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[IronyOwl]

The shark offers a content grin. "Honestly, all the way down here, any materials from the surface are valued. Given the trades I practice, however, I would particularly value anything magical in nature, or fit to be crafted into arms or armor for a host of mortals."

Húndàn's smile evaporates into a wistful stare into nothing when the linage of his people is mentioned. "The fossil record shows that my people have existed for at least 800 terms, but our recorded history only goes back about 300. Whatever civilization we had before then was destroyed by either an earthquake or the wrath of a deity. We had a handful of super ancient texts that predated the catastrophe on record, but they were all lost to dire orca attacks shortly before I came to power. If I had to guess, it is likely we were created by some long graduated student of the Academy. Fish Species rarely become as smart or as magically proficient as mine through the forces of evolution alone."

Dun's tentacles wriggle a bit with excitement. "A truly venerable lineage, then, and presumably extremely effective. You mentioned other intelligent shark species that were not as successful? What became of them?"

"This course is focused on breeding mortals with other mortals, so you will not be encouraged to personally provide genetic material as part of the breeding process." Jiāpu explains, "So, no, Chet is not permitted to help you with matters of your own sex and family life. Divine Eugenics is a bit more complicated and a bit less predictable than what I cover here, but should you pass my course, you will be qualified to take Genesis III: Demigod Husbandry if you so choose next term. At that point, you would be encouraged to fully and personally partake in mortal bloodlines as you see fit."

"I understand," Dun replies almost mechanically. That's the appropriate default response for a reeducation center, at least.

"Some students are good at putting theoretical lessons into practice. In my experience, however, the practical approach is better for most students." The professor pats Dun on the shoulder, "if you feel that you would prefer more theoretical lectures than I am providing, let me know, and I will try to adjust my lesson plans accordingly."

"I believe Miracles to be my current strength, and would thus like to master difficult or advanced concepts and uses for them. However, I do not consider myself a scholar, and thus my ultimate interest is purely practical."

[mightymushroom]

Qu blinks at the other godling's words. He tries to moderate his voice to a level more suitable for such shady talk. 'They have not... done anything. Are you feeling well, cousin Koaring?' he asks, then gives the seniors a longer look. 'If you are truly concerned, perhaps we might agree to come to one another's aid should they trouble one of us?'

"They appear to be scheming," Dun agrees placidly, "But they are likely far stronger than us and in close coordination. Our options for resisting or appeasing their depredations would be limited."

Dun gestures towards the nearby blank rooms. "As for what they intend, building space is one obvious conclusion. There was no explicit mention of refusing to utilize rooms adjacent to us, and advanced entities could do much, malicious or otherwise, with malleable space to work with."

"I find it very strange that so soon after being lectured on Academy routines we find this glaring exception. I can understand students skipping this course if it is not required. But at their level it seems unlikely they have need to practice the basics. Either they simply want an easy credit, or there is something else afoot."

"I worried that it was only imagination getting the better of me, but at least it seems that my interpretation is not so paranoid that only I can see it. I concur that we have little recourse to oppose them directly, but wariness is not beyond us. I believe that Professor Yínfà would take our side if we could alert her during a malicious act, or provide evidence against them immediately after. An agreement to watch out for and aid each other is what I intended by speaking up."

Koaring pauses, switching topics: "I am fine. No — I — That, is – I recently received discomforting news . . . It's – I suppose — I can call it a family matter. Nothing that concerns you or this class. I have not fully adjusted myself to the shock."

"You know, even if my, uh, our suspicions are a false alarm, I wonder if we could benefit from a pact to aid each other anyhow? It is possible for gods to lend energy to each other in order to increase the strength and success of working a miracle, and the Professor said we had best not botch our in-class projects. If she permits and we organize our turns, perhaps we can show those seniors a thing or two."

[IronyOwl]

"I find it very strange that so soon after being lectured on Academy routines we find this glaring exception. I can understand students skipping this course if it is not required. But at their level it seems unlikely they have need to practice the basics. Either they simply want an easy credit, or there is something else afoot."

"I worried that it was only imagination getting the better of me, but at least it seems that my interpretation is not so paranoid that only I can see it. I concur that we have little recourse to oppose them directly, but wariness is not beyond us. I believe that Professor Yínfà would take our side if we could alert her during a malicious act, or provide evidence against them immediately after. An agreement to watch out for and aid each other is what I intended by speaking up."

"I wouldn't want to offend them," Dun points out apprehensively. "It may be better for a given victim to accept their fate than for all three of us to anger them. Unless... you think the three of us could defeat the two of them somehow?"

Koaring pauses, switching topics: "I am fine. No — I — That, is – I recently received discomforting news . . . It's – I suppose — I can call it a family matter. Nothing that concerns you or this class. I have not fully adjusted myself to the shock."

"You know, even if my, uh, our suspicions are a false alarm, I wonder if we could benefit from a pact to aid each other anyhow? It is possible for gods to lend energy to each other in order to increase the strength and success of working a miracle, and the Professor said we had best not botch our in-class projects. If she permits and we organize our turns, perhaps we can show those seniors a thing or two."

Dun stares at Koaring for a few seconds, considering both his proposal and his curious response.

"I suspect assistance will be excessive... but I do wish to perform exceedingly well in this class. This would probably be a good arrangement."

She glances between the two gods as though evaluating them.

"Speaking of family matters and pacts, and as long as I have both candidates on hand: Would either of you be interested in experimenting with divine offspring? I desire a messenger to ferry communications and materials for me, but only a god can traverse the magma chamber. The offspring of two gods might suffice, and would be an interesting experiment regardless. If you are not interested in servants I would be willing to pay in other currencies."

[Digital Hellhound]

Saga of the Horse

Glenothe can only shrug and smile. "I believe if we ever face a crisis of that nature, the Queens will call in a favor from gods they have befriended... or something... they are always a bit vague about that kind of stuff... But hey, your strangeness does not offend me. I got into the airship life because I like strange. I bet someone like you must worship some interesting gods themselves, right?"

Qu finds himself liking this mortal, despite his proud involvement in the slave trade. That is something to be taught out of him. He smiles in turn. 'All gods are interesting, I have begun to think,' he says. The godling reaches into his hair and plucks out another vibrant flower. 'This meeting has pleased me. You will take this as a token of my favor. Where will I look if I wish to see you again, Glenothe of the Soaring Clover?'

With that, Qu prepares to leave the city once more. He does not truly understand how these Queens could be so powerful as to not need the gods, but he does not like to linger here. This place does not seem safe.

Saga of the Goat

Dun stares at Koaring for a few seconds, considering both his proposal and his curious response.

"I suspect assistance will be excessive... but I do wish to perform exceedingly well in this class. This would probably be a good arrangement."

She glances between the two gods as though evaluating them.

"Speaking of family matters and pacts, and as long as I have both candidates on hand: Would either of you be interested in experimenting with divine offspring? I desire a messenger to ferry communications and materials for me, but only a god can traverse the magma chamber. The offspring of two gods might suffice, and would be an interesting experiment regardless. If you are not interested in servants I would be willing to pay in other currencies."

'Then we are friends. This is good.'

The strange godling's other proposition makes Qu's smile fade. 'I wish you luck in this endeavour, but I do not wish to produce offspring. Some bloodlines are not meant to continue.'

[mightymushroom]

Saga of the Goat

Dun stares at Koaring for a few seconds, considering both his proposal and his curious response.

"I suspect assistance will be excessive... but I do wish to perform exceedingly well in this class. This would probably be a good arrangement."

She glances between the two gods as though evaluating them.

"Speaking of family matters and pacts, and as long as I have both candidates on hand: Would either of you be interested in experimenting with divine offspring? I desire a messenger to ferry communications and materials for me, but only a god can traverse the magma chamber. The offspring of two gods might suffice, and would be an interesting experiment regardless. If you are not interested in servants I would be willing to pay in other currencies."

"Ah, as long as we are cooperating, I noticed the menagerie you —"

Koaring's voice trails off as Dun gets her request in first. His eyes grow wild as he is proposed his second child in an Age he had expected none. "No!" he shouts, startling himself. He thought he had better control than this. "Leave me out of it! You don't know what you're doing!" Burning with embarrassment, he hurries away to his private quarters. His shame is all the more acute knowing that until the Saga of the Ox he had been contemplating whether he might benefit from exactly such an arrangement.


Saga of the Rooster -> Saga of the Dog

Koaring spends an a long time simply staring at the Gourd of Corruption, such that he hardly notices the change from one Saga to the next.

The Gourd is an unquestionable triumph, and yet he has so many questions. The simplest: how could he have succeeded so well when he still feels the lingering effect of Baba Yāo fù's enchantment? The hardest: should he accept his defeat and join his lover and his daughter, or should he continue to fight on the side of Peanut Village with the proof sitting in front of him that he could still improve their lives? Somewhere in-between: if he doesn't consume it right now, just what in the abyss is he going to do with a house-sized fruit full of consolidated malice?

The answer to the simple question is all around him as he looks out over the enormous, miraculous crops he has created. After his long stint with the Amazons, he had begun thinking almost exclusively in mortal terms of bravery and achievement. Small wonder the Emperor of Scholars had laughed at him when he said he wanted to outdo his Guildmistress in honor: in one saga he has performed an act that this entire village of mortals could never match in several generations. And he only did it when he forgot his own preoccupations long enough to stop fiddling around with the crops like a mortal farmer and start to work on a divine scale.

Koaring has the sense, true or not, that his classmates (with the possible exception of the nameless amnesiac) have more experience than he at flexing their powers. So. He cannot change them today. But he can, he must, start imagining his own actions more boldly and more creatively if he is to earn his place among them. Even if he does succumb to the temptations of his corrupt lover, he would still be crushed underfoot unless he can become quite a bit stronger than she is. So. What better place to learn and to practice than at the Academy of the Gods?

Koaring hauls the Gourd of Corruption (resource 15) back to the Academy and stashes it in his private room. He's not certain how well it will keep there, but unwilling to risk the common storage for now. What new trouble would he face if one of his classmates put it to use? Worse, what if it vanishes and he loses his chance to remake himself in his new family's image? Not to mention, it certainly adds variety to his coursework collection of plants!

[IronyOwl]

"Ah, as long as we are cooperating, I noticed the menagerie you —"

Koaring's voice trails off as Dun gets her request in first. His eyes grow wild as he is proposed his second child in an Age he had expected none. "No!" he shouts, startling himself. He thought he had better control than this. "Leave me out of it! You don't know what you're doing!" Burning with embarrassment, he hurries away to his private quarters. His shame is all the more acute knowing that until the Saga of the Ox he had been contemplating whether he might benefit from exactly such an arrangement.

Dun tilts her head in confusion. She's reminded of a favorite phrase of the dwarven slave gangs of her homeland:

"He either knows a lot less than me, or a lot more," she mutters.

On the bright side, his interest in her menagerie seems to confirm that he's some manner of feral beast-god, far better suited to harvesting materials than she is. She may be able to do business with him in the future, provided it doesn't hit one of his peculiar moods.

'Then we are friends. This is good.'

The strange godling's other proposition makes Qu's smile fade. 'I wish you luck in this endeavour, but I do not wish to produce offspring. Some bloodlines are not meant to continue.'

Dun looks uncharacteristically concerned. "Aw. Are you deficient in some manner?" She leans in to inspect him in more detail. "It's true that you appear weak and sickly, but your flowers appear to be in good health. Hm... this may have implications on the quality of my judgement."

[Weirdsound]

Dun's tentacles wriggle a bit with excitement. "A truly venerable lineage, then, and presumably extremely effective. You mentioned other intelligent shark species that were not as successful? What became of them?"

"Most species were either out-competed or outright slaughtered by my mother's ancestors terms and terms ago." Húndàn answers, "but the Monarch Megoladons and Pirate Hammerhead lived long enough to be destroyed by my father's creations relatively recently. I hear rumors that some of the later species may still exist as slaves of the Dire Orca along the coast of the Roaring Islands... But I'm not sure how credible those tales are. It has been at least five or six terms since there has been a confirmed sighting of a living Pirate Hammerhead that my people are aware of."

Saga of the Tiger: Elbakaepsnu will utilize an Interaction and Miracle, to energize a beam of draining energy and genetically alters the structure of the 72nd Infantry through his own creed that this will result in him being able to control a larger force as well as combining twisted magic from the Far Realm that corrupts people and their own bodies, giving them a way to procreate their forces but instead of one in the natural a way that many would consider abhorrence for the nature of life, their new will allow them to create parasites off their bodies such as egg, leeches, tadpoles, or even fungus that spores that fit thematically to the mutated infantry, each organism with this boon would have to insert their created spawn into the body of an unconscious or at least incapacitated mortal and other animals, resulting in the mortal to be a host to the parasite and through an excruciating process would eventually turn the host into a new member of the 72nd Infantry that can bestow the trait of this parasitic reproduction into its future “descendants.”, the new host of the creation will have little memories of their past mortal lives except that their new forms and minds can only think of serving the 72nd legion and to “enlist” new members into their forces.

Saga of the Monkey: Elbakaepsnu before this Age ends, utilizes his Corruptor of Realms Boon Miracle to corrupt and create a passive eldritch effect on the Fifth Fort that is owned by Lady Mira. All inhabitants, from soldiers to non-combatant alike and even the Queen and Son, of the area and fort will receive haunting recurring lucid dreams that adapt to each human’s subconscious, their worse nightmare of a creature from a giant spider, snake, or cuttlefish will crawl up to them in their precious dreams in usual space of pure purplish darkness, will stare directly at them the rhetorical and even cryptic question of “Will you join the Glorious One when the time comes?”, and through their own subconscious thinking they will answer the question, and if they reject they will be jumpscared by their nightmare creature for them to resort to waking up, and to only repeat this question for the next night. Those who accept and even say “Yes” to their own sleep demon, will return back to their normal dreaming and will even remember this dream quite vividly. This through a subtle indirect method will increase the support of the humans of this fort to accept Elbakaepsnu when he or his hosts ever arrive.

Saga of the Tiger:

Out in the Ashen Wastes, not far from the caves in which his followers dwell, Elbakaepsnu sets to work crafting a beam of draining energy that he might use to mutate the 72nd infantry. At first the process goes smoothly, and the bolt of mutagenic energy begins to take shape. Then, however, the Dragon of Omnipotence hears it. The throbbing in his head. Voices. Perhaps inherited from his insane parent X’arilyg. Perhaps accidentally infused into him as part of the soul of the dragon Sviridion's brother. The voices and headaches scold Elbakaepsnu, for although the spell he is crafting will be functional, the design is imperfect and inelegant: unfit for a god.

You fly into a manic rage of magical labor! You pour everything you have into the energy beam you are designing. You remove every external defect, plan out the visible aesthetics of the spell, and reorganize the structure of the entire magical construct for maximum efficiency! Truly when you cast this upon the 72nd, it will be a blessing that could have only come from a god!

The euphoria returns you to a state of relative mental normalcy, and as the mania recedes, it hits you; You have spend so much divine energy perfecting the trivial details of your miracle, that you will not have the energy to finish in a timely manner before the incomplete beam of energy becomes unstable and useless! You have accomplished nothing aside from wasting your own time and energy. Frustrated, you return to the academy.

Action Failed!


Saga of the Monkey:


From the comfort and safety of his chambers, Elbakaepsnu carefully crafts an enchantment with which he may corrupt land around and torture the dreamers within Lady Mira's fortress. The process is simple. Such area corruptions are second nature to the twisted dragon.

Once the wretched miracle is complete, the godling pictures the desired target in his mind's eye, and sets the wheels of corruption in motion. He is confident that the enchantment has been successfully cast upon his enemy's land, but has no immediate way of knowing what effect it might have on Lady Mira's moral.

Success! Mortal Dreams are being tormented! You will have to pay the mortal realm another visit to know exactly what effect this might have.

Koaring hauls the Gourd of Corruption (resource 15) back to the Academy and stashes it in his private room. He's not certain how well it will keep there, but unwilling to risk the common storage for now. What new trouble would he face if one of his classmates put it to use? Worse, what if it vanishes and he loses his chance to remake himself in his new family's image? Not to mention, it certainly adds variety to his coursework collection of plants!

Your personal chambers prove poor storage for your treasure, as by the end of the age, the condition of the gourd has greatly worsened! Fungal and insectiod parasites infest the skin of the plant. For now the structure and power of the Gourd holds unchanged, but that wont last for long once the parasites reach the core of the fruit! You had best work quickly!

The Gourd of Corruption's value has fallen to 13! It will likely lose all value and power if you don't consume or properly store it early next age!

[Weirdsound]

Alright. I just added a bit more to the academics section of the rules post on page 1, including more information on how vague written/verbal assignments/tests are to be graded. Keep the new comprehension score system in mind when you decide how you want to handle attending class.

For now, we are giving Glass until Tuesday to get their RP in, because they have been busy. The rest of you can get a head start on posting your actions for next age if you wish.

[Glass]

Saga of the Dog -

{null}'s creation suite trivializes the basic agricultural tasks involved in expanding the copse of Ironwood trees. Without incident, you lay the groundwork for the forest to quintuple in age over the course of the next age.

As you work, you notice several frightening humanoid insects lurking around the copse and driving loggers sent by the salvaged away. This development angers you, so you chase the intruders away, perhaps capturing one for interrogation. Once they are gone, the salvaged move in and begin to harvest metal from your creation.

Success! This will likely benefit the salvaged in the long run! You may also start an RP with either a salvaged logger or a captured insectiod interloper!

[Alright, let's finally do this. Sorry for the wait. :p]
While the unnamed god was driving out the intruders, he grabbed one by the shoulder and carried them around for a bit. Once the rest had been removed, they went over to a lone tree one the edge of the copse and bent one of its branches around the captured bugman's arm, trapping them.
Who are you and why are you here? These lands belong to the Salvaged, and are under my protection. One flame burns red, the other yellow.

[IronyOwl]

Dun cries out in shock upon passing the storage pit. She stares for several long seconds in disbelief, running a delicate finger across the flowers and considerably firmer palm over the ironwood piled there. How could they have exactly what she needed? Perhaps she's underestimated them...

The ironwood could belong to anyone, but there's one obvious choice for the flowers.

"Qu!" she says insistently upon finding the malnourished flower-god. "Are those your flowers in the pit? What did you intend to do with them? They appear to be..." she trails off. It occurs to her that she probably doesn't want to play her entire hand so quickly.

"They are of two possible uses to me," she finishes, calming her voice and adopting a haughtier posture. "The first is as a gift to a greater power in order to acquire a diplomatically significant servant. The second is to augment the brightly colored squid of my menagerie into drug cattle, capable of producing a wide range of chemicals depending on how they are handled. My mortal toys are skilled in medicine, you see, so they would be well suited to both directing such livestock and wielding the resulting products.

Would you be interested in trading me the flowers, or perhaps have some interest in the finished products?"

[Weirdsound]

While the unnamed god was driving out the intruders, he grabbed one by the shoulder and carried them around for a bit. Once the rest had been removed, they went over to a lone tree one the edge of the copse and bent one of its branches around the captured bugman's arm, trapping them.
Who are you and why are you here? These lands belong to the Salvaged, and are under my protection. One flame burns red, the other yellow.

"You must be a Sheppard then!" The creature, a lithe and lanky humanoid with the wings and proboscis of a mosquito, howls, "for the Salvaged are sheep! They only reason they live is that we find their flesh disgusting and toxic! My people, we are wolves! Wolves of war! Our new guardian and has promised us opportunity to expand beyond these wastes by force! My people have greater need of this iron, to fill our armories, and the greater strength with which to take it!"

For a trapped mortal facing a god, your quarry shows no outward fear, betraying an immense reserve of will and discipline.

[Glass]

While the unnamed god was driving out the intruders, he grabbed one by the shoulder and carried them around for a bit. Once the rest had been removed, they went over to a lone tree one the edge of the copse and bent one of its branches around the captured bugman's arm, trapping them.
Who are you and why are you here? These lands belong to the Salvaged, and are under my protection. One flame burns red, the other yellow.

"You must be a Sheppard then!" The creature, a lithe and lanky humanoid with the wings and proboscis of a mosquito, howls, "for the Salvaged are sheep! They only reason they live is that we find their flesh disgusting and toxic! My people, we are wolves! Wolves of war! Our new guardian and has promised us opportunity to expand beyond these wastes by force! My people have greater need of this iron, to fill our armories, and the greater strength with which to take it!"

For a trapped mortal facing a god, your quarry shows no outward fear, betraying an immense reserve of will and discipline.

[null] hears the small person speak, and thinks.
You only answered one question. Who are you?

[Weirdsound]

[null] hears the small person speak, and thinks.
You only answered one question. Who are you?

The nameless god must have been thinking pretty loud. The mortal addresses the quarry. "I am Corporal Wénzi of the 72nd Infantry: The dreaded White Locusts. I am herald of The Alpha Huntress, and humble servant of Elbakaepsnu! Do not think you can secure these supply trees for your sheep Shepard! I am but one Locust in a great swarm! One wolf in a mighty pack!"

You know the name Elbakaepsnu of course. Your dragon classmate whom Shizi also gave to a people from these wastes. 'White Locusts' rings a bell as well. Lingbān complained to you that they make a habit of attacking those who would trade with The Salvaged.

[Glass]

Wénzi. Mh hmn.
Did you know that these lands are covered in magical artifacts? They are damaged, of course, but they are what rendered this land to wastes. The deity seems to have taken on an affectation similar to his professors. Some are damaged beyond repair, but their parts can still tell us more about their nature, how they work, how they could be made. Others merely lack for energy that would allow them to function. Many are in between, damaged, but potentially able to be salvaged, repaired, restored to working order.
They return their gaze to the locust; their gaze is piercing. What do your people know of these constructions, Wénzi? For my Salvaged are not merely sheep grazing the fields. They recognize the treasures that rest here as they did, and they learn from them.
They recline, and their eyes dim to green. A lack of desire to fight does not indicate a lack of ability to fight. But perhaps there is an alternative option regardless. Bring a message to your leader. Cease your raids of the Salvaged, and potentially we may discuss trade. You doubtlessly have something that could be of use to us.

[Weirdsound]

Wénzi. Mh hmn.
Did you know that these lands are covered in magical artifacts? They are damaged, of course, but they are what rendered this land to wastes. The deity seems to have taken on an affectation similar to his professors. Some are damaged beyond repair, but their parts can still tell us more about their nature, how they work, how they could be made. Others merely lack for energy that would allow them to function. Many are in between, damaged, but potentially able to be salvaged, repaired, restored to working order.
They return their gaze to the locust; their gaze is piercing. What do your people know of these constructions, Wénzi? For my Salvaged are not merely sheep grazing the fields. They recognize the treasures that rest here as they did, and they learn from them.
They recline, and their eyes dim to green. A lack of desire to fight does not indicate a lack of ability to fight. But perhaps there is an alternative option regardless. Bring a message to your leader. Cease your raids of the Salvaged, and potentially we may discuss trade. You doubtlessly have something that could be of use to us.

Corporal Wénzi chuckles. "My people know of these artifacts. Some members of the 72nd are old enough to remember ages past, fighting in the war and using the dread devices. One of them even made us into what we are. Monsters. Monsters that crave meat. We desire nothing but flesh, and make nothing but tools to trap and render flesh. Wolves do not derive great benefit from trade. Until recently we had no quarrel with the Salvaged, we could not eat them, but their attempts at trade lured in things we could eat. Now they have something we want. These trees can make us all the weapons we might ever need. We take them by force because we have nothing to offer in return."