Lords of Creation: A Time Forgotten IC

[Mynxae]

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"Hehehe, who wouldn't appreciate such a lovely establishment. My favorite part has always been that moment when they come to the sudden realization that they've lost."
"Oh, quite beautiful beasts those ones are. I wonder if we could make some sort of underwater arena," Raxmos said as he began forming a blueprint in his head. I can see it now. Oh yes, I'll go make it after I'm done here.

The Amphitheatre of Aptitude

"Ah, I see my reputation proceeds me. It is a pleasure to meet both of you," Pisceanas said, and she curtseyed. The Sinister Mystery smiled, although it wasn't necessarily a happy smile, somewhat like Faelan's smile. "I assure you that me and my Sea Serpents have nothing personal against you and your Darkin. I merely... like my secrecy. I'm sure you, out of all of us, understand."

Turning to Raxmos, continuing the general thought, "as such, I would see underwater arenas as an inconvenience to my privacy. Besides, my Serpents are already savage enough, the youth don't need violent entertainment, it'd mess with their discipline and do them no good."

"No good? No good!?" Raxmos was clearly enraged at the foolishness he had heard, "How can they be prepared to survive without honing the skills of the body!? What will they do when others conquer the tide and come hunting? Will you protect them yourself or do you expect them to figure out the ins and outs of combat all at once when the moment of truth is already at hand!?"

Shadowy Meetings
Shadow Isles
Illnara

Illnara appeared on the shores of the Shadow Isle. She moved down and among the Isle's inhabitants. She observed the raw savagery and the destruction wrought by their kind both against each other and the environment that surrounded them.

These were definitely not her Orks. These creatures did not live in balance, they lived in the extreme of darkness.

She came to a stop when she looked up and saw the Amphitheater. She heard the roars and the cheers. The goddess remained relatively still and watched from a distance.

The Amphitheater of Aptitude

"If such an unfortunate event should happen, I expect them to know their territory better than the invaders," Pisceanas replied diplomatically enough, but without hesitation. "A single Sea Serpent swims many miles in a single day, and as of now, access to the watery domain remains limited to outsiders. I assure you my creations are quite defensible." Have I said too much? The Sinister Mystery wondered to herself, I wouldn't want to jeopardize any of my defensive stratagem or make myself more of a target in speaking. OF course, she was probably just being too concerned with preserving her own mysteriousness. Diplomatically, she continued, "It's not as if they don't spar with each other and dance recreationally. I'm sure survival mechanisms are far different on land, and I respect what you must do to benefit your creatures, but the ocean is a different world altogether in many ways."

Amphitheatre of Aptitude
The Shadow Isles
Faelan, Illnara, Pisceanas, Raxmos

Faelan watched with amusement as his siblings squabbled amongst themselves until Raxmos decided to leave before he and Pisceanas were to get somewhat violent, feigning off worrying about his creations, causing Faelan to roll his eyes dramatically. "Oh of course that's the reason, couldn't be anything else could it?" he said sarcastically.

He nodded at Pisceanas' last comment. "Correct. I do like my secrecy, for my main strengths tend to lean towards subterfuge and stealth" he said with a slight yawn. "Not that I can exactly hide from Namiranzul and his blasted sun without him bombarding my creations" he said with a hint of anger at the memory of the great beams of light blasting away at his lands and his people.

As Faelan sensed even yet another presence, he sighed and lit up Illnara by summoning a small orb of flame above her head. "Yes sister? What is it you wish to speak to me of?" he said bluntly. "So many of my siblings are here... Why not call me to them instead of them all coming here and bombarding me all at once?" he thought with annoyance.

[Hatter]

Amphitheatre of Aptitude

The Harvest Lady did not appear to have much to say. She stared at Faelan for a moment, unthreatening but apparently also unwilling to communicate. She shook her head as if to say there was not anything that she wanted and then she took a step to her left and walked into a tree, merging and disappearing.

[Razade]

The Dead Return
[The City of Greylith]

The king's interest peaked at the Weaver's parting words, but he sighed and shook his head. "Perhaps one day..."

The military of Greylith watch the dead depart, some relaxing, others tensing up at their sudden leave. After a moment the king turns to the men and says "The undead have given us their treasures as a token of friendship. Let us not have this day forgotten. An outdoor feast at the stairs to the cathedral will be held in their honor!"

The men cheered while the king reflected on what he had said, mumbling in a low voice. "Otch, maybe I should have invited them... no, no, baby steps there, Ramesh old boy." With the cloaked warrior at his side walked back to the gates and commented to the captain "Jakov my old friend, get ready for the vacation of a lifetime. Oh, and someone pick up those bags...!"

Later, while happy and confused citizens alike took part in the celebration, nine shadows slid down the walls and scurried off into the woods.

The Weavers dutifully wait at the edge of the forest as requested though a far larger number of the creatures can be seen in the gloom of the trees beyond as their eyes reflect the slowly rising moon. Several other Speech Weavers also make up their number, far more human looking than before and were it not for them being counted in the number of the dead might even pass for them without close inspection.


[The Shadow Islands]
Corpse Hive Al'Mira and Darkin City

Where there are corpses there is the Breath of Unlife and where the breath moves in time a Corpse Hive would form and as it was with such a violent society the Corpse Hive Al'Mira formed beneath the darkness of the Shadow Island. It was not long before the Speech Weaver and a small contingent of Bone Weavers moved to the city of the Darkin, only a pale blue light that seemed to glow through their eyes marked their passage in the gloom.


[Arctic Continent]
Cestrim Monks and Corpse Hive Al'Ultha

Even the cold could not stop the Breath of Unlife and in time underneath the cold mountains of the Arctic Continent the Corpse Hive of Al'Ultha formed. As before a Speaker was woven from the tattered flesh of fox and moose and Weavers woke to dig out cold earth. In warmth or in cold the Hive did as it had always done, a Speaker and it's small entourage slowly made their way to the Ice Moose Bone Monastery, covered in icicles and pelts to keep their non-living flesh from cracking.

[AvocadoAvenger]

Raelzun Docks

Once the Merfolk understood there was no reason to be apprehensive, they wandered freely among the Orks, exchanging whatever they had. Largely, what they had included trinkets and instruments made from fish bone, tridents and other weaponry, fishing nets, and a small amount of gold and pearls that had been found at the bottom of the lake. As far as knowledge, they knew how to sing and were happy to teach that, and had some fishing techniques that could be learned as well. Many fishing techniques applied only underwater, although some, sane fishing for example, could be used by air-breathers. They were also happy to share their culture, which often came in the form of song or weapon mastery.

Amphitheatre of Aptitude

"That was rather odd," Pisceanas said without conveying much emotion, referring to the two departed siblings, "though I suppose it takes all types." To The Sinister Mystery, the more forward others were, the more secretive she was allowed to be. She hadn't meant for her interaction with Raxmos to turn sour at all, she had tried to be as diplomatic about not wanting an arena as she could. She shrugged it off, though her nonchalant grin was gone.

"Actually," she continued, now in direct response to Faelan, "I came because I heard you blocked the sun every so often. I came to tell you I admire that, your style, opposing the light." She smiled again, with a hint of flirtation, displaying a degree of feigned enchantment and a degree of genuine esteem. I have to be better at making friends than I was with Raxmos, I have to be better at flying under the radar. Melodically, "I can see now that I'm here that my admiration was not misplaced."

The Ocean

There is no way to time how long it takes for a Sea Serpent attack at any point in the world. After about 20 minutes, she saw a relatively small Sea Serpent swimming beneath her. It got close, and then retreated inquisitively, having never seen anything like her before, and somehow able to sense that she was a powerful being. For a few seconds, it almost looked as if it was dancing.

South Tixial

There has to be some lasting changes to the South based on this change in female Fae, an onlooker thought to himself.

With female Fae given land and control over the environment to some degree, the influence of male Fae and any Fae that did not have any land to give receded. Eventually, new Fae who were willing to integrate their powers spawned after the old Fae who kept men out of their area of natural beauty died off and were replaced by the progressives. Eventually, male Fae stopped being born from nature in the south altogether.

Each lady of her environment was generally tied to the lands around one city-state and serves as an important figure for that respective city-state. She will typically see her role as someone who keeps the people connected to nature, a reminder of the natural order, and of course a advocate for the worship of Tryboh. The southern Fae will often even take an important member of the city as her husband, sometimes even the king. She chooses based solely on the character of the perspective mate, and can afford to be particularly choosy as her courtship was sure to give its recipient certain privileges within the city. Thus a southern Fae marrying a a man who is a villain in any sense is unheard of. The children of such pairings are only half Fae and treated no different from any other member of society, although they do have some of the abilities of the Fae. When a southern Fae dies and her replacement is born from nature, the baby is sometimes raised cared for by the family of the last lady of the land, sometimes raised and cared for alongside the children of the king, and sometimes raised and cared for by another source - it can be whoever the local king finds most suited. When the local lady of the land is in infancy is when a south Tixialan city-state is considered most vulnerable to outside attack.

Elsewhere in Tixial

At the time when the population of male Fae in the south dwindled, the population of male Fae in the rest of Tixial spiked. The gender ratio for Fae in the non-south of Tixial is now about 50-50. Also, while the southern Fae devoted their time to weather, plants, spirituality, and politics, northern Fae devoted more of their free time to animal relationships. Ironically, they became much better masters at riding Purple Worms than their southern counterparts, even though Purple Worms are technically native to the South.

[Hatter]

The Ocean
Ilnara knelt down upon the water's surface and with a single finger, she tapped it to cause a rippling effect in an effort to call the Sea Serpent back to her. "Come here, Little One. I will not harm you."

[Mynxae]

Spoiler: Corpse Hive Al'Mira

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[The Shadow Isles]
Corpse Hive Al'Mira and Darkin City

Where there are corpses there is the Breath of Unlife and where the breath moves in time a Corpse Hive would form and as it was with such a violent society the Corpse Hive Al'Mira formed beneath the darkness of the Shadow Isles. It was not long before the Speech Weaver and a small contingent of Bone Weavers moved to the city of the Darkin, only a pale blue light that seemed to glow through their eyes marked their passage in the gloom.

A small contingent of Darkin led by the Executor, Kalyr, approached the dead. "Who goes there?" rasped Kalyr as he raised a hand into a fist, he and his kin forming humanoid shapes so as not to potentially scare these strange beings away as they were the first non-divine beings they had encountered.

Spoiler: Illnara

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Amphitheatre of Aptitude

The Harvest Lady did not appear to have much to say. She stared at Faelan for a moment, unthreatening but apparently also unwilling to communicate. She shook her head as if to say there was not anything that she wanted and then she took a step to her left and walked into a tree, merging and disappearing.

Faelan merely snorted derisively as yet another of his kin vanished.

Spoiler: Pisceanas

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Amphitheatre of Aptitude

"That was rather odd," Pisceanas said without conveying much emotion, referring to the two departed siblings, "though I suppose it takes all types." To The Sinister Mystery, the more forward others were, the more secretive she was allowed to be. She hadn't meant for her interaction with Raxmos to turn sour at all, she had tried to be as diplomatic about not wanting an arena as she could. She shrugged it off, though her nonchalant grin was gone.

"Actually," she continued, now in direct response to Faelan, "I came because I heard you blocked the sun every so often. I came to tell you I admire that, your style, opposing the light." She smiled again, with a hint of flirtation, displaying a degree of feigned enchantment and a degree of genuine esteem. I have to be better at making friends than I was with Raxmos, I have to be better at flying under the radar. Melodically, "I can see now that I'm here that my admiration was not misplaced."

Faelan tipped his bowler hat at her praise, then looked up confused. "Since when did I have a hat?" he said looking quite befuddled as the hat burst into flames and fell to ashes around him. "Much better" he said with an amused chuckle.

"My Darkin, much like I, are physically pained by the light and therefore I made these Isles so we could hide from it until our power grows enough that we can show ourselves to the world. Unfortunately this earned me the ire of Burning God" he said with a slight grimace. At her last words, a coy grin appeared on his face. "Well we could always seek out more of us who are as like-minded as we are to make sure that the world is safe from those who would destroy the world's dark places... Could that be to your liking, dear sister?" he said, fluttering his eyelashes innocently.

[Razade]

A small contingent of Darkin led by the Executor, Kalyr, approached the dead. "Who goes there?" rasped Kalyr as he raised a hand into a fist, he and his kin forming humanoid shapes so as not to potentially scare these strange beings away as they were the first non-divine beings they had encountered.

The small contingent stop as they're addressed, making no discernible display or reaction as the strange creatures shift into a more known form. The front leader, mostly humanoid itself, gives a bow as it motions a long spindly hand. "This one speaks for Al'Mira. It would speak with the Brood Leader of this Hive, it comes baring gifts should the Brood Leader care for them."

[SpeedWitch]

The Weavers dutifully wait at the edge of the forest as requested though a far larger number of the creatures can be seen in the gloom of the trees beyond as their eyes reflect the slowly rising moon. Several other Speech Weavers also make up their number, far more human looking than before and were it not for them being counted in the number of the dead might even pass for them without close inspection.

[The Emerald Woods]
Corpse Hive Al'Anzur and the Servants of Steel

The stars shone bright as they soared across the sky tonight. No one on Earth could tell, though, because of the immense cloud cover over the woodlands of Greylith.

Eight humans walked through the woods, shedding their cloaks as they approached the undead, revealing white clothing and reflective necklaces of varying gemstones, save for Jakov, who was wearing traditional guard armor, and looking very drunk. The shadowy warrior who assembled them, however, was not seen until he lit a torch in front of the Speech Weaver.

"Here are the breeding pairs, Weavers of Al'Anzur. Return them in twenty days time."





[Southwestern Tixial, where the lands of Greylith meet the Southern Wilds]
"The gods must be crazy"

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Tryboh, South-West Tixial

The first thing a newly born deity did was establishing his cult. Serkyev Tryboha (The Church of Tryboh) was no longer a primitive cult of a hunter-gatherer tribe, but a full-fledged religious system. The followers of Tryboh would build temples and educate priests, who acted as an intermediates between the Deity and it’s believers. As Tryglovoi was considered the god of Fortune his priests would be present in every aspect of a life of both an individual and a community. They would be there to bless the newborn and ask for a good afterlife for the deceased, they would bless marriages and curse enemy kings during wars. They would be there to spiritually oversee every new enterprise of their community and it’s members.

Dawn of the Southern Kingdoms (musica!)

After establishing his religion The Three Headed Deity immediately began to work on crafting it's promises into being. He took the most beautiful Fae on the continent and lied down with her in the highlands to the south and east of the City of Greylith. And she was so pleased she could never get up again and she petrified there as eons went by, creating Lyubavnicne Wzgory (Lover Mountains) that had their beginning a dozen of miles to the south and east of Greylith and ran down to the south, down to the ocean, shielding The South from any reptiles that could come from the Colosseum to the east.

A river springs high in the mountains somewhere in the upper part of the range and ran down south through the highlands at the feet of the mountain range to about halfway to the ocean where it turns west and flows through the whole country up to the ocean, splitting The Southern Region to two sub-regions.

Tryboh stood on the northern side of the river and blew at it, immediately creating a multitude of minor rivers running south. He lowered the south-westernmost lands which caused them to be overwhelmed with rivers turning the land into swamps. Throughout the rest of the southern South he lowered grounds in a dozens of single spots, creating all sorts of lakes and ponds.

The deity then crossed the river and stood at it's southern side. Now he turned north and blew again, this time at the trees of the northern South. Thinning out the jungle so it could later be entirely cut out, if needed, for the crop fields.

The Three Headed God ascended to the clouds above The South and from there spoke with his male mouth unto blessing. He blessed all of the female Fae in the region giving them extended powers over nature in the land. They now not only guarded it but could control it to some extent - they could change the weather and control fauna and flora in their domain. The powers of each Fae would be limited to their territory. They would rule over forests, lakes, fields, swamps and so on, and each Fae would be known as a Lady of her realm. So there would be Lady of the Green Lake, Lady of the Western Forest, Lady of the Crop Fields and so on.
Every sentient being that would like to settle in their domain would have to bargain with the Fae to receive her blessing, if they’d like to flourish in the land.

Tryglovoi opened his mouth again and once more spoke unto blessing. He blessed the land of The South to make it safe for his followers, causing the great reptiles and Juresh to migrate out of the region. Now there would only be small populations of those creatures deep within the forests.

And then through subtle guidance of men’s fortune Tryboh multiplied his followers throughout the whole region, leading them to establish villages. With time some of those villages would grow in wealth and power, becoming cities - building walls and training militia. The leader of such settlement was called knyaz (king) and would subjugate nearby villages, taxing them and levying militia, thus creating his own kingdom. Sometimes one of the city-states would be powerful enough, perhaps even subjugating another kingdom, to be called a vysokey knyaztvo (a high kingdom), and it’s leader would be known as a vysokey knyaz (a high king). In the future perhaps one of the kings would conquer all of The South, becoming a vsyeh knyaz (the All-King).

Spoiler: AP expenditure

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Starting APs: 15

Create society: Serkyev Tryboha (The Church of Tryboh) - 1 AP
Alter land: create The South - 1 AP
Bless: give female Fae powers over nature in The South - they can change weather, control fauna and flora, they are known as Ladies of their respective environments (Lady of the Lake, Lady of the Western Forest, Lady of the Golden Crop Fields etc.). Sentient races settling down in their domains must bargain with them to acquire their favor and prosper in their lands. - 1 AP
Bless: Juresh and Rexes migrate out of The Southern Kingdoms (only a minor populations deep inside the jungle remain) - 1 AP
Create society: Yuzhne Knyaztva (The Southern Kingdoms) - multiple city-states in The South, each ruled by a knyaz (king), the most powerful city-states are known as vysokey knyaztva (high kingdoms) ruled by vysokey knyaz (high king). If there would ever be one king to unite all of The South he would be known as the Vsyeh Knyaz (the All-King). - 1 AP

remaining APs: 10

The scribes couldn't write fast enough.

Over the last month they've been observing the changes in Tixial's wildlands, after hearing reports of yet more "divine occurrences" happening in the South. That was South with a capital S, yes, as the scouts learned of the Serkyev Tryboha, or The Church of Tryboh. Not too long ago, the land was desolate and wild evils were everywhere, esspecially the Rexes. Two months ago a camp of hunters had to relocate after nearly getting run over by fleeing T-Rexes. Oh, and yes, all the new trees that strung up out of the ground. Not soon after, the natives appeared, and so did their cities.

Hector finished writing and gave the message to a fellow scribe, who went to find a messenger bird. He then exited the building and climbed up to the watchtower, where he relieved one of his fellow workers and spent the rest of the evening gazing out at the pristine beauty of the land. He thought back to his last visit to Greylith, when the priests had announced the existence of three other gods: The Master of Shadow, the Ultimate Survivor, and the Phoenix Lord. According to the few natives they had met, there was one more to add to the list: Tryboh, The Three Headed Deity. Very little was known about this god, but if the scouting party were being lead by the right people right now, they would know soon enough.

Unless a swarm of Nymphs came upon them. Yeah right, Steve, Nymphs don't exist.Man, I hate that guy, Hector thought to himself as the sun set over the new mountains.

[Mynxae]

Spoiler: Al'Mira

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The small contingent stop as they're addressed, making no discernible display or reaction as the strange creatures shift into a more known form. The front leader, mostly humanoid itself, gives a bow as it motions a long spindly hand. "This one speaks for Al'Mira. It would speak with the Brood Leader of this Hive, it comes bearing gifts should the Brood Leader care for them."

The Dark and Dead

Kalyr raised an eyebrow at the term "Hive". "We are more of a collective, but I suppose the term Hive suits just as well" he said, "I am the Executor of this great city, which means Leader if you are unfamiliar with the term. But if you offer us gifts, what do you seek in return?" a curious tone crept into Kalyr's voice.

[thethird]

Elven Dreams
Visuri Clan

The clan's Anghal looked behind himself catching his breath. The Daktari rested her hand in his shoulder. Comforting him. Her clothes were tight, giving him little trouble to know what was underneath. Desire flared in his chest as he contemplated hers. There was a change on her eyes, it wasn't disaproval, nor it was surprise. It was focus. The clan sprung into movement again.

The hunt!

They were like a pack skillfully moving across the forest. Jumping from a branch to the next with leaps as easy as steps. Few actually flew, their mind pushing their bodies forward disregarding gravity or the concerns of the waking world. Many didn't realize that they were dreaming taking such movement for granted, elves were to move! To keep going forward. To stay put was to die. But there were those that questioned the bound's reality. Those disappeared waking in shudders far from the clan. Only the fastest, the purest, and most feral remained.

The wild hunt!

Their prey kept eluding them for it was just a dream. The elves were fast, potentially faster than anything dreaming in the dream world but how could one catch a revelrie? The creature appeared and disappeared as a taunting mirage, being always so close, but not close enough. It's body was dark dark, the fur like misty nights but the antlers would flare from time to time with witchfire like a tricky will o' wisp. The elves covetted the creature's speed, they embied it, and admired it in equal measure. They ran after it.

The wildest hunt!

When the elves finally clashed against the stag it vanished. Turning into thin air and disappearing from their sight. It's witch light flaring in the distance as mockery. Other lights flared in tune and the elves couldn't help but to think of it as laughter. They were far in the dreamlands, the rushing hunt's frezy still thrilling on their veins had lost them. For how long had they ran? How far had they travelled? Where were they?

[Hatter]

Mountain March

In Raelzun, many Orks have begun to hear tales of a great cathedral hidden beyond the Northern mountains and so an expedition was formed on the outskirts of the city.

It took a good long while but eventually a large group of Orks did assemble, both the larger and stronger Orks and the smaller andj intelligent Goblins. Wagons pulled by large sheep were loaded down with tools and supplies. Quite a good number of the Orks were armed with spears and curved blades, their heads decorated with either turbans or helms made of wood and bone. Furs were packed away for the inevitable cold. They were ready.

And so rhe expedition did march to the North with their goal in mind and they did move quite tirelessly accross the burning heat of the Ash Lands without much difficulty, they were used to it. Orkish kind had grown accustomed to the dry and barren heat. When they reached the moyuntains, however... they were not as prepared as they thought they would be.

They were indeed prepared for the cold, bringing furs and oils to keep them warm during the frigid days and below freezing nights but they were unprepared for the rocky, jagged and uneven mountain passes. Here, they found that the mountains would not give way to the wheels of their wagons and so they abandoned them near the foot of the mountains.

Many of the larger Orks took up the duties of carrying supplies and many of the sheep were loaded down as well, even some of the smaller Goblins assisted with the effort. They were Orks. They had a certain pride in their refusal to bow down to the elements and simply surrender. They would survive, no matter the cost.

[HalfTangible]

Unless a swarm of Nymphs came upon them. Yeah right, Steve, Nymphs don't exist.Man, I hate that guy, Hector thought to himself as the sun set over the new mountains.

Amoros sneezed.

Belle stopped taking off her gloves, expression incredulous. "I thought gods couldn't get sick."

"... We... can't." Amoros's expression mirrored his love's. (well, one of them. He had 3 brides now.). "... Probably nothing. Is it my turn to deal?"

---
Scouting Party

Not a nymph, no, nor a swarm - though certainly Steve might wish it so.

After all, if he had awoken to a swarm of nymphs, it would have meant two things. One: a swarm of the best lovers in existence had just walked into camp with him naked and asked to sleep with him.

Two: his companions would still be alive.

He awoke to the taste of honey upon his lips and a smell of lilacs. His head was laying on someone's legs, laid beneath his head like a pillow. As he opened his eyes, he saw a young woman with flawless skin the color of bark. Her emerald hair hung down to the small of her back, and her pointed ears prominently poked through the strands. Leaves gathered around her front in an almost mocking facsimile of a backless dress.

She placed a finger to his lips as he spoke, concern evident on her face. "Shh. Hold still now, dear. I'm here to help you." She pressed a cup to his lips, filled with more of the... honey? Probably not, but it tasted like it. "You're of Greylith, yes? Your group had an accident on the way home."

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I doubt you planned for a response to that bit about nymphs, but DARNNIT I WANNA DO SOMETHING ><

[mattsdelf]

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Spoiler: Last Time on Raxmos and Pals

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The Tree Fort
Phil laughed, "Comrades? Comrades?! Haahahahaahaha. You know nothing, of us Tim! We have no comrades! Only fellow hunters, each one only wanting to steal the kill for himself. As for compliance, it really depends on whether or not they are part of the faction that thinks you squishy pink ones are all weaklings that cannot hope to defend themselves. Some of us are stupid like that. Others are like me, only wanting to fight. I honestly couldn't give a damn who I fight. It's just that fighting gives me a fuzzy, warm feeling in my soul. A few actually have vastly different views, but I never really paid attention to them. They always said things like, 'Raxmos is mad! He created us just to watch us drown! We should kill Raxmos! There are giant sea serpents in the ocean!' ya know crazy talk." Phil stopped, "Well, that last one might be credible. A few good rexes have said the same thing. I just haven't ever seen one myself; I'm a little bit skeptical of such claims."

Tim shrugged. He felt pity for Phil, having never had a komrad, much less a friend. Tim's komrads were of the highest calibur. He knew each of them would die for him. He spoke again to the dinosaur before the weeks of training that followed. "Well, Phil; I'm your Komrad now. I will ride you into battle and cast spells from your back, setting fire to things while you charge and eat other things. We will get you armor somehow, and we will be a force to be reckoned with." He hoped that the tyrannosaurs would cooperate. That would make the training easier.

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Tixial right before Raxmos went to the Shadow Isles
Hmmmm, life here is getting pretty boring. I need to add something to spice up the jungle, Raxmos thought for a moment, I've got it!

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Start AP: 7
Create basic life: Juresh: -1
End AP: 6

The Juresh are big spiders. Females grow to be at most six feet in diameter. Males only grow to be about five feet in diameter. They grow to be about two feet and a half tall. They spin strong webs, have deadly poison and can jump about ten to fifteen feet forward. They are good climbers and make trees their home. They usually just sit in their webs waiting to eat whatever might get trapped, but hungry Juresh have been known to jump their prey and stick their fangs in. Their poison takes longer to effect large targets. The poison will slowly exhaust a victim until they finally fall asleep and never wake up. The process takes about a day to effect humans and about a week to effect T-Rexes. The poison flows through blood. A juresh will usually keep its web within a 15-foot cube of space. Any larger would be impossible for one Juresh to maintain. The webs are tough enough to hold humans, but they can be cut with proper applications of strength and a bladed tool. That said, take heed! For when one finds a juresh web a juresh is never far. They suck fluids out of their victims for sustenance and are immune to their own poison. If one makes the mistake of sleeping near a juresh's web he will likely be poisoned and tied up by morning. Juresh tend to build webs near each other, but do not share webs. Like some other breeds of spider, the mother eats the father after the act that results in the production offspring.

When the spiders came, everything changed. The Dino-training had been underway for a few weeks, but it did nothing to help their fort in the canopy from being attacked by Juresh. They came and webbed most of the fort, and many humans were killed that day. The canopy was abandoned. Meanwhile, Tim asked one of the sorceresses, Lorelei, to begin developing an antivenom. This of course, is so far unsuccessful. Miraculously, all three of the Dinos were safely evacuated, while remaining under the control of Tim's men. The sorcerers began using their magic to excavate caves to hide in, and built a new encampment underground, which proved a wonderous hiding place when a stampede of migrating T-Rexes clamored above. And then...

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Tixial
Ok, it appears Raxmos only killed two people without me. And the T-Rexes are all fin--- "What the hell is this! By the creator, who has brainwashed my people and kicked them out of half their land!?" Sigh, It matters not. 'Whoever' has clearly renovated our fine land of Tixial to serve his own purposes. The nerve of some people! To do all this, most likely to protect his people!!! What people have the right to live instead of any other people? Only the strong! It is something they must earn themselves or it is meaningless. I'll just have to apply new challenges to them. Raxmos took the idea of a sea serpent and warped it to suit his purposes. Then he spoke to the entire southern region of Tixial, "Listen up, people of the south. As you have driven out the T-Rexes and the Juresh, I will give you a new adversary to defend yourselves against! Be warned, the worms are coming!" Then he unleashed this warped creature unto the land.

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Start AP: 6
Alter action: -1 AP: subrace: purple worms
End AP: 5

Purple worms: Effectively, sea serpents that have lost their sentience, are purple, can dig, and breathe oxygen from the air. They mostly eat humans, subterranean critters and anything smaller than they are. They mainly inhabit the southern section of Tixial, but might be seen further the north. All purple worms return to south western Tixial to create nests and mate. Edit: This isn't due to a special property of the land itself, it is merely that they go back to where they were born. Since they were all born there, no other nest can exist without some explanation of how it got there.

Horrified as even more of his group were slaughtered in the wake of these purple worms in the tombs they had built for themselves, Tim again evacuated his group from the caves. All seemed to be lost when Lorelei heard a whisper in her ear.

"The secret to making a magical antivenom is...."

Lorelei told Tim what she had heard, and he didn't even wait for a test run. He helped her create the first doses, and then led his posse back into the trees. Many a big were squashed that day. But alas, tragedy struck. Tim had led them to their old tree fort, and they thought they had cleared out all the spiders. Tim went to his tent, and found the last one waiting for him. After fighting it singlehandedly, Tim stabbed it through, before realizing that the Juresh had bitten him. He cried out for help, but by the time Lorelei came to his side, he was already asleep. After all, he had fought hard that day. Frantic, Lorelei held his mouth open as she poured the potion down his throat, knowing that only time would tell if her remedy had worked.


weeks before Cereim's encounter with elves

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Olohin

Fine Tuning

Spoiler: Gaming times OOC

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I'll post, but I'll gladly wait for your other storylines to resolve, bevore you can take decisions related to this one

As an answer to Cereim's question, a diaphanous shape started fading in, out of thin air. A moment later, a beautiful man, with delicate, almost femele traits, appeared in front of her sister. He was holding a lyre in his left hand, his eyes were sparkling with intelligence and power. Olohimn was rarely taking physical form, but when he/she did, he/she appeared to his/her interlocutor as an inspiring figure.

Without even speaking, Olohimn started playng a joyful, catchy tune to dance to. Well...it was no common melody...it was the meaning itself of cheerfulness. It was just a sequence of notes out of a single string instrument, but it seemed to give its listeners an insight, on how a woman in love should feel while dancing in a summer rain with her beloved one.
To think he'd learned this one from a mortal!

With his/her surprise, Olohimn saw that his/her sister was a more than fair dancer! She didn't even seem to be dancing alone. She was...waltzing with reality!
They had a lot of fun together.

After complimenting his/her sister, with a satisfied smile still on his/her face, Olohimn decided to waste Cereim's time no longer.
You have listened a piece of the Song, sister, as it is interpreted by mortals. Now, allow me to show you something.
Politely, Olohimn put his/her hend on his/her sister's shoulder, as he/she accompanied her consciousness to see some some important things in the world.

A goblin shaman wannabe, drunk as a drunk can be, was trying to impress his drinking companions with feats of magic. Nothing more than sparks were coming out of his hands, not enough to impress anyone but enough to painfully burn his own hands. His frustration grew, as the other goblins were, like, laughing themselves to death by making fun at him. Until he tapped into his emotions, and used them to fuel magic power. Arcane words came out of his mouth as poetry (...in the sense of goblin, of course..). Magic consumed him in a burst of flame, leaving behind nothing but charred bones. A puzzled expression on the other golbins' faces... "well, tha be impressive!"


A female ork of da greenthumb clan was singing at the plants she was growing, because she loved her so much. As a matter of fact, her plants were growing so luxuriant! They were flourishing more and more, the more she sang at them. The other orks were considering her a little bit "touch", beacuse she sang at things and seemd to care more about her plants than about her tribe-pals. But what did she care? She couldn't help it. Songs just came out of her mouth. She isolated herself more and more, and her plants grew higher and higher...until her house one day was simply overwhelmed by vegetation. No one saw her again...someone thought that she actually "merged" in her plants, alive.


See that? I have given the mortals the gift of art and music, but it's a gift they cannot always control. It can consume them. And it does it even more when they are attuned to your gift, sister. For my power is the stuff of emotions, and yours is where art and science converge.
The spark of curiosity was in Olohimn's smiling eyes... a little creepy, actually.
Think what it could be achieved if we worked together. Let's give the mortals a way to attune to magic via art and songs. Let's conecntrate and sort out this consuming force into gifted individuals, so that it doesn't run wild into the world and consume its wielders.
It will not be magic, nor art...it will be something new. People will be able to sense the emotions of the world, and pour down theirs ito reality. They will be able to change the course of weather and rally armies to victory with a song of theirs.... what do you say?

"I say... My magic is art! It is fueled by passion! By intrigue! By rage! By curiosity! By love and by hate! What a beautiful thing it is. Commingling it with other arts must surely be a good thing. What do you have in mind?"

The day before Cereim approached the elves

Cereim decided it would be good to have a place for sorcerers to call home, and to share their magic with each other. So she raised a very special tower out of the ground in eastern Norian.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Starting AP: 7
-1 Bless: A secret antivenom to the Juresh has been developed, and it's secrets shared by Cereim with the sorceress, Lorelei. It must be drunk within a very short period after infection, and it works like this: the victim will still fall asleep on schedule with the toxin, and will sleep until the cure has expunged the poison. While asleep, the victim's pulse will slow and he/she will get cold and appear to all practical purposes dead. This means that until the victim wakes up, there is no way to know if the cure worked, or if the poison took the life of the victim. All concerned loved ones can do is to take care of the body and keep it warm while they hope it is recovering. If the cure is drunk while there is no poison, whoever imbibed it will fall asleep in that deathlike state for a day or two.
-4 create artifact: tower of sorcery
Details to come. I still have to decide what it does.
Ending AP: 2

[SpeedWitch]

Not a nymph, no, nor a swarm - though certainly Steve might wish it so.

After all, if he had awoken to a swarm of nymphs, it would have meant two things. One: a swarm of the best lovers in existence had just walked into camp with him naked and asked to sleep with him.

Two: his companions would still be alive.

He awoke to the taste of honey upon his lips and a smell of lilacs. His head was laying on someone's legs, laid beneath his head like a pillow. As he opened his eyes, he saw a young woman with flawless skin the color of bark. Her emerald hair hung down to the small of her back, and her pointed ears prominently poked through the strands. Leaves gathered around her front in an almost mocking facsimile of a backless dress.

She placed a finger to his lips as he spoke, concern evident on her face. "Shh. Hold still now, dear. I'm here to help you." She pressed a cup to his lips, filled with more of the... honey? Probably not, but it tasted like it. "You're of Greylith, yes? Your group had an accident on the way home."

Scouting Party
(What's left of it)

"Accident? Mmmph—" Steve tried to pull himself up, but found he had little strength. "Where is everyone...?" He looks around until his eyes focus on the woman. "And who are you?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I don't mind at all. I think I've gotten into the habit of leaving some interactions open-ended, for others to jump into, or for me to continue by myself and figure out how to put more lore into the world. Not sure if that's bad or good in this game.

Just to be clear, is this taking place in the past, before Steve told his "story"? Or is it about the scouting part in the present?

If it's the first, it's a pretty damn dark story to tell to the men back home.

Spoiler: At the tavern

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"Guys, you'll never believe this!"

"What?"

"A swarm of nymphs killed our scouting party and made-out with them!"

"... What."

"Yeah, I'd never believe that."

"But it's true! Honest to Greyl, it happened!"

"Wait, which came first, the sex or the murder?"

"Uhh... yes!"

"Lucky bastards. That's how I'd want to die."

[Razade]

The Dark and Dead

Kalyr raised an eyebrow at the term "Hive". "We are more of a collective, but I suppose the term Hive suits just as well" he said, "I am the Executor of this great city, which means Leader if you are unfamiliar with the term. But if you offer us gifts, what do you seek in return?" a curious tone crept into Kalyr's voice.

"This one requests two breeding pair from this Hive but not in exchange for these gifts. They are Brood Leader Executors as a show of peace. This one will trade other resources with Brood Leader Executor for the breeding pairs and will return them unharmed in three cycles of the Bright Eye Above." The Speaker motions to one of the others in it's pack, the spider creature moving forward to pour gold and gems out between the two. "This one is certain it can come to an agreement.

[The Emerald Woods]
Corpse Hive Al'Anzur and the Servants of Steel

The stars shone bright as they soared across the sky tonight. No one on Earth could tell, though, because of the immense cloud cover over the woodlands of Greylith.

Eight humans walked through the woods, shedding their cloaks as they approached the undead, revealing white clothing and reflective necklaces of varying gemstones, save for Jakov, who was wearing traditional guard armor, and looking very drunk. The shadowy warrior who assembled them, however, was not seen until he lit a torch in front of the Speech Weaver.

"Here are the breeding pairs, Weavers of Al'Anzur. Return them in twenty days time."

The Speaker bows, motioning the eight to the brood behind it. "This one thanks you. It will comply with the agreement." It then turns to the eight, motioning to the Bone Weavers who move to bind their eyes with silk. "It is best if you do not see the Hive. Humans are fragile. " it offers before carting the humans off to Hive Al'Anzur. The trip is long and as one would expect of the Undead any real amenities for the humans are sparse though fetid water and rough vegetables aren't in low supply for the journey.

[thethird]

Of gods and elves

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She searched and she searched on Norian, but she could find no evidence of her magic on the continent. That was flustering. Did they just not know about it? She danced under the stars, and looked up at them. She too saw the constellation describing her magic. "Cool..." She wondered why nobody seemed to be using it.

She decided now was as good a time as ever. She covered her eyes with one hand and reached out her other hand, and grabbed a necklace from the darkness. It was beautiful, a platinum medallion on a silver chain. The medallion had a burst pattern etched into it. She had created what she would call, "The Arcane Spark," and with it, she would spread her magic throughout the human world.

She went to one particular clan of elves, the Drenzalli clan. She danced in front of their horses, and threw breathtaking pyrotechnics into the air with each step. The Drenzalli brought their spooked antelopes and chariots to a halt, and stood in awe of the dance of a goddess. She levitated a few feet above the ground as she spoke to them. "Come with me, and I will share what I know. I will shelter you and keep you nourished. You will be able to do these things and more. You will learn to do things that no elf ever dreamed of!" As she spoke the word, "these," she moved her hands in a complicated set of shapes, and summoned a mount of her own. It was a healthy female white horse, which contrasted the antelopes that the elves rode upon.

Cereim knew about Tim. He used her magic in the South. A goddess has a way of knowing when her tools are being used. She would seek him at a later point.

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Starting AP: 14
-4 Create Artifact: The Arcane Spark.

When this platinum pendant on it's silver chain is worn as a necklace, it grants great magical power to the wearer, provided they already know sorcery. A mortal who wears it can cast any spell they know as often as they like without tiring. A god(dess) who wears it will find that it allows him/her/other to counter any spell cast by a mortal and decide how it resolves, provided that god(dess) has at least a basic experience with using sorcery. It also amplifies outright any spell a god(dess) casts.

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That's well and good and all, but it boils down to this; RCR bonus of 1, plus A god(dess) who wears it will find that it allows him/her/other to counter any spell cast by a mortal and decide how it resolves, provided that god(dess) has at least a basic experience with using sorcery.

The other effects are just fluff for the RCR bonus.

-3 Divine Infusion: The Arcane Spark:

Any sorcerer who wears the arcane spark will find that he/she is a capable teacher in the ways of sorcery, and will be compelled to do Cereim's will. If and only if Cereim wears The Arcane Spark, Cereim may bestow in a creature she dances with, the powers of a sorcerer (spells with a similar level of power as the intended uses of 4th level spells). And infusions grant an RCR bonus of +2, making the total RCR bonus from The Arcane Spark +3.

Remaining AP: 7

And yes, the Drenzalli clan will eventually be based on an Italian family.

The Drenzalli Anghal turns towards the Daktari and the Cestrim. The Daktari, an old witch skilled in the balanced magic of the nature godesses, acts as the old wise spiritual advisor and as she nods the clan leader feels relieved. The Cestrim, a scantly clad pale maiden with a golden wheel inscribed at her back, has risen to prominence upon the clan acting as a no nonsense allowed treasurer. When she also gives a curly nod there is some joy in the Anghal leader.

"What's that?" He says signaling the mare. "Is it fast?"

Mountain March

One of the Cestrim the frozen monks approach the coming orks. He observes them in silence for a moment studying their march and considering their future. In part their march towards the frozen god, the glass cathedral, and he is called to preach to them. For another the orks are allied with the elves, and many would die, if he were to drive them away he would save many.

Ultimately emotion wasn't something that computed well inside the monk, he moved towards the ork caravan stood in front on them undisturbed by the cold and raised a hand.

"Who speaks for the caravan? Where are you headed?"

[HalfTangible]

Scouting Party
(What's left of it)

"Accident? Mmmph—" Steve tried to pull himself up, but found he had little strength. "Where is everyone...?" He looks around until his eyes focus on the woman. "And who are you?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I don't mind at all. I think I've gotten into the habit of leaving some interactions open-ended, for others to jump into, or for me to continue by myself and figure out how to put more lore into the world. Not sure if that's bad or good in this game.

Just to be clear, is this taking place in the past, before Steve told his "story"? Or is it about the scouting part in the present?

If it's the first, it's a pretty damn dark story to tell to the men back home.

Spoiler: At the tavern

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"Guys, you'll never believe this!"

"What?"

"A swarm of nymphs killed our scouting party and made-out with them!"

"... What."

"Yeah, I'd never believe that."

"But it's true! Honest to Greyl, it happened!"

"Wait, which came first, the sex or the murder?"

"Uhh... yes!"

"Lucky bastards. That's how I'd want to die."

Spoiler

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The latter. If it were the former, I would've done the swarm of nymphs also, the dryad didn't kill the party. Users of Romancy are barely capable of harming anything, let alone slaughtering entire scouting parties.

"Call me Sweetheart." She traced her hand along his belly. "You're healed. Exhausted, but in no real danger." Her face relaxed. "It was touch-and-go for a while, though. Had to contract you just to keep you breathing." She brought another cup to his lips. "Trouble yourself not with the others. Trust me, and I shall restore your energy."

She brought him up and into a hug, his head resting on her soft, ample busom. "I love you, my companion."

... Sweetheart had known him for all of maybe a minute, and yet Steve could almost feel the sincerity of her affection.

Normally, that would have been cause for concern. But Steve knew of both the nymphs and the dryads - she was clothed, so this was evidently the latter. Where Nymphs found the sexually repressed and... well, unrepressed them (rawr) Dryads found those starved for affection and would become their companion for a year and a day, granting them the deepest of emotional bonds.

... But he had a report to make - he couldn't wait that long.

Spoiler: AP (Rollover's happened at time of edit)

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Amoros: 4AP (6/9)
+4AP
____
8AP

[mattsdelf]

The Tower of Sorcery

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Yes, I'm doing this.

Cereim created a wonderful, enormous tower, dubbed, "The Tower of Sorcery." It was made of huge stone bricks. It stood hundreds of stories into the sky, and was about 80ft in diameter. It is located on the coast, overlooking the sea. In fact, the sea came in to surround it, and a mighty drawbridge connects the tower to the land surrounding it.

Legends say that anyone who goes there to learn sorcery will not be disappointed. They say that the staircases re-align themselves to create passages to hidden floors, and that there are many different kinds of floors, some of which might remind you of different outdoor settings.

There are four different sleeping quarters, named after 4 creatures of the wild. The Halls of the Sea Serpent, The Halls of the Spider, The Halls of the Dragon, and The Halls of the Monkey. More legends tell that upon arrival at the tower, if you intend to stay, the stairs will lead you to one of the former halls, based on your personality and wishes.

The Tower also has magical armaments that might protect its occupants in times of trouble.

"Good! Now I shall need to find stewards and some occupants!"

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I spent AP in my last post.
Yes, it's loosely based on Hogwarts... But there are no teachers. Also magic is fueled by emotions, and not learnable from books or studying. If you or a group wish to learn a spell, the stairs will know, and they will take you to a room where the setting is right to practice that spell. This includes dummies and props.
The legends are true.
The stairs are psychic and will know to lead you to the dinning hall, your sleeping quarters, or to a practice room when you approach them. They may also take you other places. They have a certain sense of irony.
There is a room for virtually every setting and the Tower makes more rooms as necessary.
There are also rooms for each of the gods, customized for their tastes, but only that god or Cereim may find it by calling a staircase. Cereim can have the staircases take her wherever she wants.
The tower will always provide food and water for its occupants.
Anyone who studies here is affected by a bless to be good at learning and practicing magic. Anyone who finishes training up to a certain point will be affected by the bless after they leave as well.
Cereim can deny the benefits of the tower to anyone she wants, and can kick people out, who the tower will try to attack if they try to return.
The armaments grant a +2 bonus to RCR only when a mortal or group of mortals is defending the tower from another mortal or group of mortals. Does that seem fair? If not, the tower already does some pretty impressive stuff.

The Drenzalli Anghal turns towards the Daktari and the Cestrim. The Daktari, an old witch skilled in the balanced magic of the nature godesses, acts as the old wise spiritual advisor and as she nods the clan leader feels relieved. The Cestrim, a scantly clad pale maiden with a golden wheel inscribed at her back, has risen to prominence upon the clan acting as a no nonsense allowed treasurer. When she also gives a curly nod there is some joy in the Anghal leader.

"What's that?" He says signaling the mare. "Is it fast?"

Cereim smiled. The elves had a respect for speed. Surely they would admire a horse!
"This is Niks, she is a horse. Isn't she gorgeous? Much like your antelopes. Horses are taller, and have stronger legs than antelopes. Niks is pretty fast for a horse, and the average horse is faster than an antelope.

I used a spell to call her here, and when I dismiss it, she will return to the other horses until I call her again. If you come with me, you can learn to do the same."

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I seem to recall Mystic saying in the OOC that the game only really makes sense if mundane life is assumed to exist. That being said, horses are big and stand out a little, so I'm going to spend AP on them, retroactively. They exist in Norian.
Starting AP: 2
-1 Create Basic Life: Horses
+4 rollover in an hour.
Remaining AP:5

[thethird]

Cereim smiled. The elves had a respect for speed. Surely they would admire a horse![/spoiler]
"This is Niks, she is a horse. Isn't she gorgeous? Much like your antelopes. Horses are taller, and have stronger legs than antelopes. Niks is pretty fast for a horse, and the average horse is faster than an antelope.

I used a spell to call her here, and when I dismiss it, she will return to the other horses until I call her again. If you come with me, you can learn to do the same."[/spoiler]

The Anghal scratched his chin while slowly advancing towards Nicks, when he gets to the animal's side he pats it provingly before caressing it's back and giduing his hand to he horse neck which he playfully caresses finally he gets the hand to the animal's ear and starts to scratch it's base.

"This is a good animal. Although I'm not certain it can be faster than my antelopes. But it's big and I'm sure it can carry my or other's weight if trained. It's also taller, not tall like the Cestrim's mount but taller than the antelopes. I like her. But I've got two questions before we take your deal. First, about your spell, you used to get Niks here from where she was. Can you teach us to do that to people too? That would be faster than Niks or any other mount, if you got her from wherever she was to here instantly, that's real fast. With that no mount could equal it. Second question will we be able to leave? My people tend to be bad at staying at one place unless there is much to learn and discover."

[Hatter]

Mountain March

The Cestrim was fortunate indeed for as he approached the Orks he was blessed as the first person to ever see how it is that Orks manage to survive anywhere.

Two thirds of the gathered Orks had began to shift and change, great monstrosities that towered over lesser Orks with large bellies, some among them even had two heads! Some were born with only one eye and some even had three! Ogres were brought into being, bigger and stronger than any Ork, though they lacked the intelligence of others. They were also gifted with a natural gift of Sorcery and weilded it like a great hammer.

After all was said and done, a great and lumbering ogre stepped up to the elf, it's bulging red eye looking down at the elf. "Me be Gorog. Me be leedah. Whatchu wan' lil' elf?"

Spoiler: Illnara

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+4AP Rollover
-1AP Alter Action, Ogres: Create a subrace of Orks, bigger and dumber yet somehow more gifted with sorcery

[thethird]

Mountain March

Spoiler

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The Cestrim was fortunate indeed for as he approached the Orks he was blessed as the first person to ever see how it is that Orks manage to survive anywhere.

Two thirds of the gathered Orks had began to shift and change, great monstrosities that towered over lesser Orks with large bellies, some among them even had two heads! Some were born with only one eye and some even had three! Ogres were brought into being, bigger and stronger than any Ork, though they lacked the intelligence of others. They were also gifted with a natural gift of Sorcery and weilded it like a great hammer.

After all was said and done, a great and lumbering ogre stepped up to the elf, it's bulging red eye looking down at the elf. "Me be Gorog. Me be leedah. Whatchu wan' lil' elf?"

Spoiler: Illnara

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+4AP Rollover
-1AP Alter Action, Ogres: Create a subrace of Orks, bigger and dumber yet somehow more gifted with sorcery

The Cestrim was impresed but didn't look the part he just stood in front of the ogre impervious to the creature's breath as he was to the cold. He looked up and down staring at the ork.

"I want to know if you want to reach the cathedral, or you just want to freeze to death."

Forest, Southern Norian

Karaziemia was contempt to stand in the forest, she was still uncertain as to how she should interpret the conversation with the fire god. A part of her considered his comments. Were the elves incapable of settling? Perhaps. Should she address that? Well there were still many things to learn. Staying on one place would limit the scope. But if she was going to build something perhaps she should start soon. The sooner the better. So many questions...

"Sister? Would you come to me? I wish to talk with you."

[AvocadoAvenger]

The Amphitheater of Aptitude

"My Darkin, much like I, are physically pained by the light and therefore I made these Isles so we could hide from it until our power grows enough that we can show ourselves to the world. Unfortunately this earned me the ire of Burning God" he said with a slight grimace. At her last words, a coy grin appeared on his face. "Well we could always seek out more of us who are as like-minded as we are to make sure that the world is safe from those who would destroy the world's dark places... Could that be to your liking, dear sister?" he said, fluttering his eyelashes innocently.

Pisceanas' grin remained plastered to her face. She deviously responded, "yes, I could support such an alliance. I certainly hold no love for the daylight and any who would seek to bring it to the dark crevices of the world. If the shade of your islands are ever threatened, I may be able to host you in the depths of the ocean for some time." She had no idea whether she meant to sincerely follow the last part, or how long she would tolerate them if she did, but she hoped to promote friendly relations by making the offer, however possibly empty.

The Ocean

The Ocean
Ilnara knelt down upon the water's surface and with a single finger, she tapped it to cause a rippling effect in an effort to call the Sea Serpent back to her. "Come here, Little One. I will not harm you."

Ilnara felt a wave of magical negative energy sweep over her eyes and retinal facilities. If she were a less powerful being, she may have been in more danger of being blinded. The Serpent then lunged at Ilnara, leaping from the water briefly and nipping at her knee.

From deeper in the water, a booming voice could be heard, "why do you disturb us, you who treads on the watery domain?"

[Razade]

Yen'Shi
The Twilight Grove

The Great Corpse Beast watched as the mortals of the world below began to expand and to grow over the great land masses, gnashing its teeth slowly as its own creations tunneled and burrowed beneath the Earth to no avail for despite the Breath spreading across the globe the Undead were land bound and locked from their brethren across the oceans. The barrier between the Twilight Grove and the planet was still thin and with a roar the God of Death ripped from the Grove and into the world, its cries echoing across the globe as it dove under the waves that stretched over the world and down into the earth below. It tunneled with a thousand hands and it's great tail whipped about as it moved, great caverns and tunnels stretching out where ever the deity passed until the world was riddled and porous like a sponge, great rifts driven deep into the ocean to create underground lakes and oceans and making the dark perilous and vents in the ground opened to the surface connecting the land masses not via machine or foot but by riddles in the dark. With its task complete the great Corpse Beast retreated back to the Twilight Grove to rest for what business did the God of Death have to stay long in the land of the living.

Spoiler: AP Actions

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Roll Over +4

Create Land: The Web-Way -2 AP

4-2 = 2 AP

[Hatter]

Forest, Southern Norian

After her discussion with the sea serpent, Illnara appeared infront of Karaziemia, literally stepping out from a tree to stand before her sister that she brought into being. "How may I assist?"

Ocean

Illnara didn't even bother movin away, she allowed the creature to nip at her ankle and with a soft smile she simply asked. "Tell me, creature. Why does your kind attack my children?"

She knelt down, an immensely humongous being without actually being much larger than the average Ork. "Surely there is a way for their kind and yours to live in peace."

Mountain March

"Da Catherdal? Joo take Gorog? Gorog not go. Me be grab otha Orkses. Dey be go. Joo take dem." Gorog lumbered away and within moments he brought back a group of Orks. Five Ogres, Four Orks and 1 Goblin. All ten Orks exhibited signs of wear and tear, scars that decorated their bodies from the hardships of being in the mountains.

Gorog then looked at the elf and said. "Da Orks be go ta make deal wit' Catherdal. Dey come back make Orks strong fer Mountains."

[AvocadoAvenger]

The Ocean

The Serpent who had flung itself at Ilnara continued gnawing at her leg for several seconds before detaching. He had never encountered a creature that could shrug off his jaws like Ilnara had done, so he figured it may be his best move to engage her in conversation and discover what she might be up to. "I will assume that your children are those that look like you, but it matters not. My kind exists to protect the oceans-"

"If your kind wishes to live in peace with us, they need only avoid the shores," said the voice from the depths in a voice that was equally booming and eerie as earlier. From the depths, a giant looming shadow and what looked like a pair of wings could just barely be seen. That is, if Ilnara was looking hard enough.

The smaller, visible, original Sea Serpent spoke again, "may I inquire as to who exactly you are? My name is Flucton."

[Messy Lamaniera]

The Dreamlands

Spoiler

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Elven Dreams
Visuri Clan

The clan's Anghal looked behind himself catching his breath. The Daktari rested her hand in his shoulder. Comforting him. Her clothes were tight, giving him little trouble to know what was underneath. Desire flared in his chest as he contemplated hers. There was a change on her eyes, it wasn't disaproval, nor it was surprise. It was focus. The clan sprung into movement again.

The hunt!

They were like a pack skillfully moving across the forest. Jumping from a branch to the next with leaps as easy as steps. Few actually flew, their mind pushing their bodies forward disregarding gravity or the concerns of the waking world. Many didn't realize that they were dreaming taking such movement for granted, elves were to move! To keep going forward. To stay put was to die. But there were those that questioned the bound's reality. Those disappeared waking in shudders far from the clan. Only the fastest, the purest, and most feral remained.

The wild hunt!

Their prey kept eluding them for it was just a dream. The elves were fast, potentially faster than anything dreaming in the dream world but how could one catch a revelrie? The creature appeared and disappeared as a taunting mirage, being always so close, but not close enough. It's body was dark dark, the fur like misty nights but the antlers would flare from time to time with witchfire like a tricky will o' wisp. The elves covetted the creature's speed, they embied it, and admired it in equal measure. They ran after it.

The wildest hunt!

When the elves finally clashed against the stag it vanished. Turning into thin air and disappearing from their sight. It's witch light flaring in the distance as mockery. Other lights flared in tune and the elves couldn't help but to think of it as laughter. They were far in the dreamlands, the rushing hunt's frezy still thrilling on their veins had lost them. For how long had they ran? How far had they travelled? Where were they?

The elf's inquiry was met with one answer; a mighty boom of an answer. A flaming head enshrouded in green fire exploded from the horizon and met with the elves, it's voice like the cracking of thunder. ""Who dares enter the Dreamlands! Who dares bypass the gates of Ivory and Bone that are closed to all waking mortals and gods?!"" Its eyes are two holes painted black, it's mouth spews the same fire that enshrouds it and it has fearsome fake looking fangs.

"Now prepare to be burned alive BAHAHAHAH!"

It drifted horizontally towards the ground to face the elves of the Visuri clan. "What? Nay!" Said a small dignified voice behind the flaming giant head. It sound cordial, but childish, it had a tone of pampered prince to it. "Lord Morgorach will be mighty pissed if ya go 'round breakin' his only rule." There was this exasperated yelp inside the head, which was clearly made of wood and badly cobbled together. "Ahwww cmooon, Daniel you never let me do anything fun!" As the young girly voice the came from inside it slowly turned from green to... purple? The Visuri clan could barely understand how a sound could have a color, but they did say this was the lands of dreams, did they not?

"Fun? Lass ya have one o' da most disturbin' d'finitions o' fun I have evah seen. Compose yourself." From behind the head, which was now breaking apart and falling into clumps of useless wood came out a tall and impressive boy, easily the size of a horse. He smiled a toothy grin and spoke like a lord from a far away land that never existed. "Am sorry for de lass, me fair sires. Lulu is too impulsive at times." From the ruble came out a purple rattling of a girl, all grins and ears with a heat twice her own size which was not impressive to begin with. She also looked terribly outlandish. "Am not!" she spat back at Daniel. "Am sorry." he said nonchalantly. All the times." As an answer to that she hopped on a small wooden shaft and flew up into the kaleidoscopic sky giggling madly all the way.

Daniel sighed at Lulu's carefree ways. "Again, am sorry. Our lord is awaeh n' we dunnae have a butler in Castle Dreamin' anymore, so we came to check on ya. Welcome to da Dreamlands. Sorry to be a bothah, but ya will have to came with us." Daniel extended a friendly hand and an easy smile, his golden mane of a hair blazing against a wind that touched only him.

[Hatter]

The Ocean

The Serpent who had flung itself at Ilnara continued gnawing at her leg for several seconds before detaching. He had never encountered a creature that could shrug off his jaws like Ilnara had done, so he figured it may be his best move to engage her in conversation and discover what she might be up to. "I will assume that your children are those that look like you, but it matters not. My kind exists to protect the oceans-"

"If your kind wishes to live in peace with us, they need only avoid the shores," said the voice from the depths in a voice that was equally booming and eerie as earlier. From the depths, a giant looming shadow and what looked like a pair of wings could just barely be seen. That is, if Ilnara was looking hard enough.

The smaller, visible, original Sea Serpent spoke again, "may I inquire as to who exactly you are? My name is Flucton."

Illnara smiled "I am Illnara, Lady of the Harvest. All plant life is harvested, from the smallest fish that feeds on algae to the rat the picks off the corn to the Ork who grows crops. I oversee this."

"Flucton, it is a pleasure to meet you and you as well." She gazed past Flucton into the deep waters.

"My children do not enter the sea, they remain by creeks and streams and yet they are harmed. I understand that the water is your home but the Orks do not harm you. They do not seek you out. I do not harm you. They do not waste, they take in balance, mindful of seasons and mating periods and yet... I cannot understand why they are harmed." Illnara still remained calm and unaggressive in any way.

"I would seek a compromise on their behalf. I will not stand idly by while your kind hunt my children anymore."

[thethird]

Mountain March
The frozen elf looks at the ogre, the ork, and shakes his head slowly. It wouldn't be fair to ease their travel. To take them there. If they can't make the journey on their own they are worthless to the freezing god. But pointing the direction wouldn't be beyond what he could do for them. Wasn't he supposed to preach? What good would there be in sending them to the wrong door?

"Nay, I won't lead you there. It's a travel you need to make on your own. But continue in that direction for four days and you will reach the monastery where you will be given chance to trade. And further directions to the cathedral."

Forest, Southern Norian

Karaziemia looks at her sister and smiles. She raises her hands brimming with seeds. They are all different, hailing from the biggest trees and the smallest bushes. She lets them flow through her fingers escapping from her grasp and falling to the ground. Carefully she picks some of them and shows them again to Illnara.

"Sister, our children explore and trade, and there is good in that. They learn from each other and from themselves. I wondered if we should bless them. They are using seeds and grain for bartering and there is cleverness in that. I wish to empower those seeds, so they can grow bountiful into strong trees to be nurtured with the magic you taught the children. But I would rather do it with your knowledge, consent, and hopefully your blessing."

Dreamlands
Only the Cestrim monk was unfazed by the dreams display, the rest of the clan, even the Anghal took some steps back the thrill of the hunt leaving their senses completely. The expressions went from fear to surprise to confusion. And some easy nervous laughter erupted when they saw what was truly at them. It was a little contagious and finally the elves rested more easily, smiles on their lips. The Anghal though was tasked with being always wary, always careful of dangers, thinking on the short term and not the long.

"Sorry for the intrusion, no ill was intended. But who are you? You haven't shared your name."

He said while advancing towards Daniel.

Spoiler

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Starting AP 2 + 4 AP (from rollover)

Karaziemia is using 3 AP to infuse the seeds as bartering tools for the orks/goblins/ogres and elves along with everyone who trades with them. The seeds will have the goddess essence and will grow into semi magical plant materials (livingwood, darkwood, bronzewood, duskwood, etcetera). This makes the plants grown for them specially fit to battle fantastic life when cared or used by someone revering Karaziemia.

3 AP gain domain Trade (Commrce): Actions (above or here)
1 AP Alter Action: Elven Nature Magic is based in exchanging one thing from another
1 AP Create Mundane concept: Trading
2 AP Form Alliance (With Illnara): The two godesses (and their creatures) trade with each other
3 AP Infuse seeds: Seeds are the bartering tools.

0 AP remaining

[AvocadoAvenger]

Illnara smiled "I am Illnara, Lady of the Harvest. All plant life is harvested, from the smallest fish that feeds on algae to the rat the picks off the corn to the Ork who grows crops. I oversee this."

"Flucton, it is a pleasure to meet you and you as well." She gazed past Flucton into the deep waters.

"My children do not enter the sea, they remain by creeks and streams and yet they are harmed. I understand that the water is your home but the Orks do not harm you. They do not seek you out. I do not harm you. They do not waste, they take in balance, mindful of seasons and mating periods and yet... I cannot understand why they are harmed." Illnara still remained calm and unaggressive in any way.

"I would seek a compromise on their behalf. I will not stand idly by while your kind hunt my children anymore."

The voice from the deep bellowed upwards "How long before balance leads to scarcity? Before the amount taken becomes too much?"

Neither Flucton or the Serpent from the deep seemed to fully comprehend that they were talking with a deity. Explaining the other Serpent's point, Flucton continued, "you may not be harming the sea yet, but there will likely come a day when those who live on the land will. It is our goal to make sure that that day never comes and to fight it if it does. Like I said, we are protectors of the ocean, and ours is the way of preventative medicine, if you will. If your race takes from the sea a little, they may see fit to take from the sea a lot. If not them, then others. The ocean will do fine without any land-dweller dipping their fingers into it, so why let them dabble in it at all? Death to any who tempt the sea is fair, it is just, it does not discriminate. What compromise would you make with equality?"

[Hatter]

The Ocean - Illnara, Serpents

"You do not seem to understand, children. You judge a people on actions that could possibly happen without any basis in fact or experience. My people require water and the life that dwells within it for life, just as your kind requires the life which feeds off of the life which is my purview." Illnara smiles but she is not playing nice anymore.

"I offer peace. You refuse and question. I have tried and you deny me. You are the guardians of the ocean? I call you tyrants. I call you oppressors. I call you murderers. You will not touch my children unprovoked again. They will not harm you. They are incapable of the act. They will continue to maintain balance for that is their very nature. " Illnara takes a deep breath and then stops speaking altogether. She has quite obviously had enough of the mindless slaughter.

Mountain March- Da Orks

The group of Orks departed in the direction which they were told to go without hesitation. The path was a rough one but the Orks did not slow and did not falter. They were built tough and durable, far more so than any elf could ever hope to achieve with their silly notions of speed.

It wasnt 4 days but 3 that the Orks arrived at the monastary, covered in sweat and grime but otherwise in good health.

Southern Forest, Norian - Illnara, Karaziemia

Illnara nodded and said "Your blessing of the seeds is plenty for the time. Travel and trade is your purview, sister. This, I shall not interfere with."