The Archmagister Prime

[Emperor Ing]

Rand is a particularly interesting thing. Although certainly not the first Arcane Incarnation, he was the first to achieve a form beyond that, an embodiment of arcane mystery beyond that which the mightiest archmages, even Arcane Incarnations can't even begin to fathom. He was even the first to achieve the level beyond even that, the so-called Cosmic Incarnation. He is at such a level that he embodies the finite, the infinite and the transfinite. The Alpha and the Omega. To call him a mage is a severe understatement. He is Magic. To stand against him is to forfeit your privilege of existance, since your soul is just a magical phenomenon. Your ability to use magic is out of the question.

Yet here he sits. Well, his avatar sits. His true self is gazing into the transfinite on his personal Demiplane. A Humanoid whose skin gleams a reflective sheen that depicts the furies of the cosmos. Presiding over yet another of the Archmagister's council meeting. The labrynthine plots of Archmagisters trying to one-up each other, the fiery rhetoric of Ecclesiarchial Archmagisters "debating" the merits of their sect, and if he's lucky he can hear one or two of the hundreds of Archmagisters actually using some arcanobabble to discuss some random theorum of some sort. Just another day in the Archmagister's Chambers. Part of the infrastructure that predates even Rand himself.

Old High Aios, as it's affectionately called, is a part of a hyperdimensional infrastructure that housed High Aios millenia before Rand was even born, let alone was Archmagister Prime. The most peculiar thing about Old High Aios is that it looks different depending on who looks at it, as the structure will generate an image based on the pre-conceived images in the creature's mind. Only Rand has seen what High Aios actually looks like. Some see an ornate capital dome, some see a magnificent ice and crystal cathedral, and some have just seen someone's ridiculously oversized house.

For the moment, Rand's Avatar, who for all intents and purposes IS Rand, is quite bored. He's already deciphered the pattern hidden in the chaos of this Archmagister's Council meeting and is just waiting for some excuse to get out of there. Not that anyone had any right or ability to stop him from doing whatever he wanted but that would be rude. And the Archmagister Prime wasn't in the mood for being rude.

[Dr.Orpheus]

First thing you detect after casting a few detection spells (which reveal no eminent danger) is a strange hard to notice mist not seeming to be made of water that will evaporate upon being examined and recondense after. A while after examining you hear a very loud yell from very far off (by very I mean that it can be heard faintly from 2/5 of the way around the world).

[Emperor Ing]

With a simple flick of his wrist, the Archmagister, in the time it would take ordinary mages to cast one spell, opens up 250 scrying portals for him to scour over, looking over visually what his senses can detect audibly. Preferably, looking for the source of the scream. As the embodiment of magic, he is able to look through all the portals simultaneously as if they were his own eyes.

Of course only now does Rand realize how desperate he is. People scream all over this oversized rock all the time. What is it with this one that demanded his attention? In the time it takes to read this sentence, 47 people will have screamed for whatever reason in the floating island-city of Virtuous.


He can actually do that.

[Dr.Orpheus]

You see a giant of giant proportions hammering his ironclad fist with his other fist and he is having a hard time cold fusing a new piece of iron onto the cold iron ball surrounding his right fist.

[Emperor Ing]

Oh hey! Did you guys hear that? The Avatar apparently says out of the blue before zipping off at hyperluminal speeds towards the giant giant.

Moving faster than the speed of light provides the unintended benefit of being able to appear as if out of thin air, which works surprisingly well for social situations. Arriving at the scene, he can pretty easily find the giant giant. Not really ever one to be looked down upon, Rand's Avatar hovers in the air at eye level to the creature, arms crossed. Heeey! What's up? I heard you from like 400,000 miles away.

[Dr.Orpheus]

A smaller yet still giant, storm giant speaks for his larger partner as he squishes more metal to his fist. Hello mon ami, waves his hand at his larger friend and his eyes glow and is now in a trance. The Bivore was just doing some arts and crafts.

[Emperor Ing]

I see. Bivore...he...eats two things? The miniature cosmic being muses. Barely taller than a normal sized man however everything below the abdomen trails off into nebulae that glows with the light of newborn stars. Furthermore, the avatar totally called it, this one screaming did demand his attention. He had no doubt that, in their own way, these beings are at least in their own ways equatable in power to Rand's manifestation.

Anyways, I digress. A lot. But...I don't think we've met and you look way too composed to be an Archmagister Ecclesiarch. My name's Rand. He extends a hand out to the Storm Giant, a massive two-fingered (three if you count the thumb) hand made of impossible amounts of arcane energy manifests between himself and the Storm Giant, open and ready to meet the Giant's grasp.

[Dr.Orpheus]

The giant shakes adjusting the strength of the hand shake to what this hand will allow. I take it you are new here as well mon ami. I would be happy to share some advice and a reward, for a favor.

[Emperor Ing]

Yeah. Funny thing happened. I was just chillin' in my demiplane and BAM!! Suddenly High Aios got dropped on top of this hugeass mountain. Which sucks because teleporting's not working. Also, if that's a quip about my age, those aren't really appreciated. I get it. I'm young. Big deal. He pauses from the ramblings briefly.
Soo....what's this favor you're asking?

[Dr.Orpheus]

I am neither older, younger, nor the same age a you, so I don't see why I would bother discriminating anyone by age. However for that favor I need someone to take over bodyguarding a demiurge whose previous bodyguard has given up, due to his moodiness and pride.

[Emperor Ing]

Bodyguarding a Demiurge. Those...are words that there must be some omniversial law against using in the same sentence. Regardless, you've got my attention. No matter how many millenia go by or how powerful you and your peers become, some things never change. Tell me more: Who would I be protecting, who's going after them, and is it true the Bivore only eats two things?

[Dr.Orpheus]

I warn you mon ami I am forbidden to tell you certain things about this job, but you would be guarding a god of caution named Tuauts. It is not in any danger, but the consequence of him dying is so great that he must be watched at all times. If you prove to be a good body guard you will be given more information, but thats all for now.

Although it is not the reason for his name the Bivore only eats noninteligent matter and meek beings.

[Emperor Ing]

Yeeeah...no. There's an old saying from back when I was a mortal: You can't beat your enemy without knowing them. And if I didn't know any better i'd say this whole thing is a ploy to get me killed, fighting enemies I have no way of knowing how to defend against them. He's clearly getting very suspicious. I think there's more you can tell me. At the very least, a reason for withholding information.

[Dr.Orpheus]

There are no known enemies of this being, but the consequence for his death is just to great, the reason some of this is a secret is because I am under oath. It would just put you off your game if you knew what was at stake, and you would be in trouble with a higher power.

[Emperor Ing]

So i'm basically just supposed to stand around and look pretty. I think I can do that. You can at least give me some hints though.

[Dr.Orpheus]

Well if anyone did try to attack this demiurge they would likely be within some other organization to cover it up, and have a very discrete means of comunicating with a boss.

[Emperor Ing]

He probably already knows who may come after Tuauts. Well are you at liberty to tell me the consequences of Tuauts' destruction?

[Dr.Orpheus]

It will make the penalties of not using caution or simply making a mistake infinity more severe so that even forgetting to brush your teeth results in a life worse than death. Now I must let you know that bit of information can be taken out of your brain so it is as if I never told it to you. This will only happen if you are about to share this information with anyone else.

[Emperor Ing]

Please, threats are not a substitute for understanding. I didn't have any plans to share anything I learned anyways. Who would I tell? Genecide? Trust me, the less he knows, the better. Now then, I would normally muse about whether or not letting everyone know the consequences of his death would bring, but then I remembered that there are a****les out there who totally would go after him with this objective in mind.

Which begs the question: Why are you okay with telling me this?

[Dr.Orpheus]

I am restricted from guarding this demiurge myself mon ami or else I would, but I would trust almost anyone with great enough power to do the job unless they wanted to gain one of the worst dooms to themselves.

[Emperor Ing]

It would take someone with the hubris to believe in their infallibility and the malice to wish a terrible fate on everything else. I don't doubt these creatures...exist. Regardless, I am interested. Dost thou have any ability to tell me what I get out of this?

[Dr.Orpheus]

It is not nessisary you remain with them at all times if they are on a well guarded plane, but if you wish to end your service you can ask for me and I will search for someone to take your place.

[Emperor Ing]

Erhm, I don't think I was clear. I was asking about payment.

[Dr.Orpheus]

As materials are easy to come by thought has been put into the idea of granting powers as payment. After a few days you will be contacted with a number of options for you to chose from. The number of days will change OoC.

[Emperor Ing]

Alright. I'll take it. Although just so you know, technically i'm not Rand, i'm his avatar. That doesn't mean i'm a pushover by any means of course. Although, I kind of AM Rand, I mean... He fumbles with the words, muttering incoherent sentence fragments. ...eurgh, whatever. You know what I mean. His...my true self...selves knows what's going on here of course. Oh! It's like a hive-mind!

[Dr.Orpheus]

I still carry lesser status mon ami, but wherever you may be ranked in your culture you are the first I have spoken with.

[Emperor Ing]

Yeah, okay. So where and when do I start?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Tuauts will be transferred to you by the previous bodyguard, and if they change their mind you may be given another demiurge.

[Emperor Ing]

So I just hang around until he appears before me?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Momentarily you see a sphere. You can fill him in mon ami, he can't have any more information then you anyways. When the sphere, the Bivore, and the cohort are gone you sense a god, but only see a mortal human, his appearance has nothing really special about it. Uh, hey?

[Emperor Ing]

Oh hai. The humanoid says, extending a hand, or as close to a hand as a swirling mass of cosmic energy shaped and sized like a hand can be.
You must be Tuauts. I've heard about you. My name is Rand, i'm an avatar of the Cosmic Incarnation and Archmagister Prime of High Aios: Rand.

[Dr.Orpheus]

The man looks around as if to see who you are talking to and then realizes it is him and he shakes the hand of energy. Oh hey, I'm Generic. Tuauts is an acquaintance of mine and was taken from our multiverse, but now I sense him again. I guess I have been transferred or something.

[Emperor Ing]

Ah, my mistake. But yeah, ripped from your multiverse? That seems to be happening a lot, lately. Tuauts should be around here somewhere. Now how do you know him again?

[Dr.Orpheus]

We were pantheon buddies, but if you don't mind. I shall go off and look for him.

[ShadowFireLance]

Back at your capitol...

Large holes are starting to form underneath your Mountian fortress, Causing it to be unsteady, So far the divinations are resulting in naught.
Repairs are also naught

[Emperor Ing]

I'm actually looking for him too, mind if I come along? Rand now has a mind to think this is Tuauts.
And unless i'm mistaken, isn't he a Demiurge? I wasn't aware they had pantheons, I thought that was just Immortals and sometimes Sidereals.

Meanwhile, The Archmagister himself brings forth another fragment of his vast power, manifesting another Avatar. This one appearing before the assembled Archmagisters identical and indistinguishable from the last. It appears in a coalescing of an impossible level of arcane magics even the Archmagister Lords could never dream of wielding.
Wooow. I'm gone for like...one minute and already the mountain's falling apart. Okay, whoever admits responsibility first gets their ass kicked only slightly less hard. Also, Fluffer Buffer Butter Nutter. Considering the Arcanologist Ecclesiarchs common among the Archmagisters commonly take notes of every word Rand says, believing it to be sacred, Rand has made it a little game to play with their faith. He'll speak out a line that ranges from random words to complete jibberish, then see how they try to interpret the pseudo-syntax. The amount of devotion and scholarly resources that goes into it never fails to amuse him.

[Dr.Orpheus]

Well a lot of gods are part time clerics to higher divinities where I'm from, and I guess you can come along as my guard sense my friend seems to be guarded for some reason. Hey, you arn't by any means related to my purpose of being here are you? I am still confused and you were right next to where I was summoned. He says to you while repetitively attempting to plane shift to a plane and being prevented by a ward. You then here a voice from beyond the farthest reaches you were aware existed saying Information update We the charter welcome you as a 1st degree guardian :: Your first check-in and rewarding will be in 2 days time :: Your charge is forbidden from meeting the other guarded demiurges for prolonged periods

[Emperor Ing]

Well where I come from you'd have a hard time finding gods, erhm, deities that even know Demiurges exist. Well, they know I exist because I hang out with mortals and petitioners, but i'm a Demiurge in only the loosest sense, and my Universe's actual demiurge is still kickin'. He's kind of a d*** though. Anyway, are you supposed to be under guard too?

[Dr.Orpheus]

No clue. Then in your head you here Response Yes he is

[Emperor Ing]

That's what he thought.
Actually, yeah you are. Apologies but there's some sort of rule that says that people under the protection of...whatever, aren't supposed to meet with others. I'm looking for Tuauts for this reason, and i'm going to have to ask you to ask you to stop looking.

[rweird]

OoC:
Is this area shielded from divine senses? If not, I'd drop by to explain some stuff.

[Emperor Ing]

((Rand doesn't have any wards up, so there's no reason why not))

[Dr.Orpheus]

Dang those higher powers... Ah well Tuauts was a wimp as I recall anyways.

[rweird]

In that case...

A hound archon appears in front of you, it looks ordinary, excepts it lacks a weapon, and it has a amulet, though its eyes are different, they show a great many things, the entire universe, what has happen, what is happening, what might happen, and what will happen (just a description, I have a great deal of knowledge, nothing mechanically). With a wave of his hand, he blocks the area from others senses. He speaks into your mind, so no others hear, even though the area is blocked off.

Emperor Ing and the Demiurge he is guarding:
<I am Uesiar-Thikor'auck, ruler of Heaven, the Demiurge you seek is with me. He is under my protection, and I will protect him, I see that you have a ward, like mine. Tuauts is well guarded, don't worry. No-one besides us, and a few of my most trusted know this, and I would appreciate you not telling, secrecy is one of the best ways to keep something safe. The charter is the organization that wants us to do this, I don't trust them, though what they guard is to valuable for me to not try to help with. I wanted to tell you this before you try to find him because that might lead to unneeded hostilities.>

[Dr.Orpheus]

Spoken into Uesiar-Thikor'auck's mind Information update Your first check-in and rewarding will be in 1 days time

[rweird]

Thank you. He replies in the same way.

[Emperor Ing]

Dang those higher powers... Ah well Tuauts was a wimp as I recall anyways.

You know, it's REALLY pissed me off. No matter how powerful I get, no matter what plateaus I surpass, there's always something one step ahead of me. Seriously, tell me 34 million years ago i'd be peers with demiurges I would've told you you were insane. Anyways, I ramble way too damn much. Pardon me but i've gotta go. He looks to the Hound Archon, and points to him in an exaggerated and intentionally overdramatic manner.
Take me to your leader!

[rweird]

<I am here, I said 'I am Uesiar-Thikor'auck, ruler of Heaven' I am the leader you wish to speak to, I just took this form because my true form is not only unnerving, but can be a danger to those around me, though if we go somewhere private, then I could show myself without having to worry that mortals will worship me or drop dead.>

[Emperor Ing]

Alright then. Lead on.

[rweird]

A gate opens to the astral plane, with a way of the have, a demiplane is formed, it is blank, though many gates exist, showing the universe at large.

This is now something private, Emperor Ing & Demiurge he is guarding (Doctor O as Co-DM) only, I have a way to prevent you from knowing about this:
<For the duration of this meeting, we are immune to all information gathering affects.> he speaks into your minds, for a moment, his eyes blaze with the might of the universe, and then a great dragon grows before you, wings seeming to stretch across the plane, with eyes like planets and scales like stars, patterns as ancient as the universe trail around it, and reality seems so interwoven into this dragon, it is like the universe, something you've looked at for eternity, though only just realized what it is. "Now we can talk. What is it you would like to speak with me about?"

[Emperor Ing]

Huh, you look like a naked, draconic version of my true self. Nothing particularly perplexing if I do say so.
The miniature Cosmic Incarnation remarks. His own skin a solid chrome that reflects galaxies and nebulae.
Anyways, let's get down to business. I'm looking for Tuauts?

[rweird]

Not to gods such as yourselves, though the experience would be quite different to mortals. (I'm just assuming your immune to all the bad stuff I can't control)

Tuauts is under my protection, why do you want to see him?

[Emperor Ing]

As of a few minutes ago, he's under my protection too. I know what you're thinking, but I think that means we're supposed to be colleages. Or enemies, but I think we can agree we'd rather not be the latter.

Also, don't talk down to mortals. I've known at least one that could kick both of our asses without any difficulty, i'm sure they can handle seeing some stars and galaxies shaped in the form of a dragon.

[Dr.Orpheus]

OoC:
Tuauts will be transferred to you by the previous bodyguard, and if they change their mind you may be given another demiurge.

It appears you misread this, you have not been assigned to guard Tuauts.

[rweird]

"The problem is as a dragon, people get rather scared when I do anything that might be seen as hostile. I don't mean to talk down mortals, I know the power they can achieve, though most don't, and it is the weaker ones I worry about.

"I am the guardian of Tauats, and intend to remain as such unless it is shown that my protection is not enough, though I would welcome your help, still, you should set up wards for the other Demiurge your guarding, it wouldn't do for one of them to die while both of us are protecting the other, and seeing as he can't see any of the others, you couldn't go with him."

Emperor Ing:
The full affect of my aura would be to drive everyone in a several mile radius insane unless they pass a DC: To high saving throw, and I have frightful presence so if I do anything that might be counted as hostile, it'd send everyone running and screaming, I also have an aura that charms everyone, in general, I just don't want this to happen when the king of heaven appears. (I actually might be able to suppress some of that, though I don't feel like taking the time to find out).

[Emperor Ing]

((You know, you seriously lead me to believe I would be guarding Tuauts))

Rand doesn't buy it. It may be because he's jaded to such images, he could look upon the perfect embodiment of horror without a hint of fear, but he believes his experiences as a mortal help him know what they would and would not consider horrifying.
I was lead to believe short of extreme circumstances, Demiurges can't be killed. Of course I was also lead to believe they embody a whole universe and the fact that we're using the term in its plural form indicates that at least one of the two things i've listed has been invalidated.

[Dr.Orpheus]

In Rand's mind he hears, Warning Your charge remains on the material plane unguarded

[rweird]

OoC: Doctor O, I'm pretty sure I brought him along too.

Emperor Ing: Okay, OoC, this is what happened, like with you, the charter told me pretty much nothing, and I got annoyed, I chose to guard him because I thought that the charter leaving it to a demiurge, when they seemed to be more powerful meant that they didn't care so much about what happened to Tuauts, and I would be a more responsible guardian.

IC: "You say demiurges can't be killed, I believe this is wrong, at least in this universe, you see, Izeldias Godwyrm rules, and he has changed many things. Demiurges can die, demiurges can slay timelords, timelords can have demiurges inside of them, demiurges can have sidereals. Considering I am a demiurge, your guarding a demiurge, and if I am correct, you yourself are a demiurge, it has been shown that multiple demiurges exist, they can be killed in extreme circumstances, though considering multiple demiurges are in this universe, and think it can very well get extreme. I know the second is invalid at least, for the first, I'm not sure." I seem to notice your skepticism and approve, though hide it well, though not impossibly well.

[Dr.Orpheus]

OoC: In that case Ing would hear nothing and you would hear, Information update Your charge is forbidden from meeting the other guarded demiurges for prolonged periods[/I]

[rweird]

OoC, Doctor O. Tuauts isn't on the demiplane he just made, he is in my palace with the guards, I went to meet with Rand alone.

[Dr.Orpheus]

OoC: Alright I just assumed you took Rand to the plane with Tuauts cause he was asking about him

[Emperor Ing]

Rand doesn't bother trying to hide his thoughts through his body language, however his lack of a face makes it rather difficult. I'm not a demiurge. At least...I don't think i'm a Demiurge. I'm on the level, sure, but in my universe the old demiurge was still kickin' by the time I ascended into my current form. I haven't seen him around, thank the Gods, but we co-existed fine, in a metaverse where two demiurges cannot exist in the same universe. Of course, back in my metaverse demiurges were unkillable, and were never used in the plural form. So for all intents and purposes I probably am one as well. But I digress: I am required elseware. It was nice meeting you, You-Sayer Thickor-awk. Rand says as he immediately casts Greater Plane Shift to warp back to the human demiurge.
Heey! What'd I miss?

[Dr.Orpheus]

I don't know I was just standing here toasting some bread, and had that feeling someone was watching me. He hands you some toast from his apparently summoned toaster.

[Emperor Ing]

The miniature Cosmic Incarnation waves his hand to decline the toast. Quite frankly he probably wouldn't be able to find where he might eat it. Apologies, grains never agreed with my anatomy.

And yes, we probably are being watched. One second... In a burst of magic, a sphere of nondetection envelops the two of them, granting those that would scry upon them the preprogrammed image of the Archmagister performing particularly rude gestures at the scryer.
Feeling better?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Sure, so what are we going to do now? I personally would like to see more of this world sense I just got here.

[Emperor Ing]

I dunno. I spend most of my time staring into the omniverse, decoding the pattern in the supernatural. I don't get out much, to tell you the truth. When I do, I hang out with mortals. If you want, we can try infiltrating a mortal adventuring party. That's always fun. I hear someone's making movements against some...Gnolls just outside the borders of High Aios.

[Dr.Orpheus]

I'm up for that.

[Emperor Ing]

Alright. Okay, just so you don't raise suspicions, you gotta...actually no. You look the part pretty well, but i'd change your appearance just for good measure. Nothing dramatic, but it spoils the fun if someone recognizes you and how powerful you are. With a flash of violet light, Rand does exactly that. The humanoid cosmic avatar transforming into a green-scaled lizardman species that resemble lizardfolk, except of far more defined stance and dimension.

And now I am Zekel, Arcanologic Magister-Ecclesiarch of the Essenic Sect. Pleased to meet you.

[Dr.Orpheus]

Generic shrinks a few inches grows a short beard. Call me bob.

[Emperor Ing]

Okay...Bob. He's slightly surprised by the rather lack of imagination from this guy. What does Bob do?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Instructing in musical history... I guess.

[Emperor Ing]

You're new to this aren't you? You're a demiurge. You're two steps above Gods in the same way Gods are one step above most men. Surely you must have some ability to defend yourself.

[Dr.Orpheus]

I am the most generic being in the omniverse, the mode average of all beings, and I'm bad at disguising as someone else because on average other forms will stick out more than my natural one.

[Emperor Ing]

Rand starts to understand what's going on with these demiurges and why everyone is so reluctant to protect them. So what has the sum of all things mediocre been doing for fun for the last fifty quadnippilian years?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Playing cards, showing off for immortals, doing divine responsibilities and stuff. You probably got more prestigious things to do, but our divine responsibilities are the only real important thing demiurges and sidereals do. Mine is pretty easy sense I just have to do the Great Compilation once every million years.

[Emperor Ing]

I just keep a bazillion experiments going on at once. Most of 'em won't pan out to anything worthwhile, i'm just curious if the Arcanologists will publish my jibberish. Now then, what's the Great Compilation?

[Dr.Orpheus]

Its this event where I become the sum instead of the average of everything the Great Decompolation as you expect is whenever I happen to die and everything unlikely will happen, everything uncommon will appear, and things will generally look cool, but suck.

[Emperor Ing]

Hmm, so it's like...no. So...what happens when the sum of all things generic, no, average-ah-hah-em. The sum of all means dies? Could you be more specific?