Turn 2: Mud, Stone, Crystal, Star
The wheel turned.
Eons passed. Plants of many shapes and forms spread throughout the world. Some fed on the sun's nourishing light while others devoured the dying and dead. And even though the gods had willed their many changes, the rise of true herbivores was a surprise. They were mobile, like their Wallowing ancestors...and yet different. They lacked the intelligence and the piety of their sires, only having the animalistic urge to eat and breed. They fed on their sedentary kin, being the the top of the food chain for many generations. Some had lost their ability to photosynthesise. Others supplemented it with the flesh of their fellows. Regardless, It was of course no surprise then that these mobile plants, these herbivores, would soon become prey to creatures who feasted only on herbivores. The organisms of the world would evolve and evolve again, as decided on their creation, all in a constant battle to stay alive. Soon enough, many parts of the world soon became inhospitable to all but the hardiest life.
But not only the ecosystem changed...The ways of the Wallowings did too.
From primitive tribes rose the first civilisations of the World. Under the light of the sun, the Caretakers taught their young green wards the gifts the gods had given. They learnt of fire, that killed and improve; water, that nourished and made way; and earth, hiding its great glittering treasures. They took their lessons to heart, forging the first permanent settlements. At first, they were only temples tended by a Caretaker and his acoloytes. Or perhaps a wallow that had become large. Regardless, As the tribes gathered, they built more. Walls were built, at first to keep out the terrors of the Wild. Then shops, so that goods from distant places could be traded. Then great plazas, so that visiting tribes and nomads had a place to rest and discuss. Then finally, homes. And thus, the first cities were born, with their mud wallows greater than all those that had ever been.
And yet, amongst the growing mud-cities, that lacked in great arts, there was Talk. By their divine purpose, the Caretakers had become the god-kings and high priests of society. Perhaps they ruled directly, perhaps from the shadows. Perhaps they treated their wards as children or perhaps as slaves. It mattered not for all ruling Caretakers saw themselves as the chosen of the Gods and it would be they who would choose the direction of society.
It would come to no surprise that some Wallowings did not see eye to eye with their benevolent masters. They questioned the long plans of the stone-gods, who knew of the divine plan but did not reveal it whole. They tired of the waiting, the faces of the idols telling them again and again to wait and be patient, even as generations passed. Such tension would not just disappear for even though the Wallowings died and lived quickly, they had always known one thing: they were the first. The first of the gods' children, creatures of adaptable mud. Why would inflexible stone rule over mud? It was a question whispered amongst many.
Of course, it was all whispers for now. Only a few had dared rebel against the divine rights of the Caretakers, for they were the foolish ones. Others, wiser, had simply fled the cities and hamlets under Caretaker guidance and simply became Feral. They joined the tribes in the hinterlands, societies who had never seen the stony form of the Idols and knew only the songs of Those Above. Near one of these tribes, the creation of Mind and Body was born. The Feral Artist, a being blessed by Pif-Ria, rose. And yet, even though a masterpiece, it cried.
...
In an unnamed village, ignored by the trade routes of the world, Vodoth laid his children. Twelve eggs, twelve Starborn drakes, given the task to Destroy. They were not an evil, no, they were the Balance. They would ensure that the many plants that had grown would not overwhelm the world. Each would devour, urged on by duty and necessity. In time, they would grow.
But that was not all. After Vodoth had left, Kerikavae descended. It blessed the smallest egg, the weakest, and departed. Even a runt, it would change the world. For while the other Starborn would bring Order through destruction, this one would bring Chaos through creation.
...
Deep below the earth, the Minds continued their duty. Some had faltered, choosing to die, while others continued on undaunted. Those who remained grew even greater, melding their senses with their brethren so that All would be remembered. The caverns of the world, though dark, were their realms without any equal to challenge them. Their Crystallines defended them from the plants that invaded the dark caverns, cutting them apart before they could cause damage. The Minds remembered this. They remembered All.
Near the surface, the Minds had prepared. They had spent many years discussing, thinking and acting. Now was the time. Nearly in unison, they expanded their crystal spires up through the surface, tickling the sky with their crystal growths. Soon, the world was dotted with Crystal Spires and Stumps, the only evidence of the Minds upon the surface.
With the surface now within their grasps, the Minds discovered yet more. Pushed on, they learnt all they could, absorbing the memories of those they found. They knew their duty. Some, in perverse secret, hungered for knowledge, making their duty leisure. Of course, mortals too saw in the Minds something as well. Beauty. With new technologies, some were able to fight off their Crystalline defenders. Such victories were rare and costly, but it brought the warriors glory and wealth. In time, some discovered the memories within the crystals they harvested, indulging in their secrets. Eventually, a new pastime had evolved: Crystal-slaying. Tales were told of Crystal-Miners, warriors of the pick and blade who fought great battles to procure riches and knowledge of the Earth.
The Minds, of course, remembered this. Some buffered their defenses, hoping to deter attackers. Others took another option, deciding to trade Triandary or even Secondary node-crystals for mortal knowledge. Sometimes these methods worked, sometimes they didn't. The Minds, however, soon noticed that the Wallowings could not reach them deep down in the caverns, for they could not survive without the Light. The Minds remembered this for another time. Regardless, the Wallowing civilisations saw the Minds less as equals but as monsters, supernatural traders or something not from this world enitirely.
[2] One day, Kerikavae descended to speak with his immortal children. All they did was repeat all they had remembered. To the god, it was but a lengthy recitation. To the mortals of the world, a generation. In the end however, the Minds offered up their opinions, most differing from one Mind to the next. They all had one in common however: "It is power we require, to defend from the beings of Mud and Stone. They rob us and kill, for their mineral lust and profane desires."
Plants diversify into herbivores and detrivores. Biological armsrace results in some extreme ecosytems.
Guided Wallowings found the first cities.
The Feral Artist is born (Ascendant)
Starborn are born
Crystal Starborn is born (Ascendant)
The Minds begin rapid expansion to the surface.
Minds become known as Crystals and their defenders as Crystalline Beasts by the Wallowings and Caretakers.
Minds harvested for their crystal and memories either through combat or by trade.
Kerikavae: 0MA 1A
Meoboroje: 0MA 2A
Pif-Ria: 1MA 1A
Vodoth: 0MA 1A
The Feral Artist: 1mA
Raalmana: 1mA
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Topic: Kalpa Reboot: A Gods' Game [Kalpa 1/Turn 5] (Read 15785 times)