[centre][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/divinus-mk4/images/3/3b/Afc6efa58bae4f9c3be8ed679a7ac131.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/310?cb=20200229065521[/img] [h2]Gibbou[/h2] [/centre] [hr] With a pang, Gibbou, who had been soaring through the air with incredible speed, slammed into a rubbery tree, which catapulted her up into the air again, and back in the direction she had come from. She frowned and caught hold of a misfortunate branch, whose day would be ruined by a goddess’ mighty deceleration. The branch went ‘snap!’ and Gibbou, with a squeal, dropped down into the jungle below. There came a ‘poof’ as she belly-flopped into a moss bed, and it took even the goddess a few seconds to completely stop seeing stars. She pushed herself up, shook her head violently and rolled over so she could sit. [colour=lightblue]“To-do list: Get better at landings,”[/colour] she mumbled to herself as she tugged a twig loose from her braids. She saw in the distance that the sun was setting - finally! Her eyes had been hurting terribly almost all through the journey. She shouldn’t have waited until midnight to leave - she should’ve left when it started to grow dark! Sourly, she pinched her own cheek and gave a huff. Well, now that that was over with. She clapped her hands together. Guardians! The little moon goddess strolled about in the woods for a while, looking for materials, frequently hopping up through the canopy to see which way she was going - it didn’t help much, as all she saw was just more trees. However, after about a day of walking, her nose picked up a terrible stink. It was downright offensive, worse than anything she had ever smelled before - it reeked of agony, of pain, of rot! And Gibbou knew she had to find out what it was! Quick-paced steps got her through the jungle quickly, her nose guiding her along. After a while, the trees grew sparcer and sparcer, until she felt the ground under her feet grow moist and chilly. She looked down and slowly began to realise that she had broken out of the woods long ago - she was standing on the edge of a vast, seemingly endless swampland. She gave her head a scratch and hummed a ‘hmm’. Was this all there was to this area? No, something vaguely familiar had infused the essence of this place… It was almost as if… She was part of it. The thought made her shudder. This wasn’t really a place she’d like to hang around for much longer. Sure, her island didn’t exactly smell amazingly due to all the rot and mushrooms, but at least stuff lived there! Here, it was all mucky and barren and-... Something wiggled between her toes and Gibbou skipped a metre backwards. Her eyes fixed on the culprit and she assumed a defensive stance. However, it was only a simple worm, curiously probing the air that, a second or so ago, had been an oddly warm stone. Gibbou immediately dropped her guard and went to pick it up. She giggled and tickled at the little worm’s belly. As expected, it didn’t laugh much. She put it back on the ground again and gave its little head (or possibly butt) a soft pat. Looking around, she felt the pull of duty encourage her to make her guardians and return to the moon to keep watch over life again. However, there was just something about this place… Surely duty could wait, right? She pondered as she walked. What could it be about this place? Now it wasn’t just the nauseating dread of feeling like part of her was sewn into the fabric of reality here; the fen was actively making her upset. Taking a break from walking, she leaned against a beech tree to support her uncannily-fatigued form. [colour=lightblue]“What’s wrong with this place?”[/colour] she whispered through heavy breaths. A sudden pinch on the back of her arm threw her out of her thoughts. As she looked down, she saw a tiny man standing in a hole in the bark comparing a berry's color to her skin. Gibbou choked a squeal and stopped her instinctive compulsion to flick the man back into the hole he was standing in; instead, a little skip away from the tree would have to do. Collecting herself, she furrowed her brow and squinted at the small man. [colour=lightblue]“H-hello?”[/colour] The miniature man stood stoic and almost bashfully lifted the berry up as if offering it kindly. Gibbou blinked and politely accepted the berry, eyeing it curiously and occasionally shifting that very pensive look to the little man in the tree. Eventually, she, too, gave the berry a little comparison to her skin and snickered. [colour=lightblue]“What, were you seeing which was darker?”[/colour] she teased as she popped the berry in her mouth, offering a soft hum at the flavour. “Yeah, that’s definitely sweet. Thank you!” She gave her temple a scratch. [colour=lightblue]“So… What’s your name?”[/colour] "Adrian," The voice was small and shy, "what's yours?" Gibbou gasped and leaned in with a grin. [colour=lightblue]“Oh! You can actually talk! You are so adorable!”[/colour] Adrian grimaced and covered his ears briefly before nodding, "Yes, we all can..." He shifted, "but who are you?" Gibbou blinked again and pulled back. [colour=lightblue]“Oh! Right, sorry, heheh. I am Gibbou, the moon goddess! I’m just quickly dropping by down here to make some-...”[/colour] Gibbou took a deep breath and unleashed a quiet burp. [colour=lightblue]“Oof, pardon me. That was a, urp, meaty berry.”[/colour] She swallowed. [colour=lightblue]“Anyway, I came to make some guardians to keep mortal life safe while I fly behind the planet.”[/colour] Adrian sniffed a little and craned his neck. The timidness left his voice as he grew comfortable, "Well I have no idea about any of that, but do you want to see our garden?" [colour=lightblue]“Hold that thought,”[/colour] mumbled Gibbou and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She then snapped the fingers on her right hand, eliciting a small ‘poof’. Then, between her index and her thumb, she held a tiny, round, brown hat with two small strands of bat hair in its rim. She gently put it on Adrian’s head and nodded sagely. [colour=lightblue]“Yes, yes, wonderful. Go on.”[/colour] Adrian flipped the hat in his hands a few times before returning it to his head with an appreciative nod, half crescent smile and a quick, "Thank you." Disappearing back into the hole, Adrians voice echoed out, "I'll meet you on the other side of the tree!" Gibbou blinked and took the two-three steps necessary to circle around the back of the tree. There was a tiny “hup!” as Adrian landed on her shoulder, surveying the sacred grove from the new vantage point as if he had never seen it before. The mossy carpet, the blue mushrooms and houllin berry plants -- as well as the single standing gate at the very center. Surrounding the gate was the sound of a gentle flute and a crowd of admiring thumblings. Adrian took in a deep breath and prodded Gibbou’s neck. “Pretty great, huh?” Gibbou gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, softening a goofy giggle. [colour=lightblue]"It's all so-...! I mean, it's beautiful! How long did it take you to make this?"[/colour] She squatted down (with Adrian holding tight to a tuft of stray hair from her neck) and poked at one of the mushrooms. [colour=lightblue]"How did you achieve such an adorable blue colour?"[/colour] “Well I didn’t do it,” Adrian responded casually, “it’s always been there, this all has.” He waved a hand as if re-presenting the grove, “The mushrooms are alright, but the berries are the real tasties -- as you’ve had.” She ballooned her cheeks out and frowned. [colour=lightblue]"Very filling, too, oof. So, what do you all do to pass the time here? Is this, uh,"[/colour] she gave the beech tree a few knocks with a curled finger, [colour=lightblue]"is this a nice place to live?"[/colour] "The best!" Adrian didn't hesitate, "I really like everyone here, and there is always music, food and water. Hey, watch this!" Without much else, Adrian leapt from Gibbou's shoulder with a tiny cackle. Before he could hit the ground, a wave of golden light unfolded under him, catching the thumbling midair before gently placing him on the ground. The sound of the ghostly flute fluttered around him as he laughed and pointed up at Gibbou, "See? Music! Fun!" The moon goddess cooed her excitement and clapped. [colour=lightblue]"How did you do that?! Is there a hidden band somewhere?"[/colour] To accentuate her point, she started looking around searchingly. "I don't know, it's always been!" Adrian clapped back, "It brings us water and berries, too." Adrian tugged on the colorful leaves that dressed his body, "And made these." He paused, "You never had... Or have... Whatever this all is?" [colour=lightblue]"What, leaves on my body?"[/colour] Gibbou asked with a defensive frown and tugged at the centre of her nightsky shirt while looking down at it self-consciously. [colour=lightblue]"I… I guess not. Should I?"[/colour] "Well I meant all of it," Adrian pinched his chin, "But now that you mention it, you probably should. You'd look great in a nice orange." He poked at an orange autumn leaf that wrapped around his waist. Gibbou made a face. [colour=lightblue]"I think I would need a good few more leaves to cover myself like you do, mister Adrian."[/colour] She lifted her head to the sky - dawn was approaching. [colour=lightblue]"Ugh… Say, mister Adrian, is there somewhere here that I can…-"[/colour] Her eyes by chance landed upon the inscription upon the gate and hardened. [colour=lightblue]"... The child of Night… Wait, what's this from?"[/colour] She pushed herself up and approached to inspect it closer, mouthing the words as she walked. The other thumblings scattered at the sudden approach. "It's always be-" Adrian's eyes widened as the once blank pillar that mirrored the inscripted pillar was suddenly engulfed in a golden light. Slowly more words were mysteriously carved into the stone to the tune of the flute: "He will bring the end." Gibbou furrowed her brow in confusion. [colour=lightblue]"... The child of… Will bring the end. Is, is this aimed at me?"[/colour] Adrian looked even more confused than Gibbou as he leaned against her leg, "I don't really know what that is, or what you're talking about." Gibbou's breathing sped up. [colour=lightblue]"S-so my child - no wait, it could be metaphorical! B-but who would write something like this, and-... Has it happened? No, no, it's future tense!"[/colour] She looked back at Adrian. [colour=lightblue]"Did any of you see anyone write this here? Someone like me, perhaps? Maybe taller or, I guess, more boarish?"[/colour] She looked back at the gate and bit at her thumbnail anxiously. Adrian shrugged and took a tiny step forward, "If you mean the little marks on the stone, your guess is as good as mine. They have always been, except for that new bit." "It was the Golden Light," A tiny voice peeped up from behind a mushroom. Slowly an elderly thumbling clamored to the top of the fungus and sat down to catch his breath, "you saw it yourselves." A stark white beard as long as him bobbed as he lectured, "The fluteplayer, the berry giver, the water gifter, all those things are one." [colour=lightblue]"The Golden Light. It-it can't have been my sister… Right?"[/colour] She eyed the gate again with a half-bitten index nail in her mouth. [colour=lightblue]"No, no, of course not - right?"[/colour] "No," the elder shook his head, "it was no thumbling: no thumbling as big as you or as small as me, it was the blanket that serves us." He sucked in a whistling breath, "The light that catches Adrian when he leaps, the light that saw me to life so long ago. Listen." As the old man's croaking voice faded away, the faint flute could be heard again. The elder gave a toothless grin, "The light is happy." Gibbou swallowed uncomfortably and slowly sat down again, allowing the thumblings by her feet to run for cover. [colour=lightblue]"Can, can I talk to it?"[/colour] she asked with a small voice. Addian sat on her knee, kicking his legs and engrossed in the conversation. "Maybe," the elder said, "I never managed to, but I have also never been coloured blue and extremely massive." He held out his hands as if to punctuate his point, "I say everything is worth a try if done with good intent." Gibbou nodded carefully and looked upwards at nothing in particular. She intertwined her fingers loosely and breathed a sigh. [colour=lightblue]"Mister Light? Are you out there?"[/colour] A gentle pulse reverberated through the grove. It was as if someone had disrupted a still pool of water ever so slightly. The old thumbling grinned again, "So you see? We are in the light. I reckon it is listening." Gibbou offered the old thumbling another soft nod, her eyes busily scanning the surroundings. She held out a hand and turned it, observing small tremors in the air as if observing the air above a candle.[colour=lightblue]"This sensation… You're lifeblood, aren't you, mister Light?"[/colour] The trees rustled softly and a sorrowful flute whispered behind the leaves. Something in the song pecked at Gibbou's mind, and the suddenly melancholic faces of the thumblings told her she wasn't the only one. The elder cleared his throat. "Only for so long, now," The elder sank in his seat, "Only for so long." Gibbou blinked at the elder, but closed her mouth before she could say anything upon seeing the first beams of sunlight peek over the horizon. She sighed and shook her head. [colour=lightblue]“Well, I suppose I should find shelter for the day, lest I wanna get a nasty burn. Would any of you mind if I made myself comfortable over here?”[/colour] She pointed at a nearby moss patch. "Make yourself comfortable," the elder gave a sage nod before turning back to the music, ears perked. Gibbou smiled back and dragged herself tiredly over to the moss patch, which she tugged at with some effort and, with a little more effort, shaped into a blanket that covered her whole body. She made herself comfortable on the ground and fell asleep to the sound of the flute. ---- In the night, vicious thoughts plagued the moon goddess’ mind, the prophecy digging at her giddy enthusiasm. When she at last woke up at sundown, the bags under her already dark eyes made her white pupils stand out to an uncanny degree. She rubbed her eyes free of as much gloominess as she could and lifted the moss blanket off herself. She stood up slowly and pulled her feet groggily towards the little grove again. [colour=lightblue]“Hey, mister elder? I don’t know if you’re awake, but I’m not feeling too well. I’m just going to make what I came here to make and woosh on back to my moon to ponder some, okay?”[/colour] There was a ruffling in her braid and a tired Adrian yawned, "Whassat?" [colour=lightblue]“Oh, hi, mister Adrian,”[/colour] Gibbou cooed through a yawn. [colour=lightblue]“Yeah, I was just saying that I’ll be making those guardians I’ve been mumbling to myself about for… A while now and then head home. I’m a bit under the weather, I think.”[/colour] "What's that?" Adrian stretched and folded his legs under him, cushioned by the top of Gibbou's head. He cleared the sleep out of his throat. "The light can take care of you." She gave a hum. [colour=lightblue]“That so, huh? Well… I suppose, if anything, the light could help me make what I’m making. Are you there, mister Light?”[/colour] she asked and held out her hand. Adrian paused and looked around from his vantage point, "We are always in the light, I think." Gibbou made a wry frown and gave a soft shrug. [colour=lightblue]“Sure do hope so. Well, ready for a little stroll, mister Adrian?”[/colour] "Yeah hold on." Adrian grabbed two fistfuls of hair before eagerly nodding. "Onward!" He gave a tiny thumbling laugh. Gibbou couldn’t help but giggle along as she set forth on the journey back towards the forest. On the way, Gibbou would occasionally stop to pick up fancy-looking stones and sticks, gathering them in a bunch under her left hand. By the time they reached the forest again, it was midnight. Gibbou put down the now-quite sizable pile of materials she had found and placed her hands on her hips. [colour=lightblue]“Hey, mister Adrian? You ready to see some divine magic?”[/colour] "I have no idea," Adrian snickered. Gibbou picked up a stone and threw it high into the air. When it reached the zenith of its trajectory, it burst into a cloud of sand, which drizzled down again from above. However, as it fell, it started piling up at three points, almost as if there was standing someone there - and then someone stood there! It could also be appropriate to refer to it as some-THING, for it was certainly no thumbling, nor was it the size of any mortal this world had ever seen before. There stood a man-like monster, ten metres tall, with a nose like a tree trunk growing perpendicular to the face. It had hair like vine plants, growing in a forest so fast that the top of its head actually sprouted saplings. The vines continued down the sides of its face, forming a thick neckbeard that hung as low as the groin. Its skin was a mixture of pale pink and mossy green, looking almost stone-like in texture, though being as pliable as dough. Its eyes were nearly buried in all the hair, and even from birth, the creature looked many decades old. Gibbou gave its head a wave. [colour=lightblue]“Heeeey! Down here!”[/colour] The creature craned its head forward. “Who’re you, ah?” it rumbled curiously. Gibbou smiled politely back. [colour=lightblue]“Oh, I’m Gibbou! Oraelia’s my sister and that,”[/colour] she pointed to the sky, [colour=lightblue]“is my moon! I made you, you see, with the purpose of--”[/colour] “Gib-whut-now?” went the creature and scratched its head. Moss and dirt by the kilos crashed into the ground by its feet and Gibbou had to make certain nothing hit Adrian by accident. “You’ve got a funny name, lass - seh, what’s my name?” [colour=lightblue]“Your name? Uh…”[/colour] Gibbou stuttered in a taken-aback manner, and while she pondered, the sticks from her pile suddenly stood up by themselves and grew a body. This body was considerably shorter than its cousin, standing only two metres tall. It also took a chubbier shape, had a small, potato-like nose, and grew hair all the way down to its ankles. The hair was riddled with moss and mushrooms, and its skin was pink and pig-like. From its back, a hair-tipped tail snaked its way along the ground. It gave a small yawn and shifted between Gibbou and the giant. “Whot in gods’ name ‘ave I woken up to ‘ere, ey?” Gibbou squealed. [colour=lightblue]“Ah! H-how did you form so easily?”[/colour] “Daggern if I know,” said the creature with its pinky digging around in its nose. “One moment, nuffin’ - the next? Poof!” A thunderous cackle came from above. “Aye, you sure said it, lad.” [colour=lightblue]“Now if you two would just--”[/colour] “So whot’s the party ‘ere all about?” came a third voice and Gibbou groaned. [colour=lightblue]“Another o--OH, SISTER!”[/colour] she squealed, skipped backwards and hid her face behind her hands. Having risen from some animal bones she had found earlier stood a five metre tall giant with a head like a rotting fish skull if it was compressed into a vaguely humanoid shape. It barely had any head on its head, save for miserable strands desperately holding onto what genuinely looked to be diseased, sickly skin. Its eyes were hollow and bloodshot, and it oozed an offensive stink like rotting meat. Its body was disproportionately small compared to the large head, but despite all these nauseating characteristics, its aura was that of a simple, friendly giant. It had a look between all four of them, grinning as non-threateningly as possible (failing miserably, though). “Sorry, was a lil’ tough to get that femur in the roight place,” he explained in a voice like warm milk. “Say, m’lady, you were giving us names just now, roight?” "Maybe we should go," Adrian said shakily behind his hat. Gibbou dared peek through her fingers and offered a very soft nod. [colour=lightblue]“M-hm,”[/colour] she replied anxiously, making sure there were only the five of them. Then, all of a sudden, something gripped Adrian by his collar and tried to pick it up from Gibbou’s hair. “Oi, whot’s this’un, now?” The air seemed to shimmer and Adrian squealed, "I'm A-Adrian." He kicked his dangling feet. Gibbou spun around and grabbed whatever was holding Adrian by his own collar. It was a much shorter creature, no more than a metre and a half. It was similar to the other three, but horns sprouted from the curly hair on its head, and it had no beard growth to speak of, nor much hair of any kind, really, except on top. It immediately lifted both hands in the air and put on a half grin. “Roight, roight, no need to get all pissy ‘n all tha’. Just havin’ a lil’ bitt’a fun, a’roight? Say, missy, wanna play a game?” [colour=lightblue]“A game?”[/colour] Gibbou offered back, Adrian getting settled back on her head, and before she could say yes, the creature’s tail quickly snatched up Adrian again and it sprinted off with a maniacal cackle, the air bending behind him. In the background, the giant one and the hairy one were both laughing along while the ugly one crossed its arms over its boney chest with a disappointed frown on what could barely pass for a face. In the grip of the creature, Adrian screamed -- his eyes frozen shut with fear. The laughter of his kidnapper sloshed in his ears, alongside something else: the flute. It was sad, quiet, dying. Adrian opened his eyes and noticed a wave of light following him and his assailant. Gibbou yelled, [colour=lightblue]“ADRIAN!”[/colour] and lifted one of her feet to follow in pursuit. “Oi!” came a voice like thunder behind her and she stopped, shaking anxiously between pursuit and paying attention. [colour=lightblue]“Yes? What?!”[/colour] “Our names?” rumbled the giant. The hairy one gave his neck an ennuied scratch and the ugly one merely sighed patiently. [colour=lightblue]“Can’t you just--... Ugh! Alright, uh… First! You’re trolls, okay? Remember that! You were made to keep life safe while I’m up on the moon, and-... Can’t we take this some other time?”[/colour] “Rather not. Sun’s coming up soon, I reckon,” mumbled the hairy one. “Oh, that’d be bad. Don’t like the sun much’t all,” agreed the ugly one. “Why, what’ll the sun do?” the giant asked with a hint of fright. [colour=lightblue]“PLEASE!”[/colour] Gibbou pleaded and the three of them momentarily shut up. The moon goddess breathed in deeply and pointed first to the big one. [colour=lightblue]“You! You’re a dovregubbe, got it?”[/colour] “But you just said I was a troll.” [colour=lightblue]“Oh my-...”[/colour] Gibbou breathed deeply. [colour=lightblue]“Okay, you are a troll - that’s you species. Your subspecies - that’s dovregubbe!”[/colour] “My subspeeshis?” [colour=lightblue]“Nevermind. You!”[/colour] she pointed at the hairy one, who casually thumbed its chest. [colour=lightblue]“You’re a ranglefant!”[/colour] “Sounds a bit dirty, dunnit?” the ranglefant snickered. Gibbou rolled her eyes and pointed at the ugly one. [colour=lightblue]“You! You’re a draug.”[/colour] The draug gave a terrifyingly warming (and also downright terrifying) smile and nodded. “Thank you, m’lady. I’mma treasure that name, I will.” Gibbou nodded back with an anxious smile. [colour=lightblue]“Alright, are we good here?”[/colour] “Question for ya, Gibboo,” the dovregubbe went. [colour=lightblue]“What?”[/colour] “What’s that wee lad’s name, then?” Gibbou drew a breath. [colour=lightblue]“If it’s alive by the time I’m done with it, I suppose I’ll call it an askeladd. Now, you three, behave!”[/colour] With that, Gibbou sprinted after the troll on the run. The three trolls exchanged looks. “So… Whot now?” went the draug casually. The ranglefant shrugged. “S’pose it’s just about lunchtime, innit?” it went and picked at the ground for something to eat. “Hey, lads - what did she say we were supposed to do again?” The ranglefant shrugged again. “Dunno. Somethin’ about keepin’ life somethin’ or uvva’.” “Safe, I believe,” said the draug. The ranglefant rolled its eyes as it dug up a worm and put it into its mouth. “Roight, dovregubbe, mate. Want to check whot the woods’ got for snacks?” The draug frowned. “Mates?” “O-ho-ho! Now that sounds like a plan!” the giant thundered along and the two of them strolled into the woods, the dovregubbe shoving trees aside in its stride. The draug stood alone at the border to the fen, scratching its head thoughtfully. “Well, oughta find myself a cave, I suppose.” Then it, too, entered the woods. [hr] Gibbou knew she was much faster than the askeladd, but it had gotten a considerable lead on her and could be hiding anywhere. Divine senses did her little good somewhere as smelly as this place, but it had to be somewhere. A tiny yelp caught her attention and quickly her divine eyes snapped onto the askeladd. It was headed right for the line of beech trees that guarded the grove. A steadily growing ripple of light followed it, unbeknownst to the beast. Gibbou sprinted over and tossed herself at the askeladd, tackling it through the treeline and to the mossy ground of the grove. Immediately she picked it up to make certain it or she hadn’t killed any thumblings. The flute seemed to hiss faintly around them. “Okay! Okay, you got me!” the askeladd confessed with a smirk and handed over the shaken Adrian. Gibbou accepted him as if he was a breaking egg and brought him up to her face. [colour=lightblue]“Adrian! Are you okay? Oh, please be okay!”[/colour] Adrian -- who was clinging tightly to Gibbou’s thumb out of reflex, tiny heartbeat pounding against her -- nodded. “I-” The sound of the flute was growing louder. Adrian cleared his throat to talk over it, “I!-” but the flute grew louder. “Not for very much longer, indeed,” The wise croak of the elder sounded. Looking over, he was sitting on his mushroom, a single finger pointed at the gate. The scripture on its stone was glowing: “The son of night will be brought to light; he will bring the end.” In front of the gate, the askeladd stood in stunning awe as a blanket of light flowed around him. BANG! The rusted gate slammed open, the metal smashing against the pillar. An enormous flash broke the night, turning the grove to pocks of light and purple negatives. With a ripping wind, the golden light began to funnel into the gate, disappearing on the other side -- the flute carrying with it. As it peeled from the grove, it was leaving a second sea of light in its place -- a terrible anger residing in this new body as the flow of mercy and care left for the gate. The scene was frozen as a heart wrenching slam marked the end of the flute’s song -- the gate had closed, the music was dead and all that remained outside the gate was half of the once-loving light; a sea of anger. The markings on the gate recarved to say “The son of night will be brought to light; he will bring the end.” but a single note of a flute played after it, adding yet another line to the prophecy, a tiny speck of hope among the despair “He will begin again.” The note faded, the gate rusted closed once more and the great anger that engulfed the scene suddenly pulsed. Adrian stuttered, “Why...” Meanwhile the askeladd was slowly sneaking away. Gibbou turned to it with a furious glare. [colour=lightblue]“Don’t you move another inch! We’re going to have a serious talk, mister!”[/colour] The askeladd held up both palms in a negotiating manner. “Of course, of course! Just lem’me sit on right down ‘ere aaand-- SIKE!” The askeladd started sprinting away again. Gibbou blinked. [colour=lightblue]“H-hey! Come back! I’m your goddess, you know! Do you know what I could do to you?!”[/colour] “Up yours, blueberry! Hihihihihi!” the askeladd cackled back as it skipped over a large heap in the fen and disappeared into the night. Gibbou grit her teeth sourly, but refocused her attention on the surrounding light which began to rumble like a thunderstorm. All at once, the sea of light began to explode out of the grove and after the troll, the waves crashing against trees and Gibbou alike. The forever stream seemed to have little care for who or what it swirled past as it’s intense flow ripped the leaves from the trees and forced the thumblings to cower behind rocks and large sticks. The blasting wind that followed the light beat down the grove until all at once, the light and all peace was gone from the grove. Gibbou, Adrian, the elder, and everyone else were left in the empty grove -- the music long gone. Leaves littered the once serene area, and the thumblings looked devastated -- tiny eyes looking up at Gibbou for answers. The moon goddess mouthed the words from the prophecy and drew a quivering gasp. [colour=lightblue]"Child of Night… Oh no. What have I done?"[/colour] She dropped to her knees, then had to support her torso with her arms. Quartz-white tears welled up in her eyes and began dripping down on the moss, forming little chalky bubbles. Adrian frowned and patted her elbow, "No one could have seen this coming -- well I suppose the gate did but no one else." "There, there," The elder said to Gibbou as much as the rest of the thumblings, "What is gone will come again. I can feel it." Gibbou looked up and wiped away so many tears that they stained her sleeve white. [colour=lightblue]“Wuh-wha’h? Wha’h you meehn?”[/colour] She gave a sobbing sniff. The elder took a long inhale and looked up at the now barren canopy. He held his stare, a wise gleam in his eye as he croaked with absolute certainty, "I have no idea." "See- wait what?" Adrian looked over at the elder. "Life's a mystery, boy," The elder settled on his mushroom, "take peace where you can." Gibbou gave another sob. [colour=lightblue]“B-buh… But what’ll happen to you now?”[/colour] She picked up a batch of moss and used it to blow her nose, immediately regretting it after her nostrils filled with dirt. “I imagine a lot of things,” the elder said to the onlooker’s dismay, “But where there are downs, there are ups as well.” “How are you so calm about this?” Adrian asked with a sudden huff. “Perhaps a piece of the light rubbed off on me during my life,” the elder suggested, “I feel as though I can still hear its flute and the warmth of its grace.” He wiggled his nose and slowly rose to his feet, “But enough talk - it’s time to gather our own water, and pick our own berries -- and Adrian.” “Yes?” “No more jumping from tall places.” [hider=MP Summary!] Gibbou start: 5MP/0DP 1MP: Create sapient species - Trolls: Trolls are Gibbou’s watchmen on Galbar while she’s away on her moon; however, none of them are particularly good at it. There are four races which will be explored further in the wiki. Gibbou end: 4MP/0DP Joab-Balaam-blood start: 1MP/0DP 1MP: Create sapient species - Trolls. 0MP: Troll gets punished off screen, allergic to music JBB end: 0MP/0DP The Sacred Grove: +5 prestige. [/hider] [hider=Summary] Gibbou finds a thumbling named Adrian and the two have a chat about important things that I’m not going to list here (what could they be?). Gibbou then finds the gate in the sacred Grove and the prophecy “The child of night will be brought to light; he will bring the end.” Gibbou is spooked and meets a wise old elder, Gibbou meets “the light” that cares for the thumblings and the grove, she goes to bed The next day Gibbou and Adrian leave the grove to go make trolls. The trolls are jackasses and one steals Adrian. Upon reaching the grove with the stolen thumbling, “the light” splits in two, with the loving side disappearing through the gate, while the angry side (Joab) remains and hunts down the troll, wrecking everything in its path. The child of the night brought the end. A new prophecy forms that is identical to the last, but with the caveat that He will begin again. I personally would read this entire post, there are a lot of nuances that explains what this light is and why it split, but if you don’t want to, that's fine -- just know that some future actions and interactions with Joab may not make as much sense. [/hider]