Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius had been endeared by Leeus' enthusiasm, but her last comment had him sitting with his mouth slightly parted, adding to the speechlessness Julan expressed. He looked to Kaleeth. "Did I understand that Jel correctly? It sounded like she was suggesting Julan can turn himself from a man into a woman."

---

"I'll send word ahead and we can organise a meeting," Calia said. "We will bring samples to demonstrate our wine in breadth."

Llarasa grinned. "So, perhaps a bit less directly than how they're doing it here?" She lifted a hand. "No, that's not fair with all the work you two would have put in. But...Vasiq, your family are all such prolific merchants. I'm interested to know what it was like growing up with Ahnasha for a sister."

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

<Snipped quote by Muttonhawk>

Wait, so even with option B you can still make spheres exactly like option A and C? I thought B meant a ban on the 'fairyland' non-euclidean sphere, going from Octopus' posts and the whole 'no middle sphere' allowed.

@Double Capybara

No, I don't think option B implied doing away with non-euclidean spheres. Option B only mandated them being hard to access and being classified as celestial or cthonic.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Cyclone, I might be confused.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

<Snipped quote by Muttonhawk>

Nope. I don't really see this as an issue of classification so much as accessibility, though. Option C simply changes the classification around so that we can give some in-universe justifcation for easily accessible Spheres, like the dirt god living just under a hill where you could dig. Or the forest god's Sphere being forest.

This issue is really distilled down to the previously posed question of whether we'll tolerate gods essentially picking Galbar as their Sphere and dwelling down there, because the dirt and forest are effectively the same thing as Galbar. My leaning is no; I support option B and I find myself more inclined to agree with Octopus on most of what he's said about this.

For some it might be a challenge to think of some sort of Celestial or Chthonian Sphere (or some weird parallel realm, as you suggest) that makes sense for their character, but with a little bit of creativity I think it's possible to come up with something that's fitting, interesting, and not in conflict with the stated rules concerning Spheres.

@Cyclone

Ninja'd!

In that case, I'm going to throw my hat into option B. I don't see why a god should be linked strictly to Galbar as a sphere when their sphere could still be linked closely to a physical aspect of Galbar, such as forests or wildlands.

And just because a sphere like that isn't so accessible, it doesn't restrict you from finding ways for inter-sphere travel to happen thematically. If a little girl gets lost in the woods, you can easily fudge together her unnoticed stumbling into the sphere of forest god by mere chance and then having a hell of a time finding her way home, all the while the rangers of the previous woods having no idea where she disappeared to. Any other contrivance can be made to facilitate stories.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

So the earthly spheres would be spheres that intersect with the physical world and maybe even each other @Muttonhawk?

@Crispy Octopus

Yes, much like any other spheres, except without adherence to the physical "Up or Down" dichotomy that seems to be the limiting factor here.

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

As a caveat to the previous paragraph, some Spheres might not adhere to Euclidean geometry. They could overlap with others; in this way there might be a Sphere that acts as a fairy world, existing in the same place as Galbar but only becoming visible under certain conditions and only being accessible through the use of certain rituals or gateways.

The WIP sphere rules in the doc

Is there a reason why a more earthly sphere cannot take the above caveat and just pick whether it's more celestial or cthonic?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius nodded. "At this point, Julan, it is an obligation. It is an integral part of the rite and our welcome here may depend on it."

---

Calia had to stop to put her hand to her chest momentarily, pulling her chin back as if a piece of her food had caught in her throat. She swallowed it without a noise, but her expression had some leftover sourness. "Yes. Family. Hmm." Her smile returned. "I think perhaps we should defer the specific details to another time. It suffices to say your offer is worth consideration."

Llarasa caught Vasiq and Shevari's eyes. "Is this how they won over your family, Shevari?"

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

I'm thinking about doing a god of blood, but not like Khorne or Stupid Sexy Vampires and stuff. Still cooking up the concept, though.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With no further response from Julan, Janius switched to a friendlier tone. "Well good on you, Leeus. Train hard enough and I think you could make your father proud." His smile faded. "In fact, Julan, just earlier I learned from your mother a bit more about the significance of the leviathan marks. Kaleeth?" He looked up to her. "I've had two serious talks with the boy already today. Do you want to take over?"

---

This time, Calia had put aside her food and drink to weave her fingers together while she listened.

"Isn't that still a big risk?" Monderyn commented. "We can't really know for sure if there's a market for our wine in the Dominion."

Calia's smile returned. "You are right, Monderyn. We do not. But that does not mean we cannot find out." She looked to Gwindir. "What we usually do ourselves when presenting to distributors is carry a small case of a selection of our wines to present to taverns and stores to taste for themselves. With the resellers convinced, we can receive orders directly. While it is unusual for such orders to travel between tense nation states, I do not think it impossible. And, indeed, this may be a way to test the waters. Now, we were intending to give you a bottle as a gift today, but perhaps if Rossarm is amenable to the idea, we could send you away with several. From there would you be able to see those extra bottles brought to interested parties in the Dominion?"

Llarasa was still uneasy. "I'm not sure that father would want to trade out that far. Doesn't he harbour a dislike for...well, the people living in the Dominion?"

"Nonsense! He will not have to deal with them personally." Calia waved him off dismissively. "What do you think, Gwindir?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Janius smiled and tried to be consoling. "It's alright, Julan. You know we knew already, and that was without Leeus kissing you in front of everyone after your combat." He glanced at Leeus and back at Julan. "But we're not here to bother you about any of that. We need to talk about your marks. Your mother has some more facts about it that you need to hear."

---

Calia paid full attention to every word Gwindir said. Apart from a moment to eat a morsel of spiced melon, the small movements of her face appeared to show a positive reaction to him. When he finished, Calia sat still and staring, as if scrutinising.

Fendros, Monderyn, and Llarasa each showed a little concern. Everyone was quiet.

Calia smiled. "Gwindir, I understand us Dunmer do not sport a reputation for our humility." She twisted her head slightly into a nod. "While my family has pride, my own pride included, the only thing I cannot stand more than having my pride pressed upon is someone knowing something that I don't and would very much like to hear. I cannot accept any agreements without both myself and my husband involved, you understand, but for hearing the opportunity? I'm all ears."

Fendros piped up at this with a forced smile. "I hope it's not going to be too exclusive talking business," he said to everyone else.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The day had been so active that Janius forgot to consider that Julan and Leeus could have been having a private moment again. However, he did not expect to see them as they were. He slowed and gave Kaleeth a look, before approaching with her.

"Hal-Leeus, Kaj-Julan," he said softly, kneeling down near them. "Is everything alright?"

---

Calia gave S'nashi a warm smile that could have come off as patronising. "If only it were that simple, my dear S'nashi. You see, for those with a short lifetime, aggressive risks and expansion come naturally and by default. It is necessary to enjoy while you can. Wine, however, lives on. We secure buyers in our best long term interests, and that means keeping a reserve to mature, and selling when the time is right." She raised her cup with the tips of her fingers. "A mature wine is more valuable, and a mature tariff policy is not. One will fall before the other."