[hider=Vestec] [hider=Avatars] [hider=Violnce][h2]Avatar of [url=http://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2014/01/07/219011/big_thumb_6f89eeef67e60b538972c18b748f4267.jpg]Violence[/url][/h2] -Crazy fast. Mortal(even dragons and heroes) and Demi-god eyes can't follow his movements. -Crazy stronger. Most mortals are killed with a lazy back hand, and is able to easily punch through all types of barriers(Magical or not) and armor (Be they the toughest of dragon scales or the strongest of Steels), excluding those created by Demi-Gods(which take a small while), other Avatars (which take a while longer), or Gods (Which can't be pierced at all). -Nigh indestructible. -Summon weapons to aid him. -Can see weaknesses in structures and defenses.[/hider] [/hider] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life] [u]Life:[/u] Species [b]Name:[/b] Pack-Minds [b]Lifespan:[/b] 50 years [b]Description:[/b] Pack-Minds range in packs from as little as two members to as many as thirty. They have a typical wolf pack structure with an Alpha, Beta, all the way down to the Omega. They're constantly on the move, hunting for food and Tree-Minds. They're naturally nomadic, never needing any permanent homes due to their fur and survival skills in their natural frigid home. They were created to specifically hunt Tree-Minds, and as such possess a unique ability. Their howl can stun races that aren't Pack-Minds, and disrupts the Tree-minds connection to each other for two minutes. While as intelligent and sentient as humans, they are incapable of normal speech, instead communicating through snarls, growls, yips, barks, and body language. [b]Appearance:[/b] [hider=Pack-Minds][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/37/6d/f6/376df67fa322a778f47683f521cb12c4.jpg[/img] They typically stand at 5ft height, with green, white, or black eyes. Their color of fur ranges as a typical wolf's does. [/hider] [hider=Cursed][u]Life:[/u] Species [b]Name:[/b] Cursed [b] Lifespan:[/b] Immortal [b]Description:[/b] These are the poor souls who didn't escape Vestec's cursed. They are doomed to reanimate live forever, undead and unwanted. They are exactly like they were before they were killed, with new abilities and perhaps a new view on life, whether they change and act differently is up to them. [u]General information[/u] -Vulnerable to any and all Holy magic. -Anything something living needs or feels (aside from emotions), they do not. [b]Appearance: [/b] [u]Urtelem cursed soul[/u] [hider=image][img]http://img11.deviantart.net/4f4d/i/2013/088/e/9/nested_ghoul_final_by_dave_kendall-d5znlaw.jpg[/img][/hider] No new abilities of note, simply more vulnerable to a good ole bashing death with their nasty looking parasite thing now. They haven't lost any abilities either, able to shield their 'brain' with earth of their own body as they go rolling towards the enemy. [u]Newborn cursed souls, with no knowledge of who or what they are[/u] Ghouls [hider=Pic][img]http://img06.deviantart.net/9b36/i/2013/097/f/d/ghoul_by_yuka_soemy-d5aj1gm.jpg[/img][/hider] Fast and surprisingly agile, they travel in packs. Like wolves, only far more aggressive, they circle and strike whatever's been unfortunate enough to be considered their next meal, wearing it down bit by bit. Their bites are venomnous, leading to rotting in the wounded area within a week. Stabbing, bashing, cutting, whathaveyou them with just about anything works to kill them though. [u]Angel Cursed soul[/u] Vampire Lords/Ladies [hider=Vamps][img]http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/stf/stf164_maurauders.jpg[/img][/hider] Even faster and stronger than their living counterparts, with enhanced senses, these cursed also carry the cliche vampire powers. They can shapeshift into mist. They have hypnotic eyes that mesmerize and put under their control anyone who looks long enough in them ( 2-5 seconds). Control over one type of animal in their vicinity (typically wolves, rats, or bats). They can, of course, fly. They're the only Cursed, aside from the Liches, that keep whatever magic they had upon death. They also drink blood to increase their own powers, for a time. They're weak to wooden weaponry, so you don't have to stab them just through the heart. The arm also hurts like hell. The Sun burns them to a crisp. They can also create Vampire Thralls by draining their victims completely . Thralls are essentially poor souls who have increased strength, speed, and enhanced senses. The sun is uncomfortable, but not something they can't go out in. They're vulnerable to simple steel as well. A Thrall is completely under the control of his or her Vampire Lord or Lady. They can [i]never[/i] become Vampire Lords/Ladys themselves. [u]Hain Cursed soul[/u] They become walking exoskeletons, essentially. They're even more fragile than normal, able to be bashed to pieces. However, they're exoskeleton regenerates quickly. Give them a moment and it'll be like you never hit them. [u]Human, Troll, and Goblin cursed[/u] Zombies and then Skeletons as decomposition continues. They grow faster as they decompose more, and their weaknesses change slightly. When they're just zombies, bashing their heads works best. When they're skeletons, you can bash them to pieces without fear of regenerating, like with the Hain. [u]Ashling cursed[/u] [hider=Wraith][img]http://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2013/01/20/30512/e648472ec178572a0a6c227875e55f6c.jpg[/img][/hider] Wraiths can turn themselves invisible, nothing more than a slight chill when they enter a room, or they can possess a victim, wearing their body like a costume. Their only weakness is holy magic. [u]Strong magic users[/u] Liches [hider=image][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/61/21/8e/61218ed9e9a07ae363d27dd1ecbb4478.jpg[/img][/hider] In return for almost no physical strength and resistances, Liches become even more powerful in whatever magics they had before their deaths. They also develop the ability to control the minds of their fellow Cursed. They are incredibly weak physically, however, so if you can get close you can destroy them. [u]Ogre cursed[/u] Their natural toughness becomes even worse, their skin being replaced with hard, unyielding stone. [hider=Also picture][img]http://wallpaperbeta.com/wallpaper_3840x2160/art_armor_horn_monster_undead_sword_weapon_ultra_3840x2160_hd-wallpaper-424502.jpg[/img][/hider] They lose some speed, but gain more strength. Blunt weapons work best for shattering their stone hide. Or an arrow to their vulnerable eyes, if you're a good enough shot. [u]Tree-Mind cursed[/u] Werebears [hider=Werebear][img]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/4/48/Werebear2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130212181102&path-prefix=ru[/img][/hider] They lose almost all intelligence, becoming animals. Very, very fast and very, very strong animals that typically travel alone. They're vulnerable to everything living creatures are, but hurting them before they hurt you is the tough part.[/hider] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [hider=Order of Lakshmi][u]Creation[/u] Physical, Order [b]Name:[/b] The Order of Lakshmi. [b]Description:[/b] The members of The Order of Lakshmi do not know how their order came about. Their purpose is to die in glorious combat, taking as many enemies as they can with them, in the name of Lakshmi. Who is Lakshmi? They're not sure. There are various interpretation, ranging from another name for Niciel, to Vestec's lover, to a mortal that Kyre favored. [b]Abilities:[/b] Upon screaming "I love Lakshmi!" The members make themselves invulnerable to harm for exactly one minute. Their daggers, upon this phrase being screamed, glow and can cut through anything, again for one minute only. They're considerably dangerous knife fighters, and entirely naked. [b]Appearance:[/b] Imagine any sentient race member, only naked, wielding a stone dagger and screaming 'I LOVE LAKSHMI!!' as they charge into battle.[/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Zephyrion] [hider=Heroes] [hider=Vizier Ventus, Majordomo to Zephyrion] NAME: Ventus ALIAS: Majordomo of Storms; Vizier of the Winds; Custodian of the Celestial Citadel; Zephyrion's Hand GENDER: Male RACE: Djinni Lord (A greater air spirit, possessing a mind of his own and a spark strong enough to allow him magic and the ability to shift forms) APPEARANCE: As with the most powerful air elementals, Ventus is a spirit powerful enough to alter his appearance at will. Most often he will appear as a flying humanoid torso with nothing save billowing smoke and wind where a man's lower body ought to be. Prideful in appearances and somewhat vain, he often appears decorated with countless tatoos, piercings, and pieces of jewelry upon a well muscled and imposing body. [hider=His likeness][center][img]http://img06.deviantart.net/c118/i/2011/211/4/9/maelestorm_djinn_by_amyjusta-d426m25.jpg[/img][/center][/hider] HISTORY: As Zephyrion's first living creation, first worshiper, and the very first air elemental to ever come into existence, Ventus holds a close spot in the god's heart. He was created to guard and maintain the Celestial Citadel and Zephyrion's House, and was bestowed the title of Majordomo as befits a servant of such high status. As Zephyrion's right hand, he is also Vizier of the Winds and second only to the god himself among the rigid hierarchy of the air elementals. He feels naught but gratitude to the Master that created him, housed him, and raised him to a place so high; yet he also shares the common belief that Zephyrion is an unstable foo liable to destroy everything and/or get himself killed. For that reason, and out of a genuine love for Zephyrion, Ventus tries to tread the thin line between that of being a servant and friend and that of being a father figure who must keep the god in line. Despite his best efforts, usually Ventus fails utterly in any attempts to stop Zephyrion or persuade him to see reason. Zephyrion probably just acts contrarily because it amuses him to see Ventus riled in one of his fits of anger. PERSONALITY: Unlike his Master and Maker, Ventus is polite to all regardless of whether he wishes then consigned to death and oblivion. Ever the diplomat and negotiator, he fancies himself silver-tongued and as persuasive as a salesman. Unfortunately, this rather pacifistic outlook puts him at odds with Zephyrion and those other elemental lords that take after their maker in temperament. Sometimes mocked as weak or effeminate, he overcompensates for this by attempting to speak deeply and bear an imposing form that commands respect; though in all likelihood, from gods or other beings of great power he's more likely to be met with scorn or mild bemusement. ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral; naturally, this causes some tension and disagreements to occur between he and Zephyrion. ITEMS: None ABILITIES: Like Zephyrion, Ventus wields power of the winds (albeit to a far lesser extent). He can ride the gusts of wind and soar at tremendous speeds, influence the weather, and summon lightning or poisonous gases in battle. The great trick up his sleeve, however, is his ear with Zephyrion; his close relationship and influence over such a powerful god means more than anything else. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Ull'yang] [hider=Heroes] [hider=Luna, the Twilight Queen] [b]Creation:[/b] [b][color=RED]Physical[/color]/[color=green]Spiritual[/color] (Hero)[/b] [b]Name:[/b][b] [color=FF4500]Luna[/color][/b] [b]Age:[/b] [i]Pre-Blessing:[/i] 4 Wolf years old - 29 Human years old. [i]Post-blessing:[/i] Ageless [b]Personality:[/b] To be explored ICly... [b]History:[/b] Whisper, now known as Luna, was a grey dire wolf that lived on top of Ull'Yang's body that had fused with the small island while he was sleeping, resting after finishing the creation of his personal realm. Luna was a member of a wolf pack that primarily hunted in the Verdant Valley region of the island. Having been struck with a particularly harsh winter, the wolves were forced to cease hunting and instead, go into hiding so as to survive the sheer cold. Luna, though, refused to leave the pack to die of starvation and as such, ignored her pack leader's advice and went out hunting for wild elk. After searching for a while, she actually managed to find an elk youngling. Immediately she attacked it, and since the youngling had yet to grow its deadly antlers, was unable to fight back and thus became her prey. Seconds after she had started feasting on the elk, a strange presence enveloped the island and a sound started being heard. Ull'Yang was beginning to awaken, only to find out that his demi-plane, Cygnea, has turned into a beautiful paradise, where life has flourished and is in abundance. He then thinks back to all the races that his siblings had created and placed on Galbar, and he decided to create a race of his own. As he was thinking of that, however, he was shocked to find out that his body has fused with the small island he had made his resting place. Upon taking a closer look at the island, his gaze falls upon a wolf. A lifeform that should be of no significance to a godly being such as him, and yet, Ull'Yang was thrice shocked. The little wolf, Whisper, could actually resist his divine gaze for a few seconds before fainting! Ull'Yang, after pondering on the thought for some time, decided to take the wolf as his companion. He picks up, the then unconscious, Whisper from the ground and talks her into agreeing to follow him. At first, she harbored some doubts, since she was reluctant to leave her pups and her pack behind, but in the end, after Ull'Yang reassured her he would guarantee their survival, she excitedly agreed to his offer. Ull'Yang then proceeds to bless her. After a painful-looking transformation that actually felt quite pleasurable, Whisper comes to and finds out that her body is quite different than before. Her torso and arms resembled that of humanoid creatures while her lower half retained most of its animalistic form. Fur, however, still covered most of her body. That's how Luna, the Twilight Queen came to be. [b]General Abilities[/b] [list] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Semi-Immortality][b][i]Semi-Immortality[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Magic][i][b]Magic[/b][/i][/url] [/list] [b]Specialized Abilities[/b] [list] [*][hider=Humanoid Form] [list] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Sensory_System][b][i]Peak Human Sensory System[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Stamina][b][i]Peak Human Strength[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Stamina][b][i]Peak Human Stamina[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Speed][b][i]Peak Human Speed[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Endurance][b][i]Peak Human Endurance[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Agility][b][i]Peak Human Agility[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Durability][b][i]Peak Human Durability[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Balance][b][i]Peak Human Balance[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Flexibility][b][i]Peak Human Flexibility[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Reflexes][b][i]Peak Human Reflexes[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Healing][b][i]Peak Human Healing Factor[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Peak_Human_Accuracy][b][i]Peak Human Accuracy[/i][/b][/url] [/list][/hider] [*][hider=Werewolf Form] [list] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Bite][b][i]Enhanced Bite[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Agility][b][i]Enhanced Agility[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Dexterity][b][i]Enhanced Dexterity[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Durability][b][i]Enhanced Durability[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Flexibility][b][i]Enhanced Flexibility[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Senses][b][i]Enhanced Senses[/i][/b][/url] [list] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Hearing][b][i]Enhanced Hearing[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Smell][b][i]Enhanced Smell[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Taste][b][i]Enhanced Taste[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Night_Vision][b][i]Night Vision[/i][/b][/url] [/list] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Endurance][b][i]Enhanced Endurance[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Balance][b][i]Enhanced Balance[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Strength][b][i]Enhanced Strength[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Stamina][b][i]Enhanced Stamina[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Speed][b][i]Enhanced Speed[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Enhanced_Reflexes][b][i]Enhanced Reflexes[/i][/b][/url] [*][url=http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Regenerative_Healing_Factor][b][i]Regenerative Healing Factor[/i][/b][/url] [/list] [/hider] [/list] [b]Appearance[/b] [list] [*][hider=Luna, Humanoid Form][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/vAUdYZx.jpg?1[/img][/center] (minus the sword and the clothes for now...)[/hider] [*][hider=Luna, Werewolf Form][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/i5iUdPI.jpg[/img][/center][/hider] [/list] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Belvast] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Vulamera] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Niciel] [hider=Heroes] [hider=Loth] Name: Loth Alias: none Gender: Male Race: Angel Appearance: Loth appears similarly to any other Angel that could be found in the Valley of Peace. He has white wings, shaggy blue hair, blue eyes, and wears a white robe. Personality: Loth is one who rarely openly displays emotion. He stays calm and composed in most circumstances, and he tries to be the voice of reason. Loth is also shown to possess a strong loyalty to Niciel, and possesses remarkable intellect. History: As one of the few Angels to be born by Niciel's power, Loth has always shown exceptional loyalty to Niciel. He joined a group of Angels to be the first to exit the Valley of Peace, although it was really more to protect them from threats and dangers. The group encountered a White Giant, which then began to attack the Angels, but Loth managed to fend it off and get the Angels to retreat back into the Valley of Peace. Niciel noticed this, of course, and saw fit to make him a Hero. Time passed, and Loth realized that things were not right with the Valley of Peace. Things were too peaceful, and Angels were not doing anything about it. In light of this, Niciel granted Loth permission to learn more about the outside world and bring back the information when he returned. To help, Niciel granted Loth a set of items and a blessed White Giant with wings as a mount. After speaking with Falas, Loth set off to explore the world. Alignment: Neutral Good Items: -A crystal that allows Loth to summon and control the White Giant he uses as a mount. -A crystal that allows Loth to communicate with Falas. Abilities: Unlike most Angels, who can use all three forms of Angelic magic (Purity, Holy, Barrier), Loth only possesses the ability to use only one form of Angelic magic: Barrier magic. As such, his power is mainly defensive and possesses very little offensive capabilities. However, his Barrier magic is the strongest among all the Angels. [/hider] [hider=Falas] Name: Falas Alias: Brilliant Light, Commander Gender: Female Race: Angel (Seraph) Appearance: Falas wears a suit of light plate armor, mainly colored yellow with pink and blue trim. She also wields a lance and buckler. Her hair contains three different colors: the left side is blue, the middle is yellow, and the right is pink. Her irises are also split into thirds, each one pink, blue, and yellow. The most striking part of her appearance are her wings, however. Unlike most Angels, Falas possesses 6 wings, each pair a different color of blue, yellow, and pink. Personality: Normally, Falas is an honest and cheerful Angel. She enjoys seeing new things, and is friendly with other Angels. However, she is also known to display a serious side, especially when the situation calls for the Commander of the Angels. History: Falas was the first Angel to discover the use of their magic, and the most proficient user of Yellow magic. Niciel, having seen her talent, decided to grant her and Loth the power of Heroes. Falas spent her days after that doing... not much, really. She usually moved from resting to training her abilities, but never moved on to other things. She was dissatisfied with her life in the Valley of Peace, but it was the only life she knew, and she couldn't really think of any other. That is, however, until Loth saw fit to change her life, and thereby other Angels', forever by giving her the goal of becoming the leader of the Angels. At first, Falas was overwhelmed. She had no clue whatsoever about becoming a leader, much less the leader of her entire race. Nevertheless, she persevered, and over a long period of time, Falas gained enough support to become the leader of the Angels. Niciel, proud of her daughter Falas' hard work, decided to give her the power of a Seraph, transforming her into a powerful being. Alignment: Lawful Good Abilities: -Magic: Unlike normal Angels, who are mainly proficient with only one form of their magic, Falas is capable of using all three forms equally. -Color Characteristics: Falas also has the unique characteristics of all three colors. Needless to say, Falas is very durable, fast, and is capable of transforming her body into pink mist. Items: -Myremaster: the lance Falas wields. It is very durable and will easily hold up against the stress of battle. Using Falas' magical energy, it can also fire concentrated beams of either yellow or pink energy. Yellow will damage whatever it strikes, while pink does exactly the opposite. -Novasylvyver: the buckler Falas wield. It is capable of expanding and shrinking at will of the wielder, allowing Falas to block a wide range of attacks. In addition, it can create a blue barrier around Falas, and potentially others, by using her energy. -Artrogen: the armor Falas dons. It's quite durable and light, but beyond that, there's not much that's special about its physical capabilities. However, the armor can also transform itself into the standard white robe that most Angels wear, making it quite convenient. The armor also contains the two-way crystal that Loth had given to her to communicate with him. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Vowzra] [hider=Heroes][/hider] [hider=Creations] [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. [hider=Appearance][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b7/b5/ea/b7b5ead88d97d9166fd9bb29ffed914c.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.soulfulcrystals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/aura-crystal-points.jpg[/img] [img]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0280/0123/products/black-obsidian_large.jpg?v=1439794685[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/68/5e/6e/685e6ef55b369e68feba5683b246806a.jpg[/img] [img]http://joannegrylls.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/general/fotolia_34144564_xs.jpg[/img] [img]http://medicinegardenwellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Quartz-Cluster-02.04.jpg[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cd/02/36/cd02363fc231b53345fc5795d0e48ca7.jpg[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/7b/be/8b/7bbe8ba14f8224b528b62633732320b7.jpg[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c3/06/2e/c3062e3557fb67636fd69a19033fc1d5.jpg[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d5/d1/69/d5d16964d431aa6b014fe250f08e1423.jpg[/img] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/8a/ad/f1/8aadf1237e5793ed84bb94297660e1ba.jpg[/img][/hider][/hider] [hider=The Cube][u][b]Creation:[/b][/u] Physical Name: The Divine Annalist; Hexahedron Historicus Creato; The Cube Description: A Holy Site created using 9 Might, thus producing 4.5 Might per Turn. It hold within it the history of the World, from the pre-Universe and into the future. Everything is recorded, including futures that may or may not be. Those seeking knowledge can come to it to learn, but only Vowzra and The Bard are capable of deciphering the Cube. Appearance: [hider=My Hider] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d3/95/ba/d395ba8fa13f045bf09a00193b26dd3a.jpg[/img] [/hider][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life] [hider=The Crows] [u][b]Life:[/b][/u] Individuals Name: Aeth the Geater; Chao the Lesser Lifespan: Immortal Description: Two crows who sit in Chronos and create hourglasses which dictate the Time one will live. The hourglasses have hole at one end, so the sand leaves the hourglass completely, rather than settling in the bottom chamber. The crows do not appear sentient or intelligent. Appearance: [hider=Aeth and Chao][centre][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/02/4d/4b/024d4b929109030280f78f713c9ec7df.jpg[/img] Aeth, the larger; Chao the smaller[/centre][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Treeminds][u][b]Life:[/b][/u] Species Name: Treeminds, Ursus Hominis Tyrannus (giant bear-man) Lifespan: 140 years Description: Treeminds are bear-like beast-men who dwell in the forests and the caves of the Utmost North. Though their looks do not betray it, Treeminds are a rather refined, dignified and intellectual bear subspecies. They hold dearly to their ancient traditions and ways, which developed as they evolved. They revere nature in general and trees in particular, holding the trees of their northern home to be holy, and Old Bark-Skin to be amongst the holiest of trees. Though they do not worship a deity as such, they consider all life to be connected, and that life is most powerfully imbued in trees. The older the tree, the more powerful is the life within it, making Old Bark-Skin the tree which has the most powerful life within it. Treeminds are not simply adorable, nature-loving teddy bears, however. Their's is a society which emphasises martial skill and strength. From a young age each Treemind must go through a ritual and is 'bonded' with a weapon which, unless a rare situation arises, stays with them for life. Where Treeminds feel threatened, or where their tribe and their cherished homeland is in danger, they become furious monstrosities, lethal in combat and capable of rampaging until their enemies have been utterly destroyed - to their last man, woman and child. They would raise villages and towns, bring down garrisons and leave behind them a trail of blood and ruin. What makes Treeminds particularly terrifying in this regard is their unmatched discipline and organisation in war. Their ability to communicate indirectly, almost telepathically though not quite, means that even in their rage they work cohesively and look-out for one another. The greatest weakness of Treeminds is undoubtedly their pitifully small numbers. There is no more than one tribe of Treeminds, made up of one hundred and fifty to two hundred individuals in total. This has meant that they tend to be very isolationist and avoid conflict as a whole. With their small numbers and low birthrate, they cannot afford to battle endlessly, and thus they have developed a more or less pacifist approach to other sentient races - any aggressive expansion is, in their view, unjustifiable. The only war which is justifiable is one against an aggressor who refuses peace. Treeminds have a preference for blunt weapons. While their bodies are undeniably lethal, they fashion great clubs and other such weapons out of ancient trees in their sacred homelands, which have succumbed to the final sleep. This is an art they have known for countless centuries, and it's origins are obscured by the mists of Time. These weapons are precious to them and it is not unusual for a Treemind to form a bond with their weapon which lasts a life time. These bonds are extremely intimate and difficult to understand for outsiders. [centre][hider=Treemind 'Territories'] [img]http://s28.postimg.org/3lmk8uv5p/g_Pwafyf.png[/img] The outer purple line shows the hunting grounds of the Treeminds. They cherish this land and love it much, but it is not part of their core and sacred 'homeland'. This land is where they hunt: from the rivers, they hunt fish; and in the mountains and forests and on the hills, they hunt down larger prey to feed the tribe. These hunting grounds are generally out of bounds for anyone not a warrior. The middle, orange line, shows the sacred 'homeland' of the Treeminds. This land is where Old Bark-Tree, the Solitary Mountain and Lake Grasidar are located, and every inch of it is holy and must be protected against all odds. The Treeminds do not hunt here, shedding of blood is forbidden, and all Treeminds bar Tree-Cubs can roam freely. The huge Lake Grasidar, and north of it The Solitary Mount, are two of the three most revered places by the Treeminds (the third being Old Bark-Skin, the magnificent and archaic tree located in the inner-most circle.) The smallest, inner-most circle, is where the tribe is settled. Their homes are located here and that is where the young are kept. At its centre is Old Bark-Skin. Many Treeminds inhabit the impressive girth of Old-Bark-Skin, particularly the Tree-Mind, the Old-Trees, the Tree-Walker and the Tree-Claw. Others also inhabit it, and the rest have their homes around it. This is the Treemind tribe's 'settlement'. [/hider][/centre] [indent][indent]Agriculture: Not much grows in these bitterly cold lands. Though the Treeminds tend to the earth and water it, and though they are omnivorous creatures, they can ill afford to spend time farming and tending to crops, only to then eat what can barely sustain their huge bodies and muscles. Further, growing crops would require the mindless destruction of the tribal forestlands, an act that no Treemind would ever think about, let alone consider. Architecture: Treeminds do not ‘build’ as such. They prefer to adapt naturally occurring shelters to their advantage. They carve out caves and reshape holes in trees to better suit them. Most Treeminds dwell within adapted holes in Old Bark-Skin, while those who have no space there find space in and around any roots from the ancient tree which happen to break the surface. [centre][img]http://www.livingwithanerd.com/images/Secret%20of%20Mana/manatree.jpg[/img] [I]A Depiction of Old Bark-Tree, the Epicentre of the gigantic Northern Clonal Colony[/I][/centre] As far as streets and roads go, Treeminds do not have stone roads or streets, but they have well-known dirt roads in the woods, which are known to them. It helps greatly in manoeuvring through the thick forest – which is very important for creatures as large as Treeminds, a wrong turn into a particularly thick undergrowth can see them trapped and unable to find a way out without needless destruction of the forest life. This thick forest acts as a hindrance against any unwanted visitors and makes the Treemind tribe’s pacifism and isolationism far easier to maintain. Climate: Located in the Utmost North of Galbar, the Treemind tribal lands are bitterly cold and snow covers the earth throughout the seasons. This is far more apparent on the hunting grounds and beyond the heavily forested tribal heartlands. Whereas the trees in the huntings grounds are rather young and small in size, those in the tribal heartlands are much older, larger, and close to each other. This means that much of the snow covers the trees but does not reach the ground below them. This is very true for the area of land beneath Old Bark-Skin. While rain, being smaller and more fluid than snow, does get through, it does so in far smaller quantities. The Treeminds take it upon themselves to ensure the earth remains well watered and favourable to life. Lake Grasidar, despite the intense conditions, remains unfrozen throughout the seasons. The Treeminds see this as a miracle evidencing the sacred qualities of the lake and the tribal lands, a blessing from the source of all life so that the Treeminds in its care do not die of thirst. Indeed, the rivers in the region are frozen over all year round, though the layer of ice can be broken by a Treemind determined enough. Below the layer of ice can be found fast flowing waters and fish aplenty. The Solitary Mount, the tallest mountain for miles around (and on all of Galbar, though the Treeminds know not), is the most bitterly cold part of the Treemind tribal lands. From bottom to top, it steadily gets colder and colder, and the strange mist which surround the mount appears to add to the cold. Only those crazy or on pilgrimage (or both) dare approach it – for not even a Treemind's thick fur can keep the harrowing cold at bay. Geography: The tribal territories vary from tundra on the outskirts to light and thick forest closer to the Old Bark-Skin and the tribal settlement. There are also plenty of frozen rivers running through the tribal lands, and hills and mountains are numerous. The largest of these is undoubtedly The Solitary Mount north of Lake Grasidar. [centre][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a1/76/b7/a176b755329a5c4d07217f4cd791f6cd.jpg[/img] [i]The Solitary Mount with some of Galbar's moons[/i][/centre] Lake Grasidar also lies just east of the tribal settlement, a massive lake which never freezes, despite the intensely bitter cold. Only one kind of tree grows in the cold climate of the tribal lands, what is known to humans as the Northern Icetree but known as the Holy Garatha tree to the Treeminds. It is a tree which, unlike any other tree, can only grow in subzero temperatures. While trees normally die under conditions as cold as those in the tribal lands, these trees flourish and prosper here – in fact, they quickly wilt and die in warmer climates. These trees can grow to become extremely large – Old Bark-Skin is an extraordinarily old and thus extremely large Holy Garatha. The Treeminds do not realise that the forest is in fact one single organism, one giant Holy Garatha, with Old Bark-Skin as its epicentre. Crafts: The only materials directly available to Treeminds are dead or fallen trees – what they refer to as 'sleeping trees', or 'trees that have succumbed to the final sleep'. Tree-Arms drag these dead trees from the hunting grounds - for they only use fallen trees from the hunting grounds and not from the tribal heartlands - back to the settlement, where the Tree-Nurturers carve them out. Holy Garatha wood is rather valuable and extremely useful, but the Treeminds do not realise this and, in due time, will exchange it rather cheaply with anyone wishing to trade. As far as carving wood goes, Treeminds are extremely skilled. They use their claws, and carve very impressive patterns and tools. All Treeminds must go through a ritual of bonding when they have reached their tenth year. This involves seeking out a fallen tree in the tribal territory, one which ‘calls out’ to them, and carving their chosen weapon – what they call their ‘Ik’Grarg’Ki’, ‘Partner on the Road’. This process does not require any carving skill as such as a Treemind is in a state of ‘inspiration’ throughout the bonding rite, but where a Treemind is finding it particularly difficult to carve their Ik’Grarg’Ki, a more skilled member of the tribe may help them, carrying out the commands of the inspired individual. Treeminds do not engage in ironworking and their carvings do not stray beyond the scope of totem-like structures, fishing boats, and Ik’Grarg’kis. Crime: As a community, Treeminds are far too small in number for criminals to arise undetected. As a result, their's is a generally crime-less society. This is further enforced by the fact that all members of the tribe are connected and aware of each other’s presence if they are nearby. Due to their small numbers, Treeminds are extremely protective of each other’s lives, particularly the young as they are the future of the tribe. For this reason, killing another Treemind is considered the most heinous crime possible. Any who do so owe a debt to the tribe and must make it their life-long duty to produce as many children as possible in order to undo the evil they have done. This may seem a light punishment – or in fact, a reward! – but it becomes far more difficult when no respectable Tree-Mother would allow you anywhere near her, let alone to lay with her. Those who fail to produce any children within two summers are banished from the tribal lands and are not permitted to return ever again - the most terrible punishment and torture for the highly communal Treeminds. As one may expect, murder is a crime so rare that no living Treemind has witnessed it. Petty crimes such as thievery do not exist, mostly due to the fact that there really is nothing worth stealing in the tribal settlements, and if there was, it would be both communally owned and Treemind morals would not permit them to steal from the tribe. Cuisine: While capable of eating fruits, berries and crops, Treeminds do not produce this in adequate quantities to sustain themselves, so their cuisine is mostly made up of meat. They are not fussy and will eat whatever meat is available, though the more refined among them tend to cook their meat before eating it – they are not savage animals after all! When it comes to beverages, Treeminds savour nothing more than their very own water from Lake Grasidar! But where that is not available, they don’t mind normal water too ^^’ Dangers: The Treemind tribal lands are thriving with all kinds of life and therefore, without a doubt, dangers. Beasts one can expect to come across include the vicious Snow Wolf (known to humans as the Northern Wolf) whose white coat provides brilliant cover in the snow. What makes this wolf particularly dangerous, other than its size (being at least twice the size of a typical wolf, which are also to be found in the tribal lands) is the fact that it has the ability to blast prey with debilitating, focused breath of icy air which can freeze limbs – causing severe frostbite in the best of cases, and a quick death between the wolf’s jaws in the worst. Unlike the common wolf, Snow Wolves tend to hunt alone and form families, much like humans, rather than hunt in packs. The Snow Bear, a large white bear, is also a real danger. It can be found close to rivers, the coast and in the mountains, generally avoiding forestland. These mammoth creatures can reach 12 feet when standing on their hind legs – which is tall even for a Treemind. This makes them a danger even to the Treeminds. However, they tend to avoid any creature close to it in size, meaning adult Treeminds are generally safe from the wrath of the Snow Bear. Smaller creatures must beware, however, as the speed and power of the Snow Bear is not to be trifled with. Indeed, a Snow Bear can reach speeds of up to 35 kilometres per hour, making it absolutely lethal when it decides on a prey. Smaller and slower bears do dwell in the tribal lands, such as the Tree Bear, a very small bear which only eats plants and prefers to dwell up in trees, the Earthen Bear is a large but slow brown bear whose size standing can range from 5 to 7 feet. They mostly eat plants and small creatures, though they can be dangerous to passers-by if driven into a corner or feel threatened. There are many other creatures which make of the Utmost North a home, and most of these have evolved due to the magical properties of the Holy Garatha trees and are thus very different from any other creatures found on Galbar. The climate is also a real danger. One foolish enough not to dress well or to allow the cold through may well find themselves with frostbite or suffering from hypothermia. It is rather uncommon to come across those who have died of frostbite in the tribal lands, mostly due to the fact that such fools would have died long before getting so deep into the forest. Education: Treeminds have no schooling system. Children learn in two main ways: play-fighting and through the strange link all Treeminds have with one another. As a Tree-Cub grows, it is bound to play-fight with others of its age, and the strongest tends to be the most dominant and respected. With time, this hierarchy loosens as each Treemind grows and takes their position in the life of the tribe. Young Treeminds, depending on their position, are put in the care of an older and more experienced Treemind who goes about teaching them the ways of their chosen path in life. There is, of course, the Tree-Walker who has immense magical knowledge and is very in tune with nature. The Tree-Walker tends to take on one apprentice and teaches them all s/he knows so that they can carry the mantle of Tree-Walker, with all the knowledge and power of past Tree-Walkers, to the future. The pinnacle of Treemind education is the pilgrimage to the top of the Solitary Mount. It is not known what occurs during the pilgrimage, but those who return tend to have knowledge and magical capabilities beyond the comprehension of any normal Treemind. Family structure: The entire Treemind tribe considers itself an extended family, and thus the family's macro-structure is in fact the tribal structure. On the micro-level, Treeminds do not have a concept of marriage, and children born are not the children of any particular Treemind, but of the tribe as a whole, and all Tree-Mothers, Tree-Fathers, Tree-Nurterers, Tree-Arms etc. take part in caring for and rearing the young. Generally speaking, a Treemind will not know who its biological parents are. All Treeminds are children of the tribe, they owe their allegiance to the tribe, and thus to every single member of the tribe. Every youngling is a son, daughter, brother or sister, every elder is a father, mother, grandfather or grandmother. While there appears to be a strict and formal tribal hierarchy, this is only so for Tree-Cubs. Once a Treemind reaches maturity and has a chosen path in life, everyone is more or less equal, with respect given to those in positions of leadership due to the fact that they represent the authority of the tribe, rather than those individuals being inherently superior to others. Rite of Passge: The Treemind rite of passage, known as 'the Bonding', is three-month period of time which usually occurs between a Treeminds tenth and eleventh summer, for both males and females. They undergo huge emotional tumults and eventually feel a compulsion to go out into the forest and find a tree which calls out to them, from this they carve their Ik’Grarg’Ki. They follow the 'inspiration' which overcomes them during this period and simply do as it dictates. It is unheard of for a Treemind not to go through this period, and not to pass it. Those who go through the Bonding are considered mature and can choose their path in the life of the tribe. Language: Treeminds communicate in various ways. While they have a spoken language and oral tradition is passed down over many, many generations, their fur shifting fur colour and tattoos are another method of communication, and can hint at the individual Treemind's mental and physical health as well as emotions. More over, Treeminds have something closely resembling a hive mind and are thus able to sense and communicate with each other mentally over short distances. This link is broken if a Treemind strays too far from another. While Treeminds carve wood, they do not have any form of written language. Carved art is the closest thing have to recording their own history, important events, marking festivals and so on. Laws and Law Enforcement: The laws which govern Treeminds are largely societal, and have become custom rather than formal law. The tribal hierarchy is not a matter of law, but custom. It exists and is naturally enforced by the tribe as a whole. Crimes are rare, but if any do occur, then the tribe would react to it as a whole. All inherently know that to harm a member of the tribe is to harm the tribe, and harming the tribe is an offense deserving punishment by any Treemind's standards. This means that there are no formal positions for judges or those who enforce the law - not even the tribal elders or chief take it upon themselves to enforce the law-customs. It is a tribal responsibility, a position occupied by each individual as a member of the whole. Magic Traditions: Over the many centuries, the magic of the forest has seeped into many of the creatures living in the Utmost North, including the Treeminds. This means that Treeminds have a passive magic within them. This mainly affects their intellect and fur. Their fur is extremely tough and difficult to cut through, making it a great source of protection for Treeminds. While by no means an armour of fur, it is tough. Treeminds are also able to process things faster than other beings on Galbar - which is vital for survival in a forest where every other creature has developed such quick processing capabilities. While it is not so much of an advantage in the Utmost North, its advantages will become apparant should they ever encounter beings from beyond the Utmost North. While they are all fully capable of using magic, only Tree-Walkers actually practice it. As the tribal shamans, they have various magical capabilities linked with nature. While they can, if necessary, cast aggressive spells, their magic is mostly benign and used for medical purposes. By mixing their magics with herbs and other concoctions, they are able to aid the young and the ill and thus ensure that mortality rates are the lowest possible. It is the Tree-Walker who makes the magical concoction which is eventually tattood on all Treeminds once they are bonded with their Ik’Grarg’Ki. It's creation is a secret known only to the Tree-Walker. Medicine/Health: As mentioned above, it is the Tree-Walker's responsibility to take care of the tribe's medicinal and health concerns. This means that a relatively good quality of medical care is available to the tribe between the Tree-Walker and all his/her apprentices. Treeminds are also relatively clean, they groom each other often, drink clean water from Lake Grasidar and bathe in it also. Their fur protects them from the cold and parasites alike, as well as any wounds a bear may usually suffer. However, they do not have any scientific forms of medical care, it is all very primal. Military: Treeminds are, quite clearly, terrifying weapons in their own right. Their size, speed, hive mind, strength, and intelligence make them terrifying foes indeed. They do, however, carve blunt weapons for themselves, which they have a very personal relationship with. The tribe encourages martial prowess and skill with these weapons - known as Ik’Grarg’Ki. Only the one who proves him of herself most martially capable can gain the honour of becoming the Tree-Claw - the mighty Chief Warrior, leader of the hunters and any Treemind warband. Naming Conventions: Examples of Treemind names include Horaroh Oharaho and Garagogarag Ogorogo. The rule is that a name must be perfectly symmetrical and that the first name and second name use similar letters. 'Hor' mirrors 'roh' and the 'a' connects them in 'Horaroh', while 'Oha' mirrors 'aho' and the 'r' connects them in 'Oharaho'. Likewise in 'Garagogarag Ogorogo'. Population: The Treemind population usually ranges from as little as twenty to as many as three hundred. They have very low birthrates and their lifestyle does not allow for population growth. The cold usually kills newborns and not many survive to adulthood. They are, however, extremely united, forming one single tribe, and are very protective of each other. Religious Traditions (rites of passage, death rites, daily/weekly practices, mythology, marriage) Treeminds keen to prove their mettle can go on pilgrimage to the top of the Solitary Mount. Those who return - and none in living memory ever have - are honoured and given a position higher than even that of the Tree-Mind. They become The Solitary-Tree, sage-like, holy figures who are greatly revered; Vicegerents of the Life. Romance (casual sex, courtship/dating, what is considered attractive): Treeminds can be very emotional creatures, and the multitudinous ways they can express emotion makes that very clear - both through spoken language, their strange, mobile tattoos, and their fur's ever-shifting shades. While they can all be emotional, none can partake in sexual intercourse other than Tree-Mothers and Tree-Fathers. This is most likely one of the main reasons behind the very low birthrate - only a small proportion of the population is ever actively reproducing. Non-Tree-Mothers or Tree-Fathers partaking in sexual intercourse is taboo. It is considered a sacred act, and those partaking in it must direct all their energies, passions, focus, and will towards the act. Indeed, being a Tree-Mother or Tree-Father is a delicate profession, just as difficult as being a hunter or a worker is. It has its many nuances and no bumbling buffoon can simply pop along and rut away. 'tis a delicate process, a profession most difficult to master and most embarrassing for the one who does not. Superstitions (lucky charms, ill omens): Treemind consider their Ik’Grarg’Kis as good luck charms, and it is seen as a deeply unsettling and worrying sign if one should break or be lost. The relationship between Treemind and Ik’Grarg’Ki is akin to that between a lover and beloved. Both are mutually dependent on one another. Except that in this case, the Ik’Grarg’Ki is made of wood deemed divine, and hold within it a part of the 'Life' which Treeminds hold sacred and more or less worship. They also consider it a grave sin to kill animals or chop down any tree within the tribal homeland. Doing so will invite collective Treemind wrath. It is also considered an awe-inspiring - and foolish - thing for a Treemind to decide to go on a pilgrimage to the top of the Solitary Mount. Those who return are considered Prophets and are the highest authority in Treemind society: the living, breathing Vicegerants of the Life itself. Any outsiders attempting to climb the Mount will have to prove themselves first, else the Treeminds will not hesitate in removing the aggressor against their sacred lands. Technology: Treeminds have very basic technology levels. They are very skilled carvers - but they carve with their powerful claws. They create totems, Ik’Grarg’Ki, and are capable of carving boats from tree-trunks. They are also able to light fire using the hand-drill method. They keep track of age by counting summers, though it is up to each individual to keep track of how old they are. All in all, quite primal. Transportation: Treeminds are capable of travelling very long distances on their feet. Their endurance is impressive, and they can reach top-speeds of 60 kilometres/hour, able to maintain it for ten minutes at most before returning to an average of 40 kilometres/hour. Their feet are, thus, their main method of transportation - and a very efficient method is that! Trade: Should they ever advance to such a point, Treeminds will be able to trade some of the most valuable timber around - and they do not realise its value! 'tis a merchant's paradise. [/indent][/indent] Treemind tribal hierarchy: [centre][color=6ecff6]Tree-Cub (Unproven Youngling)[/color] [color=a36209]Tree-Arm/Tree-Mouth (Warrior/Hunter) Tree-Mother/Tree-Father (Treeminds Dedicated to Raising Families) Tree-Nourisher (Treeminds Dedicated to Supplying the Tribe with its Needs - i.e. Workers)[/color] [color=00a651]Tree-Claw (Chief Warrior) Tree-Walker (Tribal Shaman) Old-Tree (Tribal Elder)[/color] [color=f26522]Tree-Mind (Chief)[/color] [color=fff200]Solitary-Tree (Sage/Prophet)[/color][/centre] Appearance: The average Treemind comes at 11 feet tall and weighs at 265 kilograms. Their fur colour changes shades according to the environment they inhabit, their psycho-emotional state and physical health. Their bodies are tattooed with a unique Treemind shaman concoction, allowing the tattoo to change colour in much the same way Treemind fur changes shades. What is more, the tattoos can also shift and move, creating an effect which can range from the terrifying to the confusing for outsiders. Among Treeminds, it has far deeper meaning, used for mating, indirect forms of communication and others. Treeminds are generally very well-muscled and their fur is thick and rough, its thickness increased the the climes of the Utmost North. Due to Treemind affinity towards nature and shamanistic practices, their very bodies, over time and with great exposure to the magic of their forest and cavern homes, have become imbued with a passive magic. This magic affects their fur most of all, making it extremely rough and difficult to cut. Though by no means an armour of fur, the thickness and roughness certainly provides protection against attacks, particularly attempts at cutting them. The magic also affects their perception and intellect, and one might sometimes notice a glow to a Treemind's eyes, which has nothing to do with an animal's natural ability to see in the dark. [centre][hider=A Depiction][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f2/9c/12/f29c1251b95a336267244aec5136ba7e.jpg[/img] [i]The Tribal Tattoos are Visible in White; this Treemind appears to have a two-piece Ik’Grarg’Ki[/i][/hider] [/centre][/hider] [hider=Chronos Silk-Spider][u][b]Life:[/b][/u] Species Name: Chronos Silk-Spider Lifespan: 15 years (those that live on Chronos are undying) Description: These spiders are quite normal tarantulas, just bigger than the average and white in colour. The only thing that truly differentiates them is the fact that they produce spider-silk in tremendous amounts, and their silk is is at least six times tougher than that of the bark spider (which, in its own right, is ten times tougher than similarly sized kevlar). This makes these spiders much sought after for the quality and toughness of the silk they produce. These spiders are only known to live on Chronos. Appearance: Large white spiders that look very much like goliath bird-eating tarantulas. Their average size is that of a human baby. They have quite a vicious pair of fangs at the end of their chelicerae but are not poisonous.[/hider] [hider=Garatha][u][b]Life:[/b][/u] Species Name: The Holy Garatha, Garatha, Northern Icetree Lifespan: Hundreds of thousands of years Description: Two clonal colonies - one centred around Old Bark-Tree and another centred around a smaller tree just south of the Northern Clonal Colony, known as the Ape-Tree due to the fact that various species of Ape live in its branches and around its trunk. Garatha trees are evergreen and their wood is rather hard, strong, stiff, and tough, making it similar to hickory. It's uses are varied and it is long-lasting. For quality material that will last, garatha trees are the go-to tree. Appearance: [hider=Old Bark-Skin][img]http://www.livingwithanerd.com/images/Secret%20of%20Mana/manatree.jpg[/img][/hider][/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Vakarion] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Illunabar] [hider=Avatars][b]Avatars (A.K.A Divas)[/b] [hider=Meimu] [color=ec008c]Name:[/color] Meimu (Maiden of the Flowers, The White Rose, The Diva of Petals) [color=ec008c]Description:[/color] Usually quiet and reserved, Meimu was born from a white rose and her main mission is to create beauty from the nature. She prefers Elegance and Refinement over raw and emotional beauty. When close to her “family” she is far more open minded and will speak about her true feelings. She is very moody despite her seriousness, and often will do radical changes in her work. [color=ec008c]Affinity:[/color] Flowers, Petals, Aroma, Poison, plant stuff in general. Appearance: [img]http://i.imgur.com/LitgPSi.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Notte] [color=aba000]Name:[/color] Notte (The Mirrorwalker, Nightsky Singer, The Diva of the Night) [color=aba000]Description:[/color] Brash and lively, Notte was born from Ashling Glass, her main mission is to sneak around and capture rare stories. She prefers Movement and Liveliness over the still beauty. A trickster by heart Notte loves to tease those close to her, however, she also knows that some people should never be played with. Despite her chaotic nature she is very serious about keeping her objectis in check. [color=aba000]Affinity:[/color] Mirrors Appearance: [img]http://i.imgur.com/zZsdaJ6.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Piena] [color=gray]Name:[/color] Piena (The Diva of Steel, The Curator) [color=gray]Description:[/color] Aloof and observant, Piena was born from the many written plans of Ilunabar, her main mission is to oversee the creation of art, making sure no task is left unfinished and no detail is left unseen. Her main joy from art comes from the satisfying feeling of seeing a complex project being executed to the end flawlessly. Not exactly a creator herself, Piena prefers to simply lead what is around her into its full potential. [img]http://i.imgur.com/h5XiyJX.jpg[/img] [/hider][/hider] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life] [hider=Quara Korala] Descendants from the Furl, these odd creatures look like a mix of reptile and mammal. Capable of creating a variety of images in the membrane/patagium between their arms and hips, these intelectual and aloof cratures were blessed by Ilunabar trough Piena's intervention. Their full potential has yet to be explored. Visual inspiration: [hider=1][img]http://www.stellariswiki.com/images/f/f0/Reptilian_slender_05.png[/img][/hider] [hider=2][img]http://i.imgur.com/vAl3oQW.jpg[/img][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Marionettes] A fiberling weaved into (usually) a wooden strucuture. Its a very limited yet durable creature. The commands it can perform is build into the knots, strings and wooden objects weaved together. They are not Slough-born creatures, thus incapable of change. Visual inspiration: [hider=Human-like Marionette]http://www.public-republic.com/wp-content/kukla.jpg[/hider] [hider=Hain-like Marionette][img]http://i.imgur.com/63EGVOL.jpg[/img][/hider] [hider=Dog-like Marionette][img]http://www.czechmarionettes.com/images/loutky/full/Czech-Marionettes-chihuahua-czech-marionettes-hand-carved-10.ff34.jpg[/img][/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [hider=Inspirations] [b]Tradition, Xenophobia, and Folklore[/b] The concept of cultural roots from the inheritance of knowledge, and the aversion to those who do not share said roots. [b]Flour and Bread Making[/b] Grinding down grains into bread trough fermentation and baking. [b]Pottery[/b] Crafting using clay. [b]Fur Drying / Leather Making[/b] Preparation of fur into the more durable leather. [b]Trapping[/b] traps to hunt animals. [b]Eloquence[/b] The art of persuasion [b]Herbalism[/b] Study and lore of Herbs [b]Herbalism: Poison[/b] knowledge poisonous plants. [b]Herbalism: Fruit Lore[/b] The knowledge about edible fruits. [b]Fruit Lore: Winemaking[/b] Making an alcoholic beverage. [b]Trade[/b] The concept of exchanging goods [b]Sewing[/b] The craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread [b]Binding & Weaving[/b] Fabric production to form a fabric or cloth [b]Wood Carving[/b] Shaping of wood [b]Bead Making[/b] The production of beads [b]Painting: Petroglyphs[/b] The act of carving images on rocks [/hider] [hider=Planet: Ilunabars] Despite not having created the planet herself, Ilunabar decided to claim it as hers,giving it a new coat of burgundy making mortals think its name is the same as hers. [/hider] [hider=Galbar Region: Julia Island] Originally a garden gifted from Jvan to Ilunabar. An odd Island formed in the Fractal Sea, a mix of Jvan and Ilunabar's design. The patterns of the mountains formed spirals and ultimately surrounded the whole place with sharp rocks. This was a land of odd mushrooms and fibers but at times gentle (or apparently gentle) forests too, where the vertebrate life that ruled most of Galbar was shy if compared to the many outlandish species that lived here, in fact, even for Jvan's creatures this was an odd land, even a continental Fiberling would have an uncanny feeling when seeing the Fiberlings from here, whose hairs were dyed in the odd Beyond Colors. [/hider] [hider=Galbar Region: Shalanoir Pass] The region of The Pass was created thanks to the exaggerated showcase of might by the god Toun and its crash against half of the world. While most of the plateaus and valleys were simply wiped out or submerged in water, the Ironheart Ranges proved to be harder to subdue, and the power merely caused a small bit of it to crack and collapse. This created The Pass, the link between the white sea and the sparkling sea. At first, the place was a mess of collapsed rock and troubled waters, later, as the sea currents of Toun's sea started to bring a lot of the biomass destroyed in his tantrum, the decomposed remains of half a world started to get stuck in the many rocks between the two seas and right before even the mortal eye a fertile land was born. The tectonic failures under the bits of what was once a bit of Teknall's range created a myriad of geysers and hot springs that when in contact with the cold sea on both sides gave birth to large clouds of fog. This, along with the fertility created the best scenario for large plant life to be born, and it did so magnificently with vivid forests, swamps and mangroves. Ilunabar's push was merely a refinement that brought more flowers and sculpted remarkable landscapes across this gorgeous land: Shalanoir Forest, thanks to her latest invention The Muse felt like these names will be only used by a few, but even so, she looked forward to seeing how mortals will interact with this living jewel. Three distinct regions were formed, and as the region stabilised their features became clear. The shores to the East are rocky and still reek of Toun's misdoing, large vein-like caves were born further inland, and the forest life managed to grow far higher in the maimed mountain side than on the west. It's a rigid land full of outcropsand odd formations as well as many hills and mangrove forests. In the middle is The Pass, this is where the jungle is at its thickest with the sky being fully hidden by the treetops. While there is an abundance of rivers, the many rocks and trees as well as the chaotic nature of water in the region makes the crossing from one side to another hard, the exception being a river that only forms at summer nights with its path lit by a luminescent plant similar to reed. This river probably will end up getting called Starcross or other variants with the same idea, the nightly nature and the star-like reed are very memorable even for a god. The west is where the land finally settles down, which brings gentler shores but sharper peaks. While the East has clear entrances for the ocean water, the passage to the Sparkling Sea is erratic at best, creating floodplains, especially in the south, this is a prime place for civilisation, as not only the lands are fertile, but the access to the sea will create many trading opportunities. [/hider] [hider=Portal: Mirrory-Link] Deep in a cave inside Arcon, a link between the distant planet and Galbar was created. The link is small and of hard access, needing someone to make the quartz resonate with the mirror stored in Galbar. When the link is no longer needed Notte cuts the link and both the Quartz and the Mirror go dull, no longer reflecting anything. [/hider] [hider=Ring of Blooming] Description: A ring imbued with Ilunabar’s powers so Meimu could create more diverse flowers. Once that mission was complete the Ring crumbled into dust. Appearance: A simple band of silver and copper [/hider] [hider=Lifprasil's Almanac] Description: A simple guide to Galbar which bases itself on the book of creation but instead focus on what has transpired since the creation of the world. [/hider] [hider=Dreams] Description: Thanks to Ilunabar dreams became an energy of its own, it goes far beyond a single person's mind and often two or more persons can share the same dream while sleeping. Things composed of Dreams are entirely built on emotional energy instead of matter and logic. [/hider] [hider=Aurora] Description: Dream energy that interacts in specific and distant places of the atmosphere creating soft waves of colors. Usually confined to polar regions but might travel to far locations if particularly strong. Sometimes images will form inside the veil of light and one might barely see objects or persons in the night sky. [/hider] [hider=Language] Words no longer are simply copied from the gods, instead, they are free to organically develop among mortals, and just like any other organic thing, they grow, die and change, until one day two languages of the same root are so distant that only a few words are understood between the speakers. [/hider] [hider=Phantasmagoria] Also known as the Nights of Phantoms, the Chaotic Twilight. The Phantasmagoria was a world-wide event that took place in Galbar whose main purpose was to: A)Showcasing Ilunabar's power, since recent events made her a bit annoyed B)Inspiring all inteligent creatures so they could form civilizations and create more interesting art. For the duration of a night, all of the planet was left under a colorful night, illusions walked freely among the earth and the line between dream and earth was thined out until it could barely be noticed. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Astarte] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Logos] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Kyre] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Teknall] [hider=Avatars] [hider=Goliath] [b]Avatar[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Goliath [b]Appearance:[/b] [hider=Appearance][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/421fa269-6cee-440f-9631-dedbf73a31ae.png[/img][/hider] Goliath is a three meter tall metal robot that is generically humanoid in form but with six arms, four legs and four eyes. Goliath's torso is heavily armoured. While its limbs have less armour, they are built from the same virtually indestructible adamantine alloy as the rest of its body. Its feet each have 6 large talons which grip into the ground to give it additional traction. Its face and head is angular, and lacks any features other than its four glowing red eyes. In the center of Goliath's chest is a glowing red hot exhaust radiator. Like the rest of its body, it is made from thick, strong metal, and it covers Goliath's heart of swirling star-fire. [b]Description:[/b] Goliath is Teknall's Avatar for the purpose of combat. Goliath is designed to be robust, fast, efficient and deadly. It moves with clockwork precision, able to coordinate and move its ten limbs with superhuman speed and strength, and this is coupled with god-like perception and reaction times. A built in jetpack provides even greater mobility and the power of flight for when it is needed. Goliath's primary source of power and energy is a magical interdimensional connection to the Stellar Engine, which provides the aforementioned heart of star-fire. In addition to being extremely deadly, Goliath is made to be very tough to kill. On top of being built from virtually indestructible materials, every critical system has back-ups. Goliath can still operate close to maximum missing several limbs. Losing its head will leave Goliath unaffected, because its semiconductor mind is backed up in two other locations in its torso, and modules providing the sense of Perception renders eyes almost redundant. And as backup power Goliath has three accumulators and two plutonium radioisotope thermoelectric generators distributed within its torso. Goliath is capable of fighting autonomously, and very effectively, but this single-minded nature that it was programmed with leaves it generally incapable of doing much else without direction. Goliath has no personality or social capacity of its own, and is remotely controlled by Teknall through a divine telepathic connection. Potentially of note- despite being quite heavy, due to excellent joint design Goliath can move almost silently. [b]Armament:[/b] Six arms, four legs (original) Stellar Engine connection (original) Jetpack (original) Perception (original) Plate armour (original) Two crossbows, attached to arms; two bucklers, attached to arms; a spear; two war-hammers; four swords; a battle-axe (1 Might) [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Heroes] [hider=Far-Teacher] [b]Hero[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Far-Teacher [b]Appearance:[/b] A normal Hain, equipped for the lifestyle of a nomadic artisan. [b]Description:[/b] Far-Teacher is Teknall's chosen from amongst the Hain. They are his prophet to them. More importantly, they are a teacher and scientist, discovering new knowledge and skills and spreading it to all of hain-kind. [b]Personality:[/b] Although the Far-Teachers are varied, they all have common traits, which are prerequisites to them being chosen. Far-Teacher is always inquisitive, having a critical mind, confident in speech, intelligent, compassionate, thirsting for knowledge, loyal and, to a degree, adventurous. [b]Abilities:[/b] The blessing of Teknall carries numerous enhancements. As is typical of a Hero, strength, speed, agility, stamina, constitution and durability are enhanced to supernatural levels, although in the case of Far-Teacher these traits are not particularly spectacular in comparison to other Heroes. What is spectacular, however, is his mind and intellect, which are sharp and clear beyond compare, giving Far-Teacher far superior reasoning, logical, perceptive, intuitive and computational capabilities, as well as superhuman reflexes. Beyond simple enhancements, however, Far-Teacher has a potent new sense, that of Perception. Everything within one hundred meters of theirself, down to the finest detail, is sensed, perceived, independent of stimuli such as light or sound. If they were to describe it, it would be as though they had a three-dimensional model of their surroundings inside their head, yet while all details were sharp and focussed, it lacked vivid sensory elements such as colour or smell. Additionally, Far-Teacher has a telepathic link with Teknall, allowing him to sense what Far-Teacher senses and allowing them to communicate, even while separated. More mundanely, Far-Teacher is always a skilled teacher and craftsperson. Typically, Far-Teacher is also an excellent archer, such a skill only enhanced by their supernatural abilities. [b]Legacy:[/b] The first Far-Teacher was Gerrik, trained directly by Teknall, while in the guise of Stone Chipper, as his own apprentice. While it was originally intended for Gerrik Far-Teacher to be immortal, this was revised at the complaint of Reathos, god of Death. Instead, each Far-Teacher is to take up an apprentice, who will be approved by Teknall. When they are both ready, or when necessity demands it, the Far-Teacher will transfer the blessing along with its associated powers to the apprentice, who becomes the new Far-Teacher. This generational cycle typically takes between 20 to 50 years to repeat, although it can vary significantly, depending on the whims of the incumbent Far-Teacher. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [hider=Elemental Siphon] [b]Physical Structure (1 Might)[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Elemental Siphon [b]Location:[/b] Teknall's Workshop, in his Personal Plane [hider=Appearance][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e6309ed8-882b-4ca8-b980-974b8f79c8da.png[/img][/hider] [b]Description:[/b] The Elemental Siphon exploits the special properties of Teknall's plane to create industrial quantities of raw elemental matter on demand. It is shaped like a curved periodic table, where each box is 1 cubic meter in size. Each box is made from heat resistant, durable, inert material, tailored to what each produces. Each box produces the corresponding element from the periodic table, from hydrogen to plutonium. Gasses get heavy, air-tight doors, while potentially fissile elements have restricted internal space and radiation shielding. [/hider] [hider=Stellar Engine] [b]Physical Structure (1 Might)[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Stellar Engine [b]Location:[/b] Teknall's Personal Plane [hider=Appearance]Stellar Engine Core: [img]http://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/styles/ow_medium_feature/public/field/field_image_main/JET_wide.jpg?itok=rZvieb0R[/img] Schematic Representation of Collectors: [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Dyson_Swarm_-_2.png[/img][/hider] [b]Description:[/b] The Stellar Engine is a mega structure built by Teknall to harness the energy of the red dwarf star within his plane. For all intents and purposes, it is a [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere]Dyson Swarm[/url]. It has many collector plates, hexagonal in shape and 225m[sup]2[/sup] in area, orbiting at an orbital radius of about one million kilometers around the star (or 650000 km above the star's surface), each capable of drawing up to 25 MW of solar energy. Four large relay satellites take this energy and transmit it to the Stellar Engine Core, a toroidal chamber in the axis of the Workshop. This energy is stored in the form of star-fire, ready to be used for useful work by anything connected to it. As of initial creation, the Stellar Engine had 200 collectors and thus a 5 GW capacity. [/hider] [hider=Eenal Bow] [b]Artifact (1 Might)[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Eenal Bow [b]Appearance/Composition:[/b] The Eenal Bow is a composite recurve bow, about half the height of a Hain. For the main body it uses dark wood from the Eenal tree, the undying, toxic tree made by the blessing of Reathos. It is laminated on one side with the sinews of a Herakt and on the other side Herakt bone, and bound with glue made from the Herakt's body, a creature designed solely for enacting Death in the animal world. The bowstring is made from fibers of a grasping vine from the Venomweald, that toxic and bloodthirsty jungle. The finished product is smooth and refined, with rough edges removed to create a quality bow. [b]Description:[/b] The Eenal Bow is a powerful weapon built by Teknall's own hand. Typically, it functions as a regular bow, and appears like one. However, should the wielder will it, the bow will feed a slither of divine power into an arrow it shoots, launching it at incredible speeds, and having it impact with incredible force. Such a shot has greater penetrating power than a bullet, which is typically enough to pierce natural and manufactured armour with ease and deliver a fatal blow. Such a shot appears with a golden glow around the arrow. Should the wielder actually feed power into the Bow, the strength of the fired arrow can be increased immensely, or an arrow of pure magical/divine force can be created. Additionally, by virtue of being a blessed creation of Teknall's hand, the Eenal Bow is effectively indestructible, immune to wear or harm. Only concentrated effort from a god can destroy it. [/hider] [hider=Guardian Shield] [b]Artifact (1 Might)[/b] [b]Name:[/b] Guardian Shield [b]Appearance/Composition:[/b] The Guardian Shield's natural form is rather inconspicuous, a plywood disk the size of a hand with a rawhide strap into which could fit an arm. The disk is made from three different woods. First is Deepwood Heartwood, sturdy wood from the core of a tree which has stood for millennia. Next is Deepwood Sapwood, the life-bearing part of the wood of trees which drink from life-energy created by the Life-Deer herself. Finally is Holy Oak, tough wood from a tree blessed by the protective Mother Goddess. The rawhide is from a Herakt. Binding all these components together is not any adhesive, for instead they have all grown together to form a single piece. [b]Description:[/b] The Guardian Shield is a potent defensive device fashioned by Teknall's own hand. In its normal state, it is too small to function as a practical shield. However, the Guardian Shield automatically senses when a blow is going to strike its wielder, and reacts in order to protect them. It does this by growing, often in as little time as a millisecond, to be large enough to block the incoming blow. If this requires growing large enough to completely encase its wielder, then it will do so. After the danger has passed, the Shield will return to its normal size. To supplement this, the Shield is bound to its wielder through the rawhide strap, and can thus send nerve impulses to the muscles in the limb where it is worn in order to reposition itself to a more optimal position. It is through these abilities that the Guardian Shield will act to protect its wielder from all harm. Such attempts to defend are limited to the strength of the shield. Which is why, by the design and power of Teknall, the Guardian Shield is indestructible. Nothing short of the concentrated effort of a god can so much as scratch it, let alone penetrate or destroy it. Of course, the Shield being indestructible does not make the wielder completely invincible, for it can not stop things which can pass through physical matter unhindered (eg. some magics), and it is oblivious to more insidious forms of harm such as disease or poison. But it is still an incredible boon to the being who wears it. Additionally, the rawhide strap tightens to fit snugly against the arm of the wielder and grips firmly, such that it can not be removed against the wielder's will. If the wielder wills it, the strap will loosen, but otherwise it will not. It should also be noted that, despite the Shield's sophisticated behaviour, it is in no way sentient, or even having a mind. Its behaviour is purely autonomous and rigidly single-purpose. [/hider] [hider=Creations] [hider=Elements] These three elements were added by Teknall into the Codex of Creation, before the Universe was created. They are transition metals on the Periodic Table (this means there are 95 naturally occurring elements now, instead of 92). Their abundances are similar to that of other metals. Mithral - a metal with similar appearance and chemical properties to silver. Structurally, it is about as strong as steel yet as light as aluminium. It has slightly above-average magical affinity. Orichalcum - a brassy-gold metal in appearance. Structurally, it is quite mundane. However, it has one of the highest magical affinities of any of the elements. It also has decent electrical and thermal conductivity. Adamantine - a dark-coloured metal. It is slightly more dense than steel. It is astonishingly strong structurally, with hardness rivalled only by diamond (among the pure elements), yet its higher strength in all other categories makes it an element of unmatched resistance. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Toun][hider=Avatars] [hider=Majus and Minus] [b]Background:[/b] The advent of Violence on Toun's doorstep in such a threatening form as Vestec's avatar forced Toun to conceive his most powerful creations yet. The twins of betterment, Majus and Minus. Both are precise tools in the pursuit of universal perfection. They are not exactly conceived of raw creative power spun into reality like his other creations. Rather they are themselves avatars -- pieces of Toun's divine essence manifested in the physical realm. In order to hold his own power into planned bounds, Toun used physical bodies that were inscribed with written characters. These characters describe their behaviour in a print exactly the same as the print used on the codex of creation itself. Such symbols and phrases are so potent that the behaviour they describe manifest on what they are written upon. These commands, written in perfect strokes of red ink and stored within the avatars' bodies, hold together a vessel to channel godly might and to interact independently with the world should Toun require their own volition. This is the first employment of the powerful (yet highly precise) Tounic calligraphy. [hider=Majus] [center]Physical Creation: [color=PaleGoldenrod][h3][center]Majus[/center][/h3][/color][/center] [b]Name:[/b] Majus, the Greater Twin [b]Description:[/b] The greater twin is the instrument of Toun's more visible, impactful local acts upon Galbar. Its actions are for all to see, hear, feel, or otherwise sense. It builds the great structures or tears them down with an equally great sundering blow. It is at the head of vanguards and in the thick of the melee. Its voice booms with unignorable presence as it carries out Toun's will. Its moves are large, deliberate, and nary leave the subject unscathed. Majus may seem like a brute that is easy to manoeuvre around with care, but all that it cannot do with its greatness is protected by its sibling, Minus. [b]Appearance:[/b] Majus is a thin-set humanoid figure covered fully in elegantly domed white plate armour, pointed at the toes and at the ends of the fingers. A red Tounic insignia is displayed on its chest. It stands at twice the height of an average human and walks with a lumbering, robotic, yet deliberate gait. Where normal plates of steel armour accommodate holes for seeing or breathing, Majus' armour has none. The joints still visibly separate the segments into pieces, but the illusion of their rigidity is broken when they are in motion. The boundaries of the segments expand and retract as they move such that any gaps that might be revealed by motion cover themselves adaptively. Majus' hands always carry a long white haft shod with a short curved rod that doubles as a hammer and a pick. The way this weapon moves in Majus' hands seems dissonant with its heft. It is sent in sweeping arcs that may extend or retract in reach in the blink of an eye. [b]Flaw:[/b] Majus is an avatar the same as any other. It is subject to the same properties of avatars. However, when Toun is not directly controlling Majus, it has to rely on its inscribed intelligence. This is not particularly sophisticated as it is not built for anything other than mostly mindless servitude. Without Minus to protect it, Majus is vulnerable to even simple ruses and may be led into traps or manipulated against Toun's best interests. [/hider] [hider=Minus] [center]Physical Creation: [color=PaleGoldenrod][h3][center]Minus[/center][/h3][/color][/center] [b]Name:[/b] Minus, the Lesser Twin [b]Description:[/b] Always in the shadow of Majus is a small figure in a cape. Like a mote of grit in the corner of one's eye, its presence is always apparent but just out of sight, especially when next to the captivating presence of Majus. This creature is Minus. The description of Minus being 'the lesser' is not as much a description of Minus' power but rather where it is directed. Where Majus channels power into direct and final strikes that echo for aeons, Minus' capability is in more subtle and drawn out actions. Minus is the manipulator that roots out spies and liars while playing them against each other. It is the investigator which brings a revealing light to the shadows. It is the whispering voice that warns of subterfuge. The right foundations wither or stand under its influence. In combat, Minus fights evasively and with small, debilitating techniques that wear the enemy down and bind them into inaction. Where Minus' subtle and flowing motions are insufficient, Majus takes the stage. [b]Appearance:[/b] Just like Majus, Minus is a thin-set humanoid in a fully covering, gapless, white plate armour, emblazoned with a circular red Tounic emblem on the chest. On its own, Minus stands a few hands shorter than a strong human man and sports a lithe, flowing figure. Its armour moves as if lighter and thinner, but even with its smaller profile, the outline of Minus' body would seem to be no bulkier than an androgynous and petite human youth. Perhaps more distinctive about Minus is the light cape that flows from its shoulders. It is so thin and wispy that it falls like mist when disturbed. Then Minus moves quickly, it seems to dance around its manoeuvres in a confusing fashion, blurring and distracting from its true direction. Minus' weapons of choice are twinned white chains that extend from its arms and end in small but impactful spheres wreathed in vicious flanges. The links of the chains themselves are also barbed and catch on loose or jutting elements of an enemy or on each other as they wrap themselves around a target. These chains seem to get longer and shorter as Minus fights depending on the situation. In contrast to the very visible swings of Majus' pole hammer, Minus' chains elegantly curl and whip in impossible patterns, seemingly contradicting where Minus is motioning them to go. [b]Flaw:[/b] Minus is also an avatar, but its weakness is distinct from its sibling. Minus is a covert operative, only comfortable in the shadows or with the support of the mighty Majus. When caught on its own with overwhelming force and no easy escape, it is dispatched a solid strike upon the Tounic insignia on its chest. Additionally, the intelligence that Minus has been bestowed is much more nuanced than Majus. It is not as easily fooled or flustered by guileful schemes. However, Minus does not sport the impact that Majus has in expression. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations] [hider=Cornerstone] [center]Physical Creation: [color=PaleGoldenrod][h3][center]Cornerstone[/center][/h3][/color][/center] [b]Appearance:[/b] Cornerstone is a ring wall of solid porcelain, crennelated and towered at regular intervals. It bends in a circle ten kilometres in diameter. The wall is a sheer one hundred metres high and fifty metre's thick. The towers rise an extra ten metres higher again. The wall has no windows or gates, though kaolokinesis can shape it to provide access without descruction. Within the walls is a surface of flat, porcelain tiles arranged in concentric circles all the way to the centre. It is barren for now, but slave hain have been carving out shelters and nests in the towers and Toun intends to form his own creations in the vast space acquired. The fortress itself sits exactly on the equator, roughly in the centre of the white ocean that was created as a consequence of its manufacture. It has no land around it, instead sitting on a mesa of bedrock jutting up from the ocean floor. [b]Description:[/b] After ponderous meditation on how to serve his purpose amongst the chaotic ruinations of his kin, Toun planted his feet into the ground and made a declaration. He would rebuild the world, peice by peice, until paradise reigns. All chaos would be subdued and all suffering would end. The first step he took was to exploit the inherant weaknesses of the reality around him to carve out one patch of paradise to start from. This area, so altered, is the fortress known as Cornerstone. Cornerstone is a holy sight of Toun, ouputting 4 might per turn. It serves as a base of operations for his plans on Galbar and a home to the slave hain. The unseen nature of Cornerstone provides a number of effects. The most prominent feature are mental whispers of Toun's will for the slave hain to listen to. These are at first barely perceptible by any other sentient creatures visiting, but prolonged exposure make the whispers harder and harder to resist. Staying within Cornerstone without a countermeasure to mental meddling for too long renders a sentient creature no more intelligent than the slave hain and will join in their labours. Toun's whispers are also joined with a subtle re-wiring of sentient creature's magical abilities. This slowly allows a visiting sentient creature to perform kaolokinesis with talent proportional to how much the whispers have influenced their minds. More benificent is the nourishing effect of remaining within Cornerstone. Sentient creatures who open their minds to Toun's whispers find themselves no longer needing to eat drink, sleep, or otherwise maintain basic bodily needs. Oddly enough, this appears to have no atrophying side effects on neglected organs, suggesting that the nourishment also provides some sort of biological function spoofing. Being a product of a god of creation, Cornerstone's physical form slowly regenerates any lost material in its tiles and walls at a very slow rate. Sundering the godly might that holds it together allows for Cornerstone to be destroyed, but superficial damage or stolen material heals over very slowly like a wound. This regenerating porcelain allows slave hain to use the material of Cornerstone itself to shape as they wish for tools, weapons, etcetera. [/hider] [hider=Sularn's Vow] When the azibo prophet Sularn received the blessings of Toun and Teknall, Toun made him take an oath and inscribed it in his skin: - [color=PaleGoldenrod]“You must always strive for improvement of your mind, your body, your soul, and the world in which you live. This shall stop at nothing but perfection.”[/color] - [color=PaleGoldenrod]“You must never do harm to any of my servants, be they white giant, hain of my home, or similar purposeful creature.”[/color] - [color=PaleGoldenrod]“And you must oppose chaos wherever it encroaches.”[/color] This vow counts as ‘Toun’s essence’ for the purposes of getting a pass from white giants or similar creatures. The ‘Hain of my home’ mentioned refers to the five tribes of slave hain currently in Cornerstone, not any other hain. By inscribing the marking on the skin of another being while said being takes the vow, the mark will turn into Tounic calligraphy and become permanent unless the vow is broken at which time it fades and all its effects disappear. The vow cannot be retaken once broken (at this time). [/hider] [hider=Insignia] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/0n4yBaK.png[/img][/center] This insignia represents Toun's cult and ideals. Indeed, it is his name written in Tounic Calligraphy. It is interpreted in many ways, but one property draws the mention of all who analyse it. The fading spikes reclining into one another shrink to such a fineness that they appear to never touch. However, the closer one looks, the closer the spikes get to touching. This suggests that if one looked close enough, they might touch after a while. It promises something attainable, though at what point it is attained is a mystery. When this is thematically compared to the concept of perfection, opinions begin to diverge about its nature. [/hider] [hider=Tounic Calligraphy] Toun's mastery of the domain of writing and penmanship is demonstrated by the marks that he leaves to communicate with his followers. This is Tounic Calligraphy, the writing that Toun used to design the world with his fellow deities at the very beginning. Its first characters are sprawled all over the codex of creation itself. Put simply, Tounic Calligraphy is writing that is so perfectly expressed that it imparts information without needing to teach the reader how to read. They are not necessarily pictures or consistent alphabets, but the commonality is in its closeness to raw thought. Tounic Calligraphy is so difficult to get correct that it can take an entire lifetime for a mortal to write it consistently. Even then, inscribing even a single simple concept can take months. Toun, in divine contrast, casually strokes such things in the space of moments. The real power of Tounic calligraphy, however, is not in its efficiency of interpretation, but its effects on the real world. Words have power, perfect words have perfect power. When fuelled by passion, principle, a dash of magic, and even a little luck, Tounic characters can serve as orders upon the design of reality itself, much like the words on the codex of creation. In trivial ways, Tounic characters can serve as points in an oath. Though more complex processes, the Tounic character for 'talks', when spoke upon a tree, will oblige the tree to talk. Mortals have yet to discover these properties of Tounic Calligraphy and their implications. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=But Mutton, how to I write hain facial expressions?] I know, I know. With hain faces made from porcelain and not having as much flexibility, it can be hard to tell when a hain smiles. In light of this, some translation may be needed. The first thing to note is that there are still a few flexible features of a hain's face that can be read. Secondly, hain emotional expression is slightly more reliant on hand and arm gestures than humans are, especially in states of emotional arousal. Read on for more specifics... So...what are we missing from human faces? - Lips - Eyebrow - Nose bridge What has been carried over? - Eyes - Jaw and mouth with teeth - A head that can angle itself - Hands and arms (this is not so subtle, but might make up for missing features) [hider=A simple system] I know that there are more subtle expressions than the seven basic human faces, I'll just go with them for now as a starting point. Anyone can expand on these expressions for the sake of nuance when describing hain. Keep in mind that hain view things from the side of their heads, like birds, so make sure that you imagine the default position of their heads is side-on to the other party. [b]Anger:[/b] - Eyes narrowed. - Mouth open with teeth displayed. - Head tends to stay still and focussed. - Clenched fists, slightly bent elbows. [b]Fear:[/b] - Eyes wide. - Mouth closed, teeth audibly chatter, even if adrenaline has not been released. [Side note: Chattering teeth while idle and out of danger is a sign of long term stress and anxiety in a hain] - Beak front turned slightly towards the subject, tends to flit from side to side to switch eye pairs more quickly and frequently. - Slightly bent elbows, but fists not clenched by default. [b]Disgust:[/b] - Eyes narrowed. - Mouth closed and still. - Head angled back slightly from subject. - Hands neutral. [b]Contempt:[/b] - Head angled back slightly from subject. - Other features neutral. [b]Joy:[/b] - One or both palms upturned and open. - Beak angled upwards slightly. - Other features neutral. [b]Sadness:[/b] - Eyes narrowed or closed. Hain have tears like humans. - Jaw generally clenched, but extreme sadness has the mouth held slightly open. - Beak front angled downwards. - One or both hands generally held against the side of the head. [b]Surprise:[/b] - Eyes wide. - Mouth clenched. - Beak front angled towards subject slightly. - Elbows bent to roughly right angles. - Palms bared directly to subject. [/hider] Other comments and suggestions: [u]Using the eyes independently[/u] [quote=@Antarctic Termite] Idea for elaborating further on Hain expressions- Because the default hain conversational stance is with the head posed sideways, they might be able to add nuance to their expression based on [i]which[/i] eye is narrowed or closed, since their 'left' and 'right' eye at any one point isn't just a symmetrical reflection. While looking directly at someone, hain have a fore and aft eye, with the fore-eye closer to the beak and the aft-eye closer to the back of the skull. They are meant to focus together, so controlling the direction of each eye is like going cross-eyed for humans, but presuming that their eyelids move independently, narrowing each eye might have a different effect on the overall expression. It might change across cultures, but my suggestion is to make it a simple intensity modifier, say, the aft-eye closes more easily than the fore-eye, so if the two are closed, narrowed, or widened equally (in the case of great surprise or fear), then the hain is more emotional than usual, because one of the two eyelids is unconsciously being worked harder in order to match it with the other- Fore-eye in case of narrowing, aft-eye in case of widening. There are probably more creative ways to go about this, and it's pretty clunky to write into a sentence outside of insertions like '[i]both[/i] her eyes were narrowed harshly' or 'despite his cautious words to the excited hatchlings, his [i]aft-[/i]eyes didn't widen quite so much when he pulled the viper from its basket', implying stronger anger and weaker fear respectively. But it might be useful. [/quote] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Lifprasil] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Jvan] [hider=Avatars] [hider=Avatar of Jvan] [center][color=9e0b0f][h3]Heartworm[/h3][/color] [b]Avatar of Jvan - the Emancipator - Holiest Mangle - Skinstitch - Our Lord Mutilation[/b][/center] [b]Appearance:[/b] Heartworm takes the form of a slender, flattened worm, with a spade-like front end and a slightly tapered tail, although the difference between the two is ultimately rather minor. It measures about sixty centimetres end to end. The surface of the entity is covered in beige skin, and it has no bones, segments, or exoskeleton. The only discernible organs on its body are a large number of faintly bulged eyes of flat, dark red, lacking iris or pupil and lidded by layers of similarly red membranes. These eyes are present on most of Heartworm's upper surface from 'snout' to tail. Skinstitch's underside harbours its most notable feature- A long, lipless row of interlocking white teeth, reaching from end to end of its body. These are attached to no jaw, but nonetheless clamp tightly together when the avatar is at rest. These act as a zipper-like seal over Heartworm's amorphous 'interior', or 'toolbox'. When open, Heartworm's body stretches to reveal an ever-changing array of diverse arthropod limbs and antennae, and tentacles resembling those of cephalopods, echinoderms and cnidarians. It uses these to manipulate the bodies of its subjects. [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/126616502005/kaijubrainsart-the-worm]Basic inspiration.[/url] [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/96251248031/photonasty-sea-pens]Some appendages.[/url] [b]Vessel:[/b] Rarely seen alone, Heartworm resides within a levitating mass of flesh that serves as a sample collecting tool, nest, laboratory, vehicle, and means of projecting divine energy when Jvan is in control. The nest is a rather large construction of roughly spherical shape, measuring about twelve metres in radius. Like its divine sire, the nest of the Emancipator is mostly hollow and highly porous, although no spacial distortion is apparent in its design. The materials constituting the vessel are predominantly cartilage and fat covered in a thin skin. Its surface is largely translucent white or scar-red, though parts of it has skin thick enough to display its own colour, usually brown. Closely following these materials in abundance is bone, sinew, tongue, and ocular jelly. The arrangement of the vessel-body is semi-regular and easily described as a Matryoshka doll of sagging, bent cages in rough Archimedian shapes, each linked and looped into its outer and inner neighbours both by simple chaining and actual bridges of flesh. Ocular constructs are more common on the outer layers, and sometimes bulge so far that they drop off and remain where they landed as a Jvanic Eye. Mouths and tongues tend to populate the inner mantle, and the core is mostly fat, lobes of which fold and hang downwards from the lower half of the entity. At any given moment some of these may be flaccid and deflated, swelled into vesicles containing the whole bodies of recent subjects, or simply embedded piecemeal with fused organisms that the Holiest Mangle is currently processing. [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/89360689655/jennifersmithart-visera-fiction-i-ii-iii]Gristle[/url] [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/102629239502/ooksaidthelibrarian-bourgery-jean-baptiste]and[/url] [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/127184829001/zoemled-fascia-fat-and-a-smidge-of-underlying]fat[/url]. [url=http://orig12.deviantart.net/8068/f/2012/333/2/e/animated_inverted_gyroid_by_schmiegel-d5miswf.gif]Inspiring gif.[/url] [u]Temperament:[/u] Heartworm is a less predictable, flightier form of Jvan, and has considerably less inclination to behave socially during those periods when she allows it autonomy. It is also rather less discerning with regards to the functionality of its sculptures, and will often produce organisms that have no hope of surviving unassisted. This may be due to its freedom from Toun's shard of perfection embedded within Jvan in the time of the pre-world, or simply a mutant trait of its creation. When the All-Beauty is making active use of her avatar, it acts as a simple extension of her own consciousness. Heartworm acts as a pilot for its vessel, slithering around within it via ducts that open for its use, or wrapping itself into the folds of its surface while dictating its movement with chemical and electric impulses. It exercises greatest control over the vessel when curled up in the corpulent heart of the construct, and will use its to chase after organic subjects on a whim, regardless of their size or artistic value. Subjects, when found, are either fused and grafted into a lobe of the vessel to be grown into a more desirable form or combined with other assimilated organisms, or manually edited by Heartworm itself. The latter process may be performed externally, or after a specimen is swallowed up into a fluid-filled, womb-like vesicle to be dissected in a more stable environment, in which it remains alive, conscious, and immobile. In all cases, Heartworm's subjects tend to be visible, as even vesicles are usually bloated widely enough to be translucent. At any moment the sagging lower half of the vessel may have a variety of animals grafted into it, a larder of organs, limbs and heads to be grown into one another or surgically removed for introduction to a vesicle. Sometimes Our Lord Mutilation will unwisely chase a large animal like a brush beast or whale, and the vessel will be attached to it like a tumour for days or weeks while attempting to swallow the oversize creature into a vesicle.[/hider] [/hider] [hider=Heroes] [/hider] [hider=Life] [hider=The Sculptors] [center][color=9e0b0f][h3]The Sculptors[/h3][/color] [b]Species - Artistic Movement - Cognitive Parasite - the Other[/b][/center] [b]Activities:[/b] A fully developed member of the Jvanic Cult is generally a solitary entity. Sculptors retain much of the intelligence they had in their former life, be it as Hain, Djinni or Urtelem, at the expense of their former social and emotional impulses. A Sculptor can still feel drives such as joy, fear, anger, and despair, and these feelings are an instrumental part of their inspiration to create, but they are no longer attached to other individuals. Neither empathy nor hatred exists in a Sculptor. Rather, their emotions are tied exclusively to the aesthetics of their surroundings. Some creatures, landscapes or cultures may inspire a Sculptor to be filled with eagerness and arousal to create something bright and energetic, while others are liable to motivate it to design something bleary and depressive in form. No matter what emotion a Jvanic cultist may be stricken with, it will always be inspired to create art of the same caliber. The cognitive capacities of these creatures will vary according to their origins, and they can be summarised as entities of prodigious problem-solving ability, high curiousity, photographic memory, and superb spacial awareness, but motivated so exclusively by the drive to create art that most other rational species will consider them borderline sub-sentient. Their negligence of most forms of language exacerbates this sentiment, although they will sometimes choose to produce art via written narrative or abstract poetry, and can sing. Of course, with diversity of body comes diversity of mind, and Sculptors have preferences and specialities like any other sentient species. The production of art is the eternal missive of a Sculptor, second only to self-preservation. Jvanic Sculpture is not limited to the shaping of clay, but can be produced in an endless variety of ways. In addition to producing installations of any kind of available material in any combination- Sand and stone, plant materials, animal remains, refined metals and devices- Sculptors also practice painting, gardening, sketching, architecture, animal husbandry, mosaic, and the aforementioned writing and poetry. Although they are rarely graced with an audience, Sculptors even practice music in song, dance and instruments. In fact, there is no action undertaken by a Jvanic Cultist that is not deliberated and beautiful, as even their gait, movement, and style of combat appears elegantly choreographed to their mood, be it in graceful fluidity, artful excitement and chaos, or impressive stoicism and power. Although Jvan does not outright control her cult, they are attuned to her whispers across the Gap, and accept her song as supplementary inspiration to their environment and mood. This is most prominent when a Sculptor begins its ascendant journey, and needs guidance in both practical skill and artistic theory. As a Sculptor matures, it grows confident enough to follow its own way, and rarely requires visions from the All-Beauty, although a particularly exciting project is the only thing that can cause separated Sculptors to converge and cooperate. In the absence of environmental pressures forcing their hand, Sculptors are usually on the move, always seeking out new materials and inspiration, leaving a sporadic trail of work in their wake. Unlike fiberlings, these entities are not random or erratic in their wanders, but follow consistent semi-random patterns of exploration over a wide territory, perpetually expanding it at one edge and receding it from the other to produce a slow net migration. Sculptors are survivalists by nature. Typically omnivorous and well-equipped for combat, their new body is robust and adaptable and will see them through most threats in most environments. They are rarely aggressive and it is curiousity alone that motivates a Sculptor to approach a potential hazard, examining it and learning where the boundaries of safety lie. Their memories are long and sharp, and their extraordinary lifespan allows them to build up keen instincts for danger. Resident and travelling fiberlings will always show an odd deference to mature Sculptors, and will never stalk or play with them against their will. Fiberlings without anything better to do will even follow instructions dictated by a Sculptor. The artists are well aware, however, that a fiberling is its own creature with its own fears and instincts, and try not to rely on them heavily, if at all. Although they are typically loners, the occasional anomaly occurs in which an entire family or small settlement of sentients are collectively inspired and motivate one another to ascend together. In such cases, the group of Sculptors will rarely separate, and will support each other, sharing resources and goals as they did in their previous life. [b]Recruitment:[/b] Sculptors play a very passive role in their own reproduction. All Jvanic art is designed with a certain strangeness in form and pattern that allows it to host a complimentary, complex organic structure in the unseen world, the final stage of a Sculptor's life cycle. This Other body is fairly consistent despite the tremendous diversity of the Sculpture it may reside in, and remains there for as long as the art is mostly intact- This may be as little as a few minutes over the course of a song, or for thousands of years in the life of a stone carving. Sentient species have the mental capacity to truly appreciate and admire the complexity of Jvanic artwork that they encounter, although not all may do so. When a creature with sufficient logical and emotional intelligence becomes enamoured by the beauty of work left by a Sculptor and wishes to experiment in creating something similarly elegant with their own faculties, they become susceptible to implantation. Susceptibility is entirely dependent on the psyche of the individual and their response to the art, which is, of course, influenced by genetic, environmental, and situational factors. A hain with other things on its mind at the time may pass by a Sculpture a hundred times without any effect, even if it has vast creative potential. Implantation is nonetheless quite a common occurrence, and a large proportion of any community in the domain of a Sculptor carries a dormant egg within their subconscious by the time they die. The presence of an egg has no effect on the mind of the individual, nor can they detect its presence. This seed can only be incubated and hatched by conscious, creative effort to emulate the beauty they once saw. There is a certain threshold of dedication required to bring a Sculptor's egg to term, and in most species, about one individual in ten thousand will have the luck and determination to receive an egg and hatch it. Once the process of ascendancy has begun, it can be delayed, but not stopped or reversed. The early development of a Sculptor is marked by the rapid growth of neural pathways that are attuned to the Gap frequencies dominated by Jvan herself. Her voice helps to act as a guiding catalyst for the initiate as they come to know how much there is to do and learn. This stage is marked by increasing withdrawal from emotional connections to the community and heightened sensitivity to the aesthetic beauty of their surroundings. Odd comments lauding the abstract elegance of society as dynamic, single organism rather than a collection of individuals with their own ideals and feelings may be an indicator of successful hatching. As the initiate overcomes the need for social attachment, they often retreat into hermitage or are ostracised within their community. At this stage their survivalist instincts rise to prominence and they often abandon all dignity and personal comfort in order to find a lifestyle that supports their obsession with art, which has become nearly all-encompassing. Ordinary behaviour also starts to grow unusual, bringing to mind an unstaged, abstract performance as their emotions come to dominate the way they talk and move. The psychosomatic effects of their changing brain brings about the onset of physical deformities such as a bolstered digestive and immune system, strange skin growths and lesions, lengthening or receding digits, and chronic pain as their limbs begin to bifurcate. Sensory and extra-sensory perception heightens as the new brain becomes capable of discerning traces of the Other that permeates the shadows of the conventional world. The final stages of ascendance into a mature Sculptor take a few decades to reach. By now almost no community will support or accept them, and the initiate has no desire to partake anyway. Simple deformities have developed into agonising disabilities before they grow into their final, painless, exquisitely functional stages: New limbs, extended bodies, reinforced skeletons, resilient organs. These structures will sustain them for hundreds of years beyond the lifespan of their original species. The initiate has developed a serene and insatiable love of the beauty in all things, and can produce gorgeous and bizarre works of art that compliment any environment without the assistance of their god. Their bodies and minds are now so saturated with hybrid Other cells that they can perceive both worlds at once and consider the unity of the two to be integral to their craft, ensuring that everything they create can be seeded by a living, proliferating fragment of their own inspiration. [b]Appearance:[/b] Mature Sculptors come in many shapes and sizes, but often bear clear, consistent signs of their original species. Those arising from [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/100605574336/rotifers-wave-san-things-nobody-asked-for-a]humans[/url] usually remain endoskeletal and retain the supple arms and hands that allow them to work with delicacy, even if they may manifest on entirely new limbs. [url=http://orion35.deviantart.com/art/Scorpio-494087664]Hain[/url] usually produce Sculptors with a sturdy, segmented shell, equipped with sharpened points for fine art and self-defence. Upon ascendance, Djinni tend to lose some of their amorphous nature, developing permanent fixtures such as [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/113103217079/some-concept-design-witchy-sea-creature]fins[/url], although they still form by far the most [url=http://41.media.tumblr.com/9ec1d9a0240b6d87621b230a941692dd/tumblr_nt7n74K5rQ1ql08jto7_1280.jpg]abstract[/url] Sculptors. More unusual are mid-stage cultists. The transformation process generally produces a rather elegant final form, but the intermittent iterations need to grow and shed a range of organs in order to smoothly transition into their final form, and are [url=http://fuzzyberry.tumblr.com/post/110765739107]rarely symmetrical[/url] (that one's a little bad, be careful).[/hider] [hider=Needle Fae][center][color=9e0b0f][h3]Needle Fae[/h3][/color] [b]Species - Bestial - the Other[/b][/center] [b]Appearance:[/b] A faery is composed of a [url=http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/11/blooms-of-insect-wings-created-by-photographer-seb-janiak/]flurry[/url] of ornately patterned insect wings arranged semi-regularly around a small, roughly globular core of muscles and organs, from which extrudes a single metallic blade. The extending wings are by far the most visible aspect of a faery's appearance, and can vary in reflectivity and structure according to its genes, and size and number according to a combination of genes and age. Fae wings most commonly resemble the triangular wings of iridescent butterflies, but can be opaque, transparent, long, curved, tailed, or even [url=http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/thewwcbritishwildlife/images/1/16/Pterophorus_pentadactyla_ex5176_(800).jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110418061323]plumed[/url], and might not resemble any living insect. Each faery has its own design and motif that is applied to all of its wings once they are fully grown; Immature wings may not yet have developed the full pattern or colour range. Serious chromosomal mutation can result in a single fae that expresses two different styles, but these individuals are infertile. Wings vary in number from six to nine at birth up to about thirty, averaging at fifteen for most adults. The largest breeds of fae have a mature radius up to forty centimetres long; The smallest, barely two. Average values for size vary greatly by climate but rarely exceed a fifteen-centimetre radius. All fae internal organs and muscles are contained in the core, barring their blood, which inflates the wing veins and some of which is compressed intradimensionally due to the necessities of their metabolism. A core is a rather fragile, drably coloured thing, with almost no skin or exoskeleton, but emits a slight glow if sufficiently energised. A few small bones stiffen the structure and act as struts for ligaments pulling on the wing bases via the tangled surface muscles. Slender, tentacle-like antennae extend from the core to taste chemicals in the air and respond to subtle changes in wind and pressure, and also serve as hollow [url=http://media.tumblr.com/f2f0e4826de319dd44bd7e4737f2e890/tumblr_inline_mll809ojgJ1qz4rgp.jpg]probosci[/url] to take up nutrients. Even in the very largest fae, the core never exceeds five centimetres in diameter, and it can be mere millimetres wide in the smallest. The only other notable part of Needle Faery's anatomy is its namesake: The needle. Though not a true needle in shape, this metallic structure is long, thin, and sharp at both edge and point. It is flattened, and between half-again and twice the length of the wing radius, like a miniature rapier. Strong, light, and flexible enough to avoid breaking even under rather harsh duress, this blade deteriorates only slowly after the death of the faery, and can therefore be used by sentient races for a great variety of purposes. Like an odd compass, the living needle always tends to point directly downwards when at rest, even if the faery becomes imbalanced somehow. A grounded faery will stand on the point of its needle like a spinning top. From the core of the faery around the base of the needle is secreted a viscous black ink that coats the blade, and contains the hermaphroditic gametes of the species. Larval fae are nothing to be looked at. Before their first and final moult, they appear to be fat, featureless, maggot-like entities, little more than a writhing, fluid-filled [url=http://angulargeometry.tumblr.com/post/115525184462/alien-fetus]black bladder[/url]. [b]Life Cycle:[/b] Adult Needle Fae spend their entire lives looking for a suitable mate in the air. They perpetually release a cocktail of pheromones with which to signal their availability to other fae. Upon discovering a scent, fae will immediately follow it until it leads to their kin. Once two fae have successfully found one another they will proceed to perform an elaborate courtship dance in the air, comparing themselves to one another in terms of dexterity, aerial agility, endurance, and sensory response time. If there is the slightest difference in the reproductive viability of the pair, they will duel. Fae duels can take seconds or hours, depending on the difference in strength and on the distinctive fighting style of each breed, but are always fought to the death. The combat is generally a mix of stabbing, tearing, slicing, and parrying of blades, and the stronger party, of course, tends to survive. Well over 95% of encounters between Needle Fae result in the death of one or both specimens. The instinct to kill those weaker than oneself is so strong that fae gathered together in large numbers lose their self-restraint and simply destroy every other fae near them rather than risk allowing a weakling to survive. On occasion, however, two fae will find themselves completely evenly matched, though not always according to the same set of biological skills. During these encounters alone will Needle Fae choose to mate, momentarily injecting gametes into each other's cores using their blades before fleeing. This heralds the end of the faery life cycle, though they rarely live longer than a few years anyway. The fertilised fae will descend to earth and lay about a hundred tiny eggs in different locations along the ground before death, often in supplementary sources of nutritious matter, such as decaying plant material or animal corpses. Maturation takes a few days to a week, though given time eggs will absorb enough energy from their surroundings to mature anyway. Interestingly, from a mortal perspective, this means that fae are most often perceived to have landed on or around dead creatures. [b]Description:[/b] Needle Fae were designed for one role above all else: Energy dissipation. A faery under duress can absorb and metabolise truly stupendous amounts of power each second from a sphere originating at its core and terminating at a metre radius. The forms they can absorb in this way are primarily heat and electromagnetic radiation, but even such forces as fluid pressure, electromagnetism, and gravitational potential are not exempt from being simply consumed by a faery. On stormy days in Galbar, it is not unheard of for a bolt of lightning to simply stop mid-descent, annihilated by the tiny, winged entity it tried to pass through. Their rate of absorption is proportional to the amount of energy in their vicinity, but even under normal conditions, the air around a faery is cold and thin and causes magnetically-sensitive devices and radiometric equipment to undergo distortion. They will always appear dark when observed by flash photography, and their absorption of light causes them to cast a shadow that is [url=http://bigblueboo.tumblr.com/post/80262052436/parametric-wormhole]vast and tangled[/url] and wholly unlike their actual shape. Their ability to nullify the force of gravity gives them their powers of flight; Fae wings are actually just steering rudders and channeling tools. Fae even drain interdimensional potential energy around them by stabilising their local plane-space, unwinding any looped-up planes nearby other than those which run into the Gap. This can yank nearby dreamers out of Raka and force them to wake up or sleep dreamlessly, and tends to muddle with precognitive psychics. The energy absorbed by a faery generally goes to waste- Trying to actually store or use it would destroy the little creature. After a small amount of it is filtered into the bloodstream to maintain the faery's metabolism, the rest tends to simply flow into the Gap, especially in the case of a sudden overload, such as an attack by light or fire magic. If the faery has some time to adapt- Such as being put in a slowly heating oven- It instead converts this energy into Galbaric mass, safely emitting hydrogen atoms or neutrons or fusing nearby hydrogen into traces of other elements. The only form of energy that Needle Fae have trouble dissipating is, ironically, the easiest for mortals to master: Kinetic energy of solid matter. Smashing a faery with a club will kill it just as easily as it would any other soft-bodied insect. A keen-eyed slinger or archer can simply pick off fae with projectiles. Fae, of course, will slice each other apart and be helpless to absorb the movement of the incoming blade. However, it should be noted that the final action of every slain faery is always to dissipate the movement of the object that destroyed them- An arrow piercing a faery's core will not travel much further, and a sword striking a faery will lose its previous momentum at the point of impact, which can be a little jarring to the untrained warrior. It is also true that while fae excel at taking in energy, they have almost no way to emit it, and are therefore vulnerable to forms of magic that work by removing energy from a system- Specifically, cryokinesis and anything that can lower the ambient air pressure to the point where the faery body ruptures due to decompression. Their constantly chilled and thin surroundings do ensure that faeries have at least some amount of biochemical resistance to these factors, but they cannot return their environment to equilibrium from this side of the spectrum. Beyond this quirk, fae don't 'do' much of anything. They hatch, metamorphose, fight, breed, and die like any other insect. Any use that may be made of them must be instigated by other species, such as in hain coming-of-age rituals. Their blades and ink are both valuable and easily available resources, however, so netting and harvesting fae is a profitable business for any sentient species. [b]Interactions:[/b] The same frequencies of Gap distortions used by Sculptors will render Needle Fae highly susceptible to suggestion, far more so than fiberlings. Jvan and her children can override the will of hundreds of fae in their immediate vicinity, controlling their actions utterly and even blinding their destructive instinct. The range of this control begins to falter at about forty metres, and the channel is one-way; Sculptors can sense the approximate position of surrounding fae but do not otherwise receive information from them. Large amounts of fae are also difficult to control individually, as the mental signals tend to scramble one another, and thus complex formations are quite rare. Sculptors tend to keep a small swarm of twenty or so fae around them most of the time to provide a buffer, however small, in case of attack by dragons, elementals, and hypothetically Realta- or to use as knives and chisels for creating art. Sculptors that [i]know[/i] they run a high risk of attack will compel their faery companions to breed, and assist them in finding places to do so. A well-prepared (or extremely paranoid) sculptor may travel under a scintillating blanket of over a thousand fae, using them as a mobile shield against magical onslaught. A fae swarm does not typically move faster than a human can run, but when times are tough, Sculptors may still try to use them offensively due to the fact that they have pointy bits attached. A decent set of plate armour can protect a soft-bodied organism like a human very well, and species with especially tough hides or exoskeletons, such as dragons, white giants, and brush beasts, have nothing to fear from a faery's blade. Hain, too, are superficially protected, but a large swarm can carve gashes in their skeleton with each pass. Ashlings can infect both faery and Sculptor. Interestingly, the behaviour of an ashling-faery is not all that different to that of a normal specimen. They will target anything that moves rather than just their own kind, and cannot restrain themselves long enough to mate. Ashling Sculptors- Rare though they are- retain most of their ability to control both normal and ashen fae, but their heightened propensity for violence makes it difficult for them to suppress the murderous impulse of a swarm, and must replenish their numbers constantly. The blade and ink of a faery is part of a global hain tradition. Upon coming of age in their society, a hain will find and kill a faery, and use it to etch its own shell with flowing fractal patterns and abstract renditions of Jvanic life. Due to the source of the ink and the subject of the tattoos, this is a rather distressing procedure for the phobic hain, and may take several weeks and quite a handful of fae. This body art lasts until it is moulted five-thirds of a year later. The experience is uncomfortable and undignified for the hain, though other species might consider it pretty. By the time the welcome relief of new plates grows in, the young adult has grown less sensitive to its instinctive repulsion towards the All-Beauty's designs, and is inspired with the confidence to exploit and destroy such creatures without superstition or stress. To keep a faery as a pet is possible, but ill advised. A captive faery must be kept in a glass box or attached to a short leash if its owner does not consider a sharp blade sticking out between the bars of a cage desirable. Although pretty to look at and very easy to maintain, fae are quite stupid, and languid when not fighting or trying to escape. Overall a captive faery is more like an ill-tempered, pointy goldfish than a parrot. White giants respond negatively to fae, and can sometimes be seen chasing them almost whimsically. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [center][colour=9e0b0f][h3]Ovaedis[/h3][/colour] [b]Physical - Satellite - Holy Site - Lex[/b][/center] [b]Description:[/b] Ovaedis is a divine manufactory orbiting Galbar in the Ring of Lex, using biomechanical systems to monitor her affairs and synthesise whatever she designs. Her attempt to construct such a device required significant control over fragmentary Gap-space and the eldritch life that occupies it. Dominating the Other required her to enter its domain, which she did internally. This caused her considerable pain and illness, as the Other had been hybridised with aggressive monstrosities from the Hells of Time by Vowzra. After losing a large amount of mass, a shard of perfection lost in her from when Toun attacked her in the pre-world activated and allowed her to rearrange part of the Gap according to her own geometric designs. The subdued Other could finally be manipulated into a hybrid construct in Galbaric space, which Jvan built inside herself and jettisoned into orbit. [b]Appearance:[/b] A colossal fortress in the shape of a human uterus, the interior of which contains a matrix of Jvan's own flesh that supports a relatively small extraction core with a design similar to a human embryo. The uterine structure itself measures about fifteen kilometres across at its widest point, and twenty from its upper surface to its cervical gate. Twin sensory devices sprouting like frayed horns or fallopian tubes add another fifteen kilometres to either side. The ocular ovaries extending from ten-kilometre stalks on its front surface are studded with vivid clusters of spherical Jvanic eyes. Ovaedis is, by both volume and mass, predominantly composed of its own walls, which are about five kilometres thick on all sides, composed of a bone-like grey beige material that, given time, regenerates from superficial damage. These walls are solid, with only a little flex, again more comparable to bone than steel. The interior of the fortress is isolated from all external matter and radiation. Internal processes generate large amounts of heat and a little light, which is Jvan's characteristic carmine colour, but too faint to see more than the barest outlines of shape, and fluctuates in strength and direction. Here, a rapidly shifting and regrowing network of Jvan's own flesh, which encapsulates numerous stable bubbles of Gap, is constantly moulding new shapes, only the smallest fraction of which will ever see the light of day. Connecting the flesh matrix to the core is a long, compound tube, an umbilicus, through which selected samples of mass are withdrawn, as well as large amounts of information. Both umbilicus and the 'embryo' around the core are translucent, pink-white, with a slight glow. The embryo itself is a simple structure curled around a small black hole which holds it in place. Pale yellowish bones are visible, only partially formed, in its limbs and spine, and it has an unabsorbed 'tail' through which- Curiously- Its spinal cord can be entered. Its eyes are open portals that feed a constant stream of Other life in and out of its skull from the Gap. Its heart fills its ribcage and forms the core of Ovaedis, processing this material for extraction via the umbilicus. [b]Function:[/b] An observatory satellite as well as a factory, the beautiful fractal eyes growing from Ovaedis' ovaries are fully functional and can be ejected in any direction, observing Galbar from all angles of space as well as monitoring life in Lex. Many can withstand re-entry and form stationary probes on Galbar's surface before they are eventually cracked by erosion, hain or White Giants. They are capable of discerning sound as well as sight, and unmasked divine essences. The curved, tubular horns also have a sensory function, acting as receivers and amplifiers for messages transmitted across the Gap, which have a tendency to be distorted by its piecemeal nature. This enhances Jvan's ability to communicate with her cult of Sculptors. Of course, Ovaedis is foremost a facility for creating life, at which it excels. The cervix at its lower end forms a locked aperture, a portal which can be opened to forcefully birth anything constructed by the Jvanic matrix within, including self-arranging reactants calibrated to assemble themselves at a predetermined time. The matrix itself is capable of manufacturing and replicating Other life, and relies on a stream of samples and data from the core to do so efficiently. Immaterial substances produced by the matrix can also be ejected from the gate if necessary. Should Jvan so choose, she is entirely capable of using Ovaedis as a weapon of orbital bombardment. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Reathos] [hider=Heroes] [hider=Nimueh] [b]Name:[/b] Nimueh [b]Titles:[/b] the Great Prophet [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Race:[/b] Pronobis [b]Appearance:[/b] Nimueh is in fact mortal. Meaning that her general appearance changes from era to era. However her soul does not go towards the Wraith Stone. Instead it takes over another body, kicking out the soul residing within it first. The only way to know that Nimueh is in fact a hero of Reathos are due to her emerald green eyes. A remnant of Reathos’ control back in her first incarnation. That and her True Name floating above her will forever be Nimueh. [b]Personality:[/b] She was reborn rather arrogant. Willing to even challenge a god would it come to that. However, the constant defeat of her people is making her more humble and mature. Though still strong and unyielding. She tries to remain respectful towards those who deserve it. To her best of her abilities she tries to lead her people. However, she is not a born leader and while has a certain charisma, she has no ability to rule. [b]History:[/b] Nimueh was among the First Born. Created by Reathos. However her body was taken over by him so he could lead his people. So she gained the title the Great Prophet. In her first incarnation she didn’t do much. Though Reathos built her fame by guiding the Pronobii to true heights of civilization and fighting. Giving them grand gifts and teaching them how to use it. He even made the Black Throne. The next incarnation of Nimueh is more of a warrior. Fighting the chaos hordes though fearing for her people. Her inability to fully unite them continues to be her demise. As she loses settlement after settlement. Special items none Special abilities Cryomancy talent [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Life] [/hider] [hider=Creations] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Amartia] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Kinesis] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider] [hider=Lazarus] [hider=Life][/hider] [hider=Creations][/hider] [/hider]