She takes the form of a human woman, tall and thin, though the finer details change in phases much like the moon, sometimes her skin is of a pallid copper tone while in others its pale white, sometimes her hair is long or short, her clothing maintains a constant elegant style, predominantly black textiles, gold and platinum jewellery and flowing capes with details in muted colours.
Personality:
She is a passionate woman with a true love for the world and mortals, she presents herself as reasonable, a warrior whose sword is the shield of all that is gentle and delicate, a crusader against the brutality and savagery of the world. In her mind, however, the sources of such troubles are simple, the tyranny of the sun. With particular zeal, she believes in a great conspiracy where the world was once gentle and starlit, but one greedy star decided to be bigger, scorching the land and blinding the mortals with its light.
With a belief so different from what most believe, she is forced to face the reality of a world that sees the sun in a positive light and holds the shadows as sinister. This twists her whole existence into constant coping, manifesting sometimes in bitter ramblings and mistrust, other times in exaggerated acts to make the night more pleasant than day. In truth, her whole "reasonability" is in truth closer to "tolerance" or "staying quiet for the sake of civility" as there is no true reasoning with her, she believes she is right, all others are at best blinded and misguided or at worse conspiring for the forces of light.
Will:
Darkness. The Sun will be exiled to the Horizon, peeking at the land but never again reigning in the skies. In an age of eternal twilight, gods and humans with eyes healed from the blinding light will once again learn to appreciate the gentle shadow. There will be no more man with burning ambitions and a will to set the world ablaze to fulfil it, no more slaves wasting away tending fields under the scorching sun. Instead, the world will be an eternal evening, where work is gentle and every village is filled with the sound of music and laughter, people's mind will be free of impossible dreams and distant glories and they will learn to be content and mindful, in this world the vilest of men will be at worst romantic figures of palace schemers or noble thieves, battles fought in personal duels and not by the sacrifice of armies.
Dzallitsunya does not seek to destroy the other gods or cast them away, even the ones who are sinful agents of the blinding light, they will be allowed to exist and maintain their realms within her new world order, of course, she herself will be the leader, a philosopher queen of the pantheon above all others, a more than deserved position after she brings down the usurper star and guarantees eternal peace.
She takes the form of a human woman, tall and thin, though the finer details change in phases much like the moon, sometimes her skin is of a pallid copper tone while in others its pale white, sometimes her hair is long or short, her clothing maintains a constant elegant style, predominantly black textiles, gold and platinum jewellery and flowing capes with details in muted colours.
Personality:
She is a passionate woman with a true love for the world and mortals, she presents herself as reasonable, a warrior whose sword is the shield of all that is gentle and delicate, a crusader against the brutality and savagery of the world. In her mind, however, the sources of such troubles are simple, the tyranny of the sun. With particular zeal, she believes in a great conspiracy where the world was once gentle and starlit, but one greedy star decided to be bigger, scorching the land and blinding the mortals with its light.
With a belief so different from what most believe, she is forced to face the reality of a world that sees the sun in a positive light and holds the shadows as sinister. This twists her whole existence into constant coping, manifesting sometimes in bitter ramblings and mistrust, other times in exaggerated acts to make the night more pleasant than day. In truth, her whole "reasonability" is in truth closer to "tolerance" or "staying quiet for the sake of civility" as there is no true reasoning with her, she believes she is right, all others are at best blinded and misguided or at worse conspiring for the forces of light.
Will:
Darkness. The Sun will be exiled to the Horizon, peeking at the land but never again reigning in the skies. In an age of eternal twilight, gods and humans with eyes healed from the blinding light will once again learn to appreciate the gentle shadow. There will be no more man with burning ambitions and a will to set the world ablaze to fulfil it, no more slaves wasting away tending fields under the scorching sun. Instead, the world will be an eternal evening, where work is gentle and every village is filled with the sound of music and laughter, people's mind will be free of impossible dreams and distant glories and they will learn to be content and mindful, in this world the vilest of men will be at worst romantic figures of palace schemers or noble thieves, battles fought in personal duels and not by the sacrifice of armies.
Dzallitsunya does not seek to destroy the other gods or cast them away, even the ones who are sinful agents of the blinding light, they will be allowed to exist and maintain their realms within her new world order, of course, she herself will be the leader, a philosopher queen of the pantheon above all others, a more than deserved position after she brings down the usurper star and guarantees eternal peace.
One after another the logs were split in half, added to the pile which would be later used to feed the fire. Some people would question why a god would bother with such a repetitive menial task, the word to describe such people was “idiot”. Someone wouldn’t be a hunter if they could just weave their hand and have the meat and fur show up neatly separated, no, Tuku’s domain was an ephemeral one, and perhaps because of that the god enjoyed meeting their needs through proper effort and craft even in tasks quite distant from hunting. It was relaxing, or rather, it felt like without these little routines they would be at best stressed and at worst slowly going mad.
However, today Tuku’s heart wouldn’t be properly attended to because out of nowhere, they heard a voice. It was not a rat this time, possibly the opposite of it, it was the voice of their progenitor. He had made announcements, the booming voice wasn’t surprising, but the hushed message that came after was completely new and gave the masked god some pause.
”Tuku, my Master of the Hunt, I require your aid.”
It was chilling, the soft cold wind that carried the message, the bloody implication of it all, nothing good could require the father of all gods to require a hunter, this was no request born out of a cherished ring or shirt becoming lost among the many rooms of the palace.
No point in theorizing, however, that was foolishness incarnate, the god of the hunt merely moved up the mountains and upon reaching the peak, looked at the sun, making it clear to their father that they had heard their summon and were ready to move back to the palace. Yet, the Divine Palace was almost blocked from sight by the dark clouds that seemed to stretch on and on, going past the seas and into the horizon. After a moment of inspection, a rift opened in front of the hunter, revealing the patron of the gods sitting upon His throne.
He extended a hand, beckoning for Tuku to enter His palace, off of Galbar and away from the ever consuming darkness of the clouds that cast its baleful touch across the world. He leaned forwards in the Jade Throne, His gaze cast firmly upon the Gods of the Hunt, an unnerving and unrelenting gaze.
”Come, Tuku, we have much to do and such short time.”
The god of the hunt found themselves impressed, an era of living in the wilds boasting about their independence and yet as soon as they came face to face with the progenitor god their body almost forced to reposition, taking a far more polite stance than they had taken for any sibling, it was bothersome but not something they could afford to grumble about at the moment.
“I see. Well. I am at your service then father.” by now they were already inside the palace, looking back as the rift closed. ”What is it that needs to be so urgently hunt…” the phrase didn’t complete itself in their mind and the mask almost betrayed a shock, a cold shiver ran down their spine as for a moment a terrible possibility showed itself up, that they would be requested to hunt a sibling. They didn’t appreciate them, and hated a few, and desired to hunt one for sport but it was all in good fun, at least in their mind it was, nothing close to kinslaying.
”A god-killer.”
The Monarch of All’s statement resonated throughout the chamber, the weight of the words seeming to convey the prospect of hunting a sibling. Yet, the tone of those words did not signify the same weight, cast without anything other than dire seriousness that wrought all the attention in the world. Then, He rose from His throne, towering over Tuku and looking to the Galbar that was in perfect view of the Jade Throne. All that could be seen, all that was focused upon, was the dark clouds that consumed Termina and the oceans around it. The Monarch of All would speak again, the weight of His words unchanging as His gaze continued to pierce the very heart of the Galbar, a hatred becoming clear.
”A beast beyond all reckoning that would seek to undo all that I have built.”
There was a difference between scary words and words that you feared, Tuku loved one and hated the other, this was the type they enjoyed. Their posture relaxed and one hand touched rubbed behind their neck, right by the side of that bow that was almost as old as they were. ”Well, that is something I didn't know existed, but as it turns out, there are many unexpected things in this world. I like it that way however.”
”But Father… Which god? Or even, gods? I sensed the deaths, my domain is more delicate than one would guess, that no rabbit has ever been lucky again to escape an arrow I was sure would hit, that the movements of the sea creatures changed as the flow of the sea went from vigorous to flabby. I want to know the name we will avenge today.”
The Monarch of All turned to look at Tuku before His voice echoed an answer, naming the one who had been brought so low but the likes of a mere beast that had escaped its cage. He motioned to the great seas of His realm, making the answer clearer and clearer with each passing moment.
”Ao-Yurin. Surely, you have felt that the seas obey none anymore.”
The god of the hunt nodded, and pulled over an arrow. The seas then. No use for my bow down there, tried once, the waters fight against the movement more than the wind, now that it’s a corpse it fights even more, or rather, it doesn’t, stands there. they shrugged and pressed against the arrow, the metal tip and the shaft fused into one, the shape changed, stretching, until what the god of the hunt held was a harpoon.
”This fits better, travels faster, hits harder and sticks to prey. I imagine a god-killing beast will have too thick of a hide but we can figure it out as we go.”
”It can bleed. I am sure your weapon will be more than enough.”
The Monarch of All before the rift opened behind Tuku, this time leading to the oceans, where no land was in sight and the darkness consumed all. A solitary stream of blue, luminescent lights surged through the water, a great beast to be sure, but not Tuku’s query. There was no divine power coming from the massive beast and the Monarch of All stepped past the hunter, stepping onto the water as the great beast raised its head to greet its master. The Ruler of Divinity, raised a hand to set upon its head, a scar blemished the face of the mountainous serpent, running from snout to one of the great fins that extended a hills length down. The Monarch of All let out a sigh of annoyance, speaking to the serpent for a mere moment in a chastising manner.
”I told you to wait, Zhongcheng, not to try and fight it.”
Turning back to Tuku, He spoke once more, his tone serious as to the weight of their hunt, the powerful query that was no doubt waiting for them in the waters that surrounded them. The Monarch of All, threw a leg over the serpent as he spoke, taking the great tendrils on Zhongcheng’s neck as if they were reigns.
”Know that should we fail in killing the creature, it could spell the end of life on this world.”
The blank face of the masked god stared and then nodded slowly. ”It will fall. Everything does eventually, but this one shall meet its fate today.” they turned and looked at Zhongcheng ”Cool pet by the way.” and with that they swam forward, trying to get the first glimpses at the hunting ground where apparently the fate of the world would be decided. All that could be spotted below was darkness, impenetrable darkness of the depths of the deepest parts of the seas. It was an open ocean, and yet, the pitch black layers of the ocean still bared life, strange life that knew no light or warmth, save for those that huddled around heat vents. The floor was flat, for the most part, the only change in terrain being even further drops that led into trenches truly devoid of any life, the pressure of the water being broken great for mortals of any kind.
The god of the hunt has personally never gone so far deep down, it was new ground, but the god was quick to adapt, to learn the senses that were useful and the ones that became meaningless this deep down. Raising their staff, they started to survey the land for tracks and hints of where this beast could be, unlike in the surface where the staff was kept aloft, this time the god gently struck it against the sea floor producing a humming clink sound that traversed the dark still waters. In lands so still, the smallest vibration of the sound denounced all the shapes within range, from the smallest shells and the small animals that hid within it to the crevices and failures of the stone. This rhythm produced a response, one that matched the vibration that Tuku produced with each jab.
The trench, there was a digging, a tunneling of something massive trying to burrow its way further and further into the Galbar. The vibrations themselves seemed malevolent, opposed to the water that had been created by a shard of the Monarch of All. That was it, the beast, the terrible pariah that had shown its face not too long ago.
Tuku stopped and analysed the situation, pondering over the creature and its massive size, he had expected something big but this was greater still than his imagination could construct. The god sighed. ”The creature is entrenching itself into Galbar, like a scared rodent. the god commented. ”We could try to deprive it of water, close the opening, drain the water with a rift, let the trench turn into a cave. Is such a thing possible?” the god questioned, it was clearly beyond his capabilities, but the Monarch of All was way beyond his own limits.
”That would do little to it. It’s not dependent upon the water, besides that would not stop it from merely tunneling away. I take it that you have found it?”
The Monarch of All’s answer produced no vibration, not that Tuku would feel it as the Monarch of All had not followed so deeply into the oceans, content to let the hunter god do their work. The voice of the Almighty was radiating within Tuku’s soul, providing a deep warmth as the light graced the hunter’s mind.
The god nodded. ”Aye. Down there. Going deeper and deeper. Not many options of approach that are not obvious. Good side, once in there, no way out until either it or us are dead.”
”Indeed. But, that does mean it will fight with everything that it will have to survive. Are you ready for such a fight?”
The god stopped and walked around a bit as if bothered by something, while their movements themselves were unbothered by the water. ”Realistically? No idea. A creature that makes you cautious should make me fear for my life. But on the other side, there are many new things in this world this creature has never experienced, blind spots and such. Well, enough speculation, let us go into the practice of this hunt.”
And so the Hunt began to reach its zenith; with Zhongcheng circled above and the Monarch of All slowly descending further into the ocean in order to do battle with the beast. Yet, as the Monarch of All sank, Tuku felt an essence float from the trench, one that stank of anathema to all that was the Supreme’s creation. There was silence, the motions that the beast had made came to a complete halt as the ichor floated upwards until it was well clear of the trench. Then, as if commanded, the ichor became a solid form, a blade, that shot itself towards the Monarch of All at speeds incomprehensible to mortalkind. The water behind it parted behind it only to collapse back and send out shock waves and vibrations that became deafening in the water.
It was clear, the Pariah could sense the holy light of the Monarch of All and honed upon it as a shark to blood.
The masked god cursed at himself for having not fully noticed the issue before it was too late, god to god combat was new. But the god quickly adapted, not bothering with helping the monarch as they reasoned the ancient one would be able to deflect a simple blade, they took no time to set eye upon their prey. Though all senses now failed him, the vibrations bliding the last one that seemed to work well in the depths, memory still was active and they had observed all of the ravine to know where the beast last was.
Clawing at stone and ferociously diving deeper into the ravine the god took out their bow, the ancient weapon was able to shoot arrows past continents and the atmosphere, a small storm within a cave was relatively tame, of course, no simple projectile would make it to the beast, but it had showed its hand too early with that surprise attack, it gave the hunter an insight with how it worked and why the monarch had been unable to easily destroy it, the anathema essence, was destructive to both, simply conjuring arrows with their divine power would not be enough as that was drawn from the same fountain as the Monarch’s power.
So the hunter brought forth all the particles spread on the water, the silicates and carbon, the iron dust spread from the destructive path of the beast, and from that quickly crafted arrows and enchanted them, making sure to cut off all loose ends of their own divinite when imbuing the power, trying their best to neutralize it, making it common ground, the boundary between the light of the monarch and whatever this beast yielded.
Three of the grey metallic spears were launched by Tuku among the turmoil of water, and it would reveal the location of the hunter. Tuku was aware of that and jumped across the cave, not giving the beast time to react just yet nor verifying if any of the arrows were actually hitting, merely launching them where the beast was supposed to be. A few more, and the god’s pattern would start to get noticeable, plus they themselves were starting to become tired from the barrage of attacks at high speeds.
Although they desired to keep it a secret from their own father, they saw no option but to reveal their hand or risk being slain by the beast’s fury. With a sidestep, the god brought forth a small knife of divine energy, cutting at nothing before… vanishing. The god had long discovered the fissures in the structure of the world, and with the rat they had tested travel through such “locations”, if they could be called that. The appearance was that of a void traversed by sparse root-like structures, the warped and blurred image of the ocean not too far from where the hunter landed, quickly vanishing in the void darkness as the cut he made “healed”. Nevertheless, with his staff and knife, the god was not lost but merely a skip from returning to Galbar proper, reappearing to the side of the Monarch of All, feeling exhausted.
As Tuku had predicted, the Monarch of All had flung away the ichor that had propelled itself at Him, but the God-Maker did not seem to give Tuku any inclination as to having appeared next to Him. The Monarch of All seemed content diving headfirst towards the pariah, hatred emanating from His almighty form, and the glow of His light casting away the darkness of the deep sea. A shriek filled the seas as Tuku’s spears all met their mark as the creature had little room to move its form. Yet, it did not seem deterred to launch itself at the Monarch of All. With light cast from the Supreme One’s form, Tuku could see the form of the query now, the smoky layer that coalesced around a terrible beast that reached its claws out, one of the spears jutting out from its arm.
The Pariah and the Monarch of All met once more in a blinding melee, each one clawing and slamming at the other in a primal death match.
Tuku wished they could have been a distant neutral spectator at this awe inspiring fight, but he was not, one side wanted to destroy all of creation and without that it was incredibly hard to find good spots to hunt. Taking a moment to focus, the god would once again advance, getting themselves involved in the fight of the gods hands on, hovering right over the beast and aiming a close range shot, to let the full strength be carried by each arrow, making that the main source of damage. The shots were slower, not only because the god was becoming tired but also because they were forming a plan. Raising their hand and fully focusing, the god repeated the process they used to create the spear, aiming for the same atom-perfect metal alloy they had created, but this time they did not make a simple set of arrow for themselves but a massive trident too big for the god to use, but of the right size for their father to wield against the beast.
Monarch. Take it!” the god declared as the trident finished forming right above them, the hunting god releasing a volley of arrows at the head of the beast to distract them.
Almost seamlessly, as the pariah recoiled and reared its head back from the arrows, the Monarch of All allowed one of His hands to grasp the monumental trident. Yet, it took little time for the pariah to realize what had happened, recovering from the volley to continue its assault upon the Monarch of All, only for it to be repelled by the trident. Pushed away, the Supreme One turned the assaily on the beast, stabbing and slashing as the tendrils of the loyal hound making their way down to aid its master.
Although it was impossible to discern as the mask showed no eyes, Tuku had stopped observing the cornered beast and instead turned their focus to the ichor that pooled as it was wounded. It had tried it's trick once and the god was weary now that it was losing the advantage it would try again. One or two arrows would still be shot so as to not make their intentions too obvious. Again, just as Tuku had predicted, the ichor once more began to float in the waters around them and their shapes, again, began to become those of blades pointed upon the light of the Monarch of All.
The god could not lie, he held a grudge against anything that managed to catch him by surprise, the memory of that cowardly hidden blade repeated in their mind over and over. Now they would be ready. Letting go of the bow, they instead formed knives in their hand from the arrows within his quiver, each one twin to a congealed piece of ichor that was readying up to strike. Mimicking the beast’s previous fast strike that caused the water around it to collapse, the god would strike down the forming blades wherever they formed, learning its pattern and becoming more efficient at it, hitting them sooner and sooner, neutralizing this facet of the beast’s power.
The pariah let out a cry of surprise seeing the hunter god destroy the forming ichor and now it had little else to do than fight on. It fought as a being with nothing else to live for, sinking blow after blow into the Monarch of All’s form before the trident was stabbed into the beast's chest and raised aloft. The two raced to the surface with divine speed, the holy light of the Monarch of All growing brighter and brighter before it reached all that it could touch. The pariah’s smoky form was burned away, scorching the true form of the beast until there was nothing and, for a moment, it seemed as if a Str had been birthed upon Galbar. Only after a brief few moments did the light subside and reveal that the beast was no more and it’s poisons exhumed from the reality that had been crafted by its true ruler.
Then, the Monarch of All fell to His knees upon the water’s surface, wrapping the multicolored cloak around Himself to hide the punishment that the pariah had gifted to the primordial being. His body appeared as if He were breathing heavily though, as his gaze went from Zhongcheng to Tuku, He could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
”It is done.”
The expressionless mask seemed to smirk for once ”Good hunt.” the god whispered. ”Was lucky that I did not get hit, I am afraid the strikes that have wounded you would have likely split me in half.” then they relaxed and walked to their father. ”Damn rude creature though, all of this trouble and yet it didn’t leave even a bone for me to hang among other prizes on my wall.”
”You have better than a trophy, Tuku. You have the honor of having aided in the slaying of a great beast. For that, you shall be venerated for.”
”Ah. Indeed. Sorry if I did not sound grateful for this chance. My mind is still somewhat hazy.” the god calmly approached Zhongcheng and patted its side. ”This one also did a very good job. Bought us a lot of much needed time. Again. Cool pet.”
The huntsman took a deep breath. ”It seems we three need rest though. I’d invite you two to my hut for a victory party but the ceiling is too low and the tables too small. The trident is a gift, I did not name it because that is just something I am not good at. It could be useful if another thing capable of repelling your light ever shows up but let’s hope that never comes to pass.”
”It shall make a fine weapon, Tuku. Yet, my duties as the Monarch of All never end, I must beg your leave.”
-Tuku goes to the top of a mountain after being summoned by the Monarch of All and is let into the Palace via portals.
-The Monarch and Tuku chat about the Pariah and reveals that the Pariah had poisoned Ao-Yurin which led to his death.
-The Monarch and Tuku teleport to the ocean and meet with Zhongcheng (who will get his own solo post, Lauder swears it) before descending to hunt the beast.
-Tuku finds it and the Monarch goes down only for the beast to use it’s blood to attack the Monarch.
-Sick combos from Tuku. The Monarch and Pariah get in real close in the only manner that homies can get close to each other.
-Pariah gets slain through the power of friendship, and a trident.
-Monarch is battered and says that trophies are for losers, Tuku wanted a trophy.
-The Monarch proceeds to dip to heal.
Vigor used
Tuku
1 (Discounted from 2) To make the neutral alloy arrows to fire at the beast.
1 To make the trident for the monarch using the same alloy
1 To create the knife to cut into the fissure of reality
The god who walked like the breeze in forests felt himself becoming like a toddler upon first stepping into Keltra. It was just… all so strange. Outside the world was living, always reshaping itself and adapting, even the mightiest of mountains was not an unmoving monolith but something that flowed through the land rising and falling like a wave, one that took eons to move about but still moved nonetheless.
Meanwhile, this keep, Keltra it was called, its very core was permanence, and permanence was unnatural, every tile was filled with strength, but also still like a corpse, all buildings felt like it even his own beloved home no matter how much he worked on that, but this one above all was made like it was meant to shield, resist, defy, all the decay that nature and time declared inevitable. There was some effort to embellish the walls and windows as to not make the building just a series of blocky angles and in these details there was clearly an attempt to regain the beauty of nature to this artificial building, it worked, but… was that good? If someone offered a person a drink that was 98% like water, to some it would suffice, however, would lose control of their mind and become overly focused on those last two percents that just aren’t right, making what was normal become disgusting, become uncanny.
Tuku could guess how his sister Phenelia would react to this and he understood her feelings, yet, the god of the hunt tried to position himself as a learner, if something felt strange perhaps it was not because it was bad, but because he was ignorant, as a non-perfect being that still had much to learn. So, swallowing all criticisms towards the citadel, the god kept walking forward and exploring its halls in search of his sister Homura, as deft as a lost rabbit, the echoing steps irregular and with little balance, sometimes forcing the god to touch the walls to support themselves before quickly letting go as touching the fine masonry of the walls felt “icky” to the masked god.
Thousands upon thousands of humans slept peacefully, scattered throughout the halls and laid upon the floor like collected corpses, but beneath their ashen skin there was still the warmth of life. They breathed in the air through slits where their eyes, noses, and mouths would be, but did not stir even in the presence of the divine. All of them remained entrapped within the realm of dreams, and awaited that which would wake them from their slumber - their pale and featureless forms beckoning an artist to sculpt and paint their bodies.
Deeper within the keep, the cackling dance of a great fire could be heard, as well as a lone set of steps. There had been no other sounds in the strange structure, and there were no other sounds that suggested anything alive along the walls or the fields that the walls encircled.
The fire was like an isle within the home, the most untamed of the elements felt the same within here as it felt in the wilds, making the feeling of alienation and entrapment of the huntsman ease.
With zero sense of decorum the god stepped into the room of this citadel that didn’t belong to them and turned to face the lone figure that walked, the lack of divinity made it clear it was not their sister. ”And who might you be?” the god asked, the visitor turning to stare at the host.
The girl tilted her head as she looked upon the god, and her brows furrowed with annoyance. Her scarlet hair with hints of pink seemed to shimmer, but then her red eyes quivered in apprehensive recognition of what the hunter truly was. She glanced at the sleeping humans arranged around the bright bonfire, to a black orb that rested beside one of them. Slowly she stepped towards it, but kept her eyes locked on the god the entire time.
“It’s rude not to introduce yourself, you know. My name is Pride, Keeper of Keltra, Herald of Homura; the Highest Judge of the Monarch, and a faithful servant of the King in Heaven. I mean you no harm, but I ask that you bring no harm to those that sleep here as well. May I ask your name, my lord?” Pride bent to pick up the black orb, and then stood between the humans that slumbered unaware and the enigmatic masked figure.
The god kept staring, the mask simply hiding any sort of reaction and in general just making social situations very awkward. ”Tuku Llantu, Warden of the Wilds, deity of the hunt. the god then advanced upon Pride, the movement sudden and fast, they extended their arms and then sent them down upon the woman… The grasp wasn’t really hard, it was soft, like a gentle hold, the god just holding Pride in place before quickly retreating.
”I saw some of those… things?” they waved their hands at the direction of the humans. ”Greeting each other like this. So I take this is how people of your goddess greet each other? Nevertheless. Pride, wasn’t it? Or should I call you niece? You are a creation of my sister after all. Tell me, what exactly has your creator been up to? Why are they spreading these peoples across the world? it all happened so quickly and even the words of the god seemed to come out fast, almost as if the god of the hunt was trying to overwhelm Pride.
The small champion blinked in confusion, attempting to comprehend what had just happened, but struggling to make sense of Tuku’s actions and his words. “Eh? I’m sorry, you spoke too fast. Could you not do what you just did, please?” She said, as she seemed to regain some composure, and faintly frowned with meager frustration. She sighed, and shook her head in annoyance.
“Why must everything be difficult? I have been instructed by my maker to inform any of the divine that come here that they’re free to have some of the humans. A gift for all of her siblings. She said that any may take up to ninety-thousand, but that Tuku, the Lord of the Hunt may take more.” Pride watched the god with a discerning gaze, uncertain how he would react to her response.
”Well, that is nice of her, I do plan on seeding a whole continent with these things. However… the god stopped for a moment, pondering, walking around the fire and observing as it flickered, the flames were beautiful as always. ”If these, hmm, humans you called it, were all I wanted, I could very well take my share and be done with it. No. What I desire here more than all is to understand my sister. Homura.
They turned back to face Pride. ”Is she warlike? Does she like to fight? Does she like to see others fighting? I have to say… her actions seem like a mystery to me. She seems to be so good, but why would she do something… so horrible.
Pride considered the questions, but remained quiet for a time. She struggled to keep pace with Tuku as he circled the monument, the hem of her dress hindering her little legs. “Warlike? Fighting? She doesn’t like such things, I think. She told me not to fight any of the divine that came here too. I don’t understand, what has she done?” Pride asked after answering.
The god seemed surprised by the answer, and then nodded. ”Well. This whole concept of gifting them like this, the intentions are good but, hmm, a bit contradictory? If Homura were to tell you Pride, that she will gift you to me, and allow me to command you and re-shape you as I wished, that would be quite horrible to you, despite us both being what I would call good.” they then looked up to the sky. ”But that is an ethical question, and sincerely, it doesn’t matter. What matters is… Have you ever been in the wilds, my dear niece? Have you ever observed how mortal creatures work? When I observe a group of sparrows resting by the grass, they are so beautiful and calming, then, well, one sparrow stands out, maybe it is a bit sick, maybe it was tinted blue by a fruit that fell on it, do you know what these beautiful little birds who enjoy to idly peck at seeds and grasses do when they see that one? They attack it, bully it, shun it. Its irrational but that is just how the animals are.
”But now let's imagine, there are two people, one I will call the red god, one I will call the green god. They both have been gifted a pet sparrow each, and they cherish those little birds very much. They want to give them the best of treatments, but of course, being two different people they give each a very different gift. One gains a red scarf to keep him warm, one gain a green cape so that it may hide among the plants. One day these two birds meet, and what do you think happens? Do they each compliment each other’s gift? See the positives of each other? I would love that but that isn’t quite how it works. Why would one need a scarf? The forest is so warm, you don’t need to be warmer than that and that red just stands out, how obnoxious! Why does one need a cloak to hide? Are they too lazy to fly away from trouble, to fight or are they planning something shady? And so, the two blessed birds fight, perhaps one kills the other, these little birds have such fickle lives after all.
”Then the person returns home, and sees the scene of the murder of their beloved pet, the little animal that despite living for such little time in comparison to them is still so cherished and dear, now gone. In more than righteous fury, the person strikes down the other bird… but that bird was equally loved, equally cherished, and will cause grievance upon the other person. Two grieving persons are two irrational persons, and nothing good can be born from such a thing. And as such the war started by the innocent stupidity of small short lived things moves forward, ascends, to the realm of greater creatures, a war between two good people started by an equally good gift.
The god then nonchalantly coughed. ”Well, that was a lot. Maybe I am a pessimist, but it’s reassuring at least to know such things were never planned ahead. Better foolish than malicious, no? the god said in such a condescending tone, clearly this was someone who believed they would always be right, that once they assumed something that would be the truth no matter what.
“But why’d they kill each other? I’m not the same as my sisters, but we wouldn’t ever want to hurt each other. I was born only yesterday, and I’ve never seen a bird before… I don’t know why animals hurt their kin, but I know I want to protect mine. I never want to see Kindness cry again. I know because I feel it… here.” Pride pointed to the center of her chest, cradling the black orb with her other arm until her strength gave out and she dropped it. “Oops.”
With an anxious look towards Tuku, she slowly kneeled to pick it up once more. She looked into its ebon depths, and wondered what Apostate would say if he had heard his brother’s words. She wondered what her maker would say… “You’re a god though, can’t you keep the birds from fighting? Wouldn’t the King in Heaven say something if these birds killed each other? It seems so cruel to me.” She said softly, uncertain whether or not she wanted to continue listening to the god speak with such a captivating voice, uttering such sorrowful words she could only compare it to a haunting melody she knew she could never forget.
At that Tuku felt… bad? That was a bit surprising to him since he never had an issue telling people some of his “truths” before, but this felt like he was the bird picking at the smaller sparrow. ”Right… Maybe there things are the ones that will make sense later. I focused a bit too much on Homura here, but you are you, you can’t reply for her.” they looked about. ”Protecting isn’t easy, won’t ever be, and sometimes protection is not holding close, but letting it go. I am sure you will learn this all as you live and grow.
They clapped their hands and looked at the humans. ”So… how do I haul these humans across a large distance, Pride?”
“My maker has three massive machines she calls the colossi that have carried all the humans she has given to the other divine. She said she would return in two days, so tomorrow. Hmm… if you wait, she’ll be back and can deliver them wherever you want, I think... with the colossi” Pride answered, still pondering all that the god had said.
She turned her gaze to the bonfire, seeking some small comfort in its warmth and radiance. The small champion could no longer look at Tuku, the motionless mask that concealed the truth of his face had perturbed her, his otherworldly presence and esoteric proclamations were too much, and she wished she was larger, or that her sisters stood by her, but she was alone.
”So you don’t know how to operate these? Hmm. I am a bit short on time… but this is quite important. the god answered, noticing his presence was becoming more and more toxic but not really being able to do much, not like a wooden mask could show a reassuring face.
“I am afraid I don’t know how to awaken my kin. My maker foolishly forgot to mention such. I’m sorry.” Pride turned to look at the wooden feet of the god as she answered. She felt her cheeks become heated with embarrassment, and prayed that the god was looking anywhere else that wasn’t her. The small champion glanced towards the sleeping humans nearby, and recalled the ordeal that was trying to move them closer to the bonfire. Each was almost twice her size, and even heavier than the black orb she carried, it had taken her what felt an eternity to bring them where they lay now.
The good stood still for a moment and then sighed, their eyes were too empty to fully show where they were looking unless they sharply moved their head, to some he always seemed to look away, but to others they always stared. ”And how do we make them gain shape and form? The ones I saw around The Galbar weren’t quite as smooth and featureless.” after throwing this one last question, they started to focus on something in their cape, putting their walking staff to the side and trying to reach for something in his possession.
“To be human is to be shaped by the divine. My maker seeded such a thought inside me, and I know that my kin wish to be woken by the gods and goddesses of this world. Try touching them, and see if that stirs them. They won’t wake when I move them.” The small champion suggested, watching the god with curiosity. She lamented how Homura seemed so foolish by not instructing her further on how to provide the visiting divine with their humans, but there was nothing that could be done now. Pride prayed that Tuku would not become wrathful if her kin did not rise and follow him.
Tuku pondered, and pondered, looking at two of the man-shaped canvas. ”“You know. I envy you a bit. To have people that care about you, that you can connect with. I wish I could repeat the same as what Homura did.” this was the slowest the voice of the hunting god had ever been, they touched the humanoid faces, slowly letting his very essence seep into them, they started to mimic the god’s own secret features, tanned skin with dark brown hair, lithe and agile features, but these were humans. They were a pair, older brother and younger sister. In his mind the god called the girl Griph and the boy Suyai. And yet, with all of their perfect shape, their defined features, they did not stir awake, even though Pride could feel how bright their fire burned after the god blessed them with part of his own essence.
”Yes, sometimes, to protect you must be patient. It is not their time yet to wake up. This world is not yet fit to raise children and I don’t want them to be corrupted by divinity. I will be off to my land Pride, I will give them places to rest, and once mortalkind is spread, they will be found, and will grow not knowing who their father is, until the day comes that they are ready to truly hatch into great birds and rise above the land.” Tuku didn’t know why he explained such a personal plan to a girl he had nothing to do with, but the truth was, despite having bothered her so much, he liked Pride. ”“I will be back in two days to meet Homura, I have something to give her and I still need the other humans.” the god looked back at Pride. ”Before I take them however, here's something for you.” they finally removed the hand from behind the cape and gave a weird object to Pride, it was a white sphere with some sort of pattern or blemish on it. ”It isn’t right for a girl to not know what birds are, so here is one, or rather, an egg, that will one day become one. Consider it a gift.
Pride balanced the egg atop her black orb, and held both in her arms with difficulty, but refused to let either fall. “Thank you, my lord. I will await your return and watch over your children until then.” She could not bow, carrying both the egg and orb together, but she could nod her head respectfully towards the god, so she did so. She smiled at him, and despite the trepidation around the deity, she considered him to be kind.
The Master of the Hunt arrives at Keltra, wandering through the empty halls of its keep. He finds the structure strange and sickening, but seeks out Homura with questions about her intentions. He hears another set of footsteps along with the cackle of fire deeper within the keep. He finds the Eternal Fire, and Pride watching over her sleeping kin, then reveals himself. The god and the champion speak, the latter becoming overwhelmed by words and presence of the former. Tuku asks about Homura and her gifts after introducing himself, and Pride explains what she has been told by her maker. The hunter regales her with a tale about the nature of conflict and good intentions, but Pride becomes sad upon hearing his words, and struggles to understand what is right and wrong. Tuku then changes the subject back to the sleeping humans, and asks how to transport and operate them, but Pride does not know. The god of the hunt proceeds to create two champions; Griph and Suyai, then informs Pride that he will return in two days when Homura has returned from her current delivery. He then gives Pride an egg that he says will hatch into a bird. The champion expresses her gratitude and bids the god farewell, promising to protect his two champions while they slept as well.
Tuku's Homestead at the heart of the wildlands grew ever more lively by the day. The god always brought back all that was peculiar and interesting to them, making not only trophies but putting the materials to use in cooking and crafting, the god of the hunt becoming quite proud of some of the culinary marvels they cooked up. And yet...
Other crafts not exactly related to hunting were also of their interest, pottery, for example, not only produced vessels fit to preserve the materials gathered but was also a great creative outlet. Weaving was also interesting and when made in a pattern could create fabrics, like the banners Tuku placed up to signal their land. And yet...
Not to count the central heart of the home, with a blazing fire, warm and inviting, a bit glorious but not too much, enough for Tuku to make themselves superior but not enough to fully alienate whoever showed up at his homestead, after all, all who came to their halls were to be treated as brothers. And yet... no one would really come, right?
Yes, that was the issue wasn't it? No matter what new topic the god became interested in, be it how much they loved the colorful fishes of the rivers or how neat it was that a whole section of a jungle in the core of the wildlands froze overnight, there was a sense of solitude, no one to sit by their side and hear whatever they wanted to say.
Each time the god thought about being more receptive to their siblings. Something happened.
Be it Ruina's message and the mention of palace intrigue, be it disasters on a global scale, be it the exaggerated response of his sibling over a bloody twig, be it... well, many other things.
Tuku valued family and yet his family was not one to be loved but to be hated, their noise was annoying and even in the depths of the woods it could not be escaped, their minds clouded by insanity and stupidity, most of them would not survive a single winter if made into mortals, and yet here they were, made into gods who demanded worship and respect, able to kill and destroy as they pleased with their infantile and demented minds. Disgust was all Tuku could feel.
But perhaps to procrastinate and hide was not the answer. No. Hiding from the noise was just not enough. It was time to face it, and screech louder if necessary. To start, the staff...
The staff of the wanderer
The world had been scarred. If it was pure stone, the fissures and cracks created would direct the flow of water, forming streams over them, similarly, the flow of energy, be it primordial, spiritual or the very mana that was infused upon the atmosphere, was not even, instead it followed the path of least resistance among the land, along with the scars of divine work.
Sometimes the flow pooled, and this created areas of greater energy than others. The wildlands had been made into one, which was what initially brought the god's interest into this, but now they wanted to survey the rest of the world. While their divine senses did well, they wanted more, which is why they sought the branch of the tree in the first place.
Now it was the time to carve them, sanctify them as now raw mana and nature but as the hunter's tool. This was done by marking it with symbols, patterns, and animal figurines, creating a tall carved walking stick they called "The staff of the wanderer" a divine relic that helped Tuku to perceive and survey the lands they explored, tracking all beings that crossed it.
Aethel and Yesaris
The god had not been blind to the plague made to inflict harm upon his domain, one hunt too many had been spoiled by creatures with the defective... no, corrupt brains. Closer inspection showed the signs of an illness inflicted by microorganisms.
It was far too focused for the parasite god, so it was easy to guess what it truly was, only one god could ever feel this much petty anger towards Tuku. Aethel was truly a foolish god, Tuku realized, to make contact with the ever repugnant Yesaris and guide the creation of something to possibly permanently corrupt the realm of the hunter was simply abhorrent, far more harmful than whatever Tuku did, at least in the god of the hunt's own opinion.
So many gods seemed to fail at the simple task of having long-term planning skills, did Aethel not see the harm Yesaris could bring upon the world? Did they consider themselves so superior to Yesaris that they would only need to worry about Tuku and how they reacted?
No matter. Now Tuku would teach Aethel what happens with one who plays near the filth. It was only fair, if parasites had been brought upon his realm, that parasites would too be brought upon the realm of the magical god.
Raising his staff and sneakily surveying the hivelands, the god found the spot Aethel had traveled upon, confirming the god of the hunt's suspicion. With the recent presence of a god, this land, in particular, had an extra charge of the force of mana that was inherent to all of The Galbar, so far no living being seemed to interact with it, but all they needed was a generous god of the hunt to teach a handful of micro-organisms to capture and leech off that mana, which is what Tuku did.
Far from a plague yet, Tuku simply didn't have the energy, focus, or the desire to make it like that by their own hands, but it was a start, a little reminder for the god of parasites that Mana existed, that it was reachable, and that they could easily feast upon it like any other matter in the world. He was sure Aethel wouldn't mind his good friend and accomplice to snack upon his work.
Observing the Bjork
Tuku had a soft spot for mortals, that was no secret. Intelligent life did not have the privilege to be wantonly foolish, they needed to adapt like all life and use their minds as a tool, which often gave rise to individuals who were clever and wise. They had so far not gotten involved with such things because while they liked the idea of sentient life they did not care enough for it to rush the natural million of a years-long process that would naturally generate it, but, since his siblings had rushed nature, there was no harm in getting involved.
No species seemed as spread out and established as the Bjork of the north, the huntsman however struggled in their approach, simply put... they were too vegetarian, and not willing to reform them into meat-eaters, the god had a big issue to deal with, he could teach them how to work the carcass of animals for bone and leather, but that would leave a lot of meat simply wasted, which was not ideal.
Instead of simply brooding over the topic all alone, they decided it was best to meet the bjorkfolk at their own homes to best understand them. Carving a new mask from local wood the god of the hunt took the beaver-like shape of this folk and clad in a cloak started to travel from dam to dam.
The Bjork were hospitable, though at first the god did not introduce themselves or offer anything of value they were still often met with some degree of warmth by the locals, invited in to share the warmth and some of the food, though, in the north, where winter was setting in, the visage of a foreigner vagabond was not as welcomed.
Yet, the god could not fully believe this first impression alone, they wanted to test how corruptible they could be by their own desires and as such they started to bring precious goods from their travels with them, be it rare woods with fresh exotic tastes and pleasing aroma, or anything shiny, be it rock, shell or flower, to gather their interest, and the effects were quick to observe, matriarchs who once made sure they were to leave as quickly as possible now asked for them to stay one more night, Bjork once noble were willing to let their own dam go missing on food if they could exchange some of their food for those strange goods. It was... bothersome, and above all, made the god think twice before sharing their knowledge.
The mortal question, it seemed, was not one to be easily dealt with, their initial idea of going straight to the matriarchs at least seemed less likely now, they decided they did not like such central authority, be it divine or mortal, the common working man was far more to their liking.
And so, with that mindset, the Bjork with the Wooden Mask went on one more of their visits, but this time, his tale would be another, and so would be their goods. Not the branches of another continent but tools made of white rock... no, bone. It was scary, some Bjork could not link bones to anything but death, but in the next day when a wild animal attacked the gatherers along with the masked Bjork, they saw just how useful all that was. The leather coat the stranger wore protected them where most Bjork would get a dangerous wound, then their bone-tipped spear tore through the thick hide of the animal, making it immediately give up and leave, wounded and defeated.
That immediately made the local folk curious, a few of the bolder ones giving chase to the stranger as they vanished into the forest, going farther from the river than what most Bjork were comfortable with.
Why is it that you chase me? Last night I was scoffed by many of you young Bjork but now you seem to eagerly track me. What is it that you wish? the masked stranger said finally, having guided the young males deep into the forest.
"We... We did not believe you. Your tales of slaying beasts from a distance, of binding their bones to your weapon to better protect yourself, it all seemed very suspicious, it is not the way of the Bjork to do such things. But we have seen how easily you defeated that charging beast, and now we wish to learn your ways."
The hunter calmly picked up seeds from the ground while idly beating their tails against the grass. "Here." they threw each seed and each seed struck the Bjorks in between their eyes. "If this were rocks, all of you would have been slain by it. Take that into consideration with what I will tell you next.
I will teach you how to better defend yourself against the beasts that be, the tactics to corner the boars, the walruses, the bears, how to scare away the wolves and eagles, I will teach you how to create better lances, traps, and even a weapon which will let sling rocks against beasts from a safe distance. I will teach you how to make glue from blood, bones, and birch, and how to make leather from fur. In exchange, you will give me a lifelong vow, you will abdicate from positions of power within the clam, you will promise never to trade goods or your working paw, only donate. You will take the meat from the animals you slay for their materials and, in the lack of any meat-eating being amongst your community, offer them at a selected place within the forest, and offer it in my honor and in honor of the forest from which you took this bounty." the masked creature turned to face them. "Again, the vow is lifelong, break it, and your life will be greatly shortened to match it.
With that, half of the Bjork left, too scared of such responsibility, but a few, a few wanted that knowledge, not minding the many sacrifices that would be necessary. These would be Tuku's first pupils.
Green Murder
Of course, among their stay with the Bjork, word quickly reached the masked god of this... green murder deity, among the many gods, this was the one whose tale spoke of rage and disgust, yet, of the gods that Tuku had in their mind as potentially dangerous, this creature was none, and that left the hunter very curious trying to understand the context. Talking to the apex predators of the land and using the staff to track, Tuku felt themselves following a clear trail.
But quickly the situation worsened, Tuku knew the gods were very active in this region thanks in part to its many mortals, but they had not expected that so many would be in the direct location of the attacks. This was... bothersome. Phelenia was someone they had a deep interest in, a fellow deity of the wilds and whom they expected to find an ally in, but they had not expected such brutish behavior. In itself, Tuku did not care, they cared about mortals but was not ready to fight for every single random bipedal thing that a god did not like, but mortals could do many things, above all they could pray, and praying would fill the ego of the many siblings Tuku had, to kill the praying thing was to hurt the ego of the other gods, and that was surefire to make many of them hostile even if they did not care about the morality of killing a mortal. And with so many divine tracks observable in this area, how many now had a vow to repel, if not eliminate, the green goddess?
That wouldn't do. Although the politics and intrigues of their siblings were of little interest, the god of the hunt did not like the possibility of Phelenia being imprisoned, or worse, killed, for the wilds to become orphans was not good in a world as savage as this. But, how would they even approach the goddess and touch that topic? From all they had seen, it didn't seem like the type of deity that would find a compromise much less from a strange god they do not trust.
As they brooded, to their side, a mindless, hypnotized deer offered its own neck to a pack of wolves, who quickly tore it and its offspring. Beneath the mask the hunter smirked, they had forgotten about their little issue with the parasites, if they were offended by this, they couldn't imagine how their sister felt. Perhaps they should find her to talk about this topic.
Tuku is feeling lonely in their home. Decide to make a staff which grants them greater abilities to survey the land. They notice the parasite that is messing with their hunting and goes to the hivelands to investigate Aethel and Yesaris. Decides to teach some micro organisms how to hunt mana for sustenance, seeking to make Yesaris as much of a nuisance to Aethel as he is to the other gods. (Sort of expecting Yesaris will use this as the base of an actual mana parasite being) Then they move north, teaches Bjork how to hunt and produce bone tools and leather as well as some other things, in exchange, those they thought the lesson must take a vow, making them proto-shamans. They investigate the Green Murder and decide to seek Phelenia.
1 Vigor (Discounted from 2) to create the artifact: "The staff of the wander" which can be used to survey the land in great detail, with a focus on magical and divine energies. 0 Vigor (Discounted from 1) to teach a handful of micro-organisms how to leech off Mana for sustenance. 0 Vigor (discounted from 1) to teach Bjorks very primitive hunting techniques with a focus on acquiring bones and leather for crafting tools and defending themselves.
After working hard, Tuku Llantu awarded themselves a moment of leisure. For a long time they crossed the wildlands of the world, of all four continents, hunting as they saw fit, not only animals, but also taking note of everything that could be harvested, from fruits and herbs to the wood that formed the trees.
To work the leather and meat off the animals, to store all that they collected, the hunter quickly built a home for himself, a beautiful location made of a layer of stone and above it one of wooden planks, with thatched roofing and a wide rectangle shape. At its very centre the wooden flooring gave way to dirt, creating a safe zone between the fire-pit, the hearth of the home.
What started as a simple structure would quickly gain all sorts of cutler, from hunting trophies, to barrels to store and preserve the meats and vegetables, to a kitchen to work said ingredients into meals, to a room where they kept their gear, to a room where they crafted their gear.
Around the home not only a fence had been built, but also many monoliths marked with runes, there were not just a decoration however, as they served to make this location consecrated, focusing the god's powers and giving them stable control over the wildlands.
It was a peaceful time at the homestead, quiet and personal, just as Tuku Llantu enjoyed it.
And then a voice called to them.
The tale of the rat's tail
The wooden mask could not show in its expression, but the god was more than surprised. This was prayer, it was a live being calling to them, right at their doorstep. And they knew who this being was, after all, they were their parent, it was one of the six rodents he made while in the palace, a rat. All of them were supposed to have a pair, but with the death of the male rat this female rat was the lone survivor of their species.
"You are lucky you arrived at a good time, if you were to see me without my mask, there would be great punishment." the god warned the rat.
The rat nodded. "I know. Yet, oh my noble deity, I am growing old, even with all the divinity imbued upon me, and it worries me that I will not only be the first of my kind, but also its last. My partner was taken from me before we could have children, the solitude was so great that I braved the path to this world, and crossed the wilderness, to see you, to plead you for help."
The deity felt a ping of guilty over this, as though they had not been involved with the death they had a certain responsibility as a creator.
"Your request is fair, and I would not want you to meet such a sorrowful end. I will give you a task then, and in return, you will be blessed and able to continue your species even without a partner, having countless offspring for the rest of your lifetime. The god whose birth took the life of your soulmate has created a great tree from which all magic in the world emanates and return to. It is my desire to gather a branch of that tree for my personal use, but if I were ever to approach, no matter how stealthy I can be, I would never be able to do such thing without bringing their attention. It is you, noble rat, who must do it. I will give you blessings and you will do as I requested."
The god then leaned forward, looking down upon the small rodent and patting her head, a surge of power filling her small body. "Be warned, this is a delicate matter between gods, you may only do as I asked, do not misuse this power for anything else, noble rodent." the deity added as they gave them also a small and colourful necklace, this was a powerful relic which would allow the rodent to make small burrows to go from one place to other over great distances.
"I swear on my pride, oh noble god." the rat answered, holding her tail, bushy and beautiful.
And with that, she left, entering a hole and travelling great distances at once. Burrow by burrow, making her way under the ocean, all the way to the south end of the world, where she would take to quickly climbing the tree of harmony. As she started to gnaw at the thinnest end of the continental tree, she felt its amazing, magical taste, experiencing as if the aurora itself was dancing on her mouth. The lights, the power, it was all too tempting for her little mind, and soon she found herself justifying her crimes.
"Why shouldn't I also have a branch for myself?" she said. "This Mana, it was brought into the world by the sacrifice of my husband, in parts, so why should I not be owned to a bit of it? I could gnaw at my own branch for ages, use it to illuminate my den, I could swing it at animals that try to hunt me and make them catch fire or worse! Indeed! I think very well that a creature as noble and beautiful as me does deserve a branch of her own."
And so, the rat wrapped her tail on not only one branch, but two, of the great tree of harmony, before quickly fleeing before the god of magic could ever notice her.
Back to Orsus, the rat started to feel a bit guilty, so she travelled to an island, and took for herself the smallest of the branches, hiding it in a hole before leaving with the largest one to deliver to the god. Upon going to the homestead and placing the staff at their feet, the god was immensely pleased.
"You did well my noble creature, this will do nicely for my purposes! However. Tell me, was this the only thing you took from that land?"
"Indeed it was my sovereign, as you commanded."
At this, a third voice interjected, it was the hawk, who landed in a nearby tree. "This rodent tells lie, oh noble god. I have seen it with the great eyes you blessed me with, she did not take only one, but two branches of the tree, wishing to keep one for her own purposes!"
Tuku Llantu looked up at the bird of prey and hummed. "And tell me, hawk, great hunter of the skies, did the rat also add to the injury and took the largest branch for herself?"
"No my sovereign, she showed some regret and still gave you the best and most beautiful of the branches."
"I see you are honest, noble hawk, may it be know to all hunters that you are forever to be their trusty companions." the hunter told. "And you Rat. You are lucky you showed some regret, for that I will still give you the blessing you requested. But you are no longer to be a creature of nobility, no one will ever look at you and ever think of your great efforts to live and care for your offspring, no, you shall be a creature seen as the lowest, living off the filth of others, that great bushy tail you have great pride will fall off and you and your offspring will have naked tails as a mark of shame, and so it shall be for the future, as long as the noble hawk flies the sky of the Galbar, you will never be noble again."
And so it was, that the hawk was made noble and the rat lowly. Their tails would not be bushy like that of the squirrel or other rodents, but pink, thin, and furless. The rat would swear a great revenge against the hawk, and that is why sometimes one can see rats going through great efforts to raid the nest of birds who would otherwise prey on the small rodents, perhaps in hopes one day they will be free from their curse.
3 Vigor to consecrate Tuku Llantu's homestead as the core of the Wildlands. Thus also sort of spending enough vigor to justify the eternal wildlands, with its moving trees and what not, existing, and being a place of great power. 1 Vigor to bless the Rat with great power so she could steal two branches of the Tree of Harmony, and, for as long as this particular rat lives, the ability to bear many children even without a partner. 1 Vigor to create the "Pathfinder" a relic capable of giving anyone who wears it the ability to create holes to distant places, its the size of a rodent though and that cannot be changed. As of now, in control of THE Rat. 1 Vigor to curse the Rat for lying and stealing more than she was meant to steal, so that her species would be forever seen as filthy and yucky and lowly. Also giving them naked tails with little to no fur.
Tuku gets bored and decides to absolutely cram Orsus (eastern continent, but not easter-eastern, that is dragon land, more like, eastern-central) with biomes. After filling an entire continent with life, the god is still like "maybe a bit more" and makes a wilder wildland, which becomes known as the eternal wildlands, an ever-shifting land with moving mountains and fumes that can melt your sword into rust.
4+4 Vigor spent to shape the land and fill the continental biomes.
0 Vigor remains :(
The noise increased as more gods arrived, the hunter avoided being too judgmental at first as many others acted in an excessive and not particularly bright manner, after all, compared to the silence of inexistence even a whisper would be loud, however, the offenses pilled up until finally a line was crossed as one of his rodents was killed in the arrival of a god, despite all of their efforts in protecting them.
Although they tried not to be vengeful, the thought of a comeback could not escape their mind as they buried the little animal in the fields of flowers, performing the first funeral rite in existence and accidentally linking flowers with the passing of the dead forever. Their eyes would stay alert for this force and see if it ever called for their action, it was the only way to not make the death of this pet meaningless.
But for now, in this noise, in this chaotic quickly changing world, it was time for the hunter to meld into the dark and observe others. They were pleased to find that many gods had felt the same need of life as they had, in the cold north, in the fiery depths, in the southeastern continent, so many great creatures that made their hands itch and press against the bow. As they walked the waters they saw the ruins brought by the goddess of destruction, Tuku Llantu's feelings on that were mixed, their hope was that this deity understood the failure of a test could be in the hands not only of the tested but also of the tester. Finally, in the southwest, Tuku Llantu observed a new divine entity, one that seemed so voracious and violent, so eager to consume and live, the hunter smirked beneath the wooden mask, thankful such a creature was born with such rage, were they more delicate and discrete, and the hunter would have moral qualms about making them their favorite prey.
The itch, the desire for adventure and danger, kept becoming stronger in the hunter, but they did not give in yet, because all of the walks and stalking of other deities had not been meaningless, the deity desired to shape the land with concerns of their own, there was no noble intent to honor their father or a desire to bless life in their actions, it was a selfish desire to have land to call their own, to shape it to their will and not the will of others.
The deity brought fort their energy and condensed them into a great arrow-shaped shard, they aimed as far as they could, their sight going all the way across a continent and landing on a lone rock. When they let go, a great flow of energy crossed the eastern-central continent like a hungry beast, snaking its path through the land and raising a great mountain range as it passed, extending from Tuku's standing place, at the south end of this land, all the way to the north, where the shard finally lost all its power and vanished.
The Chakuq Mountains, in more formal words, though many would just know them as Arrow-Flight Chain, were made with great care to do just as the hunter intended. The tall rock walls worked as a barrier to the endless humidity coming from the east, making it so all that was east of the mountain was always blessed with rains. However, it was not their desire to make the west buckle under the sun and become nothing but barren land, on the contrary, they made sure the snowfall atop the mountains would melt and form many rivers that would bring with them the life-giving water to the west, only the lands most distant from the mountains truly struggled with dryness and yet in them, there was a unique beauty.
Not to stop now, Tuku Llantu decided to act outside of his profession and become the gardner of this world. While there was beauty in the slow, era-spanning fight between plants for control of the new environment, the deity simply could not wait this long to see their work done and as such used their divine powers to prune some and bless others, shaping the land quite quickly.
In the Eastern Coast,
Southmost was a temperate forest populated mainly by araucaria pines, who would keep the dominance upwards, as the climate became swampier and warmer, though as the soil quality changed, with rockier and sandy expanses, the tall magnificent trees would be exiled up the mountains until they vanished. This was a zone inhabited by many creatures that can be classified as "dinosaurs", most of them feathered, with long necks to eat upon the tall pines which are the main source of food for herbivores in the region, large scale predators are rare in the area, though many smaller bipedal scavengers feast upon the great variety of frogs, fishes, and bugs attracted by the swampier areas. Smaller mammals such as the rodent Cutia or the tree-dwelling Dryomomys are also common.
After a stretch of sandy ground, populated by palm trees and similar and many rock outcrops, one reaches the cloud forest, a type of hilly subtropical rainforest famous for, obviously, their foggy environments, though near the beaches the forest opens up to make some of the most pleasant and inhabitable locations of the east coast, though, with the great variety of colorful fruits and flowers one is almost lured inward, where they might have a quite dangerous encounter with the other colorful residents of the area, the many bipedal dinosaurs, none bigger than a man, but, quite intelligent, they hunt in groups to deal with all sorts of prey.
Northwards still one will reach the dense tropical rainforest, where there are only two seasons, a warm and a dry one, easily seen by looking at the great river that crosses the jungle and whether it is flooding or a small snake of water among a drying mess of mud. Speaking of snakes, be aware of those, and the great ants that can strip a man down to the bones in an hour, thankfully no great dinosaurs here, although birds remain and thrive, in the ground it's the mammals, such as the great ocelot or the giant sloth.
Notably, an entire section of the jungle is under the darkness of the ring, being part of a Duskland. Here is the Ghost Jungle where the nourishment and light are still enough to feed great plants, but they often take ghostly hues of pale greens and yellows. If the jungle itself is scary, here it's ten times worse, with birds singing haunting tones, panters hiding among the white hues, and the only habitat of terror birds in the east cost, with these here taking a black raven-like feathery coat. The waters are also home to an unique fresh water Oarfish, harmless if you are not a small water creature or if you don't touch its poisonous barbs.
The jungle finally ends in a small bayou area, which leads to the final biome of the east, and the west coast as well, the temperate rainforest. With majestic trees covered by moss, cold weather, and a strong sense of four seasons with the colors of pink from cherry blossoms in the spring and the yellows and reds in fall. This is not a land of great creatures, perhaps for its isolation from the rest of the continent, with the red wolves reigning as the apex predator. Though some rarer creatures pose great threats, such as the straggler dinosaur Fukuivenator striking in the dark in the densest parts of the forest, the giant meat-eating turtle Carbonemys which stalks unopposed in rivers, and giant salamanders of up to 3m and 450kg.
In the Western Coast,
The western coast starts a bit above the araucaria forests, with an alpine highlands of acidic soil and many thermal springs, land of rabbits, goats, and bears, although the thermal springs are home to many strange creatures, in some, you will find monkeys or capybara just chilling, in others, an 1.6m tall moss-covered giant frog with its skin mimicking the texture of rocks. After it, there is a small stretch of subtropical along the coastline, until finally, the land divides in two.
Along the coast, great stretches of sand, lagoons, palm tree forests, and mangroves, a region very influenced by the tides with many islands of stable ground in between. Home to many great lizards and many, many birds who feast upon the fishes and other defects left behind the tides. The inner parts of the land are drier but made hard to traverse by dense shrubs, carnivorous plants making up for the lack of nitrogen, and unstable soil.
By its side are the highlands, home to a great high altitude plateau. In the hills you will find many llamas, among other mountain-dwelling camelids, these will gather upstream, for downstream are many great mammals, Notoungulates such as the one-horned Achiri (Hoffstetterius) and the heavy and furry water dweller Rhynchippus. In the drier plains reigns the terror bird, though despite the name these bipedal land-dwelling birds don't really hunt anything larger than a dog.
Northward from the mountains and beaches, one enters a valley where there is a great swamp, to add to that, the whole region is under the shadow of the sky ring, thus creating an area known as dusklands, mangroves and willow trees gain ghostly white hints while local ferns have strong purple seeds and flowers. Albino alligators stalk the waters are notable for the variety of catfishes and lampreys as well as many fishes with bony plates.
West from the swamp, still under the shadow, is the hilly Moonlit Garden, a gentle region overlooking the Bay of Zelios. Small mammals and birds populate the region, and although these possess pale-colored furs that are desired all over the world, the true beauty is in the adapted Ipe, Jacarandas, Azaleas, and other flowering trees who all year round color the darkened region with their flowers. An amateur might think this land is home to many fireflies, but in truth, many insects have adopted that aspect, from dragonflies who dart about leaving traces of light, to moths, ladybugs, to bees whose hives and honey have their own shine, to even mosquitoes who shine in red after a meal almost to mock their prey.
Finally, above the dark, west of the eternal hunting ground, south of the temperate rainforest that goes from east to west, is a land that is shrubland at the coast and savannah at its core. Dry expanses of beige grass and dark thorny bushes with barely any leaves in them, the notable exception being the tall Ipe trees, with their trumpet-shaped flowers in yellow, pink, white or purple. The local fauna is humble, maned wolves, cougars, jaguarundis, armadillos and tapirs. The rivers are often stalked by giant otters, who are up to 1.5m long.
These were many lands, with countless creatures even a god seemed to have trouble keeping up with.
And yet. Was it enough? Tuku Llantu could not brush off the feeling that from the smart raptor dinosaurs to the megafauna mammals... while interesting, given their immortal life, one day they would be bored, this was the time of actions that would define the world to come.
The hunter then decided on something, they traversed the mountains and picked up many rocks which they painted with glyphs and symbols and then traversed to the very center of this land, surrounded by mountains and a jungle which the god only made more and more massive. As they finished their work, a great earthquake shook this area, a surge of magic and magma causing all sorts of fumes to spill upward.
Tuku Llantu had created the eternal wildlands, the purlieu, the everchanging land where biomes, plants, and animals would shift quickly to please the god. Although it was at the tropical center of the world, it would not be impossible for an explorer to find themselves crossing the cold breeze and avoiding wooly mammoths, and if they return in a few years, perhaps the area they once mapped as an icy lake is now a steaming swamp filled with giant dragonflies and 3m tall lizards.
The fumes expelled at the core of the region had, among other properties, the ability to quickly rust most metals it came to contact with. A skillful hunter will have to either avoid the geothermal steam clouds, or, adapt their equipment to avoid such losses. The same issue happens to most types of cloth, as local fungi and moths seem particularly eager to gnaw at it, with black spots of mold quickly spreading across clothes, bags, and even campsite tents.
While solutions such as dresses of silk and swords of gold, or leather clothing with obsidian weaponry, were possible, easier and wiser was to craft new sets of equipment with the local flora and fauna, as the materials extracted from animals and plants of the region seemed more resistant to the effects. In fact, only a hunter who was clad in materials extracted from the wildlands would ever be accepted past the glyph stones. (Or alternatively, one that is nude, because surviving the wildest of wilds in such conditions is very respectable)
Not that the god had made this land to test hunters to come or train creatures. Their only worry was their own amusement at the moment, all else was a side effect. But now that it was all done and said, Tuku Llantu could finally rest from godly duties, and focus instead on more pleasing matters such as building a nice hunting lodge at the core of the core, and preparing many supplies for the hunts to come.
There was a shard among the many that acted in a peculiar way. Of all the shards expelled, this one had been thrown with great violence and force, flying off faster than any other. At some moment or another it changed curse, and instead of flying away from the palace, it circled back, returning to it, still at a great speed, as it neared the immaculate building, the shard exploded into hundreds of micro shards which rained upon a section of the palace like bullets, chipping away the masonry, crashing upon plants, digging holes into the ground.
These shards would melt into a shadow coloured slurry, which would snake its path across the garden and coalesce into one singular dark spot from which a colourful figure would rise. Thus had been born the hunt, Tuku Llantu.
The masked deity took a moment observing their surroundings in silence, listening to their many siblings proudly announce who they were and their mission. Of these the words and actions of Epsilson were the ones who truly caught their attention, a codex of creation, of knowledge...
The aloof god stepped forward and approached such book. They wrote down the things only a hunter's well trained eyes could see in this young universe, the treasured secrets hidden very deep within the world, and upon writing all that... allowed black ink to cover it all, forever embracing such secrets so that even Tuku themselves would no longer know them. "May the uncertainty of the unknown be eternal in this existence" and so it was set that no matter how much it was studied, the world would never be fully understood.
That done, the deity moved away, looking upon the blue marble of Galbar and at the palace around them. Both beautiful, both lacking in something. To deal with the former, first the god would need a way to reach it from this exact distance, and to do that they brought forth fibres from the garden which weaved together and became a bow. To deal with the later, the god sat down and clapped their hands together, when they opened, young-lings of three species were to be found.
To rise above the plants and trees, a pair of small creatures with bushy tails and skin that extended from their arms and legs. This was called the flying squirrel, pay no heed to the lack of a normal squirrel. To traverse the rooms and small holes of the structure, a pair of small furry creatures were made, with strong teeth and long tails and an undying desire to survive no matter what, these were the rats. Finally, to mirror the still calmness of the waters, a pair of larger rodents were made, with fat bodies and relaxed faces, these creatures would inhabit the ponds of the garden, and were called the capybara.
Tuku is created when a shard breaks into smaller shards and crashes upon the palace. They write something in the codex and then place black ink over it, making it so the world will always have mystery and the unknown They make a bow, the first bow, it is not particularly magical outside of the fact it can throw projectiles across worlds. They make three rodents, flying squirels, rats and capybaras, all properly adapted to withstand divine presence and the environment of the palace.
Vigour: Initial - 10 Used - 2 [Palace Rodents (1), First Bow Artefact (1)]
ALIAS The Second Greatest Hunter The Mask-of-Shadow The Sun Owl
Aspect The Hunt
What is the hunt? One might confuse it with the hunter, but there is no hunt without the prey. The act of chasing, tracking, blending with the environment to elude or surprise. The obsession with the target, the focus of the mind so that all else seem to vanish. A fisherman is not a fish hunter, but a whaler is a whale hunter, a person must leave their comfort, put their necks in the line, to truly hunt.
Tuku is the gamekeeper, they are the deity of hunters, but also the warden of the mightiest of prey and exotic, challenging locale. They are somewhat related to hunting weaponry, skills such as tracking and outdoorsmanship, trophy taking, and keen senses. Within society, the hunted man with a bounty on his head and the bounty hunter are in the periphery of the deity's realm, and with enough obsession and/or risk-taking, a person who hunts for a treasure, an ancient tome, or even love may find themselves dealing with this deity.
Persona A wildman through and through, they are a somewhat chaotic but reserved deity. Many of their emotions are hidden by the emotionless expression of the wooden mask.
They are not a formal deity, they do not demand rituals and worship and do not see mortals as inherently inferior, but that should not be confused with fairness or trustworthiness. If they were fair, they would still be the god of the fly hunting frog, and the frog hunting heron, but they are not fair, they pick favorites and hold grudges, to them hunting is not some great test or filter that shows the worthy, the randomness of luck and the many advantages one can acquire not by merit clearly taint the results.
Trust to them can only be gained by closeness, they recognize the feeling of mutual trust in a squad of soldiers but not their loyalty to a king. As such they will not give their word or sign contracts, if the other gods want a trustworthy ally in them, they must be worth the trust.
They are not a deity of great objectives, they even have no problem admitting that time is a hunter superior to them as they are truly inescapable and ever-lurking. They move on a drive of curiosity to experience new things, as well as an urge to collect that which is rare or to hunt challenging prey. Behind of a mask of an aloof deity however there is someone who thinks in their non-commitment they are superior to others, and who finds the prospect of being a trickster, throwing wild cards at deities who rely too much on order, is justified, or at least pleasurable.
True Form A lithe figure wearing a wooden mask and colorful clothing filled with patterns that seem to move on their own. What many assume to be their skin doesn't actually seem to be that at all, with a texture best described as softwood, with the markings being akin to carving instead of tattoos. Their gender is also unclear, if you were to peek under their loincloth you would just find a featureless smooth crotch. It is assumed that taking the mask off would reveal their real looks, but the deity insists it's a simple form, not interesting.
ALIAS The Second Greatest Hunter The Mask-of-Shadow The Sun Owl
Aspect The Hunt
What is the hunt? One might confuse it with the hunter, but there is no hunt without the prey. The act of chasing, tracking, blending with the environment to elude or surprise. The obsession with the target, the focus of the mind so that all else seem to vanish. A fisherman is not a fish hunter, but a whaler is a whale hunter, a person must leave their comfort, put their necks in the line, to truly hunt.
Tuku is the gamekeeper, they are the deity of hunters, but also the warden of the mightiest of prey and exotic, challenging locale. They are somewhat related to hunting weaponry, skills such as tracking and outdoorsmanship, trophy taking, and keen senses. Within society, the hunted man with a bounty on his head and the bounty hunter are in the periphery of the deity's realm, and with enough obsession and/or risk-taking, a person who hunts for a treasure, an ancient tome, or even love may find themselves dealing with this deity.
Persona A wildman through and through, they are a somewhat chaotic but reserved deity. Many of their emotions are hidden by the emotionless expression of the wooden mask.
They are not a formal deity, they do not demand rituals and worship and do not see mortals as inherently inferior, but that should not be confused with fairness or trustworthiness. If they were fair, they would still be the god of the fly hunting frog, and the frog hunting heron, but they are not fair, they pick favorites and hold grudges, to them hunting is not some great test or filter that shows the worthy, the randomness of luck and the many advantages one can acquire not by merit clearly taint the results.
Trust to them can only be gained by closeness, they recognize the feeling of mutual trust in a squad of soldiers but not their loyalty to a king. As such they will not give their word or sign contracts, if the other gods want a trustworthy ally in them, they must be worth the trust.
They are not a deity of great objectives, they even have no problem admitting that time is a hunter superior to them as they are truly inescapable and ever-lurking. They move on a drive of curiosity to experience new things, as well as an urge to collect that which is rare or to hunt challenging prey. Behind of a mask of an aloof deity however there is someone who thinks in their non-commitment they are superior to others, and who finds the prospect of being a trickster, throwing wild cards at deities who rely too much on order, is justified, or at least pleasurable.
True Form A lithe figure wearing a wooden mask and colorful clothing filled with patterns that seem to move on their own. What many assume to be their skin doesn't actually seem to be that at all, with a texture best described as softwood, with the markings being akin to carving instead of tattoos. Their gender is also unclear, if you were to peek under their loincloth you would just find a featureless smooth crotch. It is assumed that taking the mask off would reveal their real looks, but the deity insists it's a simple form, not interesting.
Ashh
Frettzo
Vec
