Lo watched the Lord of Magic work his art.
Beautiful craft and great power bestowed... She saw the gemstones, the careful enchants, the laying of runes and the saying of spells. Magic was a beautiful art Lo had never...gotten the hang of. She preferred her followers to do so in her stead.
As Magnus finished his work and left for the ethers, Lo stayed awhile on the comet, appreciating it's majesty. She walked and swam in its magical heat, feeling the flames and tendrils of mana. It was like...like...ambrosia. No, better. This had power. She simply could not resist it's...radiance, it's beauty, it's colour...it's divine passion.
TeEakeF it. DevourR it. UseUS it. Empower Us. That voice...was not Lo. It did not sound like Lo. It did not feel like Lo. It felt...rough and bestial.
WHO DARES INVADE OUR MIND?! REVEAL! REVEAL! WHO DARES. WHO DARES. WHO DARES. WHO DARES. WHO BY SOLARIS-MAJOR TAKE OUR MINDS?!Nothing answered, nothing spoke. Was she going mad? Madder? She was not sure. She would need to tread lightly. Perhaps she had been working too hard? Too little?
Regardless, she needed to leave this place. The ethereal mana was affecting her mind. As she prepared to blink back to the Tutelaspera, she made a quick decision to take a small chunk of the comet back with her; the whole comet would arrive at Despair soon enough, why not give her followers a small advantage?
Why not indeed?---
Arriving back at the Tutelaspera, she was informed that the dwarf Gren had called a meeting of the gods and giants at Eversummer. She had missed the whole affair. Had she really been away for so long? It had felt like only an hour or so to her. Perhaps she was losing herself. Perhaps her madness was only growing.
What next, eight minds in this head? It's crowded enough. Perhaps she should stop worrying.
The meeting resulted in being classically split by pantheon lines. Corvus and the rest of the Guardians had more or less supported the giants' proposal: Eversummer was not to be touched by the direct force of the gods. Vanida and Udil-Volondor on the other hand had refused. She could see where this was going. The Couple, if not prevented, would try to institute a divine rule over Despair, believing their divine power enough right to rules mortals. If the Guardians were not prevented, then the current status quo would continue, with Despair being split into competing nations and denominations. A third side, that of the Giants, would result in mortal-secular-rule. That would be the ultimate setting for natural improvement...but would sap her own abilities.
Lo would not tip the scales in any direction just yet. She was not yet sure of the full consequences of any of those future. Instead, she would continue with her Improvements.
---
Over the centuries, she had found worshipers amongst the Crowborn, the Dwarves and the Humans. None fully understood Lo's purpose and goals. Those dwarves and humans who had taken to worshiping her saw Lo as a death goddess. In their misguided beliefs, they saw Lo as the spirit of death who ended lives so as to let others live. They thought by starving and self-flagellation, they earned her protection. Furthermore, she did this via plagues, murder, war and other negative acts. While it was true that she did condone such things, it would not be prudent for her to devote all her time to such activities.
The Crowborn on the other hand wisely saw Lo as the Improver still...but their method of improvement was...unsatisfactory. They were mystics; not at all pragmatic. They cloistered themselves in monasteries and recluses, praying and fasting. They thought that by leading ascetic lives, the Improver would grant them improvements. She sighed at such a belief. Lo helped those who were willing to help themselves.
Regardless, she would help both of these wayward sects, and she would do so while keeping their local beliefs intact; if she broke them, she would lose followers. She sent forward her simulacrums and began her work.
---
As her heretical believers worked, slept, ate and meditated, her very form suddenly appeared in each of their minds and consumed their thoughts. Many cried out in surprise, others leaped out into the air horrified, and yet others knelt down in praise. The Goddess Was With Them.
Her images spoke.
"My followers, my children, my apostles and my kin. I have watched all of you from afar. You who bury the dead, you who sing the ceremonies, you who pray and starve. You Crows, You Dwarves, You Humans. And yet...there is a lesson You have not understood. I am the Improver; I am the Guide and Mentor. I am not your Servant and I am not your Deliverer. You must act-WORK-towards your own Improvement. Do not wait for Me to visit each of you and grant you a wish; you must train. You must run to be a sprinter, you must write to be a scholar, you must work to be a leader. You must not seclude yourselves. You Must Practice. You Must Help."
"Regardless, my children, I shall grant you a gift, a gift of knowledge and discipline for I know that for all your hardships you all deserve peace and reward. Know that I shall grant you strength, power...and immortality. You shall be like gods, you shall be Improved."
"I do not give this however, immediately. You must earn it. You must follow the Six-Discipline Thorn Path. 'What be that?' some of you shall say. Worry not; for I shall reveal it to all of you. I know that this Path be hard and difficult and not all of you shall pass. Worry not, for by even completing a fraction of the Path, you become better, you become Improved. I ask that you spread the Path to all who wish to know, regardless of who they are and who they worship."
And with that, Lo ended her sermon and unleashed the Six-Discipline Thorn Path upon her wayward followers.
Action: Take a small chunk of the Comet to the Tutelaspera. Reveal to the Shattered of the Comet's coming and that they should be ready for it.1 Act: Give every one of my dwarf, human and crowborn followers knowledge of the Six-Discipline Thorn Path (SDTP). Encourage them to write it down and spread the word. The Path itself, if completed, allows one to become immune to old-age, disease and rot. It enhances their natural magic reserves, empowers their senses and if killed, allows them to rise once again, as long as they store their souls within a phylactery. The effectively, become Liches. They must conduct the following to become Liches:- Discipline-Through-Fist. Aspirants must condition themselves to accept pain and train their physical bodies. They must achieve mastery of a combat-style.
- Discipline-Through-Craft. Aspirants must master the workings of a craft, be it gem-polishing, speech-writing, ironsmithing or dancing.
- Discipline-Through-Love. Aspirants must willingly and generously aid others through charity and voluntary works. They must contribute what they believe an incredibly large amount of time/wealth to this Discipline.
- Discipline-Through-Knowledge. Aspirants must learn and study copious amounts of knowledge, memorising and appreciating everything they learn. They must contribute new knowledge to society to fully complete this Discipline.
- Discipline-Through-Submission. Aspirants must prove their abilities by challenging and defeating at least twelve other Aspirants of equal ability. They must compete in 4 of the previous Disciplines. These challenges cannot be faked.
- Discipline-Through-Restraint. Aspirants must imbue themselves with a soul equal to their own, tasting its power, before releasing it into the Afterlife. If they do not release it, they are Damned and lose all their progress through the Disciplines.
Once all these have been completed, they must then simply choose/craft an object to act as a phylactery. After this, they are instantly granted the abilities of Lichdom. An alternative to individually completing these Disciplines is to mind-meld individuals who have collectively completed each Discipline. The ensuing Lich will have split-personalities like Lo and will be unable to resurrect after death.
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Topic: Pantheon Play Thread: In the beginning there was... (Read 86835 times)