Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ~C.P. Snow
The Ishagi are allowed access into the world by god of earth Tauron. There are a great deal of them, a horde of mechanized beings composed of metal ans poison. They immediately set about colonizing the land around them, they cut down swathes of jungle and forest, creating a barren open field within the jungle miles of trees were cut down and the Incilatro suffered heavily for it. Not only did much of their hunting grounds get destroyed, but the land too was damaged by these strange poisonous mortals. The Incilatro tried their best to defend their home, and opened warfare against the Ishagi. It goes rather poorly for the Incilatro. Killing them was incredibly difficult, but pack tactics gave them an edge over the mostly solitary Ishagi lumberers. Many Incilatro were slain in the fighting, and many poor souls died afterwards due to poison. The land itself was not spared either. Vast strip mines were dug by Ishagi miners. Metals and minerals were ripped from the earth, replaced by poison and death. All of this industry was much to the benefit of the Ishagi. They did not build cities, nor technology, but more Ishagi. The trees were burnt, the metals smelted, and stones crushed. The new Ishagi were, in many ways, more terrifying than their ancestors. They were beings of metal and fire. Their crude civilization grew, they built roads, and strongholds. They leveled the land, and consumed whatever they could for new Ishagi. However their progress was eventually halted by a particular druid who could control plants. Many Ishagi were slain by this druid, for none would yield to discuss with him. The Incilatro discovered a new form of goat and quickly began domesticating it for meat and milk. They were in good supply to the forest Incilatro until the Ishagi decimated the forest, splitting the two tribes apart. Some forest refugees went to the jungle and brought the goats with them. Additionally, they discover that seeds grow when planted and they begin planting seeds in the hope of more fruit trees growing. Some try to grow seeds in the deadlands, but discover that the seeds wont grow there. Oddly enough, because they think they're like trees and their eggs are fruit, they begin burying their eggs in shallow nests. This greatly improves the survival rate of baby Incilatro.
The Duros too encountered the Ishagi, and fared much better. Their resistance to magic made them resilient to the ishagi poison and fire. They killed an Ishagi, and took up its (literal) arms against its fellows. All out war raged between the Duros and the Ishagi. And the Duros were winning. Fighting on two fronts was not great for the silent constructs. The Duros become more organized, and they started to improve as a society. They learned from the Ishagi, they built walls, started building mines, and began industry on a massive scale. The duros were the first race to enter the copper age! For the Ishagi this meant they could neither spread north (Druid) or south (Duro). They expand east to west, cutting a bast band of deadlands across the continent.
The Duros found new power with the metal they discovered, and began slaying the the Rokhorns and the Adamane Lions. Though the later slayed more Duros than one could count, their pelts with manes attached were considered the finest armor and a sign of greatness. Rokhorns were considered good food, but were mostly avoided as even a well equipped Duros could be easily slain by one.
North on Verdance a new plant appears that is easily made into paper. This new product comes to dominate their culture they discover agriculture and quickly begin growing vast fields of the river reed, turning large areas into swamps for the growth of this new plant. The application of agriculture to food production seems a bit lost on them, not because they don't know that it won't work, but because paper is considered to valuable. The process of paper creation is difficult and rudimentary, and so the paper itself is worth so much that plantation owners quickly emerge as leaders among the Vasatha which are not ruled by a Boroi king. Those under the rule of these kings end up crafting paper for the monarch. A written language slowly develops. It is mostly hieroglyphics, but sacred texts documenting their mythos appear and are considered great works and immensely valuable. This advancement doesn't reach the northern boroi. They continue to live isolated lives based entirely on strength. Life for them is a collection of conflicts dispersed across an unending and unyielding fear of potential conflicts, any of which may be the last of any individual for no individual is so strong they they can overpower all the rest, nor so wise that they can out think them, or even so prudent that they could all be avoided. As a result, the life of a boroi is a life of fear of others, of war with others, and direct competition with others for resources, competitions that any individual will eventually and ultimately lose at some point. It is a truly terrible condition, a condition of natural and ubiquitous war.
The troon sees the improvement field expand greatly. Xikla tells the Sciro of the wonderful works of Acter, and many rejoice, but others call Xikla a liar. This may have to do with his teachings on the upsidedown trees. Many Sciro refuse to see them as useful trees and continue burning them. Others begin to use them as materials, and this is seen as a great offense to the treehaters. The division escalates as the Sciro think long and hard about these trees. Sciros begin using them to build, only to have their constructions burnt down by zealots! The introduction of Julius as another god in the pantheon further intensifies the issue. The Incilatro can attest to the existence of the god, but say that these trees are not like those Julius created. Most Incilatro see them as terribly wrong as well, and they add their opinions to the issue on the side of the tree haters. Not to mention the discussion of the city and Soolien further confusing the issues of the day. It ultimately ends up being a clusterfuck. Tensions are high, violence is becoming more prominent, and the development of society strays in odd directions. Progress does not stop, but it develops counter to itself. Some develop crude tool use and construction. But then others develop tools for destruction and arson. Whats more, the arsonists become more organized and improve faster, driven by zeal, and start forming the basic form of government. While those who are less hateful of the evil trees tend to live quite simple and disconnected lives.
The continent of Carociber undergoes massive changes during this period. The god of choas creates their own mortals and places them upon the twisted meatlands. The Klix are a strange mix of body parts and they evolve immensely quickly. They were born with bone armor, but were otherwise mismatched beings. The first few generations were short lived, growing, reproducing, and dying quickly. Evolution in this strange led forced only the best to survive. Their bone armor went from full suit of armor to just covering the vitals, neck, and skull. Strong legs with wide hooves allowed the Klix to become nimble. Strong arms with powerful claws also became dominant traits. This allowed the Klix to carve flesh from the very land. The development of incredibly strong stomachs is what really ensured their survival. Being able to eat the creatures of this land was a great boon, as well as eating the encrusting flesh itself. The Klix eventually wore holes in the endless flesh and found bare rock beneath it. Mercifully, they lost their noses along the way as well. The Klix became powerful predators, lean and muscular, and ruled over the land. Their civilization was mostly stationary, forming strongholds of bone and rock. However they would also hunt across the squishy fields of flesh in a macabre sort of grace. Of course there was still a great deal of diversity among the Klix, as many traits allowed their survival, but a large portion of them were born to especially well suited members with the above traits.
Their ability to survive in this land was threaten shortly after they established themselves. A terrifying creature appeared on the horizon, walking across a churning ocean surface. Aedanusuirillystiphosidarap arrived in Carociber! The towering humanoid was composed of dark black flesh and golden shimmering eyes. Light and reality strain around the giant and it makes landfall on the eastern shore and life immediately changes in the area. While thats technically true, it doesn't describe what is truly happening. Reality changes in the area. Suddenly life there just dies. It doesn't rot or anything so terribly noticeable, it just simply fades into nothingness. A quarter of Carociber becomes devoid of all life! Then, life reappears. If one though it was gruesome before, its only gotten worse. While the majority of Carociber represents the twisting of the body, the Aedalands are the twisting of the mind. Rain slithers up from the ground and rises into the sky. Dark solid clouds hover above the land, casting it into eternal twilight. Oddly enough, this effect continues into the night, making the area appear to glow compared to the darkness around. Odd quirks of reality arise across the area. Occasionally crevices will open, and if one were to fall into them, they would fly out of another somewhere else. Strange pillars of black stone appear as well, standing solidarity against the dim landscape. As one moves closer to the center of this area stranger effects occur. Shapes change in unusual ways. One could walk in a straight line staring directly at a destination and arrive somewhere else entirely without the destination ever leaving your field of view. Things look different here as well, the way things are is just different, often imperceptibly. Those who stray into this land find that their bodies have difficulty functioning. Their layout designed for one reality becoming twisted to fit another. Blood vessels reverse direction, bones that were once straight are now curved, and the intestines are now a straight line. Straying too far into this area for too long is certain death for those unprotected. Not that anyone could make it that far without losing their minds. The effect on the mind is much greater. One simply cannot adapt to the changed perspective. Lines are no longer straight, circles have corners, and whats worst is the whispers. Sound doesn't work properly and strange whispers echo throughout the area, telling of incomprehensible things. There is no way to describe what it's like to enter this place, and no mortal would be capable of doing so, not just because they never left it, but because language as a concept doesn't apply to this place.
Life there appears. Beings of unnatural composition which phase in and out of reality. Light passes through them, and they only appear in the dim shadows. These shadow beasts are of an ethereal quality, subsisting on the strange machinations of this unholy place. Though occasionally one will venture out into the meatlands. The effect is astounding. The beasts seem capable of surviving outside of their area, and begin hunting. Their nigh invisibility making them terrifying predators, which is the entire point. For they need not physical sustenance, but feed off the mind. They fill their prey with visions that directly contradict with the very laws of physics and drive them insane. This effect isn't exactly instant, and they let their prey's mind ferment in the twisted reality they hail from, stewing in that dark place until it is ready to be consumed. Outwardly, no damage is done to the body, and if one did not know of these insanity beasts, one would have no idea whats happening, or what had happened. Other life appears here. Sulking hulks of dark clouds and tentacles mosey across the dank areas. They suck up something you cannot see, chew it, and spit it out only to continue on a while and do it again. Things that are composed entirely of acute angles appear. They seem much more real than everything else, they are grey things with a sense of purpose, however they never move. You get the feeling that there are large numbers of creatures that you simply cannot see living here. Lastly mortals appear. These mortals are the closest beings to being compatible with this world. They are black humanoids with a large single golden eye in the middle of their head. They stand 14-17 feet tall. They have a mane of tentacles protruding from where their neck should be. Otherwise, they are human in shape. They build odd temples to their deity Aedanusuirillystiphosidarap. Tall circular one story places. In the corner of each one, a statue to their creator. One enters and exits from the center of these temples. Strange lights hover over these places, casting them in a voidlike darkness. Here all sense of reality is lost, and nothing makes sense. These Aedans are the most likely to exit the Aedanlands, and do so frequently. It seems they need not eat, drink or sleep, and thus they travel great distances. The purpose of these trips seems incomprehensible. Or perhaps they are just purposeless. Its really hard to tell actually.
Horrifyingly, several Aedans appear on the Troon in the City of Glass! Their appearance changes sections of the city, though the city itself seems resistant to the desired geometry of the aedans. Twisting buildings with lots of angles, appear. The Aedans don't seem to like them and tend to wander. This doesn't help the upsidedown tree issue which is plaguing the city. The aedans don't have mouths, but speak nonetheless. They mostly like the trees, you think. Lots of words don't translate into the Sciro language at all, but its clear that the trees resemble something that the aedans have in their home dimension. Though its hard for them to describe, they say their a lot like a plantlike thing they know of, but with less teeth. Most sciro don't like the Aedans, distrusting the weird but seemingly friendly giants. Perhaps its their appearance or the strange way they move which seems to have many more motions than one can see. Reguardless, their appreciation of the trees and the "It reminds me of home" sentiment is used as further proof that these trees are evil.
Acter inspects their eldritch act. It's power is counter to what most acts are like. A normal act is the essence of a thing or idea. This is not that. This is a gem of power, drop of the same power that formed the very basis of everything at the beginning of time. It doesn't draw its power from anything, it simply is its own power. Pure creation with parameters that simply don't work with this reality. Its DC current in a world that runs on AC. Diesel in a hybrid engine, but it works. Its just as powerful as any sphere act, in some ways more, but it will attempt to do any action used with it along the guidelines of the reality it hailed from.
The angel abandons his quest, disavowing the gods, and generally mumbling about how the higher powers are unwilling to seize for themselves their true potential.
Others appear with various requests.
The ice goddess reappears. Sykila is as sharp and cold as you last saw her, her body white and inviting like the first real snow of a season. Yet her eyes and teeth give away her true nature. In them you see what she truely is. She is a slowing of everything, a cold descent into a frozen snapshot. She is the darkness of night, the uncertainty of tomorrow. She is the unflinching aspect of nature that has no remorse or mercy. She is death. And she's staring straight into you.
You gods disappoint me. Your lands are hot and dank. The know little the beauty and majesty of the cold. Snow is rare, and much of your world is disgustingly hot. Truly it lacks the hallmarks of a truly great world, lacking in almost every way. Ugh, it melts my heart just thinking about the direction you're going in. I wish to help guide you, because you obviously need it, or otherwise your world will suffer terribly. How about a trade. I will give you an ice act in exchange for a single normal act. I have dozens of ice acts to spare, and am feeling generous, so I will trade as many acts as you so desire. A second request is made by another god.
I am Jyll lord of slimes and oozes, queen of all that jiggles, and goddess of goo. I beseech you gods, allow me to seed this world with my beautiful slimy children. I will introduce several types of slimes and oozes into this world in three turns time, and in exchange, I offer a god as much as 4 acts. However, if multiple gods seek my power, I will split those acts between those who accept it. I will only be permitted to act if two gods accept my offer.Third a powerful mage appears. They do not speak, they seem to be waiting for something. Power radiates from them. A golden hand floats in front of the dark robed wizard, expectantly.
(Act counts will be posted once they are figured out. Shout out to crazyabe who's helping me get my shit together).
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Topic: Gods of Creation III (IC) (Read 30986 times)