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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Iurious Teppelin
"Waiting is wise I guess, keep the clouds away when the sun is at its brightest." After this, Iurious begins to mingle, also to think, in the middle he takes a short moment to send a message to he angels, instructing them to discreetly move one hundred of the dragon eggs into the path of the humans.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Zerkose
Zerkose felt no desire to be addressed, in fact, he preferred to be ignored. It seemed fitting to him that the one destined to silence creation came into being quietly. There would be time for talk later, right now all that concerned him was enacting the first steps of his plan. Wordlessly Zerkose set out to survey the material plane. After studying it for a moment he created an island composed of a single massive pyramidal mountain East of The Old World. It bore no major distinguishing features besides the evenness of its proportions. Next he conjured the beings that would serve him and placed them in the hollow spaces that he had made for them. His servants took the general forms of humans, but they were visually and mentally radically different. All of them were completely pitch black and had gaunt frames. Their faces universally shared sharp, minimalistic and predatory features. Each had a powerful predisposition toward order, communal behavior, ruthlessness and amorality. In addition, they were gifted with great understanding of the powers of the void, mind and dark. Each as a result was telepathic and could see through any darkness. They would instinctively come to call themselves Voidborn.
Zerkose had little interest in teaching them any specific skills. Instead he mentally instilled in them basic laws to order themselves by and methods to efficiently collectivize their labor. In short they were taught to avoid doing anything that would bring harm to each other, to reflexively put the welfare of the group before the individual and to coordinate all their efforts. The Voidborn were also given ascetic guidelines to live by to encourage mastery of the mind and body as well as a vision of their creator and a compulsion to serve him with unswerving loyalty. Their orders were simple: to avoid overindulgence, to meditate upon and correct their inadequacies and to always try to push the boundaries of their abilities. Afterwards he poured the basic knowledge of various mental and physical disciplines into his people to quicken the development of their innate strengths. Some learned to attune themselves to the void and become insubstantial, others to shape and wield tangible darkness. Many found ways to manipulate their environment with psychic energy and some learned to create weapons of pure thought. All tapped into power that would allow them to greatly exceed their physical limitations.
Once Zerkose was finished he simply stood still within the void directly above his creations and rested.
Spoiler
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-1 Create Terrain: Nameless Mountain Island a substantial distance East from The Old World
-1 Create Life: Voidborn
-1 Create Society: Voidborn
-1 Lead Populace: Teach/Ingrain Basic Laws
-1 Lead Populace: Teach Collectivization of Labor and Resources
-1 Lead Populace: Teach Asceticism and Religious Obedience
-0 Create Class: Psion already created and not made unique to any one group
-1 Create Class: Monk
-1 Create Class: Ninja
-1 Create Class: Soulknife
-1 Create Class: Psychic Warrior
-2 Create Prestige Class: Shadowmind
12-12=0
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Shanefyer and Sozuchi-The Riverways
"I feel like writing a story...But frankly, I'm probably going to need a home first..."
Shanefyer thinks for a few seconds.
"How exactly does this god thing work? Are we all part of a pantheon and we're just thrown in, or do we need to impress the mortals first?"
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
The Dreaming – The Citadel Below – Saguro
Saguro dreamed.
He dreamed of connections to dreamers.
Wide roads and small paths.
Leading from the Citadel of Dreams to tiny dark portals into the unconsciousness of every being.
The Dreaming – Maguro
Maguro traveled, from dreaming mind to dreaming mind.
And he gathered dreams, preferably those from the darkest parts of those minds.
All the time spinning threads out of them, knitting them together.
And, oh what sweet, dark dreams there were, dreams of carnage and death, of fire and explosions, of huge monstrous constructions on the earth and in the sky, of sharp teeth and claws, of bloodsucking and imprisonment, of invisible horrors, of being hunted down, of falling out of the sky,...
The travel went on.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TechnoScrabble
Shanefyer and Sozuchi-The Riverways
"I feel like writing a story...But frankly, I'm probably going to need a home first..."
Shanefyer thinks for a few seconds.
"How exactly does this god thing work? Are we all part of a pantheon and we're just thrown in, or do we need to impress the mortals first?"
"Why would you need to impress anyone, mortal or immortal? Your power comes from yourself. The mortals feel like worshiping us for various reasons of their own. Personally, I like to think of the Chept as not worshipers but children whom I love. In any regard, you may do as you will. I would hope that you and I can be considered friends, for you are most not-boring."
Spoiler
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if you'd like to join the not-boring pantheon, it's free and your followers will have instant access to two base classes, the foolamancer and mathamancer. More t come as well.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Hal'Xaazar - Teppelin
"Weapons, armor... Battleships. You two are surrounded by lunatics. Iurious at least had the decency to give pets, and Sozuchi gave an apt divine gift, even if he was his usual impolite self."
Oh snap, Hal'Xaazar called someone else impolite.
"It is not often that I get the chance to do the sensible thing sister... And in-law, I suppose."
Hal'Xaazar's raised hand gathers things from nowhere, that soon take shape, linen and cotton and strings, little glassteel beads. The assumed shape is like that of adragon, but with no wings, and a shining carapace of undetermined, but soft, material. It is a toy, after all.
This plush toy, Hal'Xaazar holds over to Nia, Kiki is likely going to have to pick it up.
"Look here darling... It is your cousin."
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Who doesn't want a plush Tarrasque after all?
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Changeling Village
The changelings and the brood spawn gathered for the party, and even some scant few nerra, more to watch than anything, since they feed on sights. Those who decided not to participate saw the gnomes scuttling around as eccentrics at best and nutjobs at worst, the group with the later thought making faces to each other while pointing at the gnomes and chuckling or giggling in a low voice.
Sampled buildings regenerated on the spot, sampled animals turned in their sleep... The broodspawn gave a vicious glare to any gnome who tried to collect a sample of it, even the more bestial in look giving off a hint of sapience.
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Wyvern Riders, Aura
The wyvern rider laughed.
"That is not a power we all hold, just something great mages can do. And we are knights, not mages."
Another speaks up.
"But we have means to call the mages to help you. We will do so."
The rider picks up a stone from his pocket and whispers to it, and not a moment later, changeling sorcerers appear to teleport the things back to the glacier settlement.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Iurious Teppelin
Eventually, Iurious canceled the movement of dragon eggs. They were at this point still to young, and it was a great risk. Besides that it could offend the hosts. Eventually the humans would meet the dragons. The construction of facilities for the dragons at the Teppelin would be a must, three hatcheries, a bioengineering facility, and a large area for adult dragons.
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The Birth of Hespa
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Tavius watched the annihilation of the 'corrupted' Modrons with glee, for their destruction was positively entertaining and something he had never seen before. In fact, he might have joined their destruction if someone had not just grabbed at the horn he had created. Lacking any notable mass, Tavius is yanked along with the muscular tentacles and goes for a ride!
"Yahooooo! Wait till the rest of NOT-BORING get here and see this!"
Pyrokus
The horn is pulled straight down into the writhing mass and reabsorbed into the machine, its pieces torn asunder then returned to their original forms and locations.
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Tavius the Crackle, Pyrokus.
Tavius is pulled right along into the writhing mass and practically chortles to himself as if the entire thing were some great roller coaster. At least right up to the point where the horn is torn asunder and spread back throughout Pyrokus. An absolute jolt of pain, perhaps the first immense pain he had ever really experienced, tore through him as if parts of his soul were being separated from his body.
"ZzzzxxyxyyttaaaaaAAARRRGGGH! Hey wait, something is wrong. Give those back! Aaaggghkk! This game isn't fun anymore. I don't want to play it! Zztxxxxxttt!"
Tavius started to surge towards one of the pieces of the Horn that he had accidentally imbued his divine essence into, then felt a jerk of pain as he distanced himself from the others. Back and forth he went, lightning slashing out at anything around him and more than a few thunderous BOOMS each time he would run into himself. It amounted to one hell of a divine temper tantrum.
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"Tavius had been held in the grip of Mondo for what seemed like ages to the crackling elemental deity, his pleas falling up deaf ears as Mondo refuses to return the instrument he had invested in divine essence into. Slower and slower the arcing lightning danced across his body until it could even be called 'lazy'. It seemed that even a god could not go this long with his soul broken into so many pieces.
There is a moment of absolute peace that settles over the upstart godling. A faint crackle of his voice in a last plea to the inscrutable fire lord, "I... I don't.. like.. this.. game.." and suddenly all the lightning that makes up the body of Tavius explodes outward in one final grand display. It is as if countless and unimaginable amounts of energy were held within his form and just barely restrained all this time.
The lightning did not harm Mondo nor the divine realm of Pyrokus, but it did rain down upon the world below in a glorious display of crackling light and booming thunder. From the passing of Tavius, countless lightning elementals had been born. Each of them had some slight fragment of Tavius within them. From now to the end of eternity they would make their home in the endless mists of the world capering and playing with their all the storm elementals, and to play games with each mortal race that would be brave enough to attempt to cross the mist.
And so it was that Tavius had passed on, the first casualty of the dread realm of Pyrokus."
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"
I feel like my power has returned almost fully! But yet, I feel empty. All these gods, they seem to have purpose, the seem to strive towards something. But I cannot, these goals mean nothing to me. Living up here in this place of metal makes me longue for soft earth, morning dew and sunlight on my leaves. I will use what power I have left to return! Become part of my own creation! To witness, but no longer influence!
Using all her powers Seelia blesses herself. Locks herself away in Gaia, her old avatar. Instinctively she knows she couldn't do so as a god, and she is a god no longer. An immortal being perhaps, but one without power, a spirit some might say, who watch on, without the power to act. "
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Sa'Mundo - Birth of Hespa
In the time of the earpocolypse, when mountains of fire and metal fell from the sky, there also fell a divine spark, a remnant of Travis the Crackle, father of lightning. This spark became housed in one of the seeds of Gaia, the great god-tree of Sa'Mundo. Blessed with the essence of two inactive gods, the seedling began to exist in both the material realm, and in Kamigawa, land of spirits. As the seed developed it herd the whispers and promises of the gods on the ethereal winds, and felt the first touches of the icy grip of winter.
The time was not yet ready, but with the impatience of a lightning bolt the seed sprouted into being. As it did so the entity within was wracked with a terrible pain, almost as if it was being torn in two. When the sprouting process was complete a new goddess was born; Hespa, Goddess of the Forest, Daughter of the Remembered, Granddaughter of Fire and Water, the harbinger of Spring.
As Hespa awoke, she saw that the intense pain she felt at birth was due to her material form being sheared away as she ascended into godhood. With sadness she gathered up her material body and planted it near her mother, Gaia. She took a twig from her corporal form to remind herself of her earthly origins. Then, feeling the icy touch of winter and an even stronger touch of curiosity, Hespa flew out over the land to see what the world was like.
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AP 9=12-3, Create Scaping Artifact - Twig of Hespa.
The twig works by linking Hespa more closely to the material plane than most gods. I was going to make the original tree an avatar, but I think that I will need the AP for some of my other starting actions, so I'm putting it off. Also, I plan on pushing back some of the winter with the power of SPRING once winter has had a chance to develop a little more.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
planswalker
"
Why would you need to impress anyone, mortal or immortal? Your power comes from yourself. The mortals feel like worshiping us for various reasons of their own. Personally, I like to think of the Chept as not worshipers but children whom I love. In any regard, you may do as you will. I would hope that you and I can be considered friends, for you are most not-boring."
Spoiler
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if you'd like to join the not-boring pantheon, it's free and your followers will have instant access to two base classes, the foolamancer and mathamancer. More t come as well.
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I'd love to join the not boring pantheon, it fits Shanfyer perfectly.
"Really now? Hmm...I guess I'd better get to working, then. Stories to be told, adventurers to be had. I need to get some mortals motivated!"
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
The Black Rider, Teppelin
It did not take a genius to tell that the Horseman wasn't going to get in. Whoever had made this was either a god or a crazed paranoiac. From the description of Teikoku his master gave him, probably both. With a word to his steed, the Horseman was gone.
Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
Bacsphaal seemed amused at William's stance. "Big words from a tiny worm. You may think that you have accomplished something this day, but really you've just scared off a slightly bigger worm. Regardless of what the tieflings proclaim to the skies, they are worthless little insects cowering behind their goddess' skirt, nothing more. But look at the struggle you had to mount to defeat even a tiny fraction of their supposed power! Do you really, honestly think you can free your people when your own goddess has turned your back on you? Give up now, William Penkappa, and Humanity may yet live."
Bacsphaal is really, really hoping William refuses. He hasn't caused untold numbers of death in weeks.
Gremlins in the Citadel: Thanks pal, you're a chum... Wait a sec, you just used it! DAMNATION!!
The Gremlossus was back up on its feet just time to find a metal ball hurling at its face. The biggest mistake this ball made was being shiny. You can probably guess what happens now.
So now you have this crane creaking precariously with a 150-foot gremlin suckered to it trying to pry it off. The cannon shots made the improbably large thief swing around crazily, most probably scaring the hell out of the operators as it gyrated.
The ship shots were doing damage however. It was more of a case of if they could kill it before it rendered the docks beyond salvation that if they could stop it at all.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Spoiler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grytorm
Iurious Teppelin
Iurious The Storehouse
He had not stood for quite a while, his gait was irregular, although it was impossible to tell why for his long robes went all the way to the floor. Iurious knocked before bellowing, "I would like to speak with Marcus!" Whoever looked upon him might find him slightly hideous. Since ascending he had let himself go, and his face was hairless and covered with scars from the final blow of the great battle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grytorm
Iurious The Storehouse
As Iurious waited for a response, he realized that he had forgotten something big. Two very important births were today, and he was somewhere else. That was quite disrespectful, he had even chosen the gifts. With luck nobody had seen him so he could just substitute his Shadow, and if not. Oh well. Within seconds of deciding another form appears, called from a realm of darkness he looked much like Iurious except drawn in a darker pallet. As Iurious ported out the Shadow carefully took his place.
Marcus and Iurious - The Storehouse - Father?
As Marcus chatted with Hudson in his usual way, the face of Gunther, the sapient controller of "The Storehouse", emerged. "Master, you have a visitor, your progenitor." Hudson, turned to face Gunther at this proclamation, then to Marcus, and back to Gunther, a bright twinkle emerging from his obsidian eyeball.
"I will let you to it," the gargoyle said, before casually bowing and stepping backwards through the door that would take him back to his home in Butron.
Marcus, paused for only an instant, unsure of what was about to occur. He had yet to meet the god responsible for his surpassing death, and so it only seemed natural to be at least a twinge nervous.
He quickly headed through the large ornate doors to his mansion, outside of which conveniently stood Iurious, or at least something like him (OOC: Do we need to worry about being in two places at the same time if we simply make the acknowledgment that certain events are occuring at different times, even if they are posted at the same time. I assumed that the birth and the visit to Marcus were at different times until the second post).
"I must thank you, although I am not entirely what to call you. Father certainly seems amiss. Perhaps Maker? Or will your name, Iurious, suffice? I am sorry if I seem nervous, I just am so thankful. Is there anything I can do to return the favor?"
Spoiler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stormwind
Unet: Hundreds of Miles South East of the Gnomish Citadel
It was a place of growth, of creation, something new.
Dark stonelike shapes flew high above. The wouldn't see her of course, she was cloaked in dreams, unseen to mortal eyes. She rose into the air and moved in for a closer look ... tasted the dreams of these stony creatures.
There was much to do, much to learn, and it would take her time to learn that which she needed to know. Here she would begin ... and so she watched, and learned.
Unet and the Gargoyles - Butron
As Unet watched, she saw the way the Gargoyles slept, and how they Dreamed. When sleeping, most Gargoyles merely perched on a rock or a wall, like a cleverly placed statue. If fact a sleeping gargoyle was effectively indistinguishable from a statue, till it moved.
The stoic nature of the sleeping gargoyles hid a much more interesting dream scape. One was dreaming of a gigantic boulder rolling across the mountain range, towards Butron. The gargoyle even saw itself, as the looming mass rushed towards it. Then suddenly the dream ended as the gargoyle was crushed.
A moment later the sleeping gargoyle, now awake from the nightmare, began to stir. It had taken a little while for it to get to sleep, and the prospect of another long while of sitting still and hoping for sleep was not enticing. There wasn't much else that he could do.
Others had happier dreams.
Spoiler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gunther
Gargoyles and the Gnomes: This Ain't Notre Dame
It was actually the honor of Captain Hedto to make First Contact with the Gargoyles. With the Citadel having been alive with activity in the last few hours, it was only natural that the handful of ships patrolling the skies around the Citadel would be on alert. Their large wings had been catching jet stream currents from the Mist Sea for some time now, keeping aloft far longer than their usual operating times. With so much chaos going on, it was only natural that the sight of some incoming air targets prompted a rather...rash response.
Primarily, it consisted of the Loricon-class warship's bells going off. A resounding clang-a-lang signaled the Gnomes onboard that something was coming their way, the bell- mounted on the crow's nest along the top of the central mast- followed by the sound of the ship's spotter sailing down the regulation zipline.
His "Whee!" was entirely non-regulation, however. Captain Hedto, currently watching the ground around the Citadel with the aid of a hooded electric lantern, had his attention momentarily taken by the form of the tumbling Gnomish spotter.
"Captain! Captain! Starboard! We've got a whole slew of...things coming our way!"
"Vampires? Are they finally back?!" The captain replied, obviously a twinge too excited at the prospect of garnering the glory of slaying a whole slew of the only natural predator of the Gnomes.
"Ain't nothin' I've ever seen before!" The crewman replied, "Big buggers, way bigger than the woodcuts I've seen!"
That was when the distant sound of cannon fire made the whole crew jump, the men below decks abruptly working to get their cannons not only operational, but jutting out through their respective firing holes. Triple-barrel bombards, mounted on rotating gear assemblies, came sliding forward on greased tracks. Kegs of blackpowder were brought up from below, Gnomish musketeers taking up positions along the railing.
Captain Hedto, for his part, didn't give the order to open fire and "Have fun with it". Rather, he very calmly grabbed the ship-to-ship broadcasting horn, placed his lips on the ivory end, and talked.
"If you are Vampires, prepare to be shot down and viciously maimed! If not, welcome to the Citadel! We're having a bit of a ruckus right now, so please identify!"
Gargoyles and Gnomes - Just outside the Citadel - Woosh!
The Gargoyles heard the message, but weren't sure how to respond. A few shouted at the top of their lungs "We are not Vampires, we are Gargoyles", but it likely wouldn't have been heard. Most of them had barely heard of the Vampires, and even the little they had heard was just what had been relayed, from Marcus to Hudson to the Explorers Guild. Quite the game of telephone. They figured the only reasonable option was to try to get closer and actually begin communication.
The first shot went wildly high, a bit of calibration still in order. Now aware that they were being shot at, however, the wing adepts knew what to do. They were masters of the air, after all, as quick and agile in the air as imaginable. They began to fly towards the ship, giving out regular calls as to their peaceful intentions, and making an effort to stay out of the firing lines of the cannons. When shooting other ships the cannons must have been amazing, but this was rather like trying to use a musket to kill a fly.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
The Pale Horseman, Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
As the avatar speaks a gleaming silver steed plummets from the heavens, landing at his side.
You violate your bonds Bacsphaal. This man is a working of Josiah upon the earth. Leave him be.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TechnoScrabble
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I'd love to join the not boring pantheon, it fits Shanfyer perfectly.
"Really now? Hmm...I guess I'd better get to working, then. Stories to be told, adventurers to be had. I need to get some mortals motivated!"
Sozuchi - the Past
"Indeed, no time like the present. Let us away!"
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just spend 1 ap in spoilers to join. all there is to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Steilos
Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
Bacsphaal seemed amused at William's stance. "Big words from a tiny worm. You may think that you have accomplished something this day, but really you've just scared off a slightly bigger worm. Regardless of what the tieflings proclaim to the skies, they are worthless little insects cowering behind their goddess' skirt, nothing more. But look at the struggle you had to mount to defeat even a tiny fraction of their supposed power! Do you really, honestly think you can free your people when your own goddess has turned your back on you? Give up now, William Penkappa, and Humanity may yet live."
Bacsphaal is really, really hoping William refuses. He hasn't caused untold numbers of death in weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Obscurejones
The Pale Horseman, Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
As the avatar speaks a gleaming silver steed plummets from the heavens, landing at his side.
You violate your bonds Bacsphaal. This man is a working of Josiah upon the earth. Leave him be.
William - Area 06
"Really? She turned her back on me? That's funny I didn't notice. I was too busy with my back turned to her helping the people she betrayed. I am the disciple of no one god but a man favored by two. Sozuchi younger siblings raised me, and Josiah's virions are my mentors and friends. Ear has had no part in my life besides that of the ravening wolf set to destroy me."
He acknowledges the Pale Horseman's aid. "I thank you for your words, but I suspect this man is little more than talk. Otherwise, he would have done something instead of merely mocked me."
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yeah... Will if feeling pretty immortal right now, what with the Spiral feeding him phenomenal cosmic power and all. that and epic win against the tieflings. And the eight proto-deities with him and the host of super-plagues. And the Holy Crysteel Grail.
at the moment, he'd trash talk Teikoku herself.
Sozuchi - the Present
On his way back from Teppelin (which happened after his conversation with Shaynefyr), Sozuchi felt a stirring of power in the spirit world. Something that felt both alien and familiar at the same time. Some with an ominous bearing of power.
So, of course, he goes out and investigates. He spies a woman flying through the Void, gazing at the world below.
"Hello, strange-yet-familiar one. I am Sozuchi, the god of not-boring. Tell me, what should I call you?"
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earpocalype... I love it!
also, what does your 3 ap artifact do? the fluff is great, but which type of artifact is it?
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Fight at Vendigroth
Talmanes dodged in circles, using trying to gauge this creature. He had been a planner, almost always. Brilliant, really, the Patriarch of a House, the leader of a College... and secret disciple of his god. But he had never done this, fought outside practice and the skirmishes against animals -- and few enough of those. This thing was stronger than he, tougher, and tireless apparently. It had no blood to conduct poison. What, then, could he, the master strategizer, do? His mind spun even as he did, using a barely missed strike to turn his momentum out, halting at the last moment to push back off a swinging fist. It must have spun too fast, because he went flying backwards right before he landed, propelled by a fist of rock. A bloody gash on his chest, another on his face, tears and lacerations on his back, all of them filling with sand from rolling around.
He stood, and watched, then took a single breath. His entire frame seemed to contract and expand to any eyes. A careful eye would even see that sand disappearing into his blood, and the wounds sealing shut, some strange (for an Asherati) coloration. Forward again, catching the fist oncoming on a shaft, pivoting on it, swinging that power into a hard cut with the sword. Rock chipped and shattered, spraying out from by the shoulder, and he dove beneath it. The creature didn't even take notice of the wound. It spun on him, forcing Talmanes to curve around the fist, tumbling head first. Using the force of the downward falling, he drove the spear with both hand into the foot of the golem. More spray of stone, and Talmanes vaulted out of the way of the oncoming fist. The foot was not so lucky. Stone met stone, shards from both breaking off. Blade shot to the back of the knee. Tumble off to retrieve the fallen spear, flourishing it as he turned. It flew forward, and he followed it. It hammered in a shot to the head -- a lethal shot on anything mortal. The golem was no mortal, and it swung at the flying Asherati. Talmanes caught the haft of the spear in one hand where it quivered, and hauled himself bodily through the air. He spun upwards, over the head of the golem, and gave a clean swing of his sword to the neck of it. The blade slid deep, coming out the side as Talmanes fell to another landing.
It must have taken long enough -- the others must have a substantial lead by now. He could dive now. Run away. It was obvious he was overmatched, a mortal against a creation of magic. Fear. A growl sounded from the back of his throat, a sound not unlike a Jagter would make. The curved sword -- a sweeping blade of white, the sharpened curve running down to a haft that set easily in his hand, with a thin hand guard -- began to take on a faint glow. Yellow tinged the air as he flourished it, waiting for the creature's next strike. That was his avenue. Up the fist, up the arm, and a lead to the side, driving the tip forward with his hips. It was a blade for slashing, but it made well of the thrust as needed. It slid easily in and out, then finished the cut on the head, severing it completely from the golem, with a soft puff of sand where it fell. Talmanes swept the spear out before it hit the ground, and turned to face the now headless golem. No impression apparently made on the creature, for it lumbered closer, swinging fists all the same.
Talmanes bared his teeth, the grin making his slim face appear even longer. He closed again, then ran right past the golem, up the dune, only to turn, and leap from higher. To one shoulder, the blade of his sword struck, the other was the spear tip. Where each struck, stone cracked and gave way, and was shorn free from the body, where they fell inanimate. Tuck and tumble down the slope, turning with the tumble, and charging at the lump of stone that remained. Both weapons struck true, glowing and shivering where they struck home. The glow spread, from the Asherati and his weapons to the whole of the creature -- and then it burst. The spray of rock shards was outwards, away from the strike, and the weapons hung limp in air again, no evidence of the golem but assorted parts strewn about. With nary a word, Talmanes sheathed the weapons, and dove.
Blasted Isle
Travel by night, sleep by day. His travels replicated those that happened half a world away, many generations ago, the trends of a whole civilization now. But he cared for none of that. He avoided the Tieflings, and ever sought the home of the Gnomes. And so, when he saw off in the distance ahead, the great tower stretching upwards, he felt satisfaction, and quickened his pace, even daring to travel during light, drawing ever nearer.
Three days later, he made it into the shadow of the tower. Within half a day, he closed the space, making his way onto the road, where the caravans moved on past. The first leg of this part of the journey was done... Hands spread wide, he approached the gates.
Desert Salvage
It came from a corpse. The Asherati regularly scrounged the surface for things that they could use -- bones and claws and plants and even the occasional bit of food. The desert still claimed victims now and then, and with the temperature being what it was, the bodies were either stripped for food, or preserved. This particular corpse was stripped of flesh -- the bones shone white. Buried mostly in the side of the dune that slowly consumed it were its few possessions. A good solid staff, topped with a bony knob. A small bag of various survival items. And almost completely taken by the dune was a strange item -- vaguely resembling a foot, but larger, and made out of a single piece. One of the Asherati who were canvassing the area pulled it free, glancing it over. A new weapon? It had strings running inside the frame, not too unlike a bow. It seemed too small to provide any good force for projectiles though... She pulled on a string experimentally, and almost dropped it with the sound that came out. The others turned their heads around in distress, looking for the source. Biting a lip, she eyed it. Worthless weapon, even if the sound was rather hideous. Still, it did look rather nice. Running long fingers over the strings, she found a note that sounded substantially more... right. Some strings were longer, some shorter, some seemed not to be as tense as the others. Maybe it was just broken, and could be fixed. They had plenty of sinew... She tucked it into her salvage bag, and they went on their way. That was the first hold of an obsession for a nation.
Spoiler
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AP 8 - 0 (Lead Populace: Music, free from Amulet) = 8
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Shanefyer-The Riverways
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AP 11=12-1 for Join Pantheon: Not-Boring
Shanfyer nods and heads off to spend some time building himself a home, the Endless Pages.
AP 8=11-3 for Create Plane: The Endless Pages
The Endless Pages is a vast library, tended by floating lanterns whose light inspires anyone who sees it to write epic stories and poems and songs. There is a copy of every story ever imagined, whether published or not, and within each book is an amazingly well painted or sketched world that painted in characters act out the story in.
He looks down over the world, noticing the large empty area in the seas to the east.
"Nobody seems to be using that. I guess I'll make a new continent there. I should probably check with everyone first, though..."
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
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Sozuchi - the Present
On his way back from Teppelin (which happened after his conversation with Shaynefyr), Sozuchi felt a stirring of power in the spirit world. Something that felt both alien and familiar at the same time. Some with an ominous bearing of power.
So, of course, he goes out and investigates. He spies a woman flying through the Void, gazing at the world below.
"Hello, strange-yet-familiar one. I am Sozuchi, the god of not-boring. Tell me, what should I call you?"
Hespa and Sozuchi - the Void
Floating before Sozuchi is a woman with brown skin textured like the bark of a poplar tree. Hanging from her head was a mass of vines which seemed to writhe back and forth like snakes. When she turned her eyes upon Sozuchi he noticed that they were catlike, with a spark of flame dancing in the center of the pupil.
The woman grinned, showing her feline fangs before yelling "Granny Snakey! Don't you recognize me? I don't think anyone has really given me a name yet, and you know sharing your true name with others isn't really safe. If anyone ever figured out how to play with them it wouldn't be fun".
She looked down at the damaged island below, which was crawling with gnomish wood cutters, golem-tech forsaken, flying battle ships, and all manner of 'civilized' beings. "Why do they fight each other so Granny?" Hespa asked, her voice like the whisper of the wind through the trees. "Don't they know that war isn't a fun game? It hurts."..."Also, I think that I'm going to have to teach those little big-foreheaded-things that making war on the forest isn't a good thing to do either. Do you have any advice on how to make them stop killing the trees Granny?" she asked earnestly.
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It's a land scaping artifact. Feel free to make up a fun name for Hespa since she doesn't seem to be willing to come up with one on her own. Also, she seems much more interested in the island below than in the giant water dragon who just popped up in front of her.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
Bacsphaal just shakes his head and sighs. "Tut, tut, Josiah... Forgetting why the Horsemen were formed in the first place. This is why you should never entrust the task of destruction to someone with a conscience... Think now. When has war, death or famine ever brought good things to the world? This is not our responsibility. But I digress... if Josiah wants to debate this with me, I am still in the Rot. Take your greviances there."
He turns back to William. "All talk? By the end of this little adventure of yours, you'll wish that was true. You'll beg for my threats to be hollow... You may have the support of Sozuchi and Josiah, touched by both Gods to serve their purposes, but tell me..."
He picked up a passing child roughly by the neck, dangling him there as a purple flame formed in his other hand. "Are all of these people agents of Josiah? Do they all fight in his name? Do any of them even know virions exist? I am constrained from striking at you with anything but words, as the other Lords of the Horsemen have forbade me, but tell me now, Penkappa, what is to stop me from killing every single other living thing in this pit?"
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
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I didn't want my character to be in more than one place at once from our point of view.
The Shadow The Storehouse
"No formalities are necessary Marcus, Iurious will do fine. I would not consider you beholden, because of what we are. The only thing I would want is an alliance, informal for now. But perhaps later something more organized." the Shadow says, "Mostly I came for introductions, you know nothing of me, and I know only of you from your fathers death to your death. By the way, do you have some vengeance planned for your brother? If not, then I have some ideas, besides helping you it would initiate a campaign to purge the corruption that inflicted your brother and Oskar."
Iurious Teppelin
After the party had finished, Iurious had returned to his labs. He let out Odium and quickly checked on Dripio, accompanied by the two dragons Iurious bagan his next project, this one a tad more hands on. He began work on crafting a large golden egg and began to prepare what was to go inside of it. As the egg took shape the tank was filled with many ingredients, some more samples of flesh, a number of arcane reagents, and eventually some shavings from Iurious's gloves. Here he would stay until the next day, waiting for Teikoku.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Josiah, The Rot
Sighing the god of death rises from his desk and seeks out his ally.
Bacsphaal, I pose a simple question: Wold you rather have a gold piece today, or a million gold pieces tomorrow?
Penkappa is a key, to a million little instruments of death, destruction, and yes even greed. He could free the humans. As they are now they're cattle, incapable of any vice just as they are incapable of virtue. But given time to thrive to cast of the shackles of oppression? Unsupervised? They're an entire species of self serving, violent, greedy individuals. At the moment your avatar risks breaking through Penkappas aura of self delusion and revealing to him his folly.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
canjowolf
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Sozuchi - the Present
On his way back from Teppelin (which happened after his conversation with Shaynefyr), Sozuchi felt a stirring of power in the spirit world. Something that felt both alien and familiar at the same time. Some with an ominous bearing of power.
So, of course, he goes out and investigates. He spies a woman flying through the Void, gazing at the world below.
"Hello, strange-yet-familiar one. I am Sozuchi, the god of not-boring. Tell me, what should I call you?"
Hespa and Sozuchi - the Void
Floating before Sozuchi is a woman with brown skin textured like the bark of a poplar tree. Hanging from her head was a mass of vines which seemed to writhe back and forth like snakes. When she turned her eyes upon Sozuchi he noticed that they were catlike, with a spark of flame dancing in the center of the pupil.
The woman grinned, showing her feline fangs before yelling "
Granny Snakey! Don't you recognize me? I don't think anyone has really given me a name yet, and you know sharing your true name with others isn't really safe. If anyone ever figured out how to play with them it wouldn't be fun".
She looked down at the damaged island below, which was crawling with gnomish wood cutters, golem-tech forsaken, flying battle ships, and all manner of 'civilized' beings. "
Why do they fight each other so Granny?" Hespa asked, her voice like the whisper of the wind through the trees. "
Don't they know that war isn't a fun game? It hurts."..."
Also, I think that I'm going to have to teach those little big-foreheaded-things that making war on the forest isn't a good thing to do either. Do you have any advice on how to make them stop killing the trees Granny?" she asked earnestly.
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It's a land scaping artifact. Feel free to make up a fun name for Hespa since she doesn't seem to be willing to come up with one on her own. Also, she seems much more interested in the island below than in the giant water dragon who just popped up in front of her.
Sozuchi and Hespa
"Fine by me. I see a lot of Tavius' spirit within you. I'll call you Crackly Jr."
He stares at the destruction going on below for a moment, then says, "Power. Power is the one thing that mortals truly respect, for it is the one that can demand it of them. Every other source of respect can be traced back to a source of power. If you wish them to respect the land, make the land more powerful than they are. It has potential. I hope you are able to fully realize this."
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also offering you to join NOT-BORING as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Steilos
Avatar of Bacsphaal, Area 06
Bacsphaal just shakes his head and sighs. "Tut, tut, Josiah... Forgetting why the Horsemen were formed in the first place. This is why you should never entrust the task of destruction to someone with a conscience... Think now. When has war, death or famine ever brought good things to the world? This is not our responsibility. But I digress... if Josiah wants to debate this with me, I am still in the Rot. Take your greviances there."
He turns back to William. "All talk? By the end of this little adventure of yours, you'll wish that was true. You'll beg for my threats to be hollow... You may have the support of Sozuchi and Josiah, touched by both Gods to serve their purposes, but tell me..."
He picked up a passing child roughly by the neck, dangling him there as a purple flame formed in his other hand. "Are all of these people agents of Josiah? Do they all fight in his name? Do any of them even know virions exist? I am constrained from striking at you with anything but words, as the other Lords of the Horsemen have forbade me, but tell me now, Penkappa, what is to stop me from killing every single other living thing in this pit?"
Penkappa debates with a god
He stares at the avatar for just a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. I assume however, that it does not suit your purposes to do so, or else you would be doing just exactly that. Perhaps the power of the Spiral intimidates you. Or perhaps you're too lazy. Or maybe my goals and my people can aid you in some design of your own. Blight, I know my actions have probably sent all sorts of people your way today alone. Killing off those who follow me is not on your agenda, for whatever reason. I care not, so long as it holds true. If you later start to slaughter us, then I will deal with that hurdle if and when it comes up."
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Hakan, Hideout, Area 11
"Watch out, bozos! Stuff coming down!" The words were somewhat belated, as a satchel slammed onto the bottom of the cave's floor. A dull boom could be heard from overhead as a chroma missile flew astray of the skirmish. Those gunships were a problem - getting away had gotten a whole lot harder with each one the Marquess brought in. But not hard enough to stop Hakan "the great", as he felt necessary to point out once again as he dropped into the well-concealed cave.
"Hah! Did you see that? No, wait, you didn't, that was alllll me." The young man landed expertly on the floor of the small room, grinning madly from adrenaline rush and - though he couldn't know it - Spiral overdose. "Everyone, heads up - they've got more gunships! Not that it'll help 'em of course!"
Half of 'everyone' snorted derisively as she nodded at the other half, which was sleeping. "Hakan, you're an idiot... But you're an idiot who knows what he's doing - come on, you're killing me here, gimmie my stuff!" Taking her own direction to heart, Kaylee began dragging the overlarge bag over to the improvised workstation that took up most of the room's space. Or, more precisely, the curious contraption the workstation existed to support.
It wasn't her birth name of course. Nor was Hakan's his. But they'd heard the messages in their dreams, from the funny geezer with the pet spirits - messages of freedom, and fighting back. Many members of the little resistance movement here in Area 11 had followed William's example, taking a tiefling name in place of their own. Hachi became Hakan, Kareko became Kaylee, and others chose names of their own.
As the cocky man rolled his bare shoulders (shirts were for people with insufficient bravado to insert 'the great' after their names) and grabbed a rice cake from their small stash (replenished regularly by the resistance's multitude of quiet supporters), Kaylee began the delicate process of rummaging through the loot looking for something useful. Her eyes widened at the sight of a bit of glimmering crysteel. "Oooohhh... I've been looking for something that does that... and that... hey, a chroma round - where did you even get this? They'll go great spliced up with..."
Hakan let the girl get merrily lost in her 'madness place'. Nobody messed with Kaylee in her madness place, lest they risk their organs somehow being seen as potentially useful more useful outside their body. But hey, you couldn't shoot tieflings with sticks. Well, you could - sort of. That had gone... poorly... though. Instead he went to bother someone much less likely to demand that he hand over his kidney ("Well, you have two, right?"). "Hey, Soren, wake up! You'll never believe what just happened, little bro! There was this humongous knightmare, with lots of air support, and our runners..."
************************************
Up on the surface, the last of the shots died down. Marquess Drake's forces were many, but the truth of the matter was that the blasted humans seemed to have bored a bloody hive under the city. They popped up, harassed his forces, then fell back just as abruptly. And worse still, some of them seemed to have begun figuring out how to reassemble tiefling guns - and this is the part that had his mages baffled - into something that could fire without recharging.
Observing from his personal airship - his office having been wrecked by a stray missile a month or so ago - the heavyset man supposed he should be grateful. Some of the other Bastion Lords had it much worse. The years since 06 had fallen had been rough ones. Bastion 05 had fallen less than a month afterwords, already weak from sending troops to support its now-fallen neighbor. After that, things had ground to a bloody halt - no more Bastions had fallen, but Penkappa's thrice-damned casters had found some way to walk through dreams and spark off internal conflicts in nearly all of them.
And so human and tiefling had spent a decade - a bloody, gruesome, violent decade - in the battle sparked off on the streets of Bastion 06. Neither side could make any significant gains on the other, though loss of life was devastating on each side. It was a stalemate - and until some new card came into play, a stalemate it would remain.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Obscurejones
Josiah, The Rot
Sighing the god of death rises from his desk and seeks out his ally.
Bacsphaal, I pose a simple question: Wold you rather have a gold piece today, or a million gold pieces tomorrow?
Penkappa is a key, to a million little instruments of death, destruction, and yes even greed. He could free the humans. As they are now they're cattle, incapable of any vice just as they are incapable of virtue. But given time to thrive to cast of the shackles of oppression? Unsupervised? They're an entire species of self serving, violent, greedy individuals. At the moment your avatar risks breaking through Penkappas aura of self delusion and revealing to him his folly.
Bacsphaal, the Rot
"To tell you the truth, I figured as much. But I have seen what the Spiral is capable of - I have no qualm with the destruction that Humanity would wreak, in fact, I would welcome it if it were not for one little question at the back of my mind - Will they stop there? This spiral of Creation Teikoku so foolishly created, is, when taken to its logical conclusion, the power to kill a god. And in my view? Mortals have no right to possess such destructive tools. We decide their fate, not them deciding ours. Unless... Unless they became too reckless and destroyed themselves with their greatest weapon..."
Bacsphaal brought up a map of the Blasted Isle, examining the other Bastions for signs of rivals to Penkappa. "Yes... A civil war here and there and Humanity would quite haply fall on their own sword. The trick is timing, though... too early and the rebellion fails. Too late and things get ugly." He looks up at Josiah, hands resting on his throne reshaped into a table with a map of the Blessed Isle upon it. "I do believe we can pull this off, gentlemen. My avatar should be able to smooth things out..." he said to all gathered.
Avatar of Bacsphaal
As suddenly as the fire in his hand appeared, it stopped. With a dying flicker, Bacsphaal was gone and the child was safe. He does however have a small voice at the back of his mind.
"Sharp kid. I indeed do not oppose you. I agreed to provide a certain something if you passed this little test, so... Look in your pocket and you'll find a chain. Wrap it around your fist and you will gain a punch the force of the Baron's Knightmare, with none of the encumbering weight. Oh, and it also induces extreme selfishness in foes of your choice. Teamwork is one of the founding pillars of any professional army and this chain will erode that pillar."
With that, Penkappa's pocket would feel heavier, although when he wrapped it around his hand it would be weightless as promised.
Bacsphaal, the Rot
"See? Told you. Even threw something in if he didn't buy the "it was a test" angle at first."
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Initial AP: 5/21
Create Mortal Artifact: The Great Chain: 3AP
Final AP 2/21
Final GP: 12/21
Attuning myself to Grand Artifact next rollover. Oh, and Bioshock reference FTW.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grytorm
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I didn't want my character to be in more than one place at once from our point of view.
The Shadow The Storehouse
"No formalities are necessary Marcus, Iurious will do fine. I would not consider you beholden, because of what we are. The only thing I would want is an alliance, informal for now. But perhaps later something more organized." the Shadow says,
"Mostly I came for introductions, you know nothing of me, and I know only of you from your fathers death to your death. By the way, do you have some vengeance planned for your brother? If not, then I have some ideas, besides helping you it would initiate a campaign to purge the corruption that inflicted your brother and Oskar."
Marcus and Iurious - The Storehouse - Family Matters
Marcus listened to Iurious mentioning his family. Though it had sat on his mind, he hadn't let himself be brought back to that life, for fear of how it would treat him.
"I don't want revenge" he said, though lacking the confidence a divine statement should have. "I do want to stop any more instances of such a thing, however, and so in that I am with you. It has been too long since I have interacted with my former family, and I rather think that they would enjoy knowing what their punishment did to me." A small glimmer in his eyes was the only indication that he wasn't being completely direct with this, the only sign that he was still privy to his mortal potential for condescension.
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Where is the dwarven empire, specifically in relation to the gnomish citadel. I could pretty easily create another instance of the gargoyles near the dwarves, but I want to know if that will be needed or if they are close enough to not worry about that. Then again, I may do this without the use of gargoyles, we will see.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
William - the Years Since
Ten years of bloody civil war, and only two of the thirteen bastions had fallen. The humans with him from Area 06 and their comrades who joined them from Area 05 had taken a few airships over the years, including one battleship that served as base and safe haven to the fifteen thousand non-combatants and thousand freedom guards who lived and worked on it. It had been renamed the Freedom's Fist by its new owners.
They have also taken over three cruisers, renamed the Justice, Liberty, and Joy. Each had been retrofitted for maximum speed and firepower. There were also a few dozen fighters, and a few handfuls of scouts. Enough firepower to take out a supply convoy if utilized swiftly and well, but not nearly enough to dream of assaulting a Bastion.
Thus, he bides his time. Early on, he was visited by a Foolamancer in his dreams, who taught him how to walk the dreams of others. Soon he and his acolytes were inspiring humans all over the Isle to begin their own quests for freedom.
Meanwhile, on the Fist, the Cup of Sozuchi had been used as the basis for their own crysteel growing farms, where they were experimenting with developing their own technologies to hopefully one day be able to take what they had and confront a Bastion directly.
He knew also that on each remaining bastion, the resistances had set up their own facilities. He hoped that one day soon, one of the twelve would produce something. Though these past ten years had been a stalemate, time was not on their side. Ear had yet to involve herself in this fight directly, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the goddess decided to. Fortunately, a goddess timetable was not so short as a human one. Unfortunately, no mortal knew exactly how long that timetable was. The clock was running out, and he had no clue when it would and his whole world come crashing down in flames.
He had to win this war before that happened.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
The Shadow The Storehouse
"If you want to address the problem you will need to not only combat the corruption, but also, perhaps attack the source. A dark god called Bacspaal orchestrates it, although I have not met him myself."
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Aargh, used wrong color, the Shadow uses SlateGray not RoyalBlus. Also the Dwarven lands are on the Old World, a different continent from the Citadel, it is directly under the sun.
Edit: Ten years to the future!
Odium & Scipio Teppelin
Pain, fear, terror. Such delicious concepts. Odium liked those in other people, but not in himself. Other people were his toys, and he hadn't played nice. Three Tieflings were dead, and he had been found out. Now pain, fear and terror were his. The other dragons had given chase, but he had outdistanced them all except for Dripio.
"My only regret, is that I never killed Pannus," Odium said, streaking across the sky.
"Odium, you are a monster. I have known that for ten years, and I will be glad when you are gone."
"So hostile Dripio. You know you can't catch me. I have always been better you know."
"You may be faster, but I will not give up. Your strength will fail before mine."
"Maybe so, but I have learned a new trick. Bye bye brother." As he said this Dripio slowed slightly, seeming to flip something with his tale towards Dripio. No visible change could be seen, but despair cloaked him, weighing down his wings and dragging him from the sky. Odium laughed at his latest triumph, and set a course towards Water World.
Edit Edit:
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Raise Hero Dripio the Implacible
Raise Hero Odium the Blank
AP 12-2=10
GP 13/21
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
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Sozuchi and Hespa
"Fine by me. I see a lot of Tavius' spirit within you. I'll call you Crackly Jr."
He stares at the destruction going on below for a moment, then says, "Power. Power is the one thing that mortals truly respect, for it is the one that can demand it of them. Every other source of respect can be traced back to a source of power. If you wish them to respect the land, make the land more powerful than they are. It has potential. I hope you are able to fully realize this."
Sozuchi and Hespa - the Void
"Thanks Granny. I'm gonna go play now" she says, and dances down towards the island.
Hespa - Blasted Island (Kamigawa)
"Hmmmm, Granny says that power will stop the mortals, but I'm gonna try something else first. I'm gonna take away the power of the mortals to hurt each other so badly" whispers Hespa.
First, Hespa dances to those areas of the island where metal fell from the sky, but has not yet been mined. She reaches into her hair to withdraw a handfull of seeds. Kissing the seeds she says "The little ones won't be able to hurt you so easily" and plants the seeds at the impact sites. Soon these areas were inhabited by Ironbark Trees, which leeched metals and gems from the soil to form metal laced trunks, which would wreak havoc on the axes and saws of the gnomes. In order to get the metal for their trunks the trees delved their roots deep into the earth to the metal veins below.
Next, the spring goddess plucked a locust out of the air. She held it firmly and sang a little song Spoiler
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"Locusts, locusts, Bacsphaal's brood. Coming here to eat the mortal food. Creature of malice, so very crude. I'll help you serve a kinder mood"
With the end of her song she releases a now vast horde of locusts into the spirit realm of Kamigawa, there to eat magic rather than grain. Wherever the swarms traveled they would create a (temporary) magical dead zone, and since there was so much magic in the world there would be no reason for them to hibernate.
Finally, Hespa drew a shard of root from a nearby tree and gave it voice. She planted this singing root throughout the blasted isle, and any who heard it were lulled into sloth and sleep by the gentle song. If any were to try and harm the roots they would give off a scream which could stun or incapacitate those who heard it. While doing this Hespa said nothing, letting the roots be her voice.
Hespa then rejoined her Grandparent in the void and said "I know it's not raw power, but I think this is more interesting. Besides, singing is prettier than carnage".
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AP 9- 1 (create life - Ironbark) -1 (create life - Locani) - 1 (create life - shriekers) = 6AP
6/12 GP
Note: the singing and shrieking of the shriekers is psionic in nature, so anyone not affected by psionics is immune, but it will disrupt things like crysteel and psions)
Also, I know that Sozuchi is male, but so is Mundo, and I can only have one of each grandparent, so the serpent is now Granny.
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Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Secrets & Myths
Turkin shrugged at the two questions posed by the Oni, "Never said it was a perfect theory, really. I'm sure the folks back at the Citadel have a lot more developed since the time I've spent here." On the topic of the RageFae, he nodded, "So, did they do stuff like what happened to Ninnock?" He asked, furrowing his brow at the memory of what happened to the now all-too-simple Ninnock.
Changeling Village
The Broodspawn being left in the category of "Things I'm Not Ready To Mess With", the Gnomes returned with plenty of samples and notes, as well as more than a few theories to chat about on the way back. The faces and giggling were met with similar looks, the scientists honestly believing that it must have been some sort of social courtesy from the foreigners. After all, foreigners don't mock people.
In the meantime, Glimto had been left to manage the party preparations. Having set up a handful of wooden folding chairs, tables, and even a couple tents that were quickly turned into smokehouses with a bit of spare lumber.
"Come, come!" Glimto urged the Changelings, offering one of the onlookers a large rack of ribs on a wooden platter. "Err, eat if you, uhh, eat! That was a bit lame, but anyhow, feel free to unwind a bit! It's been a while since we've set foot on solid ground, so enjoy the hospitality, especially since you're not Vampires!" He said with extra emphasis, silently wondering- in a belated fashion- whether or not they were in fact just that. Vampires could be very good at disguise.
Or so he'd been informed, anyways.
Wyvern Riders to Village, Aura
"Oh sh-" Was all that Berento could manage, as the teleport spell kicked in. The sensation of being disassembled was a familiar one, though- with the ship coming along- it wasn't all that different to what he had experienced before. Apparently this matter-displacement trick of theirs could actually handle various-
"Bleeeeeeeh!" Was all the Admiral could manage as they rematerialized, his stomach pumping dry air through his throat. Nothing came out but a bit of saliva, which landed against...
The damp hull of the Dalni's Pride?
"...it." One of the Gnomish engineers could be heard saying, as Berento regained his hearing after losing himself in the sensation of having his internal organs returned to full physical functionality.
Berento looked up to the imposing wings and mast of the large ship, the remains of its landing struts keeping it still upright even on the glacier. Granted, the glacier didn't seem to like that fact very much, but Berento doubted he could care at that point.
"You...you just teleported an entire ship. Across leagues of land!"
Berento invented a brand-spanking-new curse word for the Gnomish language, which- like a disease- would catch on like wildfire in the coming weeks.
Gremlins in the Citadel: Keep'n On The Fire!
With the crane swinging back and forth as its wrecking ball was being torn off by the impudent little Gremlin, the operators were- in fact- freaking out. They were very much freaking out. After all, when the initial bravado and courage from the inspiring speech fades away, people really don't expect the common laborer to be alive to weigh the odds of survival with the value of a long career doing manual labor.
"Sod this!" One of the smarter dock workers declared, as the Gremlossus gave another fitful tug. Beginning to climb down the ladder away from the ladder's operating box, it was only by the nature of fate that a stray cannonball would take knock his socks- quite literally- off.
They landed several dozen meters below, right above his empty shoes.
In the distance, the naval ship Vampyre Combine was unloading her full worth at the Gremlin. As Dalni was left to crawl across the crane's remains to regather with the hard-fighting phalanxes of Gnome troopers, the ship's cannons and musketeers were making no small show of getting rid of the abomination.
In the hold of the Combine, crews of cannon operators were hammering away at the levers and gauges that controlled their heavy smoke belchers. A Gnome was not naturally muscular, and- for that reason- they had to rely on a number of rigging bits, coils, springs, and even a few turn styles. At the moment, they were currently stuck reloading. Those few emplacements with rotary cannons were simply disengaging the brakes on gears and coils, letting them swing around to a fresh and unloaded cannon.
A full row of Gnomish heads, stylizing each cannon, pointed at the distant Gremlossus. On the opposite side, phalanxes of soldiers pushed forward, encouraged by Centurion Nampen.
"Not a step back! Every inch we lose is an inch we have to rebuild before we can take on the real threat! The Vampires!"
The roar of musket fire sailed through the air once more, the Gnomes pushing forward- but losing more of their number for every foot taken. It was like pissing into an ocean of...piss. Somewhat.
As one of the upper piers collapsed, taking down another below it, it seemed like the Drydocks had been pretty thoroughly damaged. They'd need to work day and night just to restore it to barely functioning order- let alone to peak production capability. All that remained was to determine how many days and nights.
Gargoyles and Gnomes - Just outside the Citadel - Blam!
"Who's firing? Who's freaking firing?!" Hedto screamed over the roar of cannon fire. His ears were ringing as he looked down to the main deck, where a pair of crewmen had mistaken the sounds of the Gremlossus inside the Citadel being fired upon for actually being fired upon.
Drawing a rather blocky pepperbox pistol, Hedto pointed it at the two men. With the exquisite rifling along the well-embellished weapon, it was very much lethal, even with the cute little pygmies dancing around the mouth of the pistol barrels.
"Do I look like a bitch?" He asked them, "Because if I look like one, then go ahead and touch off that charge. Go ahead and touch off that charge one more time! I dare you! I double dog dare you to touch off that charge!"
The Gnomes, for their part, stopped firing. As the Gargoyles were now no longer under fire, Hedto stuffed the pistol back into his hip, shouting back into the horn. Though his voice was a much more controlled decibel, having adjusted the volume dial.
"You're all clear! Sorry for the confusion- we still fully intend peace and wellness for you! Really!"
Human at the Citadel
Approaching the gates, the lone human heard a distant wail. Surely, his journey would end here, it would only be fitting that- after such a long trip- it would be cut short by some tragic accident that,
"Get out the way!" Shouted a Gnomish caravan driver, tugging furiously at the levers of his cart. The rattle of the large, six-wheeled machine was followed by the abrupt jackknifing of the wagon full of iron, copper, bronze, and silver ingots behind it.
A cloud of dirt and the underlying dust was kicked up by the abrupt stop. In the carriage seat, holding a ball joint-mounted stick in his right and keeping the turban on his head with his left, sat a rather tanned Gnomes. Gnomes, it should be noted, do not particularly tan well- as it was, this Gnome was just a few shades away from qualifying as "Deep Fried".
Sitting in the seat of what looked to be a wagon with a massive copper and iron stove in the back, with six sets of smokestacks instead of the usual one. Only two were going at the moment, puttering away as the cloud cleared. Only about eight paces separated the massive metal-filled cargo section from the human's body.
"Phew!" The turban-wearing Gnome declared, as the Gnomes at the gates- barely a dozen of them armed with rifles as tall as they were- simply resumed their patrol. The distant roll of cannon fire echoed through the sky, but it was distant at best.
"You are very fortunate, my friend!" Turban Gnome commented, his rather heavy robe ideal for the colder weather. "You could catch your death in this kind of a wind! Come, come aboard." He said, patting the open seat beside him on the wagon-thing. "We do not often get humans visiting! In fact, I do not think a human has ever visited here before! It's a rarity and a half to meet one, and I would not forgive myself if I had accidentally maimed you or worse!"
Turban Gnome was a talkative one, it seemed, but long nights on long stretches or road, your only companionship being the sizzle of a stove...he was one of the saner ones.
"Though the doctors are quite good- quite good indeed! Almost lost a finger once, yes, very fortunate. Come, come, do come aboard now!"
-
Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
canjowolf
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Sozuchi and Hespa
"Fine by me. I see a lot of Tavius' spirit within you. I'll call you Crackly Jr."
He stares at the destruction going on below for a moment, then says, "Power. Power is the one thing that mortals truly respect, for it is the one that can demand it of them. Every other source of respect can be traced back to a source of power. If you wish them to respect the land, make the land more powerful than they are. It has potential. I hope you are able to fully realize this."
Sozuchi and Hespa - the Void
"
Thanks Granny. I'm gonna go play now" she says, and dances down towards the island.
Hespa - Blasted Island (Kamigawa)
"
Hmmmm, Granny says that power will stop the mortals, but I'm gonna try something else first. I'm gonna take away the power of the mortals to hurt each other so badly" whispers Hespa.
First, Hespa dances to those areas of the island where metal fell from the sky, but has not yet been mined. She reaches into her hair to withdraw a handfull of seeds. Kissing the seeds she says "
The little ones won't be able to hurt you so easily" and plants the seeds at the impact sites. Soon these areas were inhabited by Ironbark Trees, which leeched metals and gems from the soil to form metal laced trunks, which would wreak havoc on the axes and saws of the gnomes. In order to get the metal for their trunks the trees delved their roots deep into the earth to the metal veins below.
Next, the spring goddess plucked a locust out of the air. She held it firmly and sang a little song
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"Locusts, locusts, Bacsphaal's brood. Coming here to eat the mortal food. Creature of malice, so very crude. I'll help you serve a kinder mood"
With the end of her song she releases a now vast horde of locusts into the spirit realm of Kamigawa, there to eat magic rather than grain. Wherever the swarms traveled they would create a (temporary) magical dead zone, and since there was so much magic in the world there would be no reason for them to hibernate.
Finally, Hespa drew a shard of root from a nearby tree and gave it voice. She planted this singing root throughout the blasted isle, and any who heard it were lulled into sloth and sleep by the gentle song. If any were to try and harm the roots they would give off a scream which could stun or incapacitate those who heard it. While doing this Hespa said nothing, letting the roots be her voice.
Hespa then rejoined her Grandparent in the void and said "
I know it's not raw power, but I think this is more interesting. Besides, singing is prettier than carnage".
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AP 9- 1 (create life - Ironbark) -1 (create life - Locani) - 1 (create life - shriekers) = 6AP
6/12 GP
Note: the singing and shrieking of the shriekers is psionic in nature, so anyone not affected by psionics is immune, but it will disrupt things like crysteel and psions)
Also, I know that Sozuchi is male, but so is Mundo, and I can only have one of each grandparent, so the serpent is now Granny.
Sozuchi - the Void
He smiled at his grandchild. She did not know it, but this was exactly the sort of thing he meant by "power". Not all power was found in magical might or strength of force. The ability to remove such things was a form of power all its own. Often a trump to those with great strength.
Satisfied that she would do well in the world, Sozuchi moved on to see to his youngest child.
Sozuchi - the Endless Pages
Looking around, this place was definitely not-boring. A little dry for his tastes, but nothing was as perfect as Home anyways.
He seeks out Shanefyr and says, "So, Furry, nice place you have here. Tell me, what's next?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gunther
Secrets & Myths
Turkin shrugged at the two questions posed by the Oni, "Never said it was a perfect theory, really. I'm sure the folks back at the Citadel have a lot more developed since the time I've spent here." On the topic of the RageFae, he nodded, "So, did they do stuff like what happened to Ninnock?" He asked, furrowing his brow at the memory of what happened to the now all-too-simple Ninnock.
The spirit looks sheepish, or at least, as embarrassed as a masked fifteen foot spirit can. "Alas, no. That was the Devourers. The had one of each of their kind completely drain him of all emotion. Such acts are reprehensible to my people, and perpetrators are killed on sight."
He continues on. "No, RageFae are far worse. They are nearly divine in power, and without the usual kindness or patience of the Kappa or the benevolent natures of the Faeri. They have a cruel and vindictive nature not found in any other breed of River Serpent, their anger and hatred so great that it turned their bodies from their usual blues to deep crimson. They killed thousands in the Blessed Isles before they were called back by Sozuchi. Three of them even hurt a god in that fight. They now slumber somewhere deep in the Riverways, out of sight of even most divine minds. To re-awaken them would bring untold destruction to the world. Their thirst for vengeance can never be satisfied. No, the foolish Set'Chept who tried to kill you all did not manage to awaken one of them. If he had, it would have taken divine intervention for anyone to have survived. "
"However, despite all this, they are still the blood brothers and sisters of the River Dragons, and they hope one day to be able to free their kin from the blind hatred that binds them. The Faeri refuse to confront them, too afraid of giving in to their own emotions if they should do so. The Chept consider the topic taboo and do not enjoy discussing this at all."
The spirit sizes Turkin up. "Now then, the secret that I am about to tell you is important. You shall be the first mortal to know of it. There is a prophecy. It says 'One day when the Spiral rages bright, and the Earth Children stand in the Citadel, the Raging Death shall call forth his brethren, and they shall Sunder the world the span of a generation of Boa, until the day the Favored One walks with the Blessed.' We have identified you as the Favored One."
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this is a future plot for another time. I'm just sending out this teaser now. Hope everyone whose toys were mentioned in the prophecy specifically doesn't mind. I figured this arc would be a community event.
Chept - Water World
The Chept people were learning the art of war, and learning it well. The Incarnum Magic strengthened their forces to previously unheard of numbers. Within their society, and also mirrored in that of the Forsaken, a new breed of mage emerged. They were the masters of dreamwalking, the paragons of communication. They could send and receive thoughts and messages like none other. They also could look into the future and past, and shape events yet to come. They were the Thinkamancers, and they were the premiere spies and communicators of the world.
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using pantheon ap to create Thinkamancers, a new base class for all followers of NOT-BORING. They also dreamwalk, more adeptly than the others.
Also, if a member of NOT-BORING creates new followers, they get the three erfworld based classes (foolamancer, mathamancer, and thinkamancer) as well for free.
personal bookkeeping:
ap: 8=0+8(rollover)
gp: 8/24
bonus ap: 1 (impulsive)
mythic power
mr4 bless
mr3 curse
Lead Populace
NOT-BORING ap was just spent for the week.
-
Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grytorm
The Shadow The Storehouse
"If you want to address the problem you will need to not only combat the corruption, but also, perhaps attack the source. A dark god called Bacspaal orchestrates it, although I have not met him myself."
Marcus and Iurious -The Storehouse - Family Matters
"Bacspaal, you say?" Marcus mused. He had only interacted with this one god up to now, but from what he had gathered he was one of many. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves" he said with a calm smile.
"I am not about to use the same deceptive plotting that I am trying to eliminate. This dark god wants something, and I suspect there is something else which he wants just a little more. Perhaps some clever bargaining is in order" The smile remained, but loosened. The corners of his eyes lowered slightly. It was one thing to negotiate with dwarves, but this would be divine negotiations. What if there really was nothing this god wanted more than to see the dwarves as corrupt as possible. He had to try, though.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gunther
Gargoyles and Gnomes - Just outside the Citadel - Blam!
"Who's firing? Who's freaking firing?!" Hedto screamed over the roar of cannon fire. His ears were ringing as he looked down to the main deck, where a pair of crewmen had mistaken the sounds of the Gremlossus inside the Citadel being fired upon for actually being fired upon.
Drawing a rather blocky pepperbox pistol, Hedto pointed it at the two men. With the exquisite rifling along the well-embellished weapon, it was very much lethal, even with the cute little pygmies dancing around the mouth of the pistol barrels.
"Do I look like a bitch?" He asked them, "Because if I look like one, then go ahead and touch off that charge. Go ahead and touch off that charge one more time! I dare you! I double dog dare you to touch off that charge!"
The Gnomes, for their part, stopped firing. As the Gargoyles were now no longer under fire, Hedto stuffed the pistol back into his hip, shouting back into the horn. Though his voice was a much more controlled decibel, having adjusted the volume dial.
"You're all clear! Sorry for the confusion- we still fully intend peace and wellness for you! Really!"
The gargoyles heard the pronouncement, and were relieved. It was unlikely they would have been hit before landing, but unlikely can be trumped by unlucky.
They flew up to the deck, flying alongside it for just a couple of moments before landing to give the gnomes a chance to realize what was happening. What gnomes required giant machines for, the gargoyles were doing with ease. It could have been interpreted as intimidation, but that would imply the gargoyles sought the upper hand. They were simply doing their best to get an even footing.
"Greetings. My name is Wallace. My fellow flyers and I have come here to represent many of our kin in the Southeast. We have large mines, with valuable resources. In exchange we hope that you might be willing to offer some of the goods of your own..." There was a bit of a pause here. Wallace hadn't really expected such amazing devices. These were beyond anything the gargoyles could have dreamed of. "...or some of the wonderful knowledge you clearly possess. We ask for nothing specific, we merely would like to invite your merchants to our city, as we can likely aid one another."
He hoped that they approved. Perhaps he wasn't talking to the right person. Perhaps they hoarded their knowledge. He could only hope that they were as friendly as Marcus had said.
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I am assuming that giving a character a name doesn't automatically mean they are a hero. I reserve the right to make him a hero later, but for now Wallace is just another peon.
-
Re: Lords of Creation: In Character #2
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grytorm
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Iurious Teppelin
After the party had finished, Iurious had returned to his labs. He let out Odium and quickly checked on Dripio, accompanied by the two dragons Iurious bagan his next project, this one a tad more hands on. He began work on crafting a large golden egg and began to prepare what was to go inside of it. As the egg took shape the tank was filled with many ingredients, some more samples of flesh, a number of arcane reagents, and eventually some shavings from Iurious's gloves. Here he would stay until the next day, waiting for Teikoku.
Teikoku, Iurious' Labs, Teppelin
True to her word, come the first glimmer of morning, the goddess arrived. If her attention was at all split or divided from her new status as parent, it did not show. Glancing around, she gave a brisk nod of approval. "You've made quite a few modifications here, Oathkeeper. If Genome is correct, far more than are readily visible. In any case, there was something you wished to discuss?" Gaze falling on one of the stacks of dragon eggs, her eyebrows raised as she awaited an answer.
Princess Nia, Imperial Quarters, Teppelin
The young girl prepared for bed. For most children, this would entail some combination of falling asleep and demanding to be allowed to stay awake. Certainly, relatively few of them spent the time to individually tuck in and and wish goodnight a small army of dolls and toys. Her sister had quipped that she had her own personal little empire of cloth and stuffing - which was true in a way. All of them presided over of course by her beloved Cousin T, any menace the doll might have possessed stolen away by a bright pink tiara.
At last, having carefully donned her pajamas and ensured the mental sanctity of her plushies; having carefully washed, brushed, and dried her train of cloudy blue-white hair; having ensured that her massive stacks of classwork had been received by the proper tutors, Princess Nia was prepared to go to sleep.
Almost.
"Honorable mother, would you kindly read me a story?" The girl made a face that any sane species would have classified as a weapon of mass destruction. There was hypnotism, there was domination... and then there were the great, saucer-like rainbow-hued eyes of Princess Nia. To which even Kiki was not immune.
"Well then... but what about Rei?" The last was added almost as an afterthought - she didn't really expect any answer other than the one she got.
"My honorable sister has requested that we continue without her. She is busy training with the Lord-Marshal. Rayne also asked me to assure you that she will still be in bed at a decent hour." There was still a hint of sadness in her voice, despite having delivered a nearly identical message scores of time before.
Kiki sighed, but quickly renewed her smile. "Okay then, but she doesn't know what she's missing. Once, a long, long time ago, on a planet far off in the stars, there was a cruel and wicked Baron. His people were all bones and ghosts, and they only knew how to be afraid. But some of them wanted more - some of the people wanted to light a light in the mist and darkness. And so those people..."
With a subtle flick of her fingers, the air adept sent a brightly colored illusion scampering across the bedsheets. Nia was, as always, the best audience anyone could ask for. She gasped with horror at the actions of the Baron, and those of his cruel and gluttonous henchman. She clapped her hands in joy when the humble young candlestick maker, together with a blacksmith and a wandering tinker, crafted a light in the darkness. She set her face in stern support of the people who the baron wronged. She cried into the shoulder of her mother as the Baron's wicked soldiers ransacked the workshop of the candlestick maker, breaking all the beautiful things. And she smiled again as his friends helped him to his feet, standing by him through it all.
But as the last of the images faded away, and Kiki's voice came to a halt, the child muttered softly. "But honorable mother, how does it end?" The empress-consort chuckled softly, placing a kiss on top of her daughter's head.
"That will have to wait, won't it? Now, its bedtime. Sleep well, Nia - we love you." She smiled as she walked from the room, flipping off the light switch on her way out as she heard the girl's reply.
"Forever and ever. Goodnight to you as well."
Princess Rayne, Training Room, Teppelin
"E-14-Alpha, move, C-12-Alpha, set target. Launch. A-15-Beta, set target, full action." The dark-haired girl tapped her finger against her chin, looking at the morass of data in front of her. Rayne didn't like using the actual board - it was an abstraction, and it was too easy to get caught up it that. It presented data that was not there. Just looking at the hard positioning statistics was much better. "Also, checkmate, unless I'm missing something. So, Teach, wanna explain how I beat you? This time?"
Idra groaned. He was the finest strategic mind in Teppelin... or so he'd thought. But this girl had taken this game to an absurd depth. "First Princess. You won through your own merit - however, I must point out that that was not a viable strategy for true battle. You obliterated your own troops with reckless abandon for even the smallest edge. Soldiers are not playing pieces."
Rayne looked thoughtful for a moment, then broke into a wide, toothy grin. "But do you know what are playing pieces? Playing pieces. Relax, Teach, it's just a game! I know about morale - and I have to say, this game doesn't do a very good job of approximating it." She looked at the Lord-Marshal, yawning slightly. "Yeah, if you wanna send me to bed, go ahead. I'm tired anyway, and I get that its boring to keep losing. 'Night."
Stretching, the girl yawned again. Despite her words, this was hardly a symptom of weariness - it was simply rare for Rayne to find anything that actually merited her full attention. Her dark gray eyes were half-closed almost out of habit, and she had a tendency to look like she was nodding off of boredom near-constantly at any given time. It wasn't that she wasn't observant, but simply that there wasn't enough to observe. As she gathered up her pack of class supplies, she couldn't help but quip over her shoulder.
"Love the class, Teach. Looking forward to continuing. Maybe I'll learn something next time."