[@Rtron] The first of a few sheets I owe

[hider=Chronos]Creation:
Physical 
Name: Chronos

Description: In the darkness beyond the veil, Vowzra set about creating a world all his own. Its spaces were measured, its dimensions dictated and its laws were written, and Time was set to pass as the Timeless One willed, and he has willed that for each day on Galbar, there pass here one thousand Galbarian years. And so it is until he should Will otherwise, for he is the supreme Lord of Time, and willing one way or another is his prerogative.
Depending on whether a creature that has found its way to this plane is wanted or unwanted, worthy or unworthy, Chronos will exhibit different characteristics. Unworthy beings will find the plane turn against them with all its might. The clouds poison, devour and cause rapid aging. So too does the very air. The water, if drunk, suffocates and attempts to kill or maim once ingested. The soil, the trees, the rain and the mountains; the crystals and the cherries; the Crows and The Bard; all seek to destroy the unworthy, the unwanted, the unFated - mortal be they or immortal, god they be or man.
As for those who are worthy, then the plane will exhibit different characteristics. It may test the worthy one with great difficulties before they reach their destination, or it may make their path easy and strew it with fruits and food aplenty. But it would not, as with those who are unworthy, go all out in order to destroy the worthy.
Those who are worthy are faced with two options once they reach Chronos. They can live in the paradise of the hinterlands, and there they would grow and there would live forevermore. Or they can take the arduous journey through the mountains, past the strange plains and on to the Chronos heartlands, where are the crystals, the cherry tree, the Crows, the Cube and The Bard. And should they arrive there, and should their worthiness be found adequate, then they shall be rewarded greatly and mighty shall their Fate be. And they shall be sent home; guides, leaders, seers, messengers and prophets to their peoples. 

Appearance: The first thing an objective, floating observer would notice is the [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/21/03/2d/21032de2cb70542e020364d5c15abb53.jpg]clouds[/url]. Within the small dimension created by the Lord of Time, there drift dark clouds which spread out far and wide. Those on top are different colourations of red and orange while those below range from light to darkest grey. 

There emerges from within the clouds an enormous, barren [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6b/59/ba/6b59ba1fa66181e80c10eb234c45c644.jpg]landmass[/url]. It floats upon the clouds and appears stable (as, indeed, it is). The laws of the dimension work upon it and Time passes and the seed of Life flourishes thereon and there grows lush, green grass. And rivers flow therethrough, and there are lakes and great mountains rising up. At the edges, where land gives way to clouds, there float [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/29/88/fe/2988fecd78dae394210987180fb21359.jpg]large rocks[/url]. And over the edge rivers let fall their waters, which flow down from the [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a9/95/5d/a9955d835b46f6484e05159b65fb76c5.jpg]mountains further inland[/url], and the clouds take them up and rain them back on to the great, floating continent in due time.

And there grow [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/69/68/e5/6968e58c2bed91793bb0008d6f2f4433.jpg]trees on the mountains[/url], and trees on the plains, and there grow trees even in the rivers. Here in the outer hinterlands, all things flourish and grow. But beyond the great circle of mountains, though there are lakes, there grows nothing, and though the soil is rich and arable, no seeds take root. And here the clay grows in [url=https://cdn1.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/279/077/large/labndscape2.jpg?1414781652]strange shapes as though it were alive[/url].

And beyond this, the clay and soil and waters give way to hard, grey rock and mist, and in the very centre of the great landmass, there is a great [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d3/95/ba/d395ba8fa13f045bf09a00193b26dd3a.jpg]cube standing on one of its corners[/url]. There is inscribed upon the cube words in a language unknown – designs, plans, laws, shapes, records and words.
And within this inner landmass, with its grey rocks and mist, there are also strange, glowing crystals. And these strange glowing crystals have strange properties - even stranger than their glow. These properties appear highly adaptive, but the most notable is that these crystals greatly enhance intuition. Those who are close to a crystal appear to have a much deeper understanding and level of intelligence than the average member of their species. It is not clear what it does, but the crystals also appear to exhibit an undetectable 'force-field' of sorts. 

Before the great cube, there grows a single cherry tree, and it bears perfectly spherical red cherries. They appear to have similar characteristics to the crystals though it is unclear how similar and what exactly the properties of these cherries are. The cherry tree grows upon a very small islet within a large, rather deep pool, whose source stems somewhere beneath the cherry tree. Like most things on Chronos, this pool also seems to have special properties whose effect vary depending on what or who is affected by them. 
Upon the cube, there sits a demigod known simply as The Bard. He is the guardian of the cube, the tree, the pool, the crystals and the plane as a whole.
Moreover, within this inner, seemingly barren landmass, there dwell [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/02/4d/4b/024d4b929109030280f78f713c9ec7df.jpg]two giant crows[/url]. One is larger than the other. The larger is known as Aeth, The Greater Crow. The smaller is known as Chao, The Lesser Crow. These crows decree when a being's Time has begun by turning an hourglass which has that being's True Name inscribed on it. The hourglass has a hole in the bottom meaning that the sands flow out onto the barren ground and crystals: one only has a finite amount of Time, and it shall not once spent return.
The hourglasses of immortal beings - such as gods, demigods, heroes and miscellaneous undying creatures - are unturned. This means that their Time has not yet begun and so has no foreseeable end until the hourglass is turned.[/hider]

[hider=Sertzamen-Vrema]Creation:
Physical (6 Might)

Name: Sertzamen-Vrema (pl. Sertzamen-Vremae; meaning 'Time's Heartstones', 'Heartstones of Time'; also known as Sertz, Sertzstone)
Description: Found only in Chronos' heartlands, Sertzamen-Vrema is a crystalline mineral which developed on Chronos' original heartland rock surface. Over a period of 14.5 billion years the rock surface interacted with the aura exuded by The Divine Annalist; Hexahedron Historicus Creato, as well as the strange weathers of the Chronos heartlands, causing a tremendous amount of the crystal Sertzamen-Vrema to grow. Crystal is notable for its numerous properties, which reacts and affects both living and non-living matter in numerous ways. While its reaction to non-living matter is generally consistent, it's reaction to living matters varies enormously. Sertzamen-Vrema exhibits an invisible, undetectable forcefield with a radius of 2 metres and a circumference of 12.56 metres.

In its natural state, without a sentient being tapping into its properties, Sertzamen-Vrema tends to repel all metals and rocks. Rocks and metals tend to either grind to an immediate stop upon coming into contact with the forcefield or if they are going at exceptional speeds, dissolve or melt into nothingness. Liquids cannot enter the forcefield if their volume is too great or if they are going at speeds the crystal detects as extreme or unusual. It tends to automatically filter anything passing into its 2 metre radius, either repelling, destroying, or allowing to pass through.
In the case of the rock formations upon which the Sertzamen-Vrema originally grew, the crystal appears to have quickly adjusted to tolerate the presence of the rock within its parameter. The most logical reason behind this is that the crystals are in fact semi-conscious and are capable of understanding an advantageous arrangement and adapting to it. This semi-sentience may also be the reason behind the enormous variance in its reaction to living matter and particularly sentient beings.
Among the positive effects Sertzamen-Vremae on sentient beings includes reduced aging, a much-strengthened immune system, increased rate of recovery from wounds and injuries, heightened senses and reaction speed, and greatly boosted intuition, reasoning capacity, cognitive skill, and emotional intelligence. They also appear to enhance dreams and make it more likely that one will have a prophetic vision rather than a mere dream, and the wielder becomes undetectable by all but the highest level heroes and medium-level demigods. Moreover, the longer a sentient being has a Sertzamen-Vrema, the more attuned to that individual the crystal will become. The larger the crystal, the greater the base power it can wield.
As crystal and wielder grow more attuned to one another, they pass through three main phases. The first is where the crystal becomes attuned to the wielder, meaning that the crystal becomes more efficient and effective in enhancing the wielder's spirit, body, and mind. The essence within the crystal effectively begins to merge with the wielder. The second phase is where the wielder becomes more attuned to the crystal, being able to direct their own essence into the crystal and thus influence the filtration system of the forcefield, moulding it more to their needs. With this, the forcefield becomes a more effective method of counter-attack rather than pure defence: the wielder can configure the forcefield so as to repel attacks in particular directions, or to harness the energy of a blocked offense to enhance a counterattack.
The third phase is where crystal and wielder become bonded closely enough to communicate with one another, awakening the essence within the stone completely into its full sentience. Not only does this create for the closest bond and most efficient and effective utilisation of the crystal, it also means that the knowledge and wisdom of the particular Sertzamen-Vrema essence becomes available to the wielder, and a mighty boon is that. For the spirit is not only ancient by any standard (billions of years old at the least), but each wields a secret knowledge which can be discovered should the wielder prove to be Worthiest of Worthies. Even if one is not Worthiest of Worthies, the essence of a spirit is a mighty ally and sage advisor whom any would be blessed to have at their side.

The above is in the case of a sentient being who has not magical abilities, or is not learned in magical arts. The power of the stone alone allows someone who is otherwise an inept magicker to control magical energies to a decent level, and protects them from any effects should something go awry. Should one who is learned in magical arts manage to find a stone which react positively to their presence, they can expect - along with the above enhancements - to increase their inherent magical energies (those independent of the crystal's) dramatically, and for their control and precision to rise also. The crystal's adaptive and evolutionary characteristics are also enhanced by bonding to one who is magically capable, and it becomes possible for a magical wielder to configure the inherent, or add new, characteristics to the crystal. Should a magical wielder reach the third phase with their crystal, it becomes possible for the essence of the crystal to manifest in the physical Universe, and a most mighty thing is the essence of a Sertzamen-Vrema. These essences can manifest in any possible form, depending on the characteristics of the wielder and the essence of the crystal itself, and its capabilities in the physical world can vary tremendously.

Above are the possible effects of a Sertzamen-Vrema should it react positively towards a sentient. Negative reaction can from extreme (complete destruction of the one striving to become a wielder) to relatively mild (negative effect on much of the above mentioned, without the realisation of the wielder). In mild cases, the effects of the crystal can make it so that wielder's mind is slowly eroded until they become more or less a mindless host. The crystal would usually proceed to bond with the host, consuming their essence and occupying their body. One the occupation is complete, the crystal awakens and becomes a fully sentient being. The spiritual invasion is also usually paralleled by a physical invasion. Hosts are usually identifiable by the crystal which usually occupies their upper chest. It is unheard of for a 'Sertzman', as they are called, to ever leave Chronos. The deterioration of the mind is very rapid and the victim is usually far too befuddled and confused to manage an escape.

It is also possible for one to over-use a Sertzamen-Vremae before the bond with it is sufficiently strong, or to push their own body beyond its limit and beyond what the bond with the Sertzstone can sustain. Such instances will simply leave the stone damaged and unusable if the user is lucky. In more serious cases, the consequences can cause damage to the wielder's physical or even soul. A wielder escaping with nothing more than a crippled body should consider themselves lucky, for the crippling of a soul is a thing most grievous and lead to unimaginable pain, physical and spiritual mutations and high levels of instability and a very shortened life-span.

In order for one to get their hands upon a Sertzaman-Vrema, they must trek to the utmost north of Galbar, where the Tree-minds dwell. Battling the cold, the seeker must find their way to the Solitary Mount. Considered holy by the Tree-minds, they do not allow anyone to climb it until they prove themselves worthy. If they succeed, they are allowed to pass, if they are found unworthy, the Tree-minds would turn them away. Should the seeker attempt to continue the journey, the Tree-minds would hunt them down with a single-minded determination.
If found worthy by the Tree-minds, the seeker must climb the Solitary Mount, Galbar's tallest mountain. A strange, ethereal fog covers the mountain and it is nigh impossible to see more than two or three steps ahead at any one point, even if one attempts to use magical illumination. At the top, if one reaches it, one will find a great rock, which appears to have been sanded down into the shape of a large doorway. Before it sits [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e0/e0/91/e0e0914aabad78a2c0a5c4fd86a3aada.jpg]The Guardian of the Gate[/url], none shall pass through the portal except whom he permits, and none shall be permitted except he who proves his mettle.

If one manages to get past the portal, they must then be found worthy by Chronos itself, and here the journey could end for two reasons: they are found unworthy and are destroyed. They are found worthy and are taken in by the beauty of the Chronos hinterlands, abandoning their quest living there in perptual peace instead. Or the journey may continue either way: the unoworthy may somehow survive, the worthy may resist the siren of the Chronos hinterlands. Getting to the Chronos heartlands is in itself another odyssey, but he who makes it will be rewarded most handsomely, for in those heartlands are the Sertzamen-Vrema and their boon. And in the hinterlands also are the Cube, the Crows and all True Names, the Silk-Spiders, the Pool, the Cherry-Tree, and The Bard. Endless power, endless glory, endless potential, and endless reward all await the one who can prove themselves worthy.


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