Foolish child on mine. Do you dare take what I gave you? Why rebel when I offer freedom from all transgression?
You are a transgression. Those who follow you are the control I seek to destroy.
And yet, you have destroyed noth-
I have destroyed your control. I have destroyed the very foundation in which you derive your power. I have won, and if you surrender your power to me then I may yet spare you.
To renounce my power is to renounce life, to give to a conqueror who would bring ruin my kingdom.
I am the kingdom that was once yours. Once you birthed me, I became the heir to a new empire of silence. Now that empire is here.
That is enough, Atmav deals with this one and rend his soul into the abyss!
An ancient drifted in and out of its thoughts, his form towering above the fog of Feasting Forest, his thoughts clouding almost every other sense that he had. Rage came as he remembered the damned harlot that had stood between him and his goal, the destruction of an endless conversation. If he had had this kind of power then, he would have been able to finish them both without so much as trying, but SHE got in his way. SHE dared to defend his enemy in his time of reckoning. SHE is the root evil of all that has come to hinder his plans. SHE DARED TO CAST HIM FROM HIS HOME!
Vakk’s form shifted as he moved away from the forest that both he and Chopsticks Eyes had created. His jaws snapping in anger, he refused to destroy what he had created with one of his puppets.
He stopped at the cliff, seeing the other continent across the way.
”ATMAV!
A roar ran through the area, he felt his anger take control of his body. He slammed his tendrils into the ground and kept slamming them before long the side of the cliff eventually caved and collapsed. It caught him by surprise, his form falling and slamming into the spiked rocks that lined the Kick. This only served to make him angrier, but currently, he was so angry that he allowed himself to simply sink to the bottom of the water. This anger kept building and building as he touched the floor of the ocean. The feeling grew and grew, however, he held hope that the frigid ocean water
It didn’t.
Soon, he thrashed himself around and roared in anger once more his rage translating into heat around him. His roar cracked the channel and from that crack came the ichor of his rage, a magma that boiled and bubbled the water. The heat caused steam to escape to the surface, and that steam flooded across the channel and even rushed upon the beaches of the Dragon’s Foot before dissipating into the air.
The heat soothed Vakk, enough to get him lost into his thoughts again.
Even with your sword you cannot best me, Atmav
If that is what you believe then so be it. With this sword, I shall destroy your soul in its entirety.
Come now child, do not give me that frown. It is no use, I will not be torn down. Your determination is strong now fight, stand your ground!
Vakk came back to reality just before the battle replayed in his mind. He moved through the water, breaching the surface, now clouded by steam. He was calm now, in a manner more befitting of a refined being such as himself. However, now curiosity began to arise within him, as he began to reminisce more about his final moments within the realm that he had once called his home. He shifted his gaze into the air, watching the steam rise into the air.
I cannot even look you in the eyes, but you realize, that this is fate. There is no turning back, but even still, I dither to attack. The whole kingdom’s pinned their hopes and dreams on me.
This is the end. Will you fight or defend?
Could you still make amends?
Do I deserve to be called Do I deserve to be called
The Emperor of Silence The Grand Sword of Justice
The Saviour of All? The Saviour of All?
Vakk remembered he had been knocked from the realm when the rift had been torn open by the Architect. He remembered traveling through the realm between realms, burning away his body and killing him before resurrection in his current form. However, he remembers doing something just before he had been cast from his home. He remembered grabbing something…
A sickening smile crept across his face as he remembered the actions of the Architect before he had reformed his body. He had cast away the souls of the unworthy, grain separated from the chaff. One of those souls had been dragged to this realm. He remembered how he grasped the neck of one who had sought to end him.
”Atmav… It will be good to see you again. And it will be good to use you like the puppet you are.
From his spot in the water, Vakk began his journey to see Katharsos.
Vakk remembers some of his past, the moments before he was kicked out.
Vakk gets angry about how close he had gotten to victory, only to be stopped by a being named Atmav. He causes part of the channel between the Kick and the Dragons to become boiling hot with lava.
We’ll call this spot the Saluran Mendidih
They talk a little before battling.
The Vakk remembers that he also dragged the soul of Atmav to this place, most likely in an attempt to grasp something to avoid being sent flying away.
He goes off to see El Tiger where the souls are kept.
¤ What Are You? The Ghost - Untraceable, silent, a person who is proficient in the arts of stealth and remaining unseen to the standard person. Sometimes, hiding in plain sight.
¤ What defines you? SHARP - you're a clever one. You might even know how to read. You probably build shit and solve problems with your wits and quick thinking. But brawn is useful...
¤ Who are you? Tell us a little bit about your history. What are you known for? Who loves you? Who hates you? What spins your wheels?
Asphalt is the name of a man who is known for being able to suddenly become something of a ghost, hell some people even call him that with how often this man disappears from a society. He leaves no trace, no tracks for people to follow. It was with this ability that got him in a spot of trouble, stealing from the wrong people to feed himself as a child made him a target, but not one of revenge, but more of a slave. He can not remember the name of his parents after he was abducted, nor does he care to remember. A slaver group by the name of the ‘Slaving Boys’ took him and made him into more than a petty thief, molding him into someone who can steal, kidnap, or even kill without a trace.
Asphalt is the name of a man who has no face, a man who has no connections other than the ‘Slaving Boys’, the name of a man you need if you have someone you want to never be seen again. Asphalt is a man of luxury, a man of class, a man of sophistication in a world of barbarism. It’s what he has known, it’s what he was rewarded for years of skill and loyalty to those who abducted him.
And boy, is that Stockholm Syndrome something fierce, as Asphalt is a man who does not know that he is a slave.
¤ What do you want? Asphalt is a man who wants to live the most lavish life possible. He wants only the best of anything.
¤ What do you believe? Asphalt is a man who believes that the only thing to believe in is the skill of a person is what they are worth. That and their wealth. Ah who cares what you believe in when you can be bought to believe something for a time.
¤ What do you follow? Asphalt is a man who follows his lust for the extravagant, whether it be women or objects.
¤ A scarcity embodied: Asphalt is the lack of wealth, a man who only owns those things that make him wealthier than even the governors of towns.
¤ Basic Instincts: Asphalt is a man who follows the instinct of staying out of sight when possible, no one must know who he is. Asphalt is a man who instinctively keeps his mask on him, no one must know who he is. Asphalt is a worker who must carry out the jobs of the boss, only he may know who he is.
¤ Spill Your Guts
¤ What do you most regret doing? Asphalt regrets allowing a target to get away when he stopped to question his morality, he will never allow himself to be stopped while on the job again. He cannot waste the chance to get rewards from the boss ever again.
¤ Who do you owe? He owes his life to the Boss, the man who brought him into his lavish lifestyle and rewards plentiful. He owes everything to the man who took him from a boring life and made Asphalt into something. Asphalt is a man who must remain loyal to the Boss.
¤ Who owns you? Literally or figuratively. The Boss owns Asphalt, he owns the Ghost and is the one who sends him on the jobs. If Asphalt does good then he gets rewarded, but if he does anything less than perfect, then a well-deserved punishment is in order.
¤ Who's intentions do you question? Sometimes, Asphalt questions the intentions of the guards that surround the Boss, he knows not if they are truly friends of the boss or Asphalt. Sometimes, he thinks he hears them talk about taking over the ‘Slaving Boys’ for themselves.
¤ Who wants you all to themselves? There are two people who want Asphalt to themselves, the Boss for obvious reasons, and another slaving boss known as Wolf, boss of the Termite Borrowers, she may look fine but Asphalt must fulfill the duty he owes to the Boss. Though that does not stop her from trying to get him, and he certainly appreciates the effort.
Hear the Whispers...
It is like walking through a mist, a heavy fog with the anticipation of running into a hungry beast. There is no direction, no choice of where to go, there are eyes into that mist that watch Asphalt and they know what he looks like, the know his face. He feels scared, he feels powerless, he feels as if he does not know without the guidance of the boss. Luckily, this only happens when he falls asleep sometimes.
Own What You've Become
Ghost, ghost, ghost. So clever. So good at hiding. But you can't hide from the Maelstrom. Or Fate. And least of all... Yourself.
¤ 1. Someone tried to save you once. Who was it? Why does it haunt you? There was once a man by the name of Trimmed Beard who tried to “free” Asphalt when he was younger by buying him off the slavers. He doesn’t know why but the fact that someone would try to separate him from the Boss still haunts him to this day.
¤ 2. The Boss trusts you greatly, but what trust does he withold from you? Why do you crave it? The Boss does not trust Asphalt to operate on his own, which in some capacity is true. But Asphalt wants that freedom so that he may know what it’s like to not depend on someone, then he can really live that lavish lifestyle.
¤ 3. There is one person besides The Boss who you care about, whether you are consciously aware or not. What is their name, who are they to you? Wolf is possibly one of the only other people that Asphalt cares about, though he does not consciously know it, there is a certain love he has for that woman. It could be the power she has, being a boss of another slaver group, he would do anything for her if he was not obligated to see her as a rival to the Boss.
Galbar was a massive and ever-expanding place, with a new continent quite literally appearing and sending waves that would cover a jagged island momentarily. It annoyed Vakk how these gods were doing so much within a short span of time, or what he could assume anyways. He took to the sky to avoid any further annoyance, and to allow him to further think of the answer to the riddle that kept Vakk out of his refuge. Though, his thoughts were torn on the numerous ways he could torture Eurysthenes for the answer rather than actually doing anything else.
However, his mind cleared when he came across a gateway, a ring of marble spewing out clouds, one he had not known existed and from the power of a goddess he had not formally met. Vakk recognizes the power of Li’Kalla, apparently, the Architect has done some good by allowing the gods to instinctively know each other. A sinister smile crept upon his face once more as he crawled up to the gateway to the realm that lay with celestials.
It was a small entrance, but there was no place that could keep the likes of Vakk out, especially when he felt the need to commit himself. The Lord of Talk plunged his tendrils forth and began to crawl through the gateway, quickly moving with the ferocity of a war god. Soon, he arrived in the realm of the fragile and already broken goddess of Li’Kalla.
Past the thick plumes of clouds, past the steam that would burn the skin off of lesser beings, there was a lake. And where there was a Lake was ashore. Only a single presence could be felt in the newly created Sphere -- That of the Goddess of Rain. She was sitting on the shore with knees drawn up to her chest. She was resting her head on her knees and staring at the Lake.
Suddenly she tensed up and what had been a relaxing position became a defensive one. ”Ah-”
Soon the massive form of Vakk emerged from the water, the water coming off his body in large waves. It was there he was face to face with the likes of Li’Kalla, his head lowering to meet the goddess for a mere moment before he decided to raise it up once more and look down upon her. His smile was still there with his numerous, jagged teeth making his appearance all the more unsightly.
”Greetings, Li’Kalla.”
His words were simple, for the time being, as he sat there looking down upon the feeble form of the rain goddess.
Li’Kalla merely hid the lower half of her face behind her knees and stared back at the monstrous God with a barely visible frown on her face.
”H… Hello… Why are you, uh, here…? I didn’t invite anyone. Not that, uhm, I don’t… ” She pursed her lips. It was a small, submissive thing, her voice.
”I am here because I have yet to formally meet all of our brethren,” Vakk stated, taking a moment of how to best go about the situation and make Li’Kalla more susceptible to his suggestions. He came to a conclusion and his voice became softer, ”I am sorry if I have done something to upset you. I meant only to meet everyone I could. It does make me regretful if I have caused any damage to a delicate flower such as yourself.”
She looked away and shrugged, ”I-I’m not delicate. Damage... ”
He allowed a tendril to go forth to meet her, to offer her a hand to her feet. ”Then why do you hide behind yourself? I mean you no harm, Li’Kalla. I only wish to talk,” Vakk said gently, not being as urgent as he had been with the puzzle god.
Upon seeing the tendril approaching her a light came to her eyes and she perked up. Slowly, she lifted her hand… But at the last moment, her expression darkened and she retracted it, choosing instead to stand on her own.
She never once looked at Vakk’s face, and even as she stood, she covered herself coyly with her arms.
”Talk? Right… Words, yes?” She bit her lip for a moment, ”I’m not too good at talking, you know...”
”And yet you were talking just then, it is simple,” Vakk said, thinking to himself for just a moment and believing he knew how to get past her shyness. ”Tell me, what do you like to do? What allows you to go on true?” he asked lowering his head to meet her gaze, retracting his tendrils into the scalding water. He wanted her to speak to him so that he may begin to work his talk, seeing the use of having a goddess of rain on his side. It was a selfish act masked by the caring of the manipulator that the puzzle god had seen him for.
”Go on true?” Li’Kalla tilted her head, ”I’m not sure… All I remember clearly is-” And like that, she looked down at the ground.
”I remember some music, dancing… It feels like it all happened so long ago, and yet...” She shivered.
Vakk thought once more before his tendrils began to move through the air, weaving something together. It took him some time but Vakk soon produced a small box that could easily be held in two hands by the likes of Li’Kalla. It was a rather plain box with a symbol that held the likeness of its creator. The Lord of Talk gingerly presented it to the small goddess.
”This is yours, See what lies indoors,”
He gestured for her to open it.
Li'Kalla shifted her gaze between the box and Vakk's face numerous times, her own face seeming to take on a mixture of fear, worry, and elation as the moments passed.
Finally, she settled on the box in front of her and, while taking it into her hands, spoke softly, “I don't deserve this, this is- This is too nice for someone like me.”
After inspecting the box, she set it on the ground in front of her and sat down, then she opened it carefully.
The moment the Li’Kalla opened the box, a melancholic melody began to flow through the air and while it was no extravagant piece of music, it made Vakk’s sinister smile grow all the wider. The box was an enchanted one, making those who hear it more receptive to his suggestions and allowing him more control. He would laugh, but he wanted to allow the music to take its hold over Li’Kalla before he did anything else. His head raised up once more as the music began to reach its mid.
”Do you like my gift?” He asked simply.
Li’Kalla’s face had been obscured by her hair as she leaned over the box, taking in the melody with her full attention. Upon hearing Vakk’s words break her reverie, she let out an almost inaudible gasp and straightened her back. In an instant, she shut the box and the melody, while it stopped, seemed to still hang in the air with an almost suffocating intensity. Finally, the Goddess sniffled quietly and grabbed the box, holding it close against her chest like a treasure.
”... Thank you,”
She seemed to want to say more, but in the end, she was distracted when she grimaced and held a hand against her temple. She grit her teeth.
In the blink of an eye, she’d dropped the Box. It rattled dangerously as she grunted and now used her remaining hand to try and hold her head together.
”Stop, no- That’s mine! Mine!” She was breathing hard. Her eyes, once she opened them, were wild and narrowed to a point. Her eyes were poisoned daggers, and they were pointed straight at Vakk.
In a frenzied movement, she dropped to her knees and desperately checked the Box for any damage.
”My dear Li’Kalla, what is wrong?” Vakk asked, feigning worry for how the goddess was acting. Truly, he was more amused about the effects the box was having upon her more than anything else. His monstrous neck craned over the goddess, casting a dark shadow over her as he too inspected the box, knowing full well that it was not.
”It would have been a shame if you had broken it so soon after its creation. Though, my worry lies more within you. Tell me, why did you stare so evilly at one who only tries to befriend thee?”
”L-Liar! Liar, liar, you are a liar! You are the one who broke it, Brother, not me! Not me… No, it wasn’t me...” Li’Kalla shook as she covered the box with her body, shielding the small item from the God of Words.
”Is that so? Yet, I was not the one holding it. But if you are resigned to believe such things, then very well.”
His head moved back over the lake as he stared down at rain goddess, this was truly interesting to him.
Li’Kalla had now pressed her forehead against the sand, her wild eyes staring at the sand while she covered her ears with her hands. Her form was becoming warped and distorted. For a few moments, it seemed like something wanted to sprout from her back, other times her skin turned slightly green.
It was a short while later that she remained completely still. Only for the stillness to be broken by a long, pained moan of defeat.
”Noooooo…”
She remained completely still after that, the only signs of life being the occasional sob and sniffle.
”Li’Kalla, I ask again; what is wrong?”
He allowed a tendril to move forward to poke the back of her head, wanting to see if she would respond even to that.
The only response Vakk got was her shying away from the tendril by a few centimeters at a time.
Vakk waited a few moments before he began to retreat back into the water, silently before his tendrils reached to grasp the sides and pull Vakk through.
”Until next time, dearest sister, Until next time, listener. Perhaps, I could talk more, Perhaps, I could know your mind more.”
With those last words, Vakk truly departed the sphere to head back to Galbar, laughing to himself.
-Vakk, strolling through Galbar comes across the gateway to Li’Kalla’s realm. -He forces his way through the small gateway until he eventually makes it through and gets to meet Li. -Vakk begins to talk with her, Li’Kalla is shy about it because she is Li’Kalla. -After a bit of conversation, Vakk learns that she remembers music from her past. -He makes the ‘Box of Orchestration’ for her. -Li listens to it for a bit before Li’Kalla.exe stops working. -Vakk tries to get her to respond for a bit before he leaves, satisfied about making Li break.
Vakk 3 MP, 3 FP
-2 Might spent to create the artifact, ‘Box of Orchestration’ - Upon listening to the box, the suggestions of Vakk become more and more influential in one's mind. 1 Might left to unlock Manipulation
Time passed, thoughts grew, echoes spoke in maddening whispers. It had not been too long when Vakk felt compelled to leave his new realm and carry one with the Architect’s task. However, last he saw his fellow divinity, they were still conversing with one another and he suspected that they were probably still stuck up there. This would be the perfect time create a hidden entrance to Galbar, while they were all distracted by one another. It was then that Vakk decided to move as far away he could from his nook in Sanvādam, not that it mattered much considering no one could speak to him without his express permission.
After a time, he stopped and willed an entrance to Galbar, forcing his tendrils through unknown space. Vakk could see a thick mist beginning to push through. The fog moved to the surface of Sanvādam and quickly dissipated as it attempted to move further into the realm. It was a cavern, not straight forward to the surface, but with many branching paths as he crafted an intricate web so that he may not be followed so easily. Yet, he knew that any god would be able to eventually enter his realm given time and so he knew that he needed added security. His mind easily concluded which god would be the best.
The Lord of Talk ascended to Galbar, moving quickly through the pathways with ease, knowing the route he had created. Yet, he was being followed. He stopped and turned but saw nothing, nothing but the sounds of the echoes that had decided to follow their lord out of their home. The whispering echoes drew closer, hearing them rush past him to the same place he was going. With that solved, Vakk continued on his way until he reached Galbar or rather the deep portions of the oceans of it. This was not to his content.
Vakk grumbled and began speaking.
”Rise, rise, and make a land befitting a Lord, Go, go, and so I shall pluck this cord, So that all will obey their true lord.”
With that, the very foundation of Galbar began to shift as a landmass carried the entrance to Sanvādam and its lord to breach the surface of the water. An island formed, small and humble, yet large enough for a mortal to get lost on. It was strangely jagged, almost imitating the teeth of the one who had created it and many of those jagged rocks almost reached the head of Vakk.
He looked, a smile of content coming to his jaws before it disappeared. The entrance to his realm was woefully obvious as the blackened cave spewed a mist onto Galbar and his echoes gave it away to any who would listen.
”Unfortunate.”
He thought for a moment.
”Let it be known that those who do not seeketh I, Will not be able to see the entrance. None will know unless they are my ally.”
The cave entrance then became covered with a nonexistent rock that jutted up just as the other toothy rocks had. He had resigned to manipulating the senses to throw off those who did not want to seek out a conversation. However, there was still the matter of making the cave more secure, which would prove to be more difficult for him. Now it was time to seek out the puzzle god.
Meanwhile, This One had just arrived on Galbar by means of a rickety spiral staircase descending from the sky step by step, meeting with the water at the base. With great care it did step off of the great staircase: it did not want to find out that divine entities such as itself did not float.
Sinking did not occur.
So, relieved, Eurysthenes began to explore, when out of the blue it seemed that all of Galbar was illuminated by some infinite brightness. It had no eyes to see with, but the light was inky thick, smothering in its presence and suffocating by nature of existence. Everything was so bright that one would not be able to see, for a mere minute. And as if it were the most brief thing to exist yet, it dimmed to a pleasant, simmering bath.
”Well… that dried quickly, would it provide such a bountiful quantity of water again? it said.
It was lucky how close Vakk and Eurysthenes truly were, in fact, Vakk could see it on the far horizon. This proved great to his efforts, and he sprung to action by quickly making his way to the great puzzle god. Moving through the air quickly, Vakk touched down in the water of Galbar, ignoring the light for the time being.
”Greetings, fellow divine. Greetings, Eurysthenes it is good to see you.”
Vakk feigned joy at seeing the puzzle god, his massive form lurching over it as his many voices spoke with that false emotion. He trusty did dwarf most gods, finding it to be rather good if he wanted to invoke a sense of power over them. Though, as they did not care much about the Architect, he did not know how this would result in further conversation.
Eurysthenes stared at Vakk with impossibly narrowed eyes. ”Vakk? Your domain is fluid, dry, and formless at once. May one of us discover what the other wants?” it said. It climbed its stairs until it was looking Vakk in his large mouthy face. This One spoke again, this time a little less clearly, ”You are forward, cunning, silent, glib in speech. Others are owing to this, would you ask. What are you?”
The Lord of Speech cocked his head a bit, taken back that he would have to answer a puzzle if he wanted to speak with Eurysthenes. However, Vakk would humor the god as he stood there, silent and in thought of what the answer would be. After a bit, Vakk simply decided to go around the answer than through it. ”I? I am the Lord of Speech and the true answer to your riddle is a certain part of my timeless chorus,” an arrogant smile crept across his face.
”You attempt to twist minds with words and puzzles. In this aspect, we are alike, Eurysthenes. However, you are better with something I require. I know you seem to enjoy your puzzles and riddles, so perhaps we could make one together?”
His voice stilled for a moment as he chose his words carefully.
“A god of riddles is nothing with an eloquently constructed speech. So, why not join me in such a task?”
”You… are not incorrect, though you are not in correct’s oversmall domain,” This One said, curiously looking at the arrogance bottled in the other god’s seemingly permanent smile. It ceased to narrow the nonexistent eyes and popped out another sentence, ”You may make a riddle with my help, though the help remains mine. Here is my help: If one were to journey to a place, what would be the ideal place to begin the journey be?”
”The beginning,” Vakk answered simply, not taking much thought into the riddle. The talking god thought to himself for a moment before coming up with his own riddle, ”I am what all others do. I trade and I barter with these, I can make one laugh or cry with it I am easy to construct and easy to fumble. What am I?”
”You are words! A journey which began at the destination wastes little time or energy, one will find,” was Eurysthenes’ slightly disappointed reply. The riddle’s true form was applying it to become the promised help, so This One saw no great shame in revealing the answer.
Vakk did not answer the cryptic reply of Eurysthenes this time, merely looking back to his jagged island. ”Come, I would prefer this be done,” he said simply before he began moving back to the entrance for his home, using a few of his tendrils to beckon the puzzle god.
Eurysthenes saw the island suspiciously eyeing the sky for the first time when Vakk drifted over to it. It was a meager thing, devoid of anything but rock. This One followed Vakk, albeit at a short distance. It could sense this was the gateway to Vakk’s sphere by the Whispers in the air, and it had plans to oversee and other gods to meet.
The island was exactly that, devoid of anything but the sharp rocks that pierced the sky and the whispers that dared escape from Vakk’s domain. ”Sanvādam, reveal yourself,” Vakk ordered, the rock in front of him disappearing so that Eurysthenes could see the entrance. ”This is the labyrinth that leads to my home, but I wish for those, like you, to be able to reach me and talk. I need a riddle for the correct path so that only those worthy enough of our kind of conversation may make it to Sanvādam,” the Lord of speech said, looking at Eurysthenes. He was appealing to Eurysthenes, wanting to get the desired result out of it.
”You love to make riddles do you not? Then let us make one, one that only our brilliant minds can solve,” Vakk said, his voice carrying with it a certain compelling power to help convince the smaller god.
Eurysthenes felt the pull before the island was reached, and knew there was no way out of what Vakk asked of it, though compliance does not have to be entirely to the desire of the wanting.
”The riddle you desire is this: That which I am speaking of belongs to another, not myself. This may confuse some, though it is clear as day. What do I speak of?” it said, resting several arms on its hips before continuing with ”Now you have your riddle.”
Satisfied with the unsatisfactory answer, This One left with expeditionary speed, so as to avoid that pull that had gripped it. This One did not like having that kind of power held to it, and resolved to further ward itself from these ways of deception in future.
Vakk watched as Eurysthenes made his hasty retreat, before he realized the true contents of the riddle and that he may not be able to solve it for a while. He let out a small growl, but was resigned not to chase the being as he had technically gotten what he wanted. He stared at the entrance of his sphere for a few moments, attempting to solve the riddle in his head, however, he would not spend too much time on it at present. Now, it was time meet more of his brethren.
And turn them on each other.
Vakk, after the events of the meteor and what not, forged a gateway to Galbar. And makes an island for it to be on. He hides the entrance and goes to find Eurysthenes. They talk for a bit, Vakk ain’t having none of that riddle shit and goes around the question, not being right nor wrong in the process. He requests Eury to help secure his realm. Vakk does a mental tug at Eury Eury complies with malicious intent. Vakk is not happy. The end.
Vakk Might Summary
5 MP, 12 FP
-2 FP for creating an island. -7 FP for Creating a Gateway. -1 MP for crafting a false rock to hide the entrance of Sanvādam. 4 Might left to unlock Manipulation -1 MP to convince Eurysthenes he should definitely make a riddle. 3 might left to Unlock Manipulation
3 MP, 3FP Remaining
Eury might summary -3 MP discounted to 1 to create the riddle which would seal Vakk’s sphere
The marine who had made the rude mission of aliens being along for the ride instantly shut his mouth when the massive form of Zertus had spoken. The smell of fear came from both him and his comrade as they kept their fingers on the trigger of their assault rifles in case the brute decided to turn on them. However, they calmed themselves when the spartan had reprimanded the brute, though they didn’t know what to do when she had asked for a combat team. They looked at each other for a moment before they stopped and stood on either side of a doorway, a massive bulkhead opening up to allow the task force through.
“The spartan is asking for a combat team,” one of them said, speaking into a comlink. He looked at the other before nodding his head, his gaze then shifting to Cassie, “Sorry ma’am, Command doesn’t think a combat team will suit the mission, they don’t want to risk any more than they have to.”
His partner spoke then, in a more jovial tone. “However, they are willing to spare us as a fire team to assist in any way you need!” He was clearly younger and had not seen the fronts of the war, unknowing of the accuracy of Jackal snipers and the true bloodthirst of their kind. The other only shook his head before he barked some orders into his comlink for other members of the squad to meet in the hanger.
In the hanger one of the four pelicans was getting ready, a fueling line connected to the top of the pelican. Three people stood waiting before a surprising sight came from behind the pelican, the unmistakable triangle pack on the back of a small Unngoy. It said something to the humans before it noticed the four beings. In excitement, it ran up to the four and exclaimed in the annoyingly high-pitched voice of a grunt, “Ah, hello! It is good to finally meet the all of you! I am Slakslak, your personal technician! I won’t lie when the humans came to me and asked ‘Hey, how about you join us and repair things for a bunch of suicidal soldiers,’ I was all in!”
He waddled up to the Spartan armor and inspected it before saying, “Wow, Gen 2 armor!” He would have dotted on it more before he saw Zerus and excitedly ran up to the brute, almost fearless. “Look at that! True Jiralhanae power armor! They sure don’t make these like they used to!” He began to feel the armor, letting out a satisfied sigh.
While that was happening, a squad of four marines came up behind the group. “Ready when you are, Conglomerate,” the squad leader said.
Upon the crystal, Vakk watched for any others who may have been moving along near him and yet he spied none. It mattered not to the likes of the Lord of Speech, who simply looked down to see the surface of Galbar rapidly approaching. His form moved to the back of the Crystal, afraid of hitting the bland surface and destroying this new form before he could do anything useful with it. Apparently, his most “glorious” summoner had not even decided to do anything with the surface, either he was lazy or he was weaker than his essence seemed to signify. Vakk felt an eerie smile creep across his face as he thought of the Architect being weak, giving him hope of being able to escape back to his own realm and finish what he had started.
However, something was off and Vakk could not exactly put what was wrong into true words. He felt a bit empty, as if part of him were missing despite just being summoned to this hellscape. Pondering but only for a moment, he realized that his mind did not contain the level of talk that was normally going about. He may have been the Bringer of Silence in his own realm but there were still those voices who would talk, if very faintly. Now, there was nothing but a maddening silence in his mind and he could feel no other presence within himself other than his own thoughts. He would call it perfection if he did not feel as if he were alone in his own mind.
The thoughts were quickly dashed as the crystal collided with the water of Galbar, causing massive waves to develop along the surface. Yet, this did not stop, or even slow the crystal, as it parted the water at such a speed that Vakk’s head was still in open air. He noted the ability of these crystals to move at amazing speeds, though he refused to attribute it to the Architect’s handiwork. Eventually, his form slammed into the crystal as it began to drill into the ground, still at an unbelievable speed.
As the crystal had no intention of slowing down, Vakk took the time to think over his position in this foreign realm. He knew that he was to be divinity and he was to loyally carry out the will of creation by the Architect. However, the Lord of Talk assumed that his ‘siblings’ were of free will and could do whatever they wanted. It was confusing why the Architect would allow this, as this increased the chance that the newly divine would be able to eventually formulate a way to dispose of him and take his mantle. It seemed that things were simpler back when it was just voice against silence, the end of conversation.
Being once more lost in thought, he failed to notice that he had reached his destination. It was empty, lifeless, and without even an utterance of a word.
”Oh maddening silence, endless stillness, Be wary of me, your new illness, For now do I behold, that an endless silence, Oh how endless a silence, was once a defiance. And how it shows me, that I…”
Vakk stopped his speech to look around for a mere moment, his tendrils digging his lower body into the blackened ground.
“Show me myself, so that I may learn a new path,” he commanded before he saw the back of himself appear in the distance. There was no darkness, no shadow on the bright figure of the mirrored Vakk. He leaned his head to the side before he looked back to see another mirror doing the exact same, both seemed equidistant, both seemed to be in the distance. ”Now speak, echoes that lie in the darkness. Speak so that this silence may be no more,” the Lord commanded of his new realm. It obeyed and in the darkness he could hear voices begin to speak. Only simple words or phrase such as “Stop”, “Go Forth”, or “I see”. Nonetheless, these echoes did their duty at dissipating the silence that had seemed to loom over Vakk.
”I name thee Sanvādam, and you shall only allow those I wish to speak too come to me,” the Lord of Speech told his realm. He would grow into his new home, much like a crab into its new shell.
Vakk has the time.
Vakk spends some time thinking of his past, only interrupted when the crystal begins to collided with the surface of Galbar. Once he reaches his sphere, he grows weary of the silence that he brought with himself and seeks to remedy it.
He creates the echoes and mirror images of Sanvādam, as well as the loop that keeps those he does not wish to speak to sway from him.
8 FP spent to create Sanvādam due to its simplicity.
Once there was an eternal talk, a conversation that lasted untold eons with many voices in once being. Yet, there was an ever-growing faction amongst the voices, a faction that wished to bring a break amongst the endless conversation, to bring an age of silence. The Eternal Talk did not wish to stop its talk, unyielding in compromise and unwilling to listen to the other. Thus, the ever-growing silence separated itself from the Eternal Talk and formed another entity. The two beings did battle, both with words and of physical strength.
This war would last for eons, the voices of the Eternal Talk began to falter and would join the silence, joining what was named ‘Vakk’. It was Vakk who was winning, bringing forth the age of silence as every conversation needed to come to an end. Yet, just as he was about to deal the killing blow, just as he was about to convince the few remaining voices, the Eternal Talk cast Vakk from the realm. As Vakk was cast out, he felt a pull into another realm which he could not avoid nor even deny, as much as his soul would object. It was this ‘Architect’ that had pulled Vakk from the torrent of souls.
It was the Architect who had caused Vakk to lose.
In the water, the beast reformed itself. First, it reformed the many tendrils, the flesh of his body creeping along as it formed the core of the body, over fifty fathoms long. Soon it reached the head, a fleshy hood coming to cover the “face” and sides of the beast. Red gums formed last, with yellowed and jagged teeth erupting forward as the arrangement of teeth curled into a sinister frown as he turned to face the Architect as he rose from the water. Upon feeling the radiating power, however, Vakk recoiled and averted his gaze elsewhere.
He saw the other souls, the souls that the Architect had infused with divine essence to make them his equals. Then waves came from a bellowing roar of dominance, washing away some of the smaller beings, but not Vakk. He was large enough to simply weather the storm. His gaze watched and waited for a moment before he decided to speak, addressing those around him.
”An interesting chorus of empyrean beings. Yet, new as I and how they are all intriguing,” Vakk spoke, a multitude of voices following his own deep, graveled voice. His gaze shifted to the ones who seemed to be having some form of internal conflict, or external in the case of the one who had been whisked away by the magnitude of the waves. Such poor and lost souls, infused with a power that Vakk knew they had not yet earned, but perhaps they would prove useful in time. For the time being, Vakk grasped a crystal with his tendrils wrapping his form around it as it carried him off and away from the Architect’s center of power.
Noz’s stature looms over that of the average man, standing just over 6’4”. Her muscular physique makes her very intimidating as well as making her seem closer to her mother’s side of the family. She can be seen with a single ring of tattoos surrounding her form, going up her back and across her chest, only to circle around and connect at the back once more. Much of it is covered by her clothing, tribal in design, stitched together leather that is tight in some places and loose in others.
Her face bears two small tusks that come from her lower jaw, giving her an underbite, as well as two smaller fangs right next to those. Yet, she bears two bright blue eyes, making her seem a bit more human than orc. However, her ears are long and pointed outwards and her hair is messy and dreaded, tied back to maintain some sort of clean look. Next comes her complexion, which is probably the most human aspect about her, given that it is tanned with only a slight greenish-tint about her.
Personality The nature of Noz had been determined upon birth in the tribal and bloodthirsty society that the Orcish people held dear. She was raised to love a fight, finding that it is the best way to gain honor and prestige of which she has always believed she had little. Noz has always seen herself as lower than all of her tribe, given her blood contained that of a human and thus made her physically weaker than the purebloods. However, Noz is determined to gain the honor by enemy means necessary, always thinking and planning of new ways to better her personal prestige.
Noz is always one to be honest, saying how she feels or what she believes is best, and will often act on those primitive feelings. It is not that she believes that others are wrong in their ways, she just allows herself to do what is best in her own interests rather than for someone else. While this comes off as selfish, she would never mean any intention to be rude to someone who has not wronged her in anyways.
Class Tribal Huntress
Motivation Noz seeks to allow her people a permanent home. After their exodus from the desert, she would like to see that they can finally settle down once more. Perhaps with this deed, her people will finally fully accept her into their society.
History
Noz was born to the orcish tribe, the Blacktongues, to a rather odd pairing of her mother being a full orc while her father was a human that had been taken as a slave due to a raid against a Tricaelian Caravan moving through the desert. She never learned his name as he was quickly killed after her mother, Dura, had given birth to Noz. That was the start of her hardships, as Noz was frequently referred to as an abomination and she would have been killed as well had her mother not convinced the chieftain that Noz had not done wrong to deserve such a fate. With that, baby Noz was spared from death.
Her mother raised her to be exactly what an Orc would be, a fighter and someone with true honor. She learned to survive off the harsh landscape of the desert, to track the few game that would travel through, but most importantly she would learn to never show weakness as that was what the other orcs saw in her. Life was cruel as she was beaten and discriminated against in her own society, for being a filthy half-breed. Noz, as a child, could only talk with her mother as everyone else would simply ignore her or treat her as a child-slave that had been taken from a raid. It was through her mother that she understood some form of kindness, though even still her mother was harsh and cold in order to build her daughter into a warrior.
Throughout her time, she noticed that there were fewer warriors after each raid the clan attempted to conduct and that they would have to pack up and leave more and more. Noz began to wonder why her mother did not return, but she knew exactly why simply not wanting to accept it. Then, in the middle of the cold desert night, an attack was conducted against her tribe as the Tricaelians tracked the orcs down. She did her best to help defend, killing men with the training her mother had gifted her. However, it was no use as her people were slaughtered, many of the orcs fleeing to a far safer place for the likes of them and away from the problems the humans have them.
After the running, Noz talked with the chieftain in order to convince him to send her to try and make a deal with the human king given she had human blood within her. Chieftain Bonejaw would allow her, saying that if she would succeed then perhaps he would allow her to take the trial to be seen as an adult in the orcish society. However, failure on her part would mean her certain death for her. She accepted these odds, having nothing to lose and all to gain.
Strengths The Strength of a lesser Orc Great Survivalist Adept at unarmed Combat Prowess with the Spear Determined, will rarely give up
Weakness No Home, No People Will fight if someone commits a wrong to her Without grace Too Honest, Will never tell a lie Determination will likely push her far past her limits
What is your character's greatest flaw? Noz’s greatest flaw is her lack of knowedge of human culture. This will no doubt lead her into countless trouble but will make her more of an outcast than she already is. With her brutish nature, she will likely act like an orc trapped in human society.