Double Capybara — Roleplayer Guild

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

Might: 35
Free Point: 4
Level 6

A collection of posts made in the last few months. One story deals with the higher castes of the Quara Korala, one story deals with Ilunabar changing the Arpeggio, then there are a few short moments about the Parade.

Piena and Chronicle are visiting the Quara Korala clan called Siddhikarah.
The whole clan decides to move into the Pictaraika.
This generates some trouble, so Chronicle has to go meet all the clans. 
(siddhikarah = magic dudes. mrigakarah = farming dudes. shantipala = pseudo-warrior caste. vaishya= swamp foragers. swapnatranta = artists)

Meanwhile, Ilunabar and the remaining divas set up four more template temples. 
Also Ilunabar changes the Arpeggio making it expotentially more stronk
Also, Ilunabar talks about slavery which is kinda not okay but it makes pretty stuff so she is turning an eye away.

The Grand Parade is going around galbar spreading megaliths. Get yours right now, call 37-777-GLAMOUR and order your very own monument.

Free point stuff: Architecture for the Korala Elite. Sheephearding Dogs. Elephant riding. Megaliths.

3 might remain.
0 FP.
Level 6.

The Quara Korala had a curious uniqueness to their existence. All species had direct deep intervention from a god or another, even the elementals that posed as a natural phenomenon were still the design of the divine whim. The Korala, however, were born from the land, survival for them was not proof of a god's perspective but the result of a long and arduous journey that started when the first Furl in the Deepwoods found itself peckish for better habitats. The scars of such "parade" were still present, be it as vestiges in their bodies, or old instincts that still caused them to fear long gone predators.

It was a blessing they were not blessed, that was the only conclusion Chronicle could make. They lacked the physical aptitude of the god-crafted species and were hardly specialized to do anything, yet they had a unique mind, free from divine-logic. Perhaps, that was why she did not see many temples among their cities, even the Grand Parade, supposedly a holy order under Ilunabar, felt more like two parties seeking a common goal than worship. Oftenly the parading priests' sweet words toward Ilunabar lacked true devotion, even if still rooted in respectful views.

| What do you feel about all 'Quara' | Chronicle asked suddenly to the Quara Korala who was waiting by her side while both waited for Piena.

"You mean, my people?" The elder asked.

| I mean Quara as it is said in your language, Two Legs. |

"Hmmm. I have no strong feelings about the subject. Quara Harcnon seems to be a diverse sort, hard to judge, I do wonder if they truly have a counterpart living in a distant star-world. Quara Nounlelic seems to be the most widespread race, I wonder if they will ever become aware of this. Quara Gesteq are sincerely quite rude, but we live close by, and we trade, and as long as we sometimes send illusionists to keep them in control, it seems we can live in peace. Quara Jousel... Quara Qnast... I have never seen, as they live in distant lands. There are others too right?" The elder was just excited to have a chance to talk.

| Right, but do you ever feel different from them? Perhaps, in a sense, superior? | she teased out of curiosity. 

"Superior? Oh no, not at all. Everyone has their place and..."

| But do you find them odd? Is there anything in their behavior you do not like? |

The elder who was once relaxed was now tense. "Well, they can be uncanny at times, and they do not seem to think too well, but nevertheless, just because they are different, that does not mean they are undesirable."

| Right. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. | 

So there was some realization of it all, even if they could not pin point where. It was understandable, Chronicle herself did not know what to make out of it.

"The portal and boats have both worked as expected," Piena said as she suddenly landed near them. 

"So we will be moving out soon?"

"Not yet, we need to gather the volunteer colonists first. Set up designs and landing zones. Among other things." She turned to her sister. "Until then, I would like to stay here with the Siddhikarah Clan"

| I will be staying too |

Piena took a second to understand what she had read. "You want to stay? Surely you have more work to do back in the Pictaraika..."

| Nothing that I cannot do here first. |

The Diva of Steel felt like arguing, there were still many things to do by Ilunabar's side, but she was exhausted from quarrels. "Do whatever you want." she dismissed.

=====

Most things that pleased a mortal were nothing for a god, however, there was a certain legendary level of quality which could bring joy to even the divine. The thermal waters of the Ironhearts combined with the delicate design of the dome roofed bath-house, with round walls covered in carmine colored clay, large marbles frame, and gold plated wall decorations in the shape of the sun and moons, their auric color contrasting nicely with the raw and dull red of the walls. In the corners of the marble frames, pearls the size of a man's head gave the finishing touch.

"Is it not amazing? How despite being a somewhat weak race, lacking in so many aspects, they are still able to build such wonderful structures beyond their time?" Piera declared as she turned to look at her red haired sister, who was relaxing under an artificial waterfall.

| I truly am amazed, though I have a small suspicion it might have a thing or two to do with the copious of divine subsidy given to them. | she answered sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be unfair, it is not that much... I just gave them some food and materials, compare it to what the other gods do!"

| I am not judging you for creating one of a kind wonders like these, but do not deny they are a result of you pouring materials and food into this society. If not for those, they would be hunting beasts and banging rocks together like 98% of Galbar. | While it was true Quara Korala never had their bodies changed, they were perhaps one of the most comfortable races in all of Galbar, thanks to their small demographics making it easy for the goddess to amply support their species.

"Most Quara do not even enjoy this easy life, just the five great clans." 

| It is not an issue, sister. | Chronicle sighed and left the bath, seeking the nearby balcony so she could gaze upon the realm which they were using as a base for their diplomacy at the moment.

In this cloudy day, most of the palaces nested in one of the Ironheart's peaks was hidden, even then, the spires of the building could easily be seen, all made with bushbeast ivory apparently. Needless to say, trimming in gold or details in gems were to be expected.

The Quara Korala that lived there were all born from the Siddhikarah clan or taken into its wings. The group was one of the most influential entities within the species, along with the Mrigakarah, the Shantipala, the Vaishya and the Swapnatranta. Each surname was quite literally the name of what the clan did or what they dealt with, which just showed how crucial they were to society. There was, of course, the majority of the Quara Korala population, paraders, who lived in the fishing villages or out in the world, carrying the Grand Parade. Those had far less contact with the higher planes of the world and had more arduous lives, even if still fully within the shade of being akin to lapdog species.

Korala numbers did not rise rapidly, either way, so keeping them oversupplied would not lead to overpopulation anytime soon. One that desired to leave the straw and bamboo villages behind, just needed to prove themselves to be good enough of an artist and soon enough a clan would approach them and apply their skills where they were needed.

Siddhikarah, for example, focused on jewelry, tailoring, and illusion, as well as materials such as paint, dyes, and ink. They were also very brooding, their mountainside palaces with rooms far larger than their small population could ever use, all meant to be used for meditation and such activities.

Even from up in the balcony, with the fog all around her, she could see the typical "Siddhan" walking by. Their body scales were smooth, small, and almost pearlescent. Pastel blue, yellow, beige, green. Rougher back and limb scales, smooth belly scales, the later being typical of a contrasting gray-white color, sometimes with a hint of purple due to the gleam and Glamour, and other times their color was the same as the rest of the body. Their head crest had far more edges/"spikes" than their siblings.

"The meeting is going to start soon, sister." Piena suddenly interrupted. "Let us get dressed, and see the terms the Quara Korala will provide us."

=====

"Are you sure this is fine?" Piena repeated, she expected a hard deal, she got something else entirely.

Chronicle was also somewhat confused. | This is quite a massive place, would be a shame to leave it abandoned. |

"We do not wish to split up the clan, and if we are to move to new lands, well, why not go fully into it?" One of the elders told.

"Someone will eventually find this palace one day or another, maybe that could help some of those Quara Gestec to have better taste." Another one added. Chronicle thought it was a woman, it was hard to tell, gender dimorphism was small in this species.

| They will break the gold off the trims, and mine the gems out of the walls. |

"What can be done? This zone was getting stale, and this will be a white canvas for us to build new wonders." Wanderlust was a common feeling within the species. From the lowest to the highest, it just seemed to build up in their blood with time.

"Quite frankly, I do not know what to tell, but if you are okay with this, I will be behind your project. Even so, a couple of you need to stay behind, the clan disappearing would be a disaster for the local economy."

The discussion continued until the night until finally the sisters were left alone in the room.

| Quara Korala housing will take more effort than the template temples at this rate. |

"It will be an experience for sure. A lot of the workforce will be the same nevertheless. Furthermore, they have clear designs in mind, unlike the temples, whose projects have been as consistent as vapors for a long time."

| Well, won't disagree. Anyway, under this situation, we will need to pay visits to all the other clans, no? |

"I am unsure, clans are tightly knit, information will spread fast, and I see that this will sadly be a general thing. They are proud groups, it would take a lot for one to stay behind, I fear the socio-economical repercussions of all this... Ah, maybe you could help me with this..." the diva turned to her youngest sister "I need to go back to Pictaraika, there are certain things I need to finish soon, you perhaps... could visit the other houses? I need a report on their situation."

Far away from all, in the farthest reaches of the Raka, almost in the borderlands between the many planes and Reality, Ilunabar gazed back onto her work, allowing herself a moment of introspection. It seemed like it was moments ago, but it had been a long while since she finally found the answer to the dream question, bringing a new age to Galbar, setting the path she would follow in the future.

Raka had grown, once it was a seedling you could easily see in its entirety, now analyzing the sheer amount of dream flowing through the skies was beyond the goddess, yet she could see a faint glow, the roots that formed the Pictaraika and anchored Raka to Reality, the tower, Arpeggio...

Suddenly the goddess dove back, greeting Notte who had just teleported into the plane.

"Lady Master, I brought what you asked, are you sure it is safe though? I would hate to start an apocalypse..."

"Do not be foolish Notte, the very implication is like a mockery of my work. I held Croma here, an Other made to feed on dreams! A normal one is no issue."

"Why an other though... I understand you wanted to pick something that had caused enough damage so it might deserve to die but..."

"What? This was not a moral choice, I just needed the most... adaptable creature from the branches of Reality." Ilunabar picked the Glamour-charged mirror in which Notte had captured the creature. "Stand back a bit."

The diva shivered at those words, rarely Ilunabar was this cautious, but she had no other choice but to believe her words. The goddess released the mirror to float away from both before releasing the small, 1 feet tall other onto the very raw flow of the Raka. No glamour aura on it or shielding of any sort.

The creature immediately writhed and flailed its tentacles, eyes racing from one side to the other. Before the first second, its body started to shake, phantom tentacles moved and disappeared in the paths its own tentacles had decided not to take, its very form started to shake, a Beyond Color aura that looked like red, green and blue around it. By the dawn of the first second, It started to release a sparkly magenta dust cloud, flashes of locations appearing near it.

"Have you ever noticed, Notte, that when we try to describe something we go directly for describing what it is, yet, all the times we had to create a new word, we defined the concept by noticing all the things it is not thus finding the need to give a name to the silhouette of the uncovered area" the goddess told. "I find the latter method to be more precise, but I am biased, Raka is subtractive, Reality is additive."

The otherling shifted its shape, the smoke continuing to encase its body, its body starting to change rapidly between a variety of substances and positions, while the cloud flashed all sorts of imagery. This continued to pace up, becoming increasingly harder to follow even for the goddess until the cloud and body collapsed onto each other. A flash of white, a flash of black, and the creature was gone, merely seconds after being released on the Raka.

"What just happened?" Notte gasped.

"It became too unstable, being everything therefore nothing." Ilunabar took a minute to ponder "The creature's conceptual existence was not compatible with how things work here, the same is true for the other way around... When both meet rawly, you have this odd effect, might call it anti-reality? counter-reality? All the wording sounds too grand. Glamour seems to be the link between both sides... How does it truly work? Is it raw concept? Is it translated dream? Realization...Realizitification... Hmmm" the goddess became distracted with the thought.

"Che... This is all a bit beyond me." the Diva sighed.

"For now, in the future perhaps you will find a hint of usefulness in this. Once the concept is easier to grasp."

The Mrigakarah home was impressively comely in comparison to the flamboyant and magnificent of the previous clan's home. Fortresses nested among hills near the coastland. Brown and beige stone buildings, walls and terraces forming the clan's compounds, though this being a Quara Korala noble land, jewels were still everywhere, such as encrusted in the very walls of the terraces with impeccable even if mortal symmetry, as well as one dotting every single archway between coves or buildings, the sapphire being the one of choice for such.

Green dominated the area, trees, hedges, including mazes made from those, and many, many artificial hills. One could easily believe those to be natural from one side, as the Korala gardening here really shone its ability to make nature bloom, however on the other side, there would be walls, certainly man made due to their use of carvings, bricks, and gems.

Mrigakarah were farmers, simple crafters of wood and stone and herders of sheep and ostriches. The shepherds here were the first to have dog companions to help them deal with the livestock, such ability was discovered by accident with a Pixiehound that Piena had gifted to the clan, now wild canines were being tamed as they were more reliable than the somewhat clumsy hounds. (Not that the Quara Korala didn't love them, though they fit better in a lap or pillow than in the fields.)

Most of the Quara Korala here have very earthly solid colors, green, brownish red, gray with some blue here and there. Their Patagium is naturally of either a red color, or a shade of their main bodily color. Their bellies typically are formed in rows, forming "stripes" of a beige color with a clear division between the main body and the belly, though a minority has rough scales, like cobble, with the division unclear. Their most unique feature, however, is their plumed sides, giving them something that can be said to be close to sideburns or a beard. 

All these things considered, one might conclude this to be a poorer area, which could not be further from the truth. Each mrigakarah area was a castle, made typically from rough brown stones or a soft beige plaster, both materials just making the gems encrusted in the designs more stand out even more. In the Siddhikarah clan, you might not even notice the large head-sized jade gems atop posts and spires, but go to a place like the Mrigakarah's Crows Island Fortress and you will probably see the fact every single merlon in the walls has an emerald before you notice the bright red roof or the stained glass windows of the castle.

Chronicle ended up meeting the leader of this clan in one of the sheep heard fields, it was an oddly designed place, buildings going down into the earth, only their roofs and domes sticking out, all green, perhaps to not disrupt the still landscape outside. The meeting hall, which the leader begged pardon for being "very simple" was one of the few non-bejeweled areas she saw: A circular room, marble floor of two colors and distributed in a pleasing way, the wall was part of the dome roof, starting in raw rock, an adorned lime division then ornamented concrete with intricate design, then a layer of smooth rocks, before ending the rest of the roof with another layer of carved rock, a sculpted symbol of the clan at the very center.

| I take you have heard the news by this point? | Chronicle wrote.

"Ah yes, most curious information, even if they were a bit odd timed." the elder told.

| Will you be moving too, I take? |

"Of course we will, though we will not take all of the family there, some are fearful to engage in castle building again."

| Fearful? Of what? |

"Oh, you know, walls collapsing, elementals raging, unforeseen natural disasters or ancient beasts being unleashed."

| Oh... that. |

"Nevertheless, you will have our support, it will be quite exciting to see new lands, even if in the end of the day it seems we will still be near the warm ocean water."

| Well, you will be near the Fractal Ocean instead, it is a bit different... Don't go for a swim |

The great chieftain gazed upon his subjects from atop his hillfort as they worked continuously into the great monument. A long time ago, when the mysterious traders first appeared, he had his doubts, confusing them with the other sort of wandering trader caravan, but now, gazing upon the large circle of rocks and how they aligned perfectly with the great sky above, his mind felt at ease.

He picked the necklace and crystal ball gifted to him long ago, wearing the former, he could see the vague shape of the full building within the first one. An amazing shrine, which would forever remind others of his brief time on the earthly realm but also guide him and his kin to the heavenly domain once the time to depart arrived. Or so he had been told.

Many new devices had to be taught to him for such endeavor to be possible, for example, the use of logs to roll the rocks across the ground or better and more durable ropes. In a certain odd timing, which he could only guess was a blessing of the gods for his good work, hunters in his village were able to develop an empathic relationship with one of the most fearsome creatures within their area, the elephant. Now those beasts showed their use not only helping to create the monument, but also as a handy addition to the raiding groups of the village, the sheer power and mobility quickly overpowering lesser neighbors within the area, providing the chief the slave workforce he needed to be able to produce such grandeur.

The goddess walked into the main tower of the illusory city of Em'Ef. Greeting the only Diva present at the moment, Piena.

"Oh, you are back from Shalanoir already? What are these guides in your hand?"

"Everything went easier than the expected, Chronicle is dealing with the last few minor issues." The diva turned to her lady master. "As for these papers, they are the guide for the next four temples."

"Oh! I see. Can I see them?" The goddess asked, but had already basically seized the project papers for herself before the question was finished.

The first four temples had been nicknamed Pond Garder, Glass Shrine, Sturdy Temple and Helix Tower. Piena had initially complained about such naming scheme, feeling like it took away from their value, but in the end, even she found it easier to talk about them with such terms over each Diva creating their own name. As a result, the new projects followed the naming motif.

Meimu had designed a vine garden, the design contained within a glass pyramid like building, multiple floors with terraces of hanging plants or even floating plants, such as the chime lily. Ilunabar could recognize re-used designs for planned gardens for the Celestial Citadel, which in the end never flourished.

Notte's design was odd, the Flare Shrine at first glance, it felt so simple, a square zone, the main shrine directly across the door, some side-rooms... but the details of the shrine made her mentality clear. "Fireworks...?". There were notes on various types of substances that could explode into bursts of colorful flares in the sky, a chemical one was possible but very hard to produce, so the Diva was forced to focus on other similar concepts, such as the glamour one, which created micro-aurora storms in the sky.

Piena's own design was something called "Adamant Temple". It was the one with the shortest description on maintenance, as Piena boasted about how the temple could last "10 millenniums after the initial construction with no effort put into maintaining it." Construction was perhaps a strong term to refer to it though, as it was fully carved from the mountain, gargantuan stairways and pillars leading into the temple de facto within the mountain. 

"If we are to have a gateway from the outside world into the Pictaraika, I think this would be the most fitting area for the gateway" Piena added upon noticing Ilunabar reading the project. "It is higher than usual within the mountain range and..."

"Have you read my report on how mortal reacts to raw dream reaching their real bodies?" the goddess asked.

"Not yet, I fear."

Ilunabar nodded "Well, your project might work, but I fear it will not be as easy as we initially predicted." with that, she continued onto the last project.

Chronicle had built a tower again, and yet again, the design was unclear of purpose or aesthetic message. It was a "Ring Tower" with multiple floors spiraling up in increasingly smaller sizes, this time with far less content, outside of a few stained glass windows. all floors contained holes, the base floor's one being meant to be built into a 'pond' in the future, Chronicle noting she still did not have the material to fill the pond, but that it would come soon enough.

"With these, we will be halfway through the construction of the temples, that is good, the more the Pictaraika is concluded, the better it is for what I will do next."

Piena raised an eyebrow "And that is?"

"I have been thinking about design lately. My designs and the designs of my siblings... " The goddess explained carelessly. "Do you ever look back and feel like you could have done better? I am feeling that right now."

"Well, of course! If I were to build Alefpria today, everything would be so much different thanks to all I learned since then as well as the materials and techniques available. What is the project you feel like is becoming outdated though?"

"Something older than Alefpria, something older than many things. If the Pictaraika is the Crown of Dreams, then I can describe it as the Sceptre."

Piena's eyes widened. "The Arpeggio? Do you want to change it? Master, I... are you sure it is necessary? Given the current situation, and all things considered, I cannot be certain that would be wise."

"It is. The Raka is not simply a plane idly floating around Reality, it was not made to hide or control, it was made because it needed to exist, like a reflection or a shadow... In a sense, not dissimilar from death and afterlife to life. Do you understand the responsibility that implies?" the goddess touched the crystal table in the middle of their luxurious meeting place within the top of Em'Ef.

"I understand the Arpeggio does its job well, and that it is still my most advanced and delicate design. But why wait until it shows its limitations and flaws?" images started to flash above the table.

"We have mastered so many things since its creation! We now understand colors, the visible ones and the ones beyond. Flowers too! Can you believe it? We projected the Arpeggio with no idea of how nature worked. And I won't claim I understand the gift of Life bestowed upon this world, but we sure understand natural designs so much better. And what can I even tell about Aesthetic? The Arpeggio does follow many of your rules Piena, but why not bring it to its limit. Glass and Jewelry? Do you realize that Piena? There are no mirrors or gems in the Arpeggio."

Even the Diva of Steel was having issue fully following her master as she shared her thoughts and designs. "Well, when you put it on that way..."

"Beyond that, we have so much more experience now. So many more planes have risen around us ever since, there is no consideration for spatial changes within our universe, similar to Orbs of Darkness and the Submaterium. Julia has given us glimpses of life beyond, the current Arpeggio is very limited in the realm of the non-euclidean even though dreams often bend all notions and senses. Further considerations must be taken about the Gap, defenses mostly, but it would be neat if we could replicate the leaking factor better with our Glamour. Also, were you with me when Conata and Kinesis were made? Have you ever seen Teknall's workshop and how everything connects and has all sorts of responsive behavior?"

"I do not think I have..." she was not allowed further room for response, as soon Ilunabar interjected.

"And what can I even say about mortal behavior? Vestec and Niciel have provided some interesting insights on how these things work, also Reathos. Lifprasil too... How could I forget, Lifprasil, maybe Amartia to an extent? Emotions, Sin, such concepts provide me with deeper insight into the mortal mind, how it reacts, how it thinks. Of course, I have my own feedback, the Index itself is worth so many changes, but I cannot imply all my investment into Lifprasil has not paid dearly. And the Grand Parade, heh, Galbar is now flourishing under my influence, and it resonates back. Phantasmagoria was merely the first step."

"Right. But outside of the realms of ideas... Do you have a concrete design? Not to doubt you..."

"I do. It is ready. Improved, far better interaction with the rest of my work and room for further expansions without much effort, there is just one piece missing. The reactor, the very heart of the Arpeggio. I need to expand it to be able to withstand the expanding Raka, I need to design it to be more potent, as simply the collapsing logic of the Touneric Reactor is not enough."

"Hmmm. I fear I do not have anything to provide on that area. Please pardon me, but it seems like you already took all my aesthetical considerations into the design."

"I did... Do not worry. These things simply show up eventually. We just need to continue our work, for the greater beauty of this world. That alone provide all the answers."

Next on the list was the Vaishya clan. Deep within Shalanoir, in perhaps one of its less scenic areas, where if truly felt like a marsh made from the biomass of countless dead beings instead of a lush jungle of gleam and life. Buildings here were oddly contrasting. On one side, you have large, squarish buildings made from large stone bricks, around these buildings though, straw huts far more common to the lower classes of the Quara Korala. It was still a noble clan though, while that was clear in the large fortification, the huts were not as simple as they looked, most of them containing a terracotta chamber within them.

To fight the dim murky swamp, vibrant colors are employed where possible. The thatched roofs of the huts are typically mostly of one color, but with the details made using rarer sorts of fibers, either as part of the thatch or interlaced rings adding a horizontal line to the vertical lines of the roof. The same can be seen in the stone buildings, which typically use two types of stone in their design for the sake of not looking like boring blocks, sometimes, they also have colorful details in terracotta or painted carvings on the walls. The inside of one of the straw buildings is typically of a deep copper color, typical of the Shalanoir Terracotta, and will typically house at least one metallic brooch with one of the prides of the Vaishya clan on them: The Swamp Pearl, most of them so big that a human teenager would have trouble hugging them. The other pride was the Candle Amber, of a vivid orange color and a soft glow. Fun fact, the pearl is actually amber and the amber is actually a pearl.

Quara here are typically shorter than average, their scales are rough, and the belly area has scales with a certain sheen to them, forming horizontal lines like the Mrigakarah, the difference these are more curly instead of straight. One unique sight on here are the spotted crest patterns, where in most other clans they follow the color of the face, even on the ones without a spot, their crests still have a gradient scheme, the shape itself is a bit taller and longer, forming something almost like horns. Body colors are typical of muddy brown, moss green, copper orange and purple-ish blue.

Chronicle met the locals here in a fortress, the compound starting out in the swamp, before going shortly into a broken mountain section, finally opening up in a large open sky hollow formed long ago by the collapsing of this small bit of the Ironhearts. Needless to say, of all clans, this one was the one with the least amount of willing members to move out.

| It is a good thing you are less in a rush to move though. Your group will be the one the closest to the Panthalei swamp, so we would like to explore it with a limited number first and be sure it is colonizable. |

"The prospect of a new swamp to colonize is surely interesting, please do not take we holding back as an insult to that land. It is just that here is nice, unlike our siblings, we have just recently built this compound. The wanderlust is not really boiling in our blood yet."

The earth rumbled and the dust danced as the elemental followed the caravan's trail, quickly approaching the group of Quara which stayed calm, following their path as planned. Not many parading bands existed in the world, and while Ilunabar had been clear they would never be fully protected, it was also clear their path was blessed, premonitory dreams warning of dangers ahead, and one time the Diva of Glass outright appeared and persuaded a dozen of raiding bandits to turn the other way with a mix of charisma and a thousand obsidian blades floating over their head.

"Wanders, I demand you to stop!" the elemental told, and the travelers did as they were asked, the animals being a bit hard to stop due to the thundering voice, but eventually they all complied.

"Something amiss sir?" the marshal asked, stepping out. "I hope we did not trespass into your lands. If so, I am sorry and I guarantee we will be gone as soon as we can."

"That is not it." the elemental took form, a giant the size of two humans and a hain. It looked down on the squishy mortals with a huge frowning face. "You all are followers of the goddess Ilunabar?"

"We are in good terms with her, yes. Though I'd say it is more about two entities following similar objectives."

"Yes would have been enough, wander," it told at its own slow pace, it was thankful this one was still a fledgling earth elemental, tales of the infamous times the older ones took to speak were told way too often for it to be just a mean stereotype. "As most elementals, I am not interested in most of the work of that deity. However, the last group of your people that traveled these lands gave a hain chieftain the idea to build a gigantic likeness of her face on a rock. I found that to be in poor taste, I have yet to react to it, as it is so close to the Hain Village that the falling rocks from the monument would likely crush their little heads. However, holding back has been hard."

"Oh, so you want a monument for you?"

"That... Is a possible solution. As long as my face is bigger, it would turn that insolent thing into a reminder of the hierarchy of this land." The face had not shown any expression yet. "Would your group built it?"

"Ah, no, not really. We are not the stone chipping sort of people really, we lack the stamina. However, why not just demand the hair village to build that for you? They are already used to the idea, surely they can figure out how to copy your awe inspiring semblance onto the rock."

"You think the mortals would do it if I proposed it to them?"

"That would imply giving them a choice. And I am not saying for you to threaten them, but surely you have kept the strong winds, raging floods and voracious flames of your siblings away from this land, right? That got to warrant some sort of payback from the villager's side."

The elemental thought about the proposal, staring at the little lizard man for a good time, unmoving and brooding, the whole caravan by his side becoming increasingly bored to the point they set up camp. "You have a point, mortal. It just adds more to the offense caused by that chieftain too. I will need to set things straight."

With that, the living boulder started to move away, sinking into the ground, and darting towards the village. The marshal smirked, just as predicted by the muse on his last night's dream.

Among the dry lands of the north-eastern shores of Shalanoir, one of the great clans of the Quara Korala lived. After visiting so many great palaces and luxurious castles, one might look at the base of the Shantipala and feel like it is a dull region, a quick trip across Galbar and most of its towns should fix that, as this land is full of great fortresses with advanced structures and a sense of aesthetic, there is no running away from that fact it does not sport as many riches as the other clans, that is easily understandable when one considers the role the Shantipala play, they are the diplomats and the frontline. It is here that trade with other species happens, so the whole land is built with ruggedness in mind.

Most of the buildings are built with a dark red-brown stone, used in a rough manner. The secondary material, typically showing up only in the frames of windows and in some buildings, is what is called sandstone, because of its sand-like texture and color. Interiors are simplistic and clear, again, lacking gems except for a few below average sized swamp pearls, all of them taking looking black instead of green due to the local dry and hot climate. Abundance in metal was still a thing even in this martial area, large spiked towers of iron were built, and many buildings had some sort of iron band, ring, trim or spike in its structure. All always looking perfectly sharp and placed in high areas so one doesn't touch it and reveal the illusion behind it all. Noble buildings use another sort of trickery in their design, still being Korala, the Shantipala clan could not stand for no sort of nobility in their design, so they were given a method to make a paste with a metallic gleam to it, they place that in the borders of their highest and richest buildings and call it "Summer Bronze" due to its bright yellow-ish white color.

Being the martial clan, this is also the only compound where you can find armor and weapons in the open. Bronze is the rule here, though, as always, trickery is the key. Fog and Mirrors come into battle to blind opponents. Poison is used to absurd extents, not only on the tips of spears and arrows but often stealthily added to supplies of enemies. Armor is made to always look to be in a better condition than what it truly is, and many Korala in leather is made to look like they are wearing bronze armor. They themselves created the legend of the Phantom Wing, a supposedly elite force above all else, wearing armor made of Summer Bronze and sending rains of cursed arrows with gem tips. In truth, there is no such thing, being merely an aesthetic change that is made in the soldier's uniform when the battle is assured to be won with crushing advantage. While it is surely less brave than most Galbarian species' methods, the Quara Korala have a clear weaker body than most, caused by the lack of blessings or direct divine will in their creation.

The Shantipala have by far the bulkiest body structure of any of the Quara Korala clans, wide torsos despite the average size make them look far more imposing than the sleek ethnicities of most other clans, while also having a far more muscular look than the swamp dwelling Vaishya. Their bodies have a very leathery texture, with rich lizard-like colors of grays and greens, with some desert orange and beige here and there, this is the only group where their main bodies show patterns, typically spots, but some stripes are a rare sight. Their belly scales are rough, with a line pattern, and often in sand-beige or clay-orange colors.

"Ah, so we are truly moving between continents huh?" the elder told. "Ever since we first landed here, we have expected it..."

| You expected it? |

"Expected what?" the elder shook his head "Nevermind that. Moving out will be nice though, we will, of course, keep watch here, but to move away from those ugly trolls and goblins will be nice."

| Yes, you will be quite far from those in the new land... |

"Shame we always used so much poison on their bandits though... We are too used to use poisoned arrows... I have always wondered..."

| Wondered what? |

"You know, they might look hideous... But I think they could hide something nice inside them... Hmmm. With some pepper, and herbs, grilled just right."

| Please don't eat sentient beings. |

"Huh? I am very sure crocodiles are not sentient. We always fight them off the rivers. Their teeth make nice necklaces, want me to get you a fresh one later?"

| No thanks, sadly I kinda need to get going now, to do things at somewhere very far from here. |

"Are you truly fine with the current situation? The reports of the Parade are somewhat worrisome. Slavery is becoming such a common thing in Galbar... It is saddening. And I know we must have the megaliths done before the dawn of organized societies and metal warfare, yet, I feel we are just legitimizing something we all agreed was something bad."

Ilunabar stared at Meimu for a few moments, nodding to her conclusions, drinking a fresh serving of tea made in The Garden. "I understand the worry, but we must not nanny Galbar. It would be joyful for us to simply make all governments into more open places that do not persecute their citizens, yet, that would steal mortals from natural growth and a genuine path into such heights. Furthermore, there is beauty in oligarchy and nobility we cannot allow ourselves not to explore."

"Yes, I understand the later point, but we had limits, did we not? Not selling certain substances in exchange for work, for example." Meimu countered. "Such levels of subjugation do too much damage to local culture and... it is bloating civilization too much, they are advancing fast, like grasshoppers."

Ilunabar smirked softly. "Ah! So there is the reason of the complaint. But surely, I admit I am being somewhat negligent and allowing even my own projects use slave work. It is a child of the situation, I will work against it when trade and organization become more robust." she placed a hand on her chin. "Though you do raise the question of the empires... Logos did solve some of our problems in a sinister way, but we need to think our next step carefully. I do not wish to see cultures being subjugated far and wide, yet, with so many dangers on the horizon, I need the stronger pieces to stay in the game."

Meimu sighed "I wish this was as simple as gardening."

"It will be. We just need a larger sample. Which is why, as I said, we cannot be too protective, otherwise, we might end with a Valley of Peace or Korala situation on a global scale."

The diva nodded. "Well then, if you excuse me, Lady Master, I need to prepare some Fine-Tuned."

Ilunabar saw her diva stop the Caurosel-like brass tower which had appeared along with Chronicle and The Orgel, once she was out, the machine started to move again. With the silver gleam of the evernight bathing the Iarapahira Ocean, it was quite a charming location, especially when the artificial light of the pseudo-machine shone in a bright metallic color. The muse looked up, observing the drawings, of the second floor moving in the opposite direction of the larger roof of the first floor. Then it started to dawn on her, the synchrony of that design, the way it worked in opposite yet harmonic manner.

Quickly, the goddess willed a few project sheets to appear on her hand, and she started to sketch something new on the Arpeggio. Upon completion, she looked at the paper and smiled, quickly teleporting away from Reality and deep into the Raka.

The Arpeggio had a quite simple structure, fully made from the substance that felt like metal and root combined, which was also the component of the "roots" that grew from the Raka into Pictaraika. While that worked as a core tower, Ilunabar felt it was safe to now give an outer shell. Not only now she could use metal, gems, mirrors and flower-like structures, but after studying the endless flow of dreams within the Raka, she knew much more about forming solid substances within the ever-changing plane.

She clapped her hands and sparkles flew toward the tower, a glittering frame work formed around the immeasurable tower, from near the burbling and murmuring chaos all the way up to the solid roof of collapsing logic. In the spaces between the frames, blurred figures started to form, waving like the vision of an object underwater when seen from the surface. Slowly, those gained definition, huge walls forming.

The goddess expected many things for this upgrade. A better defense of the mind of mortals. A better hold onto nightmares, which she hoped to study better soon. The ability to create facilities within the Raka, either within the tower, which now had a hallowed zone within it fit for construction, but also with the use of permanent dreamscapes, which she hoped would now be so easy to make, they could even for naturally. Maybe she could even get more dream beings such as The Griffin. The Arpeggio now ran on the same logic as the Pictaraika, which made things easier to work with, for example, the use of mirrors.

The flew upward the tower, shooting more sparks that created large details, some aesthetic, like rows of statues, others with use. All of the effects would need to be studied later though, as she needed to focus on the core component of it all.

Flying into the Tounic Reactor, which continued to churn logical paradoxes into chaos, the goddess started to build her structure around it, dull mirrors and crystalline frames raising from the ground, forming a perfect circle. 

"The phrenic vortex of the oneiric callikinesis machine is almost ready, the addition of raw additive logic should increase the capabilities of the machine once that is converted into the subtractive rules of Raka." she started to focus her energy on her palms. "I just need to kickstart it all, and the deep ethereal surge should start. If my theory about reflections is right, it will all move smoothly."

With that said, the goddess infused an absurd amount of energy into the structure. There was a strong flash of pure energy that overtook all of Raka, forcing Ilunabar to close her eyes for a second, when she opened them up,  the crystalline structure had started to move and the mirrors were no longer dull, now instead reflecting all of Reality at once, the image whirling at speeds beyond comprehension even for a god. The goddess could feel how that increased the range of the Raka and the power within the Arpeggio. 

Swapnatranta. The name alone, loosely translated to dream weavers, told Chronicle what to expect in the last area she was visiting. It was obvious artists would be the top of the society in the society one of her Divas influenced, though a mere glance into their home would reveal that of all the pampered Quara societies, this one was the one at the top.

The Quara Korala here have large round scales with an almost metallic sheen to it, the main body colors range between blue and green tones, sometimes being mixed into aquamarine, while sometimes lacking both, resulting in a platinum color. The sides of their crest, crown and also their spine scales usually take more vibrant colors, some even show something like a gradient change of color in their body. They are about as tall as a siddhikarah and are the one group with colored eyes, while most outside have black or silver eyes, here they have varied shades of blue, green, orange and purple.

The constructions are in an area of ragged valleys among the land the remains of the many hills and mountains violently torn by Toun when he made the white ocean. Being over Shalanoir, this land has a true "castle over the clouds" feeling to it, the ground below rarely seen.

The architecture blends many styles of other clans while also adding many unique features. Buildings are typically built from bricks made using two materials, the pearlstone is a rare white stone with a very faint iridescence to it, as such, this stone is typically seen only in details such as the quoin on the corners of buildings, the other material is a very white-pink limestone. Some rare buildings, typically temples, use a mauve colored plaster. Both of the stone types are very sensitive to daylight coloration, as such, in the morning they are typically pink-ish, in the evening, they have a more beige if not brown tone, and when under artificial light or on an overcast day, they look far more white.

The roof of the castles is far more pointy than in other regions, and like in Mrigakarah, it is typical for each building to use a different roof tile color. Like Siddhikarah, there is a high use of round towers. Like Shantipala, the illusory summer brass is a favorite for the structure of windows and archways. Finally, the swamp pearl is very common, typically in raw green or tinted to orange or violet. Most glass here is colored green, even when used for stained-glass art. Another common visage of green are the many statues, archways or even furniture, such as benches and tables made from jade.

Life for swapnatranta is perhaps more idyllic than the already idle life of most clans. Most are artists, such as writers, musicians or painters. They have a distaste for more heavy or even medium work, so professions such as tailoring or even sculpting are not all that common, though they know how to create plans for outfits and statues. Their most valuable resource, however, are architects, with their great notion of space and savvy aesthetic, they are the main providers of construction plans, which is why the best of each region can be found in their own manors.

"Hmm, I have to say you are quite late to share such news." the elder of this clan was a quite young one, in truth, they cycled through a lot the position among themselves.

| I suspected I was late the moment I left Siddhikarah. Which is why I left your home for last. | 

"Ah I see, it is logical... So, that new land... I have already been shown the so called temple the grand parade will be using by the Diva Piena. It is... not too bad, though I would have preferred if she had called us to design it, all in all, it is only fair the headquarters of the Parade is within our style, and not, you know, that. So much bare rock, and granite walls are so hovel-like, we could do better."

| Well, it was supposed to be a personal project, for the first one she wanted to focus on the basics. |

"Mhmm, the basics indeed. Well, it seems our clan as a whole will not be living there so maybe we could make our homes elsewhere. Perhaps near that shrine with the pretty stained-glass windows?"

| Oh, I do not think you will be living within the temple's region, some Quara will, but we are not managing those with a pure clan-bound workforce. |

"Ah, that is actually relieving, that means we can continue to focus on what matters instead of, you know, maintenance and other earthly tasks."

| Oh for sure. I do not think it was a plan to ever use your kin to do such tasks. In fact, those temples probably won't even be full Quara workforce, we might employ some Humans and Hain along with the Marionettes. |

"Ugh, really? The bone-beaks and the nipple people... Oh, sorry, did not mean to be too mean..."

| Not the worst I heard, honestly. |

"Well, I mean, if you leave the basic tasks to them, they can probably do it. Rovaick ... ?"

| Cannot say those are not considered, but right now that are no clear plans of employing them under the Parade. |

"I see. As always, most things seem to be planned out well. Nevertheless, even if that was not the case, we cannot leave our siblings... all out for themselves. I mean, not to insult, but without our plans, it will all be bare rock and simple walls. Furthermore, across the time our architects have thought about new ways to deal with old problems, surely we can improve where before we failed."

| Speaking of which, is it truly fine for many of the castles your clan designed to just be left behind to slowly fade into ruins? |

"Of course. We do it more for the sake of doings in, furthermore, it is not our resources which are being wasted anyway. Maybe some outposts will be taken over by other species who will finally get a glint of what life is like out of their hovels... but they probably will just chirp the marble, steal the gems and melt the metals, fully wasting the opportunity to have something akin to comfort and glory." the elder sighed. "Again though, not my problem..."
Double Capybara Member

Thank you for releasing me

Status

Recent Statuses

Bio

Most Recent Posts
