked him what he wished for a reward, he simply wanted a good life for his child. That man is quite noble and I had no interest in twisting his wish. Now things were perfectly fine until the man's wife died from some sort of heart problem. He had no relatives to take care of his daughter while he was away on business, so I had to step in and take care of her. I am not a good parent, nor is my realm a good place to take care of children. The only children who grow in my realm are pure-blooded Insoril and Hellspawn, and neither of those are what the man wishes his daughter to be. I know what you're thinking, send the girl to live with her mother's side of the family. Well, her mother's side of the family lives in my realm, so it doesn't solve anything.
Now, I am in dire need of a favor. As you have guessed, I would like Marisu to live with you until she comes of age. I know you miss Nauki living in your realm, and she will keep you company. If you do not wish for this burden, I won't impose it upon you, but I what I want is what is best for this child.

Sincerely,
Saatyun

Also, do not try sending her to Nauki. I know he's just going to do something crazy like replace her heart with a pile of gears.

[Yuki Akuma]

Nauki looks up at Sephriel, and grins, tossing her Bracelet of Arming back at her. "Don't worry! Work comes first, of course." He doesn't actually believe that, but...

He continues looking at that chess piece that seemed to want to ask him something!

[wadledo]

Zet goes up to the frozen Belariso and pokes him with a scimitar.
"Helllllloooooo, annnybooodddyhhhoooommmmmeeeee

[PhoeKun]

Velia frowns as the child pokes her head out of the door. It would seem Saatyun's plans superceded her own. Well... no matter. The loss was Caine's, not hers. She turns her head to look at the Gate of Paradise.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Sephriel's head jerks suddenly.

"Oh dear. It seems your time here is being ended early, Sir Caine - She calls you back. Until we meet again, then..."

With a gesture, the Gate swings open, and Sephriel returns her full attention to Nauki.

"What are we looking for, Lord?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Montarius

His business with the vestige apparently having concluded, Montarius himself appeared before the gates to his brother's realm, requesting entrance in a smooth, polished, urbane manner, as was his wont. However, his mind was troubled, and, as he usually did in such situations, he sought out one of the few beings among the halls of the divine that he knew he could trust.

[UglyPanda]

Caine walks through the gate, confused as to what is going on. He sees Velia, and kneels down before her with his hand on his breast. "Lady Velia, I am here to deliver a message from your son." He reaches inside his pocket, pulls out an envelope addressed to Velia, and presents it to her. It has been sealed by Saatyun and the symbol faintly glows a bright red as a magical effect from his ring.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Tranchant looks worriedly at the way that the other ship is hurtling towards him.

Damn.

Behind him, the crew line up. They don't brace for impact - they know that, although a sea-worthy vessel, there is no way that the Brigandine could stand strong against a ramming. Pistols are readied, and the two mages who had been loading the catapaults move forward, preparing protective spells (while approximately a dozen other mages stand behind them, looking on approvingly.

Damn.


The baying mob aboard the Rime is eyed up by the various mercenaries aboard the other ship. They heft their long, finely-made spiked chains in anticipation.

DAMN YOU SECOND-SPAWNED GODLING SLAVES TO THE VOID!

And suddenly everything happens at once. The two boats collide with a horrific splintering shriek of warping wood and iron; a cache of unused spellshots, set off in the explosion, rocket up like fireworks into the air, some bursting in great blooming novae of magical energy above the battle, shedding strange, unearthly light down onto it, while others remain, slowly arcing back down into the the fray, guided by primal, savage elemental spirits. A great cloud of poisonous gases erupts from the finger of one of the Bastion mages, dividing the ship's surface in two, separating the forward boarding party from that behind it with a sickly grey mist. And the two forces clash into each other.

Sorry for the delay, guise. I can now officially state that I am FREE! of the dreaded yoke and tyranny of school.

Also, a matter that I'd just like to consult with y'all - would everyone be okay with advancing the timeline - 3 days, or so? Mostly, people have been talking - 210 posts worth of text would probably take only a few hours to read out, but may we override verisimilitude in the name of events?

[GrassyGnoll]

Vernes anticipated the lurch his vessel would allow and let it propel him over the railings. Companions of his who attempted the same were met with varying success. A good number fell to flintlock fire or their own incompetence. On deck a line of iron men lined behind the railings and opened a barrage of harpoons and pistol fire. The details became irrelevant from there, a crew was in need of breaking.

The first seaman to be bowled over by Vernes had sense enough to scurry back. To his side he cut an opening with his scimitar and pushed another offboard with a sweep of his tentacle. Around him more Drowned landed. Their entrances were as dramatic as they were reckless. One bravo still half strapped into his armor crashed into one lot only to be impaled first along a pike and summarily, along with the rest of the band, upon a hail of harpoons from the Rime.

Taking inspiration from the man's folly, Vernes hurled one of his own shafts into a gathering of mages. He didn't care to look which one it had caught, instead grasping at the nearest caster with his available tendril. The cracks his soft body made in the disgusting embrace were satisfying.

An impressive pile of bodies was beginning to gather around the railings. So impressive it was something of a feat to notice the earlier ejected Drowned climbing up the hull on the opposite side of the ship.
______________________________________________

Millia's progress had filled Nauphel with good humor. Such a needy and courteous king could not but help to listen to his proposal. Reaching across the planes he instructed his ambassador further.

"Well done, daughter dearest. Arrange for a dockside rendezvous in five days time. Promise him a proper tribute from a merchant lord and favorable dealings."

The kraken lord broke his connection and ventured along the outer shell of his realm. The gift he had in mind would have need of the sea floor's pickings.

Considering how ridiculously high Vernes' attack bonuses are I'll save rolling for those ever important named NPCs

Fine with me, we can assume Millia's been in court for three days, Vernes will have set up anchor in the nearest possible bay after this, and Nauphel occupying himself with preparing a gift for the Persians

[PhoeKun]

Velia breaks the seal without much thought and reads the contents of the letter. Of course, she has no need to read the first part, being fully capable of recognizing her own former faithful. The second part catches her eye for a moment, if only because she specifically remembers telling him to keep a closer eye on that pen. Finding it would, at least, provide a good test for Erica. The third part of the letter gives her pause. Such an unusual gesture from Saatyun. And yet... almost instantly, the request has brought forth a deep yearning in her. Nauki would always be her favorite, but the chance to raise another... could not be passed up.

"Very well. I accept what my son has written, and everything he has sent you to deliver."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Meanwhile, at the Temple of Velia in Erdzhine Tzeh...

A beautiful young woman with long black hair dressed in elegant silks stands over a much younger girl who is kneeling on the floor before her, trying not to shake too much.

"So, you wish to become an Inquisitor?"

"Y-yes, Lady Shaareth. It was my m-mother's wish..."

The woman sighs, and tosses a rapier and the girl, who nearly drops it in surprise.

"Show me what you can do..."

I'm fine with a time skip, if only because I love the implication that Nauki and Sephriel took 3 days to finish a game of chess... :smalltongue:

[UglyPanda]

"I understand. Each of my lord's presents are labeled according to whomever they are being sent to. I will deliver them personally if you wish me to, as I have been told to wait here until he reopens the gate on his side and have nothing else to do until he returns." Caine has not changed his position during this time period, and has been averting his gaze while kneeling in the position of a knight.

OOC: Caine's delivery is over, I'm okay with a time skip. He's just going to return to Saatyun's realm after it has been determined he spent three hours there.

[MrScary]

so, where is everyone?

echo...

....echo....


echo....

[UglyPanda]

OOC: Waiting for the DM

[Yuki Akuma]

OOC: Waiting for the DM to bloody tell me what the talking chess piece wanted to say.

[The_Snark]

I'm not seeing any posts from Scribe since before the boards went down for repair; I can't tell if he's checked in at all. Hopefully he'll do so soon, all of the players still seem to be around...

[GrassyGnoll]

OOC: Back, essentially. I'll be gone on the 29th on a flight back to the States.

[NEO|Phyte]

ooc: I'm here too.

[WhiteKnight777]

OOC:

Also here, but assuming this game has gone the way of the dodo.

[PsyBlade]

ooc: Hoping game is not lost, again.

[UglyPanda]

OOC: Anyone have Illiterate Scribe's E-mail address or a non-forum way to contact him?

[The Glyphstone]

OOC: Technically here, but I had given up when (again) no one showed any real interest in interacting with me. Partially my fault for making a god of sloth though.

[PhoeKun]

ooc: here, but bowing out even if the game comes back. I don't have it in me.

[GrassyGnoll]

OOC: Technically here, but I had given up when (again) no one showed any real interest in interacting with me. Partially my fault for making a god of sloth though.

I did. Although I was going to retract it soon as I learned I could obtain the same materials from the Stonewhisperer.