[h2][center]
[color=f7941d]Kalmar[/color]
&
[color=forestgreen]Phystene[/color]
&
[color=lightseagreen]Ashalla[/color]
[/center][/h2]

[hr]

Though Kalmar continued to stand guard at his continent with vigilance, he needed something to occupy his hands with in order to pass the time. Out of boredom, he kicked at a small section of the ground, breaking it up into several small fragments. Then, one by one, he began to pick up those small, jagged pebbles, and throw them out into the sea. 

When one of those stones appeared to ‘skip’ across the water before sinking, one of his eyebrows raised, and he attempted to recreate that throw. After a few sank directly into the sea, he managed to skip a second rock, and then a third. Soon, he was trying to see how far he could throw them, and how many times they would skip. This was how the God of the Hunt occupied himself in a world where he had not yet found anything to hunt. 

Although he might appear distracted, he was fully aware of his surroundings, and sensed some sort of disturbance off in the distance. More of his kin quarrelling? That did not concern him. He continued to skip rocks.

[color=forestgreen]“Kalmar…”[/color] Phystene telepathically said, her voice a mere whisper in his mind. [color=forestgreen]“Orvus is…. Insane.”[/color] Her voice was wracked with pain. [color=forestgreen]“He’s.... watch your back.”[/color]

Kalmar stopped throwing stones, surprised at the sudden mental contact. Then, that surprise turned to a mix of mild confusion, with a touch of concern. [color=f7941d]”Where are you?”[/color] he questioned.

A mental image of the southern continent, with her location near its south western shore appeared in his mind. She knew not what its name was, but the clarity of its physical location on Galbar was impossible to misinterpret.

Kalmar nodded, though he realized she would not see it. [color=f7941d]“I will come to you,”[/color] he said, dropping the stone in his hand and taking flight, heading in her direction. He did not like to leave his continent behind, when someone could tamper with it, but he needed to confirm that Phystene was alright, and learn more about this Orvus.

It was evident that there had been a battle in the area. A massive crater marred the landscape just inland from the shore. Numerous trees were strewn about, burnt and broken from what must have been colossal forces hurled at them. For kilometers in all directions the trees had been wrecked as if by malicious intent. And yet there was new life growing even now. The crater was filled by rapidly growing grass, shrubs, and flowering plants. Its rim was nearly completely covered in dense foliage that continued to grow at surprising speeds.

Hidden almost completely from sight by this foliage was Phystene’s body. Unmoved from when she collapsed following her battle with Orvus, her power still radiated to the surrounding area to help the plant life recover and grow stronger than before.

Kalmar looked at the destruction with an expression of distaste. This had only been recently built; why had another god sought to destroy it?

Phystene had been easy enough to locate, due to the power that she radiated. Kalmar landed on his feet a few feet beside her. He looked down at the foliage that covered her. [color=f7941d]“I’m here,”[/color] he said to announce himself.

[color=forestgreen]“Wasn’t…. Expecting to see you so soon.”[/color] Phystene said without opening her eyes. Her voice wavered a bit. [color=forestgreen]“Did you… see the monsters in the ocean?”[/color] She asked, disgust and a hint of fear leaking into her otherwise pain wracked voice.

[color=f7941d]”I did not go in the ocean,”[/color] Kalmar answered, eyeing their surroundings warily. Was this Orvus still around? [color=f7941d]”What happened?”[/color]

[color=forestgreen]“He approached me.”[/color] Phystene answered, her strength seeming to return just a bit with every word. [color=forestgreen]“I… showed him the coral, plants, and animals I had created at sea. And then… he attacked me.”[/color] She shivered involuntarily. [color=forestgreen]“His powers shredded my children apart and when I used my own powers to try and combat this… they were created.”[/color]

Kalmar nodded grimly, listening to what Phystene told him and putting it together with the knowledge of his fellow gods that was bestowed upon him by the Architect. Orvus was the god of… Desolation? Such a god would inevitably become enemies with a goddess dedicated to life, but to blatantly attack her? He was a threat, not just to Phystene, but to everyone else.

[color=f7941d]”This Orvus must die, then.”[/color] Kalmar decided, his tone serious. [color=f7941d]”Not right now, but soon.”[/color] Then, his voice softened somewhat. [color=f7941d]”Can you move? Do you need a place to recover?”[/color] he asked her.

[color=forestgreen]“I’ll live.”[/color] She answered, rising into a sitting position with a groan. [color=forestgreen]“I managed to convince him to back off before either one of us were too seriously injured. Well… more like bluffed my way out.”[/color] She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. [color=forestgreen]“But he made it clear that he intends to go after all of us nature deities.”[/color] She let out a soft sigh. [color=forestgreen]“Some time back Parvus and I had discussed our peers’ proclivity for causing major environmental disasters on Galbar. I had wanted to establish a position of strength and draw a line in the sand, but Parvus convinced me that a more indirect method would be better…”[/color] She stared out at sea, a scowl spreading across her face. [color=forestgreen]“Unfortunately I think strength is the only thing someone like Orvus will back down from, and even then he may not even care.”[/color]

Kalmar nodded once again. [color=f7941d]”For some creatures, strength is the only thing they will respond to. It is no different for some of us gods.”[/color] He stroked his chin, thinking. [color=f7941d]”In the face of this threat, we nature deities should stand together. I have built a new land in the northwest. If you join me there, we will have strength in numbers, and we can protect our creations from harm. We can invite the other nature deities to join us as well. If this Orvus attacks again, we will destroy him. What do you think?”[/color]

[color=forestgreen]“I would love to join you on your continent”[/color] Phystene said, her scowl melting away into a smile. She slowly rose to her feet. [color=forestgreen]“And I am sure the others will be more than happy to join as well once they hear about Orvus. We should also try speaking to some of the other deities. I… honestly don’t fully understand Asceal and Aelius, but I doubt they will look kindly upon Orvus’s behavior and intents.”[/color] She let out a long sigh. [color=forestgreen]“Unfortunately I don’t think I’m well equipped to fight Orvus and I’m sure a few other deities are liable to fall in line with him.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]”Perhaps,”[/color] Kalmar acknowledged, [color=f7941d]”which is why we should band together sooner rather than later. Even if you don’t think you are a fighter, you can still assist in other ways which are just as important. I think you should contact this Parvus you spoke of, and I will reach out to the rain goddess Li’Kalla. But first, I think I should show you where this continent is. Can you travel?”[/color]

[color=forestgreen]“Yes”[/color] She said with a slow nod. [color=forestgreen]“I have mostly recovered. Just…”[/color] She gave him a weary smile, [color=forestgreen]“a little tired.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]”Good.”[/color] Kalmar smiled back. [color=f7941d]”If you are ready, we can set off.”[/color]

She gave her surroundings one final look, an expression of grudging contentment over how much the life in the area had recovered since the fight with Orvus. [color=forestgreen]”Let us be off then.”[/color]

Yet as they turned to leave, the ocean itself rose up before them. The ocean sculpted itself into a form resembling a female humanoid’s torso. Ashalla had felt the disturbance which the conflict between Phystene and Orvus had caused and had also came over to inspect what had occurred. Ashalla turned her head to inspect the damage caused to the river delta, looked over her shoulder at the storm which was receding westwards under Veradax’s gaze, then finally looked down at Kalmar and Phystene.

[color=lightseagreen][b]”What happened here?”[/b][/color] Ashalla asked.

[color=forestgreen]“Orvus”[/color] Phystene answered as she turned towards Ashalla. [color=forestgreen]“He apparently took offense to my creations and tried to kill me for it. It was not a pleasant experience.”[/color] She gestured towards the crater and other signs of destruction. [color=forestgreen]“Thankfully I convinced him to back off. For the moment.”[/color]

Kalmar nodded grimly. [color=f7941d]”We were just discussing what to do next. Gods like Orvus are a threat to us all. We need to work together if we are to protect ourselves, and bring them down.”[/color]

Ashalla was quiet for a few moments. Empathy was not yet a trait Ashalla had learned, but she could quite clearly see the destruction around her. A water current stirred up some of the shattered remains of the coral reef below her. [color=lightseagreen][b]”Destruction like this is not good,”[/b][/color] Ashalla eventually declared. [color=lightseagreen][b]”If it prevents creations such as these from being destroyed, I can help.”[/b][/color]

[color=f7941d]”Then what do you say to a pact?”[/color] Kalmar asked. [color=f7941d]”To defend each other’s creations from senseless destruction.”[/color]

Ashalla hesitated. A ‘pact’ was a big deal. Yet as she thought it over, she realised that this aligned well with her values. There was little point to creation if it were to be destroyed, and it would be easier to assert their power as a group. [color=lightseagreen][b]”I find this agreeable. We shall defend each other’s creations from senseless destruction.”[/b][/color]

[color=forestgreen]“Senseless destruction… Yes.”[/color] Phystene agreed with a slow nod. [color=forestgreen]“Not all destruction is bad, but the kind Orvus and his like are after is not only pointless, but complete. It warms my heart knowing that my fellow nature deities will not allow it to continue.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]”It is good that we agree,”[/color] Kalmar said, before looking directly at Ashalla. [color=f7941d]”I was going to show Phystene the new continent I have built. You are welcome to join us, if you wish.”[/color]

Ashalla’s head twisted around her to look once more at the departing storm of desolation, then turned back to address Kalmar. [color=lightseagreen][b]”While I appreciate the invitation, I should work on stopping that storm before it inflicts further damage. I will visit some other time.”[/b][/color]

[color=forestgreen]“Ashalla”[/color] Phystene said after a moment. [color=forestgreen]“There’s something you need to be aware of.”[/color] Her voice was steady, but the look in her eyes was one of embarrassment and even terror. [color=forestgreen]“The power hurled about during our fight created…. Some kind of monster that even now swims in the ocean.”[/color]

[color=lightseagreen][b]”Oh, those,”[/b][/color] Ashalla said dismissively, [color=lightseagreen][b]”A large oceanic predator with the capacity to lure in lesser creatures. Something tastes funny about their souls, though.”[/b][/color] As she spoke, Ashalla seemed to notice Phystene’s unease about these creatures. [color=lightseagreen][b]”Although they can’t even reproduce so it’s only a matter of time before they all die out,”[/b][/color] Ashalla added.

[color=forestgreen]“I wouldn’t be so sure.”[/color] Phystene shook her head. [color=forestgreen]“They… I felt no life in them, although they clearly aren’t dead. At least not dead in the traditional sense. I’m concerned about the long term effects they’ll have on oceanic ecosystems and… Orvus seemed quite enamored by them.”[/color] Her lip curled ever so slightly in disgust as she continued. [color=forestgreen]“He claimed they were the future. I’m concerned he’ll try to make more of them and other kinds of similar… entities.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]”Creatures that aren’t ended by natural death and can’t reproduce?”[/color] Kalmar seemed offended. Such a creature would never need to evolve or change. That was a surefire path to stagnation! [color=f7941d]”We can’t let Orvus bring about that future. Another reason to end him.”[/color]

Ashalla regarded the two deities before her. She did not appear to share their concerns. A large globule of water rose up beside Ashalla (or rather, beside the part of her which looked like Ashalla, for the globule of water was also Ashalla), holding one of the leviathan anglers for them all to see. [color=lightseagreen][b]”This creation is a predator, like other ocean predators. It hunts. It eats. This is a natural niche in an ecosystem. It does not pose an existential threat. It is flesh and blood and can be killed like any other creature of its size. Not being able to reproduce is a problem for it, not the world around it.”[/b][/color]

[color=f7941d]”You don’t understand,”[/color] Kalmar said, annoyed that this goddess saw fit to lecture him on the nature of predators. [color=f7941d]“As Phystene tells it, these creatures were transformed into this state. If Orvus finds a way to replicate whatever caused this, he could inflict this state on all life, and then it [i]will[/i] become a problem for the rest of the world.”[/color]

Ashalla rumbled thoughtfully, then replied, [color=lightseagreen][b]“That would be a problem. [i]If[/i] he finds a way.”[/b][/color]

[color=forestgreen]“If he’s half as dedicated to the cause as I suspect he is, he will.”[/color] Phystene said. [color=forestgreen]“They were created as a byproduct of our fight. I suspect he’ll be able to make even greater abominations once he focuses on doing so. I’ll have to put some thought into plants or animals I can create to combat this but…”[/color] Her voice trailed off for a moment. [color=forestgreen]“Perhaps Parvus may be able to help me with that. Either way I feel that it would be prudent to turn Kalmar’s new continent, and the ocean around it, as a bastion of life. A bastion we can retreat into and concentrate our strength if absolutely necessary.”[/color]

Kalmar nodded at Phystene’s words, and decided not to discuss the strange fish any further. [color=f7941d]”That is what I intended when I created the land. Though I must get back to it - I fear some other god might try to change it in my absence, and there is still much work to be done regardless. If there is nothing else to discuss, should we depart?”[/color]

[color=lightseagreen][b]”I think we should. I have a storm to catch,”[/b][/color] Ashalla said, dropping the angler back into the ocean.

[color=forestgreen]“Best of luck”[/color] Phystene said. She relaxed slightly as the angler disappeared back into the ocean. It surprised her just how tense she had become just by being near the thing. Ashalla’s form collapsed back into the water and departed.

[color=f7941d]“Well…”[/color] Kalmar said, allowing himself to float a few feet into the air. [color=f7941d]“I suppose we have a continent to fill.”[/color]

[hr]

[hider=Summary]
Kalmar is still on his continent when he receives a telepathic message from Phystene and rushes to her aid. Phystene tells him about her fight with Orvus, and Kalmar suggests that the best way to oppose him is to stand together. Phystene agrees, and Kalmar invites her to come to his continent. She accepts.

Then Ashalla appears: Phystene tells her what happened, and Kalmar invites her to join the makeshift defensive alliance as well. After some thought, Ashalla agrees. The three discuss the angler leviathan as well as the potential danger it poses. Kalmar and Phystene are extremely wary toward it, while Ashalla is less concerned.

Ashalla then leaves to go deal with a storm, while Kalmar is about to take Phystene back to his continent.
[/hider]