Lords of Creation: The World Madly Spins (IC Thread)

**zzzzzzzz414** · 2021-06-09, 01:22 PM (ISO 8601)

"This way, sir, he went this way! Hurry, please!" the dappled gray foal yelled, pointing to an alley between two large adobe storehouses. Taren Ravenbow nodded, raising his torch slightly as he proceeded into the alleyway. No common thief with an ounce of sense would attempt to fight one of the Feet of Clay; but desperation often led men to do insensible things, and the night provided many shadows from which to launch an ambush. He reached for the spear on his back as he rounded the corner of the building, expecting the thief to be lying in wait there if at all, tensing his muscles as the torchlight revealed-

Nothing. An empty dead-end. A prank.

Taren sighed, and turned around, not surprised in the slightest to see the foal standing there at the corner of the alley with a smug grin on his face. "Child, I hope you know that there are consequences for this kind of-" Taren blinked, and stopped. Something was wrong. The foal was not retreating. In fact, the foal wasn't acting much like a foal trying to get away after a prank at all; they were advancing closer, actually, with the easy dominance of someone far more powerful. The moonlight shifted, and the expression he had taken for smug, youthful glee was actually...something else. Something he did not really recognize, but that sent a chill down his spine. For some reason, Taren suddenly felt very aware of the high, windowless walls all around him, and the lack of a view from the main street. His hand strayed, unbidden, to the bow at his side, as simmering fear forced its way through his mouth as an angered snarl.

"I don't know what the meaning of this is, foal, but you had best-"

"I am quite sorry about this, centaur." the foal interrupted, in a cold tone that did not belong in a child's mouth. With a cold smile that did not belong on a child's face. But then, the child did not actually look much like a child anymore; his eyes were turning coal-black, the smile was widening, too wide, splitting the face as skin stretched and folded away to reveal something pale and slimy beneath, translucent wings starting to emerge from his back, hooves splintering into claws as he reared up on his hind legs-

"What in the name of Hetta-" Taren mumbled, fumbling for the warhorn at his side. The thing moved fast, impossibly fast, and before the warrior could even process what was happening, he (IT?) was tearing open his arm with long, bony claws. Years of battle instincts kicked in, and Taren planted a firm kick in the creature's chest with enough force to kill a weaker being, sending it sprawling down the alley with a wet, chitinous crack. He tried to draw his bow - no good, arm was badly damaged, seemed to be going numb, drew the spear instead, torch falling near-forgotten to the muddy ground. He whipped the point forward but the thing was already nearly on top of him again, seemingly unphased by the kick, six limbs skittering across the wall, mouth open impossibly wide and full of rows upon rows of teeth, he scrambled backwards, flank hitting wall as he turned the shaft to intercept the creature as it leapt towards his face, PAIN, the thing's clawed lower limbs digging into his stomach as the four upper ones grappled with the spear or swiped at his face, he tried to throw it off but it was too strong, pushing the spear back, breaking it, panic flooded Taren's system and he reacted purely on instinct, slamming his helmeted head forwards to headbutt the creature, claws releasing in surprise as he knocked it to the ground.

Taren attempted to gallop forwards, trampling it and hopefully getting closer to the open street, but it was too fast, darting between his legs, scraping its claws against his foreleg as he passed, pain and then numbness erupting before he toppled to the ground. Taren turned his torso and saw the thing mid jump, and in split-second desperation he swung one of the splintered halves of his spear upwards, directly into the path of the creature. With a sickening SPLRTCH, the sickly monstrosity was impaled, suspended mere inches from his body. The makeshift wooden stake had gone right through it, a direct strike through the heart.

It did not affect the creature in any way whatsoever.

Numbness pierced several points of his face, neck, and chest, and Taren Ravenbow knew no more.

--

With everything else that was going on, nobody really noticed the missing foal, or the unusual amount of ravens that seemed to be hanging around.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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AP Total: 0/16

Rollover: 0+4 = 4AP

Create Legendary Subrace (Stirges): Vampires [3AP]
Vampires are very rare beings sometimes created by Stirges under certain conditions. If a swarm of stirges finds itself without a good supply of food from large terrestrial mammals, and happens to be near a densely populated/developed area, the swarm will sometimes choose a secure spot rich in mana and secrete a sort of cocoon, sealing themselves within. After a period of mana absorption lasting weeks to months, a single humanoid gestalt creature composed of the former stirges - a vampire - will emerge.

In their natural form, vampires are pale, bipedal, vaguely insectoid intelligent beings with six clawed limbs, large pupilless pitch-black eyes, a pair of membranous wings suitable for short bursts of flight, and large, lamprey-like mouths lined with several rows of teeth. However, this form is rarely revealed, as vampires are natural shapeshifters, capable of mimicking any humanoid form that they have personally seen. In addition, vampires also possess great strength and speed, claws with numbing venom similar to that of a stirge's talons, and the ability to suddenly turn into a swarm of creatures called "thralls".

Thralls mimic the forms of small monsters or animals, and function as a hivemind. This can be useful for making escapes, but afterwards the thralls must come back together and make a cocoon to re-build the humanoid body of the vampire, a process that can take hours to days. Additionally, if many individual thralls are killed, the vampire may come back permanently weakened or disfigured; or they may be unable to rebuild their body at all, and will thus quickly starve to death. By "default", a vampire's thralls take the form of stirges, but a vampire can also learn to become birds, flies, rats, bats, etc. A thrall is only a pale imitation of an animal, and cannot do much besides run or fly; the exception is stirge thralls, which can mate with real stirges. Becoming thralls is typically an all-or-nothing affair; very few vampires are skilled or powerful enough to create thralls while maintaining their humanoid form.

Vampires are biologically immortal, but they can be killed through traditional methods, though their great strength, speed and durability, as well as their nonstandard biology, makes this quite difficult. However, though they do not feed on mana or require a supply of it to live, the bonds that hold their form together are mana-based; thus, anything that dampens mana or magic (such as Holy Sand, Jade Kings and totems made from their crystals, or certain techniques employed by acolytes of the Eternal Night) can cause them severe discomfort and weakness, and can even force them into thrall form in order to escape. Extended, forced exposure will cause them to disintegrate.

Like the stirges that created them, vampires feed exclusively on blood, though their preying methods differ. Some vampires simply move from location to location, picking off individuals until enough suspicion is raised to force them to move on. Others carefully infiltrate and take up positions as powerful or respected community figures, and use their influence to feed on people nobody will miss. Certain (though rare) tribes and villages respect and allow vampires openly for various reasons, donating small amounts of blood from everyone. A few sell their services in exchange for blood; many have use for their shapeshifting and infiltration capabilities, and others have uses for their abilities as powerful warriors. And fewer still are able to rule, assembling enough gold and power to openly take blood by force. Whatever methods they use, however, vampires are solitary beings, and quite territorial; they are created in response to a shortage of blood, and do not suffer competitors. Some of the early revelations about and crusades against vampires would actually emerge from vampires attemping to eliminate other vampires.

Though they are intelligent and sometimes even compassionate sapient beings capable of restraining their instincts, they, like the stirges that created them, have no internal regulator of appetite.

A vampire is always hungry.

Death (Plague) 10/10 - Portfolio Gained

4-3 = 1 Remaining AP

**Kinro** · 2021-06-09, 09:25 PM (ISO 8601)

To the many scholarly kobolds, someone like Varral was more than welcome, even more so, perhaps, than Ennis, who was so ostentatiously friendly. His lack of grace was both ignored and something that all were used to. None were as graceful as the kobolds on their own lands. But all who were eager to teach and learn were embraced, with these people like with no others.

And so, it was Ennis that Neela spoke to, so much more intimidating to those who weren't possessed of a god like she was. Easily, she lept to a stack of crates, sitting on them to place herself at his eye level. "You are well met, Varral," she said. "As are all who would learn from us or teach us in turn. I am Neela. I speak for Lor, for it has chosen me to share of itself with, and I speak for myself, for it has chosen to keep much of what I once once, but I don't speak for the kobolds. That would be... improper. Not for us, of course. Lor took us in our greatest need, made for us this paradise and made us fit for it," she said, gesturing to city, ensconced into the surrounding swamp as it was. "All of our generations would not have been enough to repay the debt we still owe it. But it does not wish to rule and it does not intercede in mortal affairs that mortals can well handle themselves. And so, I do not rule. Intercede, however..." She gave a mischevious smile. "Let's say that it wasn't by accident that Lor gave me this javelin. Though it's still my flute that I prefer."

"In any case, talking and advice are things that I certainly can do, and possibly something you could well use. But here hardly seems like an appropriate place. I could arrange a great hall for our discussion, if you wish. A private chambers, perhaps? Or, if you wish to wash the dirt of your travel, I can take you to the baths and we could talk there." The last was said almost dismissively, but it was, to her, the correct choice. For the public baths had spread down from the plains, all the way back and across the Great Marshes. Not as necessary there, but certainly appreciated still. And in the baths, the custom was, all were equal. It wasn't always exactly the case, people being what they were, but it was more true there than any place else and many an otherwise untenable conflict was resolved by a few honest words in one of these peculiar places. And so, an invitation to the baths came to mean an invitation to speak openly, freely and as equals. And it was this that, Neela secretly hoped, Ennis would accept now.

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-09, 11:11 PM (ISO 8601)

To War!

The leaders of the Jazira Colony were surprised when they received the carved message detailing the League’s “generous offer” for them to surrender and be under their influence.

Most of the port towns on the eastern coast and those on the nearby islands all received their own copy. So a meeting was called to discuss a things.

Leaders of the towns who had received the offer were sitting to one side and watching the facial expressions of those who were reading it for the first time at the meeting. Confusion, surprise, incredulity, and anger. They nodded to each other, relieved that their feelings were mutual.

Manar looked up after reading the copy she had been provided. She was a little surprised that the league would extend such an invitation, from experience she felt their usual procedures would be to just take what they wanted.

A market leader stood up at that point. It was his turn to facilitate discussion. Clearing his throat, he started.

”As you have all read in the message we received from the pirates, they offer us the honor of paying them taxes and bowing to their authority. In return, they stop plundering our ships and allow us to travel as we wish through their territory. What are your thoughts?”

Immediately a number of the seated merchants rose to their feet in indignation. Speaking over each other of the untrustworthiness of the pirates, the blatant attempt at blackmail, their current losses, and how deluded the pirates must be if they thought being under their influence would help the merchants.

”I think the recent blow we struck using our new ships and bronze weapons surprised them. I think they are worried we might grow too strong for them if we are left to develop in peace.” Someone suggested.

That comment got a murmur of approval. The leaders of the port towns where the ships were built getting a few nods of recognition.

”That makes sense! Why else would they seek a peaceful method of acquiring what they want? They probably thought we’d jump at any opportunity to avoid a war if they dangled some personal benefits as bait. That way they could get a hold of our new technologies.”

“Who’s to say they won’t try to find a loophole in their agreement with us after extracting what they want? Even with the threat of the Curse, I’m sure their crooked minds would find a way around things. I vote we fight!”

The heated discussion that followed ended on the conclusion that war was the only option available. It was clear the pirates could not be stopped otherwise. Give them an inch and they take a mile. They had already abandoned the south of circle continent to the plunderers but that was not enough to satisfy their greed.

The council wrote up their response, added a long list of grievances caused by the pirates, along with a collection flowery insults. A clear rejection. The message was then sent back with all their seals.

Timsah had been present at the meeting, in recognition of her recent achievement of beating back a pirate fleet, she was officially promoted to admiral. New ships would be built for her to command using the wood imported from Corla and the nearby islands. Returning to where the sailers were waiting for her report she leaped onto a nearby rock.

“WE FIGHT!!! The Merchant Colony has had enough of being seen as wealthy easy prey! Now is the time to rouse the sleeping instincts of a predator! To pay the pillaging pirates back their own coin! TO WAR!!!!!”

The deafening cheer of warriors, sailors and merchants could be heard throughout the city. Morale was high. The grudges built up over the recent years were deep. The pirates would pay for their crimes, with interest.

The battle of the bay of blood

Timsah and the other high ranking captains of the Colony’s budding naval force were meeting at a southern port town to discuss their first move. The pirates hadn’t raided this far around the island yet, and others were patrolling the waters nearby so they could focus without worry.

They talked about the recent series of successes using rams, but that pirates had gotten better at maneuvering out of the way now that they knew about it.

A messenger interrupted the meeting with the urgent message that a large number of pirate ships had been gathering near the islands to the east. A lone Crocodilian escapee from a pillaged village was the one who had reported it.

With a leap the captains got up and hurried to their ships. Their half finished tactics would have to do. Soon their ornately decorated ships were cutting across the shallow waters surrounding Jazira Alsahali.

Observation of the two primary types of combatants were also reported and analyzed. While mana users could unleash all kinds of chaos from a distance, Ki’s potential for ranged attacks were currently limited and draining to use. Mana and Ki were not suitable to use with the same body, so Ki users generally had more powerful bodies and favored close combat.

Therefore, the key to victory would be how to force a physical close quarters fight.

The pirates had taken over a few islands right to the east of Jazira, likely to use as a staging ground for an invasion Timsah thought. Their fleet was anchored in the sheltered bays, safe from any storm.

Somehow the pirates had noticed their approach and the ships in the distance could be seen readying their sails and preparing for battle. This would be bloody.

Timsah relayed her orders to the rest of the fleet through prearranged signals and the ships got into formation. The foremost ship were built sturdier than the rest and had one of the elders of the ascetics on board. Behind it in in chevron formation were the other ships.

Drums on board the ships began to beat out at an intensified rhythm and the oarsmen started working harder causing the ships to pick up speed.

Being sheltered from storms meant the area was also sheltered from most winds, so both side’s sails were functioning at reduced capacity. It was up to the rowers to determine which side’s ships would be faster and nimbler.

As the first ship came into range of the pirates sorcerers, elemental projectiles and other magic attacks were hurled at it. Just as it looked like the ship would be doomed, an old Shelled warrior stood up at the prow of the ship. Moving his hands slowly and fluidly, Yun Liuquan sent Ki out in well timed bursts. Each time the Ki hit a projectile it would alter its trajectory causing it to fall harmlessly into the sea. To others it would look like a fantastic light show of flashing magic followed by splashes of water.

As the ship got closer the firepower targeting it increased and the shelled had to work harder. Putting both hands together, and turning his back to the enemy the old shelled forced Ki to resonate with his shell. Out of nowhere, a large translucent shell appeared in front of the ship blocking the attacks. With each hit however, Liuquan was forced a step back with a shudder. This wouldn’t hold for long.

And it wouldn’t need to. As though it were a signal, rowers started infusing Ki into their every stroke. Some oars snapped under the sudden strain as the ships shot forward into the enemy.

Without the wind to give their ships the speed to maneuver, the pirates’s ships were slower than the Colony’s and couldn’t respond in time. Rams pierced through the pirates’ ships and the force of the collisions even knocked some of the unfortunate pirates off their ships into the water.

Not all the colony ships had rams yet, so the others used different strategies. Geckokin Ki practitioners were light enough that they could run short distances on the water. When they got close enough they charged from their ships to board the surprised pirates.

Several ships had a troop of large Crocodilian Ki users, instead of engaging up close, they used their Ki to throw heavy rocks coated in bronze. These destructive projectiles could punch through the enemy’s ships and cause massive damage. Learning to throw such heavy projectiles with enough distance and accuracy was hard, and although few became skilled enough, many Crocodilians would later learn to enjoy watching others compete.

The pirates were no pushovers, however, and once the initial momentum of the charge had worn off the fights devolved into chaotic combat.

Elemental blasts sent several ships sinking into the shallow water as fearsome individuals the pirates called the Chosen unleashed their mutant prowess. Wherever these forces of destruction appeared only the most part experienced ascetics could stand up to them.

Deflecting attack after attack, Liuquan, the shelled ascetic who had guarded the initial charge, walked towards the mutant in front of him at a relaxed pace. This particular pirate captain had already set multiple ships ablaze with their magic and was cackling wildly as they flung out flaming orbs at any who approached. As the ascetic drew closer, the mutant started focusing on the elder, but it was useless. The old monk gently received the concentrated elemental energy and cover it with Ki, suppressing it just long enough to push it off course into the water. Sometimes, if the attack was weaker, the old monk would manage to maneuver the mana attack around his body before sending it back in the direction of other pirates.

It was as if the captain was fighting against an inevitable destiny. One step at a time the old monk approached, each slow methodical step bringing him several steps closer in a logic defying manner. Turning to flee before the old turtle got close, the pirate captain shuddered when a heavy calloused hand gently came down on his shoulder from behind. The benevolent smile of the ascetic was the last thing he saw before drifting off to an endless slumber.

Timsah was as usual aggressively fighting surrounded by enemies, each mighty swing of her glaive harvesting lives like a reaper’s scythe harvests grain. The Ki infused into her hard scales and muscles providing an almost impenetrable defense while boosting her already potent strength. Shrugging off claw, fang, and blade the Crocodilian let the Ki guide her movements, sometimes fast sometimes slow, each movement deadly.

Unlike the gentle and pliable Ki of her shelled ally, she knew her Ki was hard and sharp, suited for meeting force with force. Although she wouldn’t admit it to her merchant friends, this was what she was made for. The markets of her childhood were definitely find memories, but the endless bargaining and searching for good deals hadn’t excited her as much as the other kids. No, the battlefield was were she first touched upon the secrets of Ki, where her body and mind were one, where every heartbeat could be felt and she could be true to herself.

When the pirates sounded the horn to retreat, Timsah looked up and surveyed the destruction around her. Burning ships littered with corpses both allied and enemy. Bits of broken wood drifting on the surface of the water that was dyed red with blood. Never had the Lizardfolk had a battle of this magnitude before, and history would remember one of the first naval battle, it’s victors, and the horrible cost it claimed in both lives and resources.

Watching the ragged remains of the pirate fleet exhaust their last magic to push their few crippled ships out from the bay, she saw their sails suddenly bellow as they finally caught the shifting wind. Turning to her fleet, she gave a victory roar that echoed over the waters.

A few drops started falling from the sky, gradually turning into a gentle shower that washed some of the blood off the warriors and ships. Yum LiuQuan raised his head to look at the sky, it was as if the heavens were crying. With a sigh, he thought back to the peaceful days of simple meditation and tending the plants at headquarters.

Although both sides had heavy losses, it would take longer for the pirates to bring reinforcements to the area around Jazira.

Making the most of the time that had been bought with many lives, the colony built up a series of lookout towers with beacons and other forts along the coast and the small islands surrounding Jazira Alsahali. They also traded a lot of wealth, handcrafted items and desert resources to buy timber from their long-standing trade-partners, the weshesh.

They needed a lot to build ships to expand their navy, so merchants were happy to discuss this trade and the potential for future trade with the Sahuagin. This was the third race of the weshesh that the Lizardfolk merchants had encountered, and they made a pretty good first impression. They had scales, an immediate plus, soft skinned people just couldn’t understand the wonder of having scales which could make small talk a challenge.

With their new ships launched later that year, the Colony finally had the ability to control the waters around their desert island.

Pantheon of Protectors

Abu Dhahab nodded politely to Kassa as she spoke something that resonated with his own thoughts.

I agree with you that mortals do not and should not “belong” to a Deity as their possession. My meaning behind referring to Lizardfolk as mine and Gnolls as yours was purely a reference to their origin. Lizardfolk were my creation, but they are free to follow their own path, as many seem to have done.

Turning back to Renarr and the others talking about forming an alliance for the purpose of protecting the world and mortals in it Abu Dhahab agrees to join.

A noble cause is worth investing in. With the increase in our power comes an increase in responsibility, our actions and our very existence can harm the fabric of reality and the world that holds all of it together.

I brought up this point to Kerima, and I will mention here again it even though think we are all aware of it. We deities are imperfect beings. Flawed in some way by design or by accident. The scars of the first world are a permanent reminder of that.

I would be honored to be associated with a group that acknowledges its mistakes and strives to preserve and help more than harm, though I do not wish for burden of leadership. I do not wish for one of us to rule over the other, for I fear our own shortcomings might be given opportunity to grow unchecked.

A facilitator of conversations is needed though, an initiator of projects, a mediator, a neutral party, and weak enough that should they go astray our work will not be undone and we can bring them back.

Spoiler: ap actions

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AP: 2

Create Pantheon (The Vigilant) -1 AP
Having seen the harm the unchecked rampage of a deity can cause, and even the accidental harm an average deity can cause, this council has formed with the intent of protecting mortals from divine destruction, preserving rather than harming, and taking responsibility for your mistakes. Abu Dhahab would like the council to be lead or facilitated by a neutral party who can represent mortals.
Mind (Enlightenment) 4/10

2 -1 = 1 AP remaining

**Zelphas** · 2021-06-11, 10:18 PM (ISO 8601)

At the Concourse

Hetta listens to the long speeches and the strange conversations steadily, generally understanding that the group there seemed to be suggesting a formalized sort of connection or get-together. Something akin to relief washes over the goddess; finally, someone among the gods is suggesting godly rules and putting them in place. She nods in agreement with the statements as said before, signifying her agreement with that nod and with a flare of her own power, joined with the two who have already spoken and open for any others that join as well.

Cleaning up for unintended consequences... it is a topic Hetta had only rarely considered, if she is honest. Perhaps dealing with the various untended mortal souls would be part of that work?

Later, in an unfinished Plane

She has done something wrong, she can tell.

The Plane had come together simply enough; conjuring the clay she used so often to build on the First World had been a matter of moments, and she had the template of the Concourse to build from to actually make it a separate plane of existence rather than a lump of clay in the void around the First World. Drawing the souls to her in this plane had taken a few moments more, but the clay had served her again on that front.

Now, however, Hetta realizes that she isn't actually sure what to do with the souls now that she has them.

The centaur souls are the most peaceful; certainly, their rest is a bit blank and bland, in this darkened space on a white clay ball, but it is still rest, and they are in the presence of their creator. The other races might be confusedly asking what is going on, or panicking at their new-ish forms, or trying to escape the ball that they found themselves on after their deaths, but the centaurs wait quietly, watching Hetta to see what she has made. In a weird sort of recursive mimicry, Hetta does the same, waiting in a long, long moment of indecision as she is unsure of what exactly to do next.

In the Pit of Making

The Lump wanders through the halls of the Pit, watching the endless, pointless work. Golem Archons continue to mine and sort clay, creating fantastic rooms in single colors to store the material their goddess once used extensively. They mined deeper, and farther, than any expected. A small family of Earth Dragons, having spread from their mountain home, incidentally found their way into one corner of the Pit's new breadth, unknowing that this is the birthplace of their whole race. A few deep tunnels break into much older and deeper caves; the Orcs who discover this new construction will find little to plunder and less to eat within the Pit's multicolored walls. Living statues and gargoyles, beginning to starve as Hetta's inherent magic slowly fades from her once-home, start to spread out from the Pit in all directions.

The Lump, determined to protect its Master's home and treasures, warns all away from the Pit itself. Most of the time, this has the opposite effect, for what adventurer can resist the possibility of finding the treasure of the Great Maker herself?

Spoiler: AP Actions

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0 AP + 5 AP = 5 AP

Create Pantheon (The Vigilant) -1 AP: Having seen the harm the unchecked rampage of a deity can cause, and even the accidental harm an average deity can cause, this council has formed with the intent of protecting mortals from divine destruction, preserving rather than harming, and taking responsibility for your mistakes. (Domain Progression: Luck (Unintended Consequences) 1/10)

Weave Plane (Refraction) -2 AP: Hetta has created a white clay ball suspended in a seemingly-endless darkness, which draws the souls of mortals not already connected to another place to go after their death. The souls sink into the white clay and form out of it, taking on the appearance that they had in life; the stronger the 'personality' and memories of the soul, the more detail and color they have in their appearance. (Domain Progression: Luck (Unintended Consequences) 3/10)

Alter Land (The Pit Labyrinth) -1 AP: Due to Hetta's digging, excavating, and magic, the Pit of Making is now an enormous, twisted labyrinth that is currently unmapped and incredibly difficult to navigate. Earth Dragons inhabit one corner of the Labyrinth, and a few of its tunnels lead into the Underdark. The labyrinth, and much of the lands around the Pit, is utterly infested with Living Statues and Gargoyles, many of them in fantastical and impossible shapes and some, gorged by close proximity to Hetta's magic, of fearsome power. (Domain Progression: Luck (Unintended Consequences) 4/10)

5 AP -4 AP = 1 AP Remaining

**ezekielraiden** · 2021-06-12, 02:00 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by KragBrightscale

Arkhos, though we share many similarities and your words and blessing align with my own values, I still wish to wait and see more of what you stand for through your future actions. Should we form this alliance, and you find yourself wanting to join, it would not be too late to decide then.

Arkhos nodded. "Thy patience is admirable. I echo this, that there is yet more to do before I stand among you, fast in alliance. So I shall let my word alone be bond enough, 'til time in ripeness come, and we both shall prove its strength."

Originally Posted by Gnomes2169

Turning her gaze back to Arkhos, she nods to the dragon god's desire, and he says, "Your gift is welcome, and the world will be better for it. If you should ever find need for allies or wish to join our cause, the conclave we are crafting here will be more than happy to welcome you."

"Doubt not, O Daystar, that when the hour strike, I shall. As the Father of Gold hath said, my tale yet wanteth more telling ere we speak in earnest of such ties to bind. So I shall let deeds speak, and return. For much and more have I still yet to see, of worlds that are and may yet be." With these words, perhaps overly flowery but carrying the weight of departure, he made a small bow (or, at least, what is a bow for a dragon!), and turned to leave. He did spare one glance, however, for Dia; her wordless approval met with his wordless appreciation. He felt she, Lady of Time and Tide, would understand.

Feathery God-Mother

The passage back to the First World seemed easier than entering this outside-inside place had, and not merely because he knew what he was doing. Perhaps that was the eternal temptation, to walk back into the circles of a world that one had to leave behind eventually. Even the gods had to turn from the cradle and travel new paths. Without the Creator to ask, that left the final destination open, which Arkhos took as a sign of hope, that the final end had not yet been written.

Floating in the cold Void above the First World, specifically the Circle Continent, he refocused on the task before him, rather than such distant things. Sadly, none of the gods had shared the name of the deity whose children rode the winds, but that simply meant Arkhos would have to learn it himself. Yet surely, if their creations had spread as far as they seemed to when he had stood beside Lor, the name would be on the lips of someone among them!

Their works had grown out from the wickedly peaked mountains of the southeast. These he did not remember, which made the journey that much sweeter. It was after a fashion his first adventure, diving into what he did not know. He did, however, keep in mind Wan'shi's prophecy. Arkhos did not wish to stir up conflict where it was not called for, least of all with a deity perhaps unknown to the others. Swimming down into the world below, he took subtle form, like the shadow of the wind.

First, he came to know what they called themselves. Harpies. Their ways were strange to him, but not wayward. They followed a different tune, and their lives were quite different from those of other races, including Arkhos' first children. Yet, despite their differences, he could not help feeling kinship to the harpies. Like them, he would never know those who had "sired" him, other than by their memories engraved on his own. Like them, he would have to learn from other-parents, gods who had quickened his spark and others who had not.

Their hearts were wild, but not savage. They had learned from others, and there was peace between them and those unlike them. Arkhos briefly studied their kobold friends, for one's friends can tell much about a person. Perhaps later, he would delve deeper into the ways of the kobolds, for they did not merely love knowledge to hoard it, but to protect and share it, sentiments that stirred his own heart. But the harpies, and their creator, were his first focus. He went among them, clothing himself in a body like theirs, not resplendent as his essence was, but quiet, to listen for a time.

The harpies protected their lands, but were not insular, especially to one willing to do the work that keeps a flock fed and safe. Thus did he fly among them, peak to peak, and hear their stories. Some, he knew, were wild exaggerations of the fall of Wan'shi--such events do not shake the foundations of the world without leaving a mark--but others were far more enlightening. Tales of the Mother, who gave their phoenix-forebears life, nurturing them and setting them out. Briettia, they called her, tender of the Egg of Flocks.

His curiosity was, at times, commented upon. But that he was a pilgrim on a journey seemed natural to them. Whenever he asked how to get closer to the Mother, the harpies pointed him toward the high peaks. "Don't hope for answers," one sang to him in the words that were also music. "The Mother doesn't answer prayers with words. She does help and guide us, but it's rare for her to swoop down on a single life."

"I understand, wind-sister," he sang back. "But I must hope anyway."

"Wind guide you," she said, watching the curious harpy leave.

He sang into the wind, and to her surprise she heard the reply. "Nest greet you."

---

To a god, the journey was not long. Arkhos had few mortal memories from before his birth, so it was difficult to tell whether a mortal would agree. In either event, it had nearly reached its end. As he drew closer, however, he wondered if he should shed his guise now, or wait until he was apart from Briettia's mortal children first. Reaching the final, lofty nest before the Egg of Flocks, he chose the latter, though perhaps not at his greatest physical extent. Courtesy bade him retain a size near theirs.

Their response was, of course, mixed. It was not, however, too difficult to win over some of those who felt fear to see a being of power appear among them, as he offered a feather from his glistening wings to any who desired it. As before, a gift freely given made fresh meeting a friendly thing, a lesson to remember for his own mortal children, when time came to give them life.

"I come to speak with your Mother, Briettia, and share in the joy of Creation," he said; and they directed him up the mountain, to the Egg. Whether he would find her there or not, they could not say, for the Mother's movements were like the wind, subtle and oft unforeseen.

**SpeedWitch** · 2021-06-12, 08:39 AM (ISO 8601)

Meetings on the Concourse
Abu, Renarr, Hetta, Arkhos, Kassa, Dia and Silph

Originally Posted by Abu Dhahab

The four of us do share that common history, and there were others too who stood with us against the snake, yet that is an ominous foundation to build on. What basis is there for continued unity if the external threat that it was based on is gone?

I propose we define a new goal or purpose that the new alliance or court could work towards, if that is what we wish to do. So what thoughts do the three of you have for our future cooperation?

"For my part, I plan on collecting as many of our archon siblings willing to stand with us as I can find. We can't be everywhere. Having allies both here and across the First World will make things easier for both us and mortals." Dia paused, their sprites freezing in place. "... Admittedly, I've yet to iron out the details of what exactly that would look like. But I'm sure I can figure it out."

Originally Posted by Kassa

"Where is the Great Tyrant, by the way - surely the master of one-third of the world cannot be uninvolved in its protection?" she rasped. "I have heard tales of many gods, in fact; The Burning One, The Eaten God, The Mother of Monsters, The Shelled One, The Guiding Wind - and yet, before me I see only five. Why, even the Great Teacher has yet to appear; an ill omen for an alliance of protectors, I think. Still, I suppose one cannot blame them; the lives of mortals are so very interesting to watch, after all. And it is as you said - what harm is a dead snake?"

Though Kassa had quickly revealed herself to be untrustworthy in Dia's eyes, the fungus-filled goddess shared Dia's and Arkhos' question: the six of them were the only gods in the plane. Was there something unique about the deities assembled here that allowed them to find this place? Were the others too weak to feel the same pull? Too cautious? Dead? Dia did nothing to address Kassa's point - and neither did her three allies in this supposed pantheon.

Come to think of it, who even made this place? Dia could easily detect the influence of almost every god on this plane - Hetta's tiny golems, poking their heads out of the shadows; shards of ore sticking out of the dirt that merchants prayed to Abu Dhahab for in the procurement and selling of; Arkhos' tomb and The Voice he gave to the plane; even the plane itself seemed alive, and looking at the sprites flowing through the ground, Dia could tell this life was given to it by Renarr. Yet, the buildings, the streets - the plane itself didn't seem to display any obvious hints as to what god crafted the buildings and streets - though if they had to guess among those present, Dia would saddle Renarr with having crafted the lackluster architecture, though there was no sign of this in the sprites of the plane itself.

Only a few logical leaps from concluding that this plane was some sort of trap, Dia was distracted from her own thoughts by seeing Renarr grow a spine for the first time in her memory:

Originally Posted by Renarr

"If you spread stories of me among my followers, then tell them what you wish. Let them know that I am out here, waiting, but embellish and take what liberties you desire with the telling. But whatever lies you tell them, know that this is the truth." Crimson eyes locking with the liar's unflinching gaze, Renarr proclaimed, "They must learn to stand on their own. I will not always be there, and I cannot return to the First World to help them any longer. So let them learn to deal with deception from your tales while they are at it."

Somewhere in Dia's mind, Herrend was clapping. Dia was so impressed, they were almost proud of Renarr.

Originally Posted by Arkhos

[...] he made a small bow (or, at least, what is a bow for a dragon!), and turned to leave. He did spare one glance, however, for Dia; her wordless approval met with his wordless appreciation. He felt she, Lady of Time and Tide, would understand.

Dia's feelings on Renarr's tenacity were blown out of the water by the glance they shared with Arkhos - somehow, Arkhos was able to read Dia's mood, despite her lack of expression and her personal sprites tucked inside of her robe. Dia watched on as Arkhos flew back to the First World, then looked back at Renarr. "You sure you made that one? Because he seems awfully familiar to me."

Originally Posted by Renarr

"As for that council and our alliance, Abu Dhahab, you are right that we have vanquished the serpent, and thus bested the most direct threat to the First World. However, that does not mean that everything has magically become safe or better." Using light and shadow, she conjures illusions of mana's influence on mortals, on the underbeer. direwlves, pirates and clay dragons, of runes that drive their practitioners to madness, and wasted blightlands that still refused to heal even so many centuries after the serpent's death. "Wan'shi's influence still remains. It shapes the flesh that was left behind in the darkest places of the world, and beings who would kill or break the spirits of all who willingly give worship to us now rove the First World upon the shattered isle of a dead divinity. Other gods create chaos and monsters, some maliciously and some unknowingly or without any care. And we all but one of us has made something that had unintended consequences." The images resolved into Solace, the Clay Dragons, and Abu Dhahab's curse of sands perhaps being more prolific than he'd intended.

Dia's skin seemed to dim in color, similar scenes of pain and destruction flashing across her form from when the Serpent made landfall on Circle Continent.

"Wan'shi." Dia knew not where Renarr got the name from, but would take it for the memories of those she failed to save who could not put a name to the entity that took their lives. "We gave so much to slay it. We can't let its legacy ruin the world we fought so hard to save."

Originally Posted by Renarr

It was at this moment that the Suzerain appeared, between her and Dia, and Renarr would grin softly at seeing her companion in this place. Letting out a long sigh, the Daystar faded over to her Eternal Night aspect, who said, "We would preserve mortal will and the mortal ideals of our followers. Preserve their choices and their individuality. And thus, I think I know exactly who should lead this council."

Though they had no face, Dia's jaw dropped when they saw the Surzerain. This was, in their opinion, the best idea Renarr ever had. She mimicked Arkhos' curtsy toward the archon. "Surzerain of Night. Its good to see you again - sorryfornotsayinghilasttime, AHEM." They turned to the other gods. "Everyone, the Surzerain here was the arbiter of the plan to take down Wan'shi, and the reason any of us ever met each other in the first place. I could think of no one better fit to manage this council."

Later, in an unfinished Plane
Hetta, Dia, and countless souls

A cloak of stars seemed to slip out of the nothingness of this space, a short distance away from Hetta.

"Well, this is interesting."

Dia looked down at the masses of souls on the clay ball, thinking. Those are... people. No. ... Yes. No? Several sprites flew across their face as they tried to process what they was seeing. S o u l s . These are souls. And... you wanted to do something for them. Give them something. Purpose? Security? Safety?

Dia looked over at Hetta. "Oh, I um, may have accidentally gleamed your thoughts earlier at the Concourse. Sorry. I can show you how to hide them, if you like.

As well as help out with this little project here... Gripping empty space, Dia pulled back several layers of reality until the veil became thin enough that they could see a star shining brightly before them. I wonder. I helped a golem put memories into stars, which others could read at a distance. Perhaps starlight can transfer more than just knowledge.

Dia extended a hand to Hetta. If you're willing, I think we can combine our power. Pull this plane in closer to the First World. And maybe give these souls - ALL SOULS - another shot at life. Perpetually, even. Probably easier than my idea of stopping death for everyone everywhere - be glad to get that project off my back. What say you?

If Hetta accepts Dia's offer, the walls of the plane would fall away to reveal the night sky, Hetta's clay ball almost seeming to reflect the qualities of a rather notable blue sphere under a similar set of stars.

Starfishing on Nocturne
Alkyone and Herrend

Having learned how to manipulate sprites from watching Alkyone, Herrend frequently brought sprites to the golem to cast into the stars. Alkyone refused the majority of the sprites, only occasionally accepting and making minor constellations that were less likely to show up on a star chart, or to "update" Herrend's Grin with even worse jokes.

However, one fine night on Nocturne, Herrend presented something absolutely covered in sprites, yet despite having done so over a hundred times before by this point, he couldn't pull any out of it. Herrend looked at the object: a flower; with sixteen petals of white, pink and sky-blue. Taking it in hand, he stared at it for a long, long time, uncharacteristically raising a hand to shush Herrend as he begins to make another sarcastic remark. After a while, he begins whispering to the flower, as if he's having a conversation, Herrend leaning in to write down every word... then, after nearly thirty minutes, he gently plucks the petals off - sometimes tearing them in half - and puts them into stars that he casts out into a new constellation.

Athnuachan Atoll
The Sisterhood

While sailing to and from the Jisr Archipelago, one Sisterhood ship spotted large bolts of color in the distance that seemed to linger for a time before vanishing. Investigating this area would reveal an expansive beach, with both its sands and bay smothered with flower petals that seemed to show no signs of decay. While the petals were cute souvenirs, and incorporated into clothes, jewelry and the like by the more crafty sisters, the beach otherwise showed no sign of land or marine life, and the sands themselves were insubstantial for construction. Thus, it would take quite a few trips between the Archipelago and the Land of Cliffs and Spires before The Sisterhood was able to properly identify the tornadoes that formed within the bay, nearly capsizing a ship in the process.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Rollover: +5 AP
Starting AP: 6/20

The Vigilant
Create Pantheon (1 AP)

A domain made from the gods who faced down Wan’shi at the start of the world, and any like-minded younger deities who might want to join in. The tenants of this pantheon are simple: Strive to preserve more than you harm, take responsibility for the messes you make, and protect mortals and the world they live in from divine destruction

Having seen the harm the unchecked rampage of a deity can cause, and even the accidental harm an average deity can cause, this council has formed with the intent of protecting mortals from divine destruction, preserving rather than harming, and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

Dia votes for the Surzerain to run the council.

The Refraction
Weave Plane (Joint Action 4/4, 2 AP)

Hetta has created a white clay ball suspended in a seemingly-endless darkness, which draws the souls of mortals not already connected to another place to go after their death. The souls sink into the white clay and form out of it, taking on the appearance that they had in life; the stronger the 'personality' and memories of the soul, the more detail and color they have in their appearance.

Unclaimed souls from the first world are drawn to the plane, souls pooling into the nearest body of water that reflects the night sky. The darkness of the plane is dotted with stars that reflect the stars surrounding the First World, and a soul can build a path to a star by sacrificing their own memories to the clay, where it will then form a path to the stars. The memories the soul has left will be absorbed into the star they pass through, the soul being returned to the First World through starlight and reborn directly underneath that star. The star will also be permanently marked by the soul's Ren.

Windroses
Bless (1 AP)
A flower native to the skysea, that grow between eight and thirty-two lengthy pointed petals that can be many colors, but are most commonly pink, blue or white. These petals grow longer depending on how often wind blows directly across them from the petal's edge to the center of the flower, meaning windroses often look like a mess of a flower with no symmetry on their petals. Windroses drifts through the clouds like lilies on water, their roots spread-out to keep them from capsizing, absorbing water vapor through the clouds much like most skysea plants. They reproduce by having their pollen spread via wind and with help from pollinators native to the Skysea in calmer areas. At the end of its life cycle, while most of a windrose dissolves into the skysea as nutrients, the flower petals never wither, instead drifting down to a few feet below the surface of the skysea, creating massive waves of color on especially windy days.
Windrose petals blowing above the skysea or even among the lower continents are said to be a sign that the Saorsa is nearby, ready to guide mortals who need its aid.

The Windrose Constellation
Alter Land (0 AP)
A complex collection of twenty-five stars form this constellation. When looking up at this constellation, one feels themself drawn up into the sky, as if flying, and may even see the constellation begin to flush with color and appear more like its living counterpart. Frequent stargazers of this constellation often find themselves feeling empowered with a desire to take hold of their own life, make their own choices and leave places that feel limiting, restricting, or downright oppressive. This, combined with the plant's natural association with the Saorsa, has lead to The Windrose being used as a symbol of freedom and rebellion.
Beyond the feelings it invokes, The Windrose is useful to sailors navigating the seas, both as a reference to location and as an indicator of wind speed. When observing the constellation, if the wind blows a certain direction in the observer's area, the "petals" of The Windrose will appear to glow brightly, the brightest stars pointing at the cardinal direction the wind is coming from as well as displaying the wind's strength relative to its brightness. Staring at The Windrose for a long time can also reveal how the wind's direction and strength will change in their area over the next few hours, up to a twenty-four hour period, though this can make the inexperienced especially nauseous at sea.
When no wind is present in a given area, the Windrose appears to light-up in the direction of the Athnuachan Atoll.

Athnuachan Atoll
Counter-AP Action (The Wind of Athnuachan, 2AP)
A large atoll located in the mid-south of the Jiar Archipelago, whose shores are home to no life save for windrose petals. The Athnuachan Wind regularly passes through this area to recharge on divine energy from the skysea before continuing its trek around the world. This takes the form of several massive tornadoes chock full of windrose petals that stretch up into the clouds and connect to the skysea before dispersing upon the Athnuachan Wind's departure. The amount of time it takes for the wind to recharge varies between a few minutes to half a week, and at this point in time there is no documented pattern to explain when and why the wind behaves the way it does.

Spoiler: Divine Growth Tracker

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Current Level: Lesser Deity

★ Mind (Forgotten Memories)

★ Night (Stars)

★ Life (Celestial)

★ Life (Protection)

★ Thought (Preservation)

❖ ??? (???) TBA
➤ 1 AP - The Vigilant
➤ 2 AP - The Refraction
3/10 AP

❖ ??? (???) TBA
➤ 1 AP- Windroses
➤ 2 AP - Athnuachan Atoll
0/10 AP

Remaining AP: 2/20

**Zelphas** · 2021-06-12, 02:33 PM (ISO 8601)

In the Refraction, newly completed

Hetta responds to Dia's offer of hiding her thoughts with a blank look, unsure of what to do with the information. Are thoughts supposed to be hidden, or exposed? Is there a protocol of some sort for this?

The introduction of stars and paths for the souls is a welcome one; Hetta turns back to the now-quiet mortals and watches as they slowly realize what they can do now. One of them, a human who had been born and raised in the Blighted Lands and so did not have a strong connection to any god, speaks first. "I'll take that one," he says, pointing to the second star to the right of the topmost point of the sky where he stood. "With luck, if I go straight on, I'll get there by morning."

One by one, the mortals chose their stars and built their pathways out of memory, emptying themselves to be reborn. Some few, most of them centaurs, remained upon the clay ball in the center for a time before choosing, helping new souls as they arrive, going over their memories carefully before surrendering them, or simply enjoying a moment of peace and rest, away from the demands of life.

The Centaur Lands, Solidified

The vampires were the catalyst, though several other factors contributed to the consolidation of the centaur cities. These new, intelligent monsters destroyed a significant number of centaur lives in the very heart of their ancestral lands before they were discovered, and still more fell before the Feet of Clay were mobilized and informed enough to successfully combat them.

One spectacular battle in the middle of the ancient centaur town of Claywatch, nestled near the lands of the Pit of Making and undisturbed by Wan'shi, orc, or anything else until now, woke up the entire society of the centaurs to the dangers living in their borders. Two vampires had chosen the same prey and struck at once, becoming aware of each other moments after each struck a killing blow to the elderly Centaur gardener who had been employed by the chief of Claywatch. The resultant explosion of territorial violence between the two monsters was too big, to catastrophic, to remain hidden, and almost the entire town saw firsthand what these shapeshifters really looked like and what they could do; the chief and his family had front-row seats, as it were, since the bulk of the battle took place roughly twenty feet from the large front window of his house.

The centaurs were too decentralized, they realized, too separated from each other to deal with what seem to be continually-escalating threats to their homelands and ways of life. Messages galloped from town to town, and steadily decisions were reached. There was resistance, of course, this or that chief unwilling to subordinate his power to another or this or that town wanting to be in one district instead of another, but eventually the Everrun Council was called together; three centaurs, put in place by their fellow centaurs and empowered to make decisions for the race and their lands as a whole. The centaurs, having spent so long in informal unity, were now formally united.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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1 AP + 5 AP = 6 AP

Create Racial Society (The Everrun Council) -2 AP: The centaurs are now joined officially into the Everrun Council, which oversees all town and cities that are made up of a majority of centaurs on the Everrun Plains. The Plains are divided into three districts (North, East, and South), which each elect a chief in that district every ten years to represent them at the Council itself. The three districts are further subdivided into smaller sections which elect chiefs within their section to manage the day-to-day operation of that section, with the advice of the other chieftains. The section chief can override the orders of any chief in their section, the district Council member can override the orders of any section chief in their district, and a majority vote of the Everrun Council takes precedence over all other rulings and laws. (Domain Progression: Races (Centaurs) 4/10)

6 AP - 2 AP = 4 AP Remaining

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-12, 03:34 PM (ISO 8601)

Tome of Enlightenment - Ink

Things had come a long way since the early carved symbols of the Kobolds first found its way into Lizardfolk hands. Not having a writing system or their own, the Lizardfolk in the past had opted to adopt the one introduced to them, it would make for easier communication and trade too.

As the plant used to carve on was native to the swamps, the Lizardfolk had only minor success growing it in their oases, so alternatives were looked for. A great step forward had been made amongst the ascetics on Jazira Alsahali, one of the kobold library caretakers had stumbled across the Tome of Enlightenment that Manar had left on the table in her rush to inform people about bronze working.

Curiously flipping open the book, an invention that really suited them was displayed in golden symbols. Digesting the knowledge of Ink, the kobold rushed to test it out. From the idea of using the burnt end of a stick to write with, they took soot and mixed it with a kind of glue to create ink sticks. Grinding the ink sticks and dissolving the resulting powder in water meant it was now possible to write on parchment with a brush. Parchment was made of stretched animal hides and the brushes were made using a bundle of animal hairs attached to the end of a stick, two practical uses of corpse crafting that only now could show their potential.

This new form of writing spread quickly, and the knowledge of how to make and use ink was spread freely, some of the few Mutajahil who still traveled between the continents managed to sneak past the pirates who’s blockade was thinner after their recent loss and arrive back in circle continent where the knowledge was passed to Lizardfolk and Kobolds alike.

Contract Magic - The first Contracts

Researching the divine punishment for oathbreakers inspired the merchants of circle content’s Unified republics to start looking for ways to define their commitments as precisely as possible.

The fear of accidentally promising more than what they could deliver weighed down on them as they tried various methods of working around the curse. The curse had been helpful though, as oaths could now be reliable, allowing for cooperation despite the current widespread distrust.

Spoken word was quickly discovered to be too vague, as the other party may have a very different understanding of what was being agreed upon. So they turned to the only other method of communication that had grown significantly in use over the past generations, writing.

With their brushes and ink ready, the merchants looking for ways to harness the oathbreakers’ curse started writing out potential agreements on parchment. Working in groups to determine the meaning of the hypothetical agreements they later presented it to other groups to check for what could be misunderstood. Notes were eventually appended to the bottom of each example until the first contracts were created.

They were relatively simple contracts, and documented the agreement for one merchant to purchase another merchant’s house. The document could be used as proof if anyone contested the ownership of the property. Soon these spread throughout the society and became documents recognized by the community leaders, and could be used to resolve many disputes. Merchants started carrying around an item with their personalized stamp which would be used to sign these new contracts.

Excited by their recent success in creating mundane contracts a number of different variation applicable to various scenarios were also made. Work contracts, contracts promising payment, contracts to borrow things, contracts for relationships, and contracts for any business related exchange.

Things didn’t stop there though, as merchants found their contracts were not a guarantee for compliance. Sure they would make settling disputes increasingly fair, and authorities would more often know who is in the wrong, but nothing came close to the dreaded cursed oaths.

So researchers once again dived back into contracts, this time looking at magical means and the conditions to activate the oath’s curse. Gold sacrifice was noted down, as well as the need for a source of power to enforce things.

Grinding gold down into powder and mixing it into the ink wasn’t too hard, and it gave the ink a nice look that shimmered in the right light. Various power sources were attempted and used to variable success. Mixing Ki or mana into the ink used was possible, but the contracts and ink would usually disintegrate or spontaneously combust due to being unable to effectively contain or hold the energy.

It wasn’t until a Ki practitioner tried mixing their own blood into the ink that things changed. Now mana, Ki, or any other potent energy that could be contained or used by one’s body could be used to write with. Further researched proved that blood from any creature capable of using mana or other forms of magic could be used in writing the contracts. Signatures and seals, however, required the blood of the signee.

Finally, a contract written in magic ink was successfully created. An older merchant volunteered to be the test subject. Should anything happen to him causing him to die as a result, his family would receive a hefty sum in compensation, that had been guaranteed by a cursed oath.

The simple clause was that the old merchant would sell one of his spears to one of the guards. After receiving the payment, the merchant would have a day to deliver the spear. If he failed to do so, then the he would lose the ability to use his left arm until either the money was repaid with extra, or the spear was delivered along with a refund.

With nervous anticipation, the group waited until the stipulated day came to an end. The old merchant held the spear and the payment in preparation to quickly pass it over if he started feeling dehydrated.

Instead of turning to sand or any of the warning signs that preceded the curse, the old merchant felt a portion of his Ki escape his control and move to his left arm. Almost immediately, he lost all sensation in the arm as the Ki blocked his nerves. The coin purse fell to the ground with a clatter as his arm went limp.

Success!! The terms of the contract and its punishment for failing to meet them had been confirmed to work.

The old Crocodilian merchant mobilized the rest of his Ki and tried to dislodge the disobedient Ki paralyzing his arm. To his frustration, whenever it weakened, it would absorb another portion of his Ki to keep itself active, even if he had no more Ki left, it seemed it would absorb mana from the air to strengthen itself.

Passing the spear over to the guard along with the coins, the final test was done. As if responding to his own thoughts the Ki controlled by the contract dissipated out through his skin returning his arm that had been held hostage.

Raising his left hand, the surrounding merchants cheered and congratulated each other. They had done it! Now it was just a matter of tweaking things. There was widespread relief that the curse would not activate if another contract was in control of the terms conditions and punishments.

The exact recipe for the magic ink would be a closely guarded secret for a while until the Lizardfolk could learn the full potential of their discovery.

Spoiler: AP actions

Show

AP: 1 +5, Rollover!

Create mundane concept: Ink (free use of artifact: Tome of Enlightenment)
By mixing finely ground soot with animal glue made by boiling animal bones, hides and sinew. Different colors could be achieved by mixing in other dyes, and soot from burning different kinds of wood made for a variety textures. By shaping and drying the ink mixture into solid sticks, writers could personally adjust the texture and color of their ink by the ratio of ground ink to water.
No portfolio progress due to being free

Create mundane concept: Contracts -1 AP
Written agreements, with enough weight to be used to solve disputes and determine liability, responsibility, and ownership. With the ideas of a systematic set of laws coming to the Lizardfolk through trade with Corrla and other societies, contracts have a basis of power to back them up. Any large transaction with Lizardfolk merchants will now come with a set of contracts that each party can use as proof of the agreed upon terms.
Compulsion (Contracts) 3/10

Create mythic subconcept (mana): Contract Magic -2 AP
Through the use of magic inks made by mixing powdered gold with blood of creatures that have magical abilities (best if it’s from one capable of using the same type of energy as will be used to power the contract) magically binding contracts can be made.

Requiring a signature/seal/handprint using the signee’s blood and a form of energy (ki/divine energy/mana/planar energy/elemental energy/mental energy/etc), the energy poured into the contract will independently enter the bodies of the parties who signed it until the conditions are met or punishment is needed. Because the energy is a mix of each individuals’ provided energy it can’t be controlled or changed by either party or anything short of divine intervention.

After signing, the contract will burn up and turn into a glowing intangible light that enters the signee’s bodies. As this happens, sprites containing the memory of all the written content will form and fuse with the energy that enters their bodies.

When the signee truly believes they have completed the conditions, their own thoughts that break off and become sprites will be a source of confirmation the contract sprite resonates with to determine if that is the case. A contract may however contain parts the signee missed or forgot, so this evidence is matched up with the contract sprite’s memories.

Signees must be sentient, personally sign with their own blood, and willingly input their energy into the contract and for it to work properly, limiting its use for the most part to those who can actually think and understand the terms or what they are agreeing to. Magical contracts with monstrous creatures would require first giving them a higher level of intelligence.
Compulsion (Contracts) 5/10

AP remaining: 6 -1 -2 = 3

**zzzzzzzz414** · 2021-06-12, 08:54 PM (ISO 8601)

Kassa and the Concordance of Divinity (Verse Four)

Kassa watched intently as the other gods debated and formalized the finer points of their alliance, not caring to participate. Most, it seemed, had brushed off or merely ignored her remarks. To be expected, she supposed. She smiled at the Twilight Goddess' implicit challenge.

"Oh, fret not, Twilight Goddess; my intent is merely to spread word of this new plane itself, and of its entrance, wherever it may end up being. I do so hate to see a good resource such as this one wasted. I plan to tell no lies of you - at least, none more fantastic than the ones the Shaline Empire already tell of their glorious and radiant Empress." Kassa's form changed again: taking the shape of a tall, pale elven woman in spotless white, eyes blazing, crowned with iron and gold, with both arms slicked to the elbow in fresh blood. "Truth is a curious thing. Oh, it starts so pure and glorious; so glorious, in fact, that no words could hope to capture it! So when it is passed on, it is inevitably dimmed. Things are forgotten, misremembered, misheard, left out. And so much is added, as well; so many little bits of detritus and grime from the societies it passes through, little things necessary for the telling to be understood at all. Events become stories, people become monsters and heroes, even gods themselves are made into whatever mortals require them to be. Truths become lies; but a lie, spread far enough and believed fiercely enough, becomes its own sort of truth, does it not? So know this, Goddess of the Daystar, Empress of the Shaline Empire: no Renarr may come to guide them, but I assure you, your faithful are more than capable of making one in their own image." The figure in white smiled, dazzling and false. "From what you have said, I am not so certain you would like her, if you met."

Kassa changed form one last time, adopting the gnoll guise she had first slipped in with. "Well, a beggar must know when their welcome has been worn thin. I wish you all the best of luck. And as recompense for hosting an old crone's ramblings, allow me to offer this token. The serpent prophesied our deaths. Was he right? Who can say! I have little reason to doubt it, and I know of few things indeed that continue to grow and influence after true death. But if we are fated to be eaten or to fade, I certainly intend to delay it as much as can be managed. So know this truth:" All mirth and levity dropped from her expression; and when she spoke next, the air itself rang and resonated with the power of Arkhos's blessing. ""If the serpent, or something like it, returns, I will not fight it directly. But ask of me any favor, any boon, any or every scrap of my power, and it is yours."

And with that, Kassa melted into worms, the worms melted into the ground, and she was gone.

---

Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault.

Jala repeated it like a mantra in her head, over and over as the geckokin sped down the old moonlit path, cart bouncing and rocking behind her. Maybe, if she repeated it enough, it would become true. She would not have to think about, or deal with, what had happened. What was happening right now. Jala looked over her shoulder once again, straining to detect if there were any signs of torches following her, voices calling after her. If she was caught, if anyone found out about this...no. Can't think about that. Have to focus. Have to make this go away.

The sight of shimmering moonlight through the trees caught her eye, and she slowed, pulling the cart right up to the lake's edge. She scanned the far shores of the lake, looking for any signs of fishers or cookfires, but saw none. Good. This place was not as remote as she would have liked, but it would do. It had to do. Dropping the cart's handles, Jala quickly walked around and pulled the rough-hewn blanket off her cargo: a lizardfolk boy, no older than twelve, staring sightlessly into the night sky above.

It was an experimental new variety of mana-enhancing potion created with an unusual artifact Jala had dug up; a request from her Veiled Shadow contact. That was all it was supposed to be. And, well, of course she had needed to find someone to test it on. The side-effects should have been minimal; maybe a bit of nausea and fever, a new eye at worst. Not this. Jala Bilal was a skilled and respected alchemist. This should not have happened. This didn't happen. She was going to make it not have happened.

She hauled the boy's corpse out of the cart, staring directly into his unblinking eyes, and the weight of what she was doing hit her all at once.

what am i doing, what in the name of the Great Lizard am i doing, i need to go back, i need to tell someone, he deserves a funeral at lea- no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO.

Nobody could know about this. Nobody. Not the village, not the family, not her colleagues and certainly not her employers. She would lose everything; the punishment would likely be exile at least. And at worst...she knew what the Veiled Shadow did to those of their fold who began to attract too much public attention, she'd helped them do it before for gods' sake.

No. There had been no experiment, there had been no potion, the boy had probably just run away. Yes, that would work. The parents didn't even know she'd hired the boy. This would all just go away, no trace left. Jala needed it to go away.

With a grunt, Jala grabbed the cart's other occupant - a large, misshapen earthen cauldron, still stained with the remnants of her brew - and fastened it to the boy's body before hauling the both of them into the dark waters. Bloody work done, she grabbed the cart and sped back off towards town.

Beneath the lake's surface, a small fish, attracted by the noise, swam up to the strange mass sinking in the water and took a small, experimental nibble.

Something changed within the fish. It took another. And another. And another.

---

It had come down, in the end, to a lack of preparation.

The fleet captains of the Red Council had expected the main threats to the League to come from elsewhere; perhaps a coordinated push from the merchants' union in the north, or a surprise strike from the new armada they had heard rumors of to the east. Much of their resources and fleets were tied up in these areas, securing their positions in the central borderlands or the southern seas, locking their problems down before they could become problems. Reinforcing the harbors or building additional watchtowers in the Jisr seemed to many like a waste of limited resources far better spent elsewhere. Nobody had seriously considered the idea that the Jazira Alshali could even resist their initial attack, much less mount a serious naval offense.

And yet, they did exactly that. Unlike the bickering and overconfident League barons, the colonists were of singular mind and purpose; and when they saw that their initial victory had taken the League by surprise, morale soared, and they did not hesitate to press the advantage while they had it. They would not settle for merely sending the pirates back only for them to return another day; they would forge their way back to the Circle Continent themselves, taking back what the League had so presumptuously attempted to sell back to them.

Island after island fell to the new colony fleet. Though their blockades were incredibly powerful, the petty politicking of the Red Council had made for poor lines of communication, leaving fleets out of position, with incomplete information on the strength and location of enemies and allies both. The lack of watchtowers made their islands easy to surprise; the lack of fortifications made them easy to take; and the powers of sorcerers and mutants, while well-suited indeed for the ranged ambushes of overwhelming force and chaos they were infamous for, were not so well-suited to defense. The fact that a few enterprising colony captains had discovered that Jade King totems could almost single-handedly shut down a whole unit of League magic-users was almost adding insult to injury.

But as the Colony raised their colors over Jazira Alnuwras, one of the League's main resupply points for the archipelago - a capture that put them within striking distance of several of their main headquarters - nobody was bickering anymore. The colony now had the Kalarian League's full and undivided attention. And it was quickly becoming clear that besting this enemy would require some more...unscrupulous tactics.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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AP Total: 1/16

Rollover: 1+4 = 5AP

Curse (Lake of Lost Blood)[0AP, done through Artifact (Traitor's Cookpot)]

A small, little-known lake located in the northern Red Coast, not far from the outskirts of the city of Bajra. The lake is remarkable for its stagnant crimson water, which has highly corrosive properties. Objects placed in the water will quickly begin to rust or fall apart, and living beings will experience rashes,burns and bleeding in mere moments. The exceptions are the lake's fish, which are all highly aggressive, exclusively carnivorous, and attracted to the scent of blood.

The lake is avoided by locals for obvious reasons, though a few who know of it do use it for various things. A few daring (and usually wealthy) visitors try to fish in it using specially-protected lines and hooks; on the rare occasions that they are successful, however, what they catch is invariably both grotesquely monstrous and totally inedible. Some local alchemists and apothecaries collect the water for its strange properties.

And of course, every lower-class citizen of Bajra knows what it means when the Veiled Shadow or a local criminal gang sends someone on a "boat ride".

5-0 = 5AP Remaining

**Gnomes2169** · 2021-06-13, 01:38 AM (ISO 8601)

The Empire of Light and Kobolds - A Meeting
While Varral was accepted into the general group of kobolds, and found himself suddenly getting a lot of patient and very understanding attention, the vessel that the archons had chartered finally made landfall and the mortal representatives of the Empire disembarked. The gale knight captain and his magi first mate were the first to set foot in the swamp, and... well, the mage was shedding a good bit of light as he infused himself with Solace's power (effectively working like a bug zapper) while the knight swirled the air around himself to keep away all the biting bugs that had suddenly found new, softer, unscaled/ furless things to chew upon. Most of the crew was not as lucky or talented and thus would be sporting red welts shortly after landfall.

Well, nothing sacrificed, nothing gained. And really, what was a few liters of blood donated to the swamp anyway, right?

This crew and Varral would work as the actual diplomats, mortal to mortal, to the kobolds, since Neela had made that distinction clear. Their foods and spices were trade goods being offered, but the mage and her apprentices had something more. New ways of working mana, properly documented and researched notes detailing Augmentation and Transposition, with the early notes theorizing further portal magics, were the primary offering on display here, and they figured it would be a good treaty point. After all, as far as they knew, the Shaline empire was the only place that knew of this method of magic... no one here, after all, knew about the republic that guarded the knowledge just as jealousy far to the west.

Meanwhile, Ennis, sensing that he was perhaps not as necessary to this venture as he at first assumed he might be, would consider the kobold champion's offer. "Well then. I did not come to speak in Renarr's name, but since it seems my companions have taken over the task of treating with the mortals we both defend..." Gesturing for the smaller mortal to lead on, Ennis tells her, "A bath would be lovely. I fear what I must smell like after being trapped on a ship for weeks. And a place where we can relax and speak freely would be... most welcome."

Once lead to the baths, and after a bit of small talk about the works here in the swamps and at the mouth to Solace back in the empire, Ennis got to the point. "Renarr is no longer on the First World. But she talks to us... specifically, to me and Amerith. The other solar don't know that, nor do any of the mortals that we are doing our best to shepherd. I did come here at her behest, to gently push the members of her flock and Lor's together in a mutually beneficial relationship. That's happening without me, now. So I can turn to a different matter." Reaching into his core, the diplomatic archon pulled out a small fragment of essence from the Concourse that he'd been gifted by Renarr, holding that spark in his hand out to Neela. With a sigh, looking perhaps a bit more comfortable without a foreign energy coursing in his body any longer, he says, "Renarr has worked with others of the divine pantheon to form a new plane. While there is currently no gateway that mortals can take to reach this place, one should come soon... but that is not all these gods have crafted. The gods, Renarr, Abu Dhahab, Hetta and Dia, have pooled their power together to make a council of deities that seek to protect mortals like they all did back when Wan'shi threatened all life. Only one living god who joined in that struggle is absent, and Renarr would be happy to have Lor join her once more, though in a much more peaceful capacity than last time."

The Shaleill Armada - The Jisr Conflict
The pirates had been right to be warry of the empire's probing vessels, for when the fleet began to pull all of its resources in to crush the merchant republic's rebellion, the admirals and their captains smelled blood in the water and they pounced. While they would not be overtly hostile or attack on sight to start with, the ships of the Shaline empire roved in proper, regimented fleets, bristling with troops that were reinforced by magi and windweavers, both of which finally demonstrated a shadow of what these foreign vessels could do to the gnolls and lizards that had watched them so wearily for so long.

While only a fragment of the full armada, though not a mere expeditionary force like the one headed by Azreal, this fleet had still struck at the perfect opportunity. When it became obvious that the League's vessels were bent to resisting Shaline interests, the ships of the empire would strike hard and they would strike without mercy. After all the minor disasters that had struck them and the unveiling of windweaving and transposition that had effectively eliminated the unprepared scouting vessels that had been left to watch the armada's movement before they could send word, that strike would prove to be surprisingly devastating, even given the clear imbalance in raw numbers between the pirates and the fragment of the armada.

But sheer audacity, shock and awe could only work so well, and there were two major factions in this conflict that had to be contended with. Numbers were still important, and the Shaleill fleets knew they could not fight both factions on their own. So with the league remaining hostile, the empire sent emissaries to the merchants instead, offering to help drive out the privateer empire in exchange for the chance to establish embassies and trade routs to the empire of light. As an added incentive, since it was quite obvious that the merchants had pushed far beyond their means in this conflict, the armada offered to provide peacekeepers once the conflict had finally settled, so that the merchants could focus on trade instead of being forced to deal with constant rebellions on their own.

Noldan Republic - Church of the Vigilant
The formation of a pantheon between old allies had likely been inevitable, and so too was it only natural that the nation that already worshiped all of the gods who now formed that pantheon would be the first site of the church dedicated to this alliance. Each of the gods, who were known both by the tales told by the Suzerain and Abu Dhahab himself, would have a shrine in this place, though one of the serpent slayers, Magrius, would remain absent in this place. Since his death and the waning of his power his cult faded further and further into obscurity, and the formation of this church would effectively spell the death knell to that faith's relevancy within the republic, and through that the world at large.

They would remain, though. Fragmented cells that looked into and obsessed over the dead and dying in potentially... unnatural ways.

The Church of the Vigilant, name born of the assurance that the gods of this pantheon still watched over the world and the mortals that worshiped them, would be born. Its members worked to strengthen the Noldan republic, and unified the islands yet further.

Concourse - The Meeting of Gods
The departure of the two younger gods would garner different reactions from Renarr, who seemed to grow more exhausted by the minute.

Of Kassa's display and taunting, the goddess of twilight had nothing to say. It was a tense silence, one that the Suzerain almost broke by beginning to reach for the blade at his side, with a cold and furious black flame blazing in his eyes, but Renarr extended one hand and pressed her presence against the archon of night's shoulder to stay his response. No. The liar god was right. And Renarr would not respond to the jibes that prodded at the truth of why she'd left, even if they were purposefully dug into painful points.

Instead, she focused on what Arkhos said to her, and she would give the dragon a bit of a squint before he departed, as if trying to determine just how serious he'd been. "If I did truly have a hand in him, then clearly he learned his manners from me." The Eternal Night teased Dia back, trying to mask her discomfort. No, Renarr clearly had a hand in the formation of that younger serpentine being, that was without a doubt. Her essence was suffused within him. But the part of her that must have contributed, the raw divinity that had fueled his own ascent... that had come from her joint strike with Lor upon Wan'shi. It had come from the darker part of her, the one that relished in the unleashed power, that had taken vicious satisfaction from Solace's creation and the demonstration of just how much greater she had been than the lesser divinities of that time. She could not bring herself to fully trust the dragon because she didn't know how much of that, frankly, monstrous nature he'd inherited.

For now, she would keep it out of her mind. After all, the Suzerain was reacting to Dia's suggestion that he be the head of this new pantheon. And his response was the following:

"No."

The archon would slice his hand across the air as he made that refusal, as if to punctuate it, and he adds, "I am no god. I will not take the reigns of command here, even if I fit your oddly specific criteria far too well. My answer is no."

To which Renarr said, "Suzerain. Enough."

Turning on her instead, holding out one finger to wag at the goddess who had served as his oldest and most constant companion, the archon hisses, "You promised me I would not need to confront this side of me. You told me that I would not be forced to rule. I am no god."

"My friend..." Locking eyes with the archon, unflinching, because despite Dia's assumptions the Suzerain had not been the instigator to Renarr's bravery against the serpent, simply the shock to her system that she'd needed to return to the battle, the goddess takes in a deep breath and she points out, "You literally call yourself the Suzerain. While you have been careful to avoid it, you have shaped that republic with your indirect rule for generations. Had the creator not left you unfinished, you would have been born to rule the Night and a mortal empire of your own in my stead. And you are perfect for the role you are being offered. Powerful, but not a threat to the gods of the alliance. Intimately familiar with the affairs and interests of mortals, but without their needs and short-sightedness. And you are respected by the majority of the gods here."

Stepping up to the archon, who's jaw was dropped in shock at the more submissive Eternal Night aspect talking to him in this way, she taps her finger on his chest twice and commands, "So stop. Moping. And accept the aspect of yourself that you have been denying for so long. After all..." A shy grin on her face, she gestures to the members of the pantheon still there, and she points out, "Each of us has an aspect we are not proud of, here. But we embrace it anyway... because if we don't, we'll never be able to move on."

And, from little more than shock at realizing she was right, the Suzerain gave in. The hints of divinity that he'd always possessed became emphasized as his second aspect, one of order and rule, finally was unveiled, and the once hero now had the same presence as a proper lesser divinity. Exalted by his connection to Renarr, and now far more than he had been just moments ago. "You realize, of course, that I will delay telling you my name because of this." He still manages to growl, despite the sudden euphoric surge of his apotheosis.

In response she just grinned at him, and that smile told him that she doubted it had delayed it by very much. After all, a few millennia had already passed and she still called him Suzerain. If he had a real name, he wasn't telling anyone.

Spoiler: AP actions

Show

Starting AP: 0
Starting Pantheon AP: 1

Rollover: +5 AP, +1 PAP

-3 Exalt Hero; The Suzerain: The Suzerain now functions as more than just a hero, he is Renarr's divine avatar within the world. She does not control him directly, content to let him act as his own being even now that they are further connected, but his actions are often guided by her and are assumed to have her direct approval.

Additionally, he now pings as properly divine to the senses of the other gods. A demigod of Order and Darkness, with little hints of the essence of war snuck in there.
Domain acquisition: Life (Twilight) 8/10

-1 PAP; Raise Church - The Church of the Vigilant: This is the church of the newly formed Vigilant pantheon, founded and present within the Noldan Republic exclusively at this moment. Once a Concordat is established, this church may spread to other societies within the pantheon's influence.
Sphere acquisition: Civilization 1/10

Total AP expended: 5
Total PAP expended: 1

Remaining AP: 2
Remaining PAP: 1

Domain progression:
Life (Twilight): 8 (Sub-race: Solari, Blessing: Suzerain's chosen, Noldan Republic, Shaleill Armada, Exalt Suzerain)
War (Preservation): 2 (Create Pantheon, Split Planar Magic: Augmentation/ Transposition)

**Razade** · 2021-06-13, 09:58 AM (ISO 8601)

The Un-Mooring of Firespine Island

The Weshesh had long been at work once word arose of their floating islands to add more to their mobile archipelago. The Circle Continent was unlikely ever to be in such a state but the few permanent and steady towns and cities would do well to supply the rest of the Weshesh's nomadic network. Somewhere needed to supply the vast amount of lumber and raw materials that the islands would be ill-equipped to support for long. But the many volcanic islands the Orcs had first arose from...those perhaps could work. The first test was Firespine, the place on which the Serpent had landed and birthed from its mighty shaking of the earth. Explosives and mana were put to the task, many a Xen losing their life in the pursuit but when the time was ready and with great pride Firespine Island floated off from The Circle Continent.

This would be one of three flagships for the Weshesh, floating weapons that were made to drive fear into any who might challenge them on the waves be they pirate or other nation. With such a wonder on the seas, the Weshesh swelled with pride, the newly minted Firespire acting as the seat of the Orcish Admiralty, a place for all to train before sent off on the fleet kept in its mobile harbor. Unlike the many islands of the former Turtle Islands, where Orcish children laughed and learned and played, The Firespine was an academy for war. There would be no laughing save for its mead halls, no learning that did not facilitate the Orcish drive for excellence in their craftsmanship and maintaining of their navy.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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AP: 5AP

Create Minor Combat Artifact (The Firespine) - 3AP: Made from the former volcanic island of Firespine, the newly minted battleship of the Weshesh is both a horror and wonder to behold. Much like the island fortresses that once were known as Turtle Island, Firespine is an imposing figure on the waves that retains its magma core. With careful magical portals, the magma can be deposited on ships on top of the other weapons it bristles with. The Firespine is, much like other island fortresses, a place that houses a large population though unlike those former Turtle Island pieces, The Firespine is first and foremost a weapon of war. [War (Invention) 7/10]

Create Organization (The Armada) - 1AP: Controlled by the Admiralty, the Weshesh Armada is comprised of all ships, islands and any other thing that can float that the Weshesh control. The training of The Armada is brutal like anything the Weshesh do, merit and skill the only thing that really counts. Those that cannot live up to the exacting standard are put to the mainland where they can be used elsewhere. [War (Invention) 8/10]

Bless (Orcish Naval Tradition) -1AP: The Weshesh, through the brutal training regimens of their Orcish masters, are a force to be reckoned with on the high seas. Between their portal magic and early gunpowder weaponry, the Armada has a great many weapons to field along with their network of floating bases and the center of its fleet, The Firespine. [War (Invention) 9/10]

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-13, 11:49 AM (ISO 8601)

War of the Jisr - Foreign Armadas

Timsah frowned as she read over the latest report from the frontline. There had been a strong push by several members of the Colonial Navy to push back the pirates while the wind was still in their favor, so they did.

None of the battles following the one at the bay of blood had been as significant, with the lack of unity amongst pirate fleets causing many battles to be over due to some captains just fleeing before any side could fully commit to full on combat.

The merchants back at Jazira Alsahali were celebrating the successive victories from the safety of their markets but Timsah knew that their current progress would not continue. She could feel it. Although she didn’t know it, there were practically no one as experienced in naval warfare in the world, and her intuition for these things were seldom wrong.

The report she was reading only confirmed her suspicions. The pirates had willingly withdrawn from many of the islands her fleet now patrolled, and although they seemed weaker, they were now like a coiled viper ready to strike.

The second report she read from her makeshift office, the captains cabin of the Leviathan ll, detailed a sighting of another fleet.

Unlike the pirates who flew the flags showing their allegiance to the League, these ships had unfamiliar symbols and flags that were assumed to be referring to Solace, the heavenly fire that burned the minor divinities and now provides light in the day.

This new fleet had ships of similar design to what they had seen before, no doubt another group that had been blessed with the knowledge of shipbuilding by the wind goddess. The report, written by some Mutajahil who had been sneaking past the pirates under the cover of the mirage blessing, also stated that the new fleet had almost immediately launched an attack on one of the many pirate ports, bombarding it with magic and sending the few pirate ships moored there up in flames.

The large fleet outnumbered the few pirates who had yet to complete their planned withdrawal from the island outpost so although the merchants had quickly moved on to avoid being drawn into the mess, the ending could be assumed to be a victory for the foreign fleet.

Things were already complicated enough in the archipelago with just the pirates to deal with, and Timsah didn’t like the idea of a third party suddenly moving into the region, it felt threatening.

The Weshesh fleets had always been powerful in the eyes o Timsah, but she felt less threatened by their presence. Perhaps due to the longstanding trade agreements, or perhaps because while the colony stuck to the shallows between the islands, the Weshesh roamed the open seas on either side with their enormous floating fortresses. There was less competition between the two due to each having their distinct areas. Reports of seeing a new massive moving island in the distance had impressed her, but it was unlikely that something so big could squeeze between the gaps between islands in the Jisr.

She had heard a few merchants grumble about how the Weshesh seemed to now be able to transport goods between continents faster and safer than the Mutajahil and were becoming a strong force in the world of trade, but that wasn’t her problem.

Writing up a quick message addressed to the leadership of the League, Timsah let the ink dry before passing it to a subordinate to deliver using one of their faster messenger ships. So far it had mostly been insults, threats, and various offers for the other side to surrender that had been sent.

This message was notifying the League of the presence of a third party with unknown intentions in case none had escaped the battle to pass on the message. Timsah called for a temporary truce and suggested a meeting to discuss how to respond to the potential threat that had arrived unannounced in their territory. She also mentioned that the colony would attempt to talk with this new player and find out what they wanted and why they had come.

Hopefully this foreign threat would give the pirates a reasonable excuse to end the fighting.

Giving the command, A large portion of the colony’s recently constructed navy set off in the direction of the closest colony outpost to where the foreign fleet had been spotted. Timsah went below deck to join the rowers, the simple hard work had a calming effect that she needed right now. Gripping an oar tightly, she exerted the correct amount strength to move the ship forward along with the other rowers. Hopefully she would still find the ships and guards at the outpost still alive when she arrived. Otherwise the foreign fleet would have to learn the brutality of the archipelago’s warfare first hand.

Spoiler: AP actions

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Nothing here to see. Just RP today.

**Kinro** · 2021-06-13, 12:04 PM (ISO 8601)

Ennis certainly got some points from Neela for making the right choice. And he would be able to see the effects almost instantly. Once he had plunged himself in the warm waters, he would find that the kobolds around him were a lot less wary and a lot less awed, both towards him and Neela, the atmosphere of the bath working even against the divine, apparently. He even got some offers to wash his back from a small team of kobolds already ready with step stools, while Neela graciously accepted the offer from just the one as she casually spoke with Ennis, where anyone could hear, of affairs of the gods.

"Never has Lor spoken to us," Neela replied to Ennis. "Not until me, at least. But we can see it any time we like, shining its light to us from up there, on the Serpent Moon, where it guards against the Great Serpent's revival, along with those most worthy of the task." She nodded at Ennis's explanations. "The Great Mirror does not move easily. It was forced onto the Serpent Moon due to the Great Serpent's curse, but there it will remain. In the ways that it would feel gladness, it would be glad to meet these gods that it once joined against the greatest of threats, but it will not go to their plane." She took a breath and closed her eyes, silent for some time. And when she opened them again, she was smiling at Ennis again. One hand, she placed under his extended one, one hand over, taking hold of the shining shard and bringing it to her breast, where it was absorbed. "We accept your god's offer, Ennis," she said. "As it has done before, as it is doing now, Lor will continue to watch and protect. And when it is needed again, the gods will know where to find it."

The ship's crew was, of course, as welcome with the kobolds as any who came with good intentions and, especially, an interest in sharing knowledge. And this knowledge that was brought to them sparked great thought indeed. Not in itself, but in its implications, for while most kobolds seemed to care little for magic itself, except in the general way that they cared about all knowledge, there was something more to this. Something that was of special interest to the Kobold Post especially, as the implications became more obvious. For, if a gate could be formed to reach between two planes, couldn't one be formed to link two places inside the same plane? This plane, perhaps? Of course, it turned out not to be so easy. Not to create the gate itself, of course, but to place it where it was needed. Linking to outside planes was essentially random on one side, but this needed precise work, extensive calculations and a great quantity of energy. Even a master of teleportation magics, it turned out, could achieve no more than a few paces' worth and no more than a few times per day. But once the basics were there, they could be improved upon. Kobolds had been all over then plains and had certainly seen the great windmill that the centaur used. The secret was well guarded, but kobolds had managed to figure them out well enough. They simply had no use for them, until now.

Soon, work was under way once more. No longer cast from single individuals, but using massive gates, linked in pairs, able to store vast amounts of energy, steadily gained over a long time from an attached windmill, the mechanics being that mass transport over a long distance was much more efficient than the opposite. Only library-forts were seemed secure enough to hold such delicate and valuable items, of course, and not many of them at first. And the gates were generally not considered safe enough to be used by people. And given the energy requirements, the activations were still infrequent, but they were valued enough that gates were steadily popping up.

And, separately, in the areas of the marshes nearest the sea, other developments were under way. Between frequent bandit attack, and rumours of pirates and more, kobolds were finding their weapons insufficient. They weren't as suited to javelins as the harpies were, with their flight, nor strong enough to use bows as well as the centaurs did. But kobold ingenuity was on the way to solving this problem as it did so many others. With new thoughts based on engineering and using the tools and techniques refined from work on their armor, as well as the idea of a steady gain resulting in a powerful effect, came a new type of bow, one where strength of pull could be increased at the cost of time and one which could be aimed as a separate action from the pulling. The ide of these new kobold bows, or k-bows quickly spread and soon became a mainstay of library-fort defenses.

Spoiler: AP

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Rollover
3 + 5 = 8

Teach Mundane Concept (Windmills)
0 (Jewel)

Create Mythical Sub-Concept (Teleportation Magic)
8 -2 = 6

A type of magic developed by kobolds, based on the teaching of Planar Magic from the Shaline Empire. It allows a caster to move themselves or objects between two places within the same plane, though targeting a precise spot and avoiding unfortunate scrambling requires such a large amount of calculations and energies and holds such risks that it's not generally considered to be very useful by itself.

Engineering(Public Works): 3 + 2 = 5

Create Mythical Sub-Concept (Teleportation Gates)
6 -2 = 4

A refined versions of teleportation magics. Linking gates between two static, specially constructed frame significantly reduces the complexity of calculations, as well as the marginal energy requirements. The actual energy requirements per activation are still enormous, however, so the gates are linked to windmills, allowing them to steadily amass the needed energy and their activations are infrequent. They're also generally considered to be too unsafe for the transport of individuals or really precious items.

Engineering(Public Works): 5 + 2 = 7

Create Advanced Concept (K-bows)
4 - 1 = 3

Starting with a bow, constructed of special materials to allow it to be smaller, it's tied to a frame with a catch, a release lever and, usually, a mechanism to allow pulling the user to pull back the string slower, but also easier. The bow is only fired when the lever is pulled, releasing the catch, so a k-bow is much more easy to aim than a regular bow. The entire thing can be relatively expensive, however, as it requires rarer materials and precision engineering.

Engineering(Public Works): 7 + 1 = 8

Join Pantheon
3 - 1 = 2

Peace (Alliances): 0 + 1 = 1

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-13, 09:47 PM (ISO 8601)

The Concourse - Empty streets and empty Markets

Abu Dhahab wandered around the new world he had helped create. This was a different experience from working in the first world. That was just adding to someone else’s creation, while this… this was in part his.

Looking around, he considered carefully what he wanted to see in this place. The streets were surprisingly well organized, but without any people to walk them what was their purpose? Likewise, what good is a market space without the merchant, the customer, and the goods to be sold?

This plane was disconnected from life in a way, a dead place that none had access to except for deities. This would have to change. Having spotted the gate to solace while ascending he knew others had created entrances to other planes before, but that aesthetic was a bit too dominant, for such a gate would in a way determine that mortals settle around it.

No, instead, he had another idea. Illusory entrances, or entrances that moved. Alternative ways of access that did not involve a physical door. The options were endless, and exciting to consider. Hesitant to flood this new plane with the Lizardfolk he created, he decided for a more subtle approach that would limit the the potential influx of travelers. There would always be time to open up direct doors later.

Joining the alliance had unexpectedly provided him with another small source of energy. Studying it he was intrigued to find that it wasn’t truly his in the way that the rest of his power was. This was something with strings attached. Power given, but limited in its potential use to actions that aligned with the intent of the alliance, which to his understanding was a vague statement about protection and preservation. Using it to harm others directly was not its purpose and therefore not possible, that was fine for Abu Dhahab.

Gathering the foreign power in his arms he imagined what he wanted to do with it. Considering this plane’s identity as a safe haven, providing a way to come here would line up with the alliance’s directive. As his thoughts flowed into the energy, it began to take shape and fused with the mirages surrounding the city.

Shifting images of desert landscapes could now occasionally be glimpsed in the illusory barrier, and Abu Dhahab smiled when he recognized the view. A tall plateau rising from the desert in the distance was all that was needed to confirm the connection to the first world.

Travelers in the deserts of the first world would now occasionally encounter mirages of a strange city in the distance.

Others swore they had seen the shining figures of Abu Dhahab and what must be other deities in the mirage too. Soon the witnesses description was matched to what had been told by Nafura.

Dia, Renarr, and Hetta. Including Abu Dhahab four deities had been supposedly glimpsed in the mirage of a strange city. Descriptions of other smaller figures beside them also spread, of a being of shadow, and another with friendly look and a strange arm. Travelers spread the news of the sighting, and talk of the gods became a common topic at markets both domestic and abroad.

Although none who searched for the illusory city had managed to find it yet, there were a few who were lost that chanced upon it, and found themselves walking through a disorienting series of illusions until they stumbled out onto a strange land. Gone were the recognizable features of the first world, around them were unclaimed lands, fertile soil, fruit trees and berry bushes and all manner of good things. Turning around, they could see tall city walls behind them and in the distance the city gate. The light in this place was dim, the first world’s sources of light not present or visible, only a faint glow in the air and faint glittering sand, remnants of divine energy that had yet to settle after the creation of the plane.

Diplomatic meeting between the Colonial Navy and the Soliel Armada

Timsah fidgeted as she stared at the representatives that had come to talk from the other fleet. Talks were a part of her rank’s responsibility that she did not enjoy.

She was glad to find that they hadn’t indiscriminately attacked any life in their way, and had personally met with the guard captain responsible or the outpost to make sure everything was ok. Which it was, apart from the poor lad being overwhelmed with fear for a few days, the armada had thankfully just sent a small ship with a small crew to arrange talks.

The meeting was being held on a small uninhabited island, barely large enough for the slab of rock that the low tables and woven mats had been placed on. With both fleets within signal range, only a small group would be present for the talks.

Timsah, herself a Crocodilian, had called on LiuQuan the Shelled ascetic to be present along with a Geckokin, the navy’s most decorated Scouting Captain, and a Lizardfolk Mutajahil. The four all sat on the ground in the lotus position. A sign of trust and of peaceful intent, though should things go south, the three Ki practitioners should have no trouble defending themselves and the merchant while escaping.

Gesturing for the other side’s representatives to feel free to sit, she signaled to LiuQuan to start preparing the tea. It would take some time, so while the elderly shelled worked Timsah addressed the foreigners.

”Greetings, strangers from beyond the sea, fellow recipients of the wind goddess’s blessing. Forgive the lack in hospitality we are able to provide the far from our home island, should any of you make the journey there I hope you will find the welcome warmer.

Although you are not scaled, nor share the experience of breaking out of an egg, we have had friendly relations with other soft bodied people such as yourself for generations.

Our merchants are generally experienced and have seen much of this world, but we had not heard of Kerima’s devoted being anywhere other than on Corrla so we were a little surprised when news of your arrival was delivered.”

Timsah intuitively felt that she’d just said something wrong, as several of the representatives stiffened at the mention of the western Tyrant. Reminding herself to be like the ascetics who had trained her she hurried to explain before objections were given.

”Your order and discipline is much like what we’ve seen over on that continent, and the faint aura of divinity I sense from some of you reminds me of the priests we have encountered. So the forgive my ignorance if I am mistaken.

Please permit me to ask though, if you do not follow Kerima, who are you? And what is your purpose in coming to the Jisr Archipelago?”

At this point LiuQuan had finished grinding the tea into powder. Heating the water with Ki, the drinks were soon served. Nodding to Timsah to indicate she had done well, he introduced the beverage.

”Please enjoy, this tea is one of our merchants best selling products. We find it calms the body and sharpens the mind. It’s perfectly safe to consume, and even helps with digestion. Rumor has it that this is the very same way the Great Lizard himself prepares the drink.”

The old shelled passed out the drinks to each individual as he spoke, using Ki to send the cups drifting gently though the air until they landed on the table. Taking a sip, he nodded to himself and breathed out in satisfaction.

Spoiler: AP/PAP actions

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AP: 3
PAP: 1 +1 (rollover)

Create Portal (The Illusory City of the Lost ) -2 PAP
Connecting the the first world to the concourse, these portals are wrapped in illusions and have no fixed location. Showing glimpses of the other side through mirages in the distance, the only reliable way to pass through them is to be lost yourself and stumble through accidentally. The portals are currently only 1-way, providing an entrance to the concourse but not an exit. Those who enter are deposited right outside the city walls within sight of the city gates.
Sphere: Survival 2/10

Remaining:
3 AP
2 -2 = 0 PAP

**Gnomes2169** · 2021-06-13, 11:45 PM (ISO 8601)

Amerith and Bruss - Finding a hobby
The archon of war was not much skilled at many of the finer arts. Poetry bored and eluded her, painting was probably a waste of time, and she was tone deaf. But when Augmentation was discovered, and Bruss brought her to a potter's wheel so she could practice her craft... Oh, there the devoted archon found a worthy cause. Slowly experimenting with the new magic and invention, the archon began with vases and pots. The act of sculpting something, of shaping something with firm, if somehow gentle, touches, resonated with the archon.

It was inevitable that she began to craft sculptures. And it was inevitable that this craft would culminate in the single most beautiful work by her hands... a statue of Rong Tou, but as she was before the serpent, and before the world had shattered around them. Though it was still early in her career, the archon of war poured every waking moment into perfecting the statue of her lost beloved, every hidden flaw and beauty pressed and sculpted into the statue's rose quartz surface, an expression at once both made of utmost bliss and hidden hints of pain.

It was... a serviceable memorial, at the end of it. And served as a lovely statue overlooking the market square that rested in the platform jut outside of Solace's portal.

While Amerith made her masterpiece, Bruss and the mages who studied Hetta's magics would begin to improve the city itself. With Augmentation and the engineering tricks they had learned from trade with the kobolds, as well as inspiration from the artists both native to the city and colonists from the Marreill vassal states, the city of Light would slowly begin to be changed into a work of art itself. Even the most rundown districts became home to multi-story structures of spiraled and arched stones, aqueducts were developed to create bathhouses, bridges were built over those aqueducts, and soon grand temples began to rise up within the capital of the Shaline Empire. The temples served as repositories for painted and carved history, much like the libraries of the kobolds, but where those were places of scholarly learning, these were places of art and freely celebrated faith.

The beauty of this new city gave rise to a proper name, which had been long due since what had once been a one-territory nation had expanded into so much more. Now the city was named Dawnhold, and like a shining beacon its marble buildings shone in the light of Solace in day, and glowed much more gently from the portal to that eternal realm at night. And with new structures made of stone, structures that were much more stable and much less vulnerable, Dawnhold also became likened unto a fortress city by its detractors. But it was a beautiful fortress none the less.

Of course, the kobolds were given free access to this architecture and to the engineers who had mastered it, as yet another sign of friendship between the empire and the scholars.

The Captain - Before the Meeting
Captain Ethrial Thorn, a firstborn Solari of Amerith's line -in fact, the firstborn of her line as well and thus one of the oldest non-archon mortals in the First World,- was long due for a promotion. Standing on the shore of this small, relatively unimportant island, eyes closed, he took a deep breath and let it out again as he listened to the ocean. There was the smell of smoke from a bonfire coming behind him, and the heat of the sun on his face as he reminisced... He'd chosen to take a smaller group of vessels for this mission, rather than his flag ship that had remained with the heart of his fleet, and he imagined that he could hear the creaking of the decks and fluttering of his ship's sails even from here. Then the voice of his sailors reached his ear.

"Look, I'm impressed, really I am. But... Why did you put a fire in the middle of it?" One voice, belonging to his first mate, a gale knight, was the most recognizable. A moment later, a haughty elven voice retorted.

"It makes a good signal. Makes us easier to find, and after we get everyone together, works as a natural meeting place." The captain turned his lidded gaze to look at his sweat-covered mage while he took a long drink of water, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, the fire hardens the clay a bit more. Makes the clay a more solid place to discuss this treaty, and if it's a bit warm then it will hopefully appeal to the representative that the lizards send to us."

The captain grunted at that, and pointed out, "You just wanted to make it look like a solar disk and tried to think of an excuse, so you made a circular table with a firepit in it."

The mage huffed, seeming almost hurt at the accusation. "Well, I mean, of course. But you don't have to make it sound so childish, sir."

Stepping over to the furniture in question, looking up and down at the wide, circular structure made of now-hardened clay inlaid with veins of marble and jade, of all things, the solari nodded to himself and said, "Uninspired or not, it is impressive. Not a single molde line, no joints, it's almost as if you had carved it from one contiguous piece of rock. Your study of Hetta's conflux and its ability to manipulate connection and form is coming along well... And if it is any indication as to the works of your order of magic, well, home is going to be mighty impressive when we return there." The mage beamed at the praise, wiping the sweat from his brow and giving the gale knight beside him a smug grin. Looking up at the few brave guards on this island outpost who had finally come to see just what was making all the smoke on their shore, the captain clasps his hands behind his back and he points out, "You missed something, though. It's a table, lovingly crafted for five hours and a flawless demonstration of your magical prowess. How are we supposed to sit down at it without any chairs?"

The first mate's laughter popped the bubble of the navigator's smug superiority as their captain marched over to the guard to give them his assurances that they had come in peace... in perfectly fluid kobold.

The Captain and the Admiral - Conflict in the Jisr archipelago

A few days later, in a raft launched from the side of his galley, Ethrial Thorn once again considered just how long he was overdue for a promotion. It wasn't that he wasn't qualified, hardly, the man was decorated and proven in his initiative, he'd been present at every major meeting of the empire, and had even been part of Zariel's initial expedition to the other side of the Spine Aerie. Before the founding of the Armada.

Before he'd discovered the sea.

Rocking with the ship as they closed in on the outpost's shorline, Ethrial heard his first mate ask, "Captain, why did you insist that we go back to the ship when we could have set up a camp on the island? And why couldn't I just fly us over here? This rowboat isn't... particularly fast."

Cracking open his eye, looking over his shoulder at the bored human, the captain rubbed at his beard and finally explained, "We didn't conqueror this island from pirates. This isn't our home, and we don't have a right to be here until we are given permission by a proper authority." The island's guards might have been arguably able to extend those permissions, but Ethrial's clearly superior manpower and firepower would have made it look like extortion, regardless of how willing the lizard might have genuinely been. "As for why we aren't flying... we're a navy. We should play into the image of a navy. Ships sail, they don't fly."

With a cocky grin, the gale knight corrects, "They don't fly yet, captain." He'd been saying that he and his colleagues were at the edge of a breakthrough for years, now, especially with the trade between the Empire and swamp-dwellers ramping up and more advanced mathematics becoming better and better developed.

"I'll believe it when I see it, first mate." The captain states as they drew close to shore. "Also, speak in kobold unless you need to tell me something fast. We don't want them to feel like we're hiding something here." That reminder brought a scowl to his first mate's face, the human was atrocious with the clicks and whistles that were part of the language, but he nodded anyway.

Making landfall with a small group of his own, the Solari at the head, with his first mate and his navigator to either side, the captain gave Timsah a salute with his right fist crossing his chest, and then a slight bow. It wasn't as formal as it could have been, but Ethrial was of the third caste, and this was a foreign and unknown power, so the lizards likely wouldn't even notice how much respect that gesture had given them within shaline society. Respect that he continued to show as he did not interrupt Timsah's opening statements... and then immediately was given cause to regret this decision.

The implication that they served Kerima drew various levels of objection from the assembled crew, most of them muttering and scowling even if the tales of the tyrant's cruelty were little more than bedtime stories and the ravings of priests to them, but his first mate, a soldier of freedom itself, actually spat at the ground and began to turn at that seemingly pointed insult before Ethrial silently lifted his hand from the hilt of his sword and clenched his fist. The signal to stand at attention. Order restored itself among his ranks as his sailors fell back into line, even the gale knight, though that one only did so out of the loyalty he felt to his captain and not because of his respect for the command chain.

It had always been and interesting relationship because of that.

Once his crew had finally settled and the crocodilian had said her part, Ethrial finally took in a breath and, in well-practiced kobold, told her, "You are mistaken as to our origins. As you said, Corrla is a long ways away from here, and what you see here is a different society entirely. We represent the Shaline and Marreill peoples, societies formed long ago from refugees who fled Corrla before the Serpent had even attempted to consume the world. Many of our people are elves or, as I am known as, Solari, and our lives are so, so very long. And that longevity leads many of us to desire order and stability... but not tyranny. Individuals and freedoms are valued among us, which is why the Marreill peoples were willingly integrated, and Moiraithe's knights still grace us with their patronage.

"In the spirit of that peaceful integration, I would return your offer. While the sail might take three weeks," Far, far longer without a gale knight or at least an apprentice windshaper to speed the way, "Dawnhold is a place of beauty, and is home to a portal that leads to Solace itself... which is, I hasten to add, perfectly safe to walk on, thanks to the blessings that Dia gave long ago."

Gesturing for his officers to join him at the table they had constructed a few days before, now complete with a set of movable, sturdy granite stools, the captain accepted the offer of tea and explained, "As for why we are here, it is simple. Our people, while we have the bounty of the sun at our disposal, have been insular for far too long. We need to see this world, experience its wonders and peoples, and find how it has changed since our hasty exodus last led us here and the gods have been left to play in the interim. As you may have guessed, we've already met the kobolds." Some time ago, if the ancient mortal's mastery of their language was any metric to go by, "But we've also sent expeditions to the north. Though not as successful, we met the centaur and harpies in this way, and learned the dangers of the gnoll and direwolf packs. So we turned back to the see, only to find our progress blocked by... well. You know what those privateers are. And, if our gale knight scouts are anything to go by, there is no love lost between your people and theirs. So as to that effect..."

Pulling out a scroll, a full on formal contract, in fact, the captain presses the document to the table and says, "We have learned of your people from the scholars, and thus, I hope this makes our intentions clear. We know how much you respect contracts, and we know just what the price of crossing a formalized an accepted contract is for your peoples." Folding his arms, he leans forward on the table and gives Timsah a chance to read the terms*. "So, understand that I am genuine when I make this offer, and I know full well the risks and guarantees that I tie myself to in making it."

Ethrial Thorn had been denying his promotion to the admiral's seat for a long, long time. Admirals couldn't sail, after all. They weren't allowed to feel the spray of the sea on their skin, or to hear the crash of a ship's prow through the waves, or to watch the booms left in their wake. Well, if this contract was signed, then he would change that silly policy. After all, he'd have full permission to do so in his contract.

Spoiler: Contract stuff

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*The terms are, to simplify them as much as possible, as follows:

The Shaline empire shall be given a presence, in the form of garrisons on small islands and embassies in larger centers of commerce, in the south-eastern third of the colony's islands. These embassies and garrisons will function as peace keeping forces for the islands they are established upon. The colony will have full access to these islands as well, and it will be treated as free and neutral ground between both parties. No other part of the archipelago will see the presence of any part of the Shaline military or its naval forces unless explicitly invited, except for the Admiral's ship which may sail where he pleases as long as he does not wage war upon any member of the colony.
One of these islands already claimed by the Shaleill armada will be fully under the control of the fleet and serve as a home to the admiral that resides there. This island, and only this island, will be considered a sovereign part of the Shaline empire, subject only to the laws and customs of the empire itself.
In return, the Shaline empire will lend the portion of its fleets that are left in this territory to guaranteeing the independence and security of the entire colony from all invaders.
Additionally, the traders from the colony will be guaranteed trade without any tariffs on imports for a period of sixty years within any trade port owned by the Empire. Travel to and from the empire territories will also be made available at reasonable cost to any of the lizardfolk who desire it, as long as their intentions and desires remain peaceful.
This last point will come with a reciprocal reduction in tariffs for any goods from the Empire in return, but only if traded in a port that has a Shaline embassy or outpost upon it.
The colony may, at any time, choose to dissolve this contract. In the case that this occurs, the empire's fleets and all of the peacekeeping forces they have deployed throughout the archipelago must return to their sovereign island and the Empire's other territories over the course of five years, and then all trade between the colony and empire will cease until a new contract is written.
The terms of this contract would be renegotiated at the end of the 60 year period of tariff free trade.
Finally, the Admiral who lives on the sovereign island, one Ethrial Thorn, will be given free access to peacefully sail in his flagship to his heart's content throughout the archipelago, without fear of being challenged or harmed by any of the colonists. This will be respected even upon termination of the contract unless the empire and colonies are at a state of war.

Spoiler: AP actions

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Starting AP: 2
Starting PAP: 1

-2 AP; Advanced Concept - Stone Architecture: The culmination of a Shaline love for art and beauty and the more concrete kobold love of numbers and engineering, this architecture is as flowery and beautiful as it is functional and stable. While most of the excessively flowery architecture formed in this way requires the use of magic simply to create stable structures, forming the stone from one unbroken and stable piece, the principle for non-magically crafted stone buildings are also part of this concept, and most of the standard stone buildings in Dawnhold are made using this mundane method.

As a note, with sufficiently advanced mastery of Augmentation and mana, a mage in the shaline empire who channels Hetta's afterlife plane can change clay and other earthen materials into a different form of stone. It is time consuming, incredibly draining and even more incredibly frivolous, but it allows structures that would be incredibly difficult to shape without the use of cranes and other advanced construction material to be formed first from clay, and then into marble or the desired stone in the proper shape. Many times this leads to walls being perhaps a bit thinner than expected, at least if someone were expecting bricks or other stone blocks to have been used in the shaping of a structure, though care is taken to ensure that the structures are still sound and will not collapse because of too much weight on flimsy millimeter thick walls. This also makes clay and other rocks into easy sources of marble for non-magically constructed buildings, though outside of the capital with its dearth of mages and mage apprentices such transmutation is seen as frivolous and more mundane rocks are used in 99% of the buildings.
Domain acquisition: Life (Twilight) 10/10

Total AP expended: -2

Ending AP: 0
Ending PAP: 1

Domain Progression:
Life (Twilight): 10 (Sub-race: Solari, Blessing: Suzerain's chosen, Noldan Republic, Shaleill Armada, Exalt Suzerain, Stone Architecture) Domain gained!
War (Preservation): 2 (Create Pantheon, Split Planar Magic: Augmentation/ Transposition)

Pantheon sphere progression
Civilization: 1 (Church of the Vigilant)

**dancrilis** · 2021-06-14, 06:44 AM (ISO 8601)

Reform Measures
The trade with the lizardmen went well and laws were established which were fair and reasonable - but a contentious element was punishment, killing people seemed wasteful, exiling them had not worked out in the past, imprisoning them gave raise to simply placing the burden of maintaining them on another or it acted as a death sentence - the best punishment was then to be a fine, but if someone couldn't pay that or felt the risk of being caught was low they might bypass that.

The lizardmen were in favour of binding people with magic but Dranera didn't like the idea, firstly magic could be countered with equal or greater magic, and secondly allowing magical control over peoples actions seemed suspect to her. No instead she in private began work on a new tool to maintain order which she would pass down to the priests, soul manipulation.

By simply modifing the soul of a being one could change the Ba so that they would no longer engage in the unwanted behaviour while maintaining the individual as not bound by magical means.

In practice this didn't work out as well as she had envisioned - sure she could reformat a creature to be whatever she wanted but no priests had her ability even ignoring her divine status, even the longest lived elves had only a tiny fraction of her years of experience once her component souls were considered, so instead the priests fell into three different categories of skill. Basic level modified the Ba to be utterly servile and wasted much of the potential of the individual, more advanced users created servents who could think and act on there own but were dedicated to their masters needs first and foremost, and then the best priests could turn someone into an actual devoted ally who would stand with you because they wanted to rather then because they saw you as a superior.

The actually binding was incredibly simple in that an ornament was crafted and if the subject wore it or was forced to wear it the priest could then discharge the magic into them to transform their soul into a more suitable format.

Dranera was not overly happy with the outcome but figured it would be enough and did appreciate that it opened up a host of new options for subtle control should such be needed.

Locathah and the Avariel
The goblins and elves took to there roles as protectors diligently but soon figured out that they could not truely hold the water or the air as well as they would like, choosing a delegation to petition the priests for aid in dealing with this rituals were created to modify both races to allow them to master thier chosen environments, goblins who were interested were converted to be capable of surviving on land and in the sea, albeit on land became much more uncomfortable for them as they were more designed for swimming now then they were before. The elves meanwhile who underwent the rituals gained the power of flight via large impressive wings allowing them to truely master the air.

The Beasts of the Sea
As the water goblins moved out to secure the oceans around Corrla they mostly left the sahuagin they encountered alone, noting where the settlements were and determining how to deal with them of needed - but the ocean was a big place and so they didn't need to actually start any fights, but they did encounter a number of animals they set about taming, octopuses for simple tasks, dolphins for message delivery etc but of all the creatures they encountered none stood out to them as much as the krakens colossal animals from the deepest levels of the ocean, almost too large to really train the goblins instead focused on forming a more symbotic relationship with them - providing them with food and cleaning off parasites that the kraken might not even notice and using little to no magic to direct the krakens to shatter ships - provided for testing purposes fair from any inhabited lands - or to carry goblins were they wanted to be.
Of particular interest relating to the krakens however was the fact that while the goblins were uncertain it seemed that the ones they encountered were not fully mature - the implications were alternatively amazing or troubling depending on who you asked.

Xill and the Wave Archons
With the goblins moving out to the waves Xill and some of her sisters choose to contact some cousins on the ocean to discuss matters about ensuring that anything the goblins might do would be acceptable and to allow for grievances to be dealt with peacefully, ultimately intending to bring the wave archons into the fold.

Spoiler: AP

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Create Sub Race Locathah 1 AP -
Known more generally as the Locathah these creatures are much like normal goblin stock except they are excellent swimmers and have functioning gills underwater.
War (Tactics) 8/10

Create Sub Race Avariel 1 AP -
These elves have an additional set of limbs in the form of wings growing out of their backs, they maintain the grace of elves in the flying without sacrificing tool use.
War (Tactics) 9/10

Create Monster Kraken 1 AP -
These creatures are massive tentacled horrors from the deep which are also able to operate close to the surface, other then there size which grants them enough strenght to crack most ships with ease and toughness to shrug off most attacks from anything that would think to attack them they are also surprisingly fast underwater and dexterous with there tentacles. Locathahs often hitch a ride with them using various techniques to guide the creature were they want it to go to do what they want it to do.
War (Tactics) 10/10

Bless - Reform Bracelets/Slave Collars 1 AP -
The Priests of Kerima can tap into her nature as a goddess of tyranny to craft circular ornaments which act to bind the wearer to the priest - once the magic has been discharged the ornament becomes meaningless as the subjects Ba is reformated to serve the priest, common items such as bands, collars, rings etc are common for this.
Soul (Manipulation) 1/10

Remaining 1AP

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-15, 10:38 PM (ISO 8601)

The Captain and the Admiral - in the Jisr archipelago

Spoiler: correction

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"You are mistaken as to our origins. As you said, Corrla is a long ways away from here, and what you see here is a different society entirely. We represent the Shaline and Marreill peoples, societies formed long ago from refugees who fled Corrla before the Serpent had even attempted to consume the world. Many of our people are elves or, as I am known as, Solari, and our lives are so, so very long. And that longevity leads many of us to desire order and stability... but not tyranny. Individuals and freedoms are valued among us, which is why the Marreill peoples were willingly integrated, and Moiraithe's knights still grace us with their patronage.

Standing up briefly, Timsah and the other representatives gave a respectful salute and a slight dip of their heads. As they returned to their seat, the Crocodilian attempted to mend the unintended slight.

”My apologies, it was not intended to be offensive, though I can see now how that would be so. The wind blessed are legends amongst our sailors, you are fortunate to have earned their trust.

In truth, I am actually somewhat relieved to hear that you are not the followers of that Tyrant.”

A short cough by the merchant interrupted her, a reminder to not insult valuable trade partners. Glaring briefly at the Lizard, she turned back to the Solari, this was her responsibility. She had to ensure the safety and future of her people now, if some fanatic in priestly robes got offended she’d deal with that later.

”Negotiations are more pleasant when the other side isn’t constantly looking for opportunities to convince you of their doctrine.

Your story has reminded me of another group we have begun trading with recently. Natives of Corrla, yet separate from their society. They are a resilient people, having survived generations of mistreatment from the religious. Now they have spread their wings a little and occupy a few islands to the west. Rumor has it they have a shadowy patron who protects them, a powerful being, possibly divine.”

Spoiler: Dawnhold

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"In the spirit of that peaceful integration, I would return your offer. While the sail might take three weeks, Dawnhold is a place of beauty, and is home to a portal that leads to Solace itself... which is, I hasten to add, perfectly safe to walk on, thanks to the blessings that Dia gave long ago."

Eyes going wide with surprise, Timsah recalls memories from when she was but a young inexperienced sailer with dreams of navigating around the continent. Pounding the table with her fist in excitement, she ignored the puzzled stares of her fellow representatives.

”The Shimmering Gate!!!! You live in the shadow of the great eastern mountains? Within sight of the Kobold Marshes?”

Realizing her undignified behavior, she collected herself and continued to explain.

”Although my age might not be obvious to non-scaled folk our warriors also experience lengthened lifespans and much has changed since the days I was considered young.

In my youth, when I was but an inexperienced sailor, I joined the fleet of explorers who wanted to follow the coast of our homeland until its end. If what the rumors said was true, the land was but a larger island, so sailing around it should be possible. It was on this trip I caught a glimpse of what I now am convinced is the portal you speak of.

Alas, the fleet had to turn around before we could get far, for trouble was brewing and our homes were in danger. Had it not been so, it might well have been me sailing into your port to meet you, instead of the current situation, though I would have been spared all of that responsibility.”

Spoiler: purpose

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"As for why we are here, it is simple. Our people, while we have the bounty of the sun at our disposal, have been insular for far too long. We need to see this world, experience its wonders and peoples, and find how it has changed since our hasty exodus last led us here and the gods have been left to play in the interim. As you may have guessed, we've already met the kobolds. But we've also sent expeditions to the north. Though not as successful, we met the centaur and harpies in this way, and learned the dangers of the gnoll and direwolf packs. So we turned back to the see, only to find our progress blocked by... well. You know what those privateers are. And, if our gale knight scouts are anything to go by, there is no love lost between your people and theirs. "

”I see, so you are in a way, explorers and travelers then. But to pursue such a goal with suddenness and in full force, is there something of importance you hope to find?

Your fluency in the Kobolds’ language was a clear indication of your societies contact, and a good choice for communication. The Kobolds are our oldest and closest partners, their peaceful pursuit of knowledge, an inspiration to us all.

Do not blame the Centaurs for their inhospitality, they suffered the most harm when the Devourer attacked. Much of their ancestral home was ruined and other races’ encroachment now threatens their well-being too.

It seems you have heard only one sided tales of the gnolls. To judge them as a whole would be doing them wrong, for they are a divided people. Some resort to banditry or piracy, others serve as protectors of order and are known to be fierce guardians of those they protect. As fellow desert dwellers, the gnolls are in a way like a rebellious younger brother who associated with the wrong people, in this case their deity.”

Spoiler: contract on the table

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Pulling out a scroll, a full on formal contract, in fact, the captain presses the document to the table and says, "We have learned of your people from the scholars, and thus, I hope this makes our intentions clear. We know how much you respect contracts, and we know just what the price of crossing a formalized an accepted contract is for your peoples. So, understand that I am genuine when I make this offer, and I know full well the risks and guarantees that I tie myself to in making it."

Slightly surprised by how fast others seem to have learned how to use contracts and how much this foreigner seems to know about her people, Timsah sighs.

”You’ve really done your research before coming here… I guess I can only blame the merchants and their chatting for why you know more about us than I know about you. I’ll let another representative take a look at this as that is their area of expertise, though I will say you seem to be picking up kobold writing quite well too. You’ll find our written language easy to learn then as they are mostly alike.

Zayad, come and have a look at this with me. This is what we’re paying you for.”

The Lizardfolk merchant eagerly gets up to examine the contract. His tongue flickering in and out with excitement as his eyes scan the document. Timsah pointently avoids looking at the lizard until he is finished. There was something odd about those who pursued a mastery of contract magic, and not just their obsessions with inks and parchment.

She caught the lizard trying to taste the ink, and quickly stepped on his tail. Placing a form hand on his shoulder, she released the tail and motioned the lizard to start talking.

“Ehem. I have read the contract, and while most of it seems reasonable, there may still be a need for a few revisions. This is standard procedure for contracts among us by the way, rarely is the first draft accepted.”

Spoiler: the contract’s first draft

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The Shaline empire shall be given a presence, in the form of garrisons on small islands and embassies in larger centers of commerce, in the south-eastern third of the colony's islands. These embassies and garrisons will function as peace keeping forces for the islands they are established upon. The colony will have full access to these islands as well, and it will be treated as free and neutral ground between both parties. No other part of the archipelago will see the presence of any part of the Shaline military or its naval forces unless explicitly invited, except for the Admiral's ship which may sail where he pleases as long as he does not wage war upon any member of the colony.
One of these islands already claimed by the Shaleill armada will be fully under the control of the fleet and serve as a home to the admiral that resides there. This island, and only this island, will be considered a sovereign part of the Shaline empire, subject only to the laws and customs of the empire itself.
In return, the Shaline empire will lend the portion of its fleets that are left in this territory to guaranteeing the independence and security of the entire colony from all invaders.
Additionally, the traders from the colony will be guaranteed trade without any tariffs on imports for a period of sixty years within any trade port owned by the Empire. Travel to and from the empire territories will also be made available at reasonable cost to any of the lizardfolk who desire it, as long as their intentions and desires remain peaceful.
This last point will come with a reciprocal reduction in tariffs for any goods from the Empire in return, but only if traded in a port that has a Shaline embassy or outpost upon it.
The colony may, at any time, choose to dissolve this contract. In the case that this occurs, the empire's fleets and all of the peacekeeping forces they have deployed throughout the archipelago must return to their sovereign island and the Empire's other territories over the course of five years, and then all trade between the colony and empire will cease until a new contract is written.
The terms of this contract would be renegotiated at the end of the 60 year period of tariff free trade.
Finally, the Admiral who lives on the sovereign island, one Ethrial Thorn, will be given free access to peacefully sail in his flagship to his heart's content throughout the archipelago, without fear of being challenged or harmed by any of the colonists. This will be respected even upon termination of the contract unless the empire and colonies are at a state of war.

“Let’s start with the pleasant stuff.”

Pointing to several points on the contract the Merchant elaborates.

“Peaceful travel, this point seems fine. We have nothing against peaceful travelers passing through or even exploring our lands. The number of ships and combat ready personnel brought as guards should be limited though to ensure peaceful intentions and to appease local forces who might feel threatened otherwise.

It is unlikely that any Lizardfolk in our colony would take initiative to attack your admirals ship while they are sailing freely. Most ships in our society are owned or sponsored by merchants who would know how much of a loss it would cost them if they were to create an inter-societal incident. So that point is fine with us too.

Regular renegotiation is of course necessary. We would not dare guarantee the terms for multiple generations, for who knows if someone may sire a warmongering fool.”

That comment earned him a heavy pat from Timsah, a gentle reminder to stay focused and watch his manners.

Pointing to the third and fourth conditions the merchant continued.

“These points are unclear to me, the Kobolds must have developed some new words since last we contacted them as I do not recognize it. From context, am I right in thinking that you are referring to fees or some other limit being placed on goods imported or exported?

An interesting idea, to be sure, though so far we have not resorted to such measures, nor have any of our trade partners as far as I know of. We only have basic sales taxes, which we enforce with contracts, and it applies to anyone selling within our markets with no distinction between foreign or local. Other than that, some goods that have proven to be dangerous to the public are banned.

For now, if I understand your intent correctly, we can accept the condition of 60 years without adding fees to import and export.

We would be glad to have the specialties of the mountains and solace being sold in our markets. The more the merrier is the general consensus on that topic.

Now to the more complicated conditions. Timsah, you should really handle the matters of territory and military.”

”Alright then, to preface we are not opposed to having new friends settle nearby, and having a permanent diplomatic presence sounds reasonable if we can reciprocate. Should your people want to, they would be welcome to settle on a number of mostly uninhabited islands in the area around here. I feel you are making this needlessly complicated.

Stationing military troops on a whole third of our islands, on the other hand, is not acceptable at all. Your point about having them act as peacekeeping forces along with your navy, insulting. But I too unintentionally offended you earlier so I will attempt to explain why.

Wanting to keep a strong military presence in our lands seems no different from an attempt to conquer. The garrisons and navy would become the perfect staging points for a future invasion. And while we want to believe the best about you, only a fool would willingly accept for a sword to be held against their throat.

We also have experience with foreign peacekeeping forces. The feet of clay, a respectable force. Your friends will have undoubtedly run into them when moving north. While they were given the task of protecting the peace and enforcing the law, they were unfortunately unable to stop the chaos that ravaged so much of our land on the continent.

While you could claim to do a better job, know that it was not a lack of might or devotion to the task that limited them. A local, who is intimately familiar with both formal and unspoken codes of conduct and who knows the people personally, is simply much more suited to such a role. And so we will never let our fates be dependent on outside help.

The idea of neutral territories is appealing however, and reminds me of the origin of our society. Rather than the sweeping implementation of your suggestion, I believe we should start with just a few as an experiment.

Please give us some time to come up with a counter offer to the contract you presented.

For now though, we will informally recognize the island you took from the pirates in addition to this outpost and the surrounding uninhabited islands as your sovereign domain. Your fleet can anchor and dock here, and we will withdraw our navy immediately to give you space.

Merchant vessels or small convoys may pass unobstructed and unharmed through our waters, but we ask that you keep most of your warships to yourselves. Any attempt to bring your armada through our waters will be interpreted as an invasion, which would be most disappointing.”

At this point some sailors brought over some fish to roast over the fire pit. It was time to put the unique table to proper use.

**zzzzzzzz414** · 2021-06-16, 02:45 AM (ISO 8601)

Among the opportunistic, often cannibalistic carnivores of the Wadi Alsahali, the difference between predator and prey was often one of sheer numbers. The lone, hunted jackal could easily become the hunter if they returned with a larger pack.

The Red Council, looking at the reports from the eastern outpost of Jirad, the correspondence from Jazira Alsahali, and the records of the many islands they had lost to the colony's unexpected counterattacks, could only conclude they they had now become the former. Even the most war-hungry among them were forced to conclude that the invasion had backfired; and now, one of their rivals had decided to take advantage, striking from the flank while they had been occupied at the front.

Fighting two enemies at once was out of the question; they had little choice but to accept the colony's offer of parley, agreeing to, at the very least, a cease-fire. Perhaps a deal could be negotiated, not at all what the Yellow Council had wanted, but enough to, considering the circumstances, at least keep their hold on the archipelago. To save their strength for another day.

But it didn't take a military genius to know that the Shaleill had no desire to fight two enemies at once, either. And it didn't take a diplomatic one to guess what their first attempt at rectifying that situation would be. So they did indeed draft a reply to the Colony, agreeing to suspend the conflict and send a delegation to meet with them at the suggested place within the offered timeframe.

And then, they drafted two more, and quietly sent them off; one sent south, to the frozen lands of the Ghul Lodges, and one sent to the great floating fortress of the Weshesh. Their attitudes towards these two nations had remained, so far, fairly pleasant, even friendly: the academies and merchants of the Weshesh, their knowledge of the arcane and provision of Underbeer, were held in high regard; and many in the League paid tribute to Idix and even joined the Sisterhood. And their neutrality in the ongoing conflict had not gone unnoted.

Though wrapped in the typical flowery language of diplomacy, the intention of the messages was clear enough. There was blood in the water now. Did they intend to stay clear of it? Or did they intend to feast; and if so, on who?

The League intended to find out, and, (if diplomacy with the Colony fell through) offer whatever price was necessary to ensure that *they* were not the hunted jackal.

**Feathersnow** · 2021-06-16, 07:54 AM (ISO 8601)

IDIX

-Transformations-

Mother Primum Inatch led the Gift That Keeps Giving to the North East, far beyond the shores his Sisters reported being occupied by The Enemy. He had, in his most recent trip to The Dreamlands, been given instructions by Idix. The Enemy was growing, and the Ka of Skidi might be wise not to trust too heavily in allies with alien ways and strange priorities. They should seek a refuge beyond the reach of any of them.

But that was not enough! They would need to build a ship. The Weshesh or any of the Circle nations might sell one... but Idix demanded something new. A ship built by Sisters alone, out the flesh of dryads. The Id*di, the Wyrdship, Gift That Keeps Giving

So, for the first time, the first, true, children of Skidi left the Land of Cliffs and Spires as the planks of a stone ship kept hovering over the waves by the will of a dozen Sisters a shift, a great colony vessel bearing hundreds of Ghuls abd nearly every Shelled-body still in the Land of Cliffs and Spires.

Inatch's current body was Shelled, and many of the Ghuls were Ren-descendants of Shelled refugees. They all remembered the warm and all hated the cold and dark nights that lasted thousands of hours. They were eager to volunteer to be colonists. The few elders who were Ghuls from their first birth were among the least mired in the bickering politics of the immortals.

They floated for interminable hours, zooming ever North, until the days became relevant shorthand for time-keeping, and nearly to the burning belly of the world, where they were truly regular. The Ghuls' fur thinned almost audibly and they shed fat and gained height almodt visibly.
The Shelled felt the warmth and comfort of a home more than a few had never known.
Inatch, whose first birth was as a Ghul, felt a disconect of a Khet that could not adjust itself but that nevertheless felt... right.

Then, from the tower, beneath the White Kite of the The Sisterhood and the Circle Flag of Idix, a young Ghul, a rare first-lifer, sighted the Changing Lands!

-part two-

TXG:YQ remembered the cold, then... nothing
Then, a kiss as The Mother performed a funeral for her stillborn race....
A pang as the Mother, in despair, lay down to freeze among the ruins of the home she made her dead children.
A shock as she died not of exposure, but at the fangs of the least, cast-off afterthoughts of her broken world. A god laid low by simple beasts!
A strange song as a lullaby...
A sleep of centuries...
Then, a dream. The Bones of the Mother stepped off the earth, leaving her behind!
She screamed! Voiceless, her Khet dead, her Ba sleeping, her Ren repurosed as a mundane word,
Her Ka burnt out at the very beginning of the world, she nevertheless screamed all the louder for its impossiblity!

And, then, for the first time, she dreamed. The Mother's Bones stared with empty eyes, as though daring her to keep a secret. And then, another sleep...

Then the Gift That Keeps Giving caught on an animated sandbar that grew tentacles and swallowed it onto the beach...

And... what was once wood became wood once more. And, on the Changing Lands, the second breath taken by the Trueborn Children of Skidi was taken after a pause of over a millenium.

-part 3-

Inatch reacted with commendable speed to save his ship, but, obviously, his first priority was the crew. The land absorbed the ship, and the petrified wood of the Id*di seemed to warp and crawl, but there was remarkably little disruption. In a matter of hours, a White Kite was flying over a heap of barely injured supplies and completely uninjured colonists, and around it was a pit, surrounded by...
Dryads.
They were an easy thing to ignore. Their petrified bodies were everywhere in The Land of Cliffs and Spires.
But... not with leaves! And not moving!

It was about this time the locals appeared.

TXG:YQ looked to the strange fleshy creatures in the pit, and the strange, shiny creatures in the party approaching them. "Brothers?"

Spoiler: AP actions

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Starting AP 10
AP 5 Create Mythic Race: Dryads
These creatures have innate abilities to understand language and mathematics and are physically immortal, able to be reconstituted from any remains while in the Changing Lands.
They also predate and supercede all language and language dependent magic.

Good (situational ethics) 5/10

AP 5 Create Mythic Society: The Brotherhood

This society is a utopian attempt to recreate the anarcho-primitivist society of the Ghuls on a msrher scale, in a land currently not greatly influenced by others. It also serves as a secret secondary base of operations for Idixism.
Good (situational ethics) 10/10

**dancrilis** · 2021-06-16, 12:22 PM (ISO 8601)

The Locathah and The Changing Lands

Where the locathah explored and raised krakens they noted a land that they had not heard of either from their own people or in the stories of the lizardmen that they had been made aware of - they had expected nothing but ocean and the beasts of the deep but instead found a land that was much like there home at first glance, and so choose to explore it and found some oddities, the trees were not old wood but instead young, the the ground shifted consistently and a hardy people inhabited it - a primitive people beset by the same avian monsters that existed on Corrla using primative tools to fend off the aggressive avians.

Primitive tools but also impressive magic and power not tainted with the mana of the serpent and who already had figured out how to tame creatures of fire - the priests amongst the Locathah remembered the stories of how Kerima herself had intervened with The Shelled and so decided to work on forming a relationship with these people, or at least those in the western part of the continent, aiding them in there conflicts with the avians and teaching them some basic techniques to tame the birds with ample warning that the birds could be tempermental and that for them own people it was the elves who excelled at taming the creatures of the world.

They thought the Ferrins to construct buildings - which the Ferrin took to gladly and swiftly better then the locathah themselves who explained that for them it was the dwarves who were the masters of the craft but that it had a secondary benefit, teaching the, raising temples to Kerima and populating them with statues which could them be animated via rituals to come to life as living statues and then transformed into gargoyles and through a combination of techniques tamed to protect the area around the temple.

Thus did a large number of Ferrin's join the People of Kerima and People of Kerima stood on land other then that of Corrla but where belonged to them.

Avariel were called in to better train the monsters of the land and to learn the ways of elementalism and return it to the rest of the people - and some river archons were dispatched for a time to ally with the rivers of the new land.

Xill and the Wave Archons

The wave archons around Corrla had an appreciation for the River Archons of Corrla and the priestly powers that allowed for the waves to be cleaned of spots of taint the same way that the initial priests had protected rivers of Corrla from the blight lands, now they planned a more aggessive expansion to the seas where the Locathah traveled - as wave archons were in many ways quicker and freer then River Archons, Xill sought out some of the older wave archons who she knew as friends and made a case for the priesthood and to embrace godborn children with the Locathah to ensure that the oceans would be free of taint. It proved an easier offer then she expected frankly - she had considered using the new reform measures to aid in negotiation if people were stubborn but when she raised it to Dranera the idea was shut down hard - but for those who normally stayed around Corrla some were actually eager and so soon some wave archons were ordined as priests after they managed to form the connection needed and thought the basics. Where when the River Archons had joined the worship of Kerima the goddess had given little indication, Dranera speaking on her mothers behalf welcomed the new archons - few in number though they were for now - with a celebration of shared lesser divinity in service to a higher one.
From the basis Xill envisoned a new society as a possibility for her brethern - as while she liked the mortals of Corrla she knew that her kind were always going to be somewhat seperate from them.

The Researchers
Dranera looked out at her people and realised that something was missing, there was much waste of talent where isolated people who could contribute more were not given the chance due to that isolation and were not reaching there best selves, as such she choose some of the best people in their fields to find others who might excel and train them up but also to find those who might merely do well and train them to a suitable level. It was her hope that such would allow her society to flourish faster and safer.

Spoiler: Actions

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Form Organisation: The Researchers.
While Worship was still the foremost power of the people and none debated the priests as the head of the society, it soon became clear that other powers both mundane and mystical were worth exploring - a as such a series of schools were formed to raise up the people of Corrla to ensure that people could find the role in society where they could best serve Kerima. These people were taken from all walks of life and organisations to train up people on matters of importance, whether they were suited for the life of a priest, a mason, a beast tamer, a merchant or even other concepts that the lizardmen spoke of from there own continent.
Of particular focus however were those who could develop the powers granted to the faithful or the manifestations of The Shelled or the new wonders of the Ferrin - but having a second trade was always encouraged.

Learning (Research) 1/10

**Gnomes2169** · 2021-06-16, 12:43 PM (ISO 8601)

Ennis and Neela - Taking a bath
A good bit larger than most creatures the kobolds would have encountered up to this point, being roughly the size of a crocodilian even if he didn't have all the scales, the archon wouldn't be able fit his bronze-skinned body entirely under the water while he was in a comfortable sitting position. However, that just meant that there was more of his back to wash, and he hardly stopped the eager little bathhouse workers.

While his body was firm, and a bit difficult to work on because of those supernaturally reinforced muscles, it would also be warm to the touch. Like a heated rock freshly pulled from a hot spring. A fact that some scholars might take note of, which in turn lead to debates on how to measure the exact internal temperature that this being must have, which then devolved into a debate about how to measure the temperatures of anything, and what the benefits of doing so might be in any number of heat-based processes.

Ennis... tactfully ignored that discussion, like he hoped that the other bath patrons ignored his. The openness of this environment was as refreshing as it was potentially problematic, as the secret of his connection with Renarr was something that he really didn't want getting back to the Empire. He and Amerith had been doing their best to hide that fact for a reason, after all. But it was out in the world now. Hopefully that knowledge would be safe here. "I don't think Renarr truly knew about the full extent of Lor's sacrifice... and she will not leave her old ally to drift through the void alone. The Great Teacher can expect a visitor soon. In fact, she'll be bringing any other member that she can with her, so that Lor can meet all of the other members of the pantheon, and so he can talk to the-"

Suddenly sitting up straight, sending a flailing kobold bath worker into the pool because of the movement, he exclaimed, "Wait, they made the Suzerain the leader of the- were they insane? The man hates authority, especially authority shoved onto him!" From his tone, a hint of concern and fear behind each word, Ennis was more shocked than he was outraged. "I can... see the logic behind it. But there will be pain because of this choice, even if it's only the Suzerain's soul weeping because of these chains."

The Captain and the Admiral - Negotiations

Spoiler: Early comments

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”Negotiations are more pleasant when the other side isn’t constantly looking for opportunities to convince you of their doctrine.

Your story has reminded me of another group we have begun trading with recently. Natives of Corrla, yet separate from their society. They are a resilient people, having survived generations of mistreatment from the religious. Now they have spread their wings a little and occupy a few islands to the west. Rumor has it they have a shadowy patron who protects them, a powerful being, possibly divine.”

The captain grunted at the observation of Corrla's 'negotiation' tactics, and he tells her, "Hah! Conversions and indoctrination. What pointless exercises... The empire understands that we hardly know everything, and are constantly humbled by just how far behind we were when we met the kobolds. Diversity is what makes this world as beautiful as it is." Which is why he'd argued for integration in favor of dominion so often and so strongly in grand meetings of the empire's council. Ethrial's arguments so far had proven persuasive in that setting.

When the republic was mentioned the captain's eyes would narrow almost imperceptible, but he didn't comment on it. A shadowy figure that had approached the peoples of the blight lands, semi-divine and associated with darkness? Three deities had domains he knew of could qualify those requirements, one was his missing goddess, one the river goddess, -who he'd heard no rumors of forging nations or other peoples, so he was relatively certain it wasn't her,- and one was supposed to be dead. But the serpent had created an archon-like entity to speak for itself when it cursed creation... could that fragment have survived the serpent's ruination, and now be functioning as its own entity?

Ethrial would have to investigate this story when he got the opportunity.

Spoiler: Dawnhold

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”The Shimmering Gate!!!! You live in the shadow of the great eastern mountains? Within sight of the Kobold Marshes?”

"Aye, that we do. Which makes it only all the more embarrassing that it took us so long to actually talk to them." He'd been almost 1,300 years old when the ships finally reached the kobold's marshes, so long spent in ignorance. "Reconnecting with the Marreill was one of the best moves we made. Our peninsula is lush and large enough to sustain a good number of people, true, but it's also surrounded by mountains and water. The freedom of being able to properly sail in safety was incredibly liberating." But of course, Timsah was a sailor herself, so he didn't need to wax poetically to her about that freedom.

"That said, our home is still beautiful, and the idea of sailing the entirety of the Circle Continent instead of just staying on its southern peninsula is..." Oh, there was a hunger in his face at that prospect, excitement at the idea of exploring the entire coast line of the land that he'd so long called his home. "Should you wish to finish that journey, I will happily volunteer my vessel in that service. I'll bring you personally to Dawnhold, and show you the wonders of Solace itself." It had been fifteen years since he'd been home. In fact, until this meeting and the few days they'd had to set up for it, it had been fifteen years since he'd set foot on land. He should probably return to the heart of the empire to see how it had changed.

Spoiler: The Empire's purpose for expansion

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”I see, so you are in a way, explorers and travelers then. But to pursue such a goal with suddenness and in full force, is there something of importance you hope to find?"

He would be quiet at the question for a moment, his officers looking at him to see how he would respond, and then he explained, "We call ourselves an Empire... and Renarr, our Empress, has disappeared. We do not know where, or even why. Similarly Moirathe has vanished along with her herald, the Saorsa." That explained the suddenness, as for the force...

"We do not know why the gods cannot return to us, as Renarr made Solace a place that could handle her presence regardless of how powerful she became, so we have devoted a large portion of our resources and manpower to prepare for the evils that we might need to counter in order to free them. This world also has many dangers. There are rising powers and monsters that would be happy to prey upon small groups of unprepared explorers. If we can drive them back and secure the land for future generations of travelers, then..." He gave a little shrug at that, as if that form of expansion was only natural.

Spoiler: Kobold Language

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"Your fluency in the Kobolds’ language was a clear indication of your societies contact, and a good choice for communication. The Kobolds are our oldest and closest partners, their peaceful pursuit of knowledge, an inspiration to us all."

That had been his intention when selecting the language. Let them associate him and his people with the peace-loving lizards to set the stage for a peaceful interaction and garner some perhaps unearned good will...

Spoiler: The Gnolls

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"It seems you have heard only one sided tales of the gnolls. To judge them as a whole would be doing them wrong, for they are a divided people. Some resort to banditry or piracy, others serve as protectors of order and are known to be fierce guardians of those they protect. As fellow desert dwellers, the gnolls are in a way like a rebellious younger brother who associated with the wrong people, in this case their deity.”

"Misunderstand stories? No, no, perhaps I should have made myself more clear... those were the packs that I, personally, encountered fifty years ago. If there are gnolls beyond the bandits that hunted me and my company all the way back to the southern shore, then they were farther to the north and west than we managed to reach." The Empire hadn't been trading with the kobolds at that time, and their technology for weaponry had been rather primitive compared to what even the bandits had been able to scrounge up, after all. Zariel's expeditionary force had been repulsed relatively easily despite the numbers. Ethrial was one of only twelve members of his group that had made it home. It was still a sting in the empire's pride. "The direwolves, though, I will not accept any redemptive stories about. Those were always mindless monsters, the two my party managed to take down took their price in blood, and I have no desire to ever meet such beasts again."

Spoiler: As for the contract

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She caught the lizard trying to taste the ink, and quickly stepped on his tail. Placing a form hand on his shoulder, she released the tail and motioned the lizard to start talking.

“Ehem. I have read the contract, and while most of it seems reasonable, there may still be a need for a few revisions. This is standard procedure for contracts among us by the way, rarely is the first draft accepted.”

The extended tongue got a raised eyebrow, but Ethrial did not comment on it. He did, after all, just say that diversity of culture was a thing to be embraced in the Empire... even if licking paper and squid ink was on the strange side of that diversity. "Well of course, negotiation shouldn't come to an agreement immediately. If everything was agreeable from the start, then clearly both sides should have asked for more, since it is the pushing of boundaries where profits, like discoveries, are made.

"It is also good to know just how you view these islands and the territories themselves. There was some debate among the captains who joined me in this venture on if you were purely a mercantile coalition attempting to break free from the strangle hold of the pirate league, or if you were a true nation attempting to do the same thing. I figured a good way to test that would be to see how you would react to an offer of a large garrisons of troops that you would not have to pay to upkeep or train, with the guarantee of my life, and thus the command structure of this part of our armada, to maintain your autonomy. If you were the former, then, well, you wouldn't care about the land as long as trade was not impacted and that offer would appeal. I'm glad to have been proven right, and to find that you are the later. It makes our relationship much more equal going on in the future."

Nodding as the food came, the captain unclips his sword belt and sets the curved, one-sided blade against his stool as a signal that negotiations were done for the evening. "Thus, I look forward to your counter-proposal. But for now, let's enjoy a meal, and leave all the negotiating and nitpicking for another time."

Amerith and Cassius - Founding a New Order
The Empire had begun to expand. Truly expand. And while this was good for the sake of its influence and the potential growth of its populations and resources, it also meant that the strain on its military to protect the lands it now controlled was going to grow. Especially with monsters such as the Direwolves, that sentient fungus and Vampires lurking in the outer territories, and banditry appealing to some regardless of how prosperous legitimate trade in the Empire might be.

And there was always the looming threat that the Weshesh represented... even if it hadn't been acted upon yet.

The solution that Amerith and Cassius came up with was to found a defensive order. One that would protect the colonies and mainland of the Shaline empire from monsters and invaders alike, sworn to their service at the gate to Solace and empowered by veneration of these two archons in particular. This would be the birth of the first paladin order to the world, and the Order of Roses swiftly found its ranks swelling with would-be heroes and avengers.

Spoiler: AP actions

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Starting AP: 0
Starting PAP: 1

-1 PAP; Create Organization - Order of Roses: The Order of Roses is a purely defensive force within the Shaline Empire that is meant to hold the territories that were claimed by the empire's expansion, and to hunt down the threats to the nation's borders, specifically to the colonies that have been established there. The members of the Order of Roses are paladins in the traditional sense (mechanically closer to 5e D&D, though, to put it in game terms), and can draw upon strength, authority and healing magics from their veneration of both Amerith and Cassius.

Since this is a purely defensive organization, they only add to RCR when the Shaline Empire's territories and borders are being invaded, not when the Empire is the aggressor.
Sphere progress: Civilization (2/10)

Total AP expended: -1 PAP

Ending AP: 0
Ending PAP: 0

Domain Progression:
War (Preservation): 2 (Create Pantheon, Split Planar Magic: Augmentation/ Transposition)

**Kinro** · 2021-06-16, 07:28 PM (ISO 8601)

Neela looked at the solar with a bit of irritation. "Peace, Ennis," she said. "You're disturbing your fellow guests." She looked over at the kobold who had been thrown to the water, showing clear relief that he seemed alright, before indicating to the kobold behind her to move to the front, so that it was his back that she now washed, putting doubt to his impression that it had been employees that had been washing his back.

"Lor is not alone," Neela said. "It is accompanied by the Moon Guardians, which include the archons who brought to the moon. But I have no doubt that it would appreciate the visit of the Suzerain and Renarr, in more peaceful circumstances this time, one would hope. And of others as well, of course. It has not met very many gods, really. Not even the others the kobolds worship, the maker of our ancestors and the maker of the harpies." And at the though of harpies, Neela felt a pang as the thought of her deer friend came to her mind. Would she see her again? Would the harpy even want to see her after she had changed so much? And when would there even be time? There was so, so much to do, always.

**Zelphas** · 2021-06-16, 09:25 PM (ISO 8601)

A Declaration to a Changing World

The new arrivals, of various stripes, were all met on the pathways and byways into centaur lands. For the Lizardfolk and the Kobald roads to the west and south, the centaurs' oldest and truest friendships, the message was passed to them kindly by an actual centaur, though the clay forms of golems armed with clay clubs and spears were still obviously in evidence. The harpies and mixed people once from Corrla to the full south were still met by real centaurs, though armed ones, and the message was more perfunctorily given. People within the Everrun Plains were given the news individually by the innkeepers where they were staying, though they saw the golems begin to move through the streets in more numbers. The one contingent of the Shaline Empire's forces that had continued moving north was met by a contingent of the Feet of Clay mixed with golems, and thanked for their willingness to forgo arms and continue peacefully before the message was given.

In the north, the orcs of the tundra were met with the unliving glare of golems alone, the message read in a blank voice devoid of mortal emotion. In all places, the message was essentially the same.

"The centaurs beholden to the Everrun Council--all centaurs--have heard disturbing tales about the world of late. Stories of war, and conquest. Strange powers, and stranger wielders. mortals attacking mortals under the sanction of their rulers, seeking land, or wealth, or simply power. We have heard darker rumors, of magic that can warp minds, though we do not know if we can believe this. The centaurs want no part in these upheavals. We have lost enough of our ancestral homelands to godly strife and developing races, and all we ask is to be left alone in these conflicts. The lands that we hold now we claim officially by our right; no other race may settle in or move freely through them, with the exception of one.

If you wish to trade, you may go to the border town nearest to where you enter and trade there. We will continue to offer fair prices and goods as we have. If you wish to visit, or to travel through our lands elsewhere, then you may request to do so at that border town. If your request is granted, you will be given a visa and a guide to bring you to your proper route. If you wish to conquer, we will defend ourselves. This is the only warning we will give on this front.

The only exception to the travel restrictions are the gnolls. In memory of the meeting of our peoples and the Feet of Clay, and in recognition of the difficulties of refugees, single gnolls or gnoll families numbering ten individuals or less may enter centaur lands freely, and larger groups or tribes of gnolls may request places to settle, to be reviewed by the Everrun Council personally.

The centaurs do not want your wars. We only want our lands. Allow us to keep them, and we will do no harm to you. Try to take them from us, and we will be forced to retaliate.

So signed, Everrun Council Chair Rilo of the North, Everrun Council Chair Tila of the East, Everrun Council Chair Qulu of the South.

To be enforced in perpetuity until and unless a unanimous vote of the Everrun Council should alter or abolish this decree."

The decree was placed in writing upon large clay pillars, tended by golems, near every major road entering into centaur lands. The golems remained watching these roads and patrolling nearby, seeming to act without any instruction from any living creature nearby.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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4 AP

Create Mythic Sub-Concept (Golem Farspeaking) -2 AP: By studying and combining the fleshcrafting skills taught by the vanished Magirus, the Runic Magic cast on this world by a god now gone, and the innate pseudo-telepathic powers of the (very few) Shelled that have managed to reach centaur lands, the centaurs struck upon a way to engrave runes of control and speech onto the body of a centaur Golemcrafter, which allow them to give mental orders to golems from afar. Farspeakers are set apart from other centaurs by their tendency to wear obscuring cloaks and gloves... and their tendency towards insanity; more runes give a Farspeaker more range and control and allow them to command more golems, but every new rune invites more instability into their minds. (Domain Progression: Race (Centaurs) 6/10)

Bless (Golem Chess) -1 AP: As a side-effect of inventing Farspeaking and used at first as a way to hone their skills, the centaurs inadvertently created a strategy board game which uses tiny, voice-activated golems as the pieces. The rules of the game are intricate and varied, allowing for a number of strategic options, and the tiny golems take relatively little magic power to operate. (Supposedly, one person powered their board by pouring underbeer on it before every match.) This game has allowed centaurs to become much more adept at planning larger-scale golem battles, though for now their aptitude is purely theoretical. (Domain Progression: Race (Centaurs) 7/10)

4 AP -3 AP = 1 AP Remaining

**Kinro** · 2021-06-16, 09:53 PM (ISO 8601)

The kobolds were, of course, heartbroken at the declaration from the centaurs, some of their oldest and, they had thought, greatest allies. And yet, though it pained them, they did as requested. Those of them who had come to live amongst their one friends departed back, slowly making their way to their swamps in what would be a long, long travel. Libraries and library-forts and the great aqueducts were abandoned, left as gifts to those centaurs who had joined as librarians, or else to centaurs in generals. The great teleportation gates were broken, destroyed, never to be used again. Even the defenses made the Guardian Glacier, a intended ward against the orcs, were left bare, their defenders given special permission to traverse the plains back to the Great Marshes. Only a single request was made, that one or a few kobolds would be allowed to be in the plains, to take residence near where the Council met, so that they may talk and discuss and so that the lines of communication would not be forever broken. And the same was asked of all races that kobolds new of as well, so that such a tragedy would not again repeat.

Spoiler: AP

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Create Mundane Concept(Embassies)
3 - 1 = 2

A small group of delegates, sent to each nation, to maintain talk and contact with their leadership, in hopes of forging and maintaining bonds and of achieving greater peace.

Peace (Alliances): 1 + 1 = 2

**zzzzzzzz414** · 2021-06-17, 02:36 PM (ISO 8601)

Kassa and the Winged Gods

After she had left the company of the divinities gathered in Concourse, Kassa decided to pull at a thread of curiosity that had been dangling enticingly ever since she had entered the place. Most of the gods that had gathered in the plane - The Father of Coin, the Twilight Goddess, the Clay Mother, the Lost River - were familiar to her. She had heard - and related - tales of their deeds and exploits many times over, and knew them well; or at least, knew the images that many people had of them. But the last one, Arkhos, the Shining Wyrm, was new to her. No stories of him were told among the people of the Circle Continent, nor elsewhere, so far as she knew.

His words, though, were not unfamiliar to her. Kassa had watched many warlords, priests and would-be-heroes echo them, speaking highly of the great value of truth and righteousness, and especially their own truth and righteousness. Almost all had been fools, hypocrites or liars; choked to death by their own principles, or else gutted by one unburdened by them. They were always quite amusing to watch fall and break; but Kassa wondered if this Arkhos would be the same. A god did not fall nor break quite so easily, after all.

So Kassa followed the dragon-god as he approached the jagged land of the Spine Aerie, a place that she herself had not visited, and, taking the form of a small songbird, alighted next to the high nest where he had begun to converse with and offer his gift to the harpies, watching and listening. Of course, though her disguise could easily fool a harpy, it was no match for the scrutiny of a god.

**Feathersnow** · 2021-06-17, 02:56 PM (ISO 8601)

IDIX

A Diplomat at the Lodges!

The gnoll emissary, Grrhala, wasn't really sure about this. The sun had been up for a week, but it was still unpleasantly cool. The Sister guide seemed to ignore the constant icebergs, but they seemed to ignore him. Did that make him a Brother?
Apparently not, apparently Ghul language had only one pronoun used for sentients, and it always translates as "she." That she, the emmisary, bothered to ask gave her the "plum assignment " of actually going to the Ghul homeland from among the other middle rank diplomats.
And then the broken cliffs and baren spires of the Antarctic continent peaked over the horizon. There were no trees. Very little green. But, the White Kite and Circle Flag of The Sisterhood and Idix flew over a giant, decrepit-looking hovel.
The ship, though massive, docked cleanly against a cliff that had been made into a dock. It made a clean 90-degree pivot to do so!
And, with that, the reasoning for this mission became again clear. The Ghuls were the peers of the Weshesh and above all others in the use of magic, and their powers were neither the divine strictures of Kerima nor the Arcane corruption of mana. They were something otherworldly and ancient, much like the Ghuls themselves.

When Grrhala left the boat, she was met by a single, shockingly young Ghul. Nude except for paint in her fur showing the White Circke of Idix around each of her eyes.
"I am Elder Nabbar, of the Lodge of Red Checks. Our siblings in the Sisterhood sent word that a stranger wished to speak regarding a conflict. We do not know they names of most of the people involved. We understand our friends the Weshesh wish to have lands claimed also by our Friend Abu Dhahab, and that they cannot share. This is a sad thing, but it is not the concern of the Ka of Skidi.
We have never met your kind, before, and would offer you hospitality while you plead your case."

The young "Elder" took Grrhala to a deserted, but set, banquet table, laden with fresh fish, large bugs, and many kinds of slime
Grrhala pled for the cause of alliance. But the "Elder seemed not only not to understand the particulars of the war .. she seemed to fsil to know what a 'war" was. Or an "alliance." Or "payment " it was like talking to a tiny, adorable, brick wall.

After she gave up in exasperation, the Elder spoke. "We do not wish for you to go home empty handed. It has been long since anyone but the Weshesh made this trip. Lwt us gift you with potions bred and brewed for use to travelers and fighters."

The elder catalogued her "wares" A brew to grant the strength of ten. A brew of invisibility, a ticture of windstep. A tea that could restore to perfect health and body anyone still whole enough to swallow...

"You would give this freely? How many" Grrhala asked, dumbstruck.
"We will fill your hold, of course!"
"But, were I greedy, and sent another?"
"Sharing the bounty of Idix goes both ways. If you wish soup, you must give lumber or metal or some other treasure. I hate to be greedy, but our soup and fish is all we can give in exchange "
Grrhala swallowed and stuttered... "is a one-to-one exchange acceptable?" Surely not! Sure a fleet of unproccessed lumber couldn't buy weapons like this!?
"Of course"

**KragBrightscale** · 2021-06-17, 11:40 PM (ISO 8601)

Negotiations on Multiple Fronts

As Timsah had expected, the League had also felt the pressure of the third party’s sudden intrusion. Their written response and agreement to meet had just arrived, and she passed on the role of negotiator to the Geckokin Captain Saif Albahaar. The pirates she knew didn’t respond well to large and dominating beings like herself, this would need to be handled discreetly, to preserve the League’s dignity and to avoid others misunderstanding.

Thankfully the Empire seemed capable of reason and negotiation, so talks had proceeded informally interspersed with personal tales and anecdotes during the meal. Each side prodding and getting a feel for how far they could push when the final draft was being written.

The Colony’s representatives wrote up a document that they hoped would be acceptable.

Spoiler: contract counter proposal

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acknowledgment of the small collection of islands being officially belonging to the empire.
Basic commitment to non aggression, and limits on moving military forces into each other’s territory.
Civilians would be allowed almost unrestricted travel with each other’s territory, though local laws must be adhered while doing so.
Diplomatic envoys would have greater freedom of travel, permission to dock, permission to bring along guards for self defense, and permission to reside temporarily in the other’s cities.
Admirals will be recognized as having diplomatic identities except in times of war.
Foreigners accused of breaking the law will have the right to notify their state’s diplomatic entities to ensure the judgement is fair. Should the party be found guilty, a diplomat may request a meeting with other representatives to decide on alternative methods of achieving justice.
Free cities. Located on the islands between the colony and the empire, these cities will belong to no one. Self governing, having their own militia, trade zones where taxes and other expenses are reduced, each society can have a diplomatic presence. Military forces are not to be brought within an agreed upon distance of free cities.

Elemental Affinity

As the masters of Ki continued to practice their cultivation and meditation, some started to sense something in the world around them. A subtle energy, gentle and hard to notice, masked by the ever present, wild and commanding presence of mana.

In stark contrast to mana, this energy seemed more natural, as if being present since the world’s first moment. There were ancient records describing the arrival of mana alongside the natural disasters that rocked their world, so there was no doubt that it was unnatural. Yet mana was also not as harmful as many had first thought either, with it now being an important source of energy to fuel their Ki cultivation.

As the Ki masters attempted to connect to the subtle natural energies they discovered a variety of types. Earth water fire metal wood and wind. Six different types, six elements, different in character and in nature. Sensing one was common, but the more talented could often sense two types or sometimes three, almost none could sense more than that, but those that did were destined to be remembered.

The elders of the ascetics were the first among Ki users to tap into this energy and combine it with their martial skills. Suddenly a new door had been open to Ki cultivators, as their bodies grew more powerful and in tune with nature, their movements could resonate with and guide the elemental energies around them.

The elemental energy was different from mana, as the ascetics soon found out. Mana seemed to naturally want to be expressed and directed, as if looking for an outlet for its potential to be released out into the world. The elemental energy seemed more reserved and resisted forceful changes in its motion, therefore the way to use it was to sense the natural way the elements tended to move, and lead the way with Ki, adjusting the course in advance and allowing the energy to flow through the path you’d made.

This new form of elementalism started spreading amongst the Lizardfolk. Bending the elements to their will without opposing their nature had some benefits to society other than a boost in combat capabilities. Metal workers who awakened metal or fire affinity found their materials easier to work with and started producing higher quality products. Wind and water affinities were helpful to sailors, allowing the Lizardfolk to take their navy to the next level. Wood and earth affinities were perfect for the agriculture and construction industries.

The golem elders of Jabal Alsalaam, being some of the longest practicing Ki users naturally grasped the skill elemental bending. Each golem chose an element to specialize in, with the last remaining one specializing in pure body cultivation instead.

Kobolds in the ascetics library were naturally taught the skill, for as long as knowledge was learned by these smaller relatives of the Lizardfolk, it would be preserved for future generations.

Spoiler: AP actions

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AP= 3

Create mythic subconcept (elementalism): Elemental Bending -2 AP
Ki practitioners eventually gain the potential for enhanced elemental affinity through Ki cultivation. Based on the 6 elements, the energy found in nature can be guided through martial arts and Ki to a variety of different effects. The technique is in no way forcing or dominating elemental energy. It is by knowing the character and natural flow of the elements and guiding those energies. Greater understanding of the truth of an element allows for better use of it. Meditation is key.
Mind (Enlightenment) 6/10

AP remaining: 3 -2 = 1

**zzzzzzzz414** · 2021-06-18, 05:48 PM (ISO 8601)

Despite the hot afternoon sun, and the best efforts of the diplomatic envoy, the atmosphere within the large pavilion tent could not be described as anything but "cold".

The meeting was not a large or obvious affair: nothing more than a handful of tents pitched on the far side of a small, mostly-uninhabited island in the middle of disputed waters; not home to much but gulls, boars, and a small, squat fishing village. But many years of war and animosity were not easily broken, and so the envoy had made an attempt to make it a warm affair, at least. A table-setting of traditional lizardfolk meals, a singer with a few old Red Coast and Wadi Alsahali tales. Little reminders of what they shared. Of what the Empire did not.

But the time of pleasantries had ended, and a cold quiet had descended over the attendees. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the spindly lizardfolk at the head of the simple rectangular table stood and smiled warmly at the geckokin captain across from him, as well as the mixture of various lizardfolk (and a few gnolls, from the League's own envoy) sitting at it.

"Well. Let us proceed to business then. To those I did not have the pleasure of personally greeting, my name is Jalim Ufmurala. I and my compatriots have been sent on behalf of the Red Council of the Kalarian League, in order to represent their interests in this matter. The League shares your concerns regarding the intrusion of the Shaleill Armada into these lands. The sudden loss of the Dhalir Islands to unknown and powerful magic is of particular concern to us."

Jalim bent forward, placing both hands on the table. "What's more, our scouts suggest that this force is merely a small part of their full might. It is true that our people have been locked in bitter conflict for many years; but the presence of such a force here is a grave danger to us all. And that they have chosen to assert their influence here where there is already strife and war, exploiting the distraction of us both, is no coincidence. We would both, I believe, very much like to limit the influence of this Empire in the Jisr; and the League is willing to negotiate a suspension of this conflict in order to achieve that. As it is said: 'Where two wolves fight, it is the vulture that eats.' So, let us discuss terms to halt this war. I am certain that, with the hand of Abu Dhahab guiding us, we will find an arrangement that will create prosperity and peace for both our peoples."

---

In a few months' time, a load of the promised lumber and metal arrived at the shores of the Land of Cliffs and Spires. A large load. The Yellow Council had seized upon the deal offered by the ghuls like a shark upon a wounded seal; especially once the alchemists had begun to truly investigate the wondrous potions that Grrhala's envoy had provided. They knew, in vague terms, of the potion-making arts of the ghuls, but this was beyond anything that they would have expected. The potion-makers of the League were among the best in the world, legendary artisans and fully masters of the art of alchemy; and yet, even they could neither explain nor replicate the effects of the Pharmakeistic mixtures. Their expertise was in weapons, of explosives, poisons and acids; the life-giving and ability-granting (magics at least as powerful as those of a trained Chosen, though temporary and not so directly aggressive) properties of the ghuls' potions were strange and fascinating to them, especially when they discovered that said potions seemed to contain almost no mana whatsoever. It was a puzzle that could not go unsolved.

So when the piles of lumber and iron were unloaded onto the docks of the ghul settlement, something else was unloaded as well: strange and shiny instruments unfamiliar to most ghuls, tools of measurement, extraction and mathematics. And along with the workers and sailors came another set of figures in much nicer clothing, asking to speak to one of the Pharmakeists.

The group was quickly escorted to one of them, and the apparent leader of the group - an elderly gnoll with what appeared to be a fake eye made of crystal - pulled back her thick fur hood and smiled widely.

"Hello! I am known as Gurafta Ufargan, and my colleagues and I-" she gestures theatrically to the twelve individuals standing behind her, some of whom shift awkwardly, "-represent the Green Council of the Kalarian League. We are scholars and artisans, practitioners of an art that we believe may be similar to yours - a discipline of potion-making we call "Alchemy". We've studied the mixtures that you generously provided to our envoy, and I think we may have quite a bit to learn from each other! The devices that our crews are unloading are some of the tools of our trade, devices for measuring and weighing. Consider them a gift: it is our hope that they may assist with your brewing. But I think we can offer you something more, as well."

The gnoll began to pace back and forth, hands clasped behind her back. "You know precious little of our methods of brewing; and you, likewise, know little of ours. We are both capable of things the other would consider great wonders. So, on behalf of the Green Council, we would like to suggest a joint venture between our peoples: an effort to deepen our understanding of each others' magical arts, and the differences between them. Of course, such an exchange of knowledge would be great enough on its own. But if we were to combine our knowledge and disciplines-" Gurafta grinned, and a very dangerous sort of excitement glinted in her eye, "-I think we may be able to create something even greater."

---

While war raged in the Jisr, the gnolls spread across the lands of the Circle Continent had not been idle. In the west, the age of instability and tribal wars among the Ufrot-Assag, created by the Underbeer Plague and the separation of the Kalorian League, was beginning to draw to a close. In its aftermath, the pack-tribe leaders and elders determined that, especially with the League snapping at the southern end of their lands, they needed to ensure cooperation and unity among their people, as the lands all around them had. No more would the informal agreements and the law of the Oasis Taboo suffice. So, with the help of peacemakers from the Feet of Clay and the Ascetic Order of Zahd, representatives of 37 major recognized Ufrot-Assag tribes came together in the city of Wahat Aralha and drafted a more formal agreement of non-aggression and cooperation: the Compact of the Ufrot-Assag. No longer would they be consumed by old rivalries while bandits and monsters encircled them; they were separate tribes still, but also one people. Their meeting place was maintained by a permanent group of Ufrot-Assag, and Feet of Clay, kept as a place for future meetings and as a point of contact to the Ufrot-Assag; and soon, other such meeting-places were created in other oasis-towns and in certain cities of the Red Coast. Meanwhile, of the few tribes that had not joined the Compact, many simply maintained independence, though a few, especially in the south, simply joined the League.

Bolstered by the new-made peace, the League's sudden focus on the war in the Jisr, and the constant advance of their medicinal practices, the numbers of the Ufrot-Assag grew - and the desert could only support so many. A few, primarily in the north, migrated into the lands of the Merchant Union; the gnolls had long resisted assimilation into the cities of the west; the ubiquitous gold and silver made life in the heart of the denser cities near impossible. But for a few, the offers of the burgeoning practices of alchemy and the ever-present need for herbalists and healers was enough of a temptation to convince some to settle in small permanent villages and gatherings on the outskirts of lizardfolk lands. Many more, however, opted to go east; the proclamation of the Centaurs, and the open declaration of their trust and friendship, did much to soothe the rifts that had opened during the age of instability, and soon a second wave of gnoll migrants began to trickle in from the northwest of the Everrun.

Meanwhile, in the east, the gnolls had integrated almost fully with centaur society; and the combination of Ufrot-Assag, Everrun, and in many places Great Marshes culture had begun to produce interesting results.

Storytelling was one particular area of change. The nomadic gnoll caravans were already quite well known for their storytellers, putting on riveting performances with increasing panache and flair, sometimes even incorporating multiple storytellers at once. It was the primarily-kobold librarians, with their love of writing, recording and sharing knowledge, that began to create written records of these stories, making scrolls and carving-sticks of the tales so that they could be stored in the great libraries, preserved and accessible to others.

The gnoll storytellers were, at first, quite confused by this. They understood the concept of relating simple facts and figures through writing well enough, but a story was not a dead, static thing that could be recorded through writing. In the Ufrot-Assag tradition that they followed, a story was a living thing, something that changed with each telling and existed in the tone, the expressions, the pauses and gestures as much as in the words themselves. A story stripped to mere words and put down in writing was dead; merely the corpse of a story. And yet, to the kobolds, the idea of knowledge that could not ever be stored or put down except in memory - knowledge so easily lost and forgotten! - was a disturbing, almost incomprehensible prospect. Many gnoll and kobold scholars and poets argued and debated endlessly on this; and the end result of their many arguments, the desire to reconcile their ideas as well as many older ones, was two-fold.

The first, was plays: writings that contained, not merely the words of a story to be spoken, but how to say them, how to move and gesture; dead knowledge that would, in the hands of a storyteller, become a living performance. The second was literature; stories that existed only in writing, that were made only to be read, and that could take advantage of the written kobold language to do certain things that even a skilled poet could not; breathing into it the life that many storytellers insisted it could not hold.

These new artforms gained tremendous popularity through all of centaur lands, and soon all throughout the circle continent. Performers and playwrights refined the art and spectacle of their stories, incorporating multiple tellers, as well as elaborate masks worn on the upper face to distinguish which character was speaking, with certain masks and colors indicating certain "archetypes". In the lands of the Centaurs, these masks were simple hardened clay or sometimes bone, painted in various patterns; the most popular performance, by far, was The Slaying of Khorodugun, a heavily fictionalized telling of the first battle between the Feet of Clay and a Direwolf. In the lands of the Ufrot-Assag, these masks were often full animal skulls, and the most popular and recorded plays were old Ufrot-Assag fables of the various trickeries of Kassa.

Meanwhile, an entirely new class of storytellers - writers of literature - began to emerge, especially among the most skilled writers, the Kobolds. A story told on paper could not contain the expressions and tone of a living storyteller, true, but they could contain other things, rhetorical tricks of language and perspective that a performer could not imitate. This new class of storytellers began to create many such literary devices, and so began to give rise to an entirely new type of story; one that could persist in the libraries of the plains and swamps long after its creator had perished.

Another advancement was in the refinement of alcohol. It had been known for quite some time among the centaurs and the gnolls that certain foods - if left to rot under specific conditions - would ferment into a beverage that was pleasant to drink and often less dangerous than unboiled water. But the gnolls of the Everrun, with access to the centaurs' many grains and hops, and equipped with their own knowledge of potion-crafting, began to perfect the process, producing bright, amber-brown liquids rather than the thick, gruel-like beverages that had been more common. The brewers were able to produce many varieties and flavors of this drink, from lighter, paler varieties favored more by smaller species such as gnolls and kobolds, to far darker, stronger ones favored by the larger centaurs. This beverage's effects were described as similar to Underbeer, so it was first termed "Overbeer", and thereafter shortened to merely "Beer", and developed many other names for many other strains and types besides. The drink soon became an incredibly popular staple of the taverns across the Everrun, to the point that many villages began to construct large buildings for its production, with multiple brewers mixing and fermenting great kegs of the stuff to be shipped across the plains; and, soon enough, to other places.

So, the consolidation of the Everrun Council, and the closing-off of Centaur lands, was not met with quite the same reaction from the Everrun Gnolls as it had been from the Ufrot-Assag. They were of course grateful that they had earned the trust of the centaurs, and would not be driven from the place they only knew as home; but they had formed a rich relationship with the kobolds, and many of the other non-centaurs within their lands, and were not pleased to see them go. The Everrun seemed to be hardening, solidifying like baked clay, cracking into borders that cut across their wandering nomadic routes. Many gnolls looked at the increasing ranks of golems - created by knowledge and magic they did not understand and could not have - and could not help but feel trepidation.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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AP Total: 5/16
Create Organization: Ichoria Apothecary Institute [1AP]

Named after the alchemical term for liquid mana, the Ichoria Apothecary Institute is a collaborative effort between the Alchemists of the Kalorian League and the Pharmakeists of the Cliffs-and-Spires Lodges, dedicated to studying and experimenting with the properties of alchemy and pharmakeism, and in particular the ways in which they may be combined. The Institute itself is based in the Jisr Archipelago, on a small, unremarkable island close to the Red Coast. On the island is the main base of research, a specially-created dwelling where a number of ghul, gnoll and lizardkin scholars and potion-makers permanently live and work, along with a support staff of transplanted ghuls, local League citizens, and several Sisters. However, the group also makes use of the work and correspondence of several alchemists and pharmakeists outside of the island itself. The organization is nominally independent of any power and dedicated solely to learning and experimentation; however, they are in the middle of League territory and dependent on the League for many materials and tools, and the League in turn "suggests" avenues of research. So, much of their work is done with weaponization, trade value, and enhancement of seafaring/ship construction in mind.

Craft (Alchemy) 1/10

Create Mundane Concept: Plays

Create Mundane Concept: Literature

Entertainment (Storytelling) 2/10

Create Mundane Concept: Fermentation

Create Mundane Concept: Simple Breweries

Change (Transformation) 2/10

5-5 = 0AP Remaining

Spoiler: Blurbs

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Council Structure of the Kalorian League

The League is run by a number of different councils, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the League's operation and power. Though they have some formal rules governing their meetings and operation, they are, mostly, very loose affairs. It is not so much that the members derive their power from the Council, but rather that the Council derives its power from its members; they are, in essence, vessels for the patchwork of powerful individuals and organizations comprising the League to discuss, plan and coordinate their actions, forming a sort of loose oligarchy. The only real requirement to be a Council member is simply to be of enough notice and importance to be invited by the others. The councils are as follows:

The Red Council: The Council governing affairs of military might, war, defense and diplomacy. It is composed of fleet captains and admirals, bandit clan leaders, pirate barons, and a few guildmasters of arms, shipbuilding and weaponry. Its leadership heavily overlaps with that of the Makhalib Maksur; indeed, though they are nominally separate, the two organizations are largely one and the same.

The Yellow Council: The council governing affairs of economics, trade (internal and external), distribution and production. It is the largest of the councils, comprised of merchant lords, guildmasters, landowners, master artisans, representatives of various trade groups, and representatives of the Veiled Shadow (it does not send its actual operatives in person). It contains the most members, but they also do not have as much reason to meet as the other councils; most meetings contain only a fraction of its full number, called in order to settle a specific dispute or issue over specific goods and trade routes.

The Grey Councils: Councils governing local, internal affairs of logistics, property, crime, citizens' issues, and other things that do not affect the League as a whole. There are eight of them - each for a different region within the League (the Aldhabir Grey Council, the Ufgan-Kragt Grey Council, etc) - and they are comprised of town mayors and officials, regional governors, pack-tribe elders, free city representatives, tribal religious leaders, elected chieftains, etc. The Grey Councils are numerous, but wield very little power outside of their own small forces of local guards; they mostly exist to manage smaller, petty conflicts between the patchwork of groups comprising the League. Any major problems are usually discussed and dealt with in a larger, inter-council meeting with the Red or Yellow councils.

The Green Council Council governing affairs concerning scholarly research, development, and knowledge, particularly concerning Alchemy, Sorcery, and their related fields. It is composed of master alchemists and apothecaries, scholars of magic and alchemy, Mage Academy representatives, and a few guildmasters and artisans of alchemical supplies and tools. The Green Council is the newest and least powerful of the non-Grey councils; though they do meet to discuss and share news and development of alchemy and magic, many of their meetings are inter-council meetings; either with the Red Council, to discuss development of weapons and training of sorcerers, or with the Yellow Council, to discuss trade and sale of alchemical supplies and products. They are also the council with the most shared seats; many of their most influential members (the guildmasters and artisans) also hold seats on the Yellow Council.

The Basic Process of Alchemy

The first step in any alchemy is the distillation of "raw" mana, the essence of Wan'shi. This is the most difficult part of the craft, and the main quality that makes it "alchemy" as opposed to mundane medicine-making. Mana is ordinarily an intangible, invisible substance; but, it can be induced to bind with certain substances with careful preparation and techniques derived from Synthesis magic, creating a liquid (Referred to as "Ichor" that is about as close to "pure" mana as one can get. This requires very careful heating and mixing procedures, as well as precise instruments. Ichor is both very easy to mess up and very reactive; a single mistake may cause the mana to be lost or rendered unusable, or it may cause the entire apparatus to violently explode.

In the Kalorian League, Ichor is mostly distilled from Underbeer. It can technically be extracted from of almost anything, since mana is constantly raining down and being absorbed by the material world everywhere. However, underbeer is nearly guaranteed to have a large, usable supply of mana, and it has a (relatively) simple extraction process. Gargoyle Stone and Jade King Crystal are also acceptably mana-rich - even moreso than underbeer - but they are much more difficult and expensive to obtain, and have a much more difficult and time-consuming extraction process.

Once this process is completed, the extracted Ichor is mixed with various stabilizing elements and ingredients, as well as more Synthesis magic, in order to create the desired products, usually in the form of a liquid, but occasionally solids, which are ordinarily ground down to make powders. Ichor is, again, a very reactive substance, so these products usually take the form of explosives, acids, burnable fuels to create unique fire, smoke and toxic fume bombs, or poisons.

The Slaying of Khorodugun

Created over many generations of storytellers and first put to paper by the prolific Kobold playwright Olba, The Slaying of Khorodugun is a fictionalized epic account of the first meeting of gnolls and centaurs, and the subsequent fight of the Feet of Clay against a Direwolf. The basic flow of events is largely the same, but many details and events have been added or radically altered over time. The major ones include:

-A battle between the gnolls and centaurs upon their first meeting, instigated by Kassa before they realized their common enemy

-The replacement of the normal direwolf with Khorodugun, a terrifying thirty-foot-high, six-limbed direwolf-like being with poisonous breath and dozens of eyes and mouths.

-The inclusion of several dialogues between Kassa and Hetta

-The lengthening of the battle into a protracted, many-month war across the countryside, during which a request for aid (along with the famous Question of Raki) was sent to the headquarters of the Feet of Clay

-The slaying of Khorodugun using a Silver Arrow, created by Kassa and Hetta in the middle of the Meeting of The Feet of Clay, and carried back to the battlefield by Raki.

Different, more accurate accounts exist, but this particular fictionalized telling is one of the most popular, both in and outside of Centaur lands.

**Kinro** · 2021-06-18, 05:51 PM (ISO 8601)

Spoiler: AP correction

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Create Advanced Concept underspending * 2, sharing K-bows
2 - 2 = 0

Engineering(Public Works): 8 + 2 = 10
Domain get!

**ezekielraiden** · 2021-06-19, 01:05 AM (ISO 8601)

By Memory Sustained: Kinryu

Arkhos could not resist a little impatience, as he awaited an audience with the great nest-mother. The harpies were quite pleasant company, of course, with their shiny new feathers, and their tales of Briettia made the waiting easier. He still felt the urge to travel, the itch to see more.

Then he chided himself. He was already aware--through the older deities that had preceded him--that it was possible for a deity to give life to a proxy, a herald of their name and voice. Was that not the ideal solution now? He could remain here, in courtesy to Briettia, the genuine article as it were, while sending a part of himself elsewhere to see and do and teach. His first children, the gleaming dragons in their creches on the moon of Lor's vigil, had only barely heard his voice and begun their learning when he left them to seek further deities. Surely, they would welcome guidance just as he would welcome seeing their progress.

He gave no outward sign of the deed; no doubt these harpies, however pleasant they might be as hosts, would be somewhat ruffled to see their godly guest split in twain and separating. But so it was; Arkhos sent forth an Avatar that was both himself and separate, one with its own thoughts yet the same soul, the same memories, for he was by memory forged and by memory sustained. Thinking of both the Golden Mirror and the Father of Gold, Arkhos gave this Avatar a form malleable, inspired by his children but adaptive to its surroundings, but first and foremost, a dragon in gold scales clad. Thus would he be Kinryu, the Golden Dragon.

Tales Tall and True: Birdsong for Kassa

Kinryu passed from the meeting-place, unseen, like the shadow of the wind, like the footfalls of a cloud. But he does not pass too far. Soon enough, he sees that one of these feathered friends is not like the others, but a god guised as a bird of sweet voice. Thinking this a fitting form, he echoes it, flitting into the branches of the same tree as a golden thrush, though he knows as well as she does that neither of them is as they appear to be.

"I greet you, Kassa. Pray forgive my separate nature; I am here so that I--well, so that Arkhos proper--might personally await audience with Briettia. You may call me Kinryu, or Arkhos, if you prefer." He pauses a moment, preening his feathers. "Though we are separate, we are also one. He hears with my ears, I speak with his voice. Or, perhaps, here I sing?" There was a playful note in his voice-song. Further, it was quite clear that, while Arkhos himself had a very round and even baroque manner of speech, Kinryu was not quite so flowery. Still carrying some of that wordy weight, but more informal.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Create Avatar: Kinryu (金竜 "Gold[en] Dragon"), 3 AP [Domain: Nobility (Leadership) 5/10]

Additionally, pre-spending 1 AP for Airships, helping Renarr. We'll work out the details of the thing separately. This gives...
Create Mythic Concept, Airships (cost shared with Renarr), 1 AP [Domain: Travel (Adventure) 1/10]

Liberation (Aspiration) 9/10
Nobility (Leadership) 5/10
Good (Self-Sacrifice) 5/10
Travel (Adventure) 1/10

Total AP: 12 - 4 = 8

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