Have the Ironwinged begin recruiting some of the researchers previously marked from the council, using their negotiation skills to ensure a fair price. Once business is concluded, put them to work developing a way to reduce the amount of sunlight needed for Spiderlings to survived.
In response to the Fragments, Brass Buzzards and their Dustwalker disciples should use their training, and attempt to come up with a solution. Cunning is a valuable tool on the battlefield.
Realizing the scope of the operations at hand, Gral flies back up to the web and, using a piece of internal essence, attempts to create four in its own image. These Merchants of the Compass will serve as the lieutenants of the Silken Nest.
Dang, just got done posting.
Ironwinged: 3
Buzzards: 2 & Dustwalkers: 5 vs Sand: 3 & Fragments: 5
Gral: 4
Due to improved relations and several new trade deals between factions on the Web, a few of the Aetherweavers allow themselves to be bargained down to a reasonable price. There are more who follow suit once they realize they've been undercut, but a significant number of researchers continue to withhold their services despite changes in the markets. Many of them are already working on the High Council's projects, particularly the invention of light spells, and consider the Silken Nest's project redundant. They'd allow themselves to be bought out, but the fee would be significant, and it's possible that the Council would even make a counteroffer. Until they receive more input from Gral, the Ironwinged choose to make do with the Weavers they've already hired. The going is slow, but work on the Nest's photosynthesis project begins in earnest.
While the Buzzards provide aerial reconnaissance and try to work out the basics of battlefield tactics, Dustwalkers deal with the bulk of the fighting. The martial-artists find it much easier to hone their technique on a real battlefield, where the fighting is intense and there is no shortage of acceptable targets. They tear through the sand's appendages easily, and nearly drive the Fragments themselves back before there is a new development behind enemy lines. Some of the Fragments' reinforcements have become corporeal, by inhabiting bodies made of Nonexistent ooze. Incarnated fragments are easier to hurt, but they can attack physically and are capable of digesting sand to heal themselves.
Back at the Silken Nest, Gral tears out four pieces of its own essence. Expelling pieces of itself is more draining than anything the Contractor has done before, but it fights through the exhaustion and pulls four perfectly-formed soul-shards from its body. It batters the masses of essence with its wings, moulding them until they manifest as steel vultures. The Primordial coaxes with the power of the Bargain, and as one the four Merchants take to the sky.
Take some of the sand eating ooze left and some of the new silence eating ooze and find the nothingness shard within my shell.
"I have more important things to do then fight you on this shell, and looking at the web you have as well, so we can finish it now, you bring it back to me and we don't fight here and now."
6AJAMA scoops up blobs of the original sand-ooze strain and the new silence ooze and shapes them into small spheres, which circle its body like twin moons. The sand ooze is kept safely away from the ground, while the growth of the silence ooze is kept in check by the sound it makes as it whips through the air. Both samples move alongside the Demiurge, making them readily accessible should the primordial have need of them.
When both of the spheres are in stable orbits, AJAMA drifts back towards the rest of creation. It projects astral tendrils to sweep across the world, in search of one particular piece of the Nothigness. It finds the creature that subsumed its old body on the outskirts of a battle between the sand and the Dustwalkers. It is at the center of an entire swarm of Fragments, and as AJAMA moves closer, it notices that the shell-thief is spitting out chunks of Non-Ooze for its fellows to inhabit. Apollyon refocuses its attention on the Demiurge once it sesnses the other sphere approaching.
"This body is. Useful? Makes bodies for friends. Is not nice being body-less. Sand does not welcome us anymore! Please can I keep?""Great people are fighting over at the web again, everyone stay in the tower for a bit."
Have the deer men stay in the tower they can do whatever they want, while I build a still out of glass and try to make vodka out of the potatoes, then check on the plants.
Deer-Men: 3
Dr. Bob: 2In response to the fireworks on the Web, Dr. Bob raises an alarm and orders the mortals to stay inside. Most of them start playing around in the chemistry lab, where they continue to tinker with potatoes and hemp. While one group makes of stockpile of rope and cloth, a few creative types try their hand at developing new potato recipes. These are mostly different kinds of mashed potato, like fried-mashed potato, soaked-mashed potato, and once even charred-mashed-potato. Most people still prefer the normal version, but there are a few who enjoy fried potatoes immensely. They even realize that they can cook some without pureeing them first.
Dr. Bob keeps one section of the lab roped off so that he can work on a new project involving potatoes. He creates a still by linking together a few other chemical apparatuses, including a greenhouse for growing potatoes inside the tower and a glass pan to collect water from the rain, but finds that he's still missing a way to ferment all the liquified potatoes. Bob intuitively knows that he should be looking for something called "yeast," but nobody has actually created the stuff yet.
Deer-Men have been ducking outside to tend to the garden, which is now supplying the tower with a continuous stream of potatoes and hemp. Beanstalks and a few ears of corn are also fully-grown now, but nobody knows what to do with them. When they see Dr. Bob coming, a few gardeners line up to see what he does with the new plants.
Ashe collects as many Brass Buzzard feathers as she can find!
Ashe skips through the nesting ground and picks up every stray feather. The first step is just to pick up all the obvious ones that are just lying in plain sight. She gathers them up into a pile, which she deposits near the Buzzards' nests. There still aren't any signs of the birds themselves, so Ashe also digs through the mounds of sand and grabs all the feathers that were used to hold them together. Those are a little dirty at first, but after the nymph dips them in a nearby river they're as shiny as the rest.
Her pile is even bigger now, but when Ashe looks out at the dunes she can still see the occasional glint of brass. The buzzards left a trail of shed feathers that goes out of the Wetlands and towards the rest of the desert. If she squints she can see a white tree somewhere in the same direction, with glittery specks swooping in and out of view.
You are trying to save creature of darkness, which not only broke into house of spiderkind and did set it on fire, but also did so after being spared from unweaving on promise of not harming the web in any way, I did let this monstrosity live once, there is no way I am repeating this mistake
Its not about foolish duels for me, it's about eradication of pests standing on way of spider race.
Work together with order of strands and other weavers wishing to join the cause on powerful enough light spells to annihilate darkness inside glass armour and Ira , call upon support of primelings and their sentinel legions.
(Sorry about the late post I had some after school stuff that ran late.)
Ira rather than face an army of spiderlings breathes nothingness at the base of the web and thrashes around to de-stabilize it.
"I offered you a chance to protect your spawn Weaver"
Order: 3 & Nazir: 1
Primelings: 1 & Sentinels: 1
Ira: 4+1The Order continues to Weave together aetheric blades and snares, this time with Nazir's help. At first the Primordial Spiders' weavings reinforce the more mundane workings of the Order, but when Nazir lays the groundwork for an apocalyptically powerful light spell it pushes the rest of the threads out of balance. The carefully-prepared spellwork collapses into a tangle of knots, and instead of completing Nazir's working the Spiderlings of the Order are forced to unspool and reconstruct the remains of their own. The one or two blasts of light that hit Awake's silk cocoon are only powerful enough to singe it.
The problem is further complicated by the Primelings and their Sentinels, who were not prepared to deal with a threat that had already worked its way into the web. They unleash barrages of acid and spellwork that are more suited to siege combat than a fight with two individuals. Instead of annihilating Ira and Awake, as they intended, their attacks land amongst the regular spiderling troops. Even platoons that aren't touched by friendly fire are swept up in the ensuing chaos.
Somewhere in the center of the Spiderling horde, Ira breathes out another cloud of Nonexistence. This time she closes her mouth slightly to focus it into a narrow stream, which she uses to cut through the strand of webbing that everyone has been standing on. It snaps in two, sending the World-Eater, the cocooned Shardform, and several hundred of Spiderlings plummet down to the desert. Nazir's other troops cling to the severed ends of the cobweb, which are swinging back and forth like pendulums.
Hynsyr gathers the Prismatics once more to decide upon how they wish to lead the Lightfolk from this point foward. How would they organize themselves and their kin? How would they come to make decisions outside of what Hynsyr tells them to do? How will they collectively further the cycle and ensure they can pay tribute for their eternal Debt of Life? These are things they must decide for themselves as mortal beings.
The Prismatics conclude their discussion with the ambassador so that they can gather around Hynsyr. They form a circle around him and thrust their spears into the sand, causing a shimmering aura to rise from the ground. Once the mist has shrouded them from prying eyes, the seven deliberate their role among the Lightfolk and the shape of things to come. It is necessary to consider many things, from the leadership of the species to its ultimate fate. The cycle must progress, and for now they must be the ones to bring it to fruition.
The seven tentatively decide to make their city of kind of theocracy, with Hynsyr considered the ultimate authority. The daily affairs of the Lightfolk will be handled by trusted advisors and lieutenants. The Prismatics offer to fill the first of these positions themselves, but leave room open for the Titan to appoint or remove mortals as he sees fit. As the wielders of the Rainbow Spears, they will also be obligated to defend Lightfolk society and its continued prosperity. It is their duty to defend the Spires from attack, to further its development using their magic, and to act as agents of the cycle. An order of warrior-priests will also be established to enforce Hynsyr's decrees. These soldiers will be responsible for preserving the sanctity of the holy sites.
All Lightfolk will be required to contribute to the tribute. They will offer their creator whatever they deem best, but must also do their best to satisfy any demands that he lays out.
Dr. Bob, the Unmoved Mover
-Regent of the Tower
-Spidersilk net.
-Glass chunks
-Improvised glass tools.
-Glass automaton
-Perpetual-motion bus
-Vial of Einyar
--------------------------------
Kūhaku, the Mirror
-Catatonia
-Rain-Maker
--------------------------------
Nazir, the Weaver
-God of the great web.
--------------------------------
Ira, the World-Eater
-Empty
-Woven together
-Debt: Gral: Three Favors Owed
--------------------------------
Gral, the Contractor
-Contract: Winged Spiderlings
-Contract: Deer-Men: One Favor
-Contract: Ira: Three Favors
-Pinion Blades
--------------------------------
AJAMA, the Demiurge
-Ooze-born Body
-Ooze-born Spheres
-Sphere of Darkness
--------------------------------
Hynsyr, the Titan
-Yig, the Golden Flower
-Twelve spears of light
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Awake
-Echoes of ALTERTH
-Smelter's Armor
-Dawn Axehead
-Slightly lopsided
-Bound in silk and aether
-Stomach wound
--------------------------------
Ashe, the Collector
-Brass Feathers
Bestiary:
Demons: Crude imitations of the primordials made from sand and absence.
--Obsidian Archdemon: An obsidian dragon crafted by the Empty itself. It was granted the power to manipulate nothingness.
Fragments of Emptiness: ?
Shardforms: Obsidian creatures which absorbed the Empty's already-incomplete consciousness. The broken pieces of ALTERTH's identity they possess give them animalistic intelligence.
Steel Maggots: Metallic larvae which Gral accidentally created while trying to make avian Emissaries. After they were pulled off of the vulture, few escaped into the desert, where they accepted Gral's peace terms and moved into the shifting bog.
Steel Grubs: Steel maggots that have been bound with Pact-collars and transformed into livestock. They have grown larger than their sapient kin, but are unintelligent and largely peaceful.
Brass Buzzards: Brass birds crafted from Gral's feathers. They are infused with the pain it felt while creating them.
Spiderlings: A race of intelligent spiders which can live on light. They cover both the stars and the great web.
--Dustwalkers: A Spiderling subspecies which can feed on sand as well as light. They live on the sand and fight an asymmetrical war against it for survival.
--Ironwinged: Defeated Spiderlings who made a deal with Gral. They received wings in exchange for service, and have built a nest on one of the new stars. They were later granted the ability to weave metal.
--Ancestors: Aetherweavers who have achieved immortality by becoming spirits bound to the great web. They are incorporeal, and their astral bodies make it easier for them to manipulate aether.
--Scarred Spiderlings: Spiderlings who have gained great strength and endurance because of their mistreatment by the Brass Buzzards. They built a market but have mixed feelings about Gral and his servants.
--Sentinels: A army of biologically and magically augmented Spiderlings, created by elite Aetherweavers with Nazir's guidance. They serve the Spider Demigods, and stand ready to protect the Web alongside them.
Primelings: Ten entities created by Nazir and a group of the most powerful Aetherweavers. They watch over the Web in Nazir's stead, but are weakened by flaws in their weaving.
Lightfolk: A species of humanoid mortals born from Hynsyr's golden light. Their powers of creation threaten to overwhelm their bodies, causing their inner light to warp chaotically. Many have begun to train so that they can gain more control over this ability.
--Prismatics: Seven lightfolk which glow brighter than the rest. They were hewn from the rainbow light of Hynsyr's eyes.
Deer-Men: A humanoid race with the heads of deer. Dr. Bob originally crafted them from the silk of Nazir's web. They were granted superior dexterity through a contract with Gral.
Three-Headed Worm: A juvenile sandworm created by Ira to serve the Dustwalkers.
Crops: Hemp, potato, corn, and bean plants created by Dr. Bob.
Atlas:
The Living Sands: An awakened desert that extends outwards indefinitely. It consumed ALTERTHENTERRINTARTINTH, the being which brought it to life, and subsumed a part of their consciousness known as the Empty.
The Stars: Glass spheres filled with fire. Gyaweft created them and threw them into the air to illuminate the world.
--New Stars: A second set that isn't accessible through the Great Web. Fortunately, that means they can't be blotted out by Spiderlings.
--Negative Star: A black sphere which radiates darkness, created by AJAMA after Gyaweft's death.
Nazir's Web: A giant web that begins in the desert and reaches up towards the stars.
--Silken Nest: A new star that the winged spiderlings have claimed as a nest. It can only be reached by gliding or descending on strands of silk.
--Tapestries: Libraries of spells and other knotwork which have been woven together and hung from the great web. Some have begun to collect aetheric cobwebs.
--Market of Scars: A grand market built by the Scarred Spiderlings in exchange for their resilience. The Ironwinged sell metal equipment there.
Shifting Bog: A large pool of mud drawn from the sand by Kuhaku. Islands rapidly form and dissolve as the sand beneath it moves. It has been tainted with Nazir's venom.
Glass Tower: A tower made of glass, raised from the sands by Gyaweft. It extends upwards through the web, tall enough that its upper floors reach the stars.
--Moat: The Tower is surrounded by a lake. Only one thin bridge connects it to the rest of the sand.
--Sandcastles: A series of elaborate sandcastles built around the moat. They were crafted so masterfully that they won’t dissolve in rain.
--Garden: Several different crops which Dr. Bob planted outside the tower.
--Laboratory: A room furnished with chemistry equipment and various glass containers.
Light Spires: A glowing city made by the Lightfolk using their creation magic.
--Temple of Yig: A golden temple which houses Yig, the First Tribute. It is an intricately-carved cathedral with walls made from an aurora.
Einyar: A sea of golden light drawn from Hynsyr's aura. It preserves the spirits of the Lightfolk after death, so that the cycle may advance.
Bone Fortress: A giant tree grown from one of Ira's teeth, and given to the Dustwalkers as a gift. It has become a large fortress.
Glass Crater: When Gyaweft flew his Sunship into the ground, it melted a wide swathe of the sand into glass. Fiery essence spilled from the ship still burns here, and sealed fault lines radiate from the impact site.
--Smelter's Grave: The center of the crater. Gyaweft's corpse lies here, alongside the molten remains of his Sunship.
Wetlands: Areas of the sand and the Great Web which Kuhaku continuously showers with water. The rain is heavy enough to form rivers and lakes.
--Abandoned Nests: A nesting ground that was briefly occupied by the Brass Buzzards. It is strewn with metal feathers and bloody talon-prints.
Knowledge:
Knot-Writing: A written language Nazir formulated so that Aetherweavers could record their spells. It involves weaving complex knots into silk, and therefore comes intuitively to Spiderlings but is almost impossible for anyone else to comprehend.
Bargainer's Tongue: A simplified version of knot-script which can be etched into a flat surface rather than woven into silk. It is comprehensible to non-Spiderlings, but not as intuitive.
English: A written script based on twenty-six letters and a few punctuation symbols. It was introduced by Dr. Bob and is primarily used by the Deer-Men.
Metalworking: Blacksmithing techniques that are typically available to the Ironwinged. They can be used to weave metal objects.
Aetherweaving: A magical discipline which involves spinning spiritual webs. It was taught to the Spiderlings by Nazir and is available to the Tribes, the Primelings, and any other arachnid capable of making silk.
Lightforging: Creation magic unique to the Lightfolk. It is a powerful but chaotic ability which can be used to make solid-light constructs out of one's own aura. More advanced techniques allow practitioners to create complex materials such as metal or wood.
Eight-Talon Way: A powerful martial art created by the Brass Buzzards. It is purely offensive in nature, but consists of strikes so lethal that defense isn’t usually necessary.
Agriculture: Farming is only feasible in the wetlands, but plants watered by Kuhaku’s rain grow quickly. The Deer-Men have been taught to cultivate and use several kinds of crops.
Items:
Seven Rainbow Spears: Weapons Hynsyr forged from a rogue splinter of his soul and gave to the Prismatics. They amplify their wielders' magic immensely, and provide slightly more control over their powers of creation.
Black Ooze: A patch of black goo created by AJAMA which can grow by absorbing sand. A column of ooze goes deep beneath the earth, where it breached a reservoir of Emptiness.
--Chaos Ooze: Blobs of ooze which have accidentally been made to assimilate a variety of substances and concepts. They were later sealed away.
--Silence Ooze: A strain of chaos ooze that can feed on silence. AJAMA transplanted some of it to the empty desert, where it has grown rapidly.
Pact-Arms: Metal weapons, armor, and tools which can compel their wielders to carry out tasks for the Winged Spiderlings. Most are in the possession of Spiderlings on the Web.
Tribute Tokens: A currency minted by the Ironwinged and infused with the power of the Bargain. They see light use in the Great Web but are not considered especially valuable, so most of the economy still relies upon bartering.
Sentinel Plate: Magical armor developed for use by the Sentinels. It can drain the force of attacks and release it in the form of telekinetic blasts.
Factions:
Spiderling Tribes: Prominent groups of Spiderlings, mostly organized by subspecies. The are scattered across the Web, the stars, and the sand.
--Order of Strands: The first Spiderlings to learn the art of Aetherweaving. Many have strained their minds and bodies to hone their abilities, making them feeble despite their mystical strength.
High Council of the Web: The governing body of the Great Web. It consists of delegates from each of the tribes, as well as one Primeling. Most meetings take place in Nazir's nest at the top of the Web.
Lifeweavers: A group of Ancestors who helped Nazir create the Primelings and Sentinels.
Author
Topic: Sand & Souls - Let There Be Turns (Read 61916 times)