Thus ends the prodigies power over this young and primitive world, two-hundred years were to pass before their influence was noticed again, but by then the mortals had evolved and the world had changed with them. Where the prodigies went was uncertain and to the mortals it may seem as if they had disappeared entirely, leading their actions to become myths and legends worth revering. There were those who began to question whether some of it happened at all. The demigods and other leaders remained with their people, waiting and praying for the return of their masters.
However, for the prodigies themselves it would be as if it had happened at the blink of an eye. One moment they were there going about their plans, and the next the world had changed around them. The primitive mortals had become a bit less primitive and buildings had been erected in many areas.
<spoiler=Theme><spoiler=OOC>Everyone's somehow lost two-hundred years which they can't remember. It may be safe to assume it was the usual suspects who made it happen. You've also somehow gained another +2 domain. You can choose whichever domain you want it to be.
It would be best if everyone made summaries of what happened to their people and the results of their previous actions from the first age during the two-hundred years they were gone. I suggest going through updates if you want ideas for what would be applicable for your gods/actions/mortals. All one-off creatures have died at the start of the second age. I'll try to get my post up soon as an example.
Over the last 200 years since Ar'Guran went into sleep away from the Breakopen and in fact away from even Viera the Breakopen and those who he had started living there grew quite a bit. They continued to carve out the first cliff and after they had carved out the inside from top to bottom they started mining out under it. The rocks they pulled out of the cliff they used to build a wall around the cliff and after even more rock and was pulled out they used that to build rock and wood buildings inside and out of said wall. The fortress was names Guran by Viera in honor of her Father who had gone missing several decades before it was completed.
After the fortress of Guran was completed and the wall was believed to be strong enough around it the Coritas started digging down creating a set of mines that spread out under the Breakopen quite a lot in the 200 years that they had to dig. On the forest floor tree lines were pushed out and not only were buildings built there but the Jeri took to living at the top of the cliff where they were able to look down and over the rest bringing swift and sometimes harsh judgment on those who were in need of it.
The Jeri took over the top of the fortress Guran and used openings into the fortress below to have the coritas build them houses and such as well as training areas where they could practice fighting and other things. They settles into a hierarchy that had Viera at the top and spread down using a combination of fighting ability and strength of mind to chose who was where. They were the judges and watchers that the Coritas being used were treated fair and only those who did wrong by them were ever scared about how they would react to them.
Even though the following generations of Leonin and Mind blades did not have the blessings of the first they were trained and chosen only from those who were strong and amazing trackers for the former and who had sharp and well shaped minds for the latter. As time went by the groups grew into a bigger versions of themselves and also their jobs changed slowly. The Leonin became scouts and guards who helped the Jeri to watch other those who had to go into the forest and also watch the forest and be a hammer if needed in a fight. While the Mind blades had a dual job they also scouted and watched the forest they stopped participating in fights and became thinkers and innovators who spent much of their time trying to find new and easier ways to do things.
While the Jeri took over the top of the cliff Viera took the center. On each floor the center was always made into one large room and in the third out of 8 floors Viera took over a whole one along with the rest of the floor being changed over to changeling training. The stone tablet with the Guran language as well as the silver chalice that had been given to a Jeri just before Ar'Guran had gone missing. In the last time she talked to her Father Viera had been told to trade with the Changelings and she did, sending Deritas to trade for children that could be trained in many ways. They children were left in others care till they were old enough then taken and put on the third floor where they were trained in how to talk to others and get information as well as how to move through groups of people easier. A small corps of spies and watchers were created and made ready for the future if need be even if that had lessened.
Viera used the tablet with the language to teach those who came in from the forest around them either because they had just arrived into the Breakopen or had been driven in by the Death worms still roaming around. She also used the chalice on those she believed was worth it being used on. Either for their strength or their mind or their ingenuity that she thought should be passed onto the next generation, also making sure that she did not do it to much. The initial wall that had been set down was left but a further one was also set down as the tree line was pushed back and much of the land in between those two walls was filled with food and fruit growing trees that supplemented the meat hunted from the forest around them.
+2 Biological: an understanding of biological features and knowledge of how they work and what is needed and used.
Ar'Guran 30/30AP 2MP Underground Breakopen
Waking slowly and opening his eyes Ar'Guran starts to stretch when he finds that he is confined. Trying again and putting more strength into it he can feel that he is surrounded by earth and dirt and enough of it that he was unable to break it easily. Growling low and forcing the dirt and packed earth around him away he starts clawing at the dirt making his way higher up before forcing himself out into the open.
Breathing a little hard and shaking himself Ar'Guran is about to move away when he looks down and makes a surprised sound. Several Deathworms and other digging creatures were stuck to his body in various staged of death and decay, a few little more than just some bones a few were fresh enough to still have body's. Frowning slightly and shaking himself he sends them flying into the forest around him as he shakes them off and takes a few steps making the dirt and stones caught on his body fall. Stomping around a few times and looking himself over the Dragon mumbles to himself.
?What was that? I was doing something at the cliff and the next thing I know im waking up underground.?
Looking up and around at the trees Ar'Guran blinks and shakes his head before taking off and climbing into the sky looking at the forest below. Before he would have been able to tell anyone who asked where everything was in this his forest but now things had changed. The trees were different and... over there?
Looking in the direction where he knew the cliff he had been having mortals dig out Ar'Guran narrows his eyes and looks at the fairly wide circle of treeless area around it. Flying higher and higher into the sky and floating over closer he keeps watching as workers till and keep the fields all around in between two stone walls. Slow flapping and watching them for a while the Dragon shakes his head and looks around at the forest again before circling and dropping down to land on another cliff out of mortal eye reach. Settling down for a second and grunting he stands and stretches mightily as he looks in the direction of the cliff. Scratching at the rock below his paws and frowning hard as he thinks the Dragon reaches out and speaks firmly.
?Viera, im to the north of the cliff. Come here and explain whats going on.?
---------------------
Viera had just finished a class for a few of the younger changelings and was moving beyond to direct some Jeri in their work when she stops and sets her hand on the large stone tablet that sits in the middle of her living area. Even here the floor was worn smooth and almost polished from the millions of feet that had walked and stumbled across it over the last 200 years. Sighing again and rubbing the stone for a second she walks over to a pedestal where a weird finger cover sits black as night and sharp still as any knife. Brushing her hand over it and moving on she steps past the chalice and goes to her own room. Here in stone alcoves candles and books sit along with a few shiny trinkets and stones she had liked.
Walking to one of the alcoves and pulling a large book out Viera sets it down on a stone table and opens it to the later half of it, taking a charcoal stick she starts marking down names and things about what had been happening in the last few weeks including how many births and deaths. Starting to write down how many changelings had been brought in Viera closes her eyes and lowers her head as she sets the charcoal down before throwing it at the wall hard. She had been taking care of the Guran fortress for almost 200 years since its completion and had been keeping these notes for 50 of those. But she was starting to get tired, of not knowing where her father went, not knowing if what she was doing would get his approval, what had happened to the other gods she had felt before but had never been able to find in the last 200 years since he had disappeared.
Closing the book forcefully and turning to stalk out into the hall she comes up short almost falling and face planting on the floor when a voice she had not heard in more time than a mortal could understand but would never forget cuts through her mind sharply with a prickling pain that makes her almost cry and laugh at the same time. Turning away and running at the window she takes a headfirst dive out of it and forms wings quicker than she ever had before as she starts to fall, catching herself in the air and flying at a breakneck speed to the north.
-------------------------
Viera flew as hard and fast as she could as she makes it towards the north catching the dark form of Ar'Guran almost right away. Flying fast and hard she slams into him and actually makes him shift back a few feet as she grabs him around the neck and one of his wings almost crying as she hugs him.
?Your back your back your back where did you go?!?
Ar'Guran grunts softly and is glad he doesn't need to breath because he would have been choking right now. Lifting one of his paws and lifting Viera off him he sets her down on top of the cliff and curls up around her giving her 10 feet as she keeps half bouncing on her heels smiling. Shaking his head he grumbles at her as he settles into listening.
?Ok, so it seems I was gone for quite a while. Tell me whats been going on Viera, and everything I missed.?
Viera nods and starts telling him the high and low points about the last 200 years.
Oswald ? 30/30 AP, 2 MP ? Grey Valley capital of Dusk City
Oswald awoke to the sounds of people walking past him. He looked around and spotted taller and more refined buildings than the ones he remembered. He looked down at himself to see he was disguised as the older Darkspawn once again. He peered around and spotted the edge of his valley. Although there weren?t too many buildings on the topside of the valley, there were plenty of Darkspawn wandering around.
He spotted his handiwork as he looked at the cover for the city that now stretched across and to the top of the valley. He used one of the many platforms that lead to the bottom and shuffled past large groups of Darkspawn within the city. When had they grown in such size? Although it did make him happy to see his Darkspawn thriving. Once at the bottom he spotted a large tunnel that lead into a large underground city. The few buildings on top of the valley were nothing compared to the hustle and bustle underneath it. Oswald figured they made most of their civilization underground to get away from the pesky sun. Something he could sympathize with.
?Excuse me ma?am.? Oswald said as he approached a female Darkspawn. ?Would you happen to know where a library is?? The Darkspawn smiled although to most races it would probably have been more of a predatory grin than anything else. ?There?s a new library that was constructed just down the way from here. Bjorn wants us to have as many libraries as possible, something about educating the future.? Oswald smiled at this. Good work Bjorn, good work. Oswald thought as he made his way to the library. It was rather new and probably didn?t house as many books as some of the older ones but none the less Oswald was impressed.
Oswald approached the librarian and asked. ?Would you happen to know where the history section is.? The librarian rolled her eyes and said. ?Yes, I am the librarian after all. It?s right down there.? She pointed towards a row of books and Oswald instantly went towards it. He grabbed a few books from the walls, found a comfy place to sit, and began reading.
Dusk City is a primarily underground city. Although smaller than the average city it was still a sight to behold. While at its surface there are still buildings, its underground is where everything happens. Although not the most peaceful place in the world, the crime-rate in the city is minimal since Bjorn has been managing it for 200 years. It has a healthy balance between knowledge, strength, and overall sense of unity amongst the Darkspawn, mostly because Bjorn from the influence of Arora felt the deep desire to nurture his people. Even when his family had passed, he didn?t stop caring for the Darkspawn. This coupled with his magical strength has made it easier for him to guide his people to build this city and thrive.
Passage from "The Brief History of darkspawn" Chapter 1: The Beginning
After the disappearance of ?The Beast? and the ?Old One,? Bjorn took up leadership in the Darkspawn community. With his guidance and the fact he couldn?t die, Bjorn lead his people to build and become more civilized, creating books, poetry, and song. They also increased their population size although Bjorn disgusted by the way they had to repopulate their race had been seeking a way to reproduce by other means for the past 200 years although he has had little to no success. Their relations with others cities had always been strained by their reproducing technique.
Passage from "The Brief History of Darkspawn" Chapter 7: The Tyrant War
Over the course of the past 25 odd years however that changed. The Emperor Bolt declared that any Darkspawn be exterminated on sight and had been hounding them ever since. The one time they had tried to attack the city outright would be a mistake. Underestimating Bjorn alone was a large mistake. He lashed out and killed dozens and for a few unfortunate souls their very essence was devoured by the Dark. Not only that but the army itself was able to enslave a few of the invaders. Although their leader was nowhere to be found. Ever since then the two armies had been fighting a constant skirmish war. Getting into minor scuffles but never getting into anything to big.
Although a bit limited with outside relations, they did have some information on the other deity?s although it was limited. Bjorn had always stressed the importance of keeping records on the Old Gods. He was afraid one day they would come back and that his people wouldn?t be ready. Or even worse, The Beast could come back. It had changed them, made them into the creatures they were now. The legends also state that before Bjorn lead the Darkspawn he was tutored by the Old One. Although many Darkspawn have speculated who exactly this being is, none have been able to discern his true identity.
Many Darkspawn had chosen to hide their true forms under clothing. Disliking their natural appearance and hiding their features. What the Darkspawn don?t know however is that this was first done by the Old One. Who hid behind light armor and blue clothe that hid his face. Many Darkspawn wore armor at the time since they were still a rather frowned upon race and were likely to be attacked.
+2 Death: Oswald has gained an in depth knowledge on how death works. He can control the souls of the dead and guide them as he sees fit. He can also sacrifice the souls to fuel the Dark although he does that rather rarely.
Bolt - 30/30 2MP Thucho'Iro Heights (200 years later)
Bolt awake from the nap he took after the party ?well I guess It?s time to go back home now, I hope I didn?t oversleep don?t want to worry Mrs.Flower? Bolt then disappear in a bolt of lightning. Bolt was expecting to return to his small hill and try to cheer up Mrs.Flower and the other but instead found hell
?Wha...What happen, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Bolt said as he looked at the land. Bolt sit there in pure horror until he heard someone yelling ?Come on you scum, you freak are worth more as property then you are people? a Kaish said to the people they had tied up. They were Feyeath and thorns.
?WHAT ARE YOU MONSTER DOING? Bolt yelled as ran towards them
?HOLY SHIT A MONSTER? one of the Kaish yelled out as they ran away in terror
?What are you? on of the slave said
?Bolt god of the storm? Bolt said as he untied them
All of them looked at him with horror and said ?But that.. you don?t look like Emperor Bolt?
Bolt looked at them for a few seconds the said ?...what?
When Taumel returned to the Lucent Reef from the dream realm it was quite the shock for her, because there were sand and stone buildings everywhere. The majority of the buildings were built on the shore, and some of them had large parts that continued underwater. Once she took an underwater tour she found a thriving city beyond the scope of what the krakes should have been able to create, even with the help of the painted.
<spoiler=Zheler>
If she had been gone for a couple of hundred years, perhaps they could have built something like this out of the reef. She had stepped out of their reality for a second to create a realm interconnected to it though.
Taumel got worried about what may have gone wrong, but she was certain her dream realm had been a success. She could tap into it right then and there. She decided to find Avaline or Lowe to consult them. The only thing she found after searching for half a day was a statue. It had their names on it, and whoever had made it had depicted them well. Just like she remembered her friends. Avaline was sitting on the shore, next to Lowe who was sitting with half her body in the water.
She had to accept the truth then, even if she had no explanation for it. Somehow she had lost two-hundred years, and two of her best friends. She knew they were going to die some day, but not like this. They had been torn away from her, which made her feel a too strong grief mixed with anger. At least they had been honoured with a beautiful statue, so they must have fulfilled their goals in life. It made her feel happier about the whole ordeal.
She was about to continue exploring the new Lucent Reef when she saw an odd looking Krake. It was slimmer, faster and more agile than she could remember them being. It was a young child running along the shore, chasing a butterfly. A male Feyeath and Krake embraced each other lovingly, while watching the kid. Taumel laughed as she realized that Lowe must have done it, or someone had done it with her research.
"Well done, old friend. Well done." Taumel mumbled to herself and wiped her tears, before getting back up on her feet. She was still in the shape of the white feyeath and had the Valadur around her neck, but she decided that with a new time came a new look. Taumel changed her form, her clothes, but kept the white fur and the blood on her face.
<spoiler=Taumel>
She had to look respectful and impressive when meeting the new leader, which made her wonder if Lowe and Avaline had had any children of their own. However, before she got any chance to investigate that question or meet the current leader a horn sounded through the nearby area. The family picked up their kid, and soon ran away.
Taumel went to find out what had caused the warning signal. There was talk about black ships on the horizon that soon reached the reef. The feyeath dressed in dark garbs discussed the situation within their ranks, using handsignals and gestures so no one else would understand. She wondered if these were what the black hand had evolved into. Black-clad scouts with their own extensive language that didn't use a single sound. It hadn't been her intention, and she hoped there were still those among them who hid behind the scenes, serving the same function they had done for Avaline once.
"Their captain still demands an audience with the white feyeath, the great mind, Ma'am!" One of them finally said so everyone could hear.
The one he spoke to put her hand over her forehead and grunted. "This is the second time since the last full moon. What do they expect me to do... bring a legend back to life? Did this being ever exist in the first place!?"
Taumel raised an eyebrow, but remained out of sight, listening in on their conversation. Surely there were those who believed she had been real? Well, whoever this leader of the black flagged ships were did believe so. She teleported to the ship closest to the shore to find out for herself who it may be. She had a feeling she already knew.
She found herself in the middle of a mean-looking crowd. They all jumped at the sight of her appearing among them out of thin air.
"Blasted witch magic!" A large Kaish shouted. "This be the one we want?"
She heard the sound of boots against the wood the ship was made of, and soon the crowd gave for a Feyeath that was short in comparison to the rest of them. Its face was covered by a red cloth and it had a wide-brimmed hat on its head.
"Aye, this be the Great Mind." Lailesha pulled the cloth out of her face and grinned at Taumel. Her teeth was in surprisingly good shape for someone so old, and a few of them were made of gold. She had a massive sword strapped to her back, and a couple of knives strapped to her chest. "I've returned with experience, a granddaughter and my feared ghost division. What do you have to say to that?"
Taumel was so happy and relieved to see a friendly face. She hugged Lailesha, which frankly neither of them had expected. She had thought it would feel like longer between she left her in the desert and they met again, but to Lailesha it likely was.
Lailesha had traveled the world for decades, attracting more followers to her ghost division until she had a smaller army following her. They continued growing despite her best efforts to get rid off them. There were those twenty-three years she had managed to spend alone. In the end, she had given in to them when she wanted ships to cross the seas in search of the reef that was her home. She couldn't build them herself.
She took a husband eventually, had a child with him and their son had children of his own by the time he passed away. Lailesha's husband had been the first to record her life and accomplishments. Her son had continued the tradition, but begun to write it down and now her granddaughter Esther was writing about her. She had spawned one of the longest epics simply by existing. Thankfully none of her children had inherited the damn demon in her head either.
Lailesha invited the Great Mind into her cabin, where they spent the rest of the day talking for hours about everything that had happened. She told Taumel she could read her life story if she wanted to learn more, and Taumel was genuinenly interested in doing so. She found it odd that her friend had lost so many years like nothing, even if she was never normal.
Taumel promised Lailesha that she would broker peace between the ghost division and the leader of the lucent reef, which she had yet to meet, but no mere mortal should be allowed to stand against an immortal and someone with Taumel's power. They both laughed at that. Besides, if the leader couldn't welcome a force like this, who wanted to join them, with open arms she needed to be replaced with someone brighter.
She teleported back to the islands, went searching for the leader and found her in an elegant building. It was unlike any castle she had ever seen. Mostly because there were Krakes and painted Feyeath lazying about everywhere, seemingly caught up in discussions of highest importance. If anything, this was more like a school than a castle.
The leader, a female Feyeath, was holding an audience in one of the largest rooms in the building. There were a lot of mortals gathered inside, holding some kind of debate that she had control over where she sat at the end of the room.
"Kaiser Ava the second?" Taumel asked with a booming voice that drew the attention of everyone. She had asked around to find out the name and location of her. "I am the legend brought back. The Great Mind they called me two-hundred years ago. You can call me Taumel the White."
"Kaiser's just a title." Ava finally spoke, as no one else was saying anything in response to this interruption. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a philosophical debate of the high society? What proof do you have for these claims anyway?"
Taumel pointed at one of the paintings on the wall. The white feyeath was talking with someone who looked like Lowe. It was easy to see the resemblence between the one in the painting and her current form.
"You do look like her, but I'm afraid we shall require more substanstial proof than that. The Great Mind is a legend in this time, even if she once existed she should be dead by now."
Taumel nodded. She was delighted that this Kaiser Ava II was no fool to be tricked or misled easily. She convinced the gathered, and the Kaiser, to accept the ghost division into their territory after an hour of arguing. She would have to think of another way to convince them she was who she claimed to be, but first she decided to visit the archives they had mentioned. There she hoped to find what knowledge she had missed out on.
<spoiler=Domain>+2 Knowledge. Taumel is interested in gaining knowledge about everything, and using it for her own purposes. She's developing an interest in experiments, and is still curious how far she can push her own powers.
After Bolt disappeared the people of Genesis had to move on. Mrs.Flower was hurt most by this keeping herself descent from the people and becoming cynical. The people of Genesis also knew about the demon and started to build weapons for if they ever returned. Bolt may have left but the legacy for what he did for the land lived on.
The city of Fanged hill named after the great warrior Fang the first to meet the great storm God bolt.
with the power of lightning are able to light their towers and power other things (but it?s still not that useful yet) were able to grow great food and set up a small democracy but that all changed 30 years ago with a Kaish named Caesar
there were tensions brewing between the thorns and Kaish and top general Caesar was a notable racist to most races but he hate the Feyeath, thorns and Darkspawn(Darkspawn are special case where he goes full genocide on them)the most. He Call himself the reincarnation of bolt and started to plan out a military coup he stole the monster head used it to defeat Mrs.Flower, lock her away, kill the everyone in the government and call himself emperor Bolt. He made all the Thorns his slaves and killed anyone who dared question him turning the land into a dictatorship. He also started a war with the Darkspawn to wipe their race off the face of the earth. he also has plans to attack Feyeaths civilizations too but he wants to take care of the darkspawn first so he didn?t get overwhelmed, even though he hate all other race was willing to do trade with some of the other like the Thaloc which he did slave trades with them even if he hated them. He also may have been a good general but a really bad leader and his action destroyed the land
but he doesn?t care all he cares about is becoming the god he thinks he is.
After many hours of talking and memory swapping Ar'Guran and Viera sit there in quiet for several minutes before she jerks and her hand sets on the skull on her hip. Looking up at her Father and chewing on her lip as she thinks over how to ask before blurting out to him.
"Father.... Can you help me with something? Its to much for me and I have never tried but with you back I feel that we could do it together..."
Here her face gets red, even through the purple of her skin, and she keeps biting her lip as she strokes the skull softly. Looking down at Viera Ar'Guran tilts his head as he considers what he is seeing and hearing. Asking her slowly in a deep voice.
"What do you want help with Viera?"
Here she blushes even harder and lifts the skull on her hip slightly.
"I can pull his spirit to this and have him here but I always have to let him go back and wait before bringing him back. Could you help me... bring him back in some way?"
Looking at her and raising an eyebrow Ar'Guran considers what she is saying for a few minutes before asking her.
"Why? Is there something special about this mortal?"
She nods and pulls the spirit into being around the skull, letting it lift up into the air and the skeleton form under it as well. The eyes becoming red as they look up at the much larger dragon in front of it Viera steps back and finishes bringing the spirit in. Looking around then up at Ar'Guran the spirit says to him.
"where have you been?"
Shocked at the manners the Dragon looks at Viera wide eyed for a second before looking down at the spirit still shocked, but also with some respect. Getting closer and looking him over slowly he huffs slightly and sighs as he pulls back.
"I see why now... I do not know where I have been the past 200 years you two have grown feelings for each other. But I am back."
Both the spirit and Viera jolt and stare up at Ar'Guran before at each other and back up at him. Smiling slightly he sits back and waves a hand over the skull sending the spirit back as he looks at his daughter.
"Go to Oswald, If he agrees than I will help you."
Viera closes her eyes and calls out to the point in the distance she knows is Oswald, though he is stronger than the memory she had gotten form her Father.
"Oswald, I have a question for you."
Oswald had been reading through more of the books. The librarian impressed that he'd read at least thirty of the books there without resting. She had left him there for a few days and he hadn't moved. If he didn't do something else soon, she was going to get worried. With a sigh Oswald closed his book and put it back where he had found it. It was then he received the message from Viera, Ar'Guran's Demigod. He quickly replied. "Then ask Viera, servant of Ar'Guran." While he slightly disliked using such honorary terms, he felt that he might actually anger the god if he didn't at least act professional with his demis.
Viera straightens when the much more powerful voice pours into her skull and makes her wince slightly before she figures out how to shield herself from the power. Nodding slightly where she is she says back to him.
"Just Viera is perfectly fine sir, I am not my Father. I have come to ask if you will help me in.... bringing back someone."
Oswald paused for a moment in thought before replying. "Bringing back the dead is not an endeavor to be taken lightly." He let his last sentence sink in before continuing. "I do hope you have a plan."
Viera opens her eyes and steps forward, coming through a place in the ground behind Oswald where someone had died long ago she smiles at the spirit who let her through and keeps shadows over the others eyes so they can not see her and speaks directly to the god in changed form.
"I do have an idea, he said he did not want to come back as a mortal only to die again. So I came up with a plan only I was to weak to do it by myself and my Father was gone. Now he says I need to ask for your help as well so here I am."
"While I applaud your use of my own domain I would ask that we meet elsewhere next time. It's bad for my reputation to be seen talking for any great length of time." A slight smile formed on his face as he stared at the demigod before continuing. "So you'll be doing most of the legwork and I'll just provide the raw power for it. Alright this plan seems alright. No repercussions for me if this fails." His smile faltered for a second as he continued. "I don't know why he'd ask you to ask me to help but I'll take it. I assume you'll be doing this soon then?"
Nodding Viera lifts the skill from her hip and off the belt bone to show it to Oswald. Smiling at the thought of someone thinking he was talking to empty space.
"Now if you can, I want to give him back control of himself without the mortal trappings. My Father said he would help as well, its just he has been gone so long he is unsure of himself. Though I never said that."
?Ar'Guran unsure of himself? That's... Disconcerting." With a neutral expression he continued. "Do you have the soul or do you need it?"
Shrugging Viera looks around before saying softly.
"I think he is letting me think that so he doesn't look like he is favoring me by helping me with this."
Saying in a more normal tone.
"The spirit is here already, and I spent a long time thinking it over myself as well as with him."
"Alright I'll assist you in this." Oswald said as he looked around to make sure none of the occupants of the library were looking at him. "Call on me when you need me then. I'll pour my energy into this and help guide his soul if necessary." Once he finished he turned away from Viera and said. "I need to continue my studies for now, perhaps visit a few other deitys. Call me when you start." He walked off towards one of the shelves and began looking through some of the books. Picking out a few interesting ones and setting them on a desk.
Holding the skull still in her hands and turning she walks through the spirits again to come into her center room in the fortress Guran, standing between the stone tablet and the other pedestals. Holding it in her hands she closes her eyes and calls out to Oswald.
"Please help me."
Whispering to the Skull in her hand, unknowingly sending the same whisper to every godly being on the planet.
"Please bring him back, please oh please bring my love to life and to me. please"
The last word said with the depth of their love and her desire for this embedded in it.
The fingerclaw behind her quivering with sympathetic touches as a shaped hole opens in the back of the Skull.
Difficulty: 15 Regional Action Cost: 6 AP +4 corruption +2 biological +2 necromancy
Spending one MP
-Forge a +2 Magic Item
The Everknowing Skull
Give the skull the domain knowledge along with sentience, allowing him to talk and share his knowledge to others, he also can draw on the knowledge of the dead. He[the spirit who inhabits the skull] is very much in love with Viera.
It was created in the center room of the Guran fortress, and has a small hole in the back of it. If the fingerclaw[previous failed item] is inserted it will become destroyed.
The Skull can see spirits and not only talk to them but know how they died and a few minutes before their dead as well.
The Skull has a corruption aura that pulls the corruption in someone else visible if the Skull choses.
The Skull has in depth knowledge about biology and biological changes.
Emperor bolt was sitting on his throne waiting for some news when a Feyeath came in
?ah you have returned, what new do you bring? Empire bolt asked as he got up from his chair
The Feyeath kneeled in front of him and said ?The god Taumel has returned?
Started to walk around the Feyeath ?Ah so my pathetic sister has returned?
Emperor bolt said with a smile on his face ?Well I know she will be angry at first but when she looks into this helmet like you did she would know who truly is the god of this planet?
The Feyeath looked at him and said ?yes you have shown us how inferiority I and my people are to your people and empire?.
?Yes you understand that like all the other spies I have around the world? Emperor bolt said, then he looked at the helmet and said ?HAHAHAHAHAHA I love this thing? Emperor bolt then looked at a door with with a mysterious person walking in. ?But I love this slave the most?
It was Mrs.Flower, She walked up to him wrapped her arms around him and said ?I love you to master Bolt?
?HAHAHAHAHAHA? Emperor bolt laughed then said ?It took awhile to break you, longer than the other slaves but it was worth it? as he walked away with her to plan his next move.
just then a bunch of he's troops came in a screaming "monster"
"What?" Emperor bolt said as he looked at them
"It was a monster that walked on 2 legs and had A big horn on his nose"
Mrs.Flower Eyes sniped back to normal then said "...B..Bolt' with tears coming down her eyes
"Shut up you freak" Emperor bolt said before punching her "I'm the great God Bolt not this imposter" he then turn to his troops and yell "gather a raid party and bring me this imposter head"
"Yes sir" one of the troops said before running out to find Bolt
Taumel's first order of business in the archives was the lives of her dead friends. Lowe had been known as little else than the wife of Avaline the great during her lifetime. It wasn't until decades after her death when they successfully made the first Halfling, combining Krake and Fey, that she got credited for contributing to philosophy as a great thinker. This surprised Taumel, but reading more about Lowe and philosophy made her realize that during her absence the painted and the krakes had agreed to lump every scientific topic under the sun as philosophy. Maybe they would split them up in the future, but for now that was how it had been for almost as long as Taumel had been gone.
Avaline the great, which had become her title at the later stages of her life and after her death, had had a number of improvements contributed to her. She had in a way given birth to the rise of a community and a nation, without her they may never have banded together like they did. The united front had remained and evolved. In theory, everyone was considered equal in the current society, but the Kaiser held the leadership. Those who contributed to the fields of philosophy were highly respected as well. Their main city was built underwater at her request, even if the painted couldn't access that part of the reef it meant their civilization would be nigh impossible to destroy by anyone who couldn't breathe underwater. It gave Taumel an idea for how she could prove herself to the Kaiser, but she had had another idea as well.
She found no information about the Black Hand in the archives, or anyone named Laila. There was an order called the Black Monks though, which had appeared a few decades back. Taumel assumed they had to be a part of the Black Hand, because they had risen in power way too fast for a new order without power or connections. They owned a number of buildings, contracted almost every warrior and scout working for the Kaiser. Their main interest seemed to be the spread of religion and religious propaganda. She was impressed to find out that while they didn't worship any figure in particular, they stuck to beliefs that she may have either inspired or wanted everyone to follow. Knowledge is power seemed to be their main message, kind of cynical she thought when she knew who was in the background likely giving them orders.
Taumel decided that she needed to find out more about the Black Hand and contact whatever leadership they may have. She stepped into the dream realm, and waited for night to fall.
--------------
Lailesha came bearing gifts to her people once they let her ships anchor in the reef. At least they had been her people once, but now they were frightened of her and her followers. She figured all the goods and the gold she meant to donate to the community would help smooth things over. They had probably heard of the ships raiding the rest of the coast. She had stuck to killing people as Taumel had told her too once, and eventually the company she kept had made her cold to everyone who wasn't a part of her tribe. She had killed women and children for fun many decades ago, until it made her feel sick to her soul, but even that passed into nothingness as it became routine.
"So this is where you came from, grandma?" Esther walked up to her, with her quill and papers. "I don't think details where ever written down about this place, so I'd like to get a chance to explore with you."
Her granddaughter was a grey feyeath, with a bunch of gold jewellery and piercings. Lailesha didn't spoil her, even though it may seem like it, but most of her jewellery she had either stolen herself or inherited from her father, who had inherited it from Lailesha's long dead husband once.
"We'll have time. I believe this is the end of our raiding days at sea unless the current leader wants us to continue doing it." As she looked at the people they passed, she strongly doubted she would be ordered to do anything like it. "Better get used to living the simple life on land, kid."
"Right, grandma, like you'll be able to live a simple life for more than a week without getting bored or starting trouble." Esther laughed. "I'm not as old as you, but I've lived long enough to know you that well. Besides, I read what father and granddad had to say."
Lailesha cringed, as if she needed to be reminded what they had written when they thought she wouldn't have time to read it. She was immortal, so she had to wonder what made them make such naive assumptions.
"I figure we'll buy a mansion, get me the title of General then lean back and relax with some fishing." Lailesha joked. "Easy years ahead as long as no one attacks the reef."
-------------------
Taumel went through the dreams of those at the Lucent Reef, using the Valadur to search for the dreams of the Black Hand and the Kaiser. It was surprisingly easy to find the Black Hand. Their dreams were so odd and different when put next to the others living at the reef. It took a bit more searching to find who may be the leader, but she did after stepping through a number of their dreams.
The dead mother they called her, which Taumel had taken to be a title at first, but she found no memory of a name within her mind. She stepped out of her dream and into her reality. The Feyeath lived in an unremarkable house, alone, and she was a lot older than she had expected. Taumel would return to speak with this woman again when she was awake, but for now she had other business to attend to and finding her was enough for the moment.
She hadn't found the dreams of the Kaiser, so she must still be awake. Either way, Taumel knew what action she could do to prove herself. She sent a message to every painted native born Fey in the Lucent Reef through their dreams. She appeared as the white feyeath they thought of as a legend long dead, made it clear she had returned and her death was a lie. The important part was not the shared dream, but how she promised to give each native painted the gift to live in Zheler, take shelter there and join their sisters the Krakes in improving the city.
<spoiler=Action>
Difficulty: 11 Area Action Cost 4 AP
-Enchant an area the side of a Large City or a town and surrounding countryside.
+4 Psionics, +2 Knowledge, +2 Evolution.
Taumel sets a permanent enchantment on Zheler and the nearby area, so that every Feyeath born in the Lucent Reef that paints their face can access the city as if they knew how to breathe and move underwater naturally from birth.
The Blackjade Tunnels
After beginning trade with the Guran the cheif in the mist led the changelings into a new age of glory, their shadow empire had subjugated the entire jungle above their home driving their slaves and puppets to build them hidden temples. Built to no gods but themselves with great sprawling underground complexes delving into the tunnels, their peaks belch smoke where sacrifices are made to their hidden masters.
Slaves are taken, but truly unlike those of the imported Croitas and Destiras. Subjects who exist only to work or to die, they are sold to the less scrupulous nations neighbouring the jungle or led as enslaved warbands.
The reptiles seek to extend their influence as far as they can, where their spies can reach they have infiltrated. The six remaining incense holders seek out any mortal leader influential enough to be swayed to their will.
Reptiles living within other societies are as civilized as their surroundings, some even enjoying the refined cultures of their cabals near the reef and forests. But the deeper into the tunnels they go the more their lifestyle becomes a savage carnivorous one built upon the gains from the complexities of a web of conspiracy.
The Smoking Jungle
However many reptilians know nothing of this life, the changelings placed within other families over the years their spread has been far more rapid but undirected, a few hundred now live in most cities living as regular citizens, with no knowledge or loyalty to the shadow regime that planted them.
The last 25 years
Since the rise of emperor bolt the slave trade has thrived. holding none of the reservations of the Guran the emperor has sold subjugated workers for the reptilian?s temples and bought dwellers of the jungles for his spies and soldiers.
An ?emissary? was sent to control the Emperor, however neither he nor his incense returned. Both are presumed to be in ?bolt??s possession and no further attempts have been made.
But the Queen deep within the temples watches his regime intently.
Gi'zeal ? 30/30AP- 2MP ? The Opulent Rise
The Lazy Farmhand was having a good night, Sailors and traders had filled the tavern since noon while the herdsfolk were pouring in after their long day in the field, clusters of patrons were seated outside on the temperate seaside streets while under the carved wooden figure of a sleeping Fey over the bar a massive crowd had gathered around a table at it?s center sat an old Feyeath, in a wide brimmed hat and decorated coat. A thick white beard that raged across his face ,half of which is covered in cloth. he moves frenetically for a man his age his hands waving in animated storytelling
??so there I am, unarmed, naked and tied to the bed of the most fearsome woman of the seas, is standing over me a wicked sharp knife in her hand and I know exactly what she means to do with it??
the crowd waits as the storyteller relishes in the dramatic tension, the with a wagging finger continues
?But o?course she takes time to gloat doesn?t she and so she says to me, cold as ice
?You never would have escaped Ghost division captain, you were dead the moment you met..."" he takes a dramatic pause giving a villainous look ""The Banshee"
And that gives me just the chance I need so as I line up my aim I say right back to her
?well then Banshee...I've got something for you to really scream about?
And so?
he whips a seed up in front of his audience?s face
?I take this, which I?d been holding in my mouth since the island of the thorns! And spat it right out at her! Got her right in the eye!? the crowd gasps and roars with laughter ?And so The Banshee is standing there and blinded by a fellow like me she?s Screaming with rage flailing around! and so I lean just right? the old man thrusts himself sideways ?so that she cuts me loose!" with this he leaps on the table triumphantly "but then I?m in for it because I know that if ghost division hears this they?re going to be all over the both of us! So I grab my hat and rush??
The story continues up and down and across the sundered sea until the room is near incoherently drunk and the Captain is simply singing his various accomplishments as the crowd hit a roaring high note there was a loud thump as the sleeping fey fell from the bar onto the table the crowd jumped back as the figure sat up looking incredibly confused waves its arms at everything it can see and yells ?MINE!? as if reassuring itself
looks at it with great surprise and amusement as the rest of the bar stares in amazement at the wooden bar mascot coming to life he asks chuckling ?You alright there?? he holds out a hand "Captain Marcus Goldeye, I presume you are the lazy farmhand?"
Gi'zeal rubbed his face looking around ?It seems I?ve missed a lot, Where am I??
The captain smiles lifting him to his feet ?The city of Gi'zeal?
The wooden Fey laughed hard at this ?Oh I like the sound of that! You seem like an upstanding citizen, give me the tour, and tell me the story?
New Domain: +2 Civilization Gi'zeal seeks to gain control and prestige through the workings and dealings of mortal society from the core of his new city
Oswald - 30/30 AP, 2 MP - Thucho'Iro Heights/Dusk City
Oswald had been less than pleased with the new turn of developments. Bolt attacking his people and becoming a slave tyrant? That seemed off for Bolt although it did little to nothing to keep his anger under control. What really confused him was if Bolt was attacking his people then they should be dead. No offense to the Darkspawn but they can't stand up to a god. He needed answers and only one being could give them. He stepped into the shadows and sank. Not caring that the Darkspawn could see him doing so. He reappeared a few yards behind the slaves. "BOLT!" Oswald yelled out, his voice echoing for a long time and making the slaves jump. "Explain yourself now! Why have my Darkspawn been under attack from your people under the orders of an "Emperor" Bolt?"
Bolt kept his back towards him and said "I know as much about this situation as you do" Bolt then turned to him "I have no idea who this Emperor Bolt is"
Oswald took a few calming breathes before saying. "Then if you do know about it. What do you plan on doing about it?" He took a few steps forward before looking to his left and saying. "Because if you expect me to sit on the sidelines of this conflict any longer, you're sorely mistaken."
Bolt was about to respond when they heard someone yell "Stop right there you monster, we're here to kill you" He then looked at his men and said "fire". They all fired their arrow at the two who just stood there as arrows bounds off them. Bolt turn to Oswald and said "please don't kill them I don't think they deserve to die"
Oswald was just about to handle the pathetic mortals who dare challenged his subjects but once Bolt intervened he calmed his thoughts. "Fine but you better do something about them. Oh, and you owe me one." With that said, he leaned back and let Bolt take the lead.
Bolt want up to them slammed his foot into the ground and screamed "LEAVE YOU MORTALS OR FACE THE POWER OF A GOD? making them all run in terror. Bolt then turned to Oswald and asked ?it?s weird when you ask me about my people attacking yours you seemed concerned about them, that doesn't seem like you. Are you going soft?"
Oswald froze for a second at Bolt's accusation before collecting himself and saying. "Me? Going soft? Please, I just do what I want on a whim. Ya know, I go where I please and I please where I go deal." He took on a more serious tone when he continued. "What do you plan on doing about this "Emperor" Bolt then?"
Bolt started to walk away and told Oswald "If this Emperor wants a fight then I will give him a fight I'll take care of this don't worry" before Bolt left Oswald he told him " just in case you're wondering what this feeling is called compassion, it's a word that I needed to learn as well" then he disappeared over the horizon.
With nothing left for Oswald to do, he sank back into the shadows. He reappeared back in the city outside the library this time. He couldn?t be seen here again. His time here had most likely already started rumors. He began walking, stewing in his own anger. He?d give Bolt a while but if he didn?t have the problem solved soon. Oswald would solve it for him. Permanently. While he was stewing, he heard the voice of Viera call out to him. He smiled a bit and poured energy into assisting her.
+4 Darkness
This new body for Viera's lover will be able to walk through the shadows. He can cover about a 50 foot radius from one shadow to another. This also gives the body the ability to see in the dark. Rendering enemies hidden in the darkness helpless.
+2 Death
The link established by Oswald's assistance shows. Upon upon subsequent destruction of the body, the soul will be guided to Oswald for "safe" keeping. Ensuring no one can capture or destroy the soul without his knowledge.
The volcano situated just off the coast of Ebonbark Bay had seen a great deal of action over the past two centuries. Mortals and demi-gods scurried across it's surface, envoys from the mainland come to shape the island to their will.
Similar things could not be said for the scorched caverns deep within. The golem that was fused into the magma on the first Day of Reunion had grown dormant, stewing in its own liquid form, and no other being was capable of surviving there too long. The developments of the civilisation just outside, as it was, had no place inside the timeless lava chambers, and consequentially the great lakes of glowing molten rock that filled the interior of Maranga'nawe had lain, for the most part, undisturbed...
...Until now.
A slender human torso was rising up out from the lava, the details of its form obscured by a layer of clinging viscous rock. It raised an arm to its face, gradually wiping away the globular obstructions that smothered it and revealing a patch of the person beneath.
Arora let out a long yawn.
"Where am I?" she asked herself thickly, blurry eyes wandering around the expansive lava chamber with mild confusion. As to how the goddess had ended up here, no solid conclusion could be drawn; she simply could not recall. It was then, as she racked her brains for an explanation, that she took notice of her own body, which the lava was still in the process of revealing with its delayed runoff pace.
"Oh no... My clothes!" she complained, gingerly holding out her arms so that she could make a full inspection. It seemed that the white silks and comfortable black leggings in which she had arrived upon this planet had been completely incinerated in the magma bath, leaving her completely naked.
In her state of mild distress, another form had slowly surfaced in the poryphric-azure magma; the body glowing yellow from the heat and utterly motionless. A ghostly hand had rested on the top of - or maybe in - the goddess' head though no physical limb could be seen. It felt almost like an anchor. Stray thoughts swam through like the tides of the Bay, coming in and receding with no pause. A phantom feeling travelled across her body from the top of her head to all over with little sign of stopping.
The body molten with heat remained motionless and silent, moving only when the flow of magma moved with it.
"Thumero!"
Arora cried out in shock upon seeing him, quickly sinking back into the magma so that only her head was exposed. She winced slightly as the Psion's characteristic strangeness pressed on her mind.
"Wow, I, er... Good morning." she finally said, face glowing red with the reflected brilliance of the lava as well as, in all likelyhood, embarrassment.
The phantom hand drifted... deeper. Further... down even as the warming feeling of the lava graced every part of her body. Then just as sudden as these thoughts and images entered, they vanished without a trace.
A metallic hand warped by the sheer heat reached out in the air and was clutching for something. A few seconds of grasping air later the arm faltered, lost its vigor before toppling back in the speckled sea of fire. The molten arm rested on the goddess' shoulder beneath the magma before sinking past and away. Arora did not recoil from this rather forward gesture (such things were in her domain after all), gazing sardonically up at Thumero instead.
"I don't recall..." she began with drawn out hesitation. "Did we...?"
The arm resurfaced from the flow to rest back on that hollow between her neck and shoulder. The rest of the body slowly rose little by little until it was upright. The Psion was reddening from the fire with splotches turning violet, especially at his back. But what seemed to be the strangest sight on him was the lack of any eyes staring at her.
Or head for that matter.
"Oh! I see now."
Arora quickly rose back out of the lava, any bashfulness eclipsed by dual feelings of both amusement and exasperation. Slipping under the god's enourmous metal arm the Heartfire lent her shoulder to the headless, and consequentially blinded, Iron Psion, and from there she began to lead him out from his volcanic resting place.
"What ever am I to do with you, Thumero?" she wondered aloud, smiling despite herself. "First I encounter you battling a yeti atop a whale in the middle of the ocean..."
Arora waded through the magma, fellow god following by her side as she made for the edge of the subterranean pool.
"Then I find you trapped in a ball of screaming crystal at the bottom of a river..."
She heaved the being of metal onto the solid rock bank, lava oozing from their bodies to leave a sporadic glowing trail in their path.
"And now I awake naked, in the bowls of a volcano, to find you once more lying next to me... Without a head."
Arora gave a mirthful sigh, shaking her head as she lowered the Psion's body into a seated position against the cavern wall, well away from the heat of the pool. With this done she then began daintily brushing away the remaining magma residue on her skin. A crackle of silver sparks from her palms brought into existence an expansive sheet of white silk, which she wrapped around herself like a bath towel.
The Psion's brick-red right arm slowly raised and reached outwards in the goddess' direction. The rest of the body did not move but the arm, clearly and clumsily seeking out something - or someone - though touch. The other arm followed the right afterwards in this body's tactile pursuit, the torso leaned forward to try an accomodate the search. So far the legs had not reacted yet, though not for lack of trying as they clearly moved, but just did not have the strength to have the range of motion.
Arora knelt down in front the headless bulk of armour, gently pushing the reaching arms down to rest at its side. It was not difficult to guess at the body's intentions.
"Let's not go wandering back into the lava pit, okay?" she said calmly yet firmly. "I know how much the heat hurts you. Please, allow me to fetch your head for you, it will be much easier that way."
Arora cocked her head at the Psion.
"Can you hear me, Thumero? Tap the ground once with your right hand if you can hear me."
Those hands tried to close around her own and missed. It then tried to reach out again until it suddenly chose to grasp its own legs, forcing them out of the seated position, and willing them to get on its feet. The arms and torso looked particularly agitated in the process. Both hands clenched, loosed, clenched again, before trying to move his feet. That didn't work out so well and now the body found itself stuck standing in place with its fingers shaking in agitation.
"I take it, then, that you cannot hear me." Arora assumed, standing up in time with the headless body. The situation was becoming rather worrisome.
After another quick swim through the lava yielded no clues as to the whereabouts of Thumero's head, Arora concluded that the situation was beyond her control, just like the crystal ball entrapment had been beyond her control.
As a final precaution, however, the goddess conjured a set of manacles from the cavern wall, and with these she secured the body. That way it would at least stay out of trouble until its head came to fetch it... If Thumero ever felt so inclined.
The feeling of salty ocean air against her face was heavenly as Arora stepped out into the open landscape of Isla Maranga'nawe. She expanded her chest to take in a deep breath of the cool atmosphere, savouring her release from the stuffy heat of the volcanic island interior, white silks and silken hair alike billowing around her in the wind.
It sure was a relief to lay her eyes upon the cloudy grey sky; so much so, in fact, that it made Arora wonder just how long she had been asleep. Finding the answer to her quandary - as well as to that of Thumero's - would be first thing on her agenda. Perhaps Sraker or Ajax would be the people to ask...
"Arora!"
Arora's head snapped around as the shout carried across the stony terrain, the sound of someone calling her from another part of the island.
"Helloooo?! Arora!"
Not seeing any reason to avoid the enthusiastic searcher (except maybe because she wasn't dressed appropriately), the goddess set off towards the voice. Closer and closer she came, the calls growing more and more audible with each step until, rounding a corner in the mountain path, she almost collided head on with a small, child-like figure.
"Oh sorry, I-" the creature began before halting abruptly. It's feline yet strangely feminine face indicated that the young woman was a late-genration Mutar.
"Greetings." Arora said amiably, leaning down closer to the level of the shorter woman.
"Arora..." she whispered, feline eyes staring up at her with poorly concealed reverence.
"That's me!" the Heartfire said, smiling.
Then, to Arora's pleasant surprise, the Mutar knelt close to the ground in a bow of absolute worship.
"Praise to the Heartfire, for she has returned!" she cried, hands clasped above her head as if in prayer.
"Oh thank you!" Arora said with genuine appreciation, recovering quickly from her shock as she helped the Mutar to her feet. "But you are too kind; please, there is no need for you to kneel."
"I'm sorry, it's just that..." the young woman said, gently bouncing up and down as she spoke. "I mean... I mean, just, WOW, y'know?! I'm talking to a goddess! The goddess!"
"You most certainly are." Arora said. "But tell me; who is it who I currently have the pleasure of talking to?"
The excitement of this strange little woman was truly infectious, but even so the Heartfire decided it best to stick to her priorities and continue the search for answers. If all the Mutar had developed as much as this one, then she and Thumero would have been asleep for a lot longer than originally anticipated.
"Me?" asked the woman nervously. "Oh yes, of course; Lady Tribune Katya, at your service!"
At this, Arora felt greatly taken aback. This girl was Tribune?
"Forgive me, did you say 'Lady Tribune'?" she clarified. The feline nodded proudly.
"Elected in two years ago." she said. "The youngest yet of both Lords and Ladies!"
"But..." Arora continued. "What about Kobald?"
"Kobald?" Katya said, confused. "As in, the original Lord Tribune Kobald? He died almost two hundred years ago."
"Two hundred years?!" Arora repeated, horrified. Comprehension seemed to dawn upon Katya's face.
"Ooooooh..." she said. "You can't... Right... Ok."
She turned, taking Arora by the hand and leading her back along the path.
"You got a lot of catching up to do, Ms Heartfire!"
Katya led Arora back to her residence on the island; just one of many that had sprung up along a section of the shoreline that the Tribune claimed was known as 'Crystal Landing'. Once inside the building, which happened to be the first proper building Arora had seen on this planet, she was sat down at a desk, using the first proper table and chair she had seen on this planet, and handed a book, which was, by contrast with her futuristic setting, very familiar to her...
The Mucronomicon.
"This fella's the one who told me you were back!" she said as she hurried off to the pantry to prepare a meal. "Let me know where to find you and everything."
"Katya, this is very weird." Arora admitted, opening the book. "It literally feels like only yesterday when I created this object of power."
"The first Reunion Day, yeah!" the Tribune called over the culinary thuds of blade against a chopping block. "That was the last anyone had seen of you 'til now."
"What happened? My memory of that evening is fuzzy..."
"Well, they say that you celebrated all through the night along with everyone else. You took some yish, summoned wine filled coconuts for the people to feast on, taught them to bellydance..."
"I taught them to bellydance?"
"People still do it now, so someone must've shown them."
"But I didn't even know I could bellydance!"
"You can ask the Lord Protector if you don't believe me. He saw it all, first hand!"
"...No matter. Please, continue."
"Right, yes. Now here the details get a bit fuzzy, even in the book, but apparently at some point you just got tired and left."
Katya giggled.
"I guess you decided to have a snooze in the volcano! Musta been cozy down there, if you too so long to wake up!"
"Hmm." Arora agreed moodily. "It's just... Ugh, I can't believe I'd let myself do this..."
The Mutar appeared from the kitchen, a wooden bowl of assorted seafoods held in her paws.
"Don't blame yourself." she said consolingly. "We've done ok in your absence. Maybe even better than ok! You can read all about it in the Mucronomicon."
The goddess leaned in towards the book. On the current page words were still forming, steadily scratching themselves onto the page as if by an unseen pen. And lo, in the Harkongrad county on the third hour of this day did Trisha A'adva of the House Buffan bear a daughter to Samuel Carpenter of the Harkon Nirn. Alas! Though this happy advent of life anew doth come to pass, bittersweet melancholy hath marred rejoice. For it shall be known that Trisha A'adva be as of last month three and twenty years happily married to Brom Smith of the-
"Eh, boring stuff." Katya said, reaching across Arora to turn the page. "Happens all the time, can't do much about it. You want... This page!"
The State and Territories of Mucron - Census of 210 anno dominorum
Spanning from the feet of the mighty Umbals and yonder on to its terminus at the Sundered Sea. Notable subregions are as follows:
- Isla Maranga'nawe
- Ebonbark Bay
- the Opulent Rise
- the Mu Floodplains
A collection of tributaries spread throughout the Umbal Mountains that come together within the Valley of Ash. Subregions are as follows:
- the Umbals
- Cinderwood
- the Valley of Ash
Towns, farming villages, and logging stations are prolific along the Mu at semi-regular intervals, with populations rarely in excess of one hundred. The four most grand are here listed, along with where they are situated:
- Kobra, the Mu Floodplains
- the City of Gi'zeal, the Opulent Rise
- Harkongrad, the Valley of Ash
- Crystal Landing, betwixt Ebonbark Bay and Isla Maranga'nawe
The Lords of the Realm number only two at all times; the Protector and the Tribune. As of 210AD, the roles are occupied and detailed thus:
- Lord Protector Sraker, Champion of the Mu, General of the Mutar Militia, Commanding State Sheriff
- Lord Tribune Quiggan, of the Harkon Nirn, Keeper of the Mucronomicon, Chief Arbiter of the High Court
Among the Mutar family doth count for much. Many rightly consider all of their kind a cousin, being each the descendant of Ajax, the Chosen of Arora and Apprentice to the Psion. However, with faces and histories as varied as those of a Mutari bloodline, closer familial knowledge is a treasure. The main Houses, to which all families may trace their roots, are shown:
- the House Buffan, originally coastal Fey
- the House Kobald, originally tribal Kaish
- the House Cicera, originally from the Opulent Rise settlers
- the House Harkon, originally Umbal Nirn
- the House Gothuin, originally volcanic Kaish
Mucron continues to function marvelously as a self sustaining economy, relying on the exchange of resources between the main four cities. The division of responsibility can be summarised thusly:
- for food crops and farming, Kobra bears the most fruit. The cities locality, right on the edge of a annually flooding river, makes it ideal for the task.
- the City of Gi'zeal acts as the hub of all trade, both local and foreign, being at the very end of the river and the very start of the ocean. In addition this city possesses a small monopoly on luxuries such as fruit orchids and seafood.
- while all other city regions either have flimsy vegetation or almost none at all, Harkongrad makes itself a pronounced exception. It specialises in exporting hard construction-grade timber, felled directly from the black Cinderwoods and transported downstream by the bargeload from their valley. Native Nirn have practiced this for generations.
- the smallest of the four, Crystal Landing still has much to offer. It is the only city that runs a regular ferry to and from the Isla Maranga'nawe, and thus maintains the best position from which the volcano's resources might be exploited. Mining, fishing, and even pilgrimage are their specialty.
Arora made a pretty phenomenal lapse in judgement when she went to sleep in the volcano. However, in the time she spent beneath the surface of the lava the goddess was able to enter a state of the deepest meditation, perhaps due to the sheer volume of yish she inhaled in the night prior (or, alternatively, it could simply an effect of spending too much time in the in a fluid bath with Thumero's chemically treated body - but Arora didn't want to think about that particular theory too much).
This prolonged meditative treatment, combined with the knowledge she soaked up from the Mucronomicon, has given Arora an appreciation for openness and discipline of the mind; a focus on the external senses as well as her internal passions. In other words, the Heartfire has become wiser.
+2 Wisdom - the harmony between one's body and mind. With this domain, Arora can enhance or damage this harmony; in nonsentients this might manifest as a sharpening of instincts or senses, while in a sentient it can also alter self-discipline, mindfulness, and the will to achieve extraordinary feats (monks walking on hot coals, for instance). In addition to this Arora's Heartfire has undergone a metamorphosis; as a result of its fusion with the mind altering effects of meditation/drugs/Thumero essence, the Heartfire can now be converted at will into a force known as 'Chi'. This force is how Arora could use wisdom in combat (think Tai Chi).
?And that was where I first tracked down the last of a group of Kaish who called themselves the ?deathworms? beats me why they did that, worms?re hardly the most fearsome beasts are they, but damn did these guys put up a fight!?
As he listened to the old man talk his way through the wide colorful streets and bustling markets Gi'zeal looked around him in wonder, such a collection of beings together in a single place living with one another, off one another.
A Mutar beggar reached out with a shriveled hand begging for a coin. Gi'zeal beamed as they passed him by. Coins! They had Coins! The growth and invention that he had missed! It must have been centuries he was surrounded on all sides by society oh how he would have killed for the complexities of a town half the size of this when he had been dealing with the primitives and now he had woken up to have all of it fall into his lap.
And they had named it after him.
Mostly anyway Captain Goldeye had told him that the city had been founded when a group of farmers had swindled a con-artist out of his golden seeds in exchange for their worthless land, the land had remained his ever since and kept the name but their descendants had grown to become the richest on the Mu river, traders and explores across their world.
He could not have been prouder, but there was so much more he could do.
In a pause between tales he asked
?Captain, where is it you got your name??
The old man smiled
?Oh believe it or not Goldeye isn?t some glorious title I have acquired it?s a family name! Our exploits go back across the ages! Since the first of our name who split from house Cicera to find glorious riches after he-?
?Found a magic eye that showed him whatever he wanted?? Guessed Gi'zeal
?Why yes! So you have heard of us?
?No just a hunch?.Tell me more?
?Well that was Alfred Goldeye he was the first to found the pearl farms? and the bank, but after him well we?ve all been sailors and traders by nature. My gandmother was the one to discover lands beyond the sunder, and her Father we?ll don?t even get me started on how he revolutionised the Kobra Brothe-?
Gi'zeal smiled and waved his hands?yes yes, I?m sure you can regail me in full when we have more of an audience? and I can see how much the facts change when you?re waving that seed around
?But where is the eye now?? Gi'zeal could not sense it? had the captain lost it?
?It?s with my son, Al Kadai The Caravaner they call him. Not much of a sailor but still a damn good man, well worthy of the eye?
?You gave it away!?? the shock was clearly audible from the wooden fey he rattled a little
?yes? I had to. The eye? for the first time the captian took on a less jovial tone ?The eye, it takes its toll? he lifted up the cloth on the side of his face revealing a mass of misshapen black skin that resembled scales and bark. his eye socket was open and empty it?s flesh looking like a knothole in a burnt tree.
?oh? was all Gi?zeal could say ?I am sorry? he was and he felt he should not mention that they eye only needed to be held to be used ?so you pass it to you children so as not to be consumed??
?yes, but there?s more than that. It takes from the mind as well. So many have almost lost they eye dying trying to take things like the book of the tribune or the heart of the volcano, if you hold the eye too long lose you lose your mind to your dreams? after a pause he says quietly ?I don?t even know if half my tales are true anymore, the moment I saw my boy light up gold I knew it was time to give up the eye to him?
Trying to lighten the mood Gi'zeal asked ?I can assure you it will bring him nothing but fortune. Where is your son now??
?He is leading a journey out beyond the mu, he seeks lands and riches beyond the plains, by now they should be further than any have gone before. I wish I could have gone with him but I don?t know what the city would do without me?
?You are a prominent figure in town??
?Didn?t you see the tavern??
?so? not a leading official then.?
?nosir, more of a local hero. But I know all the top folks up on the hill?
?Well then my charming guide? Gi'zeal smiled, now he was getting somewhere ? take me to the richest person in town??
The gateway from the Mu to the world, it maintains the hub of all seaward and foreign trade from its sprawling ports and bazaars that ring and climb the central plateau to a central residential and administrative district where the bank and currency of the region is based.
Beyond the trade hub are fields, fisheries and vineyards and of course smokeleaf fields growing all sorts of luxury commodities for the cites of the Mu.
Goods and traders flow in and out of the city via three major routes,
-The Sailors of the great Dhow ships that sail the coasts to crystal, the coastal foreign cities and towns beyond the ebonbark coast or explore deep into the islands of the sundered sea
-The riverfolk who travel up the river mu on numerous barges to the great cities Harkongrad and Kobra
-And the Caravans who track a great overland route to the smaller towns of the mu blazing a trail deeper into the consentient.
Wealth flows to the top of the rise, where various groups vie for control, most influential are the family Cicera descended by the first to begin trading up the coasts, by now they have diversified and most of their power and wealth comes from maintaining the Bank of Gi'zeal.
The Bank of Gi'zeal
A massive lending bank that supports near all of the currency and trade in the Mu, it?s vaults hold the wealth of the city.
It?s currency is are backed by a pearl standard with two major units
-Silvereyes, made from shining metal, named for the artifact linked to the history of the city. Although some claim it is for Arora's own eyes glowing with fire.
-Blackeyes, Made from polished volcanic glass. Named for Sraker ruler of the entire region. X1000 the value of a silver.
The name of the city is all that is known of Gi'zeal to it?s dwellers, the story goes that it is the name of someone who purchased the opulent rise and it?s surrounding lands and founded the city to fall into obscurity.
Religion is free almost to a fault most of the residents follow a combination of Arora and Thumero and Maranga'nawe.
but a large sect within the elite have taken from the words of Ajax and are highly mistrustful of those claiming to be gods and favor the volcanic psion?s teachings of acceptance turned to a message of self centered freedom.
But as a hub of trade there are all sorts of ideas flowing in and out of the city, a cult that sees the banshee as an demonic sea god, a small number of inaccurately painted Fey, and all manner of distorted tales and myths from distant lands.
Oh, so much crime. mostly various forms of Theft and piracy. but murder, fraud and trading of sentient life are not unknown, if rare.
The city of Gi'zeal has never been at war however brutal raids by the banshee in their early years has promoted the city to employ protection, it?s army and navy consists mostly of raiders and pirates bribed to turn mercenary and privateer to protect trade from their fellows.
The only professional band was that of the Cicera backed Exorcists a group specifically tasked with deterring Ghost division from open battle,
however this group has all but vanished in recent years....
---Arora Reads all this in her book as does the tribune.
After informing the painted of what she intended to do, Taumel asked Lailesha for permission to read these books chronicling her life. She was told to speak with her granddaughter Esther, who would gladly assist the Great Mind. Taumel was surprised by how intelligent and knowledgeable this Esther turned out to be. She knew a lot about history, even things that didn't concern the part of history she was chronicling herself. The way she looked and who her grandmother was had given Taumel the idea that she would be dealing with some barbarian of low intelligence, but that was far from the reality. If anything, she took a strange pleasure in discussing the information written in the books with this historian. There was a part she found equally disturbing and enchanting.
The Banshee and the Shipwreck, Book V
So it came to be, that during a stormy night when the ships of the Ghost Division attempted to cross the open ocean from the Mu region into whatever lay ahead, many of their ships crashed on a rocky outcropping of an island. The Banshee ordered her troops to retreat away from the island until the storm had settled and they could assess their losses. Lives were lost during the night, but in the morning the storm had mostly passed. The Banshee gave the order to save anyone who was still alive on the island and salvage any cargo that could be salvaged.
Those who had survived the night after being shipwrecked on the island had not been idle though. They had found their way deeper into the island, past all the rocky pillars that surrounded it. Inside, they found an untouched and previously undiscovered area which was rich in vegetation and protection.
When the Banshee was informed of this by the survivors, she made the decision to chart the island more closely and see if there was
any way to sail one of their black ships inside. It took a number of days before they found a passage, and even then the process of getting a ship inside turned out to be difficult. There was plenty of room for their fleet if they could get it past the rocks though.
The Banshee, her intellect only surpassed by her brutality, saw this island as a gift from the Great Mind she had worshipped her whole life. It would be easy to hide all their cargo within the mountainous walls without anyone noticing them. The rocky pillars offered both protection and offense towards any passing ships. In the decades to come, they would often force the ships of others so close to the island that they became shipwrecked as well. After that, they would slaughter any survivors, salvage their ships and cargo.
A city was formed in the middle of this island, given the name of Shipwreck and becoming home of the Ghost Division. They would use it as their base of operations, from which they would raid the coasts and any trading ships.
The Banshee distributed the loot they gathered between her commanders, who in turn distributed it down to their captains, who in turn passed it on to every member of their ships. She did keep a growing amount of goods in a guarded cave, claiming it was not hers or anyone else's in the city of Shipwreck, but that it would be given to the tribe she had come from once they found where they were located.
Many decades would pass before the Ghost Division did find an area that fit the description the Banshee had given of the Lucent Reef way south of their own island. By then, she had gathered so much loot for her tribe that she had had to spend some of it on the city of Shipwreck just because there was no room for it anymore.
<spoiler=Theme><spoiler=Information>There's very little crime within the city itself, as any broken rule or law all have the same punishment. Anyone found to break the laws of Shipwreck is beheaded.
However, as they are a tribe of pirates they have all more or less committed atrocious crimes towards other people and civilizations. They do this with no concern of morality. They think of other people below them, so killing them is just a task that has to be done. They do not think of it as evil.
The Banshee is the unquestioned ruler of Shipwreck, but below her are a number of talented commanders with their own amount of power. The commanders generally control a large number of people rather than any certain part of the city. They all have captains below them that are in charge of a ship each.
The Banshee is worshipped herself because of her immortality. It is common to wish for the luck or protection of the Banshee before any battle. There?s a widely held belief that she has chosen by some god known as the Great Mind, even if most have little knowledge about who this god is.
----------------------------
Taumel was a bit worried at the news of this information, even if it wasn't news at all by then. Lailesha came carrying gifts to what had once been her people, but she had coldly killed everyone who had been in possession of it or transporting it elsewhere, leaving no witnesses whatsoever. Maybe convincing the Kaiser to let them into the society of the reef was a mistake. They'd certainly gained a strong standing naval army, but at what cost?
The Dead Mother would come to agree with Taumel, as the initial week that the Ghost Division spent within the Lucent Reef would see more death in the reef than ever before in such a short time. The odd thing was that the ones the Black Hand had to deal with were the reefers themselves. They did not appreciate these barbarians who were very bold, rogue and blunt in their way of interacting with others.
The Ghost Division were disciplined on a whole new level. There were a couple of individuals who couldn't keep their hands to themselves. The commanders openly executed a number of their own people when they found out about these crimes though. If one person assaulted or forced themselves on any of the reefers, ten were executed in turn among their own ranks.
The Dead Mother's task then became more focused on controlling her own people than she had expected when first hearing about these supposed barbarians. Anyone who was found trying to provoke members of the Ghost Division disappeared swiftly and without a word. She came to place a strange amount of trust in that the Ghost Division could control their own without her help, and it made her want an audience with this Banshee that was their leader.
Still standing on the cliff well away from the fortress and looking out over the much changed forest Ar'Guran goes over the pictures and information that Viera had given him. Much of it he had not had time right when she had given them to him to go over and think about but now that she was gone and he had the time he was going from picture to picture with the pieces of written pages that she had given as well to give more information. The way her mind held and remembered information was different than his but it gave him quite a bit of information quickly.
Quite a bit was normal things but of the few things that caught his attention was the fact the deal they had with those changing lizards had given them an impressive number of children trained into many things. Frowning slightly at what she had given him as their training Ar'Guran sighs and shakes his head. She is to soft, no assassination training and very little theft training.
Settling back down and scratching slowly at the rock below he makes a small list of everywhere she had sent the trained lizards and how many were still alive and working in those places. The short list in front of him was disappointing but it had some good points. The few that lived in with Bolts people and the mostly underwater city had quite a few and the general information they had sent back was enough that they had general maps about the city and breath of control as well as who was in charge and how the city was run. The information was more on the city in the heights, Fanged hill, seems they were much less worried about being hurt by a shadow force that no one really knows but knows.
The heights had turned into a wasteland over the past 200 years, most of it in the last few decades when someone claiming to be Bolt had come back and started running things. The timing was suspicious but the biggest thing was that his personality had changed so much from what he knew just a, to him, few weeks ago. On top of everything he had been sending raids out to take slaves and selling them to the lizards. The sheer change in his actions was enough to make him believe that it is a fake, though how they are doing what is reported makes him think that they had gotten their hands on something dangerous.
Looking at the list and the relevant information about both city was different in both the clarity and amount. Even though they were getting information from them it was a slow thing as well as sometimes they were not able to get a lot. But over almost 200 years of information giving they had a almost complete look at them. Moving his claw over and adding a few more words extending the list he sighs and wipes everything out before getting up and shrinking himself down and dropping down to the forest in search of a death worm. Slowly gliding and flying he soon comes on a worm sleeping and lands on its body to look it over. Slowly walking over its body as he sees they have not changes at all in 200 years.
Looking it over for a few hours and happy with himself for making something this good Ar'Guran turns and starts flying for the fortress quickly. Getting to the outside wall and falling to the forest floor he changes into a Jeri and stretches to get used to the body. Flying over the outer wall and falling on bent legs just outside a field of... something. He knows they are food but even with his knowledge he had never seem them close to the fortress before and if he had before other places had not payed attention. Flying over the fields and workers who are tending them to get to the second wall. Standing on top and looking over a field of buildings he grunts in surprise. He had knows they had been building actual buildings in the last few decades but seeing this swarm of them was impressive.
Hopping to a packed rock street weaving its way between buildings and houses he slowly walks the streets looking in stores and at the people moving about. Moving inside a building with a carved piece of wood over the door he gives a delighted smile to see that its for carved pieces in all kinds including a handful that looked like he did usually. Picking it up and looking it over slowly he slides his fingers over the very dark hard wood they had used to make it. Walking over to the person sitting on a stool slowly carving another little thing that looks like it is for a child. Walking over and watching for a few minutes he gets the woman's attention and waves the carved dragon at her.
"What do you want for this?"
She looks over and blinks in surprise.
"A Father carving. Most people get one when they are young and keep it until it breaks or something happens to it. It is 4 claws."
Looking at her a little uncertain and looking into her mind he sees that a claw is a coin that they use for things they don't want to use coritas time for. Closing his fingers and creating 4 of them Ar'Guran hands them over and walks back out into the street. Holding the statue and smiling to himself he runs his finger over it as he walks he keeps going and goes over another piece of information he had been given but not considered. The crime rate in this place was low even if it wasn't non existent. Though the punishment was always equal to the crime for the more serious ones they always used deritas as punishment and it seems to be keeping the crimes down in most of the fortress.
"How do I look?"
The Lady Tribune eyed her patron goddess up and down, dutifully considering the black and white silken garments she had called into existence about her body.
"I would say... Probably about as stunning as you did in the last four." Katya admitted, nodding sagely.
"You truly think so?" asked Arora, plucking at a sleeve. "Surely they were not all equally beautiful?"
"Nope. They really were. Have you considered that maybe, as a god, it's physically impossible for you to not look hella sexy at all times?"
"I fear that might be the case..." Arora sighed. Being beautiful by default sometimes grew tiresome.
It was then, as she was considering the woes of godhood, that a power wave hit her... One with a most familiar signature.
"Ar'guran!"
Katya frowned.
"Ar'whata?"
"I just felt something. The Dragon, Ar'guran, Prince of Corruption; he is attempting divine intervention at this very moment. I'm receiving a vision now..."
Arora closed her eyes, frowning with concentration as Katya spectated with poorly concealed awe.
"Wait..." the goddess murmured. "Not, it's not the dragon... It's..."
Arora fell silent, a look of surprise blooming in her expression of focus.
"It's what?!" the Mutar insisted, prompting Arora to open her eyes.
"His demi-god. She's attempting to resurrect a deceased lover inside his own skull."
"Aww, that's so sweet!"
"She's asking for help, to create an item of power that contains his spirit."
"We gonna do it? I've got the book, that means I can help too!"
Arora twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, thinking.
"If only it were that simple." she said, staring off into the distance with solemn white eyes. "Ar'guran is no friend of mine, and this creation would bring him power."
"Oh..." Katya said, seemingly taken aback. "Ok, if you say so. You're the expert, after all."
Arora gave a sharp chuckle.
"Hah! I may be 'hella sexy' at all times, but I'm certainly not perfect. What would you do?"
At this the Lady Tribune found herself even further taken aback.
"Who, me?" she clarified.
"Well, I don't see anyone else in this house..." Arora laughed. "It seems you'll have to do."
"Yes, of course!" Katya said, clearly flustered. "Ok then, um... Well... You said it was only a skull, right?"
Arora - 30/30 AP, 2 MP - Guran, 212
The unwary occupants of a carved stone hallway scatter in shock as a ball of fire explodes into life directly above them. From it Arora manifests herself, levitating like a silken spectre in air that ripples with heatwaves; an application of her newfound and mysterious Chi abilities, trailed for the first time. It feels good, she thinks.
"Where is the necromancer?" she demanded of the room at large as she gently glided to the floor, surveying the assembled followers of Ar'guran with flaming white eyes.
As Viera was focusing on the skull in her hand a wave of heat rippling through the room and a voice filled with power that made her eyes open. Looking up as the Lizards and Jeri in the hall she is standing in close ranks around her subtly as the ones who can ready themselves. Looking around and widening her eyes as she sees what they are about to do Viera steps forward and into the air so she is waist above everyone else there and frowns around at the crowd.
"Hey, calm down please. She is the Heartfire and not only a god but not here to pick a fight."
Looking down at Arora Viera raises her eyebrow.
"Am I right Arora goddess of love?"
"You needn't worry." Arora said, glowy eyes extinguishing themselves to be replaced by ones that are narrowed with suspicion. "I take it you are Viera?"
Looking at the Goddess and nodding Viera steps closer and motions the group around them to back up and give them some space. When they have Viera looks at Arora and bows her head slightly.
"I am Viera, what can I do for you?"
"Not you for me, but I for you." Arora countered, looking around at all the Guran residents watching them.
"Is there some place we can speak privately?"
Looking at Arora and nodding Viera turns and walks to a hide covered doorway and pulls the leather aside and motions inside. giving those who start to follow a look stopping them the Jeri and Lizards stop and start murmering to each other as she shows Arora into her room. A carved out bed in the rock filled with a stuffed matress and a stone table with several dark wooden chairs the walls are filled with books and trinkets in carved out alcoves. Arora glances around, taking it all in before turning back to Viera. She appears more relaxed now that they are alone.
"Thank you, this shall do fine. And I hope you'll forgive my rather heavy handed entrance; I did not know what to expect from this place."
Closing the hide drape and walking in farther Viera sits at the table and pushes another chair out for Arora to sit. Looking over at her and shrugging she says up at her.
"We would have nothing against you, what I know about you and how you are makes me like you a little, though that would have changed if you had burned some of my people. I am glad you did not."
Arora laughed as she took her seat opposite the necromancer.
"And I am glad that you are glad that I did not burn anyone. The alternative would have had disturbing implications."
"Of course I'm happy you did not burn them, I know many of the ones out there personally and would be much saddened if they were hurt."
Then, surprisingly, the goddess reached across the table to take Viera's hand, genuine happiness lighting up her features.
"It also made me especially glad to receive your message about the item of power. The announcement was a most pleasant, wonderful surprise, and I think what you're trying to do is beautiful. I really do!"
Surprised at Arora grabbing her hand Viera sets her own over Arora's and smiles back. Looking out at the door for a second she looks back at the goddess across from her and bows her head a little again.
"It is something I have been thinking about for many many years and now that not only my Father but you all are back I have a chance to bring him back in a way."
"Well, that's exactly why I'm here today. I have a gift for you."
Raising her head from something on the table she looks at Arora and smiles slowly as Viera looks at her.
"What gift do you have? For me?"
Arora grins in a self satisfied manner, ritualistically raising her free hand to around head height.
"For your lover, to be precise."
The goddess clicks her fingers.
In an instant a pool of darkness has formed upon the floor in the middle of the room, and out from this pool and hulking object began to gradually rise. It seemed to be a giant suit of armour.
"How much do you know of the other gods?" Arora asked, ignoring the strange phenomenon she had caused to keep focus on Viera. Looking over at the giant suit of armor raising from blackness in the middle of her room she slowly looks back at Arora and shakes her head slightly. Her eyes sliding back and taking in the thing now sitting on her floor as she says absently.
"I know their names and what they are a god of. But counting you I have but met 3 of them. Why goddess?"
"Thumero the Iron Psion, that is why!" Arora laughed. "Long story short, I recently came into possession of his headless, but still semi-functional body. It is this acquisition that I give to you; a body to go with your lover's head."
The body of Thumero had almost breached the ground entirely when another body, far smaller and furrier, began to rise up beside it.
"Anyway order a decapitated god husk?!" Lady Tribune Katya asked as she stepped out of the shadow-teleporter pool, shutting the Mucronomicon and hugging it close to her chest. Sitting up and looking at the other being that steps into her room Viera looks at her closely and sees that she is holding another item of power that has an interesting connection to the girl. Assuming she is fey at first Viera gets a surprise when she sees she as different than any fey she had ever seen. Reaching out with her own power for a second and feeling her she blinks in surprise.
"I had heard stories that there were other races outside the realm of the forest but never seen one before."
Looking at the body again and letting Aroras hand go to walk over and slide her hands over the armor she smiles at the two others and lifts the Skull sitting back on her hip and raises it to summon the spirit inside and it forms around it floating. Smiling at the spirit and backing up Viera says to him.
"They brought you a body, what do you think love?"
He looks around and down at the small creature next to him before walking through her and getting closer and looking at it he says back at them.
"It's bigger than I used to be, but it looks powerful. You said it was a god's body? What if he comes looking for it?"
"Let me put it this way;" Arora said. "That body's been lying at the bottom of my volcano for two hundred years. The heat from the molten rock has damaged what was already a frail avatar beyond convenient godly use, though I'm sure for your necrotic purposes it will still work nicely."
Arora stood up, looking the headless body up and down.
"If he ever wanted it back, he would have retrieved it long before it suffered so much."
The skull nods and keeps looking it over as Viera sets her hands on the body and starts feeling through it. As she does she says up to Arora.
"If it has been in a volcano im surprised it is not more damaged."
Rolling it over and looking at the torn off section of armor on the back she frowns and runs her hands over it getting some half images from the damage. Looking over at the Skull and smiling she stands and turns to Arora and the smaller person and takes their hands shaking them.
"It will be perfect, since its a god it will bind very well and even allow him to move. Though being headless his skull will be free floating and able to leave if he wants to. Thank you very much."
The Skull walks over and stands just behind Viera looking at the goddess and other person. Staying silent for a second he says softly.
"Thank you for this. I would have been happy to always be here. But this is more than I thought I would get for a second chance."
"You're both very welcome." Arora said. "And I wish you the best. Unfortunately we cannot remain much longer, but if I might say one last thing. Viera..."
Arora's happiness mellowed into something far more sincere.
"Do not lose your way when it comes to the mortals. You are a good person. Try to remain so."
Smiling at Arora and nodding at her Viera stands there with the Skull when she remembers something and yells at Arora as she rushed towards a wall.
"Wait!"
Grabbing a statue from the wall and running back over Viera presses it into the goddesses hands and wraps her fingers around it.
"For helping us. Take this."
Viera lets go slowly. The carved statue very well made it almost seems alive. Being of very dark and dense wood it weighs in her hands and gives off a soft almost glow in the light standing almost two feet high. It's a carving of Ar'Guran roaring out at something in front of him with wicked sharp fangs and his body half curled up around something as well as his wings half opened to make a kind of shield around him. When you look closer you can see that inside the half closed body is a remarkable well carved child being held in his arms protective. Viera smiles up at the goddess.
"They make these now calling them the Father. It gives the owner good luck and protection. Keep it, I hope it does for you to if you need it."
Arora hesitates holding the carving. She has very little faith that anything depicting Ar'Guran could every bring good luck much less protection to anyone but she also didn't want to say something to hurt Viera's feelings after meeting her and getting to know her a bit better.
Arora gives one last 'farewell' before vanishing in a burst of flame. Beside her Katya already has her book open, and within a second she too has disappeared into the shadowy ground. Viera opens her mouth to say something when Arora disappears and so do the other.
Looking up at the Skull and reaching up to take it from the air the spirit slowly fades as she walks over and puts it where the head should be on the body. Spirit tendrils coming from the body and skull they meld together and holds the skull in place without anything physical touching. Letting go slowly Viera smiles and sits on the floor a few feet away watching the body to see what happens.
Assist with Ar'guran's creation of a +2 item using +4 love (on account of the item's purpose), +2 wisdom (as she is reuniting a body with a mind), and +2 truth (since the result is being made into a truer living form).
Make it so that skull has a body; not necessarily a proper body, as that would be a demi-god instead of an item, but something more similar to a golem body.
Bolt walked through the city as people watched on. when people saw him some believing he was the beast of Legends, the true God of the stones. the the guards watched in terror as he walked up the stairs, when he was in front of Caesars Palace he screamed out ?come imposter, fight a true god?
Emperor bolt walked down from his palace with his helmet and Mrs.Flower following him.
?So you are the fake on?? Emperor bolt said before being interrupted by Bolt screaming ?Time to pay, you jackass? as he ran towards him.
?Not so fast!? Emperor bolt scream as held his robot helmet up ?..With this I can kill everyone that under my control in a blink of an eye, and the fact you killed none of my men
means you care a lot about life?
Bolt stopped himself and replied ?Why are you doing this?
Emperor bolt looked at him as walked closer and said ?Because I?m a good, the true ruler of the world, I learned about this from this helmet?
stood back in shock and replied ?Wh..What??
?yes? Emperor bolt said as he got closer to Bolt ?When I touched to helmet I heard voice, they told me my destiny and it give me great Power? He then put the in front of Bolts face trying to take control of him
?ahhh? Bolt screamed out. Emperor bolt looked at him with an evil grin and said ?I don?t know who you are but with your help I can take control my foolish siblings and soon the whole wor..? before He was finished Bolt cut him off ?Got you jackass? Bolt said as a smile came to his face. ?WHAT?? was all Emperor bolt could say before Bolt punched him in the face knocking him out cold.
?That thing is too weak to control Gods...? Bolt then picked up the helmet ?...your plan was Doomed from the start? Bolt then used the helmet to knock everyone out of it control, it also knocked everyone who was under his control out
?He...He did it, he beat Emperor bolt? Someone in the crowd said before they burst into the cheer.
As the crowd cheered Bolt pitted up Mrs.Flower and headed into the Palace to find a better place for her to sleep.
Before going into the palace Bolt knew he had one other thing to do
Difficulty: 13 Regional Action Cost: 5 AP (+4 weather, +2 life, +2 Mrs.Flower +2 helmet)
make the land grow back it's plants that it lost over time, fix the cloud so it will rain again and make the rivers run with water to make the land as beautiful as it once was.
Era slowly opened her eyes to a blanket of snow surrounding her. She sat up and looked around. The caverns were empty, silent and cold- colder than before. Era stood, her clothing hung awkwardly upon her body. She removed them and lay them in the snow beside her. The wind howled through the empty cavers, blowing her hair in her face. Raven black hair was replaced by flowing white hair; like the snow around her. She gasped and then shrugged.
"Whatever, I didn't like my hair anyways." she shrugged.
Era wandered throughout the cavern, seemingly confused at the emptiness. She stepped the edge of the caverns and looked around. Era gasped as she gazed upon a castle. Icy pillars bent to create beautiful archways. The castle itself looked like an interwoven, braided, icy complex. Era smiled and began to sprint towards it. The blue ice shined in the moonlight. Era slowly entered the castle. She saw ice figurines and walked towards them. In the clear ice was carved a figure of Era herself. A small Nirn woman walked past her and stopped to gaze at the nude woman standing there.
"Hello, are you lost dear?" she asked quizzically.
Era turned around to look at the woman. She smiled.
"What is your name?" Era stepped closer.
"Miranna." She mumbled.
Era looked over the pale woman. Her figure slender and toned, hair silver like the moon and eyes that were electric green. The only gene passed down from her mutations.
"I am Era Bloodwitch. I awoke to an empty cavern."
"That's impossible! Era was lost 200 years ago. She was assumed to be dead!" Miranna shrieked.
Era laughed and looked at her hands, the stone ring was still upon her thumbs. She cut her forearm and stretched out a blood arrow.
"Is this proof enough?" She laughed softly.
Miranna gasped and knelt before Era.
"My Lady, it is an honor to meet you. I humbly serve you." She practically shouted.
Era lifted Mirannas chin.
"Tell me what has happened in my absence." she kindly commanded.
Miranna began the story of the original mutations. They had many children, but none had the same abilities. The man, Volkar, lived to raise their daughter. His crown survived the age and was put on a pedestal for Era to bestow upon a new male. Era smiled to herself. Even though, they are not mutated, her people thrived.
"I guess, I need to start over and make everything more permanent. Miranna, please take me somewhere where I can acquire clothing." She looked down upon herself.
Miranna took her and dressed her in a snow white suit and cape. She closed her eyes and let the blood seep through her and into the clothing. Her blood hardened the suit into black, jagged armor. She wielded two bloodied whips that wrapped
her wrists. She smiled at herself. The cape looked bloodied and burned. Miranna gasped.
"Ho-how did you do that?" She stuttered.
Era shrugged, "My blood changes the things upon my body. It has a power all its own. Miranna, I want you to be my new Lucian, but, I will not make the mistake of letting you be mortal."
Miranna trembled, but nodded. She lay upon the icy table. Era stood over her and cut her palm, the blood crystallized and took an icy form. Era looked at her hand and smiled. A new ability. She let the blood crystals drip into Miranna's mouth. She closed her eyes and trembled, the veins in her body crystallized and her featured became whiter than the snow. The blood, so red, flowed through her crystallized veins. Miranna gasped and her body convulsed as she shifted. Once settled, Miranna opened her eyes.
"Miranna, unlike Lucian, you have blood that can turn to ice. But, you still have the acidic component. You will live along side me. Forever." She explained.
Miranna stared at Era and nodded. "Yes, my Lady."
"Next, I will make you immortal. But, that can wait."
Difficulty: 5 Village Cost 1AP: Bless an individual for the course of their life: Era grants Miranna with acidic, crystallized blood, which she can wield in a liquid or crystal form. Like Lucian, her blood will not harm her own person.
The castle is made of ice, woven to create the braided structure. The interior is decorated with ice sculptures of Era and paintings that depict the travels of the original mutations.
Era has acquired new dress. She allowed her mutated blood to alter the appearance of the snow white robes that Miranna gave her. She adorns two whips that are made of blood and ice. Her mutated blood turned the fabric a dark, jagged, black color. Era is yet to fully discover her new domain: Ice +2
The years went on and things continued as they had for Venari. His people as he had began to see them had dominated Silverholt by the time the next generation had began reaching maturity. The years under Venari's care had been kind to the tribe and over the years they grew as they began to absorb other groups of nomads that wandered Silverholt into it becoming something greater with the combined strength. Dominion of Silverholt was something that would soon come if they continued as they had.
In a few decades he would go forward with his plan for them. Plans that in honesty he shared little of with the Nirn.
As he wandered the tunnels he watched the Nirn as they worked and lived. He felt happy to be among them, a sense of almost bliss fell upon him and then he was gone.
- Create +1 item. Artikifers (+1 Tools).
- Action was difficulty 13, with a cost of 5 AP. Total domain bonus applied to the roll was +4.
- Would have 1/30 AP at end of turn.
- Action Succeeded
[hr]
Venari - Silverholt - 30/30 AP, 2 MP
Warnings blared through Venari's divided consciousness as fragments screamed in confusion. He was somewhere and then he was suddenly elsewhere. Something had happened, Something was wrong.
He was dust again, millions of motes of matter without function or form. Things were shifting around in his mind and the swarm that was Venari had lost itself. Days passed as Venari began to awaken again from the fragmented minds forced to realign themselves with eachother.
As he awakened, Venari once again took form. The form of the man he had once consumed and became one with. He found himself in pitch black in some unknown place. Corpses of something wrong surrounded him but he took little note of them. The thought of his circumstances persisted as he started to walk towards the closest heat in the unknown distance. Something had happened, Something was wrong.
Days of walking and silent confused thought was Venari's life in the cold until he found an exit from the darkness. Two nirn in glass-like armour stood infront of the entrance to the tunnel he was in, snow blowing past them in the winds of what he realized was still Silverholt.
As he stepped out of the cave in silence to gain a view of his surroundings, the Nirn saw him and panicked. Diving away from Venari before scrambling to their feet and sprinting off.
Fear and Confusion radiated off of them as Venari watched in Confusion. Looking into the distance he saw his lodge on his hill, covered in far more ice than before shaped into what appeared to be a fortress. The land around it was covered in villages it seemed.
This made him come to the realization his more esoteric senses had been screaming at him. He had been gone. Gone longer than the few days in the darkness and gone long enough to see a noticeable change in the carbon. After focusing, the decay he was tasting told him two centuries had passed without notice.
He sunk to his knees as he began to process his thoughts, unsure of how to react to the knowledge.
Venari has gained the domain of +2 Change.
[hr]
A brief overview of Silverholt's history
After Venari had disappeared, the society that had developed under him survived for a generation as it had been left before fracturing into three clans, each with heads claiming to be successor to Venari's rule.
The Kingdom of Silverholt, the current order of the caverns was born of the clan to discover Venari's tool and to hold his lodge. After Venari had left the Chieftain of the tribe that Venari had watched over claimed to work in his name in his absence and to later generations was Venari as far as they knew due to the warping of history. His son was named Venari the Second to honour the spirit that had watched over them and granted them the gifts that allowed them to survive in the hostility of Silverholt.
Venari the Second's son, Venari the Third led the feuding tribes in a war against a horde of plagued Nirn known as Darkspawn that came to the caverns hungering for the essences of the people. Venari the Fourth came into power on the death of his father and led his people against the other clans to unify the, against the threats of the future, absorbing the others through force.
Venari the Fifth had few accomplishments and was notable only for declaring divinity in his blood, something that while accepted by the masses was something that led to his assassination by those who knew the truth.
Venari the Sixth, the current ruler of the relatively nascent Kingdom is a young man entirely born into his position like his father. He has accomplished nothing and has no skills in the ways of his people. His mind while sharpened by the workings of Venari and the other gods is dull compared to the rest of his people. In time it is likely that he will be assassinated so that a replacement found more acceptable may take his position.
Contact between Silverholt and the lands beyond has been regular due to the constant need for new blood. Though it has mostly been with or through the tribes of Utanokogen through the village of Trestad, which was founded by one of the Silverholt clans in the days before they were annexed.
Little is known of things beyond the valley of Utanokogen outside of what has filtered back to them through messengers and travellers. Of note in their view of outsiders is their view of Darkspawn. Darkspawn are seen as bearers of a plague and due to incidents in the past (beginning with what history remembers as a horde of them) they are killed on sight within Silverholt, both out of mercy and fear.
Through their own unique magical means, both goddess and Tribune each materialised in the front room of Katya's residence.
"Can I see the status?" the Mutar asked. Arora handed it over without a word, walking over to the sea facing window and taking a seat on the sill. She watched the waves as Katya examined the gift from Viera.
"That's meant to be Ar'guran, right?" Katya asked. "He don't look too bad..."
"No, he doesn't." Arora sighed. "Though the way he's depicted in a statue says next to nothing about his true nature... Especially when for all we know he could have made the thing himself."
"Fair call. So, what exactly did he do, if you don't mind my asking?"
The Heartfire folded her arms, the bay view remaining the epicentre of her grim focus.
"He tried to enslave mortals."
At these words something seemed to dawn upon the Lady Tribune.
"Oooh, you mean the Deritas!"
Arora gave her a questioning look.
"Deritas?"
"Yeah, the Deritas and the Coritas. We sometimes get foreigners who served under the system."
"Go on..."
"Well, the way I understand it, Coritas is more like indentured servitude; labour in exchange for protection. It can be worked off over time, and there's nothing to stop Coritas walking away from the deal. Also I think children are not born into it, maybe..."
"That... Does not sound unreasonable. Thought I am skeptical as to how accurate your account it. What about this Deritas?"
"They're supposedly Coritas who have committed certain crimes, and in doing so have given up their right to work away their debt. They're slaves in every sense of the word, supposedly. They're even sold on the slave market."
Arora's mouth twisted with distaste.
"Of course there's a catch... You can be sure not to find a statue of the great Dragon offering redemption to a troubled soul, or mercy to a repentant offender."
"You... Don't think criminals should be punished?"
Katya's words came out hesitant; she did not want to anger Arora. The goddess' response, while not angry, was non the less layered with sincerity.
"It is hard to maintain love for your fellow mortal when they have wronged you; yet it is under such circumstances where love is most needed. Wherever possible, forgiveness and reconciliation should come first."
Arora paused a moment, thinking on what she had just said.
"Would you be a dear and write that down, actually. I quite like how it came out."
"You read my mind!" Katya agreed, hurriedly opening her book and setting the Heartfire's words to paper. "So what should we do with the statue then? It was a gift, after all."
"I'm not sure." Arora admitted, shrugging. "Is there a museum or collector we can donate it to? It would make good history in the future."
"Oh, um... I know! How about we requisition a vault at the Bank of Gi'zeal?"
"The what?!"
Lady Tribune Katya was spared having to explain this other latest development to Arora when, all of a sudden, the front door was pushed open.
"Lady Tribune, I need access to records from the-"
Sraker stopped dead only half through the doorway, black eyes locked onto his godmother with incredulity.
"Arora?" he said, as if seeking clarification for what his senses told him. The goddess rose to her feet, striding towards the Lord Protector and forcing his stunned body into an embrace.
"Sraker, my old friend! I take it we haven't seen each other for a while."
"Where in the world have you been?!"
"Yes, about that..."
Arora - 30/30 AP, 2 MP - Isla Maranga'nawe, 212
"So it just... Stopped. Is that what you are saying?"
"Correct. No movement. No reshaping. Not even an eruption to confirm whether or not it had truly died."
Arora peered into the volcano with a craftswoman's eye.
"I would guess that the core simply ran out of energy, sending Flolem into a dormant state. An easily reversible problem, if you're willing to assist me in reenergising it every century or so, but difficult to deal with permanently."
Sraker stood a short distance away from the blistering rim, occupying himself with the preparation of an ornate ivory yish pipe. With a click of his fingers a buzzing electrical current sprang to life in his hand, soft blue flashes arcing between the individual digits so that he needed only to touch the pressed leaf for it to ignite.
He took a deep pull on the narcotic.
"What makes the permanent solution so challenging?" he asked.
"I would have to turn the core into its very own item of power." Arora explained. "Giving Flolem divine properties as well as an indefinite lifespan. This type of procedure would require energy levels similar in magnitude to those used in creating you, or the Mucronomicon."
"So it's possible."
"Possible, yes. But is it worth it?"
Sraker grinned conspiratorially, smoke drifting out from between his teeth as he exhaled.
"Surely a little extra divine power can never go amiss?"
Arora - 20/30 AP, 2 MP - Silverholt
Out in the snowy wastes a flash of flame appeared, signaling once more the arrival of Arora. This time, however, she came with a new set of companions.
"Woooooooah, it is REALLY cold..." Katya exclaimed, quickly summoning a ball of flame to keep her from freezing.
"This place... I do feel as though I have been here before." Sraker said.
"It was a long time ago." Arora confirmed as she set off towards the frozen maw of the tunnel.
From there the party passed through Haven, trying to keep discreet in their travels with the help of Katya's shadow magic. When they at one point passed near Venari, Arora sent out vibes to him, asking for assistance in both of the divine actions she planned to perform.
Then, finally, they arrived at the place for which Arora had been searching; a cluster of red psionic crystals, with one missing chunk. It was the place from which the goddess had originally torn Flolem's core, and so it was there that she placed it once more. The perfect place to work her craft.
13 DC: craft Flolem's core into a +1 Earth elemental item. Using +4 love (doing it for Sraker), +2 wisdom (mind-body shit), +2 courage (rawr scary golem), and +2 truth (gonna be a true golem now).
In addition to it functioning as the power source of the golem known as Flolem, the core may be wielded for direct manipulation of the planet's lithosphere. This would include changing soil constituents, reforming geological structures, channelling molten rock, and even reducing the risk of earthly hazards to the user (note that Arora may use the item even while it is powering Flolem, but a mortal would need to retrieve it directly).
13 DC: recraft the Flolem Core into a +2 item (using same +10 modifiers), so that it is now indestructible until it is removed from Maranga'nawe (this is possible for mortals to do, though it is certainly not easy) and placed back into its original position deep within the caverns of Silverholt.
Also make it so that the core grants some intelligence to Flolem. It would still be a thrall of Arora's, but one with self awareness as well as an understanding of language.
Note: if, for whatever reason, the first action fails, this action should instead just be a repeat of the first.
Hopefully from Venari. Just to make the actions assured. Can't be too careful, what with Ar'guran's recent snake eyes failure.
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