[center][h1][color=slategray][b][u]Roog[/u][/b][/color][/h1] & [h1][color=orange][b][u]Kalmar[/u][/b][/color][/h1] & [img]https://i.imgur.com/5kR2yJq.png[/img][/center] [hr] The black wolf of Kalgrun prowled through the undergrowth as his hide warped and stretched underneath the strain of his muscular form propelling him forward. Roog had grown over the last few decades as he remained on Kalgrun, fostering the race of wolves that he had sired. For nearly eight decades now Roog had wandered across the entire face of Kalgrun, reincarnating the corpses of wolves he found while offering the mercy of a swift demise to those he found at the end of their lives, suffering alone and without purpose. It was a simple existence but one that Roog took to with humble grace; it was his purpose, the one he’d been created for, and his wanderings left him plenty of time to do as his other creator had bade. [color=slategray]It is my choice.[/color] The Wargs had become numerous, though by no means outnumbering the other predators of Kalgrun, and had by then become stable enough to sustain their population through natural reproduction. Roog had, more than once, ruminated on the idea of his creations becoming completely independent of him in their organic imperative to survive and propagate their species. In fact, it seemed only the first three wargs he had forged had any major interest in him once they had been grown to proper, adult sizes. Most would remain with their creator until such time as a sizeable pack had been formed and then would simply leave, following an alpha into the dark depths of the great pines of Kalgrun. This perpetual creation and loss had at first saddened Roog fiercely, providing to him an immediate perception that the pleasures of this world were, in the end, quite fleeting. But as Rahn, Lumi, and Dis remained at his side that sense of loss was quickly subsumed into a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment. Roog had decided, quite fairly so, that he had left his creators in much the same way and this was simply the order of things. By now Roog had postulated that his original creations remained with him out of a desire to keep their creators company having seen early on how losing his pack had affected him. It was then unsurprising that once more Roog travelled with but himself and his three original creations. Just recently a new pack had dispersed into Kalgrun, this time near the frost covered mountains in the North, and Roog had allowed them to go with little fanfare. With that pack Roog had now released well over a thousand of his kind into the wilds over the last decade had begun to find others in his wandering unknown to him, born to parents that he had never known. Occasionally he even found the burnt out husks of a Warg, slain by some unknown offender or consumed from the inside out by the black flames that partially constituted their form. These ashen grave markers were a particular point of consideration for Roog as for the first time in his life he could empathize with the feelings of those left behind from his work. An unfortunate realization, to be sure. [color=slategray]“The hunt nears its terminus,”[/color] mused Roog, the lone speaker on Kalgrun Roog knew of beyond that of his itinerant fath- creator, Kalmar. He had become prone to moments of self-discussion as a tool to hone his mind and keep the fraying edges of animalism born of his lupine blood at bay. Though his children could not speak in the same sense they understood him well enough and were able to communicate in their own way in return. It wasn’t a perfect solution but it served Roog well enough. As Roog entered the copse of trees where his spawn had followed their prey. By the sounds of liquid gushing onto rock, leaf, and grass and the metallic smell of hot blood it was made quite evident that they had been successful. As always the three wolves waited for him, watching his eyes and allowing him to take first pick of the carcass; Roog had never taken them up on the offer and likely never would. The creator of the great wolves did not need to eat nor did he have any interest to partake in that particular curiosity. He knew Kalmar would take part in that oddity of natural life, of course, as he had found the corpses of the few monstrous beasts he had slain well carved and with no waste of materials that could be used. To Roog the idea was notably grizzly and admittedly repulsive to his sapient mind. To the little howls in the back of his mind, however, the idea of blood and meat and cracked bone were supremely enticing. Perhaps it was that feeling that made the act so opposed by his thoughts in the first place, Roog had considered. [color=slategray]“I will not partake,”[/color] Roog spoke in his ethereal voice, deep and gravelly, [color=slategray]“Enjoy the fruits of your labor.”[/color] Roog grimaced slightly as his three progeny dug into the carcass with pleased abandon, tearing meat with ease as blood and gristle sizzled off their faces. It was a grizzly display to watch and one Roog found he was no longer able to stomach. As he plodded away from the carcass and its pleased devourers an unmistakable scent caught his attention. It was a pungent reek of rotting gore that cloyingly stunk of the unmistakable horrors of malicious intentions; ghouls. During his travels across Kalgrun he had learned much of the creatures and had rapidly discovered a great deal of disdain for their misbegotten kind. It was clear to him that some divinity had acted upon their bodies to warp them so and had matched with equal fervor a corruption of their minds. They were bound for cruelty, even if they weren’t intelligent enough to realize it yet, and Roog had taken it upon himself to end their suffering and the suffering they would cause wherever he could as quickly as possible; the meal his spawn had so happily begun would have to wait. Roog’s howl shook the very trees around him, wilting leaves and flattening grass as he trumpeted the battle cry of the end. With that he was loping across the fields and between the trees of his homeland, his brood braying their ascent to the hunt once more before going silent in their pursuit. Another scent caught Roog’s nostrils, fainter still but equally distinct; one he did not know. It smelled of troll but changed, with just as much divine meddling as that which the ghouls had suffered under. He would have to be cautious, he reasoned, for it seemed there was some other creature afoot worthy of his attentions. [hr] [i]Elsewhere...[/i] The signs were obvious. A pack of slaughtered trolls, stripped nearly to the bone, killed in the most painful way possible; some likely still alive while consumed. Gorm grunted at the sight. The two dozen or so trolls that had come to follow him stood nearby. All of his original pack members were now dead, and it was their descendants who travelled beside him. Over the years they had wrecked a terrific slaughter, trimming the ghoul population down greatly. Gorm didn’t much like the taste of ghoul, in truth; instead preferring the vitasaurs created by Phystene, which had been made to feed beasts of his size. He could identify the tracks at a glance. The footprints, the broken branches, the bloodstains… it was far from subtle. The massive troll closed his eyes and mentally reached out. He slipped into the viewpoint of a bird, then a wolf, then a bear, then another bird, until at last he finally found it: the viewpoint of a ghoul. Three companions, east of his position, and still heading in that direction. Likely the same group that had hunted these trolls. He slipped out of the Sight, and grunted again. “Follow,” he commanded his pack, before loping through the woods, flattening bushes and toppling trees in the process as he followed the trail. [hr] The sounds echoed across the forest for any creature of considerable sensory aptitude to hear them; something large was coming and it did so with little care for its surroundings. It was no doubt the creature he had tasted on the wind and he knew immediately that it could pose a threat to his kind if it so desired. The pack of wargs and the Great Wolf himself turned from outright speed to cautious stealth, slowing their advance as they rolled through the forest like a wildfire. It was clear that the Ghouls had caught the sounds of crashing trees and were alerted to the monstrous creature on their tails and had doubled their pace as well, forcing Roog to keep his pack moving at a speed he considered risky if he intended to keep his presence hidden. The threat this beast posed needed to be considered and weighed properly and Roog wouldn’t risk his progeny over a conflict he could not win. It was clear from the creature’s size and smell that it was something of an oddity and one worthy of considerable attention. The faintest sounds of snarling could be heard as the wargs tasted the two groups on the wind, their hackles rising as a blaze consumes brush. [color=slategray]“Caution,”[/color] he called out, maw only open as much as necessary for the noise to emanate from his throat, [color=slategray]“We are not alone.”[/color] The auditory and olfactory trails provided by the two travelling creatures were rapidly closing in on one another and Roog could tell that they would make contact soon. A scrabbling creature at the back of his mind clawed at the inside of his skull, demanding to be released. Roog whispered the creature back into the depths of his mind with a calming phrase, reminding himself that his actions were his choice and his alone. Despite this his heart pounded with a raging excitement, pumping black blood throughout his veins in a ferocious hunger. The fight would happen soon, Roog could tell, and he knew full well that the group of Ghouls and Trolls would meet each other first; a consequence of Roog’s slowed pursuit from caution. Despite this Roog intended to be on the scene fast enough to intercede if he found the conflict to be between two undesirable groups. His wolves were now out of his sight, spreading out in a line as they neared with their hunted quarry. [hr] Gorm, meanwhile, had sped well ahead of his own pack - benefit of his superior size. He had little use for stealth or subtlety in this case, and he knew he would never catch up with the ghouls if he limited himself to the pace of a troll. Four ghouls he could easily take on alone - all he had to do was follow the trail. But then the trail split four ways. They had heard him coming, and decided it would be better to split up than exercise safety in numbers. Rage threatened to overwhelm him, and the giant troll punched the ground in frustration, creating a small crater. Gorm took a moment to collect himself, and the rage passed. No matter. He could hunt them down one by one. And so he picked the northernmost trail, and followed it. [hr] The scents diverged and Roog almost offered a word of praise to the creatures; it took a lot of thinking to realize they should split up in the face of predation that would and could easily slay them all. The great beast that hunted the Ghouls had sped ahead of its pack of trolls that followed in its wake and Roog was confident he could reach the ghouls and their hunter before the trolls could. His pack swept across the treeline rapidly and with deadly silence born of the coming demise their presence promised. The trolls fell swiftly behind them and now the vast entity that smelled of troll and divine meddling was between them and the ghouls that were rapidly splitting up in all directions. Now came a challenge. Roog howled out his intentions and the pack diverged; exhausted and overfed ghouls were easy pickings and as the massive beast hunted one his pack would hunt the others. Rahn would break off on his own while Lumi and Dis, practically inseparable, would hunt together. This left one for Roog and the Great Beast before they met up for their own potential confrontation; if Roog was lucky, his pack will have returned to make it all the easier. With that they all bolted in numerous directions, picking up speed as they disappeared into the undergrowth at the expense of their previous stealth. Roog surmised that the creature they hunted was his equal if not his better on the hunt despite being the creation of the Hunter God. The thought crossed his mind of a similar forging but quickly dismissed it; surely he would’ve been made aware of such sibl- creations. Nevertheless, the beast’s uncanny ability to keep on the exact trail of its prey despite making them aware of its presence early into the chase was noteworthy and Roog had no intention of underestimating a potential foe. [hr] Gorm’s quarry did not get far. Using his sheer size and weight, the enormous troll cleaved a path through the forest to get to it. As he neared, the Ghoul suddenly wheeled around, preparing a mad counter-charge against its much larger assailant. It was a simple enough matter for Gorm to reach down, lift the creature with two of his fingers, throw it high into the air, and then catch it in his mouth as it fell back down. The Troll grinned to himself in satisfaction, and then slipped into the Sight to locate the others… He slipped into the eyes of a massive wolf. Not what he was looking for. But wait… something was different. This was no direwolf. And there were others like it, running alongside. The beast’s eyes which now served Gorm burst through the undergrowth with a surprising level of speed paired with a deathly silence. It was fast, considerably so, and seemed to only brush lightly against undergrowth leaving its trail of sound noticeably quiet. Despite this the Ghoul had caught its scent and was running now at breakneck speed, for a Ghoul, though it only succeeded in making its position more easily determined. The warg closed rapidly, bursting through the treeline into a small glade where a gentle stream cut the forest in half. The darkness of the canopy strangled most light pouring down over the river but the eyes of the wolf easily cut through the gloom to peer directly at the ghoul now turning to face its hunter. In its place the warg left only air, having slipped back into the shadows that its dark hide easily blended in with. The ghoul spun, letting out roars of anger and confusion, while the mighty wolf quickly circled the choked clearing. From behind thick and gnarled roots burst the great wolf, leaping through the air just as the ghoul turned to face it. Thrust out paws struck the ghoul in the chest, driving it to the ground, and knocking the wind out of it. With the fight literally driven from its body by the weight of the horse sized wolf, the Ghoul weakly slashed with taloned hands at its attacker. The vision of the wolf jerked back, deftly dodging the clumsy blow, before surging forward to tear out the beasts throat in a wave of arterial blood. In an instant it rose, disinterested in feeding on the vile fiend, and loped right back into the woods towards its kin. Gorm had seen enough. He returned back to his own senses, and sniffed the air. The creature’s skills were impressive, and there were dozens in the area. One scent seemed… different from the rest, and far more powerful. Familiar, somehow. It was enough to give him pause, but not for long. He had been tasked to guard this region, and so he needed to learn more about these new arrivals. So without further ado, he loped off in the direction of the familiar scent. [hr] Roog’s own quarry had taken a confusing path far more intelligently than its kin; realizing the likelihood of being outrun, it seemed to have determined the best choice was to wrap around its pursuer and then go back the way it had come. If Roog didn’t despise Ghouls for their vile nature he might have truly respected this particular individual. Nonetheless, what had to be done would be by Roog’s own maw. The creature had entered the massive goug torn into the forest by its pursuer, giving its flight an easy route backwards and a clear indicator of where its enemy had ran off to. Roog, of course, was not so unsubtle. He prowled at the edge of the destruction momentarily, eyeing the Ghoul for any signs of something worthy of note or pause. Finding none he burst from the treeline at ridiculous speeds and with one fell crushing snap his jaws took the head from the ghoul. His maw opened and allowed the head to fall just as the body did the same, tumbling to the side as the head rolled into the crook of two fallen trees. Roog immediately realized his mistake, having tunnel visioned himself into his hunt rather than keeping his senses wide. Though not directly on top of him yet the beast that had initiated the hunt in the first place was closing rapidly. Roog turned and saw the monstrous troll charging right back down the same path it had made during its initial charge and Roog’s hackles rose like an inferno as he bared his fangs; by his creators, Roog swore in the depths of his mind, he had never seen a troll so thoroughly vast before. Ready to strike back at the oncoming marauder Roog paused, eyes widening as the familiar scent seemed to become ever more intoxicatingly present as the distance between these two titans of Kalgrun became ever smaller. This troll, Roog could now tell, was the work of his own creator Kalmar. [color=slategray]“Stay your charge!”[/color] The massive creature skidded to a halt, stopping mere steps before the divine wolf. The giant troll loomed over him menacingly, looking down with an unreadable expression, before sniffing the air. Then, using its left arm to support his weight, the beast’s right hand slowly lurched forward, clearly intending to pick Roog up. Roog’s eyes only had a slight moment to relax as the troll seemed to ignore his initial calm to attempt to pick up the wolf that blazed before him. Roog snarled threateningly as the creature’s huge hand closed the distance and every instinct in his mind told him to fight. Those roars had to be quenched and coaxed to dormancy even in the face of this vast threat as Roog, determined to try and end this conflict with a creation of Kalmar’s before it came to one of their deaths. He left back, closing the distance with a half-smashed tree trunk in a blur as a wildfire jumps between fuel. He howled in the face of the beast even as his human voice poured from his wide open jaws in a waterfall of noise. [color=slategray]”Continue this at your own peril, creature,”[/color] roared Roog, his voice booming across the landscape with divine efficacy. Gorm halted, paused for a moment, and then lifted his arm off the ground so he could rise to his full height. His muscles tensed, and breath flared from his nostrils. “Gorm strong,” he spoke is his rough bestial voice, “you small. Gorm belong; you don’t. Explain, or leave.” [color=slategray]”All things face their demise, Vast-Troll, no matter their size”[/color] echoed Roog, hackles still licking the air as flames while his moonlit fangs were bared threateningly, [color=slategray]”I belong as I was forged here; Kalgrun is my home by right as a creation of Kalmar and Katharsos.”[/color] Gorm tilted his head, and his expression was almost thoughtful, as if searching deep in his mind for a memory. “Roog?” he ventured at last. Roog’s maw closed and one fuzzy brow above a bright bronze-gold eye rose in confusion; he had not said his name, he had thought? He stared at the immense troll for a handful of moments before nodding, his jaws creaking open ever so slightly to speak. [color=slategray]”That is my name.”[/color] Gorm nodded slowly. “Why you here?” he asked. [color=slategray]”I wander Kalgrun and give hunt to creatures such as this. The fiends deserve a just end.”[/color] Again, Gorm nodded. “Good pupper,” he complimented. Roog grimaced at the terminology used to refer to him but let it slide. It was clear this creature had poor control of language, at least compared to himself, but he was the first speaking creature he had met in over decades; he’d take what he could get. [color=slategray]”I must know, Great-Troll, how you know of me? Are you a creation of Kalmar as well, as I have guessed?[/color] Yet another nod. “Kalmar talk of you… tell Gorm no attack Roog.” [color=slategray]”So we are kin,”[/color] Roog’s head rose from its lowered position, all sense of threat gone, [color=slategray]”And it seems our aims align. I had hoped conflict could be averted and it seems our creator has already predicted this chance meeting.”[/color] Alas, the chance meeting was soon interrupted, as Roog would become aware of two more presences in the area. One he would know well, for it was one his creators, while the other was completely foreign; though Roog could tell they were both equal in power. Kalmar was the first to appear, dropping from the forest canopy and landing into a crouch on the ground. He rose to his feet and brushed himself off. [color=orange]“Roog, Gorm.”[/color] he greeted with a stoic nod. Roog twisted to face his creator who had arrived just as Roog would’ve expected; he was the God of Hunters, afterall, and Roog doubted he could’ve found the man-god even if he had been trying. His head dropped in a mock bow as all wolves did before their pack leaders before rising up to greet his creator. [color=slategray]”This is a bountiful day,”[/color] he called as he hopped down from his perch on the half-shattered tree trunk, [color=slategray]”I get to hear voices beyond my own twice in many decades.[/color] “[color=6ecff6]You better make that thrice, then,[/color]” a female voice sounded from just behind the tree trunk, with Arae in her human form walking around it to reveal herself. “[color=6ecff6]It is a pleasure to meet you two, Gorm and Roog. I am Arae, the Goddess of Family,[/color]” Arae introduced herself with a warm smile. Roog stared on almost dumbstruck as the events unfolded in front of his eyes; numerous decades had passed since he was left on Kalgrun, alone, and now there were Gods and Beasts alike pouring out of the woodwork to greet him. He supposed he should be thankful for this respite from the monotony of his continent but it certainly seemed almost gratuitous at this point. Despite that thought he was pleased to at last have others to speak to and would take all of the new found chances to meet other sapient creatures with gusto. [color=slategray]”Thrice it shall be, Great Arae,”[/color] responded Roog, giving the same bow he had to his creator. He had never seen any man-creature before other than Kalmar and this new one gave Roog much to ponder; they looked nothing alike and though Arae was the more acceptable to look at Roog found himself confused by the numerous differences in their forms. Nonetheless, speaking took precedent to considering humans and their confusing shapes. [color=slategray]”I am humbled by this meeting. And though I am not in any way displeased to meet others and to see my creator once more, I must ask; why are you here?”[/color] Gorm, for his part, simply nodded at Arae - apparently it was his default response to meeting others. He lowered himself back down to rest on his arms, no longer feeling the need to make himself intimidating, and waited for someone else to speak. Kalmar, meanwhile, approached the ghoul Roog had slain and knelt to inspect it more closely. “[color=6ecff6]Truth be told, I’m just a tagalong with Kalmar,[/color]” Arae admitted. “[color=6ecff6]I still have some business to take care of with my brother, and I decided to help take care of whatever he needs me to do while I’m still around. Beyond that, not much, really.[/color]” Kalmar rose to his feet. [color=orange]”A clean kill,”[/color] he said, referring to the ghoul. He looked to Roog. [color=orange]”There is much to discuss. First: what have you been doing since your creation?”[/color] [color=slategray]”I have seen much of Kalgrun and kept to my duty as Katharsos directed,’[/color] Roog practically smiled as his head rose proudly above his shoulders as he continued to speak of his time, realizing immediately that his particularly crowning achievement was in line with what Kalmar had advised, [color=slategray]”And I have followed your wishes; the choice was mine. I forged from the dead direwolves a race to call my own; Wargs, fa- creator. They are mine.”[/color] Kalmar nodded. [color=orange]”I am aware of your creations. You made them well. But what I want to know is this: do you know who Azura is?”[/color] Roog considered for a moment, looking back to his creation and trying to remember if such an entity was mentioned. All that returned to his mind were memories of the warning given to him by both of his creators; not all gods were good and by the tone at which Kalmar referenced Azura, they might fit such a description. [color=slategray]”I do not, creator, though I expect I shall soon.”[/color] Kalmar glanced at Arae, before looking back to Roog. [color=orange]”Azura is the Goddess of Wind,”[/color] he revealed. [color=orange]”She disliked Katharsos’s cycle and decided to interfere. She stole countless souls from his sphere, and is trying to convince mortals to voluntarily surrender their souls to her so that she can hoard them, until she finds an alternative to burning. Or so she says - not every god can be taken at their word. But if she continues to take souls without giving any soul ash back, then eventually we will run out, and all life as we know it will end.”[/color] The Hunter explained grimly. “[color=6ecff6]I believe Azura has good intentions, but ultimately what she is doing is creating more problems than it is solving,[/color]” Arae added. “[color=6ecff6]The end of all life as we know it is definitely not a situation we want to be in, and it is why she must be stopped.[/color]” Roog looked on with a furrowed brow, seemingly displeased with each and every new piece of information given to him regarding this Azura and her plotting. Her actions were in complete opposition to what he had been set to task to support. Even considering his likely predetermined bias towards the cycle of Katharsos, the idea of being forced into a permanent form and held at the whim of a God was deeply disgusting to him. All of this was exacerbated by his own creation, having naturally started his own creation by absorbing soul ash into the torn eye of the Great Wolf Fenris. [color=slategray]”I see . . . this cannot stand; the works of Katharsos must be supported at all costs and any attempt to subvert the cycle must be opposed. What is your intention, gods? I trust you share my distaste for this.”[/color] [color=orange]”I think I know where the souls are being held,”[/color] Kalmar said. [color=orange]”We are going there to find out what Azura is doing with them, and possibly put a stop to it. I ask you to come with us.”[/color] Roog seemed to lose himself in thought as the question was asked, a request that would be world changing for the demi-god. The idea of leaving Kalgrun, his home for the last few decades, was one that could not be considered lightly. Despite this, his duty was clear and this Azura threatened all that his Heavenly Father had wrought. Just as importantly, it was his Cthonic Creator who now asked him for aid. He would make for a poor creation if he did not assist, particularly in an effort so important to maintaining the world Roog had created his own progeny in. Resolve burned behind his golden-bronze eyes. [color=slategray]”Without hesitation.”[/color] [color=orange]”Good,”[/color] Kalmar said, before shifting his gaze to the massive troll who remained silent. [color=orange]”Gorm, the ghoul population has been thinned to the point where they are no longer a threat. I’m calling off your hunt. You will remain here and continue to guard the area.”[/color] Then he looked back to Roog, and to Arae. [color=orange]”As for us… we head north.”[/color] [hider=Summary] Roog hunts in the forests of Kalgrun alongside his first three original creations, the wargs Rahn, Lumi, and Dis. Catching the scent of a pack of Ghouls in addition to some new and unique troll, Roog and the pack sets out to intercept. Meanwhile, Gorm the Troll and a pack of his own hunt the same Ghouls; potential conflict looms! After some Ghoul killing Gorm and Roog meet and despite initial coldness of their interactions eventually discover each other to be aligned in purpose. Out of nowhere flies in Kalmar and Arae who alert Roog to the dangers posed by the goddess Azura; Roog is quick to agree to their request for aid. With that, they leave for shores unknown! [/hider]