[center][h2]Redecorating the Godly Way[/h2][/center]

“So, uh, I don't want to sound ungrateful your maj but, well, when we signed up to this expedition we were kinda expecting a whole island and not, well, a ring of shrubs around fiery death and flanked by cold and hot infertile lands”

That was the message delivered to the god when he returned to Shelly after settling the business of node 33. As the Shepherd of shadows began stalking around the perimeter of the ring of volcanos it turned out others had already done so. Namly a tribe of plant people, who had raced around it on soul powered chariots and scouted out the land far quicker than any could have done via horse, foot, wing or flying fish.

Having brought back the news, their leader, a man with long palm fronds for hair that he’d tied into a ponytail, also ended up as the one reporting the settler’s feedback to the god.

Xavier pursed his lips and glanced behind the man and his assembled entourage at the steadily growing colony settlement, that sat equidistant between the ring of volcanos and maelite. Both were already being harvested for fuel, while stone structures were raised and crops were seeded for future growth. Until those started to bloom, they would have to rely mostly on their stores held with Shelly, the titanic turtle presently sat on the shoreline and sticking her neck into Mealite and gouging on the flammable ubrium within.

It would be sustainable, Xavier thought, but it wouldn't be able to grow into another Eunomia with the meger farmland the habitable ring around the prison provided. The lack of any major rivers ment there hadn’t been much space to ‘lake’ life into the ocean that sat outside the purview of the gods either, so while the ocean would provide, it would take some  time to begin to do so.

He saw this, and where the mortals where coming from, but it was still a bit frustrating to him to be told this by a man modified and mutated by Monica’s murdurer. He found himself clenching a fist at that thought and forced himself to loosen that grip, remeinding himself that these people had fled the wars over slavery in their homeland, and had come first to the 12th realm and now across the sea seeking prosperity, freedom and safety. They were no pawns of his foe, a woman who as he understood it had very little to do with the running of the realm’s who’s node’s she had claimed, but poteitnal fiends, allies and clients. 

“I understand your concerns and frustrations, the necessity of the prison and my sister's creation of… less than idealistic realms has left you with something of a poorer deal than what was promised, and I will do what I can to make up for that. However, presently I can only modify the 33rd realm, and its current state is important as a source of fuel. Simply wiping that away would be just as problematic”

“Well it might be nice as firewood, but we can’t exactly eat Umbrium,” the plantman pointed out

“Nor can we trade it with the mainland for much profit seeing as they have their own source” A merchant added “this land is rich in resources, yes, but it is nothing unique. All we have is a gamble on what the bees produce as being profitable, which is hardly a good place to be in”

“Can’t you, I don’t know, bury the umbrium under fertile soil? It’d be a pain to get too, but it’d solve the issue” the plant man asked

“No, no it would freeze the ground, kill the roots of any crops… hmmm” the god’s mind suddenly wandered to reports he had read about the relationship between the temperature of various parts of the sea and the amount of fish there in. Colder was apparently better in some ways. Putting his mind to it, adding knowledge gained about how hot and cold air worked, he could see how it would flow and churn more than a warm sea, becoming less stagnant in the process and drawing ntruants in to let life flourish despite the lack of warmth.

Add to that the god’s interest in the ocean as a potential place of archive of knowledge and artifacts of past crucibles, and the island’s present lack of sea life around the regular coast and he had a plan. He went over it with the mortals, and then, after a bit of back and forth, Southern Maelite sank beneath the waves.

Over the following days life took hold of the dead land. Pockets of glowing algae finally escaped from their disparate and tucked away nooks and crannies, able to blossom across the entire region, turning the pitch black umbrium beaded sea into a glowing one, light shimmering up from the shallow depths and through the drifting ice sheets.

These, the native diamond plants, and seeded unstable crystals became the basis for new life consistently mainly of a whole slew of penguins, from minnow sized to gorilla sized, as well as curstations, and crystal lizards Xavior fetched from the caves beneath the 12th realm and warped into a slew of marine reptiles (from Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaur to simple snakes and turtles) all filled out the life in the waters. 

All this fresh life provided a bountiful harvest for hunters and fishers, both in the realm itself and around, as Xavior made sure to make some creatures and plants not adapted to the Umbrium laced environment around the edges of the realm, which could spread out around the island and leave its waters rich with life too. 

The crystal infused reptiles were of particular note, their mix of flesh and energy filled rock, now found in far greater variation than presenting various intriguing possibilities for alchemists and magmatic engineers both. It was not without its challenges of course, the main one being that the umbrium fuel was now at the bottom of the ocean. Still, Xavior was sure the people would rise to the occasion, and produce some tech that would be useful for when he eventually found the time to scour the ocean’s floors for anything of note.

“Bit chilly” the plant man complained, holding his arms and shivering as he and a few of the others took their first steps out onto an ice sheet clinging to the edge of the realm. 

“If you think this is cold, you should have tried walking through Maelite before I sank it” Xavior retorted, but with levity in his tone “besides, catch a few penguins or lizards and you’ll have suitable clothing in no time I’m sure” he added. Some people were already setting about doing both that and more it seemed, as a squad of winged demons and Tonnikala riders swooped overhead, stone thrower rifles at the ready as they swooped about, seaking easy prey and the thrill of the hunt.

Happier even than them was Shelly, the massive snapping turtle trunding down the soar and then slipping into the water, smashing ice aside with ease as she settled into her temporary home. Xavior would have more use for her later, but for now he had other more pressing matters to attend to, the god looking to the sky and grinning as he saw his bodyguard and confidant Annie returning from the first hun, hauling a struggling Ichthyosaur in her grasp.

He had served the islander’s food, now all that remained was to find out how good it tasted.

[hider=summary]
After talking with a plant man who has scouted the island and found out its habitable/farmable zone is quite small, Xavior sinks node 33 beneath the waves, creating a shallow frozen sea filled with glowing algae, unstable crystals, various sized penguins and crystal infused aquatic lizards as a source of arctic seafood for the island.  
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[hider=mp]
3 mp to sink node 33’s umbrium landscape beneath the waves
1 mp used to make bigger and more various crystal infused lizards, their chaos energy infused flesh being both alchemically useful and quite tasty.
1 mp to make various penguins, plants and other more mundane sealife to fill up the new ecosystem
0/5 mp remaining
[/hider]