[h2][center][color=Brown]Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People[/color][/center][/h2]

The days that followed the ritual were...[i]interesting[/i] in their combination of quietness and activity. 

The ritual itself had been physically taxing on all three hundred participants, including Raethel, all of whom needed some time to rest and recover from the ordeal. As such they were helped down into the nearby barrows so that they could get the rest they needed, with those Rattus making sure they got things to eat and water to drink being respectfully quiet in order to allow those who were sleeping to sleep.

The river itself was a frenzy of activity. The original plan of action against the [i]water monsters[/i] had demanded a great number of water craft be produced and water had been produced in great numbers [i]prior[/i] to the change in plans from a cleansing extermination to conversion via magical ritual. After a few brave Rattus had sailed out in order to test if the ritual had worked and [i]not[/i] come under attack via [i]water monster[/i], even after landing on the opposite bank and walking up to one of the creatures to touch them, a sizeable number of Rattus had jumped at the chance to hop on a water craft and explore the new world that had opened up now that the river wasn't contested and the opposite bank wasn't a death sentence to explore anymore.

The only thing that stopped a tide of Rattus from running up to the nearest [i]water monster[/i] and touching them was the presence of the few followers of the green wind that hadn't taken part in the ritual itself and were thus still in a condition to actually be active. While the animals were no longer inherently hostile to the Rattus and even instinctively liked them now, they stressed the point that the [i]water monsters[/i] were still wild animals who could be dangerous if they felt the need to be and swarming them seemed like a fast way to make them want to defend themselves.

So within days of the ritual, outposts had been claimed and set up on the new side of the river, effectively doubling the amount of ground that the Rattus had held previously. The followers of the wind of nature and life were the ones to set up outposts near to where the [i]water monsters[/i] tended to live through; While originally few in number, as ritualists started to recover those numbers were bolstered quickly. 

Out of all the Rattus, the followers of the green wind were the most in-tune with the natural world... and that included its animal residences. As such, they were the ones who were going to be given the duty of taming the [i]water monsters[/i] proper. While the ritual had done the heavy lifting in this regard due to outright removing the creatures natural aggression towards the Rattus and replacing it with more positive instincts, a better relationship with the grey creatures would require time and effort to establish. 

It was on the second day that Raethel awakened... and it was with surprise that when he did, Aethel was waiting beside him. The deity couldn't help but smile as they said "[color=pink]You know... I remember saying rather recently that I was looking forward to seeing just how you, and I use the term you to describe the Rattus in general, were going to handle this situation with the [i]water monsters[/i]. I will freely admit that I didn't know fully what to expect... but I must say I'm quiet proud of what you've ended up doing in the end. Well done.[/color]" 

There was a moment were Raethel was speechless. While the god of magic was a polite entity, it was still nice to receive praise from the entity that had helped uplift him from the existence he had before. When he tried to say something, words failed to come out of his mouth; His throat was completely dry as sleeping for at least two days had prevented him from drinking in that time. Aethel for their part politely waved the effort to talk off. "[color=pink]Do not worry. I will be brief and then I'll let you get some rest. Since you've proven to me that you've taken those lessons to heart and are able to survive without a god watching over your shoulders, I'm going to let you have your space and start roaming again. I'll stop by every now and then and I'm able to hear your prayers to me if something that you need a deity to deal with on turns up, but I think you'll largely do alright under your own leadership.[/color]"

Clearing their throat a little, Aethel chuckled as they decided to continue "[color=pink]There is one last thing I will leave you through. Direction. I've spent some time recently debating with myself to give you a quest in much the same way as the god of darkness did. However, I've found myself with three good ideas that would in turn be beneficial for you and your people to pursue, if you didn't consider such ideas on your own anyway. However, then I decided that instead of picking one and forcing it upon you... I might offer all three to you and you may pursue them at your own pace in whatever order you desire. It's not like they have a time limit or anything.[/color]"

"[color=pink]The three quests I bestow upon the Rattus people are as follows, to be pursued in whatever order the Rattus deem fit. The first is that They are to spread beyond the confines of their river home and claim the rest of their homeland as their own. The second is that they will discover a means to sail upon the great expanse of water that the river runs to and sail out to discover a land that is not apart of their original homeland. The third will be to find a means to defeat the mountains at the start of the river in order to allow Rattus to pass them safely and explore whatever lays on the other side.[/color]" All of this was said with a surprisingly serious voice... and once it was done Aethel offered a playful wink. "[color=pink]I don't expect you to achieve any of these anytime soon. But I'm sure it'll keep you all busy for a good while. Take care Raethel and rest well.[/color]"

With Aethel having ended their one sided conversation, they turned and walked out of the room. Where they went after that, Raethel couldn't say... but his eyes boggled at the tasks that had been presented before him and the Rattus as a whole. Oh boy...


[hider=Summary]
The Rattus are expanding across the river to the new bank, with those keyed to green mana setting up shop near the now friendly hippos in order to properly tame and train them. 

As the ritualists are recovering from the ritual, Raethel wakes up to find Aethel, who told him that they did an amazing job and they can now be trusted to largely look after themselves while they go out and do Aethel things elsewhere. As a parting gift, Aethel leaves three divine quests for the Rattus in order to give them direction once they have departed. Raethel is somewhat boggled by what is being asked, but there isn't a time limit so he'll work it out once he's feeling better.
[/hider]
   

[hider=Spirit]
Start: 2

+1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line.
+1 for main character


Divine Quest: Claim the Land of Deserts and Hidden Rivers for the Rattus
Divine Quest: Discover a new land across the sea (Plus discover the ability to sail on the ocean)
Divine Quest: Create safe passage through the Great Dragon Range so Rattus can explore the other side.
 
End: 4
[/hider]