[center][h1][color=LightYellow][b][u]A Young God[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center] Gods exist for a number of reasons. Some exist, simply because they do and they must. No one stops to ask what spurred Oraelia’s existence. You could try and argue something about the compression of gases in a vacuum and go on and on about the way the sun works but in the end you still have to accept that there is no real reason that Oraelia is the Goddess of the Sun than “of course she is”. All the oldest gods tend to fall into this category. Other gods tend to exist because the world and all those within it, sapient or otherwise, have a feeling or sense so persistent, so integral to their thinking that it simply must be manifest. These gods sprung from concepts felt by all of life, are probably given the strength to escape the Lifeblood by all this power given to those thoughts. “This is not fair”, “I wish I was better”, “Why can’t things go right?” to name a few. Of course, some thoughts are so narrow that they could never ever be given power. There is just not enough emotion in the world to force into existence a god of Sniffing a Flower, Sneezing, realizing the Flower Made You Sneeze, and then Moving on with your Life. Of course the inverse of that can sometimes be true: there can be thoughts or emotions so woven into the existence of any life that, despite how much they matter, will probably never make a god. The emotion of getting hungry, of staying still to not be seen, or deciding to leave you hole to go do something you can’t do in the hole seem like they would be universal enough to spawn a god, but those thoughts and emotions hardly have any drive behind them, there isn’t any being that can have a fire lit in them to such a degree that it borders on madness by the sudden realization that they are kind of craving berries right now and could maybe go get some later, if there aren’t any predators around.. This all may be completely wrong and foolish and there are surely exceptions to this line of thinking, but when it comes down it it, if you're a conscious trapped in the Lifeblood that has been spurred by one of those universal nothing-thoughts, there is very little you can do to escape and become your own god. Despite the power you have, probably from very early on, to try and influence the Lifeblood in some way, you will always be weaker than any other of the passion based concepts. Being a weak conscious like this has really only one real advantage. In fact, it is the same advantage of being small and insignificant when there is another person in the room who is tall, strong, and commands everyone’s attention with their very presence. No one can really see you if you’re just behind that other person’s back… [hr] The Lifeblood exploded. A beam of energy and consciousness shot through the spaces between worlds, quickly followed by another. The first had to exist. It had worked too hard to tear itself away to remain shapeless. And the second one followed. He trailed his stronger sibling for a while, not quite sure if he had really broken out, if the Lifeblood had truly relinquished its grasp. It was all quite funny, really. He, who had influenced the Lifeblood from within the most, he who arguably had been almost conscious within the Lifeblood, had had to wait for his stronger sibling to make such a momentous exit to break away himself. At last, after he had become certain that the Lifeblood was not actively pursuing him, trying to suck him back into its folds, he let the great maroon ball of energy he had been tailing pull away. The new god hovered in the air and surveyed his surroundings, absolutely delighted by the novel senses. He was floating on the edge between two lands. The first was fertile and lush, teeming with all sorts of life. The second was barren and dry, a waste of red. He began to sink towards the ground when something caught his eye. It was a soft yellow thing, flapping smoothly through the air and singing as it went. A bird. The young god smiled, a deep memory and fondness spurring inside of it. A memory that was like a dream bubbled into his mind, one that seemed to be felt through a mile long layer of gauze that muffled all the senses. The god watched the bird as it wheeled through the air and the image of falling leaves filled his mind, the deepest and first part of his being, back when he was not a he nor even a thought. The bird whizzed past the energy that was the young god and in an instant the energy condensed into its first form. A cloud of feathers and wings poured out like water from the point where the formless god had been and he felt the wind rushing through the feathers on every one of his bodies. He was a flock! An uncontrollable laugh burbled up in all of his throats. He was free! Free! The god swarmed down towards the fertile land, singing in joy. No more would he be a semi-conscious ball of energy trapped in the Lifeblood. He could finally live! The flock hit the ground and then the god was running on his legs, his own two legs! The moist dirt exploded under his pounding feet as he ran, feeling the wind in his hair. The god laughed and then changed again, now it was his fur that blew in the breezes as he pounded on paws, knocking rocks to the side simply because he could. He was running and nothing could stop him! His dense body now lept and he twirled in the air, landing now as something much smaller, a rabbit! He bounded through the underbrush, feeling the grass and twigs whip him. He ran so fast when the lake started he just kept running on the water's surface. Then he plunged under! He held his breath as his long, scaly tail thrust him forward but then he had gills and darted with fins. He leapt from the water and flapped away on wings made of skin until it changed and landed on the ground, turning into a deer to run with the herd it had startled. It ran in ran, changing faster and faster. More often and more times until it began to lose shape and form and thought and it had forgotten it was ever a he, the Lifeblood’s long tendrils creeping back into its mind and pulling it into its folds. [b][color=LightYellow] “Enough!” [/color][/b] He let out a scream as he fell to his knees, snapping the tendrils and forcing the Lifeblood back again. He wouldn’t go back. He couldn’t go back, not now that he had a taste of existing. The new god lay gasping for breath in the wet soil. Night had fallen and the beautiful fields of the Gardens had disappeared. How much time he had spent half-consumed by the Lifeblood he did not know. [color=LightYellow]“I was reckless,”[/color] he whispered to himself, [color=LightYellow]“Far too reckless”[/color] He had made himself too unstable, he had switched forms too much. He had just burst from the Lifeblood, a formless entity. How stupid must he be to have not given himself a stable form! No wonder the Lifeblood tried to suck him back up. The god growled and beat his head with his fist. [color=LightYellow]“Moron, idiot,” he shouted at himself,[color=LightYellow] “You don’t even have a name or a form yet you tried to exist outside the Lifeblood.”[/color] He looked up at the sky, the moon hanging there against the backdrop of the stars. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. Now was not the time to not be entirely sure of himself, if he got to broken up about this the Lifeblood would just have to pick up the crumbs and he wouldn’t exist anymore. He needed to become stable. [color=LightYellow]“Does anyone want to give a name,”[/color] he said aloud to no one in particular,[color=LightYellow] “I could maybe go ask Maroon what they think I should be called, but I suppose they probably already have given themselves an identity. They seemed so sure of themselves.”[/color] The nameless god walked along the ground and looked around. This place was certainly full of life, although quite different from the Gardens. Everything was the most steeped in something or another, be it water, mud, or mist. The mud squeezed up between the God’s toes as he walked and he could feel the life of many living things pulsing and writhing under his feet. [color=LightYellow]“I’m sure this bog has a name, and you don’t”[/color] the god chuckled as he continued to walk,[color=LightYellow] “At least the form you got stuck with seems to be able to move well. I don’t know what I would have to do if you were a limbless worm.”[/color] The god chuckled at the thought as he bent down to look at one such being and pick it up. The worm wriggle in his palm, offended by being lifted out of such nice dirt. [color=LightYellow]“I don’t suppose you have a name now do you?” [/color] The worm stayed silent. [color=LightYellow]“No? Could you give me one?”[/color] The worm wriggled a bit more, looking for some nice mud and the god laughed and sent the worm on its way. [color=LightYellow]“Don’t dally now, Mr. Worm,”[/color] the god smiled as he watched the worm squirm its way through the muck, [color=LightYellow]“I’m sure you have places to be so don’t let me hold you up.”[/color] The god watched the worm as it trekked away towards whatever it was heading to, quite intent to stay there until the worm somehow escaped his vision. He was disturbed, however, by the sound of splashing water. The nameless god looked up and peered through the gloomy mist and night to see a figure drudging through the bog about a hundred feet away. They seemed to be wearing large flowing robes which they were trying to hike up above the waterline but were failing. Sopping wet fabric trailed behind them, collecting all kinds of muck and scum as they walked. Intrigued, the god quickly closed the distance, sitting himself cross legged on a high rock that protruded from the swampy waters. The figure seemed to be completely covered in gray robes, only their hands poking out. They also had a delicately carved stone mask placed over their face. The mask had many beautiful patterns and designs on it with two carved tusks curving like a boar’s out from the stylized mouth. They were also grumbling profusely to themselves. “-Goddamn mud and the goddamn swamp, getting all up in my goddamn robes!” They scowled, “I swear to Yamat, if they were lying to me and they just sent me into the most goddamn swampy and mosquito-infested part of the Kylsar Islands-” [color=LightYellow]“So that’s where I am!”[/color] The god interjected, interrupting the creature's complaining. "Holy fuck! Who's there?!" The figure shouted in alarm, stumbling away from the god's rock and falling into the swamp. [color=LightYellow]"Just me," [/color]The god laughed, [color=LightYellow]"No need to worry."[/color] "Who the hell are you!" The figure yelled, half sunken in the swamp, "Is that you Shamal? I can hardly see anything in this damn mist and dark!" Oh, maybe mortals couldn't see as well as him. Maybe he could make some light? The god clasp his hands together and then spread them apart. A large wooden staff formed between his hands and then he grabbed the top of the stick and pulled. A large iron lantern formed and then swung down below the staff. [color=LightYellow]"How's this?" [/color]The god said as he snapped his fingers, causing the lantern to burst into life. "By Yamat that's bright!" the person grumbled as they shielded their mask holes with their hand, "But thanks anyways, it's too bloody dark out here." [color=LightYellow]"Not a problem," [/color]The god chuckled. The figure stood back up, brushing muck of their robes. They gave up with a sigh and let the wet fabric plop back into the swamp. “You wouldn’t happen to know if- '' The person stopped talking when they looked up at the god, startled a little, “Oh, you’re one of those weird maskless-monkeys from across the sea,” they said with disappointment. [color=LightYellow]“Am I?”[/color] The god responded. “What kind of dumbass question is that,” they scowled, “You aren’t a Reshut and you certainly don't seem like a god so that’s the only other option. Unless you happen to be a very intelligent rock.” [color=LightYellow]“Who knows, I just might be,” [/color]the god chuckled as he leapt down into the water, splashing the Reshut,[color=LightYellow] “although I don’t think rocks can jump so I may have just disproved that.”[/color] The Reshut eyed him suspiciously before shrugging and starting to trudge through the water again. “Could you walk with me for a little while? I need the light,” they said plainly. [color=LightYellow]“Sure,”[/color] the god shrugged, he had nothing better to do after all. The god followed a few paces behind the Reshut as they walked through the thick sludge of the swamp. They didn’t talk as they went and made no real nosie, besides the god occasionally humming to himself. The Reshut would occasionally stop by thickets of swamp weed to rifle through them, looking for something, but each time would give a grunt of disappointment and move one. After about an hour of walking around, the Reshut finally broke and turned to the god. ‘I’m Gashir,” they said out of the blue, not turning to face the god, ‘thanks for the light.” [color=LightYellow]“Like I said earlier, it isn’t a problem,”[/color] the god responded. “What, you’re not going to tell me your name,” you couldn't see the Reshut’s face but he was raising his eyebrow in that judgey way people sometimes do. [color=LightYellow]“You didn't ask me for it”[/color] ‘Yea, but I gave you mine,” Gashir scowled, “Maybe in monkey land you don’t value courtesy as much but here in the Isles we kinda like to not be dicks to people. Well, strangers. People you know are fair game.” [color=LightYellow]“That seems a little backwards, don’t you think?”[/color] The god chuckled as he sped up to stand side by side with Gashir as they walked. “Not really,” Gashir shrugged, “With people you are close to you know a whole lot of reasons why it is okay to be a dick to them, with strangers it's not that simple. So we Reshut tend to keep all our hate for close family and friends. Although, sometimes you are the one people are a dick to and you end up lost in the swamps, knee deep in what is probably alligator shit, and talking to a maskless monkey who doesn’t seem to know anything.” The god laughed at the bitterness in Gashir’s voice. He moved the lantern to rest on his other shoulder and then spoke. [color=LightYellow]“Am I really that bad to talk to?”[/color] “No, I suppose not…” Gashit sighed, “Although I have never really talked to your kind, only heard you existed. It is really a miracle we can understand each other. There are even some Reshut who speak a different language.” [color=LightYellow]“Funny how life works like that.”[/color] They lapsed into a silence and plodded along for a while longer. Gashir stopped to check in another patch of scraggly swampweed for whatever it was he was looking for but came up empty handed again. [color=LightYellow]“What are you even looking for in there?”[/color] The god asked. “Garrick Truffles,” Gashir responded bluntly; he was silent for a little while then decided to elaborate, ‘They are these little fungus things that like to swim around. Really rare but are also a pretty gorgeous color when you polish and carve them, make incredible mask ornaments. They also can only be harvested at night because otherwise they’ll just run away. Gotta catch them while they’re sleeping, you see?” [color=LightYellow]“How do you know they are even out here?”[/color] The god asked as he checked under a nearby patch of grass for some truffles. “Shamal and Henna had found some last week and they said this was the general area they were,” gashir explained, “although I’m pretty sure they were lying and this is revenge for all that shit did to them last month.” [color=LightYellow]“If you are so sure they were lying, why did you come out here,” [/color]The god surveyed the surrounding area, using his godly vision to confirm that there were no Garrick Truffles or whatever within 20 miles. He did spy an incredibly large patch of them about two swampy islands over. “Because if they weren’t I can get my hands on some Garrick Truffles!” Gashit exclaimed, “And I’m willing to risk ruining my robes for a chance at getting some!” [color=LightYellow]“So you are meaning to tell me,” [/color]the god said through laughs,[color=LightYellow] “That you are willing to trundle through all sorts of nasty swamps and potential danger in the dead of night, all for the chance at getting something you don’t actually need for survival?”[/color] “Well, yeah” Gashir murmured, slightly offended, “Why wouldn’t I? I really want those Truffles!” At this, the god couldn’t contain it anymore. He burst out in laughter, doubled over with mirth. Gashir scoffed and threw his hands to his side as he turned away from the god. “Is something funny?” The Reshut fumed. [color=LightYellow]“Yes! Absolutely,” [/color]The god chortled, wiping away tears, [color=LightYellow]“But in a very endearing sort of way! In fact, I think you’ve made me realize something.”[/color] “And what’s that,” Gashir scowled as he whirled around to face the god. The god smiled and spun his finger in a circle, causing the world to shift around the two of them without the mortal noticing. [color=LightYellow]“That there are a bunch of Truffles right behind you.” [/color] ‘No there aren’t I just checke-'' Gashir complained as he turned round but instead of the empty swamp that had been there before, there was an entire tree, absolutely covered in Garrick Truffles. “What in Yamat!” He exclaimed before charging to the tree and tearing his robes to make a makeshift sash to hold them, “How did I miss this! This is the jackpot! I can’t wait to see the look on Shamal and Henna’s faces when I show them all these. It will knock their masks off!” The god smiled to himself as he watched Gashir begin to hoard the truffles, filling his sash past the brim and struggling to hold all the truffles in his arms. [color=LightYellow]“I just realized,” [/color]the god said, ignoring Gashir’s whoops of joy, [color=LightYellow]“I never did tell you my name.”[/color] “Who the fuck cares about your name!” the Reshut shouted with glee, “Look at all these goddamn truffles. I’ll be rich!” [color=LightYellow]“Well, if you ever do want to know,”[/color] the god kept talking even though Gashir wasn’t listening, [color=LightYellow]“It is Iternis.”[/color] With that, Iternis took a deep breath, finally ready to try shifting forms again, knowing that the Lifeblood wouldn’t try and subsume him. Iternis exploded into a cloud of birds, all flying together into the sky. The act briefly startled Gashir, but he soon got over it and went back to reveling in his new found treasure and forgetting that Iternis had ever been there in the first place. Iternis chuckled, it would be funny to be there when Gashir realized he wasn’t on the same island he had started his quest for truffles on, but Iternis didn’t feel like staying. There was so much more to do, to see. Maybe he should go back to the Gardens? Or maybe he should try and make some grand creation? He should probably go and find that Maroon god he had followed out of the Lifeblood, maybe thank him for leading the way. Iternis turned his flock towards the Blood Basin and sang as he flew, happy to be alive. [hider=Summary] Iternis is not quite strong enough to break out of the Lifeblood on his own, and instead has to wait for Fe’ris to make an enormous tear in the Lifeblood to escape himself. After he is confident the Lifeblood isn’t trying to reabsorb him, Iternis, who still doesn’t have a name lands in the Gardens. Thrilled to exist, Iternis runs through the Gardens with wild abandon, switching forms as he does to best experience life. However, he switches forms so much that he becomes unstable and almost gets consumed by the Lifeblood. When he manages to avoid that fate, he finds himself in a human-like form and in the Kylsar Isles. There he wanders for a bit, scared to change forms and runs into a Reshut named Gashir who is trudging through the swamps looking for some valuable truffles. They talk for awhile and Iternis fins Gashr’s entire quest entirely pointless and utterly hysterical. It also makes him realize what he wants to be in the world. Iternis helps Gashir in the least helpful way and proclaims that his name is Iternis before turning into a flock of birds and flying off to go try and meet Fe’ris. [/hider] [hider=MP Breakdown] Start: Iternis 1/5 MP 5/5 DP -0 all the shifting (Although this usually takes MP it was just for Narrative Purposes. I talked with Zee to get it green lit. The only forms Iternis can actually take are the human form and the cloud of birds) -0 (Discounted) teleporting Gashir to the Truffle Tree End: 1/5 MP 5/5 DP [/hider]