Thank you kindly! I wonder if Jones' katana would be able to sense Clio when she's in costume/using her magic? That would be an interesting conversation if he doesn't immediately try to kill her.
That it would. Conversation is really based on the circumstances. If big man on the job and she moving weird he finna roundhouse kick ya upper lip. If not maybe. We gon have to see.
”If you ain't got no money, this is about to be a real short conversation, you dig?”
| B I R T H N A M E: |
Jermaine Morrison
| A L I A S: |
[Grandmaster] Jones
| S E X: |
Male
| A G E: |
Thirty-One
| R A C E: |
Human
| D O B: |
June 14, 1990
| O R I G I N: |
Brooklyn
| L O C A T I O N: |
New York City
| O C C U P A T I ON: |
Bodyguard
| A p p e a r a n c e : |
Being a man of 6 feet and 4 inches can put many men off guard, and having an agile muscular build would only lend to the daunting visage. Yet despite all this Jones is not one for the flashy attire of modern day heroes and villains. In his eyes, clothing isn't a mesh of garments for casual or formal wear, its a uniform, and like all uniforms, his is tailor-made to represent his occupation, a high-profile bodyguard. As is such, he is required to dress well or intimidatingly at all times. Thus Jones is usually seen in a white button-up casually undone to show is chained chest, slim-fit blue jeans and brand snow-white loafers. Often times this is accessorized with a brown blazer and gold watches and rings. Other times he may be sporting his white Gi, striped black on the sides from neck to feet, casually undone, with black belt prominent, gold-framed sunglasses and sneakers on.
”Straight out the rat-hole and into tho dojo, baby I’m international.”
| H I S T O R Y: |
Born a hustler, Jermaine was out on the streets of Brooklyn making money the only way a 7th grader or "shorty" could on his block, running with a gang. During the early 2000's he ran with his gang of delinquents, home invading, committing petty larceny and engaging regular assaults on rival neighborhood gangs. Despite coming from a fairly sound home regardless of his father's frequent jailing, the gang provided what school and his family could not: camaraderie and money; the latter of which his family lacked plenty of. Being the youngest of a family of three it fell on Jermaine, the man of the house, to provide some sort of financial support. This no doubt was a course of action encouraged by his father and discouraged by his mother, and only more vehemently with the onset of metahumans rocking the nation.
Jermaine's gang operation eventually came to an end when an especially brutal assault landed him a two-month long stint in Rikers Island. A stay which made living in the projects seem like a wet dream. It was this experience that only added fuel to Jermaine's ambition for material wealth. Upon being released he joined up with his old gang who began running operation low-level drug operations for the Gorilla Stone Bloods, usually acting as dealers within Gorilla territory.
By the time Jermaine reached his senior year of high school the metahuman population had exploded, and the Gorilla's where quick to induct a number of willing superhumans into the family. With said additions, the gang had no issues riding south Brooklyn of rival gangs and being the dominant drug traffickers of the entire region.
While Jermaine had risen the ranks from peddling marijuana to cooking cocaine the money still fell short of satisfying him. With no other dream or ambition than to live life like a movie star, he persisted. Around him, society began to destabilize with the Registration Act wreaking havoc in the streets. Then came the first of the demonic incursions, within just two months completely devouring the western half of the United States. While the Seven Wonders of the World moved in to defend the world Jermaine found himself placidly apathetic to the plight. He and none of his own perished, therefore Jermaine only had one job to do, keep on hustling. The drug market exploded, the civil war and demonic invasion throwing many deep into the well of addiction in order to cope, and Jermaine was only happy to take their money.
By 2011 the Gorilla Stone Bloods became the Gorilla Stone Family as it began swallowing rival gangs into its ranks and inducting humans and non-humans to supplement its numbers. By the end of the year, the GS Family was one of the wealthiest gangs in Brooklyn, offering protection, drugs, sex trafficking, and various other good and services to those within its sphere of influence. Jermaine at the time had done no better from himself, only garnering a small number of workers to supplement his GS Family sanctioned cocaine operation. It wasn't until a drug deal went wrong did life change for him.
Jermaine and his crew along with a contingent of GS dispatched men and an oddly gi-clad fellow had been sent to make a trade in the Tillary Hotel. Before the door to the room could be open, gunfire erupted. In mere moments almost all of the GS members had been massacred but were it not for the gi-clad man who seemed to ignore gunfire and move with the speed of a metahuman, Jermaine would have died that night, body full of lead. Fascination led him to ask of the man who he was, to which he explained that his name was simply Mr. William, personal bodyguard to the upper echelon of the GS Family, and for saving his life he was indebted to him. Jermaine would work or his personal assistant or die here, no one would be able to tell him apart from the rest of the dead bodies. Fervor took Jermaine now, a damn good opportunity to get in good with the upper echelon and possible eat bullets? Best believe he'd repay.
As was such, Mr. William took Jermaine on, passing down lesson after lesson, having him work with master after master until nearly 9 years later, the title of grandmaster graced his head. In payment Jermaine was to take Mr. Williams place as GS bodyguard when his end came, until then, he was to work. Jermaine now "Jones" quickly made a name for himself working as a bodyguard for high-profile bosses and celebrities, leaving those who crossed them or even attempted to touch them maimed or dead. It was clear James wasn't Grandmaster only in tittle but in talent, as he had surpassed his mentor in skill, and soon enough, wealth.
| P E R S O N A L I A: |
Secretive and reserved, everything you expect from a man like Jones. Socially, Jones is closed off; he hasn't opened up to anyone since he was a child. Even to comrades, he is a stranger shrouded in an air of mystery. He speaks only in brief, biting messages and is evasive of any prying questions. He generally displays the comportment expected of a teenager: arrogant, defensive, and critical of anything he is discordant with. Nevertheless, penetrate his gruff work exterior and you will find him affable, something that is usually achieved with a little alcohol and some women.
Ironically, Jones is no saint or upstanding citizen. At best, his integrity can be described as: slipshod, manipulative, and deceitful. He has been shown to give his reliability to only one person and that is to the highest bidder.
Jones isn't easily distracted from a task. Focused and controlled; he would never allow his impulses and desire cloud his judgment. Albeit he is bold and intrepid, which is often construed as reckless behavior, every action taken is deliberate and calculated. Once he sets his sights on something, he is steadfast on getting it. He is adaptable; able to think on his feet and make the tough decisions when required. But, he’s also stubborn and will not be shaken from a path once descended. It’s this ego-driven attitude that makes him intractable. He uses a strategic method of thinking which eliminates any falsities and uncertainty, thus any conclusion derived has to be correct.
Overall, Jones is a distant person that prefers to walk alone, for he believes that you are the only one to be completely trusted. He has a sharp tongue, is sarcastic to the core, and appears often arrogant in his behavior. There is no doubt that he is very self-confident and strongly believes his own ability, though he is mostly driven by material wealth. This is partially the reason for his cold attitude that doesn’t allow anyone too close. However, if one might take the time to get to know him and prove that they are worth his time, he will reveal himself as an intelligent person with a silver-tongue. He may also show that he can be a very loyal, protective companion, though only few will ever be able to gain his friendship like that. In the end, Jones is nothing but a bitter person with a thin line of silver somewhere deep inside, a lining that has caused him to act selflessly once or twice before.
"Man, some of y’all come from straight out of a comic strip."
| S K I L L S : |
Grandmaster Level Martial Artist (Karate, Kung Fu)
Master Swordsman
Honed Mental Strength
Excellent Endurance
Excellent Agility
| P O W E R S : |
Chi: Having trained under master monks in his youth, Jones has achieved great control of his meridians, garnering knowledge on Chi flow and its far reaching uses. As is such, he is capable of augmenting his body, thickening his skin, strengthening his strikes, bolstering his speed and agility, and even boosting healing to a certain extent. Such knowledge has also garnered him the ability to close the meridians of others, causing them chronic pain from the clog that can even become crippling with time. Aside from its physical uses it also has its mental and spiritual. With a clear mind Jones' senses are boosted twofold and his psyce is protected from low to mid level telepaths or mind manipulators. Meditation is warranted in the case of master level manipulators. Despite the Chi's versatility, overuse can prove fatal, forcing Jones to only utilize this power in short controlled bursts, lest risk overexertion or worse death.
| W E A P O N S : |
Pain, Passion & Demon Slayin': With the onset of magic and it's swift introduction into the black market, access to supernatural goods and services abound to those with the right connections. Jones is one such man, with ties to great families he has garnered unrestricted access to the depths of the black market. Using this connection he had his his old katana enchanted with various wards and enhancements: making it harder, capable of blocking low to mid level magic, and even glowing when demon-kind has been sensed within the vicinity.
Stankonia: A pair of nunchucks enchanted with the element of lightning, allowing Jones to stun and shock enemies when hit and send arc of the stuff when wielding. It is also capable of overloading certain systems and technology that lack surge protection, although the beating from the blunt object is likely to do the intended job anyway.
Shuriken: A number of concealed throw-able stars that have no enhanced properties to speak of.
@Blackstripe Any specific hero or villain archetypes you might want to have have filled? Have a lot of ideas just not really able to settle on one or the other.
Soft-soled boots and discalced feet were nearly silent as they strode through dense underbrush, the air filled with the fragrances of a living forest. Fir, willow, bamboo and camphor were the dominant trees in this southern branch of the great western forest of the Nanhe. The musky scent of smoke and decay were also there, intermingling with the more delicate scents of recent rains to add to the full aroma of the forest floor.
All combined to give the very air life and movement as Anu and his party carefully maneuvered through the trees. Here and there birds called from their high and hidden perches in the branches of willows and camphor to add music to the glades and small animals rustled in counterpoint through the underbrush.
The servants’ dressings were varying levels of convenient for the journey. Qiang Quan ended up carrying the old Zhu Rongyuan who spent his time cataloguing the journey on a large palm frond using ink made from berry juice. Fu Lai’an seemed more used to impractical movements in heavy dresses, and Yong Cai’s linen pants were ideal for the climate and terrain. The elder looked up from his frond and bowed his head at Anu.
“Blessed lord, if this one may be so impolite as to ask, where does His Glorious Anu wish to travel?”
The ape paused. Time had begun to dissolve into itself, as shapeless as rain within these jungles. Hours became days and days seemed to fold into one another. All the while the veil of unconsciousness only seemed to dissolve completely from his mind, sending it into a tumult ushered by this new reality.
Shrubbery shifted as Anu ascended to his full height, now standing three heads above the tallest of the servants.
”Cherished Zhu, this one wishes to know, how great is this galbar?”
“According to His Lordship’s records, the galbar as measured from the Dragon’s Foot in the east to Istais in the west spans the unfathomable distance of thirty thousand kilometres, the distance from the north to the south being similar. It may even be larger than so, the empty space elsewhere being filled with swathes of deserted waters. According to the records, the galbar is composed of six large continents: The sister continents Swahitteh-Tendlepog to the north, Kalgrun to the west, Atokhekwoi to the south, the Kick to the north, and here - the Dragon’s Foot.” He bowed his head as deeply as he could from his position in Qiang Quan’s arms.
”Fascinating.” Anu sighed. ”Zhu, I desire to travel to the ends of the world and back. To drink in the marvels of godly creation. To conquer every mountain, to sail every ocean, to enlighten all people.” a pause. Golden eyes lifted to drink in the light of Heliopolis. ”But not as a simple adventurer, this soul yearns for something greater.”
The old servant nodded with closed eyes. Yong Cai and Fu Lai’an both kowtowed before the ape - Qiang Quan knelt as to not drop Zhu Rongyuan. “Your Lordship will indeed be worthy of all these feats in time - yet a crucial detail remains unsolved: A king is no king without a kingdom. To conquer, to sail, to rule - all of these actions require a people, and lands for that people to inhabit. Therefore, it is this one’s recommendation that Your Lordship acquires those first.” He bowed his head again.
”Land and a people..” the ape murmured quietly, the words hung the air. His mind returned to the hallowed words of his fathers.
”Zhu, earlier you made mention six continents, great swathes of land created by the gods. What peoples live upon them?”
“According to His Lordship’s records, there are no peoples of note on this good galbar yet. Individuals, yes, but no groups of mortals - well, apart from the children of Saint Hermes and Her Ladyship Xiaoli, your aunts,” said the old servant. “Therefore, this one regrets to say that there are currently a distinct lack of peoples to lead. However, Your Divinity’s blood is holy and pure - perhaps You needn’t adhere to restraints like ‘a lack of people’,” he suggested.
Anu responded with opaque silence, his bluff face brooding. The gods for all their time wrought upon galbar one fantastical work after another, from flying beast to wiley rodent. Yet left mortal life.
The ape pushed air through his nose and regarded the servants, works of his father Shengshi, molded into exemplary models of life by his doctrine and standards. His eyes raked across the surrounding forest, his divine sight blessing him with vision beyond that of any normal creature. It was undomesticated, feral, and so was the rest of Galbar. A virgin world yet to deflowered by man.
”Yes..” a look of resolute determination on his face. ”I needn’t adhere to any worldly restraint. If the gods allow Galbar to continue this way, untamed, savage, and unbroken, then I myself with a people worth calling my own shall domestic it.”
A heavily chained arm rose with a grace yet thought possible with its burden, pointing towards the great Nanhe in the distance. ”And where better to start, then with lands of my father.” he promulgated.
“A worthy proposal, Your sacred Majesty,” Zhu went. “The jungle is rich in fauna and fruit to sustain Your people, and the foliage provides shelter from the daily rains.” Zhu pointed further west. “Furthermore, if His Majesty continues through the jungle, He will find great plains of flax for His people to spin into clothing and grass for His people to weave to baskets. Then, to the north, His Lordship has planted rice along Beihe, the ideal food crop for a great civilisation to-be.”
”No doubt a land ripe for the pickings!” the ape followed, his chest swelling with pride. ”Tell me then, cherished servants, upon where shall my seat of power be established?”
This time, it was Qiang Quan who spoke. “While the Supreme Leader's access to the jungle is recommended, founding the capital of His empire to-be inside a maze of vines and fronds presents a considerable logistical challenge. While His Majesty no doubt can surmount any of these trials with ease, these puny mortals… Well, they cannot even be compared to Your might.” As if providing proof for his statement, he lifted Zhu Rongyuan up a little as to demonstrate that he, in fact, could not traverse the jungle landscape unaided. ”Therefore,” he continued, ”this servant humbly proposes that the capital be founded on the Xishan plains, or perhaps even by the foot of the great Xishan mountain.” The other servants bowed in agreement.
Yong Cai spoke next, “Jungle wood will be difficult to cut with any stone tools our mortal hands can fashion - a capital on the plains with access to straw and small, flexible saplings will provide more convenient resources without sacrificing too much distance from the jungle and river.”
“Yes, access to the rivers will be vital,” Zhu added. “With Nanhe's unpredictable, destructive floods, these servants also recommend keeping important infrastructure away from the southern jungle. Beihe is considerably more suited for a stationary settlement. The rivers provide clay, mud and - most vitally - water for your people and crops. It cannot be ignored.”
A nod of acknowledgement, Xishan would be the bed of his empire. ”Honored Servants, may your sacred service remain everlasting.” he said as he gestured gently forward. ”Lead the way.”
Once more, they kowtowed before their master - even Zhu was placed down on the ground so he could properly demonstrate his respect. Then, after Qiang Quan picked him up again, the elder once more pointed westwards. The group followed the tall warrior carrying the smaller magister accordingly. "Great Nanhe lies between us and the plains," Zhu mentioned as they walked. "We will have to cross it to reach the plains. Flood season is passed, though it is still a considerable distance. There is not a shred of doubt in this one's soul, however, that it will be no more than a leisurely swim for His Majesty," he reassured.
The albino scoffed. ”And how shall my hallowed advisors be crossing? Certainly Zhu shall not swim across, lest father’s blessings are far more numerous than this one can count?”
The servants stopped, bowed and continued walking. "His Majesty's concern is most appreciated," said Zhu, backed up by inclined heads from the other three. "However, these servants are of the river, and the river is in them. Swimming through Nanhe to them is as simple as walking to the Supreme Leader himself. These servants will be quite alright."
”Ah, I see, let us proceed then.” he chortled as he fell in step. What fascinating creature the gods created.
The group wandered ever further until they reached the bank of Nanhe. To most, the river resembled a lake with a current, its width so grand that the opposite bank nearly disappeared behind the clouds of mist that drifted lethargically above the waters. However, the shade of green at the edge of the horizon teased the existence of more life on the other side - more lands to be conquered. The servants almost ceremoniously removed their heavier garments, packed them in fronds and held the packages tightly against their bodies as they slipped into the water. As they did, the sand and mud on their skin dissipated, leaving four variously shaped, yet globe-like water heads looking patiently at Anu. The current was strong as always, but relatively weak today.
Anu too wasted no time. Within the green-algaed and brown-mudded waters he could feel the hand of his father Shengshi, heady and true. Without a word the colossal dived, cleaving the water with powerful strokes as soon as he surfaced. There was something about the motion that seemed to come naturally, an organic fluidity in every move.
"His Majesty masters the waters on His first swim. Truly, He is of our Lord's blood," Zhu praised.
"Truly, He is!" Fu Lai'an echoed gleefully.
"Does His Majesty feel at ease in the river?" said Yong Cai.
Spray flew outwards several feet, his powerful arms parting the river before him. ”This is the domain of my father. I feel nothing but ardor in these waters.” he breathed, not missing a beat.
"An encouraging sign, for certain," said Zhu with a transparent smile. "Now, if His Majesty would like to follow us." Effortlessly, as if they were their own currents in the river, the four advisors drifted towards the opposite bank with great speed.
The demigod couldn’t keep pace with the river spirits, their bodies one with the Nanhe itself, but he kept good time, cutting into waters with every motion. The powerful current offered a considerable challenge, even to the great ape, but in the end it was eventually outmatched by the sheer power of Anu’s strokes. The group reached the other side at last, its flora and fauna already a little different than that of the opposite bank simply due to the vast distance. The servants quickly absorbed the necessary sand and mud from the shore into their bodies to form a new skin, then dressed with all the deftness of actors putting on their costumes. They kowtowed before Anu and Zhu spoke:
“Did His Majesty enjoy the swim?”
Chains rattled as Anu sloughed off the algae that clung to his hair. ”Refreshing, I suppose. We proceed on foot from here?”
“His Majesty guess is worthy. From here, we will trek westwards on foot until we reach the Xishan plains. There, a plan for His Majesty’s future empire shall be laid.” When he finished, Qiang Quan picked Zhu up in his arms and proceeded to move through the foliage, followed by the two others. With a silent acknowledgement Anu padded after the escort, moving confidently through the dense undergrowth.
This part of the jungle was at once much denser than the east, and at once much more open. Walls of vines and fronds gave way to large clearings surrounded with bamboo and farmer apes, some of which snarled at the four servants, but cowered at the sight of Anu. Along the route, a family of tree monkeys climbed down from their home to offer their hands in respective gesture to Anu. Boars, frogs, birds - all bowed before the ape king. Anu regarded them all with a sense of what could best be described as pride, raising his hand in acknowledgment, and releasing them from their acts of obedience. The beasts and birds complied, but kept their heads bowed always as Anu passed by.
“Not even to the Lord himself do these animals bow like this,” assured Zhu Rongyuan. “Naturally, if he demanded it, they would, but nothing below a servant has ever gone out of its way to praise him. His Majesty’s presence is inherently dominating. How does His Majesty feel about that, if this one may be so rude as to ask?” The forest grew thinner with every step. They were approaching an endless, yellow light in the distance.
”I suppose one might call it a sense of pride…” thin lips fought back the curl of a smile. a moment of...self-actualization perhaps. To know of your mandate at birth and then to see it true, it’s a feeling in find hard to put into words, dear Zhu, other then...right.”
“A worthy conclusion, Your Majesty,” said Zhu noddingly. The group broke through the final wall of vines and wood to reveal the endless, flat stretches of yellow and green grass, backgrounded by two great, green twin peaks tipped with white and surrounded by clouds. Boars trundled across the plains in great packs, and birds sat pecking at the seeds in the ground. However, all in all, the plains were surprisingly empty.
“We have arrived,” proclaimed Zhu Rongyuan.
Anu’s expression was unreadable as he gazed upon the fantastic expanse. Golden-tawny grass and golden green turf checker-boarded in a pattern as wide as the world itself. ”The Xishan plains...” he whispered, for a moment allowing the full weight of his own satisfaction to flood his senses. Ceremoniously he raised his hands to encompass the expanse in its entirety. ”Yes, this one can see it now, a gilded city rising from these plains, one of newfound prosperity in this dark and wild age of beasts and battle. One of salvation from ignorance and enfeeblement, one that shall pave the way of balance and civility upon with untamed world. This prehistoric rawness of living led by least significant of sentience shall be wrought from existence, by any means.” he proclaimed, the power of his voice carrying across the plains. ”Such is my mandate as king.”
Chest swelling the ape’s arms returned to his sides. ”Dear Servants?” he intoned without shifting his gaze from the landscape.
All four kowtowed before their master. “Yes, Your Majesty?” they sounded in unison.
”We begin this work immediately. My seat of power. I require your wisdom on its construction.”
Yong Cai stood up, bowed again and surveyed the area. “It is this one’s opinion that Your Majesty’s capital should be settled either in the centre of the plains, for easy access to food and materials; to the north, for easy access to food and water; or at the foot of the Xishan mountains for a more defensible position. Any of these options are worthy, but it is up to His Majesty to choose.”
Qiang Quan nodded. “Transporting water to the first option opens for both Nanhe and Beihe to be suitable sources - however, the distance is still noticeable, and it may be inconvenient to travel such distances for one of the most basic requirements for life. This one therefore proposes His Majesty choose the second option.”
Fu Lai’an remained kowtowing and spoke, “This one has seen both the plains, Xishan and Beihe, and in terms of aesthetic pleasure, only the Beihese environment is worthy of His Majesty’s presence. This one therefore also humbly suggests that His Majesty select option two.”
Zhu Rongyuan stood up and looked to the north. “As His Majesty’s advisor on questions related to that of the state, Beihe provides a rich access to food and water, indeed - yet it lies on the border to Qiangshan, and the records speak of vicious creatures north of those mountains, and ghastly lands carved with blood - the lands of His Majesty’s other father, His Holiness Narzhak, King of Strife and Steel. Strikes from the northern beasts can prove a challenge to expansion, especially to mortals that cannot begin to measure up against His Majesty. This servant therefore suggests the first option.”
Anu pointed a finger to north. ”What is the current state of the waters to the north, they smell of fire, as if they boil?”
Zhu nodded solemnly. “A vile curse was cast upon the Dragon’s Strait a long time ago - they constantly and ceaselessly boil, killing anything and everything that enters it. It will, most regrettably, hinder any effort to sail into the open sea from His Majesty’s capital. Nanhe circumvents this issue, but, as mentioned before, the flood patterns simply make the risks of settling permanently much too great. The final option is to settle by the shores to the west, but these are unknown and uncharted - very little is explored there.”
”No, no need. We settle north. On the Beihe. We hold the greatest of advantages there upon the river. The northern beasts will prove to be no challenge.” Anu settled.
“As His Majesty commands,” the four advisors sounded. With that, once more, they began to trek northwards; this time, however, Zhu Rongyuan could walk on his own. They marched through grass and clay, past trees and jungle to the east and open plains to the west. As they approached Beihe, the atmosphere grew thick with delicious scents and vivid with the sound of life. They walked alongside the river northwards, the fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles all bowing to Anu as he passed. Even some of the plants bent slightly in his direction. They came upon the edge of the grasslands to the south, next interjection from the first of the great tributaries to Beihe from the Qiangshan mountains. Here, Yong Cai dug up a handful of moist clay and squeezed it between her fingers. She then stepped around in circles, plummeting her feet into the ground a few times. She stepped a few hundred metres further inland, did the same action a few more times, and then came back, kowtowed and spoke, “Your Majesty - settling right by the river will be difficult; however, about half a kilometre further inland, His Majesty will find good land to carry His palace and the houses of His people. It will not be too far from the river, either.”
The demigod momentarily glanced in the proposed direction. ”Excellent.” he said, then he mimicked Yong Cai’s previous action, digging up a handful of clay and squeezing it between his fingers. ”This substance is an adequate building material?” he inquired without looking up.
Yong Cai nodded. “While wood is the simplest material to work with, it is believed that clay also can make for proper housing. However, to extract workable amounts, there will be a need for the necessary infrastructure, such as toolmakers, storage huts and sledges - all of these will have to be built with simpler materials for now, like wood or boar furs.”
Zhu Rongyuan raised a cautionary hand. “Furthermore, to properly construct His Majesty’s capital, there will be a need for manpower - a city is built by the people for the people, and to the honour of their king. There is no doubt that His Majesty could easily found a city by His own divine hand, yet a city without a people to rule would be dull.”
Anu studied the grained earth, absent-mindedly folding it in his hands. ”Zhu you made mention of a threat in the Qiangshan.” he noted as his stance changed. Anu began taking huge clumps of clay from the earth, with both hands now, creating a pile.
The elder nodded. “The records suggest as much. Qiangshan is home to a cruel, gruesome kind of dragon, one which origins are tied to the great Flame Demon. Behind the mountain, the records speak of six-legged tigers and yellow-maned snakes which venom melts the skin and skeleton. No, no - in this servant’s arrogant opinion, there is little good to be said about those mountains save for their sacred purpose of walling these horrors off from our humble piece of Heaven.”
”Notably dangerous indeed, dear Zhu.” Anu approved as he began to mold the pile of clay. He spoke as he worked, creating separate but equal piles a clay each about the size of a servant’s hand. ”But while you see danger I only see opportunity. Tell me what lies further beyond this wall of stone.”
Zhu tugged at his long, whitened beard. “The records in that regard are far from complete, regrettably, yet a few details are of note: Firstly, Guoqiangdi, or the Land Beyond the Wall, is a grey, ashen wasteland according to His Lordship. There is little of note there except for the River Seihdhar, which existence is in itself a grave sin.” The elder shook his head. “Forgive this respectless servant for uttering such despicable words, but His Majesty must know of the horror that is that streak of soil and suffering.” He bowed deeply before he nodded back up. “Secondly, the Great Scar, or the World Scar, His Majesty’s second father’s home, lies beyond the mountains - or rather, next to them far to the east. Thirdly, there is the White Land, but His Lordship has never seen it up close - in fact, it is not known what it actually is.”
If Anu was at all impressed he showed little signs of it, instead enthralled in his growing project. Lumps of clay where fashioned into prehensile feet from which a thin yet powerful torso stood stable upon. Anu used river water to keep the clay moist. He gestured for Yong to join him, instructing her begin on the upper body. ”On this continent alone the creativity of the gods are wondrous. What of elsewhere?”
Yong Cai obeyed, seemingly giddy from the honour. She started sculpting the upper body to resemble Anu’s mighty build, yet reduced to the point where the legs still could properly support it. Meanwhile, Zhu tugged thoughtfully at his beard. “In addition to the three Great Rivers, Beihe, Nanhe and Taipang, the Dragon’s Foot is home to two other places of note: Siguo, the Land of Death, and Henshan, or the Mountain of Hate.” Zhu gestured eastward, where even from here - across the continent - black clouds could be seen in the far distance. “It is the home of the Flame Demon, and a death sentence for every Servant. They are cursed lands, indeed.”
”A god I presume?”
“A demon, Your Majesty,” Zhu Rongyuan insisted. “For fear of summoning Its wrath, these servants dare not speak Its name. Please, forgive their disobedience.” He kowtowed.
Anu let out a deep rumbling laughter as he fashioned lean arms from the shoulders that rested proudly on the waist. ”You are forgiven, call it what you like. Its barbarism has no place in this dream of mine. What of the other divines?”
“The Nanhese jungle’s origin likely date to the First Age, though the records from back then are old and unclear. His Lordship did not write as much back then as he does now - He was no doubt quite busy shaping the world. Naturally, there is also the Kick to the north, though that land has seen little to no development throughout time, if observations from the air are to be trusted.” The elder scratched his chin with furrowed brows. “There is also the Cauldron, in which His Majesty was born. This servant reckons that place will become a destination of pilgrimage for His Majesty’s loyal followers. It -is-, after all, a most sacred place.” Once more, he bowed. “Then finally, there is the gate to Your Majesty’s father’s home, the great and holiest of places: Hemen, the River Gate. It is a mighty archway of water opened with a sacred key - the head of a dragon - that leads into the Land of Heaven, Fengshui Fuyou.” As he uttered the name of the sphere, all the servants fell to their knees, kowtowed thrice and rose back up.
Yong put the final few touches to the sculpture, it’s visage akin to that of Anu himself, albeit much smaller. The look of satisfaction graced the ape’s face as the thing neared completion. ”And what of the other continents? I’m sure divinity has touched them as well.”
“Very much so, Your Majesty,” Zhu Rongyuan assured. “Among these, the most well known to His Lordship are Istais and Tendlepog. Istais, the Island of Light, is the home of Her Holiness Asceal, the Queen of Light. It is a spectacular little island, according to the records, with adorable small mountains, rolling hills and lakes. Furthermore, it is the home of His Lordship’s most prized accomplishment in terms of rivercraft - Lihe, the Beautiful River. While none of the servants have ever seen it, the poems describe it as simply marvellous. The snowy mountains are home to some of His Lordship’s creations, as well, like the Istaian mountain goat and the snow toad.” He eyed the sculpture for a moment. “His Majesty’s skill in the arts is astounding, truly.”
“Very much so,” Fu Lai’an said with a breathy, soft voice and reddened cheeks.
Anu regarded the rather crude statue, while it lacked great detail, it’s countenance was one of regality, a proud simian, standing at five feet and five inches, almost six heads his lesser. ”Earlier Zhu you proclaimed that I needn’t adhere to worldly constraints, for I was a divine and creation was my mandante.” he began, gesturing towards the statue. ”Here stands the manifestation of those words I too found only truth in. A people worth ruling. A Pygmy, the children of Anu and of these plains.”
A gesture towards Yong. ”I commission you to craft nine more of similar build and countenance, yet allow your imagination to freely embellish them is you wish.”
“At once, Your Majesty,” Yong Cai answered, bowed and immediately commenced. Qiang Quan shoveled the necessary clay out of the riverbank and Fu Lai’an’s deft, nimble fingers produced beautiful details like muscle lines, pores, strands of hair and more. Zhu Rongyuan regarded the shape with an approving nod.
“His Majesty’s creation is worthy,” he proclaimed. “They will certainly grow to be a mighty people of culture and wisdom.” The elder opened his arms and looked to the sky. “His Lordship can surely see Your progress - this servant is certain He feels nothing but pride.”
Anu had already returned to work on the first sculpture, embellishing its details. ”This one is sure he is. No room for failure.” he breathed, hiding an almost undetectable edge somewhere within.
“Indeed,” Zhu Rongyuan nodded. Yong Cai, meanwhile, patted clay around the hip section of one of her projects, using a flat stone to flatten and pronounce the curves. Its form was placed a head shorter than the height of the first one. The womanly form was given the similar simian features and presented to Anu.
“Blessed leader,” Yong Cai called softly and bowed. “This servant proposes this to be a standard mould for the female counterpart. The hips width will improve the chances of conflict-free births and thus grant Your Majesty’s population a much steadier population growth.”
’Outstanding.” Anu praised, studying the figure before adding another lump of clay to his masterpiece. ”Be sure to keep them equal in number this growth is key. Your work is splendid.”
With reignited vigour, the grinning Yong Cai poured her soul and skill into producing a beautiful second figure, this one lean, fit and handsome - a simian that would attract several mates for certain. Meanwhile, Fu Lai’an made her own sculpture, another female with a mighty build, almost similar to Anu, though still much shorter. Qiang Quan had scooped enough mud to complete the commission, so he modelled a statue similar to the first, but a little skinnier, even.
After several hours, the king of the apes was presented with ten similar, yet distinctly shaped pygmies, all of which were almost staring intently at him, as if awaiting his command.
Golden eyes as bright as Heliopolis themselves appraised each and every one. His people. A people worthy to tame this wretched world by his hand. His own children. A well of hubris bubbled as that idea came to pass, but he quickly stamped it down, he’d reveled in enough today.
”Your work today servants of mine has been superb, worthy of every accolade under Heliopolis.” he said bowing toward the servants, albeit not as low.
The servants all cast themselves to the ground and prostrated themselves. “These servants only wish to adequately serve their worthy king,” went Zhu Rongyuan. The elder stood back up, his head still inclined and his left hand covering his right fist. “Will His Majesty awaken His creations?”
’Yes indeed.” the ape said as he pressed his thumb against the tip of an incisor, breaking skin almost immediately. Divine ichor leaked from the wound, smelling of iron and alcohol.
With said thumb Anu padded over to the pygmy statues, one after another brushing a golden stroke of divine ichor across their foreheads. ”Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, I bid life into thee, by my blood. Breath!” he heaved.
Like a wave the divine ichor seemed to radiate a power across their bodies, transmuting clay before their very eyes into sinew, tissue, and hair. Organs such as lungs, the liver and brain were synthesized and began to function, toes and fingers curled as the nervous system went online, and blood rushed throughout the body as the first beats of the heart engaged.
The first of the pygmies began to blink, the vestiges of consciousness gracing them.
“Remarkable,” went Zhu and leaned in to inspect one of the wide-eyed faces. Qiang Quan went from pygmy to pygmy and squeezed their shoulders and shook them a bit to test their balance. Fu Lai’an began teaching the first pygmies the Shengshese tongue, holding up objects and saying the words for them. Yong Cai stood pondering the shapes of the simians, whether some more clay could have been used in different departments or not.
”There are your new students.” he gestured towards the pygmies, his voice snapping them at attention. ”Teach them well, just as you taught me.”
“Naturally, Your Majesty. In time, they shall have all the necessary knowledge to construct His Majesty’s holy capital,” Zhu Rongyuan proclaimed with a bow.
Anu nodded, his eyes still on the pygmies. ”Good, soon this world will know order.”
To the west Anu and his party journey's just as his father’s suggests. After indeterminable amount of time Zhu questions Anu’s goals. The ape explains that he wants to see the world but not as a lowly adventure. Servants explain that a king without a kingdom is nothing at all. Therefore Anu questions them on the people and creations of Galbar, so that he may find his place among them. Servants teach an outdated curriculum and tell me no mortal life exist yet. Anu is disgusted, forming ideals based on this information, that the gods are slow and choose to leave Galbar wild and untamed. He decides to tame it himself with a people worth claiming it.
The Servants then take him north towards the Xishan Plains, where they recommend sights for his kingdom to be built, Anu chooses far north, about a kilometer from the Beihe.
Yong tests the soil near the river and deems it unsuitable for building on, suggesting the move farther inland. Anu gets an idea messing with the clay and begin his first ever sculpture in honor MichelAngelo. Art Hoe blood is in his veins and he his able to craft a man-simian standing at 5’5. He commissions the rest of the servants to create nine similar sculptures adding their own flair to it. Upon finishing he gives them life with his blood and he calls this new race of sapient-life Pygmies, children of Anu and the Xishan Plains.
After having taken yet another swim in Taipang, its banks now much, much more beautiful than the last time he swam its length, the snake felt satisfied. The visit from Laurien had been quite something other than what he had been used to, but at the very least, it had taught him that those kinds of mortals existed as well. The snake slithered onto the western bank of his new river and took in the sights of the storms choking out the forest fires in the distance. A smirk formed across his face - the enemy was in full retreat now, and soon they would be trapped by Taipang and be slaughtered like the scum they were. A series of thunderous tremors brought his gaze northwards, however, and his eyes fell upon a massive shadow squatting by the Cauldron, poking its enormous limbs into the bowl-like crater. The snake sneered momentarily - maybe he had yet to be seen. He could just hop back into the river and pretend like-- No, no! Tradition dictated he at least greet his brother, even if it was…
Shengshi slithered a bit closer and bowed. “Narzhak, dear brother! It has been far too long!”
The gigantic head atop the crouching mountain slowly ground to face him, its eyes’ burning gaze sweeping the ground before converging on a single spot. “Shengshi! You’re right, it’s been a while,” the Iron God’s thunderous voice rumbled jovially, “Couldn’t keep from coming back here, either? There’s something in the water you don’t find anywhere else. It’s the best thing to wash away salt.” The lower half of Narzhak’s mask was conspicuously damp and dripping with watery liquid.
“Yes, the cauldron waters were always a little odd, weren’t they. I suppose that is what happens when we create a kilometre wide, lidless distillery - though I suspect most of the alcohol must have boiled away by now…” He hopped onto the edge of the crater and sat down. “How have you been, brother?”
“Busy.” One of the iron hands remained submerged in the steaming waters, sending waves crashing against the metallic banks with its invisible grasping and fiddling. “Keeping apace with what everyone’s doing is more work than filling up the whole world by yourself. It wouldn’t even be that hard if we all had one rule we could hold over each other, but there’s no such luck. You can’t even do your work without someone threatening to cut it short because it might fail.“ He scoffed with a sound like a sudden lash of wind. “It’s not all bad, though. Most of the time there’s agreements to be negotiated. About that, did you see a big herd of boars pass by here lately?”
“Indeed… I do wish we had some ground rules for how to act - like not burning my beautiful woods, for one, the damn flame demon…” Shengshi stared daggers eastwards. “As for boars, I see several all the time, though I do not recall seeing any particularly large herd, I am afraid.”
”They’re taking their good time,” he growled, briefly glancing in the same direction, ”Woods can be replanted, but you know what’s the worst? He’s ridiculously sloppy about it. Wasting precious time on trees, and I’ll swear he knows he won’t be left much of it. He can’t be that stupid.” He seemed to have found something in the Cauldron, his arm stiffening for a moment before resuming its fumbling. ”Tell me you’ve been doing something about it.”
“I did flush a large dragon from the Giant’s Bath to the southern seas, creating Taipang in the process,” the snake said with a shrug. “As for the fire giants, I hope Chuanwang has actually managed to hold them off and not, as one would say, just croaked.”
”That’s something.” The head ground downwards in a creaking nod.
“It looked quite spectacular, I must say. Sadly, though, I did not find its corpse at the delta. I did find Ashalla there, though, and Taipang is now much greener and livelier than when I arrived there.” He smiled. “So, tell me more about these boars of yours - why boars of all creatures?”
”They started as something functional, as the better things do,” Narzhak’s free hand gestured widely to the southwest, ”Remember when there wasn’t much more than grass and worms over there? I needed some hills dug up to make it all less dull, and you’ll have seen they’re good at rooting up things. No accident, that.” He reflexively scratched the back of his head. ”They’ve stuck with me since then, couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it’s the strength, or the fury - I still remember how my first tossed around that flying white crumb! I’ll bet she thought he was friendly, and hah! Knocked that trust right out of her, he did. I wonder where she’s ended up since.”
“White crumb?” the snake inquired. “Narzhak, did you pig hurt my dear Anxin, by chance?”
”Your who? Never heard of that one.” Half of the god’s eyes dimmed unevenly with a perplexed look. ”Unless she had a thing for poking and some kind of cloud bug following her around, it probably wasn’t her. Gave a different name, too - Har, Hersomething. I never did get what she was.”
“Hersomething? Do you by chance mean Hermes?” The snake tapped his chin thoughtfully. “... Now that you mention it, she did use to be quite pale, indeed.” He pursed his lips. “Anyway, brother, I have been meaning to ask: Did you ever manage to recreate that liquour we made together after we made the Cauldron? I did feel quite terrible leaving you without a gift of wine, after all.”
”Not much luck with that.” Narzhak shook his head. ”I have the machinery and hands to work it, but nothing that’s coming out of it is nearly as strong as what we had then, no matter what I put in there. My slaves drink it up regardless, but that’s no measure of anything. I think it’s missing that mould you added to it. I’ve been trying to find some in here, but it looks like it’s been gone for a while now.”
“The yeast, you mean? Have you been distilling non-alcoholic drinks all this time?” the snake said with a sly smirk. “I can understand the lack of potency, in that case.” He slithered up the side of the Cauldron again and rubbed his chin. “Tell you what, how about we use this pit for its original purpose again, and I'll show you just how to do it properly?”
”Well, that explains it,” the giant grumbled to himself, ”That’d be useful for sure. It still feels hot enough, though if you need more-” something under the surface churned, and steam began to rise in far thicker clouds than before, ”-we’ve got it anyway.”
“It ought to be hot enough for the alcohol to evaporate, at the very least. The water from the Bath should be a good indicator - secondly, we will need a surface above the hole to catch the alcoholic vapours and concentrate them in some container - preferably a large pot of some kind. If I provide the surface, can you make us a pot?” The snake snapped his fingers and, sure enough, Jiangzhou soon stood waiting at the northern edge of the crater.
”If I can? Hrah! Remember who dug this thing to begin with!” In a smooth motion, Narzhak dug the tips of his fingers into the soil, and sheets of fluid iron spilled up between them like inverted waterfalls. With deft movements, almost imperceptible for him, but vast enough to shake the ground, he directed the flow into smoothly curving lines, tapping it into firm metallic weave. Before long, a monumental iron pot crushed the surviving grass before him. ”Like this?”
“Quite,” the snake said flatly. He snapped his fingers again and the servants lobbed several silk sheets overboard. The snake gathered them up and rolled them into a ball. As he churned and spun the silk around, it began to fuse into a single blanket, and when the snake eventually unrolled the ball again, he held a colossal square sheet of silk, which he draped over as much of the cauldron hole as he could. To compensate for the insufficient size, he fastened each of the four corners to a rod of hollow bamboo, but left one of the corners hanging lower than the rest - there, the alcoholic dew would turn into droplets that would travel through the rod and fill the metal pot at the end.
“Now for some wine…” he said and went back over to the ship. Servants threw him what pots and barrels they could spare and the snake stacked them by the pit.
“Now, you see, dear brother,” the snake began. “To make wine, you first need a sugary liquid or mash - preferably fruit juice or ground, wet grain. Then you add a bit of yeast to it and wait for it to properly ferment and produce that wonderful stuff known as alcohol.” The snake grinned. “It is as simple as that, really. Keep infections out with a sealed container and your wine is good to go. Naturally, it takes a bit too long create it here and now, so we will just use some finished products for the distillery process, is that fine?”
”It’ll do for an example.” Narzhak followed the preparations with an unblinking gaze, periodically lowering his head for a closer look. ”I’ll have to see what else that works with. Fruits or grain aren’t easy to come by down there.” He pointed a finger towards the ground. ”And this part is the one that gives the pure stuff, yes?”
“Yes, that is correct. As the water below heats, the alcohol will boil first, rising to the top as an inebriating steam - this cold sheet will collect it and collect it in your pot. Normally, filling such a pot would take…” He mumbled a few calculations. “... A while. Luckily, both the sheet and our boiler are quite large, so production may just go smoothly.” He put his hands on his hips. “As for the grain, well, I could plant some for you on the Steppes, if you would like. It is about time something grew there for once, no?”
”That’s a thought!” The giant snapped his fingers together in approval. ”They’re going to need something like that if I’m ever to make anything useful out of them. The only thing you’d have to think of is how it’s not going to be eaten or trampled straight away, but I can deal with that.” His eyes turned back to the distillery contraption. ”As for that taking time, I’m sure there’s some way to cut down on it. Might come at the expense of taste, but who’s going to notice?”
“A connoisseur, perhaps, but something tells me we are not exactly planning on producing the finest quality here,” the snake said flatly with a frowning smirk. “Well, ready when you are.”
”I don’t have many of those, but I do have many,” Narzhak rumbled, ”Go ahead.”
The snake nodded and began to pour wine into the depths. There was a cringing sizzling sound far, far below, and soon the smells of burnt sugar began to drift upwards and fill the crater. Condense gathered on the silk sheet and began to drip down into the iron pot, drop by drop at first, but soon as one constant stream. The snake smiled and put his hands on his hips.
“And now we wait,” he said happily. “How about some good wine in the meanwhile?”
A pleased thundering from above was his answer. ”Bring it out!”
Heliopolis was noticeably lower in the sky by the time the last batch out of a more than fair number was drained, its containers going to join the already sizable heap that had gathered near the shore. The fumes rising to cloak the scene were now quite a bit sweeter, and not all of them came from the basin.
”...let me guess this one,” a thick, resounding voice came from where barrel after barrel had vanished without trace, ”It’s that yellow thing that grows on trees. How do you call it again? An a- no, that’s not it...”
“A p-wear?” the snake said and hiccuped. “Tha’sh what you meant, right?” He flipped his cup over his mouth, but found it empty. “More!” he shouted, and a servant diligently came over and poured him some more wine. “... Or did’sh you mean an ay-pple?”
”That. Or- the other. Haven’t tasted either before. But I’m guessing they’re something like this.” An enormous hand was waved in what was presumably supposed to be an expressive manner, but appeared rather absent instead. ”Tasted… You know what we haven’t tasted? The blood we’ve spilled! I was sure it’s great, but Ashalla didn’t agree, and now I wonder…” Fiery gleams ran about soil, cauldron and barrels, trying to find a focus. ”We’ve got to try it.”
“Wai-wuh? What blood? Did we spill blood?” The snake squinted and began to mumble, “Is this a dagger I see…” as he reached out in the air for a moment. “Wai-, did’sh you mean the wine?”
”The wine?” An iron finger reached out to tap the cauldron’s side. ”Sure, why not the wine? If it really is good, it’ll be clear there.”
The snake shrugged and peered into the pot. It was almost full by now, the pungent liquid creeping up towards the edge at a steadily declining pace due to the diminishing alcoholic vapours. He scooped his cup into the wine and eyed it as its clear colour was contrasted by the nigh oppressive stink.
“Well… Cheers?”
”Rhah!” The finger’s tip lengthened, a relatively minuscule spike ending in a gavel extruding from it and dipping into the fluid. It vanished in the heights, and was soon echoed by an exclamation. ”I’ve got it! What if we make wine that’s also blood? Wine of blood!”
The snake squinted. “Shorry, I must’a gotten some clay in muh ears… Did you just suggest -urp!- a wine of blood?” He stood gaping for a moment.
”Right that!” The makeshift spoon reappeared to tap on the cauldron’s lip. ”Like you do it with fruits and that, but this time it’s real strength! Life, blood. Lifeblood.”
The snake retched. “I c-can… -urp!- think of many, many, many thingsh wrong with that…” he managed through the gulps. “Oh, Architect, I am goin’a be shick…”
”Even better! You need to drink health back in. Even if it’s your own health, and it was in you, and you let it out so you could...” Narzhak seemed to become tangled in his words and quickly shifted the topic. ”It’ll be fine. I’ve eaten a soul, and that was bad, but this’s all alive! Or are you weak? Come on, we’re gods! We can do what we want!”
“W-weak?” the snake deflated a little, but then straightened his back momentarily to answer the challenge. “Shengshyh is -ANYTHING- but weak!” he boomed through slurred mumbles. He held his hand over the pot and cut it open with a claw on the opposite hand, flinching as he watched his sacred ichour drip into the clear liquid. “You’sh are up-puh!” he muttered incoherently.
”That’s the spirit!” the Iron God boomed from overhead. ”This is how we do it!” He held his finger over the container, and its metallic plates parted to allow a thick black rivulet to drip into the brew. ”Now-” the spoon dipped down again, stirred the contents of the pot and ascended with a new load, ”let’s try it together! On my mark, one, two, three-”
Shengshi scooped up a fresh cupfull and downed it in unison with Narzhak. As he made fruitless attempts to swallow, he gagged and spat it out onto the ground, along with what remained of his lunch and breakfast that day. He eventually rolled onto his back and wiped his mouth clean. “Ugh… No more…” he managed through the gulps.
Judging by the disappointed, not to say disgusted grumblings up in the sky, the reaction there was not very different. ”Blagh! Beats me if she was right after all!” The grumbling seemed to persist in spite of the words, now having moved downwards through the god’s immense frame. ”Or maybe we spilled it the wrong way. We’d need a real battle, but lugging that around the field doesn’t-” Two fingertips cautiously pinched the now-defiled cauldron. ”Now the void do we do with this? It’s not good for any but breaking sieges, and I haven’t got any of that on my hands now.”
“Tossh it in de pit… Jush get rid of iiiiiit…” the snake groaned. He propped himself up on his elbows and sneered at the large, brown droplets that had spilled out of the pot on its way to to Narzhak. “Ugh, that ish another month for me without wine…”
”Might as well,” the jagged iron head shook condemningly, ”Maybe it’ll keep the waters strong for a while more. In!” He overturned the pot into the bubbling waters, watching as the murky fluid seeped downwards. ”No use wasting a good pot, though.”
“Preach,” the snake said and stuck a thumb in the air.
As if on cue a terrible rumble from deep in the belly of Galbar wracked the ground beneath their feet. The groaning of shifting sediment and stone gave way to the sound of raging water as if the wrath of Ashalla herself had come to bare upon the foundations of the continent. Rushing like a crashing wave, a great column of the divine tonic escaped from the drainage pit, the sound reverberating over the region as efficiently as a thunder clap.
In that very moment divine ichor and alcohol coalesced with the organic and inorganic, the godly mandate within the respective blood-types taking shape. Bones, muscles and tissue, sprung forth from the massive geyser, knitting itself around the liquid until the entirety of the phenomenon completely disappeared within its new container, a body.
From the air the tiny thing plummeted.
”Look at that,” three of Narzhak’s eyes astonishedly followed its flight, while the fourth remained incongruously fixed on the waters. His voice, while struggling to retain its boast, betrayed his surprise. ”What did I say? This is strength!”
The snake wore a horrified, yet curious expression. “By the Architect,” he whispered and propped himself up as best he managed. “Am I seeing things? Has wine finally dulled my senses to the point of non-function?” His groggy gaze traced the growing speck as it fell towards the earth, and a slight impulse told him it could perhaps be wise to catch it. The snake thus slithered forward, much like an actual snake for once, and held his arms out in the area where his inebriated mind presumed the creature would land.
In a blink of an eye the tiny thing was upon him, tumbling into his outstretched forearms instead of hands and nearly falling through them. The snake’s dulled reaction were still able enough to squeeze his arms together in time, but he quickly fumbled them anyway and dropped the creature onto the ground below, albeit at a much ‘safer’ speed.
A moment passed and the thing remained utterly still, bright yellow pupils pointed directly at him, emotions unreadable.
Then lips curled back, revealing pink gums and slowly protruding canines, and made way for a piercing scream that tore through the air like a great shard of glass, one such scream that it pierced the brain and ignited some primeval pathway.
The snake immediately recoiled and covered his ears as he dunked his head against the ground. “GAH! NARZHAK, MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!”
A loud metallic grating joined the bestial screech from above as the Iron God grasped the side of his head with one hand, eyes narrowing to fiery rivers. ”Ngghhr, why’d it have to happen now?” he growled, before glancing at the bellowing creature. ”You down there,” his voice became a snarl of command, ”SHUT IT!” The force of the injunction was such that clouds of loose soil were lifted into the air, and what regrown shrubs had survived until that moment were wholly uprooted and sent tumbling away. The snake struggled immensely to keep his footing - or lying, in this case. The tiny beast on the other hand wasn’t so fortunate, instead being sent tumbling a few spans before sheer willpower grounded it once again.
As the dust settled, the defiant form of the albino creature remained, albeit its fur now matted with specks of dirt and grime. Its mouth was shut, yet it’s eyes were trained solely on the titan, it’s chest puffed out.
With a cacophony of rasping and scraping, Narzhak lowered his body, tilting his head closer to the ground and propping himself up with one arm. His shadow engulfed the ground around the ape, broken only by the still tensed slits of his eyes. ”Good,” he rumbled in a more subdued tone, ”We’ll make something out of this yet. So, who are you?”
Nothing.
The snake sneered and leaned in. He took a deep breath through the nose and squinted his eyes at the creature. “There is a holy fragrance about him… Yet it drowns in the stench of youth and infancy…” As the chaos and cacophonies had scared the inebriation out of his system, the snake stared the creature down with considerably more concentrated eyes.
“It likely has yet to fathom of its own existence, let alone a name.” He regarded the ape with a scanning squint. “It looks quite primal as is, even for a spawn of holy blood.”
”They come out slower every time I do it,” Narzhak grumbled, ”Maybe I really should stick to animals.” One eye flickered. ”Not that it seems to be helping.” The thumb of the hand holding his head slipped under his chin and rasped against its recesses. ”Animal, that must be it. What’s below us is easy to reach.”
He cleared his throat with the sound of immense rusty gears grinding against each other, then produced a series of deep, guttural sounds, unmistakably similar to the call of a primate. While the inarticulate hooting was empty of any complex meaning, its intonation wavered in an interrogative pattern.
Angry eyes darted between the two gods then settled on the titan, staring fixedly at him, the vestiges of sentience within its mind seeming to grasp ceaselessly for meaning within the grating sounds emanating from it.
Suddenly, the ape broke out into a cacophony of similar hoots and hollers, tiny fists banging on its pale chest. A declarative response, one of challenge and boyish incolance.
The snake winced with disgusted grimace and covered his ears. “Must you? My head is banging enough without this choir of beasts.” The snake snapped his fingers repeatedly to grab the ape's attention. He then bowed wordlessly before the creature in greeting.
Slowly, the assault of sound abated, until serenity and peace dominated the landscape again. In the time it took for Shengshi to command its attention and prostrate before the feral ape, the thing had grown exponentially.
What had once been tiny, no larger than the arms of the serpent who’s embrace it had felt for but a moment earlier, now stood at its progenitors chest, considerably taller than before. Eyes that had at one time shown with the crazy and chaotic turns and twists of anger, now was aglow with a new light, albeit one for an instant lost in rumination.
...who are you?
Like the yellow shining of the sun rising from the ground to fill the sky with mighty colours of red and endless rays of pink in early morning, so did the veil of unconsciousness lift ever so slightly from it’s mind, exposing it the the vestiges of self.
Hands soft and cold pressed upon the shoulders of the serpent, urging him upright. Then, the beast itself brought its body low, imitating his greeting.
”This...one, brings low. This...one, is Anu.”
The snake blinked and recoiled ever so slightly. He eyed the ape up and down and tugged ponderously at his long mustache. He patted gently at the hands on his shoulders and nodded slowly.
“Anu…” he whispered as he observed the creature’s behaviour. “... Divine child born with capacity for both fury and honour… How very curious. You may let go of my shoulders now, child.”
Immediately, the ape stepped back sheepishly, not knowing what to do with itself. The snake pursed his lips and looked up.
“Dearest brother, any thoughts?”
Narzhak’s head swayed appreciatively from side to side, his eyes no longer pryingly narrowed. ”This one’s better at names than the last, for sure,” he remarked. ”Brings low, but knows those higher than him. I already like this attitude. Give it a little more structure, and he’ll go far, I can tell that.” Half of his gaze wandered upwards, contemplatively hovering around the horizon. ”The blood really is strong.”
He leaned more heavily still on his arm. The tip of one of his fingers dragged through the earth, leaving a gaping trench behind itself, before coming to rest closer to the newborn divine. Even from the considerable distance left between them, it was immense. ”So, Anu,” his voice bore a querying tone oddly close to that of the animalistic hollering that had come earlier, ”what strength have you taken from it?”
Once again the ape raised himself up, his height on full display, bared his pearlesiant canines, and beat his left pectoral three times with his right fist. His duty was obvious.
”This one brings low and brings up. Bring this one up, so that I may bring all low, then bring up.” it barked sharply, within its voice a strong sense of civility.
“You raise yourself so you may bring all else low?” The snake raised an eyebrow up at Narzhak and shrugged. “Did he inherit my indirect speech pattern and your sense of subjugation?”
”More than that.” The giant’s look gleamed, as far as that could be discerned, with a pleased expression. ”Bring low to bring up. Impose an order, and that order makes everything better. You’re quick for someone who’s just swam up from a cask of wine.” His head tilted slightly towards Shengshi. ”I haven’t seen much of your work with that, but if you’ve got servants you know the right track. Looks like our sense of direction in these things has bled into him.” He chuckled at his own wordplay, a sound as though he had swallowed a thundercloud.
“An order founded on fear leads to a crippled populace - like hares under the rule of tigers. I would like to see this Anu demonstrate charisma - something that goes beyond imposing of order. After all, he must be a tiger that can lead -tigers-!” He pointed a finger. “Anu, what are the greatest qualities of a leader?”
For a moment the ape seemed almost unable to answer, cocking its head to the side in what could only be considered deep thought. Then and the words seemingly came, almost naturally.
”Trust, Respect, and Discipline.”
The snake crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his biceps. “Those sound more like the qualities of a servant - yet you are not completely off track.” He put a fist to his lips and hummed. “A leader is a servant of its people, in one respect - one that must trust and respect their populace, and maintain self-discipline to be worthy of the people’s trust and respect. You forgot two key-elements, though. Can you guess what those are?”
Anu growled this time, reclining back to his thoughts.
Narzhak’s head shook again, this time less approvingly. ”Servant of the people? Come on, what are you filling his head with?” he grumbled, traces of mirth mixed with reproach, ”Leaders are above people, and over them there’s only us,” he rapped his free hand against his chest, ”But you’re right that these things should be inspired and not held. Trust only those whose will you’ve hollowed out entirely. Respect only those you see are your match, or more. Discipline...” he scratched his head, ”For someone like you, it’s just strength. Stronger than the failings of the body, stronger than the foibles in the mind. Strong enough to hold your lessers to heel.”
The snake hissed sharply and flicked his tongue. “Brother, stuffing his head full of that tyrannical, cynical approach to leadership will shorten his rule considerably. While, yes, I agree that leaders are -above- the led in terms of rank, that is no barrier for mutual respect. Yes, a servant should obviously kowtow before a king, but this is no reason to hold such a…” He pressed his lips together and cleared his throat. “Either way, perhaps a more moderate approach is in order - a leader without discipline is no better than a lowly beast.” He pointed at Anu while facing Narzhak. “... And I believe we can both agree that this one is greater than any beast.”
”You’re right about that,” the Iron God assented. ”A firm hand shouldn’t just be held outwards. Rulership isn’t just power,” he seemed to be addressing Anu as much as Shengshi, ”it has a duty. To us, to the one above us,” he gestured around himself, sending wafts of wind buffeting down to the ground, ”to the world. Failing to build something more than what you found would be failing it and what you are. Don’t accept failure, no matter what’s the cost or who pays it. Not even yourself.”
Despite his neutral expression, Anu’s mind was awash with a million ideas, concepts, and doctrines, none of which he could consider properly in the moment. He was sure of one thing.
”This one will not fail.” he growled, pounding his chest thrice over.
The snake nodded. “Agreed. As you are the spawn of gods, you are to dedicate your life to seeing the world prosper - become a legend among the mortals of this universe. Like Narzhak said, you have a duty. Bring glory to your gods, your followers and yourself, and eternal wealth and power shall be yours. Forget yourself, however…” On the other side of the crater, Jiangzhou, along with the river it was sailing, pulled back to the Giant’s Bath behind the crater wall, leaving the crater itself dry and deserted.
“... And you will find that the world itself will spite you.” He furrowed his brow and flicked his tongue. “So, yes, please do not fail.”
Narzhak winked with a lidless eye. ”But as long as you hold it, it’ll be the best thing in the world.”
With a steady breath, Anu regarded both gods, resolute in stance yet uncertain in mind. ”Your words this one hears and your words this one will apply. Thank you.” he bowed low as he spoke.
Shengshi bowed back, albeit not as low. “Apply them well, and my favour shall be yours, Anu. I will be looking forward to seeing your adventures.” ”Can’t say I’m not curious what you’ll get to,” Narzhak nodded. ”Keep what makes you strong in mind, and you won’t disappoint.”
The finger he had driven into the soil shifted, sending slight tremors running through the ground, and something fell from the sheer iron wall, rattling before Anu’s feet. A great length of chain, with thick, sturdy links and vicious hooks at both ends, lay coiled like a metallic serpent. ”Don’t forget about this kind of strength, either.” The god withdrew his finger. ”And if someone under you does, hit them with this. It’ll help.”
The snake folded his arms and pouted. “Why did you not say we were giving gifts? Do you want me to lose face like this?” He shook his head and snapped his fingers. The canyon in the crater wall once more filled with water, pulling with it the golden frame of Jiangzhou. The ship sailed around the steaming centre and stopped right next to the two deities and Anu. He snapped his fingers again and four servants appeared next to him as if out of thin air. They cast themselves to the ground, first in the direction of Narzhak, then towards Shengshi, and finally facing Anu. The snake gestured to the four.
“These, child, will come along with you on your adventures. They are servants - your servants - but they are also your teachers. They will answer your every need to the best of their abilities, but they will also educate you in the way of the Flow, in writing and in the arts. Exercise true leadership skill, and they will give you their undying loyalty.”
Carefully, Anu kneeled to grasp a cold metal hook in one hand and the rest of the chain link in the other. Quietly, he weight it, slashing it delicately in the air with novice-like apprenticeship that only seemed leave him with every swing. They felt right in the hands of a war-god spawn, but it would only become natural in the hands of a subjugator.
Wrapping the weapon tightly around his right arm, he regarded the servants approvingly. ”Rise, you are of father, and are now of me, you have my respect.”
The four servants all simultaneously rose, bowed deeply, and remained standing with slightly inclined torsos, not looking directly at their new master. “Sacred lord Anu,” said the one furthest to the left, a male dressed in long, black robes with a tall, cylindrical, black hat. “This servant of Yours is named Zhu Rongyuan, a member of the Wise caste. It has been tasked with teaching Your Lordship the ways of leadership and poetry. It awaits its orders eagerly.” He tipped a bow again and the second from the left, a female dressed in a blue linen shirt with brown, tough linen pants, tipped up slightly.
“Holy master Anu,” she began, “This servant of Yours is named Yong Cai, a member of the Skilled caste. It has been tasked with aiding His Lordship in the mastery of craftmanship and architecture. It awaits Your commands, O holy one.”
The third servant, a female dressed in water-blue silk robes with far-too-long sleeves, once more fell to her knees, kowtowed and stood back up. “Divine king Anu,” she began, “This servant of Yours is named Fu Lai’an, a humble member of the Noble caste. It has been tasked with assisting His most honourable Lordship with the development of manners and gentlemanship. Please, O Lord, bless this insignificant one with Your orders.” She fell to her knees again and near-slammed her head against the ground.
The fourth servant, a tall male dressed in a white gi, straightened up and straightened his arms along his sides before bowing near ninety degrees in a quick burst of speed. “Supreme leader Anu,” the tall male began, “This servant of Yours is named Qiang Quan, a warrior of the Strong caste. It has been granted the honour of serving as Your Lordship’s sparring partner, as well as Your advisor on logistics. It prays it will serve You well.” He bowed once more and straightened up.
The snake grinned at Anu. “Is this a worthy gift, dear child?”
Anu regarded each servant, his expression deadpan yet his eyes shown with a passion. He bowed before the serpent and titan.
”This one could not quantify the worth of these gifts. Thank you.” he intoned.
“Very good,” said the snake gleefully. “Just remember that they need water every day - or at the very least, every other day. I would therefore not recommend taking them across the desert any time soon. Anywhere due west is safer if you would like them to live.”
His neck craned westward, the scent of freshwater and rain wafted from their, though it was slightly overpowered by the odor of alcohol. ”West.” he murmured, considering the suggestion. ”It smells of rain, freshwater and...fire.” he nodded with a curled lips. ”Our journey begins there.”
”That’s a good way to start.” Narzhak raised his head and glanced into the distance. ”There’s a bit of a scuffle going on that way, but that’s all for the best. Unrest is the best ground for opportunity if you’re looking to build yourself a dominion.”
Anu nodded, his mission clear and his path liner, no obstacle would slow him down and no stone would stumble him, for Galbar itself would be brought low, as was his mandate. Silenely, the ape gathered himself, and gazed upon the crater of his birth. From this place he came, and to this place he would return.
His eyes returned to those of his fathers. ”I am off.”
Shingshi goes for a swim towards the Cauldron, and sees Narzhak fiddling around it. They discuss recent events of local importance and preferences in pets, then Narzhak mentions he still can’t get a distillery to work properly. Shengshi walks him through the process, dropping a hint about future agricultural potential on the steppes along the way. While waiting for their test run to complete, they decide to go for a few drinks; and, many barrels later, come up with the idea of mixing their blood into the wine to see how it tastes. Turns out, it’s not very good, so they dump it into the Cauldron, where it coalesces into a very loud monkey.
After some back and forth shouting and hooting, the newcomer, grows a bit and introduces himself as Anu. He mentions his intent and aptitude to rule, and the three get into a bit of a debate on what an ideal ruler should be like. Having reached a satisfactory compromise, Anu is given some parting gifts - four servants from Shengshi and an enchanted hooked chain from Narzhak - and takes his leave, heading westwards.
Narzhak
Starting: 3 MP, 4 FP
1 MP spent on a chain which acts as though incandescent to the touch to anyone who disobeys a direct command from its wielder (4/5 towards Subjugation)
The Ivory King • Head of the Headless • Divine Slaver • The Great Ape • The Chain & Whip
M Y T H
N A M E
Anu
G E N D E R
Male
A L I G N M E N T
Neutral Evil
V I S A G E
Despite various depictions of the Ivory King’s visage, Anu’s form is consistent. The simian god stands at almost ten-feet tall and has the stature and build of a divine in between a gorilla and orangutan. Regal in visage, the Head of the Headless’s fur is a pure snow white with skin that is a pale peach color. (More TBA)
H Y M N S
P O R T F O L I O
Domination: is the exercise of ultimate control or influence over a person, place or thing. The concept of dominance encapsulates Anu entirely, ingrained with the discipline and nobility of Shengshi and the imposition of Narzhak, the Ivory King is an individual who naturally exudes complete and utter domination. Anu’s every move, tone of voice, action, and word is a display of dominance. Those who are weak of heart or lacking basic mental fortitude have no choice but to be cowered into servitude under the weight of the deity’s presence, whether by word of mouth or by force. Nature itself seems to cower at the sound of the King’s mandate.
As is appropriate for the embodiment of control and enslavement, the defining symbols of Anu are the chain and shackle. Bound to the feet, arms, and neck of those who fall short of his standards, the chain and shackle serve as the final, ego driven act of complete domination in the eyes of the Ivory King. Those who find themselves bound in them, are to expect only damnnation building the cities and plowing fields of the Divine Slaver.
P E R S O N A L I A
P E R S O N A
Anu is a being of strict, disciplined vision. He is uncompromising in his beliefs that mortals capable of great things, and he is willing to destroy anyone who he perceives as an inconvenience along the path to bringing people to their full potential. This core concept—the foundation of his outlook—was set in stone long ago, back when he was young and meek, molded into a progressive by his divine parentage after his inception during throws of intoxication and godly squabbling by Shengshi the god of rivers and Narzhak the god of war.
As one might expect, a major facet of Anu's personality is his complete intolerance for the substandard. Those who submit themselves entirely to their primitive instincts, eschewing their potential for greatness through ignorance and weakness, are anathema in his eyes. The masses that choose to live wildly, to him, are insulting creatures that serve no purpose but to be consumed to bolster the strong-willed and able-minded, which allows the most capable to enhance themselves and grow closer to his ideal. He is extremely adamant that beings should continue to better themselves without rest. Should even one rumor of unworthy behavior reach his ears, even if it is just a single lapse from an otherwise exemplary mortal, the punishment from his judgment is swift and merciless, earning him the title of the 'Divine Slaver'.
Although an imposing individual by virtue of both his unmatched power and his willingness to use it to obliterate those who oppose his ideals, the 'Head of the Headless' is perfectly rational—even courteous—to those he deems worthy of his respect. Any person that displays the qualities that he finds most suitable is treated as an equal in his eyes, Each, however, must uphold the standards of his ideals, else they might quickly spark his ire and face life-long servitude at the hands of a divine who has no tolerance for the worthless.
Holding together a mass of individuals as wild and unique as the mortals takes incredible drive and discipline, both of which were hardwired into Anu's psyche from an early age. No matter how different their viewpoints are, the Ivory King uses his ability to express his conviction through his movements, tone of voice, and actions to retain order much the same way that a judge would do in a courtroom. All know instinctively when he wishes for them to cease their arguments and focus on whatever task they have gathered to discuss, and fear of retribution makes them quick to obey. Beyond his court, his discipline and drive give him the focus that he needs to oversee the incredibly complex functions of running a growing society pushing towards the height of a renaissance. Despite the seemingly overwhelming responsibility of his station, the "Head of the Headless' never shows weakness or fatigue.
All of the emotions that Anu finds useless or degrading are hidden deep within the flesh of his soul, heavily suppressed by the same discipline that allows him to rule as the Ivory King. He does this to ensure that he meets his own standards, and that the drives of his instincts remain locked away in the name of progress. As a result, each major emotion that he shows is almost entirely under his control. He does not become elated unless he permits himself to feel the rush of positivity, nor does he become angry without a purpose to its expression. On a functional level, this allows him to utilize his powers and skills in ways no others can, with him accessing primal feelings whenever he deems it beneficial to battle. When looked at through a social perspective, however, it makes the man seem incredibly cold. He rarely smiles or shows any emotion at all, even when cutting down dissidents or shackling entire villages. No entropy will occur under his rule.
Member
Double Capybara,
Cyclone,
ChronoBovino,
Vec
