Lords of Creation: In Character #2

[planswalker]

Nia and Rayne, Imperial Quarters, Teppelin

The two girls exchanged a quick glance, before Rayne spoke for both of them. "Yes, we are. Unless there is anything else vital we need to know?" She gave Nia another quick look. "Are you... sure, sis? This could be scary."

Nia nodded once. She looked worried, but her mind was made up - she was going.

Lelouch, The Spire, Area 12

"Hmm... so the effect will dissipate when we leave? In that case, we've probably held it long enough - we have the air advantage by now. Implode this, fry it, whatever you have to - just make sure they can't get that anti-air running again or they could potentially turn this around." After about a minute of nervous pacing and glances at various doors, he continued. "That's it. Something is wrong - the troops outside have all withdrawn, and yet none of them are coming for us. Even infantry have more brains than that. We're leaving, now."

As soon as William disengaged from the core and made his adjustments, Lelouch led the group in a borderline sprint from the chamber. They met no resistance along the way - either the troops had already evacuated, or they were purposely ignoring the group. The exit seemed near at hand - all that remained was to traverse an empty hanger.

Aside from the fact that it wasn't empty.

"William!" With a shrieking noise, a knightmare dropped from one of the repair gurneys, the ronin only barely managing to sidestep the falling blade in its grip. The mech quickly recovered, rolling backwards away from the group in preparation for a charge, when...

"Thunderaga." With a flick of his wrist, Lelouch sent a jolt of lightning blazing towards the enemy. Enki's mech spasmed, the skates on one of its legs abruptly retracting and sending the knightmare into a disorganized tumble. Enki recovered quickly, staggering back to a standing position. "Persistent. Very well. Thunderaga. Thunderaga. Thunderaga..."

Viradu smasmed, jolting violently with every massive bolt of lightning. Each time Lelouch blasted it, Enki forced it to its feet once more. "...Thunderaga. Thunderaga... ah, look, it's down. That took longer than anticipated." Sure enough, the knightmare shuddered and fell flat. Smoke streamed from its joints, and from every port - it was likely that every circuit in the machine was completely fried. And yet, there was a flicker of motion.

With a clang, the emergency hatch in the rear of the machine opened... and fell off. From it crawled a battered pilot - lanky, blond hair stained with soot. When he opened his mouth, it was full of sharply pointed teeth. "William... Penkappa!" He staggered forward a few steps, grasping at the sword at his hip. "I won't... be beaten. Not... like this! Fight me... fight me, dammit!" He stumbled, quickly regaining his balance.

William

"Allow me to handle this. Go on without me."

Enki casts a quick invocation to stun Enki long enough to reach over and touch him.

Outside, it began to rain right at that moment.

William then waterwalked the two of them to the bridge of the battleship he had just cursed. Assuming Enki fought with the honor and prowess he expected him to have, he should survive the mass insanity and likely save many lives as he organizes the rescue.

"You are an honorable man, but this fight could not be honorable. You and I fight on very different levels of power. I single-handedly can set the city's central power core to implode, taking the tower out with it. You are possibly the best knightmare pilot I've ever met, but there would be no honor in defeating you yet again. Goodbye, Enki. I will pray that you can find a more productive reason to live."

He then walks away as quickly as he left, rejoining his companions.

"The spire should blow any moment, unless they've got someone as good at manipulating crysteel as I am who happens to have a gift from the gods."

Nia and Rayne - the Riverways

"Not really. Step with me now to the Dragon Tail Ring, for there you shall find the portal to the Riverways."

After a brief moment of confusion about how to do that, the serpent said, "You have been given a piece of Big Brother himself. The Ring is also a part of himself. The two call to each other. Feel that this is so inside yourselves. Now then, simply answer that call and you will be there."

A moment later, the three of them were floating just above a massive silver sea of water. At the far edges of the twin's vision, a white ring could be just seen.

"This is the only entrance into the Riverways in the mortal universe. It is a realm beyond that of Creation, and predates even Brother, Ear, and the other Old Ones. It is the truest and most pure form of water in existence, the very essence that spawned Bro and gave rise to me and all other of my kin. Now, this portal is not predictable. Step through together, and you will appear together. However, if the two of you are even a second behind each other, hours will separate the two of you. It is possible, with the right magical skill, to enter the Riverways at one specific point instead of just randomly. However, that is probably beyond the skill of the two of you at this moment. Step through together, and see what awaits you. I will follow once you two are on the other side. I should be only three minutes Riverways time behind you."

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The Citadel - a Reunion
Approaching the Citadel, the Chept would have found it very fitting to its namesake. A mixture of military arches and stairwells, with long, paved roads leading into the massive city. Unending seas of smoke gushed into the heavens through smokestacks and entire channels built into the abode of the Gnomes.

Unlike the swamps of the Chept, no large predators roamed about (Pardoning the occasional herd of rather terrified-looking elephants or other large mammals, that fled at the sight of approaching humanoids). The wilderness had game animals in large numbers, but most of the land around the Citadel were empty plains. A number of groves had been set up along the roads, groves that had been left abandoned.

Something had spooked the Gnomes, as evidenced by the occasional stuffed animal. The exact nature of that spook was evident in the large, tinder effigies depicting Vampires. Ones that were covered in pitch and- usually- burning away quite nicely by the time that the Chept army got there. Though on a lighter note, a few of the stuffed animals looked vaguely like Boa'Chept or Croc'Chept, with cartoonishly large teeth and tails and button eyes. Filled with fine sand, they were rather cute in their own, completely irreverent sort of way.

It meant that the Chept were, at least, somewhat expected. A good reason for not being preemptively blown to tatters.

The giant banner of love and peace was probably the second reason that they hadn't been torn to shreds on the approach. Rather, as they approached the massive front gates of the Citadel late in the evening, they saw a rather grand welcoming committee.

The front gates of the massive tower had been forged from what looked to be pure adamantine. In reality, such gates would have weighed so much that even Kali would have a hard time giving them a good shove. In reality, it was a layer no thicker than paint, under which there was steel. Lots of steel, in fact, plated onto reinforced concrete and- eventually- stone. The Gnomes did not believe in half-assing their front doors.

The Gnomes, rather than rushing out to greet the Chept with open arms, had instead decided to greet the strange foreigners from windowsills and behind shutters. A few of the more intensive Gnomish watchmen had considered attempting to disperse what consisted, legally, of a 'riot in potentia'...but found even their fascination too great.

The main avenue, which could probably have an entire river village float down it if someone added running water, from the Citadel's front gate branched off into several smaller avenues that were a bit more manageable. Divine architecture was fine and all, but the Gnomes weren't exactly god-sized, so they had adapted.

Buildings made from solid stone loomed over the incoming army, Gnomes dressed in rather silly-looking and overly warm coats (Perhaps not too warm, considering the weather) peered down over railings and catwalks at the incoming force. A few flags were waved from tower to tower, and the more adventurous Gnomes kept to the edges of the streets, trying to get a view of the festivities. One of them, armed with a coal plate attached to leather straps, seemed to be weighing the value of trying to sell his interesting-looking tubes of (what appeared to be) meat to the newcomers. Business was hard when people knew what your food tasted like.

"Sausage...sausage inna-" He began, before being cut off.

Opposite of the Chept, Turkin could be seen, having looked only a bit older than when they had last met considering the timespan. Gnomes, it seemed, aged rather gracefully- at least to an outsider. He did, however, sport a beard that was rather in-fashion. That, and a rather ridiculous-looking gold hardhat. One with a pair of exhaust vents along each side in the shape of wings, which occasionally hissed out steam. He wore a suit of what seemed to be gold, with large brass buttons.

What didn't look ridiculous was the pair of massive, metal constructs behind him. Looming over even the biggest Croc'Chept, they were three meters tall, with their torsos taking up most of their size. Red fire burned internally, dozens of moving cogs and chains visible underneath their segmented armor plates. Gold and silver was a common motif here...but other metals, such as adamantine claws, were present also. Bronze spikes jutted from their torso armor, and the stench of ozone was joined with the crackle of electricity. They remained far away from the Chept, however, instead content to rest on their knuckles like apes.

Turkin approached, smiling as he greeted the Chept heroes. "Welcome! I'm very glad to see you all, very glad indeed! It's been years, though I must confess you've chosen a rather...interesting time to visit the Citadel. Very bad things going on and such. I, err, could I interest you all in a sausage in a bun?" He asked, smiling widely. And only a very happy type of Gnome can smile like that.

Reunion

The five immortals, of course, look the same as ever. They look about curiously at the sight greeting them. It seemed dangerous to them to have so very many people all gathered in one place. Their "farming" must be pretty compact if that many can live together without starving. "Turkin! Old friend, how are you?" Iounchept asked.

[Selinia]

Teikoku, Command Center, Teppelin

The goddess have a harsh laugh. "I would have thought Terran would have told you. Or perhaps Sozuchi. I am paying for my mistake, as I will likely continue to do until my dying day. That is my duty. My first and foremost duty. In the dawn of creation, I wove the Spiral of Creation - the means to tap into the limitless potential of this universe in a way even divinity cannot. It is the gift and the curse of humanity. I thought to guide it along the path of peace and creation... and I failed."

"The spiral exists to do battle. Left unchecked, it will expand indefinitely. The world will fall under its dominion. The gods will wither and die. One by one, the distant stars shall be snuffed out and brought into its control. And when there is nothing left to fight, it will turn on itself. And there will be nothing. I will not allow that to happen - and if preventing that means that I must dash my own creations to pieces and crush that which I love most, it is a price I will pay. For I have no choice."

"A single human defeated the raging death. Call it a fluke. Call it an anomaly. But if I fail, then you will one day be at the tip of their weapon. And the spiral knows no mercy."

Rayne, The Riverways

With a glance at her sister and a reassuring nod, Rayne stepped through the portal. She tried to hold fast a picture of stability, of somewhere safe and sound - she knew she wouldn't be able to pinpoint her location, but she hoped she could at least reach someplace fairly safe.

She was met with darkness.

Rayne was a strong girl, brave for her age. She had a mastery of the arcane and certain elements of strategy and combat surpassing even masters in the fields. She could devour massive tomes in just a few hours. But she was still a child, and she was still afraid of the dark. She curled up, feeling crushed by her surroundings. Time seemed to grind to a halt. She closed her eyes, and when that didn't make any difference, she screamed... as best as one can in the deeps. The thought of shining a light of her own fled from her mind in sheer terror.

Nia, The Riverways

She followed her sister, a mere fraction of a second splitting them apart. Nia braced for... anything, she thought. But she wasn't prepared for what she found. A vast, seemingly endless expanse of glimmering blue, like a field of sapphires without end. Brightly colored aquatic creatures darted between rays of errant sunlight... she wondered how her Honorable Uncle's eye was able to shine here.

Slowly, she relaxed. She let herself float gently in the calm water, stands of her train of blue-white hair drifting behind her like the cloud-bank they so resembled. A rainbow-hued fish danced circles around her, sending her into a fit of laughter with its odd corkscrews and spins. "Are you dancing for me, Sir Fish? You are most surely skilled!"

Enki, The Judgemaster, Above Area 12

For a few moments, the man stood in what was quickly becoming a torrential rainstorm. He hadn't been defeated... he had been crushed. Pummeled and then brushed aside like nothing. He had been defeated by humans - lowly humans! Not just William - there was that pilot in the odd knightmare. He had shown honor, valor even - and he was a match for Enki at his own game.

What was humanity? How could they do... this? How could they keep grasping at the clearly impossible... and how was it that time and again, they surpassed it? His reverie was interrupted by a startled shout from behind.

"Sir... Knight Commander, is that you?"

He turned, seeing a pair of puzzled and slightly dazed crewmen. He gave a sharp not. He would have time for these thoughts later. "Yes. Report. Where is the countess? Who is in command?"

The two exchanged worried looks before replying. "Sir... the Countess is in a coma, from severe trauma to the head. Most of the command staff is either dead or incapacitated. As per protocol, you are in command until one of them recovers, I believe."

Enki paused, digesting that. He had a choice - he could either try and bombard the city below or... "...Secure the last of the evacuees. Cease all firing. We have lost this battle - we withdraw to Teppelin. Ready trauma teams and redistribute as many white mages as can be spared to triage. We can't continue fighting. The Bastion is fallen. We need to recover elsewhere."

Lelouch, The Streets, Area 12

The group barely managed to make it a few blocks away before the Spire shuddered and collapsed cleanly into itself. Few remained inside - mostly those still struggling to shake off effects of Will's magic. Minutes later, the massive battleship above them fired off its thrusters, crawling off towards Teppelin and bringing its escort with it. The city was won.

Lelouch gave William a passing glance. "...is there a reason your ships are not firing? Their fleet strength is vastly below ours now - we should crush them before they have a chance to regroup! We can't afford to let an entire enemy battleship go free when we could have downed it!"

"No." Lelouch scrabbled into a fighting posture momentarily before noting the odd design of the knightmare that had just leapt from a nearby rooftop with a thunderous crash. "They've gone and fessed up defeat. Warriors don't hit people whose backs are turned! That's a scummy, cowardly thing to do! We beat 'em once, right here! If they decide to come back for another scrap, we'll beat them then too, even harder, until they realize what they're up against!"

"... I take it this is the 'ganman' you mentioned? Please, tell me that this imbecile has no actual authority." Lelouch buried his face in his palm as the mech seemed to glower down at him. "We are not 'warriors'. We are an army. When the enemy's back is turned is the best time to shoot. Why are we even discussing this?"

[planswalker]

Rayne, The Riverways

With a glance at her sister and a reassuring nod, Rayne stepped through the portal. She tried to hold fast a picture of stability, of somewhere safe and sound - she knew she wouldn't be able to pinpoint her location, but she hoped she could at least reach someplace fairly safe.

She was met with darkness.

Rayne was a strong girl, brave for her age. She had a mastery of the arcane and certain elements of strategy and combat surpassing even masters in the fields. She could devour massive tomes in just a few hours. But she was still a child, and she was still afraid of the dark. She curled up, feeling crushed by her surroundings. Time seemed to grind to a halt. She closed her eyes, and when that didn't make any difference, she screamed... as best as one can in the deeps. The thought of shining a light of her own fled from her mind in sheer terror.

Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, the River Serpent appeared at her location. He heard her scream for only a fraction of a second before a reassuring voice said, "Oh dear, little one, you seem to have found your way to a dark place. is this better?" All at once, a soft white glow filled the immediate area. The River Serpent's body glowed gently, giving hope in the darkness.

Nia, The Riverways

She followed her sister, a mere fraction of a second splitting them apart. Nia braced for... anything, she thought. But she wasn't prepared for what she found. A vast, seemingly endless expanse of glimmering blue, like a field of sapphires without end. Brightly colored aquatic creatures darted between rays of errant sunlight... she wondered how her Honorable Uncle's eye was able to shine here.

Slowly, she relaxed. She let herself float gently in the calm water, stands of her train of blue-white hair drifting behind her like the cloud-bank they so resembled. A rainbow-hued fish danced circles around her, sending her into a fit of laughter with its odd corkscrews and spins. "Are you dancing for me, Sir Fish? You are most surely skilled!"

Stutty - the Riverways

Though it did not speak, Nia heard a small voice in her mind, the stuff of rainbows and laughter. Indeed, Big One, I am dancing with you. You smell of nice things. I am called Stutty. Who are you?

Lelouch, The Streets, Area 12

The group barely managed to make it a few blocks away before the Spire shuddered and collapsed cleanly into itself. Few remained inside - mostly those still struggling to shake off effects of Will's magic. Minutes later, the massive battleship above them fired off its thrusters, crawling off towards Teppelin and bringing its escort with it. The city was won.

Lelouch gave William a passing glance. "...is there a reason your ships are not firing? Their fleet strength is vastly below ours now - we should crush them before they have a chance to regroup! We can't afford to let an entire enemy battleship go free when we could have downed it!"

"No." Lelouch scrabbled into a fighting posture momentarily before noting the odd design of the knightmare that had just leapt from a nearby rooftop with a thunderous crash. "They've gone and fessed up defeat. Warriors don't hit people whose backs are turned! That's a scummy, cowardly thing to do! We beat 'em once, right here! If they decide to come back for another scrap, we'll beat them then too, even harder, until they realize what they're up against!"

"... I take it this is the 'ganman' you mentioned? Please, tell me that this imbecile has no actual authority." Lelouch buried his face in his palm as the mech seemed to glower down at him. "We are not 'warriors'. We are an army. When the enemy's back is turned is the best time to shoot. Why are we even discussing this?"

Victory - and New Beginnings

William laughs to see that he isn't the only one who finds it inconvenient that the only man with a ganman so far had to be a complete moron.

"Tell you what, arm wrestle him for his job. He successfully lead the ground troops."

William deftly walked up and walked through a puddle at the ganman's feet to his shoulders.

"Today we have won an important victory. There are now four bastions completely free from tyrrany. There are nine others left to be freed, then on to topple Teppelin itself. With our new forces, we have the might it takes to overcome a bastion head-on. Let us go now to area 9 and prove to all the world that humanity is STRONG!"

[DragonOfUndeath]

Life is good in Bastion 07

Dracula sat on the top of Bastion 07 drinking a pint of Tiefling blood from a solid gold cup.
"This is the life, isn't it Thought. Owning a Bastion, setting up a Human Nation, our numbers are greater than ever. Those Rot-cursed Star'Chept unable to attack us due to a Divine Pact sealed by me. Life is good."

Hive Mind

Dracula: How is the Human Empire coming together?
Karta: Good. We have negotiated the land they will have from what we have already conquered. When we conquer more these areas may change but for now are stable.
Dracula: I take it you have already gotten a leader for this Empire?
Karta: No but we do have several Humans forming a Council of sorts. They are acting as leaders until one steps up and volunteers.
Dracula: Good.
Karta: We are in the middle of negotiating a 'business' with them. We will set up places where our 'talents' will come in handy. Humans unable to sleep can come and be bitten an have the Parasite in our fangs put them to sleep. Every Vampire may work in these 'Sleep Shops' to get their Blood every Feeding.
Dracula: Excellent now we won't have to rely on the Forsaken Slaves as much.

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Basically I am starting to set up a Human Empire near to Bastion 07. If/When the Vampires get more land the Empire might expand into there. For now the Empire isn't set up and the Humans live in the Spire of Bastion 07.
Is it possible for Resistance members in this Bastion to have contact with William or other Resistances in other Bastions?

[Rainshine]

Aarken

Akhat looked across the world, and was pleased with the sounds that came from there. Music soared to the heavens and beyond, and it was right and fitting to his ears. His own voice called back to the world, lifted in song. But perhaps, this was not enough. There were many savage and brutal races that had no appreciation for such arts... How to bring them to the glorious light?


Citadel

It was all the fault of that human, with his preposterous ideas! However, in his wake, the members of the Minds came to realize how isolated they were. Their studies were important, yes, but how were they helping the gnomish nation as a whole? It was this sentiment that sent several of them back, with all sorts of devices. Included in this was one particular gnome, who needed to put his logic machine to the test.

From the "hills" of the Citadel... well, the fairly unusued areas, at least -- came swarms of gnomes. For the most part, they were completely unknown to the current generation of Citadel dwellers having been studying for so long that all their immediate family had long since died off. There were visible differences in the returning gnomes as well -- many had become more solidly built, thicker necks and jutting foreheads. Others, from the Fist camps, had changed even more radically: they stood hands above any of their brethren, looking to a degree like smaller and more handsome versions of ogres. They were a bit faster than ogres, as it so happened, if not that much smarter. That's what the Diamond minds were for, after all.
The Minds brought a small host of gadgets and inventions with them. Some, like the logic machine, weren't quite finished yet. Others were useful thinks, like a set of small blades set upon a chain, the whole chain circulating around. Strange interlocking containers and a box that ate trees, some were genius, some were foolish, and pretty much all of them were crazy gnomish. In a flash, they had mutants and new gadgets.


Vendigrothian Empire

The raids were getting to be too much. Losing slaves was foolishness, they were needed now, more than ever, and the stupid creatures couldn't see how good they had it. They were fed, kept alive in a blasted wasteland, and part of the invulnerable empire of Vendigroth! Yet run away they did, with help from their barbaric brethren. At least the golems seemed to be a better job of making them pay for it, but the few troops they kept back weren't enough to deal with the threat. More and more were needed in the new continent, to help fortify each new city-castle that they built up. They would have to devise a different method of enhancing their troops, it seemed, one less costly than simply making more golems.

Hit upon was the solution of further using magic, of course. The armor and weapons were already enchanted by the smiths of the cities, but now each was fitted to vises and painstakingly etched again. Into these etchings, these small channels, was poured magical power to be released later. This was no mere enchantment, designed to make the metal tougher. These were the runes, to spread death and destruction. Each breastplate held a particularly nasty pair of opposing runes, one on each side, that glowed a faint red color whenever the armor was worn.


The Mteule

It happened fast, in the span of a dozen cycles. The Speakers were ruthlessly culled by the bugs, who hunted down the tasty tasty magic and devoured it -- and most anything else between them and their target. The Mteule were, for a while, helpless against the threat, and hundreds were lost, entire holds overrun. What was once considered cherished, the first glimmerings of magical talent, was now a curse to those who had it. Without the Speakers to defend them, other threats, such as the dragons, were able to become a constant thorn in the side of the people. More and more died, and the desert began to reclaim its spaces.

His name was Liat, and he had fought with Divia in the actions previous. Now, after more than half the camp he was in was lost, he was part of the groups retreating inwards, back to the core area of the Mteule, where help would be closer at hand. It was to him that Akhat's avatar would deliver his piece. As they marched across the sands, the avatar blew its way across the desert floor, and uncovered something placed there. With curiousity, Liat stooped, catching the gold chain of the medallion in his fingers, pulling it free of the sand, shaking it off. His steps faltered as he eyed the intricate and beautiful work of art that it was. This, somehow, was special, more than any chunk of metal or bone. Hastily, he slipped it around his neck, the medallion itself sliding beneath his garments, pressing against his bare skin with a strange warmth.

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AP 5 - 0 (Lead Populace: Runecarving, free from Leader of Man) - 0 (Lead Populace:

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Roc riding! Whee!

, free from Medallion) - 0 (Raise Hero: Liat, free from Mythic) - 0 (Bless the Gnomes with strength, size, and chainsaws!, free from Face) - 3 (Claim Domain: Music) = 2
GP 14/24

Music actions:
Lead Populace: Instruments (Mteule)
Lead Populace: Music (Asherati)
Lead Populace: Music and Pipe Organs (Gnomes)
Raise Hero: Lorenna the harpist
Create Organization: Warsingers

[Shmee]

Burkek, Da Buuur-Landz

Burkek gets up as Orcish Teknologee begins to fail

"BAH! DIZ IZ STUPID ANYWAYZ... I IZ HAVIN' MY OWN FEET TO WALK ON!" With that, he abandons the Golemship as he hears Quarland's proclamation and makes a proclamation of his own.

"I AM BURKEK! SON OF MAH FADDA! GRAN' POO-BAH OF DA ORCZ! WE IZ NOT FIGHTIN' CUZ WE IZ WANTING YUZ FOOD, OR YUZ SHINIEZ, OR YUZ TEKNOLOGY OR CUZ WE IZ BEIN' TOLD TO! WE IZ FIGHTIN' CUZ DIZ IZ WHAT WE DO BEZT!"

Turning around Burkek yells

"OI! BRING IN DA LITTLE GITZ!"

A small ugly green creature makes his way to Burkek as he begins grovelling

"Yes oh Potent of Potents? You have called and I.... QWERTY THE GREAT! Have responded..."

"STOP WID YUZ FUNNY TALKIN' QWERTY! I IZ WANTIN' YUZ TA SEND YUZ BOYZ IN! GIVE 'EM A GOOD TASTE OF GRETCHEN TEKNOLOGEE!"

"But of course oh Grand Poo-Bah!" With that, Qwerty the Great, High Shaman of the Gretchen whistles. All of a sudden, scored of the similar looking creatures make themselves known on the battlefield, each of them, having a bundle strapped upon them. With that, Qwerty the Great orders the Gretchen attack. As the Gretchen start pouring through joining the Orc's mad rush, they don't immediately seem like much of a threat... until that is, the first Gretchen who manages to reach close enough to the Forsaken, pulls the cord on the bundle, setting off the powerful explosives within it... killing the Gretchen of course... but also taking several Forsaken with each one.

Even as that happens, the Gretchen launch a salvo of thousands of crudely built rockets, each one of them with a Gretchen or Orc tied to it, as they start shooting down anything that flew in the sky. The rockets had very poor accuracy, but if out of a thousand rockets a few hits, that is all that matters.

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OOC
AP8= 9-1; Create Life: Gretchen
Use Mortal Artifact: Teach Gretchen: Gretchen Teknologee (aka things that go *BOOM*)
Use Mythic Power: Raise Hero: Qwerty the Great
GP: 1/27

Burkek takes a moment to take in the sickly sweet smell of burnt flesh, as the Orcs continue their push. Regardless of how many Orcs or Giants Quarland would kill, more would simply take their place and renew the attack.

"DA FAMILY DAT I LIVE FOR BREATHZ THE AIR OF COMBAT! WID DA COMMAND OF MY VOICE I RAIZE DA LEVELZ OF DA WAR TO ONE DAT CAN'T BE REPRODUCED! I LIVE FER YUZ FRUSTRATION FOR I IZ DA LORD OF SLAUGHTER!"

Unfortunately for the Horseman of War, he was but one... they were but Millions and this was a war unlike any ever waged upon this world. The situation was far from under control as the Forsaken would like to beleive. And then, something incredible happened...

The Genius Loci, Alekzandria

The Genius Loci turns to Evanzar as he delivers his message

"Very well... listen well Lord of the Forsaken for the very Earth is speaking! For too long the earth has drank the blood that you and your people have freely shed, to the point that it can drink no more! Blood for blood, shall your people repay. You wished to be masters of all lands you see? The land itself shall reject you! Watch then in horror as the very earth vomits you like the filth you are!"

With that, the Genius Loci slams its fist on the ground. For a moment, nothing happens... but all of a sudden the entire Forsaken Capital is rocked with massive earthquakes as the Genius Loci full-fills his threat. When the Genius Loci slammed its fist, eight tectonic plates were created right underneath the city's foundation.

"Scatter then, to all corners of the world!" Yells the Genius Loci, as it slams the ground once again, causing the whole of Alekzandria to be split apart into eight pieces. Each individual tectonic plate scattered the part of the Capital that was resting upon it like a wave of earth, far away from the rest of the other parts of the city... and stops straight in front the hordes of rushing Orcs.

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AP7=8-1, Alter Terrain, Use the Pillars of Creation to do a SR4 to split the Forsaken capital into 8 parts and move them away from each other.
(Each piece of the city went to a different location, as in one went North, the other went North West, West, South West etc. I know that a SR1 would have been enough to split the city, but I wanted to make sure that each part of the city are very far from each other.)
GP2/27

Burkek and the Orcs look for a few moments dumbfounded as they see the part of the Forsaken Capital being laid bare right in front of them, until Burkek starts laughing and pointing a finger towards it yells

"LOOK BOYZ! DEY IZ FINKIN' DAT DEY CAN THROW DERE CITIEZ AT US! ALRIGHT THEN BOYZ BURN IT TO DA GROUND! LEAVE NUFFIN' STANDING! LETS MAKE DIZ PLACE MORE ORCY!"

With a great shout, the massive horde once again being a mad charge towards the city, its defenders now split apart and greatly confused as to what just happened, the Orcs begin pouring into the parts of the city and it is not long before buildings can be seen burning as the Orcs once again begin to fight, their Grand Poo-Bah in the front line punching any Forsaken that gets in his way.

[Smokin Red]

The Dreaming – The Darkest Place

In the waking world the war was growing and growing – the last development, the orcs – and the simple population had been suffering.

Yes, there were heroic battles, there were great deeds accomplished and the mightiest heroes as well, as the most advanced military technology, wrote history.

But the simple people suffered, war, everyone for generations knew nothing but war, slaughter and death. The most innocent suffered the most, the children were marked for a lifetime...
...and if you could witness their dreams, their nightmares, true horror only springs from the war-scarred minds of children.

And something stirred in those darkest parts of The Dreaming, something formed.


Saguro – The Dreaming
Saguro felt the unrest in the waking world, and instantly knew he would have to do something about it. He seemed to look into the distance, as his eyes turned to facets.

Maguro – The Barren Plains
It grew colder in the shallow depression in the middle of the plains. If there had been someone, he could have heard an infernal buzzing, seemingly originating from everywhere at once. He would also see a facet-eyed humanoid standing there and watching the ground. Until some grains of sand moved, and a diminutive fly burrowed to the air.
Maguro breathed on it, and spoke: “Fly little one, and bring rest to those who can't sleep, and with it the joy of dreaming.“The fly shimmered in all the colors of the rainbow, and as it took off, millions and billions of its kind went with it.


The Old World – The Myconids

There was a cult spreading amongst the myconids, stories had been created about the 'Spore-Giver'. Although myconids were never especially religious and always more of a pragmatic lot, a lore emerged from the ranks of them. About Josiah, the Rot, Terran and his favoured children and Saguro, send by them to tes the people of the mushroom.
Well they had some things pretty mixed up, but you get kind of a strange view of the world, if you're working on underground-farms for generations.

Nevertheless, the myconids founded their own religion, and that lead on to a conflict with the conservative structuresin the dwarven society.
And so a part of the myconids gathered round the hut of Amanitop. He had been made the leader of the new cult, and they called him the Mushroom-Lord. Communing with the wisest of them Amanitop decided that it would be time to leave their old home, and build a community for themselves.

Lucky for them, there were lots of unused tunnels and caves under the Old World, and soon the first settlement was ready.

Send by Amanitop, the Mushroom-Lord, personally, caravans of myconids were searching the surface of the Old World for business associates.
Naturally, they were travelling by night, always looking for a shady place to build their day-camp. On their way they encountered strange animals and creatures, some were burrowing through the air, some were as big as a myconid-hut. They never showed any fear, for that's what Josiah and Saguro were teaching, but went on, until they found their first customer. A small settlement of humans, with some willing to buy from them, and soon they would want to buy more...

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AP 6: 0+5 (Rollover) +1 (Bonus from impulsive)

AP 5: 6-1 (Create life: Dreamfever-Flies)
AP 4: 5-1 (Bane MR:4: Dreamfever-Flies are sucking on Vampires mostly (+3 from Robe of Nightmares)

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Dreamfever-Flies have the size of mayflies, they suck on blood/bodyfluids, inducing the dreamfever, a magical disease leading to a comatose state, in which the victim hallucinates/dreams of weird horrors. The coma lasts for some weeks, depending on the constitution.

AP 3: 4-1 (Create society: Myconid-Society – 'People of the Spore')
AP 2: 3-1 (Boon MR:1: Myconids don't become dependent)
AP 2: 3-0 (Lead populace: Teach myconids diplomacy (free from Jar of Dreams))
AP 1: 2-1 (Bane MR:1: The narcotics of the myconids are highly addictive, even so they cause horror trips)


AP: 1/15
1/1 Create hero/exarch (from mythic)
1/1 Enter pantheon (from impulsive)
0/1 Bane +3 (from Robe of Nightmares)
0/1 Lead populace (from Jar of Dreams)

GP: 8/15

[Draken]

Teikoku, Command Center, Teppelin

The goddess have a harsh laugh. "I would have thought Terran would have told you. Or perhaps Sozuchi. I am paying for my mistake, as I will likely continue to do until my dying day. That is my duty. My first and foremost duty. In the dawn of creation, I wove the Spiral of Creation - the means to tap into the limitless potential of this universe in a way even divinity cannot. It is the gift and the curse of humanity. I thought to guide it along the path of peace and creation... and I failed."

"The spiral exists to do battle. Left unchecked, it will expand indefinitely. The world will fall under its dominion. The gods will wither and die. One by one, the distant stars shall be snuffed out and brought into its control. And when there is nothing left to fight, it will turn on itself. And there will be nothing. I will not allow that to happen - and if preventing that means that I must dash my own creations to pieces and crush that which I love most, it is a price I will pay. For I have no choice."

"A single human defeated the raging death. Call it a fluke. Call it an anomaly. But if I fail, then you will one day be at the tip of their weapon. And the spiral knows no mercy."

Whenever Teikoku gave this explanation to her allies, she was met with agreement and compliance.

Hal'Xaazar's answer should come with a mix of surprise and obviousness then. He snorts. The lack of a nasopharyngeal structure does not stop him from doing so. A derisive snort too, the kind one would expect to be followed by an "are you serious?".

"Ah, at least one thing you have not lost dear sister, your hubris is as firm and strong as it has ever been. And don't even throw it back at me. I am not the one who is boasting to have created something greater than the gods. And the raging death... That is worth another chuckle. A creation of Sozuchi, not even an avatar, but a mere champion, my son could have defeated him just as well as your chosen general of the earth did."

"Let me make my own accessment of the situation. You are punishing yourself by abandoning and breaking the things you held dear in the past, before that tantrum you and Mondo threw. And now, all around you, the others see your endangered and diminished position and think they can usurp what is yours for themselves. In the middle of it all, humanity tries to survive and regain the small glory they once had, of holding a piece of land in this great creation of ours, the Founders. And in that, they are beset on all sides by those who see them, rightfully so in the condition you left them, as vermin and cattle."

"Ah... This is why I am against gods taking a too hands-on approach on the affairs of mortals. It only swells their hubris, and then things like what happened to the Blessed Aura or what Terran is doing to Aura must happen. Ultimately, there is no worse ruler for this world than its own creators, in all our power and all our might, we are simply too far above mortalkind."

Hal'Xaazar allows the flow of time to return to normal.

"If you need more proof of that, just look outside, your people are rioting, hating you at our brother's call... That is the mark of a ruler's fracass, is it not? When ever did this idea, to degrade and debase sapients, sound good to you and your allies? When did you become such small gods sister?"

[canjowolf]

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Saeric's Fall

The whispers answered her voicelessly.

"We are all that has not been. Bound to the Void God, possibilities that did not come to pass, things lost, destinies unatained... We know much of the fallen god."

The vestiges begin to swirl in the air around something Hespa cannot perceive, and they take on the silhouette of a titan whose deturpated visage could only have been forged in the depths of a mind completely abnormal to the common concepts of the divine, something very much unlike all other gods.

That, which she cannot see or even fathom without the aid of things that should not be, is Llymic.

"He is the source of the cold... When he wakes up, his winter will cove everything... And Hal'Xaazar's decree will have been upheld in part..."

And then came Tel'Radai, walking from naugh to stand next to Hespa.

"And the hubris of gods will be punished."

The faceless nerra turns to her.

"So close, but so distant. Like I said, Llymic dreams. You cannot reach him from this place."

Hespa arches her feet and stands high on her tippy-toes, peering down at the realm below. "I wonder what would happen if I made this place a bit warmer?" Hespa stretches out a branch towards the material realm and infuses a large section of the mists surrounding the outlined form with warmth that it had not seen since the fall of Saeric. The ice began to melt and drip, and dangerous chasms began to form in the glacier. Hespa watches, curious as to the results.

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AP: 4+5(rollover)-1 (MR3 shape land - springtime at the fall) = 8 AP. 2/15 GP. DR=2.

[Draken]

Saeric's Fall

At Hespa's meddling, Llymic opens wide a bloodshot eye, staring through space and time into the plane where the goddess hides, and finally...

Llymic awakes.

And the winter blasts forth from him with untold power, glacial winds the likes of which the world had barely known bring about a shocking expansion of the Netherglacier across the mists, and the lands above know the snowfall and the chill winds in full.

And the vestiges keep to his form, making sure that Hespa knows that she has the attention of the frozen lord, even if she is blind and deaf to him, they can speak with her in his name, not that he has much to say.

"Sacrilege..."

Tel'Radai also has something to say.

"Well, that works too."

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Rollover: 9 AP
Impulsive: 1 AP
Mythic: 1
Boon: 1
Bane: 2

3 AP: Rank 7 Shape Land: The Netherglacier expands to cover all of the mistlands between the continents of the world, blasting away the mists. All the rest of the world is engulfed by winter.

[canjowolf]

Hespa - The Fallen God

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Saeric's Fall

At Hespa's meddling, Llymic opens wide a bloodshot eye, staring through space and time into the plane where the goddess hides, and finally...

Llymic awakes.

And the winter blasts forth from him with untold power, glacial winds the likes of which the world had barely known bring about a shocking expansion of the Netherglacier across the mists, and the lands above know the snowfall and the chill winds in full.

And the vestiges keep to his form, making sure that Hespa knows that she has the attention of the frozen lord, even if she is blind and deaf to him, they can speak with her in his name, not that he has much to say.

"Sacrilege..."

Tel'Radai also has something to say.

"Well, that works too."

"Hmmmm... well that was interesting. Having only one body is so limiting. I think that I'll create something to view the world without all the zipping about". Hespa leaves a song message repeating "Kali, I've gone to explore the world some more. This appears to be a dead god and the source of the cold. If you'd like to talk to me simply sing for the forest queen." in a mushy, croaking voice.

Hespa - Mondo's Eye

Hespa then flew off into the void to find something with which to better view the world. She came upon the beholders playing with some other odd things near Mundo's eye. She snatched one up and began modifying it to suit its new divine purpose. When she was done Hespa had created a floating eyeball which fed on magic and sunlight, reproduced by division, and could become invisible and plane shift at will. The eyeballs could see, hear, smell, and use other senses. All that experienced was transmitted psionically to Hespa, although other gods and powerful mortals could tap into the observations of individual eyes. Hespa spent a little time helping the eye to multiply into a vast fleet and then cast the eyes everywhere. Some might even find their way to the homes of the gods. "There, that should make things easier" she sang. Then Hespa flew off to the Test of Courage to see how those with the most experience with cold weather were handling the winter.

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AP: 8 - 1 (create life - spy eyes) = 7. 3/15 GP. DR2. Also, I have apparently been promoted from a pixie to a halfling?

[planswalker]

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Life is good in Bastion 07

Dracula sat on the top of Bastion 07 drinking a pint of Tiefling blood from a solid gold cup.
"This is the life, isn't it Thought. Owning a Bastion, setting up a Human Nation, our numbers are greater than ever. Those Rot-cursed Star'Chept unable to attack us due to a Divine Pact sealed by me. Life is good."

Hive Mind

Dracula: How is the Human Empire coming together?
Karta: Good. We have negotiated the land they will have from what we have already conquered. When we conquer more these areas may change but for now are stable.
Dracula: I take it you have already gotten a leader for this Empire?
Karta: No but we do have several Humans forming a Council of sorts. They are acting as leaders until one steps up and volunteers.
Dracula: Good.
Karta: We are in the middle of negotiating a 'business' with them. We will set up places where our 'talents' will come in handy. Humans unable to sleep can come and be bitten an have the Parasite in our fangs put them to sleep. Every Vampire may work in these 'Sleep Shops' to get their Blood every Feeding.
Dracula: Excellent now we won't have to rely on the Forsaken Slaves as much.

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Basically I am starting to set up a Human Empire near to Bastion 07. If/When the Vampires get more land the Empire might expand into there. For now the Empire isn't set up and the Humans live in the Spire of Bastion 07.
Is it possible for Resistance members in this Bastion to have contact with William or other Resistances in other Bastions?

The Resistance

Those dreamwalkers who had been taught the craft by William in Area 07 retained their abilities even though their overlords had changed. One of them sent a message to William, who found this most disconcerting. Shanji was sent to Area 07 to find out what this new situation was really about. If the vampires had truly freed her people, that was all well and good, but humanity would be free and independent from all other overlords forever or die trying. The vampires were no more welcome to rule over them than the tieflings were.'

She arrived at the Bastion unarmed and seemingly alone.

"I come from the Resistance. I wish to speak with you."

Saeric's Fall

At Hespa's meddling, Llymic opens wide a bloodshot eye, staring through space and time into the plane where the goddess hides, and finally...

Llymic awakes.

And the winter blasts forth from him with untold power, glacial winds the likes of which the world had barely known bring about a shocking expansion of the Netherglacier across the mists, and the lands above know the snowfall and the chill winds in full.

And the vestiges keep to his form, making sure that Hespa knows that she has the attention of the frozen lord, even if she is blind and deaf to him, they can speak with her in his name, not that he has much to say.

"Sacrilege..."

Tel'Radai also has something to say.

"Well, that works too."

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Rollover: 9 AP
Impulsive: 1 AP
Mythic: 1
Boon: 1
Bane: 2

3 AP: Rank 7 Shape Land: The Netherglacier expands to cover all of the mistlands between the continents of the world, blasting away the mists. All the rest of the world is engulfed by winter.

Sozuchi - the Riverways

The god of water writhed in pain. Someone had just frozen all of his heart, and had trapped hundreds of his children beneath the ice.

Someone was going to pay for this.

Sozuchi summoned the Planesphere and his eye to himself and and darkened the sky. In glowing blue letters, it read:

Whoever is responsible for freezing my heart, confess now or I will tear you apart for all eternity.

thank you for cooperating
-Sozuchi

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using the impulsive bonus ap to do my own sr7 alter terrain. The Great Clouds cover the earth in night, so as to make the glowing message unmistakable.

and with rollover, I have:

9 ap

0/27 gp

free hero from mythic

mr3 curse

mr4 bless

[Selinia]

Rebels, Victorious, Area 12

Lelouch gave a sharp glance at Will's jesting remark, but the remainder of the speech cut short any retort he might of made. Instead he simply maintained his glare and spoke softly. "...Nine bastions remaining? So you don't know. You don't know... we have much to speak of. Where is your headquarters?"

******************************

Even as celebrations filled the streets below and the halls of every vessel in the rebel fleet, Lelouch's face was grim as he addressed the assembled 'command structure' of the group back on board the Unchained. It was the same team as before - Hakan (who he could still barely believe was actually an officer), Kaylee (An... engineer?), Soren (What business did a child have in a war council?), and William himself. Despite being the newcomer, Lelouch could not help but feel like the lone sane man in a gathering on lunatics. They hadn't even had a scribe until he'd requisitioned that girl from back in the city!

But enough self-pity. They had still won - but his allies didn't seem to quite grasp the task ahead. He cleared his throat and began speaking. "As I have mentioned, I have spent the last several years positioning myself to acquire intelligence on the tiefling forces. This has given me a rather singular view of the events outside the Bastion. You stated that there were nine Bastions left to liberate. 01, 02, 03, 04, 07, 08, 09, 10, and 13, I would assume. This is... no longer accurate."

"You have no doubt heard reports of foreign troops moving into the Isle - they provided the distraction your forces needed to make their push into Area 11. The tieflings are spread thin - too thin. In the time you have spent here, three more Bastions have fallen... from without, not within. Area 07 has been evacuated by the tieflings and is currently under the control of bloodthirsty monsters calling themselves Vampires. The status of the humans of the area is unknown, but massive numbers died in the attack - the tiefling intelligence suggests that the Vampires will likely maintain a human population as a food supply... I do not consider myself squeamish, but that is not a thought I relish."

"Area 04 was slaughtered. Every last human and tiefling, down to the children and non-combatants, was slaughtered. The city was not occupied, it was destroyed. The current status of the army that perpetrated the attack is unknown as of a few days ago, but they appeared to be extra-planar in origin. In other words, backed by divinity. Area 03 was likewise occupied by enemy forces, but the tieflings overclocked a carrier to level the city rather than letting it fall into enemy hands. Ergo, six bastions remain... not nine. A rather salient question is also raised - what do we do about these invaders?"

Kaylee was the first to speak, surprising Lelouch somewhat. "Well, the enemy of our enemy is obviously also our enemy in this instance. Even the tieflings were content to cage us up - a sight better than butchering us and eating us, I would say. I'd heard stories of Vampires, but I never knew they actually existed. Then again, until a few weeks ago, I'd never seen a tree either, so I'm pretty much game for stumbling on a long-lost samurai at this point."

"Yeah! That's just sick - it don't matter what crazy reasons you got, killing an entire city is screwed up! The way I see it, we only got ourselves one option now - we've gotta beat the tieflings and slug these vaperites and their buddies right out of our homes!" Hakan slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his point while glancing around at the others.

Lelouch's was flat in its reply. "Yes, it is rather unfortunate. But we can also use this to our advantage. If we abandon the the bastions in the nothwestern regions, we can achieve significant logistical advantages. Between the foreign elements in that region and our own forces, the tiefling supply lines to Teppelin will be strained to the..."

"Dumbass!" Hakan threw a heavy-handed hook, which Lelouch deftly dodged with a scramble backwards. "We don't abandon people! We don't back down! We don't care about logiply lines or 'significant advantages'! Ever! We save everyone! Why? Because we have to! And because we have to, we're going to! We've got the fighting spirit to punch a hole right through anything they throw at us! Who the hell do you think we are?!"

"That... that..." Lelouch sputters incoherantly for a few seconds. "You dislike my suggestion, so you attack me?! What lunacy is this?!"

"Bro is right." Soren spoke up at last, adding his voice to the general cacophony. "We don't abandon people. For some of them, we're all the hope they have left - and without hope, we're nothing."

The wiry, strategically-minded rebel had been reduced to spluttering incoherent syllables. Eventually he gained enough composure to address Will properly. "Please, please, tell these people that warfare does not work that way!"

Rayne, The Riverways

The girl took a few deep, water-filled breaths, then slowly opened her eyes. She could see again - at least, for a little ways. The gentle serpent's light could not chase away such deep darkness, but it could push it back. It was different - very different - from the soft radiance of her home. In Teppelin, the darkness was a beaten, crippled thing that would slink to the corners at the flip of a switch.

Here, all light did was push it a little ways away. Anything could still be hiding there. Horrible things... Rayne whimpered slightly, but struggled to keep the fear out of her voice as she spoke to the serpent. "I... I tried to come to one of the gentler regions. I focused with all my might, but I wound up here! I... Nia! Where's Nia? Where is my sister? Is she safe? Please, serpent, she isn't here is she, in the dark? She's gotta be safe!"

Nia, The Riverways

She hadn't expected the little fish to actually talk back - but that it could was delightful. "I am Nia, Sir Stutty. Which is to say, Nia is my name, it is not what I am. I do not think there are many Nias, unless it is their name as well." She paused, tilting her head sideways. "That is odd. If the sun is over there, I should be upside-down. And yet, I do not feel it to be so. This is a very strange place, Sir Stutty. It is also very beautiful... but..." She looked around questioningly. "Have you seen the Honorable Serpent that was with me? He said he would be coming right away."

Westin, The Bird of Hermes, Testing Grounds

"Hmm..." The man remained silent for the whole of the demonstration. As it concluded, he gave a brisk nod. "Hmm, yes... impressed? No. Intrigued? Yes. Design is inefficient, wasteful, and pilot is obnoxious. Still, intriuged. Much potential in the design. Much, much indeed. Hmm, yes. Consider yourself hired." He reached into a deep pocket of his tailored jacket, producing a small handful of items - the first of which he handed to Lloyd.

"Indeed, welcome to Galia Pharmaceuticals. Happy to have you on board. This is your badge. Very polished, very respectable - it'll look good on you. Hmm, yes. You have a very special position, hmm, yes you do - you report only to myself any my colleagues. We are also special, hmm very much so - we are the Oversight Committee, yes? I am one. 1, perhaps I should say, hmm. Biology. I will be your direct superior. Expect to deal with Cybernetics and Arcana as well, very nice people, I'm sure you'll get along, hmm..." He taps his foot, as if momentarily forgetting something.

"Hmm... ah, yes, funding. You will have it, as dictated by the Committee. It is our job to find and coordinate various potentially beneficial programs for the good of the Empire. You report to us, and we report to the Empress. Very clean, very efficient. Also, keeps you largely free of strings. Check you account and you will find a... significant... sum of credits has just been placed into it. Continue to produce results - usable results - and you will have every credit of funding you need."

"...oh, and these are for you. Consider them a signing bonus. They suit you." After the ID plaque, a Teppelin Credit Access card, and a small stack of unsigned papers, Westin handed the researched the final item - a glasses case. If opened, it would reveal an angular pair of prescription-free lenses, tinted to somehow glare ominously without reducing visibility. "Every scientist needs glasses, hmm? I have mine..." He tapped the pair of horn-rimmed spectacles, "And now you have yours. Do you have any further questions before signing on?"

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OOC: Actions!

AP 6 - 1 (Bless Humans MR4 - Dead Men Walking) - 1 (Raise Hero - Albert Westin) - 2 (Create PrCs; Eldritch Theurges and Eldritch Disciples) - 2 (Create PrCs; Sacred Purifier and Master of Radiance)

Final AP: 0
GP: 24/24 - Raise DR to 6.

The Bless allows humans to recognize, on a fundamental level, the wrongness of Vampires. They are immune to vampiric mind-effecting powers of all sorts. Additionally, any vampire that was once human triggers a deep-set revulsion and intuitive understanding that the being before them is a parasite that killed one of their number by the simple act of its existence.

The Eldritch classes are Theurge classes for Invocation/Arcane and Invocation/Divine. The former in particular is fairly common in Teppelin's armies (Black Mage/Wizard is a popular choice). The latter exists, but is much rarer. They could theoretically be used by ronin as well.

The Sacred Purifier and Master of Radiance are two anti-undead classes. Undead are wrong - that's fairly obvious to anyone who has dealt with them. But some people feel this still more strongly - and that felling, belief and inner light of Life and Goodness is made manifest by these classes. Any good character, no matter the race, may choose to take levels in these classes (the sole requirement being that they must have come face-to-face with undead at least once, aside from the mechanical requirements). Thus, there are probably Gnome, Chept, Human, and possibly even the odd idealistic Forsaken Masters of Radiance and Sacred Purifiers.

[apocalypsePast2]

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Burkek, Da Buuur-Landz

Burkek gets up as Orcish Teknologee begins to fail

"BAH! DIZ IZ STUPID ANYWAYZ... I IZ HAVIN' MY OWN FEET TO WALK ON!" With that, he abandons the Golemship as he hears Quarland's proclamation and makes a proclamation of his own.

"I AM BURKEK! SON OF MAH FADDA! GRAN' POO-BAH OF DA ORCZ! WE IZ NOT FIGHTIN' CUZ WE IZ WANTING YUZ FOOD, OR YUZ SHINIEZ, OR YUZ TEKNOLOGY OR CUZ WE IZ BEIN' TOLD TO! WE IZ FIGHTIN' CUZ DIZ IZ WHAT WE DO BEZT!"

Turning around Burkek yells

"OI! BRING IN DA LITTLE GITZ!"

A small ugly green creature makes his way to Burkek as he begins grovelling

"Yes oh Potent of Potents? You have called and I.... QWERTY THE GREAT! Have responded..."

"STOP WID YUZ FUNNY TALKIN' QWERTY! I IZ WANTIN' YUZ TA SEND YUZ BOYZ IN! GIVE 'EM A GOOD TASTE OF GRETCHEN TEKNOLOGEE!"

"But of course oh Grand Poo-Bah!" With that, Qwerty the Great, High Shaman of the Gretchen whistles. All of a sudden, scored of the similar looking creatures make themselves known on the battlefield, each of them, having a bundle strapped upon them. With that, Qwerty the Great orders the Gretchen attack. As the Gretchen start pouring through joining the Orc's mad rush, they don't immediately seem like much of a threat... until that is, the first Gretchen who manages to reach close enough to the Forsaken, pulls the cord on the bundle, setting off the powerful explosives within it... killing the Gretchen of course... but also taking several Forsaken with each one.

Even as that happens, the Gretchen launch a salvo of thousands of crudely built rockets, each one of them with a Gretchen or Orc tied to it, as they start shooting down anything that flew in the sky. The rockets had very poor accuracy, but if out of a thousand rockets a few hits, that is all that matters.

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OOC
AP8= 9-1; Create Life: Gretchen
Use Mortal Artifact: Teach Gretchen: Gretchen Teknologee (aka things that go *BOOM*)
Use Mythic Power: Raise Hero: Qwerty the Great
GP: 1/27

Burkek takes a moment to take in the sickly sweet smell of burnt flesh, as the Orcs continue their push. Regardless of how many Orcs or Giants Quarland would kill, more would simply take their place and renew the attack.

"DA FAMILY DAT I LIVE FOR BREATHZ THE AIR OF COMBAT! WID DA COMMAND OF MY VOICE I RAIZE DA LEVELZ OF DA WAR TO ONE DAT CAN'T BE REPRODUCED! I LIVE FER YUZ FRUSTRATION FOR I IZ DA LORD OF SLAUGHTER!"

Unfortunately for the Horseman of War, he was but one... they were but Millions and this was a war unlike any ever waged upon this world. The situation was far from under control as the Forsaken would like to beleive. And then, something incredible happened...

The Genius Loci, Alekzandria

The Genius Loci turns to Evanzar as he delivers his message

"Very well... listen well Lord of the Forsaken for the very Earth is speaking! For too long the earth has drank the blood that you and your people have freely shed, to the point that it can drink no more! Blood for blood, shall your people repay. You wished to be masters of all lands you see? The land itself shall reject you! Watch then in horror as the very earth vomits you like the filth you are!"

With that, the Genius Loci slams its fist on the ground. For a moment, nothing happens... but all of a sudden the entire Forsaken Capital is rocked with massive earthquakes as the Genius Loci full-fills his threat. When the Genius Loci slammed its fist, eight tectonic plates were created right underneath the city's foundation.

"Scatter then, to all corners of the world!" Yells the Genius Loci, as it slams the ground once again, causing the whole of Alekzandria to be split apart into eight pieces. Each individual tectonic plate scattered the part of the Capital that was resting upon it like a wave of earth, far away from the rest of the other parts of the city... and stops straight in front the hordes of rushing Orcs.

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AP7=8-1, Alter Terrain, Use the Pillars of Creation to do a SR4 to split the Forsaken capital into 8 parts and move them away from each other.
(Each piece of the city went to a different location, as in one went North, the other went North West, West, South West etc. I know that a SR1 would have been enough to split the city, but I wanted to make sure that each part of the city are very far from each other.)
GP2/27

Burkek and the Orcs look for a few moments dumbfounded as they see the part of the Forsaken Capital being laid bare right in front of them, until Burkek starts laughing and pointing a finger towards it yells

"LOOK BOYZ! DEY IZ FINKIN' DAT DEY CAN THROW DERE CITIEZ AT US! ALRIGHT THEN BOYZ BURN IT TO DA GROUND! LEAVE NUFFIN' STANDING! LETS MAKE DIZ PLACE MORE ORCY!"

With a great shout, the massive horde once again being a mad charge towards the city, its defenders now split apart and greatly confused as to what just happened, the Orcs begin pouring into the parts of the city and it is not long before buildings can be seen burning as the Orcs once again begin to fight, their Grand Poo-Bah in the front line punching any Forsaken that gets in his way.

All over Aura

No Forsaken flees a lesser enemy. No wound hurts as much as that of pride. Yet, when their god commanded, they did. If pride could bleed, the Forsaken had been cut deep. But still, they fled. All Forsaken still left alive packed into golemships. Secondary citizens and slaves too, fled before the onslaught of the orcs. Normally, the slaves would've been overjoyed at the apparent liberators, but the bloodthirst of the orcs did not recognize distinguish between two non-orcs, and so they chose the lesser evil of the two. Every private, public, or military ship was packed full, with no room to move. Food was brought hastily, supplies and rations meant for the invasion force were used in place, readily loaded in giant quantities into already full cargo bays. And the massive fleet fled, scuttling away under the mists like an army of insects.
And so, the Exodus of Aura took place, the armada made for conquest being used instead for salvation.

The Avatar of Quarland, Aura

As the Avatar watched his people die and run, for some stupid Earth god's hypocritical vendetta, a single, violet tear, streaked from his mask. A nother one joined it. No more came, even after then dripped from his face, splattering down onto the orcs below like a rain of acid.

Quarland snarled once more, fueling rage with grief. " Hypocrite of a god. My people admit their nature, rejoice in it, embrace it. And yet you make these little savages, even more brutal than my people. More souls have perished here today than killed in the entire history of the Forsaken Empire. And yet you DARE to claim the moral high ground, hypocrite?
Fine, Earth god, let me return the favor, an genocide for a genocide."

With a sudden flash of light, the land is surrounded by a pentagram thousands of miles in width, high above. At it's points sit Evanzar, Alek, Tyrr, Quarland, and The Horse of War, Nyarthynyp. With a sudden pulse of energy, the five sided star glows, and begins to spin. Slowly, at first, then faster and faster, until it was simply a purple blur in the sky.

Then, with an enormous noise, like a wind of death, the pentagram sinks slowly into the mists around Aura. With a low rumbling, the earth shakes. The stones rattle. The mountains tremble. The Forsaken still left flinch. The orcs pause in their bloody work. The elementals halt their slaughter. The fleeing golemships, each packed with one thousand times the number they were designed to hold, stop and look back for a moment.

And then, the homeland of the Forsaken people sinks into the mists like a wrecked boat, depositing the inhabitants on the mist floor, seconds before a pulse of divine power races through the mists, and they freeze solid. The Forsaken homeland, and it's invaders, are no more.


In the Ice

The fleeing fleet found itself stuck, frozen into what used to be the mists. Staring out of the windows, the refugees gaped. What had been one of the strongest advantages of the Forsaken was gone. Useful only for land.

On the bridges, the pilots struggled uselessly at the controls. Nothing happened, they were stuck.

An hour later, a solution was reached. A hundred flaring red beams of light penetrated upward through the ice as the fleet fired their way free. A fireball exploded beneath it, blasting a steaming cavern underneath the ice. Slowly but surely, the ice melted. Climbing over the melting mush, through the steam and water, the golemships crested the surface, as the steaming pits behind them refroze from the will of The False God.

With a long, lonely look at the space where Aura used to be, the armada pressed on to the Blasted Isle.

Spoiler

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Rollover 1 AP + 6AP= 7AP
-5AP=2AP
Curse MR 5
All of Aura sinks beneath the mists, directly before the big freeze happens. The golemships of the former invasion force in Aura escape, filled with troops, "civilians" (all Forsaken can fight, so I'm not sure how appropriate this term is), slaves, and secondary citizens ( werewolves, shifters, nymphs, a few gnomes[VERY VERY SMALL AMOUNT], dryads, and a significant amount of humans). About 14% of the Forsaken population survives ( around 32 million). 74% of the secondary citizen population survives ( 6 million) Empire in Exile will be set up in the Blasted Isle. 43% of the slave population survive.(8 million)
24/24GP
DL 5(I think)
5/27AP

Thanks for the freeze Draken!

[Shmee]

The Genius Loci

The Genius Loci watches as Aura begins to sink. It makes a rumbling sound as it begins to laugh. "Fools! You think that the Earth shall yield to you? Watch then as the land you once called your own falls into the hands of your bitter enemies... an eternal reminder of your defeat today."

With that the Genius Loci slams its fist on the ground, and just as the Forsaken leave, they watch as the Netherglacier swallow up Aura, its cities and their legacy left in a frozen stasis as a new land emerges from the ice, burying the old one deep underneath it. Were their land had once been, there now was nothing more than a barren wasteland, however in an ironic twist of fate, the Genius Loci had willed the new land to be shaped, into what one could say almost looked like the twisted face of an Orc, which also happened to be their battle standard.

The Orcs watch as the Forsaken make their escape, yelling challenges and insults as they leave beyond the horizon. What ever the Forsaken had left, the Orcs begin to loot and plunder anything they could find with great abandon. All of a sudden, a great roar is heard as their Grand Poo-Bah emerges from underneath a pile of corpses, filled from head to toe with blood and gore, almost all of it not his.

"ALRIGHT BOYZ! DAT WUZ A GOOD BUUUUR! WE SHOWED DEM PIGGIEZ DAT DA ORCS ARE DA BIGGEZT AND MEANEZT! DEY NOW KNOW DAT GREEN IZ BEZT! DEY IZ RUNNIN' AWAY LIKE DA COWARDZ DEY ARE. BUT DON'T WURRIEZ... WE SHALL HUNT DEM DOWN WERE EVER DEY IZ GOIN'! DA BUUUR-LANDZ NOW BELONGS TO DA ORCS!"

With that, Burkek bellows his war cry, as all the Orcs begin to shout as well.

"ORC ORC ORC ORC ORC!"

It wasn't long before the Orcs began settling in their new home.

Forever etched in the history of this world, is this event, known as the 1st Great Buuuur! of the Orcs.

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AP6= 7-1, Create Land: DA BUUUUR-LANDZ
Da Buuur-Landz now replace were Aura used to be, and is nothing but a ragged wasteland

*Edits* Whoops... forgot to mention that I used the Pillars, and that the Buuur-Landz are SR4

[Draken]

Hal'Xaazar, Teppelin

Hal'Xaazar looked up in the sky as he waited for Teikoku's answer. He would have frowned if he had the eyebrows to do so.

"Someone needs to tell Sozuchi to stop graffiting the world. It is not funny anymore."

[Selinia]

Teikoku, Command Center, Teppelin

"Indeed..." Teikoku sighed, looking weary. "Brother, do you have a reason to come here beyond lecturing and scolding me? If you seek to add to my guilt, I assure you that you can do nothing I am not doing to myself. If you seek to appeal to some sort of 'divine pride', I assure you that I locked away such things long ago out of necessity. But if you come to lend aid, or ask it, then I will listen. For all that you treat this world like a game, I doubt it is one you would like to see ended any time soon. Who would you play against?"

[apocalypsePast2]

The Blasted Isle

The new invasion force came, bearing not troops and supplies, but women, children, citizens, and tidings of death. Across the entire Forsaken front, there was only silence and sorrow and whispered vows of vengeance beneath one's breath.

And so, the few heads of the Forsaken that were still alive came together to discuss the future of their people, a people with no home.

Of the over fifty Houses that had existed before, only three of any strength remained. The House heads of House Tyrr'ii, House Rinziir, and House Yuan'tyrr met with the High Monarch and the Council of Forsaken, the first meeting of the Empire in Exile.

Meanwhile, Evanzar actually had some things to get done.

The golemships had set up their refugee camps around the ruins of Area 05. He mounted a broken tower, climbing up set after set of rickety stairs, until he reached the "summit": a crysteel platform that had been little over halfway up the original tower. Nonetheless, it would suit his purposes.

From the perch, he could see the refugees camped around him. Millions upon millions of them. They shaded their eyes against the bright Eye of Mondo and built fires to keep warm. Clerics created food and water to distribute to the populace. It was chaos. Disorder.
Evanzar took a quick breath, to erase his pain from seeing his people like this, and spoke, his normal-toned voice echoing across the plains and through the ruins to the thirty-plus million refugees there.

" My people, fellow Forsaken, and citizens of the Empire. Listen to me!"
The plains went quiet, all the refugees turning toward him, a recognized Hero of the Empire. Surely, he would have guidance.
" We have suffered an unimaginable loss. Our homeland has been destroyed. Aura, the shining jewel of the world, is no more. No more will we have it's jungles to sustain us. Our cities are dust in the wind. No more is Aura our home."

Across the plains, murmurs broke out. There were no comforting words of hope here, no encouragement. Just brutal honesty.

" Now this is our home." He gestured to the ruins around them, and to the blasted, wind-swept plains. " This... barren wasteland... is our home."

There was a long silence across the masses.

Evanzar started again, " So, shall we wither and die? Shall we give up?"

A few murmurs. A few shocked whispers.

" No! We do not give up! We do not surrender! Are we not the Chosen People? Are we not the Forsaken Empire?"

The masses began to rumble, shouts echoing up to the tower. A great buzzing filled the air as the crowds chanted and cried out in fury.

"We shall adapt and we shall thrive, and we shall ride forth and deliver our fiery vengeance upon those who dared to oppose us! And we shall start to make ready HERE AND NOW!"

With that, Evanzar turned, and extended his hand. From it, he fired out hundreds of thin purple power lines. They rocketed across the ruins of Area 05, fixing to crysteel, earth, and wood.

And they began to weave.

Slowly at first, then faster and faster, the violet threads began to weave reality. Purple lines twisted and curled, arching up thousands of meters to perfect points, before solidifying into obsidian. Across the ruins, the same thing happened. Massive towers, palaces, barracks, and homes wove themselves from the divine might of the Forsaken's god. Until before the people sat the biggest city ever seen, a massive metropolis of obsidian and stone, towers and fortresses pierced the air like upward knives, while masses of other black buildings spread beneath like a dark lake.

With a wave of his arm Evanzar shouted, "I present to you..., our home, our city! New Aura!", as the cheers reached deafening level.

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2AP-1AP=1AP
Shape Land
New Aura. The biggest city in the world, having grown from the former ruins of Area 05. The city is, in square miles, as big as Belgium.

Area 12

From the enormous plains beyond the crysteel walls of the former Bastion, a figure appeared on the horizon. As the minutes pass, he grows closer and closer, until he stands before the crysteel walls.
The Forsaken was shorter than average, and wearing the regulation golem armor the tieflings had become so familiar with. An eyepatch covers his left eye and a pair of Void pistols hang from holsters at his waist. Drawing back his armored fist, he bangs it four times upon the crysteel wall.

[planswalker]

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Rebels, Victorious, Area 12

Lelouch gave a sharp glance at Will's jesting remark, but the remainder of the speech cut short any retort he might of made. Instead he simply maintained his glare and spoke softly. "...Nine bastions remaining? So you don't know. You don't know... we have much to speak of. Where is your headquarters?"

******************************

Even as celebrations filled the streets below and the halls of every vessel in the rebel fleet, Lelouch's face was grim as he addressed the assembled 'command structure' of the group back on board the Unchained. It was the same team as before - Hakan (who he could still barely believe was actually an officer), Kaylee (An... engineer?), Soren (What business did a child have in a war council?), and William himself. Despite being the newcomer, Lelouch could not help but feel like the lone sane man in a gathering on lunatics. They hadn't even had a scribe until he'd requisitioned that girl from back in the city!

But enough self-pity. They had still won - but his allies didn't seem to quite grasp the task ahead. He cleared his throat and began speaking. "As I have mentioned, I have spent the last several years positioning myself to acquire intelligence on the tiefling forces. This has given me a rather singular view of the events outside the Bastion. You stated that there were nine Bastions left to liberate. 01, 02, 03, 04, 07, 08, 09, 10, and 13, I would assume. This is... no longer accurate."

"You have no doubt heard reports of foreign troops moving into the Isle - they provided the distraction your forces needed to make their push into Area 11. The tieflings are spread thin - too thin. In the time you have spent here, three more Bastions have fallen... from without, not within. Area 07 has been evacuated by the tieflings and is currently under the control of bloodthirsty monsters calling themselves Vampires. The status of the humans of the area is unknown, but massive numbers died in the attack - the tiefling intelligence suggests that the Vampires will likely maintain a human population as a food supply... I do not consider myself squeamish, but that is not a thought I relish."

"Area 04 was slaughtered. Every last human and tiefling, down to the children and non-combatants, was slaughtered. The city was not occupied, it was destroyed. The current status of the army that perpetrated the attack is unknown as of a few days ago, but they appeared to be extra-planar in origin. In other words, backed by divinity. Area 03 was likewise occupied by enemy forces, but the tieflings overclocked a carrier to level the city rather than letting it fall into enemy hands. Ergo, six bastions remain... not nine. A rather salient question is also raised - what do we do about these invaders?"

Kaylee was the first to speak, surprising Lelouch somewhat. "Well, the enemy of our enemy is obviously also our enemy in this instance. Even the tieflings were content to cage us up - a sight better than butchering us and eating us, I would say. I'd heard stories of Vampires, but I never knew they actually existed. Then again, until a few weeks ago, I'd never seen a tree either, so I'm pretty much game for stumbling on a long-lost samurai at this point."

"Yeah! That's just sick - it don't matter what crazy reasons you got, killing an entire city is screwed up! The way I see it, we only got ourselves one option now - we've gotta beat the tieflings and slug these vaperites and their buddies right out of our homes!" Hakan slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his point while glancing around at the others.

Lelouch's was flat in its reply. "Yes, it is rather unfortunate. But we can also use this to our advantage. If we abandon the the bastions in the nothwestern regions, we can achieve significant logistical advantages. Between the foreign elements in that region and our own forces, the tiefling supply lines to Teppelin will be strained to the..."

"Dumbass!" Hakan threw a heavy-handed hook, which Lelouch deftly dodged with a scramble backwards. "We don't abandon people! We don't back down! We don't care about logiply lines or 'significant advantages'! Ever! We save everyone! Why? Because we have to! And because we have to, we're going to! We've got the fighting spirit to punch a hole right through anything they throw at us! Who the hell do you think we are?!"

"That... that..." Lelouch sputters incoherantly for a few seconds. "You dislike my suggestion, so you attack me?! What lunacy is this?!"

"Bro is right." Soren spoke up at last, adding his voice to the general cacophony. "We don't abandon people. For some of them, we're all the hope they have left - and without hope, we're nothing."

The wiry, strategically-minded rebel had been reduced to spluttering incoherent syllables. Eventually he gained enough composure to address Will properly. "Please, please, tell these people that warfare does not work that way!"

William - Area 12

"Warfare may not work that way, but there is a power, a potential to the human spirit. Hope fuels it, and passion refines it, but none can control it. It is our greatest advantage against the Tyrants. Without it, we are but less than a hundred thousand ragtag rebels against a large and organized empire. We must be careful that we do not allow the Spiral to fade while pursuing reason. Two bastions have been utterly annhialated. One by the oppressors, another by the invaders. A third has been turned into a cattle pen where our very life blood is being drunk to feed others. Where there are nothing but ruins, there is no one to save, and nothing upon which to exact revenge. Of the third one, let us get to it in due time. However, if the invaders were able to overcome that bastion, they are likely stronger and better defended than the typical tiefling garrison. Let us build up our forces and learn about this new power before we commit ourselves to it. Our brethren there will be freed, but there are others closer whom we know we can liberate. I propose that we spend a month assimilating and training ourselves with our new brothers, as well as seeing if we can produce more ganmen to strengthen our forces, and march upon Area 09. Taking that Bastion shall prove to all that humanity is strong once again."

Rayne, The Riverways

The girl took a few deep, water-filled breaths, then slowly opened her eyes. She could see again - at least, for a little ways. The gentle serpent's light could not chase away such deep darkness, but it could push it back. It was different - very different - from the soft radiance of her home. In Teppelin, the darkness was a beaten, crippled thing that would slink to the corners at the flip of a switch.

Here, all light did was push it a little ways away. Anything could still be hiding there. Horrible things... Rayne whimpered slightly, but struggled to keep the fear out of her voice as she spoke to the serpent. "I... I tried to come to one of the gentler regions. I focused with all my might, but I wound up here! I... Nia! Where's Nia? Where is my sister? Is she safe? Please, serpent, she isn't here is she, in the dark? She's gotta be safe!"

"Do not worry, she is safe. When I told the two of you to enter together, I meant exactly together, not three hundreths of a second apart. The portal at this end wanders, and the time difference makes this dramatically fast for the two of you. Your sister is still almost two-tenths of a second away from entering. However, the portal seems to respond to the two of you. I am sure that her innocent mind will find its way to a beautiful part of Home. You yourself are also perfectly safe. Nothing and no one lives in this part of the Riverways, and you and I are perfectly alone. There is nothing to harm you. However, I sensed that this place terrified you, and came as quickly as I could, but not even I can truly stop time and reverse its flow. it took me some fifteen thousandths of a second to hear your distress and follow you. The flow of time here can be one of the most dangerous things for one who does not know where they are going. Tell me, if this is not where you wished to be, where would you rather go?"

Nia, The Riverways

She hadn't expected the little fish to actually talk back - but that it could was delightful. "I am Nia, Sir Stutty. Which is to say, Nia is my name, it is not what I am. I do not think there are many Nias, unless it is their name as well." She paused, tilting her head sideways. "That is odd. If the sun is over there, I should be upside-down. And yet, I do not feel it to be so. This is a very strange place, Sir Stutty. It is also very beautiful... but..." She looked around questioningly. "Have you seen the Honorable Serpent that was with me? He said he would be coming right away."

You came here with a River Serpent? I don't know much about that. One of them was there the day my mate and I had our first hatching, and even blessed our spawn for us. Also, what is this "sun" you talk about?

Area 12

From the enormous plains beyond the crysteel walls of the former Bastion, a figure appeared on the horizon. As the minutes pass, he grows closer and closer, until he stands before the crysteel walls.
The Forsaken was shorter than average, and wearing the regulation golem armor the tieflings had become so familiar with. An eyepatch covers his left eye and a pair of Void pistols hang from holsters at his waist. Drawing back his armored fist, he bangs it four times upon the crysteel wall.

The Forsaken would find that knocking against the massive gates that guarded a bastion was not an effective way to gain the attention of the residents inside. The gate was so large that knocking with less than a fallen tree was unlikely to be heard.

Fortunately for the traveler, he did not approach unnoticed. One of the two-dozen or so kappa who now traveled with the Resistance noticed him approach. Choosing to manifest herself on the material, she said, "If you want the attention of the ones inside, you might try knocking louder. However, since I don't see an army in your pocket, I am guessing that you cannot knock loud enough to be heard. Please, tell me your business here."

[DragonOfUndeath]

The Resistance

Those dreamwalkers who had been taught the craft by William in Area 07 retained their abilities even though their overlords had changed. One of them sent a message to William, who found this most disconcerting. Shanji was sent to Area 07 to find out what this new situation was really about. If the vampires had truly freed her people, that was all well and good, but humanity would be free and independent from all other overlords forever or die trying. The vampires were no more welcome to rule over them than the tieflings were.'

She arrived at the Bastion unarmed and seemingly alone.

"I come from the Resistance. I wish to speak with you."

A Vampire jumps from atop the Spire down to the ground between the woman and the city. He seems to be holding a golden cup half full with a red liquid.
"Why hello there. Are you here to head the negotiations and rule the as-yet-unnamed Human Empire? Or just find out information about the "Blood-hungry invading demons". Honestly it's like we didn't risk our immortal lives to free a bunch of trapped people from tyrannical dictators. Which we totally did by the way."
<It's probably the extraordinary abilities compared to the Humans, that and technically some of the Vampires are Ancestors to some of the freed Humans, Dracula. I think Donny is the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of a pregnant Human called Mary. I remember his twin daughters, sharpest 5-year olds I have ever seen.>
"Thought, if your going to talk, please introduce yourself or make yourself known. You know it scares the Humans to hear voices from nowhere."
<How terribly sorry. I am Thought, Immortas, God of Stasis' Thought to be precise. I am the Vampires' connection to their God.>

Dracula drinks from the golden cup and comments
"You know I swear this is 20-year old Warrior. I know it says 40-year old Scientist but it tastes just like that Knightmare commander from day before yesterday."
<You said that about the 33-year old Clerk.>
"No that tasted like 25-year old Mechanic."
<Exactly how many Feedings of Tiefling Blood have you had today?>
"1... okay 5 but I'm just stocking up so I won't need to bring supplies if I have to leave for a while."

[Draken]

Teikoku, Command Center, Teppelin

"Indeed..." Teikoku sighed, looking weary. "Brother, do you have a reason to come here beyond lecturing and scolding me? If you seek to add to my guilt, I assure you that you can do nothing I am not doing to myself. If you seek to appeal to some sort of 'divine pride', I assure you that I locked away such things long ago out of necessity. But if you come to lend aid, or ask it, then I will listen. For all that you treat this world like a game, I doubt it is one you would like to see ended any time soon. Who would you play against?"

Hal'Xaazar, Command Center

"Who would I play against?" - At this, Hal'Xaazar practically singed - "Every last other player." - Singing over - "I am the opposer after all... But, as of right now, most sides are against you, even what should be your side is divided and part of it is against you. So, I am forced to take it, in part."

Hal'Xaazar stares off into the distance, where a vast metropolis rises in the isle.

"Hmm... More settlers for this land... Maybe several small continents weren't a good idea after all. We should have made one great landmass or two."

Tangent, Hal'Xaazar shakes his head and returns to topic.

"As for my reasons. It is but my nature to make others face themselves, I am the mirror god after all, and what you see in the mirror is but what you show. I am not so vain and futile as to simply wish to kick you while you are so far down, dear sister, no, I truly want you to recover that divine pride and return to glory. I am myself diminished by the personal failings of my closest siblings."

And a stare up into the sky.

"And even now, I ponder possibilities, what if my son were to descend and put all warrying sides of this land face to face with annihilation? Would the invaders retreat? Would you be able to raise your two splintered peoples together to fight off this singular threat? How would Nia react to meeting the real Cousin T?"

"Debate with me, sister. How would you have this entire fiasco resolved? How would you like to stomp down your feet, scream enough of this outrage and rise to greatness once more?"

[canjowolf]

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Sozuchi - the Riverways

The god of water writhed in pain. Someone had just frozen all of his heart, and had trapped hundreds of his children beneath the ice.

Someone was going to pay for this.

Sozuchi summoned the Planesphere and his eye to himself and and darkened the sky. In glowing blue letters, it read:

Whoever is responsible for freezing my heart, confess now or I will tear you apart for all eternity.

thank you for cooperating
-Sozuchi

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The Avatar of Quarland, Aura

As the Avatar watched his people die and run, for some stupid Earth god's hypocritical vendetta, a single, violet tear, streaked from his mask. A nother one joined it. No more came, even after then dripped from his face, splattering down onto the orcs below like a rain of acid.

Quarland snarled once more, fueling rage with grief. " Hypocrite of a god. My people admit their nature, rejoice in it, embrace it. And yet you make these little savages, even more brutal than my people. More souls have perished here today than killed in the entire history of the Forsaken Empire. And yet you DARE to claim the moral high ground, hypocrite?
Fine, Earth god, let me return the favor, an genocide for a genocide."

With a sudden flash of light, the land is surrounded by a pentagram thousands of miles in width, high above. At it's points sit Evanzar, Alek, Tyrr, Quarland, and The Horse of War, Nyarthynyp. With a sudden pulse of energy, the five sided star glows, and begins to spin. Slowly, at first, then faster and faster, until it was simply a purple blur in the sky.

Then, with an enormous noise, like a wind of death, the pentagram sinks slowly into the mists around Aura. With a low rumbling, the earth shakes. The stones rattle. The mountains tremble. The Forsaken still left flinch. The orcs pause in their bloody work. The elementals halt their slaughter. The fleeing golemships, each packed with one thousand times the number they were designed to hold, stop and look back for a moment.

And then, the homeland of the Forsaken people sinks into the mists like a wrecked boat, depositing the inhabitants on the mist floor, seconds before a pulse of divine power races through the mists, and they freeze solid. The Forsaken homeland, and it's invaders, are no more.

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The Genius Loci

The Genius Loci watches as Aura begins to sink. It makes a rumbling sound as it begins to laugh. "Fools! You think that the Earth shall yield to you? Watch then as the land you once called your own falls into the hands of your bitter enemies... an eternal reminder of your defeat today."

With that the Genius Loci slams its fist on the ground, and just as the Forsaken leave, they watch as the Netherglacier swallow up Aura, its cities and their legacy left in a frozen stasis as a new land emerges from the ice, burying the old one deep underneath it. Were their land had once been, there now was nothing more than a barren wasteland, however in an ironic twist of fate, the Genius Loci had willed the new land to be shaped, into what one could say almost looked like the twisted face of an Orc, which also happened to be their battle standard.

The Orcs watch as the Forsaken make their escape, yelling challenges and insults as they leave beyond the horizon. What ever the Forsaken had left, the Orcs begin to loot and plunder anything they could find with great abandon. All of a sudden, a great roar is heard as their Grand Poo-Bah emerges from underneath a pile of corpses, filled from head to toe with blood and gore, almost all of it not his.

"ALRIGHT BOYZ! DAT WUZ A GOOD BUUUUR! WE SHOWED DEM PIGGIEZ DAT DA ORCS ARE DA BIGGEZT AND MEANEZT! DEY NOW KNOW DAT GREEN IZ BEZT! DEY IZ RUNNIN' AWAY LIKE DA COWARDZ DEY ARE. BUT DON'T WURRIEZ... WE SHALL HUNT DEM DOWN WERE EVER DEY IZ GOIN'! DA BUUUR-LANDZ NOW BELONGS TO DA ORCS!"

With that, Burkek bellows his war cry, as all the Orcs begin to shout as well.

"ORC ORC ORC ORC ORC!"

It wasn't long before the Orcs began settling in their new home.

Forever etched in the history of this world, is this event, known as the 1st Great Buuuur! of the Orcs.

Hespa - Test of Courage

Hespa was dancing over the edge of the test of courage when the shock of an entire jungle continent full of life being plunged into the arctic mists reached her. Distracted from her current task, Hespa zoomed over to the new continent of Buur Land.

Hespa - Buur Landz

Hespa looked down upon the desolate wasteland where once bountiful had stood. Yet, there was still life in this place, hidden from aerial sight. Hespa summoned a handful of eyes to explore the continent in search of life. They found the orcs first, but eventually they made their way to the hidden continent and its frigid jungles. Upon learning what had happened here Hespa resolved to complete a plan that she had had in mind since before her rise to divinity. Hespa rose into the void, noticing Sozuchi's message as she did so. Hespa gave a flick of her hair and continued her ascent into the void. Once there Hespa began summoning the chaos of existence and reshaping it into a new form.

Sozuchi's Message

Thousands of little eyes began to crowd around Sozuchi's sky writing until the signature at the end was all but obscured. After a short time however, the eyes resolved themselves into another pattern.

- Sozuchi

GRANNY SNAKEY I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU. MEET ME IN THE VOID.

Hespa hoped that Sozuchi's divine sight would be able to read white eyes in a whiteish sky.

[planswalker]

A Vampire jumps from atop the Spire down to the ground between the woman and the city. He seems to be holding a golden cup half full with a red liquid.
"Why hello there. Are you here to head the negotiations and rule the as-yet-unnamed Human Empire? Or just find out information about the "Blood-hungry invading demons". Honestly it's like we didn't risk our immortal lives to free a bunch of trapped people from tyrannical dictators. Which we totally did by the way."
<It's probably the extraordinary abilities compared to the Humans, that and technically some of the Vampires are Ancestors to some of the freed Humans, Dracula. I think Donny is the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of a pregnant Human called Mary. I remember his twin daughters, sharpest 5-year olds I have ever seen.>
"Thought, if your going to talk, please introduce yourself or make yourself known. You know it scares the Humans to hear voices from nowhere."
<How terribly sorry. I am Thought, Immortas, God of Stasis' Thought to be precise. I am the Vampires' connection to their God.>

Dracula drinks from the golden cup and comments
"You know I swear this is 20-year old Warrior. I know it says 40-year old Scientist but it tastes just like that Knightmare commander from day before yesterday."
<You said that about the 33-year old Clerk.>
"No that tasted like 25-year old Mechanic."
<Exactly how many Feedings of Tiefling Blood have you had today?>
"1... okay 5 but I'm just stocking up so I won't need to bring supplies if I have to leave for a while."

Freedom and Liberty

"My name is unimportant, for I speak not for myself but for my people. You say that you have freed them, and they are an empire. Yet, you have conquered only one bastion. That is at most 22,000 humans, assuming that none died in the taking of the fortress. I would caution you to be careful in what you call an empire. The gods listen, and lesser hubris than that has met with personal vengeance."

"However, I did not come here to lecture your choice of names but to ask you one simple question: Now that you have freed our people, shall you let them go free and be independent of your rule, or are they merely subject to new masters?"

Sozuchi's Message

Thousands of little eyes began to crowd around Sozuchi's sky writing until the signature at the end was all but obscured. After a short time however, the eyes resolved themselves into another pattern.

- Sozuchi

GRANNY SNAKEY I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU. MEET ME IN THE VOID.

Hespa hoped that Sozuchi's divine sight would be able to read white eyes in a whiteish sky.

Sozuchi - the Void

Indeed he saw the message. As fast as divine thought could take him he appeared in the void.

"I am here. Tell me, do you have news of who just froze my heart?"

[DragonOfUndeath]

Freedom and Liberty

"What would we have to gain enslaving our descendants? I myself remember back when I was Human to a time where this land was beautiful and Hope reigned Supreme. Enslaving Humans would do naught but force another Rebellion, this time with us as the oppressors. No we simply want our descendants to return to their former glory. Just because we need to drink blood does NOT make us Evil or Merciless or Monsters. It is just a specific diet.
The Empire we are creating will hopefully either absorb or be absorbed by any country you create. We are just setting the Empire up so we can go conquer another Bastion and have them go somewhere rather than stay in the Bastion where they were captive."

[Steilos]

Bacsphaal, Festung

The Lord of Want sat upon his throne in the command chamber, which technically had just had a table plonked in it and called a day but technicalities.

As Aura sinks, Bacsphaal contemplates the situation. Quarland now very probably hated Terran more than Teikoku, which was just fine by his book, but perhaps they needed to focus upon the Spiral for now. Bacsphaal didn't care why Immortas was in the war, about Josiah's general destruction - although that was certainly quite fun - and he didn't care about Quarland's silly little empire either. Small-time gods, the lot of them.

No, what Bacsphaal saw this as was as a war against the Spiral. Against mortal power. Puppets dancing to the tune do not cut the strings. They can't, they have no right to. Mortals were nothing more than a child's play set to the gods, and it was infurating to the Lord of Want how many took their creations so seriously. Also, thanks to Teikoku's meddling he had a mortal aunt-in-law, which rankled him no end.

Oh, and then Sozuchi decided to crayon all over the sky like a four-year old. Granted, it was a four-year old who happened to have divine power and a murderous raging will to use it but the principle stands. And what was with that 'not-boring' crap anyway? What exactly was wrong with 'fun'?

Bacsphaal sits back in his chair and smiles at the Orcish invasion. "Thank you, Terran." he mutters under his breath. Instant failsafe panic button, right there. Plans to have Humanity destroy itself fail? BUUUUUR! Spiral run out of control? BUUUUUR! Really, it was amazing how a single syllable solved so many problems...

Spoiler

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rollover: 7AP
New AP total: 11/21

[DragonOfUndeath]

Bacshpaal, Immortas: Festung

<You think Mortals are puppets? Why? They were Created yes, but so have you. They might have less Power than Gods but more Power than Lizards. Do you see them planning on putting the lizards on strings and making them dance?
Anyway this is a War against the Tieflings and Oppression, My Vampires remember the Blessed Isle and hate Teikoku and the Tieflings for destroying that. A God made a mistake and the Humans paid the price. I want to rectify that mistake and let White Conquest stretch his legs.>

[apocalypsePast2]

The Forsaken would find that knocking against the massive gates that guarded a bastion was not an effective way to gain the attention of the residents inside. The gate was so large that knocking with less than a fallen tree was unlikely to be heard.

Fortunately for the traveler, he did not approach unnoticed. One of the two-dozen or so kappa who now traveled with the Resistance noticed him approach. Choosing to manifest herself on the material, she said, "If you want the attention of the ones inside, you might try knocking louder. However, since I don't see an army in your pocket, I am guessing that you cannot knock loud enough to be heard. Please, tell me your business here."

Area 12

With a sigh, the Forsaken turned from the kappa. He made a sign and moved his lips in silent prayer, until finally, his spell was completed. Satisfied, he turned around, and said,
" Greetings, humans of Area 12. The Forsaken Empire wishes to speak to your leaders."
His voice magnified to ten times it's usual volume, the proclamation echoed through the freed city.

[Steilos]

Bacshpaal, Immortas: Festung

<You think Mortals are puppets? Why? They were Created yes, but so have you. They might have less Power than Gods but more Power than Lizards. Do you see them planning on putting the lizards on strings and making them dance?
Anyway this is a War against the Tieflings and Oppression, My Vampires remember the Blessed Isle and hate Teikoku and the Tieflings for destroying that. A God made a mistake and the Humans paid the price. I want to rectify that mistake and let White Conquest stretch his legs.>

Bacsphaal, Festung
"No. I do not see lizards dancing to a Mortal puppetmaster. That is because the mortals don't particularly feel like tying string to a lizard when there are far more important things to do. But they could, if they wanted to. It's not like the lizards could actually do anything."
As for your second point, I don't think it particularly matters what motives we have to do this. It is, after all, going to have the same end result... or thereabouts."

Bacsphaal gets up from his throne and glares at Teppelin. "Speaking of end results, I reckon the Bastions are going to fall sooner or later. With the internal uprising, the Forsaken invasion slash full colonisation effort, the Chept and the Vampires with their undead armies all jumping on the Bastions, I really don't see this ending well for the Tieflings. The only place that will be standing soon is Teppelin."

[Selinia]

Nia, The Riverways

"You are asking me 'What is the sun'? That is a very odd question. The sun is the bright light that shines during the day, and is covered up at night." She pointed at the apparent source of light, far off through the glimmering waters. "Is that not the sun, Sir Stutty? It is certainly bright enough to be, even if it is in a most unusual position. Or perhaps I am the one in the unusual position, and I have not noticed. From past observation, I do tend to move about much more than it does..."

Rayne, The Riverways

"We're... safe? I..." The girl grimaced, clearly still upset. "I apologize. I must seem horribly foolish from your perspective. I panicked - I know spells for light, at least a few of them. I just... shut down. I've never seen darkness like this - it is unsettling. But I let terror get the best of me. That was inexcusable."

Rayne took a deep breath, acutely feeling the fluid flooding her body. It still didn't feel right, but it was bearable. "If you have something to teach, I will learn it here. I won't let my irrational fear force us away. It's just... darkness. That's all. It shouldn't be scary... It shouldn't be scary at all."

Rebel Commanders, The Unchained, Area 12

Lelouch muttered something in the back of his throat... but threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Very well. We set a course for 09 as soon as we are able. Perhaps I can talk you out of this course of folly by the time we're done there. Or perhaps not, and the mystical magical hope powers of the noble rebels will save us all." He gave a snort of derision before walking from the room - but not without keeping a wary eye on Hakan for any more potential attempted haymakers.

"Ha! I knew he'd come around!" Hakan thrust his fist in the air in his signature (and to be honest, fairly ridiculous) pose. "Everyone makes mistakes after all - but when you do, someone ought to slug you for them! We'll take Area 09, and show our grumpy friend over there that we're unstoppable!" Sarcasm, among a multitude of other subtleties of interaction, were simply lost on the man. Not that subtleties of anything else really got through either.

"Actually... I think we'd have at least a month before we can do that. Aside from all the civilians we need to find homes for, we're going to need to step up our firepower significantly. The Emps are obviously learning too - I'd never seen anything like that anti-cruiser laser that Spire had. Lelouch was right about one thing at least - they're falling back and redoubling their defense where it matters. They know what we have now, aside from possibly the ganmen. And Kakumei's beat up really bad - I don't know how it was even functioning with the amount of damage it had soaked up..."

"Fighting spirit!"

"...yeah, that. Gotta remember that. But Will, there's something I wanted to talk to you about - I've got another ganman ready to go, but the thing is... it doesn't work. I swear, everything is in place just like Kakumei - a few modifications, but none of our test pilots could get it running. Or walking. I have a theory, and I was wondering if you'd give the thing a go to test it out." The girl casually blew a wayward strand of hair from her face with a puff of air, pulling out one of the malleable crysteel data-slates that had become a staple of the engineers in the rebel fleet. "And hey, you might get a ganman out of it. Win-win."

Teikoku, Command Center, Teppelin

"Hmm..." Teikoku thinks. She thinks for a long moment, considering a miind that moves at speeds of divinity. At long last, she speaks, choosing her words with great care. "You offer aid in the manner of Bacsphaal's rampage. Intriguing. But for all that it may seem the contrary, I have no love for death. Still... I have little choice this day. Go ahead, release your pet, brother. These... so-called 'horsemen'... are like vultures, - drive them away, and I will worry about dealing with the beast itself. Humanity posed enough of a problem without them circling overhead."

[DragonOfUndeath]

Festung

Immortas realized he forgot to materialize a body. He creates a speck of gold and it grows out into the golden skeleton he usually embodies.
<Oh yes definitely. the Tieflings are going to be driven back to Teppelin. It's what will happen THERE that will decide the outcome of the war. Since Teikoku and the Lords can materialize there, the 4 Horsemen will appear, the Forsaken army, the Vampires, the Zombies, the Skeletons, the Humans. It will all come down to that battle. The fate of the Blasted Isle, indeed the whole world, rests squarely on that one fight.>