[center][h2][b]Sprite & Atmav[/b][/h2][/center] [hr] It was a brisk early morning, the ocean breeze moving along the beaches as the Heliopolis began to cast its warming light along Galbar. The Selka were just beginning to stir as the light pierced their eyes, forcing them to begin another day of hunting for fish and doing not much else. The sounds of crashing waves was all there was, a cloudless sky to make the day’s forecast seem all too pleasant for the simple desires of the Selka. However, tales of growing aggression and inner turmoil from the Grottu ran up and down the coast, along with the tale of the woman who seemed to have bested the mighty Yimbo. Yet, that was all those were, tales to make other worried, which the Selka were mostly certainly not. They were merely too carefree in their lives to be so worried about things that may not come to them, though the story of an aggressive tribe were more pressing than the latter. As the Selka rose and began to conduct their daily activities, a tall being appeared on a dune with white skin and a dark sword. Wings of a starry night extended, contrasting against the morning sky and the beings own form. It was then that the Selka gathered together and pointed, whispering to each other on the strange horned woman that appeared before them. Then they heard the creature speak in a hushed tone, nearly inaudible to the group. [i]“Are you sure that this plan will work, Sprite? I don’t think you thought this through all the way.” “Shush, just wait and see!”[/i] “A-hem,” A tiny, high pitched voiced cleared its throat. From behind the mighty form of the woman, a small, translucent girl flew out. She stopped suddenly in front of the woman and turned to the crowd of Selka, her face grim and serious. Her posture was stiff and proper, even though she was flying. “Behold, mortals, the First Queen, the Ageless Ancient, the Royal… Royalty, Goddess Atmav.” The tiny woman paused, her eyes scanning over the crowd coldly, “She, in her endless splendor, has decided that you may, in fact, hold the smallest potential to improve. And so, in her great generosity, she has decided to take you under her wing made of stars. You will be under her protection, and none shall ever lay a finger on you.” The Selka gave a collective confused look as murmurs ran up and down the crowd. They looked to each other, unsure of what to make of the display of the tiny one. However, one stepped forward, holding his head high and giving an angered look at the little one and Atmav. It seemed that he was the leader of this tribe and he bared his teeth and his hands clenched into fists. “I have heard stories of the lady of white. She is a murderer! We do not need the protection from her! We only need the mighty Yimbo to protect us and she will not beat him twice!” The words made Atmav shift a bit, her own hands clenching as it seemed that she stared into the very soul of the Selka who opposed her. Her wings spread to all they could and she held up her blade, the scarlet energy moving with it as her face morphed into one of disgust. “A murderer? Foolish mortal.” Sprite spat out the words in disgust, “Every single action the First Queen takes is merely a step in a thousand kilometre path, a path toward salvation. Her Holiness Atmav only purges those who have been foreseen to carry a great evil inside their souls. Now, spout no more blasphemy, Male.” Another murmur ran through the crowd, talk of the aggression of the Grottu and whether to believe the likes of the small creature that they have never seen. However, the male did not move, continuing to hold his proud posture, letting out a hiss before looking back to his people. He seemed to think for a moment. “Then what of the many of our kind that she killed in her bout with Yimbo?! That does not change that she killed those who did not deserve such a death. I heard that children died that day!” “You pretend to impose your shortsighted mind upon that of the Great Queen? You hold so much hubris in your heart that you would think yourself wiser than the Gods? Perhaps, Lady Atmav, we should leave these vermin to r-” The tiny woman froze and turned her head around to look at the mighty woman. The smaller one shook and shivered, “B-But, Queen Atmav, w-!” She fell silent again, and after a moment, took in a deep breath and turned back to the Selka. “Male,” She began and exhaled, her posture drooping a little, “Queen Atmav appreciates the strength of your will. She sees potential in you, and grants you the benefit of asking one question to her. She will answer in her own voice. Rejoice, mortal. You may ask whatever it is you wish to know, now.” The male’s proud seemed to falter for a moment as he looked at the sand for a moment, eyes shifting before his gaze went back to the mighty woman. “Is it true that you bested Yimbo?,” he asked, his voice silencing any talk that may have been in the crowd. Many seemed to show a look of expectation, awaiting the answer. “Indeed, I have” Atmav said, her voice conveying power as she began to step down the sand dune, dragging the great blade behind her. “I have bested Yimbo. And I have deemed him unworthy to be your protector. I shall take to that role myself, all that I require is a show of loyalty that you may not make the same mistakes the Grottu have. They are lost, sheep hiding behind a tyrant. I am merciful, the Grottu are not.” She stood over the male, not bothering to move her head down to meet his gaze. Atmav raised her blade up and rested it on the male’s shoulder, the weight causing the man to wince. “You will not make the mistake the Grottu have,” Atmav said, sliding the blade of his shoulder, leaving a small cut. The male merely gave a desperate look between the mighty woman and her small companion, unsure of what to do. The small woman merely looked dispassionately at the male and nodded, “On your knees, all of you.” The Selka gave one last look before falling to his knees. Shortly, the others began to fall to their knees, one by one as Atmav looked over them. A smile came to her face as she looked at the crowd before her head turned to Sprite for a moment, having to hold in laughter before she steadied herself. A moment passed before Atmav rested her hands on the hilt of her sword. “You may rise,” she said, the Selka obeying and slowly getting to their feet, some showing signs of fear and shock. “Now, go about your daily business,” Atmav ordered, turning away from the Selka and bringing the blade of her sword to rest upon her shoulder as she approached Sprite. [i]”How did that work?”[/i] She asked, holding in laughter. Sprite kept her watchful gaze on the Selka as they dispersed, and then turned around as well and cracked a wide grin and muffled her own laughter, “C-Come on! Let’s go home! T… They can’t see us like this!” She said amongst chuckles and giggles. “But a Queen can’t abandon her subjects, right?” Atmav giggled, looking around to make sure the Selka were doing whatever it was that they normally did. It seemed that they were just doing things to have fun, or at least have as much fun with the likes of Atmav around. Her head swiveled back to Sprite, letting out a light laugh. A few moments passed and eventually the muffled snickering subsided, and now there was only silence as the two stood there, higher than the Selka. “... Well this is awkward,” whispered Sprite in Atmav’s ear, “What do we do now?” “I don’t know, I’ve never been in charge before,” Atmav whispered back, looking down for a moment to try and think of something suitable to do. “What are some queenly things to do?” She asked is a hurried whisper, looking back at the Selka. “Well, uh… Order the construction of a house! A palace! Or… Recruit a personal guard? Or, or, organize a feast! With yummy food!” “... I like your thinking,” Atmav said with a light laugh before turning her body to the Selka, clearing her throat. She inspected the Selka before shaking her head a bit, however, her eyes did spot the familiar figure of the male she had given a cut. Her feet moved through the sand, her presence demanding the attention of the nearby Selka and as she approached, the male gave a frightened look before falling upon his knees once more. “Gather your strongest men, today, we will build me a proper place to rule from,” she commanded, the male looking up with a looking of confusion. It was almost as if she did not make herself clear and she gave a frown as he did not make move another muscle. She planted her sword in the sand in front of him, causing him to jerk backwards out of fear. “I will await at the top of the dune,” Atmav stated before turning away from the group and walking back to her position. When she reached Sprite once more, she gave a curious motion before asking, “I hope I did not overdo it.” “Naaah, you did just fine, Attie!” Sprite whispered back excitedly, flying up to Atmav’s shoulder and perching herself there. Suddenly, the male and a group of five others approached Atmav, looking up to the massive woman who merely stared at them with her eyeless face. She seemed to give a look of disappointment, looking each of the few over before shaking her head with a sigh. The men looked to each other and shifted nervously, as Atmav pushed past them and cleared her throat. “My people! I have a task for us all. Those who are not hunting today will help in my construction,” Atmav said, her voice clear and powerful as she turned toward the nearby forest and began walking. The Selka gave a confused look before a majority began to follow her off the beach, moving inland a bit farther than they would on any normal day. When they reached the edge of the forest, they could see their new Queen already hacking into a tree with her sword. Each swing took a larger part of the tree and soon enough the tree come crashing to the ground. Atmav turned to the Selka, watching with mixed expressions of curiosity and fright, before she gave an order. “Drag it back to the beach and when you do come back and grab another,” she commanded before moving to another tree to repeat the process. The entire tribe moved forward, cautiously before their hands gripped the fallen tree and began the arduous process of dragging it back the beach. Five more times did they do this and six times did they begin to break the branches off of the trees before their queen returned to help. She commanded and led, digging large holes into the sand and standing the trunk of the trees into them where they would stand tall and proud. It would be Atmav who did most of the work, the lifting and the aligning larger branches between the great trunks. She would bend branches around each other, interlocking them to form a roof and walls. It was said that she became so entranced in the construction of her great structure that she did not realize that the Selka merely watched, observing her and doing what their daily routines of hunting and playing. Her building of green and brown stood at the top of a dune, gazing upon the ocean as it rolled in and out. Eventually, she began to dig up wet sand and place it along the woven walls of home, building it along the interior between the trunks. It was dusk by the time she finished building and Atmav stood at a hollow doorway, beaming with pride at the building. There was a moment of silence as she stared into it before turning to the Selka, many of which had dispersed back along the beach but had not moved with the schools of fish out of fear of the woman hunting them down. “My people! This house is where I shall rule from! You are all allowed to share it with me to stay out of whatever harsh weather may come our way or to consult me on any matters,” Atmav announced, only met with a stunning silence from the people. At that moment, Sprite flew in front of Atmav and huffed, “Tsk, you mortals! Show respect for the great achievements of your Queen Atmav! She has begun the process of taming these lands, all for your sake and salvation. Rejoice! Long Live Queen Atmav!” The Selka watched Sprite, and she frowned and her eyes narrowed, she balled up her tiny fists and stomped on the air, before raising her fist to the air and then bringing it down with extreme conviction to her chest, “Repeat with me, mortals! Long Live Queen Atmav! Slowly the crowd began to follow the example of Sprite, chanting words as Atmav beamed with pride as their chants became the only thing she could hear. She raised up a hand to bring the crowd to silence, her smile still showing as she began to speak, “My people, this is the dawn of a new age! Our lands will flourish and our expansion will come, both by land and sea. Tonight you may rest, but tomorrow we shall feast and celebrate the rise of a new dynasty!” The crowd began the chant again, “Long live Queen Atmav!” It was in this moment that Atmav allowed herself to be taken by their reverence, knowing that she was no god but feeling as an idol of worship. Eventually, she turned and walked into her home, dragging her sword all the way to back of the structure before sitting. She was very much happy. “Sprite, you make me the happiest, y’know that?” Atmav said. Sprite looked around the hall and toward the entrance for a few moments, and turned with an excited grin to face Atmav when she realized no one had followed or was watching. In a flash, she flew and pressed her head against Atmav’s cheek, wrapping her arms around her face. “Aaaw my big strong bestie, I love you too!” She said happily, giving Atmav several small kisses. Atmav let out a light laugh, accepting Sprite’s appreciation without any resistance before she leaned against the wall of her home. “I have no clue how any of this worked,” she admitted crossing her arms as she let out another small laugh. Sprite made a little happy noise and flew a few inches away, putting her hands behind her back, “Me neither! Dummies, I guess. On the other hand, you’re now a Goddess, apparently!” “I think they obeyed out of fear, in my opinion,” Atmav said her head turning away from Sprite for a few moments as she thought to herself. “I... don’t know what to do now. I have never been a leader before,” she continued, her smile fading a bit as the situation began to settle into her mind. “Huh,” Sprite brought a finger up to her mouth in thought, “Maybe, make sure they’re safe? We did say we’d save them, or something.” “Then that is what I will do, thank you, Sprite,” Atmav said, her light smile coming back at the suggestion. She leaned forward, her head close to Sprite before speaking once more, “Promise me that you will help me lead so long as I may live.” “Of course!!! Who do you take me for?? Someone who’d cheat on you with the first rival king we meet?” Sprite giggled and sat down cross legged on top of Atmav’s head, “They’d have to give me tons and tons of things for me to even consider cheating on my Atmav!” The larger woman leaned back, smiling widely before she said, “Thank you.” [hider=Summary] Atmav and Sprite, early one morning go out to a nearby Selka tribe and claim that Atmav is their Queen on account of being divine. This is largely disputed by a singular male who has heard stories of one matching Atmav’s description, however, Atmav takes control and instills fear into him and the rest of the tribe. She says that it is true that she bested Yimbo and killed the Selka in the Grottu, but they deserved it and the same will happen to them if they do not accept her rightful rule. The tribe bows to Atmav, who attempts to hold in laughter with Sprite. Atmav does not know what to do and Sprite gives some suggestions. Eventually, Atmav settles upon making herself a place to rule from and constructs a long house atop a sand dune, made from logs, branches, and sand. When she finishes, she addresses her new following and Sprite gets them to chant. After that Atmav thanks Sprite and gets Sprite to promise to rule with Atmav so long as Atmav lives. [b]Prestige[/b] 16 Prestige -2 to gain title ‘the God-Queen’ -6 to Form a Community -6 to make a small but lasting change to the environment in the form of Atmav’s Longhouse 2 Prestige remaining 2 + 3 = 5 Prestige Yay. [/hider]