Lords of Creation: A Time Forgotten IC

[mystic1110]

Mountain March

The Ogre yanked a bone-knife from his waist before slicing his hand open and allowing blood to flow freely from his clenched fist and onto the floor. The blood pooled and sizzled and the Ogre shouted "Joo gots deal!"

And thus the deals were struck.

The tower began to whirl and rotate - and produce its snowflakes. Each of those snowflakes imbued with winter touch. They swirled inside the tower . . .

The snowflakes floated and stung half the Ogres eyes. A little slice of winter's glass in those lucky fews' corneas. The glass worked its way inside those fungal bodies, spreading and grating and breaking further.

Those Ogres from this point on would be the strongest mages of their abilities. Were they knew the green tongue, now they knew a tongue with no color, a tongue as clear as glass.

All for the price of a winter's day.

As for the other Ogres, the center of the Glass Cathedral dropped down into a staircase. The other Ogre's began to file down into this staircase. They walked for months. . . months through the strange structures of the mega structure.

Months were they were reforged into something larger and colder.

Reforged in the very center of the world and the very center of Anlorem.

They emerged on the southern continent - GIANTS. They were like ogres, only with bones made of ice. They were the size of small mountains, and unlike the Ogres with their glass slivers of winter, they carried winter in their BONES.

They were FROST GIANTS, and they were WINTER'S. They ROARED in the south and the waters the lapped the shores of the frozen continent froze themselves.

Spoiler

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10 AP plus 4 rollover

1 Blessing: Ogres will know a new language - the Tongue without Color - and those mages who cast spells with it will be treated as if their CA is +2 (thus making them stronger than any other mage of that level, but other races can still be stronger). Additionally for each spell cast their shall be an hour of winter equal to the Casters casting level not including the bonus from this blessing.

1 Alter Race - Ogres into Frost Giants

Also Antarctic is Doubled in Size!!

12 AP

[Elemental]

The Corpse Beast remains impassive as the Burning God spoke though with a motion the throne crumbled beneath it as it stood. "You are wronged by a wrong, these errors can be placed right. I would see all the Dead know my name yet here before me is one who seeks only their devotion. Your Brother requests only an admission that you should have come to speak to me on this matter and that all your "Revenants" be told that it is Yen'Shi who brought forth Undeath unto the land. Not dominion, not stewardship, merely acknowledgement. Then I will sooth your wounds for there should not be bitterness between us. Least of all for the sake of our bloodline when those who also beat with the fire in our breasts would see your work undone."

Namiranzul considered Yen-Shi's proposal for a few seconds
"I see no flaw in your request. It is only right that my Revenants acknowledge the Lord of Death. When they have been taken to the land I have chosen for them I will personally raise a monument in your honour such that all of them who look upon it remember you."


The Western Coast of the Ashlands

The Revenants had gone as far West as they could following the call in their hearts and now they saw the vastness of the ocean sea before them. The Sun hung low over the waters, painting a vivid path of red and gold across the glittering waves. As they watched it set they saw a flash of green light just as the darkness of night claimed the sky. Soon there was no light but the stars and their own burning eyes yet still they watched the water as if they expected something to happen. Their expectations were not in vain.
The sea began to boil as a great tear forms in the seabed. Molten rock spewed forth from the fissure and hardened instantly when it hit the waters of Pisceanas's endless sea. The newly minted rock was pushed up by the continuing force and fractured into hexagonal pillars as it did so. With no sign of trepidation, the Revenants crossed onto this still forming bridge and followed it to a volcano erupting on the horizon. By the time they arrived a large island centred around the peak of a new shield volcano and its subsidiary cones had formed as the lava cooled.
As the Revenants alighted from their hastily constructed causeway with the sound of unstable sections falling into the sea and they found their god, the winged angel of fire raising an obelisk of black granite in a natural amphitheatre created by a pair of split lava flows. Their god worked all night, deigning to work with his hands rather than simply will the stone monument into existence. Even so, he was a god and it took him but a few hours to shape and lift the monument into place. When he was done, the golden glyphs that covered its six faces lit up momentarily and a bolt of white light shot into the sky so far that it merely resembled a star and it stayed there, burning bright enough to be seen even in the blaze of the noonday Sun.
Namiranzul spent several days with his creations explaining the obelisk and the meanings of its golden symbols. The symbols at the very top he told them represented the gods most important to Norian and to them. First on the northern face was a mountain for the Cathedral of Winter whose power was the antithesis of light and life yet essential for the tenuous balance of Creation. Next continuing clockwise ("What's a clock, oh Great One?" "You'll work it out My Revenants.") was a rose to mark the contributions of Illnara who wrought Norian from the perfect land of Kalroc. Next was a tree for Karaziemia who first created the Elves who even now traverse the deserts and forests of Norian. On the southern face was a spider, symbol of the webs woven by Yen'Shi and his creations who breathed the Breath of Unlife. Second to last was an image of the Sun, no points for guessing this one. And last, was a falling star, symbol of the goddess Cereim whose power forged sorcery. The writing under each was in a strange script as old as Creation itself, the very glyphs and symbols that covered the armour of Namiranzul. These texts described the gods and their aspects, but the full knowledge contained within was beyond their immediate comprehension and the time allotted to relay it. In time, they would learn the full knowledge contained within, but Namiranzul chose to let them decipher the script themselves such that they would value the knowledge more.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Starting AP: 2+4(rollover)

Create Land: The Island of the Revenants. A barren, dry volcanic island off the West coast of Norian. The volcano created to form it is no longer needed so is completely dead. Despite the theoretically rich volcanic soils, it's still solid rock so it'll take time and erosion before plant life colonises it.
On the Southern slopes of the volcano is the obelisk described above. I will relic it when I have the AP.

Create Celestial Object: The Guide Star. This Star is always located directly above the obelisk on the Island of the Revenants, and hence is an excellent navigational aid.

Remaining AP: 1

[thethird]

The Dreamlands, Wild Dreamlands

The elves look at each other and wonder, what would they do? They shall follow. Because staying put is not for them. And while strange, scary, and unknowing the dreams do not look intently threatening. The Anghal marches forward and as he does the clan follow.

The elves go to castle dreaming, to see what all the fuss is about.

The Drenzalli clan

The elves looked at each other and gave nods as if reasuring themselves. Messengers had brought to them the news of what had happened to their kin in the desert and this sorcery seemed like a good tool in the arsenal, help to what might come for them in the future. Those that wanted to leave were given free reign and brought word to others of the deal offered. Those that stayed were soon joined by others inclined to learn, even at the cost of staying in solely one place. Of those that joined the weirdest were the ashen skinned fiery eyed revenants, they considered their chances and if they were not going to travel anymore the tower seemed like the best place to be for eternity.

The Oubour clan

While most elven clan had been struck by the sun god's curse in one manner or another it was particularly bad for the Oubour clan, the whole clan was wiped out by the solar spite. They were empty dry elven husks, but they were a family of empty dry elven husks. As they were taken the rest of the clan would practice the funerary rites garbing the dying, and soon raised, garbing them in white and black tunics with ram's and antelope's horns headdresses and painting their past life and dreams with red ochre mehndi. As more and more died, and were raised, the practice continue eventually the dead joining the living with the decoration even if it held little to no significance to them.

The Oubour clan was one of the many revenant groups met by Karaziemia when she reached to her people and she gifted them with some of the sentience that they posessed before. It proved to be the most important when it wholly refused to follow the sun's god call and assimilated other revenant marching parties.

It was the Oubour clan that sent students to the tower of sorcery. But not only were the revenants sent there, others were dispatched to the remaining elven clans to see over the dead and help the living, and yet others left towards the hives of the bonespeakers trying to learn from their fellow undead.

Close to a Web - Way entrance
The Oubour clan emissaries

While the initial elven contact with the undead had been problematic, fortunately they hadn't come to blows, some of the Sur clan had joined the undead, and in doing so a few had ended joining the Oubour clan. They remembered the undead's offer. And while they weren't still going to gift away some of the living if the dead wanted knowledge they would comply. Knowledge for knowledge. That seemed fair to the Oubour.

Namiranzul's temple in Raenzul
Karaziemia

The nature goddess stood there for an instant. Contemplating the departed sun god. She stood there even when the undeath god left, and when her sister left. She simply stood there. She studied herself. Her existence was something that she hadn't contemplated till this point. What was she? She was as far as the mortals were concerned a god. But she wasn't certain. She didn't feel godlike. In her mental image a god was one who would care for its subjects, who would impede that harm came to them. She hadn't done that. In fact she had been even childlike. Perhaps the word god shouldn't apply to her. Karaziemia considered all things. She studied the matter from several angles. And reached little comfort.

She was for all she knew a unique being. Decidedly powerful even if she was subject to some rules that she didn't really comprehend. She knew what she wanted. She knew what she had. She didn't know what she didn't know. But she would use the second to get the first and minimize the third.

First it was clear that elves would need to settle. They had already seen the whole continent and traveled as far as their means would allow. Developing new traveling ways would be impeded if they were always on the move. And traveling was always a mean to an end. She hadn't known the end, but it was perhaps time she found out. But first thing first.

Spoiler

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1 AP + 4 AP (from Rollover)

1 AP Alter Action (create race ash revenant): The elven living ancestors (even if at this point they aren't truly ancestral) are free willed self aware eternal undead. They aren't inherently evil, nor inherently good, and to their gift of sorcery is prompted with an ethernal thirst for knowledge. Animals can be reared to work with them and their touch isn't pernicious to plants raised from Karaziemia infused seeds.

4 AP remaining

[Razade]

Namiranzul considered Yen-Shi's proposal for a few seconds
"I see no flaw in your request. It is only right that my Revenants acknowledge the Lord of Death. When they have been taken to the land I have chosen for them I will personally raise a monument in your honour such that all of them who look upon it remember you."

"There are no flaws in any action I take." Yen'Shi offers, perhaps an attempt at a joke. "Then there is no disagreement between us and I own you a boon. Perhaps not now but in the future, there will be a time you require it. You may call on me then." With another bow the skeleton shatters and burns up, falling into the surface of the sun.

Close to a Web - Way entrance
The Oubour clan emissaries

While the initial elven contact with the undead had been problematic, fortunately they hadn't come to blows, some of the Sur clan had joined the undead, and in doing so a few had ended joining the Oubour clan. They remembered the undead's offer. And while they weren't still going to gift away some of the living if the dead wanted knowledge they would comply. Knowledge for knowledge. That seemed fair to the Oubour.

The Weavers as it seemed the Living dubbed them were more than accommodating to their Undead Brethren, the Corpse Hives allowing their unconnected kin access at least marginally to the Hives themselves, Speakers moving between what ever camps the Ash Revenants have and the Hives themselves.

[mattsdelf]

The following night

The Drenzalli clan


The elves looked at each other and gave nods as if reasuring themselves. Messengers had brought to them the news of what had happened to their kin in the desert and this sorcery seemed like a good tool in the arsenal, help to what might come for them in the future. Those that wanted to leave were given free reign and brought word to others of the deal offered. Those that stayed were soon joined by others inclined to learn, even at the cost of staying in solely one place. Of those that joined the weirdest were the ashen skinned fiery eyed revenants, they considered their chances and if they were not going to travel anymore the tower seemed like the best place to be for eternity.

Cereim appeared on schedule as The Sun made its orange and purple transition of retreat into the horizon, into a spectacular sunset. She met the elves and revenants who had come to learn, and was pleased that so many would go. She waved her arm, and suddenly they stood in front of the Tower of Sorcery with all that they had brought with them. It was a mass-teleport spell.

"There is your fast travel person summoning spell! If you study for many years in the Tower, you will learn how to do the same thing."

She took a deep breath, and walked over to the door, which opened on its own as she approached it. Enticing the group to follow her, she made her way into the great hall, carpeted in red and gold, encircling the vacant pillar at the center of the tower. The cavity was filled with staircases that floated up and down, forming chains from one room to another. There was a railing of silver, wrapped around the cavity, and a landing in front of her.

Spoiler

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I shall wait for you to respond for them, and post that they actually follow her into the tower.

Wind, and then wavering breath. Eyes blinked as the figure coalesced.

Greetings, mother. I have only now become form, and yet I find form itself restricted. The very air seems tense, somehow. Still, I will follow, and we will see if art may be restored.

A gentle breeze plucks a glittering tear from the ground, encircling it and wreathing it into solidity. The same balmy current deposits this wind-wreathed tear into Cereim's hands. Until you hear new songs, may this dry your eyes at very least.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Starting AP: 15

Create Artifact: Cereim's Tear; -4 AP
Cereim's Tear is a single tear wrapped in gale-force winds, forming a sort of bauble. The holder may focus on a concept and be able to perceive events from the past related to this concept. Thus, a holder focused on fire may see a volcano in the bauble, or hear the sounds of crackling flames. The longer the holder focuses, the more clarity and accuracy they may access memories with.

15-4=11 AP remaining

Cereim was deeply touched. She sprung out, ecstatically, as if she had briefly forgotten that she was sad, and gave Valendron a hug. "Thank you!" She started focusing with the Tear on music, and saw the familiar form of Oholimn as it faded out of existence. Of course! The death of the god of music must have something to do with this grayness that has fallen over creation. But that alone wouldn't explain... There has to be more As she continued to focus on the Tear, and saw winter and death. It was taxing just to continue, and Cereim felt another icy chill. She stopped looking into the tear.

"But what could winter have to do with music?" Cereim spoke as they began to continue the search for the cause.

The Tower of Sorcery - Ugot Black Gut

"Ey!" The Ogre shouted out as he stomped down the staircase, grunting with every step he took, all 4 eyes scanning for danger. "Ey! Joo come out!"

Ugot must have walked down many a staircase before eventually arriving back where he started. Puzzling as this might have been, another staircase led him upward to a platform decorated in gold, and with gems. Depictions of dragons doing epic battle adorned the wall, around the massive stone doors that opened as Ugot approached them. Would he perhaps meet somebody behind this door? Were the halls really as empty as the air of a clear night sky over their sea of Raelzun?

On the other side of the large stone doors was a delicate hall decorated with depictions of dancing dragons. Along the walls of the hall which made a circle around the tower, there were fountains made of gold, a large bath area behind a thick paper curtain, and many doors. Behind most of the doors was an empty living quarter with a pre-made bed, desk and chair, and stained-gemstone windows. Ugot was surprised to find that his name was written in golden letters across the door of one such door.

The teens looked around, examining the strange interior and the stairways around them. None of them had any thoughts about going back without investigating further at this point.

"I can go first this time, I might be the stealthiest out of the three of us," Burne said.

"I don't know," Stella replied, "I went first the last time, and I'd feel bad if something happened to one of you. It can be a cruel world."

"Well, we've made it this far," retorted Burne.

"Actually," Jeyne cut in, "Burne can move quite quietly if he wants to. I know he doesn't look it, but you can slow your decision a bit miss eager beaver."

They talked for a bit more but it was ultimately decided that Burne would go up the staircase first, with his trident drawn and checking for traps, Stella would be second, and Jeyne would go last. All three were trying to move as silently as possible.

Silent as they may have been, the Tower greeted them more silently. Excepting, of course, the grinding of stone as one staircase after another moved into place. The chain of staircase that they climbed took them up, down, and across many floors of the Tower. To their sides, they could see beautiful picturesque scenes of fire, of jungles, of clouds and rocks, of monsters, and many other things each around doors.

Then, as they climbed, the stairs disconnected in an attempt to split up the group. As the grinding sounds of stone on stone became louder and louder, the brightly lit maze of staircases suddenly felt less welcoming. A staircase whizzed by Burne's head, and different staircases begun to spin, connecting briefly and splitting up. Some amount of running, ducking, and jumping later, Burne and Jeyne wound up on the same piece of staircase, and saw the oportunity to jump onto a platform with no decorations, other than a pedestal holding a large glowstone, and a door. If they jumped, however, Stella would be left to find her own way off of the staircases, for she was halfway across the room, trying to make her way toward them to no avail.

[Drowlord]

Cereim was deeply touched. She sprung out, ecstatically, as if she had briefly forgotten that she was sad, and gave Valendron a hug. "Thank you!" She started focusing with the Tear on music, and saw the familiar form of Oholimn as it faded out of existence. Of course! The death of the god of music must have something to do with this grayness that has fallen over creation. But that alone wouldn't explain... There has to be more As she continued to focus on the Tear, and saw winter and death. It was taxing just to continue, and Cereim felt another icy chill. She stopped looking into the tear.

"But what could winter have to do with music?" Cereim spoke as they began to continue the search for the cause.

Valendron nodded thoughtfully. This is a good question. On the surface, they would seem unaligned. His glittering turquoise eyes narrowed. Is there one with whom we may speak who may know about either winter or music? If so, visiting them may narrow down the possibilities.

[AvocadoAvenger]

The Tower of Sorcery

The teens moved along, admiring the artwork. Burne was able to look at the wall and keep moving, while Jeyne began to fall behind. Stella then reminded Burne to stay attentive and Jeyne to keep up; they were in unfamiliar territory after all. Burne was glad he had started paying more attention to his surrounding again, because he was able to deftly doge the staircase that swung beside him. It was true what Jeyne said, he was more dexterous than he looked considering his large size.

The rapid movement prompted by the changing environment was quite jarring, so Stella called out to the pair, "are you guys all right?"

"Yeah," Burne responded.

Jeyne started touching various body parts for a few moments as a sarcastic response, and said, "still all in one piece."

"We're coming back for you," Burne called after another moment.

"Are we really, though?" Jeyne said to him. "Let's think about this logically for a minute. Since this is getting increasingly weird, I'm pretty sure something is up here, and since we are here to investigate what it could be and how it could affect the Merfolk, I don't see how going back for her furthers that purpose."

"It doesn't," Burne said back, somewhat appalled at Jeyne's line of reasoning, "but we're doing it anyways because it's the right thing to do. Where is chivalry and companionship? I don't want to be known for abandoning a girl in a dungeon- heck, I don't want to be the kind of person who abandons a friend in a dungeon even if no one knows about it."

"No, Burne," Stella said, "she's right, it makes sense. I'll make my own way, I don't mind the risk. Don't you two lose each other, though. We'd be worse off as a group if all of us were separated." It'll be more dangerous to go alone, she thought.

Burne nodded stoically. He looked at Jeyne, looked at the downward jump, then took her hand in his. You see, for a race that doesn't have legs, a "jump" can obviously only really be downwards, so when they looked at the platform that they could only get to by jumping, then looked below them.

"My sweet prince," Jeyne said, mocking the gesture of hand holding. Then they jumped.

Stella slithered around with a mild amount of care, looking for another way around.

Elsewhere, Everywhere: Pisceanas' Plan

The Sinister Mystery felt her strength of influence growing. She had more power now than she had had in some time and she was ready to create a new means of profiting. It was time to generate mortal interest in the oceans and then exploit it, and Pisceanas had just the idea that might work.

First, she needed an excuse for mortals to use the ocean. It was easy, they would need it to travel. Tixial and Norian didn't even know about each other for the most part and she planned to fix that. She figured that once the two main destinations in the world as well as everywhere in between discovered what they had to gain from visit elsewhere, they would be head-over-heels for it. The opportunities for trade and conquest would be endless, and Pisceanas could claim to the other gods that she meant sea travel as a boon. With that, Pisceanas created watercrafts and gave them to mortals. Moreover, she gave the knowledge of seafaring vessels to mortals: how to make them, how to use them, different methods of construction and means of use, and the like. She made it so that information about every type of ship was available to any society that wanted to construct it, and that every society was able to do so. Naturally, the mortals went crazy, building varieties of watercraft in a variety of different ways - light and fast ships for the elves, basic and humble ships for the Orks, eccentric and decorative ships for South Tixial, brazen and battle-ready ships for the T-Rexes, dark and mysterious ships for the Darkin, massive ships capable of breaking ice for the Frost Giants, flameproof ships often made of reinforced glass for the dragons, ships that could sail through the void of space for the Archons, and a variety of different ships for the humans of Greyl. Of course, non of these ship stereotypes were strictly accurate, but there was hardly any society without at least a few ships in a dock.

Next, immediately after setting about this Seafaring Revolution, Pisceanas created a means for her to profit from it. First, there needed to be common currency. With that in mind, The Sinister Mystery set out to make it so. She made it so that every society had the option of taking to her currency. The currency itself is a silver coin with a ship on one side and a Sea Serpent on the other. It is understood that societies can mint their own currency with their own race on the tails side, but that the ship will remain on the other side. It can be undertaken to mint currency without a ship on it, but that currency will be worth less as it cannot be accepted in seafaring transactions. Each society was extended the offer to make the "silver mast" as it would be known to be called its common currency, but they did not have to. However, Pisceanas hoped that they would because of their new found love for ships. A good meal is worth about one Silver Mast, a decent weapon is worth about ten.

Finally, Pisceanas realized she needed to organize her Sea Serpents to make them useful, so she created the Sea Federation. She sent her Sea Serpents to find every recognized port and told them to regulate trade. Now, any time any captain wanted to go anywhere, they would find a Sea Serpent and pay them a sum of money. That Serpent would then accompany the vessel on its voyage so the Serpent could vouch for them with the Federation and help defend against any other threats. In the event that a captain does not contract with a Sea Serpent, Pisceanas also sent Serpents to patrol those waters and attack any such ship. During a voyage, a Sea Serpent will keep the silver payment in its gum, then deposit it in the trench next to Pisceanas' brimstone throne after the voyage is done. Either Pisceanas or several large Sea Serpents watch the Sea Federation treasury at all times, and its location is top secret.

The Ocean and The Dreamlands

Magnar had had wild dreams before, but never like this. In this one he could move, he could explore. He was not one of the Sea Serpents that could travel on land, but in his dream he could. He moved around, swam, and roamed free. Eventually, he came to a secluded island and ran around all over it. He ran up mountains, through valleys, and saw strange birds of fire. He even found a lake in a place where he wasn't expecting to.

When he woke up, Magnar realized that the island he was on in his dream existed in real life. He began to tell his fellow Sea Serpents about his lucid dream, and it was decided: the lake on this island must be inhabited by at least one Sea Serpent.

Phoenix Island

Several Sea Serpents could be seen near phoenix island dancing. Soon, three land capable Sea Serpents rose into the air and proceeded onto the island. They weren't bothering anyone, but they ran swiftly, together, and in formation, like soldiers on a mission

Spoiler

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AP Usage:
Starting Calculations From: 4 AP
Firstly, didn't could Rollover yet: +4 AP
Create Fabled Concept - The Seafaring Revolution, the universe is now interested in ships and sailing, all ships are available, feel free to ignore my description of what ships I imagine each society would want, feel free to be creative with ships, unless you say otherwise I'm assuming your society has ships, feel free to launch character-driven expeditions to exotic locations without consulting me: -4 AP
Create Advanced Concept - The "Silver Mast," a common currency, printed with a ship on one side and a Sea Serpent on the other unless you post saying otherwise for your society, not necessary for every society, necessary to contract with the Sea Federation, one silver is worth about ten US dollars assuming current US price inflation levels, makes trade with other societies easier: -2 AP
Create Society - The Sea Federation, mutually inclusive with being a Sea Serpent, as of yet no Sea Serpents are not affiliated with the Sea Federation, you must be a Sea Serpent to belong to the Sea Federation, Nebulecron is the exception to the previous rule, governed by Pisceanas herself, contracts with captains to bring safe voyage to sea ships, failure to contract and pay for sea voyage will result in likely attack by Sea Serpents: -1 AP
Leaving me with a mighty 1 AP remaining

If you sail a ship without contracting with the Federation, it may be cool to work out a homerule where we treat a ship as a society with some sort of a minus. This will of course be subjective to cases, if it happens at all.

Sea Federation Rates:
50 Silver:
Arctic --> North Half of Norian
North Half of Norian --> Arctic
Anywhere on Any Continent --> Anywhere on the Same Continent
West Half of Norian --> Phoenix Island
Phoenix Island --> West Half of Norian
Phoenix Island --> Shadow Isles
Shadow Isles --> Phoenix Island
South Half of Norian --> Shadow Isles
Shadow Isles --> South Half of Norian
South Half of Norian --> Main Area Tixial*
Main Area Tixial* --> South Half of Norian
Shadow Isles --> Tixial (Any)
Tixial (Any) --> Shadow Isles
Tixial (Any) --> Tixial (Any)
*Does not include South Tixial

100 Silver:
Any Non-Listen Travel Destination

150 Silver:
Arctic --> Tixial (Any)
Tixial (Any) --> Arctic
East Half of the Arctic --> Phoenix Island
Phoenix Island --> East Half of the Arctic

Any trip may be booked round-trip for 1.5 times the original cost. Thereby, it will only cost 75 silver (50 x 1.5) to get from Greyl to The Colosseum and back. A trip must be booked as a round trip and the return voyage must occur within one month of arrival at the destination or the discount is forfeited. This may sound advantageous, but one-way, "triangle trade," and trips around the world are just as viable.

[mattsdelf]

Valendron nodded thoughtfully. This is a good question. On the surface, they would seem unaligned. His glittering turquoise eyes narrowed. Is there one with whom we may speak who may know about either winter or music? If so, visiting them may narrow down the possibilities.

Cereim thought for a moment, and as she remembered the fun she had had with the god of music, "I remember dancing with Oholimn, and speaking about mortals. He may have given some dominion over the arts to mortals." She drew a sigh, and with an uneasy voice, continued. "As for winter... Anlorem, would know about that." The cold, mechanical nature of Anlorem, the god, the cathedral, disturbed Cereim. She could see that their search might bring them to it's icy gates, and she would not show fear if it did.

"Let's see mortals touched by Oholimn" She said this, as she focused once more into the Tear, pushing back her previous thought. She saw 6 figures, but her mind's eye was drawn to one who looked particularly sad. Perhaps it was the sadness she too felt over the loss of music. "It looks like there are 6 figures who had a deep connection to Oholimn. Each fond of expressing a particular emotion."

The Tower of Sorcery

The teens moved along, admiring the artwork. Burne was able to look at the wall and keep moving, while Jeyne began to fall behind. Stella then reminded Burne to stay attentive and Jeyne to keep up; they were in unfamiliar territory after all. Burne was glad he had started paying more attention to his surrounding again, because he was able to deftly doge the staircase that swung beside him. It was true what Jeyne said, he was more dexterous than he looked considering his large size.

The rapid movement prompted by the changing environment was quite jarring, so Stella called out to the pair, "are you guys all right?"

"Yeah," Burne responded.

Jeyne started touching various body parts for a few moments as a sarcastic response, and said, "still all in one piece."

"We're coming back for you," Burne called after another moment.

"Are we really, though?" Jeyne said to him. "Let's think about this logically for a minute. Since this is getting increasingly weird, I'm pretty sure something is up here, and since we are here to investigate what it could be and how it could affect the Merfolk, I don't see how going back for her furthers that purpose."

"It doesn't," Burne said back, somewhat appalled at Jeyne's line of reasoning, "but we're doing it anyways because it's the right thing to do. Where is chivalry and companionship? I don't want to be known for abandoning a girl in a dungeon- heck, I don't want to be the kind of person who abandons a friend in a dungeon even if no one knows about it."

"No, Burne," Stella said, "she's right, it makes sense. I'll make my own way, I don't mind the risk. Don't you two lose each other, though. We'd be worse off as a group if all of us were separated." It'll be more dangerous to go alone, she thought.

Burne nodded stoically. He looked at Jeyne, looked at the downward jump, then took her hand in his. You see, for a race that doesn't have legs, a "jump" can obviously only really be downwards, so when they looked at the platform that they could only get to by jumping, then looked below them.

"My sweet prince," Jeyne said, mocking the gesture of hand holding. Then they jumped.

Stella slithered around with a mild amount of care, looking for another way around.

Jeyne and Burne landed on the platform. They look back, and only for a moment, catch a glimpse of Stella before she is obscured by the motion of another staircase. The glowstone illuminates the large set of doors behind them.

Stella's staircase lowers by a few floors, and fixes itself to another landing. This one is adorned with chalky pictures of tall oak trees carved into slate walls. There is a torch on either side of the large, creaky wooden doors.

[Mynxae]

Spoiler: Pisceanas

Show

The Amphitheater of Aptitude

Pisceanas heard her brothers call and waited with him for several minutes as none arrived. Bashfully, she said to him, "I'm afraid there were none hiding in the dark, brother. The two of us are powerful and self-reliant, yet an army that cannot yield will be defeated. Metal must either bend or crack when pressure is applied; it is the way of things. The hard and strong will be defeated while the soft and gentle are triumphant. Therefor, I would counsel leniency. We could market ourselves as a balancing force, not letting one power- the sun or others- control everything for themselves. We would do well to include other gods to build our power, perhaps let them build theirs a bit, build up their trust in us before we strike. Yen'Shi is interested in the cycle of life and preserving that while thriving in twilight, I have met Morgorach and he seems sensible enough to me so he may begin to see it our way, Raxmos and Kalroc may be bought over by an appeal to power, Anlorem creates such magnificent marvels out of water which are not helped by light, I have had good relations with Cereim in the past and her magic is sometimes benefited by both light and dark, and I bet Naevar's goals would be in line with our own if we were to tolerate his methods. We will have our day, brother, but first we should lay the foundation."

Amphitheatre of Aptitude

Faelan nodded and said "Sounds like a plan. I shall go talk to our frosty sibling in the north and see what he has to say about our cause", before disappearing in a swirl of his shadowy cloak.

The Arctic

He reappeared directly in front of the front door to the cathedral, proceeding to knock and, while waiting, to admire the grand structure in front of him.

[mystic1110]

The Cathedral's see through glass doors open and let Faelan in. If he looks down he will see the warm and angry raw glow of the earth's core, distilled through countless layers of frozen glass. If he looks up he would see the sky, shrouded in clouds and snowflakes.

Either way the Cathedral speaks

Welcome Sibling

[Mynxae]

Spoiler: Anlorem

Show

The Cathedral's see through glass doors open and let Faelan in. If he looks down he will see the warm and angry raw glow of the earth's core, distilled through countless layers of frozen glass. If he looks up he would see the sky, shrouded in clouds and snowflakes.

Either way the Cathedral speaks

Welcome Sibling

The Arctic

Faelan wanders through, staring at the marvels of the Cathedral briefly before shaking his head. "I'm here for more than just sightseeing" he chided himself under his breath.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice, "Greetings 'O Wintery One. Pisceanas and I have created a powerful pact between us in an effort to protect the world's dark places. Surely one such as you who shortens the days with your glorious winter could appreciate our goal and perhaps even join us if you saw fit?"

[AvocadoAvenger]

The Tower of Sorcery

Burne advanced and put one hand on one side of the door. He had his trident drawn and had transfered it so that he held in in the hand near the inside of the double doors. He seemed to have gathered some courage. Looking at Jeyne, "together, then?"

"However will I go on without my big strong man to protect me," she said in one of her usually tones of sarcasm or flirting. It was probably a touch of both. Nevertheless, she put her hand on the door as well, looked at Burne, and they opened the doors together.

Stella advanced down the corridor taking in as much of the paintings as she could without slowing down. Considering the lack of feet makes Merfolk relatively slow, she was able to take in a good amount. She took one torch from the wall and held it out in front of her. "Hello?" she called into the space in front of her. Then, she pushed one door open and peered inside.

The Amphitheater of Amplitude

The Sinister Mystery bowed her head at her brother's idea - she thought it was a prudent strategy. "Fare well, friend, brother. If you see the Ice-God, tell them... that I like the style, if you get a chance."

[mystic1110]

The Arctic

Faelan wanders through, staring at the marvels of the Cathedral briefly before shaking his head. "I'm here for more than just sightseeing" he chided himself under his breath.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice, "Greetings 'O Wintery One. Pisceanas and I have created a powerful pact between us in an effort to protect the world's dark places. Surely one such as you who shortens the days with your glorious winter could appreciate our goal and perhaps even join us if you saw fit?"

The Cathedral merely rotates, as it always does, and remains cold, as it always does.

I would consider the offer - for a price. And what are the expected returns of this pact, and what are its restrictions and terms?

[Drowlord]

Cereim thought for a moment, and as she remembered the fun she had had with the god of music, "I remember dancing with Oholimn, and speaking about mortals. He may have given some dominion over the arts to mortals." She drew a sigh, and with an uneasy voice, continued. "As for winter... Anlorem, would know about that." The cold, mechanical nature of Anlorem, the god, the cathedral, disturbed Cereim. She could see that their search might bring them to it's icy gates, and she would not show fear if it did.

"Let's see mortals touched by Oholimn" She said this, as she focused once more into the Tear, pushing back her previous thought. She saw 6 figures, but her mind's eye was drawn to one who looked particularly sad. Perhaps it was the sadness she too felt over the loss of music. "It looks like there are 6 figures who had a deep connection to Oholimn. Each fond of expressing a particular emotion."

Turquoise eyes narrow. You do not seem overly pleased with this Anlorem. May I ask why?

The hawk then nods slowly. Have we any means of finding where they are?

[Razade]

[The South Pole]
Web-Way Exit

The Undead had crawled deep within the world and explored the lands and their creatures. The living beings had not yet moved across the waves but the Undead and the Breath stretched wide and covered the world and it was with the Web-Ways that the Undead came to the lowest point of the south, the glacier covered South Pole and in this frozen land they would build their greatest Hive where no living eyes would see. Some of the Dracoliches whispered it was to keep apart from the mortals and not to interfere to greatly with their growth and yet others whispered it was to form a stronghold if and when the opinion against them turned. All the same they worked in the bitter cold and snow and from the frigid stone they built up a massive series of towers and cathedrals of bone and tanned flesh. The Grand Hive of Ul'Jeraz had formed and the Hives around the world move to rejoice.

[mattsdelf]

Turquoise eyes narrow. You do not seem overly pleased with this Anlorem. May I ask why?

The hawk then nods slowly. Have we any means of finding where they are?

Something about Anlorem did disturb Cereim. "The Cathedral seems so... detached." Her expression changed from worried to focused. "I feel that if we start heading north, into the heart of winter, and search, that we will find them before we reach The Cathedral's icy steps."

She turned toward North. The stars were out now. Like a giant globe covered in fiery seeds of life. They were still beautiful, as the finest art whose method is now lost to mortals. She exclaimed with eagerness, "Let's get going!"

The Tower of Sorcery

Burne advanced and put one hand on one side of the door. He had his trident drawn and had transfered it so that he held in in the hand near the inside of the double doors. He seemed to have gathered some courage. Looking at Jeyne, "together, then?"

"However will I go on without my big strong man to protect me," she said in one of her usually tones of sarcasm or flirting. It was probably a touch of both. Nevertheless, she put her hand on the door as well, looked at Burne, and they opened the doors together.

Stella advanced down the corridor taking in as much of the paintings as she could without slowing down. Considering the lack of feet makes Merfolk relatively slow, she was able to take in a good amount. She took one torch from the wall and held it out in front of her. "Hello?" she called into the space in front of her. Then, she pushed one door open and peered inside.

As Burne and Jeyne opened their set of doors, they found that the room on the other side is lit only for about 15 feet by a bright light, before a wall of darkness seems to stop it. The floor is tiled with a beige and yellow checkerboard, and the walls are made of thin, vertical strips of polished wood. On the wall to their right, is a light stone tablet, carved with a few unidentifiable marks, and a few pictures showing a hand motion; the thumb of a hand with curled fingers embraces the middle finger, and then the hand opens. As they step into the room, they hear a voice in their heads. The same voice, a woman's voice. They would have no way of identifying it."Light" As they hear this, the hand carving begins to glow.

Stella is met with ordinary darkness, which her newly acquired torch pierces rather energetically. She finds a forest setting on the other side of those doors, with dirt, tall trees and open sky above. One tree, in particular, has no branches within a decameter of the ground. It has tremendous girth, with a diameter of roughly a meter and a half, and a circumference wrought with rigid, wrinkly bark. That bark has carved into it a similar set of confusing signs, and pictures of two hands making a T, but with only two fingers of one hand touching the palm of the other. As she observes it, she hears a voice. "Escalate" As she heard it, the carving moved up and back down on the side of the tree.

Spoiler: Rollover

Show

Starting AP: 9 I think
Rollover: +4
Remaining AP: 13

Don't worry, I'm going to spend it sooner or later.

[Razade]

Yen'Shi
[The Twilight Grove]

Yen'Shi watched the world and felt the death of it's sister Illnara, hissing loudly as it felt her life giving essence ebb slowly out. With a single arm it reached and plucked the body of the Dead God from the world and hide it deep within the Twilight Grove and buried it deep within the earth and loam. It then reached out and collected the Phoenix Lord Faust and enshrined it high on the mountains of the Grove where the Dead would keep it's body lit. With another arm it reached and snatched the body of the great Dragon Kalroc and placed it on the shores of the Grove where the Dead would keep Vigil over it's rest. And finally it seized Naever and hid it deep next to the body of it's first creation Maus to keep her warm. It then breathed it's breath through the world and blessed the Hives and those who traded with them. Those who respected the Dead and the Once Living would find the winters that tore at their homes lessened in the Fall and Spring, still cold but still enough to grow food and to keep one warm at night. With its work done the Great Corpse Beast wove the nightmares of the mortal beings born from it's storms within the Dream Lands, taking upon it the mantle of The Dark Slumberer for in the dark places of one's dreams it lurked, the Whisper of the Dracoliches and the Breath forever clawing at the mind of sane and safe living creatures.

Spoiler: AP Actions

Show

Gain Domain: Darkness (Nightmares) -3 AP (Actions Towards: Create Basic Life: Shades, Create Fabled Life: Dracoliches, Alter Action: Creating Nightmare Storms in the

Bless: The Autumn and the Spring -1 AP

[Mynxae]

The Cathedral merely rotates, as it always does, and remains cold, as it always does.

I would consider the offer - for a price. And what are the expected returns of this pact, and what are its restrictions and terms?

The Arctic

Faelan gave the Cathedral a bemused grin as it rotated. "If you were to join us, we would all see an increase in our powers. The more of us there are, the more power there will be to go around for all of us" he said thoughtfully, imagining the immense power he could control.

As he spoke he wandered around the Cathedral admiring the sights, "The only restriction would be to not conspire with those who would work against us, such as Namiranzul. I understand you and he may have already made prior agreements, which is alright if they do not jeopardise our true cause. Which brings me to the terms..." He looked beneath himself and found himself looking through the very heart of the world and chuckled to himself. "Quite a nice place you've got here, I must say. Pisceanas noted for me to tell you that she likes your style, which I concur" he said with a grin.

"But yes, the terms... They would be that you contribute to our cause. Create and protect dark places for those who would rather hide from the world instead of blast it with the light of their presence. Much like I have done with protecting my Darkin, or attempting to" he said with slightly clenched teeth, his eyes burning with anger as he noted the sun in the sky above him.

[AvocadoAvenger]

As Burne and Jeyne opened their set of doors, they found that the room on the other side is lit only for about 15 feet by a bright light, before a wall of darkness seems to stop it. The floor is tiled with a beige and yellow checkerboard, and the walls are made of thin, vertical strips of polished wood. On the wall to their right, is a light stone tablet, carved with a few unidentifiable marks, and a few pictures showing a hand motion; the thumb of a hand with curled fingers embraces the middle finger, and then the hand opens. As they step into the room, they hear a voice in their heads. The same voice, a woman's voice. They would have no way of identifying it."Light" As they hear this, the hand carving begins to glow.

Stella is met with ordinary darkness, which her newly acquired torch pierces rather energetically. She finds a forest setting on the other side of those doors, with dirt, tall trees and open sky above. One tree, in particular, has no branches within a decameter of the ground. It has tremendous girth, with a diameter of roughly a meter and a half, and a circumference wrought with rigid, wrinkly bark. That bark has carved into it a similar set of confusing signs, and pictures of two hands making a T, but with only two fingers of one hand touching the palm of the other. As she observes it, she hears a voice. "Escalate" As she heard it, the carving moved up and back down on the side of the tree.

Spoiler: Rollover

Show

Starting AP: 9 I think
Rollover: +4
Remaining AP: 13

Don't worry, I'm going to spend it sooner or later.

Jeyne and Burne stood in fascination. "Investigate?" Jeyne suggested, and looked at Burne. Burne nodded and went to look around. Jeyne followed and looked in an area near to him and behind him. Both teens were nervous about what could be out there, but Burne put up a much better impression that he wasn't.

Stella reacted with much less caution. She held her torch high, then confrontationally said, "who's there?" She slithered forward a bit.

[mystic1110]

The Arctic

Spoiler

Show

Faelan gave the Cathedral a bemused grin as it rotated. "If you were to join us, we would all see an increase in our powers. The more of us there are, the more power there will be to go around for all of us" he said thoughtfully, imagining the immense power he could control.

As he spoke he wandered around the Cathedral admiring the sights, "The only restriction would be to not conspire with those who would work against us, such as Namiranzul. I understand you and he may have already made prior agreements, which is alright if they do not jeopardise our true cause. Which brings me to the terms..." He looked beneath himself and found himself looking through the very heart of the world and chuckled to himself. "Quite a nice place you've got here, I must say. Pisceanas noted for me to tell you that she likes your style, which I concur" he said with a grin.

"But yes, the terms... They would be that you contribute to our cause. Create and protect dark places for those who would rather hide from the world instead of blast it with the light of their presence. Much like I have done with protecting my Darkin, or attempting to" he said with slightly clenched teeth, his eyes burning with anger as he noted the sun in the sky above him

.

The Cathedral rates in silence as the storm outside brews. . .

I Decline

The answer is like a the cracking of ice when a person steps on a frozen lake - the promise of a cold death lurking underneath or at least a great cataclysm.

I appreciate the offer, but I will not restrict myself to darkness. Look up, past my walls and blizzards and see the stars in their skies. They too ALREADY know winter's touch. Their brightness NOW freezes instead of burns, but they are still bright.

I am not of darkness, only COLD.

However, as a sign of goodwill - I am open to an alliance with your pantheon. You wish to act against the God of Summer, and while He and I are in Balance, Balance is an illusion of Market Forces. As such, for a price I shall aid you.

You wish to end the sun, or obscure it. How many winter years would you pay for such an event?

Something about Anlorem did disturb Cereim.

Spoiler

Show

"The Cathedral seems so... detached." Her expression changed from worried to focused. "I feel that if we start heading north, into the heart of winter, and search, that we will find them before we reach The Cathedral's icy steps."

She turned toward North. The stars were out now. Like a giant globe covered in fiery seeds of life. They were still beautiful, as the finest art whose method is now lost to mortals. She exclaimed with eagerness, "Let's get going!"

Cereim, looked away from the stars to continue her and Valendon's Journey North.

The Stars were beautiful were they not? Before we see Cereim and Valendon find their muse, before we see them confront winter at its step, we must talk about the stars.

After all Anlorem, speaking in its halls to the God of Darkness, mentioned that they already know it's touch.

Indeed. . . they do.

An Angel's Tale

Once in a human town, during the long winter months (but then again, one had to wonder, wasn't it curious how ever month was becoming more and more like a cold winter one) a man was starving, but very rich.

Another man, was very poor, but had in his possession three fine and fat hogs. The rich man and the poor man, the man with the pigs and the man without met under the cold starlight of one night and discussed a deal.

They haggled over price - they haggled over the amount of meat and fat to be bought, they haggled till the light of the stars faded and the sun came back overhead.

For you see the poor man didn't want money - for what was money except metal - and you can't eat metal. The hogs themselves made the poor man realize that he was the rich man and the rich man the poor. As such the rich man who was the poor man, wanted a wife, and the poor man who was the rich man had a daughter.

And thus for the price of a hog, the poor man sold his daughter to the rich man.

A deal was struck - and a star in the sky noticed.

Years went by, and the daughter grew into a fine woman. During a winter month - for they were almost all winter now - the daughter was to wed the richest man in the village, a pig farmer. She wept and yelled at her father telling him that it wasn't fair! She was worth more than some pig bought so long ago!

But he looked at her grimly and told her, that without that deal she would be dead in her bed with a fat stomach distended with neglect, and that it was no use as he had struck a deal under a winter star's cold light.

But the woman cheated both men in the deal - she took her own life rather than confine herself to the rich man's bed.

And the Father went into arrears and couldn't pay the debt owed to the other man.

An Angel came for him a month later.

It came by falling directly from the sky. Like a falling star. Indeed, just like that.

The Angel was wrought entirely out of glass - it was not in the shape of man or worm or any other living thing. It was a shape that only existed in the mind of a mathematician - intricate, delicate and devoid of INSIPID gender.

The man pleaded with the Angel, but the Angel spoke to the man in a cold voice from the very reaches of space

When the the Dweller In the Circle of the Sky perished from ennui, and began to dwell no longer in the circle of sky but in the portion of the twilight grove of the dead reserved for the gods, my kind became purposeless. And so we sought purpose. Law to us was a beacon, as bright as any of the stars we are attached to, for we used to be Archons.

And so we flocked to the frozen Cathedral on both poles of this world and struck our own deal. We sought purpose and winter gave us purpose. For the price that our stars burn COLD instead of hot, we shall have the meaning to enforce all contracts to the letter that are brokered during winter. Enforce and seek recompense for breaches.

My star burns COLD, and you made a deal under my light for which you can no longer pay. That is UNFAIR, and JUSTICE, must be served.

The man trembled before the Angel and asked for forgiveness.

There is no forgiveness during winter, only LAW. As such I RULE that for term of years that your daughter would have lived as a wife, you shall be frozen and placed into orbit around my star.

As soon as the ruling was passed, the Angel shone with a FREEZING light that cast no shadow, and the man was gone. . .

not gone from this realm but many miles away - a frozen statute orbited an unforgiving star.

Spoiler: AP

Show

12 + 4 Rollover

Alter Race 1 AP: Create Angels out of Archons. Angels are Frozen Statutes of Light connected to their Stars. They have no Gender. They are of the Law. They honor contracts - any contract - to the letter and make sure that everyone else honors such a contract.
Bless 1 AP: Angels can turn people into frozen satellites and teleport them to their stars to orbit for how many years they deem fit. At the end of the term, they shall be teleported back to the exact location thawed.

AP 14

Cereim, Valendon and Fesha

We return to the two gods who seek what happened to Music in the far north.

While they travel they hear a sad song. If they investigate, they see a man with a bear skin cloak, and another person so covered in wool and hooded that it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or woman. The man was playing a harp.

Upon approaching, the man hails the gods, the other figure reamins huddled and silent, and of course the man only hailed Cereim, for Valendon was in the form of a Hawk.

Greetings Mistress

Not that the man knew that he was addressing a god, he was just polite

Please join our camp fire and shelter yourselves from the cold - for I think it will get colder soon.

He chuckled as he strummed a beautiful yet haunting tune on his harp.

The Giant's Siege

As the Giant's were born, with their Iron Ice bones, in the Antarctic, the last boon of Illnara was to increase the size of the southern Ice fields, large enough to connect the continents of Tixial and the Antarctic to each other.

And then Illnara died. . . why no one knows. But while the Giants were winter's now, their god was and always will be Illnara . . .

And thus they howled their denial of her death into the world. But giant's are powerful - they were ogres who walked through the HEART OF THE WORLD by traveling through the ESSENCE OF WINTER. Their howls of grief froze the waters touching the southern mega continent and created huge icebergs that would float endlessly around the sea.

After denial came Anger. . . and Anger stayed with the Giants. They had to blame something for Illnara's death and so they blamed the Glass Cathedral which made them. They picked up huge chunks of mountain and ice and hurled it at it's glass doors.

The southern tip of the cathedral shattered against the assault, but the the giants could not break the icy floors in order to travel back through the structure and to emerge on the other side.

For them there was one solution. Half of them would stay to pound on the southern entrance into the Glass Cathedral, the other half would travel through the rest of the world back to the north pole to smash the Glass Cathedral from where they entered.

And thus some of the Giants - as tall as some mountains began to walk to Tixial which was now connected to the Antarctic.

Little did they know that despite their siege, they were winter's through and through - in their very BONES, and they carried winter with them.

Their first footstep on fresh grass would freeze it - but they cared naught in their rage.

Spoiler

Show

AP 14

Alter Land 1 AP: Basically the southern half of the oceans is now lousy with Icebergs. Enjoy.
Curse 1 AP: Giants have a freezing aura, freezing all organic materials around them.

[Drowlord]

Cereim, Valendon and Fesha

We return to the two gods who seek what happened to Music in the far north.

While they travel they hear a sad song. If they investigate, they see a man with a bear skin cloak, and another person so covered in wool and hooded that it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or woman. The man was playing a harp.

Upon approaching, the man hails the gods, the other figure reamins huddled and silent, and of course the man only hailed Cereim, for Valendon was in the form of a Hawk.

Greetings Mistress

Not that the man knew that he was addressing a god, he was just polite

Please join our camp fire and shelter yourselves from the cold - for I think it will get colder soon.

He chuckled as he strummed a beautiful yet haunting tune on his harp.

The hawk blurred slightly, a gentle warmth radiating over the area, cold air batted away by its wings. It remained silent, but tilted its head in contemplation. Eyes fashioned of precious gems glittered as the god heard music for the first time.

Why do your melodies grieve, friend? The voice seems to emanate from the air around, barely more than a kindly whisper.

[mystic1110]

The man bowed his head low for he knew he was in a presence of a god or at least a sorceress with a magical raven - and god or sorceress it does a mortal good to bow their head. As he bowed low, his companion did nothing, and the man strummed a few sad forlorn tunes. He continued playing this malady of a melody as he lifted his head with a grin on his face. The gods warmth was appreciated, for if they noticed the snow storm around them grew heavier.

They grieve master, because that is all I could afford.

He laughed and tried to play a jaunty tune, but it sounded like the cracking of ice and sharp icicles. He laughed again and went back to playing his sad song, although this time he sang along

A cold winter's night is common
but a warm song is rare
It is rarer than gold and cotton
so a cold winter's night is fair

I struck a deal with a muse you see
and I do believe I won the haggle
For I saw beauty in her I think you'll agree
When she let me sing and prattle


The man smiled at the song's end, for he wove a joke into the tune of an ode.

[Razade]

[The South Pole]

The Undead watched the Giant's assault on the Frozen Palace, the Once Living giving the structure a far breadth in their expansion under the frozen ice. But the Living on the land they had claimed worried them and so one of the Brood Leaders moved to stand on the shores of the frozen land, perched on several ice burgs that cracked and shattered under the weight of the massive corpse creature. "Least you step into the land of the Living once more Tall Walkers. Know you walk in the Land of Ul'Jeraz. We cannot let you leave without a promise you shall not speak of this frozen land."



[Ice Cathedral]

Yen'Shi draped itself in darkness and moved upon the world, the frigid cold doing little to its skeletal frame. It strode confidently into the Cathedral, long talons clicking in agitation as it stands ready to be received as if counting down the seconds. "Yen'Shi the Corpse Beast stands before you Sister. I have come to claim the Daughter of Illnara for the Dead are my purview and a child should not be alone even in eternal slumber and apart from it's mother."

[mystic1110]

[The South Pole]

The Undead watched the Giant's assault on the Frozen Palace, the Once Living giving the structure a far breadth in their expansion under the frozen ice. But the Living on the land they had claimed worried them and so one of the Brood Leaders moved to stand on the shores of the frozen land, perched on several ice burgs that cracked and shattered under the weight of the massive corpse creature. "Least you step into the land of the Living once more Tall Walkers. Know you walk in the Land of Ul'Jeraz. We cannot let you leave without a promise you shall not speak of this frozen land."

The Dracoliches were giants, but they weren't GIANTS. And the Giants cared little for whose land it was - nor did they care about making promises. Or anything beyond their cold rage.

They roared and battered some of the lesser dead, merely by walking, as they ignored the Brood Leader and attempted to walk onwards - only sparing them the following words that were shouted and which sounded like an avalanche

JOO GOTS NOTHIN' TO DO WITH THIS. WE GOTS TO GET BACK NORTH TO DAT TOWER AND BREAK IT ALL DOWN!

One of the Giants, swrilled on the Brood Leader and picked it up and yelled in its face

AYE! WE MAKE PROMISES TO DAT TOWER, AND OUR GOD DEAD! WE MAKE NO MORE PROMISE. NO MORE DEAL. WE ARE GIANTS!

the giant threw the Brood Leader to the floor and continued its march with the others to Tixial and the back to the north pole - the giants chanted as one - a sound like rolling thunder and earthquakes

NO PROMISE, NO DEAL, NO PROMISE, NO DEAL.

And on and on, consumed by their hatred of Anlorem.

[Ice Cathedral (at the North Pole)]

Yen'Shi draped itself in darkness and moved upon the world, the frigid cold doing little to its skeletal frame. It strode confidently into the Cathedral, long talons clicking in agitation as it stands ready to be received as if counting down the seconds. "Yen'Shi the Corpse Beast stands before you Sister. I have come to claim the Daughter of Illnara for the Dead are my purview and a child should not be alone even in eternal slumber and apart from it's mother."

The doors of the Cathedral remained shut, but the tower answered regardless. . . it spoke like the cold grace of the void:

Sister? You call me sister? I care not for your INSIPID GENDER, sibling!

[Razade]

The Dracoliches were giants, but they weren't GIANTS. And the Giants cared little for whose land it was - nor did they care about making promises. Or anything beyond their cold rage.

They roared and battered some of the lesser dead, merely by walking, as they ignored the Brood Leader and attempted to walk onwards - only sparing them the following words that were shouted and which sounded like an avalanche

JOO GOTS NOTHIN' TO DO WITH THIS. WE GOTS TO GET BACK NORTH TO DAT TOWER AND BREAK IT ALL DOWN!

One of the Giants, swrilled on the Brood Leader and picked it up and yelled in its face

AYE! WE MAKE PROMISES TO DAT TOWER, AND OUR GOD DEAD! WE MAKE NO MORE PROMISE. NO MORE DEAL. WE ARE GIANTS!

the giant threw the Brood Leader to the floor and continued its march with the others to Tixial and the back to the north pole - the giants chanted as one - a sound like rolling thunder and earthquakes

NO PROMISE, NO DEAL, NO PROMISE, NO DEAL.

And on and on, consumed by their hatred of Anlorem.

The Breath had always known the Living were violent and consumed by their emotion, the Dracolich only rising and shattering the ice shelves after the God leaves. Not a permanent solution but in time one would come about.

The doors of the Cathedral remained shut, but the tower answered regardless. . . it spoke like the cold grace of the void:

Sister? You call me sister? I care not for your INSIPID GENDER, sibling!

"A trifle. Forgive me. We are not here to discuss such matters. The Body of the Elven Goddess." The Corpse Beast motioned about itself, talons continuing to click out the seconds. "I will leave once it is rendered. I have no interest in your cold."

[Mynxae]

Spoiler: Anlorem

Show

The Cathedral rates in silence as the storm outside brews. . .

I Decline

The answer is like a the cracking of ice when a person steps on a frozen lake - the promise of a cold death lurking underneath or at least a great cataclysm.

I appreciate the offer, but I will not restrict myself to darkness. Look up, past my walls and blizzards and see the stars in their skies. They too ALREADY know winter's touch. Their brightness NOW freezes instead of burns, but they are still bright.

I am not of darkness, only COLD.

However, as a sign of goodwill - I am open to an alliance with your pantheon. You wish to act against the God of Summer, and while He and I are in Balance, Balance is an illusion of Market Forces. As such, for a price I shall aid you.

You wish to end the sun, or obscure it. How many winter years would you pay for such an event?

The Arctic

Faelan grimaced before continuing, "But with darkness, comes cold. With light, comes heat. Would you not prefer to become one with darkness, so as to supplement the chill?". As he spoke, he felt a strange occurence happening within him. His entire being began to swirl with agitation, something he could not control. He looked concerned for a moment, before sensing what was to come. "One hundred winter years for an equal amount of time that the sun would be obscured", he said with his eyes alight with glee.

Spoiler: AP Actions

Show

Start AP: 14.

Gain Domain 3AP: Balance (Light and Dark)
AP used to gain domain:
Create Fabled Concept 4AP: Day/Night Cycle.
Create Pantheon 3AP: Wardens of Dusk.

End AP: 11.

[AvocadoAvenger]

The Bottom of the Ocean: Reflection Upon the Brimstone Throne

Upon the Brimstone Throne she had created for herself, Pisceans looked backwards through time and water to view all of her creations. She granted that there was something cheerful about the Merfolk, something peaceful about the Fae, and something adventurous about boats, but there was a unique element about her Sea Serpents that stuck with her. Sure, Merfolk were always meant to be if whenever the Sinister Mystery thought about it, but the Serpents were her first creation, and the one that resonated with her most deeply. They were sinister, clever, and devious, and she admired that. Even their bodies were perfect to her, as she had modeled them after the way she felt on the inside. On numerous occasion she would find herself watching them for hours, dancing and writhing, twisting and twirling their elongated shafts against each other.

Pisceanas often wished she could be one of them instead of the one who was born to shepherd them into great wealth. Or was it them guiding her into wealth? The more she thought about it, the more she was sure it was a symbiotic relationship of sorts; they were not just her tools but an extension of her body itself in the truest sense. But, alas, Pisceanas remained confined to her taken divine form and the Serpents would always be a separate entity from her. And yet she sympathized with them on the deepest level possible, she felt their pain and joy, she was one with them. Of course she had never been a part of them, strictly speaking, but perhaps they were more so a part of her than she could ever imagine.

The Ocean: The Birth of a Goddess

An idea flashed into the back of Pisceanas' head. She began feeling the need to upset the order of estanblished societies and to test her devoted with natural disasters. She wasn't particularly fond of this idea, so she cast it out. It came again, and again, each time stronger and stronger until the Sinister Mystery began to distrust herself to not do anything erratic. One final time, Pisceanas attempted to discard her rash notions, banishing them to the darkest depths of her mind.

That's when something strange happened. You see, some ideas are not discarded so easily, especially when the thought of a divine presence gains momentum. So, when Pisceanas willfully cast away the notions that she considered erratic, a storm began to brew on the surface of the ocean. The Sinister Mystery had no clue what she had done, but there was a storm, and she knew that she had been it's progenitor. Unsure of what exactly had happened so far and what might happen next, the Ocean Goddess turned her attention to the storm on the surface of the ocean and watched intently. As the storm began to rage, the consciousness of a new divine presence growing inside it, two glowing orange lights could be seen below the surface of the water, one for each of Pisceanas' eyes.

Spoiler

Show

Mavar is born, and now may begin activity.

AP Expenditure
Starting with: 1 AP
Rollover, from last week: +4 AP
Gain Domain, Life (Sea Serpents): -3 AP
Leaving me with: 2 AP

Domain Qualification Expenditure Life (Sea Serpents)
Create Fabled Life, Sea Serpents: 4/5 AP
Divine Infusion, Sea Serpents: 3/3 AP

[Zale]

Spoiler: BIRTH OF A GODDESS

Show

The Ocean: The Birth of a Goddess

An idea flashed into the back of Pisceanas' head. She began feeling the need to upset the order of estanblished societies and to test her devoted with natural disasters. She wasn't particularly fond of this idea, so she cast it out. It came again, and again, each time stronger and stronger until the Sinister Mystery began to distrust herself to not do anything erratic. One final time, Pisceanas attempted to discard her rash notions, banishing them to the darkest depths of her mind.

That's when something strange happened. You see, some ideas are not discarded so easily, especially when the thought of a divine presence gains momentum. So, when Pisceanas willfully cast away the notions that she considered erratic, a storm began to brew on the surface of the ocean. The Sinister Mystery had no clue what she had done, but there was a storm, and she knew that she had been it's progenitor. Unsure of what exactly had happened so far and what might happen next, the Ocean Goddess turned her attention to the storm on the surface of the ocean and watched intently. As the storm began to rage, the consciousness of a new divine presence growing inside it, two glowing orange lights could be seen below the surface of the water, one for each of Pisceanas' eyes.

The Ocean
The Birth of a Goddess

Storms are alive.

This is one of those truths that seems so obvious as to go without question. After all, they are born in the dance of heat and cold, of wind and water- they feast hungrily on the air itself, stealing water from the seas and life from the sun itself. They grow and move across the sky like terrifying beasts, rumbling as they shake the greatest works of mortals to their foundations.

In time storms die, with a life spent with fury and power the likes of which no mortal could ever tame. That is their purpose, to be the fury of the sky incarnate. Without storms, without disaster would check the pride of mortals. They build their monuments and cities, eat their crops and animals and believe they have tamed nature itself. But when the might of the storm is upon them, they can do naught but hide and pray that their works are strong enough to stand before the raw elemental fury of the sky.

But storms are not monsters, that merely take and ravage, for when mortals rise from their homes, they find a world reborn. A place wiped clean by the air and water, where those works that were too proud, too fragile broken and brought to the earth. The lesson of the storm is that they might learn from their mistakes and rise above them.

Across the ocean, a storm was being born. It had been nothing remarkable, a towering thunderhead that would have swept across the sea, doing little more than sink an errant ship or two. Now, though, it was becoming something.. more. It drank deeply of the sky, devouring the hot winds that blew off the path of the sun and the cold winds that rose from the depths of the poles. It grew dark, tinting the sky itself a dark gray- lightning crackled unnaturally through it, giving the storm a voice of howling wind and rumbling thunder. It expanded across the ocean, spinning out to such great size it could be seen even from the void itself.

Even the oceans were not untouched, with tumbling currents and rocking waves- the sound of the thunder reached even to the depths of the sea.

This was no storm, but then, what was it.

Hurricane, whispered the winds, speaking for a mind without a body, forming words for a thing without a voice.

In the depths of the storm, lightning writhed and the storm.. began to spin. The wind danced around it, pulling and pushing. Its center began to thin as the tumbling wind fought against itself, and a small eye of calm was born in the depths of this vast beast.

It was completely empty, save for a lone figure. She stood on the air like an empress, her skin was dark and her hair was the inky black of a storm itself. Her eyes glowed electricity, their intensity beyond color or hue.

This storm-born goddess seemed to walk on the air, moving around and around, pulling at the air as if she were spinning the storm herself. Finally, she stopped and smiled. With a raised hand, Mavar rose above the newly born mega-hurricane, flying so high she saw the curve of the world.

Her work stretched for miles in every direction, a vast rumbling monster that would be remembered for ages to come. The Sultana of Storms look at the sky, and clothed herself in the colors of the setting sun.

With a smile, she plucked a bolt of lightning from the stormy carpet below her, and span in above her head for a few seconds before snapping it down like a whip. The thunder-clap resounded across the ocean, screaming across the ocean with such intensity that those on far away shores could hear the cry of the storm. The thunder screamed the first, and only, warning of the hurricane that followed in its wake.

Slowly, the hurricane rumbled forward, moving towards northern Tixal.

With the look of a job well done, the goddess fell backwards through the raging storm, delighting as electricity danced across her form. She stopped suddenly, just above the roiling waves to inspect her creation from below.

As she did, Mavar noticed the glowing orange lights within the seas.

Spoiler: AP ACTIONS

Show

15 AP

1 AP Curse?: There's a storm bigger than anything this world has seen rumbling towards northern Tixal. Those with even a passing degree of familiarity of the weather can tell something really bad is coming, though.

14 AP

[mystic1110]

"A trifle. Forgive me. We are not here to discuss such matters. The Body of the Elven Goddess." The Corpse Beast motioned about itself, talons continuing to click out the seconds. "I will leave once it is rendered. I have no interest in your cold."

The Cathedral remains unyielding and inexorable - like a glacier slowly mowing down all in its path, Inevitable. All fancy ways of saying it remained locked and barred.

You are wrong. It is no mere trifle, but regardless it should not get in the way of business negotiations. It appears I have a resource you desire, and everything has a price. What is your offer for our sibling-corpse?

The Arctic

Faelan grimaced before continuing, "But with darkness, comes cold. With light, comes heat. Would you not prefer to become one with darkness, so as to supplement the chill?". As he spoke, he felt a strange occurence happening within him. His entire being began to swirl with agitation, something he could not control. He looked concerned for a moment, before sensing what was to come. "One hundred winter years for an equal amount of time that the sun would be obscured", he said with his eyes alight with glee.
[/SPOILER]

The Cathedral was silent as it considered Faelan's offer

Winter is more than just the dying of the light - winter is also the bright lit view of fresh snow, the glimmering mountains. Darkness is merely one aspect of what I am, I too am light. Regardless your price is an acceptable starting point. I shall comply with your offer if you commit to by binding oath to the following actions. First, you shall pledge not only your own, but your entire Pantheon's defense of me and mine from any reprisal of the Sun God. I shall not pledge the same. Second, if at any time the one hundred year winter is abated during its one hundred years due to an action by any God, including the Sun God, you and your pantheon as a whole shall owe me one favor each. In turn I pledge that I shall commit myself, to the best of my ability, to obscure the Sun for One Hundred Years. If I fail, and such a failure is due to another God's intervention, if I expended all the power at my disposal, I shall owe you nothing. Do we have an deal and an alliance?

[Elemental]

Far Above the World So High, Like a Blazing Furnace in the Sky

As Namiranzul watched the world from afar he felt the death of his sister and her daughter and despite their animosity towards him he felt regret at the extinguishing of their spark for the glory of creation itself diminished. Nevertheless, he felt no grief at this and instead saw an opportunity in the world below. The lands and peoples of Norian over which he had come to blows with the nature goddesses were his for the taking, barring something unforeseen of course.
But he had neither the desire nor the means to simply force the inhabitants of Norian to bow down as his subjects. Willing worship was more sweet to him than that taken by force and so he devised a longer plan. One in which Raelzun would be the starting point.

The City of Raelzun

Despite the lack of a formal priesthood, there were those within the city of Raelzun who had given themselves to the service of the Gods. Most had chosen to devote themselves to Namiranzul and Illnara, but many other gods were represented by these faithful as well, and it was to them that the Lord of Light appeared. He spoke to them and commanded them to form a new order, one which would spread to all parts of Norian and beyond. They would serve the Gods and teach others of the Gods. To facilitate this, Namiranzul lit the fire of wisdom within their hearts. This flame burned gently within them and provided their minds the knowledge of the Gods and the rituals and prayers appropriate to each one. Even those Gods long departed and those opposed to Namiranzul were included within this body of knowledge, but always Namiranzul was given precedence.
This gift bestowed, the priests and priestesses followed the commands of their benefactor. They selected the eldest from among their number to be Namiranzul's Exarch on the mortal world. Calling themselves the Order of Solar Glory they set to work, sharing and recording the knowledge they knew by heart. Soon there were priests travelling to every corner of Norian, preaching to Elves, Orcs and Goblins, even the occasional Merfolk who would listen.

Norian

It did not take long for the Order to establish itself across the entirety of the land. Namiranzul appeared before his priests and commanded them once again.
"My Children. Know that Illnara and Karaziemia have departed from this world and as such, the Age of the Wilds has ended. Though they are eternally deserving of reverence, the time has come to begin a new Age. One in which the Balance of Nature shall be maintained in a different manner. Raise temples and cities across this land so that the Gods might be properly venerated and that you might be sheltered from the harshness of Winter and the untamed creatures of the wilds. But remember always, you are the children of Illnara and so the protection of nature will always be entrusted to you."

The Order of Solar Glory did as commanded and across all of Norian, fledgling cities were founded in the shadows of temples. Within each temple, the knowledge granted by Namiranzul was enshrined, written in a new script as the Green Speech was found inadequate to properly record it. Novices who wished to join the order would be required to learn and memorise the entirety of what became to be known as the Burning Writ until such time as the fire was lit within their hearts also. The new writing, known as the Red Script grew in popularity across Norian while the Green Speech lessened in use and was soon relegated to the Druids who maintained their use of it out of reverence for Illnara.
Meanwhile, the cities established by the Order sought their own means of governance, and together with Raelzun formed the Council of the Hundred to see to continental affairs and the cities themselves came to be referred to as the Hundred Cities, for even though there were not quite that many, it was more poetic than the Seventy-Eight Cities.

Spoiler: AP Expenditure

Show

Starting AP: 1 + 4 = 5

Create Society: The Order of Solar Glory.
A priesthood headed by the Exarch of Namiranzul. Technically, this order is devoted to all the Gods, but Namiranzul takes priority. Priests and priestesses alike wear white robes with a coloured mantle representing the deity they are personally associated with. Below the Exarch, there is a council of High Priests and Priestesses representing the other Gods.

Create Society: The Hundred Cities.
Consisting not of one hundred cities, but seventy-eight, the Hundred Cities are an alliance of independent city states united in religion and common economic goals. Each is governed slightly differently and they vary in wealth, power and prestige, but they share a common feature of being built around temples. Usually there are two or three temples at the heart of the city, but sometimes there are more.
Raelzun is chief among these cities in nearly all respects and is where the Council of the Hundred meets.

Bless: The Burning Writ.
There is a flame in the hearts of the priests of the Order of Solar Glory that endows them with knowledge of the proper rituals, prayers and offerings associated with each deity (according to Namiranzul), as well as information about them and their agents according to what Namiranzul knows. Novices are required to memorise the Writ until the flame ignites within them. Said flame is completely harmless.

Create Mundane Concept: The Red Script.
A new system of writing based off the runes of Namiranzul's armour that was developed to more accurately record the Writ. It is similar to many runic scripts though it is decidedly cursive. Traditionally, holy texts such as the Writ are written in red, hence the name, though mundane texts are most often written in ordinary black ink.