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[Powder Miner]

Psaras turns back to Teskort and sighs deeply, and a bit angrily. "It is still an act of aggression, claimed worlds or not, and you are threatening me and via proxy, the Networlds.  It may not be a war of the mortals, but it sounds dangerously close to a clash between us, considering you said you would consider me as an enemy. And, I do not want that, it's- it needs to be avoided at all costs, despite your aggression. Just...

Can you not see that there are more important things to worry about than just mechanization?! What goes on on three worlds is apparently enough to make you want to split my attention from all- all- all the disaster that this universe is becoming! Even on my Networlds, which I can only focus on for a while, I need to stop the chaos, I can see that it's about to end Teskort, I can see it dammit, and I'm still trying to bring peace and here you are bringing up a squabble about mechanization! It's pointless!"

[HissinhWalnuts]

I... have no power to spare...


Nothing.

[micelus]

Urdu

"Get...things off skin. Get off. Get off. Can feel them. Moving. Bad feeling. Off. Get them off. All I want."

[Weirdsound]

Psaras turns back to Teskort and sighs deeply, and a bit angrily. "It is still an act of aggression, claimed worlds or not, and you are threatening me and via proxy, the Networlds.  It may not be a war of the mortals, but it sounds dangerously close to a clash between us, considering you said you would consider me as an enemy. And, I do not want that, it's- it needs to be avoided at all costs, despite your aggression. Just...

Can you not see that there are more important things to worry about than just mechanization?! What goes on on three worlds is apparently enough to make you want to split my attention from all- all- all the disaster that this universe is becoming! Even on my Networlds, which I can only focus on for a while, I need to stop the chaos, I can see that it's about to end Teskort, I can see it dammit, and I'm still trying to bring peace and here you are bringing up a squabble about mechanization! It's pointless!"

Teskort frowns. "The sad thing is I see where you are coming from. I see your point. I'm not sure if I believe in morality, but you have been very patient and your motives so far are pure. You see threats everywhere... Namq'ua, Myself, Feros, even the end of all things, and you seek to protect your children from it all. Commendable. I, however, have lived through the last Kapla. I know the curtain must fall sometime, and that most of us will not be there when it rises again. The way I see it, stalling for time is all well and good, but, seeing as the end will at some point come, shouldn't the goal be either find a way to escape personal destruction or to ensure the ideal you stand for as a god is fully realized before said destruction occurs? I don't feel I have the means to preserve myself, so that leaves only the second option available to me. The closer we get to the end, the more desperate I become to ensure that the end finds wild nature in a dominant position. The very reason you want peace is the very reason I can't allow it."

The father of beasts glances at the networlds, before turning to Psaras with tears of desperation in his eyes. As he speaks, it becomes clear that his previous aloofness was masking deep insecurities. "I do not want you as an enemy. Nor do I want to be implicitly responsible for hastening the end. Tell me that we will survive this, or that the end is far enough away that I have no need to hurry. Tell me we can find a compromise, and that Feros, Namq'ua, and the others will respect our terms! Tell me that you are willing to back down and capitulate to avoid this war, There, I used your word, Are you happy now? Tell me that we are brothers, and that no matter what transpires between us that we will be fond of one another in the end! Tell me words of cruelty! Fire up my anger so that I can feud with you without hurting inside! Tell me this is all a sick joke by some power above even us!"

The antlered one gives his head a shake, and munches on some of his herbs to cool down.

[Iituem]

"Shandra, run!"

The Child dragged his companion over the low wall, hauling himself forward with all his might.  Shandra struggled behind, snagging her feet on every root and tussock.

"Beren, I can't keep up!"

"You can make it, just keep running!"

Shandra stumbled and fell.  Beren scurried back to her and dragged her up to her feet again, half-supporting her as they continued to run.  Beren pointed to a thin blue line in the distance.

"Keep going, if we can make it to the river we can swim across!"

"Why doesn't it howl, Beren?  What sort of beast is it?!"

Beren shuddered.  That was the worst thing about the abomination.  It didn't seem to make any sound besides the creaking and rustling of its motion.  Even Demons hissed and roared.  He risked a glance backward at the creature.

Twelve feet high and half again as wide, you could be forgiven for thinking the horror a large bush or tree; as in fact they had.  It moved its roots and branches like limbs, chasing them with an unexpected cat-like grace.  Its upper branches were twisted into the forms of arms, of claws, of wings and tentacles and worse.  In places, tiny blue fires seemed uncannily reminiscent of eyes.  At the very heart of the shambling morass, a pair of strange gauntlets seemed woven into the mess, surrounded and pierced by roots and shoots.  Chaotic as it seemed, the beast was beautiful.  Each part was horrible, but as a whole the creature moved like a single flowing form.  Beren wished he had time to admire it, and even more fervently wished that it was not trying to kill him.

A vine shot out from the creature's body and wrapped itself around Beren's leg.  The Child struck the floor with a heavy thud, Shandra tumbling away from him.

"Run!" he yelled. "Save yours-aaAAAAUUUGH!!!"

Shandra watched in horror as, without even seeming to touch him beyond the vine, the creature began to change Beren.  Bones sprouted from his wrists, consuming his hands in a bloody mess.  He was forced upright to his knees, and his legs seemed to meld with the ground.  His face twisted into strands as his screams became more and more tortured and abstract.  Within twenty seconds, Beren was gone and in his place stood a beautiful tree.  Its trunk and limbs were bone, streaked with veins, with brilliant fleshy leaves and a beating heart where its roots dug into the ground.  When the wind rustled through its leaves, the haunting, perfect melody it played was only very slightly reminiscent of Beren's tortured cries.

Not that Shandra had much chance to appreciate it.  By the time Zzdwi had moved on in search of new material for another art project, two trees stood in the field, their ivory roots woven as one.

[Rhyme]

Araxiel came, and what he saw showed him this universe needed him. There was war and conflict, the strong harmed the weak, and Balance was non existant. Should the universe continue this way, destruction would be the only possibility. And the Judge would not simply let that happen.

Araxiel took seven mortals. He instructed them and gave them a part of his Essence. They would be the Judges. Each of them inmortal, invulnerable to time and disease, even wound on their flesh would only stop them for a time. Each of them superior in every possible way to the mortals. They would travel around the Universe riding on seven supernatural steeds. They would be able to tell lies from truth, their weapons would cut thorugh body and soul, and their knowledge of medicine would know no equal. Their names were Justice, Balance, Harmony, Order, Forgiveness, Punishment and Retribution.

And after instructing them and giving them power, Araxiel spoke:
Ride forth, my children. You will ride to the Networlds and the Photospheres, and give them this message. You are my Seven Judges, and you shall always remain neutral. Should someone want you to be the judge of a dispute, you shall perform your duty as a Judge, the only price being an oblation to me. But Balance, Order and Justice are more than simply giving judgement. You shall be Judges, but also Executioners. Should you find someone guilty after your Judgement, you shall ensure the penalty is enforced. Should the penalty be death, once you take their lives, their souls shall come to me, and with me they will stay, until I consider their sins to have been redeemed.

If someone tells you they want to worship me, instruct them in the principles of Balance, Order, Harmony, Justice, Punishment of sins, Forgiveness after the punishments and righteous Retribution against sinners that don't accept their punishment.

Now go my children, spread these words, make your Father proud.

Create the Seven Judges using 1 Major Act.

[evilcherry]

"Bah, new gods." Namq'ua croaked. "Not very interesting, but at least they have a place for me to work with."

Whisper, gently into the Judges of Punishment and Retribution. Make sure that they would deal out diseases, according to their working maxim, in order to provide a vehicle to spread the faith Namq'ua. Act.

Speak to the most affected on the Networlds and Photospheres. Tell them that only belief and sacrifice to Namq'ua, the blessed lord of all diseased, will they find joy in their unfortunate suffering.

[Ardas]

This universe is full of water. Bah, what a bore. After all, fish can't smile. but that's not a problem. Not a problem at all, there are always mortals to befuddle, confuse, trick and beguile. My godly highness that is myself can't do without entertainment, oh no. But here we are. Still, much more comfortable than the nothing nothingness, cold place. Brr, best forget about it.

But whats this? 3 mortal worlds to choose from? What a wonderful variety! Well, we can't have them all, being greedy won't do. Let us choose, let us decide, and the decision falls on... that one! Yes that will do. I've always wanted to have a world of my own.... but a satellite will have to do for now. Poor mortals, they haven't had a good laugh in eons.

And there are colleagues of mine here too, locals no doubt. Sad bunch, aren't they. Nature, water, more nature more life and more water... bleh, you could suffocate in such company. Hehe, suffocate because of the ... Right, where was I? ah yes, designing a moon. Lets see, we do this and that and this... voila!

And here are my trinkets. It will be boring on the moon without anyone to accompany me. I hope mortals will appreciate these things, it would be a shame if I didn't help few of them. Ungrateful little creatures, aren't they?

Major Act - Create the Laughing Moon around Aztof - its a self-contained world full of riddles, logical traps and paradoxes designed to drive mortals insane and mildly confuse deities. Its also a source of power for Illudius and his personal playground. Mortals trapped on the Laughing Moon will never die, but have to wander the mazes and puzzles in their insanity, feeding Illudius.

Normal Act - Create 10 Wishmaker Rings - its an artifact that grants wishes. Each user of the ring can use the ring 3 times, before being teleported over to the Laughing Moon and remains trapped there, with ring remaining behind on the mortal planet and looking for a new owner. Each wish granted is actually subverted from the original desire - the bigger the wish the bigger subversion and calamity. Biggest and wold-altering wishes don't work if they exceed ring's power but instead bring bouts of bad luck on the user.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Urdu

"Get...things off skin. Get off. Get off. Can feel them. Moving. Bad feeling. Off. Get them off. All I want."

This is...unfortunate. We cannot force the Celestial Drakes to uproot...but we don't have a choice, do we? The bigger problem is that we simply do not have the power...

"We would gladly do so, to end both your suffering and the destruction among the...things, but We do not have sufficient power. We wish We could help."

[micelus]

Urdu

"Useless. No help. Will cleanse skin. Need get off. Throw into Ocean. Good idea, yes?"

[Ardas]

redacted

[GreatWyrmGold]

Urdu

"Useless. No help. Will cleanse skin. Need get off. Throw into Ocean. Good idea, yes?"

Not good...

"If We had more power, we could remove them quickly and efficiently."

Neyravah begin to scan for nearby worlds that could support the life currently residing on Urdu.

[HissinhWalnuts]

Zzdwi... I need you to stop (order) destroying and changing mortals for now, revert your process on those two and find the town, when there's a town there's almost always mortals.

[Powder Miner]

Psaras' gaze didn't waver but simply seemed to lock beyond Teskort as he spoke.
"Teskort, I don't exist for ideals, and I don't exist for myself. My sphere is a minor one, and it's so strange that I've become such a major god... but that was destiny for all of us, from our very form, I suppose. But, I'm a god of fishing, Teskort. There can't be fishing without mortals. While I guess this would be manifested by other gods merely as protecting their kin as viciously as I have protected mine, that's not all of it for me. I don't protect my children only because I created them, I don't protect them only because I need them, I don't protect them only because they fish. Teskort, I protect my children because I love them more than I love myself. When the end comes, I'm going to sacrifice myself. I'm going to see if any of my sons and daughters can survive in my stead.

And so at any costs, at all costs, I will NOT let them fail. Do you see why?

But yes, we are brothers, and no, I don't intend to fight! I, I never intended industrialization as a way to counter nature, I mean... think about it. If in a sea of blue, three islands are green, it is still mostly blue, yes? If my Networlds industrialize, it's not going to make a difference for your ideals in the end, it's just a means of survival. It's just three worlds, and there is so much more universe that you control, to have nature in. The infinite ocean I won't, I can't touch. I just want my children to survive. We don't even have to fight anyway, we can both be satisfied with this.

...I never would have wanted to be a god, anyway, at least not an omnipotent one like this. If there were... local gods, that blessed villages or nations, say, I would have loved to be one of those. Or a mortal, even. A fisherman in a shore city, feeding his family and living a peaceful life... that would have been my favorite of all. But I am a god, Teskort, and I am a father, and all I'm trying to do is protect my children."

Turning to quietly watch the new gods with suspicion, Psaras couldn't help but muse to himself.
"^{_{Since I'm a father, and we're brothers, does that make Teskort an uncle?}}"

[Weirdsound]

The father of beasts nods, and stares out into the ocean in the direction where the rip in space had been. "I respect that choice and worldview. Such selflessness is moving. I too feel affection for my creations, and have considered such a sacrifice, but the beast looks out for his own interests first, so doing so would go against what I stand for. I pity us both. Neither of us have the resources to save anybody should the curtain fall anytime soon. It is likely a task beyond the scope of a single god, and I don't think either of us can trust any of the others enough to share in a project of that high importance."

"It is not the mark you leave on nature that worries me brother, but the touch of your children. The words of your ascendant scare me the most. He seems intent on building an empire... and empires exist to expand. The children will eventually think to take their new toys beyond the Networlds, and use them to crush whatever they find that isn't in line with their world views..."

The Antlered one stands beside Psaras and watches the new gods go about their work. "...That just goes to further illustrate my point as well. Those two show up, and set right about meddling with the Networlds and your children. No questions, no research, no asking for permission. They recognize, as I do, that there is some sort of symbolic significance to those three lumps in the ocean. You claim to put little importance upon yourself or your ideals, but in putting up those nets you have made a statement, perhaps unintentionally. 'Psaras claims these worlds' scream the nets 'and so they stand as a testament to his ego and ideals.'"

Teskort's expression quickly darkens as he watches the Trickster god go about its work. "I think it is our lucky day. That moon subverts nature entirely, and just think of the harm those rings could cause to the natural order... Tell me that I am free to punish your children who bring technology and high civilization beyond the three present networlds as I see fit, and we can have peace for now."

"Regardless of what threat to nature I choose to confront however... I first need to aid a wounded beast and gain more strength in the process!"

---

Teskort appears before Neyravah, and the newly sentient planet on which his followers dwell. "I have the power you lack, twin gods of life. Allow me to intercede with an act on your behalf..."

The Antlered one then turns to Urdu and speaks! "Poor confused animal, I am Tesktort, father of beasts! From this point forward you are one of my children. I am your master now! You will find the drakes of Neyravah repulsive no more! They are your brothers, beasts such as yourself, and you can be their home. Exalt and empower me, and you will find peace, balance, or purpose in your existence!"

Act: Teskort claims the font of essence known as Urdu

(Action retconned due to misunderstanding of GwGs Act Count)