"No trap, so far as I can tell, but there never was a good time to come."
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"No trap, so far as I can tell, but there never was a good time to come."
"Peace brother, there was simply a misunderstanding. This is a peaceful meeting. Feel at ease in my home I beg of you.
Barin
Barin frowns at Aresk, his hand tightening on the gray ironwood axe handle and his Quicksilver eyes narrowing, he whispers to the god as he passes him If you try that again, I will bury this axe in your skull He then walks past the god, pushing roughly past him, and addressing the newcomer with genuine cheer. No trap, merely restless god who cannot control his temper, I am Barin, the Great Shield, I am newly arrived myself. He extends his hand in greeting, a warm smile on his steel-skinned face.
Sesketh
"I will remember this, Erothayce. Now, I'm not a philosopher. I am a man of action. Still, you should consider what I said. As gods, are we not all willing to impose our points of view? Were we MADE to collaborate? As a patron of war, I see the potential in temporary alliances. But courtesy? This is unknown to me. You see...how much we all differ?"
The tone wasn't arrogant. Sesketh only spoke in truths...from his point of view, obviously.
"But I'm all for order. Do tell of your proposed rules."
"Rules will serve none of us well. They will serve only to limit us, who should be unlimitable. Rules may sometimes prevent entropy, but often they do not, they are just as likely to introduce stagnation."
Artures paused for a moment.
"There can be no harm in hearing your rules, however."
Uso looks at Barin for a moment before shaking the man's hand. "Uso the Stormlord." He smiles back for a moment before looking around at the others curiously. "What is this talk of rules? I agree with our friend there: we are the gods. We were born to do as we wish. The only limit will be what the others keep us from doing. Chaos opposing order, life opposing death and the like. I say if we can get away with it, then do so." With that he walks over and takes a seat apart from the others.
Barin
Barin too left to take a seat. He created a throne out of various metals. It was made of iron, with steel coating, and chased with mithril and aurus, it depicted the acts of kings and warlords alike. It was shaped like a castle, all high spires and high walls, and above it, coming from the back, a silver deers head hung. I disagree. All societies need rules and laws, even with no leader. With no rules, noones creations will be safe. A god need not confront another to slaughter his followers.
"I simply think that after a certain point we should not interfere in our creations lives too much. I feel no neither way about having rules or no rules. That is for others to decide.
Uso thinks for a moment before nodding. "I could come to agree to let our creations fight their own battles without us I suppose. Will make them stronger if nothing else. Besides, it seems we may need to save our strength for battling each other." He glances purposefully at Aresk and Sesketh.
Sesketh
"You talk of intervention. Why not? They are too weak to survive by themselves."
Sesketh turned to the Stormlord.
"You may be right. If I inspire them and make them fear their god, they will continue on the right path, teaching the next generations the art of warfare, while honouring me forever."
The spark in Sesketh's eyes seemed to grow brighter. The Scorpion God hungered for power.
Vesper
Vesper watches the pseudo battle and the following argument with amusement, gods are such fickle creatures. He knew nothing would come from the meeting. It was good he had decided to attend, he could see the powerplays at work and try to work the situation towards his advantage.
"I don't think we can totally disconnect ourselves from our creations or our acquired followers. We all depend on them for our own powers...yet if we destroy the world we will inturn be destroyed"
"My only creations fight no battles. Yet I will not agree to avoid the affairs of mortals. The mortals are far more interesting than this meeting of gods, and I shall continue to work my will with them."Said Artures, "If there are no rules to suggest, I feel that this meeting is hardly a manner of business. Shall we make it one of pleasure?"
The Eternal Lover waves his hand, and in front of the gods there is a table set with delectable foodstuffs, with a place for each god. Artures sat down, as a beautiful throne of marble and gold and gems rose up from the ground.
"I speak not of destruction of anything. I speak of not giving mortals the power of a god or intervening in a war becasue it is going badly for your side.
"Speak of what you will. I will speak of what I will, and I will intervene as I so desire. Will you not eat?" asks Artures, the roast thigh of some creature already at hand.
Vesper
"Yet you can grant or deny the power of the arcane to anyone you choose. I believe this puts the rest of us at a severe disadvantage. Now, if there were some safeguards in place that you would not strip the powers from those who worship other gods and allow anyone with the gift to practice the art we may be able to come to an agreement here."
Uso looks at their host incredulously. "If our powers, our very existence depends on having followers, and our followers are being killed off, you expect us to stand by and let it happen? I think no." He glances at the food, frowns, then looks around the others. "If there is no other business, I have much to do still."
Sesketh
"I ask of you the right to imbue one follower of my choice with some divine strength, one who shall be my Champion. One in every generation. All gods will be able to have a Champion, if they so desire."
((Edit: Congrats everyone, you're begininng to teach civility to Sesketh.))
"Do so if you will. I desire no champion, but if I did I would not ask your permission"
Sesketh
"Don't worry. I'm talking about setting rules of war. Not rules of love."
The God of War had much difficulty to utter the word "love". Even then, he said it with apparent disgust.
"I thought War was as free from rules as Love always has been, but perhaps I was mistaken. If you're willing to forfeit your sovereignty, it's no concern of mine." Artures sips a wine the like of which no mortal has tasted, and continues, "Your creatures follow no rules save your own, why should you follow rules?"
Sesketh
The god smiled, but any smile on him looked...wrong. His tail was agitated.
"I mainly want others to follow rules of my choosing, if they are to follow any at all."
Barin
Barin frowned, he had since returned his shield and axe to their places on his back. his great gauntleted hands were crossed at his chest. There must be rules in war, for if there are no rules mortals and gods alike will seek to stretch the limits, and this leads only to destruction. He turned to Uso It is for the good of all, not the least your own followers. Advantages are gained and lost in war and battle, but if one god intervenes because his side is beginning to lose, so too will the others god, and it will only end in misery.
" I agree with the idea of a champion. And I also agree with the idea of food. And Vesper it is my right to decide for magic is one of my main places of power. I refuse to restrict myslef to make you feel more secure." After he finishes Erothayce creates a seat out of the stuff of shadows and sits down to partake of the meal.
Barin
Barin frowns at this too. So you would limit the powers of others, but refuse to limit your own? Does that not seem a tad... unbalanced?
Vesper
'Then why should I limit my intervention with the mortals when you can simply strip my followers of any arcane ability? Fellow gods, think about it, If you have a powerful champion or devotee who is an accomplished wizard, Eurothayce can simply rip the power from his very soul making him a mere peasant. Is this truly fair? There must be rules governing the laws of Arcane Magic."
"I have no desire nor will I ever to rip the powers from anyone. Am I an evil god who would do it for my own benefit? Am i a good good who would do it so that evil is weakened? No. i am entirely neutral. I hold the power to stop mortals from doing anything catastrophic. I do not think as you do evil one of power. I think of the balance. I would not rip power from anything so long as it does not threaten to destroy our world or a large part of it. So stop your complaining.
Halna teleported to the top of the hole in an instant. He looked around, and desert was all he could see. It stretched on for miles and miles. He gaze for a second more, than sheathed his sword and said "Well, I'm bored now." He began to walk across the desert, then began to jog, then sprint across the featureless desert.
He hollered and whooped in pleasure as the landscape flew by him, and he began to soak it all in. Finally, he came to a large forest, where he sensed a million different life forms scurrying about. He began to walk through the forest, touching flowers, examining bugs, watching animals, and the like.
He soon came upon two young children, humans, fighting each other with sticks. Memories came flooding back to him, of combat, fighting, and wars. He slowly turned toward the two children. He smiled. "How would you two like to learn how to really fight?"
The two children, their eyes glazed at Halna, simply nodded. He spent hours teaching those two children the basic motions of fighting, stabs, thrusts, parries, blocks, then more and more complex moves, until those children were masters of the longsword in their own limited way.
As it began to grow more towards dusk, the children led Halna back to their home, a small village in a clearing near the jungle. The two children toward the village, Halna easily keeping pace. He approached the hut of the village leader, and the man came out. He was a big man, easily as tall as Halna. The children frantically began telling them about the things they had learned, dancing about, flourishing the sticks that functioned as swords.
The man chuckled and looked at Halna. "I see ya met me boys, Jared and Michael. They say ya know a thing or two about the ways of the sword." A dangerous glint went into the man's eye. "I'm the best swordsman in the village. I challenge you to a duel." Halna simply smiled. "I accept."
The duel was faught in an empty animal pen. Halna drew his sword, and flourished it. The man, known as Carrin, simply drew his sword slowly, and waited-
Which was a bad move. In a swift motion, Halna disarmed Carrin, and threw him into the sides of the fence. Halna chuckled when Carrin got up, picked up his sword, rubbed his bottom, and muttered, "Beginner's luck."
Once again, the duel ended swiftly, with Carrin crashing through the side the side of the fence, his sword lodged in the ground on the other side of the pen. Halna tossed Carrin his sword once more. Carrin ran fiercely forward, and swung powerfully, which Halna side-stepped and backhanded Carrin, sending him to the ground.
Carrin rubbed his jaw, and stood up. Instead of reaching for his sword again, he simply shook Halna's hand. "Ye be a man of great skill, no doubt. I would be honored if ye would teach the men and women of me village some of your techniques."
Halna smiled widely, revealing shining white teeth. "I would be honored to teach you."
Halna taught the villagers for several hours, until they all became quite talented in the art of swordplay, a quite fast teaching. But the brightest pupil was Carrin, and he was by far the smartest and fastest of his pupils.
Near the end of the day, he took Carrin aside and said to him, "Carrin, if what your village used to be represents good combatants, I'll need you and your villagers to spread my lessons to all of your kind, as much as possible. I've seen some of the dangers of this world, and your kind will need better skills than what I have seen." And while he was saying this, Halna was weaving divine power into his words, causing Carrin to agree.
Carrin nodded. "We've been thinkin' of leavin' for a while now anyway. And this mission you have for us carries a purpose." Halna smiled, and nodded. "I must take my leave now. Something calls."
With that, Halna teleported to the edge of the cave, and walked in, and hide in the shadows for a moment.
Uso frowns. "I don't think this gathering is capable of agreeing on anything..." He looks towards the door longingly, then back at the others.
"Barin, that is what we most of us would do given a chance. Though I have no problem with allowing you your empires and your wars so long as your people may always Lust after one another, and Love each other." said Artures, casually taking a bit out of a golden pear, "Vesper, if you fear Erothrayce' power over magic, take a champion who is skilled in single combat, or archery, or stealth, or trickery, or devices, or whose power comes solely from your own."
Vesper
Narrowing his gaze on the competing god of the underworld Vesper flicks his wrist causing shadows to spring up from the ground and form a throne of his own to show that he too can control the realm. "Or so you claim that you will not interfere for your own benefit. And, you presume much to call me evil, I am deeply offended by your accussation."
Turning to the self proclaimed "God of Love," oh, how he hated that term. He speaks "I would want my followers to have all means of power at there disposal so that they may better serve me."