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Bright_Ops Member

The Insane Scholar

STATUS: Sorry for my lack of posts lately. I've just... been struggling to get the energy to write something up. I'm trying some new meds through so hopefully that will change soon. 9 yrs ago
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9 yrs ago
Current Sorry for my lack of posts lately. I've just... been struggling to get the energy to write something up. I'm trying some new meds through so hopefully that will change soon.
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In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


Some years prior


Even before the creation and usage of ice to create cold rooms, the exploration tunnels were dug out and new settlements of Rattus were developed across their sandy homeland, other Rattus along the river turned their attention elsewhere. After all, Aethel had handed down three tasks.

The eastern mountains were a daunting task... and the massive creatures that were occasionally seen flying among those peaks only made the prospect of trying to open a safe passage through to the other side all the more harrowing. All the more reason for the Rattus people to breath deeply, come together... and bravely turn westward so they could focus on the other task while putting off the mountains for another day.

Being considered by many to be the original mastermind behind the Rattus taking to the water via craft, Raethel would often find himself during his free time joining the teams of Rattus attempting what was deemed to be one of the most important projects since the creation of the water craft and the calming of the water monster; Improving the water craft so that it might sail across the vast waters that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

The original water craft that sailed along the river were sailed out in an experiment to see just how different the conditions fared... with the results being enlightening. While it was true that when the weather was rough that it could cause issues for those sailing the river, even when things were calm and the wind barely moved the greater, salty waters proved to be a turbulent thing. Considering the river craft had been designed with stability in mind this wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was clear to all watching the test run that it simply wasn't up to the task. The salt water offered fresh challenges that needed to be faced and overcome.

After some discussion, Raethel was the one who suggested that the current 'flaw' with the river craft when it came to handling conditions on the salty tasting wider waters was that of size. It was simply too small for the task required... stability aside that would have been an issue anyway; While the act of fishing would certainly provide food for those Rattus sailing on the salty water, the fact remained that there simply was no land for them to disembark on once they got a certain distance out and thus any supplies they would need, be it food, tools, places to rest and resources to repair any damage taken would need to be on the craft... and the crew of the craft would need to be able to sustain themselves for an unknown amount of time.

The issue of supply space only grew after Raethel requested several healthy Rattus to drink of the salty water for a few days in order to test it; The fact that the water tasted so strongly different from the water of the river was a matter of concern and he was afraid that there might be some health risks if one drank it. This concern was proven to be well founded as those who drank the salt tasting water quickly found themselves growing sick.

It started with them peeing well above normal... then muscles started to cramp up even as their mouths grew dry and their thirst only got worse, no matter how much additional salty water they drank. They started to get weak and nauseous, as well as suffering other afflictions that mirrored those of Rattus that had gone exploring the deserts sands and managed to get back to safety after their water supplies ran out. The danger proven, Raethel ended the experiment early and got the Rattus in question as much river water as they could safely drink, all the while hoping that he hadn't condemned these brave Rattus to die. They would recover without long term ill effect, through it did take several days of care for the sickness to pass.

A brave woman named Leucopus stepped forward and suggested that, much like how they had been taught to boil still water to cleanse it of things that would make them sick, the process might work here as well. She volunteered to test this theory herself. While she too would suffer the affliction of the original group, Raethel personally stepped in to bring her experiment to an end before her condition reached their degree of severity when it became clear that she was undergoing the same symptoms despite her water having been boiled first. She also made a full recovery once she was back on good old river water.

Much like their exploration of the desert, water was one of the supplies that was going to have to be carried by the water craft, despite the fact that it would be floating atop of water itself.

Much like the days of the original project to produce the first river crafts, several teams of Rattus formed around differing ideas that spurred on a feeling of playful rivalry and competition. Unlike the original through, it seemed to lack the same air of haste; This was not a race to see who could get the first craft out on the water that would stay floating after all. This was a matter of endurance and longevity as much as stability and speed.

A recovering Leucopus was actually the one to suggest a means of testing the designs that caught Raethel's attention: Sail them along the coastline. They would be given a solid test of salt water conditions while being clearly within range of the shore in the event that something went horribly wrong. It would also be a chance to properly explore the coastline and see if there was anything of note... through for this early stage of testing the test should likely be limited from when the sky's heat started to rise to when it set again, giving the craft a test of endurance, a proper time frame in which to operate since they would be turning around once the light of the sky reach its peak and... well, would test the design of the craft in seeing how they handled turning around on the salt water.

Raethel agreed with her reasoning...and felt compelled to work with Leucopus as often as he could from that moment onward. She was a brilliant Rattus... and pleasant on the eyes if he did say so himself.





In Solar Winds, a Sci-Fi Nation Roleplay ( Now Accecpting) → 5 yrs ago Forum: Nation Roleplay
I would like to join this Rp, through the discord link has expired.
In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


More years passed.

The Rattus tunnel network grew in size as it spread across the land, the process of tunneling and being able to locate water via means both mundane and magical being refined with practice and experience. Most of the tunnels went south of the River Rattus to form a network that acted as a road system between the city of Firstbarrows and the various fortified towns that it was created to secure the sources of water and fertile growing land on the surface for their own usage.

North of the River Rattus proved to be bare of water sources... at least on the surface level. Underground there was a river that snaked its way through the soil which they happily claimed but otherwise the area would only have a few observational outposts there in order to watch any comings and goings, but otherwise it wouldn't feel the same kind of construction efforts so the southern towns would. While some of the northern posts were more boring to be assigned to then others, the fact that Pretenders tended to lurk in the region ensured that neglect would be harshly punished.



Raethel's head was bowed in mourning and deep contemplation as they sealed the crypt before them. This was far from the first time that they had personally closed the final door for one of his people in the living world, but this one... this one cut deeper then just about any that came before due to who it was that he was saying goodbye to. The healers said they had done everything they could and he truly did believe them but...

It was a hollow comfort to know that his third litter of pups would have their mother to look after them. It felt like there was a piece of him missing and the void... the void hurt. It hurt so badly and yet as much as he wanted to scream and rage and cry... he found that he couldn't.

Despite the personal hardship and tragedy that had befallen him and his family, he was still the First of the Rattus... still the Speaker. He had always been a leading figure among his people, but for the first time in his life could he truly understand the weight of the influence and expectations that those titles imposed upon him in return. He had duties... responsibilities... as much as he wanted to just break down and die he couldn't.

But even as he gazed at the stone beyond which his beloved and some of his pups would rest... the latter without having the benefit of enjoying life first... a realization dawned on him. He did have responsibilities and duties to his people... but he also had a responsibility to strive to perform that duty to the best of his abilities and right now... right now he couldn't. He was not in a state of mind that would allow him to make proper decisions for the welfare of others.

Someone else was going to have to take over his duties and responsibilities for a while. At least until the wound had started to heal and he could face them again with the clear head that they required. Who would be a good question through. The first name that came to mind was that of his eldest son, Raethel Jr in order to let him get some first paw experience as Speaker. But the pup was likely also dealing with the loss of his mother and needed time to recover as well.

The matter of who would be temporally taking over could wait a few moments through. Turning from the stone in order to look over his first and second litter of pups, Raethel could hear the sorrow that was escaping from their lips as sobs... the tears that were pouring down their face and wetting their fur. While his duties as a leading figure of the Rattus people could be passed to another, his duties as a father couldn't... and as he walked in order to hug and comfort the nearest of his little ones, he found that he was okay with that.




In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


Years passed.

Some argued that the exploratory tunnels out into the desert took more time, effort and resources to accomplish then simply equipping a band of Rattus explorers and sending them out overland on paw. This callous disregard for the lives of their follow Rattus was a minority viewpoint through... and one that was quickly countered by facts. A fact was that once they started tunneling to search for water sources up on the surface, the amount of Rattus that died or went missing dropped to zero which also meant that any equipment or supplies they might have taken with them had dropped to zero as well.

Another was that while the tunnels themselves took time to set up, once they were built the time it took for a Rattus to scamper from one end to the other was deemed a lot faster than attempting the same distance above ground due to removing the environmental conditions, threat of attack by the wild life and the sapping heat of the sky as factors to contend with. The tunnels also had the benefit of ensuring that supplies could last longer; Not only did the absence of the sun overhead reduce the strain on water supplies by a great deal, but the cooler nature of the tunnels ensured that food stuffs lasted longer then they might have on the surface.

Inspired by this, the various outposts had started to build tunnels to each other since it provided so many benefits to being able to move around. A surface presence was of course maintained and the river still had plenty of traffic because it was still faster to go by water craft in order to get to an area that isn't next door, but there was now an option to walk from one side of Rattus held territory to the other without having to come to the surface. Crossing the river still required a water craft, but the idea of tunneling under the river was currently being discussed with the primary issue being a question of depth; How deep did the tunnel need to be so that there wasn't a risk of the river breaking through and flooding, but shallow enough that Rattus could just use it to cross the river if they wanted without having to go so far out of their way that it would be faster to go topside and take a water craft.

While each outpost went by a different name as favored by those living there, collectively the Rattus had started to refer to their settlements as 'The First Barrows', through some Rattus had already started shortening the name down to 'First Barrows' or 'Firstbarrows'.

The exploration of the desert had uncovered a handful of surface bodies of water... as well as couple of underground sources. It also revealed survivors of one of the exploration teams that had gone out; The gamble to keep going had paid off for them in that they had managed to locate a decently sized pool of water with life growing around it, proving enough food and water to sustain them. The pair who had decided to try risking the trip back home had not made it and they were deemed lost to the desert, despite some attempts to search the likely area they would have died in.

These outposts of food and water proved to be wonderful staging areas in order to continue tunneling on, through the sites themselves would need to be fortified to remain secured.



If asked about what he believed the greatest change to come to the Rattus had been over the years, Raethel would answer without hesitation 'The pups'. After the awakening there had been both young and older Rattus due to the fact that there had been young and old rats that had answered the call, but there had been no true pups among their number for over a year. Then one night a messenger had come to get him because one of the expectant mothers had finally started. While there were Rattus there who were better suited for tending to the mother's needs and trying to make sure it was a healthy birth, Raethel had still felt the need to be present at the first natural birth of a Rattus litter.

It was... humbling in a way, seeing their bare, pink flesh and their closed eyes as they hurdled together naturally. While Raethel might have been the first of the newly created Rattus to awaken on that fateful day, one of these pups had been the first Rattus to truly be born as a Rattus rather then to have started off as a rat. So overwhelmed by the moment, he had tried to declare that his standing and title as the First would go to the first born of the litter as was their right as the first natural born Rattus... only to be stopped by the simple fact that no one actually remembered which of the pups had been the first. Sure there had been excitement when the first one came, but the mother was still birthing the rest of the litter and by the time the question of order was brought up, the pups had huddled together and gotten mixed up. While they were able to rule one out due to a mark on their skin, there was simply no way to be sure with the rest.

In the end it was for the best that his position would remain in his possession to pass down to his own pups when they were born later on, but the original litter would at least bare the honor of being the first litter as a collective. He wasn't quite sure which of his children would be the one to take his position as Speaker just yet, but they still had plenty of growing to do before he felt the need to concern himself with grooming them for the role. Let the pups be pups.



In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People
Chailiss Week


Exploring the lands beyond the river was proving harder then anyone had expected.

There had been some concerns before the original expeditions had gone out that groups might encounter Pretenders out in the sands, alongside any number of unknown animals and dangers that had never been encountered before. In fairness these concerns were proven to be completely valid in all regards.

When the winds picked up, they tended to create 'waves' of dust and sand that could easily cause a band of Rattus to be split up and lost, if not outright bury them if the 'wave' was strong enough. The sands also proved home to a number of smaller creatures that, while not intimidating in their own forms, had a bite or a sting that inflicted untold pain and often death on those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it.

An old foe revealed itself to still be lurking as well, as one of the expeditions had its look out come under attack by a creature that matched the description of a pretender... with the added description from the survivors of the encounter that the beast seemed to have a series of old burns on their body as it fled into the night.

But the true threat was the sky... and the heat that it radiated. A group of Rattus could only carry so much water and food at once... and the desert provided little of both, largely preventing foraging for food on a scale required to sustain an exploration band. The light was taxing and sapped strength, requiring the consumption of large amounts of water in order to survive. Since there was a hard limit to how much water a group could carry, that enforced a hard limit on just how far out they could go and still make it back alive.

Some groups had bet their lives on continuing on past that point, gambling on finding a new source of water somewhere out in the sands. None who took that gamble returned, either in victory or defeat. The crypts for those brave souls had been dug out and created but... as of yet they hadn't been sealed in the hope that they might have found water and food and simply don't wish to risk their lives further on a return journey.

Raethel leaned against a wall of one of the deeper chambers of the original barrow as thought after thought ran through his head even as he lightly started to bang it against the wall. He hated this whole situation. Aethel had given them this quest to achieve and they were stumbling at the first hurdle with his people dying and he didn't see a way to change it. Sure he could change the focus to something that was hopefully less hostile, but it wasn't like he could just refuse a quest from one of their creators... and even if he could, failing to secure domination over their homeland created nightmares that haunted him as he slept for it meant his home and the home of his people not being secure and safe.

What they were currently doing wasn't working... they needed to try something new in order to make any progress with this but nothing came to mind. He had come down here because it was nice and cool and... and...

He paused banging his head, blinking slightly to himself as he slowly examined the idea that had sprung up in his mind from several angles slowly in order to look for some flaw that might invalidate the whole thing... or at the very least justify why he hadn't thought of it early before a number of his people had gotten killed trying to explore their homeland. While some answers appeared to try and ease his mind by offering suggestions, against the positives they quickly proved to be little more then attempts to not have to deal with the guilt of the lost.

Since the surface was clearly hostile, why not tunnel instead? Sure the process of forming the tunnels might be slower then walking along the surface, but it would be out of the glare of the sky, the various dangerous animals wouldn't be a factor and there wouldn't be able further pretender attacks since exploration would largely be happening in a secure, safe manner. Considering how much of the area away from the river was nothing but sand and heat with nothing of value, they didn't exactly need to take and hold it; All they really needed to do was locate any water sources that the desert had to offer and claim them to secure the surrounding area because water meant life.

When Rzelios found Raethel, the former observed as the latter was banging their head against the stone wall, clearly punishing themselves as they claimed "You. Are. An. Idiot." over and over again, each word being punctuated by skull hitting stone. It was only when Rzelios cleared their throat loudly enough to be heard that the banging stopped and Raethel, head resting against the wall, tiredly muttered "What is it?"

Rather then ask the question of Raethel was alright because it was rather clear that they weren't, Rzelios instead decided to do something productive... even if they were somewhat nervous as they started "You... never mind. There's something I need to show you. Catch this." and waiting until Raethel had turned to look did Rzelios under arm lobbed a water skin towards them.

On instinct, Raethel's paw lashed out and catch the airborne water skin... before their eyes went wide as they suddenly dropped it, letting what should have been a container for water make a strangely solid noise as they started to rub their paw while squeaking "[color=browns]GODS THAT IS COLD![/color]" in complete shock and surprise. Having taken a moment to warm their paw back up, Raethel looked down at the water skin... then back at Rzelios before asking in a more calm voice "What is that? What did you do?"

Scampering forward to scoop up the fallen water skin, Rzelios looked shyly proud of themself as they explained "Y-You know how our people are struggling to explore because of the heat? Well... we thought that maybe what was needed was to develop something cold that radiated cold in order to keep people cold... or at least not at hot while they're traveling. So we started trying to channel to mana to make things cold and... well, when water gets cold it turns solid and radiates further cold! It's heavy through... to heavy for anyone to carry and after a while in the sun it starts to warm up and turns back into water anyway... so instead we decided to try grinding it down a bit so that it's still solid and cold but able to fill a water skin and...

Opening up the water skin, Rzelios turned it upside down and started to pour out... it was hard to describe, but it looked white and powdery, but seemed to radiate an aura of coldness around it all the same. I mean... I'm not sure how long this stuff will stay solid on the surface for, but even if it only lasts for a day or so it's presence might still keep the Rattus carrying it cool in the heat... and once it's returned to water it can just be drunk as normal! W-What do you think?" He asked at last, clearly nervous as their tailed twitched behind them.

Raethel just stared at the strange 'powder' for a few moments... before he started to talk slowly "I... might have already come up with a solution to most of our exploration problems but... this is a wonderful idea. In fact..." Memories of fish and animals caught and killed during the night came to mind, for while the sky when it was light trended to dry things out in the harsh heat, the cool night tended to keep them fresh "I think your idea might be greater then you realize. We need... we need to test something out. We need to get some water down here... as well as some meat."



The test itself was fairly simple, through it would take a bit of time to run its course. Raethel arranged for several buckets worth of water to be brought down into one of the rooms of the barrow to have Rzelios cool it into a solid form, resulting in several of the cold blocks making the room colder. Three fish were quickly caught within minutes of each other, one placed in the cold room, another in a different barrow room and the last one kept on the surface.

The surface fish started to smell awful within the light in the sky moving very little. The one kept in the normal barrow fared better, lasting until the sky had gone dark and lit up again before it started to smell stronger then normal. The fish in the cold room through lasted a full three changes of the sky before anyone noticed even the slightest hint of a change in scent... and even then it was felt that it would still be alright to cook and eat.

With the experiment deemed a success, Raethel quickly sent messengers to spend the news, as well as sent Rzelios to teach other Rattus how to turn water into a cold solid and thus allow the creation of other cold rooms in different barrows.





In The Grim Crusade - A Warhammer 30000 RP → 5 yrs ago Forum: Advanced Roleplay
A historic meeting


With the affairs of the council starting to wrap up, the task of the various chambers and offices of the Primarchs being emptied so that they could proceed with the Crusade once all matters were settled began, though the efforts wouldn’t start in earnest until the Emperor called the Council officially complete.

For his part, Micholi’s spartan attitude towards luxury and personal comfort proved rather beneficial in that it had taken less than an hour to organize his offices on the planet and it was doubtful it would take much longer than two in order to have everything packed up and shipped out when it was over. As such, those laborers connected to him and his legion were currently enjoying a respite from their otherwise taxing lives.

A legion serf who was currently acting as a secretary respectfully led the figure that had requested an audience with the Primarch into his office, pausing at the doorway to glance towards said guest in order to ask “How would you care to be introduced?”

Ardel Mantz stopped dead in his tracks at the question of the Night Watch serf. His mind was alight with options as he processed the question. “I hadn’t imagined I’d have a choice in such a matter.” he admitted as he began to walk once more, “Pardon my surprise,” he offered with a calm smile, “however your Lord deems most reasonable for his guest’s introductions will suffice.” he finished with a nod as he followed the serf further into the Council’s back rooms and antechambers.

The serf in question offered a respectful nod of their head before the door to the Antechamber was opened. Stepping forward, they called out for the seated Primarch to hear “Historiographer Ardel Mantz of Hive world Nova Sulis to see you my lord!” While Primarch Micholi was well known for not investing too heavily in formalities and parade, there seemed to be some level of respect given to guests as Micholi looked up from the dataslate he was looking at and rose up to greet the new arrival properly.

“Thank you Reginald.” Micholi politely offered to the serf, who offered a bow as they stepped out to leave the two alone. “Historigorapher Mantz… or would you prefer Ardel? Please take a seat.” There was a gesture towards one of the seats on the opposite side of the basic desk that the Primarch had; There were several different sizes, clearly intended for the different sizes and bulks that came with meeting and talking with people of various sizes, be they human, xenos, legionary or even fellow primarch.

Stopping at the entryway, Ardel fussed with his overcoat as the serf moved to open the doors. Shifting from his jacket to his collar, then back to his jacket and up to his hair he barely noticed as the doors swung wide and he was introduced to the Primarch of the second legion beyond.

With a start he took an awkward step forward waiting to be addressed by a son of the Emperor, merely nodding meekly as he was directed to take a seat before the figure. So caught up in his own anxiety was he that he took a seat in a chair very obviously not made for a human. But Ardel was too engrossed in the primarch before him.

“Ardel Mantz…” he stated as his brain attempted to figure out what he should be called. “Ardel will do Lord.” he spit out far more composed than his initial offering. He bowed his head politely to the Primarch as his fingers finnicked with the cuffs of his jacket.

For his part, Micholi didn’t seem inclined to point out Ardel’s blunder. His centuries of service to the Imperium had gotten him somewhat used to a degree of awe being inspired in those he was speaking to after all. “So Ardel… as much as it is a pleasure to meet you, I rarely have the time for purely social encounters. At least in the sense of sitting back and enjoying a conversation with a member of what should be one of the Imperium’s most respected professions. How might I help you?”

“No no, of course right, why I’m here,” Ardel quickly spat out as he placed a ream of papers on the desk before the Primarch. He began to sort through the papers messily, pushing fastened packets of information out on the small area of desk he was now obviously claiming. Packets of densely packed script scrawled along the margins of old texts, the papers themselves obviously torn from old tomes and manuscripts. Here and there the writing wove between the lines of the pages original texts themselves, accompanied randomly by hand drawn diagrams and images. Ardel fussed over the pages before he pushed a small stack from the desk to fall out of the Primarchs sight and took a set of papers in his hands not so dissimilar from those he had been sorting through seconds prior.

With a smile that betrayed how far out of his league he was he thumbed through the papers and stopped on a page of text densely packed with handwritten notes. He ran a thumb down the page, mumbling to himself as he read and tapped pointedly as he found what he had been looking for.

“Here here, Lord, I’ve got it here.” he said quickly as he turned the paper around in his hand to reveal a crudely drawn ring of mechanical nature festooned by smaller groups of scrawling notes and what appeared to be a star in close proximity.

“Lord the ‘Sun-Snuffer’ as referred to in text dated back to the war against the abominable Men of Iron, Lord.” he pursed his lips and continued, “massive machines used to devour entire stars Lord, and there’s, there’s more…” he said hurriedly as he leaned down to sort through the papers he had thrown onto the floor just earlier.

For what it was worth, Micholi took his head to look over the documents that Ardel was revealing to him. They could have easily been absorbed and processed within a matter of seconds, but the Primarch was clearly taking his time in order to try and make his guest feel more comfortable… as well as have the time to get future documents in order. “Very interesting discoveries… They also help to define just how massive and destructive a scale this conflict must have been. After all, even if the Men of Iron only ever produced one of these devices to work in the field, that would still mean that there are entire star systems that ceased to exist due to its star being destroyed. A troubling thought…”
There was a slight pause, before the paper in question was lowered as Micholi gave Ardel his attention again. “I try not to make assumptions, but I’m guessing you’re trying to give greater understanding and context to the war with the Men of Iron, including what actual technological feats they were capable of?”

Ardel’s head sprung up from under the desk at the words of the Primarch, beads of sweat shaking free from his head as he righted himself fully. He lifted another bundle of papers and spoke now in an attempt to answer the demigods' question, “No Lord no, I know one of your status. You know, the,” he struggled a moment, a shade of ruby rushing across his cheeks as he realized he was rambling before he steeled himself once more to push for his theorems, “A child of the Emperor no doubt knows these things I say but I must say them,” he smiled meekly, “as almost proof of their validity. To put them against none other than one of the Emperor’s children, there is no better thesis defense.”

“This, this was known as the ‘Mechanivore’, machines that could decimate entire worlds and here, this,” he turned the paper to face Micholi as he grabbed another weathered page and splayed it out along with a few others to create an interlocked image of some ghastly mechanical construct, “it is said, through technologies most vile, that it could devour space and time as data Lord.” he wiped the sweat from his brow with the very page he was offering before dropping it and flipping one of the pages that made up the hand-drawn image of the Mechanivore to show yet more text.

“Your new theorem on Old Night, and these texts, born from the darkest crypts of the catacombs of the long lost Archmagos Messeppos’ Citadel, I believe they may be related Lord.”

For a moment it looked like Micholi was going to say something, but instead he shifted in his seat as he reached out to accept the paper on the ‘Mechanivore’ in order to inspect it for himself. “Might I ask how you have come to this conclusion?” He asked, even as he read… before he paused to lower the page to make eye contact again. “Don’t get me wrong, I can see the possible connections. I just would prefer to understand your point of view and the conclusions you have personally drawn.”

Ardel licked his lips as the Primarch scrutinized his paperwork and directed his questioning gaze to him. He leaned back involuntarily as he came under Micholi’s gaze, “Lord I’m saying, I believe that these Men of Iron, and their weapons galactic terror, I believe that they did build a weapon as you postulated… Though I…” he squirmed a moment before continuing, “I can’t be certain, my research thus far has been… limited. It is difficult,” he raised a finger to the sky pointedly, “Nay impossible! To make the journeys necessary to gather the information required to further corroborate this theory though I admit.”

He sat forward to the edge of the seat once more and sorted through the mess of papers at his feet before dragging a worn scroll of considerable age from within the pile. He unfurled it a map, obviously once extravagantly detailed, but long since ravaged by time. “Many worlds I believe have the information required to further these claims, many of them abandoned, predating the Imperium all.” He turned his gaze to Micholi, hope burning in his eyes, “With your blessing, Lord, I wish to travel to these places and continue my research… To prove your theory, and by extension mine, true as to our dark past.”

Micholi rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, bringing his hands together to clasp them just before the center of his chest as he offered a small, gentle and warm smile. “I would be more than happy to give you the permissions you require in order to investigate these matters further. Even in the event that this theory is proven incorrect and the Men of Iron failed to weaponize the warp in a manner that caused the warp storms of the Age of Strife, considering the nature of war I believe it is in our interests to investigate these worlds anyway.”

“If the crusade has taught nothing else, it is that relics and weapons of wars that happened hundreds, if not thousands of years ago can often remain long after the war in question has been over and forgotten, but still highly dangerous. Land mines are a good example of this, but some of the weapons and technology left behind can often be a lot more dangerous in nature… I would make the request to know what planets you intend to visit and that you make regular reports to detail your progress.” There was a look of concern on his face when he said this, clearly thinking in Ardel’s interests. “If nothing else, in the unfortunate event that in your search and studies you uncover an active threat from the past that proves deadly even after all this time, your silence and lack of reports will draw attention to it and your death will have saved lives in the long run.”

Ardel burst from his seat, a smile glowing from his face as he nearly took to hug the Primarch stopping just short of the Emperor’s sons oversized desk. “Lord of course! I can provide all relevant data of planets I believe to be worth exploration! I have,” he pressed the map forward excitedly, “this is not the only I have accrued, but it is where I’d like to start, Segmentum Pacificus, along the border of Segmentum Obscurus. I require only a ship for transit, though of course…” he took a step back and awkwardly sat back in his chair, squirming excitedly as he did, “a team could be greatly beneficial. Like-minded intellectuals could be a great boon to an expedition such as this.”

He nodded his head and pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket, obviously it had never been intended for viewing by the Primarch, and yet here it was, “I’ve assembled a list actually, of fellow Remembrancers present in the fleets, that could be of assistance. With your sway… We could assemble a true team for this undertaking, with the resources needed to make real forward progress in humanities understanding. We could unlock secrets long thought lost, Lord. A humbling thought, truly, and you are our gracious benefactor to push our knowledge ever further. I can not thank you enough.” he bowed in his chair as he finished.

There were but a few moments to review the planets in question and thus the most likely course to be taken in order to go from one to the other. As well as overlooking the list of possible personnel that Ardel would recommend to assist in the matter; Some of them Micholi knew personally having met them, but some were merely names on the sheet for him. There was a brief moment of thought… before he nodded his head.

“Yes… I believe I can make those requests happen. I will also bring in some members of the Mechanicum that have proven themselves to be…open minded enough to help the cause of progression, but not to the point of recklessness. I’ll also make a request to one of the Night Watch fleets to alter their patrol route somewhat in order to cover these systems… They’ll have other duties to perform in the region so they will not be at your beck and call, but they might be able to spare a squad to look after you and your team in the field, alongside being a relatively local source of reinforcements in the event that something happens. Would that be acceptable to you?”

“It’s far more than I could have ever hoped for Lord Micholi.” Ardel stated with genuine awe at Micholi’s willingness to back his expedition. “If it please you, I could ensure we are ready to leave at once and begin our search as soon as able.”

“Then I will send some messages out and see what I can get you on such short notice.” Micholi offered, before he politely nodded his head as he dismissed the man with a simple“I wish you good fortune in your efforts Ardel.”
In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


It had taken another day and a bit of rest in order for Raethel to recover enough from the expenditure of the ritual in order to leave the barrow and seek out his people... or at least those Rattus that hadn't left either for the existing outposts or to join in on the rush to claim homes on the opposite side of the river. There was evidence of a great feast that had taken place in the food areas; A celebration of the success of the ritual and the good tidings that it offered them going forward undertaken in the only manner that they currently knew how.

While normally Raethel would have been enraged by the fact that so much of their stores of food had been used up without his permission, under the circumstances he was willing to let it slide. The occasion was a great one that deserved some kind of event to praise it... and not all of the food for the feast had come from their stores. While it had only been a couple of days since the other bank had been opened to them, already a number of new plants had been discovered that had proven edible and interesting. So far the most numerous and welcomed discovers had been two different kinds of fruit trees and a root vegetable that seemed to grow a strongly odored bulb that was tasty in its own right, but those Rattus who had taken a shine to preparing food theorized that it's true calling might be in enhancing the flavor of other foodstuffs. Other discoveries, like a tall yellow grass that was producing some kind of grain, were promising through exactly to make proper use of it hadn't been figured out just yet.

If there was one benefit of all this, it was that there had been enough Rattus who had simply been relaxing after gouging themselves on food around that enough of them could just be rolled into the local meeting area so that the matter that Aethel had passed down could be discussed properly... even if there were some complaints about being sleepy or feeling bloated. Said complaints died down fairly quickly once the meeting got underway properly and they actually heard what was going to be discussed... through in the case of the bloated, some belches and passing of gas went a long way to help as well.

As was expected once the options were presented and the floor was opened for Rattus to speak up and have a say, Rattus started to exercise the right to talk and make their opinions heard. Fairly quickly, three relatively equal groups formed among the body, each supporting a different course of action and championing their respective decision for which of Aethel's great tasks their people should dedicate themselves to performing first. A fourth group was also formed, made up a mixture of Rattus who hadn't made up their mind of which of the three options to choose or believed that resources should be dedicated to all three at once.

This latter point was the first point of debate among the crowd, through a relatively short one in that the heat of the sky was still in the same half of the sky when a final decision was reached; The final agreement was that while all three quests from Aethel were important to the future of the Rattus as a people, trying to pursue all three at once was simply not viable due to the grand scale of each individual quest. There was simply not enough rat power and resources to perform all three at once in a reasonable time frame. The idea that two of these quests could be pursued at the same time was floated and was tentatively agreed to be a valid option for them to pursue, but there were clearly some uneasy grumbles about the idea due to it stretching resources to the absolute limit.

The rest of the first day was carried out under the assumption that only one project was going to be pursued at a given time; An order of priority needed to be worked out so that in the event they did decide to push to pursue two of these quests at once, they would know which two were deemed the more important to the Rattus as a people. Most of this first day wasn't spent discussing the matter itself as it was working out the ground rules for how the discussion would be carried out the next day, allowing for word to get around that the debate was happening to those who weren't present so that even if they couldn't attend themselves, they could still send representatives or messages about what they wanted to happen... as well as messages sent to them with abridged, key point versions of what was being discussed so they could make an informed decision. It also allowed those present a chance to figure out the points they wished to discuss and how to discuss them.

The debates proper began on the second day. Each side would be allowed a number of speakers selected by their own group in order to represent points they wanted made to the best of their abilities since letting hundreds of Rattus speak would not only be highly time consuming, but the same points would almost certainly crop up again and again. It was agreed that counter-arguments would be handled the next day, since it would give time for proper thought about them to be made, through once a speaker was finished talking questions could be asked of them in order to clarify something or express additional information on a subject. While silence was expected while a speaker was talking, a request to interrupt so that a question for clarification or more detailed information could be made to Raethel who didn't have to allow it but was prone to doing so provided the person in question did so politely.

The process itself started off rocky but, as the hours passed Raethel found that he needed to step in to correct or sharply remind someone of the rules they had all agreed to less and less as understanding and experience removed some of the awkwardness and simple mistakes. The speakers were proven well chosen from all groups, as by the end of day all of them had made strong cases for each of Aethel's quests being given the priority. The third day carried on much like the second, with each of the speakers making strong cases and matter of which to pick remaining in deadlock.

However, Raethel had an idea to try and help break the deadlock. Namely, he requested at the end of the third day that each group should select some new speakers to present their arguments for the next day. The hope being that having new speakers would offer new perspectives into the issues at paw and a refocus on the issues rather then the crowd being won over by the personalities of the current speakers. In order to avoid harming the egos of the original speakers, Raethel added for their benefit (and because it was true) that all of them had done an amazing job and had championed their causes wonderfully... the issue being that with all of them being so passionate about the subject and clearly talented when it came to presenting their points verbally, he could already foresee that the sky would change many times before anything like a victor presented itself. In return for stepping down as speaker, they would be asked to join Raethel to help judge and discuss the matter further as future speakers make their points.

On the fourth day, with the former speakers joining Raethel as lesser judges while the new speakers stepped forward, the deadlock finally broke. It was a close thing, but in the end the plea to expand Rattus influence over the rest of their homeland managed to win enough support to take the priority. Figuring out how to develop a means of safely sailing upon the greater, salty waters beyond the river fell into second place, since the argument that in the face of the challenges that the great salty water was going to present when it came to the development of their water craft would, by their nature, result in improvements to the designs and construction methods of their current water crafts that were sailing on the river as a whole. The mysteries of the mountains would have to wait for the time being.

With the matter settled, Raethel called the meeting to a close... and planning for how they intended to tame the desert would need to begin.



In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


The days that followed the ritual were...interesting in their combination of quietness and activity.

The ritual itself had been physically taxing on all three hundred participants, including Raethel, all of whom needed some time to rest and recover from the ordeal. As such they were helped down into the nearby barrows so that they could get the rest they needed, with those Rattus making sure they got things to eat and water to drink being respectfully quiet in order to allow those who were sleeping to sleep.

The river itself was a frenzy of activity. The original plan of action against the water monsters had demanded a great number of water craft be produced and water had been produced in great numbers prior to the change in plans from a cleansing extermination to conversion via magical ritual. After a few brave Rattus had sailed out in order to test if the ritual had worked and not come under attack via water monster, even after landing on the opposite bank and walking up to one of the creatures to touch them, a sizeable number of Rattus had jumped at the chance to hop on a water craft and explore the new world that had opened up now that the river wasn't contested and the opposite bank wasn't a death sentence to explore anymore.

The only thing that stopped a tide of Rattus from running up to the nearest water monster and touching them was the presence of the few followers of the green wind that hadn't taken part in the ritual itself and were thus still in a condition to actually be active. While the animals were no longer inherently hostile to the Rattus and even instinctively liked them now, they stressed the point that the water monsters were still wild animals who could be dangerous if they felt the need to be and swarming them seemed like a fast way to make them want to defend themselves.

So within days of the ritual, outposts had been claimed and set up on the new side of the river, effectively doubling the amount of ground that the Rattus had held previously. The followers of the wind of nature and life were the ones to set up outposts near to where the water monsters tended to live through; While originally few in number, as ritualists started to recover those numbers were bolstered quickly.

Out of all the Rattus, the followers of the green wind were the most in-tune with the natural world... and that included its animal residences. As such, they were the ones who were going to be given the duty of taming the water monsters proper. While the ritual had done the heavy lifting in this regard due to outright removing the creatures natural aggression towards the Rattus and replacing it with more positive instincts, a better relationship with the grey creatures would require time and effort to establish.

It was on the second day that Raethel awakened... and it was with surprise that when he did, Aethel was waiting beside him. The deity couldn't help but smile as they said "You know... I remember saying rather recently that I was looking forward to seeing just how you, and I use the term you to describe the Rattus in general, were going to handle this situation with the water monsters. I will freely admit that I didn't know fully what to expect... but I must say I'm quiet proud of what you've ended up doing in the end. Well done."

There was a moment were Raethel was speechless. While the god of magic was a polite entity, it was still nice to receive praise from the entity that had helped uplift him from the existence he had before. When he tried to say something, words failed to come out of his mouth; His throat was completely dry as sleeping for at least two days had prevented him from drinking in that time. Aethel for their part politely waved the effort to talk off. "Do not worry. I will be brief and then I'll let you get some rest. Since you've proven to me that you've taken those lessons to heart and are able to survive without a god watching over your shoulders, I'm going to let you have your space and start roaming again. I'll stop by every now and then and I'm able to hear your prayers to me if something that you need a deity to deal with on turns up, but I think you'll largely do alright under your own leadership."

Clearing their throat a little, Aethel chuckled as they decided to continue "There is one last thing I will leave you through. Direction. I've spent some time recently debating with myself to give you a quest in much the same way as the god of darkness did. However, I've found myself with three good ideas that would in turn be beneficial for you and your people to pursue, if you didn't consider such ideas on your own anyway. However, then I decided that instead of picking one and forcing it upon you... I might offer all three to you and you may pursue them at your own pace in whatever order you desire. It's not like they have a time limit or anything."

"The three quests I bestow upon the Rattus people are as follows, to be pursued in whatever order the Rattus deem fit. The first is that They are to spread beyond the confines of their river home and claim the rest of their homeland as their own. The second is that they will discover a means to sail upon the great expanse of water that the river runs to and sail out to discover a land that is not apart of their original homeland. The third will be to find a means to defeat the mountains at the start of the river in order to allow Rattus to pass them safely and explore whatever lays on the other side." All of this was said with a surprisingly serious voice... and once it was done Aethel offered a playful wink. "I don't expect you to achieve any of these anytime soon. But I'm sure it'll keep you all busy for a good while. Take care Raethel and rest well."

With Aethel having ended their one sided conversation, they turned and walked out of the room. Where they went after that, Raethel couldn't say... but his eyes boggled at the tasks that had been presented before him and the Rattus as a whole. Oh boy...







In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


While there were many different truths in the world that could be argued about, there was one that the Rattus as a whole were able to agree on as a fact: The water monsters on the other side of the river were a major threat that needed to be dealt with if their people were ever going to be safe to claim the river as their birthright and home. Too many Rattus had already died due to the creatures naked, mindless aggression, with what few survivors that manage to escape baring scars on both body and mind due to the brutality of the attacks.

Raethel had foreseen that rushing blindly into battle, even if fueled by righteous fury, would be a disaster. The water monsters as individuals possessed enough raw power to easily kill and maim Rattus or water craft that they could close the distance and if they were ever going to deal with the beasts once and for all in a timely manner they would need to attack groups of the creatures... as well as force them out of the water and onto land where they would be somewhat easier to deal with; A grim and difficult prospect rather than outright mass suicide.

And so preparations began. Water craft were produced in great numbers with the assistance of the Rattus with an affinity for the wind of nature and life, channeling the green wind into speeding up the growth cycle of the river reeds so that a new plant could be planted and grown big and strong enough to be harvested for resources within a matter of days. However, much like during the original food crisis that they had offered relief to at the dawn of their kind, these students of the green wind insisted on limiting the degree of which they meddled with the affairs of the land; They did not wish for the ground to be pushed so hard as to damage it and there would be a period after this matter was dealt with where the river banks would be allowed to rest and recover.

Even while scouts went out to mark just where along the river the water monsters favored to live and call their own, the followers of the green wind found themselves being divided in such a manner that it called the whole operation into question. While all were in tune with the wind of nature and life, when it to the upcoming battles and extermination of the water monsters there was differences of opinion on what they should be doing and why, with three factions forming.

The first group held the viewpoint that nature respected strength and an ability to adapt. To them, if the water monsters were exterminated by the Rattus in their entirety, the matter was simply that of a more successful, willing to adapt to the circumstances species wiping out a species that was both less successful and unwilling to change, with the victor being rewarded with more territory and resources to grow and expanded as nature intended. To them, the situation was no different then if two different species of animal had made homes on opposite sides of the river and, due to both requiring the resources of the river itself, neither species could truly thrive and they would naturally compete with each other until a victor emerged from the battle of survival.

The second group were a bit more... reluctant to just wipe out the water monsters outright. To them, nature was interconnected and removing a part of it just because it was inconvenient risked major consequences to the stability and health of the region. The water monsters, while clearly hostile to the Rattus, still played a role in nature and their removal from the environment completely would have repercussions. However, they were working on an alternative solution to the problem; Having reached out and discussed with some followers of the wind of knowledge, they had discussed and began working on a ritual to...alter the water monsters in a manner that would change them on an instinctive level so that they would lack all hostility towards the Rattus as a people... if not sow the seeds for a more beneficial relationship.

While altering the core values and instincts of the water monsters via magical means was arguably against the natural order of things, the alternative solutions were deemed so terrible by comparison that any doubts of wrong doing were safely dismissed. It also had the benefit, as the champions of this faction put it, that both sides would prosper because of it in the end.

The third and final group took a similar stance to group two in that the water monsters filled some yet unknown role in the grand scheme of the natural order and thus removing them completely was a terrible idea. The difference was that they believed that the current situation was perfectly natural and that they should honestly do nothing to change it. Sure occasionally a boat of Rattus would get unlucky or a water monster would need to be killed, but this was what nature intended.

The arguments were somewhat short lived. While Rattus outside of the followers of the green wind were more then happy to discuss the matters they brought up, Raethel stepped into the middle of one of the debates... and presented the third group with the family and friends of the victims of the first water monster attack... as well as the still somewhat broken Lutreolus and gave the speaker of the third group a challenge. "Look them in the eyes and tell them why you believed their friends and loved ones needed to die."

The third group had always been the smaller of the trio; Big enough to prevent a majority being formed and resulting in a three way gridlock, but nowhere near big enough to form a majority themselves. Raethel's challenge caused many of them to rethink their stance on the matter... and all but one member of the third group abandoned it to join the second to give it a majority. The final member of group three was a Rattus by the name of Bush... but while he remained true to his convictions and stayed true to his beliefs... he didn't look the families and friends on the victims of water monster attacks in the eyes... or try and justify himself and his cause. He silently turned and took a seat, closing his eyes and letting the debate continue without his further input.

With a majority among the followers of the green wind having been reached, Raethel officially threw his support behind the planned ritual. This more or less settled the matter as the path that would be taken going forwards, through in victory most members of the ritual faction were respectful enough not to gloat over it... and generally showed enough respect to listen to the concerns of their peers.



It took time to organize the ritual... both due to having to organize and gather the actual components of it, but also due to the collaboration efforts to actually create it in order to do exactly what they wanted to do. Raethel found himself being a key overseer of the whole thing; While his personal contributions to figuring out the ritual itself were limited as minds more intertwined with nature and the inner workings of the mind proved more valuable, his experience as a leader and manager of their people proved him vital in the logistics side of things, as well as the management of labor. He also proved a wonderful peace maker when tempers flared and egos started to clash.

In the end through, they had managed to bring it all together. All things considered, the end result was surprising simple in design... through the process of making that happen was rather complicated. One hundred and fifty followers of the Green Wind, one hundred and fifty followers of the blue wind, working in concert around six circles dug into the ground with the five outer circles filled with river water... and at the center of the smallest final circle was the head of one of the water monsters, the final circle filled with its blood. With Raethel right beside it to be the final focus of it all.

Two Rattus had died in the effort to kill the water monster in question, but their sacrifice had not been in vain... through actually killing the thing without losing too much blood or damaging the head had proven complicated... let alone transporting the corpse back to the ritual site in a timely manner. But they got it done in the end!

The signal was given as the moon started to rise... and the ritual began in earnest.

It was a quiet thing. No chanting or noise was uttered by the supporting Rattus. Instead they simply started to channel more and more of their respective wind into the ritual circles. It was a beautiful sight, watching as the water of the outer most circle started to glow blue in some places and green in others... until at last the two combined into a brilliant cyan. Once the outermost circle glowed cyan, the process started on the second... then the third. Between each circle being smaller then the last and the general practice the channelers were having, the process grew quicker and more refined until at last they reached the final, blood circle.

While the other five circles glowed cyan, the innermost circle started to glow... Raethel didn't really know. As the green and blue winds mixed with the blood, rather then glowing cyan the three had mixed to create a color that honestly hurt to look at. He didn't know how to even begin describing it. It was as if he was witnessing a previously unknown wind of mana that he had never seen before come into existence, but his senses weren't designed to truly comprehend it. In the end he needed to close his eyes shut in order to partially shield them from the pain as he reached out and grasped the head with both paws and turned it into the final focus for all of the mana that had been poured into the ritual.

Within the span of a second all six glowing circles poured their light into the head of the deceased water monster... and for a moment the world seemed to hold its breath as it glowed brighter then the lights in the sky.

The explosion of mana happened in complete silence as it surged out in a massive, ghostly colored wave that, for a few important seconds as it passed, turned the desert lands for dozens of kilometers around into a pale, beautiful but spooky imitation of the sky when it was lit by its fire. For most creatures, it would simply passed without incident... through it would almost certainly cause confusion and panic, it would otherwise be completely harmless in and of itself. A strange thing to be forgotten as they drifted back to sleep or turned their minds towards the next meal.

When it encountered a water monster though, the ghostly color would infuse itself with them for a couple of seconds. They too would be unharmed, but they would be forever changed as some instinct inside of them, one that viewed all who trespassed on their territory as a threat that needed to be chased off or destroyed without hesitation, changed in a very small but important way. An exception was to be made; From now on, the Rattus would not trigger that instinct. In fact, they were to considered kin to be protected from harm.

As the light started to fade, Raethel blinked dumbly at the ashen cinders of the head he had been holding... before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell into a deep slumber as exhaustion claimed him.





In Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk. VI → 5 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People


As the days passed by, time continued its march forward and things continued to progress. The original incident with the water monsters was a tragic affair, with what pieces of the victims that could be gathered brought together through what belonged to who was simply impossible to tell. To leave their remains on the surface was unthinkable, but the question of what exactly to do with them was evasive. In the end a special crypt was dug out deep down into the earth and the remains sealed inside of it, the names of those Rattus who they likely belonged to (or at least who had been on the water craft when it was attacked and weren't recovered) engraved upon the stone that sealed their final chamber for those to come and see if they so wished.

There had actually been two lines of thought that had contributed to this idea. The first had been as an acknowledgement of their little seen co-creator, the deity Zelios. While only Raethel Norvegicus, the first Rattus to awaken had ever had the pleasure to encountering Zelios, albeit rather briefly, the deity of darkness had made a positive impression all the same. It felt... right, the idea that when a Rattus died that their remains would be entombed in the darkness of the earth in order to be in the realm of one of their makers.

This also sparked something of a debate in the construction of the crypt itself. While the god of darkness had not deemed it fit to come and visit them for some time, some Rattus argued that in the realm of permanent darkness that the crypt would represent, the possibility of Zelios popping in to pay a visit and show respects to his departed children were likely higher then him walking up to one of the outposts in the middle of the sky's cycle of heat and light. So logically, the crypt needed to be big enough that Zelios could move around comfortably without disturbing the bodies... or pieces there of, as the case might be. This was deemed easy enough to do with Rattus construction methods (IE, bending the earth into whatever shape they needed it to be) and space wasn't an issue down where they were making the crypt so it was approved.

This led to a second discussion. Namely, about the possibility that Zelios, who had been absent for their lives, might not actually know the Rattus he was coming to visit and pay respects to. After some back and forth, a decision was reached; The family and friends of the deceased would, once the crypt was dug out but before the bodies were placed within, enter the crypt and engrave the names of their departed loved ones, alongside their achievements in life and just general stories about them so that Zelios might read and know those who he was coming to visit better. This seemed perfectly reasonable, but it did require some planning so that each of the departed (including those who sadly did not have any body to recover) would have a section of their shared resting place dedicated to them so there wouldn't be any overlap of engravings.

The second reason for the crypts was so that the departed might also be allowed to come closer to Aethel and the First Father by decomposing. Death and decay, by their very nature, was a source of the wind of death... the very wind that Aethel sacrificed the First Father in order to create and bring to the world. The promise that one's body would, once the end had come, become a new source of mana that was spiritually connected with Rattus and rat kind was comforting in a way... and the chance to do such in the safety of a sealed crypt where it come decompose in peace without being ravaged by scavengers seemed like a respectful thing to do.

There was some debate due to the...patchwork nature of the recovered. That it might be seen as disrespectful to only bury parts of the person rather then the whole body... or completely lack a body at all. The matter became so heated at the height of it that they agreed to go and ask Aethel for their advise on the matter. Briefly waking their deity from an afternoon nap, Aethel listened to the question before answering "As far as death is concerned, the spirit leaves the body at the moment of death. While it is true that there is a connection between the spirit and body even after they have parted, the spirit isn't impacted if the body it left behind is buried safely in a tomb or left to rot in the lairs of several animals that took chunks back to their children as a meal. The fact that you tired to recover their body so that they could be within the place where you wish to honor and respect their memory is almost certainly appreciated all the same. But don't feel like your failing them because they got killed in such a manner where you can't recover anything without risking joining them in the process."

With the matter largely settled, the first crypt was prepared and the first of the Rattus to die were entombed within it. They would not be the last. While messages were quickly spread across the outposts about the unexpected dangers that the water monsters presented, some messages didn't make it in time for the warning to save lives as water craft and Rattus alike found themselves attacked by the grey monsters: One messenger boat, despite knowing the danger of the rotund beasts, ended up ambushed by one and never reaching their destination. All paws on board lost.



Despite the sorrow and rage that was lingering in the air due to the outrages of the water monsters and the leaves that had been lost to them, there was also an air of excitement as Raethel sat across from a very special Rattus. There was a twitch of his tail, a deep breath and... "Congratulations... Rzelios. I believe you're ready to join any band that is heading out to explore and secure a home for yourself and our people." The words were practiced and refined by having helped oversee the basic education that each and every Rattus that Aethel and Zelios had brought into existence, but what made this moment special was the name.

It was the last one that needed to be given. All Rattus, living and dead, had been giving a name, either by themselves and their families or by him personally. The decree of Zelios had been fulfilled at last... and personally he hoped the deity would find the choice for the final name of the current generation to his liking.





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