BBeast

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

@Vec@Cyclone, further, a full reboot allows us to re-write the rules, which is something that we realised we wanted to do when we made Godspeed.

We can decide where we want to go after we reach the end of this one.

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)
22 Might & 1 Free Point

The Meek
Level 4 Demigod of Crafting (Machinery)
23.5 Might

The Muse. Weaver of Dreams.
Beauty (Stories, Colors, Aesthetic, Flowers, Glass, Jewelry)

Might: -1
Free Points: 0
Level 9

A collab between BBeast and Double Capybara

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."

roleplayerguild.com/posts/4608406

There hadn't been any sign of Xos' personal presence on Galbar recently, but that was no reason not to be cautious. Masking his essence to the extent of his ability, the scenery flicked past Teknall as he blinked through the essence-rich Holy Sites which dotted Galbar. (Among these locations were the Temples of the God in the Stone. Was this where Belruarc had gone? And was that Vowzra's essence? These were mysteries for another day.) Then, after an inter-dimensional jaunt through his Workshop, Teknall arrived within Pictaraika.

Specifically, he appeared near a work site. Ropes, cables and pulleys stretched down a shaft, leading deeper into Pictaraika. Marionettes ferried parts and tools towards the shaft and carried rock and debris away. An iron steam engine connected to all the ropes and pulleys. The engine was fed by a boiler burning coal and spewing out smoke, with a couple of marionettes fueling and stoking the flames. And next to the engine stood Kinesis.

"Kinesis, my daughter," Teknall greeted.

Kinesis spun around, surprise and happiness on her soot-covered face. "Father!" She wiped her hands on her apron, transferring some of the grime, and embraced her father.

"How have you been? I see Ilunabar's given you a place to set up shop."

"She has. The technology pales in comparison to your Workshop, but this place is so big that there's always something more to do." Kinesis gestured at the shaft in the ground. "Right now I'm building an elevator. Pictaraika is layered, but there isn't an easy, direct, high-capacity route between the layers. Not yet, anyway. Building this thing is a good challenge. I forged this steam engine to provide mechanical power where I need it, as power on demand is another thing this place lacks. Although the solar forge does provide ample heat for metalworking. The marionettes are another matter. I've been able to tinker with them and apply a few optimisations, but making larger improvements is challenging. I can replace the wooden bodies with other materials to further refine them, but the real limitation are the fiberlings which operate them. They don't take well to metal wires. I've been experimenting with polymers, but the synthetic facilities here are limited. But they make a good workforce all the same, and there is a wonderful elegance in their design and aesthetic."

"You've been enjoying creating things, I see."

Kinesis nodded her head vigorously. "Yes."

There was a noise as one of the pulleys rattled, as its rope was tugged at from within the shaft. Kinesis stepped back towards the steam engine and pulled a lever. Gears dropped into place and the rope was steadily winched upwards.

Teknall glanced around at the working marionettes. A few of them had been built with bodies of brass rather than the typical wood, and seemed to be undertaking more complex tasks than the others. "I will have to show you the Prometheans some time." Before Kinesis could enquire further he waved a dismissive hand. "Another time, though. Tell me, where's Jydshi?"

"She decided to continue travelling when I settled down here," Kinesis said.

Teknall nodded. "From what you've told me of her personality, I wouldn't take her to be one to settle down."

"How is Conata going?" Kinesis asked.

"She is going well. She has found a nice community in Alefpria to set up shop in, and has been exercising kindheartedness. She's come up with a grand scheme to gain Lifprasil's audience." Teknall chuckled. "She has created a big metal cone which she intends to fly through the roof of the palace into Lifprasil's room! She's even forged an adamantine tip for it, and that was no easy feat. I can't wait to see her pull it off."

Kinesis laughed, but as she pictured Conata longing for her sister grew in her heart. "You will tell her soon, right? It's well past her seventeenth birthday."

"I will, you can be sure of that. But it would be a shame to let her effort go to waste."

There were a few moments of quiet between the two, then Teknall spoke again. "There is something quite serious I must tell you about, my daughter."

Kinesis bowed her head demurely. "What is it, father?"

"A murderer is out there. Xos; a shadow of who Zephyrion once was. He killed Kyre. He blew up the Celestial Citadel. He fought Vestec, Jvan and Toun, who were all lucky to make it away alive. He has stirred the djinn of Galbar into a civil war of terrifying ferocity. And he wields a weapon of such horrific power that it could shatter planets if used to its full potential."

Kinesis' face went pale and she cupped a hand over her gaping mouth.

Teknall put a gentle hand on Kinesis' cheek. "I tell you this to warn you. He may strike again before he can be dealt with, and I don't want to see you hurt. Stay inside Pictaraika for now. Keep safe, and don't hesitate to call for help if anything happens. Okay?"

Kinesis held Teknall's hand which was on her cheek. She nodded and softly replied, "Okay." A moment later, she added, "What about Conata?"

"I'll keep a close eye on her, you can be sure of that. Ilunabar should be able to keep you under her protection here." Teknall kissed Kinesis on the forehead then stepped back.

Teknall then inspected Kinesis with a critical eye. ”You’re not armed.”

Kinesis was caught off guard by the comment. ”No?”

”How are you meant to defend yourself if you are unarmed? There’s not much you can do if Xos comes, but suppose you face a stormlord or something? What then? We’ll need to fix that.”

At this moment, the sound of a metal clacking echoed around the workshop as a set of bronze pipes fell to the ground. Near them, impressively, was Ilunabar, who had entered into the room unnoticed, hands still in the air in the overall direction of the pipes she had failed to notice and failed to catch. So much for keeping a dramatic timing. In an instant, she straightened up her position and smiled as if nothing had happened.

”Ah, Teknall, it is nice to see you again.” she said. ”You wouldn’t need to worry about Storm Djinns up here. There are Julkofyrian-era defences in the jagged mountains that nest this region and my own measures too. Not to say you should not gift your daughter a weapon, those can be useful at times, unfortunately.”

Teknall spun around when Ilunabar announced herself. ”Ah, Ilunabar, nice to see you too,” Teknall said. ”I didn’t mean to detract from your defences, but times like these call us to be vigilant.”

Teknall hesitated for a moment, attention split between Ilunabar and Kinesis. Then he turned to Kinesis, opened his satchel and scooped out twenty five metal canisters with colour-coded markings. ”Alchemical munitions. Might be useful,” Teknall explained. He pointed to each different canister. ”Valley of Peace mist. High explosives. Cryogenic. Alchemists’ cement. Obscuring fog. There’s a nice recipe for a fire quencher I can give you. And then there’s black powder, made from saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. Get creative. Test them out. I can answer questions and resupply a little later. For now, I would guess that Ilunabar might want to talk?” He turned his head to look at Ilunabar.

The goddess had moved towards the other two and was paying close attention to the elements Teknall handed to Kinesis. She made a mental note at first but then decided to just express her opinion out aloud. "You should teach mortals some of this later."

”Already on it. Many Sculptors are experimenting in alchemy. They are ideally suited for the task,” Teknall said.

That, however, was far from the main topics Ilunabar desired to talk with Teknall, though it was loosely related to one of her ideas. "I listened to your conversation earlier, I hope you do not mind, and it answered many of the questions I planned on asking you. As terrible as those answers may be."

Gently, very gently, she waved a hand behind her back. On the brass reflection of their image, the two gods started a conversation, their mouths moving in the mirrors while in reality silence still ruled the room.

"You said the Celestial Citadel was blown up." She took a deep breath. "I also take that, given your duties a god, you are good at identifying metals. Did you see a pool of mercury or a crescent-shaped golden frame among the ruins? There was this contraption I made. A mirror. A gift to Zephyrion's servant and to the god himself. It was capable of scrying any location on Galbar. If that was not destroyed in the battle..."

”I looked over the wreckage quite carefully. The explosion occurred in the main spire. Most of the Citadel crashed to the ground, but the uppermost rooms remained aloft. I did not find any sign of such a device in the remains on the ground.”

"The mirror was in the uppermost floor. I imagine a fight up there ought to have broken it, yet, there is the possibility it survived. I imagine I could break it right now, but, that would immediately attract unwanted danger. Right now I am casting an illusion so this conversation is truly private.”

”I noticed that illusion. It’s a nice trick.” Teknall then froze as realisation caught up with him. ”A mirror which can scry anywhere on Galbar, in Xos’ hands. An ideal way for him to track down terrestrial targets.” Teknall cast a very brief sideways glance at Kinesis, who was busying herself with the alchemical munitions. ”This mirror is your responsibility. Either option has its perils.”

Ilunabar shook her head. "Logos had no mirror yet he had little trouble finding gods.” she said. "The hazard is not in finding who is where, but in finding out any possible surprise party being set up. Luckily, the mirror takes time to focus and can truly only look at one region at a time, as such, much is probably lost to the user’s gaze, yet, there is the slight chance it is not lost. That could be disadvantageous… or maybe, it could be an opportunity. Imagine being told to be ready for a blizzard just to end up facing a heat wave.”

”One could find Jvan from orbit, and when Logos found me it was because I was going loud. But I get your point. Are you suggesting we construct a decoy?”

”Is that the right word? Nevertheless, I could create a constant state of deceit for mirrors, but the longer it is used, the easier it will be for some noticeable mistake to happen. Ideally, we would need to act only if we were to know for sure there is scrying happening. I reckon this is within the range of what I could do, yet I lack the technique to turn that into something real. The only thing similar to what I’m imagining is that hideous little device Lazarus used to identify even the most minute of godly presences, but I know nothing about how it can do such a thing.”

”Lazarus’ device?” Teknall reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a simple wooden contraption covered in magic runes with a gem embedded in the middle. ”I traded with Lazarus for this prototype. It contains data on the baseline absence of divine essence, and is able to measure levels of divine essence. It should be able to be adapted for this purpose.”

Gently taking and inspecting it, Ilunabar found more insights in the words of her brother than in the artifact itself. ”Absence! Of course... So that is how he pulled that trick. Considering how much I need to work with conceptual presence and absence when it comes to the Pictaraika, I should have noticed. Hmm. All I need to do is to take account of all that which is not reflected. Wait an instant.”

She looked at the gem for a moment, it was very useful that it used such a catalyst, as it made it simpler for Ilunabar to copy to process once she had a plan. Then, with a tap, she added her own flair of data to the collection in the device… and, in typical fashion, may have discreetly made a copy of it all for personal use.

”With a world of mirrors down in the Pictaraika, it all became too simple once I knew how to identify them. I can now confirm my mirror survived, though it has not been used in a day. What I did is better than just knowing if it is looking at you, you can outright track it.” the goddess smiled, there was pride in her face, but also some tension.

Teknall smiled too as he inspected the modified device. ”Excellent. If he uses the mirror to spy on targets beforehand, we’ll know and can prepare accordingly. This is helpful.”

”I hope it can be useful in turning the tides of this situation. Maybe… it could even help to find out the nature of the shadow and where the one who is casting it. Zephyrion was a good brother. We did not talk much at the citadel, but you just had to appreciate his sense of grandiose as a host.” the goddess sighed. ”Heh, to think I thought things were bad back then, what is a little moon being launched from orbit compared to god killers and all consuming voids.”

”Things have escalated, indeed.” Teknall paused for a moment, then asked, ”Did you receive Jvan’s message-in-a-brain?”

”Message? I have been quite focused on my work here, the Pictaraika might be finished as foundation, but there is much work to be done before it is functional, as such, I have not been at my most attentive, if Jvan sent me something, there is a chance I might have missed it, yet, her work is usually quite… sturdy… and this is my realm, the thoughts can likely outlive its host.”

”You may find it informative regarding Xos; it is a complete recording of Xos’ fight with Jvan,” Teknall said.

The goddess tilted her head slightly, a sudden urgency in her expression. ”Must not be a nice watch, considering your previous words about the fight. I will try to retrieve it soon then.” The suddenly found focus on it was not exactly born from a desire to understand Xos, though she was surely interested in that, but in a slight suspicion that such memories would be better off not left unwatched anywhere near Glamour and Dreams.

A loud bang suddenly rang out from down a corridor. The vibrations toppled a few more brass pipes, which clanked onto the ground, and dislodged dust from the walls. Teknall’s head turned towards the source of the explosion, although he was unperturbed. ”It’s just Kinesis trying out the explosives. She’s fine.”

”She is quite active! I like her, hehe, it seems like it was just yesterday that she was nothing but scribbles on paper sheets.”

Teknall turned his head back to Ilunabar. ”I notice that you’ve been working over in Western Mesathalassa, helping to cultivate the civilisations and cultures there.”

The goddess actually widened her eyes, she thought she had been more discreet than that. ”Oh, you noticed. I guess magical crowns and colorful fishes that work like flags had a bit of my signature on it.” she chuckled lightly, downplaying it. ”Mesathalassa is an unique region in its isolation. Not only from the rest of Galbar… but also from the intrigues of the gods, godlings and those exalted by the former two. In all honesty, we had one approach so far of serving mankind with godly empires led by exalted heroes or demi-gods. However, looking at Alefpria, Xerxes, Dundee… can you say it worked?”

”No, not really. Those civilisations blossomed in their time, but their growth was fully dependent on their divine patrons, who were themselves targets for divine meddling. Amartia’s power went to his head and he waged war on the pantheon, with well-known consequences. Amestria is now a squabble of city states, who could probably contest with Mesathalassa if they could move on from their god-king days. Lifprasil’s hubris led to his debilitation, and now Alefpria stagnates, although Jvan’s been trying to salvage pieces of it, and existing trade connections means it continues to be of influence. Lazarus- I don’t even know where Lazarus has disappeared to. Probably some experiment gone awry. Regardless, Dundee has been laid to waste by magma elementals, and the dwarves have dispersed leader-less to their other citadels and to their colonies on the other planets. But those are not the only civilisations. Metera is currently flourishing, in no small part due to Chiral Phi’s bureaucratic mastery, although they have little space to grow. The Rovaick have a fairly sturdy civilisation stretching through the Ironhearts, forged in conflict and hardship, most of that time spent independent of us gods. We’re yet to see the full results of Toun’s strong theocratic influence there. The region of Yorum also developed independently of the gods and other civilisations, although Toun has stretched his influence there too, but otherwise it’s not dissimilar to conditions in Mesathalassa. Vetros, though led by a mortal lineage exalted by Zephyrion, has also received little attention from most of the pantheon, and it is a flourishing place and one of the oldest single civilisations on Galbar. Neighbouring Rukbany has been around a similar amount of time, and has received even less divine attention. The Ogres have formed a strong and alarmingly expansionist empire under their immortal leader Ommok, although all evidence indicates that if Ommok is ever removed from the picture their empire will quickly splinter and turn in on itself. The Grotlings, the resurrected Pronobii, and whatever Vestec’s cooking up on the Changing Plains are too new to tell if anything good will come from them. The Valley of Peace, well, nothing really happens there. Then we have the Tlacans in Axotal, in the kingdom Tauga and Heartworm have been building there. We see the sort of rapid technological advance that is characteristic of god-led kingdoms. Yet…” Teknall hesitated, then continued, ”With Heartworm gone, I fear we may see another collapse.

”Then there is Mesathalassa. While it’s definitely been sheltered from most of the gods, it’s hardly been sheltered from you.” Teknall chuckled. ”While you take a relatively hands-off approach, you have been extremely active all the same. You inject cultural, technological and political pressure in just the right points to make things keep moving. And then you’ve just been dumping industrial quantities of dream-magic on the northern border, which is already producing some havoc.

”But, I suppose, your influence for the most part is covert rather than overt, and that makes the difference. We can see that the pattern of a lasting civilisation involves that civilisation being mostly mortal-driven. This gives them astounding resilience against conflicts happening within the pantheon, and, in the words of Phi, mortals are power; it is amazing what they can achieve if allowed to do so.”

Ilunabar chuckled. ”You overestimate how much I have done in Mesathalassa. The injection of dream-magic, or, in proper terms, Glamour, in the north is mostly accidental. Furthermore, the way I am influencing mortals, it has a certain philosophy to it, all of it is within the realm of the possible, futures that could have existed even in a godless world. All I do is to make sure that certain talented people do not get distracted by a small butterfly and end up missing the opportunity that would lead them to glory, among other examples. By keep such a limit, I have found I can do my duty towards mortals without ruining the, eh… organic aspect of their societies.

”The value of that goes beyond the lack of a reliance on divine sources. I have yet to find the proper words to describe it, but it is quite amazing… Take the gods they worship, for example, in one land they fused Toun and Niciel into one god that is both gentle and vengeful; in another, they think Toun is your severed hand; in another, there is no Toun, but many other gods, some of which are real. It’s curious how mortals can create gods with more ease than the divine themselves.

"I have never mentioned it to you, but in the Raka, I can access the dreams and tales of Arcon. It was a truly eye opening experience, as it is such a different world that the humans from there almost feel like a different species from the ones found here. Godly presence there was both ever-present and almost inexistent. Comparing what I found there with what was here was what truly made me question the godking empires, despite their great success at the time. This led me through many phases. At first, I thought about just becoming a distant observer, but I am not like Niciel; my hand itches to act even when I am scared and inaction is torture like no other to my mind, I watched idly as a city with great potential was slowly reconquered by the dust, that showed me I was taking the wrong path. I started to think about how means justified the end, and for a moment truly thought I could act like some sort of Phi, influencing the many pieces in a great scheme, yet, once again, I failed at that. When faced with a situation where my plan would need to destroy the happiness of a person who really deserved it… I just couldn’t, even if it would bring joy to many at the cost of one.

”Forced in a situation where inaction and action where both flawed choices, I was struggling to find a way to act. Thankfully, the Pictariaka and its archives made it easy to revisit eons of history, and Galbar itself held many living examples of divine-mortal interaction, as you mentioned. Post-realta Vetros, Yorum, and, curiously, the city of Thau, which would not have reached its heights had my plans succeeded. Unlike Arcon, Galbar needs some level of divine guidance, there is a reason why galbarian humans are different despite the relatively small time passed since their arrival, the hazards are plenty and in some regions it was hard to find an elder who had lived in the same village for his whole life without facing a tragedy or three that ruined everything they knew in instants.

”It took me a while, but I finally elaborated a plan and started to test it in Mesathalassa. Above all, the core of it is a just and impartial one, favorites would not be picked, if two warring cities had generals with great potential then both could be blessed; Instead of giving mortals knowledge or divine teachers, I focused on enabling local potential and, most importantly, making sure there is no great loss of knowledge and tradition, going as far as making copies of lost writings and reintroducing them to the culture. I applied some control of the nature, such as gently, very gently, manipulating elementals so they are more of the Nymph sort, which despite being a swear word that compares these gentler elementals to insect larvae, are typically much better to have around a capital than living typhoons, yet natural disasters, such as droughts, should be allowed to exist.”

Ilunabar sighed ”It is all very early, I am still rethinking much of it and finding new ways to keep a healthy balance of measures. I do not know the future of the region, that is the whole point of the system I am trying to create. As the grand parade becomes larger and more sophisticated and as the Pictaraika reaches its full functionality, I will probably have a much better structure to manage so much minutiae. In fact, I could even expand it beyond Mesathalassa, maybe to the successors of Dundee, or… well, to wherever a nice temple or palace would fit.”

”It is a good system. The diversity and creativity it spawns is quite refreshing. I’m still looking to contribute more to Galbarian civilisations myself. I spent a very long time as Stone Chipper, and while that has yielded a bountiful harvest among the hain, I missed out on contributing to the early cities of other species. It left me with a lot of catching up to do. The dwarves are probably a good fit for my abilities; they have a space-faring empire well ahead of their time, and with Lazarus gone they have no one to teach them vital skills to make the most of their position. If I can beat Jvan to it.”

The goddess smiled. ”I think it did well to you, to travel the lands as a Hain. Despite the dispassionate nature of your realm, you managed to stay ever empathetic to mortal struggles, and that is admirable. I am actually already acting a little on the dwarven successor states, a little mission and a lot of data collection. If the latter is of use, it is available in the Index, which is, of course, always open to you.”

”Thank you, Ilunabar. I shall peruse the Index some time, then.” There was a loud hiss of pressurised gas and a yelp from down the corridor. Teknall glanced in that direction. ”I think I should see to Kinesis first,” Teknall looked down at the modified Lazarusian divinity detector he was still holding and put it in his apron pocket before adding, ”and other pressing matters, too. But thank you for this good conversation.”

For a moment the muse had genuine worry on her face, she then shook her head and smiled. ”Yes. When you visit again, do not forget to say hi, this was a pleasant conversation despite the explosions and smoke, imagine how nice it could be with some tea, a quaint location and a brighter day.”

”Indeed. I’ll see you later, Ilunabar,” Teknall said. He gave Ilunabar a brief hug, then headed off down the corridor.

A little meeting

Kinesis is in Pictaraika, doing Machinery work such as optimising the marionettes and building an elevator. (Free Machinery action) She is quite enjoying herself. (-6 MP to level up from 4 to 5)

Teknall pops by for a chat and catch-up. It is revealed that Teknall is aware of Jydshi’s status, and also that he has been watching Conata closely and relaying the stories to Kinesis. Teknall will tell Conata who her father is soon, promise.

The real reason for this visit, though, is that Teknall is warning Kinesis of the threat of Xos as part of his promise to be vigilant. Kinesis should be safe in Pictaraika, or so they hope. Meanwhile Teknall will keep a close watch over Conata.

Noting that Kinesis is unarmed and has zero combat training, Teknall offers her a bunch of alchemical munitions and teaches her how to make explosives. (Free Alchemy and Armaments action)

Ilunabar arrives. Ilunabar and Teknall go off to have a private conversation, which Ilunabar makes super private with mirror illusions.

They discuss Xos. There is concerns that Xos is in possession of the scrying mirror Ilunabar had built. Eventually, Ilunabar tweaks the prototype god-detector Lazarus had given to Teknall a while back such that it will track the activity of the mirror (I’m guessing this was done as a free Glass and Jewelry action, considering Ilunabar has no Might).

Ilunabar hasn’t looked at Jvan’s message-in-a-brain, although she should probably retrieve it before its contents leak into Raka or something.

The conversation turns to Mesathalassa and civilisations. A lot of words, although general consensus seems to be that godkings don’t really work out and that mortals need some room to grow on their own (although total inactivity doesn’t work for Galbar either). Some interest is expressed in the dwarves, whose present state provides opportunities to those inclined to civilisation-building.

Kinesis Might Summary
Start: 23.5 MP, Level 4
Spent: 6 MP for +1 Level
End: 17.5 MP, Level 5

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

Turn change incoming!

After 9 months of waiting, we've finally decided to tick the Turn counter over. You all have about 1 week. Please update the spreadsheet with your current Might.

P.S. The spreadsheet is on the 0'th post of the IC.

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

@LokiLeo789 We're chugging along slowly but surely, don't you worry.

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

Damn, I have a lot of things I still want to do before a possible end to the RP. I imagine it would take several posts to finish all I have in mind...

@Slime

With our glacial haste, you have plenty of time yet to do your stuff. We all have stuff we want to do before the end.

In the shorter term: when do people want the next Turn to roll out?

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

Lest I end up being missed at the next roll call, here goes the usual three-week disappearance warning. Whichever way the choice may go (to me, this thread looks like it's still got much to give, for all my humble uninformed opinion might be worth), I'll always come back to a Divinus, in any size, shape and colour.

@Oraculum

Endgame is a lot further than 3 weeks away.

I'd like to see the Xos arc wrapped up first. That is a worthy arc in its own right. After that, as Kho mentioned, we (the GM team) can set the gears into motion for endgame.

Cheers for the forewarning of your absence.

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

@Rtron It's a shame to see you go, Rtron. I hope we'll see you back here some time.

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

Hey, a post. Nice. I'll have to add dealing with Osveril's infestation to Teknall's to-do list.

What's everyone else up to? I was doing a collab with Kho but he's been offline for 12 days now. I should find something else to write in the mean time.

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

@Frettzo, good luck, man. I wish you the best.

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)
22 Might & 1 Free Point

The walls and palace of Vetros had been rebuilt by the hands of djinn. By the decree of the King's Law food and water flowed through the Mahd so all had plenty. Yet many houses were still in ruin, and there were hardly enough builders to go around. One of the ruins was the Temple of the Bond, and although Lilaneem, Akanit, Nabata, and the other priestesses and those volunteers who offered their help toiled away to clear the rubble and recover what had been buried, they were inadequately skilled or equipped to rebuild their Temple. And their petitions to the Priest-King Heru went unheeded. Regardless of how much determination and perseverance they may have had, it would avail them naught if they could not procure supplies and workers.

These were things Teknall could supply.

Teknall had wanted to expand the school here to be a hub of knowledge, education and training. While the Temple's desolation was a grave blow, it provided an opportunity to re-shape this school as he wanted. He had also promised himself not to forget about Belruarc, and this means of preserving her legacy was well within his means.

The challenge would be in obtaining workers. While Teknall could rebuild the Temple of the Bond with a snap of his fingers, if he could encourage human tradesmen to perform the work then they would form a bond of sorts with the temple, which could then be developed into the hub of learning Teknall desired.

As the priestesses dug in the rubble, Teknall exerted subtle influences on the minds of various people in Vetros. He could not be overt, for Heru with the King's Law was vigilant against divine forces, but there were still many tools and tricks he could use without drawing Heru's attention.

The first point of leverage were those who had benefited from the Temple and its services in either healthcare or education. There was one parent of a student of the Temple's school who was qualified as a builder, and it was a simple matter to impress upon him the need to help rebuild the Temple, and to prompt the child to beg her father to rebuild the Temple ("I want to go to Sister Akanit's lessons. Can't you help them, daddy?"). There was a carpenter who had once received treatment for an infected wound in his right hand, so Teknall planted in him the suggestion to lend his aid to those who had helped him ^{Without their help you would have lost your hand and your job. Now they are in need of your help}.

Many others who had benefited from the Temple, though, were not equipped to help directly, but Teknall could still use them. He stirred up their memories of the Temple of the Bond and invoked their pity and empathy. This could be achieved by something as simple as overhearing a passing conversation ("Do you think they'll rebuild that school in the Temple of the Bond soon? My nephew was a student there before it burned down."). Harun and other human guises let Teknall roam the streets, strike up casual conversations in just the right time and place, then move on.

Soon enough word of the Temple of the Bond had gained enough momentum to be self-perpetuating. People would pass by it and look upon its ruins and the workers ("They're trying to rebuild, yet there are no builders among them."). Mention of it would be passed around in conversations, and some would speak about it with builders they knew ("Where were you going to work after rebuilding my house? I've heard that the Temple of the Bond is in need of workers."). Some of those who had the means were moved to make material donations, of coin or supplies, or simply a kind meal for those working at the Temple ruins.

Yet to achieve Teknall's full goals, he needed to do more than play on pity. He needed to invoke ambition. And among these pious people, a well-constructed vision could do just that. Imagine a place where the tradesmen gathered together to talk and discuss business. And in this place apprentices were educated. Down one doorway was a room with workbenches and apprentices hammering and sawing away. Down another doorway a priestess stood in front of a stone board with words, numbers and shapes chalked onto it, teaching children how to read and measure. And coming from the library were some people pouring over a few scrolls and codices, learning the methods of construction, masonry and other arts from them. It was this image which Teknall planted in the sleeping minds of several selected and influential tradesmen.

Yet Teknall did not stop there. There were books on construction and masonry and other crafts in the Temple's collection, yet no tradesman would think to search the library for themselves to find such texts. So Teknall borrowed a few select works, including Priest Harukin's manual and autobiography, and placed them in the homes of these select tradesmen. The presence of these texts where they were not present before prompted curiosity, and as they flicked through the pages or skimmed over the scrolls they realised that these texts were useful and contained many hidden gems. With the vision, the texts, and the requests of the people coming together, it seemed clear to these tradesmen what the will of the Master was for them. When each one learned that the others had also received the same vision, the decision was made.

They went as a group to the Temple of the Bond, carrying the texts to return them. They came to the Temple and found the leader of the priestesses, Sister Lilaneem. One of them, Jorum the architect, stepped forwards and spoke. "Greetings, Sister. I speak to you on behalf of my fellow tradesmen. We came across some scrolls belonging to this temple; we are not sure how, but we found them anyway. And it has come to our attention that this place holds knowledge and is good for teaching many kinds of skills. The Master has impressed upon our hearts to help you rebuild this temple. In exchange, we wish to have a share in the education here, to have a place to extend the skills of our apprentices and ourselves. What do you say?"

Summary

This post is set in the weeks following the devastation of Vetros. Latest relevant post.

Teknall wants to rebuild the Temple of the Bond. He also wants to extend its school to have a broader reach.

Teknall subtly manipulates and persuades various Vetruvians to help. Sympathies towards the temple become spoken more widely. Aid in the form of some workers and donations starts to come to the Temple.

Teknall's biggest move is to grant selected influential tradesmen his vision of the future trade school, then smuggle books about trades out of the Temple of the Bond to these people's homes. At the nexus of converging influences and coincidences, these tradesmen see it as a sign from God to help the Temple, and they see the opportunity in developing a trade school. So they go to the Temple of the Bond and offer their help.

No Might spent. Persuading builders to build things is a Crafting Domain action (with benefits from (Carpentry), (Masonry) and (Smithing), because those are the chief skills that are needed to build buildings).