Pleased that his new creation was guarded from divine trespass, Arvum walked away from the moon and closer to the sun. His voice emanated from where it should not have been able to, [color=#C59401]”Grand Monarch and Lord of All Lords, I respond to your summons.” [/color] Almost instantaneously, the gates of the heavens opened for Arvum with the bridge extending its way to allow the lord his entry. It was there that he could see the Divine Palace, standing with its many pagodas and towers and walls all adorned in a dark red and jade trimmings at its very edges. The Protector of the Vestibule of the Lord stood wordlessly at the bridge, not paying much attention to the god other than a slight bow of the head before returning his attention back to Galbar. Not much could be said for him and so the path to the Jade Throne was clear, the Monarch of All sitting upon His place of rule and looking down upon Arvum. He spoke with a voice that echoed across the great room, His words clearer than any noise that could be heard. [b][i]”Welcome, Arvum, Lord of Golden Fields.”[/i][/b] Arvum walked past the guardian, noting his presence and nodding to him. He continued to just past the entrance of the throne room, [color=#C59401]”Greetings, Grand Monarch.” [/color] The Monarch of All gestured one of His clawed hands to a nearby visible garden, showing the purpose of why He had summoned Arvum in the first place. Though, it became clearer as He explained to the younger god what had happened since the last time the god had set foot in the Divine Palace. His words ebbed at the very shard that formed Arvum’s being, almost whispering to it directly as He spoke. [b][i]”I used your shard to create these gardens, to make the Divine Palace beautiful as it is now. Yet, the more I look upon the gardens the more I am growing to despise how they look. I have tried to rectify this but the results have been less than perfect. That is why I have called upon you, Arvum.”[/i][/b] Arvum gracefully walked through the gardens, closely examining every plant and structure therein. While he did his inspection, he did sense lingering traces of his essence in another’s creation. [color=#C59401]”Do these gardens have purpose beyond being aesthetically pleasing?”[/color] [b][i]”Not when they had initially been made. Before I had created all of you, I merely made this palace as a place to rule from and nothing more.”[/i][/b] The Monarch of All did not move as He spoke, merely noting where Arvum was within the palace as he inspected the garden meticulously. There was no reason for Him to rise, not when He could see what Arvum was doing and certainly not when His status as king meant that He did not have to rise for His subjects. The Great Ruler of Reality allowed Arvum to continue his inspection, not wishing to rush whatever creative processes were going through the shard’s mind. After all, interruption was an artist's greatest bane, a fact that the Monarch of All knew all too well when He had first desired this Kingdom of His. After finalizing his digilent examination, he revitalized the garden with his essence and seeded them with new designs, [color=#C59401]"I could not find any grievous fault, perhaps it is the monotony that offends you? I ask you to forgive my assumption. I have worked to ensure your garden shall have myriad forms, it requires only your consent and it shall shift to a different arrangement of my design. I also have a design for a more grandiose garden, however I believe it would be diminished if not given a proper space within the castle walls as it requires a particular lighting.”[/color] The Master of the Gods pondered the idea, bringing a hand to rub against the edges of His chin as He imagined the something so grandiose in His palace. Yet, He knew that it might take away from the very fact that it was the Monarch of All who made the Divine Palace beautiful, giving Arvum more credit than he might deserve. The garden changed its shapes between the differing arrangements that Arvum had prepared and none would satiate the desire for the artistry that He desired. With a grumble, the Monarch of All pushed Himself from the Jade Throne and looked down upon the god, His voice commanded that the construction begin. [b][i]”Very well, make me the most grandiose of gardens and let all the other gods look upon it with envy.”[/i][/b] Arvum nodded, and walked into an appropriate, empty room near the gardens. He sealed the door, not to obscure himself from the Lord of All Lords, but to ensure that he may work freely without fear that his creation would escape its intended boundaries. From the god’s form emerged a radiance that engulfed the entire room. He worked to shape the room to the Monarch’s exacting requirements, spending several hours to ensure that the smallest detail was correct. It was an exhausting and burdensome effort, but one ultimately personally rewarding. Mosaic paths extended and split from the room’s entrance, providing the only safe places to step within the room. The rest of the room was covered in short, green crystalline grass that would shatter under any mortal's foot. Electrum pots, engraved with intricate but elegant carvings along their upper portions, floated above the grass, and from them grew solitary flowers and flowering vines with petals constructed of a similar translucent structure. The center of the room was dominated by a pillar of bronze that upon closer inspection was a great tree, its numerous blue, glass-like leaves gave the impression that there was sky overhead. The illusion was only broken by glowing golden moss that grew from the tree branches and would occasionally dip down beneath the blue glass. Despite its natural appearance, the leaves, grass and flowers were placed in precisely the correct position to refract the light in pleasing manners while under the metallic pillar’s shade. The upper branches of the tree which were nigh invisible from the surface would occasionally grow peaches. The peaches would fade in a mere hour after being removed from the tree, but eating one would imbue a mortal with potent life energy, helping ensure they have a long, healthy life and permitting them to emulate the vital powers of an Eidolon. Reaching them would be a herculean task, as the mosaic paths did not extend to meet the tree, the bronze trees branches were polished to a shine and made difficult to climb, its leaves were as sharp as blades, and light from the moss would reflect in odd ways within the branches. Arvum opened the door, a mostly symbolic gesture, [color=#C59401]”Perhaps this is simpler than you expected, especially compared to the majesty of your castle, however I hope that is a pleasant addition to your dwelling.” [/color] As the Monarch of All entered the room, He was at first stunned by it and then He was put into awe by the resplendent beauty that the garden held for it cast back His radiant light. He did not speak, instead taking time to tour the garden and meticulously looking over each and every piece that brought the room together. This was not to find any imperfections that may have existed within the garden, but rather, it was in admiration of what had been created in His glory and it did well not to itself outshine the great palace. The Monarch of All spoke as He looked upon the bronze tree, the light from His wound bathing reflecting across the garden. [b][i]”This is truly a work of art, Arvum.”[/i][/b] [color=#C59401]”I was simply inspired by the wonders and frailties of life.”[/color] Arvum replied. [color=#C59401]”Perhaps it is inappropriate to mention, however the destruction that has been sown across our pantheon has deeply concerned me. I am sure that my work has not gone unnoticed. I do not know if it would ever be possible to restore the shards that have been lost, but I wish to do everything I can to preserve and restore creation. May I be so bold to request your aid in this endeavour?” [/color] The Monarch of All seemed to stop as Arvum began to talk about the destruction of His subjects, and the talk of restoring shards would be what would earn His full attention as He looked to Arvum. Turning away from the bronze tree, His Majesty walked along the path, continuing to tour the freshly made garden as He thought of an answer to the question that had been posed to Him. When He spoke, it was soft yet His gaze would not return to the lord as He continued His walk along the garden. [b][i]”A shard is not something that can be restored. It is the very essence, the manifestation, of my own soul and to have it destroyed is not something that even I can accomplish.”[/i][/b] Deciding it best not to contradict the Monarch, he replied [color=#C59401]”I hope you understand that as mortals can not comprehend the divine, I struggle to understand your nature. But even if I misunderstood and that you are above the petty squabbles of the gods, I would request you pay heed to those below.”[/color] he said, gesturing towards his newly created garden, [color=#C59401]“I could only create something like this because I can fear not the influence of the Others. Upon Galbar, the situation is more complicated and I do believe that my work could become greater should I be better equipped to handle any complications that might arise. Of course, I would not use this solely for myself, but for creation. [/color] [b][i]”The complications imposed upon one by others is what strives them forwards. It is an annoyance, yes, but I already have one enforcing my will and order upon Galbar. You needn’t my aid for something that would push your future creations into the pinnacle of what they could become.”[/i][/b] [color=#C59401]”I am sorry, I never meant to suggest I needed to be able to prevent conflict all together, but merely restore what is left afterwards. The forest can become stronger after a burn, but only if not all was all burnt to cinder and that it is given the chance to replenish itself.” [/color] It was then that the Monarch of All snapped His head towards Arvum, his voice quick and filled with a brief anger that resonated within the room. [b][i]”If a wound is meant to heal then it shall. If it shall fester and decay then let it wither away until there is nothing left so that something new may take its place!”[/i][/b] The Great Lord pulled a hand up instinctively to trace the edge of the glowing wound upon His chest, seeming to try and find solace within the fact that it was the one wound that He could not heal. He looked away, unable to look upon Arvum any longer as the thoughts of the wound took hold of His mind, casting away the good that had been planted there. It took a moment of silence for the God of Gods to speak again, His gaze turning back to the bronze tree and its fruit - His voice was soft once more. [b][i]”Some things are not meant to be restored, Arvum.”[/i][/b] [color=#C59401]”I believe that is the last of my duties here. I hope you will excuse my quick departure, but I am sure you have more important matters to attend to and will not take any more of your time.” [/color] he said, walking towards the entrance of the garden room. As he walked past one of the floating planters, he carefully examined it and plucked one of the crystalline leaves from a vine, [color=#C59401]”I apologize, it seems as though I had made an error in the arrangement.” [/color] he said, using the barest effort to crush it into dust. [hider= Story] After visiting the moon, Arvum walks closer to the sun and asks to be invited into the palace. The Monarch wants Arvum to make his gardens more appealing, but Arvum can’t find anything wrong with them. So he creates a lot of designs, and gives the Monarch the ability to shift between them at his choosing. Arvum saids that he had a grander design, but it would need to be placed in a room. The Monarch permits him, and he creates the Garden of Glass, an opulent garden where the plants are primarily composed of delicate crystalline material. The Monarch likes it because it reflects his own light in a pleasing manner. Arvum mentions the recent deicides and how he wants to preserve and restore creation and asks the Monarch if he would assist him, and there is some back and forth before the Monarch gets angry and he says that somethings are just meant to be. Arvum starts to leave, but prunes an out of place leaf using the opportunity to demonstrate how fragile the precious garden is. [/hider][hider= Vigor] [b][i] Monarch [/i][/b] Starting Vigor: Yes [color=#C59401] Arvum [/color] Starting Vigor: 4 Ending Vigor: 2 0 Vigor: Discounted with Cultivation: Blessed the Monarch’s gardens to be able to regrow and rearrange themselves into a myriad of different designs. -2 Vigor: Created the Garden of Glass: An opulent garden of plants made of reflective and delicate crystals. In the center, there is a bronze tree that has difficult to reach fruit that when consumed imbues the person with life in energy form. This grants them a longer and healthy life, and allows them to emulate the innate life-force abilities of an Eidolon. An Eidolon would also gain a longer and healthy life, but instead their existing life-force abilities would be enhanced. [/hider]