BBeast

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@Scarifar What is a photon-ship?

@Kho

That would be a kind of space-craft which uses powerful lasers for propulsion.

Edit: Also, can someone tell me how this is done? : (Alchemy is the s͓ͫ͟ecr̝et̝̰͋͢ t͒ͫo̝ u᷂ṇt͇o͇l̲d͟ pͭ͑͊oͧ̋͠w̮̜̖ę̀͡r͈͌̊)

@Kho

Search 'glitch text'. A number of online generators are available.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

I am thinking he will start more a force of nature than rational human. It will be the people he meets first that will teach him about the world. Just so I don't kill myself he is gonna start knowing languages, and basic stuff like that. Is that an OK idea?

@pandapolio

Most demigods start knowing language and basic stuff like that, so that's fine.

If you want him to start as a force of nature type being, have you considered adjusting his appearance to fit? There is no real reason to stick with the human phenotype (although you can keep it if you like).

Have you considered who these first people are going to be? Other player characters, or NPCs?

I don't have time right now to ask anything more.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

Gerrik Far-Teacher

Level 9 Hain Hero
30 Khookies

circa 12 years Post Realta

Outside Tallgrass, Gerrik and Elword met with a small herd of urtelem, a runic defender and a Sculptor of what might have once been a rovaick among them. They might have come closer to the town, but most people in Tallgrass were not particularly welcoming of Sculptors. Performing negotiations and trade a short distance outside of Tallgrass' borders was an amenable compromise.

The Sculptor's presence made Elword slightly uneasy, as it would for most hain. The discomfort was eased by the presence of urtelem, for urtelem always made hain feel safer, and also by Gerrik's calm demeanour. Whether Gerrik was truly unfazed by the Sculptor or whether he was simply very good at hiding his feelings on the matter was impossible to tell.

The urtelem matriarch signed with her hands, and the Sculptor chittered a translation with its three mouths. "Your offer?"

Gerrik and Elword indicated the bundles they were carrying. "We have decorated blankets, and also oil-based paint." The matriarch took a colourful embroidered blanket to inspect and the Sculptor looked at a clay pot of paint. Gerrik continued, eyeing the wooden cart loaded with rocks which had been dug up by the urtelem. "We will trade them for copper and tin ore."

The Sculptor pried off the lid of the pot, dipped a talon into the paint then stuck the talon into one of their mouths and sucked. Another hand dipped into the paint again and smeared a yellow streak onto its skin. Another of its mouths giggled softly. Meanwhile, the matriarch was inspecting the quality of the fabric, its weight and capacity to give warmth, as well as scrutinising its pattern. She held up the blanket for an urtelem beside her to inspect.

Finally, the matriarch made a stony grunt to wake the Sculptor from its finger painting reverie and signed. The Sculptor said, "She'll take those blankets for 14- uh-" the Sculptor gestured as though it were holding a ball. The mathematical urtelem were well-versed in the concept of measurement and metrics, although such concepts were yet to properly enter the languages of Mesathalassa. "Er-, 14 lots this big."

"What of the paints?" Gerrik questioned, "You wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity to have some nice, durable paints like these."

The Sculptor's faces contorted for a moment, and then launched into a silent conversation with the urtelem matriarch. Elword watched the hands twist and dart before leaning over to Gerrik and whispering, "Do you know what they're saying?"

Gerrik shook his head. "Only a few words. I think they're arguing about how much to value the paints."

Elword watched the conversation a little longer, and dreamed of the possibility of being able to carry out a hand sign conversation himself. To be able to communicate directly and meaningfully with urtelem would surely be a marvellous thing. And they knew things which we didn't, like amounts of things, so learning the language would teach new things too. Then his gaze drifted over to the runic defender, who was watching idly, and he saw the intricate Spiral Script patterned across the urtelem's stone skin. The Spiral Script held a beautiful geometric preciseness and intricate interconnectedness, and although Elword could not understand what it said he knew they were words and could see the power carried by those words.

"19 for the blankets and paints," the Sculptor suddenly said. The Sculptor and urtelem had come to an agreement.

"20," Gerrik said, his hands signing the number; he had figured out the hand signs for small numbers.

'19' the matriarch signed adamantly, followed by some more gestures. "19 is their value," the Sculptor translated.

"Alright, agreed," Gerrik said, his hand waving the sign for 'yes'.

Gerrik and Elword handed over the blankets and paint pots. The urtelem with the cart filled with ores came forwards and went with the hain back to Tallgrass to deliver the ore. As they left, Elword lingered for a few moments longer to observe the runic defender, then scurried off to catch up.

~~~~

Elword nocked the arrow, drew the bowstring and loosed the bow. The arrow flew forwards and embedded itself in the cloth-wrapped bundle of hay.

Gerrik tapped Elword's back between the shoulder blades with a long, thin stick. "Engage more."

Elword nocked, drew and loosed another arrow. Gerrik pushed the stick against Elword's hip. "Twist slightly."

Elword nocked, drew and loosed another arrow. Gerrik tapped Elword's left elbow. "Straighten."

This scene repeated, with Elword loosing arrows at the target and Gerrik incrementally correcting Elword's technique between shots, until Elword's quiver emptied. "You're getting better," Gerrik said, "Retrieve your arrows and we'll go again."

~~~~

Elword and Gerrik sat in the craftshain shelter, embroidering cotton sheets with images of looms. Given Lasis' description of the plant and how to use it, it had been relatively straightforwards for Tallgrass to import cotton plants from other regions of Mesathalassa. While they were yet to have their first local harvest of cotton, the imported cotton fibers had been enough to create some textiles.

"I've been thinking," Elword said. Gerrik's look indicated for him to continue. "The urtelem can communicate with their written words. You could probably fit a lot more information, in most cases anyway, using words than pictures, if you had some way to put those words into a physical medium. And you could more precisely describe things that aren't static images."

Gerrik nodded. "If we had such a thing, it would be useful. However-"

"We don't. I know. Such a program would require inventing a written language we could understand, then teaching everyone how to understand it. Conversely, everyone understand pictures. But if we had words it would make things much easier."

Gerrik flipped up a palm. "Consider it a long term project, then."

~~~~

At Gerrik's request, Elword was climbing up the fruit trees to get the fruits growing in the upper branches. While harvesting was important, he had assigned the task mainly to exercise Elword's skill in climbing. Gerrik stood a distance away, observing Elword, when he noticed another hain watching him from outside the farms. He recognised the hain immediately.

"Stone Chipper!"

Stone Chipper gave a slight tilt of his head signalling for Gerrik to approach. Gerrik walked briskly over to his master. Stone Chipper greeted Gerrik with upturned palms. "Hello, Gerrik."

There was the clink of porcelain as they briefly embraced in greeting. "What brings you here, Stone Chipper?"

Teknall looked over to Elword, clambering up among the branches. "I've come to talk about Elword."

Gerrik nodded glumly. "And by extension, my succession plan, I assume."

"Right." Teknall paced a few steps away, and turned his beak to look at Gerrik. "You were born long ago, before most of the development among the hain, or the rest of Galbar. You predate the Night of Phantoms, and some of the other sentient species on Galbar. You have lived your whole life among tribes of hain, even in your extensive travels. You have never seen a city. Although Tallgrass is advanced compared to everything you know, this little town is merely catching up with civilisations elsewhere in the world.

"Furthermore, you have grown weary of travelling. For hundreds of years you had no place to call home, but finally you have found home, found companions, and settled down. Your heart wishes to be Gerrik the husband, the father, the farmer, the craftshain, the village leader, not the nomadic Far-Teacher exploring the world.

"And you know this, so you chose for yourself an apprentice to train not just as a Chipper, but in all the ways of Far-Teacher. You have devoted much effort to training Elword as many skills as you can, and teaching him as many things as can be taught. And you chose well. Not only does Elword possess exception intellect, he is deeply innovative and has an insatiable desire for knowledge. Written language! You saw how he was looking at the runic defender. And that's only one example. Born after the Night of Phantoms, Elword thinks differently to you, and it is this kind of thinking which would most benefit Galbar in the present age.

"You know all this, and have been making preparations, yet you are hesitant. Reluctant. Why?"

Gerrik knew that Teknall knew. Teknall knew all his thoughts. He was asked the question all the same. Water welled up in Gerrik's eyes and he averted his gaze from Stone Chipper. "I've failed you," he half-sobbed.

Teknall stepped forwards and gripped Gerrik's shoulder reassuringly. "You have not failed me. You have been a great success. Look around you! Agriculture, towns, metalsmithing, trade, education. By your hand you have raised the hain through the Stone Age and into the Bronze Age. Your name is second only to my own among many hain in this world. You have laboured ceaselessly for me for dozens of lifetimes, and everywhere you have gone you have left the world a better place. You have earned this rest, a chance to settle down and have an ordinary life in this world you have helped create, reaping the fruits of your labour. As the world enters a new era, it is only appropriate for you to pass your mantle on to someone else."

Gerrik lifted a hand up to wipe his eyes. "Thank you, Stone Chipper." He lifted his head and looked to Elword then back to Stone Chipper. "What now? How do I proceed with this?"

"Continue to train Elword. It will be impossible to teach him all that you know, but that is not necessary. Teach him what is important, and he will learn the rest on his own. Then, not too far into the future, you are to go on one last journey with him, to somewhere you had promised to go 14 years ago."

"Alefpria."

"Indeed. There Elword will succeed you, and begin his mission from that grand city, and you can retire here."

"Sounds like a plan." Gerrik then looked past Teknall towards Elword in the canopy of the fruit orchard. "I'd better head back; Elword's almost finished."

"He's getting faster and stronger, in both body and mind. You've developed a good training regimen for him," Teknall commented.

Teknall and Gerrik embraced once more in farewell. "Goodbye, Stone Chipper."

"Until we meet again, Gerrik."

Summary

We start with Gerrik and Elword negotiating trade with a herd of urtelem, buying some metal ore. Elword takes particular interest in urtelem sign language and Spiral Script.

Elword is being trained in archery. Elword is probably receiving broader physical training from Gerrik as well.

Tallgrass has imported cotton and is starting to cultivate it, at Lasis' recommendation. Lasis' influence has helped develop more sophisticated artworks. (-2 Khookies for textile cultivation)

Elword comments that written language would be a useful invention.

Teknall talks alone with Gerrik. It is confirmed that Elword is indeed going to be Gerrik's successor. Gerrik is from an old way of life and desires to settle down, while Elword is still enthusiastic and has more modern ways of thought. Gerrik feels like he is failing Teknall by retiring, but Teknall assures him that his rest is well-earned and it is time to pass on his mantle due to the changes in global circumstances.

Elword's training will continue, and they will soon set off for Alefpria.

Khookie Summary
Start: 30 Khookies
Spent: 2 Khookies
Earned: 8 Khookies (10,000+ character post)
End: 36 Khookies

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@Kho, I think it should be left where it was meant to be. There is no reason to bend to the whims of every geographical inconsistency, and being not on top of a mountain makes the Gate more accessible, as it is meant to be.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@pandapolio. It's a good start. I agree with Kho that Emotions (Fear) is a valid alternative to Fear (Unknown), although it depends entirely on where you want to take it and how specialised you want to be.

If you take Emotions as your Domain and Fear as your Portfolio, then you become the undisputed master of Fear. Future Portfolios which you take will pertain to other emotions (eg. Anger, Jealousy).

If you take Fear as your Domain and The Unknown as your Portfolio, then you are still capable of performing fear broadly, but you are highly specialised within that field. Future Portfolios will allow you to take other specific aspects of Fear.

Also, as you are working on your character, do consider what your character will be doing. A neat character concept is all good and well, but it means little if there is no story for that character to enact.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

As a chemist, I can confidently say that 'chiral' is pronounced with a hard 'ch'.

Ah well.

So, does this mean Teknall made space robots who are perpetually expanding? o.o bit scary - what happens if they meet resistance?

@Kho

Yes. Yes it does. You will find out about resistance in later posts.

How old do demigod live to? I didn't see it, but I will look again.

@pandapolio

Demigods are immortal (although they can be killed).

Do I have to start as a kid?

@pandapolio

You start at whatever apparent age you like, if apparent age is a meaningful concept for the form you have chosen. Most demigods have come into existence as adults.

Who is willing to be a parent... wow that is a strange question to ask. Well anyway who wants to be the parent of a demigod of fear?

@pandapolio

I will point out, just for your information, that when gods give birth to demigods, it is very rarely in a manner a biological creature might call giving birth, and biologically similar conception is even rarer. The common thread is that the parent(s) mix their divine essences together (somehow) and a demigod pops into being (somehow).

I was thinking of my domain being fear, and my portfolio the unknown. As in fear of the new, different, unknown. Is that too broad?

@pandapolio

That sounds like a reasonable choice. As Termite suggested, could you flesh it out? What can you do with it? For a rather abstract Portfolio, it would be a good idea to think up of some examples.

Since I'm feeling generous, I'll compile a summary of the demigods with regards to these questions for some examples.

Demigods

• Belvast - Space (Portals). Son of Belruarc and Vowzra. Only demigod to be conceived by a physical union and born via ordinary biological means (pregnancy included). Belvast is basically an anthropomorphic cat. He went through a childhood. Current status: Inactive
• Lifprasil - Emotions (Sentience). Child of Vulamera and Vestec. Appears as an androgynous human. Accidentally conceived while Vulamera was poking around in Vestec's mind, and born when Vulamera attempted an abortion by ripping the coalescing essences from her womb. Began life as an adult. Current status: Lifprasil's player has retired, with Lifprasil crippled
• The Bard - Arts (Music) (I think. I can't find the sheet). Son of Vowzra and Ilunabar. Vowzra came into Ilunabar's dream realm. Ilunabar made a musical instrument with some twigs from Vowzra. The instrument is played and the Bard pops into being as an adult. Appears as a human. Current status: alive.
• Keriss - Chance (Suffering, The Forgotten). Daughter of Vulamera and Vakarlon. Is a big lizard person. The process of her birth was started in Vakarlon's mind (which Vulamera was inside at the time) by some essence-melding, and was finished when she materialised from ash near their physical bodies. Started as an adult. Current status: alive at present
• Amartia - Chaos (Sin). The closest he has to a parent is Vestec. Vestec found a god-soul dredged up by Slough (as she does), fused it with a mortal human, and let it have a bit of his chaos essence. In such a manner Amartia was born, as an adult. He is often a human or humanoid, although his form varies somewhat. Current status: Amartia has been stripped of divinity.
• Conata - Toil (Metalworking). Daughter of Teknall and Ilunabar (but mainly Teknall). Conata was designed then manufactured, cast from metal infused with Teknall's own blood. Appears as a human made from solid metal. Began life as a young child, and has been growing. Current status: alive.
• Kinesis - Crafting (Machinery). Daughter of Teknall and Ilunabar. Conata's older sister. Kinesis was also designed and manufactured. A mechanical skeleton was given a heart of Ilunabar's design imbued with Teknall's blood, at which point it conjured flesh to cover itself. Kinesis was born as a slightly older child, although she can change apparent age at will. She appears human, mostly. Current status: Original player is inactive, but Kinesis is still alive and doing things.
• Lazarus - Knowledge (Secrets,Divinity,Arcana). Has no definite godly parents. Lazarus was once a mortal, who found a Relic of Perfectus, taken from the Gap and planted on Galbar by Vowzra. He drank from it, and was transformed into a demigod. His original form was humanoid, although he has been through several other forms. Current status: alive, although at this instant he is imprisoned within a pocket dimension.
• Maeus - Hedonism (Drinking). Son of Ilunabar and Vestec. Ilunabar had created some powerful alcohol including a little bit of her own blood. Vestec chugged the lot, although it wasn't intended for him. A demigod grew inside him over a couple of minutes and he gave birth (somehow, I don't remember exactly how) to Maeus, who I believe started as an adult. Maeus appears as a human. Current status: inactive
• Farxus - Death (Undeath). Son of Reathos and Lazarus (in a sense). Lazarus simply pulled Farxus out from a wall filled with Reathos' essence (or something like that. My memory of it is hazy) (Reathos was dead, and this wall was part of his Holy Site). Farxus looks like a skeleton. Current status: alive
• Helvana - Darkness (Hexes,Nurture). Daughter of Vestec and Julkofyr. Julkofyr struck Vestec with a claw and wounded him, with the wound infected by Julkofyr's darkness. Vestec purged the foreign essence, which manifested into Helvana. Began as an adult. Appears human. Current status: alive
• Thacel - War (Strategy). Son of Ilunabar and Toun. Ilunabar and Toun, in attempting to resurrect Kyre (using written words and stuff), ended up conjuring Thacel instead. Started as an adult. Appears human. Current status: inactive
• Osveril - Purity (Void). Child of Jvan. Accidentally created by Jvan when she was experimenting with Voids. Has some weird geometric vaguely humanoid body of solid grey stuff. Current status: alive
• Anthanasios - Life (Healing). Son of Slough. Grew from some of the rot which dripped off Slough. Is part stag part human. Started as an adult. Current status: alive, bordering on inactive.
• Jydshi - Motion (Animation). Daughter of Teknall, Aihtiraq and Kinesis (in a sense). Jydshi started as a robot built by Teknall and Kinesis. Kinesis then made a wish and Aihtiraq brought Jydshi alive. Is a giant millipede-like being. Current status: alive.

As you can see, the Divinusian pantheon is a diverse bunch.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

I'm interested in joining if there is a spot open. Thanks.

@pandapolio

Hello, and welcome.

We always have room for new players to join, entering the game as demigods. Read through the first OOC post for how the game works. You can read the zeroth post of the IC to find a summary of recent events that have occurred IC. Take a brief read of some of the IC posts to see if our style is a fit for you. Flick through the character sheets to see what niches have already been filled (although some of the sheets there never made it into the IC, so feel free to ask). Then devise a character concept (if you haven't done so already) and write up a character sheet.

For new characters, we have one major question: what do you want to do with this character? We ask that you have at least loosely considered the short term plans for your character, so that you will not be left floundering once accepted. It is also good to have some medium to long term goals, bearing in mind that such plans are subject to change, so that your character has some direction.

You can post the draft of your character sheet either here in the OOC or in a private message to the GMs (@BBeast,@Muttonhawk,@Antarctic Termite). Posting in the OOC will allow the other players to give feedback as well, although if you'd rather avoid public scrutiny a PM is adequate.

Feel free to ask questions of the GMs and of the other players. We can help you in devising your character or clarifying any uncertainties you have. Additionally, you will need to negotiate with the other players to try and find a parent or two for your new character, although this can often be sorted out after you have the concept for your character. We're here to help.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

@BBeast I seem to remember that it only detects divines who are within its proximity. Is that still so? Does it ignore concealment levels? (So for instance, if Teknall had had it pre-Realta when he visited Yara, would it have detected Vowzra and Yara?)

@Kho

This gem was a prototype of Lazarus', not the final design, so it is probably not as effective as the final product. Additionally, the purpose of this gem was not to function as a divinity detector (as that would require the rest of the machinery which went with the gem), but as a record of what a background level of divinity is. It was the data which was most valuable, not the gem itself.

That said, if Teknall ever needs to create a mechanical divinity detector, then he'd re-purpose that gemstone and copy the design of machinery it originally came in.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

What exactly does Lazarus' gem, given to Teknall, do?

@Kho

It detects divinity. Specifically, it had recorded a baseline background of divinity. Teknall used it to buff his Concealment in a plot-interesting manner.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

I've been trying to work out what exactly Arksynth is. I understand how it came to be and so on (the whole Vaky Deus Ex Machina stuff), but I don't really understand what it is and what it is capable of. Is this quote an accurate explanation?

<Snipped quote by Jvan to Nameless Sculptor>

It can literally be anything you mould it into? And something to do with rolls

@Kho

In brief, you perform esoteric 'recipes' with it, and it yields biotechnology.

The details of the recipes, however, tends to vary randomly depending on your batch of Arksynth, so it is somewhat unpredictable and requires a personal touch to get it to behave. When creating new biotechnology from Arksynth, you are encouraged to invoke some randomness as to what biotechnology you create (generally by using die rolls), to reflect the serendipitous yet unpredictable nature of Arksynth.

It's basically some fusion of alchemy and chance used to make biotechnology; another form of magic.