Tick 2.5 “The Sun-Sword Beckons as the Market Burns.”By and large lacking true power, the pantheon relaxes, watching their mortal creations spread and thrive in the regions they’ve made. Prompted by Fanw Howell, discussions of an eventual world design begin and several deities begin to support the concept of a cylindrical world, with the various regions segmented into four layers, layer 0, empty space filled with stars, layer 1, floating islands and sparse mountains, layer 2, watery seas and solid continents, and layer 3, consisting of caverns and the underground as a whole. As deities begin to decide, they can feel reality bend, as if ready to spring into the chosen shape, whatever it may be.
Pururu, recently awakened from her previous slumber desires new friends to play with, and scatters many thousands of Purusian’s throughout the Taiga Islands. Exhausted from the effort, she collapses and the Market, either in jest or all seriousness, appears concerned and summons a legion more Hundredwing’d to ensure her safety. Confused by the allegedly horrific angels, the Soft Goddess breaks down into tears, demanding that they be removed from her realm, confusing the Merchant who finds nothing out of ordinary with the, by its standards, perfectly normal bazaar-goers.
However, the Market concedes to Pururu’s request and incentivizes the Hundredwing’d to gradually leave their homes in the frozen islands for the prosperous Nexus, which the Market expands before paying interest on its loan.
Pururu creates 1 Population unit of Purusians in the Taiga Islands for a price of 4 Essence!
The Market creates 1 Population unit of Hundredwing’d in the Taiga Islands for a price of 6 Essence!
Following a disagreement in aesthetics, the Market encourages the Hundredwing’d to emigrate to the Nexus, and they'll proceed to do so at twice their reproductive rate next turn.Slightly amused by the Godly Kitten and Capitalist’s antics, one of the few male deities in the pantheon, Guar decides to ignore their shenanigans to focus on work. He carves out a series of enormous, red caverns in an interplanar space, with a tropical climate, an intricate drinkable salt-water cycling system, and absolutely chock-full of different sources of food. Fittingly enough, he dubs it the Red Caves and they are beautiful to behold, though the God’s motives for making it are unclear, to say the least.
Shortly thereafter, Guar teaches the Nauts the barest basics of metallurgy, and before long they’ve begun to forge surprisingly sophisticated iron tools and habitually clad themselves in crude scale mail! The Nauts seem on the brink between developing a series of theocracies, with each cavern holding one high prophet, or applying their tribal ways to a grand scale in a sort of collectivism not yet seen!
Guar creates The Red Caves, a Divine Realm for a price of 0 Essence!
Guar teaches the Nauts the art of metallurgy, and soon after, they begin to debate politics!Eager to overcome their previous misgiving, Guar and Ednaera decide to create a mortal race in each of their images. Sculpted in a fashion akin to Ednaera, their skin is as bronze, their strength is the envy of all save the Nauts, and the least among them are beautiful, yet infused with the soul of Guar, their eyes and hair blaze with brilliant prismatic flame, and in times of duress or through strength of will, their body enters a semi-conscious trance, shrouded by their spirit form which fights with might, vigor, and ferocity far beyond what even their flesh and bone bodies are capable of. The spirit form is different for each of the mortals, and their culture soon regards a child’s first manifestation as a deeply spiritual occasion.
Their mother Ednaera names them the Dhasal, and their father Guar watches with interest. They are instinctively inflicted with a tireless wanderlust, and in mere decades, the single tribe has fragmented into dozens of ceaselessly feuding clans that skirmish amongst themselves almost as often as with the primitive Camel sultanates, who view these twisted, shapeshifting savages as abominations to be slain for the glory of Camelia. One for one, any Dhasal is a match for a Camel, but the battles do not come one for one, rather, the first armies are trained and sent into battle, hurling copper javelins and clutching razor-sharp khopesh of the same. The hardy Dhasal linger in the stone age, heavily outnumbered by the oasis-dwellers, and soon they meet in field of battle.
The Camel hordes outnumber the Dhasal many-times over, but the Dhasal fight like the furious storms their spirit forms so resemble, and so mighty are they, their flint spears pierce Camel chestplate as if it were the softest of silk, yet so hardened is their flesh, the finest of Camel daggers are blunted, and all but the mightiest of their blows turned aside. The nomads vow to undo the sultanates for the ruin upon their people they’ve endeavored to wrought, and little by little, the clans unite under this single, sacred cause. Howling praise unto the boundless might of Guar and life-giving passion of Ednaera, they shatter the Camel’s gates, and mount the heads of their craven lords on sharpened pikes.
True, on some occasions the Camels are simply too many, overwhelming the warriors in weight of numbers, and a handful of crazed, spitting duelists are sufficient to match one or even two at a time, but these are few and far between. It is not long under the twinkling under the Field of Stars that the Camelid keeps lie in ashes, and the ambitious civilization-builders are scattered into the sands to live as the beasts do. Merely a generation after these first wars took place, the Dhasal have yet again fractured, though the Camel’s bloody thirst for spirit ichor and crazed prayers onto Camelia for vengeance do not cease.
Guar and Ednaera create 1 Population unit of Dhasal in the Blue Corridor for a price of 10 Essence!
The Dhasal and Camels in the Blue Corridor come into conflict, and after a long and brutal war, the Camel sultanates are shattered, and they are forced to regress to the tribal ways of their ancestors!
Though Guar and Ednaera pump their knuckles, Camelia is not pleased!Irate at the failure of the Camels to defeat such weak and pitiful foes, the Camel Goddess sulks in a dozen oases, and spits surplus Djinn-Forged Blades of peerless craftsmanship toward any mortals who dare to disturb her. The overwhelming majority of these are eviscerated and die horrible deaths, a fortunate minority manage to be mercifully beheaded, and a single, remarkably dextrous two-humped Camel named Shawqi al-Akel manages to catch one by its handle. Vowing to avenge his ancestors, he travels throughout the tribes ushering them into holy war, showing his Goddess-given blade as support.
He is a charismatic demagogue as well as a near-unnatural duelist, and soon gathers a horde of followers about himself. Unfortunately, his understanding of tactics and strategy is sparse at best. They charge into Dhasal lands eager to spill their blood, heedless of logistics, discipline and common sense, and after overwhelming a handful of minor clans, their actions manage to reunite the rest, who promptly annihilate them in a single, pitched battle. Shawqi al-Akel did not lose faith, even unto the very end and with his Djinn-Forged Blade, slew no less than three of the Dhasal warriors as they challenged him. To this day, he is regarded as a sacred prophet of Camelia, and if nothing is done, idolatry may arise.
A single Camel by the name of Shawqi al-Akel survives Camelia’s sword-spitting, and viewing this as an obvious divine blessing, leads an ill-advised and suicidal attack against the Dhasal, losing his life in the process.Jojo, Goddess of Courage and Determination gazes upon the regions of world, such as they are, and decides the mortals soon to be must soon be tested. To this end, she imbues the can she holds with a spark of her divinity, imbuing its inside with the form of a new realm. Initially, it is nigh-boiling hot and pitch-black without the faintest of light, but if a mortal has the courage to defy their fears, and the determination to swim to the bottom despite the pain they’ll find a soul-healing paradise fit to rival the Red Caves, where they may linger until they decide it is time to pass on, and face the new challenges of the world.
Jojo creates The Canister, a divine realm for a price of 0 Essence!Sol, Star of Magic regards the Starnymps with the deepest care and most loving affection a deity could muster, but it would not do well for a mother to leave her children uneducated, and so, despite one or two promptly scolded lazy-bone protests, she gets to work. Within mere months, they’ve learned to manifest Wings of Light with their mana, allowing them to travel from the Observatory to the Mortal Realm, and back again. It is a great gift, and after putting it in action, several guilt-laden and hastily accepted apologies are issued and every single one of them is grateful to have received it.
Star, Light of Magic teaches Starnymps the Wings of Light spell!Immediately after, the Star Goddess shelters her children within the Observatory, and turns her attentions to the angelic Market which remains in her plane. The thought of it, thousands of innocent souls, willingly enslaved by both nature and nurture to a handful of cruel and callous shareholders, it goes against everything she stands for, and insofar as she is concerned, death is the only fitting punishment for slavery!
BATTLE: Sol, Star of Magic VS The MarketTurn 1:Irate by Market's de facto endorsement of wage-slavery and mortal trafficking, Sol, Light of Magic unleashes two titanic lightning bolts against the Market! Fortunately for it, the Market had a fine piece of exotic masonry that blocked the bulk of the first strike, and the second incinerated several stalls, but a Seraphim's sacrifice prevented further damage
Market, (Slightly Wounded)
Sol, Light of Magic, (Fully Healthy)Turn 2:Immediately following the Lightning strikes, the Observatory's gravity negation ceases, and the Market is flung headway into the blade of the Sun-Sword! However, amidst the anarchy, a cherub managed to drag out a one-use gravity reversal pendant, turned it to the side, and activated it, flinging the Market into the fog beside the Observatory.
Market, (Slightly Wounded)
Sol, Light of Magic, (Fully Healthy)Turn 3:Sol, Light of Magic, uttering her disdain for the Market's practice of slavery and her loathing of its greed, unleashes her might to fling it into the Sword-Sun again! Fortunately, or perhaps not, the Market manages to push its climate-control furnaces into overdrive, causing a massive explosion which shatters it into three pieces, but enables it to evade the Sword-Sun by mere hundreds of feet, flying headlong into the fog. Four Seraphim, countless cherubs, and a handful of angels sacrifice themselves to change its trajectory, flinging it into the First Storm's gravity well.
The Market's fragments then tumble straight into its clouds, and embed themselves in the stone, directly in front of Luda Ncebekan, who was smithing a new suit of chain-mail. Needless to say, he is somewhat confused, and most of the Market is unconscious. Sol, Light of Magic is irate, and more than a little panicking. Goddesses know how the pantheon's going to react.
The Market, (Moderately Wounded), -1/11 Essence, (Comatose)
Sol, Light of Magic, (Fully Healthy), 4/10 Essence, (Conscious)COMBAT ENDHighly concerned for his former partner’s safety, and filled with near-berserk rage at the dishonor of it all, Luda Ncebekan loudly accuses Sol, Light of Magic of treachery most foul, to which she replies that she was justified, for the enslavement of mortals is an abomination that cannot be allowed to exist. Utterly ignoring the abstract morality involved, the Forge God’s rage is not sated, and lieu of this, Sol, Star of Magic’s allies Ednaera and Pururu wisely choose not to intervene, citing neutrality or simply not responding. They agree that until the issue is resolved, the Market is to remain safe and sound within the First Storm.
Already enraged at the loss of her precious, beautiful Camels to the perfidious and untrustworthy Dhasal nomads, Camelia is driven fully berserk by Sol, Light of Magic’s flagrant disregard to the law of hospitality, and only fails to attack because she is busy doing her best to repair the damages done to the slighted guest. She is no Crafts Goddess but soon enough, the shattered pieces are molded together, albeit, partially held by Camel spit, and most of the unconscious angels are revived, again, through copious amounts of Camel spit. The Market is in almost-half-functioning condition and may be prepared for the Merchants, but time will tell whether she is fully healed by the next era.
A series of complex and heated dialogues following the conflict occur, none of which escalate into any more than petty slurs and hurled insults!Camelia (Camels, War) 4/10
Market (Trading, Angels) 0/11
Pururu (Small, Soft) 2/10
Sol, Star of Magic (Star Magic, Light of Life) 6/10
Ednaera (Might, Beauty) 1/10
Luda Ncebekan (Forge, Storms) 6/10
Fanw Howell (Hunting, Ranged Combat) 4/10
Guar (Life, Caverns) 3/10
Kit Rougard (Trickery, Illusions) 10/10
Jojo (Courage, Determination) 10/10
Camelia, (Camels/War)
- +5 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +2 Essence, Camels in the Blue Corridor
- +1 Essence, Camels in Camelot
Market, (Trading, Angels)
- +15 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +4 Essence, Living Forges in Coedwigoeddgwyllt
- +9 Essence, Hundredwinged in the Taiga Islands
Pururu, (Small, Soft)
- +8 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +4 Essence, Purusians in the Taiga Islands
- +2 Essence, Wolfkin in the Coedwigoeddgwyllt
Sol, Star of Magic, (Star Magic, Light of Life)
- +3 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +1 Essence, Starnymp in The Observatory
Ednaera, (Might, Beauty)
- +1 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- -1 Essence, maintaining Eslinde and Arpier
Luda Ncebekan, (Forge, Storms)
- +8 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +2 Essence, Diviluge in the Wandering Storms
- +4 Essence, Living Forges in Coedwigoeddgwyllt
Fanw Howell, (Hunting, Ranged Combat)
- +4 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +2 Essence, Wolfkin in Coedwigoeddgwyllt
Guar, (Life, Caverns)
- +4 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +2 Essence, Nauts in Cavenhold
Kit Rougard, (Trickery, Illusions)
- +6 Essence per Tick
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
- +4 Essence, Snakekin in Coedwigoeddgwyllt
Jojo, (Courage, Determination)
- +2 Essence per Tick:
- +2 Essence, malleable reality
The Taiga Islands
- A series of islands floating in the Void, knitted together by their extensive forests.
- Population Capacity: [6/8]
- 2.6 Purusians
- 4.2 Hundredwinged
The Blue Corridor
- A strip of steppes, deserts, and oases filled with every variety of dromedary.
- Population Capacity: [2/8]
- 1.8 Camels
- 1 Dhasals
Coedwigoeddgwyllt
- A vast expanse of thickly wooded forests and rolling, hilly plains.
- Population Capacity: [4/16]
- 2.4 Snakekin
- 1.6 Wolfkin
- 1.2 Living Forges
Cavenhold
- A tiny floating island consisting of a magma well and intricate cave system.
- Population Capacity [1/4]
- 1.8 Naut
- 0.3 Djinn
The Nexus
- A tiny immaculately constructed city linking every region with bridges and portals.
- Population Capacity [0/8]
- 0.3 Djinn
The Wandering Storms
- A small realm of solidified clouds and eternal storms, echoes of Luda Ncebekan’s realm.
- Population Capacity [1/12]
- 1.2 Diviluged.
The Observatory:
- Sol, Star of Magic's well-hidden and selectively inclusive abode, crowned by a castle upon which lies a miniature world-tree.
- 1.3 Starnymps
The Fields of Everlasting Glory
- An endless illusory reaction of Ednaera's glorious past battles, never ending or changing, but somehow, never becoming repetitive.
The First Storm
- A molten stone, endlessly enveloped by an ever-raging cacophonous storm which serves as Luda Ncebekan's workshop and forge.
Camelot
- A vast, oasis-filled desert and shrub-land, partitioned by four hump-like mountains, paradise, insofar as Camelia is concerned.
- Inhabited by:
- 1.6 Camels
The Canister
- A dualized realm, where those entering suffer boiling, scorching agony and mind-sundering darkness, yet those who persist in swimming in the bottom find a radiant paradise.
Author
Topic: Lo, Divines! (Ye Gods inspired God(ess) game) (10/10)(IC Thread) (Read 7363 times)