[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/7f28c785-bb7c-4826-8dbd-4f45a4e28f0c.png[/img]
[color=Peru][b]The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations
Level 5 God of Crafting (Masonry, Carpentry, Smithing, Alchemy, Armaments)[/b]
28.75 Might & 2 Free Points[/color][/center]

In the dead of night, an apron-wearing hain walked down [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4352534]the line of shrines in a Tlacan temple[/url]. He stepped past the shrine devoted to the First Sins and approached the bronze-plated shrine for Teknall. He picked up the fish and berries offered within, placed the berries in his satchel, then began to eat the fish as he casually walked past the other shrines.

He noted each one. Slough. Illunabar. Jvan. Amartia. He stopped at the last shrine, eyes curiously inspecting the ground glass statue of a hain woman. He recognised the statue, but it was not a god like the others, even though this shrine held a position superior to the others.

[color=Peru]"Tauga? What is she up to?"[/color]

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Teknall had followed the trail of information. From discussions with people in command in Alefpria, he learned that, a few years after the Battle of Xerxes, Tauga had been declared the Marquise of Amestris. She had eschewed the city states and gone to the islands in the Metatic where the Xerxian refugees had fled. With Lifprasil in ill health, she had free reign, free from Alefprian subjugation for the time being.

On the islands of Axotal, Ihuian and Xiloxoch, Tauga's status was obvious. Other shrines dedicated to her were present. Posing as a mortal, and using subtle divine influence, Teknall was easily able to extract the opinions and knowledge of the citizens regarding Tauga via conversation. She was the Blowfly God. Her exploits were the subject of awe. She flew the winds on her Bludgeon array. She commanded elementals and slew djinn lords. And Heartworm was also known, and had been with the Xerxian refugees before Tauga had arrived. The two of them encouraged this worshipful attitude. Yet, simultaneously, Tauga was not a distant god to them; she walked amongst them, talked amongst them, fought along side them. There was familiarity there.

Tauga and Heartworm had done more than raise themselves to the status of divinity before the Tlacans and Xerxians. They were forging a new civilisation under Tauga's leadership, and their technology was starting to outpace the rest of Galbar. Larger boats, better sails, wrought iron, numerous synth recipes. He could see ahead, to where Tauga was going, and could predict numerous economic and political revolutions coming as a result of Tauga's continuing work.

And Teknall could see why Tauga had been set up as God. With her status of god-queen, her authority was absolute, and whatever changes she wanted to make could be done without internal interference. And many of the civilisations on Galbar held a god-like being as their supreme leader: Alefpria had Lifprasil, Xerxes had Amartia, Omokog had Ommok, Vetros had the bloodline of Primus, Dundee had Lazarus, Metera had Phi. Civilisations without a god-king of some sort were under risk of being subjugated by those who did. The Rovaick inquisition battled hard to push away the influence of the Meterans and Alefprians. Chirality also did its best to belittle the influence of other gods within Metera. Heartworm and Tauga were not taking that chance with Axotal. In fact, it seemed likely that Tauga would leverage her status to subjugate some lesser civilisations.

Teknall had seen back in Xerxes, before Amartia's return, that Tauga was a powerful driving force for Civilisation, and she had not let him down. As he had hoped, Tauga was rebuilding from the ashes of Xerxes to create something brilliant. And much of Tauga's work was supported by Heartworm's abilities. This meant that, reluctantly, Teknall had to admit that Heartworm was also important to building this civilisation.

This would complicate things once Keriss got to Heartworm's lab.

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Teknall's opinion of Tauga's recent work in building a civilisation in Axotal. He approves. Tauga (and by extension Heartworm) is in his eyes an invaluable asset to Civilisation.
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