Crusader Lord

From Dawn Till Tusk - The Re-Re-Run

@6slyboy6

The Gannor

RACE NAME: Gannor, aka “Dark Elves”

RACE TRAITS:

~0 Points, 0 Picks Left~

Intelligent (-1) (Members of this species show increased levels of cognitive abilities compared to their peers. They are able to learn new skills much faster and develop methods and tools based on them seemingly overnight. The mysteries of the world unravel in front of their eyes, and even the complex and chaotic nature of magic begins to form a pattern.)

Athletic (-1) (Members of this species, through evolution or adaptation, have developed a robust cardiovascular system that allows them to keep doing physically demanding tasks for much longer than others, and deal with the generated heat more efficiently.)

Wasteful (+1) (Members of this species are particularly wasteful: they have little regard for both money and resources, often choosing to live for today instead of thinking for tomorrow. This results in increased upkeep for their economy, often requiring far more supplies than it would need.) ((Basically how this applies to them in effect IC is that they love big parties to celebrate big events, so food and alcohol and such is the general area where this is actually focused on.))

~Flavor/Cosmetic Traits~

Small (0) (free pick according to Nis’s rule change on Discord) (Their height ranges from 4’6” to 4’10” as adults, these height averages being for males and females respectively, with male keeping to the lower end and females to the taller end of that spectrum rather consistently. 5’2” and above is rather abnormally tall for them as a result...and 4’3” and less being rather abnormally short by their standards.)

Pointed Ears (0) (Just the free cosmetic aesthetic of their elven ears, though the shape of their ears does naturally improve their ability to be able to hear some higher and lower frequencies than other races as well as makes them noticeably quicker at locating the source of a given sound.

It is important to note that this is all due to the shape of the ears, a simple minor byproduct of their cosmetic anatomy, and isn’t some form of mega-super-animal-senses on par with super predators or something ridiculous like that. They don’t have the super animal hearing of a wolf or a fox at all, just better hearing than other sentient humanoid creatures like themselves that is all simply due to the shape of their ears.)

Skewed Gender Ratio (0) (This particular species possesses a more skewed gender ratio than other sentient species or mammals, possessing a distinctly higher rate of female births than male births within the population. The rather rather standard ratio of females to males in the population is naturally four to five females to every one male. Because the females are taller and stronger naturally, as well as recover far more rapidly after giving birth then the females of other species, the protection and conservation of the rarer and weaker/shorter males has been biologically and societally emphasized by necessity.

However, the rate of pregnancies and births in the population and Gannorian fertility rates all ensure the stable growth and size of the Gannor population overall. The reproduction rate of the species overall does not exceed that of other species with a more balanced gender ratio.

Or to put it much more simply, the species has more females than males but doesn't have an abnormally high birth rate. In other words they are not 'Fast Breeders', but instead have a skewed gender ratio and fertility rate that ultimately fully balances out the growth of their populations.)

RACE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

A shorter than average race of humanoid elves with pointy ears and a light tanned skintone, one which only darken or pales some depending on if they get a lot of time in the sun or not. Their hair color ranges from a pale white to a soft or stormy gray to even a bright sterling silver in color, whilst their eye colors range from ruby red, to emerald green, to sapphire blue, to amethyst purple, to even pure gold or silver color. Their shorter bodies are naturally more agile and able to easily outrun larger predators or opponents, as well as allow them to hide more efficiently from others and fit into smaller spaces than many other races. Their fingers are rather nimble when put to work making something, and likewise their bodies are naturally athletic and can handle working for longer times when doing even rather demanding tasks.

Appearance Pic Example(s):

~Average Female Dark Elf Example~

POPULATION: (Up for community vote, depending on traits)

RACE BEHAVIOUR:

A humanoid race that makes up for height with a sense of zeal during the good times, throwing big parties and wasting food over celebrations without a second thought. They can celebrate and party and work for rather long periods of time even under demanding conditions, and as such when they do throw those big wasteful celebrations or feasts they end up outlasting taller and much larger races in general. They tend to see cutting back on a meal during celebratory times and big occasions as almost offensive, as to them a celebration of the good times is something to go hard with! Even taking a foreign guest into one’s home is seen as an occasion to have a large meal at least. Indeed food-based hospitality is a norm of sorts among them...but also is something not abuse or cross in a bad fashion. Of course youth in their society are raised under and exposed to this to learn it from a very young age, but foreigners and those from unfamiliar places might naturally require an explanation of Gannorian food and feasting habits.

Generally the race is usually pleasant to be around if one finds themselves in their company on friendly terms if one reciprocates their friendliness, but likewise hostility will be met with rapid caution and potentially hostility in return if it is bad enough. What they lack in raw muscle and brawn is generally compensated for by them in their raw stamina and cognitive skills, making them a normally very adaptable and hardy group overall.

Family units are composed of four to five females to every one male. The shorter and weaker males will normally find themselves placed in charge of keeping the household in order, while the four to five females will be in charge of it as well as in charge of the gathering, hunting, protection, and preservation of the family unit from the outside. Pregnant females will be cared for at home, and the other females will pick up the slack as well during the pregnancy.

Young in each household will be generally reared by the combined efforts of their mothers and father for the first several years, and will be assisting around the home until they reach adolescence. At this point female children are trained and educated primarily by the mothers, while the fathers take over primary education of any sons. This is all to prepare members of both sexes for the future when they reach maturity and are recognized as adults. However, both the male and female roles in primitive Gannor society are emphasizes equally important to the community as a whole. Without one, the other cannot subsist alone.

This being said, females of the species being the taller, more numerous, and naturally stronger of the two sexes has meant they came to control society. They take up the mantles of leadership, fighting, hunting, gathering, defense, war, and so forth in turn. Hence, the differences between the two sexes have ultimately resulted in a very much matriarchal society among the Gannor.

HISTORY: (You will have plenty to write here once we begin!)

CULTURE: (Same as above, leave it free for now. Will fill up as we get into the game.)

TECHNOLOGIES: Tech tree coming very soon. Until then, the best way to think of your people is the natives on lonely islands on the pacific. Except, they have no culture just yet~

• - Primitive Technology

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Leannah

---

...Ok, she needed to revamp that working theory a bit.

Even so the ancient knowledge she was getting a chance to learn here was astoundingly interesting! Plus if the inscription was any more of a clue, then that thing she killed back there might have been one of many...at least if they were what remained of those 'heretics' mentioned in the thing. In which case, was the Guardian there to keep those things in and not people? Perhaps. Maybe the journey that was made from the place, an exodus of people/humanity leaving, were right to leave for some reason. Perhaps those that lingered there were cursed, or otherwise altered by the conditions there due to long-term exposure? Maybe there was a plague, or they tried to tap into untold or meddle with frankly dangerous powers as was common of humans in ancient myth.

Still it was more important to get this puzzle solved and maybe get out of there. But at least it seemed to God of Knowledge wasn't involved with the Tower and prison itself...actually seemed more like he was born after the whole event potentially. The way the inscription was worded, it seemed like "knowledge" had been born after humanity left the Tower where she still assumed they were created in by Delphiti (at least at this point in time).

So a potential timeline was:

-One, you get humanity made back in the Tower and what was now a prison, but over time there seemed to be a division among them. For now, she would have to assume that 'division' was wanting to stay in that place or leave it. Clearly those who left made the 'right' decision by far, whilst those who remained were 'heretics' and also very much 'cursed' for wanting to stay. So perhaps humanity was made there, then was meant to leave the place to go into the world and learn and populate it, but ala a "Garden of Eden"-esque situation some didn't want to leave when they needed to.

-Two, Delphiti the Moon Goddess wept due to the event (at least potentially), and it was her grief over the event that led to an 'overflowing of the cistern' and life springing up. Otherwise something had to make the moon goddess herself weep, leading to the Oceans springing up with 'all life' as Lazhira had mentioned prior.

-Three, humans settling in the world would lead to civilization. That much she felt she could try to read into it. Naturally with civilization and learning about the world came Knowledge. If this was when the God of Knowledge was 'born' or 'created' or however, that would potentially make sense in a mythological (if not magically literal one in this world) context. A deity born of something new arising in the world, in this case 'knowledge'. Again her new working theory, but it felt simpler this time at least.

-Four, what is a God of Knowledge but one who seeks new knowledge? It seemed a natural thing to do, and according to the inscription 'n turn gave birth to the desire for the secrets of the Oceans' and 'Desire turned into actuality'. So, if she was reading into this right, The Illuminator desired the secrets of the Oceans...the only 'secret' of which Leannah could assume was how to create life. Then the God of Knowledge managed to actually acquire the 'secrets of the Oceans', potentially being (in the current theory) the secrets to creating life. In fact, as an addendum to this theory there was one other thing that could be tied to this. If other deities had created other races (like a certain sun goddess making the Bastelian race perhaps) then this knowledge has spread and been used to create more life....again which would make sense within a mythological context potentially at the very least.

-Five, 'thus a seal was made by their accord' seemed to make sense with the 'sealed path' bit Lazhira mentioned earlier. The God of Knowledge, desiring the knowledge of how to make life, made a deal with Delphiti to gain that knowledge in return for helping seal away the complex she and the other Earthers had woken up in and had their bodies eventually 'created' in. Seal away that accursed place and its denizens, and keep others from entering and potentially making the same mistakes or accessing forbidden knowledge or secrets or so forth inside. Or perhaps Delphiti simply didn't want anything to do with that place anymore, so she gave the info simply to have her 'problem' locked away by making a deal with The Illuminator. Still, the "Oceans" made her suspicious of that goddess who had brought them all here, whom she suspected was somehow tied to the oceans naturally but somehow the moon as well? Hmm. Perhaps Delphiti's actions birthed another deity from the Oceans themselves? Was the white child dumped overboard into the seas 'that' goddess, The Illuminator, someone else, or even Lazhira of all people for all she knew?

Regardless, she had her new working theory for now. Likewise with this came a new plan of action for her to take! Hopefully it got the puzzle right this time.

With this in mind, Leannah would reach into the one knowing-looking statue's vase to grab the crystal sphere. She would also study the knowing statue's face and such, seeing if there were any 'recognizable features' akin to the goddess that had brought them all here. If the necklaces weren't doing it, though then this likely would for that bust's reaching hand! The catgirl would then go place the crystal sphere into the hand of the two-faced bust statue. If this represented the 'secrets of the Oceans', then this would be what the Illuminator had wanted! (hopefully) and correctly recreate the myth! That seemed to be the main goal here anyways.

Then what of the necklaces, though? Well, they had to represent something. So once she was done placing the crystal sphere, she went to place the necklace from the tower onto The Hooded Figure (maybe Delphiti?) statue and try to see if it would click it into the space where the other necklace had been before. The teardrop-shaped gem meant that it fit with 'tears', and a star-shape carved into it fit with the star-mark situated within the crescent moon. If that did nothing, she'd then place the necklace into the statue's outstretched hands (or hang it on them otherwise of that didn't work). If all those prior things didn't work, she would see if the gem popped out, albeit not to where she'd break the necklace if it didn't easily come out, and see if she could slot the gem into the carving on the wall The Hooded Figure looked upon.

Hmm. In hindsight of her last theory and this new one, did Delphiti have a child? Wait. White eyes, stars being white in the sky, maybe she had a child who was of the stars? Were they sacrificed to seal the path to the prison or something, and were they actually in fact the goddess who'd brought them all here? Was she some 'guardian' placed to watch over the place as well? After all, there'd been a pillar after leaving the 'prison' and this statue woman was sitting on the pillar itself. Eh, she was theorizing again. Ugh. She had to continue to focus on this first, then she could maybe toss in some more for her theory unless she needed to fight or something.

Still, once she was done there she would turn about and go over to the statue with the vase she'd taken the crystal sphere from. Here she would try to put the heavy stone necklace onto the vase-holding statue's neck. If that did nothing, she go with her gut feeling and put the heavy stone necklace into the vase. If that did nothing, she would resort to trying to put it into the cistern. Something about 'overflowing a cistern' and that action tied to Delphiti, and that picture book had Delphiti dropping some white-eyed child into the ocean, so maybe a heavy necklace might block up the cistern or cause the water to 'overflow' in such a case. If that did nothing she'd grab it back up and hold the stone necklace once more and put it on herself.

Come to think about it on the side, however, the crystal sphere reminded her of the one back on that statue, sitting where maybe some incandescent eldritch deity's head might sit-...hmmm. That was actually something to think on after all of this actually. Maybe not right but it was a fun thought to toss around within the bounds of her theory.

Hopefully, though, her revised but still working theory was better. More so she hoped her actions would generate the right 'combination' to get her out of here.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Leannah

---

In hindsight she should have seen that one coming from a mile away. Well, seen that a trap was very much possible given the nature of this capricious deity and their pushing of people to see what they'd do for knowledge. Especially when such a being was the one whom designed this place (probably). What was this place, designed to trap her or dump her down a deep dank hole the whole way through?! She wanted to learn about that ancient past, about this deity, and frankly get enough skills and knowledge to go kill some elder beast to please the goddess she'd managed to contact. Hopefully none of the others had made such a stupidly rash decision to contact a new deity in the heat of the moment. She had a holy quest to go on, then again said goddess had admittedly good taste in catgirls as well. Hard to argue that.

Then again, perhaps Leannah herself was simply too curious about all of this and was digging her claws too deep into things. As the old saying back home went, "curiosity killed the ca-"...n-never mind. She had walked right into that one as well, pun intended, but speaking of traps she seemed to be simply trapped in the room itself. Indeed, if this deity was a puzzle-loving trap-making sort then there might be a solution to this! Or at least that was her assumptions about all of this. Either way, looking for the clues was something she needed to do...and as she observed the room she took note of the following:

Notably, upon first inspection
- There's a statue of what seems to be a woman in a flowing robe. She is holding a vase in her hands, and is sitting upon some sort of pillar. Water flows from the vase into a cistern below. The statue smirks knowingly. Its centered at the back of the room against the wall. Bookshelves flank either side of it.

- A robed statue is kneeling at the other end. Their face is covered by a hood, arms outstretched towards a carving in the wall. The carving is of a crescent moon, a star situated in the empty part of it. Tears seem to flow down its face into a basin below, where the water collects and flows away under the front wall. Upon their neck is a carved necklace that seems to detach from the statue.

- Another statue is tucked away on the wall opposite to the door you had walked in. A rather macabre thing this one is. A two faced bust statue that seems somewhat to resemble a pair of theater masks, split down the middle of an old man angrily shouting and a woman laughing manically. Atop the head, some sort of claw is reaching up, many tentacles and appendages reaching for the ceiling as though its trying to grab something.

-A final statue, this time on the same wall as the one you walked in on. Rather than a person, it seems to be some sort of carving. Of a tower. You might vaguely recall the same tower you saw off in the distance in the prison you woke up in. Seems as though it might be hollow.

The GM to me over Discord due to time constraints

Ok, other than the whole "can't read the books and such still" thing, these were what stood out the most in the room. A hollow carving, a detach-able necklace, a statue that wanted to hold something, and water flowing into a cistern. That was a good start. Since this was a god's temple, these statues and things were were likely tied to something about the lore and myths behind the god. At least that was her natural assumption. Lazhira had almost mentioned some things earlier, maybe yesterday? Yeah! She'd heard some things today and yesterday.

First there was the wall that had closed behind her, with the hollow-seeming carving on it that resembled that damned tower back in the "magic prison we can't go back to anymore" (not that she wanted to anyways). Last she remembered was Lazhira mentioning that...ah...

“Like I’m sure you guys know the pretty basic stuff about the Delpithi, the Goddess of the Moon. How her Oceans birthed all life right after humans left the tower?” Lazhira shifted on her feet uncomfortably. “A lot of things say something about the ocean, the goddess tears and sealing a path.”

Lazhira

Yes! Humans left the tower and the tears of a goddess sealing the path. So naturally this led her to another statue: The Hooded Figure.

The hooded figure matched this type of role well enough. Crescent moon, the moon being tied to the ocean literally and symbolically, and water or 'tears' flowing down its face and into a basin below and collecting there before flowing away underneath the front wall, aka the tears of a goddess and potentially the whole 'sealing a path' part. So this was likely the 'path' that was sealed, literally speaking potentially her way out of here that had to be opened up. That was what she supposed at this point in time anyways. It was worth a 'first educated guess' at the very least.

So...what then about the other two? That would be its down deduction and a half to try to make.

The macabre, two-faced bust statue was easily a depiction of the God of Knowledge himself based on what Lazhira had told them about him. It reminded her of the picture book, even, which was a potential source to turn to for more information in this peculiar room. It was reaching for something, however, something that it could not grasp. Knowledge? Maybe. The Sun Crown? Not sure if that legend applied here, actually. Hmm. Maybe that necklace on The Hooded Figure?

Wait. Wait wait wait. Maybe she was onto something here.

Ok, so The Hooded Figure could probably be representative of Delphiti (who may or may not be the one that pulled them over here). She had a detachable necklace. The two-faced bust statue was wanting to reach something, as if to grab it. So those two things made sense together on first glance. But what did it mean? If Delphiti was basically the "goddess who created life" due to the whole "life was birthed from the oceans" thing, then maybe the necklace symbolized her power or some knowledge she possessed or something? In such a case, if that bust of the God of Knowledge was reaching for something Delphiti had but he didn't...but what could a God of Knowledge desire that he-...oh. Did he desire the knowledge of how to create life? The one thing Delphiti was known best for doing, her oceans creating life after humans left the tower. It was a damn crazy theory, but her mind was racing and the analogues were coming to mind. It was a possible interpretation, though, if naught else. Yes. Such a thirst for knowledge, like a thirst for water, one that could only be had by a deity that wanted to maybe acquire the knowledge of the one thing he didn't have knowledge of. It read like an old book of ancient Egyptian legends, or a divine twist of the tales about the Book of Thoth.

In such a case, she could imagine a goddess who was sad the people she'd made back at her 'tower' had left. Like a loving creator depicted weeping that their creation left them alone or went astray or abandoned their original home. Like if Adam and Eve had abandoned the Garden of Eden and God had wept over it. Likewise if the God of Knowledge desired the knowledge to create life, maybe the one thing out of their reach, maybe the weeping Delphiti sealed the path to said tower, sealed the path to that-...to the prison. The damn prison. She and the others had awoken in an odd tube type of thing, they all had. It was like waking up in some alien test tube or pod on a scifi show, or a clone waking up in some scifi lab with odd goo or liquid having been used as something to grow the body in. Hell it was like she'd been drowning in the ocean before she woke up in that tube, and symbolically it could be said she was 'born from the sea' ala Aphrodite in some vague manner of speaking. The goddess that sent herself and the others here had even literally made them bodies to be reincarnated into this world, basically. Hell even that guardian thing-...

Ok, she needed to organize her thoughts.

Whoever, Delphiti or not, had brought them to this world using what remained of that old magic, that ancient technology that had been used to create people by Delphiti. However, she did not control the Guardian, she could not promise them safety beyond their initial arrival. So she didn't own nor control the place, which had frankly fallen into some kind of immense ruin and looked like people had been looting the place on their way out. It all made sense. Maybe. Yet she knew of it, she had access to it.

This led into the catgirl's newest working theory, that the Stone Guardian Magic Golem Thing was a jailer made perhaps by Delphiti to keep humans in the tower so they wouldn't leave her. But humans, trying to loot and leave with what they could from that place, escaped anyways. That was why it was like a prison, as it was made to try to contain the goddess' beloved humans who left. Albeit they didn't take their full haul of gear and such things with them as perhaps they were being confronted mid-escape, as evidenced by the weapons and such all over the floor of the building she'd awoken in, but that was beside the point. But why keep others from going back to the place? Wouldn't some want to go there if they found life in the world hard?

That was where the God of Knowledge came into the picture. Desiring the secrets of creating life that Delphiti had, or perhaps specifically humans or sentient beings like them in general for all she knew, and the grieving Delphiti sealed off the path to her lab (now made an abandoned magic prison) to keep that knowledge from The Illuminator. She hid her secrets like the darkest depths of the ocean hide from all light.

That much made the most sense so far. But what of the goddess that brought them there then? How was she tied to this? On one hand, she could be the spurned or 'broken' goddess Delphiti that watched as the world moved on and grew and then stagnated...then got bored and/or worried and snagged some souls from another world entirely to stick in custom bodies to go save it? Hell of a stretch, but maybe. On the other hand, the white-eyed child from the picture book was suspicious and yet didn't match the blue eyes and black hair of the 'goddess' during her first meeting with her after dying back on Earth. Of course being changed by ocean magic or something was possible, or for all she knew the white-eyed child was Lazhira or the God of Knowledge himself. Maybe a kid he had with Delphiti? Ok, too much theorizing beyond the focus of her working theory. Focus. She had to focus.

Regardless, her new current theory of a God of Knowledge wanting something 'precious' from the goddess who created life meant that guessing he wanted the 'knowledge of how to create life' was something. Whether it was right or not it was fascinating to think of, and perhaps gave her clues to get out of this room.

Leannah would first walk over to the carving of the tower, tapping on it and trying to see if she could break it to get inside. If she could she'd see if anything was inside, praying she didn't release some ancient death curse on herself in the process, and if anything was inside she'd grab it up. After these efforts ,she'd go over to the statue of the Hooded Figure, and would try to get the necklace off of her neck. If she could get it off intact, she would take it (and if she found anything inside of the hollow tower carving) and walk over to the Two-Faced Bust statue with the hand reaching up.

From there her plan would diverge depending on what the Tower carving yielded. If she managed to get INTO and also FIND anything inside that hollow tower carving, she'd put it on the reaching hand. If that did not work, she'd try to put the necklace on the hand.

It was a peculiar first attempt at something, but she had all the time in the world at the moment...not that she really wanted to given the others could or could not be in danger and so forth when it came to this blasted temple.

N.E.O. - New Earth Oracle

The Greater Republic of India

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi

Daksh walked into the building through the clean, automatic glass doors without so much as an ounce of hesitation, yet the bags under his eyes spoke volumes about his current disposition. Nights of damn paperwork from the House and otherwise were a normal daily chore, but the UN investigation into the orbital strike within the Kashmir and Jammu territory had been exhausting to keep up with. They'd been preparing to have all the papers and details and information ready to be gathered or submitted, but even then the sheer travel he'd undergone to the area and back and standing as the public face of the news releases were taking their toll regardless. No less than four cups of coffee were coursing through his body right now, all black no sugar, prying his eyes open but resulting in a throbbing sensation in his skull. To say the least, he wasn't feeling his best but he couldn't afford to slow down his work...especially not after India's contacted representative at the UN CSAT sent him an urgent call in the middle of the night.

Faster than light travel. He was no scientist, but such a thing was no small feat according to the information he'd been told and jotted down that night. So many NLCs needed, and of course a lot would be required to do it. It was something to keep in mind, but speaking in terms of practically approaching anything right now it was lower on the list. He'd merely told the representative to keep him and one or two other individuals updated here in India. That and when calling him to attempt to avoid doing so in the middle of the night, rather than him having to scramble out of bed for paper and pen and frightening his wife all of a sudden in the process to get it all down.

Regardless, as the door to his office clicked shut behind him Daksh promptly sat himself behind his desk and began to look at the neat stacks of papers sitting there. Yes, such a joy. Yet not batting an eye, he began to sift through the ones on top of the first stack before a 'beep' reached his ears. Pausing for a moment, the man simply sighed, put down the papers in order again, and leaned over to his phone to the right and tapped the 'page' button. Of course his secretary was paging him like this, just after he'd had a chance to sit down so early in the morning!

"Chahna, what is it? I have barely had time to sit in my office, much less begin to sort things."

"General Basu is here to see you, should I send him up?"

Arjun, ever the prompt military man. One of India's two generals, and the Chief of the Army Staff, but also a longtime friend of his from their youth. Yet where Daksh had been suited to politics his friend had been best suited to the military. Now here they were in a rather interesting position as two men who seemed to at least want the same thing: India's prosperity. India's growth. India's rise in strength and advancement and character among the nations of the world. But at the very least he'd been expecting him to come in this morning to speak about 'special matters' that needed addressing.

"Yes, send him in."

It would not take long before the characteristic knock of General Basu on the door of Daksh's office would reach the President's ears. The door would then swiftly open as the general stepped in with nothing less than full militarily regalia donning his person. It made Daksh's brows furrow immediately, though he soon put his more professional expression back on and gestured for the general to take a seat. A polite nod later, General Basu would take his seat and remove his hat to let it gently rest in his lap.

"What news do you bring this morning, my old friend?"

"The fleet has been prepared. We are ready to begin operations in the Arabian Sea near Somalia and in the waters near Burma, and recruitment drives to fill the ranks of the naval and land forces have begun. All we need is your signature on something, and we will have all the needed approval to take action. The orbital strike brought attention to the issues of the area, which has been has been a boon to our next step as well as said step generating something of a 'mixed reception' from the Burmese as they've been brought into the spotlight."

"I expected no less from them, but given the situation they have not found themselves able to contain the threat of piracy in their waters. It has put our ships in greater danger, and so we will take action where we must.

Still, speaking of the strike, I got word from General Gupta that the Kashmirian territory has been more secure since."

"Hmm.

The Kashmirian territory has also been more stable since the strike...almost too quiet if I may give my input. The Chief of Defense Staff has been securing the area and setting posts to observe the western border more closely, but I fear they might simply be biding their time for the United Nations to do something about us. Or perhaps they seek to falsify more reports to try to gain ground in their claims."

"Their falsified reports and claims have been disproven well enough to secure our case, that we have made sure of in very painful detail. All that was lost were insurgents trespassing on our land, harassing and killing and taking from our people, and so forth. That crater is a warning, and we have the right to defend our territory with such means if they or anyone else seek encroachment again upon our borders.

Yet I would not put it past them to seek retribution for losing face in front of the UN in light of their hasty and foolish actions. The more swiftly they seek to pursue anything, the worse they shall look in the aftermath indeed."

"That is why we must be prepared if they seek other means of retribution against us, but I fear that is a matter that must be spoken about to General Gupta rather than myself. More so, I have brought the needed document to sign to begin putting an end to the piracy of our seas and ships. All other permissions for it have been acquired that are necessary, which unsurprisingly are much less in number than seeking approval of launching orbital strikes."

The well-dressed man would crack a brief smile before reaching into his coat, withdrawing a nearly-folded form from within and setting it on Daksh's desk. The president would lean over and gently grab it, opening it up and doing a careful visual scan over the contents of the document. A few minutes of silence, save for the clicking and clocking of the old British grandfather clock on the far side of the President's Office, would almost make the air feel as if it had gone still in the room. Yet as he finished, Daksh would crack a small smile himself before grabbing his pen up once more and placing his signature on the bottom line.

"This will be a first step for the good of India and her neighbors," he said, before gingerly handing the paper back to the General with his free hand, sitting back in his chair once more afterward, "And for all of our people to see a brighter future."

---

Just Off the Southern Coast Of Burma, Western Indian Ocean

The stealth destroyer INS Chakrabarti had been sent in as the first wave, and the ship had gone in with two corvettes in order to 'clear the path' and make the first strikes against pirates targets in the water and on the coast. Regular anti-piracy patrols in the sea were being maintained, but a decisive and surprise strike against their operations in the waters to the east of India itself was being made in order to send a message. Any who ignored such a message would be sunk and shot without hesitation. Such was the nature of it. The Burmese government was not taking care of its problems, that much the orbital strike had made clear, and it was in this vein that India had announced it would be taking on measures to 'clear the seas of pirates, and bringing safety to the seas'.

In the first twenty four hours alone they had sunk several vessels, and had discovered a few pirate base locations on the Burmese coast. All the same, though, the message had to be sent as they would gun down any pirates they found along the way. Pirates would not be given quarter if they fought, if surrendered they would be taken back to India for trial and sentencing since the Burmese had been ignoring doing so themselves for the most part. This was merely the first 'shock and awe' effort to pave the start of the remaining anti-pirate operations. To clear the open seas was simply the first step in bringing peace to Southeast Asia and the Arabian Sea for those nations that relied on it.

The same operations the destroyer and corvettes were taking here were simultaneously being taken in the Arabian sea, especially around the Somalian coasts, in order to soften up the pirate presence on the seas. Protection was being offered to foreign ships that desired it in these two seas, but was not being forced upon them either to avoid any potentially complicated issues of diplomacy. International waters were being kept in in all cases, aside from Somalian and Burmese waters somewhat where a greater threat of pirates was present, but petitions had been sent to the Somalian and Burmese governments to invite them to help against the pirates...though any real action being actually taken was utterly unlikely. Not in such disorderly lands at least. Even so it was a gesture of goodwill, but affirmation that Indian forces would not hesitate to push for greater anti-piracy measures for the good of all nations in those seas whether they helped or not.

They had made their intentions clear, and they would back them up with force as necessary.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Leannah

---

Wait, was that-...ok now things were getting creepy. Someone was down the hall there! Well, a silhouette of someone lit by a crystal down there at the end of the hall. So one on hand she had a crystal and could at least see in the dark down here, but a mysterious ancient hallway filled with various rooms and a mysterious figure going down a particular path at the end was something. It all smelled of traps and puzzles and the sort, more so the first thing than anything else. Likewise she had no idea if she could get back to her allies, given the brittle nature of the crystals on the walls, and on top of that no idea if they would come down to her or were occupied with some other kind of trouble up there. It was a terrible situation at best, and left a bad taste in her mouth.

Mostly she just hoped the others would get down here as soon as possible, that the guy who'd tagged along with them would at least say something to the others if he decided to come down.

But in the meantime she could at least do something to scout down here. See where danger was, look for clues, etc, or maybe punch another zombie-experiment-thin in the face or such. Anything was better than sitting idly by not knowing what was going on. However, a particular fairytale did come to mind if she wanted to go explore at the very least. To that end, Leannah broke off some more smaller crystals from the goo pit wall, clutched in her left hand, and walked right to where the hallway deeper in began and the goo ended. Keeping her one good bigger chunk of crystal as a light source in her right hand, holding it up to light her way forward and keep a carefully eye and ear and so forth on the walls and ceiling and such, she kept her left hand full of the smaller crystals down closer to the floor. As she moved she began using her left hand thumb to gently push out the other smaller crystals out and onto the floor to carefully lay a trail of 'breadcrumbs' as she moved. Close enough to the floor they would hopefully not shatter and break, as brittle as the crystals were, but still. It would all hopefully be good enough to lay an easy trail for anyone else who fell down into the pit after her. If anyone.

In this manner, Leannah would move to go down the hall and move to cautiously and carefully enter the Old Library.

If she could get inside safely, she'd set the remaining crystals in her left hand by the open entrance of the room to free up her left hand and finally go about searching inside the library proper for clues, odd objects, books or such in good enough condition to be useful, and frankly if there was something like a secret switch hidden in there or installed on a shelf. She had no clue, but she wanted to be sure about this room and not run like an idiot. Let the figure down the hall walk off this time, she wasn't going to lose her life rushing like an idiot. It was a gamble to follow them either way or not, given how her gamble of putting the orb in the slot had left her stuck down here so far.

"I hope there's something interesting down here...in a good way, and for us that is...I just pray the others will be safe or get down here quickly," the catgirl muttered to herself.

Abilities/Inventory

Abilities:

Physical Conditioning: Peak Human - Her body is naturally tough, durable, and strong. The pinnacle of human physical strength, endurance, and agility. Keep training, and surely she can surpass even stronger beings.

Soul Flare: The ability to turn one’s soul into a weapon itself. Needed for most basic magical feats. Channel the mana present in the air through your body to achieve great feats. Allows one to interact with supernatural things, and perceive things others may not.

Unique/"Cheat" Ability: Suns Disciple - Wherever you go, the sun shines on your path. The sun illuminates you. Keeps you warm, and safe - and yet it burns. Burns you. Burns your foes. Burns everything. The sun of this world is not ruled by the goddess that bought you here. If you desire to strengthen it, seek them out yourself. As it is, you will steadily grow in physical power and endurance as the sun rises up until its peak, and steadily return to your normal strength as the sun falls, until night hits. At the moment, even during noon, you will gain only a minor boost to all physicals. Additionally, you have a minor affinity for Light-based magical feats.

Martial Art Prodigy: A skill denoting a preternatural affinity for the martial arts. At its current level, this ability merely increases your potential for learning martial arts, and does not denote a higher skill level than average. Keep honing your fists and pushing yourself. ("A skill denoting that she knows what she's doing currently, if not being experienced with it. Basically she adjusted to her new body.")

Sunlight (Lesser/Restricted): A skill in which denotes one as being able to cast basic ‘Light’ spells with minor ease. This ability however, has been modified by ‘Suns Disciple’. Spells cast from this family of spells will typically take a form befitting that of the Sun Goddess. Light spells typically are those of healing, restraint, and help. Yours however, take the shape of a burning sun in some fashion. (Something is preventing you from fully using this ability and causing them to be less effective and unstable).

Inventory:

-Clothing: Her initial set of clothing, consisting of what is seen in her appearance pic.

-Golden feather: A feather of unknown origin. Its warm to the touch, and gazing upon it fills you with confidence and a certainty of purpose to accomplish your goals.

-Old picture book: You’re not quite sure what it depicts, aside from various scenes involving what appears to be the God of knowledge and some others. A collection of tales involving him, perhaps? Maybe you should take some time to read it, or ask someone about it.

-Illu Crystal: A crystal of unknown origin, though the god of knowledge is said to have a fondness of these. They shine brightly in the dark, but loose brilliance in the sunlight. No one is quite sure how it works. Brittle, so be careful.

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Ishtar, Lands of Strife

The Kingdom of Thakis

Throne Room, Pharess' Palace

---

Current Throne Room

The grand throne room lied open and vast, its style 'modern' yet yet regal by Thakisian standards. Yet the foundations of it had been built long before she took the throne, and yet even by her time it had seen a great many renovations since she again took the throne of a nation as its ruler. Indeed it had been long shaped by the old Thakisian Royalty, the family that had once held the throne and worked alongside the Senate of the nation. Whilst not similar to the open temple-like structure of her old throne room, the very build of this throne room had been made to her specifications and magnificent size demands as one fit for Thakis itself to reflect its history and peoples: Stone and marble enchanted and carved and made by the best artisans of Thakis' lands both ancient and current to make the walls and floors, the finest woods throughout the land to be used for internal structures and form the outer artistic 'casing' for mighty stone pillars hidden within that all held up the ceiling proper, extravagant sets of golden curtains that closed at a gesture, a grand couch-like throne to lie or sit upon in all of its comfort, braziers and lamps and symbols of the gods of her time scattered about from an ancient age long gone dotted about symmetrically, and even old reds rugs that has been recycled from those who were about prior to her rule that bore a certain Orduin-ish style to them even when paired well with newer ones.

It was centuries and more of history, of art, of Thakis itself that had taken shape to create that throne room. As a scholar, she could not and would not forget that. It was her pride as a ruler that pushed her to create it. Even as a mage she could not help but add a magical touch to the work as well, tied to her own skills and roots.

Though that building she once ruled from in ancient times had been restored proper, but she had preferred to choose her abode to be in this place in order to make things convenient for her living subjects. Yet every time she saw the space, and every time she sat upon the throne itself, she could recall that day she first entered into the palace with such clarity. Almost like it was yesterday...

Old Throne Room

Tapestries had long lined those stone-crafted walls, with colors of royal purples and crimson reds and golds and silvers all aplenty upon them. Servants had been donned in simple red attire to designate them had once walked those halls serving the royal family, well-trimmed and fitted, and even the further attendants and cooks and so forth had been adorned in red servile attire befitting a royal family indeed. Well, one of that era a few centuries ago at least. Shining sets of armor sat upon the walls, weapons hung in a symbolic crossed arrangement like an "X", cabinets displaying ancient treasures and imported valuables from afar, and even family portraits hung upon the walls.

Such an old style...she was glad to have renovated the palace extensively since. Yet even with the aristocratic airs, the grand entrance, the mighty it didn't feel 'truly' Thakisian. It was as if the palace of old was distant, foreign in design, and made for those who sat above the land and away from. This rather than sitting upon a great throne that felt as if it was rooted in the land, in the people, in the nobility, nor did it feel as if it stood as the central pillar of the very nation itself. Perhaps it was simply her own antiquated ideas, scholarly thoughts, and so forth that had shaped such a perception of it back then and even through now, and yet she had to be true to her observations and feelings about it all the same.

Yes, the old Thakisian Royalty had been decadent, backed by the Orduin Empire and virtually put on the throne to ensure alongside the old Senate of Thakis that the land was run smoothly. To ensure that resources that got back to the Orduin Empire. To ensure the peoples of the land were kept orderly and civilized. According to the old records this had been their charge and kept up well enough for many generations, imitating the Orduin structure...both in its advantages and eventual faults.

Oh how the corruption had run deep by the time she stepped in. Oh how deep the cruelties exerted, with Senators and the royals hand in hand hiding themselves away in the seclusion of high walls and isolation. They had left the fighting to the military, to the noble children tossed into positions even if they had not the skills, to a few old stubborn veterans who clung to their old titles and ways so closely, and in the least amount by far the few commoners that had rise in rank only to be shot down bye those of a 'higher blood' who did not act properly in line with the burden of those bloodlines and duties held to them. They had been happy to send orders given to military leaders in the field, let the commoners and lesser nobility fight. They held out looking for Orduin to save them when times got tough for them in turn eventually, and as the war had approached their grounds they were trapped in prisons of their own design.

It was...poetic in a sense. Very few had fled for shelter away in foreign lands, only to die along the way for the most part, fall to vice and their own weaknesses in some vain attempt to live the same lives or regain 'what was lost', or in the end linger on distant soils simply to preserve themselves in some vague and most meager of senses at best.

The armies had stormed inside as she led them with the other rulers of old, and she in particular set many of the soldiers within aside...akin to a child putting up their messy sibling's toys. Men donning armor polished like plates, royal magi attempting to combat someone far out of their league, and servants simply hiding for the sake of their own lives, and desperate attendants trying to flee with riches in their arms, among others, littered the halls and rooms. Many were slain for resistance or other crimes, others surrendered and were given mercy, and yet the most shocking was that a small handful of the very royal guards themselves opened the doors to the throne room for the leaders of the enemy army. Even they had been among those disaffected, and such was only tragedy to see at best. Still she and the others had all come that day to subjugate the throne, for that was their right and imperative and very nature at heart.

Ah, even the executions after had been something of note afterward. Fattened nobles that burnt on the pyres of execution like fuel for great braziers, stinking for days until finally consumed in the flames. Cocky fools who were torn asunder by being tied to several beasts, all for their crimes of abandoning their people. Ancient justice was cruel, perhaps, but all the same order was needed for a land as scarred as this one. It was hard to think the kingdom of old had become a land of war, of death, and of scars cut deeper into the world than any mortal invention or magic could hope to.

Yet they...yes, they had brought order once more. Order, stability, and safety for the people to thrive. Without them they were not rulers, without the people there was no nation to guide to greatness! Such was her personal outlook on it all at least...and the gods had returned to them once more in turn to help bless the land with the gods of the people.

Pharess' Recollections/Memories

"My Pharess."

Sitting upon the throne itself already, the Pharess snapped out of her apparent daydreaming and looked to her right side at the sudden source of the voice. A tall Caeldoni, female, with six intact arms, who knelt before her at the throne very comfortably. This was because the height of the throne room eclipsed even that people's raw size. Upon the female's frame was donned shimmering golden armor, with six mighty blades of the finest Thakisian metal sat sheathed at her sides, and her musculature was both lean and yet more than mighty enough to heft all of those blades with such an ease it was as if they were lighter than air. Even so her still rather curvy and shapely body and shoulder-length-cut white hair were radiant, beautiful in their own ways and forms and manners even in the Pharess' eyes....had ever been so since.

This was the head of the Royal Guard itself, whose name evoked the pride of her peoples' name for themselves: Caeldari. Her very name meant "Greatest Warrior", just as the name of her people meant "Greatest Warriors". A fitting thing for one of Caeldari's status, no? Despite her beauty, she was a warrior worth a whole Taimla unit on her own in battle. That wasn't just saying something either, or boasting up her reputation to ridiculous heights. It was a raw testament to her raw skill and capabilities at the very least.

"My thanks...I find it hard to not reminisce in this room, one so very different from those centuries ago. But let us not waste time," the undead queen said, giving a gesture of her hand and a sigh before having the arches of golden curtains be pulled together to give her and Caeldari privacy before continuing, "Now rise to your feet so we may speak business. I take it you received the reports from General Sylvan?"

"Indeed," Caeldari said, standing up and putting her three sets of hands staunchly to her sides as she stood at attention, though even so her shoulders seemed to relax a bit as she listened to the Pharess' voice, a soft smile almost creeping up on the sides of the Caeldoni woman's mouth listening to her before she lightly coughed to get her professional composure back and speak further, "His reports speak of the usual centaur movements and movement of border guards and forces, and to my mind he seems to be keeping things in well order. Local cities and garrisons have been prepared for next potential incursions, and their usual doubling of temporary levy training and increased local garrison sizes have held well. However, his request for doubling garrison training and patrols is...worrisome, given the rumors of his men and especially the Hercuis ones considering him 'a slave driver' as I have heard it said about his training regiments."

The Pharess felt an imaginary headache bubble up, as if memories of ones during her time among the living were haunting her for a moment. Even so she simply sighed and shook her head slightly.

"He does not need to drive his men and the garrisons into the ground. The doubled yearly levy practices have been fine, and the 50% increased garrisons were approved because the resources were manageable for it in those provinces. Yet I fear his feelings about the Zentaeri League, as deep-seated as they are, will drive him to overstep his bounds one day...and whether his Hercuis troops again or others otherwise there will be many who pay the price in the end."

"...Indeed."

Caeldari seemed to pause for a moment before replying once more, though did not break the professional stance and look she took on. The General had a rather bad history centaurs, that was nothing of surprise to anyone in the Royal Council or in the military chain of command. As talented as the elf was, as skilled as he became, as loyal as he even now was to Thakis with a zeal and a true fervor, he wasn't the same after his son's death and desecration at the hands of centaurs now living in the League.

"His wounds run deep, but he refuses to let me assist his mind somewhat with magic. However, he hasn't gone off of the deep end yet and has been kept from the brink. His use is necessary, his skills are great, but if I must protect my people by replacing him I will make that clear as the emptiest skies and the best of Karynian glass can. So truth be told, I more am speaking and pondering over a 'what if' at best right now rather than a current problem.

In line with this, and returning to reality, I will later today look over the reports more properly myself to ascertain the situation before calling you to my chambers to discuss once more. If such an increase in training and practice drills is indeed necessary, I will perhaps send him a response that he must hand training over to his lower officers if he desires to double their practice and drills. This might mitigate the issue somewhat, at least to make a potential assumption about the effects of that."

"It will be done as you request then, your Grace. I shall save the rest of my thoughts for the later time as well, as my late arrival has cut short our time together..."

The Pharess paused...then after lightly shaking her head leaned up and gestured for Caeldari to learn down to her face-to-face. The undead queen let her fingers gently caress the chin of the Caeldoni woman, and the smallest of smiles came to her face.

"Do not worry Caeldari, my loyal guard, there shall be plenty of time later to talk of this business and speak of many things more. Now go, perform your duties as is fitting of your station. I shall go about my business here for the day in the meantime~"

For a moment the guardswoman seemed to ever so lightly blush at the soft, gentle teasing, and yet the reassurance it gave her seemed to put her heart at ease again somewhat. Still, as the Pharess hand fell back down and the warrior stood back up Caeldari gave a deep bow before swiftly exiting the throne room from the hidden back entrance. Her pace was somewhat quicker than normal, though as she passed through she would run into the two equally as well-armed-and-dressed Royal Guards, one a Dracis and the other a human woman, stationed to protect the other side of that entrance.

"Hey Captain, can I ask ya' something?" the familiarly jovial yet exasperating voice of a certain Dracis Royal Guard called out, albeit almost teasingly as she greeted her captain with a one-handed salute and toothy grin.

"Don't disturb the Captain, Akari! She has business to attend to-!" the human woman began to say, berating her comrade before Caeldari held up a single hand and the human fell into a sudden silence once more.

"Akari, if this question is about myself and the Pharess I must remind you to hold your tongue. All other questions are acceptable. Might I remind you to not prod into mere rumors passed sadly along within the Royal Guard's very own-"

"So did you two finally choose names for your future young yet or what?"

"..."

"..."

"Akari, you will now report to Commander Yui this evening for a one-on-one all-night training session. Full wartime gear. You say anything like that again after this, and I will personally drill you for three days straight until you pass out on your feet from exhaustion, then have the mages revive you, and then drill you three more days until you collapse again."

"...So what I'm hearing is that you are struggling for any 'good' names at the very least. Look, I have a few names I've heard suggested if you need ide-"

"AKARIII!!!"

Meanwhile, a soft but knowing chuckle could almost be heard on the other side of the wall. Well, if there wasn't the very brief shouting going on anyways.

From goblins to godhood (re:monster rp)

Kir

Day 0 || Evening (Before Dark) || Forest

Hmmm, it was getting dark indeed. But she'd taken the time to make sure her work was at least the best quality she could make it out to be. Albeit it was primitive, simple, so 'quality' only went so far. Yet with her finished bow, cloak, and arrows, Kir would don her new single piece of garb and stash her two arrows in it as she held her bow. It all felt 'right' in some sense, so at least there was that much going for her. Yet she did look over at Argos as he complained, simply giving a nod as she began to walk towards him. Sure the day was giving way to night...but that proved to have its own opportunities during this last tiny bit of daylight. A unique opportunity indeed.

"You're right, it's getting dark and we won't be able to hunt many things...but we still have a nice chance for something on the way back. A few small creatures emerging in the evening, maybe tired ones on the way back to their dens and such, that sort of thing.

Don't intend on being stupid enough to sit around at night myself, but right here before it is a perfect chance to get something on the way back from out here in the forest. So let's get moving while the light still lingers."

Part of her was curious about sitting out to see the moon again. It was a pretty sight, but the night wouldn't likely be kind to her either. Bigger things, nastier things, etc coming out to eat and hunt and play in their own way. A little goblin like herself stood no chance, and that didn't take any major knowledge or talking to in order to comprehend. Sometimes death, if those hazy past memory things were any indication, could come suddenly and without warning to take everything from you.

Even so, Kir would begin to take a route back to the Church whilst carefully moving and hunting at the same time to make use of the last bit of daylight along the way. If she found anything to kill she'd recreate an arrow of her and fire it as best she could at the prey to kill it. Better to not stomp around willfully and scare things if she wanted to get something! Besides, her path would ultimately take her back to the Church. She'd also keep an eye out for anything that looked edible otherwise to boot.

***Summary: Kir is heading back in the direction of the Church with Argos, BUT is taking a more circuitous route to hunt prey on the way back. Her intended path will get her back by the time it gets fully dark, but is meant to take advantage of tired daytime creatures hopping back home or small nighttime critters she could hunt that are beginning to wake up and step out at this time of day. In other words, on the trip back to the Church she is taking advantage of the time of day to hunt (and on the side see if anything else edible pops up for her to grab along the way).

EXP/Inventory/Etc

EXP: 0

Inventory:

- x1 Primitive Bow

- x2 Horned Horn Arrows

- x1 Horned Rabbit Pelt Cloak

-

Acquired Skills:

-Primitive Crafting: Ancient civilizations used the very same methods as they harvested the base materials at their disposal to make weapons. Learned how to make primitive traps like spike pits, holes, and spike traps. Also learned to make bone/wood weapons such as clubs, bows, slings.

-Knowledge of the Three: Knowledge of the Three Great Gods. Ability to properly worship. Ability to create shrines in honor of the Three Great Gods.

-

Titles:

Blessings:

Curses:

Other Info/Notes For Self

As for what those shrines are they represent the 3 main Gods of this world Ramos, shirila, and duelvena There are gods for everything from food to hunts even to keeping yourself clean but each of them isn't as powerful as the 3 main gods I am about to tell you about. First, there is the god of light Ramos he is the god of light and he gives us the very sun we see during the day he is purity itself and as such is mostly worshipped by most creatures in one form or another. Ramos is the exact opposite of the goddess known as Duvelna she is the goddess of death and night. She is death itself and must be respected if not feared for with a single touch of her finger you are dragged down into the netherworld. She gives us the very moon in the sky. Finally, there is Shirila the goddess of the earth as she is the embodiment of the earth and life itself, she is also known as the eternal mother. She gives us the very plants that grow everywhere around us and gives life to it. She in tune with everyone that loves the earth as it should be.

Goblin Grandpa, About The 3 Great Gods

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Leannah

---

What in the world?! Stick an orb into a wall slot, and suddenly she was now at the bottom of a pit. Perfectly ok really, but at the bottom of a pit with an odd black substance and otherwise. It was insane! There was a path deeper inside the temple, even, which was great! Maybe. Unless she fell into a monster-storage area. Not to mention the glowing white crystals were a nice aesthetic at least. Even so, when she looked back up the glow of something way up there where she'd fallen from was visible, flickering almost-...oh hell. There wasn't normal light up there, right?! So ah, was it the others still there? Did she set the place on fire somehow? Anything could have happened, but she had no idea until a voice seemed to echo down to her off of the stone walls.

"Leannah, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

That Other Guy In The Party She Doesn't Know The Name Of Yet

The catgirl stood up, doing her best to stand safely without slipping on the peculiar floor ooze. It wasn't dissolving her flesh, so that was one good thing at least! But she had no idea what else happened up there, if anything, as if pop culture on Earth taught anything it was that ancient temples and triggering mechanisms could have...bad side effects. Or just good ones. Depended on the place and movie really, so it wasn't much reliable information as much as worrying her instead.

"I'm fine! There's goo at the bottom of this that broke my fall! Walls are lined with crystals! Also a path leading deeper inside!

But I can't tell what's going on up there! What's happening? If anything bad just happened then you all can jump down here safely!!!" the catgirl shouted at the very top of her lungs, annunciating her words as clearly as she could as she shouted back, the echo of the crystal-lined stone walls carrying upward.

After shouting, the catgirl let out a small cough from the itch such top-grade shouting caused in her throat. What she'd give for some water, but after a second and a light thumping of her own back with a small fist she let out a sigh. She couldn't do anything from here, and hell if the others were dead already it'd be...well better to not think on that right now. They were a small adventuring party in an ancient temple, right? Ok. Narkissa seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, Lazhira had been here before, and the other guy-...actually she didn't even know his name. Never took the chance, which in hindsight was a bit dumb. Still, he seemed generally willing to work with a team without immediately backstabbing. That was always a good sign! Hopefully so.

The catgirl would walk over to the nearest bunch of crystals on the side wall, trying to see if she could find any little bit of crystal to tear off. Something that'd produce decent light for one catgirl at least. That is if she could tear a little off carefully, which was the aim she had in this action to be blunt. Would it remain lit after tearing a tiny bit off? Would it not remain lit after being torn off (if it did tear off)? Would she manage to collapse this whole place outright? She hoped the lattermost thing wouldn't happen, and at worst the second thing would. But it was worth a shot at least, no sense in wasting time with practical archaeology!

...Still, maybe the others would get down here if anything was REALLY amiss up there or otherwise. She was rather worried regardless. Then again jumping into a dark pit of goo might not be on everyone's list of 'things to do because a catgirl asked you to in an ancient abandoned temple'.

Ishtar, Lands of Strife

The Kingdom of Thakis

Morning, Throne Room, Pharess' Palace

---

...Undead had no need for sleep, and yet she found this behavior of the living to be relaxing in some sense even now.

The top floor of the palace was a place that few ever trod, and among those were herself and her servants and occasionally some of the royal guards. Even so it was her bedroom, a grand room in a large rectangular shape with smooth marble walls and flooring that were peerlessly shined and cleaned each day. Grand rugs and carpets made of the best hides and materials sat symmetrically around the floor on either side of her grand bed and especially before the grand door to enter her chambers on one of the smaller side walls in the far east of the ballroom-sized bedchamber.

To this end it was to be noted that her own grand bed lied against the long back wall to the south of her bedchamber, the bed itself oversized and covered in soft silks and velvet sheets and gold/silver trims and so forth and standing upon a specially carved and strengthened Dracis stone bed frame with embedded jewels. Even so the bed was as soft and fluffy to lie upon as only the grandest of kings and dukes and emperors could hope to ever know. Likewise, opposite of this long back wall on the other long length-wise side was then a large wall of windows in turn, shielded by soft and luxurious curtains that effectively blocked out light. A few side tables sat on either side of the ruler's grand bed, though more notably on the far western side of her chambers sat tools and alchemical appatari and shelves of supplies and books and ink and quills and other desks or shelving filled with messy tomes bound in leather and sewn together with a fine and very careful touch. A work station for a scholar, yet fit and stocked for a queen no less.

On this note the undead queen, after sitting up and scooting to the edge of her bed in her velvet red silk nightgown, pushing pure white sheers underneath the velvet top cover, gave a snap of her fingers after letting out a yawn. By the time her legs swung over the edge and onto the soft rug-covered marble flooring next to her bed, two of her servants had already rushed in and began to open the curtains with a careful but trained haste. It wasn't a haste built on fear, however, but rather a sort of...disciplined reverence. Sunlight flooded in as the curtains parted, though, with the gold trimmings of the curtains and bed slightly glowing in the radiant yet harsh light of day. The Pharess didn't even have to squint, but even so softly stood up and stretched her arms and so forth.

"Hmm...this sleep spell works generally well," she muttered to herself, standing up on the right side of her bed and turning to face the side table, grabbing an enchanted quill and inkwell left sitting there as she opened a tome left there last night to the next clean page, "For undead has its merits, simulating the experience of sleep for the living. The dream experience is, however, still rough...ah.

I'll introduce this to the University Head later today, let them conduct further research on the matter. Willing test subjects from a larger pool, under controlled circumstances, should allow us to find the root of that issue to fix it. Likewise it will allow other issues to come to the forefront with observation and usually proper procedures put in place..."

Scribbling notes down with a sleepy expression, the enchanted quill magically re-coating in ink smoothly as she wrote with all the grace and care of a ruler and all of the haste and rapidity of a busy scholar. The inkwell near the quill itself was disturbed every so often as ink was magically transferred to the quill and the correct amount was transferred to the tip without extra mess. It was a marvel of magical craft on a personal level, an intricate if not fancy things, but in fact it was one tool the Pharess herself had put to more than a 'bit' of use over the last several hundred years.

Then after she was done, she returned the quill, dried the ink magically with a wave of her hand, and gently re-closed the tome once more.

"My Pharess. I come bearing the morning's messages."

The undead queen turned her head toward the entrance to her chambers, a servant having popped her head in and asked of her before stepping in and bowing deeply before her and hurrying over. The younger servant was decked out in a red, velvety with golden trim uniform, one which hugged her arms and torso with long sleeves in a neat but fashionable stylet, yet simply had a strip of cloth in front and one behind with golden frill on the edges to accommodate a sense of comfort in movement (at least for a Dracis). A Dracis this servant was indeed as well, even persistent in her duties and willing to learn for one of her youthful age. Diligent to a fault in regards to her own health at times, yes, but she'd promised the girl's parents back in the mountains that she'd be well taken care of and educated in the palace those several years ago. After all, a bad staff was only asking for a bad result! Likewise she wanted her people to learn, to know, to grow and become more. Such was herb belief as ruler and scholar both, and even as a mage when it came to magical learning.

"Come, Hina, speak with me as we walk," the Pharess said, giving a wave of her hand as her nightgown removed itself from her and neatly flew over to hang itself softly on a rack, whilst a golden dress of superbly regal design floated over in turn and donned itself onto her body, softly accentuating her curves and lovely figure even as a serpent-topped crown of gold (with silver on the bottom border and jewels about its rim in a neat pattern) gently floated down onto her head.

The young Dracis briefly blushed at the sight of her Pharess, but all the same didn't avert her soft blue eyes from the scene as she rapidly scrambled to regain her tiny bit of lost composure back. It brought a smallest of grins to the undead queen's face, but even so her smile softened back into a look of stoic neutrality and regal posture once more as she donned her royal golden sandals and grabbed her golden mage's 'staff' adorned with a fan-like blade at the top of its sturdy and magically-reinforced smooth wooden shaft with a gold and silver-rimmed metal 'cap' at the bottom. She then began to walk to exit her chambers, the young Dracis moving to keep stride with her and stay by her side as they moved out into the servant-filled, guard-stationed, and bustling palace halls and stairwells.

"Y-Yes! Ahem. The first message I was sent with was from Royal Counselor Thothas, who sends a requests a meeting about increasing border and internal garrisons for security in his provinces sitting on the Eastern border. Next is a message that the head of the Royal Guard wishes to speak with you in the throne room before it is opened for other business today. There is also the matter of General Sylvan, who has amassed and sent the latest border reports and scouting details from the south and primarily southwest provinces."

"Hmm...first send word to Caeldari that I am already heading to the throne room as we speak.

Next have the couriers send a message to Thothas that he shall have his meeting in four days' time, and to be here promptly just after sunrise. Add that his magi must coordinate with the Royal Guards to prepare a magic portal ahead of time, or else he must find another way to get here using those four days. I will hear him out, but he must provide sufficient evidence to back his demands.

Finally I want the reports from General Sylvan brought to Caeldari for review, before being brought to me alongside her thoughts for further review and considerations to be made. Depending on the content we might take a few days to return a response to the General."

"It shall be done! Then...ah...let's see...the final message has come from the far western ports, sent by Overseer Amitana, who tells that the 'special fleet' has been finished in final."

The Pharess stopped for a moment, taking a glance over at Hina and giving a nod of thoughtful approval before walking again.

"Very good. Ensure a message of my approval is sent to the Overseer by messenger magi in this case. Notify the overseer I will visit by portal tomorrow morning just after sunrise, primarily to inspect facilities and each ship going on the voyage myself.

Then message the Commander to ensure proper guards are stationed to protect the ships, as well as that he is to check and quadruple-check that he and his men's supplies and rations and so forth are in order. Likewise inform him that High Diplomats Yuki and Varanian to proceed to the western coast to board alongside the other specialized personnel and traders.

These priority messages, with my permission given and an emphasis on the urgency of these being sent."

"Y-Yes, my Pharess!" Hina would say once more, with emphasis, giving a deep bow before rushing ahead, her smaller legs jotting along at a rapid pace and notably greater haste. The undead queen could even see the girl put her right hand to the side of her head, a means for focusing on using the communication magic she'd taught her long ago.

Not breaking her stride this time, however, the undead queen moved with grace and vigor toward the special stairs and halls going all the way down to the throne room on the bottom floor. Four of her Royal Guards (two on each side) stood there at the entrance, saluting her staunchly with weapons in hand as she approached. They would naturally escort her along the way, switching off with select sets of guards along each segment of the narrow but grand passage. It was normal procedure, among many other things, but security was kept tight always as a general rule of thumb among the myriad procedures and processes and protocols she'd set in place long ago here in this converted and renovated 'former' royal palace built first by Thakis' former royalty pre-revival.

It would be a long day ahead indeed, though, if the messages and bustle and first meeting in the throne room were of any indication.

---

Later That Day, Western Docks, West Coast of Thakis

"Sh-Sh-She's coming tomorrow?!"

Overseer Amitana paced back and forth in his simple office near the docks, hooves clacking on the wooden floor as the male Satyri's face twisted in a look of sudden panic after the message from the palace had been received. Yet he would suddenly stop, slap himself in the face, take a deep breath, and with his hands behind his back approach his assistant standing near the doorway of his office. The tall elf woman stood there, eyepatch over her left eye, leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed, before letting out a small sigh and looking her boss dead in the eyes.

"Boss, this was a big order from on high when we first got it. There is no denying that. All we need to do is finish our end and hold up our end of the deal. Just breathe, before I have the men drag you to the bar by force and I have to pass on the orders."

It was something to report back to the Pharess directly via a messenger magi, albeit one sent there months ago as a royal representative no less, but the stress of the situation was something she did not envy either. Especially in the case of the ever-anxious but detail-obsessed overseer of their ship-building company here on the coast. It was no wonder he'd been chosen for the task, he was the best damned shipwright in the port city itself and even one of the very best on the Thakisian Coast, but all the same the last few months of meticulous work had made her and her boss almost ill with the raw stress alone along the way. Especially given her boss' ship-building company had been chosen to be the group to direct and lead the whole work of making this strange fleet the Pharess wanted. Hell, it was a top-priority job that had taken all their work for the last six months to bring to the best possible quality their workers and more could muster without quitting or dying on the job.

Rumor on the docks had it this was a diplomatic mission heading south, others said it was some kind of military-related task stopping by Karynia to assist in the succession there, and frankly even more eerie and ludicrous ideas lingered out there among the workers and locals she didn't want to think about right now. Military had sent troops there ahead of time only a month ago, which had at least kept crime down a bit more. Drove some of the shadier traders and the black-market sellers out of the waters for the moment being, or at least to the edges of town. That was how the port city of Ramouth was run, however, and had always been. Order was well enough kept overall and trade flowed splendidly on the average throughout the year, with the ice crews and ships working hard and traders flowing in from Karynia and out from Thakis to Karynia, but where the wealth was there was always a darker side to it.

For example, she'd gotten smashed a few months ago with some sailors at the bar before some wife later that night stabbed her left eye out with a rope-cutting knife for supposedly 'flirting with her husband at the docks'. More like it was the damn worker from a rival company who'd been trying to sweet talk her, before she gave him a black eye and a few less teeth when he'd tried something on her that night and been kicked out by her mates from the same company. Idiot Caeldoni man. Idiot human wife of his. Either way it was a long gone encounter, nothing to ponder on right now as her boss tried to compose himself whilst they were on the cusp of the best payday in any of their combined years of experience in shipbuilding and repair. Even the men were excited at the promised pay to come, and their customer was as wealthy and reliable as they could come in all of Thakis.

"Y-Yes, you're right...I-I was just going to ask if you had anything for...a-ah...the nerves? Please, Navarrae?"

The silver-haired elf woman rolled her eyes, but even so reached into her coat and withdrew a worn metal flask. Popping the cork out of the top, she handed it over to the shorter male Satyri. He seemed to look at it for a moment, hesitating, before finally taking a proper swig and handing the flask back. Navarrae too took a swing, before re-corking the flask and stuffing it back into her coat before gesturing to the doorway.

"By the gods that feels a bit better!"

"Let's get moving, Boss, before we waste any more daylight."

"R-Right!"

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Leannah

---

The catgirl would pause, taking a look down at her right arm before letting out a sigh. She probably had that coming for gunning at giant predatory birds with a taste for flesh and fog. Or probably stuck in the fog and had a taste for flesh. Mmm, those questions could come at a much later date. Leannah would allow Lazhira to patch up her arm, and at the very least she found that the pain was subsiding to at least being a bit less than it initially was as she'd begun to notice it and the pain began to kick in finally. Thanks the heavens for adrenaline being a thing. Perhaps she could see if magic could be used to heal herself as well though? Mmm, maybe not in the middle of the totally-not-suspicious temple though, especially if those birds were such a minor threat overall. In fact, perhaps they needed to get moving even more before something else came knocking. For all she knew some idiot was going to barge in with Malphas-style flair and challenge them to a duel or something.

However, the picture book she'd found was interesting, and she gently dusted off the cover before holstering it in her waistband on her left hip. It seemed similar to how the ancients would depict scenes of legend on walls, so it only made sense that this book could hold similar value from what she could see of it already. Maybe Lazhira or someone could translate? Only time and trying would tell.

"Thanks, Lazhira," the catgirl said, giving her compatriot a warm smile, before returning her own gaze to the floor and beginning to dig around the books one last time. It was worth a shot to see if she could find one more thing, one more book or tome in the best quality she could find it. It was knowledge, information of a long lost past, and maybe it would help 'illuminate' what had gone on and what was going on...or something of the sort. Anything useful would do frankly. If she found anything, she'd holster it in her waistband on her left hip as well with the old picture book.

Still, once she was done with the digging about for good, she would look back up at statue and orb on it ahead, and for a brief second pondered something. She then let out a drawn-out sigh, and glanced over at Novak, "Well, there's one way to find out for better or for worse if that orb goes in the slot...just be ready in case something falls from the ceiling or something in the process."

Imagining rolling up her sleeves, the catgirl moved forward with a small running start toward the idol. She tried to channel some magic in her legs, using the mental image of a river to focus some power to there. Just enough to leap up. Her plan was to get up onto the idol, grab onto the orb itself, and get down quickly. She'd seen one lumbering stone attack dog, and it had almost killed her. She didn't want to deal with another if she could. Still, her aim and effort were to to grab the orb swiftly and get back down to go stick it in the slot on the wall herself!

Maybe this would go well? She hoped. But chances were that something, anything would happen at this venture. Didn't want to waste the good daylight sitting about more though!

Still, some questions began to bubble up into her mind. How did Lazhira manage her trips here? Why was the symbol on her arm like that on the temple here? Did she have some connection to this place? Why was the Illuminator not worshipped by the people due a kyrinth (whatever that was) telling them to? It was all so odd, and it all brought on more and more questions that seemed to unnervingly go without answer. Yet for now, there was the exploration! The adventure! The looting! Telling people these things belonged in a museum! Seducing women and wielding a cool whip-...ok that one sounded a LOT worse in hindsight. To let it wander too long in her thoughts, being carefully shifted to the backburner as it were, without it being relevant enough at this very moment to pursue was foolish.

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin@Click This

Abilities/Inventory

Abilities:

Physical Conditioning: Peak Human - Her body is naturally tough, durable, and strong. The pinnacle of human physical strength, endurance, and agility. Keep training, and surely she can surpass even stronger beings.

Soul Flare: The ability to turn one’s soul into a weapon itself. Needed for most basic magical feats. Channel the mana present in the air through your body to achieve great feats. Allows one to interact with supernatural things, and perceive things others may not.

Unique/"Cheat" Ability: Suns Disciple - Wherever you go, the sun shines on your path. The sun illuminates you. Keeps you warm, and safe - and yet it burns. Burns you. Burns your foes. Burns everything. The sun of this world is not ruled by the goddess that bought you here. If you desire to strengthen it, seek them out yourself. As it is, you will steadily grow in physical power and endurance as the sun rises up until its peak, and steadily return to your normal strength as the sun falls, until night hits. At the moment, even during noon, you will gain only a minor boost to all physicals. Additionally, you have a minor affinity for Light-based magical feats.

Martial Art Prodigy: A skill denoting a preternatural affinity for the martial arts. At its current level, this ability merely increases your potential for learning martial arts, and does not denote a higher skill level than average. Keep honing your fists and pushing yourself. ("A skill denoting that she knows what she's doing currently, if not being experienced with it. Basically she adjusted to her new body.")

Sunlight (Lesser/Restricted): A skill in which denotes one as being able to cast basic ‘Light’ spells with minor ease. This ability however, has been modified by ‘Suns Disciple’. Spells cast from this family of spells will typically take a form befitting that of the Sun Goddess. Light spells typically are those of healing, restraint, and help. Yours however, take the shape of a burning sun in some fashion. (Something is preventing you from fully using this ability and causing them to be less effective and unstable).

Inventory:

-Clothing: Her initial set of clothing, consisting of what is seen in her appearance pic.

-Golden feather: A feather of unknown origin. Its warm to the touch, and gazing upon it fills you with confidence and a certainty of purpose to accomplish your goals.

-Old picture book: You’re not quite sure what it depicts, aside from various scenes involving what appears to be the God of knowledge and some others. A collection of tales involving him, perhaps? Maybe you should take some time to read it, or ask someone about it.

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