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[h1][color=purple][b][u]Mekellos[/u][/b][/color][/h1]
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[hr]
It had been a hectic week for Acadia.

A new Pontiff of Cadien had been appointed. Rather than allow an election to occur, Mekellos had chosen this one himself - a red-haired Merelli. Given what happened to the last one, this one felt more or less inclined to agree with everything he said.

Aside from that, other changes were made too. The practice of abandoning infants who had noticeable defects had been found abhorrent by the Avatar. He had to explain that not all defects and disabilities always rendered some useless. Some defects were actually mostly harmless, and only served to provide an unpleasant appearance.

There was also the matter of Gibbou’s place in the pantheon. When asked if she should be officially recognized, with her own pontiff and branch of the priesthood, Mekellos had simply shrugged and replied: “why not?” This had been taken as acceptance. Now a new pontiff needed to be chosen, a new priesthood founded, and there needed to be a purpose for them to fulfill. Making armour, perhaps? Mekellos left the finer details up to the council. Someone floated the idea that all blacksmiths should be considered priests of Gibbou, and once again they turned to a stalemate.

The Council didn’t dare object to anything Mekellos said, whether it was a suggestion or an order. He was the Avatar of their city’s patron god, so how could they deny them? That said, most of the Council had definitely taken a liking to him - the Pontiffs of Evandra and Neiya, as well as the Queen herself, in particular.

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In the meantime, he had also inspected the city’s armies. He had looked upon the discipline and fitness of their soldiers with approval. These men and women were, after all, trained from birth to maintain a peak physique and to follow orders. Unsurprisingly, they excelled at both. He saw the tightness of their spearmen’s phalanx formation and the accuracy of their archers.

Mekellos looked upon them, and as was his duty, he wondered: how can this be made better? Then, he had an idea.

He waved his hand, and hundreds of bows materialized in the practice yard, far longer and far stronger than anything the Acadians had on hand. The new soldiers were taken aback by the casual display of divine power. 

[color=purple]“I have crafted some new weapons for you,”[/color] he announced. [color=purple]“They’ll take some getting used to, but they possess far more range and power than any bow you have ever shot. Now, go on. Pick some up and start practicing. Put the rest into storage somewhere.”[/color]

The Avatar turned away. [color=purple]“Now I’ll take a look at your defenses…”[/color]

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Acadia was surrounded by a stone palisade, ten metres high. It was of reasonable thickness, but there was no walkway to stand atop it. For archers to defend the city, there were a series of towers, placed at regular intervals. Unfortunately, only so many archers could defend the city at once. Mekellos wondered if there was a way to increase their firepower.

He considered the problem for days, sequestering himself within a room, pausing his deliberations only when one of the monarchs or pontiffs came to visit him. They caught only glimpses of his design; strange schematics that he was constantly redrafting.

Then, at last, the avatar devised something that was workable. He walked from tower to tower, conjuring forth the devices. They were like gigantic bows turned sideways, capable of loading and loosing massive arrows. He added one to each tower, until the city was surrounded by them.

[color=purple]“There,”[/color] he smiled, once he was done. [color=purple]“That’s better.”[/color]

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[hider=Post Summary]
Mekellos has been involving himself in Acadia’s government, telling them to stop sacrificing babies and that maybe they should actually incorporate Gibbou into their pantheon. He also may or may not be engaging in affairs with certain members of the Council. He then inspects their armies, and gifts a bunch of longbows to their archers. Deciding the city’s defenses are lacking, he also builds a bunch of ballistas for the towers on the walls.
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[hider=MP Summary]
[b]Beginning MP:[/b] 3
[b]Beginning DP:[/b] 4
-1DP to grant Acadia’s archers several hundred longbows.
-1DP to bless those longbows so they will not degrade over time.
-1DP to grant Acadia’s defenses a bunch of ballistas.
-1DP to bless those ballistas so they will not degrade over time.
-3MP to claim the Ranged Combat portfolio.
[b]Ending MP:[/b] 0
[b]Ending DP:[/b] 0
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