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[micelus]

"Ah, so you forsake all ownership of it then? If so, then I shall leave the Second to your devices."

[Jerick]

Ralkieis joins the conversation between Cerediron and Tutelspera "Oh great smith when you say that making moons and planets are easy understand that you are uniquely gifted in that regard.
 So I have a proposition for you; if you craft a moon or planet for Tutelspera's ritual, one well suited to the task and potent I will allow you to read from the book of truth when ever you wish."

[Madman198237]

I've no need of your book of truth, and I need no claim to the First World.

Do not harm these...Acterians, though. And be careful with your actions. Surprising things happen when Creation is given freedom....even I cannot predict what may be found.

[Jerick]

"An odd position to hold World Smith. If you truly believe that there will never be secrets you need to learn or knowledge beyond your reach then I shall leave you be. But before I leave I should preemptively apologize; you ask me to be careful and considerate of the Acterians but such things are simply not in my nature. I am not considerate and I never shall be. It is not my intent to harm them but it is likely my actions in the future may cause them some harm. Yet it matters not. Them coming to harm is inevitable and these early hardships will shape them, toughen them or break them. If they cannot endure they will wind up being replaced by creations that can. This is inevitable so long as we gods exist. Why then should I be careful? Why should I care?"

[Ghazkull]

Turn 4: Praise the Sun

And so the Acterians slowly grew accustomed to the darkness, formed by it, shaped and protected by it, they became accustomed to being blind...and when one morning they woke blind, they were understandably suprised and freaked out but truly it was nothing new in a long succession of acts which defied their minds...when they began to see differently again however...Chaos, panic, then numbed acceptance. The Acterians accepted the change with the numb acceptance of a people broken, a people understanding that they were naught but playthings to the universe at large, livign on the sufferance and amusement of beings to horrifying to comprehend. That was however not the stories they told their young ones, for in their minds at least the young ones deserved a measure of consideration for they would be confronted with the madness of the gods soon enough.

And so they began telling their Myths. Of the Great Maker, a being most enigmatic who created the Acterians and left them to their own devices for the Great Maker was a being of supreme indifference and a habit of turning to other projects once he deemed one successfully done. And so the Acterians were left to the wiles of the Sun Gods. A set of Evil Beings cavorting confusingly and maddeningly with evil intent for no other reason than that they were wont to. And so the Sun Gods blinded the Acterians and tortured them and with their evil machinations send them fleeing into the Darkness. But the merciful darkness accepted them, embraced them and took their eyes from them and gave them the second sight, so no longer the Acterians had to see the madness of the Evil Sun Gods and the Horror of the Surface. And to soothe their souls she, the Darkness, gave them her Milk. Her sweet milk, which eased the dreams of the old ones, and calmed the nerves of the young ones.

Thus were the myths of the Acterians. As the generations passed the myths became fact and as the Acterians spread ever further through the expansive Caves they forgot about the surface and the gods...but the gods had left an indelible mark on them. For even with the passing of Generations the Acterians were an extremely suspicious and superstitious people. Fearful of the Gods and one another, Mental Illness from tics over phobias to fully grown schizophrenia and beyond were more common than would be normal and had become an accepted normality among their kind. It also bred another characteristic among them...fatalism. For the Acterians knew that they were ultimately just a thing to be played and discared, that nothing they did would matter and that nothing they could do would change their ultimate fate. And with this realization came a grim determination to claim whatever happiness they could from the Dark, dank caves. It was a time of liberalism and hedonism...as much as one could indulge in these caves. Orgies, Multiple Partners and drawnout week-long sessions of consuming the Tears of Varalin were common as they drank and coupled themselves into all-encompassing trances which let them forget their miserable existence for a time.

Not all were happy with this arrangement however. As in every society prone to decadence, there were those who abhorred it. Among the Acterians it was mostly the young, especially the young warriors. Over the Generations the Acterians had split into tribal family gatherings which regularly raided each other for territory and females, which gave rise to an entire class of warriors. In the darkness they fought with sharpened stones and their bare hands. Fighting was brutal, as the Acterians were prone to berserk bouts of violence. Many among these young braves rejected the decadence of their elders and instead pressured them to let them travel to the surface. Leader among them a young warrior who had recently gained much respect for his skill in battle, for he had slain two hands of men and taken four hands of captives, strengthening his tribe immensely. This young brave, Kol, was ambitious for he wanted to become leader of all Acterians, make them strong again and return to the surface. For he believed that the Gods were a mere myth and if they existed he would destroy them, just as he had destroyed his enemies. Yes, he would do that...and then maybe he would become a god himself...he hadn't decided yet. As one could imagine, his Acterian stock "blessed" him with one of the manifold mental diseases which plagued the Acterians...in this case megalomania.

For now, the young Acterian was but a strong brave and the elders did their best to curb his more violent impulses...
______________________________________________________

The surface meanwhile had changed much. For Lu had created the Phopu. These plant people lived in large congregations which they called copses, travelling across the land until they found a place to their liking at which they rooted and stayed stationary for months on end until their inner clock told them to travel on.

For the Phopu had not completely abandoned their heritage as plants. Each year they followed the same circle. In Spring the copses would congregate to form a vast forest of Phopu during which time they would exchange seed and propagate, in summer they would disperse once more seeking bodies of water around which they rooted and spent time waiting for the young ones to grow large enough to be seeded near these bodies of water. in autumn they would spend the rest of their time travelling towards the edges of the floating islands, for as Winter approached Luar sunk lower and lower causing long sunless months during winter on top of the floating islands...thus when winter approached the Phopu would use their ability to root in the ground to slowly travel to the bottom side of the Islands of Passion to get at least the weak rays of the sun. Most of winter would be spent travelling across the underside of the Islands until Spring when they returned to the upper surface of the Islands again and began the circle a new.

Thus their early years passed. But there was one change. For the Sun Eagles occasionally flew across copses of Phopu and those that recieved extensive looks grew stronger and larger than the rest, their skin turned hard and brown and they found themselves to heavy to move and so they rooted with finality in the place they currently occupied mostly near the bodies of water a copse occupied during summer. These became the blessed ones for the Sons of the Sun itself had blessed them. And so they were accorded praise and worship, for they also protected the early Budders among the Seedlings for they could seeks shelter from the elements below their great boughs. It was thus that the Phopu passed the centuries, their yearly nomadic cycle uninterrupted by anything, although there were some curious things among them. For two places were shunned, The Dark Hall and the Haunted Tree. One was like a cave, but unnatural and seemed for the sole purpose of taking away the precious sun. The other was a massive tree but of stone and it whispered terrifying things to those that rooted to close. Entire copses fell to madness and withered near it and so they avoided them entirely.

Overall however the Phopu were a relaxed, measured and laid-back people. Struggles were unknown for there was no need, as sun was available for everyone. Water as well was shared in those rare cases when two copses met at the same lake, but that was exceedingly rare as the traditional lakes and rivers had been occupied by the same copses for time immemorial.

______________________________

Somewhere else the Tutelspera abandons the Second and the Sacrament, the powerful spell quickly dissolves and the moon returns to normalcy. Cerediron somehow feels invigorated by this.


The Acterians grow accustomed to live underground, they form into tribal gatherings which raid each other. Overall however they spend their lives in hedonism and dissolution.
The Acterians develop their own Creation Myths
Acter blinds the Acterians and instead grants them the Second Sight
Varalin grants the Acterians the Tears of Varalin which the Acterians in accordance with their myths dub the Milk of Darkness
Lu creates the Phopu, plant-people
the Phopu live nomadic lives following each year the same routes.
The Eyes of the Sun Eagles cause some Phopu to grow to tree-like proportions making them unable to move but much longer lived than any of the normal Phopu, they are worshipped as Blessed Ones by the Phopu.
The Phopu worship the sun and her sons (the eagles) as a form of early creation myth.
The gambit between Ceredirona and the Tutelspera has fallen apart.
Cerediron technically wins the Gambit and feels much stronger

Spoiler:  The Acterian Gambit (click to show/hide)

Players: Lu vs. Phalanalin
Goals: Destroy the others House, make the other give up, win the worship of the Acterians
Open Cards/Characters: NONE

Spoiler:  The Universe (click to show/hide)

The Darkness: A sense depriving universe covering barrier, against which even the Gods are not entirely immune.

Luar - The Sun

The First
- Floating Island with lush wilderness and wildlife
Acterians
Blind subterranean humanoids with the Second Sight
Tribes (overall no more than ten thousand)

Phopu
Nomadic Plant People
Copses (tribes, no more than twenty thousand)

Blessed Ones
Plant people enhanced by the Gaze of the Sun Eagles, grown to titanic proportions
Worshipped by the Phopu
no more than 200


The Second
- Part of the Sacrament a periodical series of Magical Storms which can Grant Magical Power

The Temple Fortress of Tartarus

Spoiler:  The House of Might (First House) (click to show/hide)

Lu
2 Acts

Worshipped as the Sun by the Phopu
Worshipped as the God of Evil by the Acterians

Tartin
2 Acts

The Sun Eagles, Hounds of Might
Worshipped as the Gods of Evil by the Acterians

Spoiler:  The House of Twisting Shadows (Second House) (click to show/hide)

Phalanalin
2 Act

Yras, Knight of Twisting Shadows

Spoiler:  The House of Truth (Elder House) (click to show/hide)

Ralkiesis
3 Acts

Tutelspera
3 Acts

The Book of Truth - A mighty Artifact which records any and all Truths of the Universe
The Spire of Truth - An Obsidian Spire recording the Acts of all the Gods

Spoiler:  The House of Making (Elder House) (click to show/hide)

Cerediron
1 Great Act
2 Acts

Spoiler:  The House of Acter(Younger House) (click to show/hide)

Acter
2 Acts
Worshipped as the Maker by the Acterians

Varalin
2 Acts
Worshipped as Mother Darkness by the Acterians

Spoiler:  Religions (click to show/hide)

Acterian Myth Complex
The Maker: Creator of the Acterians, God of Supreme Indifference (Acter)
Mother Darkness: Divine Spirit who grants Mercy to the Acterians and shelters them (Varalin)
The Sun Gods: Lu and the Sun Eagles (and to a lesser extent Ralkiesis and Pharanalin)

Phopu Myth Complex
The Divine Sun: Creator of the Phopu, Giver of Life (Lu)
The Suns Sons: Granters of Blessings (The Sun Eagles)
Blessed Ones: Chosen Ones of the Sun

[micelus]

"I must concur with the Truth-bringer. What shall be, shall be. Regardless, I must continue my duties, smith-king."

Leaving his fellow member of the House and the eccentric smith-god, the Tutelospera scanned the surface and composition of the Second and produced an exact replica in its place. The Third. It did not have the time or desire to compose something 'unique' or 'original'. After all, the Third was but a tool for the Sacrament and other future endeavours rather than an end in itself. However this did not mean that the essence of the Third was the same. While the Third did indeed possess an internal source of magic, it could also produce yet more by absorbing the heat energy emitted by Luar and through an intricate system of machinery in the Third's mantle, was able to turn it into yet more magic. This synthesised magical energy was not used in the monthly Sacrament but rather, to institute seasons upon the First.

During the course of the year, the winds of magic would be controlled through the divine magic of the Third. Not at all equal to the seasons of nature, the five seasons of magic were obedient not to the turn of natural winds, the sun or the orbit of the First, but the lunar orbit around the First. Rather than oscillating between moon phases in the span of a month, the Third only completed its rotation around the planet once a year. In effect, this meant that each moon phase lasted 45.625 days, each ushering in a new season of magic. They are as follows:

Kleisto/New Moon: The moon is not visible from the surface, being completely enveloped by Luar's shadow. The winds of magic are extremely weak, the storms dissipated; what winds remain are but a small breeze. All attempts to cast magic is made more difficult and constructs of magic/reliant on magic are more prone to malfunction.
Imikleisto/Waxing Crescent: A slither of the moon is visible. The winds of magic are calm and benevolent. Magic motivated by Love is stronger at this time.
Misianoikti/First Quarter: Half the moon is visible. The winds of magic are of average strength.
Fotismos/Waxing Gibbous: Most of the moon is visible. The winds of magic are strong.
Kataigida/Full Moon: The moon is completely visible. The winds of magic are terrifyingly powerful. Magic is more intense and difficult to control at this time. Magic motivated by Glory is stronger at this time.
Kleisimo/Waning Gibbous:The moon is mostly visible. The winds of magic are strong.
Misianoikti/Third Quarter: Half the moon is visible. The winds of magic are of average strength.
Defteros Imikleisto/Waning crescent: A slither of the moon is visible. The winds of magic are calm and benevolent. Magic motivated by Desire is stronger at this time.

This completed, the Tutelospera wrought together yet another Sacrament, this one being that of the Firsts and Thirds. Identical to the prior sacrament, it differs in that in calms the storms of magic. Whereas the previous sacrament made use of only the moon's own essence, this Sacrament also borrowed some of the winds of magic to create the arcane spheres, which were the prize of the Sacrament.

...

In the opinion of the godsphere, the Third was complete. It turned its focus towards the First and observed. The others had focused their efforts solely on the isles of Pleasure and while the first mortals had been tested, they had also grown. It was pleased. However, the Isles were not fit for the purpose desired by It. It looked at the empty skies and the empty surface, where the storms of magics blew endlessly in currents of air and mana. This would not due.

In its inner bowls, the Tutelospera began building. Great constructs of every element, natural and divine. Of metal of arcane, of carbon and helium, of liquid and gas. These great crafts were to be the godsphere's first tools upon the First, its first mortals. Giant artificial constructs that were seemingly organic, the great creatures were levianthan-sized whales that inhabited the skies of the First, feeding on the magical storms as they travelled in their pods. The magic they produced powered their inner machinery, allowing them to grow. Unlike actual organisms however, these beings could direct their own growth by mentally willing it. Why limit one to the plan divined by the godsphere, when such a being desired great wings or legs? Indeed, in their generic form, these beings seemed to be whales that seemingly swam through the aether skies. Of course, being as large as they are, they could not control magic itself, nor participate in the Sacrament. No, the Tutelospera had another purpose in mind. While the creatures lived and grew, they would produce excrement, both of magic and of their inner parts. This excrement would drop onto the surface of the First and begin producing life. By processes conducted in the belly of the creatures, the excrement would contain the sufficient spells to begin producing assortments of life suited to the climate and location of the area, most of which included either being resistant to the winds of magic, or by utilising the winds in their own adaptations. The same would occur if the corpse of one of these beasts fell upon the world, although, such a fall would produce an ecosystem of much greater intensity, size and personality; the very spirit of the fallen beast would become infused in the environment as a kind of genus loci, able to project its own ghost and communicate in the locale.

These beings would known as Falaenites. While the Falaenites were not the Chosen of the Tutelospera, they would carry out its will, in due time. As such, It saw fit to grant them knowledge of the arcane, the divine, the ability to read the Obelisk and the understanding that despite all this, one maxim remained true:

ALL GODS ARE BASTARDS, BAR NONE.

The Tutelospera did not see a reason to hide the truth of the matter, especially to a species that was in the end, but a mere tool.

Act: Create The Third, a moon that is an exact copy of the Second and orbits around the First. It ushers in the seasons of magic, as described.
Act: Create  the Sacrament of the Firsts and Thirds. Completely identical to the prior Sacrament, but rather than strengthening the magical storms, it calms them somewhat as it condenses the storms into usable arcane spheres.
Act: Create the mortal Falaenites, as described.

[Glass]

After was... displeased with the Acterian hedonism, and likewise with the opposite militarism of the younger generation. However, the latter was at least driven to improve themselves, to improve their position, to become more than they were.
In other words, work could be done with them. Specifically, one of them. Kol. He had his faults of course, but Acter was exceptionally conscious of the fact that their faults only came about because of his own.

So one night, while Kol slept, Acter came down to him, invisible, to meet with Kol's spirit in a dream...

Act - Acter reveals himself to Kol, to talk to him in his dreams. Over time, he takes the edge off of Kol's megalomania while leaving him ambitious enough to improve. In addition, he makes Kol his prophet, to tell the people he made of the truth of their creation - as well as acknowledging that the gods in general, and Acter in particular, are just as fallible as they are. Expectation: RP this out. Note: did not cost an act

[chubby2man]

Tartin looked out from his Temple upon the First World. It was beautiful, he admitted to himself as he admired the swirling currents and graceful floating islands. But, it would not make the mortals strong. With an his his titanic will and power he raised mountains and plateaus all over the First. They would be filled with valuable minerals, but upon their surfaces forests grew that harbored deadly thorns and poisons, lurking beasts that prey upon each other in a vicious cycle of fur and fang.Those who would venture down from the islands above would need both strength of body and mind to survive.
   Tartin also happened to notice the emergence of Kol, and the attentions of Acter upon him. Donning the appearance of a robed shade with a crowned head(not that it mattered to the blind Acterean, but Tartin was feeling a bit subtle that afternoon). Instead of soothing the Acterian’s megalomania, he inflamed it. He told Kol that his destiny was to rule all the other tribes, that he was born with the might and the strength to do so. All he had to do was to worship the source of Might, and he would become its physical embodiment and ruler of his people, and eventually this world. On second thought, Tartin came to think that Kol would do just fine on his own.

Act 1: Raise up many mountains, filled deep with minerals, and their slopes with deadly and dangerous forests.
Act 2: Make Kol a demigod if he promises to sell his soul and serve the House of Might. Just the one act for now.

[Glass]

Tartin, stop. This is not what my people need. This is not what Kol needs.

[chubby2man]

Tartin shrugged his translucent, hulking shoulders, "The mortal should decide for itself what it wants. You offer acceptance of his suffering. I offer the power to change it.

[Glass]

I offer him the knowledge he needs to take himself out of suffering while tempering him in such a way that he will not lead the other Acterians to greater suffering.

Let me put it this way: we're both making swords, and have a long metal rod. My method is to actually take the time to work out all the imperfections, to make a proper sword. What you want to do is take the rod, flatten it a bit so that it looks kinda like a sword, and heat it up until it's glowing red. My method takes longer, but it's more effective in the long run. Your method gives you really hot metal, which certainly hurts, but it'll cool quickly, bend easily and at times that are inconvenient, is prone to melting away when you try to use it, and is just as likely to burn the user's hands - leaving them unusable - as it is to actually do damage to your enemies.

Have I made myself clear?

[Jerick]

With Tutelospera departing to construct a moon of his own Ralkieis turned to his own affairs. Deep in the tangled tunnels and caves further than even the Acterians ever had reason to travel he created an odd creature. It spoke with a thousand voices and in every language conceived by mortals and more. It was a mass of strange twisting tendrils each tendril coated in eyes and mouths. This bizzare nightmarish creature dragged itself along and it writhed in the deep tunnels, ever whispering secrets and truths. It was Rytliatinae emissary of truth. Any mortal who could withstand the madness (and many who couldn't) would be able to learn powerful and arcane secrets. Secrets that it shared freely with anyone and anything that would listen. To the more resilient mortal minds it sent dreams, telling them were to find it and hinting at the truths it held.

Satisfied that he given the mortals the possibility of finding out many secrets and truths he turned his attention back to reading his book.

Act: Create Rytliatinae the emissary  (Magi) of the house of truth and use it to allow mortals to seek it out and learn powerful truths

((Retcon Edit))
On a whim he decided he'd prefer to be better able to bother and pester the other gods about things and so he continued creating. He formed a strange pulsating winged squid. It's sole purpose was to act as a messanger to the other gods.
Act: Create Zlyusilusl messenger of madness he carries Ralkieis's messages to the other gods and waits patiently for them to compose a response before returning with it. (Unless otherwise stated Ralkieis sends messages to the other gods using this creature)

[Glass]

Thank you, Tartin.

[Ghazkull]

Kol

Dreams invaded by Ghosts, or were they Gods? Ha, he thought to himself, fearful bastards, thinking they could influence his dreams. The One standing in front of him now was the self-proclaimed Maker. But he was the master of his own dreams, he made himself grow larger than the god and stared down at him.

"I tell you what i think of your offerings Godling." And with that he spat at the feet of the God. "Make back to what horrible hole you spawned from and don't invade my dreams anymore. I will make my own destiny, i have no need for you to do it. And certainly not as your lapdog. Now, go and don't interrupt my dreams ever again"

And with that Acter was expelled from the mind of the mortal.

Curiously found his powers hopeless to influence the mind of the mortal, in sooth it was impossible to influence him at all.  He had no power here.

a while later the God in fact found a presence in his mind, telling him that for now interference in the gambit would be impossible for him. He would have to watch and wait for a chance to interact with his own creations.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Varalin...had calmed. Perhaps the fact of their work actually doing something to help them. Being praised as something that protected them. Warmed and soothed them. Their protective instincts sharpened and they breathed. They wanted to help them. They needed to help them and they had an idea. They would take dear actors plan and make their own version. Of course not the same person.

Varalin secondly would actually like to make the acterians more suited to cave life. Via slowly over the course of several generations allowing acterians to have the increased climbing ability the ability to go without food or water longer and increased pain tolerance. Over several generations. Not 1 or 2 or even 3 at least 6 or 7. Seeming more like a natural evolution the only evidence a small feeling of warmth in the back of the minds of that generation reassuring them that something does care about them.

"Acter! Acter! ACTER! Acter! a-Acter...They...are...nice. I shall fix them. They I want to make them..Better Improve make them shake with joy and happyness..I-I am their mother...and I..they see me as such...I...they love me. They I want to make their love be rewarded..."