DracoLunaris

Overlord: Momento Mori

Team Zouyu is banned from using triple maximize

Upon hearing the call from Graft Kladora stumbled and then halted her careful stride though the field of crustaceans to listen to the message, holding up a hand to halt the other’s advance along with hers.

“Oh dear. Well that does not sound good.” she said quietly to herself before raising a hand and gesturing for the party to return to solid ground.

One hurried explanation later and the hunting party were all racing back to the chateau at full pelt under the influence of several rider and beast tamer movement speed buffs. As they did so Zouyu looked for reassurance that everyone back at the chateau was going to be alright.

“They’ll be fine,” Kaldora replied, but considering communications had been interrupted via double explosion only moments ago it was hard to be reassuring “I hope”

“And if they canny win without us, what in the blazes are we gonna do when we get there to turn the tide” Arthanar asked

“Then we’ll have to act as the cavalry. Our progenitor’s collections, our home, our kin and comrades are in danger. We must do what we can to protect them all.” She replied before doing what she could from far away

“Now somebody get me a bird so that- No wait. We have Graft.” she started ordering for their rather mundane form of communication before realizing she, probably, still had an open line to the director and the others.

“Hello darlings, this is Kladora speaking. Zouyu, the Hunt and I are racing back as quickly as can be, but we are still a ways away. However, if one of you can get a hold of Agathina, or just get her on the line, and advise her of the nature of the threat we may be able to pull something out of the pens to help counter the invader. Just be aware that the higher level the beast we bring out the harder it will be to control.” she said to anyone listening, silently praying that that wouldn't be considered necessary.

---

The Beast Pens

“Secure the cages! Unleash the hounds! Uh. uh. Prime the traps! We can't let anyone who comes down here survive for more than a second!” Agathina, the plate armored Vampiric Beast Tamer who had been left in charge yelled as chaos engulfed the Beast Pens in response to the alarms. Thralls and Vampires scrambled to get the underground pens prepared for invasion. Some precious beasts were locked away from sight to protect them, others were let off their leashes and various traps were primed to drop invaders down into the pens from the surface grounds of the manor. The ones leading down into the aquatic section of the pens were particularly nasty for anyone wearing heavy armor, but most would lead down to kill zones or particularly nasty pens.

The sound of frantic activity died down as everyone got into their designated positions and was replaced by a weary silence as they watched the drop points. And waited. And watched. And waited.

“Nothing?” Agathina finally said as she peaked up from behind the wall of the crude command center built at the center of the Pens. She glanced down the long halls to the other watch posts and, after exchanging a few chains of hand signals and messenger animals, verified that none of the traps had been triggered.

“Either they got lucky or it’s a very small group?” suggested Dominique, who was the highest level hunter left in the chateaux, “Either way. They’re onto the climb by this point, so should we stand down?”

Agathina scratched at her gauntleted arm agitatedly, and then shook her head “I. I don't know if they’ll just leave if they win like they should do? Or that they’re heading up at all? What if they come down here instead?!” she said, becoming increasingly agitated about the prospect of the invaders not following the rules of invasions.

Dominique frowned, then grabbed her musket and waved a few other hunters over “Then I’ll go find out what’s going on”

“Oh? Yes. Good idea. Take a messenger bird with you and, uh, don’t get in trouble,” Agathina replied, before getting one of the scouts a messenger pigeon to report back.

“We won’t. See you soon,” Dominique promised, before she dashed towards one of the ways up to the surface followed by three other vampires.

“Stay safe!” Agathina called out after them before sighing and hunkering back down in the command post with one more thing to worry about.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. IV

Artifex realises he gon fucked up at just the wrong moment

”And that, children, is how to build and use a telescope”

“Don get it” the goblin said. The Mantarin sitting with them all agreed that such implements were far beyond their capacity for understanding.

”Ah. Well. Yes I suppose we’d need to work up to such a device technologically.” he said, before glancing up at his new moon and saying that ”I assure you, they are there however”

Artifex paused then, staring up at his creation and came to a horrifying realization at precisely the moment when the lifeblood decided to seal him away.

”No. NO! I NEED TO FIX IT!” Artifex screamed in rage and helplessness before he exploded into a thousand insects. The bugs all scattered to the winds in an attempt to flee the grip of the life blood, only for each and every one to fade from existence.

A stunned and horrified silence gripped the Mantarin, which was broken by the innocent question of “Where big Eyes go?”

Sadly for the goblin he did not get an answer, because instead the Mantarin began to panic, crying out for the father that the Lifeblood had stolen from them.

---

On the lanturn moon

“What iz that sister?” asked the young Vespian as she hovered at the entrance to her hive for the first time. She was about to embark upon her first hunt across the paper plains of their home, but the blue and green object hanging on the ceiling had caught her eye and refused to let her look away.

“It iz Galbar,” the older Vespid who had been assigned to mind the young one told her, the knowledge she relayed something she had known on the very day she had been made by Artifex a few months ago, “Iz where Artifex iz.”

“Artifex? Creator Artifex?“

“Yez”

“Oh. Hello Artifex!” she said, uncomprehending of the vast distances involved as she waved at the planet “I iz Zizantera, Iz nice to meet you.”

“No No Zizantera. It is too far. He can't hear you. You could fly up and up and Galbar would get no nearer” the older Vespid told her young sister, good naturally rubbing her silly head.

“Huh? Yeah he can. He’z talking back right now can't you hear?”

“What? Don’t be silly Zizantera. How can you talk to someone you can’t even see.” the minder asked, becoming concerned

“He sayz it iz because he iz a God.”

The minder opened her pincers, to object and then paused, unable to counter this logic at that very moment. So instead she asked “What else does he say?”

“That moon iz going to explode!” she said excitedly, before asking her horrified sister “What does explode mean?”

---

It was true. The moon Artifex had made in haste was unstable, for it devoured mana at a slightly faster rate than intended, building excess power and the ire of the mana itself. The core was swelling, roiling, pulsating and soon, oh so very soon, it would burst. Or, at least, soon in the eyes of a god. For the Vespian it was generations. Many trials and tribulations were overcome, ages of war and cooperation passed as Artifex attempted to remotely coral the mortals and their wild kin into enacting his plan to ensure their survival. First he tried to get them to fix the moon, but after a deadly expedition towards the core this proved to be beyond their mortal reach. So there was only one option left. To Run.

---

“Shhhhz mother. Shhhhz. Stay still. You must sleep. The cocoon while keep you safe” The prophet Aryiyata spoke softly to the irate form of her nests Queen as the giant creature was sealed into a large padded chamber within the ark. It had taken a long, long time to build the massive structure, carved from the paper earth itself and reinforced with metal stolen from the cage holding their world aloft. They had had to fight every step of the way against the will of the hive’s monstrous casts that could not comprehend why the Vespian were wasting their time building such a structure. Even now a fratricide battle was taking place at the entrances of the ark as the Vespain fought a war of tears against their mindless siblings who were attempting to reclaim the Queen from the treacherous free thinkers.

And yet even they did not fully understand the task they had undertaken. But they had their faith where other hives did not. God had spoken to the prophet Zizantera, who had spoken of the end of their world and the work that needed to be done to save their kind, to deliver them to the verdant and promised land of Galbar below. In the days where she had lived her words had reached only a few but as generations passed and their world grew hotter and hotter more had spoken to god and learned what must be done until that torch had been placed in Aryiyata’s hands.

Now the day was finally at hand. Across the world the Vespian, those who had believed the words of the prophets, sealed the entrances to the grand council structures they had built, leaving the dead bodies of their sisters strewn across the landscape. Inside they prayed, ate their final meals or attempted to console another and then entered the cocoons that would dissolve their bodies into a shock absorbent gel that would protect their nervous systems from the rigors of space travel. Upon reaching Galbar they would regrow into forms adapted to their new environment and emerge to meet their new world.

The lantern moon died when the excess mana building up in it’s core finally reached a tipping point and burst outwards, blasting the paper moon apart. Riding this wave of destruction where the Vespian Ships. Crude, powerless, unsteerable reentry vessels built by uncomprehending hands that were picked up by the blast and hurdled towards Galbar. Some failed to leave, their construction flawed by haste or inattention, or their outer layers damaged or occupants slaughtered by their monstrous kin.

Others missed Galbar entirely due to minute flaws in the earth works meant to angle them towards the world below. They were left to drift endlessly through space, or crashed onto lifeless moons or into the very stars themselves.

The remaining vessels hit Galbar’s atmosphere, layers and layers of heat shields burning away as they slowed, the last of their mass sloughing off revealing wings that folded out to catch the air and winds to bare them down to the earth below.

---

“Gasp. There it is. Just where mother said it would be!” Blossilia cried. She pointed at the giant orange vessel that had plowed its way through the trees, carving a deep groove in the woods before finally coming to stop at the base of a small hill. The group of Mantarin had emerged into this groove after several days of walking through the jungle and now started in awe at the craft and the carnage it had wrought. After a falling star had struck the forests near their home their mother and Queen had had one of her rare conversations with their heavenly father and though her they had been directed out into the wilds to find the crash site.

“I see it.” Manius said after the insectile explorers had drank their fill of the sight “Come siblings, let us go welcome the new arrivals”

---

Aryiyata had awoken to darkness. Her new body was tender and sore all over and she hadn’t had the will to move for what seemed like days. Now however she heard sounds from outside her cocoon. Heavy footfalls that did not sound Vespian. She panicked, wriggling around in her cocoon and hammering on the lid until at last it ruptured and she spilled out of it, flopping to the ground. Her wings fluttered uselessly, still needing to harden, so instead she pushed herself to her knees and in so doing caught sight of the intruders.

They stood surrounded by her kneeling sisters. Most were hunched sturdy creatures with vicious blades coming out of their elbows who clustered protectively around a singular tall and slim individual. All of their carapaces were able to change color, and were doing so rapidly in a display of surprise and alarm. Aryiyata and her sisters hissed at the intruders while baring their claws and mandibles in a threatening display, further rattling the group who had awoken the nest after carving their way inside. After a few moments it became clear to all however that the Vespain were unable to actually approach in anything but an awkward shuffle and so, after catching his nerve and breath, the lanky one spoke

“Our most sincere apologies for awakening you all” he said with forced calm as he fanned his vestigial wings, wafting a pleasing scent throughout the room “I am Manius. My sisters and I are Mantarin, and I assure you we mean you no harm”

He pushed past his sisters, much to their dismay, and approached Aryiyata, offering her a hand and saying “In the name of our divine father Artifex I welcome you to Gablar sister.”

She stared at him for a moment. Instinct told her that he was a threat, an invader that had broken into her home. Yet he spoke of god and he smelled. Safe. Aryiyata tentatively reached out and then grasped his hand, “I iz Aryiyata, prophet of Artifex. We iz Vespian.” she thought back to what her god had told her she should do when she arrived upon Galbar and finally, against the instincts many of her kind would embrace on this new world, added ”We come in peace”

---

In another realm Artifex slumped down on a chair in his workshop in relief as the prophet Aryiyata of the Vespian hive that had been welcomed by the Mantarin relayed their meeting to him. Baring the Vasepian queen's awakening and her foiled attempt to kill the entire delegation, first contact between the two insectile mortal races had gone well. The same could not be said for some of the other races first encounters with the alien species. The landing too, had gone smoothly by Artifex’s calculation, as only a small number of cocoons had been destroyed by the landing or invasive wildlife attempting to eat the Vespian during their week-long reformation period.

The same could not be said for the entire ordeal however. The loss of life was truly staggering even if it was, of course, lower than the utter extinction it would have been had he not intervened. It had, Artifex reflected, been immeasurably difficult to work indirectly via mortal hands on such an important project instead of simply crafting wonders on his own.

The Vespian project was not the only one he had had a hand in however, though all his other interventions were less direct. All across Galbar Artifex offered advice and guidance to builders and architects seeking to achieve greatness, resilience or perfection. The workshop he lived in was surrounded in layers and layers of prototypes where he had tested their designs for them, made on his own to offer as suggestions or that simply built for the simple joy of creation. This way of working Artifex much preferred, advising, suggesting and teaching instead of trying to fast track mortal kind into doing something far beyond their understanding. It was a fine way to pass the next 1400 years after the Vespian arrived. It could have been an eternity had he not found a door. A plain wooden door. Painted yellow.

He had not put it there, this he knew. Neither had any of the legions of insects that tended to his vast domain of layered architecture. So when he found the door Artifex stared at it for an age and a day until he did what had to be done. It was a door. So he opened it and stepped into Antiquity.

proposed landing sites

summary

Artifex realists that his lantern moon is about to explode and then gets kicked out of Galbar before he can do anything.

He works via Prophets, i.e. anyone who prays to him that is willing to listen, and tells the Vespian to build a bunch of arks that survive the explosion and land on Galbar. One lands near Sancta Civitas and its passengers are greeted by a party of Mantarin who welcome them to their new home. This is 600 years post banishment.

Artifex then proceeds to act as an mortal kinds number one architectural adviser for the rest of the 1600 year time span while building a megapolis in his sphere until he finds a way into Antiquity via a completely normal door.

mp

Start: 5 dp/5 mp

2 DP used to guide the Vespian into building the escape ships that allowed them to survive the death of their moon.

1 (2 discounted by insects) used to give the Vespain the ability to cocoon themselves for the sake of adaptational transformation. The first minor transformations made them able to live in Galbar’s atmosphere/gravity and the local environment they wake up in.

2/5 towards stoneworking

2/5 towards ships

End: 3 dp/4 mp

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 3826 +3
Bowser: Level 6 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (57/60)
Bowser Jr: Level 5 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////// (44/50)
Kamek: Level 5 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////////////////// (51/50)
Location: Lumbridge

master of masters meeting 2

Collab with @Lugubrious
Kamek absorbed the mad unholy knowledge from the skull and. And. felt exactly the same. ”Hmm,” the mage said as he scratched his chin, ”probably need a lot more to get any effect?”

Kamek shrugged to himself and set off for the Master of Master’s chambers, located at the top of one of the castle’s towers. After once again making the deeply unpleasant climb to the top of the tower Kamek paused to catch his breath, complained to himself about his back and then knocked on the door.

”Hello? Master of Masters. It’s Kamek. May I come in?”

After a short delay the door swung open, but it wasn’t the hooded jokester at the door. Once looking up revealed nobody, Kamek found himself looking down at a fuzzy cat doll, alive and staring at him. “Hello?” the little thing asked in small, childlike voice. “Are you one of Master’s friends?”

Kamek was startled by the small creature’s initially unlocatable voice, but quickly regained his composure, re-adjusting his glasses and looking down at the cat doll. He thought for a moment and then agreed that ”Yes, I am,” before asking, ”Who are you? Did the Master of Masters create you?”

It nodded. “I’m Chirithy, and yes. The Master of Masters brought me to life!” It looked pretty happy about that, reverent even, but it didn’t linger on the subject. “Oh, if you’re a friend, you’ll want to see him, right?”

”That is my intent yes.” Kamek replied

Chirithy gave another sagacious nod. “Well, he’s not in right now, but I can call him. Please, come in!” Opening wide the door, it led Kamek into the Master of Masters’ remarkable study. The bookshelves, worktables, and stained glass all existed just as before, but there seemed to be even more books overflowing those shelves and stacked on the ground, and between all the equipment and research there was just about no room on any of the worktables. By the window stood a turntable where a record played, filling the studio with the serene notes of piano and violin, somewhere between serious and cheerful.

”Where has he been getting all this from” Kamek muttered to himself as he took in the room, particularly the equipment and overflowing bookshelves. He picked one of the books off the shelves to examine it.

Chirithy skipped its way, passed the turntable, and opened the window. “Maaaaaaasteeeeeer!” It called, looking out across the landscape that stretched before Peach’s Castle. “Oh, Masteeeeeeeer...oh!” Chirithy looked back toward Kamek.

”Hmm? Is something wrong?” he asked when the small creature turned back to him.

“Well, nothing I couldn’t handle!” came a jovial voice from behind him. When Kamek turned he found the Master of Masters standing there, wearing over his usual black robe a giant, faded orange raincoat covered in inky black handprints. He seemed to be breathing heavily. “But I tell ya what: that’s the fastest I’ve moved since I started existing again! Whooooo-whee!” Laughing, he removed the rain coat and tossed it casually over the back of a chair. Then he looked at the magikoopa with renewed interest. “Oh hey...you! What was your name again? Nah, just kiddin’. Kamek, I think it was. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. At least, you look like a Kamek. Just have the air aboutcha, ya know?”

”Yes. How do you do.” the mage simply agreed to the rambling greeting.

As he spoke Kamek looked at the raincoat, then at the typically picturesque sunny mushroom kingdom afternoon outside and asked ”My apologies, did I bring you back from far away while you were in the middle of something? Something dangerous? What are those marks on your raincoat?”

The Master of Masters flapped a hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s fine. It was getting to be time for me to leave anyway. Should have just waited for the weather to pass to begin with…” he stretched out his arms to either side and rolled his head. Somehow, no light at all got into his hood. “Uh, ya mean these?” He looked over at the raincoat, then back to Kamek. “They’re called handprints. Left behind when someone -or something- touches something with a hand. Human handprints have five fingers, but not all handprints belong to humans. Neat, huh?”

Kamke raised a finger and opened his mouth to respond, hesitated, looked like he was about to clarify his question again and then gave up on trying to point out that it was the presence of the oily handprints in the first place that as strange and instead asked ”You intend to leave?”

For a moment the man seemed baffled, but he soon replied, “I mean leave where I was. And come here. Or go anywhere else but there, really. Whatsamatter, you don’t want me going? Wanna ask more questions? I betcha do.”

”Ah my apologies. I thought you meant... Never mind. Where or what was the place? The one you just left?” Kamek said, asking more questions as he struggled to keep up with the Master’s mannerisms.

“Well, it doesn’t have a real name.” The Master of Masters crossed his arms. “Just the wilderness area between the metropolis and Lake Knot City. There’s some strange stuff there, hard to explain. The people live in isolation, cut off from one another, shut up in their homes and relying on porters to deliver them stuff. It’s perpetually cloudy, and when it rains, which it does often, these monsters come out. You can’t see them, but they can hear you, and if they grab you...hoo, boy. Oh, and the rain accelerates the passage of time. Fun stuff.” He gave a dry chuckle, sounding more serious than he’d been in a long time. With a sigh he went over and plopped into a different chair at his main desk. “I’ve been researching them,” he said. “Figuring out how the phenomenon relates to mind, body, and heart. The monsters...those beached things...must be another part of the puzzle.”

He reclined in his chair, putting his arms behind his head. “Buuuut who knows. They’re not exactly forthcoming when it comes to spilling the beans. Unlike you, my little yellow friend. What’s eatin’ ya?”

”Sounds like an unpleasant place to be.” Kamek said, making a mental note to warn anyone heading up that way of these monsters ”Two things. Or well one thing is eating at me and the others simply something you might find interesting. Also generally a social call. You see, some of the troops are resting up from their time in the dead zone, they’ve been up all night apparently, so I have time on my hands before we all set out again.”

“Sure, I got time. Gotta get the ol’ heart rate down anyway.” Chirithy padded over to sit by the Master of Master’s chair, and he reached down to pet the creature’s head.

Kamek, after putting the book he had been about to examine back on a shelf, found himself a spot to sit as well. ”Thank you. Believe me I need a touch of a break after running around all day yesterday. Ended up hunting and gathering for the guild after I spoke with you last, and took a hop into the dead zone, which believe you me, is not a pleasant place to be. Stuffed to the brim with undead as you might expect, along with blighted tree monsters and these naturally evil things called demons. But I think what might interest you the most about yesterday, in a similar vein to the unusual magical monsters you were investigating, are these.”

Kamek reached into a robe pocket and received a number of the Crystal Shards, filled with neutered eldritch magical power, and, after a bit of size shifting magic, the Phase-shifting Hide of the Thing from Beyond the Stars he’d retrieved from crushing the Sprites of the otherworldly horrors encountered last night.

”Something of a pale reflection of the monster they are sourced from. A thing of flesh, crystal and colors I can't describe because they hurt simply to look at. The rest of the zone seems to me to have been a typical untamed land kind of deal. Dangerous wildlife, a few monsters, you know the place. Which made the presence of this Thing” Kamek shuddered at the memory of it, ”that could induce supernatural stress and terror a highly unpleasant surprise.”

Kamek supplied a few more details of their encounter with the thing as well as the concerns the group had had about it being indicative of things to come as they approached the g-rank quest, before asking ”Any of this in your realm of knowledge, or is it as out of context for you as it was for us?”

“Nope,” answered the Master of Masters without hesitation, despite the ambiguity Kamek injected his last question with. “Can’t say that stuff rings a bell. If there’s one thing I don’t know much about, it’s sanity. Just not my department.”

”I suppose not.” Kamek replied, not entirely surprised by this lack of knowledge, the mage having brought it up mostly for converasions sake ”The baubles it left behind or interesting though. Little sparks of power. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a use for them in the future.”

Kamek put down the crystal shard he had picked up and moved on to other topics. ”What I think might be a bit more in your area of expertise would be what occured this morning” Kamek said, before giving the Master of Masters the rundown of the GuildMaster’s betrayal, his revealing of himself as the dice headed Gneidxick and trapping them all in his twisted game.

”Then right as he had brought out this legion of playing card monsters and was about to engage us in a final encounter this woman shows up dressed in the same hooded black leather coat that you and he wear. Calling him nobody, nothing, a fake shadow of the man he once was. Seems to get too him, makes him lose all interest in us ‘seekers’ and the two leave via what I assume was one of those portals of darkness you mentioned last time. Next thing you know it's over, we’re picking ourselves off the floor and this cup headed fellow, who calls himself cup head, waltzes in and says he knew the guy we were fighting, and that his name was King Dice not Gneidxick. Also said that the way he was ‘acting’ sounded exactly like business as usual for this king dice person.” Kamek said.

”So I was thinking about this and I remembered that you offhandedly mentioned something called a nobody last time? Could you tell me what that is, because this group seems to be using aspects from your world even if they weren't, I assume, a part of it. Plus the name ‘nobody’ alone it sounds like it would be related to the woman's diatribe about Gneidxick or King Dice or whoever being, well, ‘nobody’”

The Master of Masters ruminated on that for a while. He stitched together the hints and clues, interspersing his expertise of the world he left behind and his knowledge of past, present, and future, “Since it sounds like stuff from my world’s messin’ with your quest, I’ll tell ya what I know, startin’ with nobodies. Now, you weren’t around when I explained that everyone is made of three parts: the body, the soul, and the heart. My studies in Lake Knot City showed me another culture’s idea of it: ahk, ba, and ka. These parts can be messed with, like Galeem influencing hearts with light, or separated. If someone’s heart is lost, that person can continue as a body given life by the soul: a nobody. They retain everything that made them unique, all their experiences and memories, but they can’t feel emotion. Rejected by both light and darkness, they are doomed to non-existence.”

The Master of Masters waved his hands around in a spooky fashion. He laughed and sat back, crossing his arms again. “Sound rough? Well, being a nobody confers various abilities, and sometimes feeling can be a curse, so some people see no problem with it. Before I disappeared, I saw the future with my gazing eye. A man came to possess my keyblade, and with it he created enough nobodies to fill the ranks of a secret society he would use for his master plan: Organization XIII. I never heard of any Gneidxick or King Dice, but after I came here I saw twelve figures in coats just like mine, standing before whoever currently bears my keyblade. A new Organization. They stood atop the highest roof of the City Without a Name. Since eyes can’t hear -shocker, I know- I couldn’t tell what any of them said, or if any of them talked at all ‘cause of those hoods, but they all left.”

He drummed his fingers against the side of his head. “Now, it sounds like the new Organization is starting to interfere with your quest. I have no clue what they’re planning or what they’ll do. But in this world, light is at least as malevolent a force as darkness. So who knows how things’ll shake out?”

”Fascinating” Kamek greedily drank in all this knowledge like a turtle who had been turned on its back in the desert. Unlike the Master he did not ruminate quietly but instead began talking as he worked though what he had heard. ”Bodies and souls and hearts. Our bodies, intellect and emotion. But he certainly acted like he had… ah, right of course he ‘acted’ as if he had emotions. A deception to avoid sticking out and seemingly an attempt to deceive himself as well. Hmmm. Trade emotion for power. But isn't passion an emotion. Motivation too. What drives the emotionless to do anything? Logic? Or an external hand?”

Kamek ceased his mutterings to ask ”Do you know what the previous organization wanted? It could give insight into how groups of nobodies act, or think, or who they might serve. And what powers do they derived from being a nobody?”

“Oh, all sorts of powers. Depends on the individual, the mind. At least, I think. Unfortunately I don’t know what the previous Organization wanted. Couldn’t hear, only see. But it involved Kingdom Hearts, and from that, well, one can guess.” The Master of Masters said ‘kingdom hearts’ as if it wasn’t just important, but vitally important.

”Ah well, was worth asking. I suppose at the very least we can't use accounts of their former selves as the be all and end all of their abilities,” Kamek said, before leaning closer with keen interest ”Tell me, what are, or is, this ‘Kingdom Hearts’ you speak of?”

The Master of Masters reflected Kamek’s intrigue, peering at him from under the hood. He stood up and walked to the window, where he opened it wide. Though it was daytime, the moon hung over the horizon, pale in the blue sky. “...Hm, yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know. Kingdom Hearts? Well, it’s the hearts of all worlds. A source of infinite power and wisdom.” He held his hands up and, cupping the fingers of both, made a heart that overlay the moon from his perspective.

After a moment he turned back, chuckling as he dropped his hands. “Neato, right?”

”infinite power and wisdom,” Kamek echoed with dreamy greed before focusing on the kingdom's other aspect, ”and the heart of all worlds? All your worlds or, perhaps, All worlds now.”

His black-coated acquaintance laughed. “Oh, all of them, definitely. There are many worlds, but just one sky. One destiny.”

The mage glanced through a second window to the ‘sun’ hanging above the amalgamated world before turning back to the Master and saying ”Well, if Galeem hasn't already absorbed such a place it would be another vector to fix this mess. Though. I take it it is not a simple place to reach if it can be reached at all?”

“It can be reached,” the Master of Masters assured him. “The previous Organization did it, after all. The guy with my keyblade gathered thirteen keys, and from them forged the χ-blade to unlock the way. But, uh, that’s about all I can say.”

”Sounds like a classic magical macguffin collecting quest. So is it yours plus that one Din has, and then 11 others? Are there only 11 others, or is a specific set of 13 among many many more?” Kamek asked, having seen and set up enough “get x of y to get into z” to recognise the pattern.

The Master of Masters shook his head. “Oh no, the thirteen aren’t real keyblades. At least, I don’t think so. They appeared only in certain circumstances. Plus, all of them looked like mine.”

”What circumstances?” Kamek asked ”And does ‘it look like your's’ mean yours is one of the keys or does the fact that it is a ‘keyblade’ mean it is not a key?”

Throwing his hands up in surrender, the Master of Masters said, “Hey hey hey, what am I, a walking exposition dump? I told you, I don’t know all the specifics or the circumstances. One eye in one spot isn’t enough to get all the juicy details, y’know?”

Kamek held his own up in apology and show that he was backing off ”Sorry sorry. I can get a little too into things when it comes to acquiring new knowledge. It’s fascinating stuff, but I can quit badgering you about it. Thank you for telling me what you could.”

“Sure, you’re welcome.” The Master of Masters stood to head back over to his raincoat. “ That all ya came for?”

”Everything specific. I’m more than happy to talk more if you want,or get out of your hair if you don't” Kamek said, gathering up the crystal shards and the hide of the Thing. ”Oh, I don't suppose you’d be willing to lend me some reading material till this evening.” the mage nodded his head over at the mage’s shelves ”I still have time to kill.”

“Knock yourself out!” The man waved before putting on the raincoat. Then there was a sound like a hammer striking red-hot iron, and the Master of Masters disappeared in a bright gold flash, gone the next second with just wisps of dust behind.

”Huh. Well. Goodbye then?” Kamek said to the empty room, just a tad miffed, but getting the message that he had outstayed his welcome nonetheless. Still, he now had access to a library of otherworldly tombs, so he wasn't going to complain in the slightest.

---

Several hours later Kamek descended from the masters study, having spent an enjoyable afternoon reading up on various subjects and headed for the teleporter. There he found Jr, now wearing a bandolier for Pokeballs (current population one tuckered out Mimikyu) strapped over one shoulder, a large cylindrical duffle bag with pokeball logos on each end hanging over the other way and holding a piece of paper with an extensive grid and various notes about Pokemon typing on it.

When Kamek asked him how his day had been Jr replied ”I tricked myself into going to school!” before waving the type grid in Kamek’s face.

”I see.” Kamek replied, unable to avoid being amused by jrs over exaggerated distress ”and what did you learn.”

”Oh. Well. Mimikyu is a ghost and fairy type Pokemon, which makes them immune to normal, fighting, because you can't punch ghosts, and, for some reason, dragons. They have a bunch of other strengths and weaknesses like, uh” Jr explained before having to check the cheat sheet ”x4 resistance to bugs? Weak to other ghosts. Also steel. Resistant to and weak to dark and poison so those cancel eachother out. Oh also she’s a girl.”

Kamek nodded approvingly, prompting Jr to go on ”Then I learned about training and moves and leveling and evolving which mimikyu wont do and everyone else already has fully evolved. Then me and Mimikyu practiced against a bunch of wild Pokemon. And I got all this stuff. More balls and some potions and some treats and stuff.” jr said, showing Kamek the contents of his duffle bag.

”So you have no money left” Kamek noted

”Nope. Papa’s got more tho right?” Jr said

”Well hopefully he hasn't spent as much as you” Kamek said before the two used the teleporter to cross back over to the land of adventure.

There they found Bowser stuffing a bunch of plastic shopping bags into the boot of the Bowser mobile.

”Oh hay!” Bowser said, waving at the pair. Then when asked where and what he’d got he replied ”Yeah so there's just a completely out of place grocery store called Ham Panther in town. Also a fancy looking Pokecenter. Don't know how we missed 'em but hey, I managed to get enough grub for the expedition.”

”A lot of this looks like meat and candy” Kamek said disappointedly as he examined the contents of the bags. Jr meanwhile let out a ”Sweet” as he grabbed, ripped open and gobbled up a pack of own-brand fizzy strawberry laces.

”Nooo. I got other stuff. Like. uh. This cabbage for you” Bowser said, getting a flat look from the mage in response ”And a load of tins of stuff that’ll last forever.” mostly baked beans as it turned out Oh and jr, take a load of these water bottles for your explody goo powers”

The varoise bottles were handed over. Jr complained about it being plain old water and not fizzy drinks. Kamek lectured him on the importance of hydration and how caffeinated beverages actually increased dehydration. Then when that didn't work Bowser told jr it meant he could explode stuff more often which resolved the issue and the bottles were added to the contents of the boy’s duffle bag.

After that was sorted out Kamek vanished to reset the teleporter connection back to the Deadzone while Bowser and Jr rolled their vehicles round to join the Brother Grimm at the starting line of their trip to the End.

”OH GOOD YOU’RE ALL ALREADY HERE” Bowser noted, which was the closest thing to an acknowledgment that they were late the King was going to give.

”Good to see you all. I hope you all had a productive day? I’ve set the teleporter back to the deadzone for anyone wanting it, and I’ve learned a fair bit about Gneidxick’s group and condition from the Master of Masters that I’ll brief you on in a bit.”

”and I got a typing chart for pokemon” Jr boated, happy to show it off to any of the other trainers.

”I GOT GROCERIES.” Bowser said, leaving out the bit of the day he had spent just lazing around town just as he had when talking to Kamek, before trying to hype up the team for their next mission ”ANYWAY. YOU ALL READY TO GO KICK THE BUTT OF SOME G-RANK GALEEM GOON!”

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. IV

Artifex invades space from the comfort of home

“Big Eyes”

”yes child” Artifex replied to the goblin. Night had fallen since Cadian had left the single member of the newborn race with him, and Artifex and the Manarin had been more than happy to answer the unending barrage of questions and curiosities that had been pouring forth in the green skinned mortal's crude tongue.

“What those?”

Artifex looked skywards to where the only goblin in the city was pointing with both hands, one at each of the great moons.

”Those are moons” Artifex respired.

“Oh.” the child replied, before thinking for a bit and asking “What they do?”

”They light up the night. Sometimes. It depends on their phases how much light they give off. The purple one isn't as good at that so it's mainly there to look nice in contrast to the first. I think. Perhaps I should have asked.”

“Someone made them?!” the child spoke with surprise

”Oh yes. Well. Cadien made the purple one. I do not recall a time when the white one did not hang in the sky but presumably it was made by another before I awoke.”

“Woooow.” the child awed at his creator's power “Shiny-Hair very strong... Can Big Eyes do that too?”

”Oh yes. In-fact, now that I think about it, all this second mood has to differentiate itself from the first is that it loops round the other way and is purple. Frankly, I think I can do much better.” the god gloated before flicking a finger skywards.

Around the first moon a giant paper lantern, spawned from nothingness, and lit up the night sky.

”Now this, this will be far more complex than the others. I shall make it feed off the mana in the heavens to glow of its own accord with a great fire within. It shall orbit the other celestial bodies, looping dancing and twisting in a path that will take exactly a year. As it does it will shift through the color spectrum as it rotates at a fixed rate to denote the passing of seasons. Oh and it will not simply be a glowing orb but a home for life. Hmm. yes. Perhaps even mortal life? Yes. Yes I think that would be an excellent idea. They live on land and beneath the waves so why not among the stars? Someone has been adding plenty of life up there already, so why not add some intelligence to the mix.”

Artifex spoke at length, piling on complexity and intricate machinations to his idea with little self control, before waving a hand at the new moon. Its surface rippled as it transformed from plain sheets into a multi colored landscape smothered in life and dotted with the premade hives.

“Wow. People up there. Wait. I can't see them. How know they there?”

”Oh yes they. Hmmm. No I suppose you won't be able to see them yet. But in the future however I predict you might be able to view the ecosystem using a series of lenses.” Artifex began to describe the intricacies of the creation of telescopes to an utterly uncomprehending audience while up above, almost forgotten for the moment, the swarm stirred as it awoke to it’s new existence.

---

In space the currents of mana and lifeblood were rudely interrupted by the formation of an entire, miniature, world. A giant furnace raged at its heart, sending heat up to warm and illuminate the surface hanging above it, held aloft by massive metal beams. These beams formed a rigid frame holding the thin paper landscape aloft, while also deciding down around the furnace, holding it in place via magnetic currents so the land and core did not drift into one another. Currents of mana were sucked into holes in the top and bottom of the lantern where it was devoured to fuel the heavenly light. On and under its thin surface plants formed to leech energy from the other celestial bodies and from the lantern's heart. Many strange alien insects of various sizes who grazed upon this foliage formed, and upon them preyed the swarm.

The swarm took many forms. Myriades of vicious wasps descended upon prey in a cloud of stinging death. Titanic centipides thundered across the land devouring all in their path.

Giant Arial Queens soared through the air surrounded by their vicious children and fearless Mortal subjects while deep blow the wise and rare Hive Queens plotted their races future guarded by acid spewing guards.

For all their viciousness they were made united and in harmony with their home realm. The herbivorous would prune the foliage to keep the light below shining brightly on the world below, while the swarm would keep them in check so they did not gouge themselves into overpopulation and extinction. And the void would keep them separate from all else till they could be taught harmony with other beings.

Yet this delicate balance, this perfect system, was tainted from the moment it was born, for just as soon as the lifeblood was pushed away by the sudden birth so to did it pushback. It was a simple change the lifeblood made. A random one. A mutation. In an ironic mimicry of Artifex’s own history his new race knew unity for a moment, and then suddenly they were different. Just a little. A few different genes here and there. But it was enough that the instantly created sub hives were different, divided. Many still saw to their intended task. But some looked up at the beasts of the stars and others looked down at the blue and green sphere. And they yearned. Be it with awe, hunger, longing or fascination, It did not matter. It only mattered that they were different. From each other. From those that were contented.

The divisions were small. But as all things do they would grow in time. If it had only been these differences, then perhaps things would remain stable, at least in part. The pure could hold the mutants in check. But in the heart of the lanturn the lifeblood left one final gift. For the engine devouring mana was not allowed to be stable. It beat. Slowly. Ever so slowly at first. A pulse, quickening, pulsing. A drumbeat heralding doom. All it would take was a push for things to go hideously, hideously wrong.

summary

Artifex is showing the first Goblin around and makes a third moon basically just to show off. It’s a paper lantern, smaller than the other two, and it orbits around them. It also hosts its own alien ecosystem, including a mortal race known as the Vespian who are a part of a larger species known simply as the Swarm. The lifeblood mindlessly fucks with all this massive outpouring of creation, inducing mutations in the swarm that break apart their initial genetic and cultural unity and making the core of the moon somewhat unstable and ripe for exploitation or catastrophe.

mp

Start: 2 dp/0 mp

0 mp towards the creation of the lantern moon and all that lives upon it. Smallest of the moons it weaves an annual dance across the skies, orbiting the other celestial bodies. As it does it rotates, exposing different hues to those below in pace to the changing of seasons. This moon eats mana as it travels to sustain itself in a noticeable, but not destructive, amount. As befitting the end of the age of creation the moon’s heart has been rendered unstable by life blood interference.

2 mp empowered by insects and a bunch of 0mp remarkable species and free insect power abilities where hammered together to create the Swarm

“The swarm took many forms. Myriades of vicious Crimson Wasps descended upon prey in a cloud of stinging death. Titanic Maw Crawlers thundered across the land devouring all in their path. Giant Arial Queens soared through the air surrounded by their vicious children and sentient Vespian subjects while deep blow the wise and rare Vespian Hive Queens plotted their races future guarded by acid spewing Hive Guards.”

The Vespian and their queens are intelligent mortals, while all other sub-species of the race are animalistic in their intelligence. The mortals have the ability to command their unintelligent kin (0mp insect ability) though not perfectly. They have a high degree of familial loyalty to their hive, which generally numbers at around a hundred or so mortals and several times more monsterose forms though the ratio can vary widely depending on the Vespian ’s preferences or the temperament or nature of their unintelligent arial queens.

The Vespian are all rather aggressive and have a tendency towards forming hive wide obsessions. They also lean towards xenophobia, sometimes not even understanding that other mortals can think like they do. Higher monster populations generally indicate that the have is a threat, while lower ones may indicate a more cooperative spirit as the Vespian will be more ble control the natural instincts of their bestail kin and avoid being dragged down into their viciouse state of mind.

2/5 towards stoneworking

End: 2 dp/0 mp

Overlord: Momento Mori

@Xaltwind

There might be a touch of difficulty in finding a completely mundane horse and/or the vamps may attempt to up-sell you on a fancier mount, but in general yeah, feel free to take a horse. They probably need the exercise.

Overlord: Momento Mori

Awww... I thought Kaldorna was gonna have something entertaining to say in response to Zouyu's quesiton... Much disappoint. :(

I HOPE THAT SHIPWRECK'S HAUNTED AND GHOSTIES EAT YOUR FACES! D:<

@Xaltwind

feel free to run wild in the ooc with funnier responses

World of Light

The Koopa Troop

wordcount: 819 +2 (+3 form colab post)
Bowser: Level 6 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (55/60)
Bowser Jr: Level 5 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////// (41/50)
Kamek: Level 5 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////////////////// (48/50)
Location: Lumbridge

”Right then. One teleport back to Peach's castle coming right up. You!” Kamek pointed at his red doppelganger ”You’re going to check if it's safe for me to do this.”

The clone, who had been standing around looking for threats saluted and then began to march in the direction Kamek ordered it.

”Kamek! Take this too!” Jr called before tossing the old wizard the coffin smasher, the wooden hammer that worked exactly the same way as the engineer's wrench. After a few comical missed/juggling grabs Kamek finally caught it and popped it into a robe pocket. ”To get it up and running I take it?” he enquirered, receiving a ”Yup” in response from Jr.

The Koopa trio marched over to the teleporter and oversaw the red mage Kamek clone successful teleporting back and forth unharmed a few times. Satisfied that he wasn't about to disappear to his doom Kamek bid the royals farewell, stepped on board and vanished.

”What do you even want to see this Steven guy so bad anyway?”

”Well. See. Mimikyu’s been super helpful” Jr explained, petting the bobble-head of his only Pokemon as he praised it, ”But I have no idea how to use them properly. Like they’re some kind of... Plush doll ghost copy of pikachu with shadow powers or something? You remember that Pokemon trainer right. THE Pokemon trainer. He knew all about what his minions could do when he was ordering them about and he had this wicked elemental combo attack with them right? But I have barely any idea what Mimi can do or what they’re gonna end up being able to do. And if, no when, I catch more Pokemon I need to know stuff about them, know as much about them as I do about my Koopas and Goombas and other minions. So this guy seems like a good start with that. Plus maybe i can get more balls and any other gear he’s got on him”

”Uh huh. Sounds good son.” Bowser replied, not following the details but proud of his son’s decision to seek self improvement. ”Here, take some of this. And this,” he then added as he got some gold and rupees out of his pocket and handed them to Junior ”, in-case he has got stuff”

”Wow,” jr said as he found himself holding a pile of money, ”Ok. Yeah. I definitely need a bag or something”

At that moment Kamek reappeared and announced ”It is done,” loudly so anyone intending to pop back would know ”We now have a way back. Make sure you all get back by four as i will be moving the teleporter back to its original position at that point”

”Yeah yeah yeah. Also toss my hammer back in my car now that you're done with it” Jr replied before waddling onto the teleporter with his pile of gold and jewels. ”See you in a bit papa,” he said before vanishing.

”With your leave sire?” Kamek asked his king as he deposited the necro smashed in jr’s clown car that was parked next to the Bowser mobile upon which the teleporter was still mounted.

”Yeah yeah, you two go off and learn stuff,” Bowser replied, waving the mage off off.

”Thank you sire. I’ll endeavor to learn all I can so I can continue to advise you as best I can,” Kamek said before he bid the king farewell, stepped up onto the teleporter and disappeared.

”Right. Wait. So now what am I doing?” Bowser asked nobody in particular, suddenly realizing that they were all going to be hanging around town till early evening and he had zero plans for what he was going to do with that time.

---

On the other side of the teleporter Kamek and Jr found themselves in the foyer of Peach’s castle where the mage had temporarily set up the exit.

”Remember to be back for 4 jr.” Kamek called after Jr., who was in the process of wandering off looking for the Pokemon expert. After receiving a dismissive agreement from the prince from the boy Kamek shook his head and then remembered something. He rummaged around in his cloak and retrieved the Madman's Knowledge from his cloak. He had not had time to deal with it back during the Gneidxick incident, but even then he had sensed its yearning to be unleashed, absorbed, learned. He’d had some reservations, it was a skull after all, but the hypothesis some had raised that the place they would be going might be a realm of otherworldly terrors like the Thing from Beyond the Stars made Kamek brushed his few concerns aside. After all what, Kamek thought, was trepidation in the face of the potential to gain power through knowledge?

With some effort he crushed the skull between his hands, extracted the glowing light within and pressed it against his head as he might do a spirit.

Overlord: Momento Mori

My apologies for the delay, I completely lost track of how long it had been since the previous gm post got posted

Overlord: Momento Mori

The journey south was somewhat uneventful, baring Zouyu asking Kaldora whether Ashara had a breeding partner. Kaldora refused to be touched by any embarrassment by the question, but sadly was unable to provide an answer other than “Not that I am aware.”

Their journey took them down towards the seaside which gave them a nice view of a whole bunch of massive crabs littering the beaches. “I did not realize how close we were to the ocean. Seafood could be a useful addition to our stocks. Perhaps we can move some of the sea beasts out here and use them to hunt things further out? If these crabs can grow this big I wonder how rich the rest of the ocean life is.”

“Ye remember how hard they were to get in there in the first place?” Arthanar replied, clearly dreading the prospect

“It’s not nearly as far this time. But yes, it could be quite the pain. And we’d need a ship to really get the best of the Ocean” Kaldora said, right as one came into view. Sadly the sea vessel that Zouyu had spotted had seen far better days and was now a wreck on the beach. Zouya immediately showed interest in looting the vessel for valuables to impress Rodias, before remembering that they were predominantly there for food.

“Well our lord didn't really say what he explicitly desired out of this expedition. We’re here for animal feed of course, but it would be a shame not to look into this. Right?” Kaldora replied, clearly just as intrigued by the prospect of booty, before glancing back at her associates and gauging their own interest.

“Could be a cargo vessel. Be a shame not to check the holds for anything useful and there might be food onboard” one said, before a more morally conscious vampire asked “I wonder if there's any survivors?”

“oh yes. That is a good point, where are the crew?” she wondered

“Hiding?” thought one

“Might be really old wreck?” suggested the herbalist

“Only one way to find out isn't there,” Kaldora said as she dismounted, clearly excited to get involved in a bit of adventure and mystery. She checked her weapons, called over three Skink Hounds as an escort and stepped towards the beach. A number of vampires followed after her, also on foot, as she cast “[Aura of Docility]”, causing a shimmering hazy field spread out in a circle around her.

“Come along Zouyu. This aura of mine should guarantee these crabs don't get prickly about us moving through them. Not that they looked like they’d get mad anyway, but it's always good to be safe. Just make sure you don't hurt any of them or it’ll break the effect.” she explained both to the were tiger and to her own associates as she began to walk through the field of crustaceans, her hands outstretched to either side with palms up as if toward the beast away. The hound and vampires followed after her, carefully picking their way through sea of crabs without disturbing them.

The rest of the vampires, along with Arthanar, stayed up and mound on the dry land where they could use most of their powerful riding related skills to mount a rescue in case anything went wrong.

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. IV

Artifex and the first second city

The Oceants, Artifeix reaffirmed to himself as he scouted the globe, where most certainly not suited for the land. In the deep titans dwelled, monsters and environments that had to be fought, but up here there were few monsters great and terrible. Instead, what it had found was something far more complex. Something with infinite depth and potential. Mortals.

The god reflected upon these strange creatures that were set apart from animals by their intelligence as part of him, a butterfly, sat atop the curled finger of a curious human as it marveled at the beautiful and mesmerizing patterns found on the insect's wings.

With his mind he looked forward to the possible futures that might or might not be and saw what this apish creture’s kind could become. Builders of wonders. Creators whose works could well perhaps one day stand side by side with the gods themselves. He had seen these gods too as they created across Galbar, forming miracles and, concerningly, horrors. Sleeping monsters of destruction, deadly predators and hazardous environments. He was not free of guilt in this, for the isles he had just filled with insects now had a race that would need to survive in an environment not built to anticipate their existence.

Even more worryingly, things seemed to be appearing without intelligent design, the power that had spawned the first ant continuing to create without rhyme or reason. To Artifex this complete unplanned and random creation presented a significant threat merely by existing and worse, it was an affront to his sensibilities. In his opinion things should be ordered. Regimented. True art, true beauty, was made by wise minds, not cobbled together by random chance or fortunate happenstance.

If he wanted the mortals to survive, to prosper and build the future he had seen then in Artifex’s opinion they would need protection as they grew. In future they might build havens of their own, raise mighty armies to do battle, tend to flock and farms to feed themselves. But now, today, they scratched and scavenged in the world, marked only separate from animals by their wits and limited cooperation.

Yet his insects already built, farm and fight as one. They might be limited to what instinct told them they could do, they could never reach the heights mortals could by learning and growing. But perhaps they could help accelerate the mortal’s progress through both leading by example and providing assistance to the disorganized mortals.

The swarm that was Artifex ceased its observations of the world, and descended upon the mighty chain of islands spreading between the two large continents that largely been left undisturbed since it had risen from the sea and been painted by forests. There the disparate bugs became a cloud, turning the skies from blue to an iridescent rainbow of color as light glinted off innumerable colored wings and chitinous bodies. Then they became a storm, a hurricane spiraling around and down to a singular spot where they crashed together to become one once again. Artifex’s form solidified from the ankles up as the bugs built it once more until he stood upon the eastern coast of the greatest of the central archipelago, specifically on a small rocky peninsula found next to a river mouth that flowed into a calm bay.

The god stretched, cracked his knuckles, and set to work. ”First,” he dictated to himself ”The plants must be suitable to support large numbers of inhabitants both before and after they learn to tend to their own crops as insects can do.”

He swept his hand across the landscape, demolishing the forests in a small region around his hilltop and instead creating a region of plains filled with grass, bushes and flowers. But the god was not satisfied with simply mundane amounts of foliage, and so some of the plants grew to epic proportions. The grass grew tall and wild and the flowers sprouting in the plains towered over the landscape, making ants of mortals and filling the air with their pleasant scents. Giant bushes grew blue, black and raspberries the size of melons on their foliage after their flowers had been pollinated. Root vegetables buried their secret stores deep in the earth, growing tubers of immense, and delicious, size.

”Next, materials. I shall provide most of what they will ever need. They will need to go further afield for the rest, so as to avoid them falling into isolationism.” he said, pointing to the distance and filling the mountains that towered over the region and split barren wastes from the forests with copper, iron silver and marble for mortals to dig out. Then he converted some of the trees into rubber trees and coco trees while others grew massive, towing over all below and bore apples the size of bears. Finally in the earth below the plains he hid coal and aluminum, while beneath the sea he hid oil and natural gas.

”Other life must live here too. Gentle life that for them to master. Perhaps just a few predators. They will add a touch of danger, so that the mortals do not grow complacent Hey will also combat the wretched furry things left in the woods and prevent the herbivorous from multiplying out of control,” Artifex said, tossing out a hand to nature once more. First he filled it with insects of the usual size, spawning flies, grubs and more and adding them to the eusocial insects that were, of course, already here.

Along with these he created giant aphids who grazed on the plants and produced sweet honeydew and some cloud moths and madhoppers like those from the Kylsar Isles. On top of this he spawned beetles, large and , strange nocturnal bugs with spiny ridges that glowed in the dark and armored deer. In the woods he placed wandering Antwolf swarms that did battle with the furred monsters within and a mysterious, terrifying and yet totally harmless creature to challenge the mortals into conquering their fears.

”Now. To the heart of the matter. They will need a place to live. With sturdy walls to keep them safe, access to the water so they may drink and reap the tentacled one’s riches and plenty of room to grow their population and build their own wonders.” so spoke Artifex and with an uppercut of a mighty fist he caused walls to burst from the earth. Towering things of brick and mortar they surrounded the peninsula on all sides, walling off the sea and land over a truly massive region, one fit for the capital of a mighty empire. With a wave of his lesser hand he carved and paved roads through the city that centered around his standing spot. With the other small arm he created stepped terraces to form alongside the roads, flat land ripe for the construction of structures to serve as homes, business, temples, storehouses, armories and more.

Then he threw up his second powerful arm and yet further out smaller walls sprouted, encapsulating 3 times as much land as was held within the first set of walls. This second zone was left to nature with only roads breaking through the wilds which connected the mighty gateways that allowed passage through both sets of walls. Then he swiped a hand across the coast line touching the river mouth and formed more gates leading down to a series of wharfs jutting out into the water, ready to receive ships.

Finally he raised a great citadel upon the spot he stood, raising himself up on a great dome of copper that acted as its roof while filling the building with many rooms and underground chambers within which the people of the city could meet in times of peace and hide in times of peril.

All of this he carved out of a wondrous white stone more pristine than marble and harder than Granite. From atop the central citadel Artifex looked out upon his creation. It was vast, powerful and glorious and yet the empty plains of stone left plenty of room for expansion and personal expression.

”Finally this place needs to be maintained and protected” he said. First he summoned a swarm of bees and leaf cutter ants and imbued them with great size. He built the ants a home beneath the city, carving them expensive tunnels within which they could grow their fungal crops and nurture their young. For the bees he created great hives in the domes of the great watchtowers that dotted the city's walls. For food the bees would gather pollen from the fields of giant flowers he had crafted, while the ants would harvest foliage from felled trees to feed to their symbiotic fungus gardens and tend to herds of giant aphids in exchange for their honeydew. In return for their food and mighty homes they would maintain the city, repairing its walls and roads when they were damaged by weather, disaster or invasion. When mortals moved in they would leave them be unless disturbed. In the ocean below he spawned more Oceants, this time taking steps to regulate their aggression and binding them to the same rules. They would help with repairing as their terrestrial kin did and their hive would keep the monsters of the sea away from the bay, ensuring it would be a safe harbor.

For guardians he created Serdan the quick, Motsian the wise, Urgath the strong and Ordun the noble. These four great beasts were put to sleep almost as soon as they were created and hidden away in secret chambers below the earth, ready to be awoken only in the city’s darkest hour.

”I have built it,” he asked himself as he looked over his work ”but will they come?”

Artifex had realized that, while this would be a place akin to a home the mortals might build in the future, would they recognise it as one now? Or would they see a great and unnatural thing, filled with giant bugs they did not know were harmless to them.

”They will need to be shown. Yes. Yes, I will make mortals of my own. But they will not dominate the city, nor claim it as their sole property, nor eject those different from themselves. There must be a voice of peace within these walls if they have any hope to protect all of mortal kind.” Artifiex said as he stepped down from his perch and landed on the stairs leading up to the central citadel. Before him were rows and rows of terraces, all longing to be filled by the work of mortals. Artifex took a claw and plucked one of the floating crystals that followed him everywhere from the air. He closed his hand around it, and when he opened it once more a mantis, its chitin white as moonlight, stood upon his hand in its place.

”You shall be their eternal Queen” he told the mantis, before tossing it gently forward. The bug took and glided down towards the terrace below, and as it did it grew. And grew. And grew until it towered over even Artifex.

The Grand Queen of the Mantarin gazed first around the barren city she now found herself, then at the hands she now had where her talons had once been and then, finally, turned and gazed down at Artifex her eyes filled with calm curiosity.

“What,” she asked simply, “is my purpose?”

”You are to live here, to raise your children in this city and together you will show the mortals the value of this city. Sing the praises of my gift to them and welcome all who come here as friends.”

“My children? And mortals?” she said, hesitantly. She wrapped a hand around her mouth, her eyes darting to and fro unconsciously as she attempted to process both this and everything else. Her existence. Her purpose. The reality she had found herself in. Then she clapped her hands together and nodded, mind made up.

“I cannot wait to meet them all!”

”Then we have plenty of work ahead of us to bring them here. Are you ready, my Queen?” Artifex said, offering a hand up to the giant insect queen. She smiled knowingly, then nodded and grasped the offered hand firmly, “I am my king, let us not waste another moment”

And so it was that, only a few days later, the first Mantarin emerged from their eggs under the watchful eyes of Artifex and the Grand Queen.

summary

Artifex, having scouted the world in his swarm form, found morals and then got worried that they might die out before they achieve their potential, makes a giant city surrounded by fields of giant plants, maintained by giant ants and bees, guarded by 4 sleeping monstrous guardians and initially home to xenophilic bug people called Mantarin as a bastion of mortal kind to protect them from the increasingly chaotic and dangerous world they inhabit. Artifex finishes by making a Queen of the Mantarin and together they go on to orchestrate the birth of the Mantarin race.

As this is mostly a giant creation so the below hider is likely more useful than this one for understanding what is going on.

mp/dp summary

Start: 4 dp/5 mp

0mp remarkable species:

Civitas Ants: More or less Leafcutter ants, only bigger. Minims, Minors and Mediae are the size of small, medium and large dogs respectively, while Majors, often called soldiers, are large enough to ridden like horses. They dwell beneath the first city in a great nest where they tend to fungal gardens. Above ground they cut down foliage to bring back and tend to equally giant aphids that they milk to acquire honeydew.

Hivers: Bees, but not just bigger. Like ants, and unlike regular bees, they have casts of Minor (song bird sized), Mediae(bird of prey sized) and Major (Lion sized) bees. Only Mediae Hivers have stingers and as such they act as the warriors of the hive, while the numerous minors collect nectar like hummingbirds while the rare Majors reap the bounties of the giant flowers that grow in their native habitat. They also have thick shaggy fur covering their front halves for insulation, protection and pollen gathering purposes.

More Oceants, only these ones are tame, bound to the city's rules/power/influence and are also less aggressive in general.

This lot: “Along with these he created giant aphids who grazed on the plants and produced sweet honeydew and some cloud moths and madhoppers like those from the Kylsar Isles. On top of this he spawned beetles, large and , strange bugs with spiny ridges that glowed in the dark and armored deer. In the woods he placed wandering Antwolf swarms that did battle with the furred monsters within

Holysite: Sancta Civitas

A vast contentanople-esque city that notably lacks any buildings except a central palace and the walls. Intended to be a shelter in times of trouble for Mortal kind and a massive head start for when they do figure out the whole civilization thing. The city is tended to by swarms of giant insects who maintain the vast structures so long as they are left undisturbed.

I insect caretakers (0 (1) MP): The insects dwelling within the city aid in its maintenance but are generally indifferent to its inhabitants, staying out of their way and not engaging in conflict unless their homes within the city are threatened. Further ranks will increase the unity of the city’s population and insect kind.

II Shining city on a hill (2 DP): All stonework within the city will be transformed into the city's base building material, namly a wondrous pure white stone more pristine than marble and harder than Granite.

2 Mp Mortal race enhanced by insect port: The Mantarin: The infertile children of the Mantarin queen. The Grand Queen is a (0mp) sentient legendary beast three times as tall as a human who is the mother and leader of her race.

Her daughters are the Mantarin’s workers and warriors, their architects and generals. Stocky, sturdy, armed with massive elbow mounted blades and capable of limited aerial maneuverability with their small wings these women stand, hunched, at about a head shorter than a human.

The males meanwhile are tall and slender beings of grace and beauty designed predominantly to be diplomats, negotiators and objects of admiration. To aid them in this role are able to release pheromones to influence those around them into being more calm and cooperative. The effect is subtle and cannot still a raging heart or force someone to do something they have no interest in doing, instead it simply smooths things over and greases the wheels of cooperation. They also have no immunity to their own pheromones, which makes it difficult for them to use it to manipulate others.

All Mantarin begin in a gnderless Larval Stage for their infancy and then pupate into adult forms come puberty. Post pupa Mantarin have a turquoise complexion and are a bit smaller than full adults. They molt 3 times in order to reach their full size and acquire their white steel coloration.

Other 0 mp monsters:
“For guardians he created Serdan the quick, Motsian the wise, Urgath the strong and Ordun the noble. These four great beasts were who he put to sleep and hid away in secret chambers below the earth, to be awoken only in the city’s darkest hour. “

“and a mysterious, terrifying and yet totally harmless creature to challenge the mortals into conquering their fears.”

2/5 towards stone-working

End: 2 dp/3 mp