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[Powder Miner]

Creation was a wholly new process to FIDeM; he had sprung into existence with a practically fully formed civilization, and though he had made alterations, given protection, and performed other godly duties, the construct-god had never actually had a blank slate with which to work. Still, he did have to perform the process of creation, now.

FIDeM looked at the malfunctioning constructs that wandered the streets of the Megalopolis, and the feeing of pity and empathy that he had felt when he had heard about these constructs redoubled within him. Indeed, he felt a certain kinship with some of these constructs, though he was also keenly aware that their level of degradation was scarcely comparable to his occasional sense of loss.

FIDeM observed Orgull -- it seemed that the goddess had plans of her own for the unfortunate constructs, and while he wouldn't stop her, he intended to give some of these constructs chances of their own, repairs that allow them to maintain whatever little personality they had been constructed with, but that would allow them a chance at souls of their own.

"Assertive: I shall take some of these constructs and alter them. Should our requisitioning conflict, I will attempt to keep each of our shares of the constructs even."

1 Act: Taking around half of the constructs he has access to and leaving the other half for Orgull, FIDeM will begin work on the constructs he will call the Salvaged. Instead of shaping the robots to his image, as with Orgull, FIDeM keeps the constructs in their original forms, except for repairing them as needed and giving them arms or graspers if they lack them. Mentally, FIDeM checks for any personality programmed into the constructs, and builds the souls of the Salvaged around these pieces of personality, effectively taking the constructs and retaining as much of their current forms and mentalities as is possible (adding functionality around them) to create a (functioning) race with souls, capability, and free thought... The goal being to uplift the constructs, rather than remake them.

Of course, that was but one step in the process of creating the Salvaged -- without concepts of marriage or love, his Salvaged would hardly be a complete race at all, at least in his eyes.

1 Act (2 if required): FIDeM alters the Salvaged slightly further, giving them additional functionality and knowledge at a core level: specifically, FIDeM gives them masculine and feminine genders, and gives them the concept of love (which is not meant to discriminate between forms, at least within the Salvaged. (Still, FIDeM doesn't completely disallow the possibility of love being aimed at another race, like Orgull's creations.) FIDeM then gives them the concept of marriage, which is emphasized and given elaborate rites which serve the purpose of worshipping FIDeM as well. He also gives them knowledge of reproduction, by married pairs creating new constructs as offspring, but makes this a very sacred rite both for the purposes of giving him worship and preventing a massive population boom.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Orgull was quiet watching as the god of bonds moved about. With...something...resembling....Friendliness? Warmth? Seemingly at ease seemingly face childlike and examining every part of them with some restrained amount of wonder. Looking at their own creation's they think silently for a few moments before moving to speak their voice the more childish one coming out at least for now. Perhaps a sign of some modicum of trust or just a slip whos to say?

"Feel free to...change my share. Add things you put on your followers to mine. Also, I would encourage interspecies procreation it would result in a superior product I imagine."

Smiling lightly teasingly though trying to keep a sternness to their expression clearly their body slowly going back into a stiffer proud position head held high as they looked at an angle to see the god of marriages face or the back of their head either way.

[micelus]

Turn 2: Loyalty Rewarded


As timeless kalpas passed, the Primordials died or departed to parts unknown. They left Creation to the command of their servants, the Elementals. forged of primordial essence and Creation's elements, they were beings of perfected matter and being. For a time unthinkable, the Elementals competed to expand their Core Materiae upon the rest of Creation, laying claim to the universe by right of inheritance and the superiority of their substancia.
Through wars and manipulation of Creation, the myriad worlds were formed and from the emotions that were birthed by the great events of the Elemental Age, the first souls manifested.
-Memorandum of Sor


A divine declared anathema is to be broken into its component parts or exiled beyond. In the former case, their followers are to be assimilated into other congregations. In the case of the latter, they are to be liquidated and sent with their master, sans their current mind or body.
-Ruling from the Eighth Court

...

And so were the promises of the faithful fulfilled. Loyal until death and stored at their master's side, the souls of the exiled gods were given forms anew.

In the deep caverns of the Lysswald, the Pale Ones were given shape. The souls of the dead were given the blessing of their god's hulking form, though of a lesser magnitude. Adapted to the caves and slow to hunger, most were content to follow their god as he wandered the caverns. Seeing the smaller, weaker and quite more primitive 'men' of the caves, the Pale Ones concluded that they were animals. Though some thought of eating them, their god's decision to raise them to sapience quickly ended such ideas.

The uplifted were suitably shocked by the situation. Though their minds were now like that of their forefathers, their souls had regressed beyond what a simple act could fix. Animalistic and thin, their souls were like cinders compared to the great fires that lurked in the souls of every mortal. Regardless of this, the men thanked Cavefriend all the same and did begin worship of him in their little ways. They remained in their small groups around the caverns, though with far better intelligence and thinking. For them, Cavefriend was a wandering god, followed by his angelic Pale Ones who in their own right, were minor spirits in themselves.

To the Pale Ones, the men they called Troglodytes, remained animals. Animals given mercy by their god, but animals none the less. They continued to follower their master, though a few remained with the tribes, making use of their status for their own gains.

Farther east, the Keeper bade the souls of his loyal dead unto their new forms, those of the blessed Dark Ones. Blessed truly were they by their god for where before they had been stable beings of one form, now they possessed the ability to shift their forms to what they desired. Beings of their master, they adapted to a nocturnal life, hunting on the the creatures of the mountains and foraging for the little plantlife that survived. Many chose the nomadic life, hunting within the Range and beyond.

Others stayed close to their master, worshipping him in the day and hunting in the night. In time perhaps they would have built their own camp around their god, but this thought was preempted by their god themselves. Around them the Dark Ones saw the land transformed.Where once was nothing but mountain, now existed a city hewn as if one great rock, chiselled in an instant from the stone itself. Knowing their master's will, many inhabited the buildings that had been formed, but none had found any other use for the city yet.

In the south, the gods had instead decide to make use of constructs rather than worshipers of flesh and blood.

Tick in its wisdom did not create mortals to serve him, but pure automatons of metal and essence. They could not worship for they had no true mind, only a tendril of their god's will. Their purpose was clear: replicate and conquer. The earth was struck, metals mined. Stones were broken, forges built. Fires were made, molds formed. Brothers were forged, their purpose given to them. For the first time in many a millennia, the Anvil was once again the site of industry, its skies clouded by smog and the scent of fire.

The dweller of the Anvil was not unaware of its neighbour's plots. As the army of the Unliving grew and expanded, the dweller bade the Anvil erupt, flooding the lands below with lava. Its worshippers, ushered into refuges within the volcano itself, were mostly unharmed. The Unliving were not as lucky. The fiery earth lurched and spread, guided by a force towards the forges of Tick's constructs, ruining much of the Unlivings' operations as well as taking a sizable chunk from the god's forces. Though the remaining constructs stood ready, it was clear to Tick that his adversary would not tolerate his actions any longer. With what remained of his forces, Tick ordered the Unliving onward up the volcano, to slaughter its inhabitants and claim it for their creator. The dweller was furious. From the lava formed golems of burning earth, fighting to keep Tick from his prize. Though strong, they had been raised in haste and could not stop the great number of Unliving that tirelessly ascended the volcano. The servants of the dweller did what they could, defending the caves of the 'ratmen', all the while the volcano continued to erupt. Whole swathes of Tick's army were annihilated by globs of molten lava, or smashed against the rocks by the molten golems. Even so, the dweller had acted too slowly. It had allowed the Unliving to grow in number and now, their numbers were legion. Though it destroyed thousands, a thousand more would replace them. Its golems were destroyed, its people slaughtered. Men, women, and children alike were cut down by the metallic hordes, their genocide ordered by the hulking wreck of the foreign god. Amidst all this carnage, Tick's mind was assailed by the screeches and whimpers of The dweller, which demanded that the machine leave it and its people alone. Tick was unperturbed.

Though most had been exterminated, many ratmen yet did remain on the caldera. There, the dweller had fortified itself, defended it with barriers of darkened essence and monstrous creatures of lava and the Dark itself. As for the ratmen that yet remained, Tick examined them and consigned the majority to death. A few, however, were allowed life. Changing their form to suit its own uses, Tick removed their fur and their snouts, adding what it thought of as beauty. Furthermore, it improved their desire for industry, for creation and for the forge. Though these creatures had not even mastered the forging of copper, now they had the innate knowledge of the forge within their newly modified minds. Ratmen they were no longer, but Igundan. He released them unto the molten fields and allowed them to do as they wished. Within a day, all had fled from the god's sight. Regardless, of their departure, Tick still had a volcano to conquer. He trudged on. As he noticed the souls of the ratmen leave their mortal husks, he remarked that they felt somewhat dwarven.

Away from the Anvil, the gods Orgull and FIDeM corralled the constructs of the city around them. Spreading their essence around, both gods laid claim to those they found, seeking to turn them towards their own goals. Those that were claimed by Orgull were born anew. She touched their metal skin and reshaped them as simulacrae of herself, short childlike machines with the bearing of Pride within them. Remarking on their beauty, Orgull then delivered the souls of her loyalest followers into the machines. They were born confused. Machines, they remembered flashes of memory of centuries gone by and such a time never truly happened, for they had only been born today. These Orgullians seemed to have a dormant racial memory of their mechanical hosts.

((Only 1 Act used))

For his own constructs, FIDeM decided on a far more modest design. Rather than changing the whole of the machine in an act of Pride, he instead simply repaired the ailing machines and granted them new grasping parts, so that they may be of more use. He termed them Salvaged and granted them the souls of his former followers, shaping each soul's new mind to suit the previous purpose of their machine hosts. While few of the constructs had anything resembling a real personality, FIDeM did discover that most had been servitors. These were constructs deigned for repetitive tasks or in the case of a few, acting as domestic or commercial servants. A few had even acted as artificial shopkeepers, dealing with customers and the like. Regardless of their purposes, FIDeM granted each a mind fit for their status, as well as genders and the concepts of marriage and love.

The constructs ensouled, they were very much confused. They needed no food, no drink to sustain them and saw little purpose in themselves. While the Orgullians fawned over their appearance, they still lacked much purpose. Fueled by some arcane internal engine, they seemed to be self-sufficient and had no real need to explore. For now, they waited around their gods, waiting for a purpose for themselves.

...

While the other gods experimented with creation and conquests, the god Lu directed himself to observing the ecosystem of Krator's Rest.

The inhabitants of the isle resembled crawling masses of organs. Some of eyes, other of entrails and some of fully formed limbs. Some were predatory, others like plants. Some had produced sexually, others by mitosis. Some even had rudimentary mouths. Regardless, they were but animals, although surely the history of their creation would be of interest to any scholar.

The ecosystems that formed around the shrines were exactly as they appeared; animals that fed of pure essence. Though heavily mutated by the Dark, the animals present were clearly once of mundane stock and still acted as such, regardless of their current forms.

As for the creatures of the deep...Lu is unable to detect the creatures and attempting to detect the animalistic souls of these creatures have proven difficult, causing him pain each time he attempts to decipher the shape of their souls.

Though all quite interesting, Lu is unable to decipher anything too odd about these forms of life, at least, without further use of essence. As such, he descends into the tomb. He finds the first layer thoroughly desecrated, its treasures long gone and its defences long destroyed. Indeed, the twisted life of the isle has already colonised the layer, adapting into different species or variations of those found above. Lu notices the corpses of giant creatures and much smaller humanoids all around the layer, clearly having died of battle, although more than a few did so from disease and starvation. Cannibalism clearly occurred. Lu found only one way down, a grand staircase once guarded by a gate. Though long smashed apart, it was clear the gate had been enchanted against destruction, even by gods. Lu descended.

The second layer felt wrong. Lu felt his essence peeling from his body, as if being absorbed by the tomb itself. Taking a moment to take in the scenery, Lu's suspicions are correct: the tomb is laced with essence-absorbant rock. He would not be able to cast Acts down here and travelling through the tomb would pose a life risk to him. However, he felt the thrums of prayer were getting stronger. Would he continue descending?


As the gods continued with their lives be it spelunking ancient tombs or creating their new followers, they felt a burning sensation within themselves. Their very essence was on fire.

A single soul within each of them, taken into themselves when they consumed their Periapts, was the source. The pain of a thousand deaths, of a thousand births. After a moment of what seemed like eternal pain, the soul pulsed and ended the agony. And it spoke. It was a familiar voice.


Exiled. I appear. I, Marsus, Judge of the Eighth Court, give you notice of another Exile to join you in your settling. The one named Silver, god of Space. I ask: is there any amongst you that would open the way for him? Or shall I allow him to journey alone? Answer this missive quickly, for I shall not wait for long.


It seems that Marsus had laced a part of his essence into each of your periapts, amongst each of your followers. He knew where all of you were and could communicate with each of you quite easily. He had always been clever, and was likely the reason you had been allowed exile. He was also quite full of himself.

Regardless, it seemed that Marsus wanted someone to open a gateway so that this 'Silver' could join them. For reasons unknown, it seemed Marsus would prefer that Silver travel directly to one of the locations of the current Exiled rather than marched up to the Lands of Twilight. Even if it costed one their essence, abiding by Marsus' requests would likely be beneficial for one's health.

(Offering Silver passage will cost 1 Act))

Spoiler: Known Areas (click to show/hide)

Grottwald: Primeval forest from when life first began, the Darkness has robbed it of much of its former life. Much of the forest is now dead and rotten, although the great canopies still cover the skies. Some life still survives here, not too different from those found in lands of the Light. This said, foul abominations of the Darkness inhabit these lands, preventing any mortals from passing through the forest alive.
Lysswald: A dead forest, its ecosystem is based on the growth of fungi that survive on the dead trees. A primitive species of men inhabit the caves here, although the ages have not been kind to them.
Oldfarer's Sea: Once charted by the ancient merchant prince Harald Youngear, Oldfarer's Sea is in constant state of death and resurrection as the seas touched by Light mingle with that of Death.
Hills of Mist: A series of rolling hills that are unusually habitable for a place found in the Dark, it is often affected by great mists. A great variety of mundane life inhabit this area, although a species of ethereal souleaters are said to inhabit the Hills.
Krator's Rest: A gigantic tomb of a dead divine, shambling creatures of the Dark gather around it, as if on pilgrimage. It is said that some unlucky mortals were isolated here and still reside within the tomb itself.
Highwald: A forest infested by parasitic fleshants, the plants of the forest have transformed into flesh and now their bark and leaves are like skin and hair.
Abandond Megapolis: A gigantic city once home to the mortal elite, the metropolis has since been turned to the Dark, its streets empty save for the malfunctioning construct or beast.
Anvil of Moros: The god Moros once called this volcano home. Now, it is home to an abomination of an entity and worshipped by things unknown.
Old Syrna: Former homeland of the Syrnii Clans, machines of the Dark have turned it into a perfectly flat metal-plated plane. Nothing seems to be here, although power thrums from below.
Titanhold: A fortress of the ancient Titans, its secrets hold legendary power.
Torcoast: Windswept coastland, formerly famed for their grand bath resorts, their edifices have been buried by layers of silt, sea and sand. There is but dune and petrified foliage here.
Olf Isles: Fabled home of the Sivsson Brothers, its trees were always its greatest treasure. Now, the trees lie dead and its former denizens long descended into madness and degeneracy.
Kostadt: Former city renowned for its amberworks and ambersmiths, Kostadt burnt to cinders as the Age of Darkness began. Forests and hills now cover the area that was Kostadt, although amber still washes upon its shores.
Troz Hill: In better days, the Daemons of the land were secured here. After millenniums of Darkness, who can speak of their final fate?
Grogantine Steppes: The cursed Flesh of Highwald affects the Steppes as well. Its long grasses resemble hairs and its stones, faces. Malformed beasts still roam here, subsiding on the hairgrass and faces.
Court of Sylv: The god Sylv once held dominion over this land's forests, ruling them from his great copse. He refused to leave when the Darkness came over the land and no trace of the god has ever been found. The Flesh of Highwald is most strong here.
Plains of Tros: In the distant past, these plains were known as Daemonlands, until the mortal Trosva did battle the Daemon lords and imprison them in the distant south. Today, the Plains of Tros are cursed doubly, both by the Flesh of Highwald and the bound Elemental princelings whos' anger cause storms of thunder and fire in the area.
Darmont Range: A gargantuan mountain range that divides the lands of the east and west, it was once one of the greatest sources of industrial metals in the world, though little metal now remains.

Spoiler: Tick (NUKE9.13) (click to show/hide)

6 Acts

Spoiler: Cavefriend(Jilladilla) (click to show/hide)

7 Acts

Spoiler: Lu (Roboson) (click to show/hide)

9 Acts

Spoiler: FIDeM (Powder Miner) (click to show/hide)

6 Acts

Spoiler: Indefatigable (Custom Critical) (click to show/hide)

2 Acts
Periapt of Souls (7 Acts)

Spoiler: The Keeper (FallacyofUrist) (click to show/hide)

5 Acts

Spoiler: Orgull (AbstractTraitorHero) (click to show/hide)

7 Acts

Spoiler: Silver (Harry Baldman) (click to show/hide)

3 Acts
4 Acts (Periapt of Souls)

Spoiler: Essence Income (click to show/hide)

Tick


Cavefriend
1 Minor Act (from Pale Ones)


Lu


FIDeM
1 Minor Act (from Megapolis Salvaged)


Indefatigable


The Keeper

1 Minor Act (from Darmont Rage Dark Ones)

Orgull
1 Minor Act (from Megapolis Orgullians)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

                                                               
                                                         Olf Isles
                                                        /
                                                       /
                                                   Oldfarer's Sea --- Kostadt
                                                    /
                                                   /
                                     Lysswald ----Torcoast
                                    /
                                   /
                                  /
Lands of Twilight ------Grottwald
                                 \
                                  \
                                   \
                                   Hills of Mist ----Krator's Rest
                                                           |
                                                           |
                                                           |
                                                           Highwald ---- Old Syrna ---Darmont Range---?---?---Titanhold
                                                          /        \
                                                         /          \
                                                        /            \
                                                       /          Anvil of Moros --- Plains of Tros[/i]
                                                      /                 |
                                                                                           /                  |
                                                    /                   |
                                             Abandoned Megapolis ---- Court of Sylv
                                                   /  \                 |
                                                  /    \                |
                                                 /      \               |
                                                /       Grogantine Steppes

                                           Troz Hill

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Shaking. Beaming with rage with indignation filled with pain tears flowing down their cheeks the god of pride looked like nothing but a child as pain assaulted their form their mind All the while managing to keep their face stoic though one might hear what sounds like a cracked tooth. Either way.....Marcus would not go unanswered this uppity son of a bitch had hurt her....Caused such agony. She was going to get something outta this and it was going to be that new god!

"Marcus you son of a bitch hand me that god and leave! You deplorable detestable garbage!"

Accept new god.

[Jilladilla]

Striding to a hilltop cave entrance, one with a good view of the stars above, Cavefriend answers Marsus.

"That is acceptable, I've already spotted a place for their arrival here, if they choose to accept my offer. Said offer including me willing to share the surface with him, if he wants to stay."

And so, Cavefriend begins spreading out his essence, ready to assist in the transportation of Silver, the God of Space.

Act:Extend offer to Silver

[NUKE9.13]

Tick offers passage to the Anvil, though he considers that, given the choice, a god might choose to go elsewhere.

Offer passage to Silver

The final hour of the mangy rat drew near. Steel legions marched up the mountainside, carrying siege weapons fresh from the forge, ready to put an end to the Dweller and his minions.
Tick considered the barriers and guardians that the Dark being had constructed for itself. Impressive work, to be sure. Not something mere UnLiving could overcome. Fortunately, he stood by their side, ready to Make Things Right.

He bid the UnLiving construct a great device on the edge of the caldera, watching the Dweller carefully lest it lower its defences to attack (in which case the UnLiving will strike first). Levers and gears and lenses all came together in one hulking steel mass, whilst Tick poured his own energy into the construction to hasten it, and ensure everything went according to plan. In no time at all, the device was completed. Though its workings were mysterious, one thing was clear: this was a weapon, and it was pointed at the Dweller.
There was, at the rear of the device, a great prism of glass and crystal, and it was into this that Tick poured divine energy. As he did so, the device came to life, gears spinning, orbs glowing, lenses rearranging themselves into the optimum positions. And then it was ready- and without further fanfare, the device fired.
A beam of light streaked down towards the Dweller, scything through its titanic guardians, illuminating the Darkness, and striking the great barriers, which melted away before it. More and more power did Tick pour into the weapon, steadily burning through the Dweller's defences, until the beast itself was exposed.

However many Acts it takes: destroy the Dweller's defences.

Tick now regarded the being. Much depended on its nature- was it a beast of pure Darkness, or some ordinary being that had been corrupted?

Further Acts limited by lack of information.

[micelus]

Quick Event: Battle of the Anvil

The barriers hissed and broke under the fire of the machine. The Unliving hordes broke through, massacring the last of the ratmen and overwhelming the golem defenders. Tick allowed his constructs to finish the bloody task while it descended into the volcano itself.

In the middle of the volcano lied a giant floating stone of perfect black. Perfectly smooth and perfectly lustrous. It glowered at Tick in anger. On its eight faces were drawn four runes, four ancient runes of a bygone era. Written in the Khazdr language, it dated from before the Dark. It read: Lyanus, Paragon of Dorod.

In other words, a failed god.

The dwarves of the old Khazdr Realms holds had rebelled long ago against the godly order, raised their own god-kings and slit the throats of the Baal-Adonai governors. As Tick recalls, the rebels were destroyed rather quickly, the myriad Khazdr holds and pocket realms crushed and ground into dust. Their god-kings, 'Paragons', had been dwarven back then, still creatures of flesh and blood. Those had been consumed whole. This one, Tick decided, was much further along in its apotheosis than the rebels...although nowhere near enough to be divine. It had probably used up all its essence just defending itself from you.

Which makes one wonder: how did it end up here? The Khazdr held no land on this world at all, after all.

-3 Acts

[Harry Baldman]

Accept the offer of passage from Tick!

Into the world swims Silver, eyes gleaming and scaleless skin shining bright.

"Yes!"

[NUKE9.13]

Tick considered the would-be god. Impressive though its survival was, there was no restoring this to a worthy being- it had never been worthy. Though Tick respected the dwarves, there were mortals, and there were gods, and such was the Order of the world.
He consumed what vestiges remained of the being's essence, leaving an inert stone behind. He had the Unliving retrieve it, for the rock itself may have some value.

Consume the remaining (if any) essence of Lyanus.

"TICK", spoke Tick, announcing to the world that the Anvil had a new master.

Tick received Silver's acceptance. Somewhat surprised, Tick had the UnLiving craft a great gate to facilitate the travel, and energised it with his (rapidly depleting) essence, allowing the god to pass through, to join him at the Anvil.

"Tick", he said as the god arrived, indicating his willingness to share the mountain, which was after all an excellent place to observe the night sky from.
"Tick", he added, suggesting that they share worshippers- a suggestion only partially motivated by his depleted essence.

[Harry Baldman]

"Nice mountain!" Silver says, not particularly clear on what Tick might be telling him. "And hey, can't thank you enough for taking me up like that. I really owe you one."

A moment passes.

"Anyway, see ya!" he says and waves, floating upward and soon reaching supersonic speeds, leaving a trail of glowing, charged particles in his wake.

2 Acts: Float on over the Darmont Range and land on the other side!

[FallacyofUrist]

"Rejoice for you have been reborn. Sadly, you have left some of your knowledge behind. Agriculture, for one thing."

Teach my people the concept of agriculture. I find it unlikely that this would cost an Act, but if it does, spend the Act.

[Jilladilla]

Returning to the caverns after Silver failed to accept his offer, Cavefriend gathers his people and any of the nearby 'Troglodytes' who would join him, and there, he explained a great plan:

"A great city, within the bowels of the Earth! For both my people and any of yours who would choose to live with us in harmony! But to do this, preparations must be taken, knowledge must be taught, and a location must be found or created..."

In one of the larger yet more stable chambers, one that isn't too far away from the surface, a great change has occurred, the chamber has been greatly expanded, great pillars of stone rise to connect floor with ceiling to ensure stability, a portion of a surface river is redirected to flow through a portion of this chamber, and the riverbanks are fertile with soil initially imported and what is deposited later by the river. It would be an ideal place for a fledgling civilization to set up shop, that is if it wasn't underground; but the Pale Ones are not deterred by that fact!

Act: Prepare a great chamber in the caverns below, one large enough to house a great city

Of course, such a chamber cannot become a great city if the would be inhabitants cannot make the best use out of it! As such, Cavefriend has spent a time teaching his people, and any 'Troglodytes' who would listen Three Secrets of great use and importance: How to prepare land for the growth of plants with the intentions of harvesting the results for consumption or other use; The Secret of Agriculture. How to dig and create great masterpieces out of stone; The Secret of Stoneworking. How to extract and refine simple metals, and how to combine two in particular; The Secret of Bronzeworking.

His audience was not consistent but by the mystical power invested in the teaching, his words resonated in their minds; while those who managed to achieve knowledge of all three secrets are few and far between, those who've gained knowledge and proficiency of one of the Secrets were much more common, and all of those who have attended managed to gain a passing familiarity with all of them, as if they had watched one skilled in such arts perform their craft.

Acts (However many it takes): Teach both the Pale Ones and any Troglodytes who choose to follow knowledge of Agriculture (although it is distinctly biased towards edible fungi that do not need light), Stoneworking, and Bronzeworking.

With the secrets shared, Cavefriend brings them to the chamber he has prepared.

"Here is where we shall raise a great city, here is where we will create a Great Bastion of Civilization against the horrors of the Dark! But of course, no great city was built in a day. For now, I leave it to you; but I beseech of you, contact me if you require my assistance or if anything unexpected occurs, but most importantly do not let your work on this be your last; do not dig your own graves."

[Roboson]

A challenging descent was before him, yet Lu would not shy away from this task. Lu ascends to the first layer and summons his mortals.

Lu's mortals had always been excellent specimens of the heights mortality could bring. Though, many would say the Lu's creations were borderline monstrosities in themselves, this was part of the reason Lu was banished in the first place. Yet when the darkness came, none complained about the strength they offered.

For this occasion Lu forged himself several mortals and dubbed them the Mulitont. It seemed fitting that his new life would bring with it new life for his mortals. Lu summoned a race of mortals they were tall and lean, built mostly of muscle and bone. Though they were not extremely muscular, leaning towards agility and intelligence over raw strength. Their form is humanoid, but their skin is black. Their legs have additional joints in them which aid in mobility, ending in birdlike 3 toed feet. Their hands end in pointed claws and they have small horns on their head.

Spoiler: Image of Race (click to show/hide)

After creating his mortals, Lu descends deeper into the tomb to discover what lay below.

[AbstractTraitorHero]

Orgull upon nothing happening was quiet...just silent almost. Looking...upset one would suppose before breathing out silently. Breathing silently and closing their eye's walking away from Fidem sitting down looking down at their feet now. Hands wrapped around their knee's. Orgull was seething perhaps upset at being ignored like that.

Degrading in their mind they were better. If they wanted it they should have damn gotten it. Marcus was scum and he sucked! He fucking sucked he was scum and he was terrible and he should damn burn. Orgull leaned against the building and gently opened their eyes.

Let's take a walk....Have my people follow me and make it so they begin to form their own purpose.

[Powder Miner]

Agony, coursing, pain, shock, essence infused with torture -- and then it was the judge, and then everything was settled. Well, it appeared that another god had accepted this new god, and it looked like matters were settled. FIDeM found the Judge's theatrics thoroughly unnecessary, but now that the entire business was concluded, he also found no reason whatsoever to dwell upon it. Indeed, it was time to get back to his own matters at hand: the Salvaged.

It seemed that they lacked a purpose... but FIDeM was a god positioned to make the bestowing of such a purpose a very easy choice. Marriage, loyalty, and love were his domain, and FIDeM knew with absolute, unwavering certainty that it was a worthy path. Almost as if he had experienced it once... no. Unwavering. FIDeM could not dwell on insecurities.

He had to act, after all. FIDeM shaped the understandings of love and marriage his constructs had, and he used it to create a purpose for them, giving them ideas of a properly functioning society, based around families and loyalty and a hope to improve the world so that one's offspring would not have to endure the same hardships as their progenitors. Their purpose was to love one another in the bonds of marriage, raise families, and build society around those families.

FIDeM spends an act to give the Salvaged a concept of society, based around family and love, and gives them purpose in the concept of furthering this society.