"Ailish, welcome back. I could use your aid with ascending a mortal, if you could send it. I am also curious to where you are, as of this moment?"
The words shook the goddess from her hiding; figure if she stood still, people wouldn't pay any heed to her appearance. With the green goddess' grettings she shook herself from her statue-esque posturing and moved to where she heard Eldarwen from.
It took some time, but she had found her, and the woman who laid unconscious on the bed. Was this was she requested? She looked deep into the woman's eyes, and found ambition burning with some... other feeling. Anger? Superiority? A thirst for more power?
She saw these feelings and others take more form as Eldarwen changed her - the gaze growing sharper and more alert - and at first Ailish sought to snuff these influences. What was the point of an existence of quenchless rage? Then she thought about it, how her fellow god requested her aid, and how she would take to her actions.
The goddess would grant this quenchless fire within the woman, but she held her mouth open. There was only a smidgen of the honey left, and it would be spent on the green woman before her. TWo fingers dipped into the jar, and fed the black treacle of sin to the woman, smearing it in every corner of her mouth.
<spoiler=actions>Assist in Venator's creations [+8 Lore][+2 Honey]
Add passion to complement the Venator's fire[+2 Honey][+4 Love]
Valerie appeared inside what seemed to be a large palace. She looked at both her hands in surprised, and then jumped while yelling a victory dance. "I can't believe that actually worked. Thank you uncle." She said smiling. She looked around and spotted the door she was looking for, she walked over to the door and knocked. She had received a few memories about this Zareth. He seemed to be a nice fellow, though a bit too neutral.
Zareth was still slumped over one of his tomes when he heard a comotion coming from outside followed by a knock at the door. Strange. He would have heard from the wardens if a mortal had made it this far and the dead never strayed this far into the charnal grounds. He moved one of his fingers and the door swung open.
Valerie saw the door open but to her surprise, she didn't see anyone standing behind it. She carefully walked in, and soon spotted Zareth. She smiled as she walked up to him. "Hello Zareth, my name is Valerie." She said extending her hand. The library around her seemed to be made out of stone. And small candles were lighting the dark library. It remind her a bit of Melanthios small library.
"What?" His head sprang up. Zareth turned to look at her, there wan't any plant life growing out of her, she didn't seem to show any signs if Eldarwen's usual touches. This wasn't the one he was waiting for. Well this was a development. He gave her a slightly confused handshake. "Nice to meet you Valerie... and you're here because?"
Valerie looked around, the knowledge was just dripping from the books. She loved the smells of libraries "I am here to talk to you. I am Melanthios'es niece you see, and I asked him about death magic. And he directed me to you, he said you knew more about it then anyone else." Valerie ran her hand over a couple of books looking distracted, she then turned back to Zareth.
Niece? Did that make her M'endar's daughter? When did everyone start having so much casual sex? I really am out of the loop. Still a pretty young woman with an apreciation for the less lively powers of existence was a rarity, one he could apreciate. "Well you'll find some of the more subtle pieces here." He motioned to the books she seemed to be apreciating, Melanthios and his brood certainly loved literature. "This is the biography section."
Valerie listened to Zareth, she then said. "Melanthios also said, that I needed to ask if I was allowed to study here. So are you fine with me studying here?" She asked sounding and looking eager.
"Of course you can. If you ask me there aren't enough people in this world who take an interest in the death magics. Normally I only end up deally with Necromancers... that never ends cleanly." He smiled a little awkwardly, perhaps he'd said too much. Those situations didn't make for good getting to know you conversation.
Valerie seemed very happy with the answer. "Thank you so much Zareth." She said, as she instantly jumped through the library. She grabbed a book about souls, she began to read it. Which seemed to go very fast, she was smiling brightly.
Well this one was excitable. He followed her through the library, whisps of mist trailing his footsteps. She was reading the soul mantras, an interesting choice. He wold have thought his brother would have encouraged her to look up themagcal tomes or historical chronicles. The soul texts were more philosiphical than anything. "So what experience do you have of the after arts?"
Valerie closed the book and looked up at Zareth. "Well I have been studying souls for quite a while now. And besides that I have seen billions of people die, so I have seen the process happen quite often." She treated the subject of death very casually.
"Ah, the school of life approach." Now there was an ironiclly named technique if ever there was one. "And how does someone so young end up seeing BILLIONS of people die?"
Valerie seemed to study Zareth, she then poked him "I am older then you." She said looking at Zareth with a grin.
When was the last time someone poked him? Never. "Now this I have to hear."
Valerie smiled and said. "Well I was born in the year 3094 in the Empire. My father was Matthias and my mother Caelia. My uncle was Melanthios, he was only 16 when I was born. Any questions so far?" She asked looking at Zareth.
"This isn't the first I've heard of my peers living lives before this one. Though it is the first I've heard of your uncle doing so. I think I can keep up." This was a revalation he wasn't expecting. He could ask her the details later.
Valerie nodded and then continued. "The empire was ruled by a family over very powerful mages. They used a special kind of magic, which was so powerful it allowed them to keep their position. My family was a rich, but not noble family. They were known for being strong, and my great grandfather even got his own statue. Anyway Melanthios was the second brother, and a son of my grandfather. He and my father were really close. Melanthios however had a very bad standing with the normal people, since he somehow discovered how to use the same magic as the ruling families. Do you have any questions so far?" She asked looking at Zareth.
"What was so different about this magic the ruling families had?"
Valerie seemed to think. "Well normal mages were limited to one element. The ruling class could use every one, and they could also mix them. Next to that they were all very smart and strong. So it was easy for them to take control early one, and through fear and bloodshed keep it. Do you understand why they lead the country now?"
"Easily enough, yes. I assume they didn't take very kindly to the appearance of a young prodigy moving in on their territory?"
Valerie nodded. "But Melanthios is smart, he knew they would murder him and his whole family. So what he did was fake a mental breakdown. He did some very horrible and insane things for a month, until he was banished as punishment. He then build a new lab and library in swamp, and that was were he kept studying. But now the family had forgotten about him, but so had his own except for his brother. And I was born around that time. The first time Melanthios went into the city again, was to visit his brother and me."
"A fake mental mental break down, yes that sounds like something he would do." Zareth nodded along. What did it say about the two of them that he could accept that so easily?
Valerie seemed happy Zareth agreed. "After that a couple of years passed. Slowly people were beginning to see strange signs. You see we had future watchers and oracles, and all kinds of people who could see into the future. But suddenly their visions were becoming weaker, panic slowly spread through the land. That is when they came." She said not hiding her contempt for the things. "At first there were only a couple, but soon there were millions of them."
His mind went back to the creatures that had come from the mourning garden, of what Carnivox had told him of being one. "And they were?"
"Shades, beings from another dimension. They were completely black and absorbed any life energy they could get their hands on. Grass died around them, they poisoned the water. The animals died, and they attacked anything on sight. And the worst part is there were completely immortal, the only way to stop them was to combine all elements and fight them head on. But the family had grown fat and weak because of their unchallenged rule. They were barely able to combine 3 elements, let alone all of them. So we had no chance against them. Of course we didn't stop fighting, billions of soldiers were sent to deal with them. None returned... One of them was my father." Valerie said her voice dripping with anger, it was clear she hated them.
"I'm sorry to hear that." His voice lowered. Zareth lead her back to the table he had been reading at, it looked like Valerie was in some pain remembering this. If he was being honest the idea of these shades made him uneasy. How close had he come to becoming something like that?
Valerie followed Zareth, she seemed to calm down. She took a seat and then looked at him "There is more to the story. But I don't know how comfortable Melanthios is with me telling you that." She said looking uncertain.
"All things in their time." He smiled. "I can always talk to Melanthios himself about it if the need ever arises. Please carry on with your story, I need to know how you ended up here."
Valerie looked at Zareth. "That is kind of the part, of which I am not sure I am allowed to tell you. But let's just say that I had to regain my power for a while, and that Melanthios found me and gave me this power."
"Well it suits you wonderfully." If she didn't want to discuss the mechanics of her reincarnation that was up to her, but he made a note to make sure to find out later. "So what did you hope to find in my little collection?"
Valerie smiled when she got the compliment, she then answered Zareth's question. "I wanted to look into gods. To be more precise if they can die, and if they do can they be reborn. I am just curious about the subject, do you have any books on them?" She asked looking around.
With a huff Zareth pulled himself out of his chair and went rummaging throught the shelves of the library. He came back with a trio of small, leather bound books. Each one marked with a different name. "Olek and Tsuronte." He pushed the first two towards her. "Proof that a god can die." Then he passed her a green tome, its front simplt read: Carnivox. "A possible case of rebirth, but really it depends on how you look at things. You'd have to ask him for better details. There are a pair of Goddesses here who have mentioned living past lives, but I haven't managed to get any real information from them."
She stood up and looked what Zareth was doing. She then accepted the books with a wide smile. "Thank you very much Zareth. I am glad to see my uncle has such good friends." She said as she gave Zareth a quick hug, she then let go and opened the first book. "So who is this Carnivox?" She asked looking back up at Zareth.
The feeling of her warm body, even quickly, pressed up against him made the mist around Zareth flutter. From a hug... I need to get out more.
"He's my son. At least by god standards. We had a complicated first meeting but after a while, we found something in each other. Something we each needed. He doesn't talk about his first life much, honestly I think he'd rather forget it ever happened."
Valerie nodded. "In that case I won't press him. I will only ask him a few questions, if he doesn't want to talk I will leave him alone. That is if you are alright with that?" She asked looking at Zareth, she put the books in her backpack.
"Of course, I think it would do him some good to get some of it out in the open."
Valerie smiled "Thank you once again Zareth." She said as she turned around. She walked towards the door, and turned around once she had reached it. "You wouldn't mind me lending these books for a few days right?"
"By all means, you should finish them quickly."
She was happy to hear that. "Thank you once again." She then teleported out of the room. She reappeared outside of the palace. She had deiced to go for a walk while reading the books, some 'fresh' air would do her good. She began to read while walking.
The new living thing had been walking through Evermoor for an hour or so, Zareth really had to get a better security guard. Looked like she'd taken some of Zareth's books as well, this one had guts. She settled under one of the trees, may as well take it down now.
An arrow buiried itself in the trunk next to Valarie's head. "I'm getting reallt tired of firing warning shots these days." He called out as he jumped from his perch and aimed his next arrow at her chest... pity, it was a good one.
Valerie noticed the arrow, right before it hit the tree beside her. She looked up to see a strange creature with a bow jumping down. Without hesitating for a second, she made an shield around herself to deflect the next arrow. She also jumped up and made a 'gun'. It was still a strange weapon for her, but she aimed at the thing and fired a beam of red energy.
The wolf's eyes widened in suprise as he strange burst of light shot right at him, purely out of instinct he ducked. Just in time if the smell of singed fur was anything to go by. "Now that's more like it!" He roared. It had been too long since he'd had a good old fashioned fight. He gave his reply by strafing her as knocked a pair of arrows and fired.
To her dismay the energy missed. Still the 'gun' was an excellent weapon, she just had to make sure to hit the next time. The man beats seemed excited by her reaction, she had to admit this was rather fun. He fired a few more arrow at her. She once again called on a shield, but one arrow was too fast. It grazed her check opening up a small wound, she used her free hand to aim at the thing with the gun. She then fired an much larger if weaker beam at the man.
Oh crap. Carnivox couldn't dodge this one. The heat washed over him and his bow began to crack and smoulder. Only one thing to do now. He dropped the useless weapon and charged through the heat and slammed into the intruder, somehow she seemed smaller up close. He pinned her against the tree and was about to go for the kill - wait... she wasn't scared of him...
The attacked seemed to work, the bow began to break. The man beats charged at her, it was too late to dodge. She quickly made a knife, and was then slammed into the tree. She looked up at the beast man who seemed surprised by her "I suggest you let me go. Unless you weren't planning on getting any offspring." She said grinning with a busted lip, as she held her knife under his crotch.
Oh... that was good! Well since they were exchanging threats, he opened his jaws letting out a territorial yawn. He leaned over her and let his mouth open wide enough to fit her face inside. That seemed to freak her out for the second he needed to lunge down at her neck, letting him his teeth press into he soft skin just a little bit. "Muffmrnmlm." It was hard to talk with a mouth full of neck... he may not have thought this through.
The man beast opened his jaw and let out a very loud roar, she placed the knife closed to his crotch. Her mouth then opened in horror, as she saw his giant mouth. She dropped her dagger, and he lunged at her and placed his mouth around her neck, and then said something she couldn't make it. "Never underestimate a wizard!" She yelled, as her skin began to turn to metal. She then hit the man beast as hard as possible in his crotch, with her knee. And she used her other leg to try and push him off.
"Gyah!" Carnivox recoiled, what was it with this one and his crotch? He regained a bit of his footing and grabbed her wrist, all he had to do was - no. Wasn't happening. His knees buckled from the pain between his legs and he fell to the ground, taking the little wizard with him. The two of them thrashed on the ground for a moment before he managed to wrestel himself on top of her. "The hell are you?!" He growled.
The man beast seemed to be affected, but he still grabbed her. He then fell down, and dragged her along with him. She tried to get the upper hand, but he had much more strength then her. Once he was on top of her he asked who she was. "My name is Valerie. And if you don't release me right now, I will use my magic to kill you werewolf!" She began charging another spell.
Werewolf?! That as just insulting. "Better wizards than you have tried!" He positioned himelf over her to get a better grounding and wrestled her hands back. "You're on my ground now!"
She grinned. "No werewolf, you are in my trap now." She activated her spell, The werewolf was blown off her by her shockwave. She quickly jumped up and made 2 fire swords. "Let's see what you got fang boy." She said with a exited expression.
Fang boy? He shook the thought out of his head and his senses back into it before leaping back up. This was getting fun, more fun than the dragons were these days. Finally he had an opponent worth their salt and her eagerness was getting infectious. He charged full pelt at her, lowering his head enough to bring the tips of his antlers to bare.
The man seemed to enjoy the fight just as much as she was. He charged at her, she waited until the last moment to dodge. She jumped up avoiding him, she then shot a small fireball at his behind. She landed and looked at him "Is that all you have?" She asked teasingly.
This one really hat a thing for targeting him in all the wrong places, maybe she was as pent up as the plants people. "Fine, your turn." It was time for a change of tactic. he started aproaching her, slower than before, and shaking his head rapidly so he could change his form.
She took a stance and looked at the man. He was shaking his head for some reason, she would soon find out why. She ran towards him, then jumped and span trying to kick him with her right leg.
This was it. Carnivox took the hit to his side and trapped her leg under his arm. His change was done and his vision had stopped blurring. Their faces were inches apart as he grinned at her with his elven face, showing off a forest of fangs. "Good to see you're flexible as well." He laughed sharply.
The man caught her leg underneath his arm. He took on a elven face and puller her closer. He then complimented her flexibility. "You are not my type, sorry." She said with a grin, she then dropped herself backwards, and used her other leg to kick him against his face.
Their fight was interrupted when a flock of phoenixes swarmed over them.
The flock seemed to catch Valerie as she fell and pushed Carnivox backwards. As the birds circled and span they formed in a bemused looking Zareth. "Seems I can't leave anyone unsupervised around here these days."
Valerie placed her 2 legs on the floor again. She looked at the beast men, and then Zareth. "Is he a friend of yours?" She asked as she began to heal her busted lip.
The death god stroked his hand across Valerie's cheek, wiping the scratch left by the arrow away as if it had never been there. "He is Carnivox and it looks like you have an idea of what our first meeting was like."
Valerie felt the death god's hand heal her, his hand was strangely warm. "Thank you for the healing. And it is a pleasure to meet you fang boy. I am Melanthios' niece." She said as she extended her hand with a teasing smile.
"So Mel finally made something good eh? Bout time!" For the first time Carnivox actually shook the hand of the person offering it instaed of just sniffing it... Though he did give it a quick sniff. She smelled fresh.
"My apologies." Zareth said. "I should have warned you, Car tends to greet most new people with violence."
Valerie shook Car's hand, she was amused at the nickname Mel. She looked at Zareth and said "That is fine Zareth. It isn't like I didn't enjoy the workout." She then looked back at Car. "Would you mind answering a few questions I had?"
Zareth and Carnivox held a telepathic conversation. Not a mystical one, the kind two people who have know each other for long enough can have through facial expressions alone. "Fiiiine." The Hunter conceded.
"Thank you once again Zareth, I will be sure tell Mel of your kindness. Anyway." She said looking at Car "Follow me Car." She began walking towards a magic circle that would take them back to her uncles library.
"You behave now." Zareth warned his son as he waved the two of them off.
Pentar looked at the scry and chuckled with amusement. So the other Gods were fighting each other while he could sit back and watch. The God of Order certainly had no qualms about that. This anti-Seith alliance was most curious though; the trio had been expected, but what had made Aen so aggressive all of a sudden? He had probably been manipulated by M'ender and the others, the poor soul. The appearance of Eldarwen had been unexpected as well. She seemed almost unpredictable, and may have to be dealt with later. But she did not seem to pose a threat now, so Pentar banished the thought. He waved the scry away and took off to the skies of Evalon.
As Pentar took in the terrain below, he thought of the implications of the recent battle. Clearly his enemies were putting their unholy plans into action, becoming more outspoken. He very well might find himself on the receiving end of their next assault, and he had no intention of being caught with his godly pants down. He would need new allies and, maybe even more importantly, the tools necessary to defend himself and enforce order in the universe. Pentar returned his focus the the earth below and realized that he had drifted to Gawmforj, an active volcano and home to one of the great Dwarven cities. "Perfect." he said to himself, and descended to the peak of the volcano.
"Gawmforj" meant "Forge of God" in the Dwarf's language, and today it would earn it's name. Pentar raised his hands and the magma rose with them, his divine will shaping the molten rock into it's destined shape. From the lava he built the figure of a massive warhammer, proportional only to a God. Below, the citizens of the city watched in awe. They knew they were watching the expression of great power, just as the bird knows to fly south at winter. The figure complete, Pentar released his power into the hammer. The volcano erupted, spewing hot rock and flaming magma all around. But, thanks to the mercy and mindfulness of their God, none of the Dwarves below were harmed. When the dust had settled, many could swear they saw Pentar standing atop the mountain just before a flash of lightning whisked him away to the heavens.
Create Gawmfust (Pentar's Warhammer) a +2 item: DC15
+4 Order
+4 Justice
+2 Lightning
Aen felt drained, and not because of all the power he'd been blasting off in an attempt to calm down. In the end, his actions had hurt M'endar and sealed Seith away forever. It may not have been his intention, but it had been the result. He'd been angry at the other gods at first, then at himself, and now he didn't feel anything at all. It was fitting then that he be surrounded by nothingness again. Alone, just as he had been at first. He curled up again, into himself, shutting out the world while simultaneously locking away himself. After that, time slipped away.
When he came to, nothing had changed without. But inside, he had changed. He was done whining about the problems he'd caused. If he was to be a slayer of his brothers, he would do it on his own terms, and only when he must. But before even that, he must do a little more to right the wrongs he'd created.
Coelus wasn't really his favorite place in the universe, and after what he'd done, he wasn't sure it'd ever like him much either. Still, there was someone on it he needed, and hopefully, needed him. He moved swiftly and invisibly among the mortals, seeking only one in particular. He was sloppy, and a few noticed some disturbance; a rush of air, a glimpse out of the corner of the eye, and the slap of boots on diamond. Aen spared not a moment on these people: they would never know what had truly happened, let them wonder til the end of their days. It was only once he'd found what he was looking for that he paused at all. In fact, so caught up in the search was he, that when he found her, he passed right by. There she was. Not so pretty as when she was divine, but it had rubbed off on her, and that little spark shone through. That wasn't all that was different, however.
His time spent with Zareth in Evermoor made him accustomed to death, familiar even. This... wasn't like that. Twice dead, or close enough, and twisted twice to boot, not to mention having a part of her very being torn out of her; Sephariel, or whatever she was now, was a mess inside. Looking into it like this almost hurt, and he wasn't sure he wanted to twist it again. But perhaps... that wasn't necessary. The divinity was still there, and so was the monster. As it was, the mortal shell was hurting her more than helping. And that, perhaps, is where he'd come in.
He prodded her along softly, invisibly, a slight push on the back, a whisper in the ear, a tugging on her hand in the right direction. It wasn't hard, since she was little more than a husk now. When she faltered, it only made him more determined to fix her. Soon, she was away from the others, where no one would bother them. He materialized before her, but she kept staring on blankly. "Not much longer," he promised, but couldn't stand to look into the cold, lifeless eyes. He shuddered and got to work. He tugged at the soul, pulling it out as painlessly as possible, unsure if she would even cry out if he did. At the same time, he crafted something to house her, a set of armor meant to hold the ethereal. As he pulled out the soul, he weaved it into the armor, runes lighting up as more set in. He could feel the soul's will now, half urging him on, half screaming at him to stop, yet he did not hesitate. Finally, as the last bit left the mortal shell and moved into the now full (in a sense, at least) armor. Small cracks and leaks broke through the armor as the soul began to settle in. He stepped back and hoped he'd bound the soul correctly.
<spoiler = Actions>
Make a Demi-God, DC 15
Domains Combat +6, Runic +4, Chivalry +2
Melanthios was very surprised to see that his niece left before the ritual was done. She had always been impatient, but this was a whole new level. Still he was very glad to see how she was doing, he had been frightened that she might be angry or sad. Melanthios took a seat again, he looked up to see two confused looking demigods. "Ah there you are my sons, come on over here." Akladai and Maeglin looked very confused, they eventual both walked towards him.
"Melanthios?" Akladai asked looking at him. He stood up, "This is what I used to look like before the rebirth. Also I am sure you have already felt it, I made a new demigod. She used to be my niece." Maeglin nodded as he walked around him, "So this is what you used to look like father..." He nodded and watched both his sons. Akladai grabbed his fathers hand and looked at it, "I see... Well I believe you." Maeglin nodded, "I believe you too Melanthios." He smiled as he hugged both his sons. "I am very happy to hear that." He then let go and walked off. "We have much work to do." The two brothers looked at each other, they nodded and followed their father.
"During my short time away I learned something. We have to keep people in line, or else they will turn on us." He stopped and turned around. "And that is why you two are going to make something to keep them in line." "Like what?" Maeglin asked. "Two new guilds. One to hunt people down who are against us, and one to keep the evil magic in check. They will both function as peace keepers, though they will be different." Melanthios looked into both his sons' eyes.
Akladai nodded first, "I will make one to hunt our enemies down. They will be questioned and we will eliminate any threats." Maeglin then spoke, "I will create an order to keep the magic in check. They will watch the mages and make sure they stay away from forbidden magic." Melanthios smiled. "That sounds like an excellent plan. Use the orb of creation of aid you both," He said as he handed the orb to them. "I must now leave, we will regroup on Oculus Obscuritatis alright?" all three nodded before they teleported.
Melanthios appeared on Oculus Obscuritatis. It was time to do something he had been wanting to do for a long time. He headed into the secret base.
Akladai appeared inside a camp with 50 Dues Filli in it, all of them extremist who hunted betrayers of Melanthios. "Greetings everyone, I am Akladai." They all looked dumbfound, they fell to the ground and prayed to him. He lifted his hands and said, "There is no need for this. Please stand up, so we can talk as equals." The men all stood up, staring at their god. "You are all special, and that is why I chose you. You will be my divine agents, and you will pass judgment on any non believers you can find. And for that I will reward you in the afterlife!"
They yelled and shouted, they all seemed very excited. Akladai made 50 ghost full of knowledge and power. "If you can absorb these ghosts, everything will become clear." The prisoners touched the ghost, not even hesitating for a moment. They all fell to the ground, knocked out by a giant amount of knowledge. Akladai teleported once more to his younger brother, leaving his new disciples to absorb the new knowledge.
Maeglin appeared in front of 50 strong Dues Filli. They were all known for hating dark magic and had their own reasons for doing so. "Greetings men." All the Dues Filli took a military stance and said, "Greetings mighty king!" then they all bowed. Maeglin looked at the men, they were perfect. "Alright men, I have a new mission for you. I want you to start a new guild, and hunt down mages who use forbidden arts.
The men all grinned as they answered. "Sir, yes sir!" Maeglin then felt someone appear, he saw his brother who handed him the orb. "Alright then men, I will make spirits of knowledge now. Absorb them, learn from them and use their power to make the strongest guild there is!" "Sir, yes sir!" The men answered, all saluting. Maeglin made 50 spirits who flew into the Deus Filli, who were once again knocked out.
"That went quite well, don't you think?" Akladai nodded, "That went well indeed little brother. Now let us depart, our father needs us." Maeglin nodded, both men focused and they teleported again. This time to Oculus Obscuritatis, to meet up with their father.
Akladai:
Create the order of the darkness.
Difficulty: 7
Usage: 2 AP
Domain: Forbidden knowledge +4, +2 creation.
Maeglin:
Create the order of the light.
Difficulty: 7
Usage: 2 AP
Domain: Leadership +4, +2 creation.
She felt the young woman shift and move under her touch; the erikuru was chaging, but Ailish hoped that she would emerge with that wildfire within directed.
"Aen and M'endar are attacking me. I would appreciate it if you came to the observatory to stop them."
Her neck snapped back at where she heard the voice from. While she had no want for Seith, it was the other creature she was afraid for: The reconfigured Horror.
"I must be going." the goddess said quickly, a tear dropping from her eyes. "Someone very close to me may be dying if I do not come to her aid. I would be happy if you would help me."
She could not linger for long in this world; if her familiar is dead, all hopes of seeing them again would be lost forever.
<spoiler=Rememberance>Reolis. That was the name she remembered of him. The bleeding god they called him; said that all magick bled from the gods to mortals, and that he bled the most for them. She saw pain riddled on his face as blatant as the gigantic opening from the neck to his ringpiece, and quartz-like blood oozing out into a drain below. Unable to move, unable to cry, barely able to think.
Ailish pitied him, believing that he did not need to perpetually suffer as he did. She borrowed crafting tools from Feid'hlim the Healer and prepared to close his wounds forever. Yet the bleeding god stopped him; broke the salve she was making for him. "I had chosen this. I wanted this." he said to her. "At their basest the mortals believe that their lot is a prison. They do not see the wonder that surrounds their days... They must be reminded, lest they kill themselves in grief."
It hurt her to see him in pain, but Reolis would not have any of it. Each day the goddess supposed that her feelings for him grew and grew until she stopped coming out of concern, and started to because she wanted to. Gradually what she brought were gifts from the mead hall or the worlds of mortals, which brought a smile on his face, though not for the gifts. "Your kindness is enough of a gift." From those times they met, she had learned from him, and perhaps he from her. The goddess had seen love as something more than gratification.
When the heavens broke Reolis was the first he came to, but instead of his contented grimace, she nearly drowned in his blood; the room became a torrent of shining ichor, and the Bleeding god took far too much pleasure in the obvious pain. The man she remembered swelled into an amorphous blob with eyes and bleeding orifaces all over him. She could only flee from him lest the goddess suffer a similar fate.
When she first came to purgatory, she had thought that the bleeding god was lost. Then she saw the faces within Horror. And hope flooded her senses. She saw him in three others; one in the hands of a dark god, one caged in a cage of birds, and one trapped in a demi-plane. The task was difficult, but not at all impossible.
She will restore him, and damn all who would raise a hand against the pieces of Reolis.
From the corner of her eye she saw one of her fellow gods. The look on his face in deep focus, as if something momentous was being made. The goddess would send him her aid - whether he asked for it or not. Saving the amethyst tear from before, she dropped it from above the object in question. The volcanic heat made the droplet shrink, but not vanish; if anything the fire forged it into a crystal. Until the tear struck the hammer; it fragmented and scattered throughout the surface, dotting it in dark purple speckles and charging it further with all she knew of the weaponsmiths of the heaven.
*****
Finally she arrived in the observatory, the entire realm a distorted wreck. Something had happened to the land certainly, but what?
"Are you still here??" She cried out to the changed Horror. "Hello!?"
<spoiler=Action>Assist in Pentar's forging [+8 Lore]
Eldarwen was happy to see Ailish unscathed, and embraced the woman in a hug. She put her head against her shoulder, and whispered in her ear. "I wish to thank you, for keeping Sonitus safe and everything you've done for us, so far." She chuckled. "I hope she was able to please you, if you know what I mean. As a mortal, she was irresistible. Too cute for her own good, so I had to step in to protect her from those who could not take no for an answer. Unfortunately, one time is enough and I was too late."
The woman seemed distracted however, and soon excused herself. "I must be going. Someone very close to me may be dying if I do not come to her aid. I would be happy if you would help me."
It was no wonder that Sonitus greatest phobia was getting strangled, though somewhat surprising how she had become so promiscuous as a demigod. She stopped thinking about her own child, and wondered what Ailish meant.
She needed to keep her close too, but let go off her for now, the godess had been careless and surely brought the anger of some of the other gods upon her when she opened the portal. She didn't think she had meant any harm, she had done too much good since. At least for Eldarwen, maybe she could convince the others of the same. Who was it that had been close to Ailish though? She had no idea.
She also had to make sure to apologize to Aen when she got the chance and he had calmed down. Seith was gone, but that was only one problem taken care off. They would come after the rest of them now, she had little doubt about that. The god of enlightenment had been the only one to oppose them, and he had not been wrong in doing so. Vermin should not go unopposed, but his need to spy on everything she did had been a nuisance and his pacifist nature would never have solved the problem.
Eldarwen remembered what she had told him, that she would come to his aid. Yet she had not. In fact, she had struck someone down to get ahead. She hadn't even considered why, just that she needed to do it if she wanted to become stronger. Did the end justify the means then?
She looked at her palm, in which she had held her staff and attacked someone who had not put up a fight. It didn't feel wrong, it just felt different, but from what? It wasn't the only time she had killed someone who hadn't put up a fight. Was that who she was now then? A murderer.
She turned her eyes away from her palm, to look up at her city. While she was certainly a killer, it wasn't quite that simple. She had done much more, it could be seen by turning her eyes away from herself for a moment. The planets, the garden in the hallowed court and her own people. She had brought back those who had killed her, despite that a lust for revenge had burned in her at the time. Though recently she had imprisoned someone who she had given her word to protect and killed many. When had she strayed from her old path?
As a queen, she needed to control her people and kingdom. Those who got in the way needed to be put down. That was it, wasn't it? She was a godess and not a ruler. Thousands of years she had ruled them and controlled their development in the direction she wanted them to go, but was that really her intended role to begin with? Those she had killed had opposed the queen, but had they really opposed her? No, she didn't honestly believe so.
She had listened to a ghost of a mortal. As a godess, she should have known better and yet, she had wronged. There was little denying that, when the reality of her actions came crashing down on her. She should have guided them and let them find their own way. She had ruled them instead, which might not have been wrong, had it not been for the fact that she felt an urge to destroy anyone who got in her way.
Eldarwen changed her avatar, from the disguise of a tyrant to that of the godess, but then she remembered the avatar that had felt natural to her the first time she had entered this universe. She had thrown it away, because it was a painful reminder to her of what had happened. It was a part of her past though, of who she was, and it was the best one to use if she wanted to make amends.
<spoiler=New Avatar>
The mirrors were gone and she could not look upon her own visage, but the first thing she did was raise her hands to touch her face and her ears. They belonged to the mortal elf who had been raised by the Kami to save them from exctinction, and they brought memory back to her of when she had been nothing else than a weak mortal.
Why did she hate them? They had killed her people and harmed her domain, but that had been in a different universe. No one had done that much harm here, in this one. It could be argued that it was because she hadn't given them a chance, but if she was powerful enough to prevent it from ever happening then she should be strong enough to stop them if it did happen.
She recollected being a pacifist in life, and now she had more blood on her hands than most mortals could get in a lifetime. Someone else would have to take over, she couldn't be their queen and their godess. She may be strong, but she wasn't that strong. Her ideals would clash with that of the queen's. They already had. How many more would have to die for her to remain in control? What would happen if they ever had enough of her and rebelled?
"I am who I am and I can't change what I have done, but I was never meant to be a queen of mortals. I see that now. I will not let myself be corrupted by power, by mortals and their wills anymore. I shall watch over you, as I always have, but you are on your own now." She felt a couple of tears trickling down behind her mask, as she let her voice ring out across Eld. "I hope that, there was at least something I did right..."
One time in a different universe she had tried to unite the animals and the spirits, to make them fight for their own survival. She had failed then, but someone needed to step up and try to bring unity to the universe. If Seith's imprisonment had shown them anything, it was who the enemy was and even if Aen had lead the attack, she did not think he was evil.
They didn't need them. Eldarwen was the strongest, and they were likely to go after her next and then anyone else who got in their way. So be it, let those who could not attack a lone god without the brave Aen to lead the charge come. She grinned and shook her head at the silly thought.
She sent messages to her demigods. Sonitus, I need to borrow some of your power again. Auctor, I need you to create a gift and visit the god of order on my behalf.
Sonitus appeared a while later. "What is it you need me for, mother?" She had made sure that the space whale had gotten to Minas Kei, before she left the angels. It had been a fast trip, but her powers had helped speed it up.
"To show that there is still good alive in this world? To bring about our end? I must try and unite what seems as though it will always remain broken. Though I may fail and suffer for it, we will all die at some point, but I will be waiting for you on the other side. In the end, it is as if the cosmos itself encourages me to set the loss of another god straight. A new world order." She placed her hand on the mask, to hide her smile. Or at least, show that they will not have their way. "Lend me your sword."
"I love you." Sonitus said and wiped a tear making it way down Eldarwen's cheek, knowing that she couldn't dissuade her from this course of action and gave her the sword.
Eldarwen took Amour and placed her hand on Sonitus' armor, but before she used them, she also sent a message to Roe. The child god might be just that, a child, but he had power much like the rest of them. "Hello Roe, I wish to play a game with you. Why don't we meet somewhere?"
She felt Aen trying to use his power as well, and sent both her voice and help. "I am deeply sorry if I offended you with my words. However, you must realize that they would have come after you if you had tried to interfere. Seith was not worth getting imprisoned over. Maybe no one is, but I would have missed you."
She sent her power to the god of order as well, before she turned to demonstrate that those who had imprisoned Seith would not get their way just because he was gone.
The queen threw the sword back to Sonitus and she catched it. "Get out of here, and bring her with you." She pointed at Venator on the ground. "I don't care where you go, just listen when I call."
Sonitus picked Venator up, the air reverberated with her music and they disappeared.
Assist Pentar +4 Nature magic. It's made in a volcano, part of nature.
Auctor 7
She had been spending a few hours talking with Alectra, about her inventions and confessed that she had produced a copy of her journal, lest her knowledge be lost to their people. That's when Eldarwen's voice broke in on them and she almost fainted at the thought of the godess finding them together. Luckily, she wasn't anywhere close.
She wants me to bring a gift to the god of order?
It seemed strange, but her mother's plans were erratic at times. She did understand why Eldarwen couldn't do it herself. Auctor was better suited for trying to forge an alliance with him, as she did respect order and fairness. She had not been idle for a thousand years. She had tried to get as much knowledge about the gods and the universe as she could. Perhaps, it would pay off.
She summoned a scroll and wrote down another one of her spells.
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
<spoiler=Action>DC5. AP1. Create a trivial mortal-scale magic item.
Words +4
Create a living flower made of glass. It has the ability to reproduce like any other plant, but is made of pure glass and will only grow where order and fairness rules the land.
Something was fighting his niece's creation, he could feel it was Eldarwen. THAT *****! He would pay her back equally, he called upon the orb of infinity and hindered her daughter from being born. He then send a message "Brothers Eldarwen has just declared war upon me, without a reason. I request your aid with slay this warmongering menace."
He then thought about the other gods, what if they were to back her up? "Greetings fellow gods. You might not know me, but my name is Melanthios. Eldarwen just attacked me, without any kind of reason. I beg you not to aid this woman. And any help against this mad woman, would be appreciated and rewarded." He then remembered Vantric and his item creation. He send his power to help him, hoping he would do the same.
Zareth waved goodbye to the two as they went on their way, it seemed the young sorceress had made an impact on both him and Carnivox. Goodbye Valarie, may I never have to see you placed in my kingdom.
His moment of pleasant peace was broken though as he felt several other tremors throughout creation. Something was happening... powers were growing. He wasn't sure what was going on but he felt down to his core that none of it was good.
Zareth made his way to the surface of the mortal world and looked out to the sky. A storm was coming. Then he felt it, a wave of energy as the gods showed their power and fury as creation and destruction washed over each other.
"Brothers Eldarwen has just declared war upon me, without a reason. I request your aid with slay this warmongering menace."
Just once I'd like to be wrong.
Assist Melanthios in making a demigod - +6 death +4 Age
Assist Vantric in item making - +6 death +2 crafting +2 combat
Damn her. He thought, she had crossed a line. This was unwarranted, unacceptable. If Eldarwen wanted enemies, then she had made one. He scowled.
Brothers Eldarwen has just declared war upon me, without a reason. I request your aid with slay this warmongering menace." It was Melanthios.
She truly had lost her mind. I will come soon. He replied to Melanthios, to others he thought might be useful he sent a message. I am being hindered by Eldarwen. Any aid in countering her power would be welcome. To Melanthios he sent his own power. He spent a special package to Eldarwen.
What? Seith had teleported him away, but why? Lennonous was ready to defend his father to the death! It wasn't like teleporting would help him anyway, after all, it wouldn't be long before he was followed. Lennonous was on Evalon, the same place he had died to become a demi-god. He prepared himself for what might be his last fight. Isond stepped out of a portal.
"So, you came. I hope you are proud of yourself. So much death...well I'm not afraid. Come at me if you must!"
Isond emerged. The trail was fresh here. He was close. He sped forward, finally emerging at the end. He recognized Evalon. It was a meaningless gesture to teleport Lennonous away. Now, he could finish the job.
Lennonous still bore the scars of their last battle. The angel would be an easy kill. He hefted his ax. "Big words from one so wounded. This won't take long. You weren't a match for me when we first fought, you're even less of one now." He readied his weaon. "Now stay still and die."
The storm clouds moved in unnaturally fast. With a clap of thunder, or perhaps the roar of an angry dragon, Grix was there, fast as the wind. A few flaps of his wings and he had placed himself between Lennonous and Isond. With a snort he reached out to the both of them telepathically and spoke. 'No. No more death today.'
Lennonous saw Aen's dragon. He had helped in taking down Seith, and now he calls for peace? It had to be a trick to lower his guard down. That was the only explanation. "I know what you did, you helped harm my father. Why now would you seek to help me? Speak, damn you!"
Isond glared at the dragon. This was not going to plan. "I don't take orders from you." He called, holding his ground. This complicated matters immensely. He looked past the dragon to Lennonous, still defiant to the last, and stupidly calling out the only thing that might save his miserable life. Even wounded as he was, Isond didn't fancy trying to push the dragon and risk a two on one-or one and a half on one rather-fight with Lennonous.
'You are angry that I came to help my creator, yet you did the same for your own.' Grix laughed at the angel. 'I come in peace for the same reason I came in violence before. It is what Aen asked of me.'
The dragon turned it's head back to the Lainir, though it mattered little who he faced when he spoke. 'It was not an order, but I think you'll find enough reason to obey all the same.'
Lennonous looked at the sky, the dragon was most certainly arrogant, but it had yet to attack. Lennonous figured at this point, if the dragon was lying, resistance would be pointless. Might as well trust him for now. "So the god of war wishes to stop the violence now when my sister lays dead at the hands of his alliance, my father...being sealed...and myself wounded?"
The angel spat on the ground, blood soaking the grass. He turned to Isond, hands glowing with light magic. "You heard him assassin, leave now."
Isond kept his stance, ax forward. "I'm not going anywhere." He said. Though his position had just gotten more dangerous. He was supposed to clean up the remains of Seith's ruined rule. Instead, he was facing down some less than favorable odds. "Grix. Leave." He ordered, hoping that the dragon would listen to reason. "This is between the corpse-to-be and myself."
From the way the dragon was looking, it didn't seem like he would listen to that. He needed a new approach. He cursed, wishing Vantric were here, then cursed again for wishing that. The smug bastard would be just what he needed to compound matters. Then an idea hit. "Aen is a god of combat." He said, "I was engaged in a duel with Lennonous. He fled. I'm just finishing up our battle. Please don't interfere. I believe that your own master wouldn't like it."
Grix laughed, not a mocking laugh like before but deep and throaty, the way only a dragon could. 'That was not a duel, nor was it your fight. This entire thing has been one disaster after another, and what Aen wants above all else is for no one else to come to harm from this battle.'
"Ah, you see." Isond said, "I disagree with that. I fought Lennonous. His wounds came from me. My ax has drawn his blood. It's a matter of professional integrity that I finish the job."
He gritted his teeth. He didn't know what he'd do if the dragon refused to leave, but he would see the end of Lennonous, one way or another. "This disaster will end when I have his head. If you'd like to conclude this affair with as little bloodshed as possible, then stand aside, or aid me. It only ends with his death." He pointed to Lennonous.
'Then I suppose it will never end,' said the dragon, his voice beginning to lose its calm undertones and taking on an angry edge.
Seith was watching this standoff unfold from his observatory. Aen had left him, Pentar had doomed the universe to a fate controlled by the monsters surrounding him. Seith's own light was fading at this point. He could see the future of those around him. One of darkness. Coelus burned, the Dwarves slaughtered, the Humans enslaved, the Girigori corrupted. It all seemed so bleak, the god of light raged at his vision and fought it. He was a planner, this wasn't how it had to end! He could fight the future, but how?
"Lennonous..." the god whispered, glass coming ever closer. His son could be the answer. Seith wasn't sure if such an action was even possible, but he had to try. The universe couldn't end like this. He wouldn't let it. His sacrifice would not be in vein. His son could do it, his son could help unite the gods against evil and against tyranny. The time of peace had ended, Lennonous would not fail as Seith had.
Seith's prison was now building itself, shards slowly covering the area around him. Seith took a last look around, a look at all he and his fellow gods had created. What he tried to protect. A singular tear fell and pooled around the glass at his feet. It was time.
The god began transferring all of his light into one finger, his essence, what made him a god. There was only one piece left to fill his prison, but Seith had all the time he needed and let his essence eep out and sneak away past the trio's view, into space and straight to change the bleak future predicted. The last action seemed to drain Seith past what even he could stand. He laid down in his coffin, sparks of light jolting off his body one after another, slowly becoming less and less.
The last piece melded and the prison began to leave, carrying but an empty husk of the god of light. Hope however, had escaped and not all was lost.
The ball of light traveled the universe, zipping around to its destination of Evalon. The posturing still continued, it hoped to put an end to that. It raced toward its target, Lennonous. Before anyone knew what happened, the ball fused into the body of the angel.
The energy hit Lennonous like a truck. The angel soared fifty feet in the air and before he knew what was going on, he was surrounded by light, fire, water and everything else he could imagine. The information flowing through his head was gigantic, endless even. The unending cluster sounds formed one phrase, clear as crystal, "Save Coelus, protect the Girigori." Then, darkness.
Lennonous fell to the ground and hit with a thud, but his form was changing. His golden hair grew out to his back, his robes replaced with shimmering armor and in his left arm he now held a shield. He slowly rose and witnessed the cataclysm before him. A dragon was staring down some creature holding an ax.
There was a burst of light engulfing the target. Isond squinted against the light, but kept his eyes firmly on Lennonous. He hadn't come this far just to fail. To his surprise, what emerged from the blast wasn't Lennonous, or perhaps it was. He wasn't really sure.
He was tempted to get a closer look, but the ton of scales and muscle blocking his path dissuaded him from that approach. Still, it resembled Lennonous, even had the same wound on his side from where he had struck him. The new form, however, did give him some pause. It wouldn't do well to engage with new complications arising. "This isn't going to plan." Isond muttered, taking a half step back.
Grix fell into the temptation to look at the burst of light behind him. He didn't see it start, but where Lennonous once was, there was now... well, not quite Lennonous. It was close enough though, so Grix figured Aen's request still stood. He turned back to Isond, who seemed to have also fallen subject to distraction. "I agree."
The creature on the ground was still pointing his ax at him. Lennonous knew not of what he was, but he figured he should address it. "What are you doing with that? Are you threatening me?" He rose his sheild up, it seemed natural to him.
Lennonous rose up, shield forward. He certainly didn't look quite as dead as he had a moment before, Isond had to admit. He might have tried fight him regardless, but the dragon still kept him at distance. Even when the demigod was half-dead Isond hadn't wanted to push the fight, the odds were out of his favor, now it seemed they had drifted even moreso.
"I'll admit, you're looking a bit...well Lennonous." He said, "But your parlour tricks won't work."
Grix snorted. 'Parlor trick? I think we both know you're in denial about that. Wounded he may be, but we can both feel that new power radiating off of him.'
Isond was grateful for his face plate as he scowled. The lizard was right. Something had changed. Something important. Pick your battles wisely, He thought, pulling his ax back.
"This is not over, Lennonous." He said before teleporting away. Vantric wouldnt' be happy, and neither was he.
The creature with an ax was talking, but Lennonous could hardly hear. The voices were still raging through his head. Save Coelus, protect the Girigori. Save Coelus...Girigori...Coelus...Giri...then they ended just as the light had. The angel shook his head and watched as the creature teleported away. Now there was just a dragon calming down, storm ending its rage.
"I'm sorry, but what was that? I...what are you?"
'Grix,' he projected. 'A dragon. Mortal once, and no longer. A minor deity, like you. Or rather... like you used to be.' He titled his head and regarded the angel with curiosity. 'I'd ask what you are, but I feel it would lead us nowhere.' Grix lazily glided down to land on the ground near him, then stalked around him, sizing him up.
The dragon, as it claimed, was a deity...whatever that was. Lennonous knew he wasn't comfortable with it right now. He had questions and the term minor meant the dragon probably knew very little that would be useful. It spoke in a mighty voice that resonated through his ears. Lennonous looked down and saw a gaping wound in his side, he quickly willed it healed, though felt the wound might take some time to truly heal. He had no idea where it was from. The lizard landed and began to circle him, he was even more confused.
"What are you doing? I'm sorry, but I think I am going to leave. I have questions that need answering and I am not looking for a fight right now."
Grix looked directly into the new god's eyes before answering. 'If it weren't for me, a fight would have ended you already.' Then he flapped his wings and rose into the air. 'Be careful, fresh one. You have more enemies in this world than you know.' With that, Grix was gone, lost again among the gray clouds.
"I...the ax guy?" Lennonous looked down, answer-less and alone. This world he was on, it felt familiar but only vaguely. Was he the only one on it? The creature hardly even knew. The mountains went seemingly endlessly, but as he gazed he saw what looked like a village, hidden among the mountains. He began the long walk over, a new beginning was in order. Maybe they would know what a Coelus was.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The lord of this planet? Why that would be Roe of course!" The man responded without hesitating, he seemed convinced and this spread to Lennonous. He shook the mortal's hand and smiled. "Thank you. Wonderful story by the way. You should make a habit of telling it." He then flapped his wings and flew off to the highest nearby mountain and stood. His hair flowing in the cold air.
Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know what Roe was. Perhaps asking for this creature's help wouldn't be the best idea. Then again, Lennonous thought of how the humans treated him, kind and with respect and a bit of admiration, without even knowing of his powers. This Roe creature would have to be good. He yelled seemingly nowhere, but had a feeling the right person would hear.
"Roe! I hear you are the owner of these lands! Come down, I have questions for you!"
Roe floated somewhere above Coelus, a smile on his face as he watched Petal playing with the Grigori. They seemed to love her. He heard a voice in his head suddenly
It seemed to be coming from Evalon, but he didn't recognise the god. Leaving Petal to her game, he flew over to the source of voice: northern Chama
Roe plunged down towards the mountain, thudding down in front of Lennonous,
"Hello? Who are you?" he said with a grin once he picked himself up off the ground
Lennonous was surprised to see the lord of this land to be so small...he believed the humans called them children. "You...are Roe? Well, I honestly don't have a name. I was hoping you would have an idea. The humans say you are the lord of this planet."
Lennonous was starting to think he was being tricked. However, this world had already shown itself to be more than simply black and white. The protector would give this god a chance to explain itself a bit. "Oh, could you explain what a Girigori and a Coelus are? All I know is that I am supposed to protect them."
A glint appeared in Roe's eyes when he heard Lennonous' questions, he nodded eagerly.
"I'm Roe, Lord of the Rowan and the Kinderven and the most important King on this planet! You really don't know who you are?" Roe recognised the ascended demigod but he looked... different.
Lennonous shook his head and planted his shield in the ground to move about more freely. "I honestly don't. All I remember is waking up, a strange man with a large ax backing off...and a giant lizard thing the humans call a dragon flying away....what am I?"
It was the most Roe could do to suppress his widening grin, he couldn't believe his luck. This was going to be fun. "You're a god," he started truthfully, "Demigod really... I created you!"
Lennonous cocked his head. The god didn't seem to know who he was yet...now he did? Lennonous was now only more confused. "That's strange...then why did you ask who I was?"
"Eh... I forgot?" Roe looked crestfallen, it looked like he had been caught out before the game even had a chance to begin, "Okay, that was joke," he admitted, "It was Seith who made you but he's been trapped away forever,"
Lennonous had heard of Seith. He actually jumped and looked excited. "You mean the god that took on the leader of the Seven alone and won!?" If he had come from such a creature, then it would make sense he would be assigned a protector's role. But then it struck him. "If...I am Seith's demi-god, then why do I feel more powerful than the ones that I was born near?"
Lennonous paced a bit and stopped himself. "Wait, did he also create the Girigori?"
"Pfffh," Roe snorted, "Seith wasn't the only one to take on the Seven, there was Olek and Tsuranote and..." he quickly listed off over ten gods names before returning to Lennonous' other question. "Yeah, he created the angels too, they're sort of fun to play with,"
Lennonous looked up and pointed to the diamond planet. It radiated a calming green atmosphere and seemed to almost call to him. It was his home, he could almost feel it. "Oh, I am aware. The storyteller was eager to speak forever about the battle." The angel pointed up at the shining gem in the sky. "That's Coelus then?"
"Yeah, that's the planet," Roe replied, "my friend Petal is there right now, you want to go see it?"
"Before we go, what's my name?" Lennonous wanted to know.
Roe was very tempted to lie but he didn't think "Buttface" would be a believable name so he settled for the truth.
"Lennonous" he answered, stumbling slightly over the multiple n's.
"Lennonous?" That...wasn't what he was expecting. He began pacing for a while and responded, "You said my father won't be coming back for a while right? In that case, I am taking a new name." The god looked deep inside himself for inspiration and with a flash of light he smiled and said " From now on, I shall be called Cassiel. Let's go."
"He's never coming back," Roe said with a shake of his head and then leapt up into the sky, beckoning for Cassiel to follow.
"Race you!"
The winged guardian grabbed his shield, Roe began hurrying over but Cassiel had a plan. "Works for me, I think I can win." He said with a smirk. Roe was using the air to launch himself, he figured he could get an edge if he jumped, so he did, kicking snow miles out and into the ocean as he did, he raced through the void and to Coelus.
The race was a dead heat but Cassiel edged ahead slightly as the pair dived towards the diamond planet's surface, the demigod landed just before Roe with a crash on the shining rocks.
"Huh, I only let you win," the young god said sulkily before changing the subject abruptly with a bounce, "Let's go see Petal!"
Cassiel made a hearty laugh. "It was a good race! I am sure you will beat me next time. Lead the way." Cassiel was more than curious about meeting Petal. He was also curious about the sounds far off in the distance. He picked up his shield, embedded in the crystal after the impact and followed.
Roe took Cassiel by the hand and lead him up to the walls of Grega, jumping over into the central square. There they saw a young girl of about six bearing a lustrous pair of white wings sitting cross-legged on a flower, ordering a group of confused-looking Grigori about.
"No, that's not what I asked for... why do you angels never listen?" she exclaimed at the poor mortals, before noticing Roe and Cassiel. She jumped up to give the young god a hug "Hey Roe, where were you?" she asked
"Just meeting someone, his name is eh... Cassette... Cossette... Cosseil?" Roe thought aloud, unable to remember the god's new name.
"Cassiel." The god spoke with a mighty tone. "I assume then," he continued, "that your name is Petal? Roe has mentioned you." Cassiel watched as the Girigori moved in disarray and tried to look deeper. He was shocked, they looked exactly alike. Perhaps he was one of them at some point. Had he been hand picked by his father? Questions and more questions, this universe was full of questions with few answers. "What are you doing with them? They look distressed."
"I'm playing with them but they're being annoying," Petal replied with a frown, "they keep on running away when I try to pick them up. I'm not trying to hurt them, I just want to see what their wings feel like,"
Cassiel laughed. "I assume she was a human child then Roe?" She acted similarly, with little care for details. "Follow me, they might listen better if you talk to them." Honestly, he thought that there was something else. He could see in their eyes a terror that was unlike the first humans he had met.
He hopped down and gestured for Petal to follow. "You are more than welcome to join us Roe."
"Okay," Petal replied and the two children followed Cassiel, unsure of what he intended to do next.
The first Girigori Cassiel met was a woman. She was unlike the others, sporting a fancy looking green hat, but little else. Her robes were plain and she carried little valuables. She was pretty like any other Girigori, graceful even, but she seemed nervous. Cassiel made introductions.
"Do not worry, my name is Cassiel. What is your name?"
The girl quickly answered. "Fatina. Are...are you like the other one?"
Cassiel's brow furrowed. "The other one? You mean Petal?" He pointed to the demi-god behind him.
"No, the other one. The one enslaving us. Has Seith truly abandoned us? Some are saying he has."
"No. He sent me. No harm will come upon you, or any other Girigori tody or any other day. Where is the village?"
The Girl pointed out directions in a way that Cassiel would easily understand. He smiled and bowed. "Also, my friend would like to touch your wings. She is a huge fan of you!"
She blushed a little and shrugged. "Is that what she was trying to do to us? Guess that makes sense. I suppose." She put her wings forward.
Petal stepped forward shyly and felt the feathery layers of the wings, it didn't feel that dissimilar from the tips of her own wings which she could just about reach if she really stretched her arms back. It was nice, like Roe when he was in his fox form.
"Eh... thanks Miss Fantina... and Cassiel" she said in a quiet voice and then hopped back to Roe's side
The Grigori woman seemed somehow familiar to Roe but he couldn't quite remember where from, he hadn't been to Coelus for a long time.
Cassiel turned to Roe with an urgent fire in his eyes. "You heard her. Someone is doing actual damage to them. I don't know who and I have a vague idea as to where, but I am going. I am their protector! I might need help, will you and Petal aid me?"
"Uh, I suppose..." Roe said half-heartedly, he turned to his friend, "What do you think Pets?"
"We can't let anyone hurt them!" Petal said with a horrified look.
"Okay, we're in," Roe replied with a sigh to Cassiel.
Cassiel lowered his head. "I am in your debt then." He saw Roe wasn't too invested, he didn't want to have his new friend put off, he thought and found that Roe liked games. Perhaps this should be one too? "Think of it like this Roe, it's a game. We keep the Girigori safe and win applause! Whoever they applaud most, wins the game."
Roe perked up as he listened to the other god's suggestion. "Is there a prize?" he asked eagerly.
Cassiel at the girigori shops, most were transparent and had amazingly ornate trinkets, cut off of diamonds impossibly rare on other planets. It seemed they could do almost anything with the rock.
"Tell you what, whoever wins will ask the greatest artisan in the town to make whatever they want. It could be a cup, a horse, anything!"
"Yes!" Roe shouted enthusiastically, "You're going to play aren't you Petal?"
"Yes..." she smiled nervously but worry didn't leave her face for a moment, "Let's go there, I really don't want to see any cute angels being hurt,"
"Quick!" Roe called and he bounced around impatiently for instructions from Cassiel
Cassiel smiled and turned to the west, where Fatina mentioned he could find them. "This way!"
The angel flew up in the air, passing countless cities on his way until the sounds of mourning and screaming began to permeate the air. He could begin to see it, sense a power nearby. Something wicked truly was happening. As they neared, the trio could see that a green creature was fooling others into following her, being slaves.
At this point, ten or so had left their loved ones, some even children, pushing and kicking their parents away in order to be bound in chains with his new master. Cassiel whispered to Roe "We need to be careful, I think it's the song. Follow me."
Cassiel landed down on the ground and saw the Green creature above, she was the source of this madness. He called her out. "Hey! Over here!" She looked down and seemed confused. "Are you a demon?" Before an answer could be called, Cassiel continued. "A Demon, is what the humans call the creatures of Elditch. Horrible nasty creatures that seek to consume and destroy. I don't know what one of them would be doing here, but you are acting a lot like them. It seems that you are lost then, allow me to tell you where to go. Away. Now." Cassiel slammed his shield into the ground creating a rift before the starwhale. The rift jetisonned light from it, weakening the spell for Roe to finish.
The two children followed Cassiel, Roe found himself disgusted by what the green woman was doing. He supposed some small amount of order could be good sometimes, like rules that make a game more fun, but he couldn't think of a worse type of order than enslaving people against their will. He remembered his earlier promise to Petal and intended to stick to it.
Roe watched intently as Cassiel rolled off his spiel and then finished with a mighty slam of his shield into the ground, he would have to find something to top the other god. With a gesture at Petal to be sure she closed her eyes, he changed his form into that of a terrible monster with gaping wounds and more eyes than could be counted, then leapt from his hiding places and swooped over the green woman and her captives. Even with her spell, the poor Grigori were terrified of the abomination above their heads and ran in all directions,
He had...done it? Yes. The song faded and the green creature left, seemingly afraid of them. The crowd was, as expected, applauding the efforts of the trio. Cassiel turned to Roe, who had by now turned back to normal, grabbed his hand and raised it in the air.
"You have won, friend. An impressive display. I think I know who you might want to go to, but the furor here won't be dying down any time soon. Let's head over to what the humans called a Capital."
Roe smiled widely, enjoying the cheers of the crowd, it felt good.
"Ha ha," he laughed, then remembered to tell Petal to open her eyes again. "Where is the capital?" he asked
[12:51:00 PM] Kyle: Cassiel looked around at the question. He honestly had no idea, but he did have another idea. The capitals in the storybooks tended to have large ridiculous buildings. He shrugged and pointed to the largest building he could see. "Eh, over there! Let's go."
He then flapped his wings and flew to the city, careful not to break anything this time, as there was a chance he could hurt something now, or worse. The capital was literally buzzing with Clankers working non stop to make bigger and more impressive architecture and machines. Mizzen were walking around as well along with the Girigori. They didn't even seem to notice the gods walking around, too consumed by their own work.
Cassiel found a nearby store marked "Trinkets and Carvings", he figured it would do. He knocked on the door and opened it and motioned for Roe to follow.
Roe and Petal followed Cassiel into the shop, admiring the sparkling jewels and statues which lined the sheleves
"So many gems..." Petal muttered under her breath in amazement
"Why are we here?" Roe asked Cassiel
"Your prize! Remember? You can have this man craft you anything you want." The lone Girigori in the shop raised an eyebrow. "And...how do you expect to pay for this? I don't deal in armor boy." He seemed a bit more grumpy than most, but Cassiel could tell he had a good heart.
"If you do this, you can tell people you have crafted an object for a god." He smiled and put a bit of power in his hands to show he was serious. "I will make it widely known even! Think of the attention you will get."
The angel seemed dumbfounded. The gods had picked his store? This was amazing! "Why me then?" Not that I am complaining, this is amazing after all."
"Well, Roe won a contest and I owe him it. You seem like someone who could do the job." Cassiel turned to Roe. "Now, what do you want him to craft?"
"Hmmmmm.,,," Roe said aloud, considering the possibilities. He already had a sword but it was a simple metal blade, barely more than an average mortal weapon.
"I would like a new sword that's really sharp and has a proper name and everything!" he exclaimed before adding, "Please!
The angel pondered for a moment. "Under most circumstances I would say no. A sword made of diamond would usually break after a hit due to how brittle the stuff is in combat. However, with a god...it could work. Give me a moment."
The man retreated into his store and pulled out a cart containing dozens of colors of diamond, they glistened in the light. "Which color you want?"
"I would like... light blue," Roe replied confidently, imaging a sparkling blade in his mind's eye.
The angel smirked. "Excellent choice. Come back in a few hours and it will be ready." He then pushed the cart behind a curtain and the trio could hear rapid clinks and clanks being made. Whatever he was making, it had to be good.
Cassiel turned to Roe and started wondering about a sword of his own. He turned to the stars, they seemed they missed something, something he could give them again. A sacrifice might be in order, but it would be in defense of all the bright burning balls.
"I think I want a sword too. Not made by him though, I am sure yours will be fantastic but I don't have one either. I want to make my own. While we wait for yours to be done, follow me. This might be cool to watch."
Cassiel exited the store saying "We will be back in a few hours friend, I am sure this will be wonderful!"
Roe followed Cassiel with an excited bounce, wondering what he was going to show him.
"What's wonderful?" he asked curiously
Cassiel pointed to the stars. "They seem...troubled. Can't you tell? I think we should fix them, and I think I know how."
"Okay..." Roe said unsurely, giving Petal a glance. She shook her head, she didn't understand either. "What are you going to do?" Roe asked
Cassiel laughed. "We are going to find the biggest star in the universe, and make it into a sword! It will feed part of its own power into the other stars, hopefully stabilizing them." He honestly had no idea where he was getting his idea from, but it was crazy enough that it might work.
"Wow...." Roe replied, it sounded impressive. "Can I help?" he asked eagerly.
Cassiel smiled. "That's why I brought you. All three of us will pick the biggest star we can find and then compare the three. Whichever is the biggest we use. Ready...set...go!" Cassiel flew into space analyzing each star, remembering which star he had seen as the biggest.
Roe took Petal's hand and the pair leapt after Cassiel, inspecting the many stars dotted around the edge of Niv's system.
"What about this one?" Petal pointed to a large reddish star that hung a little further out than Salustutis.
"I believe the humans call it a Red Giant." Cassiel said. "It doesn't have much time left, that might be a good idea." Cassiel flew circles around it and smirked. "Yeah, this will be fun."
The god put his shield on his back and moved his arms out. "To begin, we need to crush it into something more usable. Mold it into what we need. It's a bit like dough when you think about it." Cassiel condensed it into a neutron star, into neutronium. The three then shaped it into a wave pattern with a hilt.
"Now, we put our power into it and hope for the best!" This was the first time he had done anything akin to a godly action, he hoped it wouldn't break the universe.
"Be careful it doesn't burn you!" Roe quickly added as Cassiel manipulated the star, remembering his own early experience with Niv. The young god put his hands out and let the forces of chaos fuse themselves with Cassiel's new sword, strengthening it and making it whole.
The item was made easily. It cooled a tiny bit and Cassiel raised the hilt, activating it. Bright and intense flames bursted out of it, reaching each star and giving them enough power to continue as normal. The experience drained a bit of its power, but left plenty to use as a weapon.
"I will name you...Stardust."
"That looks cool!" Roe exclaimed at the sight of the flaming blade, he reached out gingerly to touch it's hilt. "I hope my sword is this good,"
Cassiel made a leather strap for the blade and put it in there. "At some point it will need a sheath...Oh, I am sure we will need to enchant it, but this guy has to be great! He is probably almost done by now, we spent a while doing this."
Cassiel teleported to the Capital again and into the shop. "Oi! You almost done? We are excited to see it."
The shopkeeper walked out, smile beaming. "Yeah, it's done. Be careful with it now, diamond isn't great for sword making. You god folk can enchant shit can't ya? I am sure if you did it would be great."
With that, he pulled out a piece of cloth, it was a tan color but inside was a beautiful gleaming short sword. The hilt faded into white diamond to simulate steel and was highly ornate, resembling art more than a sword. The front and back of the sword had fancy engravings and the piece was quite beautiful to say the least. Worth more than most Girigori could ever afford.
"I'm going to tell everyone about this. They won't believe it!" The shopkeeper quickly ran out of the store yelling about how gods bought from him. While most races would dismiss him, the impossibility to lie, or to be lied to as a Girigori began to have the angels clamor to his store. He eventually made a large chain known as Gi Craftwares, making some of the largest art works known to the universe.
The two children clambered into the shop as the Grigori left, Roe in particular eager to see his new blade. He hopped up onto the counter to get a better look.
"Wow, it's beautiful," he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he ran his palm down the sword's hilt
"Indeed. These mortals aren't capable of fighting, but they certainly can surpass us in other areas."
"Thank you," Roe replied, taking out his old sword and throwing it on the ground, he then carefully picked up the new weapon and slashed it on his back as if it was made of glass
Cassiel looked out of the diamond roof. There was a ton to explore and the Girigori seemed fine alone for now. "So, what do we do now?"
"Eh, just hang out, I know some games we can play," Roe replied with a shrug.
Lennonous's (Cassiel) new appearance:
Create Stardust +1 flames +4 Bravery, +12 from Roe
Hinder Sonitus's enslavement. +4 bravery, +12 from roe.
M'endar silently watched its brother become completely encased in crystal-like glass. Then mental message bounced back and forth the Deceiver's mind. It seemed that the tree woman had finally snapped. Nature had tasted violence and death, and wanted more. Shame she would not know what M'endar could do. Shame that she had made a grave mistake, Eldarwen had turned against them. Apparently the imprisonment of Seith would not state the vicious beast that parades as a docile tree. Now, M'endar was finished with its strange vigil. Responses were made and it was back to silence. Back to Umbraculum.
"Looks like the rabid beast has finally shown its claws. She will not rest until all is under her rule. I suggest for the good of the realm that you put this one down quickly."
Send a message to Melanthios, Vantric, Zareth, Roe, Pentar, Aen, and Nivix - DC = Effortless
The Storyteller let out a deep long sigh, the children leant forward in excitement, by now they understood what this meant.
"Thus it seemed that yet again in this mythos of ours, the gods were on the eve on war. Here is what transpired.
Even though Seith was to be sealed away, at the last moment he sacrificed his godhood and life to give power to his demigod Lennonous. Lennonous was to lose his memory and to start anew under a name he chose for himself: Cassiel.
Zareth successfully created a demigod out of a Moonlight Phoenix with the help of Eldarwen, who herself created the demigod Venator out of a brave mortal who was willing to stand up to her. Melanthios too created Valerie but despite a crippling hinder by Eldarwen, the assists of his allies were enough for him to succeed. Aen managed to find and revive Sephirial, Seith's old demigod turned mortal, into a fresh new demigod.
It seemed that Melanthios was not the only god lucky that day, Vantric was also fortunate. Eldarwen's hinder him hard but with the help of his allies, the shard of mirror was transformed into a magical item anyway. Pentar however managed to create Gawmfust, a great warhammer to serve his cause. Sonitus was also hindered, this time by Roe and the newly ascended Cassiel, and failed in her attempt to enslave a number of Grigori. Zs'Wua'Itzala too was unsuccessful in her goal, to create broodmothers out of the Shadownshrieks, but in this case it was down to the lack of her own powers rather than another god's hinder.
Not every demigod had such bad luck though, Roe converted Grigori of the town of Grega to follow his friend and demigod Petal, and with his assist, Cassiel forged a magical flaming sword from a giant red star. Similarly Melanthios' two demigods created two guilds and though he wasn't a demigod, Nivix also successfully creased a small moon-sized planet to serve as a forge for his creations. "
What?! No! This... this was madness! Everyone was marshaling for battle, and both sides called for him. Wasn't the last disaster enough? He'd curse the gods for this if he wasn't one. He felt Eldarwen fill the shell with Hope. Strange, to aid the one she killed with the very power she killed her for. He didn't reflect on what it might say about her character, good or bad. He had to stop this from getting out of hand, though he feared it was already too late. With a worried glance at his unfinished work and a quick thought to Grix, he was off. He had considered hiding this from the dragon, but if Aen died then so might he, and it was only fair to let him lean on his strength. It might be all he had.
It felt strange, riding on Grix in space. There was no need, really, by why bond with a dragon if you weren't going to ride it? At least it felt good to feel whole again, his left hand pressed into that hidden spot on the back of Grix's neck, their twin scars connected. Neither spoke, externally or otherwise, only took comfort in the presence of the other. It wasn't long before Salustis was grew large before them, and that was where he stopped. Waiting and watching. If Melanthios was correct, then she would come here. If not... well, he hoped she didn't show at all. 'Stay in your garden, Eldarwen,' he thought to himself absently. 'You've done it for so long, why change now? With you gone, who will tend to it? The weeds will take root, your flowers will die, and all your hard work will have gone to waste.'
He took care not to face in either direction too much. It would imply he had taken a side, when he'd chosen the opposite. He didn't only want no part in this battle, he wanted no battle at all. If that meant putting himself between every single other god, so be it.
Brothers and sisters, we have only recently lost one of own, a very small number to begin with, though some of you may think it too large. Such panic and hatred as there is now can only lead to mistakes, regrets, things that cannot be undone. I've learned this the hard way. If you call for war, so be it, but should we not first meet in peace, and see if there is not another way? Aen sent his message without filter. He knew it would do little, but it could not be said he hadn't tried. There was no way he'd be able to stay neutral throughout the fight. It was against his nature. Still... he could stay that way as long as possible.
Zareth... I'm not sure how we'll end up fighting in this battle, or if you'll even come at all. Just know that I hope to see you alive at the end of it, and regardless of which side I'm on, I'll do my best to see you through it. May luck be with you, friend.
He felt the mirror stretch and change, glowing slightly and becoming warm in his hand. A lot of power was concentrating on it, Eldarwen's to hinder, his own and his allies' to insure its success. Fortunately, she had failed, and they had succeeded. Vantric smiled as he saw the mirror shard assume its final form. An oddly reflective coin was left in his hand.
It's the luck of the gods. He thought as he chuckled at its success. Not quite what he had in mind, but an item was an item, especially one like this. He turned the coin over in his hands, inspecting its surface. Oddly enough, he found it was blank. Strange. He thought.
Brothers and sisters, we have only recently lost one of own, a very small number to begin with, though some of you may think it too large. Such panic and hatred as there is now can only lead to mistakes, regrets, things that cannot be undone. I've learned this the hard way. If you call for war, so be it, but should we not first meet in peace, and see if there is not another way? It was Aen. Very useful, very naive. Battle lines were already being drawn, they had been since the dawn of existence. This was only the logical outcome.
Vantric looked up, it seemed everyone else had left the ruined observatory, and decided to follow suit, returning back to his fortress. Now, all he had to do was wait for Isond to return. The familiar sound of boots on marble echoed through the empty hallways. However practical it was to make such a labyrinthine fortress for his constant schemes, even he was somewhat unsettled by the emptiness of the fortress. "I really need some guards." He said, thinking aloud. Something to liven the place up. Soon after, the metallic clang of steel boots, radiated through the fortress. Isond had returned.
The war god had his ax clenched in his fist at his side. Things evidently hadn't gone well. Vantric waited as his apprentice stomped up to him. "You seem upset." Vantric said. There was no problem so immense that he couldn't put aside mocking his apprentice.
"Things...didn't go as planned." He said.
Vantric couldn't help but smile. Even if it wasn't ideal, it was always fun to lord Isond's failures over him. "Dragon troubles?" Even through his face plate, Vantric could feel Isond's scowl. "I must admit Isond, this is unexpected. Usually you're more effective. Losing your touch? Or was the wounded angel too tough for you?"
"There were complications."
"Aside from the dragon?"
Isond stopped for a moment before speaking again. "Something happened. Something happened to Lennonous."
"Yes, he pointedly didn't die. That happened."
"He changed."
That got Vantric's attention. "Into what? How?" He was all business.
Isond began pacing. "I don't know. Power surged into him, from where I just don't know. He became something else. Whatever he became was stronger than Lennonous was previously."
"How much so?"
"Weaker than Seith, if that's your question. Considerably weaker than a full god, but strong enough to be a problem."
Vantric mulled over the report for a moment. "That is...troubling." He said at last, "However, that can wait for a moment."
"But what about Aen?" Isond asked, "That dragon of his cost me a golden opportunity."
Vantric waved that comment off. "Not a problem. Aen is a wild card. It's possible he may need to be dealt with, but not at the moment. He's proven far too useful to be rid of. However, a weed has been sprouting, and we may need to cut it soon."
"Who?"
"Eldarwen. She's proving to be a considerable problem. If unchecked, she could be as much a problem as Seith."
"What should we do about that?"
Vantric rubbed his chin. "Good question." He reached into his pocket, touching the coin he had made. Idly, he took it out and flipped it. He caught it and looked at it, the previously blank surface now showed a raven in flight. He looked up, that reminded him of something. He turned the coin over, the reverse side showing else as well, a dove holding a knife. That also reminded him of something. "We're going to Evermoor." He announced, pocketing the coin once more.
"The realm of the dead?" Isond said, stopping.
Vantric nodded. "We'll need to shore up some loose ends. I'll meet you there soon."
"You aren't coming?"
"There's something I need to see to first. It won't take long. Go on ahead, socialize, make friends. Or else."
Isond took his helmet off and made a point of rolling his eyes as he did so. "Is that all?"
"Yes, I'll see you soon." Vantric said before teleporting away. Isond quickly followed, leaving to Evermoor.
The voices came thick and fast. First it was a woman's voice, probably Eldarwen, though Roe hadn't seen her since the First Age.
"Hello Roe, I wish to play a game with you. Why don't we meet somewhere?"
She barely had a chance to finish before a barrage of other gods began sending him messages, filling his mind with their booming voices.
"Greetings fellow gods. You might not know me, but my name is Melanthios. Eldarwen just attacked me, without any kind of reason. I beg you not to aid this woman. And any help against this mad woman, would be appreciated and rewarded."
"I am being hindered by Eldarwen. Any aid in countering her power would be welcome."
"Looks like the rabid beast has finally shown its claws. She will not rest until all is under her rule. I suggest for the good of the realm that you put this one quickly."
"Brothers and sisters, we have only recently lost one of own, a very small number to begin with, though some of you may think it too large. Such panic and hatred as there is now can only lead to mistakes, regrets, things that cannot be undone. I've learned this the hard way. If you call for war, so be it, but should we not first meet in peace, and see if there is not another way?"
He gingerly took his hands away from his ears as the voices finally stopped. Petal looked at him in concern.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"I think... I think there's going to be a big battle soon,"
Petal visibly quailed at the news, remembering what had happened last time she had been in a war. Roe put his hands on her shoulders.
"You've got to hide Pets, go somewhere-else until I tell you it's safe to come out,"
"but I want to stay with you..."
"You can't, it isn't safe out here and I've got to find out what's going on. I'll call you once it's over,"
"Promise?"
"Promise,"
"Okay," she mumbled and gave him a quick hug before disappearing with a snap of her fingers. Even Roe didn't know where she'd gone but he knew that was for the best, he couldn't let her get hurt again. He turned to Cassiel.
"The plant lady is probably going to fight a load of other gods. I'm going to see what's happening."
With that the young god launched himself into space and looked down at the planets, weighing up his options. He thought about accepting Eldarwen's invitation but decided against it, having heard how she had supposedly attacked the other gods he was worried she might do the same to him. He recalled that Melanthios was offering a "reward" for helping him and thought he might as well see what that reward might be. He flew past his own moon and towards Oculus Obscuritatis where he believed the message had come from, landing on the rocky ground with a thud. He sent out a message to anyone also upon the moon at that time.
"Hello, it's me Roe, I'm here to help... maybe,"
Petal teleports to an unknown hidden location - Effortless
Aryx sat down, letting her wings fold behind her. Like all grigori, she was beautiful. Perfectly, generically, beautiful. Long blonde hair framed her unblemished face. Bright blue eyes illuminated her features, making her take on a very lively look when excited. She looked out over the landscape from the diamond outcropping on which she sat. It was strange to find a grigori so far from the city in the 'wilds', however laughable that term was. There was nothing on Coeleous, wild or otherwise, the result of living on a planet so inhospitable to life. The ?wilds? were simply places that civilization hadn?t expanded to yet.
She squinted her eyes against the rising sun in the distance. Dawn and dusk were always bad times for the grigori, she thought. The light from the sun hit the surface of the planet, illuminating it, and blinding everyone who tried to look?anywhere. Still, she had to admit, the spectacle from anywhere else must have been grand, and less painful.
A light breeze picked up as Aryx let her eyes rest. She had hiked through the night, trying to find answers. They hadn't come. Instead, she only had more questions. This wouldn't normally be a problem, except the questions she wanted to ask were technically illegal. And that was putting the situation mildly.
"What is wrong with us?" She asked aloud, to no one.
"Would you like a bulleted list?" No one replied.
Aryx jumped a foot in the air, her wings catching her and turning her around to face whoever had followed her. She was shocked and in no small degree puzzled when she saw a human in a black cloak idly standing across from her. While other peoples were not necessarily outlawed from coming to Coleous, it was rare that they would choose to do so. The last one that had come was millennia ago, and that had caused a planetary crisis. Surely, if another person had come to visit, she would have heard about it. Wouldn't she?
"Something wrong?" The human asked.
Aryx gave him a hard stare. "Nothing of your concern. Leave, human. You shouldn't be here."
He smiled. "I think you're right. But I need to be."
Aryx made a show of cracking her knuckles. She was in no mood for riddles, or humans, or mysteries. She wanted peace and quiet to deal with her situation. "You need to leave." She said again, "Otherwise I will escort you off world, personally." Direct acts of violence were outlawed on Coleous, obviously, but in the process of carrying out a legal task, there was always some room for error. You never knew who might get hurt?
To her surprise, the figure only chuckled. Arynx gritted her teeth. She wasn't renowned for her patience. The man walked to the edge of the outcropping. It would be so easy just to push him? Aryx thought. "Quite the view." He remarked, shielding his eyes. "If you don?t mind the sun, that is. Seith's taste always was a bit gaudy for me."
Aryx grunted but said nothing. It was times like this she regretted being unable to lie. That would open up a world of possibilities. As she daydreamed, the figure turned back to her. "What do you want?" She demanded, obviously threatening him had gotten her nowhere.
"What makes you think I want anything?" He asked. Aryx cocked an eye. No one, human or otherwise, would travel to a different world for the express purpose of admiring the view and insulting her god. Well, former god. "As it happens," He continued, "I came here to deliver something. To you." He reached into his cloak and produced a large tome bound in dark leather. Its cover bore intricate symbols the likes of which she had never seen before. It was beautiful.
The man handed over the book which Aryx wordlessly accepted, though she was still suspicious. She turned the book over, inspecting it from every angle. "What is this?" She asked.
"A gift." The man simply replied, "You have potential, so much potential. I am interested in seeing you reach it. You could be so much more than you are. This tome is simply a contract. If you wish to fulfill your potential, then all you need do is open it. All will be made clear from there."
Aryx blinked, trying to keep track of what this figure had said. She was already one of the greatest mages in the church, one of the greatest on Coelus, even. What could this figure offer her that would add to that? "Surely there's something else." Aryx said, pointedly not opening the book, "No one would give such a powerful artifact away were it otherwise. Why would you give me this book if it could do what you claim?"
"I'm afraid I can't say much more. The only other thing I can say is that I will return for the book within one day. If, after that time, you haven't opened it, then I will take it back. You will never see it again. Offers like this don't come more than once." With that, the figure began walking away.
"What makes you think I'll open it?"
He produced a small, oddly reflective coin and flipped it in the air. "Let's just say I have a hunch."
Aryx looked toward the book once more. It suddenly seemed heavier in her hands. "Wait!" She called to the man as he left. "Who are you?"
He stopped for a moment then turned back. "That's nothing you need to concern yourself with just yet." He rounded a corner back down the hill. Arynx dashed after him, but as she turned the corner, she found him gone.
She looked at the book for a while. There was clearly something ominous about the man who just appeared, and then mysteriously disappeared. She knew she shouldn't open the book. It could only lead to trouble. But then again, he had promised that there was something in the book she should read. A key to realizing her potential.
That thought exhilarated her, but she was still not without some pause. What would a human know of grigori magic? Aryx wondered. It was all troubling, and puzzling. In the distance the sun rose higher into the sky. She hadn't been paying attention and glumly decided that she couldn't stay out here any longer. She needed to report to the church today.
***
As per regulation, the church was the largest building in the city, difficult to miss, even among the monotone landscape of diamond. Proper services were held weekly, but the church was almost always open. Even in the darkest hours of the evening there were usually at least one or two worshipers in the building.
This time, however, there weren't. It was rare for the church to close completely for any length of time. Father Barteus, she knew, would make an exception in her case. Aryx had always been different, she had known this for a long time. Even when she was young, younger, rather, she was still only in her second century, she knew she was different.
Something about the teachings, the church, the design of their existence had felt wrong to her. It was somehow unfulfilling. From her earliest years, she had questioned her elders, demanding answers that no one else had asked for. It hadn't made her popular, and it hadn't gotten her any answers. In truth, she might have been ostracized from society long ago had it not been for her gift of magic.
Aryx could handle magic far more naturally than any of her peers, it was her one grace, and she pushed herself to her limits almost daily. Her sensitivity to the arcane had increased exponentially as she got older. Perhaps, she thought, entering the building, that explained why she could feel it, why she knew as no one else seemed to know. Why she knew that their god was dead.
The doors creaked slightly in their hinges as she eased her way in. Aryx took a breath as she closed the door behind her. There at the dais was Father Barteus. As usual, the priest was dressed in his immaculate white robes, silver hair flowing down from his aged head. Even among the grigori, Father Barteus was old.
Aryx made her way to Barteus, noticing the usual collection of acolytes surrounding him, they, like she, wore similar white robes to the priest's, marking their position in the church. As Barteus noticed her approach, he waved the other acolytes away. After a series of bows they dispersed, leaving into the lower parts of the church.
When the last had left, Barteus walked down the dais, arms outstretched. "Peace and welcome, Aryx." He said, the typical greeting of the clergy.
"I thank you for both, Father Barteus." She replied, bowing slightly, as was proper. Barteus?s eyes drifted toward the book in her hands.
"What do you have there?" He asked.
Aryx had almost forgotten she was holding it. "It's?nothing important, Father." She replied hastily. That was true as far as it went. It was nothing important to why she had been summoned.
The Father nodded silently. A moment passed as he looked her over. "Something is troubling you." He said at last, "I can feel it. Something has not been right for some time now." She looked up at him, "Please, tell me."
"I am afraid that you will not wish to hear what I have to say, Father."
"That is untrue." He said gently, "You are an acolyte, Aryx, a member of the church and one of my flock besides. I will ever be someone you may confide in. I ask you, in perfect confidence, please, help me understand what troubles you."
She took a deep breath. "I am afraid I was right all along Father. And I am fearful for it." Barteus adopted a puzzled look. "Seith is dead." She said at last.
There was a long pause, before Barteus spoke. "What do you mean?" He asked, his stare becoming intent on Aryx.
"Exactly what I said. Our god is gone. We placed our faith in him, and he has failed us."
"Madness."
"I can speak no lie. It is the truth. I felt it. I know not how, but I did." She felt the words she had bottled up for months come pouring out, "We are wrong. Our way of being is a lie, and we must change. If we are to survive, this must happen. We are bound by an order that is crumbling beneath our feet. The longer we stand on archaic principle and refuse to accept the truth, the longer we suffer. We can no longer exist as we once did. Seith is dead, and we must face this. There is no hiding from the truth." Aryx held her breath. She had said it, now she could only hope that Barteus would see her for what she was. That the truth of what she had said was genuine.
Barteus?s face was unreadable, as he stood in silence. "I fear you are right." He said in a voice just above a whisper. Aryx felt joy swell in her breast, he believed her. "You should not have told me what troubled you." Her hopes shattered. "Aryx, you are no longer a member of this church." He said, his voice adopting a serious edge. "Henceforth, I name you Fallen, a heretic among our kind. And the sentence for heresy," He pulled himself together to finish the sentence, "Is death."
Aryx stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. She was vaguely aware that some of the other acolytes had returned, they were surrounding her in a wide ring. "I am sorry." Father Barteus said, placing his hands on Aryx's shoulders.
"How dare you."
"Hm?" He said, "Aryx I-" He was cut off as he was raised a foot above the ground by his neck.
"How DARE you!" Aryx shouted, throwing him against the far wall using magic. The acolytes responded quickly, launching blasts of light at her, she retaliated, sending a wave of light blasting all of them back. That done, she unfurled her wings and dashed to Barteus, as he tried to right himself.
He raised a shield, trying to defend himself. Aryx threw bolt after bolt of light at the shield, feeling its power weaken with every blast. Finally, the shield fell and she lashed out at the Father. She hit him. Again and again, she hit him into the diamond wall. She didn't stop until a blast struck her wings causing her to stumble.
Aryx turned to face her attackers, ready to fight, and saw that the acolytes had pulled themselves up, and brought more help. She shielded herself against their barrage, but couldn't stop being pushed back, herself. Eventually, she was cornered, the acolytes assembled, ready for anything from the renegade angel.
She was breathing heavily, idly she wondered why they didn't just finish her off, they had more than enough time to. Behind the line, she saw him, Father Barteus, limping forward, leaning heavily on a young acolyte. "Submit yourself to your sentence, Aryx." He said, though it was clear the words pained him, "You cannot hope to prevail. You have already been judged Fallen."
Aryx thought as quickly as she could, considering the situation. She looked everywhere before becoming aware of the weight in her hands. The book the strange man had given her. It had only been this morning, hadn't it? She looked down at it, still not understanding what it was, or why it had been given her or in what possible manner it could help her, but it didn't matter. This was one last gambit she had to take.
"Fallen?" She said at last, "I will rise higher than any of you." She opened the book.
Isond: 8
Isond hadn't gone to Evermoor before. After selling his soul to Vantric to avoid going there, it wasn't a place that he had any desire to visit personally. He shut his eyes. Sometimes he really hated his boss.
For a death realm, it was surprisingly lively. He appeared in a forested area. Despite its lively appearance, Isond couldn't help but feel as sense of deep melancholy emanating from the region, or perhaps that was just his impression of the place. He kept his ax close. The lord of death was someone Isond knew only by reputation, he had fortunately been spared the need to meet him.
Isond looked around. The liveliness wasn't the only thing that was surprising. It was quite sparse for a realm of the dead. "Where is everyone?" He asked aloud, keeping his ax nearby.
Vantric
Create demigod- DC 15: (+6 Ambition) (+4 Secrets) (+2 Luck)
"Greetings fellow gods. You might not know me, but my name is Melanthios. Eldarwen just attacked me, without any kind of reason. I beg you not to aid this woman. And any help against this mad woman, would be appreciated and rewarded."
"Looks like the rabid beast has finally shown its claws. She will not rest until all is under her rule. I suggest for the good of the realm that you put this one down quickly."
Brothers and sisters, we have only recently lost one of own, a very small number to begin with, though some of you may think it too large. Such panic and hatred as there is now can only lead to mistakes, regrets, things that cannot be undone. I've learned this the hard way. If you call for war, so be it, but should we not first meet in peace, and see if there is not another way?
The messages, though they all came from different gods and carried different tones, all had the same meaning behind them. War was coming, ready to tear into the heart of the pantheon and rip everything they had done and built to shreds. Mel and M'ender both called for others to stand with them against Eldar, and, despite Aen's attempts to sue for peace, odds were they'd get their wish.
Not that Nivix cared. He was having far too much fun to pay attention to something as painfully dull as politics and alliances.
His creation had succeeded, just as he had hoped. The chunk of rock and fire, set so far apart from the rest of reality, was perfect for his plan, and the god was unable to resist a grin as he alighted on the smoldering surface.
It was a good thing that he hadn't attempted to create other forms of life to reside here; only the most resilient and determined creatures would have been able to survive this hellish landscape. Rivers of liquid fire zig-zagged across the surface, melting rock and ore into a blackened, gooey sludge. The air, already hot and dry enough to cook a man, was choked with noxious fumes and vapors; it was only thanks to his divine lungs that Nivix was able to remain upright. Titanic moans and cracks thundered across the land, the results of earthquakes and constantly shifting plates. If left alone, this world would probably destroy itself in a matter of weeks.
So he'd just have to destroy it a little faster.
With a joyous roar, Nivix flung himself into the closest pool of lava, swimming through the superheated substance with ease. This would probably go faster if he just skipped ahead and traveled straight to the planet's core. From there he would be able to bend the rest of the world to his will, reshaping it as he required. Great chunks of stone and iron, larger than any mortal city, fell subject to his power, folding and collapsing as the god directed. Pools of magma likewise bent to Nivix's whims, flowing into the great cracks and crevices with ease.
The chemister toiled away for hours, lost in the euphoria of reshaping the landscape and giving birth to something new. And this was only the beginning; after he completed this project, the possibilities that spread before him would be endless! He would show existence exactly what it was he could do!
Slowly, Nivix condensed the celestial body, forcing billions of tons of raw matter into a ingot the size of his head. An entire world's worth of fire and steel, hammered and shaped into a single chunk of metal barely a foot across; sometimes being a god was truly fantastic. But he wasn't done yet, not by a long shot. Still... It'd be unwise to move onto the next step by himself, especially when there was somebody who could help.
Grabbing hold on his precious cargo, the god willed himself to the heart of one of Evalon's greatest cities. It was time to call in a favor.
Eldarwen smiled, and knew they would never stand against them as it was now. She understood that the weak minded had claimed it was an attack, even if she couldn't hear them. "You were right about him." She said to no one in particular, but Sonitus appeared next to her anyway. She hadn't expected the girl to go far from her mother. "I know." Eldarwen had stopped crying, she was resolute instead. "He's a coward and is trying to bring down the universe like the rest. A piece of shit, no more, no less."
"I'll miss this universe and everything we did here." Sonitus said, just as firm in her decision as her mother. "If you go down, I'll be a second behind you. Nothing else matters."
She put her hand on Sonitus cheek, and kissed her for the first time in a thousand years. Then she turned and sent a message to all the gods but four.
"What are you talking about, Aen? I have not left my planet. I have not struck against anyone. If you take a look at them, do they even appear harmed? Have they lost anything? No, they have not. They are liars and decievers. Cowards that conspires in the shadows. You are all better than them."
"I will take my punishment for what I helped do against Seith, for I do believe he was as good as most of you. If a bit wrong in his head and his decisions towards the end. Perhaps he should only have spied on the true evil that waits and plans to strike against you, but when would he then have known when they came for one of you? However, the others who attacked him will never willingly take the punishment for doing the same. I will take the blame and the punishment for opening the portal in the garden as well, because I also have memories of a different universe that I come from. You can ask the ghosts of my past that lingers in Evermoor, if you want to know about it. Ailish was not the one who suggested it to begin with. It was I, even if she performed the action, but even then I aided her in doing so."
She wanted to choke on her own words, as the last part was a lie, but if it helped bring unity to the universe and protection for Ailish; She would speak the words again.
"They are trying to turn you against me, despite that I have not moved since I created another demigod. Soon they will be trying to turn you against each other and come after you one by one, until there are no more left than Vantric, Melanthios and M'endar. These are the enemy. If my words does not convince you, I trust that they will prove it in the future through their actions."
Eldarwen took a look around, the city seemed to be on the verge of a rebellion now that there was a pover vacuum. It mattered little to her. Kingdoms rose and fell, mortals lived and died, the universe went on.
"I do not wish harm upon any of you. I have not called for war. Nor will I. I have called for your attention, as I make my final words."
She closed off the other gods for a moment, to speak to the two who had come to be her closest friends in the end.
"Ailish, if you believe you were reborn and will be reborn again as I believe that I will be, then I will be waiting for you on the other side. Aen, take care not to let that honour get to your head. You will need to chose a side. Good is not evil, and good needs real warriors that fights for it. Honour does not equal good."
She opened up to the others again after that. "This universe is big enough for all of you. Though for the crimes I have commited, I will seek penance and to make amends through death. You might think that it is an easy way out, but I have died again and again. The suffering only grows with each new life I have to face."
Eldarwen placed her hand on her mask and took it off, then Sonitus gave her Amour, before hugging her with the armor on. "United you will stand, divided you will fall. This is my farewell and my last action. If you wish to aid me, it would be very much appreciated. My last wish is only for unity."
She sent a last message to Venator, who she knew had recently been raised. She would need to be a protector now, not a leader of armies. She was not to kill anyone, unless they came after the one she were to protect.
<spoiler=Action>Send messages to Aen, Ailish, Pentar, Roe, Nivix, Cassiel. Note that some of it were only spoken to Ailish and Aen.
Inspire unity on every thing in the universe, so that they will stand against the three gods: Vantric, Melanthios and M'endar. Every mortal, every planet, every plant, every stone. I literally do mean everything. Not sure what the DC should be, but she has enough AP left for anything at this point. Probably DC19.
+6 Forest.
+4 Hope.
+4 Nature magic.
+2 Sound
+2 Magical Artifice
+2 Hatred.
Venator
She felt the fire burning inside her, as she dropped down onto the street where there were no longer any sign of her sister or her mother. She had seen them kiss each other one final time and then explode in a rain of leaves, which she had taken a strange pleasure in burning. Though it felt fitting that nothing remained. She picked up what she had inherited from her mother, with the one condition that she would use them to protect a woman she had cared a lot for.
Venator used her fires to fling herself off the ground and fly from Eld, to the Hallowed Court, where she seeked out Ailish and bowed down to her.
"My mother and sister is gone, and I have inherited their belongings. On the one condition, that I never leave your side and protect you against any harm others would wish on you. I am yours to command." She would not speak those words to anyone else, nor would she falter and break her promise. Death was preferable and if Eldarwen had been right, death was not such a bad thing as a demigod.
<spoiler=Action>Venator gets Amour, the armor of hatred and the mask of the gryphon. She will either become Ailish's demigod, or just a demigod that follows her around and uses the items. She would be willing to lend the items to Ailish, but no one else.
Auctor
She bent down in the grass outside the largest dwarven city and planted the rose of glass, hoping that it would sprout and give birth to many more. Auctor continued sitting in the grass, meditating on the loss of her mother. Eldarwed had forgotten to tell her farewell, or she had not wished too. She didn't know if the woman was one for teary-eyed farewells either way.
Maybe it wouldn't have been one for Eldarwen, but Auctor was crying softly. She had lost a great friend and a sister in Sonitus, and a mother on the same day.
She waited, not certain of how the god of order would react to her being there, but she wished to explain it to him.
<spoiler=Action>Auctor will continue to rule Minas Kei, she also wants to make an alliance with Pentar and the dwarves. If it goes down well, she might be willing to become the demigod of Pentar XD.
Melanthios sighed relieved. His allies had saved his niece, and their actions seemed to have been successful. He heard Roe, call out as he landed on the moon, he teleported in front off the god. "Greetings Roe, I am happy to see that you have listened to my messages. My name is Melanthios, in case you didn't know that yet." Melanthios smiled, as he stretched his hand out for a handshake.
"Hello," Roe said boldly and shook Melanthios' hand in way he thought would seem grown up. "I heard there is a reward for helping you fight the plant lady," he added.
Roe gave a grown up impression for his posture, Melanthios nodded in response to his question. "There will be an reward indeed, two actually but let's not talk about this out here. Inside we will be save from prying eyes." Melanthios said opening the door to the underground base, he made a gesture that Roe could enter.
Roe followed Melanthios into the secret base, marveling that he had never known such a place existed until now.
M'endar woke with a start. First there were loud thuds, then a creaking door. Something had to be going to in its sanctum. So much for simply recovering from the wounds from the battle with Seith and his lackeys. It quickly hid the shards among its person. M'endar had to keep them safe, as it had a use for them later. Now running could be heard. With a mixture of curiosity and fear, it said, "Who enters Umbraculum?" The half-whisper echoed throughout the tunnels and passageways.
"Eh, it's me, Roe," the young god replied cautiously to the voice that whispered and swept down the corridors, "Who are you?"
Melanthios walked and heard M'endar ask who had walked in. He then heard Roe respond, and he added. "And I am also here brother, I let him down here to talk."
"Why, little one, it is M'endar." It replied softly, "As for you brother, I believe it is polite for guests to announce their presence. Something to consider in the future perhaps?" M'endar was glad to see that it was not the other alternative come to greet it. M'endar hid the shards in the depths of its robes. All would see what use they would have, but not now... It sat down on the obsidian chair and waited for the pair to arrive.
"I know you!" Roe exclaimed in recognition when he saw M'endar sitting on the obsidian chair, it was the god whose race he'd almost wiped out once.
Melanthios agreed, "I will announce my presence in the future brother. I just didn't know you where here." Melanthios looked a bit surprised at Roe's reaction on M'endar, then he remembered the great flood accident.
"I wonder... Do you still remember the lesson of actions and consequences?" M'endar pondered as it shuffled about on the chair, finally settling on leaning on its elbow. M'endar nodded as it heard Melanthios' words, "Where do you think I would go in the event of being... compromised like this?" Then thoughts turned to the twin events, one in the deep past, the other in the recent past. Both were minor setbacks at worse and major opportunities at best...
Melanthios seemed to think. "It made sense that you fled here. But I didn't know who else could be hiding in here. So I didn't want to take a change, especially not with war so close at hand."
"Are you fighting the plant lady too?" Roe asked M'endar as he climbed into the chair opposite the god and sat crossed legged. He wasn't really paying attention to the conversation between the two other gods, rather he was admiring the size of the cavernous room.
"Fine enough, brother." M'endar replied, and then turned to Roe's question, "I will send help if it comes to that. Sadly, when the god of lies and the god of enlightment fight, it was almost like mutual annihilation..."
"You mean Seith?" Roe said with a nod, "I saw him being locked away, he must have really bad. What did he do?"
Melanthios sat down on a chair. "More people are fighting her then just me Roe. I know that I will fight her, but next to me M'endar, Vantric and Zareth will also fight her. Maybe even more."
It was tedious explaining it, but humoring the child god would help in the long run, "Seith tried to force everybody to play by his rules and they were not fair ones..."
"Does everyone get a reward?" Roe asked Melanthios.
He shook his head. "Not everyone will get a present Roe. You see M'endar, Zareth, Vantric and me are in an alliance. So when she attacked us, we naturally came to help each other. We don't need an reward for that, because we know that in return they would do the same for us."
"So you're like friends with each other..." Roe said knowingly, before adding "I have a sword," and he held his blue diamond sword above his head to show the other two gods.
Melanthios seemed to think, he finally said. "More then just friends Roe. We are brothers, we would never abandon each other. It is an oath we took once we joined the alliance. So you could see brotherhood as the thing above friendship." Melanthios smiled as he said. "One of the rewards I was going to offer you, was a place in the alliance. Which would mean that if you ever needed help, all 4 of us would come to help you."
M'endar leaned in closer, curious if Roe would accept Melanthios' proposal...
"Hmmm..." Roe said, tilting his head on one side in thought., "would I have to follow rules?"
Melanthios responded with, "Well maybe a few, the normal rules that apply to friendship really. You don't fight each other, or try to hurt or hinder each other in anyway. And you help each other, and are friendly to one another. Those are really the rules you have to follow, there isn't a dress code or anything."
"That does sound fun," Roe replied slowly, "will you really let me join?"
Melanthios nodded. "Of course Roe. You have shown to be an intelligent, brave, and a friendly individual. I would be honored to have you join our alliance, in fact." Melanthios grabbed a purple letter and handed it to Roe. "Just before Eldarwen attacked I was preparing a giant party, that was your invitation to the party." Melanthios smiled at the young god.
"Yes I want to join!" Roe said enthusiastically, before adding "I like parties, can I bring Petal along?"
Melanthios laughed. "Yes of course you can. It's not a party if not all your friends are allowed to come right?" His face then turned darker. "But first we have to deal with Eldarwen I am afraid. It won't be easy, but if we combine our power we should be able to win without any casualties." Melanthios said looking apologetic at M'endar.
"Let her come to us if she wants war." M'endar hissed, "Then we have the advantage." It was certain not to let itself charge recklessly into oblivion like that again. With a quick adjust of the hood, M'endar calmed and down said quietly, "I will order my agent to counter any one of hers she throws into the fray. I can no promise nothing more..."
Roe's face became serious and he reached for his sword. "I don't like baddies who hurt other people, I'm going to chop her up with my sword and then throw her body in a lake and then put her head in prison!" He waved his sword around dramatically to reinforce his point.
Melanthios looked amused. Roe would be a valuable addition, he was sure of it. "That sounds like a good plan Roe, but don't go and attack her right away now. As long as she doesn't attack us she isn't the bad guy yet, some people might attack us if we attack her first."
"Exactly my point." M'endar replied. The smile returned, as its mood returned to more content one.
"Huh," Roe said, listening enraptured to Melanthios advice, "I hope she does soon, I can't wait..."
"Neither can I..." M'endar chuckled. This would be a fine test for Zs'Wua, a fine test of loyalty and... other things...
"I feel the same way.. Anyway with that taken care off, Roe I have heard about your adventure to get Petal back. You must really care about her don't you?" Melanthios asked with a smile.
"Yeah," Roe replied simply, "she's my best friend and she's very nice, you can meet her when it's safe. I told her to hide until the battle is over because she hates fighting,"
Melanthios eyes opened wide. "But Roe think about it, we are fighting gods. What if they found her, shouldn't you keep her by your side and defend her? I mean she doesn't have to fight, but that way you are sure she is safe."
"She would be scared, when she was human she was killed by people fighting," Roe replied anxiously, "she could be anywhere in the universe and it would be really difficult for anyone to find her unless they scryed everywhere. If she came with me the plant lady could hurt her,"
"She can hide here, where scrying eyes cannot see." M'endar suggested while giving a shrug. Might as well offer something in exchange for his help, and ensure some loyalty.
Melanthios nodded. "She would be safe here, and it is quite nice here too don't you think?"
"I suppose you're right," Roe sighed and he called in his mind for his friend. A moment later she materialized and threw herself onto Roe.
"Are you okay? Did you fight?" Petal asked
"Not yet!" Roe replied with a look of embarrassment that his new friends were seeing this, "but I've met these gods and they say you'll be safe here,"
M'endar was surprised. This Petal was far from the shrinking violet that was stuck in the middle of that conversation regarding Olek. Though that might be the way she always acted around Roe. Nevertheless, M'endar just gave a slight nod at the little demigod and said, "Greetings."
Melanthios smiled at the Petal. "My name is Melanthios and this is M'endar." Melanthios said gesturing at his friend, he the continued with" I am a friend of Roe, and I promise you will be safe here."
"Really?" Petal turned and saw the two gods sitting opposite. She shrank a little back in Roe's chair and watched them intently.
"Hello," she said in a quiet voice.
"Greetings." Melanthios said bowing his head slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you Petal."
"Yesss..." M'endar replied, "I created this place to be a safe place - a sanctum - so, it is enchanted so anyone scrying for our locations will get no answers." It that checked itself, M'endar was rambling. With a cough, it cut itself off and quickly added, "Same to you as well, Petal."
"You too Mister and..." Petal replied, not letting go of Roe's arm for a moment despite a couple of token efforts by the young god to shake her off.
Melanthios smiled at the girl. "You don't have to be afraid of us Petal. I am sorry if we look a bit intimidating, but I swear that we do not seek to hurt you in anyway."
"I know," Petal said and sat a little more relaxed, though she didn't leave Roe's chair. "Are you really gods like Roe?"
"Yesss..." M'endar answered, "There are many god and we are but a few of them." M'endar grew a bit irritated. Time was passing back and this demigod needed to be hidden in one of the many chambers, just in case. "Petal, would you like to pick your room now?"
"Alright," Petal hopped off the chair and giving once last look at Roe, walked up to M'endar to be shown a room, "Why are you gooey?" she asked it.
Melanthios chuckled loudly, trying to keep himself from bursting out in laughter
Children always asked the strangest, and most direct, questions. M'endar gave a glare to Melanthios, his chuckling wasn't helping its mood. M'endar sighed and began walking towards the rooms while answering the question, "All the better to shape shift with..."
"Ohhh, that...." Petal and M'endar disappeared down the corridor, leaving Roe and Melanthios alone. Roe let out a sigh of relief.
"She can be a bit annoying sometimes..." he admitted.
Melanthios nodded. "I can understand that. But still she seems to really like you, I am happy that you have someone like that." I know I don't have someone like that.
Umbraculum was a hollow sphere linked by a nexus of tunnels. The meeting space resided in the centre - a sphere inside a sphere. Like so, it was linked to the other spaces by a maze of corridors. M'endar hoped that Petal would not get lost in this place, that would just led to her panicking and produce even more bother to deal with. Now they were nearly at the outer dome, where rooms were carved into the crust of moon itself. The place shifted, almost like a some wooden block puzzle, and revealed a multitude of room. M'endar said to her, "Choose one, all are the same but you may customize yours if you wish. Please memorize the way to your chosen room to avoid confusion. Falling that, call for me if you are lost, mentally that is."
"Thanks," Petal replied to M'endar and flapped her wings appreciatively before finding herself a room, concentrating her powers to decorate it in a forest style. A bed of flowers appeared in one corner and it was complete.
"Yeah, I'm glad I brought her back." Roe said "being a god is lonely sometimes, most of my friends become grown up so fast and then they die, I can't even remember most of them now."
Melanthios nodded. "I know what you mean. I have seen many of my students age and die. That is why I am very grateful for my children." He smiled.
Melanthios returned to his own planet after recruiting Roe, he send a message to his allies. "Brothers, I am happy to announce we have another ally. The newest addition to our alliance is Roe, he also wishes to fight Eldarwen." He was certain his brothers would appreciate another ally. He then opened the door of the palace and went in.
He was greeted by someone throwing itself in his arms, the force span him around. He just managed to place his second leg on the ground, stopping the spinning motion. He looked down to see Valerie smiling at him, Melanthios smiled back at her. Neither of them needed to say a word, He could see the gratitude in her eyes. Suddenly Akladai stormed in "Melanthios!" He let go off Valerie and turned around "What is it Akladai?"
Akladai looked panicked "You have to see this!" He said as he ran outside. He had a very bad feeling about this, he followed his son outside. Melanthios saw what he meant, the extreme hatred in the air was clear. "That *****.. Akladai prepare for war." Melanthios spotted his other son holding a speech before all of the Dues Filli, Maeglin looked confident as he was speaking.
"..Brothers and sisters, today we march to war! Today we march against an foe that is threatening our very way off life! They seek to destroy our homes, destroy our civilization, and massacre us all! Today we fight for our families, we fight for everything we believe in and hold dear. Melanthios will also join the battle, but we will have to do our own part! So everyone prepare for war, for today we will all unite. Today is the day that the Goliath will shine, today we will secure our future by crushing our enemies! And we will show the whole universe, that everyone who stands against us will be crushed!" He smashed both his fist into the table emphasizing the last part of his speech. The Dues Filli lifted their weapons and all began yelling, they knew today would be the day they had to fight.
Melanthios smiled as he looked at his children. "Let's go." He said as he and his children teleported into space. Melanthios knew it was time to test Roe's power, but he didn't want to test him without backup. He send a message to Roe and Zareth. "Brothers I have found an opponent for you, the one they call Venator. You will need to work together since she is very strong, I will send Valerie to assist you both." Melanthios looked at Valerie, she nodded and teleported to Roe.
The planet changed and within seconds It had taken a new shape.
Melanthios and the demigods teleported back inside the Goliath, they were standing inside the control room. Melanthios then said "Prepare the Goliath, we will attack soon." His sons nodded and began preparing the Goliath to fight. Melanthios meanwhile focused all his magic, and using the orb of infinity began destroying Eldarwens' spell.
Sending a message to: Vantric, Zareth and M'endar.
Difficulty: Effortless
Sending a message to: Zareth, Roe.
Difficulty: Effortless
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