BBeast

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

@Kho, reading your draft OP for Divinus Lite, I have some feedback:

• I quite like the idea of all unspent Might being lost at each Turn change. This encourages people to spend, which is what we want in Divinus Lite.
• However, if we have such a mechanic, then requiring that people spend all their Might the previous Turn to be allowed to Level up might be redundant and onerous. Also, Might spent on Levelling Up would count for Might spent, so it doesn't fix too much except for finding a way to get rid of the loose change. (But if you want to keep it, that's fine too. It does ensure that only active players get to level up.)
• TiPis are not necessary (unless you allow them to be stockpiled, but that would cause confusion). They are really just 0.25 Might which can't be used for Might-only actions. They may as well be omitted from Divinus Lite, and you just replace their function with fractional Might expenditure (like we have been doing anyway). Having a single currency is far simpler than having two.
• Avatar costs have been changed. Current costs go 1-2-4-8-12-16-20-etc, not simply doubling. This is because we decided that the benefit provided by more Avatars is far closer to linear than exponential.
• I've always found the wording of the worshipper mechanics for Demigods a little cumbersome and somewhat vague, especially with the scaling ratios. A simpler phrasing would be: Demigods get 1 Might Recuperation for every 1000 Worshippers, up to a cap of 4 Might Recuperation.
• If we want to ever do a cross-over between Divinus Mk.2 and Divinus Lite, then I suggest that we keep the Primordials the same between the two.
• Do we want to reduce the Khookie cost for levelling up Heroes, to be in line with the reduced Khookies per post?
• More details on quests. Quests could be set by GMs. Gods could also spend Might to create a quest which some Heroes could complete. The prize for the quest should be more efficient than simply spending Might to Level Up the Heroes. Unless you want to allow Gods to create quests for free, in which case we would have to specify a limit such as only one active quest per God, and you can only create one quest per Turn. We would have to ensure that quests meet some minimum standard of difficulty, so they cannot be abused to rapidly level up Heroes. We can permit a quest to be completed multiple times if that is within the parameters of the quest, although each Hero can only claim the prize once. Multiple Heroes working together to complete a quest all gain the full prize. It must be specified that all Heroes have the opportunity to learn of the existence of a quest (via rumours, legends, proclamations, visions, etc.); no secret/private quests allowed.

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

A Divinus-lite sounds fun, although I'm concerned it might draw activity away from main Divinus.

I'll deliver some feedback on the ideas thrown around anyway. (They also make good rules considerations for Divinus Mk.3 if we ever get to that stage.)

• I'm not sure how temporary Holy Sites would be useful. Additionally, IC, with Holy Sites meant to be lasting monuments to their creator god, having them expire runs counter to that.
• Capturing Holy Sites is cool, if you could figure out a way to do it.
• Worshipper mechanics might be complicated. What defines a worshipper? How can we ensure that worshippers are obtained fairly? A cap on the bonus worshippers gives like for demigods is likely needed. However, IC, Divinus gods are special in that their existence and power is largely independent of mortals, which gives you that extra feeling of power, that you are because you are, not because some mortals believed you into power.
• However, I've figured out a potential way to join modifications to Holy Sites and Worshippers: Holy Sites must be maintained/attended by your Worshippers in order for you to gain Might from it. Holy Sites thus become infrastructure for channelling mortal piety into divine power. The number of worshippers is not important, as long as it is enough to operate the Holy Site (which might scale with Might Cost). If you lose influence over your worshippers, your Holy Site stops functioning. If another god supplants your worshippers and puts their own in the Holy Site, then that god gains the benefits of the Holy Site instead.
• To add to the Fate/Amul debate: the mere presence of the Primordials is enough to remind the Player Characters that, although they are Gods, they are not the most powerful beings around, which adds an interesting dynamic. Also, if you are opening something up in the Free section, it might be worthwhile keeping them around as GM tools in case the players we attract are not as well behaved as us.

But again, don't you all go abandoning real Divinus. That would be rude.

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

The ground in the colony lurched and fractured. Splitting earth caused railways to buckle, and mining shafts collapsed on themselves. The Processors had stopped manufacturing and were trundling away from the slowly crumbling ground. Even the Nexus had uprooted itself, and was departing along a level road of gravel being produced ahead of it by Harvesters. Destroyer turrets walked with the evacuation, their guns scanning the horizon in case any elementals attempted a direct attack.

Manipulators moved along the quaking ground. Precision seismic measurements tracked the motion of many earth elementals below the colony, who were undermining its foundations. The Manipulators planted the occasional burrowing explosive and set it going. These devices had a drill head attached which was designed to propel the device forwards through the ground, until its warhead was detonated. This device allowed the Prometheans to damage underground earth elementals, although they were comparatively slow and had limited range. Regardless, it was the best the Prometheans had for attacking enemies protected by dozens of metres of stone.

For this colony, though, it hadn't been enough. The earth djinn had made the location uninhabitable, and the Prometheans had been reluctantly forced to abandon it and its mineral resources.

~~~~

The hydrocarbon lake was draining much faster than it should have been.

The primary use of hydrocarbons by the Prometheans was in manufacturing chemicals. With no ambient oxygen, hydrocarbons were almost useless as an energy source (save for stripping the hydrogen for use in fusion), but the simple organic molecules were essential for creating explosives, rocket fuels and plastics. With the war in full swing these resources were in high demand. The Prometheans siphoned hydrocarbons from surface lakes and oceans to supply this demand.

While the Prometheans consumed a lot of hydrocarbons, their consumption could not nearly account for how quickly the level of this lake was sinking. The lake was draining at a rate of a metre a day, and it was getting faster.

Carriers, Manipulators and Destroyers from the adjoining colonies went to investigate. Flow and acoustic measurements were made and aquatic probes were dropped. The Prometheans soon determined that the lake was being drained from the bottom into underground oil fields. The cause behind this disturbance were hydrocarbon elementals, identified when they attacked some of the probes.

A countermeasure was necessary, or else the colonies would be deprived of this resource. The Prometheans built a new Carrier and Destroyer type capable of submarine travel. Their hulls were made liquid-proof and capable of resisting crushing pressures. Then they dived into the depths, and were confronted by the sea djinn.

The battle was furiously energetic. The Prometheans targeted the otherwise invisible hydrocarbon djinn using sonar, and spears of flame lanced forth at the elementals. The elementals surged forth, carrying with them thousands of tonnes of liquid creating turbulent currents to disorient the Prometheans. The djinn latched onto the Prometheans and squeezed with the amplified pressure of the lake. Some of the Prometheans were destroyed by this, the extreme stress exploiting small flaws in their manufacture and allowing the djinn to get inside and rupture the robots. But this also brought the djinn into close contact with the Promethean flamethrowers, and many elementals were burned away in this assault.

Then came the elemental lord who had been leading these djinn. The Prometheans sensed his great bulk approach and loosed a salvo of torpedoes. When they burst within the djinn's liquid form he roared in pain. An amorphous limb shot forwards in retaliation, crushing one of the Destroyers against the lake bed. Fire licked at his swiftly retracting arm, and another limb gripped another Destroyer, flooded the pressurised oxygen vents of its flamethrowers, and squeezed until it ruptured. Meanwhile, the other Destroyers launched more torpedoes while the Carriers turned and fled.

With the might of an ocean the sea lord lashed out at the Prometheans and weathered their attacks until all the Destroyers had been reduced to scrap metal. The sea lord then flowed after the fleeing Carriers. He grasped at one and swallowed it, forcing liquid ethane into every little fault in its hull and tearing it apart from the inside. His pursuit of the rest took him closer to the surface, which put him in range of the more developed Promethean army and air force. Incendiary shells ripped through the lake and missiles burst at its surface, and the sea lord was forced to withdraw.

The Prometheans' submarine assault had been repelled, but they had an alternative plan. The Prometheans manufactured then sunk marine-grade mines into the lake, equipped with basic propulsion, and primed to explode if substantially disturbed or given a remote trigger. With the liberal sowing of explosives across the lake bed, it was only a matter of time before the sea lord came too close to one and triggered the explosion. At this cue, the other mines propelled themselves towards the source of the first explosion, converging upon the hydrocarbon elemental. More explosions tore into the djinni's form, and he had to move nimbly to avoid the mines.

After hours of dodging and the occasional explosion, the Prometheans stopped detecting the strong currents characteristic of hydrocarbon elementals. After waiting a few hours to ensure that all activity had stopped, they sent in the submarine Carriers escorted by the two submarine Destroyers they had managed to build since the last fight. They reached the bottom of the lake unopposed, where the lake intersected a layer of porous rock. The Carriers injected concrete into the layer, blocking it off and preventing any more hydrocarbons from being drained from the lake.

~~~~

To feed their ceaseless expansion, the Prometheans had to always find more resources. Water to feed the fusion cores. Hydrocarbons and ammopnia to create chemicals. Iron and bauxite ore to create structural metals. Uranium and thorium to feed nuclear reactors. These were the main resources consumed, but many other minerals were used in lower volumes and were just as essential. Many rarer minerals formed essential components of electronics and the fusion cores. And this made places where such minerals could be mined very valuable.

The colony containing Nexus 001335 was one such colony, a rare earth mineral mine. The war with the elementals had changed the structure of such outposts. This outpost contained only minimal manufacturing capacity; most goods including most new Prometheans were typically imported, and the resources collected by the outpost were almost entirely exported. This logistical format made establishing the colony cheaper, and also meant that lots of raw resources would not have to be shipped to the outpost.

The war against the elementals had also changed how resources were transported to and from the outposts. Railways were too susceptible to sabotage, so were only used deep within Promethean territory. Goods were hauled to and from the outposts using terrestrial Carriers, which were always accompanied by an escort of Destroyers.

But now the elementals were besieging the colony of Nexus 001335, cutting off the supply route. It had been many days since a Carrier had travelled to or from that outpost, and the elementals seemed content to continue their siege rather than assault the colony directly. Stealthily the elementals had stolen what little ice was around the colony, leaving the colony under imminent risk of a major power shortage.

With this colony helpless but too vulnerable to abandon, the other Prometheans mobilised an army to rescue them. Hundreds of Destroyers rolled across the ground and flew across the sky towards the elemental blockade, along with Carriers with spare munitions and Manipulators to perform field repairs.

The army was first spotted by the various sprites who were keeping watch for Prometheans and long range missiles. They raised a telepathic alert with their masters as a squadron of flying Destroyers flew ahead to engage these forwards scouts. The lesser elementals were readily dispatched, and with the air sweep complete some of the Destroyers on the ground armed and fired their long range missiles towards the elemental blockade over the horizon. Carriers moved in to reload the missile launchers, while the rest of the army advanced.

Closer to the blockade, but still with it over the horizon, another group of terrestrial Destroyers broke off from the army and stopped. They raised their railgun artillery and, using targeting information from high-altitude Destroyers with better vision of the blockade, commenced bombardment. Salvos of long-ranged missiles periodically soared overhead to accompany the artillery.

The remainder of the army rumbled onward, and they were soon met by a charge from the elementals. The ground heaved and lurched, and a ridge suddenly rose from beneath one Destroyer and toppled it onto its side. Turrets on the other Destroyers turned and fired a battery of shells and missiles at the rising stone lord, who sunk back into the ground to take cover. Elsewhere smaller stonedjinn rose from the ground, slammed their fists against the Destroyers and tore off pieces of them. Gunfire flared in retaliation, shattering many stonedjinn.

Some Manipulators quickly dismounted from the Carriers and planted seismometers on the ground. These instruments networked with each other to triangulate the locations of any subterranean motion, then broadcast their data to all Prometheans in range. With the sensors in place, the Prometheans were able to anticipate where the earth elementals would rise and target their weapons accordingly.

A colossal stone arm erupted from the ground beside a Destroyer and slammed down onto it, crushing the machine. The next moment the arm was struck by a coordinated salvo of missiles from the Destroyers in the air and railgun shells from the Destroyers on the ground, such that the limb was completely severed. The earth quaked in pain.

Approaching the battle was a roiling cloud of ammonia and ethane, crackling with lightning. Eddies danced ahead of the cloud, itching to meet the Prometheans in combat. Over the horizon came another artillery salvo. Some of the missiles were intercepted by the lesser wind elementals, one by a bolt of lightning, while the rest of the missiles and the explosive shells burst within the great cloud's form, whittling away at its strength. Some of the fighter jets turned to face the storm lord, while some flew around to flank the cloud. Missiles flew and autocannons fired, and explosions crackled across the storm lord.

The elemental did not slow its charge, though. It ploughed through those Destroyers which had flew into it, hurling them to the ground, and it kept going until it rolled over the army. Hurricane force winds tore at the army. The Destroyers and Carriers were far too heavy to be significantly affected, although a few unsecured Manipulators who were enacting field repairs were lifted from the ground and tossed aside. What the storm lord was able to pick up, though, were all the seismometers, which it flung high into the sky and left them to fall and shatter on the hard earth.

Short range missiles, flamethrowers and incendiary rounds tore at the storm lord and its lesser djinn as they blew past, but in seconds the storm lord had left the army behind. The Prometheans were now blind to the earth elementals beneath their wheels. A contingent of airborne Destroyers flew after the storm lord and continued to harry it, along with the continued long range bombardment.

With the Prometheans no longer able to sense beneath the earth, the earth elementals were able to strike the Prometheans by surprise then quickly retreat back into the ground. While the Prometheans were often able to shoot back, they were much less successful at killing the earth elementals than before.

A group of elementals sprung up from the ground around a Carrier laden with ammunition. A large stonedjinn stopped the Carrier in its tracks, while the rest tore the doors off their hinges and surged inside. Gunfire from the Destroyers struck some of these djinn. From within the Carrier came gunfire from its internal turrets, and resistance from Manipulators who hacked at the elementals with power tools. The elementals overpowered the internal resistance, and they would have trashed the Carrier and its cargo from inside out if a nearby Destroyer hadn't fired its railguns through the Carrier, striking and shattering the earth elementals within. The Carrier, although damaged, was still functional.

The army spread out and scattered, driving quickly. By staying on the move, few earth elementals were able to keep up and effectively attack the Prometheans. The stone lord was able to catch up, though. Giant stone limbs burst from the ground to punch the Prometheans, and more than one speeding Promethean collided head first with a rising cliff face. However, the stone lord could not catch all the Prometheans, for they had split up. With the army fleeing and the storm lord departed, the battle came to an end.

Concurrently with this battle, a few flying Carriers had gone around the distracted elemental blockade and delivered vital supplies to the besieged colony, including hydrogen for the fusion reactors. With the storm lord dispersed, flying Carriers were able to make more regular trips to and from the colony. In the following days the Prometheans were able to fight for a clear path past the stone lord too, so the terrestrial Carriers were able to resume travel along the transport routes as well.

~~~~

Far from Promethean territory, Stormlord Aurora had expanded into a great hurricane crackling with a pyrotechnics display of lightning which could be seen from orbit. Closer to ground level, a wind djinni sat in the eye of the storm and delivered a report to Aurora.

"Five of their colonies have been undermined by the stone lords, and they have been forced to abandon those locations. Another colony has been sufficiently starved for an assault to successfully destroy it."

Excellent. And the others?

"Nautilus' force was able to wash away one of the coastal colonies, although with considerable losses. Alkanus' attempt to drain the lake failed when he was repelled by the metal beasts. There is a new variant of metal beast which can swim and fight underwater."

Coward.

"The blockade established by Regolith and Mistral was broken by a sizeable enemy army. Mistral has been gravely wounded, and Regolith has also been substantially weakened."

There was frustrated silence from Aurora. The messenger continued.

"Rime's underlings have been stealing ice from the outer colonies, but he has been unable to penetrate far into their territory, so the metal beasts have still been able to deliver ice and other fuels to the outer colonies. Raids on the supply lines continue, but with limited success. Even if we kill some of the beasts, if we do not hide the bodies they consume the corpses and create new beasts. Meanwhile, our numbers are dwindling. They build new lords every few days, but we are losing our lords faster than they rise."

That is why our strategy must be to starve the beasts, rather than simply fight them. If they have no metals, no hydrocarbons, no ice, then they cannot multiply.

"But to achieve that, we must outlast the reserves which lie within their territory. Their strength is formidable!"

An eye of lightning glared at the elemental for a few seconds before receding.

We will see who is strongest once meteor are on our side.

Summary

Another post detailing the war between the Prometheans and the elementals. I would like to acknowledge Cyclone's assistance in helping to brainstorm some of the elemental strategies in this post.

With direct combat not so effective for the elementals, the elementals have turned their energy to undermining the Prometheans' infrastructure, logistics and resource economy.

Earth elementals tear open sink holes and crevasses underneath colonies, forcing them to relocate.

Some hydrocarbon elementals attempt to drain the lakes which the Prometheans harvest hydrocarbons from. The Prometheans develop submarines (0.25 MP) and sonar (0.25 MP) to bring the battle to the sea djinn.

Because railways don't work so well when elementals keep trashing them, the Prometheans build Carriers on wheels/treads to transport goods to and from the outposts.

The elementals try besieging outposts. They steal ice from nearby so they don't have fuel for the fusion reactors. Then they blockade the supply routes. The Prometheans respond aggressively.

We have a scene with Aurora talking to a messenger, giving an overview of how the war is going. While the elementals are dealing some serious damage, they are taking losses, and the Prometheans are far better positioned to fight a war of attrition than the elementals. Aurora is trying to signal meteor elementals for backup.

Might Summary
Start: 26 MP, 2 FP (12.25 MP reserved by Workshop)
Spent: 0.5 MP (submarines, sonar)
End: 25.5 MP, 2 FP (12.25 MP reserved by Workshop)

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

@Kho, When Xos sundered the Celestial Citadel, it was split into two. Half of it fell to the ground, and was rebuilt as the Terrestrial Citadel. The other half, the gem-clad spire and uppermost floors, kept flying, although was in significant disrepair. Xos remained in the flying part, and has not set foot in the Terrestrial Citadel to my knowledge. As such, the fight between Xos and Vestec happened somewhere in the stratosphere.

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

@Muttonhawk Good luck going out into the big wide world. You'll always be an Aussie to me, mate.

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

Shout-out to @Double Capybara for creating a detailed wiki page for Mesathalassa, including never-before-seen historical worldbuilding details.

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

<Snipped quote by Double Capybara>

Cowbells.

@Cyclone

You always need more cowbell.

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

The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations
Level 5 God of Crafting (Masonry, Carpentry, Smithing, Alchemy, Armaments)
26 Might & 2 Free Points
BBeast and Muttonhawk

The only porcelain figure attending the centre of Cornerstone today was a regent. Amongst the rhythmic construction of various kaolokinetic constructs was Majus, standing straight, tall, and glinting in the sun. In one hand was a smaller set of armour pressed securely to its shoulder; the figure of Minus. In its other hand was a wriggling and writhing fleshy lifeform, desperate to pass on the programmed message in its bulbous brain. Next to Majus was the only thing that looked more vertical than the avatar's posture. Its longhammer, perched upright on the floor.

The unearthly scene was added to by the sudden, golden-lit entrance of Teknall. The aproned hain held in his hands another swollen brain robed in thin flesh. "Toun, have you seen this?" Distress sat under Teknall's voice.

Majus' head creaked to regard the odd-hain-out before him. Before the avatar could speak for itself, a lump grew on the featureless porcelain centre of its visor. The lump bulged, split, and opened to reveal an intense blue eye gazing down at Teknall.

"Brother," Toun's voice vibrated from Majus' body. His mood was hard to immediately gauge. "I have been busy hunting the murderer. Is this message from Jvan so important if she decided not to send it by a medium wrought of weak matter?" Majus shook the wriggling brain-message for emphasis. "I assumed it to be some fanciful song or poem or other diversion."

Teknall seemed briefly flabbergasted. "You mean you didn't notice? Goliath could see the signs of the battle from orbit." He shook his head and proffered the brain. "This message is vitally important to your mission. Xos has struck again, this time against Jvan. She survived, thank Fate, although Xos left in better condition than her. This is a recording of the battle."

The eye stared silently for a strongly mulled few seconds. Just as suspicions raised that Toun may not have been listening, the eye sucked itself back into Majus' visor, smoothing the split it made and leaving no trace of its presence.

The air cracked beside Majus. One frame of Teknall's senses saw a thin white line leading vertically into the sky above. The next frame saw that line disappear, replaced with Toun and a curling wave of displaced air. Toun's robes settled. He held a new clay spear loosely in his right hand. His eye bored into Teknall as if it were the very same blue orb that bulged from Majus' head.

Without breaking eye contact, Toun stretched his free hand to pluck the fleshy creature from Majus' grip and curled his arm in front of his face. His eye flicked to the brain.

Minimal signs of scrutiny showed on Toun's smooth face. In the pause he took to read Jvan's message, Teknall noticed something off about Toun's very essence before him. Though his physical body stood just as flawless as ever, he read in Teknall's senses with welts and gashes, blemishing the power he radiated.

He looked sore.

"Damn you, sister," Toun muttered. "We could have gathered then. We could have struck. You stubborn, airy, boil Jvan..." He sped his mumbling. "At least Jvan's prod at Xos' physicality corroborates an...insecurity of the shade."

A tile of Cornerstone flung up, opening to a shadowy porcelain cavity. Toun tossed the brain-creature inside before the tile clacked shut. He then returned his regards to Teknall.

"Well?" Toun asked impatiently. "What do you make of it, brother?"

"I have observed that Xos is mobilising against Galbar. It isn't just Jvan. The elementals are at war with each other, half of them declaring loyalty to Xos and the rest resisting the shade's authority. He is seizing the assets Zephyrion has left behind; first the Celestial Citadel, killing Ventus who had succeeded Zephyrion, then the rest of the elementals. Vetros is a possible target if this pattern continues, especially since they have the King's Law, although his actions once there are uncertain. The Ogres are another potential race he could target.

"As for the battle in the recording, I'm sure it contains valuable data for analysing and potentially countering Xos' patterns in combat. Especially valuable are the observations of the use of that spark of power. Aside from the obvious, it appears that Xos might be exercising some restraint with the spark. The last blow being charged from it was far more mighty than the previous uses, even though such excessive force used at the beginning would have seized him a definite victory. Considering Xos' activities with the elementals, it appears possible that Xos has placed some value in keeping Galbar intact. This does not mean Xos won't destroy Galbar if he deems it necessary, such as under threat of defeat.

"We also observe some of Xos' personality and motives from the dialogue. He despises us gods, and has no qualms about killing us if we fail to cooperate, although this we could already suspect. He mentions a specific vendetta against Jvan and her creations. This hints at potential future targets. He could return to fight Jvan again, but considering that this yielded a stalemate he's more likely to attempt different targets of value to Jvan. Ovaedis is an obvious one, although he might target any other large distinctly Jvanic thing, such as the city of Metera, the island of Julia or the decontamination towers. The Sculptors and the rest of Jvan's creatures are mostly too dispersed to be sufficiently valuable targets."

Teknall took a breath as he concluded his observations. "What of you? Any further observations? You seem to have been quite busy."

"Yes..." Toun's neck tensed and his shoulders shuddered ever-so-slightly. "The elementals' conflict has not escaped my investigations. Lesser djinn driven mad. Fleeing into climates ill-suited to their forms." Toun waved his spear to plant it's blunt end on the floor with a sharp cring. He spoke low, as if fatigued. "Jvan provoked the murderer. While this suggests the attack was made upon opportunity, his servant's intervention below our sister smells of premeditation. Still, the way he spoke, the way he acted...I think he targeted Jvan to gain favour with other elementals. His hate for her is not a unique one."

Toun rolled his head, inspecting the sharp point of his weapon. "Why Xos requires elementals? That would be enlightening indeed. Perhaps they guard from a threat to him. Perhaps they are required to enact his destructive plans. Perhaps he likes the taste of flickers. Perhaps there are traces of sentimentality for Zephyrion's creations. Any number may be true. I believe they are more your concern than mine, brother." Toun gave Teknall a brief look. "Preserving mortal civilisations are your project. Not mine. Of course, this is excepting one detail. The King's Law. Do you know its whereabouts?"

"Unless something has happened to it very recently, it is in the possession of King Heru of Vetros," Teknall answered.

Toun's eye flashed. "Then if Xos knows of it and its location, he would have taken it already."

"If he wants to take it. Xos already wields a weapon of unimaginable power, so the King's Law is not as valuable to Xos for personal use. He likely has priorities other than the King's Law. For all we know, he might want to keep Vetros and the bloodline of Primus in power, although at this stage we can only speculate."

With his eye relaxing, Toun's head lifted just enough to show a cynical brand of amusement. "My speculation shall not overestimate Xos' hubris. As a matter of my own knowledge, he is aware he is being hunted now."

Teknall cocked his beak and gave Toun a slightly cynical look of his own, silently telling him to continue.

"He knew I was following him. Even before we encountered on the fifth planet in this system. Lazarus' wretched hybrids named the algeous sphere Soul Aonair. It is the only name I know it by." Toun shook his head. "Nevertheless, we fought. I weathered the spark as much as I could. Without Logos, I was forced to withdraw."

Teknall's eyes widened. "You fought him?"

"He has grown in power," Toun gravely intoned to his closed fist. "He will continue to grow."

"Were you unable to call for Logos?" Teknall queried.

Toun's hands clenched harder. The fingers around his spear shaft creaked against the porcelain surface. "Had I...called...for Logos..." he explained, seething. "I would have lost...my opportunity...to take the spark from Xos' hands. It was a trap sprung almost back against him. We committed mutual failure." His voice regained. "I have his trail now. I have seen him fight and we have sparred before. This new information only seals Xos' fate. I shall be calling upon Logos and we shall soon end this murderer's plans."

Teknall nodded. "Very well. Once Xos is gone we can breathe a little easier."

"There is more, Teknall." Toun straightened and stepped up to Teknall, kneeling down to look level at his hain eyes. "I need you to do something."

"What is it, Toun?"

His voice was low pitched. Devoid of anything but warning. "Xos will kill one more. See that it is not you. See that it is not any of the children. And as far as you can act, see that it is none amongst our siblings."

Teknall swallowed. "I will be vigilant."

Toun's eye softened. "This is no bluster or pride, brother. I have...seen this outcome for myself. Promise me you shall be vigilant. Please."

Teknall dipped his beak slightly. "I will be vigilant, I promise." Teknall raised his eyes back up to look more squarely at Toun. "And you must be vigilant too."

The soft blue eye closed as Toun's shoulders relaxed.

Standing up like a floating silk, Toun stepped away. He clasped his wrist behind his back, letting the spear be held horizontally, and bowed his bald head to look at the polished floor. "The murderer has fooled me only once." His acerbic tone returned. "Such shall remain only once. His chances are spent. All he holds now is the rapidly narrowing length of time before I see him again."

Teknall nodded again. "I should leave you to continue your work. Although..." Teknall turned his head to Majus and cocked it curiously. "What happened to Minus?"

From behind Toun, Teknall saw his bald porcelain head lift and recline. Toun paused for long enough for a few answers to spring up in thoughts around his silence. None of them likely to align with how he himself would explain it.

"Damage during the battle for Xerxes," he stated flatly. "A minor malfunction. I shall repair it soon."

"A minor malfunction? Teknall said incredulously. Teknall stepped up to Majus and poked the arm of Minus' armour. "The armour is empty."

Majus was the first to react, turning its large helmet to the armour over his shoulder as if he had only just noticed it.

Toun answered. "I know."

"Father," Majus intoned. "Minus objective is unfulfilled-"

"I know!" Toun was more firm to his avatar. "It is too late now. Every reason for retrieving the body is now moot. Minus shall be retrieved when its skills are next required. It can take care of itself until then."

"Understood, father."

Toun half-turned to look down on Teknall. "As I said, Teknall, I shall repair Minus. There remain other priorities this day."

"Of course. It was merely a strange sight," Teknall said apologetically, waving a hand at Minus' armour. "I shall leave you to your work, Toun."

"Take care, brother." Toun turned away again. His tone was dismissive, yet the words had a weight to them. Teknall teleported away.

An empty moment passed. Toun slid silently around to face Majus.

"Put down the shell," Toun ordered.

Majus took Minus' armour in both hands and lowered the limp carapace to the floor. That was when Toun spun the butt of his spear at Majus' helmet. The clay bell-toll struck with a force that made Majus' bulk seem like nothing. The avatar flipped back onto its shoulders with a dull crack on the floor. Its legs landed afterwards with two more similar sounds.

"Can I not depend on my servants to capture their own!?" Toun shouted. "Could you not foresee such an idiotic ruse!?!"

Majus sat halfway up before Toun's spear spun and struck it violently to the floor once more.

"The cape, Majus! Your twin has a cape! You were meant to prevent this outcome, Majus! You failed me!"

Majus' next attempt to stand was slower, and clearly showed struggle. This time, Toun took the blunt end of his spear and pushed it down on Majus' neck with both arms, forcing it to the ground again. He clinked one porcelain foot on Majus' chest.

Toun hissed. "You are unfit to pursue Minus. Your mission has failed."

"Understood, father."

"Assume a new mission. You will defend Cornerstone in my absence. Do not let harm come to it or your fellow servants."

"Understood, father."

"Elementals may attack. Drive them away, make examples of their folly. Are you fit for this objective?"

"Yes, father. A djinni cannot hide as Minus can."

One Last Interlude

Teknall has received Jvan's message recording her battle with Xos, and goes to talk about it with Toun.

Toun has been busy, and hasn't read his mail.

Toun reads the message, then Teknall and Toun exchange observations. They try to make sense of the connection between Xos and the elementals, and to elucidate his motives.

Toun reveals that he had recently battled Xos to attempt to steal with Primordial Spark. Toun looks beat up.

Toun delivers a grave warning to Teknall, that Xos will kill once more, and he urges Teknall to ensure that it is not himself or any of the children or, if possible, any of the siblings. Teknall promises to be vigilant.

Majus with Minus' armour was here all along. Before leaving, Teknall inquires about Minus, and openly states that the armour here is empty. Majus is surprised, although Toun is not.

Once Teknall leaves, Toun gives Majus a beating for being incompetent, then reassigns him to the defence of Cornerstone.

No Might spent

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

Since there has been mention of Death's Shards, I copied @Rtron's sheet for them into the wiki so you don't have to dig through the Character tab to find them.

<Snipped quote by Slime>

If you know how to use Astartian Magic, a whole world of possibilities opens up :p, you could do magic so powerful that you could defeat an entire army on your own or erase a city from Galbar. Such powerful magic is normally unattainable, but by sacrificing a few souls you can make it happen. Luckily, there's a procedure called "kidnap orphans and suck their souls out" that one can do to obtain large quantities of pure souls :)

@Frettzo

It had better be a lot of souls to obtain magic powerful enough to nuke a city. Souls aren't exactly rare.

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

<Snipped quote by Antarctic Termite>

:(

By the way, I don't think I understand the Yonders well enough. They're soulless bodies that go around looking for a soul and memories to steal from an actual sentient being?

@Frettzo

They do that in the early stages of their life. Then they mature into a giant ghost-like interplanetary war construct.

Watch this space for when Termite adds more to the CS. (Maybe this will motivate Termite to finish a CS)