Phystene gazed up at the sky as the Lustrous Garden was torn asunder. A bright light spread throughout the sky, only to slowly fade away, leaving the Eye of Desolation in twilight as Heliopolis, the remaining source of light for Galbar, fell below the horizon. As the world turned dark, bright streaks of light tore through the sky, fragments of the once brilliant garden burning up in Galbar’s atmosphere.

[color=forestgreen]“Oh. Ooooooh. Ooooooooooh.”[/color] Was all Phystene could say as she watched the spectacle play out above her. [color=forestgreen]“Oh crap.”[/color] Now there was only one source of light left on Galbar. And if the Lustrous Garden could be destroyed, so could Heliopolis. Who would want to destroy the Lustrous Garden and would they seek to do the same to Heliopolis? Perhaps more importantly what could Phystene do to protect life on Galbar? She needed to spread and diversify life. And fast.

Her gaze shifted towards the horizon where she had felt another deity wield their immense power. Perhaps another landmass had been formed? It was something Phystene needed to check out. She gave the island and her new jungle one final look before heading towards where she believed a new landmass would be. She could have used some of her power to fly, but instead chose to be economical and instead simply run over the water. She would probably need every ounce of strength she could muster in the days to come.

As she ran she gave the matter of the destruction of the Lustrous Garden further thought. She felt certain that neither Parvus nor Kalmar were behind it. If anything they had only to lose from its destruction. She had not spoken to Ashalla, Azura, or Kirron, but none of them struck her as the type to destroy another deity’s domain, at least not so early and without provocation. Chopstick Eyes… could have been behind it. Her portfolio was one of greed and Phystene could imagine her destroying the Lustrous Garden so that she could try and somehow sell light or some such nonsense. But… that theory didn’t pan out. Chopstick Eyes would have to destroy Heliopolis as well for that to be feasible and there was no way waging war on two deities could be profitable. Orvus, the god of Desolation, and Narzhak, the god of war, both might have reason to attack the Lustrous Garden, if for no reason other than to spread destruction and conflict. Still if anyone truly had any reason to attack a source of light, it was Melantha. Melantha attacking the Lustrous Garden was, truthfully, predictable, especially given that it along with Heliopolis had chased darkness away from all of Galbar.

[color=forestgreen]“How foolish could we have been?”[/color] Phystene mentally kicked herself. Now the question was had Melantha lashed out because there had been unending light or because she despised light itself? The first meant she could be reasoned with, the second would forever put her at odds with Phystene and the other nature deities. Phystene would have to meet with Melantha and ascertain the truth at some point, but first thing was first.

It had been several hours since she had left the Eye of Desolation and during her musings she had traveled quite the distance. And now what lay before her was not further ocean but what she had been seeking. A new landmass.

[color=forestgreen]“Impressive.”[/color] She couldn’t help but utter as the sheer scale of the continent that lay before dawned on her. The continent stretched further than the eye could see and Phystene didn’t even bother slowing down as she made landfall. She wanted to see just how big it was.

After a few hours she had gotten a very good idea of what the continent was like. In a word: boring. It was rock and rock and more rock. Oh and a random river of blood that ran through most of the continent. Because why wouldn’t that be a thing? Or perhaps calling it a river of ichor would be more fitting as Phystene could sense it possessed a divine nature.

[color=forestgreen]“Why are my peers so weird?”[/color] Phystene couldn’t help but mutter before deciding to just ignore the ichor river for the moment. 

Phystene lightly tapped her foot on the rock beneath her as she considered the continent. There wasn’t all that much she could do with a continent made up purely of rock, so she would first have to change that. And he previous world possessed the perfect tool to do so. She placed her hand on the rock beneath her and let loose some of her power. A single speck of green appeared beneath her hand and quickly began spreading to all the rock around it. The small plant soon covered rock as far as the eye could see and beyond, spreading all across the continent, covering every inch of it except an area roughly a mile around the river of ichor. Phystene wanted nothing to do with that river for now.

The plant was called lichen. It was a simple plant, but one that was perfectly suited to this new continent. From her previous world Phystene knew that lichen were hardy organisms. They could survive basically any and everywhere, from the artic to deserts. And survive on anything, capable of growing on or between rocks and even growing on nothing at all, surviving as they were blown about the environment. In a word they were the perfect plants to survive on Galbar till the other deities got their acts together. And just as importantly they aided in the weathering of rocks, slowly turning boulders into usable soil. In her old world it had taken a… really long time for them to do so, but with the help of the World Tree the process would be expedited. At least to some degree.

But this continent needed something more. Something to help with the weathering process. She would create a new species of animal and, unlike the creatures at the Eye of Desolation, this animal wouldn’t be a copy of something from her original world. It would be an original creation. But what to make? She wanted something that would turn rock into soil and, later on, help keep the soil nutritious for plants. It would be a worm of some kind, but one unlike any that she had ever encountered alone. First she took a normal earthworm and enlarged it till it was several meters in length. She then began changing its structure, giving it bones and a functioning jaw strong enough to crush even granite. She then altered its digestive system to allow it to break down rock. Lichen and moss that would grow on its back would also help the worm do this. She then granted the worm sharp teeth that her harder than the strongest steel. While large molars would be better to grind rock down, the sharp teeth would allow it to break bone, meaning it could also act as a scavenger once other animals appeared on the continent as well as help it fend off predators later on. Even with their strength the act of chewing on rocks would wear the teeth down, so Phystene designed it so the teeth would regularly fall out and be replaced with new teeth. With all that done Phystene stepped back from her creation and gave it a critical look.

The worm was… well to be frank it was fairly ugly. It was, however, exactly what she wanted in function if no form. It would do for now. Later on, once their was fertile soil, Phystene could focus on creating plants and animals of beauty. Content with her creation, Phystene used her power to create more of them and jumpstart their population. The worms wasted little time, burrowing into the rock with ease. They, allow with the lichen she had already created, would surely turn the barren continent into a fertile land.

With that done Phystene could now focus on the matter of Melantha and the other reckless deities. But what exactly would she do?

And as she had that thought Phystene noticed a glow appearing in the night sky. It wasn’t quite as brilliant as when the Lustrous Garden exploded, but it was quite bright. Phystene looked up as a moon, which certainly hadn’t been there before, tore in two. One half remain in orbit as the other half crumbled into small fragments that began to fall towards Galbar.

[color=forestgreen]“Oh for the love of-“[/color]

[hider=Summary]Phystene witnesses the destruction of the Lustrous Garden from the Eye of Desolation.

She decides to focus on spreading life, thus leaves the Eye. During her trip she comes to the conclusion that Melantha is behind the Garden’s destruction.

Phystene discovers Kirron continent and covers it in lichen and creates a species of giant, rock eating worms in order to create soil on the continent.

Starting Points: 7 MP and 25 FP
Expenditures:
Lichen (plant half of a large ecosystem enhanced by port) – 2 FP
Giant worms – 1 MP (1 MP towards animal port)
Ending Points: 6 MP and 23 FP

Portfolio Progress:
Fertility - 3 MP
Animals - 2 MP
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