BBeast

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

The Girl Who Loved the Sea

This beach was a sacred place.

This was where Ippino the prophet had been visited by Delphina.

This was where the skies had wept during Ippino's funeral, when his body was cast out to sea.

This was where a new shrine made of piled stones and Ippino's old boat had been built to Delphina, because this was clearly a sacred place.

This was where selka offered their fish bones to show their recognition of who had supplied the fish, as Ippino had taught them.

This was where selka would come to pray for bountiful catches of fish, and to admire the sunrise and moonrise over the great blue.

It was in this sacred place that Delphina had appeared again to her faithful followers, bringing knowledge of how to create new types of musical instruments such as flutes, rattles, and lyres, as well as the means to create them, spinning twine and drilling holes.

It was here that the selka of Hyummin and Grottu had gathered for their first concert, where they sung praises to Delphina.

It was here that musicians came to play their songs to Delphina, Kirron and Bobbo, to please each other and the gods, and in the hope that they might be worthy enough to be graced by a divine presence.

It was here, during a stormy day, that one particular selka played her lyre and sung gently in the rain.

As the rain pattered around her, Hujaya plucked at the strings of the instrument she had made herself, creating a gentle melody. As she played, she sung a song.

"There once was a man who lived by the sea.
He looked at the water and found beauty,
In light of the moon and blue of the sea,
That man sung 'Delphina how I love thee.'"

Wind stirred around her as she plucked another phrase from the lyre before singing the next verse.

"This man was cunning and did conspire,
To steal from the storm birds their mighty fire.
Thus a burning branch did he acquire,
And with it he sought out his desire.

"Fire burned until a tree no longer stood.
With stone he carved out the innards of wood.
It floated on the sea and this was good,
He would stay out there as long as he could."

As Hujaya came to the refrain, the rain seemed to ease around her, calmed by the music of her lyre.

"There once was a man who lived by the sea.
He looked at the water and found beauty,
In light of the moon and blue of the sea,
That man sung 'Delphina how I love thee.'"

She noticed mist forming nearby, twisting about in the wind. Yet she continued to play.

"One day this man met a mighty K'night,
And he joined his quest to make all things right.
His cunning saved them in the greatest fight,
For he loosed fire and set his foes alight.

"From then on the Hyummin did he advise,
All could see that this man was very wise.
Despite his fame he'd not yet found his prize,
Because only one woman had his eyes."

The mist had gotten closer, and she felt a chill as the damp wind caressed her skin, distracting her. Then she heard a voice like a gentle breeze, 'They like you.' So surprised was Hujaya that she briefly stopped playing and looked over her shoulder, trying to see where the voice had come from. The air about her seemed to stiffen, and the voice hastily commanded, 'Keep playing.' Quickly and with a hint of anxiety Hujaya strummed a chord and kept singing.

"There once was a man who lived by the sea.
He looked at the water and found beauty,
In light of the moon and blue of the sea,
That man sung 'Delphina how I love thee.'"

Hujaya began to wonder whether it had been Delphina who had spoken. The thought of Delphina listening made her heart quicken, and she did her best to focus on her performance.

"Then one day this man saw Delphina's face.
That meeting's memory none would erase.
This man taught all to love Delphina's grace,
Till Ippino joined the ocean's embrace.

"Now there is a girl who lives by the sea,
Taught by Ippino of ocean's beauty,
By touch of the wind and weather rainy,
I now sing 'Delphina how I love thee.'"

The last notes of her lyre hung in the air as Hujaya bowed deeply towards the ocean. Up from the water rose the form of a goddess with a watery burble. At an imperceptible motion from Delphina the strange winds around Hujaya shifted, returning to their gentle circular dance they had been performing before Hujaya had stopped playing and drawing the rain away from the selka.

"From all the mortals I have heard, none have been as beautiful a singer as you," Ashalla said.

Hujaya gasped and looked up at the goddess, bringing her hands up to cover her irrepressible grin. "I- You- Thank you!" she blurted, overwhelmed by emotions.

A tendril of water stretched out and brushed against Hujaya and her lyre. The tendril then lifted Hujaya's chin so that she looked at Ashalla's face. "Such devotion and talent is rare in a mortal," she said. Hujaya only beamed and trembled in excitement. Ashalla drew her tendril back.

"Rise."

Hujaya clambered to her feet.

Ashalla gestured to beside the selka. "What do you see?"

Hujaya looked to her right. "There is the beach, the rain, the-" she hesitated and scrunched her brow as she tried to find words for what she saw, "the wind and rain move and dance with a life of their own. These... spirits, they're..." She turned her head to the other side. "They're watching me." She wrapped her arms around herself and her lyre protectively, and she cast an anxious look at the two squalls circling her.

"Play for them."

Hujaya looked back to Delphina and relaxed. Delphina would not let any harm come to her, not now. Hujaya took a breath and strummed a chord on her lyre. She felt the wind shift around her and she looked back at the squalls. She played another chord and watched them react.

"They are squalls. They like music."

Hujaya smiled as she strung a few chords together and made the squalls dance with the music. She started to hum and the squalls moved differently. Then she started vocalising on top of the lyre's rhythm, and the squalls shifted their movements again. Hujaya watched the squalls as she improvised, observing how they responded to different notes, patterns and progressions. Yet it was not the technical details which controlled the squalls, but rather how the emotion and feeling of the music flowed.

Soon Hujaya had the squalls dancing around her, and she spun around with them. She picked up the tempo and the squalls spiralled faster. With a sudden crescendo she leaned forwards and one of the squalls pushed outwards, forcing a sharp gale against the beach and sending out a spray of sand. Hujaya sung a note which rapidly climbed in pitch, and the other squall tightened into a brief whirlwind and pulled a spray of water from the ocean high into the air.

Yet the wind around her was starting to get unstable, and Hujaya could sense that the squalls were getting too excited. So she slowed down the music, gently bringing the squalls away from a frenzy and into a more docile state. Melancholic notes wafted around them, prompting them to release a localised shower of rain heavier than what had already been falling. Hujaya turned down the melancholic tone, returning the rain to normal. She then transitioned into a lullaby, and the wind calmed to stillness at the gentle sound of her voice. With a final strum of her lyre, the squalls were gone.

Hujaya exhaled and flopped onto her back. The exertion of her performance had caught up to her.

"To speak with the squalls like that is a powerful gift, one which I have granted you, and which you can grant to others," said the voice of flowing waves. "I taste potential in you, Hujaya. You will make an excellent Stormbard. Now go. Teach others as Ippino taught you. Show all my strength through you. And create beauty everywhere you go."

Hujaya stood back up and bowed to the goddess once more. "Yes, Delphina. I am eternally grateful. I will serve you with all of my heart and strength, Delphina."

She looked up to see Delphina sink back into the waves. When the goddess disappeared, the storm ceased and the clouds parted, letting Heliopolis' warming rays shine upon the selka. Hujaya stared in awe at the sea for another minute, until she turned around and ran back to her tribe, singing all the way.

The Ballad of Ippino

The beach where Ippino met Delphina/Ashalla is a sacred place of worship. Ashalla appeared there more recently and passed on the knowledge of how to make drills, strings and musical instruments (only the string is new. The rest had been purchased for the Ubbo); possibly implied is that Ashalla has done this at numerous other places along the coast too.

One stormy day a selka named Hujaya is playing her lyre and singing a song about Ippino on that beach. She is visited by a couple of squalls and Ashalla herself. Hujaya is a stunningly talented musician and singer, and Ashalla says so. Hujaya is also a devotee of Delphina, taught by Ippino.

Ashalla shows Hujaya how to control squalls using music.

Ashalla exhorts her to teach as Ippino taught her, show Ashalla's strength, and create beauty. Thus, Hujaya becomes the first Stormbard.

Might Summary

Ashalla
Start: 9 MP & 4 FP
Spent: -1 FP to teach selka about string
-2 FP to form a Holy Order, the Stormbards.
0 MP (discounted by Storms) to grant the Stormbards the Title 'Squall Whisperers'.
End: 9 MP & 1 FP
Portfolios: 7/10 Colour
10/10 Ice
5/10 Music

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Posted on behalf of @Goldeagle1221

The Dawn of Blood, a summary conclusion!

“The Grottu tribe under Hoshaf grew strong and their immense battle prowess swallowed smaller tribes, and further still, their great zeal attracted others. In short time their size rivaled that of the Hyummin, but with each bloody victory, the evil Hoshaf grew more and more restless.”

Firelight crackled off the old and wrinkled face of Yupilgo, a decorated sharkskin bandage wrapped around his eyes. Time dug troughs into his flesh and wrinkled his body. He spoke with the breathy air of an elder, and many young warriors sat around him to listen to his words. He cleared his throat and powered on, the cold night wind adding spice to his story.

“He screamed in his sleep, and lashed out at his subordinates. Punishments grew more common, and then executions!” One child among the group of warriors turned to whisper what that meant, while others held stone faces, remembering their ancestors and those who had perished. Yupilgo hacked a breath and continued, unphased.

“Eventually his underlings grew tired of his ways and threatened to dispose of him. Fearing the worst, Hoshaf decided to act… and act quick. In a last ditch attempt to reaffirm his divine order of Kirron himself, Hoshaf declared war against the Hyummin…” Yupilgo made a fist and shook it, inciting gasps from the youngest of his crowd and head shakes from the oldest.

“Oh woe to the Hyummin,” Yupilgo shook his wrapped head, “Since their conception they bickered and fought among themselves. They were large, yes, but very weak and conflicted --that is-- until a new face appeared, flanked by a giant and by a poet.”

“Panganeem and his K’nights!” A warrior bellowed and at the sound of the name, the most grizzled of the group pounded their chests with wide fists, glory in their eyes. The younger members of the crowd stood inspired, a certain eagerness in their legs as they flipped back in forth, awaiting the rest of the story… and perhaps their own future.

“Yes!” Yupilgo pointed towards the voice, his old voice cracking with excitement, “Panganeem! The greatest of Selka hunters approached the tribe, Juttyu the Faithful Giant on his right and Ippino the favored poet of Delphina on his left. Almost immediately Panganeem was assaulted by the words of Gorpingu the Blasphemer, the Selka of the west.”

A warrior whispered the name Gorpingu to his lady friend, explaining to her to wait and listen to what happens. She scrunched her face and motioned for him to listen. Yupilgo held his hands above the crowd.

“They entered a debate, one of a snake’s tongue and a loyal man’s whisper. Gorpingu pulled the robes of the gods themselves down and exposed their flesh to the Selka before him, but Panganeem brought their gaze back to their face. His words were simple, but of truth, he pushed past the argument of the gods and into the heart of life itself. He called upon his deceased daughter’s name, Tyuppa, and convinced Gorpingu that in their own way, the gods have given Panganeem the tools to build the selka up, and that through these tools they can become reliant on themselves, and create a new future. Gorpingu was intrigued, as was his followers. He leapt from his mighty pillar and knelt before Panganeem, swearing his fealty to Panganeem and the K’nights of Tyuppa, should they serve the selka first.”

One of the members of the crowd eagerly tapped the ivory club he held in his hand, tittering about his own membership into the sacred order. A curl formed on Yupilgo’s dry lips and his voice lifted.

“Onward the K’nights went and only after slaying dangerous beasts, reuniting lost families, and safely bringing food to the hungry, were they able to approach all the leaders of the Hyummin tribes. Gorpingu, Ippino, Juttyu, and their leader, Panganeem, stood center before the mass of Hyummin and their five family tribes.” Yupilgo held out five fingers as he spoke.

“They looked at Panganeem and said ‘you are well known, your K’nights dot the land and perform great acts, but what would you have us do? You are no chieftain, you have no tribe, what would you have us do?’ At these words Panganeem bit his finger and thought in the simple yet honest way he did. He was not without his wits, and with steely eyes he turned to Ippino and called the wise man to the center. Together the two explained how they formed the K’nights and by what way they lead them. They explained how Juttyu, Gorpingu, Ippino and Panganeem all held council and voted on decisions. Ippino pushed forward, his voice blessed by the charm of Delphina and in an awe inspiring speech he convinced the tribes of Hyummin to each pick a patriarch or matriarch and to give each tribe one vote through them, and when trouble arises to convene in council and vote as one on what to do. The tribes were swayed and the council of the Hyummin formed.”

The crowd gave a slight cheer, some leaning to whisper what their own ancestors did on the occasion, and a few even explained that they were related to a patriarch or matriarch. Prayers to Delphina leaked across the crowd, only falling suddenly silent as Yupilgo held up a hand.

“But what of the threat of the Grottu?”

“Yupilgo the Blind warned them!” Someone shouted, forcing a smile on Yupilgo’s face. Someone smacked the shouter and called out:

“Yupilgo the Blessed!” There was a small cheer, one that warmed Yupilgo’s face. The sensitive old man grunted past a tear and he continued, his old voice pushing with new vigor.

“I did! In my arms was the baby scion of Viroh the first, on my head was blood -- brought forth from the sin of Hoshaf and the murder of Antorophu. I was struck blind by the divines, the gods taking my sight to save me from seeing any more atrocities. I had seen enough, but I had not done enough!” He was nearly crying as he shouted his story.

“I forced my way to the Hyummin, lead by visions not of my eyes and words not of my ears, and I held the baby Dradinku high on my shoulders. I was greeted by whispers, and harsh words, but I kept walking on knowing my final mark was before me. I started as a hunter in sight, and as a blind man I finished, laying the baby Dradinku at the feet of none other than Panganeem. He welcomed me as a brother, reciting our old hunts together and put me before the council so I may speak. I spoke of the Grottu, I spoke of war, and finally I spoke of Hoshaf the accursed.”

The crowd was on their feet, energy passing through them as the story thickened. They all held their breaths, watching the old man spasm as he forced the story out with incredible emotion. He reached down to the sand below, his back shaking as he bent over. Slowly he stood back up, a rusted iron spear in his hand. He slammed the butt into the sand, and the crowd stared in awe at the metal.

“I proved to the council the sort of weapons the Grottu were blessed with, and how they conducted their wars. I was at a loss of what to do about it, but I told the story all the same. In fear, the council quickly voted that Panganeem be the one to solve this problem, as defender of the Hyummin.”

The old selka smiled and laughed, “Kirron is a god of humor, it seems, because while Juttyu, Panganeem, and I --the great hunters-- thought of what to do, it was old Ippino who suddenly came up with an idea -- the perfect trap. It is no secret that Ippino was the wily youth of yore who once stole the beast known as fire from the wild and tamed it -- and this fact was not lost on him when he suggested we unleash this beast back into the wild against the Grottu.”

He sucked in a breath, “And so the evil Hoshaf came, waves of spears before us. Panganeem stood with Juttyu the Giant, nearly alone with only the bravest of the Hyummin. This small group was mocked and laughed at by Hoshaf and his mighty army. Ever of wit, Panganeem spat insults back, damaging Hoshaf’s pride and forcing his hand. The Grottu horde charged… and the ground shook. The sky itself even darkened, as if Kirron attempted to hide the innocent Bobbu from the carnage about to happen.”

The crowd was silent, eyes fixated everywhere. Some stared at the sky, realm of Bobbu, while others stared at the giant bone shrine of Kirron that stood behind Yupilgo, some still even looked to the ocean, the promise of Delphina. Yupilgo looked down.

“Many brave K’nights died that day, giving Hoshaf a fight he wouldn’t soon forget -- but just as it seemed as if the K’nights would never give in, Panganeem ordered a retreat. Hoshaf was shocked! He was grinning wickedly! He had them now, oh yes he did, and so he followed them into a golden colored hay field cut in half by a stream. His army sifted through the tall dry grass, while Panganeem and his men sneakily hopped the stream, and as soon as their heels hit the ground, Ippino struck!” The crowd’s eyes grew.

“Off to the side, Ippino (with prayers on his lips) and a handful of Hyummin people tossed some of the sacred beast onto the fields. A great wind blew in favor of the Hyummin and the entire field burned into a fiery sea never seen before, not even by the great fire birds. Those who made it across the stream in a panic were met by Gorpingu and his men, while others fell into the hammer of Juttyu. This continued until Hoshaf, by the grace of Kirron’s humor, escaped the flames -- only to be beaten to death by his own surviving men.”

“But this is not the end, oh no, as Gorpingu and the Hyummin circled around and captured these murderers and all the remaining Grottu forces. They were stripped of their divine spears and cast down before the council. The council asked ‘what shall we do with the Grottu?’ but their eyes fell on Panganeem and the K’nights. I felt it in my chest, I did. As they stared, and as Panganeem thought, a cold whisper entered my chest and I pushed to stand before the Grottu. What could only be the wind of Bobbu, or perhaps the charm of Delphina, I found words I didn’t know I felt. I asked and I convinced the council to hand the tribe over to Dradinku and to release the K’nights from the Hyummin so that they may be the protectors of all Selka, Grottu included. The council thought on my words, and Panganeem stepped forward, pushing my speech with one of his own. He explained that he was a hunter first, a K’night second. He spoke of his greatest hunt, one of peace. He said that in all his doings, and all his deeds he did not find Tyuppa nor did he find peace, not yet. He bent a knee to show his humility as he spoke, and he said that while he could not find this final mark, he saw ours. He said it stood right before us, a naked deer in the grass: the Grottu should be welcomed by the Hyummin and a friendship should form… there were too many selka on either side to keep in conflict, too many sons and too many daughters to neglect for the sake of revenge.”

Yupilgo stopped speaking, mulling over his words. A sadness entered the lower half of his face and he sat down slowly, “Revenge. Panganeem cut his heart open to us that night, he said that in all his travels he never found peace as long as he held onto revenge. He proposed, perhaps the only way to really find peace was to end that cycle right then and there. It was as if we were consoled by Kirron himself, the greatest hunter breaking into tears as he explained the nature of this final mark. By Tyuppa and by Kirron he swore, that should we accept the Grottu as friends, and build them up -- peace would find us first.”

There was a long pause as Yupilgo looked over the many faces now staring at him.

“And so we did.”

The tribesmen and women of the Grottu --who made more than half of his crowd-- began to cheer alongside the Hyummin tribesmen and women. Yupilgo smiled warmly.

“And so we did.” He whispered to himself.

“What happened to Panganeem?” Someone suddenly called out, “And the others?”

“Oh… many say different things, but here is how I know it,” Yupilgo rubbed his whiskers, “Juttyu came with me back to the Grottu to help raise Dradinku as chieftain. Gorpingu traveled west with the K’nights and spread the order across this whole region. Ippino stayed here with other K’nights and ensured that their help never faltered… he did this until the day he was swept up by the ocean itself. He now rests with Delphina. As for Panganeem, the greatest of selka…” Yupilgo’s face turned to a certain melancholy, “Well I’d say he went out among the creatures of Kirron, and in time he finally found what he was hunting for.”

The crowd grew quiet, a gentle thoughtfulness leaking through each individual. This silence held strong, even as Dradinku, now a grown man dressed in swathes of sharkskin approached the crowd. The chieftain blended in without much notice, eyes on the ground out of respect for Yupilgo’s story until finally, a tiny voice piped up.

“Can you tell us about Kirron and Delphina and her promise to him?”

The crowd began to laugh and Yupilgo looked up with a smile on his lips, “Long ago!” He voice boomed with renewed power, “After Kirron carefully crafted what we now know as land…”

---

The Summary

Yupilgo, now old and grey(er) explains how the Grottu were defeated, how the K’nights came to be, and how the Hyummin were united into a solid tribal republic and how they joined forces with the pacified Grottu (now led by Dradinku)

The End

“And she said to him, ‘I shall never leave you, and shall embrace you no matter the distance between us-- to this I promise, to this you will always know my love.’ Kirron looked out from the land and said ‘show me, show me how you will do such a thing’ and the woman ripped a fissure into the empty depths, filling the world with a gush of water. In a flash the ocean had filled the space between the land, and she smiled and said ‘this is how.’ And now, no matter where Delphina sits and sings her songs, her waves shall never leave Kirron nor his creations. It is this promise that extends down to us, and by this promise we show our love in return, so she may forever know us.”

---

---

Ippino and Delphina

Collaboratively written by @Goldeagle1221 and @BBeast

Ippino sat at the edge of the coast, his eyes weary and his arms dug into the sand. He sat with his legs splayed, so that the gentle lapping of the ocean rhythmically washed over him, creating one of the few sounds that intruded on the rather quiet night. His fingers clenched around the sand and he sighed, a smile forming at each shimmering wave. With a thud, he let his back fall to the sand, only for him to quickly pick himself back up -- already missing the beauty of the ocean.

The night wind rushed over him and sent a chill over his bare back, but he didn’t pay it much mind. His eyes and musing thoughts were transfixed on the marriage of the moon and the waves. He cocked a head, “How lucky even the light of the moon is, or the comets above, to always embrace such beauty.”

The waves lapped beside him and the water burbled as it flowed around Ippino. And in that burbling, there was what almost sounded like words. “And how lucky the ocean is, to have one who admires her beauty.”

The old selka seemed startled, his body tensing. He wiggled his nose and blunk his eyes, "Have I finally slipped or--" With all the energy of youth, the selka flopped onto his knees and splashed his ear to the shallow waves.

"Am I blessed with the words of the ocean?" His eyes twitched as he searched for further sounds, "Like a chiming bird song that only knows eloquence." He etched the words in the air, attempting to define what he had heard.

There was a trickle behind Ippino which seemed to say, “Like the melodious call of a whale in the sea. Like the caress of waves running over sand.”

"Yes exac-!" Ippino turned. Despite his elderly body, his face held the chipper beam of a child. His eyes fell on a large watery form which had risen out of the sea, the moonlight reflecting off her graceful flowing curves. A selka-like face smiled down on Ippino.

The old selka nearly seized if not for his shaking frame. There wasn't a shred of fright in his shiver, but pure ecstasy. His eyes widened to saucers and his age-sunken chest pounded against his heartbeat. He sucked in his breath and with every bit of emotion he managed to speak, "It is like I have opened my eyes for the first of times, my entire life I was in a cave stuck in dark and grimes, I had no idea but now I see, my very soul and heart shaken with glee."

The watery figure burbled at Ippino’s words, and a voice like a trickling brook answered in kind. “The wind and the waves have carried your praise, you have admired my beauty all of your days. My charms you have spoken in wondrous rhyme, so I bless you with a meeting this time.”

Ippino's face brightened even further and he scooted closer, the water rushing around him as he did, "Then how lucky am I, for years I looked out to the sky, looking for a way to see your face, never did I expect here in this place." He sighed, dropping his poetic prose, "And let it be known, though I suspect you already know: that my love for you has bred children on its own, and now the sons and daughters of Grottu and Hyummin united roar with your praise."

An aqueous pseudopod rose up and brushed Ippino’s face. “You have done well, Ippino. My name has been uplifted through you, and now many more selka appreciate my beauty, although none compare to you. My favour has always been upon you. The sea has always provided you with food. In your time of greatest need, I heard your prayers and sent the storm to fight beside you. A person who loves a god like you do is rare and precious indeed.”

Ippino's eyes watered, "I knew it. I knew I felt you through my days." A tear fell, "Even now in my old age, I will say to you what I've always said. My love for you and my admiration for your beauty will be as strong in my heart as it's always been, and should I have a say in it: even as my body disappears to time."

“Your adoration will forever be remembered. My worshippers shall always tell the stories of Ippino, the man who loved the sea,” she said in a voice like flowing waves.

The selka flicked a tear off of one of his whiskers, "May I… may I ask you one favor? It is all I have left to desire in this world."

The tear fell into the sea with a light ripple. “You may ask.”

"I am not much longer on the land of Kirron," Ippino started, "I can feel it in my bones that my final day is soon. I pray to you, in my final whispers, that as my friends lay my body by your beauty, you take me home -- to where I have felt my heart pull all these years. I wish to sink, in a final rest so I may never have to leave your embrace again."

A thoughtful rumble gently echoed through the water. “As you wish, it shall be done.”

Ippino threaded crooked webbed fingers through the seawater, "Then I have lived the best life, and have already died the best death." He looked up at the beauty of Ashalla, "Thank you -- thank you for always being with me during every moment of both."

A watery pseudopod wrapped around Ippino’s hand. “Continue to live this best life in the time you have left, Ippino.” The pseudopod released its grip and Ashalla began to sink back into the waves. “We will meet again.” Then she was gone.

---

Epilogue

The soul crystal floated in the ocean under the waves, held by Ashalla’s grasp. Ashalla regarded the crystal pensively. This was the second mortal she had liked who had died, although this one had not succumbed to folly and violence but rather the frailty of mortality. Holding the crystal and feeling Ippino’s soul, she could just begin to comprehend why Azura would want to preserve mortal souls. Azura’s unconditional compassion for every single mortal was far beyond Ashalla’s understanding, but the desire to hold on to those who are precious, even after their natural expiration, was something she could appreciate.

Ashalla took the soul crystal and placed it in a niche in the Abyssal Rift, the same one where she had placed the fragments of the Lustrous Garden she had found (for over the eons she had found many more such fragments lying on the bottom of the ocean). She shifted the softly glowing crystals around so that they framed Ippino’s soul crystal in an aesthetically pleasing manner. One day she would have to build a proper structure to house and display these items, but for now they were safe in the ocean’s embrace.

She reached out her essence and touched the soul crystal. “Your wish has been fulfilled.” She then withdrew from the niche and swam back to Galbar. She might never find a selka quite like Ippino again, but there was much to be done to ensure that there would be more who were at least a pale reflection of him.

Summary

Ippino, now quite old, is finally met by Ashalla/Delphina in person. Ashalla likes Ippino, the man who loves the sea, and has been subtly blessing him throughout his life. They share nice words. Ippino requests that, when he dies, that he sink down into the ocean never to leave. Ashalla agrees to this request. They part ways, and things are very sweet.

Later, when the time comes, Ashalla fulfils Ippino’s wish by crystallising his soul and stashing it away under the ocean.

No Might spent.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Ashalla

Goddess of Oceans and Storms

Iridescent bodies swarmed about the island with the Gateway to Sanvadam in an unprecedented feeding frenzy. The Zhengwu had been atomised in the explosion, and the divine remains of Vakk had been dispersed across the sea for many kilometers. Iron Carrionfish converged on the island from as far as the scent had carried, ravenously feasting upon the shreds of godflesh and droplets of ichor. Never before had the entire body of a god been presented to these beasts to consume, and there was a good chance it would never happen again. The Carrionfish grew with every morsel consumed, and already their numbers were multiplying. This was in spite of occasional predation by Incorporeal Echoes.

There was one with smell even more keen than the Iron Carrionfish. Squalls rippled across the surface of the ocean, dragging clouds with them which cast shadows over the island and heralding her approach. Then near the island rose a mass of water, the manifestation of Ashalla. Her dreadful gaze scanned the ocean and the island. She could taste Vakk's remains throughout the water surrounding this island, and it would have made her gag had she possessed such a reflex. "So that was K'nell's 'holy cargo'," Ashalla muttered to herself with a voice like the churning sea. Her gaze inspected the crater which had once been the Zhengwu and another squall manifested to fly around the island. "How careless."

At least the Iron Carrionfish were able to clean up the mess, otherwise such a major spill of divine waste could have been catastrophic. But their progress was hindered slightly by the Incorporeal Echoes which still lurked about the island. Even now, a swarm of shadowy forms had sensed Ashalla's vast soul and was coming towards her. Ashalla was not in the mood to tolerate their presence.

"Insolent spirits!" Ashalla cried in a voice of thunder, and her eyes burned white. The clouds above broiled, and with a flash lightning arced down and pierced through the shadows. The first bolt had hardly faded when a second struck, and a third. Lightning fell like rain upon the Incorporeal Echoes, until all that was left was the smell of ozone.

Ashalla rolled up the beach and inspected the crater more closely. One taste was enough to identify orvium oxide, indicating that this explosion had been caused by orvium. She wasn't sure where the Zhengwu had obtained that metallic orvium, although Para was one possibility as that had some native orvium. That didn't really matter.

Inspecting the land around the island was more enlightening. The sandy remains and empty clothes of sixteen servants littered the island, clearly having been slain by the Echoes in a one-sided battle. She also saw marks on the stone which appeared to have been wrought by some destructive form of magic she was unfamiliar with, but which caused similar damage to the centre of the orvium explosion. Likely caused by that Orvus-kin, Arya, who had been on the ship with them, and would have attempted to defend herself and possibly the others in this battle. The absence of her body or even the slightest drop of anything which tasted of her suggested that Arya had survived.

There was still the question as to why someone had detonated the orvium on board the Zhengwu. She could only guess why. Maybe they did not want the cargo falling into the hands of the Echoes, not knowing the nature of the cargo and the environmental damage blowing it up would have caused. Maybe it was a desperate attempt to kill some of the Echoes. Regardless, the folly and futility of such a move demonstrated to Ashalla the unreliability of mortals. She would have to be cautious about trusting them to undertake important tasks for her.

Ashalla flowed inland towards the gateway to check that the Box of Orchestration was still where she had left it. Finding it undisturbed, Ashalla propped it open with a little pseudopod and listened to its melancholy melodies for a little time. The tune seemed fitting for such a sombre occasion.

"It's a shame. Qiang Yi was a good poet," Ashalla said in a voice like a distant wave. Indeed, all of the crew of the Zhengwu had been worshippers of her. It would not do to grow attached to individual mortals, though, as their life was as brief as a raindrop. She would need to make larger groups of worshippers who would not be so easily destroyed by a misplaced tragedy.

Eventually, she closed the lid of the Box and flowed back out to sea. The Iron Carrionfish were continuing the task of consuming every last piece of Vakk's body and cleansing the sea of this mistake. Before she departed, though, she turned her head northwards towards Tendlepog. "K'nell, if you plan to ship hazardous waste across my oceans, let me know beforehand." Then she slipped beneath the waves and was gone.

EPA Inspection

Iron Carrionfish have swarmed the island with the Gateway to Sanvadam, feasting on the body of Vakk which had been dumped into the ocean when Zhengwu exploded. They are growing big and numerous, and have also prevented such a hazardous waste spill from causing dire environmental consequences.

Ashalla arrives, wondering what all the commotion is about. She gets harassed by Incorporeal Echoes, so she casts Lightning Bolt on the lot of them (1 MP (Discounted from 3 MP by Storms) for the ability to create Lightning Bolts in great abundance and furious power).

Ashalla does some CSI on the battle scene. She deduces that Arya survived while all the servants perished, Arya has destruction magic, and for some ill-thought-through reason someone had decided to detonate a bunch of orvium to destroy the ship and scatter its cargo. She is mildly disappointed by the loss of the servants, as she kind of liked them. She also takes this as evidence that mortals are incompetent, and a reminder not to get attached to such frail and short-lived beings.

The Box of Orchestration is still where she had left it.

Ashalla also sends K'nell @Goldeagle1221 a memo, requesting notification if he tries to ship hazardous materials across her ocean again.

Might Summary
Start: 5 MP, 0 FP
Spent: 1 MP (Lightning Bolt ability, Storms Discount from 3)
End: 4 MP, 0 FP
Portfolios: 7/10 Colour
10/10 Ice

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Ashalla

Goddess of Oceans and Storms

The Abyss stirred, for stirring was what it did. But it stirred without life, since no life had been created for the Abyss. There were some Iron Carrionfish adapted to the extreme conditions down here, although after having consumed the last of Narzhak's fluids they had migrated back to the surface. The Abyssal Leviathan was made from the Abyss, although when it was here it spent its time slumbering. The Abyss was a desolate place.

Yet it did not have to be. The Abyss had no shortage of usable energy, with strong thermal gradients and energy-rich volcanic gases. A steady trickle of biomatter sunk down from Galbar's oceans, which provided a modest supply of organic molecules. The life here, under the intense pressure of thousands of metres of water and distant from the life-giving rays of Heliopolis and nurturing influence of the World Tree, would be very different to life on Galbar. But Ashalla relished the creative challenge.

Ashalla stretched out her will, and mats of single-celled organisms grew on the rocky spires just above the magma. These organisms were unharmed by the extreme temperatures; rather, they thrived, and feasted upon the chemicals which billowed up from the magma. Just as chloroplasts formed the basis of all ecosystems on the surface of Galbar, these archaea would form the basis of the Abyssal ecosystem.

But while the archaea unlocked the energy of the Abyss for biological use, they could not thrive alone. Ashalla had seen how Shengshi had created symbiotic relationships between the creatures he had made, and she saw a measure of beauty in such coordination, as well as the efficiencies which could be gained by providing different roles to different creatures. Upon the rocky spires Ashalla created coral-like beings which clung to the stone near the mineral-rich waters. Some encased themselves in protective tubes, while others fanned out in all directions. They reached outwards with fleshy plumes and frilly tendrils to grasp at biomatter drifting through the water, and in doing this the archaea entered into their bodies. While the archaea were sustained by the bodies of these worms and corals, the worms and corals in turn benefited from what the archaea produced by chemosynthesis.

Next Ashalla created copepods and shrimps, tiny little crustaceans which fed off the coral and tube worms or were eaten by the coral. Many of these were clear, making them almost invisible in the near-darkness of the Abyss. Ashalla also created crab-like creatures with long spider-like limbs which hunted on the tiny crustaceans. Ashalla also created some cephalopods with gigantic eyes, and a few small fish with ferocious fangs, to hunt on those.

At first glance, these creatures appeared dull in colouration. The dim incandescence of the Abyssal floor made it almost impossible for mortal beings to discern colour by eye, so Ashalla had given only minimal pigmentation to these creatures. But then a copepod tried to eat some of a fleshy coral, and in response the coral suddenly lit up in a dazzling display of colourful lights. Seeing this light, a squid dove in and snatched up the copepod with its tentacles. A fish which tried to eat a shrimp was sprayed with glowing blue fluids. Another fish which was accosted by a squid lit up in blinking patches all over its body, drawing in other fish and driving away the squid. Copepods communicated to each other with timed flashes of coloured light. Indeed, it appeared that almost every species here used bioluminscence in some way.

Ashalla spread this life and others throughout the Abyss. In doing this she had turned a dark, colourless, hostile place into one filled with life. The stunning displays of colourful lights shimmering on the rocks and in the water were more dazzling than the stars in the sky. She had created not just life, but beauty too.

However, all these creatures were small and comparatively weak. Even an Iron Carrionfish would instantly be the apex predator in such an ecosystem. If a Leviathan Angler or some other creature found its way down here and survived the environment, it would have free reign until found by the Abyssal Leviathan; considering the size of the Abyss, such an encounter could take a long time. Ashalla needed another species of sea monster, one to lay claim to the Abyss and extend her dominion of Galbar's oceans.

Flesh was conjured and sculpted within Ashalla's influence. A spine longer than 20 metres took shape, and it was wrapped by organs, ribs, muscle and dark black skin speckled with white spots, forming a slender body which was flattened sideways. Stretching up from its tail end all the way along its spine and halfway along its underside was a single continuous ribbon-like fin. At one end a head was made, with two large eyes and a powerful jaw which could open wide to reveal a terrifying array of sharp teeth. To add to the terror, a secondary smaller set of jaws lay at the back of the creature's mouth, able to launch forwards and drag prey into the throat.

Ashalla breathed life into the creature's body, and its gills flared open for its first breath. Its body rippled and slithered in the water as it swam forwards. Its mouth creaked open, and the water flowing into its mouth was vented out through holes behind its head such that it caused minimal disturbance to the water currents despite its colossal size. Its beady eyes slowly scanned the near-darkness of the Abyss.

The most astonishing thing of this beast was not anything which could be seen with the eyes. Ions flowed through internal organs along the length of the eel, creating a difference in electric potential which formed an electric field curling along the length of the beast, pulling an electric current through the water. At first, the current was almost imperceptible, but the electric field was measurable. When an octopus swam nearby, the distortion to the electric field it caused was sensed by the eel. It waited for the octopus to come a little closer, then the vast eel unleashed the full force of its electric organs. The octopus convulsed as electricity surged through it, and went limp when the current stopped. The eel then lazily twisted around and swallowed its minuscule prey whole.

In the time this first eel had taken its first meal, Ashalla had created more of its kind. "Deep-terrors," Ashalla said to them, "the Abyss is your home. Here you will hunt and nest. Here your young can grow in safety. You are to guard this place from any who do not have my favour. But there is a world above, a whole ocean filled with life more abundant than this Sphere. There you will hunt. You are not to harm any person who has my favour, but otherwise you are free to take your rightful place as rulers over the beasts of the sea."

Having received their directives, the deep-terrors, giant electrified eels, swam off. Some went to the hollow rocky spires to nest. Some made their way towards the Abyssal Rift and Galbar. As they went, Ashalla's words followed them. "May all who see you see my strength through you."

Summary

This post is asynchronous with the events on Dragon's Foot.

Ashalla creates an ecosystem in the Abyss. It resembles Earthly hydrothermal vent ecosystems, but with a big helping of colourful and functional bioluminesence.

Ashalla also creates the deep-terrors. These are a species of sea monster that is essentially a moray eel about the size of a blue whale which is strongly electrogenic; my creative reimagining of the classical sea serpent archetype. They nest in the Abyss and hunt in Galbar's oceans.

Might Summary
Ashalla
Start: 5 MP, 3 FP
Spent: 2 FP (Discounted from 4 by Oceans) for Abyss ecosystem.
1 FP (Discounted from 3 by Oceans; or Enhanced. I spend the same either way) for Deep-Terrors, an extraordinary species.
End: 5 MP, 0 FP
Portfolios: 7/10 Colour
10/10 Ice

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

@Archangel89

Review of Ikarus

So, let us step through this review piece by piece. I'm aware that we have had some substantial private communications, but keep in mind that the Character Sheet (and the wiki article derived from it after approval) is what everyone will be looking at when they need information about your character.

The appearance is decent, but lacks overall scale. Ikarus could be anything from 2 metres to 200 metres from your description. I know you have an idea for scale, so it would be nice to let everyone else know what that scale is.

You've sorted out a parentage. This is good. We don't have any comments there.

Now, Mana. We have been looking for a god of magic, this is true, but it is important that any implementations of a demigod of magic are done properly and fairly. We like how you are establishing a system which is open to public use and is general enough to support a broad framework of magic systems. The link between Mana and charisma is particularly flavoursome. However, there are some aspects that need to be addressed and clarified in your CS.

- Remove the link between Mana and godly power. Gods function independently of Mana. Some godly actions might use Mana, but they don't have to. Gods would still have the power to wield more Mana than non-gods.
- Make clear that Ikarus is merely a source of Mana (albeit a big one), rather than the source of Mana.
- We would rather the 'Mana cannot be created or destroyed' clause be relaxed. Having a fixed quantity of Mana in the entire universe has implications which might be troublesome. And from an IC perspective it would be nigh impossible to verify conservation of Mana on a universal scale.
- Indicate what different 'forms' of Mana means.
- Describe how Mana is used to cast spells.
- Indicate what Mana can actually be used for. 'Magic' is an ill-defined term. 'Virtually anything' (within limits and given adequate skill, knowledge and Mana) is a valid answer, by the way, but it is currently not clear from your CS.
- Put all of your descriptions of Ikarus' Portfolio-related powers in the Portfolio section.

In general, we'd like some clarity and conciseness. Currently the CS has the description of Mana and the Mana Portfolio split between the Portfolio section and the Persona section. You are attempting to define a new universal force. You must be precise, clear and comprehensive in your description, because the player base will tear a hole in every fault and gap you leave in your written description.

Regarding "Mana ... gives him unbelievable power in the form of raw magic", I'll comment that all gods (and demigods) wield unimaginable and unbelievable power. Having a broad Portfolio simply distributes that power around more evenly (and thus more weakly), rather than being specialised in a single field. You probably already know this, but I wanted to repeat it just so there is no confusion.

I will also note that granting magic powers typically falls under "2 Might: Confer a single extraordinary or powerful ability upon a species or set of people", "1 Might: Teach people an idea or technology" or (for single people) "1 Might: Censure or praise." This is just for your information so you know where teaching magic fits into the Might mechanics.

Now, the Personality. You've picked a solid archetype to build a character around. A keeper of balance should give you plenty of plot-fodder and potential conflict to have, so I feel that Ikarus will have enough inter-personal plot to keep things interesting on that front. How Ikarus bestows the right to rule by granting tangible magical powers which can be used to help legitimise their rule (by force or otherwise) rather than some sort of vague 'you're a leader now' is also a positive, since leadership skills and qualities are abstract and complicated and full of interpersonal interactions. A mortal who receives Ikarus' blessing still has to work to be a good king.

There is an issue with this: "Ikarus is the definition of commanding. Mortals fall completely under his sway while his peers and superiors acknowledge him." Even having mere mortals fall 'completely under his sway' automatically is beyond the capabilities of demigods (and even, to an extent, gods) without spending MP on some kind of ability or aura. Note that Mana as defined is too broad to have a significant free boost to Ikarus' ability to command mortals; Mana is magic first, charisma second as I see it. And note that there are many major mortal player characters (in a player-driven RP like this one, one could argue that NPCs don't exist, only major/minor/background characters). As Mutton said, players are free to have their characters respond to Ikarus however they like. As such, you might like to tone down this part slightly to seem less like mind-control and more like being charismatic.

We have a good start for a personality, but if I take out all the bits which should actually be in the Portfolio section not much is left besides being regal and acting as a judge of kings. We've got his core values, which is good, but overall the personality is still rather brief. Can we get some mannerisms? Can we get some flaws? Some secondary character traits? Do not tack on bits and pieces for the sake of tacking on bits and pieces, because you won't play those. Rather consider how to expand Ikarus to be a more rounded character. If you want some personal suggestions/prompts: Power corrupts, and Ikarus has tonnes of power. How does he cope with it? Ikarus has a clear ideology for what a king should be like. How rigid are these ideals? Ikarus claims to be a king. How does he respond to those who don't respect his title? We understand that it is unreasonable (and possibly counter-productive) to have every single facet of your character defined from the beginning, but it would be nice to see some evidence of character depth and room to develop.

Overall, the concept is good. It just needs some refining and redrafting before we approve it. Post your next version of the CS here when ready, and don't hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss anything further.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

A Watery Alliance

Collaboratively written by BBeast and Adorable Saucer

The ordeal with Azura had left a bitter taste in the snake’s mouth. Unheard of, he thought, to upset the delicate harmony between life and death over something as simple as the souls of the dead - they were already dead! Why on Galbar would they need to keep living as the soul they are. The whole argument festered in his mind like mould on bread and for a short while, the snake sat atop his tower contemplating various other arguments he could have used to potentially be more convincing. In the end, he cast the thoughts aside, already annoyed by the very existence of such arguments to begin with. He decided he needed to take a breather - a swim would be delightful. Perhaps he could pursue the length of Taipang and inspect the corpse of that foul dragon he so epicly ground to minced meat with a river’s worth of water. Thus, he dove from his tower into the Giant’s Bath below and swam towards the east.

Shengshi followed his newest addition to his portfolio of fine rivers down to the delta and found it distinctly lacking in colossal dragon cadavers. The snake cursed under his breath - he had hoped the monster would have died from wounds sustained by being ground against the rocky lands of the drylands for a distance three fourths that of Nanhe. He would have to put in greater efforts to end that many headed lizard some other day. He gazed to the west, to the smoking borders of his jungle. He felt a large clump in his throat and a need to hasten over there - to slay the intruders and end that fiery demon forever…

He pondered. The minions would be simple enough, yet facing Sartr himself would be… He would have to lay a strategy this time. For all he knew, another reckless attack like the one against the dragons could potentially level his jungle. His eyes fell on the delta again. The delta had sprouted shrubberies, but like any fresh river of his, the waters themselves were without inhabitants. Perhaps that was for the best - the armies of fire would have to cross this river again. It would perhaps be unwise to fill it with life for them to destroy on the way--

A sound brought the snake’s eyes up from the river and outwards to the sea. Turbulent dark storm clouds stretched across the horizon, rolling towards the shore quickly. Waves were driven forwards by the storm, but one wave was approaching at oddly high speeds. Waves and storms in the ocean were naturally no unnatural phenomenon, but these seemed almost guided and unusually fast - intentionally charging at his shores. The snake turned to face them, his mouth in a slight sneer.

The storm closed in on the shore Shengshi was standing on, and he was buffeted by chaotic winds and rained upon by the clouds above. Squalls circled around him, and also duelled in the clouds above which were constantly being torn apart and stitched together by the discordant spirits. The greatest of the waves Shengshi had seen reached the beach, but instead of breaking it stopped and rose up into a towering form which looked down on Shengshi with a watery face. A peal of thunder issued from Ashalla and the squalls harassing Shengshi scattered.

Ashalla did not speak at first, instead opting to look up towards the west. She could taste the smoke even from here, and the clouds of smoke in the west rivalled the swarm of squalls above her.

“Odd how there are still siblings out there that I have not met since the Creation.” Shengshi lowered himself down and kowtowed before the sea goddess. “Welcome to the Dragon’s Foot, dear Ashalla.”

Ashalla turned her face to look at Shengshi again, as if only just properly registering the serpentine god’s presence. “Hello Shengshi. It is indeed odd that we have not met yet, considering the similarity of our domains.” Ashalla looked up at the smokey horizon again, her restlessness manifesting in a few more squalls peeling off from her form.

The snake stood up again and followed her gaze with a raised eyebrow and sighed. “A horrible sight, is it not? If you do not mind me asking - are you here to fight the demon as well?”

“I am here to defend the jungle,” Ashalla stated with a voice like a crashing wave.

The snake nodded. “How splendid - we really do need some reinforcements at the jungle border. Judging from the wanton destruction, my guardian is either sleeping on the job, or…” He frowned. “Regardless, it is good that you are here.”

“Indeed,” Ashalla said with a huff. Ashalla turned her head behind her, watching a stream of churned white which had appeared in the ocean and was heading towards the shore. She looked back to Shengshi. “How much do you know of who is burning the jungle?”

The snake entwined his hands behind his back and squinted at the horizon. “I saw them briefly earlier - tall, yet weak humanoids of Flame, much like any fodder. They are, however led by a much stronger specimen, though I have not seen this creature with my own eyes.” All I know is that they wish for nothing else than senseless death - an inferno for all life on this continent.”

Ashalla rumbled in consideration. As she thought, the stream of bubbles and steam reached to the shoreline, and out from the water burst a colossal beast. Steam rose off the iron plates covering the crocodilian as it barrelled up the beach on its six legs. It then came to a halt nearby, its red eyes inspecting its surroundings and puffs of steam exhaling from its mouth. Squalls dove around it to drink up the moisture.

The snake blinked at first, then leaned in for a closer look. “My, what an interesting specimen. What is it, if I may ask? Some sort of dragon?”

“Narzhak and I call it the Abyssal Leviathan. Born from the magma of the Abyss, the heat of the fiery rabble will have even less chance of harming this creature than their fists, or whatever weapons they have,” Ashalla said.

The Leviathan met Ashalla’s gaze, and she rose a watery arm to point towards the western horizon. “Go. Trample all who burn down those forests,” she commanded with a voice of thunder. The Leviathan turned westwards and with surprising speed it hurtled along the ground, leaving a trail of churned soil and mud. The snake, who had been observing it eagerly, pursed his lips in disappointment at the monster’s sudden departure.

“Leaving right away? No, that is no issue. There are wars to be won, after all…” he mumbled.

Ashalla then lifted her gaze skywards and issued another thunderous command. “Go. Douse all the flames you find. Let them taste my wrath.” The squalls stopped their squabbling upon being issued this divine decree. The wind turned westwards as the squalls flew, carrying the storm clouds with them. The vast storm stretched across the sky, countless multitudes of squalls fuelled by Ashalla’s fury and united in a singular purpose. As quickly as the storm had come, though, it left, receding towards the west.

“Quite the reinforcements, I must say,” the snake mused. “They are most welcome, dearest sister. As are the storms. Will you join in the battle yourself, may I ask?”

Ashalla rumbled briefly. “Perhaps. Although, they should be adequate, especially if the arsonists are mortal. I can inspect their progress later.”

“I believe they are indeed quite mortal - the fire demon cannot possibly possess the necessary power to create an immortal army - not without aid, anyway.” He stared across the ashen wastes left behind by the Jotundar army. “So much death… Nanhe is among the most fertile woods in the mortal world - to lose it would be devastating to the future of the realm.” He collected his hands behind his back. “It will regrow in time, but I cannot help but fear that it will forever live in the toxic smoke of Mt. Eldahverr - within the marching range of the armies of flame…” He looked to the river next to him and his lip quivered for an instant. “Taipang will become a lonely village ripe for slaughter with every attack - any life I form within it will be the first to die in case of an attack from the east, as it will be trapped between the land and the sea. A terrible tragedy,” the snake finished with a sniff.

Ashalla turned her head to peer at the mouth of the river Taipang. “Why should the sea be a barrier?”

The snake raised an eyebrow and put his hands on his hips. “Well, fish of freshwater cannot exactly survive in saltwater, can they? Even brack is too much for their fragile gills.”

“Then we make sturdier fish for this river so they can survive,” Ashalla suggested.

The snake raised a protesting finger, but slowly moved it to tug at his beard instead, humming pensively. “... A valid suggestion, if not a little unorthodox. A river full of life that can potentially vacate to sea if danger approaches…” He looked upwards and pursed his lips. “Nay, why limit it to that? Your seas, dearest sister, are quite substantial in terms of food and nutrients, correct?”

“Indeed. I have occupied my oceans with life to fill all parts of the nutrient cycle,” Ashalla said.

“Then how about this,” the snake said and clapped his palms together. “We will fill the river with life that will not just escape at the sight of danger, but life that will live as citizens of both our two realms, laying their eggs among the safe, tall reeds of the river, and feeding on the bounty of the sea as adults. Their waste will be ferried down from the hatching grounds at the headwaters and nourish the surrounding plant life and insects, and any detritus that is washed out is free game for any sea-dwellers. How does that sound?”

Ashalla rumbled for a few moments as she pondered Shengshi’s proposal. “That sounds like a good idea. Let us make it.”

On cue, a school of ocean-dwelling fish swam up to Ashalla. She modified their physiology and instincts so they could enter the freshwater river. The snake snapped his fingers and from the distant point on the horizon where the river seemingly began came a rolling tide of leaves, reeds, shrubberies and lots of confused amphibians, insects and fish. He splashed them all with a little saltwater and snapped his fingers again. The fish wriggled and twisted as their gills adapted to their new lifestyles; the amphibians grew thicker and firmer skin; the insects’ chitin was reinforced and they morphed into odd, colourful crustaceans that swam just underneath the water surface or dug around in the brackwater sand. The reeds along the riverbanks took on a multitude of colours and seemed to duck underneath the surface whenever curious predators approached; and those at the very edge of the delta combined with wood leaves and grew powerful, girthy roots. Eventually they turned into small mangroves with an exceptionally deep and intricate web of roots that stabbed far into the soil, making them resistant to damage to the trunk itself. Around the roots sprouted saltwater-resistant shrubberies that would lay down in the water to cool off if the temperature got too hot.

As the mangroves took shape, a pod of dolphins swam close, called by Ashalla. These creatures were also adapted to better live in less salty water, and they were made slightly smaller to better fit in the river and cope with the warmer waters. These new river dolphins chittered as they playfully swam and hopped upstream.

“There is much life in the river. Perhaps the land around the river could also support more life,” Ashalla suggested.

The snake pondered skeptically. “The surrounding deserts and wastelands are dry and barren… But the immediate banks could potentially be turned into oases of life.” He picked up a fistful of seaweed from the nearby sea and some clay and rubbed them in with some crushed bark from a nearby mangrove. He then planted the clump into the sand by the river. A moment passed before the ground sprouted a palm tree with bark like hardened pottery and fronds like wavey, brown seaweed, complete with green veins. Underneath the fronds sprouted grey clumps and Shengshi picked one. He took a bite and frowned a little.

“I was hoping it would be sweet, but I suppose it may take better with other fruits.” He picked another one and offered it to Ashalla. “Here. It tasted a bit like a salt cracker, only that it is a little mushy. It is an odd sensation, actually.” Meanwhile, more trees of its kind sprouted around the delta and further inland, taking on greener colours the further in they grew.

Ashalla took the offered fruit in a watery pseudopod. “It is amply nutritious, if not more salty than other fruits,” she stated plainly.

“Then they will need something to eat it with,” the snake agreed. He raised a hand and the colourful reeds were soon joined by fire-resistant strands of sorghum

“There… These may burn up should the menace return, but their seeds will persevere in the ash and rise even stronger - in the spring and autumn, that is.”

Biomatter churned in the waves as more creatures were created by Ashalla’s hand. A few crocodiles crawled up the riverbanks. Numerous varieties of sea birds burst from the water and took to the skies. A few colourful long-legged birds waded through the shallows of the river delta. Shengshi smirked and kicked some rocks and sand into the water. Shadows formed underneath the surface as stone and clay grew to organs and hide. A herd of great, plump quadrupeds waddled out of the deepest parts of the water and settled on the bank, one of them yawning to reveal menacingly long teeth for a herbivore inside an even larger gape. From their nose protruded a single, long horn. A few calves swam about with vigour, and some of the males grew suspicious at the crocodiles. These horned hippos surrounded their young and began to roar territorial threats at all the others. Shengshi then tipped a tree into the sea and splashed it with river water. The tree sprouted four fins, two at the front and two at the back, and a long, razor-toothed jaw. Its bark turned into grey skin and the new predator soon became several and began to stalk around the deeper reaches of the delta.

“Let us see… How about some snails or other mollusks?” the snake suggested.

There was a momentary rumble from Ashalla. The water then swirled and darkened as she created more creatures. Shiny and colourful shells appeared in the mud of the delta, mollusks which would bury themselves at low tide or at any sign of danger, and display their colours and feed when submerged in water. Barnacles sprouted on the roots of the mangrove trees. Several snails with buoyant air-filled shells floated on the water surface, using the currents to carry them along, although they could sink if needed.

“Ah, fantastic!” the snake said happily and put his hands on his hips. He pondered for a moment before looking wryly at Ashalla. “Do you have any other ideas?”

A low rumble followed Shengshi’s question, until Ashalla eventually said, “I think this ecosystem is adequately populated.”

“As do I.” He gazed across the plethora of new species accustoming themselves to mortal life and sighed in satisfaction. “Say, would you like to come by for a drink to celebrate? I know the woods are aflame and the flame demon is burning my home province, but that should not stop us from commemorating this beautiful day of cooperation! What say you?”

Ashalla gave Shengshi a confused look. “Why would I want a drink?”

“... Because it tastes fantastic?” the snake proposed.

Ashalla appeared skeptical, although she said, “I can give it a try. Regardless, we can celebrate our latest creation.”

“My thoughts exactly! Come on, I will take you to the Giant’s Bath.” The snake skipped into the river and torpedoed upstream. Ashalla’s form collapsed into the sea and she flowed upstream after Shengshi.

---

Not much later than they had begun their swim, the two gods came upon the surprisingly underwhelming Giant’s Bath - a mere 20 metre tall crater of brown earth and hard stone that somehow managed to sprout three of the largest rivers on Galbar. The crater was intimately surrounded by wildlife, fronds and leaves of green harmonising wonderfully with the warm colours of the crater’s soil. The gods entered the lake atop the crater to see the opulent, gold-sparkling ship of Shengshi. The snake hopped aboard, snapped his fingers, and the servants came with pots of wine. As the servants spotted Ashalla, however, they nearly dropped the pots in a mixture of awe and fear. They cast themselves to the floor and thundered in unison:

“TEN THOUSAND YEARS AND MORE TO ASHALLA, QUEEN OF THE OCEAN!”

Ashalla stretched up and towered as tall as the ship, looking down upon the kowtowing servants smugly. Meanwhile, tendrils of water - fresh water here - crawled over the sides of the ship and below the deck, licking against a few servants and inspecting the vessel. A few pseudopods also brushed against Shengshi.

The snake stood like a statue as the watery tongues brushed against him. While his facial expression betrayed a hint of discomfort, he seemingly largely elected to ignore them. He cleared his throat. “Splendid beings, are they not?” Shengshi asked.

“Indeed. You have taught these beings well,” Ashalla replied. The pseudopods then left Shengshi to search elsewhere,

The snake, in the meanwhile, had poured some wine in two cups and offered one of them to Ashalla.

“Here, have a taste.”

Ashalla stretched out a pseudopod which dipped into the cup, mixing the wine into the water. Shengshi was watching her expectantly, so she said levelly, “Fermented fruit juices with heightened ethanol content; a substance which lowers the inhibitions of fleshy creatures.”

The snake lowered one brow over his eye and smiled wryly. “Yes, that is indeed what it -is-, if not a little…” He paused. “Eloquently put. The flavour, though - how is the flavour?”

“The flavour is amicable in small quantities. However, an undiluted body of this stuff would be toxic,” Ashalla said.

“W-well… Naturally, though part of the charm is that inebriating toxicity.” He sucked in a breath through the nose. “Though I suppose quite a lot of it would be needed for you to feel the effects yourself, dear sister.” He sighed. “On another note, what do you think so far of my servants? You commented amicably at their subservience - dare I say you and I may be of one mind when it comes to the mortals’ relations to gods?” His lips split into a grin.

“It would appear so,” Ashalla said, “Us gods are higher beings than mortals, with power over their very existence. It is only proper that they demonstrate the appropriate deference and give recognition to our godhood.”

“As if quoted from my book, dear sister,” he said with a chuckle. “As you can imagine, that very idea pumps through these splendid beings like blood through a fish. I hope, one day, to have them function as my personal messengers. Seeing as the first sailing was a resounding success, I will send them to my various siblings with gifts and messages - adds a slightly more intimate touch than that silly mind speak nonsense, do you not think so?” He tugged at his beard. “Oh, and speaking of the first sailing, I heard through prayers that my precious, loyal servants had been saved by a certain ‘Queen of Oceans’. Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.”

“Your gratitude is appreciated, as is theirs,” Ashalla said. “Qiang Yi also wrote me a wonderful poem.”

“Is that so? My, the servants did indeed pick an able captain. An officer well-versed in the arts is a gift to their crew.” He drummed the railing of the ship in thought. “Have you considered making any personal subjects?”

Ashalla rumbled briefly. “I have not. I might, although attracting worship by deeds rather than creation feels more satisfying.”

“Oh, certainly, certainly. As lovely as they are, there is little satisfaction in being praised by beings fundamentally programmed to, well, praise you. Still, having loyal mortals to run errands and service you makes for quite a comfortable rule.” The snake held out his wine glass and a servant filled it from a pitcher.

“I have made unintelligent creatures to wrest control of the seas, and also to maintain my sculptures on the North Pole. Perhaps if I ever require the loyal service of sapient mortals I can create some. Or, perhaps, I could send off some fragment of myself, as you did with Xiaoli,” Ashalla said.

“Ah, yes… A holy piece of oneself. I can recommend it - it is always fun to have someone close by of near equal stature and power. My, I miss her sometimes… By the way, how did you learn of Xiaoli?” He raised a curious brow.

“I found her flying over the ocean north of the Kick with the Dreamer named Hermes, and a cloudling named Poppler. Hermes impressed me with her dancing. Xiaoli made some lovely music with her flute. Xiaoli also offered me tea, as you had with wine,” Ashalla said, then added with a wry ripple, “Poppler also claims to have beaten you in a drinking contest.”

“Hah,” the snake voiced flatly. “I would rather not discuss that night any further, if you do not mind.”

“That is one of the weaknesses of a fleshy form,” Ashalla commented with a wet huff. Shifting the topic slightly, she asked, “Have you seen Hermes since then?”

“I have, actually,” Shengshi confirmed with a cordial smile. “After the death of that maggot Vakk, we had a celebratory feast at their mansion and I am happy to inform you that both Hermes and Xiaoli are in good health. Last I heard, they have just gone through with one of my latest ideas: marriage. Oh, and they have two young Dreamer boys too, now. Is that not just adorable?”

Several surprised bubbles rose through Ashalla’s face and popped as they surfaced. Shengshi had managed to answer Ashalla’s yet-unspoken question as to whether Hermes had managed to fix her infertility, but he had raised so many more questions. “I have questions. I will start with the smaller one. Are you saying Hermes procreated with Xiaoli?”

“Correct. K’nell and I worked together to form a fertile womb within the Dreamer’s body as a reward - and one she wanted dearly at that - for having, well, been one of the first truly legendary mortals in this world. Then I believe Arae took care of the issue regarding the difference in species. They are now perfectly capable of ‘procreation’, as you put it,” he said with a sly smirk.

Ashalla gave a nod. “The other question: Vakk died?”

“Yes,” the snake said rather more grimly. “Or more specifically, he was slain by divine hand.” He paused and looked shamefully at Ashalla’s approximation of a face. “Two of them were mine. The others belonged to K’nell and Eurysthenes. Vakk was mad, insane beyond redemption - it had to be done!” He gripped the railing of the ship and stared out towards the greener swathes of the horizon. “At least that is what I tell myself,” he added somberly.

Ashalla was still for a few moments, and the entirety of the Giant’s Bath was still with her. “What happened?” she eventually asked.

“There was a great battle on Tendlepog’s grasslands,” Shengshi began. “I remember it well. The Warden’s forces clashing with the demonic wave of Echoes, Vakk’s threats against Hermes and Xiaoli, the final blow… The reason for the battle was so dull, too - all he wanted was some box he accused Hermes of stealing…” He shook his head disappointedly.

Ashalla hesitated. “It was not to retrieve the box. I had the Box of Orchestration, and Vakk knew it. He had called Hermes a thief, so perhaps this was attempted retribution.”

The snake closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of air. “So the whole attack was founded on a misunderstanding… That will certainly haunt me for eternity…” He collected his hands behind his back and slithered over to the dragon’s head, which he promptly mounted.

“So you fought Vakk to defend Hermes and Xiaoli?” Ashalla asked.

He sat down, propped his head on his right fist and sighed. “Yes, it was all for a mortal and a mere part of myself that I could have easily replicated at a later date - all for a bond of love and loyalty. I fought him for Hermes and Xiaoli, and I killed him for Hermes and Xiaoli.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Emotions are interesting, are they not?”

“Vakk attempted to destroy a part of yourself and a being you had promised to aid. Your retaliation is justified. It is Vakk’s foolishness for attempting to fight three gods when he could not even overcome one,” Ashalla said.

The snake flicked his tongue at the air and hummed again. “That is what my reason is telling me, yet the heart remains blue at the thought of being among the first to murder a sibling.” He shook his head. “Let us not speak of it further. My gut can only take so much. Have you seen the Beihese life I created the other day? I think you would like the colours.”

“I have not yet seen it. Perhaps you could show me,” Ashalla said. “Although, I still have another question. Why was Eurysthenes there?”

“Eurysthenes did it for his continent, I believe - after all, he rules Swahhitteh. Furthermore, I believe he had some… Scores to settle with Vakk from earlier, though I could never decipher exactly what those scores were.” He gave Ashalla a weary look. “Will that be all regarding the maggot?”

Ashalla rumbled for a few moments. “Yes, that is all,” she eventually said.

A smile returned to the snake’s lips and he stood up. “Then please, follow me. I am quite certain that you will love this.” With that, he dove into the waters below and began to swim towards the mouth in the crater wall leading to Beihe. Ashalla’s probing tendrils retracted from the Jiangzhou and Ashalla collapsed into the lake to swim after Shengshi.

They entered into the Beihe river and were immediately flanked on each side by a plethora of colours spanning almost the entirety of the visible spectrum. Flowers were beaming in the heliopolis, and bumblebees zoomed about leisurely between the many nectar-dripping blooms. Fish and birds were nibbling on plant detritus and water insects, and frogs sat croaking between the reeds. A farmer ape sat with its hind feet in the stream of the western bank, gnawing on a bamboo stick.

Shengshi stopped and gestured to the surroundings. “What do you think?”

“It is beautiful,” Ashalla said with the sound of a burbling stream.

The snake nodded. “See, I wanted to create an environment with seasonal blooms, much like those wheat plants I added along the Taipang earlier, and make it a changing experience - constant new stimuli for observers.” He pointed to the far end of the river. “Sadly, towards the Dragon’s Strait, the Saluran Mendidih makes the climate much too hot and wet for most of this vegetation… For most vegetation, really.” He put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side at Ashalla. “Would it be rude of me to ask if you could do something about the menacing tropical storms over there?”

Ashalla stretched her neck to better peer at the Saluran Mendidih in the distance. “With both the Saluran Mendidih and the Maelstrom, it is not worth me permanently suppressing the storms. I can easily create temporary calms, as I did for the Zhengwu. A useful point for manipulating mortals,” Ashalla said. “As for the boiling strait, that does pose some challenges for creating life nearby. Although, it does boil away most of Seihdhara’s ichor before it can reach the rest of the ocean.”

The snake made the sort of face one would make if someone started discussing cannibalism over dinner. “Please do not even get me started on that abomination of a ‘river’,” he muttered with air-quoting fingers.

There was a brief rumble, then Ashalla suggested, “Perhaps we could do something about that river.”

The snake grimaced. “Like… Touch it, you mean? Dry it out? Remove it entirely?”

“We can cleanse the ichor before it reaches the sea. Narzhak just made some sharks to consume stray ichor and clean up after himself. While sharks are probably not an appropriate solution, the physiology of something which would cleanse the river should be similar,” Ashalla explained.

The snake pursed his lips and tugged at his beard. “... I suppose I could make some sort of seasonal vegetable or grain that would suck the ichor out of the water and collect it in fruits or seeds for the boars to eat.” He counted on his fingers and mouthed silent plans. “Some shrubberies and water lilies could potentially also provide a decent effect.”

“Reeds and mangroves to filter the river. Possibly some animals to keep the plant populations in check,” Ashalla added.

“That could work…” he mumbled and sneered at the mountains. “Well, here we go, then.” With a quick bend of his tail, the snake burst into the air like a red bullet, breaking through the low clouds around the Qiangshan range.

Ashalla watched Shengshi leap away with a huff. Her traversal of those mountains would not be nearly as fast as Shengshi’s. To travel to and across the Seihdhar she would need to be a cloud, but unless she wanted to keep Shengshi waiting a manner to speed up her transformation was in order. A look downstream to the boiling ocean gave her the idea she needed.

---

Shengshi crashed into the dry, hostile lands of the Charnel Steppes, sending rocks, gravel and dry blood flying in every direction. He surveyed the grey wastes which were only occasionally broken by hills covered in vegetation. Ashen grass that looked more like iron nails stabbed up through the soil, contrasting the red mists that drifted lazily around. The snake sneered.

“How ghastly,” he muttered and looked to the four directions. Ashalla was nowhere to be seen yet - she may have taken the way around, he reasoned. In one of those four directions, or rather more specifically, in front of him, the red Seihdhar cast a stark contrast on the overall deathly greyness about the place. Still, its colour did little to please the snake. He picked up a strand of grass and split it in half with a claw. He dabbed two fingers on his tongue and stroked the inside of both blades before planting them again on the riverbank. Almost immediately, they took on a yellow, sandy colour and grew a metre tall. More like them began to sprout along the river bank, and as the plants drank in the water, they began to redden with an orange glow. Like many of his other plants, Shengshi decided, this one would also be seasonal, as they likely would not be able to handle constantly sucking up divine essence. The first two reeds sprouted seeds and Shengshi picked one to eat.

“Hmm… Dull, flavour-wise, but the blood of a goddess does make it quite rich in nutrients - and energy.” He snickered to himself. “The animals here will grow frighteningly strong.”

At this time a great storm rolled over the north-western horizon. Unlike the discordant storm clouds made from squalls Shengshi had seen earlier, this colossal storm was unified. As the storm came closer, thunder greeted him. “It is a start. But we’ll need more.”

Where Ashalla’s raindrops fell, reeds and moss grew along the Seihdhar, growing thick and strong in the ichor. Mangrove trees also sprouted up, and soon the river of blood was thick with plant-life filtering the fluid. While the ichor this far downstream was fairly dilute compared to the ichor upstream, as the plants sucked the ichor from the water it was concentrated within their sap. The water around the biofilter simmered from the heat of Seihdhara’s blood.

The snake scratched his cheekbone and looked around. Humming ponderously, he dug about in the ashen soil until he found strands of fungi. He pinched a blue fungus string between his claws and pulled it out of the ground. He rubbed it with a few droplets of the Seihdhar which he reluctantly had dabbed on his fingers, and replanted them on the bank. Next to the moss and around the mangroves sprouted thick-stemmed, orange-capped mushrooms that began to absorb excess ichor that the other plants drank from the river. He then patted himself a disc of gray clay and placed it on the water surface, making a water lily which soon sprouted siblings all along the river’s length and also began to redden from drinking divine blood.

“I reckon they will not survive the stronger concentrations further up, but they may reduce the levels of divine essence a little more for the plant life here.” He went over to inspect one of the local sanctuary trees that had already stood here from before they came. A barrier of energy extended around the tree, but Shengshi seemed to pass right through it, albeit with a slight hint of strain on his face. “Do you reckon we could do anything about these?”

A breeze whistled around the sanctuary trees. “These creations of Arae are already well suited for this environment. They may help preserve our biofilter against damage,” Ashalla said. Shengshi nodded with a hum and poked at the shield barrier around him.

The clouds lowered as Ashalla took a closer look at the river so far. “While we want the plants to be thick and prosperous, these plants will become overgrown as they gorge themselves on the rich blood unless we have animals to consume the plants and expend their energy doing things besides growing.”

The snake broke through the shield again and dusted himself off. “Agreed. They ought to be very large, still, as to absorb as much energy as possible without it overbloating and killing them from the inside.” He crossed his arms and glanced across the Charnel Steppes. “They also ought to be able to compete with the… Slightly more savage wildlife around here, I feel.”

Ashalla sent wind to stir up the soil around the river, and from the disturbance emerged many insects who could pollinate the plants of the river. Heavy rain fell over the water, and from the turbulence emerged schools of fish. The smaller of these fish ate moss and plants and hid in the reeds, and a few filtered through the water for traces of ichor which had bled past the many plants. Some larger fish stalked the smaller fish. Their consumption of ichor-laden food led to all the fish being unusually agile, durable and vicious. Some grew blades on their fins, or horns on their skulls, or particularly thick scales. The battles between predator and prey, or between two fish seeking territory or mates, would be fierce and energetic. A few fish also had such martial prowess that they could fire darts of water at insects in the air above them, knocking them down to be consumed.

Meanwhile, the snake had slithered over to the nearby foot of Qiangshan. He patted a tall boulder sticking out of the hillside and beckoned it to follow. Swiftly, the boulder hatched like an egg to reveal a stone-skinned beast with a trunk and two long tusks. It and others from surrounding rock eggs followed along to the river and began to drink the water and eat mangrove leaves. The ichor made them sprout two additional tusks on each side of the trunk, and their legs grew muscular and very swift for a creature of such proportions. These six-tusked elephants were accompanied by birds that perched on their backs and pecked at any curious insects. Water buffalo rose from the waters, their horns becoming antlers, and began to chew river reed cud. One of the water buffalo exited the water for a moment to test the hard ground for the first time, but out of the reeds suddenly came a massive tiger with particularly intense orange stripes and six powerful legs. Finally, smaller critters dared peek out from their hiding spots and began to sample the various grains, mushrooms and leaves around. Squirrels grew wings, tapirs grew thick skulls that could be used to ram predators, mice became bipedal and grew into kangaroo rats, and frogs grew into large, menacing toads with two constantly sneering heads.

Spiralling tornadoes descended from Ashalla and pulled up dirt, red ichor and plants. Out from these twisting winds came birds. Some of the birds possessed a streamlined form, able to plunge into the river like a spear and skewer fish on their sharpened beaks. Some were lightweight and camouflaged, darting with great agility among the plants of the river to eat their fruits while evading predators. And a few avians were colossal birds of prey, hunting all beasts smaller than themselves.

The snake broke off a branch from a mangrove and dipped it in ichor. In his hands the branch became a bundle of red snakes, their backs sporting impressive manes of flowing, golden hair, and their teeth dripping with yellow, nerve-killing venom. He put all but two of them on the ground and watched them slither off. The remaining two, he rubbed with soil and gravel and put down on the ground. The snakes sprouted six legs along their now-thickened central bodies. Their necks shortened and their manes sprouted straight, pointed horns. These maned iguanas sat themselves down by the riverside, basking in the heliopolis light.

The snake wiped his brow and put his hands on his hips. “How stellar! The water is functionally pure as it runs into the sea, now. Maybe in a few hundred years, it will be perfectly clean as it should be,” he said excitedly. “Got any more ideas?”

With her nebulous form it was impossible to tell where Ashalla was looking, but it could be reasonably guessed that she was inspecting their handiwork. “It is good. I think our work here is complete,” Ashalla eventually said.

“Yes, it would seem so… Well, that would be two tasks scratched from my to-do list! Thank you so, so much for your aid with Taipang, and your suggestion to… clean this ‘river’ here. Say, while we are at it, would you like to see what we can do about that Dragon’s Strait, too?”

Ashalla rumbled as she considered the offer. “Perhaps some other time,” she eventually said.

The snake nodded. “Yes, on second thought, I do feel quite drained from today’s endeavours. What will you do now, if I may ask?”

“I will inspect the battle for the jungle. If the fires have not been dampened by now, it will require my direct intervention,” Ashalla said.

The snake nodded. “And for a moment, I had completely forgotten that assaillants are at my doorstep… I will return to Nanhe to see if they have been forced into a retreat yet. If not, then I, too, will join the battle myself.”

A distant rumble of thunder signalled acknowledgement. “Then let us go.”

“I will secure the river itself. If you could defend the eastern forests, I would be in your debt,” the snake said.

“Alright,” Ashalla replied. The wind changed, and the storm billowed southwards. Shengshi once more skipped back over the mountain range and dove into Beihe on the other side, swimming along the stream towards the south.

Summary!

Shengshi finds himself rather angry at the argument with Azura and Asceal, so he decides to swim down Taipang to look at the corpse of Slaevatein. However, upon arriving there, he finds the dragon graveyard distinctly lacking in dragons, but instead finds Ashalla with a ton of squalls and also the Abyssal Leviathan.

Ashalla explains that she’s here to defend the forest and sends her forces off to do so, to which Shengshi gives a thumbs-up, and then comments on how the two of them never hang out. Ashalla agrees and together they make the Taipang ecosystem, an ecosystem that unites freshwater species and seawater species and is fire-resistant as heck on account of the various species that can escape to sea and live there, or bury underground and so on. Sheng then proposes they celebrate by going for a drink. Ashalla wonders why they need a drink, but follows along anyway.

At the ship, they exchange a bit of awkward dialogue where Shengshi tries to explain that there is more to food and drink than their chemical compositions, by which Ashalla remains unconvinced. Ashalla also learns of Vakk’s death. Shengshi still feels guilty about it, but Ashalla thinks his actions were justified.

Shengshi shows her Beihe, ‘cuz he knows she likes colour, and they start talking about making a biofilter ecosystem around the Seihdhar, because holy ichor in the oceans is icky and the river itself is yucky. So they do that and make the Seihdhar river ecosystem, which is full of species jacked on holy protein shakes and plants with the nutrient contents of animal feed.

After that, they agree that they should return to the fighting. Shengshi travels along the rivers to protect Nanhe itself, whereas Ashalla heads to the eastern edges of the woods to survey the squalls’ progress on dousing the fires.

Might Summary

Squalls are now a 1 FP extraordinary species (enhanced by Storms). 0 FP doesn’t do them justice for what I want to do with them.
Ashalla spent 1 MP (enhanced by Storms) to gather a vast storm of squalls.
2 FP (enhanced by Oceans and Rivers) to create the Taipangese ecosystem, a fire-resistant oasis which thrives in the brackwater.
2 FP (enhanced by Rivers) to create the River Seihdhar ecosystem, an energy-rich biofilter which purifies the water before it reaches the ocean.

Ashalla
Start: 6 MP, 6 FP
Spent: 1 FP to make Squalls a 1 FP Enhanced by Storms extraordinary species.
1 MP (enhanced by Storms) to gather a vast storm of squalls and unite them under a single purpose, for a time at least.
1 FP shared with Shengshi to make the Taipangese ecosystem.
1 FP shared with Shengshi to make the River Seihdhar ecosystem.
End: 5 MP, 3 FP
Portfolios: 5/10 Colour
10/10 Ice

Shengshi
Start: 0MP, 6FP
Spent: 1FP shared with Ashalla to make the Taipangese ecosystem and 1 FP for the Seihdhar.
End: 0MP, 4FP
Portfolios: 5/5 Brewing
5/5 (10/10) Harvest

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

@Zurajai Welcome. We have room for you to join as a demigod. I'll send you a link to our Discord server, where the vast majority of OOC communications happens. There you can propose ideas for your prospective character and see what other players think.

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

@Kho to your plans for Belru-Gadar-Vowzra, can you add a meeting with Teknall? He promised to not forget her, and now that she's made her existence public he should check in with her. Also, he has some things that belong to Yara.

Also, don't forget that part of the Vetros plot includes rebuilding the Temple of the Bond. Teknall pulled some strings to help that happen and get a trade school set up too.

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)
32.25 Might & 1 Free Points

Teknall watched as his daughters departed, then was alone with his thoughts and the hums and clanks of the Workshop. He looked around and considered what he would do next. The vats of arksynth in front of him were where his experiments in developing a manufacturing process for the nanomachines would start. The Stellar Engine core above him was due for an upgrade to enhance its storage capacity. The Promethean Manipulators around him were a reminder to check up on the Prometheans and see if they needed any help in advancing. The scouting drone mainframe reminded him of Tauga and how he should check in on her. The leftover weapons from his daughters' experiments signalled in his mind that there were other threats on Galbar to be dealt with. And the ruined remains of Teknall's Mirror Armour...

Teknall hobbled towards the warped and torn plates of adamantine, partially lined with charred god-flesh. This armour, together with energy stored in the Stellar Engine, had shielded him from the direct blast of the Primordial Spark for a couple of seconds. That gambit had proven futile in preserving his own life, for he could not escape Xos' clutch, the Spark eventually overwhelmed the shields and help did not come in those few seconds. But for those moments he had seen with clarity the Primordial Spark in action.

He needed to speak with Toun.

Teknall had synchronised memories with Goliath, so he knew that Toun had departed to fulfil the favour he owed Aihtiraq. What that favour was or how long it would have taken, Teknall had no idea, but it was likely that Toun had finished that task and had resumed hunting Xos.

Teknall reached out to Toun with a message. Toun, can we speak?

Teknall!? The answer was uncharacteristically flustered but levelled out quickly. You are awake. Good. Your children performed as needed. I have the trail of the shade. Be swift or leave me to find it.

Teknall hesitated. He had hoped for a better reunion with his brother, but he could tell Toun would not tolerate any idle pleasantries at this time. I saw Xos' weapon in operation and can design a countermeasure. I'll deliver it when finished.

I cannot halt to wait for another tool, Teknall, Toun responded quickly and coolly. This will end whether you finish your countermeasure within time or without. See to it your delivery makes a difference.

Noted, Teknall replied.

Time was short. There was no shaking Toun from his quarry now. Enough time had been wasted already, so Teknall was fortunate that Toun had not already fought Xos. Perhaps Aihtiraq's favour had contributed to that delay, although Teknall could not say for sure. But if Teknall did not want to be late as Toun had been, he had to move quickly.

Teknall waved a hand and the Workshop's manufacturing lines came to life. The Workshop began producing satellites, similar to those the Prometheans had made, except with a few modifications and optimisations. These satellites would be deployed around Galbar and the solar system. They were connected to the scouting drone network and equipped with an array of sensors. While they would serve as standard spy satellites, they would also tell Teknall if any major outbursts of divine energy occurred, which would in turn indicate the location of Xos and the Primordial Spark when that battle broke out. Given Teknall's active involvement in protecting Galbar, this intelligence network was long-overdue.

As the manufacturing lines continued their work, Teknall stretched out his hand and the Shard Conduit appeared in it. Then he nodded and an inky black rift appeared in front of him, which Teknall stepped through.

He stumbled as a wave of nausea overtook him. His walking stick slipped, his balance gave out and he fell upon the barren surface of an airless planet. Teknall held back retches for several seconds before the worst of the sensation passed. Stomach still queasy, Teknall slowly crawled back to his feet, brushing dust off his face and muttering, "Right, gut was wounded too..."

Teknall looked up at the dark sky of stars above him. Among those stars, not too far away by stellar standards, was Galbar's sun. Teknall had chosen somewhere outside the Galbaric solar system because it should be far enough away from Xos and other prying eyes to be safe. He was grateful that he did not choose somewhere further away, otherwise the journey back to Galbar may have been unbearable.

Once Teknall had recovered fully, he looked at the ground beneath him. A thin layer of coarse dust lay across a vast expanse of bedrock. Teknall struck the ground once with his cane and with a dazzling pulse of golden divinity the regolith for kilometres around blew away from him, leaving only bare bedrock. Teknall struck a second time, and the exposed bedrock became perfectly smooth, a blank canvas for his coming creation. Then Teknall jerkily knelt down on the stone. He pressed one hand directly against the bedrock. In the palm of his other hand he held starburst shape the Shard Conduit, which he pressed into the ground. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated.

He had witnessed the Primordial Spark first-hand. He knew how it worked, since identifying the functioning of objects was one of his specialties. Its operation was tied to the Mechanism of Change, that plane of primal entropic energy which Zephyrion had breathed into the Universal Blueprint. It was not a direct portal to the Mechanism of Change, but it did draw from its vast power. That energy was then manipulated by Xos to be a force for destruction. It was a bottomless well of energy siphoned from the inner workings of the Universe.

While Teknall could attempt all manner of manipulations on the Spark, up to and including cutting it off from the Mechanism of Change and effectively destroying it, any such efforts would require personal possession of the Spark. The next-best countermeasure would be to block the bursts of energy Xos produced from the Primordial Spark. A brute-force approach was possible, pouring more energy into a barrier than the Spark could produce as Logos had done with his armour (according to the description he had received), but inefficient, especially since Teknall knew the nature of what was to be blocked.

As Teknall thought and designed, lines of glowing energy streamed out of the Shard Conduit and etched their way through the bedrock Teknall knelt upon, tracing symbols and patterns not unlike those in the Universal Blueprint. The Primordial Spark relied upon some of the underlying mechanisms of the Universe, so Teknall would also borrow from the Universe which he had helped design. He had designed the barriers between the Gap and Reality, barriers which had to withstand things much more terrible than the Primordial Spark, so he could use that as the base of his design. Kyre had blessed the Universal Blueprint with resilience, so Teknall borrowed from that resilience to make his creation able to withstand the fiercest blows. Niciel had blessed the Universal Blueprint with a bit of purity, so Teknall allowed his creation to share that purity so it would not be subverted from its design.

Teknall wrote these things with glowing lines in the bedrock using the language of the Codex of Creation. He also formed vast tracts of interconnected calligraphy and runes which specified the functioning of his creation. He took great care in each and every symbol, for it was a complex thing he was creating that could not afford to have any weak points. He granted it topological protection to resist localised breaches. He coded in regenerative energy feedback so its protective qualities would scale with the strength of what it was blocking. He implemented self-rejuvenation so it could recover from damage. And he implemented many other details and modules which would maximise its effectiveness against the Primordial Spark.

After what had felt like a long time, Teknall finished writing his creation in the stone. He checked it over again, then a third time, trying to find any flaws or further optimisations, but there were none. It was time to complete it.

Unimaginable amounts of power surged through the Shard Conduit, and every line and symbol Teknall had traced in the bedrock flared with brilliant golden light. The stone melted and crystallised under the flood of divine energy, the light bright enough to sear the words and runes into the fabric of space itself. The stone plain was washed out by the dazzling radiance.

Then, suddenly, the blinding white light gave way to a more subdued blue glow, uniformly coating the ground on which Teknall knelt. Teknall opened his eyes and looked around him. The ground was coated in a light blue barrier of opaque energy, slowly fading to translucence as the initial burst of energy faded. A smile crept onto his lips as he slowly returned to his feet.

Teknall raised his free hand, and in an instant the barrier curled up into a sphere around him. A slight lift had the bubble rise above the ground, carrying him with it. He then lowered himself and the bubble back to the ground, and with a twist of his wrist the barrier unfurled into a vast flat sheet above him. Tilting his hand rotated the plane so that it stood as a vast wall in front of him, and a turn of his hand curled the barrier around so it formed a tall ring surrounding him. Then he closed his hand, and it shrunk into a disc in front of him only a metre in diameter.

It had worked. Teknall let out a laugh, almost intoxicated by the power. He had single-handedly created a construct of immense strength, not from metal or stone or flesh but from warped space and interwoven rules of reality. The Hyperspatial Barrier, he would call it.

The disc floated down to hover parallel to the ground in front of Teknall. He stepped upon it, crouched down, then braced himself as he teleported from that distant planet to orbit around Galbar.

Teknall's stomach twisted and he retched and gagged on arrival. He was grateful that he had not eaten or drunk anything recently. He soon recovered and looked around him, checking for any nearby gods and finding none. The planet Galbar stretched out far below him. In a blink, Goliath appeared beside Teknall.

Teknall gently pushed off the blue disc. The disc then floated from Teknall to Goliath. Take this, and give it to Toun. If he is engaging with Xos, deploy the Hyperspatial Barrier, but do not engage yourself. The disc merged into Goliath's armour and the robot's shields took a blue hue. Then Goliath departed, trailing a stream of incandescent plasma from its rocket jets.

Still floating in orbit, Teknall reached out a hand and a black rift opened beside him. Out from that rift came the satellites which the Workshop had been manufacturing. Rocket engines flared to life to move the satellites into their allocated orbits around Galbar and beyond, where they could watch for any major events.

Teknall took one last look around him. "Should have left me alone, shade," Teknall snarled quietly. Then he floated through the rift which closed behind him.

Summary

Teknall remembers that, in his battle with Xos, he had seen the Primordial Spark in action. He tries to talk to Toun about it, but while Toun is happy to hear Teknall is alive and conscious he is hot on Zyus' trail and has no time for chit-chat. Teknall says he can build a countermeasure to the Primordial Spark, but Toun can't stop and wait.

Teknall immediately sets off to a neighbouring star-system to build his promised countermeasure. On the trip there, we learn that on top of Teknall's other disabilities he also has teleportation sickness. Not fun.

Teknall starts writing Codex of Creation-style code with pure energy. There's some pseudo-scientific fluff descriptions, and the construct borrows/shares some aspects of the Universe to bolster it (namely, Teknall's Gap barriers, Kyre's resilience, and Niciel's purity, all written into the Universal Blueprint long ago). The end result is a mobile malleable nigh-impenetrable wall of force called the Hyperspatial Barrier. It's a 10 MP artifact.

Teknall hands this to Goliath, who goes out to find Toun to give it to.

Teknall also deploys a network of spy satellites around Galbar and the Galbarian solar system. (1 MP)

Might Summary
Start: 32.25 MP & 1 FP (14 MP reserved by Workshop)
Spent: 11 MP from Workshop
End: 21.25 MP & 1 FP (3 MP reserved by Workshop)

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

Ashalla

Goddess of Oceans and Storms

Ashalla floated through the ocean south of Dragon's Foot, dark clouds and tempestuous winds following her. Around her squalls seemed to take a life of their own, drinking in the residual anger of her encounter with the Leviathan Angler. These miniature storms boiled off from her discontent and flitted about. The melancholic melodies of Vakk's music box did little to calm Ashalla, despite Vakk's claims, but the music seemed to keep the squalls pacified enough for them to avoid Ashalla's direct attention.

Once the music had drifted out of hearing of the squalls they became much more boisterous. The baby tempests drank moisture, rode winds, built clouds and rained. They jostled and squabbled, jousting with gusts to claim each others moisture and energy for their own. This violent dance twisted clouds and stirred the sea, although it was short-lived as the squalls soon dispersed. The squalls scattered across Galbar in search of more stormy conditions or divine anger to feast off, or some beings to hurl their inner anger against. Perhaps, if enough of them united together, they might have been able to produce a proper storm, but on their own they would rarely pose a credible threat. And such discordant beings would never unite of their own accord.

Ashalla paid little heed to the squalls. As she contemplated the source of her discontent, she remembered K'nell's words - there are things even a God cannot see or create without a little help. Though Ashalla had not admitted it at the time, she knew K'nell was right, and now she saw that it held the solution to her current situation. The Leviathan Angler had attacked the Zhengwu because she had not been present to enforce her will. One option would be to create some fragment of herself, like Shengshi's Xiaoli or Sartravius' Phoenix, but the ocean was far too vast for a single extra entity to provide adequate coverage.

So Ashalla decided she could make many creatures. They would not be direct extensions of her will like a god-fragment would be, but they would be receptive to her will, like the Thunderbird was, so would be able to enforce her will in her absence. They would also stop the Leviathan Anglers from being the only extraordinary beasts to roam her ocean. And because the journey was slow while carrying the music box, she had time to create.

Ashalla started with the pattern of a predatory fish and scaled it up to enormous sizes, rivalling whales. This gargantuan shark had a powerful jaw and great teeth which could puncture through the bodies of creatures it attacked, even creatures larger than itself. The shark's great mass was itself a weapon, for it could ram lesser creatures which enough force to injure them severely. Ashalla created more of these megalodons and released them into the ocean, where they would hunt whales and other sea beasts.

The megalodons were terrific demonstrations of strength, but Ashalla did not feel this was enough. So she took the pattern of a squid and scaled that up to be colossal as well. Its arms and tentacles were given wicked hooks and toothy suckers. Two tentacles were extended to be much longer with spiked clubs on the end, and between all the tentacles was its great beak. The colossal squid could use water to jet-propel itself through the water for bursts of speed, and could spray a cloud of black ink along with that jet to confound potential predators. It had massive eyes so it could see in the dark depths of the ocean. The squid was coloured red, and Ashalla also added bioluminescent patches, both to enhance its beauty and to lure in prey.

Ashalla created many of these creatures. The megalodons were well suited for tropical and sub-tropical waters, while the colossal squids were suited for the deep depths of the ocean and the polar climates. But Ashalla knew they were not enough, for many Leviathan Anglers dwarfed even these creatures in size. She needed a bigger creature. And, because only a couple hundred anglers existed, she only needed one creature.

Biomass began to accumulate at Ashalla's call. The general pattern of the colossal squid impressed her with its versatility and elegance, so she decided that this beast would be a cephalopod. To support its enormous bulk and to provide a measure of internal protection, Ashalla built a large, round, porous bone of calcium carbonate which would be used to control buoyancy. Within this bone Ashalla placed many internal organs, and she covered the bone in flesh. Around the edge of the body she put fins and fans which would provide a means of steady locomotion. Towards the front she placed two large eyes, a beak and many tentacles. Toothed suckers ran along all of these tentacles, and the longer tentacles ended in barbed clubs. Like other cephalopods, it also produced ink, which it could use to cloud the water around it.

Although the creature made the two species Ashalla just created seem miniscule, this beast had more besides sheer size and strength to make it extraordinary. Its tentacles could regrow if severed - not immediately, but it would not be permanently maimed by the loss of some tentacles in a battle. However, the biggest feature Ashalla added was to its skin. Chromatophores and photophores covered every part of the creature, allowing it to change its colour and produce light at will, much like Hermes could except with bioluminescence as well. A complex array of muscles also allowed the beast to adjust the texture of its skin and even, to a minor extent, the shape of its body. These abilities could be used equally well for beautiful displays or for camouflage.

Ashalla released the gargantuan creature and it came to life, swimming around her. Ashalla looked upon the creatures she had made and decreed, "Megalodons, colossal squids, heed my words. You are not to harm anyone to whom I have promised protection. Now spread through my ocean so my influence may be seen everywhere." The megalodons and colossal squids then dispersed to fulfill Ashalla's will.

The ocean goddess then turned her attention to the gargantuan colourful cephalopod she had created. "Kraken, you are to enforce my blessings of safe passage. Ensure that no beast of the sea harms those to whom I have promised safety. You are to enact vengeance on any creature which defies such decrees," Ashalla commanded, "Now go to the Zhengwu and ensure no other creatures attack the ship. Suffer no Leviathan Anglers in your presence. I will speak to you again if I have more commands." Obediently, the Kraken turned and swam northwards.

Finally content, Ashalla continued swimming, listening to the music box.

---

The island in which the Gateway to Sanvadam lay was barren as ever, but not silent. Whispers drifted up from the gateway, and shadowy forms lurked between the rocky spires. The ocean heaved and Ashalla flowed uphill and across the island while carrying the Box of Orchestration.

Some of the shadows, seeing the living being approach, darted out. Their hungry white eyes marked their incorporeal forms as they swarmed into Ashalla's watery body. However, the incorporeal echoes could not tear free any part of the divine soul, and instead found themselves trapped in the goddess' grip. There was a slight ripple as she crushed the echoes. Several squalls manifested in Ashalla's irritation, and her eyes settled on them. "Deal with them," she said in a low voice like a rolling wave.

The squalls flitted about the island and quarrelled with the other incorporeal echoes. As simple soulless beings themselves, the squalls were not threatened by the echoes' soul-stealing powers. And while the squalls could do little besides buffet the echoes around, that was enough to keep the echoes from disturbing Ashalla.

Ashalla flowed through the illusory boulder which hid the cave mouth leading down to Sanvadam and looked inside the gateway. "Vakk," she called out, her voice echoing like thunder down the tunnels.

The echoes of her voice died down to silence and Ashalla waited, longer than she had waited last time. Vakk did not come.

"Vakk, I have your Box of Orchestration," she called out.

She waited again. Still, Vakk did not come.

A momentary blip of concern crossed through Ashalla's mind. Was Vakk busy, or elsewhere? Had Vakk been attacked? Why did he not respond? But ultimately these were not Ashalla's worries. Ashalla placed the box inside the cave. "Vakk, I'm leaving the box inside your gateway." Ashalla was worried about the possibility of Eurysthenes finding the box before Vakk. However, she reasoned that the box would probably be safer here than elsewhere, since she had frequently left the box unattended in the open ocean. Here, at least, it was hidden.

Still puzzled as to why Vakk did not respond, Ashalla flowed back into the ocean and swam away.

Release the Kraken!

Squalls are created from Ashalla's grumpiness. Squalls are minor storm spirits. They spontaneously manifest when Ashalla is angry or stressed, and multiply in storm-generating conditions or near divine wrath. They are petty, angry and destructive beings prone to infighting, although rarely are they strong enough to be more than a nuisance. Squalls are pacified by music. They are soulless.

Ashalla realises that she needs helpers, like K'nell said. To loosely enforce her will and dominance in the ocean, Ashalla creates megalodons and colossal squids as extraordinary species. Then, as a single beast of phenomenal power, Ashalla creates the Kraken. Her Kraken is patterned after a Giant Cuttlefish, so it possesses cool colour-shifting properties.

Megalodons and colossal squids spread throughout the ocean. They will never attack anyone to whom Ashalla has promised protection. They also compete with other sea monsters, hopefully stopping Leviathan Anglers and any creatures made by other gods from having a monopoly.

The Kraken is sent to keep an eye on the Zhengwu and to 'suffer no Leviathan Anglers in your presence'.

Ashalla makes it to the Gateway to Sanvadam. She is rudely greeted by some Incorporeal Echoes. She sends some squalls to deal with them. She calls to Vakk, but gets no response, and this troubles Ashalla. She leaves the Box of Orchestration inside the Gateway behind the illusory boulder then leaves.

Might Summary

Squalls, an extraordinary species - 0 MP (1 MP discounted by Storms)
Megalodons, an extraordinary species - 0 MP (1 MP discounted by Oceans)
Colossal squids, an extraordinary species - 0 MP (1 MP discounted by Oceans)
Kraken, a phenomenal beast - 1 FP (2 FP discounted by Oceans)

Ashalla
Start: 6 MP & 8 FP
Spent: 1 FP
End: 6 MP & 7 FP
Portfolios: 5/10 Colour
10/10 Ice