wordcount: 635 (+3) Level up: new Ability: Withdraw. Bowser pulls his head and limbs inside his shell for added defense or to perform a Koopa shell spin/slide attack. Level 4 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////// (3/40) Location: Peach’s Castle: Throne Room
It was good that they held back, because in all likelihood if they had engaged they would have got stuck in just in time to be blown back by Megadragonbowser’s explosive recovery. Bowser pocketed the super mushroom for use later, as it would take DK and his hat out of face punching range, before he went to get stuck in. After the tyrant tore their haiku slinging ally in half Bowser joined the fray. With a mighty leap he jumped over the shock-wave his double had sent out before bringing him and Donkey Kong down with a crash before their foe, this time ganging up on him with the others rather than going at it alone.
”BACK FOR MORE RUNT?” mega Bowser asked as he got up from his ground slam
“IT TAKES MORE THAN THAT TO TAKE A REAL BAD GUY DOWN AND YOU KNOW IT!” Bowser responded, bringing his fists up into a boxer’s stance.
”TWO MORE TIMES AND WE’RE DONE HERE? THAT’LL BE A BREEZE!” Megadragonbowser retorted as he brought up his dukes for their second bout.
Bowser and Donkey Kong engaged in an all out frontal assault against Megadragonbowser, starting with a combined mighty right hook. Megadragonbowser brought his arms up in front of him to shield his head, blocking the triple punch with his scaly limbs. The force of the punch sent him sliding backwards on the tiled floor mostly as a result of DK’s wound up giant punch, his clawed toes scraping against it and making the most awful sound as he did so. They kept up the pressure with a subsequent left hook which, while less powerful, took advantage of their initial blow having knocked him off balance. Striking the side of the boss’s blocking arms the team broke his defences, bashing the limbs to the side so that their third punch struck true.
The triple power tower slammed their fists into Megadragonbowser’s face, the power of the blow knocking his head back and to the left. “HA HA, NOT SO TOUGH NOW!” Bowser taunted, only to be caught flat footed as Megadragonbowser’s head whipped downwards as he stepped forwards under Bowser’s forth strike to deliver an uppercut to the king’s jaw. Even as he did so however Donkey Kong got a retaliatory strikes against their up close and personal target, driving him back just enough to stop him overwhelming the Bowser completely.
”ENOUGH!” he roared, before sucking in air, fire licking at his lips as he fueled his furnace.
“UH OH” Bowser said as he recovered from the blow and realized what was going on
“Eeek!” screeched Donkey Kong as he abandoned ship, leaping out of the way as fire burst forwards from Megadragonbowser’s mouth. Browser meanwhile retracted into his shell at just the right moment, his packed shell thudding to the floor as the flames rushed over his back. Safe from the flames he was not safe from being kicked, which was exactly what Megadragonnbowser did, slamming a clawed foot into his shell and sending him spinning away though the hall. ”BUZZ OFF!”
Bowser’s arm snapped out of his shell, the super-heated power-claws on it burying themselves in the ground and hand breaking him to a stop a fair distance away from Megadragonbowser. Successfully stilled Bowser un-retracted himself as quickly as possible and slammed the ground with a palm to push himself upright. Then he readied himself for any follow up attacks by his doppelganger. Meanwhile Donkey Kong had landed a touch away from the Megadragonbowser and had then used his momentum to somersault further away, after which he flipped himself into the air before landing back onto his feet near Tora and Poppi. He gave them a thumbs up before turning round again to keep Megadragonbowser in his sights.
Luis soared through the Blue with Bruna on his back, the two getting having spent some time getting used to working with one another. They were above the north pole, where a number of peaks of the the Broken Crown Mountain Range poked up into Azura’s sphere from the Isle of Twilight down below. The soaring knight had weaved in and around these peaks, while engaging in a spot of target practice. Targets had been carefully carved in stone and they had then been subjected to the concentrated wind blasts fired from Bruna’s horn like soul gem, resulting in craters, gashes and bored holes littering the area.
Well this was productive he thought as he examined his gradual improvements in accuracy But I wonder if Azura is done making her soul collectors yet?
Bruna acknowledges your progress. Bruna does not know. Current location does not allow for estimating the number of days cycles that have occured since arrival. Bruna responded unhelpful. Deciding that now was as good a time to check in as any the whale left behind his impromptu self made training ground and headed the short distance towards the Sky Bastion, where Azura had set up shop upon their arrival.
A number of temples had ended up in the area, some of which were covered in veritable gardens of greenery thanks to the occasional arrival of rain clouds from the Gateway to Galbar found below. Apparently this had not been the case before, but now that Azura had properly linked her sphere to the world below there was a lot more greenery to be found up in the Blue, much to the delight of the Grazer Drakes.
Azura could be found inside one of the hangers of the Sky Bastion working on her soul saving constructs. The doors of it were flung open and as a result the pair could see one another and speak, or rather shout, too one another. The occasional sky slug flitted in and out of the hanger in search of food where none could be found.
”Hello Azura, how are things going? You free to talk now?” Luis asked her once he came up to the bastion, parking himself alongside it. Bruna actually had corridors specifically meant for docking up with the building’s hangers, but Luis instead chose to move an eye in front of the doorway, peering in at Azura while she worked.
“I’ve got the core design down and getting close to the end of putting the instructions in now, so yes, I’m free now. Thank you for giving me the space to do this, I think it’s going to turn out wonderfully.” she responded “OH. Did you think of any suggestions while you were out practicing? How did that go by the way”
”It went well. Think I’m getting the hang of this whole fighting thing perhaps?” he answered before suggesting that ”Maybe you could make them not do the ‘this one will’ thing? I told mine to just use its name instead but it’s still a bit awkward to hear ‘Bruna will this’ and ‘Bruna will that’”
“You gave it a name. A person name? No no no, they aren't supposed to have people names” she said a touch incredulously
”Why not? Its convenient. And less of a mouthful than the name you gave it. No offence.”
“Because I specifically made them to be as un-person like as possible. They don’t think, they don’t feel, they have no dreams or ambitions and certainly no feelings. I want a clear line between people and tools and naming them blurs that distinction. It’s why I don’t want them using ‘I’ because they have no self. Machines are their purpose and function and nothing more, which makes it ok to use them as tools.” she responded, getting a little worked up over this as she did with a lot of things.
”Why is this so important to you” he asked, his tone curios rather than dismissive
“Because I need to be good person! But there isn't time to reflect or build some kind of ethics system. There isn't time to try and plumb the depths of my smothered mind in the hopes that I can fine done their either and the Void only knows if I’d like what I found. So I’m just winging it and making this massive teetering tower of decisions which i don’t know if their the right ones and one day it's all going to come crashing down anyway and gah.” she groaned at the ceiling “People’s free will is important. I can’t make people who want to do what I want, because then they aren't free they are slaves to my and my mission. I can’t make people who I then convince some of to do what I want because there is no way of stopping me from making their minds predisposed to agreeing with me because when it comes down to it their minds are built out of mine. So I make things that aren't people but still feels wrong in a way. Like I could make them people if I wanted and that I am technically stealing their person-hood from them? Which is why I want to make sure I can’t mistake them for people.” she finished before asking “Sorry for rambling again, but does that make sense?”
”I don't think that is how that works? People aren't people until they are people I think. Otherwise everything that could be people, the rocks. The air. Those tiny things in the ocean I eat would be people and that is a touch… excessive? I think we should worry more about the people who are people rather than the things that could be people?”
“You are right.” she agreed after a brief silence. “I told myself I would focus on helping people first and foremost. Thank you for reminding me.”
”Speaking of people, if it’s not ok to make people to convince to help you, isn’t it ok to convince people who already exist to help you?” he asked, trying to direct the conversation towards more a more productive/optimistic area.
“Well yes. I’ve already got two gods helping me. There’s the void souls as well but that’s putting the cart before the horse.”
”Maybe the other gods made people like me?” he asked, a touch hopefully.
“Perhaps. Those would also be ok to recruit I suppose. Freeing them from servitude would also a good thing I think? People would prefer to be free, where as my machines would not care if they had no one instructing them. Which makes how I am making them a better way of doing things.” she concluded, putting a final stamp on her logic.
”I agree. It would be nice to meet new people and help them.” He responded. He like the idea of having friends who where like him, creations not creators. As much as Azura tried to avoid acknowledging her god/parenthood in their conversations it was always there, lingering in the background unsaid. Literally in this case as she tinkered away, writing instructions into the very soul of the new life she was in the process of creating.
That life it seemed, had finally reached completion. It was a bird, roughly crow shaped but scaled up to about the size of a vulture, one with spectacular feathers like Azuras and the Gardeners. The feathers of this first one where shades of orange, red and purple but as Azura began to replicate it there came others, with feathers of blue and turquoise others with green and yellow and so on. Small spectrum of shades rather than the set colors of the Gardeners. All of these had long flowing tail feathers that trailed behind them on the ground as they stood motionlessly, awaiting activation. The source of this stillness was the additions of non living parts to the creatures. They had metallic braces along their wings that held a single soul gem each as well as numerous slots to store numerous soul crystals, much like the one found inside Bruna. On their heads they wore pointed masks of Luftstone as white as polished marble into which where set three soul gems, one above the forehead and one over each eye.
“They are inspired by you and your armor” Azura explained “although functionally they work the other way round. The birds are very simple, a bundle of instincts and little else while the crystals do most of the task related decision making. They can sense the dying and recently dead and can also infer the intelligence level of a being’s soul. They can also crystallize souls like I can and can store them like your armor can. All these abilities together mean they can go out into the world in my place to save people from Katharsos’s flames. Then they will bring the souls to the vault for safekeeping. They’ll also be super useful for when we assault the pyres, helping to pick out the people from the trees. Also you can control them like your armor and the curators. Take a couple dozen for yourself before I release the rest for testing purposes.”
”I see.” he said simply, before reaching out and doing just that. At his behest a flock of the creatures, who now filled many of the rooms of the surface of the Sky bastion as Azara kept replicating them, flew out to meet him. [silver]Coming to you[/silver] they told him as they did so. Azura had apparently listened to his suggestion, removing the rpetive ‘This one will’ out of their speaking pattern, rather than it being lost in her ramblings, which was nice. Despite their heavy mechanical additions they flew swifty, aided by Azura’s blessed wind. He noted, as he trolled through these creatures crystals, that they too had the capacity for violence like Bruna, namely wind beams and shielding. They also had the ability to manipulate things with wind based phantom limbs, an ability he got Bruna to replicate right away.
Once the flock had landed on his back and took up roosts in Bruna’s many halls Azura told him that “That's about enough of them I think. Now we test them” before turning to the rows and rows of motionless birds and announcing.
“Awaken my soul collector birds, and go fulfill your purpose!” she instructed, at which point the hundreds of birds awoke and began to make their way past her. Luis backed out the way as the colorful swarm burst up and out of the way as they began launching themselves out of the hangerbay and flying up into the Blue.
”Can I suggest something a touch shorter? For the name?” he said tentatively.
“How about Reaper Birds? Soul Takers? hmmm” she suggested, seemingly not perturbed by his suggestion
”How about Alma?” he said
“It’s not very descriptive.” she complained
”Most names aren't” he said
“... I suppose not. It is a nice name. Ok then. Alma they are.” Azura said as she followed the last of them out. The birds where ascending now, having been programmed with an inherent understanding of the Blue’s strange geometry and how to use it to travel faster. Once they were high enough almost all of them headed off in one direction, rocketing south as fast as they could.
“That’s odd. I thought they would spread out to go find the gardeners?” Azura commented as they all raced off.
”Maybe someone made something else smarter?” he said.
“No. No surly not… If they have... We should follow them!” shouted as she took off after them without explaining her logic.Thus began a relatively short chase during which Luis got to see traverse roughly half of the blue in a rather short amount of time. Rising high into the air he encountered its shrinking geometry, then flew after the birds, watching as the flat representation of the world below raced by below him. Eventually he caught up with Azura on the southern continent, the one he did not know was called Atokhekwol. There he saw what the Alma had found.
”So. What are they”
“People.” she explained. “It looks like made the Alma just in time.”
Luis does some time at the range shooting targets Azura and Luis talk a bit about things while she finishes the soul collecting birds she is making In short, Azura is still putting herself under a lot of pressure and also does not have a real reason to do good other than an innate desire to do so which makes her worry that her actions might not be truly. Recruiting other god’s creations to their cause and/or freeing them from servitude is also discussed as a alternative to making servants/soldiers and as a generally good thing to do. Azura finishes the soul collecting birds. Luis takes a few to keep as a fighter complement while the rest are released to test their mortal finding abilities. Luis suggests naming them Alma instead of using another one of Azura’s word vomit names The birds all go down to Atokhekwoi and find the Ihokhetlani. Azura and Luis follow them and thus become the first to witness Ohannakeloi’s masterwork.
Linguistic not:construct soul crystals are now referred to as soul gems just to make a distinction between artificial and natural soul crystals.
Start: 6 fp, 0 mp Alma (reaper birds) 3 mp empowered by soul crystal port. 0mp blessing discounted by wind, Alma are assisted by the wind in their flight. 0mp blessing discounted by soul crystal port to allow Bruna to copy the powers of other soul crystals.
Alma (reaper birds) Vulture sized constructs that can: Detect souls at long distances and judge their intelligence level Crystalise souls Transport souls and gain power from them to offset their weight and help them defend their precious cargo Shoot wind beams, create wind shields and create wind based elemental limb to manipulate objects
Clunking around the temple had done little for Piper’s mood as the entire structure seemed devoid of basically anything useful. ”Grind my Gears, who makes a building this big and puts nuthin’ in it?” she complained as she ran out of places to look, finding herself as high as she could go. Anything higher up seemed to have no stairways leading to it and it was all covered with greenery.
Piper rested her back against one of these plant covered walls and popped open her chest mounted furnace in order to poke around in there with a little folding fire poker basically every steambot carried around with them. She nudged some of the existing coals around and then popped a few more little clump of fuel in from one of her hip pouches to keep the fire going. Then she popped it shut again, put away the poker and took a swig of water from a small canteen she had. Once this refueling process was done she pushed herself of the wall and turned to face the weird greenery she had been using as a head/back cushion.
”What even is this stuff?” she asked herself, tugging at the tangled plant growing against the wall she had been leaning against. ”s’ like a ladder. Made of plants? Weird” she concluded when she followed the path of its growth upwards. Piper did think it might be deliberate in some way, certainly there seemed to be more temple up there that nonetheless had no other ways to it, but having a complete lack of any understanding or experience with plants in general she really couldn't say for sure it wasn’t natural. What she did know was that there was more places to explore up there and, even if it was a waterless venture it was at the very least a high point from which she could use to get a better look at their surroundings.
”Maybe I can see a way forwards or spot those Titans from up there? Only one way to find out ah suppose”
She gripped the plants and gave them a tug to test their strength. Suitably impressed by their sturdiness she hauled herself up of the ground, her human like and claw machine hands pulling the rest of her body upwards. Surprisingly it all managed to hold the weight of the bronze forged bot, even if there was some ominous creaking.
”This is such a terrible idea.”
But it was this or either going back to the Boss and admitting that she hadn't found anything, or wandering off into the forbidden lands alone. Both of these where things she did not want to do for entirely different reasons, so up she climbed. It was tough going, climbing up the often unhelpful plants that were often only barely adequate in their emulation of a ladder. While her weight fought against her and her missmatched hands weren't ideal for this task, most of Piper’s physiology was suited for this climb. She’d chosen her own parts as she grew, and her resulting frame was designed predominantly for monkeying up and down ladders inside the cramped confines of spaceships, meaning she had plenty of upper body strength. She also had no muscles to tire nor any skin to become sore, only gears, pistons, metal and sensors. As a result the climb was a calcuatable contest between gravity and steam powered engineering, one Piper knew she could win barring any major setbacks.
Setbacks there where however. Plants snapped under her weight or slipped from her inelegant grasp. Once or twice she nearly fell. She could also probably survive falling here, although someone would have to put her back together after she smashed against the ground. That would make her look bad in front of the boss however, and she did not want to leave the task of getting fixed to him. At certain points she had to give up on the the plants entirely and rely instead along stone outcroppings. At one point she even had to jump from one wall to a stone pillar to keep going. Though none where setbacks where enough to kill her or stall her for to long, by the time she was approaching the top Piper’s furnace was in dire need of refueling.
Piper’s hand reached up one last time from the greener, only to find air and then stone below it. Feeling a little further forwards she found that this was not another stone outcropping out an actual platform she could stand on Her destination reached Piper halued herself upwards onto onto the stone surface.
She’d done it! She’d made it! Now where in the world had she made it too?
Luis drifted idly though the sky, having been left alone again as his creator again after she had once again been distracted by another god. The first time this happened was when she and Ashalla wandered off to look at some reef somewhere, and now, after she had come to find him roaming the skies above the ocean west of the Malstorm, she had done it again when she had spotted the mirrored version of the home built on Li’s Island. The great floating whale did not mind this too much but he was glad to see her again when the glowing parrot flew up to meet him.
”Hello Azura, you’re look like you are feeling a lot better.” he greeted her, noting the wonder a bath and rest had done for her appearance.
”I am. I feel re-invigorated and ready to get back to work.” she responded as she came to a stop before him, her mood having also picked up like her appearance. ”Would you like to come with me?” she then asked.
”Yes” Luis responded slowly. Even though the answer seemed to him like a forgone conclusion his massive sluggish mind always took its time to think things through. This made him quite the contrast to his impulsive creator and resulted in their conversations occur in bursts, with Luis taking his time to respond while Azura was right on his tail ever time he finished speaking. ”What work is there to be done?”
”Now that I have my strength back I have one last vital piece of my soul preservation plan left to create.” She explained as they turned and began to fly north ”You remember what I told you about Katharsos and the fate of the dead?”
”Yes. The souls dead go to his fires to burn but you have found a way to make them not go away and have a place to store them at the north pole.” he answered once his mind had dredged up the memory. He had so few, and yet his mind was already prepared for the day when he would have millions.
”Exactly. But the problem is that, although I have somewhere i can put the saved souls, I can’t be everywhere to save everyone when they die, so I need others who can go find those about to meet their end so they can save them in my stead. Preventing either their first death if we are lucky, or their last if we are not. I just need to work out exactly what to make to fulfill that task. They need to be friendly, and fast and strong and so many other things to perform their duty correctly. Not scaring mortals they come to save is also important… hmmm” she said, before going quiet, presumably to contemplate the problem.
Luis thought about this for quite a while as well and then asked ”Could I do that for you?”
”Hmmm?” she responded, broken out of her musings, ”No no no no. I’ve put you though quite enough already. Besides, you can't be everywhere either.”
”oh.” he responded disappointedly, before asking ”What are you doing after this?”
”I’m going to make weapons, and use them to invade the realm of death to steal the souls of the people still remain unburned. Before you ask, no, you don’t need to help me with that. I cant put you in harms way again.” she responded
”Why not? I want to help.” he insisted
”Because it was wrong of me to do so in the first place.” Azura responded in frustration, thought that frustration seemed leveled as much at herself as it was at him ”I should never have made something as intelligent as you as a moon shield, nor should I have made the gardeners so intelligent. I mean you needed to be smart to complete the tasks I gave you, but in the end I brought you all into this world only for you to suffer and die and burn! I had no right to make you. I’m sorry I did.” Azura cried, having got very worked up about this very quickly.
Luis was quiet for quite a while before responding ”I’m glad you made me. The start hurt a bit, but everything after that has been nice. Helping you made me happy.”
”Because I made you that way… I made clever creatures and then bolted instructions onto their minds. You’d probably feel terrible if you weren't able to help me right?”
”hmmm. Probably. It was lonely once the storm was in place. I went looking for you. I’m glad we found each other again.” he agreed.
”The Gardners are probably the same.” she said sorrowfully ”I hope they are ok.”
Upon the Kick a great congregation had amassed. Thousands of Gemstone gardeners of all 5 kinds had met there after planting the rest of the island with seeds from all across the globe. In a mass shouting match they discussed the one great issue plaguing their kind.
“The southern land is covered in forest that grew on its own!” cried one
“The spiny lands have trees already, and they walk around!” one horrified bird explained
“A little cloud zapped me there!” another complained
“I was planting to the south and then everything caught fire and now the seeds won’t grown in the sand there” a slightly singed bird said
“Above that I was planting and then there was blood everywhere and everything grew super fast.” said another who bathed far more often than was necessary
“Weird cat bird thing ate one of us down there so we beat it up!” announced a very heavily scared and yet very proud Emerald Kea
“I helped! A god touched me and now I am amazing!” declared a Blood Cockatoo that had managed to stick a Griffin feather in its head plumage as decoration
“There are no new worlds left to garden!” the all cried
“So what are we going to do now?” they asked
“There's this island to the west of the big other one. Everything glows there like us but not quite the same. I couldn’t plant anything there but it was nice.” a bird mentioned
“I think the nice glowly lady who healed me lives there?” said another who had been a survivor of the Phoenix’s attack on the eye of desolation.
“Should we go there then?” some asked
There was quite a bit of pondering about this
“Sure, why not?” was the general consensus.
Thus began a great migration of a vast and colorful flock up to tendlepog, across to Swahhitteh, after which they tool a a short skip around the maelstrom to mount chop and then across all of Atokhkwoi till at last they arrived at the glowing island of Istasis.
“This is nice.” was the general consensus of the congregation before it dispersed across the island.
The Giant bird and giant whale had flown in silence for quite some time now. Luis had been contemplating, his mind running in circles of logic. He liked Azura, but he only liked her because she made him too, but he didn't want to not like her, but that was because he was made that way and so on. Azura herself seemed to be moping. Eventually he came to decision. ”The birds. I met some while you were away. They’ve been dying and go to the fires right?”
”Yes. I saw some when I went there, but could not free them alone. Aceal will help me next time. As will the allies she.. makes” Azura trailed off before Luis interjected with a surprising degree of haste ”Then I want to help them. Because they are like me. I don’t want them to burn. That's something I want to do on my own right? Not something you told me to do?”
”I… Yes… yes it is. I gave you empathy, like I gave you reason, but the idea is yours. You want to do it even though I said you shouldn't? Its to dangerous, there will be fighting and you are not made for that. You are big and slow and soft and Katharsos will tear you apart.” she responded eventually
”Then please make me stronger Azura. Give me the power to help them” he requested, not adding that he also wanted it so he could help her. It wasn't what Azura needed to here, he concluded.
”But you might die!” she responded, near terrified by the prospect
”If I do then you will preserve me?” he asked
”of course!” she promised
”Then I have nothing to fear.” he concluded.
”Ok.” she responded softly, uncertainly, before repeating herself more resolutely ”Ok. I’ll do it. I think i have an idea as to how to do this.”
And so she sang, and as she sang soul ash and wind solidified from the air, forming crystal and Luft stone at her command.
“Construct your life and death are one Yet your souls shall not be undone With your armor made of mighty stone You will protect Luis’s flesh and bone With simple mind with life un-living Bare the brunt of foes unforgiving Yet in this you will not be alone For the fallen you will give a home Willing spirits will join the fight To aid this world's first Knight!”
What formed out of woven song, air and soul was a cross between a construct like the ones managing the Vault of souls and one of Azura’s floating temple, all scaled to be just a smidgen longer that Luis. It had a large flat top that was shaped like his head and its own jointed tail that lazily swept back and forth in the wind. Atop its flat space where a number of flat buildings containing vaults for storing souls. These however were not the same plain shelves as could be found in the vault, but where instead metal devices that held the crystals in place, keeping them from falling and letting them drive additional power into the stone creature to increase its power if they wished.
Along with these storage places where about two dozen of small constructs attached to its body, all roughly the height of a regular humanoid. Each was a stocky blocky legless torso bearing two rectangular arms. A single crystal sat where the construct’s head would be that controlled the construct, while four more were found at the ends of the arms, forming two claws on each limb. Finally the construct had a crew of beings that where a lot like the curators of the vault of souls which performed the same role as the ones in the vault, namely sorting and storing soul crystals, though instead of mining equipment the curators where instead capable of building with Luft stone, allowing them to make limiter repairs to their living home.
Beneath it where hundreds of rib like limbs that rocked back and forth idly, making it appear to be some bizarre centipede whale skeleton hybrid. At its front was a singular massive crystal that sat just about where the creatures brain could be expected to be, which spiked up like a massive glowing horn from its forehead. Here it seemed lay the mind of the vast machine creature.
Luis looked upon this strange monster with a hint of distaste at its many limned nightmarishness. As if reading his mind, though the goddess had assured him when they had met for the second time that she would not, Azura said:
“Ah. That looks a little more disturbing that I meant it too. To many legs. Still, I’m quite sure it will look alot better when you put it on”
”Put it on?” He asked, having almost forgotten what the point of the exercise had been, so in awe was he of the goddess’s ability to form something so massive out of thin air.
“Yes. Like armor. I have to thank you by the way, making this has given me a much better understanding of the art of soul crystallization. I think I’ve more or less mastered it. Which means I believe imparting this piece of power to link you to this creature will be a simple task. Do I have your permission to add a power and knowledge to your mind?”
”To make me stronger? Yes” he responded, at which point Azura sang again
“Soul in flesh and soul in stone To one another you are known Construct give him power So that he need never cower Luis lend this tool your mind And to your will it will bind Now as one machine and master will stand strong against disaster!”
The song flowed into him and all at once Luis became aware of the mind is dwelling within that body of stone and crystal. He reached out with his mind and found it accepted this mental connection without comment or hesitation.
Hello. What is your name? he thought to it. Its response was a cold, rigid and emotionless one that sounded a touch like Azura if all life and spirit had been drained away from her.This one greets you. This one is named as Luis’s Armor it responded, before adding. This one awaits your instructions Not entirely sure how to proceed he attempted to emulate his first conversation with Azura where when asked the same question he had told her that he was called the Eclipse Whale. He removes the self deprecation she had shown from the response and saidThat's not really a name. What would you like to be called? but unfortunately it responded This one does not understand your question.
”I do not understand this person.” he told Azura
“That is because it is not a person. I have realized my mistake with making you and the Gardeners. To make a mind and then inprint instructions on it was thoughtless and I am forever sorry that I did that to you. Here instead there are only instructions with no mind attached. In this case it knows how to work for you, with you, to make you stronger, but little else. Look closer and you will see that you can probably understand the contents of its mind in a way that we never could if it were another person. It is just that simple a soul.”
Peer closer he did, and indeed he could see the instructions somewhat, though they were mostly incomprehensible to him. Perhaps if he dedicated his time to examining it he could come to understand it. He wondered if this was how Azura saw him, of if she spoke honestly when she said they were the same kind of being. This one awaits your instructions it reminded him with utter insurgency that still conveyed something akin to impatience.
”It keeps asking me for instructions.” he told Azura, ”what should I tell it to do?”
“I would suggest telling it to armor you. Then ask it for help and it will tell you all you can do together”
When he did so it told him to Please remain still. This one is initiating the armor donning process. Then it approached and set itself over him, its many limbs spreading wide to engulf him before it descended. The construct touched down gently and then embraced him, it’s many limbs wrapping down around his face and body. Everywhere it touched him he could feel a strange sensation as it gripped onto his very soul for purchase, the very outer edges of his very being becoming solid and linking with the construct till he and it where as one. It was took him a great effort of will to remain calm as he was engulfed, yet once it was in place the armor felt natural as his skin, a part of him he never knew he was missing. Gazing down at the the water he could see himself reflected in the blue waves, a knight in stone armor that moved with him as one. The creepy legs and closed together to form a breastplate that guarded his underside, while the crystal that housed the constructs mind was placed directly above his forehead, making the pair’s minds extremely close to one another. He could feel the other augmenting his mind, making parts of him run faster than his sluggish meat brain could ever hope to.
You are now armored it announced once the process was complete. Let evil tremble before your might! it added, in a flare of emotion that made it sound a lot more like Azura than it normally did, before it repeated that This one awaits your instructions in the same dull voice.
Interesting. Luis’s…. You need a better name. Azura was awful naming things Luis’s armor, you are now called Bruna. Do you understand.
This one acknowledges your instructions. This one will now respond to the name ‘Bruna’. it confirmed
Good. Now. Bruna. Can you help me? he asked as Azura had instructed, only for his mind to be swamped with information about Bruna’s capabilities. While he was trying to absorb it all Azua asked him “Do you like it?”
”This is a lot to take in” he responded, and indeed it was. ”I’m not sure how soon I will be useful to you.”
“It’s fine. Once we get to the north pole you will have time to practice while I make more tools and weapons.” she told him and indeed they where. It took them only a short while to reach the pole, the sea turning to ice below them, then to snow covered mountains and plains. It was rather bleak and sad compared to the vibrant oceans and lands found to the south. Azura did not stop them here however, but instead brought them up towards the top of the central mountain, and it was there where Luis got to enter the Blue for the first time. He had always been able to see the strange buildings and small creatures fluttering around the Blue as he brought the day sky with him wherever he went, but could never touch them. Here however was a world above the clouds, full of color and wonder.
Bruna’s Curators, a variant of the curators of the vault of souls that repair rather than mine stone. 1 fp discounted to 0 by soul crystal port
Praise discounted to 0 fp by soul crystal port for Luis the eclipse whale: grant the ability to mentally linking himself with soul crystal constructs to be able to command them
End: 6 fp, 0 mp
Portfolio progress: Tonnikala (7/10) Birds (6/10)
Bruna is a living warship that can be worn by Luis like a suit of armor to combine their power, Luis’s sentience, control over soul crystal constructs and air-speed combining with Bruna’s durability and faster reflexes. Bruna can store Soul Crystals, and can also draw power from them to enhance its own crystals power. These abilities are: Wind beams: Bruna’s main crystal and the small turret constructs lining its body can all fire tight beams of air at extreme speeds. These can either do concussive, piercing, cutting or drilling damage based on the shape of the wind attack (wide, thin, narrow or spiraling) the main beam is very large, while the smaller ones are only really effective at attacking small targets. As a result they act like a main gun and a pound defense system respectively. Construct control: Burna is capable of multitasking, while Luis is able to control other insentient soul crystal Constructs. Together they can coordinate armies of these constructs far better than a regular mortal could. Mortal crystals on-board the vessel can also be brought in to help with this task, adding their expertise or micromanagement to the command system. Windshield: Bruna can enclose itself in a bubble of flowing wind that can deflect incoming attacks. It cannot fire and use this ability at the same time.
Azura leave behind LiKalla’s island and returns to the company of Luis the eclipse whale The pair have a long conversation in which Luis tries to find a way he can help Azura despite her insistence that he need not do so Azura says that Luis only feels the need to help her because she made him that way and then regrets creating intelligent creatures to do her bidding in the first place. Luis ponders the nature of his free will and then insists that Azura allow him to help in the fight against death despite her insisting that he need not do so. He based this decision on a desire to help the gemstone gardeners rather than his inbuilt desire to help Azura. This wins her over, as she acknowledges it as a decision made by him, rather than by her programming. Azura makes a Soul Crystal powered construct that can act as armor for Luis and can be used to both draw power from and transport Soul Crystals. Azura then gives Luis the ability to command other soul crystal constructs. He then make the armor don him and tells it its name is Bruna. The two then travel to the north pole and enter the blue where Azura wants to make constructs that will travel around crystallizing the souls of the dying to then bring them back to the north pole.
In other news the Gemstone gardeners have finished their task of spreading nature across the globe. Without any further instructions most of them migrate to Istasis because it is a nice place that suits their own luminous nature.
With a loud groan Bowser regained his senses after being tossed by his double and found himself himself lying on his back in the hallway that contracted the front gate to the throne room. As a turtle, this state of affairs was somewhat inconvenient. Thus began the rather undignified process off rocking back and forth till he eventually managed to get his feet back on the ground and righted himself. Fortunately everyone seemed to be more than distracted by Megadragonbowser to take notice of his temporary immobilization. Unfortunately said fight also resulted in Donkey Kong being thrown out of the throne room, causing the king’s victory over gravity to be undone as the ape collided with Bowser. The pair were sent tumbling back to the ground, though fortunately this time the fall did not result in any more innocent Toad deaths.
“GAHHH, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SWINGING MONKEY” Bowser complained as he and the floor once again became close friends. He tired to get up only to be smacked in the face by a disgruntled ape. “NO. STOP. WRONG BOWSER! WRONG BOWSER!” He shouted at Donkey Kong as the latter got back on his feet and tired to shake off his concussion. As a result he was in prime position to watch the King rock back and forth on his shell as he tired to get up again. DK found this hilarious, slapping his knee before pointing and laughing raucously at the beleaguered king. “QUIT LAUGHING AND HELP ME!” he complained, which fortunately the great ape did, but only once he was done enjoying the spectacle. After Donkey Kong rolled Bowser onto his front the king stood himself up, dusted himself down and grabbed a Toad sprite before declaring:
“LET’S GET BACK IN THERE AND BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF THAT WANNA BE ME!”
Donky Kong took up thoughtful pose for a moment, one arm folded across his chest supporting the elbow of the other as it scratched his chin for a few moments, clearly wanting to do something a tad smarter than doing the exact same thing again while expecting a different result. He glanced over at Bowser and, at spotting his blocking glove hat, snapped his fingers as a light bulb appeared above his head. He had come up with an idea. With a leap the Kong placed himself upon Bowser shoulders, after which beat his chest and screeched apishly to psych himself back up for battle.
“GAH! HAY WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOUR WAY TOO HEAVY TO BE FREELOADING!” the king complained before he saw that DK had begun winding up a Giant Punch, spinning up his fist and building the momentum for one hell of a blow. “OH! I GET IT. ALRIGHT LET’S DO THIS!” he declared before taking their newly formed six armed double trouble power tower into the throne room for round two.
They arrived just in time to see the rest of the team lay into the incapacitated Megadragonbowser, but were too late to join in with kicking their foe while he was down as a result of their hallway slapstick shenanigans. At any rate, navigating through the friendly fire and icy floor would likely be another calamity waiting to happen. Also the pair could do with some healing, and so gratefully soaked in the healing melody that the dancer Din was producing. While they waited for the fire storm to die down Donkey Kong kept charging up his mega punch while Bowser crushed a toad sprite he had picked up from the entryway. “MAYBE ONE OF THESE SHROOMHEADS WILL BE GOOD FOR SOMETHING FOR ONCE”
Piper’s sickly olive branch was promptly ignored by the Boss. She was instead left to watch as he went off on a tirade at Bentley over a whole host of issues. Piper facepalmed as the Boss forced them to acknowledge in front of Dormin that the god was as shady as the sun was bright. By the time the two squad leaders were done talking she’d had just about enough of the Boss
Flaming rust buckets Boss. Yes. Dormin isn’t the most trustworthy being in existence. Your not smart for figuring that out, they told us that in the blasted briefing. They also told us we wouldn't just get answers without doing something for em to get answers, so listening to disembodied voices is literally the aim of the mission this time. Also screw you for implying last time was in any way Azura’s fault.
Piper gave an exasperated groan and then turned to leave, not looking at the boss while she walked out after Bently and co declaring that You can sit here shouting at the ceiling till your voice box shorts out and your furnace runs cold for all I care, because unless your going to dismantle this temple brick by brick it sure doesn't look like your going to get any answers. Meanwhile I’m going to do some actual investigating.“
She stomped past Bently, who had stopped to give a tutorial to Tiz, telling him and his team that "Be safe out there. Keep your eyes and mind open."
Maybe the boss would suck it up and follow her out after which they could talk outside of Dormin’s earshot. Otherwise she’d be doing exactly what she said she was going to do. Scouting. Maybe she could learn something on her own to help the remaining intact team complete the mission. The Boss did have a point, but they were probably never going to get the answers to his questions out of Dormin, at least not without some leverage.
Taking her own advice Piper’s first point of investigation was the temple itself which Piper spent some time exploring the rest of. Perhaps she could find a trace of the game’s hero, whatever means they had used to navigate the forbidden lands, or some kind of ancient scriptures of some kind.
Mega Dragon Bowser’s napalm attack caught off guard, leaving the hero's to rush past him to begin engaging their foe. Fortunately ice from Din’s magic and water from Mario’s conveniently required F.L.U.D made short work of the inferno that threatened to engulf the castle. The darn’d plumber always seemed to find the right tools for the job at just the right times, but at least for once this luck was helping Bowser rather than harming him. The mercenary cowboy then seemed to sell them out, but quickly paid for this when the rest of the team then opened fire, Zero’s shots once again catching the cowboy in the crossfire. Unfortunately just like how Bowser had shrugged off so much gun fire today the imposter came out of this initial voly mostly unharmed before retaliating with a spinning shell atack. The king was left scrambling to get out of the way along with the others while also having to contend with the issue of not squishing his troops at the same time. He was rewarded for the caution his double would never have shown by a shower of splinters striking his rear from Megadragonbowser's destructive impact with the door.
Bowser turned round just in time to see his double tossing aside the comparatively tiny Poppi. And leapt at the opportunity to go head to head with the imposter and dethrone him personally.
“I’M GOING TO STOMP YOU INTO PASTE!” Bowser roared at his foe before charging Megadragonbowser. The empower imposter turned to face him and raised a claw, catching Bowser’s initial mighty right hook with relative ease. While he was briefly stunned by this turn of events Bowser was not one to be put down so easily. Despite this no selling of his initial strike Bowser tried again, slashed at Megadragonbowser with the Mecha Mitt, only to find his wrist caught before the glowing claws could get close enough to leave a mark. As a result he was left standing there, his hands caught by the his double and unable to pull away.
”PATHETIC” MegaDragonBowser taunted his captive foe.
Bowser struggled for a few moments, attempting to get free, before realising that he had one advantage over the Galeme empowered Megadragonbowser, and that was that he was not yet out of fists. He grinned at the imposter as the sides of his top hat deployed their hidden pair of mechanical boxing arms, which then proceeded to deliver a series of rapid fire jabs to Megadragonbowser’s smug face. At the same time Sledge and Mallet appeared at their king’s shoulders to assist, having only just recovered their footing after being jostled around by the clash of titans. The larger bro spun up Blazermate’s minigun and and unleashed a hail of fire point blank while Malet made do with bonking the false king on the head with a few hammers thrown over his own king’s hat.
”RAAAAAAH!” Megadragonbowser roared more in anger than pain as he used his grip on bowser’s arms and the power of his wings to hurl Bowser to one side, throwing him clean out of the throne room though the shattered remnants of the doors and into the lobby. A few of the unfortunate Toads who had managed to survive the shower of splinters from the annihilated door were instead crushed by the tossed turtle. The hammer Bros meanwhile were poofed as they hit the ground, having been shaken off their king by the force of the throw.
”WHO’S NEXT!” the triumphant Megadragonbowser said as he turned his back on the dazed Bowser to face the room full of heros, daring any of the others to fight him one on one.
Constantina arrived though the portal and was also the person least surprised by what she saw. Castles where after all a common sight where she came from. Dwarves where a known factor, though there were probably more of them present here than there were alive back in her world. The Gnomes reminded her most of Hoburgs, though it was a somewhat inaccurate comparison as Hoburgs where closer to halflings than Gnomes, while the Gnomes she was familiar with where actually earth elementals. There were also blue skinned elves, which was terrible, and blue hairless Satyrs/Dryads, which was weird.
As for their equipment, most of them were decked out in what Constantina would consider rare magical artifacts which was very impressive. She imagined that this 100 gold they where getting, which was more than enough to hire and equip a Censor like herself back home, would go even further here. As a result she eagerly looked forward to doing some shopping, particularly because, like the others, her outfit was not suited for the far north but rather the warm mediterranean coast. Vent and Cole seemed to be toughing it out it while the talkative teen with the turtle familier was more than willing to voice his concerns. Constantina decided to grin and bare it as best she could while giving assurances to the young lad that everything would be fine.
”I suspect your right Blue. It most would not do to have us Heros freeze to death before we smite even a single undead fiend and a castle such as this is bound to have spare winter clothing fit for battle. she just hoped it would not be second hand.
While she was following after the rest of the group she happened to spot the strange hooded figure boarding their ship. To the others is must have seemed inconsequential, but to the prophetess, who had been the target of multiple failed assassination attempts by blade and spell alike and had been rendered suitably paranoid as a result, it struck her as just a touch odd. She was in a new place where such a thing might be normal, but she considered it prudent to bring it up just in case.
”Excuse me good sir she addressed the silver armored figure who had come to show them the way ”But pray tell who’s ship might that be? she asked, pointing over at the vessel in question. ”I ask for a robed individual, who seemed a just touch out of place, just boarded it with what I worry may be malicious intent. she concluded, here tone having been as polite and un-accusatory as possible throughout just in case she was unintentionally accusing some important or respected individual of skulking about their own vessel.
Azura chose the very top of the world as the place for her scheming against death. There she raised a roughly circular island upon which she erected a ring shaped mountain range, forming a sheltered and hidden valley at their center. Then she formed a final mountain directly atop the north pole. The lonely mountain in the valley at the center of the ring that pierced skywards with impossible steepness and was blessed for its hubris with eternal sunlight at its peak. Around this peak where her sphere and Galbar where forever one she built a great temple shaped like two wheels, one within the other. The spokes of these turbines where slanted to make them into great turbines. The outer spinning clockwise and drawing air up into it and in the process bringing wind and clouds into the valley and then into the Blue, while simultaneously making flying up to the fortress from the valley easier. The center one spun counterclockwise, pushing air down the sides of the mountain, making ascending that perilous peak on foot even more treacherous that it would have been otherwise.
The temple’s interior was utilitarian for the most part, filled with vast empty rooms that could be easily fit to propose later all linked by a grid of wide corridors that you could easily march a company of soldiers though. The scope of these was made primarily to prevent Azura’s newly discovered claustrophobia from getting the better of her even as she locked herself in a dungeon of her own creation. The only windows in the temple were arrow slits and the entrances where small number hanger bay like rooms guarded by sturdy gates operated by wind powered mechanisms, both decisions made to ensure entry was as difficult as possible. All of this was lit by Azura’s feathers set into torch holders and chandeliers dotted at regular intervals throughout the structure, each one carefully plucked from her body only for a replacement to rapidly grow in its place. This left the interior as bright as a summer's day and soft wind currents generated by the wind goddesses’ feathers ensured that the air was never stale.
The giant structure would be her bastion against death, and her laboratory for forging measures to counteract it. In a great hall in the outer ring she placed the soul pearl she had brought from the soul reef on a cushioned pedestal and settled herself before it to begin her study.
First she simply attempt to replicate the hardened soul ash. Having chosen a place far from the vortex this was easier said than done, and the goddess spent hours fruitlessly grasping at nothingness trying to gather the necessary ingredient for her first experiment. Eventually however she decided to partially dismantle her pearl to observe the reverse of the process she was attempting to establish, which lead to a breakthrough that allowed her to create a single soul pearl relatively easily. The process of hardening the raw material understood and then practiced a few hundred times she moved on to the real objective. Solidifying souls.
A Life bloomed before her in the form of a tiny seedling that sprouted into a delicate flower growing in a patch of conjured dirt. Azura took a moment to admire it, and then snuffed out its life. As soon as she did its tiny soul emerged and was gripped by the pull of the distant vortex. As it was the goddess attempted too wrest it from death’s grasp, only for it to slip away, for her hold had been to gentle. She tried again, holding it to tightly this time, causing the soul to be torn apart by their battle. Then she tried again.
And again
And again
Until finally she settled on not holding the soul back completely, but simply slowing its flight enough that she could work on it. Souls briefly stabilized she tried to harden them in the same manner as the soul oysters did with ash. At first she got only fine diamond dust that spread across the room, then fragmented stones and finally, after hundreds of attempts, the first solid crystal. It was fragile and ugly, but it resisted the vortex’s pull nonetheless.
She could do better.
Days passed and as they did life bloomed and was extinguished thousands of times as the room slowly filled with dust and flawed crystals. Plants were replaced with simple creatures. First bugs, then lizards and finally mice, some of which were allowed to accrue memories over a short span before they too were committed to crystal. The scent of blood and death slowly filled the room. As the goddess worked she wept softly, for even though she believed what she was doing was necessary, that these simple lives were worth sacrificing for the potential rescue of sentient souls from Katharsos’s grip, her empathy could not allow her to become cold to the violence she was inflicting upon them. Yet even as she cried a deep old buried part of her was more than comfortable with these sacrifices. She hated that part and understand not from whence it came. She buried it deeper than it already lurked but could not extinguish it entirely. As she learned and gained experience she expanded her scope from painstakingly preserving single souls to flash freezing dozens at a time, moving herself to a second room which was rapidly filled with purer crystals. Yet even this was not enough. She needed older souls with more memories to solidify if she was to hope to perfect the art for the void souls. It would be a tragedy if she came to their aid only to destroy their minds and memories because she had not mastered her invented art.
With a gust of wind Azura threw open one of the sets of gates to her newly minted fortress, letting the light of the blue stream inside. Beyond in the blue fluttered thousands of sky slugs, the simple creatures having multiplied without end without in the predator-less sky and had as a result easily recovered from the moonfall massacre. They would suit her needs well and so a second slaughter began.
Several hours later Azura felt that she had gained all the knowledge she could bare to gain from the sky slug souls. She had also discovered a problem, namely that the sky bastion was rapidly filling up with Soul Crystals and that it was not going to be a sustainable place to put them. They were also making the fortress frightfully cold as they drew in heat to sustain themselves. If filled to the brim the entire bastion might well freeze over, stilling its turbine, sealing its gates and sapling the life from it’s occupants. The Soul Crystals would, in the end, render the fortress worthless and unable to protect them. So she had dragged the tones of solidified souls down to the foot of the mountain, and carved a hidden entrance to a buried necropolis into a secluded crevice at the end of a ravine. Already feeling rather hemmed in however, the giant bird struggled to find the will to move into her newly created soul sanctuary.
”It makes sense.” She assured herself ”the vault can be ever extended under the island and it’ll be safer from meteorites and the like. You just need to go in there and make the rest of it Azura.”
After a few more moments of steeling herself she finally entered the tunnel. She got about 100 meters worth of tomb carved before breaking, the stress and exhaustion she had been suffering combining with her recently discovered fear of enclosed spaces forcing her to beat a hasty retreat back out into the perpetually twilight smothered the base of the mountain. She couldn’t do this. Not now, not soon, and yet time was of the essence. She’d need something to perform this task for her.
To achieve this Azura took one of the mostly blank memory-less crystals from her first successful crystallization experiments and formed a body around it. Air solidified into luft-stone that was infused with the dust of her first failures which formed a pair of arms and a head around the Soul Crystal. From the rear ends of these body parts emanate a cloud-like mist from which wind could emanate to push the creature around and let it maneuver its two disembodied limbs. Once it was finished forming the construct, that ended up being about the size of a small dog, it floated before her motionlessly, devoid of will or propose. To rectify this she pushed her mind into the smooth featureless soul crystal and ever so carefully carved memories into it.
She taught it how to carve, how to dig, how to build. How to understand souls, make temporary links to gain simple information from them to allow for categorization. To understand language at a basic level to engrave what they had learned about souls into notes that they and others could read. How to cooperate with more of its kind to complete its singular given task: to expand, organize and maintain the Vault of Souls. Then she made hundreds more of these all copies of the first. As soon as they were completed the Curator swarm set to work without any additional instructions. Some collect some of the already produced soul crystals and began taking them inside to store in the tiny Azura prepared section of the Vault. Others immediately headed to the depths and began carving out new tunnels and crypts for both those that had already arrived and for those that where yet to come.
Azura was content to watch them for a short while, but soon enough even the ravine became to claustrophobic and she had to extract herself from it. All that greeted her was the beak stone valley she had created. Rain was falling in the valley and where it fell above the vault it became snow. It was a somber sight, one that matched the grizzly business that had gone into learning what she had about making soul crystals. Her practice was not yet complete. She would need more complex souls if she was to perfect the process in preparation for saving the void souls. Yet she had made progress and could not help but feel pride in her work. She perched there on that lonely mountain side for just a few moments, letting the snow and rain washed the smell of blood, dust and ash out of her feathers.
The moment of stillness was over all to soon, for there really was not time to spare for basking in her accomplishments. Azura took wing and soared back up to the sky bastion. There was still so much left to do.
makes a floating fortress anchored to the top of a mountain built on the north pole
learns how to crystallize souls via a tone of animal testing
fills up way to much of her fortress with crystal as a result of extensive practice at soul crystallization
tries and fails to make an underground tunnel complex to store these in thanks to claustrophobia
makes golems/robots/constructs made of floating rock, soul crystal cores and wind magic to dig out the tunneling for her
hangs out in the snow for a bit for a moment's rest
Soul crystals: Soul crystals are Azura’s response to Katharsos’s burning of souls. To keep the dead out of the grasp of his vortex of souls Azura has found a way to make the souls solid, granting them the mass to defy the vortex’s metaphysical pull. This solidification process creates a unique crystal structure with the hardness of diamond that come in a myriad of colors. The size of a Crystal correlates to the size of its body in life (generally about 2% of its former volume), while its density is a reflection of the level of intelligence the souls mind exhibits. As an example a human’s crystal would be roughly 5 cm while having twice the density of Gold while an ant’s would be a few mm in size and as light as a feather.
Soul Crystals require some energy to sustain themselves which they gain by drawing in heat from their surroundings, resulting in them feeling cold to the touch. In large numbers they can also noticeably drop the ambient temperature of their surroundings. They can also absorbs more energy than is necessary, allowing them to be used as power sources for things like golems, future magic systems or ghostly manifestations. Crystals have reservoirs of power as well that can be depleted as part of a personal or forced sacrifice to gain significant burst of energy at once.
Soul crystals have number of weaknesses. While very resistant to mortal weapons those of divine origin or with diamond or soul crystal tips can still shattered the souls made physical. They also have no protection from Katharsos’s fires if they are brought to them. Finally, and most importantly, a soul crystals need to physically grow to change, a lengthy process that prevents the kind of rapid personal growth or learning that a ethereal soul is capable of. They are also incapable of committing anything to long term memory without consciously growing new crystal growths to store those memories (an energy intensive process), or overwriting old ones. As a result even if a soul crystal is given a body to control it won't be the same as if it was a ethereal soul. Not only will the soul struggle with the aforementioned rapid adaptation or long term memory problems, it is also less attuned to its body as it is physically joined to that body at a single point rather than occupying it in its entirety, leading to a feeling of disembodiment. All of this combined makes a soul crystal akin to a static AI rather than a living person. A memory or archive of a life rather than a continuation of it.
Luft Stone: the stone used to create Azura’s floating temples. They defy the gravitational pull of whatever body they float around in just the right way to act as if they are unaffected by it while also not falling off it if it is moving. It is indistinguishable to mundane Granite in all other aspects.
Curators of the Vault of Souls: Constructs of Luft Stone powered by a soul crystal, these creatures are in charge of maintaining, organising and expanding the Vault of souls.They can perform no other task and will not obey instructions, nor attempt to remove intruders or interact with anyone who enters the vaults in any way. If attacked they will attempt to flee. If a soul is removed from its proper place they will attempt to retrieve it by snatch it from the clutches of a would be thief. Curators are capable of extracting some basic information from soul crystals such as species and can ask a soul some very basic questions for further record keeping purposes such as their name and a brief personal description. They do this by allowing the soul to briefly manifest a small light construct version of themselves that can be asked those questions. The soul is, of course, entirely capable of lying to the Curator and the construct would be none the wiser if this where to occur.
They take the form of a central soul crystal surrounded by a small ring of stone that keeps it aloft accompanied by two disembodied arms it uses to manipulate the environment. Soft clouds form around the back of these three components that can create controlled gusts of wind to move them around. Curators are capable of producing a small laser from their “heads” that they use for carving stone, either to dig through it, to mason it into shelves, staircases etc or to carve in written signposting and labels for crystals.
Start points: 3 MP & 25 FP
3 MP: Divine ability: Soul Crystallization
4 FP: mid sized island: Isle of Twilight
8 FP: mountain range: The Broken Crown Mountain Range and the North Peak/Pole
2 FP: for addition to sphere: The Sky Bastion
2 FP minor land feature: the Vault of Souls
2 FP: extraordinary species: the Caretakers of the Vault of Souls
7 FP: gateway. the tallest mountains that pierce the clouds will enter the blue during daytime
Collaboratively written by BBeast(Ashalla ) and Draco(Azura)
The storm tore across Galbar’s ocean, whipping the sea into a frenzy. Dark clouds blotted out the light of the stars and the Lustrous Garden, with the only light left under the storm being that provided by arcs of scarlet lightning. The storm followed directly beneath Veradax, illuminated in full by the light of Heliopolis on the far side of Galbar. Supersonic winds whipped around the ferocious storm, enough to cause utter desolation wherever it went.
Which was why Ashalla wanted to stop it. The storm was terrifyingly fast, but Ashalla was faster so was able to catch up. The sea surface had been churned into a mist so thick that there was no well-defined surface. Colossal waves heaved out in the storm’s wake. Ashalla might have calmed the sea if she could have afforded to stop, but the storm was moving so quickly that she had to keep moving. Ashalla swam under the storm, and in the storm’s epicenter she looked up and saw Veradax framed by the twisting black clouds. This storm was being pulled by the Sphere. Any efforts to deal with the storm would need to break or at least weaken that connection.
Ashalla expanded to fill the ocean beneath the storm, then tried to oppose the storm’s torque and deprive it of moisture. Yet the storm flayed the water of her form, and Ashalla felt pain for only the second time in her existence, the first time being on entry to Galbar’s atmosphere. Being stretched out dulled the sensation, but as she was gripping the storm with her whole being it attacked her whole being, so there was no ignoring the agonizing assault on her form. Eventually she relented and withdrew from the storm, which had barely been slowed.
As Ashalla’s attack on the storm ceased Azura’s began. She came roaring out of the Blue in the path of the storm accompanied by a a great torrent of wind that she wrapped around herself in a spiraling drill. The goddess struck the destructive gateway like a cannon shell, punching deep inside it before expelling a vast explosion of air in an attempt to dissipate the phenomenon. The dark storm bulged, its extraneous clouds pushed further from the center as a brief opening of clear sky was formed where Azura had punched through and then detonated. Yet Veradax’s shadow could not be so easily erased and the storm soon closed in on Azura with a vengeance, the clouds being pulled back under the baleful moon. Azura, now flapping her wings as hard as she could simply to stay inside her cleared area, could only watch as her entryway was sealed off and the dark walls closed in.
”No. NO! Stay back. I demand that you stay back!” she screamed at Orvus’s gateway only for it to respond with crimson lightning that lashed out from every side, striking the Goddess of the wind out of the sky. Azura plummeted, her decent uncontrollable, as the storm became whole once more above her.
As she fell, the ocean rose towards her. A great watery maw opened up around Azura, swallowed her then dragged her deep beneath the surface. The water was calmer in the grip of the ocean. A bubble of air opened up around Azura, and Ashalla’s face sculpted itself onto the inside of that bubble.
”Feathery one, it is good to see you! We do not have time to chat. We need to stop the storm,” Ashalla said, her voice echoing in the bubble.
Of all the terrible ways to discover that you are claustrophobic, Azura’s last 10 seconds of existence had to rank pretty highly on that list and she freaked the hell out as a result. As Azura was dragged down into the abyss she wildly flapped her badly burnt wings in a vain attempt to reach the freedom of the sky. When all at once they found a grip on air rather than water as Ashalla’s air bubble opened up the wind goddess was somewhat relieved, even more so when the water formed the friendly face of the sea goddess. Still, being trapped in an air pocket deep below the surface of the ocean was not an enjoyable experience no matter how pleasant the company nor how closely aligned their goals where with yours
”Yes. Storm bad. Now please let me out of here!” she agreed with inelegant urgency as she attempted to work out how she could escape if Ashalla turned out to be uncooperative.
Despite Ashalla’s poor empathy skills, even she could notice Azura’s distress. The bubble rose up through the water and breached the surface behind the storm. ”Thank you” Azura gasped as she surfaced.
Ashalla spoke, the goddesses’ voice heard clearly despite the ferocious noise of the storm. ”The storm appears to be linked to the moon. If we can break the connection between the moon and the storm, we might be able to stop it. I noticed the storm weaken slightly when you brought the daytime sky with you.”
Azura floated on her back on the stormy seas as she tried to calm her breathing as her large body was being bobbed up and down by the angry waves that had been left in the wake of the storm. It took about a minute for her to compose herself, during which her lightning wrecked body slowly pulled itself back together, burnt feathers regrowing and regaining their former luster. This gave her plenty of time to think about the problem they were facing. Options like ‘Destroy the moon’ and ‘second sun mk2’ where quickly discarded. By the time she was ready to speak she had decided on two options.
”Ok... Ok. So the storm follows the moon and is also fueled by the moon right? So then maybe we put something between the moon and the storm? Like a… smaller moon or perhaps a large flying creature that shadows the moon and absorbs or reflects its power.” Azura’s shouted loudly in an effort to be heard over the rumbling of the receding storm. ”Or we work together to trap and bind the storm to one place that would bear the brunt of its fury each and every time the moon comes overhead. Either way, bind or chase, I could give the martyr of the moon’s wrath my aura to try and soften its burden.”
Ashalla rumbled thoughtfully, then said, ”Yes, that could do it. You block the moon, then I’ll move the storm away and bind it in place. I think I know a good place to bind it, too.”
Azura floated idaly for a few moments before responding. ”Oh. Right. both.” before rolling over onto her front. ”On it”
With that she began to flap her wings rapidly, sending water splashing in all directions until she pushed herself skyward, at which point the wind caught her once more and her flight became far more graceful as she chased after the storm. As she flew she caught glimpse of a chunk of Veradax sunken deep below the waves and came up with an idea.
”Sunken slab of hostile stone. For your violence you must atone. Take wing and rise up into the air! The mortals of this world you shall spare from this vile destructive typhoon. To do so you shall block out the moon!”
Her verse spiralled down into the ocean and wrapped itself around the fragment of Veradax which slowly began to change itself to match her song. A few moments later a titanic whale, one the size of an island, breached the surface. It’s underside was pale as moonrock while it’s almost perfectly flat top was dark as Orvium. The whale did not crash back down into the waves however, but instead continued to ascend skywards on colossal feathered fins. Azura landed atop the great beast’s head and sang:
”Faster faster you must fly! To take your rightful place in the sky Hunt down the moon and steal its power So that we may dock the storm in its harbour”
When she finished the wind picked up to aid the whale, obeying its will to surge its speed ever faster and send it soaring ever higher. Up and up the pair soared, past the clouds and into Galbar’s upper atmosphere. The wind followed them bringing air up from below and down from the Blue to push them forwards through the thin air as Azura used the same ability she used to throw herself into space to surge their speed even faster. The whale added its wingbeats and tail stokes to this and soon they were racing forwards to catch up with the storm. As they flew she sang a final verse.
”Titan you will shine so bright And bring day to darkest night Like the home of dear virtue turn blackest of night bright blue”
It flowed into the great whale’s feathers, making them shine as radiant as her own and in doing so brought the sight of the Blue to the skies above the storm, making the moon more distant as its dim light now had to pass though her sphere to reach them. As the Blue surrounded the whale the depths of its dark metallic skin where suffused with a rich cerulean, turning the desolate metal from a source of destruction to a heat sink for it. The great whale, now complete, soared above the clouds of the angry storm, eclipsing the distant moon and cutting line of sight between it and the storm it fueled. Instead the moonstone made flesh absorbed the power of its progenitor, consuming the energy meant for the storm even as the desolate energies wracked its body. Azura felt guilt at having brought life into the world only for it to suffer even as she urged the beast to endure. Perched atop it she too writhed beneath that terrible moon, finding penance in the shared agony.
With the night sky replaced by the Blue and Veradax hidden, the great storm’s furious pace began to slow, its supersonic winds rapidly dissipating energy and momentum. The ocean beneath the storm lurched at Ashalla’s pull, creating powerful currents beneath the storm. The storm started to drift off its original course, slowly at first but accelerating as it deviated from Veradax’s path.
As the storm’s trajectory was changed, the ocean currents picked up speed. Far beneath Galbar the Abyss churned to drive these vast currents. Hot water from the Saluran Mendidih met cold water pulled down from the arctic by Swahhiteh-Tendlepog, the meeting of hot and cold further fuelling the currents being orchestrated by Ashalla. Soon the storm had been pulled clear of Veradax’s path, and while its winds still raged, crimson lightning still crackled and dark clouds loomed, its strength waned slightly as it left Veradax behind.
The currents would keep carrying the storm for three days until it would reach a point near the equator south of Swahhiteh, about 5000 kilometres from the storm’s current location. There Ashalla had established a mighty whirlpool bounded by a ring of islands which would keep the storm bound to that location, and this whirlpool was fed by a vast gyre, all backed by her divine will. The mixing hot and cold waters which fueled the gyre would enhance the natural aspects of the storm, and lesser storms would be birthed from this great maelstrom, but no longer would a supersonic storm of desolation lay waste to vast swathes of Galbar.
Ashalla had prepared these things over the course of several hours. The eclipse whale would need to follow the storm until it reached its destination to ensure that Veradax did not regain a hold on the storm, but otherwise no more supervision was necessary. Out of the direct gaze of Veradax, the destructive energies flowing through the eclipse whale were much weaker.
”Feathery one, your plan is working,” Ashalla called up from the ocean. ”In just three days the storm will be bound to a single location, and your flying giant rock fish should be able to protect it until then.”
A slightly frazzled looking Azura landed swooped down to fly just above the ocean, leaving the great whale floating in the sunless blue sky above the storm. She was feeling rather chipper about the fact that they had successfully corralled the storm even if the prospect of having to defend the area was a daunting one.
”That’s wonderful news” she called back to the ocean, ”but when you say protect, do you fear that the storm’s creator will return to free it? Do we even know who the stormcrafter is?”
”Until the storm reaches the maelstrom, the moon might be able to regain a hold of it as it passes overhead. The flying fish needs to stay around for at least that long,” Ashalla said. Her form drew up near where Azura hovered so that they could see each other. ”As for the stormcrafter, that would be Orvus. There is a possibility he might return and free the storm, but I doubt your flying fish could do much to stop him if he tried.”
”No. I suppose they would not be able to stand against a god. Perhaps we could make some way for my creation or yours to warn us that Orvus approaches? Sadly he is not the only one who causes crisis and danger.” Azura sighed deeply, the joy of success having been quickly been worn away by the knowledge that numerous Gods that still needed to be confronted or opposed. ”Death, darkness, desolation. Three of our kind act only to bring destruction and I fear that there are more of their like.”
Ashalla rumbled thoughtfully. ”The storm is more than just a storm. It is also a passageway to the moon. It is very likely that Orvus will travel through it. What we don’t know is whether he will expend the effort to destroy the binding. I have not found anyone else likely to interfere with the binding. Although… you seem to be concerned about other things.”
”Yes. I suppose I am. I’ve spoken with Aelius and Asceal who made the Suns and they told me of some troubling events. Melantha attempted to destroy the first sun soon after it was made, and someone else succeeded in destroying the second the monet it was lit. They also told me of Katharsos and how he is burning all the souls that came with us from the void to ash. I have been to his realm. I have seen the slaughter with my own eyes” Azura shuddered at the memory, one still fresh in her mind. ”We don’t know why he is doing it but those souls that still remain must be saved. Somehow.” The degradation of Azura’s mood completed its tumble from the lofty heights of success and landed the parrot in a pit of dejection.
Ashalla rumbled again. She had nothing to add regarding the suns, but on the souls she did have more information. ”I know why he is making the soul ash. It is from that ash that new souls for new life are made,” she said.
Azura blinked in surprise, having not expected to run into a source of information while being sidetracked by the storm. ”Where did you learn this?” she asked excitedly, her mood poking its head out of the sadness pit, wanting to learn everything she could.
”I watched the soul-ash in action and I spoke with Katharsos. About a third of the way around the world eastwards from here, a great ethereal vortex collects the souls of the dead and deposits large quantities of soul-ash.” As Ashalla described the scene, her form morphed to also depict the scene, picking up matter floating in the ocean to add to the diorama. ”The soul-ash made everything in that part of the ocean much more virile, and great blooms of plankton filled the sea. But the soul-ash also bore impurities which bore a bitter taste, so I called Katharsos down to deal with the issue. We created some oysters to purify the soul-ash in the area, and I built a vast reef in the area. Would you like to see it?”
The ramifications of Ashalla working with Katharsos could wait till later, this was big. ”Yes! More than anything!” Azura responded with aggressive interest before calling herself a little to respond in a more dignified fashion. ”I mean. yes. I’d be very interested in seeing this place for myself. Do you mind if I pop over to the east and take a look. Right now. If you need help I’ll come back as fast as I can.”
Ashalla was bubbling with excitement and pride. Here was someone who was excited about her creations. ”Better, I’ll go and show you.” Ashalla collapsed back into the ocean and pulsed away beneath the surface.
”Right now? Ok then!” Azura ascended higher into the sky and then raced to follow after the water goddess, wings hammering and wind churning to keep pace with her speedy guide.
A few hours of travel brought them past the Kick before the shallow water of the Great Soul Reef came into view. It was shaped like a vast spiral, although it was too big to be seen all at once. Just beneath the surface of the ocean was a dazzling array of colours. Coral, algae, fish and more painted the sea floor with dancing patterns. Ubiquitous in the reef was a particular species of oyster.
Ashalla manifested a head above the water and two waves swept out from her like outstretched arms. ”Do you like it?” she asked Azura.
Azura fluttered too and fro, taking it all in. The place was one of contrast Azura felt. Below was vibrant ecosystem full of colorful marvels that she longed to explore. ”Your reef is gorgeous,” she told Ashalla truthfully.
Above however was the Vortex of Souls, a vile maw that must have devoured the souls from the void in the same way it now consumed the spirits of the creatures the gods had made. Down from the Vortex rained soul ash which that she could see all to clearly now that she was looking for it. She watched it suffuse itself into the eggs of fish and blossomed into a simple soul and in doing so she gained something of an understanding of why Katharsos was doing what he was doing. She also saw that some oysters were seemingly eating the ash and decided to investigate. Finding one close to the surface she carefully raised the stone it was on with her mind to inspect the mollusk and in doing so discovered the soul pearl within.
”What is this?” she asked the ocean goddess
”Those are soul oysters. They cleanse the soul-ash,” Ashalla explained. ”Within are the impurities in the soul-ash condensed into a solid and inert form.”
Fascinated, Azura plucked the tiny pearl from the oyster and brought it before her, turning the gemstone too and fro to examine it. It was strange and beautiful. Soulstuff made solid. Free of a body yet also free from the pull of the Vortex.
It gave her an idea.
Ashala and azura both try to combat the storm following Veradax’s shadow individually and both fail. The two meet up and agree to work together, Azura creating a massive flying whale that blocks the storm’s connection to Veradax while Ashala drags the storm to a ring of islands containing a whirlpool to bind it.
The initial part of this plan is pulled off, but during the subsequent 3 day transportation period of the storm to its binding point the two get side tracked while talking about Katharsos. Ashala invites Azura to tour the reef beneath the vortex of souls and the twho leave the whale and storm to complete their journey unsupervised. Ashala shows of her beautiful reef and Azura learns more about Katharsos from his vortex and ash. In the process Azura finds, and is told about, soul pearls. Then she got an idea. An awful idea. The Birb had a wonderful, awful idea.
Azura Start: 5 MP & 25 FP Spent: Created the eclipse whale, a single beast of phenomenal power, for 2 MP End: 3 MP & 25 FP Portfolios: Tonnikala (7/10) Birds (6/10)
Ashalla Start: 6 MP & 15 FP Spent: 8 FP on creating the Maelstrom which binds Veradax’s Gateway (major terrain modification, enhanced by Oceans) End: 6 MP & 7 FP Portfolios: 2 FP towards Colour. 8 FP towards Storms.
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