Lords of Creation in the Playground (IC2)

[Ralasha]

The void: Ignus, Cosmic Mother, Others

Ignus sighs, "Well, I'm off to search inside of Zalsaram for the heart. If it is anywhere, it should be there." She looks at Eucle, "If prompted? I prompt you then, to join me in my search."

She disappears from Limbo, into the Belly of the Beast, whence she comes.

[Zelphas]

Limbo

Eucle gives short nods to the gods as they speak. Pernieth impartiality irks him a little, he considers the plant god a friend, and expected his backing. Still Ulvin draws attention to the fact that this is a fruitless endeavor, and his newly acquired wife seems to vouch for him. There is nothing like friends in high places it appears. When Kethneciel asks him plainly, after commenting on the value of his word, Eucle turns to address him.

"If I join the Aegis I'll certainly assist it. Even if there is no such joining I won't be spiteful and when prompted I'll ultimately act to prevent Zalsaram's return to life."

Kethneciel considers it a long moment more, before nodding. "From my and thy past dealings, I will take thee at thy word. I have no objection to thy joining."

[Shmee]

Isstus, and everyone else Limbo

The newly created god is silent, yet it seems to be processing all the information that is going on and analyzing it. As the youngest of all, it would wait until everyone had finished to present Aegis with its analysis of the situation.

[Toxic Mind]

Pernieth, and everyone else Limbo

"Accountable." Pernieth says to Eucle and the others, nodding his acceptance. It would pain Pernieth to find that his oldest friend did not keep his promise, but should that day come, the plant god would not hesitate. Nature was uncompromising. So too would he be.

[Shmee]

Clora - The Void

She had found the secret of what Zalsaram was. She understood too that it was a great evil, and that there was no great good which could combat it. At the same time, it would close the gap between life, death, and undeath. Yet death was stagnant, unlike evil. Whatever Zalsaram had once been, however, was of a different matter. The Unliving decided to seek the only one she thought who might know what Zalsaram had once been. She began searching through the void, but saw none of the stars of the mother. She whispered into the void, with the intent to be heard by the Cosmic Mother. "Mother of Creation. I have learned... That Zalsaram was not always Zalsaram. Do you know what Zalsaram was before it was Zalsaram?"

An Aspect of Tiamat appears before Clora. "Indeed Clora, goddess of Undeath. What you speak is true. Zalsaram was once Zalsar formed by the progenitor of us all. The Original Creator rode upon his back, and all was Zalsar. Until the day that the Original Creator separated the elements as we know it this day. Thus Zalsar became Zalsaram, and as of a result our Mother and the Visionary were created as well."

The Aspect stares at Clora and says "I have answered you honestly, and expect in return for my question to be answered honestly as well. Why have you gained a sudden interest in a god that died so long ago?"

================================================== =======================

The Divinities

While the other members of the Divinities are plotting, Skreechy is busy picking his nose. He didn't seem at all concerned that Ahn claimed his soul. He supposed that when his time comes to die, he can then continue his plotting to take over what ever afterlife those foolish fools had in store for him. Nor did he seem interested in the ideas that had been proposed so far. Fidgeting around on his throne he all of a sudden jumps down and says

"Excuse me... but I have a MIGHTY NEED!" before running out of the room. He begins to seek the closest toilet. After all, he was just a mortal.

================================================== =====================

Kixian Horde, Boulderbuttz - Demiourgia?
With the dipping of Phos the Kix began to move again. Parnetia was lost to them, which mattered little since the city was no longer of Demiourgia. Yet this news of their forefathers, vague as the ancestral memory was, drew them toward their orcish brothers. Eventually, as Oussia was scheduled to rise, the largest of them approached the fable leader with arms like tree trunks and rage in his eyes always.
He knelt, his large size insuring that he was still near eye level with Burkek, and said "We iz gonna join'uz! Tizn'm lead Kix, iz powerful WAAAGH! Yuz help?" He grinned at the Grand Poo-Baa, seeming to invite madness in those black pools that served as eyes. Even as their leader talked the Kix began to stir from the ground and appeared from the snow-covered ground before the encircled the Boulderbuttz encampment.

Burkek emerges and looks at the Kix. Scratching his chin he says "Yuz iz makin' a good point. We iz da greatest! Of course yuz iz gonna want to join da Orcs!" he turns to the Orcs who had gathered. "Alright boyz! Dey iz wantin' ta join us! Lets give em a good Boulderbuttz welcomin' and lets make it all good and propa!" The Orcs begin to laugh and hoot in wild abandon as the Grand Poo-Bah says "You ready boyz? Cuz... 'ere ...we ... go!" he says as the Orcs begins to attack the Kix.

The Kix were witnessing an ancient Boulderbuttz tradition of bashing and chopping the newcomers until they surrendered to the might of the Boulderbuttz. It didn't matter that the Kix had approached them with bended knees. As far as the Orcs are concerned such acts where silly knees-bent running about in dancing behavior. Perhaps to other races this practice may seem savage, but for the Orcs it made sense, for a Waaagh! to work, all who join it must follow one simple rule: "When the Grand Poo-Bah speaks, everyone listens."

[Gunhaven]

TukTuk and the Divinities
TukTuk turned to the Bronze King and said "You like idea? Maybe we block Zalsaram with giant bronze shield." He waited until Skreechy came back to ask "What about you, oh Mighty Skreechy? New engines look like you, shouting orders too." He smiled at the two undecided ones, banking on swaying one to get the plan in motion.

Kixian and Boulderbuttz WAAGH- Demiourgia
The Kix were Boulderbuttz of old, turned by Purity. They were aware enough that the initial greeting was known on some level. Thus when the Orcs started hacking at their plant cousins they found first that the sap and fibers were tougher than even them. Such toughness came at a price as they turned and began to chop and punch right back, their blows weaker than their forebears.
Rage met with rage, blow met with blow, it soon became apparent that they were more evenly matched than suspected. After a minute, the large Kix bellowed laughter as the WAAGH of the Kix was put to good use. No more was it one on one as bloodthirsty Teramechs began to team up through the link the plants shared. After another minute of the tide turning Tizn'm yelled out "Iz gud! Yuz lead, wez smash!" He produced a gourd filled with a green syrup and added "Yuz join Kix and WAAGH? Boulderbuttz help in dark, wez breed in light. Iz gud?"

Grim - Sidhe Court
It was subtle but the Cackling Flame felt the surge of chaos in some other layer of the Void. As He turned His gaze toward it He noticed a potential new ally and waited until the Madhouse manifested within the fellow chaotic plane before He made His move. He picked up Grim and chucked the Prismatic Khaad as well as a handful of yellow and orange Khaadi at the distant Court.

With a shatter of glass the Khaadi popped up with cackles and fireworks. Ethanol was produced from seemingly nowhere and passed to the fey as the Khaadi consumed their own barrels and spewed fire while juggling torches. Amidst this fire the always changing Grim waved at the Court with a baton and yelled out "Hello fellow chaotic beings! My Lord, the Cackling Flame..." A bonfire sprang to life and a cackling face formed of the Void as Grim continued to call out to the Court. "He offers you each a place in His family of Chaos! We require nothing more than your willingness to join us in spreading Chaos throughout the Void! So tell me, do you want to PAAARRRRRTTTTTYYYYYY!?!"

Spoiler: AP

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Grenzo: 12 AP; Chaos, Cultist, Divinities, Goblin, Sin PAP; Cauldron, MIC, SotC Charges
Chaos (Cause Chaos): Create Manifest Zone to the Madhouse at random instances. It starts in the Sidhe Court but soon it spreads to other planes beyond Zalsaram using the same chance as the stingray (1 in 100 each day, cumulative until it happens, doubled for chaotic areas, zeroed out for lawful areas. Lasts for a variable amount of time that's dependent on how long it took to manifest, so longer periods of no manifestation means larger range for manifestation).

Lustria: 5

Hlo: 7 (5+2 Rollover); Moon, Sin PAP; H'vooz (Pestilence, Nourishment c2), Xirmr'z (PN) Charges

[Hamste]

The coast of Eldarond

The Shogships now with out their load of Shoglings instead replaced with a single flesh golem in each approach the coast well below the surface of the water. There they waited for a weak wind and a captain to leave port. One follows the boat a little bit relying on the weak winds to keep up before rising up. It doesn't attack and just follows for as long as the boat was willing to stay at its speed. As long as they were nearby the ship was a lot safer against the dangers of the seas for little cost beyond speed. The others would also start doing this when ever they got the chance. It was time to initiate step two of a plan so overly complicated it was worthy of the Brain. Soon their fallen would be avenged. They had not forgotten but for now they would protect their enemies so that one day they may take their toll on the warriors of their land.

Rymshire
While the Shoglings waited they figured it would be a good time to explore. From this exploration came one of the weirdest transactions the merchant had ever had. A giant four armed insect like creature came in with a few furs over its shoulder and started looking around the shop. It picked up a small carving of a soldier made for a child and seemed to be about to say something before looking nervously around before sighing. It then starts speaking.
Fur.

It says putting some of the furs on the table before it points at the carving that is absolutely dwarfed by its giant hands.

Wood. Many fur?

Um...sir, it is actually part of a set. I guess it is ok for you to just buy one of them but here is the set if you want to buy it. May I see the furs? The shop keeper says nervously.

The warriors eyes seemed to be dull and it didn’t seem to understand but they lit up the shop keeper went from behind the counter and opened up a case revealing a much larger set of the figures. The warrior seems to be ok with the shopkeeper taking a look at the furs. The furs were pretty good quality, not cut with knives leaving some rotten meat on it and not tanned yet but unmarred by arrow shots. They probably not worth the cost of the toy soldiers but he knew someone he could probably sell them to for a pretty good price and he would rather not anger the gigantic bug man. The man nods taking the furs. The Shogling stares suspiciously wondering if it was ripped off considering how easy the man agreed before looking down at the soldiers and smiling. It was worth it. It carefully put the toy soldier into the case before closing it up. It then went off to find its comrades and the merchant sighs with relief.

When they get picked up to head out they are playing a game with the new soldiers moving them ever so carefully. They seem to be playing on the back of the case where they have scratched a simple board for their game. The rules for the game seem to be simulating a war of some kind with a strict set of rules with no randomness involved at all. It is quite clear even to those who don’t know the game that for being the creators of the game they were quite bad at it making moves that put their characters in positions that were obviously bad. They quickly packed it up and started following along to the ruins to see what was going on.

Parnetia ruins - the gathering
The Shoglings at first are on edge when the room turns red and when the killing started they became even more on edge. When it became clear that they were not being attacked they shrugged and started taking out their new game to play as they waited for it to be over. Anyone who tried to interrupt them they pushed away unless they seemed interested in their game. They were sure their friends were justified in this fight and it was not their business to interfere in a friend's fight unless requested to.

The Hub
The intelligent Shoglings were finally done. It was incredibly complex to breed them and oddly enough the needed genes only seemed to appear in Alphas. The brain was ecstatic to finally have someone intelligent to talk to. The grasped the concept of siege weaponry so easily.

Shog
Shog was bored again. The war was long over and they didn’t seem to be starting it up again soon. He didn’t want to go back to his Shoglings yet. It was good to let the Brain do its thing and he had already started his plan. He went out to try and find some other deities to talk to.

Spoiler

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1ap+3ap=4ap
+1 charge on the Brain
+1 charge on the Hub

Again they chose a time where most ships would be slowest to show that they are not aggressive despite their dangerous appearance. It is not like they care about a few arrows in the back. Also noting that the Shoglings and Shogships were never seen together (The ones carrying the Shoglings immediately turned around) so they shouldn't be connected though the Shogships can be pretty scary.

The game the Shoglings created is basically Xiangqi with a Shogling naming scheme. They are terrible at it. The brain is the general, the advisor is a queen, the horses are the warriors, the soldiers are drones, the alphas are the chariot and the other two currently have place holder names (The cannons will be called siege weapons eventually but the diplomats left before those were invented. I might eventually give them domesticated animals that could work for the elephant but until then no idea)

Spending a charge on the hub to create a race of more intelligent Shoglings. They are always Alphas and have a much higher wisdom and int than usual but otherwise are not that special.

Spending a charge on the brain to teach them the concept of siege weapons (and ranged weaponry in general so next time they fight they are not using rocks)

[Zelphas]

Grim - Sidhe Court
It was subtle but the Cackling Flame felt the surge of chaos in some other layer of the Void. As He turned His gaze toward it He noticed a potential new ally and waited until the Madhouse manifested within the fellow chaotic plane before He made His move. He picked up Grim and chucked the Prismatic Khaad as well as a handful of yellow and orange Khaadi at the distant Court.

With a shatter of glass the Khaadi popped up with cackles and fireworks. Ethanol was produced from seemingly nowhere and passed to the fey as the Khaadi consumed their own barrels and spewed fire while juggling torches. Amidst this fire the always changing Grim waved at the Court with a baton and yelled out "Hello fellow chaotic beings! My Lord, the Cackling Flame..." A bonfire sprang to life and a cackling face formed of the Void as Grim continued to call out to the Court. "He offers you each a place in His family of Chaos! We require nothing more than your willingness to join us in spreading Chaos throughout the Void! So tell me, do you want to PAAARRRRRTTTTTYYYYYY!?!"

The breaking glass was a priceles ornamental statue of exquisite, almost balletic torture, wrought in unbelievably fine detail. Grim and his coterie find themselves in a throne room of deep cobalt, twinkling amethyst, and bright emerald, all made of glittering glass. Upon one throne at the end of the room sits a being of breathtaking beauty, a woman with skin white as alabaster and hair black as the void of Grenzo's heart. She wears a gown of deep midnight, fading into the purple of sunset and then into forest green on the hem. Her eyes seem to shift with the colors of the room, though they are currently fixing Grim and his coterie with an unreadable gaze. The throne next to her is empty.

Throughout the room stand similar beings of great beauty and other creatures of exquisite ugliness, the horrendous creatures somehow exuding a grace and power on par with their beautiful kin. They accept the glasses given to them, but otherwise stand as still as the statues that dot the hall. All faces, eyeless or not, are turned to their queen--all but one.

In the far corner of the room, almost unnoticed against one wall, stands an old, stooped halfling. He is dressed in rags and tatters that contrast sharply against the finery of the hall, clumping quietly in battered wooden clogs that seem almost older than he is. He is clearly blind, his diseased and pockmarked eyes staring sightlessly away from the sudden intruders. He swings a bluesteel censer of sweet incense back and forth in his corner, muttering quietly to himself. A moment after Grim and guests arrive and the room goes silent, he takes a shuddering, stumbling step, once to the side, and then back.

The queen upon her throne suddenly smiles, her hair shifting slowly to a brilliant, beautiful white. The smile does not fit upon that beautiful face; it is the smile of a fox when it finds the henhouse unguarded. "A party? But of course. Show these... children of Grenzo how the Sidhe... party."

As one, the Sidhe turn to the guests before them, all wearing a smile of equal menacing glee. As one, they all step forward. As one... "they begin to dance" cannot begin to describe the artistry of motion, the pure unadulterated beauty of the Sidhe Court at revel. Music began to play, though no orchestra could be seen, as the queen of the Unseelie Fey sits back in her chair to watch her court at the dance.

The Sidhe move among the intruders to their realm, dancing with such grace and beauty that even the Khaadi of the Madhouse are moved by it. None of them notice when the first Khaadi falls, his throat opened by the claws of a beautiful maiden as she passed by him in a flawless spin. None of them notice when the last one falls; Grim, struck between the eyes by a grotesque mockery of mortal being as it stopped before him, ending the dance.

Upon her throne, The queen of the Unseelie smiles. "A fine revel." Her gaze sweeps to the fallen Grim, the smile replaced by a neutral mask. "Three days, then return him to his lord," she instructs the court, whose smiles only grow.

In three days, Grim is thrown bodily through a random manifest zone into the Madhouse, landing roughly before Grenzo. The Prismatic Khaadi is somehow still breathing, though the tortures and injury done to him is far too horrific to describe. Upon his forehead is carved, in an exquisite, elegant hand:

Come to us as guests, upon invitation, and we will greet you as such. Come upon us as intruders, and... your creations make fine quarry.

---Mab

Spoiler: Actions

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Mephos

Incense of Peaceful Rest Charge: Pestilence (The Wild Hunt). Using the Manifest Zones of the Madhouse, the Sidhe have begun to roam the planes, hunting for sport. Their quarry is primarily Khaadi at the moment, though they will hunt after anything that catches their fancy.

-0 AP: Mark the Chosen (Mab). The Queen of the Unseelie Fey, Mab is Neutral Evil with lawful tendencies, a wicked temper, and a sadistic delight in torture.

0 AP Remaining

[Hatter]

Sidhe Court - Mab, Kerx

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap

After the Khaadi were tossed back through a manifest zone and as Queen Mab sat upon her throne, a curious looking golden horned goblin with skin greener than any green and spiked leather armor appears sitting on the floor next to the throne, clapping his hands together and letting out an impressed whistle.

"That was impressive, Your Majesty! Ha! Poor sods never seen it comin' fer em! Hahahaha! Truly a magnificent act of Trickery!" He laughed and complimented Mab's actions. He seemed to be truly impressed.

[Holy-hunter]

Parnetia ruins - the gathering Kiera-Shogling's

In the transformation and rebuilding of the ruins every one had a place, even the shogling's, a magnificent room carved out of others that would suit any desired purpose.
However as they played their game, staying away from the carnage to wich they were invited, a heavily robed figure slowly approaches and speaks to them.

(They had seen this figure following closeby to their wandering friend for most the journey)

Her voice is soft, sweet and soothing, like that of innocence.
It whispers out from the concealing shadows of her large hood.
Magic entwines with the words in thin air altering them into the shogling's own language.

"What are you magnificent creatures? Where do you hail from? What is this game you are playing? Can I play?"

If there are no objections, she carefully kneels down near the players.

[Shmee]

Skreechy

The insane Goblin runs around until he finds a place which may be used as a make-shift toilet. Shutting the door for privacy Skreechy begins to mumble to himself... "Throw me around will ya... I'm just an insignificant Goblin am I... want my soul do ya... gonna show you where you can take my soul... you can take my soul and stuff it.."

About three hours later Skreechy is heard screaming "LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!" before an explosion blows up the toilet, rocking the Visionary.

The Goblin returns to the meeting while declaring "MY BUSINESS... is done..." and walks back to his throne. Reaching it, Skreechy attempts to climb up on it, as the last time he was thrown onto it by the Raven Mother. He tries to climb the throne but fails, being too short "SWINISH STOOL! YOU DARE MOCK ME DARE YOU?" he begins to argue with his throne. All of a sudden he turns to TukTuk and says "Sure... sure... great idea. I concur..." before turning around to resume arguing with his throne.

Of course, what the divinities didn't know, was of a little rocket speeding its way to Kethneciel's. The little rocket, the size of a Goblin's hand has a message for the god of Judgment.

Spoiler: For Kethneciel's eyes only.

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Dear Insignificant godling,

You may remember me from the time that I made my legendary judgment upon the gods. NOW THEN LISTEN CAREFULLY! The Divinities have gathered within your whats left of your pappa AND ARE UP TO NO GOOD! Part of their plan has to do WITH YOUR SUN! THAT'S RIGHT INSIGNIFICANT GODLIN! I AM BETRAYING THE DIVINITIES BY LETTING YOU NOW THAT MOST LIKELY SOMETHING WILL BE DONE WITH YOUR PRECIOUS SUN. Last I heard those foolish fools of a fool wanted to crash it on the Playground... or just take it over and replace it with their own sun. What I do know, is lots of people will get hurt... SOME MAY EVEN BE INNOCENT!

To make things worse, AHN HAS FORCEFULLY TAKEN MY SOUL! ITS THE ONLY ONE I HAVE! Aren't there some divine rules against forcefully taking souls? EVEN SO! IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO BELIEVE ME... FINE! I'll find another god who will return my soul. But... if you do chose to believe me and you manage to prevent disaster for your precious sun... THEN REMEMBER POOR OLD SKREECHY WHO HAD THE TESTICULAR FORTITUDE TO ACT AS A DOUBLE AGENT AND BETRAY THE GODS THEMSELVES!

Also it goes to say... DON'T YOU DARE MENTION MY INVOLVEMENT TO ANYONE NOR MAKE ANY MOVE TO BLOW MY COVER! IF YOU DARE DO IT YOUR PUNISHMENT SHALL BE LEGENDARY! DO YOU HEAR ME? LEGENDARY!

I sign this letter with my own hand.

SKREECHY THE GREAT!

PS. Also this letter will self destruct in five seconds. Remember... LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!

Once the letter is read, it explodes. Skreechy is taking no chances.

Spoiler

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Goblin PAP: Nourishment, Send a message to Kethneciel (PAP must be used to make Goblins a great race. Which Goblin can claim to have achieved more great deeds than Skreechy the Great?)

Kixian and Boulderbuttz WAAGH- Demiourgia
The Kix were Boulderbuttz of old, turned by Purity. They were aware enough that the initial greeting was known on some level. Thus when the Orcs started hacking at their plant cousins they found first that the sap and fibers were tougher than even them. Such toughness came at a price as they turned and began to chop and punch right back, their blows weaker than their forebears.
Rage met with rage, blow met with blow, it soon became apparent that they were more evenly matched than suspected. After a minute, the large Kix bellowed laughter as the WAAGH of the Kix was put to good use. No more was it one on one as bloodthirsty Teramechs began to team up through the link the plants shared. After another minute of the tide turning Tizn'm yelled out "Iz gud! Yuz lead, wez smash!" He produced a gourd filled with a green syrup and added "Yuz join Kix and WAAGH? Boulderbuttz help in dark, wez breed in light. Iz gud?"

The slaughter was great, but amongst the Orcs was (supposedly) not only was there one who had participated in the Boulderbuttz Rebellion, he was the very same who had started it and became an Orcish legend.

Wielding Mah Hamma! masterfully, the Grand Poo-Bah is the first amongst the Orcs to charge into the Kix. As his rage burned hotter, the Orcish runes upon Mah Hamma! seemed to burn equally as bright until the weapon was on fire. With each powerful blow, Kix would be incinerated in his path. The difference in pure strength and viciousness was clear and as well as the reason why Burkek donned the title of Grand Poo-Bah.

Burkek points at Tizn'm and roars "NO! YUZ IZ GUNNA JOIN US IN OUR WAAAGH! WHERE I SAY WE GO, YUZ GO GOT IT? CUZ I'M DA GRAND POO-BAH! UDDER WIZE WE IZ GUNNA CONTINUING TO BASH YUZ UNTIL YUZ DO GET IT?"

Spoiler

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Use Mah Hamma! charge: Pestilence on the Kix: Fear of the Grand Poo-Bah. Pretty simple stuff... those who don't listen to Burkek know that they will get a face-full of Mah Hamma!

Use Oussia Charge: Summer on the Playground
Use Phos Charge: Winter on the Underplayground

[smashingBrawler]

An Aspect of Tiamat appears before Clora. "Indeed Clora, goddess of Undeath. What you speak is true. Zalsaram was once Zalsar formed by the progenitor of us all. The Original Creator rode upon his back, and all was Zalsar. Until the day that the Original Creator separated the elements as we know it this day. Thus Zalsar became Zalsaram, and as of a result our Mother and the Visionary were created as well."

The Aspect stares at Clora and says "I have answered you honestly, and expect in return for my question to be answered honestly as well. Why have you gained a sudden interest in a god that died so long ago?"

================================================== =======================

Clora & Tiamat - The Void

"A long time you say? Since the death of Zalsar, or the death of Zalsaram? I wouldn't know either way - time is not something to which I pay much attention. It does not greatly effect my creations. The realization that Zalaram may have been undead occurred within this current season. Of course, for it to have been undead, it would have been alive once. This was confirmation. I am interested in ascertaining more information about Zalsar. This creature became the first undead - an improved understanding of the nature of both it and Zalsaram may allow me greater insight into both myself and my creations." The voice droned on in its eternal monotony. "Does that sufficiently answer your inquiry?"

[Hatter]

Limbo - Gathered Gods

As the other gods debated among themselves in regards to Eucle, his innocence and his willingness to stop the resurrection of Zalsaram, Ulvin and Robin turned to stare at each other.

Husband and Wife had already aired their opinion on the matter at hand. They exchanged silent nods and Ulvin stepped forward to whisper in Kethneciel's ear. "Father, there is nothing more for us to offer here. Robin and I shall depart. We have matters to attend to."

Divine Decree, Somara - Ulvin, Robin

Ulvin and Robin stood on opposite sides of a glass table which held a perfect replica model of Stoixia. Both deities gazed at it when Robin finally broke the silence. "Husband, what troubles you?"

"Eldarond, no, Stoixia remains...vulnerable. I would see it's defences increased." said Ulvin, a thoughtful and troubled look upon his face.

Robins smiled at her husband as she reached for the model of Stoixia. "I've just the solution."

Stoixia

All in all, it was a normal day in Stoixia. Nothing special beyond the order for all ships to return to harbor where they were lifted up with powerful cranes and brought to surface. Nobody really expected what was to happen next.

The very continent of Stoixia shifted as it was lifted into the sky, higher than any mountain previously in existence, higher up even than the branches of the First Tree herself.

There, Stoixia stood supended in the air, a floating continent, grand and amazing in all of it's splendor and as the people of the Floating Continent came to terms with what happened, a great and mighty storm formed.

The Storm, Divine in nature was a series of lightning charged clouds which spread around Stoixia as a magical shield which surrounded the entireity of the Floating Continent. Without powerful magical barriers, none could hope to pass through without being torn to shreds.

Spoiler: Actions

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Robin
-1PAPGoS(Protect Stoixia) Mold Land, Stoixia the Floating Continent: To reach Stoixia, one must now either fly or magically teleport in.


Ulvin
-1PAPGoS(Protect Stoixia) Pestilence, Storms of Stoixia: A great and powerful divine storm now surrounds Stoixia. Without the use of magic to create a magical barrier, any person, being or ship would be torn to shreds within seconds.

[Hamste]

Parnetia ruins - the gathering Kiera-Shogling's

The Shoglings look suspiciously at the person speaking to them. It was probably magic and it made them nervous. However, there probably wasn't any harm in teaching her how to play their game and it would be more fun with some new blood in the group. They start explaining it to her while they waited.

[Shmee]

The void: Ignus, Cosmic Mother, Others

Ignus sighs, "Well, I'm off to search inside of Zalsaram for the heart. If it is anywhere, it should be there." She looks at Eucle, "If prompted? I prompt you then, to join me in my search."

She disappears from Limbo, into the Belly of the Beast, whence she comes.

As Ignus begins to seek the heart of Zalsaram in the Belly of the Beast, she all of a sudden hears a familiar voice.

"Greetings Mother. We meet again."

Says Kryokoli as she appears before Ignus. "The wind has whispered that you seek my heart." Ignus will notice that her daughter is armed with her scourge and armor, although she has not reached for it yet.

Clora & Tiamat - The Void

"A long time you say? Since the death of Zalsar, or the death of Zalsaram? I wouldn't know either way - time is not something to which I pay much attention. It does not greatly effect my creations. The realization that Zalaram may have been undead occurred within this current season. Of course, for it to have been undead, it would have been alive once. This was confirmation. I am interested in ascertaining more information about Zalsar. This creature became the first undead - an improved understanding of the nature of both it and Zalsaram may allow me greater insight into both myself and my creations." The voice droned on in its eternal monotony. "Does that sufficiently answer your inquiry?"

The Aspect shakes its head "If you were to lose your mind, and don a new personality, would that give you a second soul? Perhaps the old personality has died, but know this, Zalsar is Zalsaram. There are plenty of other dead gods for you sate your curiosity, including of course the late god of Death. Wouldn't he bring an even greater insight to your nature than Zalsaram?"

[Ralasha]

As Ignus begins to seek the heart of Zalsaram in the Belly of the Beast, she all of a sudden hears a familiar voice.

"Greetings Mother. We meet again."

Says Kryokoli as she appears before Ignus. "The wind has whispered that you seek my heart." Ignus will notice that her daughter is armed with her scourge and armor, although she has not reached for it yet.

"I have never stopped, Daughter." She continues walking, attempting to find the source of the sound of the beating heart. "I hear you have been adopted by my enemy." She seems entirely unconcerned over her daughter's armed and armored state. "It begs the question: Does that you my enemy make?" She turns and burns a hole through a nearby wall, listens for a while, and heals the wound before continuing to walk onwards in steps which flash over twenty feet.

The Burning Lands:

The Fire Genasi begin once again to populate the Burning Lands, repairing old roads, building new ones and clearing away the plants and cobwebs. Additionally, they begin reconstructing the ancient dry docks and berths which once held their flying ships.

[Shmee]

"I have never stopped, Daughter." She continues walking, attempting to find the source of the sound of the beating heart. "I hear you have been adopted by my enemy." She seems entirely unconcerned over her daughter's armed and armored state. "It begs the question: Does that you my enemy make?" She turns and burns a hole through a nearby wall, listens for a while, and heals the wound before continuing to walk onwards in steps which flash over twenty feet.

"It was not my choice. No... that is not true... it was my choice for all this has been part of my plan. Cause enough noise upon the Playground, and attract the attention of the one who stole my heart. And it worked perfectly as he thought that because I was adopted that we had formed a sort of bond with me. Thus I found out who it was who stole my heart and now I shall have my revenge."

"For you see Mother, if I was adopted, then it is only fair that I pour the exact same scorn on my 'father' that I poured upon you. My heart was taken by my naivete. Now I intend not only to turn his own naivete against my 'father', but I want to take it one step further. I want to take something of his and watch as it get burned to the ground. I know Mother what you are up to. I know that the Cosmic Mother has awakened. Didn't you see me speaking with the Dragon when you have me your warning? Did the goddess of Creation speak of an accuser? Who do you think it was who gave her the names, and how do you think those names where found?" she asks, not really finishing her trail of thought.

"Now then, my time of vengeance is almost at hand. But there is something I need to do. You asked me if my adoption means that I am your enemy. I ask you today to treat me like an enemy and vanquish me. I want you to fight me. You shall not hold back, but use the exact same strength you used upon all those foes you have vanquished."

[Ralasha]

"It was not my choice. No... that is not true... it was my choice for all this has been part of my plan. Cause enough noise upon the Playground, and attract the attention of the one who stole my heart. And it worked perfectly as he thought that because I was adopted that we had formed a sort of bond with me. Thus I found out who it was who stole my heart and now I shall have my revenge."

"For you see Mother, if I was adopted, then it is only fair that I pour the exact same scorn on my 'father' that I poured upon you. My heart was taken by my naivete. Now I intend not only to turn his own naivete against my 'father', but I want to take it one step further. I want to take something of his and watch as it get burned to the ground. I know Mother what you are up to. I know that the Cosmic Mother has awakened. Didn't you see me speaking with the Dragon when you have me your warning? Did the goddess of Creation speak of an accuser? Who do you think it was who gave her the names, and how do you think those names where found?" she asks, not really finishing her trail of thought.

"Now then, my time of vengeance is almost at hand. But there is something I need to do. You asked me if my adoption means that I am your enemy. I ask you today to treat me like an enemy and vanquish me. I want you to fight me. You shall not hold back, but use the exact same strength you used upon all those foes you have vanquished."

She stops and turns to look at her daughter. "You are the only Daughter I have, born of me. As a mortal births their own offspring. And I am a being of Elemental Creation. It is not in my nature to destroy child, why think you I am known as the Mother of Making?" She continues her search, burning through a wall here or there, even as elementals congregate around her. Her Avatar's appear and take them to the Plane of Fire to await the creation of their new homes a few at a time.

"I can no more destroy you than I can destroy my hammer. Though you may hate me for it. I do not mind, but I will not show you my savagery. I will not forsake my being in such a foul manner. I will instead force you to help me in reclaiming your heart. If you attack me, that shall be your punishment. If you do not, that will still be your punishment. Finding it will be far easier for you, for though separated it is still a part of you, and flesh calls to flesh." She burns another hole, looks through, heals the wound, and steps. "If I could ressurect my Father as he was at the time of my birth I would... but I do not know that such things are doable. The great serpent, floating and swimming amongst the stars once more..." She sighs, stops and turns to face Kryokoli. "My only wish is that you had listened to me when I warned you. You still have much to learn Daughter. And I would teach you. You scorn me, yet it is you who are blind, you who are deaf, you who are naive, you are the ignorant one. I merely act in accordance with my nature Daughter. It is all that I am capable of, for unlike you, I am not a deity. I am merely a very powerful very old elemental." She ***** her head to one side, and listens to the thrumming which has grown almost unnoticeably louder. "Tell me, now, who are the others in the 'Cult' which seeks to revive the Abomination Zalsaram?"

(So, apparently a word meaning either 'tilt' or 'rooster' is censored... for some reason. Why?)

[Rainshine]

The High Places

Often changes in the land were accompanied by great signs, by trembling and fear and fire. This was not.
There were mountains around the world; the Solar Peaks, the Throne, the Challenge, and so many others. On those highest peaks, rock sprouted upward, shaping up and around, making for higher tops. Along that excess of flowing, melding rock, sheer rock was hollowed out, ledges grew where there was none. Then motion stopped, and the heights were silent again, but for the whistle of the wind passing by.


The Far North

From the icy seas the wind blew, harsh and swift across the icy plains. Out here, there was little to obstruct their path; the occasional grove here and there, the northmen’s ports.
But there, from the frozen, featureless ground, there were some huts of a sort, buildings that seemed to sprout up, as part of the landscape. Indeed, they seemed to fit as but small lumps, an extra contour to the land. Several of the buildings seemed to be composed of massive blocks; a dark blue in color, of a size that would demand a team to lift it if it were of stone. Those buildings were small and low, not even with the height to stand in. The center structure was a sprawling thing, a series of hills that seemed to have grown together, like trees in a colony. If you looked very carefully, there seemed to be carvings in some of the blocks, over what resembled the entryways -- rough, almost childlike works, that depicted land features and animals of the area.

Roughly speaking, the smaller outbuilding were scattered like so much sand before the wind around the larger complex. On that white ground, within the circle of outbuildings, sat a strange scene. A large, furry creature was on its rear end, sitting much as a human might, rear paws splayed out in front. In front of it, in various states of sitting, on all fours, or rolling on their backs, were what could only be described as litter of cubs. As the large sitter moved a claw through the air, outlining a shape, he spoke to the little ones. “And that is a little bit of how earthcrafting works. Earthcrafters are… anyone?”
One of the smaller cubs in the front, belly-up, piped up. “Those that are!” The teacher nodded and smiled. “My daddy is a craffer! He says you got to be real strong and tough!”
With a growling laugh, the instructor quieted the young one with a paw. “That’s right, Those that are. And after the next expedition, little Will Bes, we’ll be talking about Those Who Speak. Who can name one of those?”
A cinnamon-colored female in the back raised her snout. “Memma Glein!”
“Correct again. Memma Glein listens to what the Ancients have to say to us, and passes it on. It is through her wisdom and others of Those Who Speak, that we are able to keep little cubs like you fed. Now, how about a swim?” The ensuing scramble and flurry of noise might have inspired no small amount of terror in a listener, but one who saw it… no.


Trenco, Cairpe

Fro and to, wastes and deserts and seas. Several times they managed to intercept Breiag and Neacht, stopping for a night or two, sharing meals; Cairpe regaling them with tales of the places he’d been, or the things he’d seen. Then, they’d exchange gifts, and back to the road with all involved. But he missed Deirdre; his parents said she had turned into the woods, joining the paths of the fey for a time, but no word heard he of her. Still, he knew in his heart of hearts, she still drew breath. But where? He had known that on the road, he would not see her for some time, but it made it not easier.
There were other duties now. His path around the world curved, from here to there, and they made their way from the spare wastelands on the edge of the world back to the more heavily travelled routes; that was how they ended up sitting down across a fire from big Marthton. Marthton was nearly as wide as he was tall, and a merchant renowned for his stock of exotic fabrics; he even had connections with the weavers of some of the far atolls, who worked with strange ‘fur’ harvested from the animals of the ocean.
Now, Marthton was red-faced and wheezing with laughter, a mug in each hand, clashing them together. “Ah, now that’s a good one lad! They teach you that at that College?”
Cairpe ducked an errant splash. “No, that’s from… well, never mind that. What’s this college?”
Marthton laughed, a short bark this time. “And ye being so well-traveled and musical and stuff? The Bardic College, boy! Center of learning and music!” He peered at Cairpe. “You having me on?”
Shaking his head, Cairpe whistled, a low five beat tune. Trenco moved closer, leaning a little to listen. “No; Kexxin isn’t exactly a mainline stop. Where is this College?”
“Ah! Well, then, let me tell you a little about what has been happening in the real world!” Marthton stopped, wiping his moustaches and taking another drink from the same hand. “That’s just the thing! It ain’t!” He began to slap his thigh with a hand, somehow managing not to spill his drink this time. “It ain’t even here! You see, they started all building it up in the mountains, by the dwarves and all. Got a nice place all laid out. Then it all up and just… poof.” He waved hands expressively, trying to imitate a puff of smoke. “Gone. Like that. They’re somewhere else now.” Shrugging, “No one knows right where, but they open a door thataway every now and then. Got a trade station set up for stuffs.” Marthton thumped his broad chest, catching some more drink in his mouth. “But it’s a right good thing they’re doing. Lots of music, learning. More people coming all the time. Right up your alley, boy. Right up one of my nephews too! Good boy, of course! He’s mine, innit he? Excellent fiddle player! Who knows? He might turn into a right proper musician, orchestra ‘n all!” Marthton shrugged expansively and tipped the bottom up from one drink, setting it down with a happy smile. “And who did up that patchwork on your sleeve, boy? Downright horrendous…”
Cairpe shared a glance with Trenco, smiling and turning back to keep Marthton entertained. A college…

Their path, coincidentally, turned north. From town to town, they still made their ways with story and song, inexorably making a trail to the mountains. They heard more tales, somewhat like the first, of a flourishing school, “up that way”. Trenco found himself climbing a mountain, not the first time for this particular one. It was wider, more heavily used from the signs of things. Then they found themselves approaching a town where there wasn’t supposed to be one.
Town was the wrong word, it seems. More of a market, really, but a market with buildings; but big buildings. Warehouses, from the size and traffic through them. They arrived into the middle of it all, a quiet bustle. A few questions got them into a comfortable smaller building, an office of sorts, where a fair-skinned dwarf greeted them from atop a large wooden desk. His arms were bare, despite the bracing wind of the elevation, and his left had a puckered white scar trailing down from below his shoulder to the back of the hand. “Greetings, greetings and welcome to the college! Not the college proper, of course. But we’re still part of the college, no mistake! Bringing the boy by to join up, enroll, and see him off proper?” Without waiting for a response, he waved a meaty hand. “No mind, no mind. We’ll put you up, all the same. Show you your quarters and the like. Might be a little while before the Door opens again. Never you mind. We’ll get you to the college…” Tapping the side of his nose, “within a week, or I’m not a gatekeeper! And of course I am!”

The quarters were basic, a rough barracks of sorts with cooking space, that they shared with a dozen others. Five nights later, they lay sound in the arms of sleep, when Cairpe sat up in his bed, blinking sleepy eyes and casting them about. No, something heard. He closed his eyes again, listening. The sound had the feel to it of ship timbers in the wind, creaking as the sails took the strain. Several moments later, he felt the movement as Trenco sat up as well, cocking his head, looking about. When he glanced at Cairpe, Cairpe shook his head and shrugged. He didn’t know. A minute passed, and it seemed to be getting louder, but not from any particular direction. They were about to lay back down when the housing door swung open, and the dwarf brought light into the room. “Up and about! The door’s acoming, and it waits for no toes, legs, or lazy bones!” The two shared a glance, then set to assembling their things for the trip.

It was a short trip, maybe five minutes of walking, during which, the sounds seem to be getting louder. The others, though, showed no signs of hearing the mysterious… thing. The dwarf stopped on a wide slab of rock, then made several gestures, and the air heaved and rippled, waves spreading out like a pebble dropped in a puddle. The air ripped asunder, and there was then what appeared as tunnel to a field of green. The procession worked their way through, while behind them the sounds of clamour as wagons of supplies were loaded to bring through.
On the other side, Cairpe blinked and looked around with no small amazement. It was pleasant, and the path they followed was sturdy and well-worn. Here, it seemed, the sun was beginning to brighten the far horizon. They walked along, passing fields and the occasional farmhouse. Their first glimpse came after they heard it; a clash of metal on metal, pounding. They saw in the dim light the sweeping curves of the forward buildings. As they grew closer, the angular corners behind it provided a stark contrast and lent a greater beauty to it all. Each new thing made Cairpe’s jaw drop a little further. “Amazing,” murmured Trenco. “Simple and beautiful.” He blinked away faint tears that drug at his eyes. “I have travelled the world over, seen citadels and manors, and none can compare.”

A call went up within the campus, a cry that rang over the metal clamour, and when the travellers arrived, the place had started to come to life. People swarmed about, helping to offload the carts, ushering the visitors and newcomers off to a comfortable smaller building, putting tea and fresh bread in hands. Sun came to fullness and light, dawn breaking beneath its light, and Trenco and Cairpe moved with some to a courtyard, sitting and sipping their tea amid the quiet commotion. Good, solid wood tables, elegantly carved and decorated. Now and then, one would point at a person, or a building feature to point it out; the walls of many buildings were colored with intricate murals that seemed to tell stories of themselves. Several college staff moved among the visitors, welcoming them, asking questions.
The kobold who approached their table walked with a confident gait, bowing slightly to each of them in his fine purple robes, embroidered in gold along the neck. “Welcome! The Bardic College is always glad to see new visitors,” and, eying Cairpe,”and new students. I hope your arrival wasn’t too hard on you. I am Keth’mai, Headmaster here. And you are?” The pair introduced themselves quietly, returning his bow.
“Trenco? Ah, your parents, then, were admirers of the great one’s works? As it so happens, so am I!” Trenco murmured softly, shrugging. “No doubt you’ve heard that great clashing? We’ve recently come into quite the oddity! A great new thing, a press for pages! Allows us to duplicate books in less than a day! We’ve just started printing some of his better works… Let’s see if I can remember…” He paced for a moment, his robes making swishing sounds. “Ahem. From The Lost Works: Cities Gone, or Myths Made?” His voice dropped into the oratorical. “Det var en gang en mann oppe i Finnmark, som hadde fanget en stor kvitbjørn,”
Stumping out into the courtyard, on one side, was a rather ugly looking dwarf; hair patchy and matted, with loose skin bearing darkened moles and scars and what looked like a broken nose. He gazed about the yard, examining each of the new arrivals. When he spied the trio in their corner, his face split, and while he was still ugly, the smile made it not matter so much. With that rolling gait he made his way over, approaching from behind Keth’mai, slowing as he neared, cocking an ear to listen. Then he let out with a loud belly laugh, slapping the kobold on the back before he leaned down to give Trenco a hug. “You old coot! Still kicking it around the roads, I see? Welcome, Trenco, to the glories of the college! Don’t let them catch you too. You making sure the boy got your stories down straight? Don’t worry, they never do.”
Keth’mai looked a bit pained. “Ah, this is Bittori, our oldest and mos… His stories?!” Keth’mai stopped, blinked. Blinked again, glancing between dwarf and halfling.
“Oh, known this old boy all me life!” The dwarf let out a loud roar of a laugh at the look on Keth’mai’s face.
“But.. the manuscripts are dated to… and that was… You’re really?! He stopped talking entirely, just blinking. Trenco inclined his head slightly, smiling at Keth’mai.
Bittori grinned wickedly. “Didn’t even tell him, did you? Good thing, boy has a case of hero worship going on for you, I think. Don’t know I’ve ever seen a kobold blush before, though…” His grin grew wider, as he fished something out of a pocket, sliding it across to Trenco on the table. “One of them new books. How’d you like the title?” It was the aforementioned work, and Trenco cracked the cover, eyeing the binding and print, before sliding it to Cairpe to examine.
“Not quite what I originally used, but…” He shrugged. “I was young then, and full of myself, as the young so often are.” Trenco and Bittori exchanged a look, glancing at the dumbfounded kobold, the young apprentice, and a whole college full of youth. The future.

Spoiler

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AP 10 + 10 (Rollover) - 0 (Libram charge: Teach Populace: Earthcrafting) - 0 (Eye charge: Nourishment: Blessing of the North) - 1 (Teach Populace: Nature Listening) - 1 (Teach Populace: Voices of the Spirits) - 1 (Teach Populace: Printing Press) - 1 (Teach Populace: Formal Education) - 0 (Jewel charge: Mold Land: The Aeries) = 16

The Ursid have had good harvests; their cubs grow up strong and safe, the voices are loud and clear, and their villages untroubled by intruders.

[Ralasha]

TukTuk and the Divinities
TukTuk turned to the Bronze King and said "You like idea? Maybe we block Zalsaram with giant bronze shield." He waited until Skreechy came back to ask "What about you, oh Mighty Skreechy? New engines look like you, shouting orders too." He smiled at the two undecided ones, banking on swaying one to get the plan in motion.

"No. It would serve no purpose that I can see. My idea would be to reinforce the chains which bind him as a cautionary measure. Take his eyes and tail before he awakens. Cripple him. One does not mind that the troll sleeps, so long as it cannot kill you, it does not matter when you strike." The King of Bronze stares at the Goblin as though it had suggested posies as a peace offering to a Dire Bear.

[smashingBrawler]

The Aspect shakes its head "If you were to lose your mind, and don a new personality, would that give you a second soul? Perhaps the old personality has died, but know this, Zalsar is Zalsaram. There are plenty of other dead gods for you sate your curiosity, including of course the late god of Death. Wouldn't he bring an even greater insight to your nature than Zalsaram?"

"The god of death was never undead. Something made Zalsar become Zalsaram. Additionally - undead are not the things they once were. If you raise a body, it's soul is something different from the one it had while alive. The exceptions are the deathless - they are reflections of who they once were. But the rest of undead are not as they were while alive. They, however, are bound by goodness and care. From what I know, Zalsaram was not a good entity. The soul of Zalsar may exist somewhere in this void. Or it may not. It may have faded into nothingness. Nonetheless, finding the soul of Zalsar may be the only way to answer the questions which I still have. She paused, as she considered the first thing that the aspect had said. "I do not know fully what a normal soul is. I have never had one. What I know from within myself, however, is that each soul is a personality. I will take your advice and inspect the land of the dead created by the late god of death. That too may, perhaps, lead me to my answers. Or to Zalsar."

Clora looked at Tiamat with the dull blue emanation of light within her sockets. "I will be leaving now to inspect Erebus. You are free to join me if that is your intent. However, your suspicions is also noted. I have not seen such suspicion since I encountered Kyre. Kyre's mistrust was understood - we were inherently anathema to each other. Your suspicion, however - I do not know from where it comes. Have I or my creations slighted you in any way?"

[Zelphas]

Sidhe Court - Mab, Kerx

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap

After the Khaadi were tossed back through a manifest zone and as Queen Mab sat upon her throne, a curious looking golden horned goblin with skin greener than any green and spiked leather armor appears sitting on the floor next to the throne, clapping his hands together and letting out an impressed whistle.

"That was impressive, Your Majesty! Ha! Poor sods never seen it comin' fer em! Hahahaha! Truly a magnificent act of Trickery!" He laughed and complimented Mab's actions. He seemed to be truly impressed.

Mab turns to the newest unwelcome visitor, raising an ash-grey eyebrow that deepens into charcoal as she speaks. "Another intruder upon my Realm. Tell me, what makes you believe that you won't share the same fate as those who came before you?" The Sidhe Court by now has turned towards this new creature in their midst.

The goblin feels someone tug on one of his sleeves. An old, stooped, blind halfling is standing next to him, smiling vaguely towards Queen Mab. "Tell her you're a guest," he whispers hoarsely out of the corner of his mouth, trying not to move his lips. "Invoke the right of being a guest in her house; she can't fight you then."

"What are you saying? Silence, you old fool!" Mab shrieks, her hair and eyes black as pitch. Reaching out from her throne, she almost casually backhands the poor old halfling, flinging him across the throne room.

Skreechy

Spoiler: For Kethneciel's eyes only.

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Dear Insignificant godling,

You may remember me from the time that I made my legendary judgment upon the gods. NOW THEN LISTEN CAREFULLY! The Divinities have gathered within your whats left of your pappa AND ARE UP TO NO GOOD! Part of their plan has to do WITH YOUR SUN! THAT'S RIGHT INSIGNIFICANT GODLIN! I AM BETRAYING THE DIVINITIES BY LETTING YOU NOW THAT MOST LIKELY SOMETHING WILL BE DONE WITH YOUR PRECIOUS SUN. Last I heard those foolish fools of a fool wanted to crash it on the Playground... or just take it over and replace it with their own sun. What I do know, is lots of people will get hurt... SOME MAY EVEN BE INNOCENT!

To make things worse, AHN HAS FORCEFULLY TAKEN MY SOUL! ITS THE ONLY ONE I HAVE! Aren't there some divine rules against forcefully taking souls? EVEN SO! IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO BELIEVE ME... FINE! I'll find another god who will return my soul. But... if you do chose to believe me and you manage to prevent disaster for your precious sun... THEN REMEMBER POOR OLD SKREECHY WHO HAD THE TESTICULAR FORTITUDE TO ACT AS A DOUBLE AGENT AND BETRAY THE GODS THEMSELVES!

Also it goes to say... DON'T YOU DARE MENTION MY INVOLVEMENT TO ANYONE NOR MAKE ANY MOVE TO BLOW MY COVER! IF YOU DARE DO IT YOUR PUNISHMENT SHALL BE LEGENDARY! DO YOU HEAR ME? LEGENDARY!

I sign this letter with my own hand.

SKREECHY THE GREAT!

PS. Also this letter will self destruct in five seconds. Remember... LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!

Once the letter is read, it explodes. Skreechy is taking no chances.

Kethneciel ponders the message while ignoring the explosion; mere mortal weaponry means very little to the god.

He nods to Ulvin and Robin, waiting for them to vanish before turning to the Cosmic Mother. "The Divinities seem to have designs upon the eye of the Cosmic Mother, and my abode. I shall return to the Judgment Seat to make preparations against them, should they attack." With that simple statement, Kethneciel vanishes.

Judgment Seat, Oussia

Sitting upon his Judgment Seat once more, Kethneciel looks down upon the Playground and considers. The attack, should there be one, will come when it comes; for now, however, he has other matters to attend to; his business with the Cult attempting to resurrect Zalsaram, for one thing. Subtly, the Implacable Judge twists the threads of power flowing from Oussia. To those mortals who harbored a wish to resurrect Zalsaram in their hearts, the Summer Sun no longer gave them nourishment; instead, it outlined their deeds, making them known to those who knew what to look for.

Kethneciel ponders for a long moment more, before reaching towards the Playground. Skreechy the goblin may be corrupt, but he had perhaps done Kethneciel a favor; the god of Law would return it. Perhaps, however, Skreechy would not see it as such...

Spoiler: Actions

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Kethneciel
9 AP, 1 Law PAP, 1 Aegis PAP

-1 AP: Pestilence. Oussia does not grant Nourishment upon the followers of Zalsaram's revival this cycle.

-1 AP: Pestilence. Mortals dedicated to Zalsaram's revival find their efforts at secrecy failing; the light of the Summer Sun reveals (what Kethneciel defines as) their misdeeds.

-1 Law PAP (Advance Law): Nourishment (Goblin Law). Axiomatic Goblins proliferate wildly upon hte Playground.

7 AP, 1 Aegis PAP Remaining.

[Hatter]

Sidhe Court - Mab, Kerx, Mephos

Before the old halfling could touch wall or ground, the Horned-Goblin disappeared and reappeared immediately behind him and caught the halfling mid-flight.

Kerx offered a grin to Mab and stated "I am your Guest! You can call me Kerx! I am the avatar of Ahn, the God of Luck! Today might just be your most Lucky day!"

[Gunhaven]

TukTuk and the Divinities
TukTuk clapped his hands and yelled "Let us start then! I'll get these engines started to spread our decrees below!" As he spoke the engines around the throne room began to crunch and shift. In an hours time 80% of the engines were goblin shaped instead of their former shapes. From these 80%, 68% launched from the wreckage to land upon Zalsaram. These engines promptly removed the old models in bursts of strength before taking up a position of waiting their divine mandates.

Kixian and Boulderbuttz WAAGH- Demiourgia
The Kix began to fall before Tizn'm quickly said "Wez get! Huz we bash!?" Fear wasn't evident in the towering Kix, but excitement. Even at the mention of surrendering the Kix began to turn to grappling the Orcs that kept fighting to try and spill less Kix and Orc blood.

Grim and Grenzo - Madhouse Carnival
Grenzo tsked at the return of Grim and reformed the Khaad. He then kissed the Ringmaster, marking the creature as His chosen in this realm. Finally He whispered to the barely conscious creature at His logs "Now that you've failed to impress our friends you get to be responsible for convincing they're friends. Fail me again and I will let you be a part of the Madhouse instead."
When Grim awoke the prismatic Khaad grabbed his baton and top hat and opened his mind to the Chaos. The next Wild Hunt saw the Fey briefly dropped into a pit and greeted with the grinning Grim as he mirrored their forms. He said "Hello again, friends! Care to sit down and talk things over or would you rather join the Madhouse?" Stools were formed, the candy cane colors of red and orange and seemingly made of stone.

Zalsaram
Even as Oussia tried to outline the cultist Zalsaram protected those who wanted to see their grandfather live. Thankfully the arteries pumped with Grenzo's blood and the lack of sunlight was less of a concern for those who drank it deeply. Oddly enough when the axiomatic goblinoids began to be born Grenzo did nothing to alter it as He had the previous attempts, seeing nothing wrong with Lawful followers.

Spoiler: AP

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Grenzo: 12 AP; Cultist, Divinities, Goblin, Sin PAP; Cauldron, MIC, SotC Charges
Cultist (Remain Secret): Nourishment - We don't light up
Divinities (Partial Rewards): Create Subrace - Nightmare Engines now come in Small, Goblin varieties!
Cauldron: Zalsaram's children find their efforts boosted with faster productivity, more births, etc.

Lustria: 5

Hlo: 7 (5+2 Rollover); Moon, Sin PAP; H'vooz (Pestilence, Nourishment c2), Xirmr'z (PN) Charges

[Zelphas]

Sidhe Court - Mab, Kerx, Mephos

Before the old halfling could touch wall or ground, the Horned-Goblin disappeared and reappeared immediately behind him and caught the halfling mid-flight.

Kerx offered a grin to Mab and stated "I am your Guest! You can call me Kerx! I am the avatar of Ahn, the God of Luck! Today might just be your most Lucky day!"

Mab glares down at the blind halfling, murder in her midnight eyes, before they suddenly clear, her hair returning to its pure white radiance. "Ah, a guest! Be welcome in the halls of the Sidhe, the true halls of Faerie. Excuse me; I must consult with my courtiers what your proper...reception should be." she withdraws into a corner of the room and is quickly surrounded by the other fey.

"She can't harm you now while your at her court; it's against her nature," the halfling pants, disentangling himself from Kerx. He turns to the goblin and feels down his arm until he reaches Kerx's hand, which he proceeds to shake. "I'm Gaorg. I've been the pet of Mab's court for longer than I can remember; I know what they're like. I can help you with them, as thanks for saving my life just now."

Mab returns to the two speakers now, her hair whiter than the purest snow. "MY courtiers and I have agreed that a great feast is the only proper greeting for the avatar of a god. While it is being prepared, tell me; what brings you to my great halls?"

Somewhere in Demiourgia...

An old, blind halfling stands stooped over a shallow, mossy pool, the old wooden clogs on his feet creaking slightly as he shifts his weight. Though he is obviously unable to see, he stares intently into the muck.

Mephos smiles. The avatar of the god of luck, so soon after the primary god of Trickery's representatives came and went. Mab must be having a ball. Mephos knew his followers far better than they would ever know him, and Mab was thoroughly his creature. She would listen to this Kerx; she might even ally herself with him and his creatures. And Mephos would watch, unseen and unknown. All was as it should be.

Spoiler: Actions

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Mephos
0 AP

-0 AP: Mark the Chosen (Gaorg). When Mephos wishes to wander the Playground unknown to all, he plucks a halfling from the world, blinds him, and ages him to venerability in an hour. Gaorg is only the first of the unlucky, completely normal halflings that will suffer this treatment. The Sidhe hardly notice.

[Hatter]

Sidhe Court - Mab, Kerx, Gaorg

Kerx wrapped an arm around Gaorg with a wide grin "A feast! Can't say I can object to that one! Ha!"

"The God of Luck," began the Avatar with a finger in the air in a matter of fact manner. "has a keen interest in the Sidhe Court and it's folks. He's offerin' an alliance, ya see? Y'all are creatures of similar fabric and making to the folk o' the Madhouse! Ha! Think we'd make good friends!"

[Hatter]

Divinities Throneroom - Ahn, TukTuk, Skreechy, Bronze King

Ahn laughed when he gazed upon the new Nightmare Engines as they took the appearance of Goblins. He waved his scepter of flesh and bone in the air and directed The Visionary's body across the Void and sat it right in front of Oussia, creating a permanent eclipse during the Summer.

"Ha! How's that!? Huh!? Hahahahaha! Look at all their little faces!" exclaimed Ahn as he spoke of the mortals below, specifically the faces of the goblins a ross the playground as they all turned their gazes skyward, well, the one's that could see the sky at least.

The Singing Stones

Far below Krenko-Ka was a series of tunnels unknown to the inhabitants of the Playground. These tunnels spread out but not by much and were filled with singing stones which the goblins of Krenko-Ka used for both entertainment and grinding them down into fine powder which enabled them to use their infamous guns.

Honestly, despite all that happened... the goblins were running out of space and it was time to expand. Krenko-Ka, the Sentient City stirred and lashed out.

Tunnels, caverns, subterranean lakes, subterranean mountains and even rivers, small and large were carved across the earth between the Playground and the Underplayground. Singing stones were everywhere to be found and many a goblin mining crew did venture forth, hacking away at the earth and reaping it's sweet riches be it in the form of gems, ore or singing stones.

The Singing Stones spread so far that there were even a number of caves and sinkholes across the Playground, Underplayground and their corresponding oceans that directly connected to the Singing Stones.

Spoiler: Actions

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Ahn
1AP Remaining
-1PAPDivinities(Followers Feel) Ahn moves The Visionary to Eclipse Oussia, punishing the followers of the gods with a lack of sunlight in the Summer.
-1PAPGoblins (Goblins will be a Great Race) The Singing Stones expand and give the goblins much more room to grow and easy access to all the places of the world.

[planswalker]

Tetlacochininervianl - The Wellspring, Chaqua

Now that the basics of functionality had been taken care of, the assembled spirits of Tetlacochininervianl sat together and spoke at length over what to do. Many minor matters were discussed and sided upon, including whether or not Tyrannosaurus Rex had full claim to the tree he'd taken from two other squabbling spirits (he did, as it turns out) and that no spirit, no matter how shunned, could be denied the right to propose a motion. (Bat insisted on this, and only Viper seemed to oppose it. Others later would come to regret this.) Inspired by Newt's timely rescue from Whale's stupefying rant about the ocean, it was ruled that no spirit may speak continuously for more than an hour at one time on any subject before allowing another to speak and no one proposal can be discussed for more than a day total before a vote is required.

There were, however, a few major decisions that were made in the meeting:

First, Lion proposed that they join the alliance that their progenitor was in for the sake of law and order. Though most members of the council would find themselves philosophically opposed with the Order of Lawful Gods, there were enough similarly inclined as Lion was that when their votes were combined with those who felt a sense of familial loyalty to their progenitor that the motion passed. Barely.
Salawa voted for this, though he argued against it in debate
Second, Coyote's proposal that they join with the chaotic gods of the world in an alliance of common interest was almost universally approved. The vast majority liked this notion and those who did not put their loyalty in with Lion went along with it since it was popular. Only Lion's faction opposed this.

Third, Falcon insisted that they join the Aegis of the Playground, that they may do their part in protecting this world they live in from utter destruction. It was the only one that was unanimously accepted, save for Coyote himself who voted "nay" at the very last merely because no one else opposed it.

A few of the notable propositions that failed:

Hare's proposal for the Council to intervene and end the creation of new Foulspawn was denied, mostly due to not enough spirits knowing enough about it to care.

Whale's proposal that the limit on how long one could speak be lifted as long as the proposal had to do with the ocean was rejected by all but his and Salawa's followers.

Viper's request to research how the Wellspring could be converted into a spy tower was shot down mostly out of spite by those who were irritated with him being late to the meeting.

Crocodile's proposal that all the other spirits must bring him a tasty morsel of food each day was shot down handily. Oddly enough, Coyote and Salawa both voted for it, though their followers did not. Viper and his followers, however, supported it as well.

Lion's demand that they all sit in on a lecture on the ways of order in Kentheciel for their own enlightenment nearly passed, strangely enough. Bat, Viper, Hare, and Salawa all supported it for various reasons and Bear and Newt were on the sidelines about it. Ultimately, Coyote's insight that this would require them to all stay in one place until the mortals lecturing them decided it was over killed the motion. The spirits of travel and exploration disliked the thought of having to be pinned down.That's because they don't realize that lectures are the best way to let your mind wander. Only when the body is captive can the mind truly be free!
Salawa's bill that the sound "fore" be replaced with the sound "to" in all speech in the Council meetings was shot down, as most of the others couldn't even understand what that would even mean and Salawa's responses about the sanctity of floating balls of goo didn't help his case.
the fools! They will learn their mistwotune later.
The business of the First Unseen Council resolved, the spirits each depart their own ways to act on the decisions made. Lion and Hare depart to seek out their progenitor, Coyote and Viper search for Ahn, and Falcon and Salawa go to Limbo to add Tetlacochininervianl to the list of those sworn to oppose Zalsaram's resurrection.

Lion and Hare - Kethneciel

Lion leads Hare to Kethneciel where the two will petition to join the alliance of their progenitor.

Coyote and Viper - the Madhouse

Coyote returns with viper to the realm of madness where Ahn had been showing him around and will call out in a loud voice like sparkles from a waterfall, "Hello! Anyone home?"

Falcon and Salawa - Limbo

Falcon returns with his sibling and the two shall petition to sign the name "Tetlacochininervianl" to those seeking to stop the return of Zalsaram.

Spoiler

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ap: 2=3-1(join pantheon: Aegis of the Playground)

Dogma: It is the duty of all who live in the Playground to ensure it is not destroyed.

[Hatter]

Sanctum, The Madhouse - Coyote, Viper, Lukus, band of Corrupted Solars

"The Master is out. How can we...assist?" came a raspy voice from what appeared to be the leader of a group of ebon skinned humanoids dressed in fine blood red hooded robes with gold trimming.

The group formed a semi-circle around Viper and Coyote, 23 pairs of blood shot eyes peering out from under their hoods and the entireity of Sanctum was quiet, almost too quiet.

[planswalker]

Coyote, Viper, Corrupted Solars - Sanctum, Madhouse

"I was speaking with your master earlier, and I wanted to join in an alliance with him. My siblings agreed." Coyote answered.