[centre][h3][color=696969]Escre - the Great Spirit, Level 2 God of Life

6 Might 2 Free Points[/color][/h3]
&

[b][color=black]Vowzra, Level 3 God of Time

6 Might 2 Free Points[/color][/b][/centre]

The two lines of ants marched steadily on, one heading out from the colony and the other heading back to it, carrying leaves and twigs to feed their growing colony. It was one colony out of many thousands that had sprung up all over the single continent of Arguilla. From on high, weaved within the very fabric of the universe, the ever-aware Vowzra slumbered, and though he slumbered, the every action of each ant, the blowing of the winds and the swaying of the trees did not pass him by. As he slumbered, visions came to him and Fate knocked upon his door. 

There were things to be done.

Vowzra awoke. The lining of the universe tore and he emerged from its smoke and darkness. As it sealed behind him, his blurred and smokey form took shape and was once more an old man of wood and, with bark for skin and leaves for hair. He flexed his newly formed fingers and let out a long, heavy sigh. There was much to be done, and so little Time, and so little strength in his yet weak form. With that thought, he allowed himself to descend down to the planet below for the very first time. He passed through the atmosphere, dipping into it slowly as if he were sinking into honey.

As he touched down, he allowed himself to breathe deeply of this planet's air. It was good air, it would sustain the life he would now need to create. Looking around, he noted with pleasure that wherever he looked, trees and ants covered the scene. The ants gathered around his feet and climbed his wooden legs, and he could hear their excited humming and feel their energy and awe at being before their creator and sustainer. Had he allowed himself to be revealed to them in all his divine glory, they would have been annihiliated, the trees would have become dust and the very earth beneath him would have groaned and died. But it was not his intention to bring about such destruction, he was here to increase the bounty and create more life, he was here to guide this fledgling planet and its small and vulnerable creatures.

Connecting himself to the essence of the Guardian of Life, the Great Spirit Escre, he called out to it.
[color=black][b]'Come, essence of my essence, keeper of the balance. You have a duty, have you not?'[/b][/color]

Deep below, hanging at the perimeter of the Astral Home, Escre heard the voice of Vowzra.  It paused to consider the intrusion.  First the god of Knowledge, and now the god of Time. It would seem that many desired the promise of Life, just as Escre had wanted.  But surely, a deity as illustrious and mighty as Vowzra did not need the Great Spirit's explicit help to mold a new life-form as it wished?  Only, Escre rationalized, for a being of greater potential could Vowzra need assistance.  For that, however, Escre was not quite ready.

It approached the Astral Home and dipped its lantern into its pale, shining ivory surface.  When Escre drew back its tool, the ethereal container's oil reservoir sloshed full to the brim of the same pure liquid, and after tilting back the lantern over its head, the warden began to drink.

As Vowzra waited upon the response, he allowed himself to feel the power surging within him. It was great, and with the help of Escre, who ruled over Life, he would be more than capable of creating what was needed. He could not create that defining creature of his own power alone however. He did not like that very much, a god should not be so arrogant as to deny their need for help and assistance, even if it were to come from beings perceived to be far lower than gods. However, a god should not be so dependent as to be at the complete mercy of another either. While Escre could help, Vowzra needed to be capable of creating advanced life of his own power too. With that, he siezed upon the energies surgin within him and let them loose. [5 Might used to level up from Level 3 to Level 4]

With the lantern's reservoir emptied, and its holy liquor imbibed, Escre's spirit pulsed stronger than ever before.  Now, it was prepared to collaborate with the god of time for a feat worthy of myth.  (4 Might spent to attain Level 3)

Wave after wave of energy pulsed from Vowzra's form and the ants around him scattered and ran. He did not wish to cause them harm, it was important that these creatures continued to grow and thrive, and each one was very much valued. In fact, he could not help but feel more for these little creatures than he did for some of his siblings. Like that Undasis for instance...
It further saddened him to have seen that Astarte had experimented on his creatures along with the Chaotic One and the petty Undasis. It was good that ants could now traverse sea and land, but anything designed by those two was surely not meant to be for the good of the world.

Not that it mattered, of course. The good of the world was a notion far beyond his siblings, even one so knowedlgeable as Arguis who even now was pranicng about in an attempt to mess with the creations of the great Reptile. It was not their job to go about actively changing or moulding the future to their whims and desires, it was their duty to do as Time and Fate dictated, and nothing happened without their will. Whatever was manifest, whatever will be manifest, was their will and nothing beside it. No attempts by any god, not even himself, could change or alter the single, Certain Truth. And that Certain Truth was known with certainty only to beings greater than mere gods. A being like Vowzra could only guess, but it was far from stopping him from believing in the correctness of the futures he worked towards. If he erred, then what was he but a mere god? And if he was correct, then was that surprising? He was, after all, the will of Time and Fate made manifest.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Vowzra stood, rooted to the ground, and waited upon the coming of the god he had summoned.

Nearby, the ground began to crumble.  From the cracks seeped a translucent, silverly liquid, less pure now than the radiance of a star, but still fraught with the energies of Life.  As the cracks widened into a crevice and the seep developd into a stream, a pond of the stuff formed--a Fountain of Life.  From this, Escre rose, droplets falling in rivulets from its dusky mantle.  [i][color=696969]"I am come for you.  What invokes my duty?"[/color][/i]

Vowzra turned his head towards the being who had risen from the earth. Escre was a mighty being to behold and Vowzra allowed his generally disdainful disposition to make way for some admiration. To have power over Life itself was a noble and most weighty task. Escre did not seem phased by this however, it was 'just in a day's work' for him.

[color=black][b]'This little world of ours grows livelier by the second. Oceans have sprouted and life has emerged, and it is good to watch and see it all happening. However, it is time to fill this world with life worthy of serving sentient beings. We have a duty to create more creatures, and we have a duty to create more advanced life forms. I am no god of Life, and I am unable to achieve such a thing on my own without squandering more strength and energy than I have. So, I have turned to you. Here I extend my hand to you, seeking your aid and offering to aid you too, so will you not help me mould the future?'[/b][/color]

Readily the Great Spirit responded with its air-reverberations.  [i][color=696969]"That is a purpose most divine, and to be aspired to.  I will lend my power to yours, though I have not a true hand with which to solidify this pact.  It would be wise to rise above the planet, so that the intensity of my halo and of your godly form does not scorch the earth."[/color][/i]

Without a word, Vowzra allowed his feet to leave the earth. He hovered there for a few moments, allowing his gaze to sweep over the trees and the ants once more. Soon enough there will be much more than ants and trees. Vowzra could see it now more clearly than before. Smiling at Escre, he began to rise up into the heavens before suddenly disappearing altogether. Seconds later, he reappeared in the darkness of the spaces above the planet and its atmosphere, and a moment later the Great Spirit joined him in those upper reaches, a blazing white comet until it slowed down enough to halt by Vowzra's side.  Escre nodded, and summoned behind its back its huge crescent-moon halo, ready to begin.

With both gods prepared, Vowzra decided it was time to begin. Galbar was a beautiful planet, but with this it would become ever more beautiful. He extended an arm forward, and as Invictus had done before, he summoned forth an orb. It was by no means as powerful as what Invictus had brought forth, but it was an orb of creation nonetheless. He called upon his knowledge, all these strange creatures which haunted his mind - they were like memories, yet he did not know from where they were and whether they were his own.

The orb grew in size as Vowzra's knowledge seeped into it. Memories of giant cats with manes and others striped. Lions, tigers they were called. Of great hoofed stallions, horses, and of bulls and cows. There were memories of reptileans creatures which swam in rivers and had a mighty jaw. Crocodiles. Knowledge of one creature after another, flowed into it. Fish and bird, reptile and amphibean. Vowzra's knowledge encompassed them all. 

Once Vowzra was done, the orb was the size of a hut. It was full of knowledge, and that swirled and twirled in a strange fashion. But in that orb was no life. Escre would have to add that vital ingredient. It would have to give Vowzra's knowledge life. Turning his head to the Guardian of Life, Vowzra allowd the orb to float towards it. He did not need to speak, Escre would know what to do.

The halo shone forth, and Escre's lantern spurted forth tendrils of life energie.  They arced from the implement to the orb, burrowing into its surface like worms into soil, and becoming just as much a part of it.  Along with that transfusion, newly absorbed from the Astral Home, went what little imagination Escre could muster.  Having seen the tentacled antlike creations of the other gods on its trip through a nerve to the surface, it drew a little inspiration from them, mixing as well aspects of other organisms it thought that it dreamed of.  These, Escre could not help but imparting to the orb, and within it those thoughts began to form strange shapes.  The orb was ready.

Vowzra watched as, within the orb, the thoughts leapt to life. Claws tore out and hooves kicked. Razor sharp teeth emerged and roared while leaf-eating mouths gathered themselves up and neighed. Blood soared through the orb and strange creatures emerged and waned before others emerged. Vowzra looked into the orb, engrossed by what lay within. He felt that a strange change, ever so slight but ever so vital, had come about. He had not expected this at all, Escre had added more than life. It had added its own essence and imagination into the orb.

Vowzra looked at Escre, seeing it in a new light. It was a blank creature, there was no corruption and there was no goodness perse. It was the ultimate purity. However, that was a most dangerous state of being, it was often so that the most pure and white of things were the most easily tarnished and dirtied. It would be most dangerous if a being such as Escre were to become truly corrupted. There was nothing to say that a being such as Vestec could potentially present chaos to it in a manner that would appeal to its encoded obedience to the powers which had brought them into this world. He doubted Escre would fall for such schemes, but it was not impossible. Vowzra would have to be vigiliant.

With a wave of his hand, the great orb began to spin at great speeds. As it spun, it began to mould and change shape until two, smaller orbs had emerged. Without further ado, Vowzra sent them hurtling down towards the waiting planet. As they descended, both solidied and a layer of rock covered them. Vowzra watched, Escre hanging by him, as their creations descended upon the world.

One landed in the sea. Upon contact with the water, the rock began to melt and all kinds of water creatures emerged. Large and small, predators and prey. Before long, the planet's oceans were brimming with all sorts of sea life. Sea ants would no longer find themselves alone in the oceans. Alongside the more mundane fishes and creatures, however, emerged different [url=http://orig05.deviantart.net/6efd/f/2009/069/d/8/kelp_cutter_by_davesrightmind.jpg]shapes[/url]--the progeny of Escre's wandering thought.  As kelp sprang up from the empty seabed, leafy green fish with staring pink eyes on their sides nestled among them, and after those Kelp Nuzzlers swam the razor-spined Torpedo Eels.  Larger still were the Kelp Cutters, raylike creatures with fins able to sever plant fiber.  Lastly, through the blue depths moved the huge [url=http://orig03.deviantart.net/e6b2/f/2009/069/8/7/spongeback_from_wayback_by_davesrightmind.jpg]Spongebacks[/url], entwining the seastacks and underwater arches with their great, yellow lengths.

The other landed on the single continent, and out of it exploded creatures of all kinds. From small cats to the more predatory and powerful lions and tigers. Dogs and wolves, horses and cows, frogs and insects. The birds swept up into the sky, flying as far as they could from that crater of their first emergence. Eagles and robins, and aong with them, blind bats. The animal kingdom had come into being. On land, too, did Escre's warped imagination brought different creatures to being.  Into the air soared horrible [url=http://orig11.deviantart.net/a596/f/2014/070/e/e/eldrivore___creature_concept_by_cloister-d79rfnf.jpg]things[/url] with manifold claws and dark wings.  Into the ground burrowed carrot-sized [url=http://orig12.deviantart.net/fec2/f/2014/078/c/4/aether_husk___creature_concept_by_cloister-d7as8ep.jpg]worms[/url] whose tentacled bellied glowed with the liquid life energy of creation, though decidedly less pure.  They would keep the ground enriched, ready for plants, by turning the bodies of the dead into usable nutrients once more, though all the while the azure grubs would be hunted by the devilish Xarocos, whose names reflected their oddity.

Vowzra watched with interest the creatures which emerged as a result of Escre's input. They were strange creatures, there was no denying, the product of an imagination testing the waters and exploring what was possible. Certainly, some were rather vicious, but all, Vowzra could already see, would bring about a well-balanced and intriguing world. That azure grub was particularly attention-grabbing. Or at least, it interested Vowzra. 
He wondered what would occur if that liquid life energy were to be added to ants or other such creatures which went about cleaning up the environment and increasing the quality of the earth. That would be something to explore another time, however. For now, he had to turn his attention to a far greater creation. An intelligent species, one that could potentially rule over this this world, whose intelligence and wit would far out-match any others. Vowzra would grant them the intelligence of the gods themselves - though he had to admit, when he looked to gods such as Undasis, he could not help but think that perhaps the gods were not all that smart after all...

Summoning up his energies once more, he summoned forth a small, reddish thing. It was not exactly flesh, but it would soon be. Holding it with his fingers, he  blew into it and watched it begin to mutate and grow into a small, wet, feshy thing. Vowzra pulled upon it and stretched it. It was a long and intricate task, but the creation slowly took form, bones grew and muscles latched upon them, a heart here, lungs. The humanoid figure was still far from complete as Vowzra took a step back. It was lacking something. It was beutiful, there was no denying, but something about the way he could see all its innards was rather...stomach-churning. Vowzra passed his hand on its forehead and skin began to grow. It scuttled and grew, spidery at points, and at others it was like the waves coming in.

Its skin was covered in black markings and its ears were slightly, ever so slightly, pointed. Vowzra knew that with time, the marking would disappear and the ears would round out at the tips. This was his [url=http://www.noahbradley.com/images/Noah-Bradley_Our-Grasp-of-Heaven_highres.jpg]creation[/url]. It was yet lifeless, however, and more were needed. Gripping it from its head, Vowzra pulled and another one emerged, this one feminine in shape. Others emerged before them and Vowzra watched. It was now the Guardian of Life's role to give them life.

But Escre's gaze was focused elsewhere.  In the shadow of the first humans came another--[url=http://orig10.deviantart.net/588d/f/2009/005/c/2/torthune___kobold_quarterly_7_by_michaeljaecks.jpg]a second kind[/url].  Born were they not from red flesh, but from gray, and not from Vowzra's love, but from Escre's watch.  Unlike the first kind, they had a far more limited capacity, for their eyes linked not to their minds but to their hearts.  The second kind would never build cities, establish governments, or discover great technologies; they would forever remain shadows on the brink of humanity.  Outsiders.  The one that Escre now watched rose up, stared at its inadvertent creator, and fell.

Vowzra had been taken aback for the second time during this exercise in creation. He watched as the first creature, these Escreian Humans, these Outsiders, ran off, and the rest of its kind followed it. Vowzra wondered if he should destroy them for a few seconds, but realised that if they had come into being, then they had a purpose. Instead, he guided their way and they passed through the atmosphere of Galbar unharmed, landing on the single continent and dispersing. They were a strange creation. It was difficult to believe that they had sprung from the same act of creation that brought about Vowzra's creatures, his children, Humans.

The Great Spirit turned to face the lifeless humans.  It reached down and scooped some of the silver liquid into its lantern's reservoir, and sprinkled it onto them.  With that first impetus, the natural cellular processes of the bodies were kicked into gear, and the bodies began to invigorate. Vowzra watched as his creations, protected from their current environment by Vowzra's divine will, took their first breath. There were thousands of them. Vowzra's very own. He was the god of creation, it was only natural that these beings should look up to him as their creator, father and master. They too began their descent, landing where their siblings had landed before.

Instead of running away, however, the newly created humans, their men and their women, gathered around each other and looked upon the heavens with a longing unlike anything Vowzra had ever seen before. It was as if they had been torn away from something, and their longing for a return - a return up there, where they truly belonged - was clear. 

[centre][img]http://i.imgur.com/AVyaLeS.jpg[/img][/centre]

As it were, Galbar was now flourishing with life.

-=-=-

It was some minutes before Escre stirred itself to return to the planet's surface.  In its mind were pictured the humans of Vowzra and the second kind both, but in its mind there was no question which of the two was its favorite. [i][color=696969]"Well met, god of time.  But my purpose is not yet complete."[/color][/i]

[hider=Might]
[color=black][b]Vowzra, God of Time[/b][/color]
5 Might spent to level up from Level 3 to Level 4
1 Might spent to create Humans and the Animal Kingdom along with Escre
0 Might & 2 Free Points remaining 

[centre][h3][color=696969]Escre - the Great Spirit[/color][/h3][/centre]
Might - 1 - 4 spent to gain Level 3 - 1 spent to imbue Humans and Animals with life
Free - 1 - 1 spent to influence the creation of certain creatures
1 Might Point & 1 Free Point remain
[/hider]