[center] [h1][color=orange][b][u]Kalmar[/u][/b][/color][/h1] & [h1][color=c0783b][b][u]Urhu[/u][/b][/color][/h1] [/center] [center][i]After Kalmar's departure from Melantha, but before his acquisition of the Cold Portfolio...[/i][/center] [hr] [color=orange]”Urhu,”[/color] a voice spoke from behind. Turning around, Urhu would see a blond-haired man with a thick moustache and a serious expression, clad in animal pelts. There was a wary look in his eye, and his arms were crossed. [color=orange]”What brings you here?”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Ah, this is truly the first time we have met, brother.”[/color] she smiled. [color=c0783b]”I don’t go to places for reasons, I just go, much like the wind.”[/color] Kalmar uncrossed his arms, but the wary look did not leave his gaze. [color=orange]”And what do you do when you go to these places?”[/color] [color=c0783b]”I see what happens there, what I can find in it, if there is anything novel or curious… Until I eventually get bored of it all and move to the next one.”[/color] Kalmar nodded, but did not truly seem satisfied by her answer. [color=orange]”So what did you do to my griffins?”[/color] he asked. [color=c0783b]”I liked them, so I gave them a few gifts, nothing out of this world, it's just that these are hostile times and I would be saddened if such noble creatures were wiped out due to some godly whim, so I made sure they can spread far into the world and are resistance to the influence of others.”[/color] Kalmar nodded, and looked at a griffin soaring away in the distant sky. [color=orange]”I see. Sorry for my hostility. The last god who gave my creations ‘gifts’ turned them into cannibals and kinslayers.”[/color] Urhu rose an eyebrow, and then nodded slowly. [color=c0783b]”And that is why I made them resistant to this sort of stuff, I guess? Didn’t knew that happened, but, ah, I guess I noticed the pattern.”[/color] she laughed softly. [color=orange]”So what you do… you just wander around and give gifts to things that interest you?”[/color] Kalmar questioned. [color=c0783b]”Sometimes I don’t give gifts. Though yeah, I would say you are awfully correct.”[/color] she fixed her posture, standing in a more serious manner. [color=c0783b]”There is a lot you can miss if you just look up from the position of an almighty god. I know there is a lot I don’t know, I can’t help but to wonder what some of our siblings with awful cases of tunnel vision even perceive, no wonder to them it's easy to cause widespread destruction.”[/color] Kalmar nodded and looked back to her. The griffin had disappeared over the horizon. [color=orange]”I’ve been meaning to do more travelling myself, but there are always more pressing issues to distract me,”[/color] he confided. [color=c0783b]”Hmm… Eventually you just learn to deal with you issues on the go, though it helps to have some travel method that allows you to bring most of your things with you. I have a ship and it makes everything quite simple for me.”[/color] she then remembered something important. [color=c0783b]”Your realm is just by the side of mine, isn’t that correct?”[/color] [color=orange]”The Hunting Grounds?”[/color] Kalmar asked. [color=orange]”I noticed there was another realm next to it when I built it, but at the time it was empty. Was that yours?”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Oh, you did it quite early huh? Yes, The Purlieu, it makes sense why they are so close, very similar locations.”[/color] she then looked around, trying to look casual as she tried to get the information which she wanted. [color=c0783b]”Say, as the goddess of passages, I am quite good at find ways to go certain places, which makes me wonder if you just did an incredible job at hiding the path to your realm or if there just isn’t any outside of the Purlieu’s connection. Not to pry on your personal matters anyway, I just want to know if I should be impressed… or worried.”[/color] [color=orange]”There isn’t a path,”[/color] Kalmar confirmed with some reluctance. [color=orange]”I’ve been meaning to build one, but after I built my sphere all my effort has been spent on Galbar.”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Oh that is dangerous. Lots of mean things down in the chthonic realms. And if your realm gets taken over by some other god while you are away, well, not only its trouble at mine’s door, but it could seriously mess up the natural world.”[/color] she shook her head. [color=c0783b]”That just won’t do.”[/color] [color=orange]”It won’t,”[/color] Kalmar agreed. [color=orange]”Which is why I intend to resolve it soon. I have already planned out what form this gateway will take and how it will function.”[/color] Urhu grunted, a brooding look on her face. [color=c0783b]”You know, I don’t have anything to do right now, want some help with this stuff?[/color] Kalmar nodded again. [color=orange]”I could use some help,”[/color] he agreed. [color=orange]”What do you want in return?”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Stability, I guess?”[/color] she said, pondering about what could be a reward. [color=c0783b]”My main worry is my neighbour realm being easy target for takeovers, now, for extra rewards, well, I don’t know, typically I just let people gift me what they feel like gifting me. I don’t like asking for things unless I truly want them.”[/color] [color=orange]”If you do this for me, I won’t mind doing something in return. Within reason, of course. But we can work that out in the future.”[/color] Kalmar told her. [color=orange]”As for my gateway, I intend for it to be mobile. It will attach itself to a random animal on the continent. When that creature is killed, the gateway will appear near its body for a short amount of time, and then move on to another animal elsewhere. I should always be able to know where this gateway is, and the creatures it attaches itself to should have some noticeable change to indicate that - glowing eyes, or unusually coloured fur.”[/color] The Hunter shrugged. [color=orange]”Is that possible?”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Hmm. My gateway takes the form of mist, it also travels, though it doesn’t quite warp. I guess, I could do the same as I did before, but condense the mist into a thick ink or… something of the sort, that gets attached to the animal, when the animal dies, it turns into a portal then disperses, traveling again to find a new host.”[/color] she rubbed her chin, that was the most effortless way she could see to approach the issue while still providing what Kalmar had asked. [color=orange]”That could work,”[/color] Kalmar said, thinking. [color=orange]”Another thing - it should function differently for gods. Many of them don’t have the stomach for hunting, which will be an obstacle if I need them to come to my sphere. And there’s already no doubt that they would be capable of killing a common animal anyway. So if a god touches the animal, that should be enough to transport them, and them alone, but it won’t open a portal.”[/color] Urhu looked up for a moment, scratching the side of her head. [color=c0783b]”Uh, hmm. I guess that can be done. Don’t you want to make it exclusive to your command though, as in, its less of touching to open the portal and more off… touching to knock on the door?”[/color] Kalmar nodded. [color=orange]”You know more about gateways than I. If it can be done, that would be best.”[/color] [color=c0783b]”Yeah, its not an issue, if anything, its easier to make it react to you than to make it react to any god.”[/color] which was in truth her main worry when it came to this, not so much the security issues, but that she knew better how to perform the task. [color=orange]”So when do we start?”[/color] The goddess smirked and rose her hand, with ease, she brought forward mist from the water held in the soil and plants, before condensing it on a gooey watery orb and casually throwing it to Kalmar. [color=c0783b]”Start? I am already finished. Just need you to finish the link by allowing it to reach for your realm.”[/color] Kalmar caught it with one hand and then studied it, focusing. He felt some sort of connection form, and then it dissipated into the wind. Even as it vanished from sight, he knew where the energy was and where it was going - into its first host. It seemed somewhat unfair, that an animal arbitrarily be marked for death by any who wished to enter his sphere. But hunting itself was arbitrary in a sense. No animal chose to be pursued by predators; that happened through misfortune. And a hunter will kill and eat whatever they can; whether or not they find anything can sometimes be based on luck as much as skill. Besides, it would only be fitting if, in order to enter his sphere, a creature must demonstrate some aptitude for hunting. [color=orange]”Thank you.”[/color] Kalmar said, and then after a moment he added: [color=orange]“The gateway already found its host. I’ll need to make sure it works. It isn’t far. Do you want to come?”[/color] She gave the god a sincere smile, unlike the typical smirk. [color=c0783b]”Sounds interesting, who would miss a chance to see the god of the hunt go out hunting, after all?”[/color] Kalmar offered a thin smile of his own. [color=orange]”It might not be as interesting as you think; there’s not much that can challenge me.”[/color] He removed the bow from his shoulder and cast his gaze eastward. [color=orange]”It’s that way,”[/color] he announced, before setting off. Urhu silently followed him, hunting was not her innate affinity, though being a goddess of frontiers and travel the act itself came naturally to her, even though today she was not hunting but just following Kalmar in his path. They continued on for some time, Kalmar remaining equally quiet. Occasionally he would stop and kneel to glance down at some tracks or disturbed foliage, only to shake his head and declare that it led in the wrong direction. Then, finally, they came across a large set of pawprints. [color=orange]”It’s nearby, and these head in the right direction. Looks like a direwolf.”[/color] Without awaiting a response he advanced forward, until he saw what was quite possibly the largest direwolf he had ever seen. It was as tall as he was, feasting on a freshly killed deer. It glanced up from its meal and glared at him, revealing glowing blue eyes, and bared its teeth. Kalmar glared back, and the beast began to growl. Suddenly, the Hunter dropped his bow and began running forward. The wolf abandoned its meal and began a counter-charge. In the last few feet it leapt, intending to land on him and pin him down beneath its weight, but with the reflexes and speed of a god Kalmar was able to simply step aside. The beast landed, thundering past him, only for Kalmar to grab it by the tail and force it to a stop. It yelped, and Kalmar leapt onto its back, edging toward the head. It flipped onto its side and began to roll, pressing Kalmar through the grass, leaves, and mud, as it attempted to dislodge the hunter from its back. Then it suddenly tensed, and stopped. Kalmar’s hand was gripped around a hilt of some sort, which had appeared as if from nowhere, and was now embedded in the creature’s eye. Kalmar pulled the bloodstained knife free and pushed the beast off of him. As Kalmar rose to his feet to brush himself off, a shimmering blue portal appeared in the air above the wolf’s corpse. The Hunter extended his arm, and his bow flew through the air, returning to his hand. [color=c0783b]”Its noble that you gave it some chance to fight, instead of just abusing your godly powers, though the result was obvious from the start. I do that sometimes as well, otherwise life as a god becomes insufferable.”[/color] she said, approaching the animal before turning towards the god. [color=c0783b]”Well, it works. I can tell it does and that the portal leads to your home.”[/color] [color=orange]”There used to be more of a thrill to it,”[/color] Kalmar admitted as he knelt beside the wolf. He stuck the knife under the animal’s fur, and with quick precision began the process of skinning it. [color=orange]”Before I was a god, I mean. There was a challenge. Now… if I want to fight a creature whose power equals my own, the result could shatter continents, and that...”[/color] He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he peeled away a rectangular section of fur and focused on it. The blood vanished and the skin dried. Then he shaped it into a new cloak and draped it over his back. Kalmar looked back at the portal. [color=orange]”Do you want to go in?”[/color] he suddenly asked, as if he hadn’t just butchered a wolf before her very eyes. [color=c0783b]”Oh, I would love to. I have never visited your realm despite it being so close to mine.”[/color] she said, not minding the butchering of a wolf at all, talking as if Kalmar had just picked up some flowers on the side of a road. Kalmar nodded. He looked at his hands and the knife, both of which were stained with blood, and frowned. At once the blood seemed to vanish. [color=orange]”I haven’t set foot inside it since I built it,”[/color] he confessed. [color=orange]”It’s been too long.”[/color] And with those words he stepped through. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] Kalmar approaches Urhu and asks what she is doing in Kalgrun. They talk a bit, Kalmar asks what she did to the griffins, and she tells him - he is fine with it. Urhu then asks about the gateway to Kalmar's sphere, and Kalmar admits that he hasn't built one yet. She offers to help him. Kalmar tells her how it will work. Essentially, the gateway attaches itself to a random animal on Kalgrun. When that animal dies, the gateway briefly opens in the form of shimmering portal, before closing and attaching itself to another animal elsewhere on the continent. Kalmar has the power to refuse entry. Gods do not need to kill the animal in order to get in - touching it is enough. Urhu then proceeds to create it, and they decide to test it out. Kalmar hunts down and kills the creature it attached itself to, and sure enough, the portal opens. After quickly fashioning himself a new cloak to replace the one he gave to Melantha, the two gods enter the sphere. [/hider] [hider=Might Summary] Kalmar: -None. Urhu: -7MP (discounted to 3 via the Passage Portfolio) to create a gateway to Kalmar's sphere [/hider] [hider=Chronology] My latest posts have been out of order, so just to clear this up for anyone who is confused: 1. Kalmar and Melantha part ways. 2. Kalmar and Katharsos create Roog. 3. Urhu builds a gateway for Kalmar (you are here.) 4. Kalmar acquires the Cold Portfolio. 5. Kalmar creates Vendral. 6. Kalmar goes to meet Shengshi. [/hider]