[center] [h1]A Foundation[/h1] [/center] [hr] It was rather incredible, the way that a ship the size of Jiangzhou seemed to cross the world in the blink of an eye. A moment ago, the Nebulites onboard swore they still could’ve felt the moist air of the Eye, the lush jungles oozing forth an almost choking humidity. However, that had all changed, and now a dry, dustier air parched their throats unlike anything they had ever felt. Below them stretched first an endless sea of green bordering the actual sea, followed then by thinly grassed plains speckled with spots of trees; bordering that again was a beach greater than any ever seen by a Nebulite before. And the ship was sailing towards a thickening blue thread that curved its way through the land before ending in the bay. Pallason, Philia and Titanon sat staring over the side of the railing down at the lands flanking the great river. Pallason furrowed his brow. “Is -this- the land he’s giving us? What, some strip in the middle of endless waves of sand?” “Hush, Palla!” Philia cautioned. “Don’t be rude out loud. He can probably hear us.” “Yeah, but-... Look at it! The land beyond the river is dead - dead!” Titanon shook his head. “Look, there’s probably more to it than this. For all we know, the big beach could have, I don’t know… Lots of tasty game?” Pallason pursed his lips disapprovingly. “Doubt it. Face it - a life of luxury in a dry, scorching, barren place like this? Polly might believe it, but I’m not falling for it.” “It’s a bit too late to pull out now, Pallason,” came another voice. The three turned to face a particularly tall and muscular Nebulite male, his arms crossed across his broad chest and his face in a dark frown. “You sounded loyal to our queen just yesterday - what happened?” Pallason knew this man well. He was Hectore, one of Polyastera’s favourite partners, and a fantastically skilled hunter and brawler. In comparison, Pallason was a bright twig with few talents beyond a beautiful voice and the knowledge to use it. “... Well, Hectore, you see as well as I do that the land beneath us is barren. His Lordship’s gift to us is obviously lesser than what we thought when we bargained.” Hectore leaned over the side to look. “Judging a whole land from the skies tells you nothing about the life that walks it; the plants that live in it.” He patted Pallason’s curly hair with fake affection. “You may want to peruse a little closer before you start accusing our Lord of not making good on his promises.” He then turned and went off. Pallason sat glaring down the hunter’s back. “What an ass,” he muttered. Philia laid a supportive hand on his shoulder and pecked him on the cheek. “Palla - would you like some more wine?” Titanon gave Philia a nod and rose up, walking towards a nearby refreshment table. Pallason nodded slowly. “Yes, please…” [hr] In the king-size bed, Polyastera laid sipping on a cup of wine. She was dressed in thin, translucent robes that outlined her thin, slender frame perfectly. The goal of life couldn’t really be expressed more closely than the stay aboard this ship, she thought to herself. She would replicate these standards in her new queendom - that, she swore. She pursed her lips. She would need all the help she could get in its establishment. She had her followers, certainly, but there were only so many she could control - especially alone. Having Hectore on her side did help things along, but how much longer could she keep him entranced with her love and charm? No, her most valuable piece was her prize ‘concubine’, as the bath house servant had so eloquently put it. “Laurien?” Polyastera called sweetly. [color=plum]”Mhmm?”[/color] came Laurien’s reply. From across the room, Laurien came around a corner. She wore a silky robe that left the middle of her body open. Her hair was a mess of curls, but there was a smile on her face. [color=plum]”Yes?”[/color] “Do you love me?” Polyastera asked pleadingly and beckoned her over. Laurien smirked and walked over to the bed, where she sat down. She faced Poly and said, [color=plum]”Of course I love you. Where’s this coming from?”[/color] Polyastera sighed. "Ever since we got rid of those luddites who didn't want to come along, I've been thinking. Thinking about those whom I consider to be truly loyal to me - those who love me." She gave Laurien a smile. "You are among those, yes?" Laurien gently took Polly’s hand within her own and scooted closer to her. [color=plum]”I’m here, aren’t I? And that isn’t going to change, darling.”[/color] Laurien affirmed. Polyastera smiled affectionately and planted a soft kiss on Laurien’s lips. “I love you so much, my dearest Laurien. You make my life worth living.” Laurien smiled widely and giggled as she fluttered her eyes. [color=plum]”Oh stop it you.”[/color] she said, giving Poly another kiss. “I’m looking so much forward to building our empire together. Everything will be perfect - we will have food, wine, music and make lots and lots and lots of love.” She exhaled joyously. “We will be absolutely free to do whatever we want.” Laurien nodded in agreement, [color=plum]”It will be delicious, Polly and so much fun!”[/color] she said enthusiastically. The woman sighed and then frowned as she caressed Poly’s cheek. [color=plum]”Though, make no mistake, my dear. To live like that… It won’t come without cost.”[/color] she moved her hand down to Polly’s stomach. [color=plum]”Then there’s our ten year deadline for a temple to his Lordship. It won’t be without challenge, and hardship, but once we do that… Then the real fun can start.”[/color] Laurien said softly, but with a warm smile. “Yes, yes, all that will be dealt with.” She cupped her hand over Laurien’s. “How do you think we best should motivate our populace into completing these projects?” [color=plum]”Hmm, this is tricky. For one, we’ve shown them a lifestyle many are already addicted to. It might be hard to wean them off. I’ll have to think about it. For now, let us see where his Lordship places us, and we can work from there.”[/color] Laurien said thoughtfully. “Yeah - yeah, let’s,” Polyastera agreed. [color=plum]”Good. I am glad.”[/color] Laurien purred. [color=plum]”Now come on, let’s go see where were headed.”[/color] she said, rising from the bed, and holding out her hand to Polly. The smaller Nebulite took the hand in her own and graciously rose to her feet. Together, the two ascended onto the deck. However, it was not a beautiful sight that met them - in fact, it was quite a sorry sight. An argument had broken out on deck, one where Hectore and Pallason stood face to face with bloodthirsty scowls aimed at one another. “What’re you going to do? Complain to His Lordship?” Hectore challenged the smaller man. “I just might,” Pallason snapped back before his eyes fell on Polyastera and Laurien. “Polly, come look at this.” Breaking away from the tall hunter, Pallason guided the two of them over to the side of the ship and pointed at the relatively narrow strips of fertile green flanked on both sides by endless dunes of sand. “Look at what we’re getting! This isn’t at all what we bargained for!” Polyastera, however, wasn’t listening. Her eyes glistened with wonder as she eyed the colourful reefs below, the dense woods ahead and the mysterious sands beyond. A gust of dry wind washed over the Nebulites. Bird song and animal calls echoed through the bay. It was musical, entrancing. Despite the environment, life here thrived. She cast a look at Pallason and sneered. “Palla, do us all a favour and be quiet, would you?” The young man stood scoffed and tried to formulate a sentence, but crumbled before the smug frown of Polyastera. He looked away, groaned and stomped over to a corner to sulk. Titanon and Philia soon went to his side. Meanwhile, the snake appeared on the platform far above and gave the deck a slight frown. “A messenger brought to my attention that there is some discontent regarding my selection of land. Is this true?” The Nebulites jerked to life and turned to face the veranda surrounding the great spire of the palace. Polyastera and Laurien were at the front, and Polyastera spoke, “Absolutely not, Your Lordship. What you have given us is outstandingly magnificent - the beautiful desert, the wonderful flow, the majestic beasts and trees. It’s perfect!” The snake hummed and looked to Laurien. “How about you, my dear? Does this land satisfy?” Laurien glanced overboard again and nodded in satisfaction. [color=plum]”It’s very beautiful, your Lordship. You have picked a good spot.”[/color] she flashed a smile up at him. The snake nodded back. “I thought so. Gratitude is a virtue, young mortals - exercise it.” He looked to the sky and pointed at Heliopolis. “When Heliopolis glares down at the sands in this very manner ten years from now, I will return - if my temple stands, your continued stay on this continent shall be blessed with prosperity and riches; if it has yet to be completed, then I shall reveal unto you the price of making promises one cannot keep.” A bridge of water formed to the shore and the Nebulites were herded up and sent to the bridge by a crew of slightly impatient servants. “Best of luck in these new lands,” the snake said. “You will certainly need it to create your paradise.” As soon as the Nebulites had made it across, the bridge fell apart and the ship sailed off on a skyborne river. The Nebulites stood there on the shore in silence. Looks were exchanged in increasingly sheepish manners, until one finally asked, “Now what?” Polyastera looked at Laurien. “I suppose we shall start constructing our city of luxury, then.” Laurien had her arms folded behind her back, a small scowl was on her face as she watched the Jiangzhou become a speck on the distant horizon. She turned to Polly and blinked, there was no smile upon her face this time. [color=plum]”Indeed, my love. I… I’m going to survey the area first and make sure there aren’t any hidden threats. In the meantime, set up a camp and get a stock of what supplies we have. I’ll be back shortly.”[/color] she outheld her hand and up into the sky, Aaldir finding it within a blink. Black armor erupted from her body and without another word, she took off. [hr] She flew over the river, taking in the sights along the banks and the life that flourished within. Then she flew up, higher and higher to see the stretches of lifelessness, cut open by the waters of life. It was beautiful, that she did not lie about, but such a spot… It was not ideal in the slightest. They had nothing to start with, no lay of the land, and nothing looked familiar. How did his Lordship expect them to build a temple in his honor? How did he expect them to do anything? She sighed, letting herself float back to the ground. Perhaps if her people had not been so rambunctious, his Lordship would have left them with something, but that was not the case. Perhaps this was punishment for what she did… A form of karma. And her train of thought brought her back to Abraxas, and the final wish. If she was going to live like she wanted, it was the only way. The Nebulites would suffer without help, even if that help wanted to kill them. Then again, they didn’t have to know… Now did they? [color=plum]”Abraxas…”[/color] she whispered, [color=plum]”I pray to you.”[/color] And the Avatar answered. Around her the land seemed to grow quiet as his hollow voice entered her mind. [color=dimgray]”What do you want, little hero?”[/color] She gulped, she hated that voice. [color=plum]”I have thought of my final wish and request your presence upon the Dragon’s Foot. I stand in a delta near the mountain of fire.”[/color] There was an eerie silence, before the avatar spoke. [color=dimgray]”Very well.”[/color] and as quickly as the presence came, it was gone. Without knowing when he would show up, Laurien shrugged and walked around. The land wasn’t going to explore itself, after all. And so she did for most of the day, learning from her new home as she went. She found that the life around the waters was complex and contained. Hardly anything large lived far enough away from the waters and she took note of that. Water was life, after all. She also became aware of the animals that called this place home, and which ones to avoid. As the sun went down, the land became empty, a herald of the presence that came. Like an angry cloud, Abraxas came streaking across the horizon, honing in on her position. He landed with a loud THWUMP, sending sand everywhere. Methodical footsteps approached, the hollow one had come again, ushering silence into the world. Laurien stood her ground, defiant in the face of the monster she had born. [color=dimgray]”What is your final wish, girl.”[/color] Abraxas voice washed over her, sending shivers down her spine. [color=plum]”This is to be my, and my peoples, home. I require a city and the means to protect it, with ample space to grow.”[/color] Laurien said with an air of authority, holding her head high. The avatar began to laugh, and the very air laughed with him. [color=dimgray]”You think yourself so mighty, so high upon the totem pole. How easily it would be to wipe you from existence, and the rest of them that were brought here. How easy indeed.”[/color] the avatar grumbled. [color=dimgray]”A wish… is a wish and then, we are done. Know this, exile of the Eye. To call upon me again, will bring doom, for that is my wish. Now, where do you want this city.”[/color] Laurien cleared her throat. The threat had been noted. [color=plum]”This spot will do. It has everything we need, from water, to animal life, to rock.”[/color] [color=dimgray]”Spare me the details. I do not care.”[/color] the avatar rumbled, before turning around. There was a raised highland before him, a flatland of dirt and sparse shrubs. Abraxas raised his hand, and the ground rumbled, sending Laurien into the air to avoid it. She flew up to see what the demon was doing, and to her surprise, she was amazed by what she saw. The land had sprouted buildings of sand and stone, of multiple stories and in the fading light, she could make them out to be a light brown, with some gray. In common the buildings had a particular shape, appears as cuboids in a trapezium shape with only marginally smaller tops than bottoms. The [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/555863406029045765/612065916963782696/file.png?width=1443&height=642]small city[/url], or town, was spaced and had a plethora of different constructions, but from her distance, she did not know what they did. An enormous block with several stories overlooked a majority of the other buildings, but several more came close to its stature. She was excited to go and explore but before she could, she was reminded that she was not alone. [color=dimgray]”It is done. There is your home, with your walls… But this is not the only gift I set within. You and your people will remember what was done here by my benevolence. Sat below this city, there lies a forge. A monument of my power, and the means of your protection. To gain from it weapons and armor, requires sacrifice. Are you willing to pay that sacrifice? It matters not to me, for in the end, all must destroy to create.”[/color] the Avatar laughed, before slipping off into the sky without a trace. Laurien was left perplexed, but Abraxas and his cryptic words would have to wait. Now was the time to find Polly, and bring her people home. [hr] “... Look, I’m just saying, we don’t even know where to start! How will we even -get- stone to build without any tools?” “You’re really not going to give this up, are you?” Pallason punted a pebble into the delta, scaring some tall birds into flight. Titanon and Philia stood behind him and exchanged worried glances. “Look, Palla--” “No! No, I am -not- going to just wave this off like the rest of those sex-crazed, delusional apes! Can’t you guys see? Polly got the short end and we’re taking the hit for it.” Titanon ventured over and placed a hand on the frustrated young man’s shoulder. “Look, Palla, we’re here now. Flying home will take… I don’t know how many years. We’re halfway across the world. Let’s… Let’s just make the most of it, hmm?” The muscular man pulled the smaller one into a warm embrace. Pallason resisted for an instant, but then sighed. “You always do this, you big, dumb-...” “Come on. Get all that frustration out.” “... Asshat…” Pallason looked up with a wry smile and Titanon planted a kiss on his lips. They held it for a while before slowly pulling apart, Pallason’s cheeks gently flushed. “Thanks… I needed that.” “You certainly did. I could taste the frustration in you,” Titanon teased. Philia stood giggling on the side. Pallason joined her with a sweet chuckle. “Yeah, it’s, it’s, uh, been a, a while.” Philia stopped giggling and raised a brow. “What, you mean you got nothing on the ship? That’s a load of--” “No, no, I did - just not in the emotional sense. Having you two around really helps, you know - makes this whole situation bearable.” “How about Polly?” Titanon asked curiously and sat down on a nearby rock. Pallason rolled his eyes. “Polly’s… You know…” “We know?” Philia asked expectantly and sat down in Titanon’s lap, curving her arm around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. “Well, she’s--... Not -that- nice.” “She’s our friend, Palla,” Titanon protested with a frown. “She doesn’t care about us, though!” Just as Pallason finished that sentence, tremours ran through the ground, great quakes that sent the birds screaming for the sky and riled up hordes of rhinoceros hippos, the terror of the great spike on their muzzles multiplied by the size of their long-fanged gapes. The three Nebulites took to the sky to avoid the rampaging animals stampeding out of the river. In the river itself, fish and dolphins made for the delta and the sea. In the delta itself, it seemed as though some of the plants dove for cover; mollusks and crustaceans dug themselves into the sand. “W-what’s happening?!” Philia cried in confusion. From a distance away, the rest of the Nebulites came flying over, led by Polyastera. “Polly!” Titanon shouted, “what’s going on?!” “I don’t know! I can’t find Laurien anywhere either! Have any of you seen her?!” All three shook their heads. Polyastera’s panicked eyes flickered around as she scanned the ground. She turned to the others and commanded, “We must find her! Split up and search every nook and cranny of this land! I dare not even think about what could’ve happened to her!” The Nebulites did as they were told and Polyastera turned to the others in hyperventilation. “What-what-what if she has gotten flattened by a rockslide?! Or, or killed by a monster! Titan, what will we do?!” The muscled giant did the only thing he knew tended to mend situations like this and floated over to hug her, but Polyastera pushed him away. “Don’t just stand there! Help me look for her!” The three simultaneously recoiled and subsequently flew off. Polyastera remained floating in place, holding herself in a fruitless effort to calm herself down. Laurien couldn’t be gone - not yet. How would she consolidate her power--no, how would she feel loved in the evenings? No one could replace Laurien! Hectore soared into her view and stopped a small distance away. “Polly?” he asked carefully. The woman looked up and wiped the frightened tears running down her cheeks. “Did you find her?” Hectore nodded slowly. “Yes… And we found something else, too.” Polyastera frowned. “What did you find?” [hr] They’d be coming soon. It had not been long before she found Hectore and told him to bring the others. He was a good man, Laurien knew. Now, she walked upon the paved roads in the town, eyeing what the so-called avatar of destruction had made. The buildings were large enough, and tall enough, to accommodate several families of Nebulites. The houses themselves were barren and modest, with many windows and ventilation holes, most likely to deal with the heat. The layouts were basic, with only a couple of rooms but some of the houses had more, and as the stories went up, that the view was lovely and perfect for people who could fly. There were other buildings she had no idea what purpose they might serve, but she knew they did not look like homes. Then there was the open spaces here and there, most likely room for expansion. Most of the nicer buildings were made of a substance that looked like sand, but was much harder. It was cool to the touch, and the patterns were beautiful. Those buildings had the most rooms, the best views and even a courtyard with room to grow things. Most of the other buildings were made of stone, and she realized that they came second to the… sandstone… ones. The rock ones had a few more rooms, a smaller courtyard and did not reach as high as the sandstone ones. Lastly, there were buildings made of, what she could only think of as, mud bricks. Those buildings were shorter and only had a couple rooms each story, with no courtyard to speak off. They were smoothed and the color of tan, and Laurien realized that this was most likely the building block of life around here, as the brick buildings outnumbered both the sandstone and the rock ones. She flew up into the sky, to get a general overview. It was tiered, she realized. The farther she had walked in, the buildings went from brick, to rock, to sandstone but before she could go any further, she flew back to the gates to await Polly and the other Nebulites. It did not take time for them to arrive, and all of them froze for a minute, merely ogling their town that had appeared before them as out of thin air. Then, a deafening cheer broke out. Polyastera screamed her joy and flew into Laurien’s arms with giddy laughter. “Oh, praises be, Laurien! How did this happen?! Did His Lordship take pity on us?!” Laurien spun her around and laughed. Then she said, [color=plum]”It was not his Lordship, no. I had… I asked a favor from another god. They did not want to be named, for I will complete a task for them when the time comes, one of secrecy. But the Holiness did say if anyone asked, that we built this town with our own hands. They aren’t a big fan of his Lordship I think… But look, all we have to do now is build the temple and we can begin immediately.”[/color] Laurien said, giving half truths. The lies just kept flowing. Polyastera seemed not to truly care and shouted a loud, “Fantastic! Let’s get to work immediately!” She turned to the Nebulites. “Hectore, you will take your best hunters and start filling out larders with meat and whatever else you can find along the rivers. Make certain to look for farmable crops. Titanon, take every good mason you know and start surveying the land for good stone. The rest of you, get to know the city and its wonders.” She grinned from ear to ear. “Let us set forth on the journey to luxury.” The Nebulites cheered and got to work. Polyastera turned to Laurien with a wry smile and shook her head. “I cannot believe this… You are too good for us, my love.” Laurien shrugged, she hadn’t wanted to live in the desert for the next few years. They had to start somewhere. [color=plum]”I’m not going to let us fail, Polly. Now, this city, and your empire… They need a name.”[/color] Laurien smirked. “Oh, the empire name is simple,” Polyastera smirked. “Let it be known as Asteria e, I say. What do you think?” [color=plum]”A wonderful name, darling.”[/color] Laurien agreed, hugging her tightly. Polyastera squeezed back and hummed comfortably. “... I have an even better name for this city, though - something that really captures its beauty.” [color=plum]”Oh, and what’s that?”[/color] Laurien cooed. “Laurienna.” [color=plum]”Oh my. That’s… Beautiful… I would be honored. I am honored. Oh you!”[/color] Laurien said happily, kissing Polly over and over on her cheeks. Polyastera stopped her kissing with a hand and gave her a ravenous stare. “Hey… My lips are here.” Laurien obliged with a giggle, and instead attacked Polly’s lips, with a deep kiss. [hider=Summary] The Nebbies approach DF on the Shengship, but some (namely Pallason) are dissatisfied with the plot of land they’re getting, seeing as it’s 90% desert with a fancy river in the middle. Pallason gets shut up by Hectore, Polly’s favourite squeeze, and snake’s like, “did I hear someone talking shit?” Polly says, “nah, fam, is beautiful” and they’re booted onto the land. Snek sails off and the Nebs are like, “fuck what do now?” Laurien flies off and is also like, “what do”. She summons Abraxas to make them a city, under which he puts the Twilight Forge. One panic attack at the disappearance of Laurien later, the Nebs find her the city. They are awestruck and quickly get to work on making it good. Polyastera names her empire Asteria and the city Laurienna. She and Laurien make out at the end. [/hider] [hider=MP Stuff] Orvus/Abraxas; Started with: 1MP & 3FP -1MP to create a cool town thing -3FP to create a monument Ended With: 0MP & 0FP (FML) Portfolios: 10/10FP Towards Asteroids Unlock > Not Purchased 5/5MP Towards Sword Portfolio Unlock > Not Purchased [/hider] [hider=Laurienna, capital of Asteria.] Laurienna is a tiered city. The first tier is housing and other buildings of mud bricks. the second tier is of rock and medium sized, with room for growth. The third tier is made of Sandstone and will host the ruling class. It sits close to the Taipang Delta. The walkways are paved in stone, and the place is built for a dry, hot climate. [/hider] [hider=The Twilight Forge] The Twilight Forge is a monument capable of producing weapons and armor out of a new material, called Starlight. The quality of the material goes up to steel, but more beautiful in appearance. It sits under the city, which we will go into more detail later on its exact location. To use the forge, one has to do a blood sacrifice. It also works in tiers. A lesser sacrifice (Small animals) = Weapon/Armor quality of bronze. And usually only makes one weapon, or one set of armor. The appearance of items at this tier is dim. A medium sacrifice (Medium sized animals to Large) = Weapon/Armor quality of iron. Usually makes a couple pairs of each. Appearance is brighter than the first tier. A greater sacrifice (Sapient Beings and Up) = Weapon/Armor quality of Steel. Usually makes many items depending on how great the sacrifice is. Appearance is the brightest. More to come. [/hider] [hider=Prestige] Laurien; +5 Prestige Starting +1 Prestige for Minor Role +1 Prestige for Major Role +1 Prestige for Jolly Collaboration = +8 Prestige Ending [/hider]