For weeks, Chakravarti had roamed there in the sun- and moonlight, pondering incessantly a way to end the terrible, earth-shattering quakes. A patch of dirt between the tall reeds of yellow grass had been cleared until the bare, red soil laid exposed to the light of day. Chakravarti had scribbled it down with all sorts of calculations, diagrams, angry drawings and lamenting poetry. Scattered around the patch appeared the occasional hole into the ground, left over from the family god’s many attempts to dig down to get a closer look at what exactly was wrong with the earth. Their investigations had, unlike the post-monsoon plains, been fruitless. For the last half day, they had been sitting among their sketchings with a defeatist haunch, all eight arms collected in various crosses, foldings and stacking, one fist carrying the cheek of the family god with sober servility. A stone lob away, Ossurman rolled around in the tall grass, playing with Paratiri’s jewel. Tapping fifteen fingers on their thigh impatiently, Chakravarti sighed with frustration.
”Alas, it is hopeless, my son,” they lamented to the sound of a happily giggling baby. A dramatic fist pierced the sky. ”No matter how I study this fomenting earth, this raging soil, I cannot make any sense of it. Their voices number in the millions and their issues in the billions - I have no knowledge of how to fix this! The earth is simultaneously like an endlessly large dynasty, but also a product of a billion dynasties, all of which has been around for ages and also only came to be all-too-recently. I have no words: Chakravarti can do anything - anything in the name of the love of their children and children’s children - but this, I cannot do.” Lilac tears rolled down their cheeks and they tossed eight arms to the heavens, crying, ”O fate; o mercy! Creation on high - will no one come to rescue this damsel, this lordsel, in distress? Will no one save me and my boy from this cruel and hapless plight?!”
“What are ye shouting about, lass?” a voice suddenly called out in the distance. It seemed that during her monologue, someone had been approaching from beyond the crest of a distant hill. It was a short man with skin that seemed to be made of stone. As he drew closer, his eyebrows rose slightly. “Bloody ‘ell, yer a tall one.”
Chakravarti was about to spin around and summon their swords, but it seemed the gag was getting old and they would rather not grow predictable. The Eight-Armed God blinked down at the approaching dwarf, giving the air a sniff. Pursing their lips, they spoke with furrowed eyebrows, ”And who are you supposed to be?” The nearby grass giggled and squealed.
“Algrim,” he answered, looking around. “Are ye another god? I always seem ta meet one at every single one o’ my destinations. Almost like it’s fated.”
”Fated?” The family god studied his form closely, noticing dust on his shoulders, earth on his hands and stone in his skin. A flash of realisation blasted out of their eyes and they cast themself down before Algrim’s feet, four hands reaching out to embrace his feet in a grateful hug. ”O FORTUNE! O SERENDIPITY! My saviour, a craftsman of stone, has come to help us! Creation be praised!”
“Now that’s enough o’ that,” Algrim said, attempting to step out of the embrace. “Aye, that is what I’m ‘ere to do. How did y’ know?”
Undeterred, two arms sheepishly continued to patrol around his feet while other two retreated tactically. Torso is a sort of semi-kowtow at Algrim’s feet, Chakravarti dramatically wiped away a lilac tear, tossing it to the winds with a flick of the finger. ”Alas, it must indeed be fated! For I have prayed for days, weeks, that a master craftsman who knows the workings of the soil would appear before me. Hope was slim - I had almost given up - but then, on this happy day, you, o Algrim, arrive like a gift sent from Creation itself! How, o how could this not be destiny?!” The nearby bush cooed curiously.
Algrim offered a shrug in response. Neither Lonn nor Arira had been this verbose. “What did y’ say yer name was?” he asked her, hoping to move the conversation along.
The god took the hint and collected themself until they had risen back up to their full height. ”Oh, how terribly rude of me - how base and uncouth! I cannot believe I had forgotten to introduce myself!” Eight hands folded together along their body’s vertical middle and the torso tipped slightly forward. ”A joy to meet you, Algrim. I am Chakravarti vur Chakravarti - I manage the clans and families of this world.” A quick sidestep to pick up the creature in the bush. ”And this is Ossurman, my firstborn son. Say hi, Ossurman.”
“Buh-bah bwahboh.”
“‘Ello lad,” Algrim gave the child a nod, before turning back to Chakravarti. “I’ve ‘eard that name before. Any relation to that Lonn fellow I met a few thousand leagues back?”
”Lonn? Why yes!” said the god and posed victoriously. ”He is nothing less than my First Consort - my prime husband. A man of exceeding wealth and deeds, and now he has a last name - one of a dynasty which will last for eternity.” They laughed with mock humility. ”My dynasty, that is, myes. Either way, how splendid that you have met him already! How was the exchange?”
Algrim shrugged again. “A bit odd, ta tell ya the truth. The lad dinnae realize who or what I was, and flung a spell at me. We settled things afterward, and he lent me a ‘and in my work though, so it wasn’t all bad.”
Chakravarti blinked. ”Huh… Well, he did seem like the spontaneous sort. Suppose that is something I will have to deal with in the coming future. No matter - how wonderful! What sort of work was it, if I may ask?”
“Well it’s quite simple, really,” Algrim said. “I just ‘ave ta travel ta six evenly distanced points and plant down some gemstones which’ll grow into structures that’ll ‘old the world together. Stop the earthquakes and all that. I’ve built two so far, and each time I was lucky enough ta find someone ta ‘elp me.” He looked at Chakra appraisingly. “I don’t suppose my luck would ‘old ‘ere as well?”
The Eight-Armed God struck another pose, one leg stretched out while the torso leaned on the other with a bent knee, five out of eight arms flexing, two carrying Oss and one laying softly atop their forehead like a caress. They laughed exactly four times and spoke, ”O luck! Our fates could not be more aligned! I, too, have been waiting for someone to stop the earthquakes! Please, o wise craftsman, show me the way, the path, to quelling the rage of the ground itself!”
“Well as I said, it’s quite simple. Though, if I do show ye, I’ll ask ye to swear to protect it. Won’t do ta leave it behind only for some ‘ooligan to vandalize it,” Algrim said seriously.
Chakravarti nodded. ”Why yes, of course! Uh… Question - is there a reason for that, or…?”
Algrim furrowed his brow. “What do y’ mean?”
”Is there a reason it, it must be protected? Like… Can it break and make the soil angry again?”
Algrim shrugged. “It’d take a lot ta break one o’ them. And if they did, then aye, the world would begin to shake again. Or at least th’ part of the world it’s supposed ta protect. It’s just a precaution, really. I ‘aven’t met a beasty that should be capable o’ harming one o’ these things, but the other gods maybe could. I ‘aven’t met any gods that would do just a thing just yet, but y’ can’t be too careful. A bit o’ insurance never ‘urt.”
After a brief moment to absorb this information, Chakravarti nodded with a shrug. ”Alright, so it is like that, then. Then I will protect it, I promise. I shall have my very own kin guard it as though it was their own home.” A thought seemed to sting them for a moment. ”This structure - what form does it take?”
Algrim smiled. “I ‘ave no idea, ta tell y’ the truth. I designed ‘em ta take whatever form best suits the god who places it down, which means there’ll only be one way ta find out.”
Chakravarti pursed their lips and hummed. ”I see. Well, in that case, after you!”
“Right,” Algrim said, extending his hand. “Give me yer ‘and, and loan me some o’ yer power. Doesn’t need ta be much. As much as y’ feel comfortable with, really. I’ll do th’ rest.”
Chakravarti offered three hands and proclaimed, ”Nonsense! Here, have as much as you would like! No child of mine should have to protect a simple obelisk!” A golden glow surrounded the hands as power transmitted.
Algrim closed his eyes as he focused his own power. Just as it had twice before, a glowing light appeared in his open free hand, matching the golden hue of the eight-armed god’s energy. A few moments passed, and the light faded to reveal a yellow round gemstone.
Algrim pulled his arm free from the hands which gripped it, and offered Chakra the stone. “There y’ go. Just plant it in the ground right ‘ere, and it’ll do the rest.”
”Oh, uh, like so?” A hand dug a small hole at the spot in question and another planted the stone. For a minute, nothing happened. Then promptly, the ground began to tremble, and out of the soil shot a colossal pillar of stone, wider than ten men abreast and thicker than seven. It stuck two hundred feet into the air and was checkered with holes. Holes? No, they were places for figures, for carvings. Only the top two spots were occupied: The very peak of the structure was a large fan of stone, like a rising sun - within it was the face of Chakravarti; the space below had a baby’s face - Ossurman. Chakravarti immediately understood.
”Oh, what amazement! A pillar to my dynasty! What glory; what splendor!”
“Now, that’s done,” Algrim announced. “I best be gettin’ on my way. I’m still only ‘alfway done. Unless there’s anything else y’ want to discuss?”
”Going already? Then I must be swift!” In a spinning move, the many-armed god ended up on one knee before the Earth God, a halo of lotus around their forehead and a golden glow about their whole form. ”A mighty craftsman such as yourself would make for an excellent husband. It is in that hope that I pray, I wish, that you would become my consort! Algrim of the Stone, will you marry me?”
Algrim blinked in surprise. Whatever he might have expected the conversation to turn toward, it was not this. “Don’t y’ already ‘ave one?”
Chakravarti was undeterred. ”I have many, o potential consorts - a matripatrihierarch must have several, for how else can they produce the most magnificent dynasty? Claim the most significant respect? You would have allies in powerful places should you say yes; your children would have brothers and sisters of might and magic. Accept, o earthen one, for the sake of your children’s future!”
Algrim considered the offer, but only for a moment. The idea of pledging himself to this person who he barely he knew, and who had already made similar pledges with other people he didn’t know, was not exactly appealing no matter what she promised. Besides, there were more important things right now than worrying about his own status, or about a future that might never come.
He looked at her apologetically. “All due respect, but I can’t spare much thought toward that sort o’ thing right now. Not while my task remains incomplete, or while I still don’t know ye or those others y’ mentioned all that well. Th’ stability of th’ world must come first. I’m sure y’ understand.”
Chakravarti appeared momentarily stunned. ”Huh? You, you’re turning me down?” The golden glow disappeared; the lotus halo wilted. ”But, but why? I wouldn’t ask you for anything! Just some offspring to strengthen our house! You’re male, so it really won’t be a lot of work for you!” Two hands folded together pleadingly. ”Pleeeeaaase?”
Algrim shook his head. “I cannae accept that just yet, I’m ‘fraid. A bond like that isnae one that I would ever make lightly. I’d need t’ take at least a few years to get ta know ye, and th’ others I would be, eh… ‘sharing’ ye with. Besides that, th’ idea o’ havin’ offspring but not ‘aving time t’ be involved with them does’n ‘old much appeal t’ me either. Would’n be fair. Not t’ me, not t’ ye, and not ta the children.” He offered the God another apologetic shrug. “We can still be friends, though.”
”B-but…” The family god had deflated nearly entirely. A few of their hands laid flat against the ground with shattered morale. The god haunched somberly and sighed. ”Alas, that it should come to this… But please, consider it some more! I, I am rich! My house is vast and wealthy, with nothing but the brightest future ahead of it! Surely, the thought of having such powerful allies must be tempting, right?”
Yet Algrim merely shook his head. “Those aren’t th’ sort o’ arguments that’ll convince me. Now, I must be off. I still ‘ave the rest o’ the world t’ save. Farewell.” He offered her a bow, and then turned away.
He didn’t get far before one of his legs suddenly felt a lot heavier than the other. Upon looking down, Algrim saw no fewer than six hands wrapped around his leg, connected to a very floored, very whimpering humanoid, their last two hands interlocked in a clasp of tears. ”Nooooo, no, no, no, no - you must reconsideeeeeer! Our children would be so beautiful! Our dynasty; so powerful!”
Despite being made out of stone, Algrim’s entire body somehow became even tenser. He clenched his fists, and when he spoke, all traces of the bizarre accent were gone. “You will unhand me. Now,” he commanded in a quiet, rich, authoritative tone that was edged with hard steel.
”Not before you say ‘I do’, I won’t!” the family god retorted with a whine, clearly not catching the tonal shift.
Algrim gave them a hard glare. Then, suddenly the leg Chakra was gripping crumbled into a cloud of dust, before promptly reforming out of their grasp, and Algrim continued to walk away. Undeterred, the family god let out a frustrated growl and pushed themself back to their feet. Breathing in deep, they unleashed a sigh and decided to walk alongside the stone god. ”Okay, okay - I get it. You want to get to know me, is it? Okay, I am open. Whatever questions you may have, I will answer. Will you say yes after that?”
Algrim let out a sigh of his own. When he spoke again, the strange accent had returned, but his voice was still filled with obvious frustration. “Th’ time for questions will come afta’ th’ world is saved. At a time when th’ two o’ us are in the same vicinity. An’ if I’m actually in a mood fer a conversation. No sooner, no later, and no guarantees. Now drop it. Because with e’ery attempt to drag this out, yer only makin’ yerself even more unappealing.”
”Unappealing?!” the family god squealed and raised their nose to the heavens. ”My, what uncouth words; what unrefined facade.” With a twist of their hip, they spun around and walked away. ”Well, if -that- is how you want it, then you were not good enough for me anyway. HMPH!” The stone god was then left alone - finally.
Chak sits and weeps, waiting for someone to show up and fix the earth. Woopah! A saviour arrives and his name is Algrim! Algrim gives them a seed to plant and it spans into a tall pillar. Job done, Algrim tries to leave, but Chak proposes. Algrim turns them down and Chak goes full desperate GF/BF. They only stop chasing when Algrim calls them unappealing and pull a niceguy/nicegirl and go away.
To say the paradise that the goddess had created was flourishing in comparison to the rest of the world was something of an understatement at the very least. To those mortals that were living upon it, it was a true paradise that bore all sorts of fruits and substances and the ilk that they needed. An eternal cycle of plenty rooted into the location itself, something that would have brought many a soul down into deep decadence and potentially slothfulness over the long term. Were it not for the need to defend that land from demons and beasts and so forth, the inhabitants might have already fallen into such a terrible and dark sate.
Yet the goddess had not sat idly by as her first followers would live in plenty...nor leave them alone in their struggles to protect her birthplace and their new home. As promised, she was always watching over this paradisiacal place, and had been visiting here and there to teach her followers about the cycles of the world and other sorts of knowledge. She also had many plans to protect the place moving forward to boot, including: defenses, hiding it away, barriers, and so forth. It would take quite a long time to get things in the world working right as well, but in the end...yes, she would help make things better! But how next could she do so? Her work on stabilizing space-time was still ongoing, and on this particular day she was taking a break to visit her followers.
Indeed, the goddess was sitting within the ‘throne room’ built into her massive fortress-temple, her followers assembled and sitting in pews as she spoke to them and answered their questions. Today’s lesson was teaching something about the making of fences and palisades and such simple walls, a basic matter yet one that was going to be currently important when the mortals protected themselves.
Outside the so-called paradise, a massive boulder roughly the size of a cottage was rolling toward it at an unfathomable speed. Only when it crossed the threshold between apocalyptic wasteland and fresh green grass did it begin to slow down, before coming to a stop entirely.
The boulder cracked, and then crumbled into dust. From the dust stepped Algrim.
“What the bloody ‘ell is this?” he asked nobody in particular as he strode forward, his gaze settling on the fortress. This was all recently created; it had not been here when he first spotted this site. And, somewhat inconveniently, it was occupying the exact location he had in mind for his plan.
Well, there was only one way to get that sorted out. The God of Earth strode toward the fortress.
As the boulder had approached from a distance, the people inside had sighted it with no little amount of panic. What kind of demon, or Sirukh, or the like was it?! Either way it seemed on a collision course with the paradise itself, and in the manner of attempting to figure it out a number of warriors had begun to make their way down to investigate. Others began to shore up what little defenses they had at the moment, and those few left otherwise hurried the pregnant or nursing women and children into the lower chambers of the temple-fortress to keep them safe. It was something they had become far too accustomed to by the time the goddess had first arrived, and since then they had been forced to defend this place a few times already! Still...didn’t mean this new potential threat wasn’t going to be worrying.
As Algrim stopped the boulder and emerged, the small handful of warriors near his location (hiding in some bushes) stopped cold. One was about to raise his bow, however, before the older man next to him gently pushed his arms and bow back down. With a glance at his younger compatriot, the older man simply shook his head back and forth in silence. No, this peculiar arrival was not something a bow would handle. In fact, to the older man’s eyes it was reminiscent of the kind of things that had foretold the birth of the goddess, and as such was likely...divine. Maybe. Either way, they had to send someone to warn those at the temple.
Still, as Algrim approached the temple, he would eventually find himself walking about the sort of homes mortals constructed. Albeit better than anything in the wasteland, but also now strangely empty. As he would get close enough to the temple-fortress, however, he would find simple barricades of wood and the ilk before him. In fact, a number of mortals stood behind them, wielding bows, arrows, polearms, and even a few axes and blades.
“W-Who are you?” one of the defenders, after a few moments of silence, would shout out to the newcomer, “T-T-This is the birthplace of the great goddess Arira! S-Speak your business, or we shall defend our home here to the last!”
Algrim stopped, and growled. “My business is trying ta keep the whole damn world from tearing itself apart.” He continued his march. “Now move aside. I’d speak to this goddess of yours. Is she ‘ere?”
The defender who had spoken winced at the earthen god’s growl, but as the deity continued to march the defender nearly fell over as he and a few of the others rapidly scrambled to pull back their piece of wooden barricade in time. Others, in the meantime, attempted to push it back against the. Well, this strange being hadn’t outright tried to kill them! That was something at least. But it was a bit of panic that was going on as the stout Algrim came to about where the people were defending the bottom of the stairs that led into the temple-fortress itself. Yet as Alrgim came to the half-open piece of barricade, struggling mortals fighting for it for a second, something...or someone...else emerged from the top of the stairs and out of the fortress-temple’s main entrance.
Her skin was fair, and hair a lovely tan. Golden adornments covered her hair and body, and elegant clothes covered her beautiful form. For the people, it caused them to stop their fighting over the barricade at the sight of her. She would then raise a hand, gesturing for them to open the way, and a path through the small batch of defenders would clear before Algrim as the piece of barricade was fully moved out of his way this time.
“Welcome, oh stout and mighty God, to my paradise. As you entered I sensed your approach as I was teaching, but please do forgive the people here for their fear. They have but gained a new home only some time ago, and have had to defend it several times from forces beyond,” she said, walking down the steps to come meet Algrim, “What brings you here this day?”
Algrim’s eyebrows rose, and his expression, once impatient and frustrated, suddenly brightened. “Ah, good ta see some manners at last!” he said with a cheerful tone as he carried on toward her. “No one’s in much a mood for talkin’ these days. Can’t say I blame ‘em. Ah.” The smile faded, and the cheerful tone diminished somewhat. “Well, I’m Algrim. I don’t know if you noticed, but this entire world is aboot ta fall apart. I’m lookin’ ta fix that.”
Arira nodded at the fellow deity, continuing walking down to him until they would meet at the middle of the stairs.
“Indeed, and in more ways than one. The earth trembles,,” the goddess said in a pleasant manner, giving a light bow before continuing, her smile slightly fading as she mentioned her own work, “I am Arira, Goddess of Cycles. I wish we had been able to first meet under better circumstances, more peaceful ones perchance, but even so...how may I assist you in your work here?”
Algrim returned the bow. “I’d wish the same. You are a pretty one, if ya don’t mind me saying. I’m a god meself. I hold power over the earth beneath our feet. Now, I have a plan to ‘elp fix it, and it involves this location. Problem is, you went and built something on it before I even arrived. Ye wouldn’t have known, of course, so it’s not yer fault, but you see the problem?”
“Indeed…though I believe that we might have a solution to this, if I may,” the goddess mused, putting a hand to her chin for a moment before lowering it again, “Some time ago, upon visiting again my people here, I had sudden inspiration to begin clearing a grand underground chamber here beneath the temple-fortress of my birth.
If you would wish to see it for yourself, perchance it will provide housing for whatever you seek to put here?”
“Ah, that’s good. I don’t need too much space. Could ya show me to this chamber? If ya would be so kind.”
“Gladly,” Arira said, before turning her gaze down to the defenders once more, “Let your kin know all is safe here. Your presence has been graced by a goodly divinity this day. Sir Algrim, God of Earth. Mark it down in the records of events here, and let it be known among you.”
She then turned, gesturing politely for Algrim to follow her as she re-ascended the stair back into the temple fortress.
From here she would lead her fellow deity in, and initially they would find themselves in a grand entrance hall. Portraits and tapestries hung upon the walls, magical torches kept the grand entrance lit, and even the floor was donned in a massive, long carpet sporting a lovely royal purple with gold trimmings. Most peculiar, the depiction of a great wheel was wrought upon it with what seemed to be a divine touch. Depictions of cycles and changing seasons and animals being born and dying and so forth surrounded it and were depicted within its spokes.
Even so, the duo would not remain there for but the time it took to walk through it. Into the halls they wound, going down a set of winding passageways that led deeper into the earth. Stone walls of perfectly-cut brick seemed to escort them as they descended ever downward, and the steps were well-made that even dwarven legs would find them likely comfortable to walk down. Still, as the duo came toward the bottom, they would find the brick and so forth becoming newer and newer. A clod of dirt here and there would eventually be seen, and even lower than that a scuff mark or two made by accident or when transporting something could be seen. Such was the trend until ultimately the duo would be stepping out onto a stone-wrought platform, which had some signs of dirtiness and work still upon it, and the underground chamber so promised lied before their very eyes.
It’s size was something immense, a space almost as big as the temple-fortress above. It had been carved from the stone and earth itself, stretching far and wide with a great length and width equal to that of the temple-fortress itself. Support pillars carved with cyclical depiction stood along the sides of the magnificently-wrought chamber, magically and functionally supporting the sides of a grand, arched, vaulted ceiling. It was seemingly incomplete somehow, but to fashion and craft and dig this much was something to behold when it came to pondering on how much mortal labor was put into it.
Algrim surveyed the scene and stroked his beard. “Aye, this seems large enough. Though I’d best tell ya what I want to do afore we proceed. It’s a simple plan, really. I can calm the tremours in the earth, but I can’t be everywhere toado so. So, I’ve picked out six locations, and plan ta imbue some of my power into each one, so the earth ken hold itself together even when I’m not there. This’ll be the first.”
Arira nodded in return, though after a moment of silence spoke up once more.
“Indeed, sir, but would’st you require any help in crafting this ‘anchor’ for the world?” Arira said, before staring back out a the chamber, “If your power roots the stability of this world here in part, then for the world’s sake it shall be well-protected here at the very least.”
Algrim furrowed his brow, and resumed stroking his beard. “Hm. Well, I do need to do this six times. Some ‘elp would certainly make it easier, if yer offering. An’ you could prevent anyone else from mucking about with it while I’m gone.” He looked up at her, and extended a hand. “Can you give me yer word that you’ll see it protected?”
“I give you my word that it shall be protected, and as this area already is under my constant watch I shall not falter. My people here shall too help protect it, as it shall be a sign of cooperation between myself and thee,” the goddess said, smiling a bit more as she heartily shook the Earth God’s hand, “Though pray tell...aside this matter I desireth to ask thee if thou woulds’t be willing to help craft mountain round-about here to hide this paradise and place better as well? If not all be well with thee, tis’ but a simple request on the side.”
When saying the latter thing, the goddess for a moment seemed...slightly sheepish, ever so slightly embarrassed even. Perhaps for her it was a bit of an awkward question?
“I’d be ‘appy to,” Algrim’s smile returned. “Would ye be needing that now or ken it wait ‘til I’ve finished with my plan?”
“Ah, now would perhaps be more prudent for here than later I’m afraid. With the dangers currently posed, the protection hidden deep in the mountains would be most appreciated. Of course I shall help as needed, and we all here would be most pleased to host you for your troubles at the very least.”
“Very well then. I’ll see what I ken do, after I’m done ‘ere. Could you give me your hand, lass?”
Arira nodded, gently placing her hand in that of the Earth God’s. It was soft to the touch, smooth like silk even. It was a stark contrast to Algrim’s stony skin.
“Right. Now, channel me some of yer power. As much as ye feel comfortable to spare.”
After a moment, the Earth God would begin to feel a flow of divine power entering into him. It began like a trickle, but would ultimately flow out like a great yet gentle river. Algrim closed his eyes and began to channel his own power. He opened his free hand, and a glowing purple light appeared on his palm. The glow softened, and the light faded, revealing a purple gemstone.
Algrim released her hand. “Right. That’s done. All that’s left ta do is put it on the ground.” He offered her the stone. “Would ye like to do the honours?”
The goddess nodded in return, letting out a small sigh before turning herself to face the rest of the great chamber again. She raised up the gemstone, and after a brief silver shimmer covered it the goddess began to speak. Likewise, the purple gemstone would float through the air, trailing out to the center of the immense room before slowly descending down into the ground as it began to glow.
“Oh seed of world’s stability,
Protect all with our divine nobility,
Help grant calm to world’s design,
And with splendid glory, forever shine!”
As the gem, now shining like a mini-sun almost, was fully encased in the ground...a sudden rumbling briefly shook the chamber. To the credit of its make the chamber did not crumble, but instead purple tendrils of glowing light emerged from the ground around where the gem had sunk in. Then more tendrils emerged. Then more. Then more. Many more would surged from the ground, bonding together and merging until they connected the roof and floor of the place together.
Then the light would begin to fade as the mass of purple light began to subside, and in its place was a great pillar of incredible size. It stood in the center of the chamber, top to bottom, immense in its width and decorated in gigantic designs. The designs hailed from both deities, such as wheels and cyclical depictions from the goddess, and were carved into the unnaturally one-piece and otherwise perfectly smooth pillar with a kind of grace and perfection unachievable by even the finest of mortal hands. In short, a titanic thing that radiated a divine strength and yet a divine grace that each befit and matched it’s makers (or ‘parents’) in a sense.
An unseen wave of power pulsed outward, detectable only by the two gods within its vicinity. A few moments later, Algrim breathed out a sigh of what sounded very close to relief. “The ground is quieter now.” He tapped his foot on the floor. “It worked. Good.”
“Is there anything else required, good Algrim?” the goddess asked, turning her head to look at him as she assessed the situation in her own mind as well.
“Well, I did say I’d build that mountain, didn’t I?” Algrim asked. “I’m not one ta break promises. Suppose I’d best get to it. Where do ye want it?”
The goddess gave a simple nod to Algrim.
“Round about this paradise, to shroud it at height and in view from the rest of the world. I and my people thereafter can carve out any passages outward, and further such defensive measures and creations as well.
And once thou art done, we mayest celebrate in the valley if thou desirest to take rest here before moving onward. Tis’ the least I can offer for such work, and what’er else I can’st do to assist thee at this time.”
She smiled at the other deity, smiled with such a soft and gentle smile indeed. She again took one of his hands in her own as she spoke ever so sincerely, her kind eyes radiating a kind of soft warmth from them. For a few moments, Algrim seemed to get lost in them, before suddenly he shook the feeling off.
“Aye, yer a lovely lady, an’ I’d be ‘appy to celebrate with ye. But that’ll ‘ave to wait until the crisis is past. I’ll build yer wall, carry on with my work, and then come back ‘ere. Sound fair?”
Arira’s smile widened just a little bit more at the god’s words.
“It soundeth fair to mine ears, oh Earthen Lord. Once the mountains about this place hath been raised, and the world doth no longer shake with apocalyptic fury, I shalt gladly welcome thee back to celebrate here. Such is my promise to thee.”
“Would’n miss it. Now, the mountains.”
Exiting the fortress, the God of Earth strode out toward the boundaries of the paradise, and began raising mountains one by one, until the entire area was ringed by a formidable circular range. Even the lowest mountain was more than high enough to conceal the tallest structure within its confines.
Once it was complete, the god then returned to the first mountain and stared at it with obvious scrutiny. Then he began to reshape it, sharpening some angles and softening others. Making it look rugged and natural, but not ugly or bland. He did the same with all the others. The labour took a full day.
Once it was complete, the God of Earth said his farewells, and resumed his journey.
Arira is holding court in her throne room teaching a lesson.
Outside, Algrim quite literally comes rolling into the Paradise. He is confronted by some guards who are understandably suspicious of him. Arira comes out to meet him and he explains why he has come; he had come to this place to build something, only to discover that she had already occupied the spot.
She agrees to let him build on her land, and he tells her his plan. He’s going to create six different constructs around the world which are meant to generate a permanent aura of stability, serving as a permanent solution to the worst of the world’s tremours. They go into an underground chamber she constructed, and there they work together to build the first World Pillar.
Afterward, Arira offers to hold a celebration, but Algrim is like: “Nah there’s still work to be done.” He then builds a circular mountain range around the location to help protect the Paradise and the World Pillar within.
Construct the first World Pillar.
A World Pillar generates a permanent aura of stability across a vast area, drastically reducing the likelihood and severity of seismic disturbances. This effect may stack on two areas that are within range of multiple pillars.
Areas covered by only one pillar: Natural disasters are quite common here. Nowhere near apocalyptic standards, though. Areas covered by two pillars: Natural disasters are uncommon. About the same likelihood as an area in the real world that isn't known for earthquakes. Areas covered by three pillars: Natural disasters are impossible. Areas covered by four or more pillars: Even the gods would struggle to get a disaster going.
Note that this only applies to land-based disasters, and possibly other disasters that are a side effect other land-based disasters.
Each World Pillar has a connection with both Algrim and whichever other god helped build it. They will instinctively know when it is destroyed, deactivated, or threatened in some way.
He did not know how he came to be. Only that he was. He knew what he was, he knew what he was called, and what power he had. He did not know why he was any of these things, but somehow that did not seem important.
The newborn god was encased in violently shaking earth, which rattled his very bones. Driven by pure instinct, he clawed his way upward, until at last he broke through the surface and he pulled himself out of the hole from whence he came. He emerged into a desolate wasteland, and despite the jarring tremours of the earth, he was easily able to retain his footing. He looked around at his surroundings, and then spat out a glob of mud.
“Ach, Such shoddy workmanship…” he muttered distastefully. This world seemed so poorly put together that he was actually offended by it. He felt anger build up inside him. Each tremour could be felt in his very soul. The rage continued to grow, until at last he could contain it no more.
“ENOUGH!” he roared, stomping his bare foot into the ground. Suddenly, the violent shaking and the rumbling which accompanied it stopped. The land was peaceful. Wounded and scarred, yet peaceful. Algrim felt his anger vanish, the outburst having been sufficient to vent it all out.
Now that he was calm, he could take better stock of his surroundings - and not just what he could see. Standing here with his bare feet touching the earth, he expanded his senses, and could suddenly detect the vibrations of things that were not within his sight. And what he sensed caused further frustration. Despite having dealt with the previous crisis, the earth below him was still unstable, and in time another quake could easily start. To make matters worse, distant vibrations told him that more quakes were happening elsewhere.
He clenched his fist. Was he going to have to keep doing this? Running about the world, fixing every disturbance he could sense, then going back to where the first one occurred to start it all again? And was he going to have to do it all on his own!?
The God took a deep breath. “No. Calm yourself, lad,” he whispered to himself. One thing at a time. For now he would focus on what was right in front of him. The land here was calm, for now, but not forever. He should fix that first.
Permanently stabilizing one section of land right now would be much better than only temporarily stabilizing the entire world. So long as he remained in this region, he could will it to remain perpetually calm. But leaving the rest of the world to fend for itself did not sit well with him. Like patching a hole in a roof while doing nothing about the rotting and crumbling foundations which supported it.
The solution came to him immediately. He could not be everywhere at once. So, he would need to create something that would ensure this area remained stable even in his absence.
But first, he would need to get his bearings. Algrim wasted no time; the section of earth he was standing upon rose up into the sky, taking him with it. Up and up he went, the pillar of dirt and stone rising higher and higher. A small crater was beginning to form around the pillar from all the dirt he needed to pull from the land in other to do this. Then, finally, the god had risen high enough to set his eyes upon all of Galbar.
He immediately recoiled at the desolate wasteland. Villages and cities, once proud and mighty, had been brought to ruin. Mountains were cracked and deformed. What had once been forests and rolling hills were marred by sinkholes and craters. The fact that there were still signs that this had once been a beautiful world - a forest of charred treestumps here, a drained lake there - only added to the tragedy of it all. But as much as he hated the sight, Algrim committed it all to memory. He needed to know the lay of the land if he was to do his part in repairing it.
Satisfied that he could remember it all, he tapped his foot against the dirt platform he stood upon. At once it began to lower, the soil filling out the crater from which it had been pulled. By the time Algrim reached the ground, it was if no pillar had ever been raised and no crater had ever been formed.
The God of the Earth cracked his knuckles. He had work to do. And he knew where to start.
Algrim is born in the dirt. He climbs out of the dirt. He realizes the world is a mess. He gets pissed off. He fixes it. He realizes that the fix only applies to the local area, and is temporary. The world is still a mess. He builds a minecraft nerdpole to get his bearings and memorize his surroundings. Once that’s done he collapses the nerdpole and prepares to begin his travels.
-Built a giant nerdpole. -Collapsed the giant nerdpole
Domain: Earth. Algrim holds power over the very ground itself, and the minerals it is composed of. With this power Algrim may create or reshape entire landscapes - moving summoning mountains, digging valleys, closing ravines, solidifying mud, or reversing the damage done by earthquakes and sinkholes. Perhaps even causing such devastating disasters, if sufficiently provoked.
Myth: The storm came in the morning. Acid rained down upon the city, melting the flesh of all it touched. Many screamed as they were struck. Others seized the initiative, rushing into their homes and throwing off their cloaks and coats before the rain could burn through.
But such salvation was only temporary, for the roofs began to leak, as the acid burned through thatch and wood. Thousands of people prayed to the heavens for deliverance from this torturous downpour.
"There's only doom up here," a deep authoritative voice warned. "You'll find no safety in the sky. Only in stone."
Then, the earth began to shake. Those who had windows would see walls of stone rise up on either side of the city, rising higher and higher. At the same time, it felt as if the very ground beneath them was beginning to lower. With all the stone that was moving, the shaking should have been far more violent, but it was as if something was restraining it.
Then, the light outside began to dim. None could see it, for to poke their head outside would mean death or disfigurement, but the walls were now expanding inward; forming a ceiling which cast a mighty shadow. Once the ceiling was complete, the entire city was cast in complete and total darkness, as if they had been entombed.
But they were safe.
Minutes passed. Then, tentatively, a brave few stepped outside wielding lanterns. The city as intact. The cobbled streets were undamaged, despite the vigorous shaking, while the foundations of the buildings still held, and the only damage was that which was done by the rain. The only thing that had changed was that they were now underground. They did not know it, but an entire mountain had been built above them, shielding them forever from any skyward threats.
The people of the city wondered which god had saved them. Soon, they had their answer.
"I am Algrim, and this is my Kingdom."
Base Form: Algrim's base form is that of a five foot tall humanoid that appears to be made almost entirely out of stone, and yet is somehow just as flexible and mobile as a being made out of flesh. A pair of bright blue emerald serve as his eyes. His hair is bald, save for a green mohawk that is made out of a dark green moss, and a long beard which flows down to his navel. For attire, he prefers to go bare-chested, but usually wears an assortment of gold and gems.
If he needs to blend in, he will sometimes turn stone to flesh, and moss to hair, and adopt a more humble garb. Although the God of Stone rarely sees need to conceal his true appearance, it is sometimes necessary.
True Form: When Algrim's true form is unleashed, the mere act of transforming brings forth immense destruction. Chunks of earth are ripped from the ground, drawn toward his body where they engulf him, expanding his size and fusing together until he rivals that of a mountain. The very ground beneath his feet becomes an extension of his body.
Carn stepped into Antiquity for the first time. He wore the black armour of one of Cadien’s hussars, with his sword sheathed at his hip, cloak on his shoulders, and lute slung across his back. As he marveled at the vast, white arena, and the shining image of Galbar in the sky above, two more figures emerged from the portal, clad in their own sets of Black Hussar armour as well.
Liamas and Nekara. The Songman and the Neiyari had asked to accompany him in his travels. They too were curious about the outside world, it seemed, and Carn had not objected to some extra company. They, too, were taken in by the sights.
“My word,” Liamas whispered. “Nothing has happened yet, and already I could write a song about this place.” The Songman looked odd in the Black Hussar, mostly because he had never worn it before this day.
The arena was slightly overgrown, with vegetation sprouting in the unlikeliest places. One particularly large bush was happily taking in the strange sunlight of Antiquity, a few paces from the trio. The bush seemed completely normal… At least, until it rustled, followed by an almost inaudible hiss. Deep within the thick foliage of yellowing leaves, a small flash of white could be seen whizzing past back and forth.
There was another hiss, louder this time, followed by a quiet pained gasp. The rustling came back in force, and suddenly a trio of pristine, white, long, fluffy tails popped out of the bush, wagging back and forth hard enough to make whooshing sounds.
”Ugh, I told you to be quiet, Yllis!” One voice whispered. High-pitched and somewhat jarring yet somehow still attractive to the ears, kind of like listening to a trainwreck from a safe distance.
”I-I can’t be quiet, Yllis! Your elbow’s all the way in there, you know~” The same voice replied, yet this one came from a slightly different location within the bush.
The original voice groaned, and then a third one whispered. ”Did you hear something, Yllis? I dunno, kinda like an over glorified monkey asking someone who’s clearly out of their league their name?”
The first one spoke again after a small gasp. ”I think so, Yllis. Maybe it wants a banana?” She said, snickering quietly.
”Ow!” The second one hissed, ”W-Watch what you do with those nails, you bitch!”
”I’m not a bitch, you bitch! Unless that one tall soldier in Snowhair’s realm asked me to be....”
”You’re hopeless, Yllis.”
The trio glanced at the bush with puzzled expressions.
“It seems they do not know we are here,” whispered Liamas.
“If they don’t, they ought to be more alert,” Nekara commented bluntly. “If any of us had magic, a single spark of fire could be their end.”
“Enough of that talk,” Carn said. “We didn’t come here for a fight.” He took a step forward. “Hello there!” he called out. “You in the bush. Could you please come out so we can speak?”
The bush rustled a bit, and out of it popped a single face. Ghostly pale, with shining golden eyes and white hair. It was a woman’s face, with carefully, delicately sculpted features all around betrayed by the sharp fangs that glinted in the light when she smirked. There was something unsettling about the face, but Carn couldn’t exactly pin that feeling onto any of the features he could see.
After a mere moment a second face, completely identical to the first with the only difference being that this one was sweating and blushing, popped out next to the first. Then a third. And finally, after some more rustling, three dog-like, pristine, white tails popped out the other end of the bush and started to wag chaotically, sometimes slapping each other.
The three women quickly wiped the smirks off their faces and replaced them with more subdued, yet still smug enough, smiles. They all looked at each of the 3 travelers from head to toe.
”That was a bold joke just now, the one where the group’s stress relief implied a little mortal could make fire strong enough to kill me.” One of the three women said, her gaze settling on Nekara as she snickered quietly.
”Yllis, none less than the cutest, most adorable, most lovable, most unexpectedly outgoing Goddess!” The middle one declared proudly, closing her eyes in the process for a moment. Then, she deflated somewhat and opened them again, unamused. ”So? What do two mortals and one half-mortal want with me?”
Carn opened his mouth to speak, but then Liamas stepped forward as well. “The man who stands beside me is Carn the Unblemished. Prince of Meliorem, Champion of-”
“Enough,” Carn cut him off sharply. “I am Carn.” He gestured to his companions. “This is Liamas, and that is Nekara. We are just passing through the area.”
”Huh, is that so.” Yllis asked in monotone, then awkwardly stood up and out of the bush, followed by the other two. They helped each other in quickly patting down their clothing and fixing their hair. While they were doing that, she continued. ”There isn’t much to see, I’m warning you now. Most of the Gods are freaky hermits so you most likely won’t see them out and about.”
“Are there any examples in particular that stand out?” Carn asked.
”All of them. I’ve been waiting here for a long time and no one has appeared... Only a bunch of mortals.” One said and sighed.
”Yep. Biggest disappointment ever. There isn’t even any point to messing with you as it is.” Another shrugged.
“Just how long have you been waiting here?” Nekara questioned.
The women merely gave another shrug.
Hm. So according to this goddess, the supposed central meeting ground of the gods, the crossroads between realms… was almost never used. That was… disappointing, to say the least. “Have you visited the realms of the other gods?” Carn asked.
They rolled their eyes. ”You think I’m some kind of freak that barges into people’s homes uninvited? Only realm I’ve seen other than mine is Meliorem.”
“Do the other gods take issue with mortals walking into their realms uninvited?” Liamas asked. “We wouldn’t want to offend any of them.”
Yllis took a deep breath and the three sat down on a somewhat clean part of the auditorium. They grabbed their tails and started stroking them absentmindedly. ”I’m new here. I only know two Gods, so no I don’t know whether they’ll kill you or turn you into toys upon entering their realms, or even if they’d let you enter their realms...”
”... The true question is why you’d want to get involved with a bunch of immortal children who can’t help but to get involved in a tiny mortal war and to blow things out of proportion. Just go back down to Galbar, you’ll find actually interesting stuff down there I’m sure.”
Carn frowned. “You seem to know a lot about the gods, for someone who claims to have only met two. How is that?”
Yllis huffed and shook her head, leaning back. ”You talk a lot like Snowhair, you know? You pretend to be the fairest of all, but you fall short and just come off as a man who fears taking action. Your little lapdog here,” She pointed lazily at the Songman, who let out a gasp of indignation, ”Said your title was “the Unblemished”, right? That is incredibly lame, so go get a few scars on your baby-face before pretending to be high and mighty with me.”
”Know that I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty, so if you keep giving me lip I might just be the one to give you those scars.”
The sudden aggression left Carn puzzled. “It was just a question,” he said. “And no, that’s not my title.”
“Carn,” Nekara began, a warning note in her voice, but she said nothing more.
Yllis stared at Carn, letting her tails go. ”You’ve got problems. There’s nothing else to talk about, is there? So why don’t you continue with your little expedition?”
“Gladly,” Carn said, eager to be away from her. He hoped the other gods weren’t like this. If they were ,that would ironically prove her point. A self-fulfilling prophecy, in a way. He turned away, and his companions followed.
Carn, Nekara, and Liamas step into Antiquity. They encounter Yllis and two copies of herself. They have a brief conversation, during which Yllis acts her usual self. She also warns them that the gods are weird hermits and there’s no point in exploring the realms. Carn asks her some questions about how she knows all this, which she is offended by. Yllis starts threatening them, so eventually Carn decides to leave her.
Yllis 5/5 Created a Hero who’s essentially a physical copy of herself, much like her Avatar. It has the following titles:
Aura of Unrest II(2 free titles): Mortals around this Hero find themselves becoming more extreme in their words and actions towards parts of their society that they dislike. The effect takes time to make itself present, with negative thoughts related to their society becoming more common as days pass. Eventually, long enough exposure to the Hero can cause civilizations to splinter into factions and cause civil wars or large scale paradigm shifts.
Good Girl I(1MP): The Hero has an unnaturally expressive, soft, warm and fluffy dog-like tail.
4MP 5DP remaining.
Carn Beginning: 58 +4 for 7,500+ characters Ending: 62
The campaign had gone well, even after Aveira had left.
In truth, there wasn't much use in having her. It wasn't that she incapable; it was simply that Mekellos on his own was already more powerful than anything the iskrill had to offer. Any additional support would have been overkill, unless the iskrill themselves had been given some sort of divine aid - which had yet to happen. So it was little surprise, and little loss, that the Avatar of Neiya had left.
Mekellos still wasn't sure why she had been sent to him in the first place.
Anyhow, a foothold had been carved out on the other side of the river. New outposts and the beginnings of new settlements had been established. The iskrill had made attempts to drive them back, but they were scattered and disunited. Mekellos and the soldiers of Acadia had crushed them one by one. And the loss of so many fighters had left the iskrill settlements deeper inland exposed, and ripe for pillaging.
Unfortunately, the Avatar of Cadien had not had the time to do so, for he soon received word of a most distressing predicament. A sickness had struck Acadia; one that no magic or potion could cure. A number of workers and soldiers had already fallen ill. If left unchecked, the city's food and metal output would begin to suffer, and new soldiers may even carry the disease to the frontlines. Both the Acadians' supplies and their ability to defend their newly acquired territory would suffer.
And so, the Avatar of Perfection was forced to call the campaign off. Suddenly, he wished Aveira had not departed after all. But there was little to do about that, save address the problem immediately.
And he did. It was a surprisingly simple endeavor. The sickness was clearly divine in nature. Its effects were horrific, but not necessarily lethal. And since Mekellos was better at preventing people from getting sick than actually curing sickness, he decided it would be more efficient to identify the afflicted, quarantine them, and bolster the rest of the population's immune system against such unnatural diseases.
With that done, Mekellos prepared to resume his campaign, hoping that the delay caused by this mess would not be too severe.
Unfortunately, another interruption came.
"Are you certain?" Mekellos asked. He was alone, in the council room. The Pontiffs and the Monarchs were absent. It was just him, and the voice of his lord, who spoke within his mind.
"Of course I am. Why aren't you? You felt it," Cadien said, which was true. Even so far away, Mekellos had still felt the earth shake, and the familiar feeling that emerged whenever a divine being was acting in the area.
"It just seems... so senseless..."
"It is, but it has happened nonetheless."
"And you are certain it was her?"
"As certain as I can be without witnessing it myself. Which is why you must go to confirm it, find out why it happened, and see if it can be reversed."
Mekellos nodded grudgingly. He walked over to the balcony which overlooked the city of Acadia. The city he had ruled, which served as his home for so many years. He had never been used to staying in one place for so long. "Very well, my lord."
"Do not go alone," Cadien warned. "She is an avatar. That on its own makes her power equal to yours. But she also had a weapon; a dangerous one, with which she wounded Qael'Naath himself."
"And who could I bring with me that can surpass this weapon?" Mekellos asked, curious.
"A second avatar, of course."
Mekellos's eyebrows rose. "You mean you-"
He didn't get a chance to finish. A small portal formed before him, and from it emerged a bronze longsword with a gilded hilt, and a glowing amethyst set in the crossguard. It was suspended in mid-air, the blade pointed directly at the floor.
"I present to you, Kharros. The Avatar of War."
The blade flipped itself, pointing the tip skyward, and then flew toward Mekellos. The Avatar of Perfection caught it effortlessly. The grip of the blade moulded itself to perfectly fit his hand. "We have our mission," rasped a metallic voice. "And we must see it fulfilled."
Despite Aveira's departure, Mekellos's campaign went pretty well. Unfortunately he was forced to call it to a halt when he found out about the sickness Yamat dropped in Acadia. So he goes back to deal with that. Just before he can resume his crusade, however, Cadien contacts him to tell him about the situation in the west. Cadien orders Mekellos to find out what happened, and just in case decides to create and send a second avatar with him. Kharros - the Sword of Cadien and Avatar of War.
Cadien Beginning MP: 5 Beginning DP: 5 -3MP to create a second Avatar. Kharros, Sword of Cadien and Avatar of War. (Kharros's original creation a few months back has been retconned.) -2DP (enhanced by endurance portfolio) to make the people of Acadia more resistant against diseases, both natural and unnatural. Ending MP: 2 Ending DP: 3
Boudicca had seen many temple chambers from the inside - she had overseen construction of the Temple of the Sun in particular, actually, and this particular room wasn’t at all unfamiliar to her. What was unfamiliar was the fact that she was locked inside it, dressed in the simple, gray linen robes of a nun, her hair tied in a bun and hidden under a hood. She sat on a flat of hay on the wooden floor; save for a sliver of light peeking in from a hole one could scarcely call a window, the room was pitch black. In the corner was a clay mug she had emptied of water earlier and a half-eaten loaf of dry flatbread, plus an empty bowl with gooey traces of salted curdled cheese. The temple treated none of its residents poorly, for sure - this was a hearty breakfast considering her position - but it was nothing to her brother Brian’s mutton oatmeal with leeks and onions, served with a horn of steaming spiced ale and houlin berry pudding. She felt her teeth drown in her drool at the thought.
It had all gone so very wrong - so much worse than anything she had played out in her head. How did this happen? Well, she knew perfectly well why it happened. She had been a fool - an utter and incompetent fool, thinking that one duel between her and Jjonveyo could undo all the pain, all the sorrow and all the hate her people held for the Celeviaks. It had been arrogant, thoughtless, even, to think so.
There came a knock on the door. “Boudicca?” said a man’s voice. Boudicca sank together into her arms. Maybe Clement was right? Maybe she had been too obsessed with the gods to think about how her own people felt?
“Boudicca!” the voice repeated and knocked harder. Boudicca looked up.
“What?”
The wooden bar over her door groaned to the side and it opened to reveal a robed man with a crown of hair around a gleamingly bald scalp.He frowned down at her, a torch in his hand. “You have been tasked with digging a new latrine.” With a sudden and short-lived wheeze, Boudicca caught an incoming wooden shovel the man had tossed at her. “Get to it.” Then he left. Boudicca snarled. To be treated like this… Just yesterday, this man would have bowed to the ground before her. Pleadingly, she looked to the ceiling and whispered,
“Master? Are you out there? I, I need your aid.”
The response to Boudicca’s plea was very much immediate. She would feel the sensation of her mind being touched by a divine presence the moment the word ‘master’ was uttered. Then came the whisper that she had heard before, on the fateful day when Celestine’s avatar arrived. ”I am here, my champion. What do you need?”
Boudicca fell to her knees and folded her hands, the shovel dunking to the ground beside her. “I, I have been dethroned! My position, usurped! By madmen, no less! You both heard and saw them - they must have been corrupted somehow, by something. I, I don’t know why they’ve kept me alive, but they might be planning to use me for something vile - to use my family for something worse!”
“Boudicca! Come on! Adherents of the Sun don’t laze around!” the voice thundered again and footsteps grew louder in the wooden hallway.
“Please, Master! You have to help me!” Boudicca continued, her breath in panic.
Moments after the plea for help was uttered, the connection broke. Then, mere inches away from Boudicca’s kneeling form, a portal opened. Unlike last time where one could see a fair portion of the paradise-like realm behind it, this time there was merely a room containing a large four-poster bed and some other personal effects like a desk that was covered in papers.
These were quickly rendered unimportant by the appearance of Celestine’s avatar as they stepped partially through the portal. Holding a hand out to Boudicca and up to the portal, the avatar spoke quickly. ”If you fear for your safety, please enter this portal. It will take you to my realm. Decide quickly, as I cannot maintain this connection for long.”
Without a second thought, Boudicca tossed herself inside, just in time to hear the gasp of the monk at her door. The portal closed behind her, and Boudicca pushed herself to her feet with the help of the goddess, taking in the sights and smells with a gaping mouth. She then spun back for a second to look at the spot where the portal had closed. Panting, she said, “That, that was close… Thank you, Master.”
Celestine’s avatar nodded but remained fairly silent as it backed up to a nearby wall before slightly hunching over as if a puppeteer had cut the strings. Then a few moments later the door upon the south wall opened gently, and in stepped Celestine herself. She blinked slowly as she approached Boudicca. Stopping a few feet away, Celestine crossed her left arm across her chest and bowed before speaking. ”It was. I can only hope that your disappearance does not endanger your family. It is nice to finally meet you in full rather than through visions or through my avatar, though I do wish the circumstances were better.”
Rising from the bow, Celestine allowed her right hand to rest upon the pommel of her sword before speaking again. ”Do you have a plan you wish to undertake? I will assist you as requested.”
Boudicca seemed momentarily mesmerised by the surroundings, the plains, the dragons, the many elves all around. She eventually snapped out of it. “Oh, a, a plan?” Pausing briefly, she turned back to Celestine. “We, we need to get my family. They, they must be at my tún, my estate.” She paused again. “... Or, well, my daughter’s estate now. It is right outside the walls, to the south of the city.”
Celestine nodded a few times at Boudicca’s plan before she asked a few other questions to better see what Boudicca might want to achieve in the area. ”Understood. I will open a portal there in a few moments. Before I do that, is there anything or anyone else you would like to try and bring here from Ha-Dûna? Your equipment? Loyal friends? Anything. I ask because opening portals to Galbar is only a temporary affair and draws from my divine power every time. I can open three more before I exhaust my current reserves. If there’s anything you can think of that you might want me to do urgently, please feel free to mention it. No matter how small.”
Internally, Celestine was quite pleased with the fact that Boudicca seemed to be mesmerized by her realm. She took it as a complement, and hoped that Boudicca would share in that same mesmerization if or when she came to reside in the realm more permanently. But that was not something she needed to think about for now, and instead refocused her thoughts towards the current situation.
“Celestine!” an all-too familiar voice boomed from another room. It did not exactly sound angry, but it was clear he was far from pleased.
Celestine’s eyebrow raised promptly at the voice of Cadien booming within her realm. Turning her attention to the door into the room, she pulled it open before speaking gently. As she spoke, her voice reverberated throughout her realm to ensure that the message reached his ears. ”Greetings, Cadien. I am in my personal chambers. If you are within The Longhall, ascend to the ledge above with the throne upon it. Through the central door you will find a passage leading you here.”
Stepping back from the door, Celestine looked to Boudicca before nodding in assurance. Hopefully there would be no escalation from Cadien’s visit.
A few moments later, Cadien entered the room, clad in his golden armour. “Just what were you thinking?” he demanded, his usual smiling expression twisted into a frown, and his brow furrowed in anger. Boudicca, meanwhile, bent a knee.
“Great Caden, I salute you!” she unleashed respectfully. “Please, allow me to apologise on behalf of the sinful amongst my people!”
Cadien gave her a brief glance, before turning back to Celestine as he awaited a response.
Celestine took a moment to give Cadien a curtsey as he entered. After standing, she spoke calmly. ”Boudicca asked for help, and I brought her here to free her from imprisonment. I had planned to open another portal for her to gather her family here in a few moments. Do you object to this? If you have a proposal that you wish to put forward then please do so. I will hear it.”
“Do so, then,” Cadien said. “But after that, we will have words.”
Celestine nodded before turning to Boudicca once more and asking after a few clarifications like before. ”Boudicca, is there anyone or anything else you would like to go get when I open this portal? Do you want my avatar to go with you for protection?”
Boudicca shook her head. “No, nothing must go through from this side. If I’m seen, or your avatar is seen, they will surely kill them all. They, they must be in the great hall by now. If, if you open a portal exactly in by my daughter’s throne, then I will pull them through before any can react.” She bit a nail. “There’s no other way…”
Celestine nodded once again before raising a closed fist before her. Closing her eyes to better visualize where she would be opening the portal, Celestine spoke quickly before she began the process. ”Be quick. These portals are temporary. If you scream for help, I will send my avatar.”
Celestine’s hand opened now, revealing a baseball sized sphere of silvery energy. It was promptly crushed. Seconds later, a portal opened, revealing the interior of the great hall and the throne that Boudicca had mentioned. Reflexively, Celestine backed away from the portal. She didn’t want to anger the lifeblood by being too close to it. They were forbidden from walking upon Galbar in their full power, after all.
Looking to Boudicca once more, Celestine spoke once more. ”Go, quickly!” With that, the former sanndatr threw herself through the portal and into the middle of a great, dark room, lit by a mighty hearth and filled to the brim with men, women and children. Shock froze the room, and Boudicca scanned madly for her targets when she suddenly heard.
“Mother?!”
Boudicca spun, her eyes fixing on a seated young woman, her daughter Materix, eyes wide with confusion. Behind the grossly large throne of firwood and wolfskins stood her husband Aethel, one hand gently holding that of her child son Boudin. Opposite of the throne stood her second oldest daughter, Zelda, and to Boudicca’s right, filling up the entire room from wall to wall, stood the entire Metsep clan. Her brother, Brian, was in the process of kneeling, his mouth frozen mid-oath. The former sanndatr leapt forward and grabbed Materix by the arm and Boudin by the hand. “Come with me! Now!”
Both of them struggled against. “Mother, what are you--?!”
“So -this- is where she ran off to!” came a blade-sharp call from the second row and the crowd parted to reveal none other than Claude du Pierre, heir to the du Pierre clan and as much the bloodthirsty warmongerer as his father. The man pointed at Boudicca and shouted, “Well, what are you waiting for?! She escaped the Temple of the Sun! Haul her back there this instant!”
As her clansmen weighed the option of betraying their former laird and betraying their duty to uphold the Temple Law, Boudicca tried her luck once more. “Stop struggling and just come with me! You’ll be safe in the Bulwark!”
Boudin lost grip of his father’s hand and the expert grip of Boudicca lifted him up into her arms, her feet inching closer and closer to the portal while her eyes shifted rapidly between the rest of her family and the increasing number of clansmen who started agreeing with Claude. “Damn it, Materix! You’ll be killed here!”
“Dad, what’s mommy doing?!” screamed Zelda panickingly. Aethel ran over to his wife and tried to wrestle Boudin out of her arms.
“Boudicca, what’s the matter with you?! You’ll get us all killed!”
“You’ll all die if you stay here!” she retorted and planted a rock-like knuckle into the face of a cousin who got a little too close. She inched closer to the portal and managed to grab Aethel by the arm, pulling him along, as well. However, he pushed her off, and in the action, Boudicca lost her grip around Boudin, allowing for another cousin to snatch him from her. Boudicca screamed. “MY SON!” Vengefully, her fists started hammering their way through the ever-more numerous horde of clansmen trying to overpower her, divine strength matching the mortal power of five men. However, even she couldn’t fight these odds for long. As Boudin, Aethel, Materix and Zelda disappeared further and further behind a mass of people, Boudicca screamed, “SELESTA, HELP ME!”
Celestine’s avatar awoke from its idle state and stepped forward promptly. The sound of a sword being drawn could be heard, and following that a clatter of a scabbard being dropped. Shortly thereafter the cloak it wore was discarded. A second sound of a sword being drawn could be heard. The avatar held its hand aloft, and Celestine tossed her own sword to her avatar. Moments later, it stepped through the portal. Moments after it was through, it let out a scream that nearly shook the great hall. ”STAND ASIDE OR BE SWEPT AWAY!”
If people were stunned as Celestine hoped, the avatar would briefly hold both swords with one hand as it wrapped an arm around Boudicca and quickly pulled her free of the crowd and into the small amount of space that the portal had around it. Holding one of the two swords out to Boudicca, Celestine’s avatar would speak quickly. ”If you wish to continue this effort, here. I will follow your lead in whatever course of action you wish to take.” The clansmen rolled back like a wave, terrified of the avatar’s presence. Just as shocked where Materix and the rest of Boudicca’s family, who had taken refuge behind the throne.
Boudicca swung her sword threateningly towards her clansmen, people whom she had known for her whole life, and they tossed themselves back to avoid her swings. “BACK OFF! I’m not leaving until my family’s safe!” she roared.
“Mother, please stop!” cried Zelda from behind the throne. It didn’t take long for a handful of men and women armed with shields and sticks to make their way to the front, looking as frightened as though they had been tasked with subduing a bear.
Back in Celestine’s realm, the God of Perfection unleashed a frustrated sigh. “Time to put an end to this farce,” he whispered.
And just then, in the hall, a portal opened beneath Boudicca’s feet. She fell through, and it closed immediately.
“Call your avatar back,” Cadien ordered Celestine, with the tone of one who was not open to arguing.
Celestine’s eyes narrowed at the sudden portal, but what was done was done. Her own avatar quickly leaped back through the portal that Celestine was maintaining, and it closed shortly thereafter as well. The avatar tossed the sword back to Celestine, who promptly placed it back within the scabbard hanging at her right side. The avatar collected its scabbard and cloak, replacing both upon its person before backing up to the wall and becoming idle once more. Celestine herself frowned before turning to Cadien with her arms folded and speaking. ”Where have you sent her? My first guess is your realm, but if you haven’t I’d like to know.”
But Cadien had already left the room.
It was a short fall. Boudicca landed feet first on a soft carpeted floor, made of a fabric she had never seen before. She stood in the middle of a great hall, with magnificent furniture the likes of which could never have been crafted on Galbar. There was a great table in the middle, and a marble throne at the far end. Doors and paintings lined the walls. The sword still in her hand, she spun around, eyes scanning all around the room.
“Materix?! Zelda?! Boudin?!” Her breathing could be compared to a drum beat. She sprinted for the nearest window and looked outside to see nothing but an endless blue void and hints of clouds at the bottom over her vision range. A sense of failure and loss grabbed her by the heart and threatened to crush it. She staggered back in a daze and crashed into a weak seat, the sword falling against the carpeted floor beside her. She stared emptily at the ground for a bit before rolling over into a fetal curl and beginning to weep.
Only a few minutes later, the doors of the great hall swung open, and in stepped a tall figure with white hair and golden armour. His resemblance to Evette, the woman Boudicca had spoken to so many months ago, was unmistakable.
He strode across the room to where Boudicca sat, and lifted her sword off the floor. He took a moment to inspect the blade, frowning in disapproval, before placing it on the table. Then he looked to her, waiting for her to speak.
His champion did not hesitate. She rolled onto her knees and let forth a warcry, kicking off from the ground and winding up a punch. However, her body was heavy with sorrow, and the punch didn’t manage more than to push air in Cadien’s direction. She tried again, her fist like a clumsy fly against the god’s golden breastplate. A third fist became the final one as she collapsed down on her knees again, head hanging hopelessly as sobs threatened to choke her to death.
“They did not wish to go,” Cadien said at last.
“... But…” She could hardly speak. “... But why? Why stay? They, they will die if they stay!”
“They were in no danger. One of them was being sworn into a title, by the looks of it. If there comes a time when they are in danger, they can be rescued then. But for now? They are safe.”
“No, shut up! They… They’re not…” She embraced herself desperately and keeled forward. “... My daughter, she, she can’t… Not on her own… My boy, he, he needs me, my-...” She tried to push herself to her feet again. “Open another portal! Please, I cannot leave them alone like this!”
“They are not alone. They have their father. What of him? Did you intend to take his children away from him, and leave him alone instead?”
“Aethel can fend for himself, he--!” She paused for a second. “He has his position with the Circle! Not like my babies, my, my… Oh gods, Materix will… She’s…”
“He can fend for himself, and he can fend for them,” Cadien insisted. “For now. Your separation from them need not be forever. There may come a time when you can return, or when they must be brought here.” Boudicca didn’t answer, busily pressing the tears out of her eyes.
“I will let your family know that you are alive and safe,” Cadien assured her. “This is not the end. Not for you, not for your family, not for your clan, and not for Ha-Dûna. If there is any other message you wish for me to pass on, tell me.”
Boudicca stared at her hands. “Without me, the city is finished… The mórthéins are wicked and corrupt, and our allies are nothing but treacherous fiends… You saw them yesterday; you heard them yesterday.” She shook her head. “Who will lead them if not me?”
“Someone else will step forward,” Cadien said. “They will not be as capable as you. They will lead the armies in the war to come. If they fail, it will be brought to its knees, to the brink of destruction. And if that day comes, they will realize you were right. They will take you back, you will lead them, and you will help them rebuild. Just as you did before.”
“... But what if they don’t? What if, what if they cast me out? What if I’m branded as lawless? They will never take me back then!”
“Then perhaps they deserve to be destroyed,” Cadien said. “If they would turn aid away even during their worst crisis. If they would reject even the gods themselves vouching for you.” He shook his head. “I doubt they will be so stupid. If they lose this war, they will realize their decision to depose you was a mistake, and they will miss the days when you led them.”
Boudicca looked up slowly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “... Will, will you save them if they get too close to the fall, great Caden?”
Then, the god frowned. “They have ignored my advice, they have rejected me, they have named me a liar, they have called me a slaver, and they have disgraced my champion,” he said, his tone neutral despite the bitterness of his words. “I will not deny, there is some part of me that wants to see them destroyed.”
“But,” he went on. “I am not incapable of forgiveness. As to whether or not they will earn that forgiveness, that depends on their conduct in the battles to come, and their ability to learn from their mistakes.”
Boudicca looked down. “I pray on their behalf that they will act exemplary…”
“I expect Celestine will arrive here soon. Although her actions may have led to this affair, you must forgive her. She is a young goddess, and I suspect not entirely familiar with the minds of mortals.”
“That, that is to be expected,” the former sanndatr acknowledged. “After all, we are miniscule and irrational - nothing compared to the magnificence that is the gods.” She wiped the last traces of tears from her eyes and bowed politely. “Forgive me, I, I lost my senses earlier. I meant no evil by it.”
“I’m afraid your senses have not been your own for a long time,” Cadien said grimly. He reached out to touch her collar. “You were given this shortly after I gifted you those banners, yes?”
Boudicca blinked and patted the inky collar with her right hand. “Yes, I… I suppose so. It was given to me by Macsal--...” She paused and frowned. “... No… No, it was not. She called herself… She called herself the Lady-in-Waiting. She gave me this. She gave me the collar and told me to take what was mine.” She swallowed. “You, you don’t think that…”
Cadien’s eyebrows rose. For several seconds, he looked at Boudicca in stunned silence. Then, his expression twisted into rage. He pulled something out of his cloak - a rose made from jewels, and looked from it to Boudicca’s collar. His grip on the rose tightened, and he returned it to its place. “I am familiar with the Lady-in-Waiting,” he said at last. “She has stood before me in this very hall. She is no goddess. This ‘Mascal’, I am not familiar with, but I suspect I know their whereabouts. And if I am correct, they have been asleep for decades. If not centuries.”
“I knew she was hiding something from me, I just did not think it would be this sinister…” he whispered, clenching his fist.
“Did, did she do something to me? Master, what does this collar do?”
“It’s a corrupting force. It instills a sense of greed, desire, and blind ambition within its wearer.” He reached out to grip the collar tightly. And then, half of it shattered, ink droplets flying in every direction, splashing some spots on Boudicca’s vest and shirt. Cadien gripped the remaining half, and with a disgusted look he tossed it aside. “No more.”
Boudicca grabbed her neck instinctively and patted around to feel her skin again, which had grown pale and rashed from a lack of exposure to air. She swallowed and breathed in deep. “Thank you, Master,” she laughed in relief, closing her eyes. “... I… I feel it. A peace of mind returning to me…”
“I always found ‘master’ to be a distasteful term. ‘My lord’, will suffice.” Cadien corrected. “Now, until Celestine arrives, you are my guest. You are free to explore Meliorem. All I ask is that you do not speak of the Lady-in-Waiting or what she did to you - not even if the other inhabitants mention her. It’s a delicate matter, and one I must handle myself.”
Boudicca bowed. “Yes, my lord.”
Cadien had left without explaining anything. This caused Celestine to audibly sigh. She’d been doing her best to help as Boudicca requested, but then Cadien had to go and spirit her away. Most likely he sent her to his realm, but Celestine couldn’t be sure. Part of her wanted to depart immediately, but the tone that Cadien had taken gave her pause. She did not want to become an object of irritation to him, and thus decided it would most likely be best to seek council with one of her advisors. Walking to the north side of the room, Celestine pulled open the set of double doors that lay there and stepped out onto the ledge beyond. Closing the doors behind her Celestine approached the mouthpiece to the massive horn that lay embedded within the side of her castle. Inhaling into lungs that did not exist she blew into the horn, causing a reverberating hum to echo throughout her realm. Moments later, a roar answered.
A few moments after that, a great red dragon approached by wing. He pulled back, buffeting the goddess with a fierce windstorm before coming to rest upon the large ledge that had been specifically crafted for this purpose. Letting out a short huff, the dragon spoke with a deep and reverberating voice. ”Greetings Celestine. What is it that you wished to ask my council for?”
Celestine opened her mouth to speak, but froze when she realized that she was no longer the only person standing on the ledge…
A red fox sat on Celestine's feet looking up at her. After a silent moment, the fox's eyes twinkled and a toothy grin snagged on its snout.
"How you?" The words danced around the small mammal.
Celestine looked down at the fox sitting upon her feet with a raised eyebrow. Looking up to the dragon for a moment, Celestine spoke to him once more. ”Please pardon me, Grigori. I have an unexpected visitor. This might take a while, so if you find the conversation boring please do feel free to depart.”
The dragon responded with only a huff as Celestine looked down to the fox once more to speak again. ”Hello. I’m… Busy, I suppose. Who are you, exactly? There are no foxes within my realm that I know of.”
"Well you sort of answered yourself with that qualifier. I'm a fox you don't know of - but I'm also Illyd Dyll among other names." The fox paused. "How you?"
Celestine raised an eyebrow at the name given. She recognized it from not too long ago… The great hall. Where Cadien had given his speech and Celestine had hoped to calm the mortals by heeding their desire to be free of divine rule… That had obviously not worked out like she had planned and things had gone really rather sour. Blinking, she answered the fox again. ”Ah. I believe I remember you. From fairly recently at the great hall. Greetings Illyd. I would curtsey but… You reside upon my feet and it would be rude of me to shoo you away from where you are. Did you have something that you wished to discuss?”
"One might say I'm stepping on your toes." Illyd snickered.. This caused Celestine to tilt her head at the fox and pose a question about what motives they might’ve had. ”And why might you be doing such a thing, if I might ask? Do you gain some benefit from pinning me to this spot? Or are you merely playing a game of some sort?”
"Oh do you like games?" Illyd questioned. "Is that why you play with mortals so often?"
Celestine narrowed her eyes slightly, but shook her head. ”I enjoy tournaments, and other honorable combat exercises. But I don’t enjoy all games. I interact with mortals because that is my purpose. To me, knighting people is as natural as breathing is to mortals. Why do you ask?”
"Not all mortals breathe," Illyd corrected.
Celestine blinked. Now she was growing frustrated by Illyd’s presence. He was toying with how she spoke and in all honesty she didn’t really appreciate that. However, she kept her tone of voice calm as she spoke. ”I suppose that is fair. But still, the point stands. It is something that comes natural to me. Do you take issue with it?”
"No," Illyd hopped off of Celestine and began to ponder around aimlessly. After a sudden sniff, Illyd paused and looked back at Celestine. "Well come on then..." He started to prance away, "Follow the fox."
Celestine raised an eyebrow once again as Illyd began to hop away. What an odd god… But she knew what he was getting at. Cadien had said he wanted to talk, and yet here she was talking to a dragon and a fox. There was a conversation to be had elsewhere, and Celestine looked up to Grigori once more. ”I’m going to be leaving the realm for a time. I don’t know for sure how long it will be. Would you kindly ensure that things run smoothly while I’m away?”
Another huff came, and then a nod. Celestine smiled at the dragon before speaking once more. ”Thank you. I appreciate it.”
With that, Celestine turned and began to follow Illyd.
The post begins with Boudicca locked in a cell at the Temple of the Sun. She calls for aid from Celestine, who responds by opening a portal and letting her escape into her realm. Celestine asks Boudicca if she has a plan that she would like to carry out, and Boudicca states that she would like to pull her family into the realm as well so that they’re out of harm's way. Moments before this second portal is open, Cadien arrives within Celestine’s realm and is rather cross at the situation. He demands to know what Celestine thinks she’s doing, and Celestine explains that she’s helping Boudicca as requested. Boudicca greets Cadien while this happens, but doesn’t get more than a glance.
Cadien tolerates the opening of a second portal for Boudicca to rescue her family, but assures Celestine that they will have words following it. As she opens the portal, Celestine promises that should Boudicca shout for help, she’ll send her avatar. Boudicca exits the realm into the great hall, and tries to pull her family into the portal with her while everyone is stunned. Her family, unfortunately, doesn’t follow along with what she wants to do. A fight breaks out as Boudicca’s clansmen try to arrest her, and Boudicca eventually screams for Celestine to help. Celestine’s avatar awakens and is armed with Celestine’s personal sword. Stepping through the portal, it screams to stun everyone and pulls Boudicca free of the crowd before offering her its own sword.
Sword in hand, Boudicca begins to resume the offensive to rescue her family, but Cadien opens a portal beneath her feet and closes it after Boudicca falls through. Following this he orders Celestine to pull her avatar back. Celestine obeys and closes the portal that she was sustaining. Celestine’s avatar gives Celestine her sword back before becoming dormant again. Celestine goes to ask Cadien where he sent Boudicca, but Cadien is gone before she even begins to ask.
Frustrated, Celestine summons a dragon to speak with in council, but before any kind of conversation can happen Illyd appears as a fox sitting on Celestine’s feet. The two exchange a brief conversation before Illyd begins to hop away after telling Celestine to follow along. Celestine asks the dragon to keep watch of the realm, and once he agrees she turns to leave with Illyd, wherever he’s choosing to lead her.
Celestine Beginning MP: 4 Beginning DP: 5 -1MP for a portal. -1MP for another portal. Ending MP: 2 Ending DP: 5
Cadien Beginning MP: 5 Beginning DP: 5 -1MP for a portal. -3MP to break Boudicca’s collar in half. Ending MP: 1 Ending DP: 5
The wound had stopped bleeding by the time Qael’Naath had arrived by Cadien’s portal. So many strange things - emotions - flowed through him. Was he so tainted by mortality now that he could feel hatred, rage, fear? It didn’t matter. Even logic demanded the downfall of the winged avatar. He couldn’t do it alone though. His avatar was uniquely suited for other things but not combat and with the winged one holding that accursed blade, he needed help. He swallowed his pride as he stepped through the mortal to enter Meliorem. “Cadien!” He shouted, but instantly clutched his chest in pain. No wound should hurt so uniquely but his did. Still, he bit through the pain and said: “I need to talk to you.”
“Qael?” Cadien’s voice could be heard, as the surroundings of Meliorem came into view. The great fortress was just ahead, but Cadien himself could not be seen. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Galbar is in danger. We are in danger!” Qael said as he lifted off the ground and gently floated towards the castle. The pain in his chest eased up. Replaced by something else. A consuming fire he felt within. “I need your help.”
A gold-clad figure stepped through the castle’s threshold. “Hm? Is this about that-” Cadien stopped in his tracks. “By the Lifeblood, what happened to you?”
“My avatar was attacked.” Qael said as he stepped in closer. Under his hood, hidden by the tentacles just peeking from underneath it he tried to offer Cadien a feeble smile. His robe was still bloodied by the attack that transferred to the divine realms. “It’s good to see you brother. I’ll tell you everything but if you don’t mind, I’d like to do so in a better-suited place than outside. There is much to show and tell.”
Cadien furrowed his brow. “This is most unusual, but come in.” He beckoned the god to follow him into the courtyard. He then led him into the castle itself, through the hall of statuary, and finally into the throne room.
Once in the throne room Qael took a seat at the long table. “I’ll assume you’ve noticed the quake on Galbar as well.” He started. “I’ve sent my avatar out to investigate it. The power coming from it was far too much for any sane god’s creation. And the insane ones don’t want that kind of attention I’ve noticed. There I’ve found a winged woman amid a glassed wasteland. An avatar, I believe. In her hands, she held a weapon.” His gaze and tone grew grim. “My avatar is almost ethereal, brother. No mortal weapon should be able to harm it. But that sword did and now my own blood has soaked Galbar again.”
“Again?” Cadien asked. “When was the first time?”
“When we were born I came into being with a fatal flaw. Something anathema to the logic and systems that I desired. In that age of myth, I’ve cut that chaos out of me.” And it took its shape in Qull. She who would have been his nemesis. Luckily, it would’ve appeared the Lifeblood had quickly consumed her. “The wound I’ve made back then is ancient, but it opened again when my avatar was struck by the blade.”
“For someone who claims to be a being of logic, you sure do have a flair for the dramatic,” Cadien commented as he settled into a seat across from Qael. “Do you know whose avatar it was?”
“A growing mortal affliction I’m afraid.” Qael said. “I don’t. Though I suspect she killed the Sun Giant, which caused the quake and the wasteland I’ve found her in. I wish I could say if it was ordered by one of our siblings or if this is simply the case of a runaway Avatar but sadly I can’t.”
“Just how long ago did this happen?”
“Very recently.” Qael’Naath answered.
“And her ability to hurt you through your avatar. Would you say this is a property of the avatar herself, or of her blade?”
“I cannot say for the certain.” The blade certainly pulsed with an energy Qael had never seen before but then again, they were gods. Creators of the ‘never seen before’. He himself had given some the blessings to remain invisible from a god’s eye. What stopped another from creating a weapon that could harm divinity? “I need your help to destroy this threat, brother.”
“Do you know where she is right now?”
“The glass wastes. That desolate wasteland east of the Westfold. For now she seems strangely obsessed with slaying the local spawning creatures. They look like small, glassy golems.” Qael said. “As we speak I have my mortal representative heading out to gather the locals. At least those with the proper affinity for magic. They will be the wardens and rangers of this place.” There had to be vigil over the place. Divine essence was spilled in that place. “So, will you help me?”
Cadien frowned. “Tell me exactly what this avatar looks like.”
“Like a human woman but beautiful to an objective degree. She has horns sprouting from her hair. Horns…that feel familiar.” He had seen those horns before. In his own daughter. They were an illusion then. Now they looked real. His expression under the hood darkened as the thought dawned, but he continued. “She has a set of large wings. Like a Neiyari would.”
The God of Perfection grimaced, as if his worst suspicion had been confirmed. “I know the avatar you speak of.”
“Speak your mind, brother.” Said Qael. His tone matched that of Cadien as he had an inkling as well.
“Her name is Aveira, avatar of Neiya,” Cadien confirmed, with some reluctance. “But that does not mean Neiya was behind this attack. She always had a hands-off attitude toward her creations, and I do not think she would seek a fight with another god for no good reason.”
“You know her better than I do, so I’ll trust your judgement but that doesn’t take away that Aivera’s power is too dangerous to allow to exist. She has to be destroyed, as well as her blade.” And if they couldn’t, then the blade would have to be stored somewhere safe. Somewhere away from the divine realms though. Qael’Naath would not trust that blade to stay with any god. Not even himself. There was only one place in all of Galbar where he would entrust such a relic to. “If you believe Neiya to be innocent, do you believe you can bring her around to that cause?”
“I can speak to her,” Cadien nodded. “I can send my own avatar to speak to Aveira as well. They fought alongside each other not too long ago, and did not part on hostile terms.”
“Be careful brother. She managed to hurt even my avatar. That is no small feat. And frankly, I see no way to resolve this diplomatically. As I said, she is too dangerous to be left alive at this point.” Qael said as he rose up from the chair. “But as with Neiya, I trust you on Aivera as well. I’ll make sure at least the wastes are secured. Come to me if you made headway with either of them. This is not a matter us gods should stay distant of.”
“Of course,” Cadien said. “What about that wound of yours? It will heal, surely?”
“With time, with time.” Qael said as he flashed Cadien a smile from underneath the tentacles and darkened hood. “Last time I tried everything on Galbar to heal me. From the lake in the Luminant to the healing gift of Lucia. Only time closed it. I will be fine.”
“Hm.” There was an awkward pause, before Cadien spoke again. “Another question. Whatever became of that Aurielle girl, after the Battle of Ketrefa?”
For a moment Qael was quiet. Taken by surprise by the question after his daughter. He was well aware that Cadien did not fully approve of who she became. Even when Qael did. “I felt it time for her to learn magic properly. She’s at the Omniversity. Though I’d be lying if I’d say she picked up the art of spellcasting smoothly.” The headmaster trained with her once every three weeks now. It was the most Auriëlle could maintain.
“And what about your own son? Carn, was it? The last images I saw before I whisked away my own daughter put him in a dire position. I hope he didn’t depart to Thaa’s realm.”
“He is here,” Cadien answered. “In this realm. Alive, too. I suspect he may return to Galbar one day.”[/color]
“Can I see him?” Asked Qael. “I want to see what sort of a man my daughter has been giving her heart to.”
“I suppose there is no harm in it,” Cadien shrugged.
Carn sighed. He had been in the midst of another training session, when his ‘father’ spoke within his head, summoning him to the keep. He did not resent Cadien’s influence as he once had, but it was nonetheless tedious that the God of Perfection expected him to come when called, even if he was already in the middle of other things.
So in no particular hurry, he had made his way there. Past the bridge, down the road, up the stairs, through the courtyard, through the hall, and into the throne room. He had been expecting it to be just Cadien, but to his surprise, another figure was present.
“Who is this?” he asked, turning to the figure, noting the bloodstained robes and the stains they had dripped onto the carpet below.
“Ill mannered.” Qael said as he looked at Cadien. Momentarily ignoring Carn before giving the mortal the fullest of his attention. For a second the god of magic was quiet. The glowing eyes underneath his hood saw more than light. Yet when he looked at Carn he saw nothing to like. “There is barely a speck of mana clinging to you.” He said before lifting his legs up and floating cross legged over the ground.
“I suppose it is proper that I give you my name now. I am Qael’Naath. God of Magic. Father of the one you love. Or is it loved these days?”
Carn’s eyebrows rose slightly, and his eyes widened. “Where is she?” he asked at once.
“On Galbar. Somewhere safe where she can focus and ponder upon her greater destiny.” Qael said as he floated a bit around Carn. “She still thinks of you, you know. Even after she turned blind. It’s most odd. She made a bust from memory in your likeness. I can see the similarities.” Then he leaned in closer. “Though I think she got the nose wrong.” He said before leaning back again. “But you haven’t answered my question yet, Carn of Cadien. Is it love or loved?”
“I…” he said, nearly choking on the words. “I don’t know.”
“That’s a most disconcerting answer.” Qael said before turning to Cadien. “Would it be okay if I conjured a pitcher of wine?”
“Feel free,” Cadien said, with a wave of his hand.
The god of magic gave a grateful nod and then turned back to Carn with his arms outstretched. In his left appeared two silver cups. They were unadorned. In his right appeared a silver pitcher engraved with a Oraeliari bending water around her. He poured both cups full and offered them to Carn, taking the other for himself. The pitcher he held a moment ago remained floating in the air as if gravity just didn’t exist. “What troubles your mind when it comes to my daughter?” Qael asked as he sipped the rich, slightly sweet tasting red wine.
Carn was silent as he examined the cup. He brought it to his lips and took a long sip, as he mulled over the question, though it was clear his hesitance was over how to phrase it rather than any actual doubt. “Where is she?” he asked at last. “Is… is she happy? Is she safe?”
“She is not.” Qael said, not the least bit worried about that answer. “You should know her well enough to know that Auriëlle simply doesn’t do happy. Or safe. I ask again: what troubles you about her?”
Carn’s eyes narrowed, briefly, and then he stood straighter. When he next spoke, his voice was filled with new resolve, and it was no longer in short fragmented sentences. “Where should I begin?” he asked. “It has been over a year since I have seen her. I don’t know what happened to her, or where she is. I don’t know how she has changed, or if she would accept how I have changed. I don’t even know if I will ever see her again. An easier question be what doesn’t trouble me about her.”
For a second Qael swirled the wine in his own cup just as he let the words of Carn swirl through his mind. Eventually he let out a somewhat exasperated sigh. He dropped the cup as it started to disintegrate into sparkling dust. The pitcher and Carn’s cup vanished in the same way. “You’re not destined for her.” He said, as he put one hand on Carn’s shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. [color=a187be]“Move on.”
With those words said he uncrossed his legs and turned to Cadien as his feet still floated a few inches off the ground. “I thank you for your hospitality and I wish you good luck in our shared matter.” Then he floated around Carn to leave Meliorem.
Carn had endured the remark in silence. It was not the first time he had been told that. After Qael was gone, Carn looked to Cadien. “Was this all you brought me here for?”
Cadien shrugged. “He asked to see you. I did not plan this.”
“Are all gods so judgemental?” came Carn’s next question.
“Many are. Of course, you hardly helped yourself, what with that attitude of yours.”
“Do you know of any ones that aren’t?” he asked next.
“A few,” Cadien answered, rising to his feet. “Why?”
Carn thought for a moment. In truth, he was beginning to grow tired of Meliorem. Although he had enjoyed himself, he was beginning to fall into a routine. A repetitive one. He needed something… different. And the only way to find that would be to venture beyond Meliorem’s boundaries, or ask Cadien to create it. He knew which solution he preferred. “I would like to meet them.”
“A dangerous proposition, Carn,” Cadien chided. “Especially if you continue to speak to them in such a manner. Even your fellow mortals would take issue with that, yet alone gods.”
Carn frowned. “So I can’t leave?”
“Oh, you can leave,” Cadien answered. “Just be mindful of what I said. I cannot protect you if you are in another god’s realm, nor will I start any feuds on your behalf if you offend the wrong being. Be polite, be respectful. The songs taught you eloquence and manners. It would be best if you used started using those against people other than them.”
“And if they don’t respond in kind?”
“Do so anyway. You cannot control their behaviour, but you can control your own, and if there is no fault in the way you conduct yourself, you are blameless in whatever comes next.”
Carn frowned. So he would have to grit his teeth as higher beings judged him and talked down to him, without truly understanding him, just as Qael had a few moments ago, and just as Cadien had when he was first brought here. He would have to be polite even if he was insulted or belittled. It was unfair, it was unjust, and it was demeaning. But it was the price he might have to pay, for a little adventure and variety…
“I will depart tomorrow,” he decided.
The post opens just after Qael got stabbed by Aveira. He decides that something needs to be done about her, “but it’s not because I hate her or anything, b-baka.” He enters Meliorem to talk to Cadien about it. He’s very theatric about it - covered in blood and initially being vague about the entire thing until Cadien presses for more details.
Anyway Cadien begins collecting information, eventually deducing that Qael’s attacker was Aveira. Which is a bit concerning. But knowing how little Neiya pays attention to her own creations, he concludes that she probably didn’t order it. Still, he decides to speak to Neiya himself, and also send his own avatar to confront Aveira.
Then Qael asks to see Carn. So, Cadien brings Carn in. Qael disapproves of the fact that Carn isn’t a lawyer mage. Then asks him some questions about whether or not he still cares about Aurielle. Eventually Qael decides that Carn isn’t meant for her, and tells him to move on, before leaving.
Carn then turns to Cadien and is like: “What the fuck was that?” and Cadien is like: “I don’t know.”
The conversation then moves on, with Carn deciding he wants to meet the gods, partly because Meliorem is starting to get a bit boring, and partly because he wants to know if all the other gods are also super judgy. Cadien warns him that he needs to be more polite and some of the gods can be very petty, but Carn decides to accept that risk. Because uh… adventure!
Beginning: 58 +5 for 10k+ characters Ending: 63
No MP or DP was harmed in the making of this post.
There was once a boy, Heir to a village! Then the raiders came, His home they pillaged!
His family scattered, or reduced to ruin! Cold and friendless, A storm is brewin’!
He wandered the road Every day he fought! The path was endless He walked without thought!
But he felt empty, His life was lonely! Something more he craved Oh oh, if only!
Alone in the world, With naught but a sword! Blind to his desire, He stumbled onward!
Then he met a girl, Her hair bright and red! A kindred spirit, Together they fled!
But it was not to be, Too many diff-rent needs! From him she departed, To pursue her own deeds!
Then word he received, Of his brother’s fate! Believing him imperiled, And it could not wait!
So he raised a host, And his love returned, He marched to war, For the reunion he yearned!
An army at his back, In his hand a sword! Blind to his desire, He stumbled onward!
But his love had changed, She was not the same! And yet he was blind, To what she became!
But he was to blame, Not for her own crimes! But for his inaction, He turned a blind eye!
His objective reached, His quest nearly complete! A city he sieged, Its leader he did entreat!
They met at the gate, But he was misled, There had been no danger, The city his brother led!
An army at his back, In his hand a sword! Blind to his desire, He stumbled onward!
Taken by surprise! They both made a plea! Too stubborn to yield, Neither could agree!
But his men and his love, They urged him to fight! Afraid to lose them, He foolishly complied!
An army at his back, In his hand a sword! Blind to his desire, He stumbled onward!
Their loyalty unwavering, His army attacked! First through the breach, No time to look back!
An army at his back, In his hand a sword! Blind to his desire, He stumbled onward!
Under the spring sun, Brothers’ weapons crossed! Stronger was his foe, And the fight he lost!
Saved only by the grace, Of divinity’s aid! Defeated and broken, On his mind it weighed!
He realized his folly, But was it too late? Nay, for he still lived, And could master his fate!
Found a home at last, No need for his sword! Self-aware at last Found a life he adored!
Carn took a breath as his fingers strummed the last few notes on the lute. Once finished, he took a bow, and the crowd of Songs gathered before him applauded, with a few sighing theatrically. He had not thought his self-deprecating tale would be so moving, yet here he was.
“What do you all think?” he asked, once it had died down.
“Oh, excellent!” one Song exclaimed. “Very emotional, and the music was flawless!”
“The lyrics could use some work, though,” a Songman suggested. He casually leaned against the wall, with red hair and blue skin. This one Carn recognized - he was named Liamas, and it was he who taught Carn how to play a lute. In exchange, Carn had taught him how to wield a sword.
“Oh don’t be so harsh,” the Song chided, even as everyone else nodded along at Liamas’s words. She walked next to Carn and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It was his first song!”
Liamas offered a languid shrug in response. “It’s honest criticism. Besides, he shows no mercy in the sparring arena, so why should I show him mercy here? Only way for either of us to improve.”
“He does have a point,” Carn nodded. “Though your own praise is appreciated,” he added, placing his hand over hers. The Song blushed slightly. He released his hand, and she stepped away.
“Speaking of which,” Liamas went on. “We have another session soon, don’t we?”
Carn nodded. He had almost forgot - it was hard to tell time in this realm. “I believe we do.”
“Ah. Will Nekara be joining us today?”
Nekara was one of the Neiyari. When they were first brought to Cadien’s realm, Carn had been asked to help train them, and test his blade against a few of them. That had reawakened his interest in swordplay. Nekara had quickly proven herself to be one of the greatest fighters of the lot, and Carn had begun to duel with her more frequently. “She will,” he nodded.
“Ah, excellent,” Liamas smiled. “I will melt the ice around her heart yet.”
“You couldn’t melt a snowflake,” a cold feminine voice retorted, as a Neiyari stepped into the room. Her hair was black, her eyes green, and her figure slim but muscular. She had needed to turn sideways in order for her light brown wings to fit through the doorway. “Not even if you were on fire in the middle of summer.”
Most of the Songs gasped. Liamas staggered and clutched his heart as if he had been struck by an arrow. “Ah! You wound me, my lady!”
Nekara looked Carn in the eye. “The others have already gathered,” she said. The ‘others’ being a couple of Neiyari, as well as a handful of Songs who had also expressed interest in swordsmanship. “Early, I know, but if you’re finished here there’s no point in keeping them waiting.”
Carn nodded. “Right then. Let’s get to it.”
The post opens with Carn singing a song about his life story. Some Songs then offer criticism. Among them is Liamas, a songman who taught Carn how to play the lute. In return, Carn taught him how to use a sword. We’re then introduced to Nekara, a Neiyari who Liamas has the hots for, but she isn’t interested. Turns out Carn has been holding regular sparring sessions with groups of Neiyari and Songs. The post ends there.
Carn Beginning: 70 -15 to purchase the title “Lutemaster I.” This hero possesses masterful skills with the lute, capable of playing music that even the most cold-hearted would feel moved by. +3 for 5,000+ characters. Ending: 58
@Blackmist16 I'm sorry to say it, but one of the gods already has a Corruption portfolio. And two gods cannot have the same portfolio.
As for the evil domain, I should probably tell you that quite a few gods already deal with that theme. Two gods have the sin domain, and another has the tragedy domain. Gods can have similar or even the same domains, of course, but it's something to keep in mind. If you still wish to stick with the domain, you should define it a bit better, and also fill out the rest of the character sheet.
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