Shraal was looking at the schematics and calculations that were spread out around his office floor. These were beautifully drawn, the calculations looked accurate and fairly elegant. Certainly Helesh was a talented researcher. Somewhere in the background was a noise, well, not as much a noise as Helesh explaining the way those shadow portals worked. Shraal wasn't listening to him as he already knew that these sheets were accurate. Another memory was surfacing in his mind.
============================================================================
It was twilight in Shelesh's research tower. He and Shraal had been preparing for Shelesh's speech before the Shadow Council, a month away.
"You do know where they take their energy from."
"Of course, My Lord. I studied them long enough. They take their energy from the infinite and renewable reserves of the land itself. Maintaining them open uses almost no energy but transportation of goods and people requires an amount of energy directly proportional to the mass and mobility of--"
"Yes, yes, feel free not to recite your Portal Creation Handbook. I know you have good memory. But tell me, how does the land renew its energy reserves ?"
"Unproven theories point towards geothermal and atmospheric activity--"
"Let me rephrase that. How do YOU think the land renews its energy ?"
"I have not given it much thought especially with the sicknesses that had been plaguing the other races before they attacked us."
"Don't you think it is strange that those sicknesses should arise nearly at the same time as our use of the portals increases ?"
Shraal pondered those words for a few minutes.
"You don't mean that those portals are draining their power from the lifeforce of the land ?"
"Not only that of the land, but also of the living. We do not notice the effects ourselves since we are quite resistant to these. But the other races, they die, and they have understood the source of their suffering faster than we did. This is why it is our responsibility to help the land remake itself. Of course that will not be enough for the other races. They will always hound us for those we killed unknowingly. But we can rebuild this world and leave it forever with a large enough sacrifice."
"A large sacrifice, My Lord ?"
"The whole Thelash race should probably be enough lifeforce to stabilise the land. Of course someone will have to channel that force straight into the land. That someone will become the equivalent of a god."
=============================================================================
The background noise had ceased. Helesh was waiting for his master's appraisal of the work he had done.
"It shall not be done, Helesh. Look at these two equations. They show the dependency of the portals on the lifeforce of the land."
"They certainly do, but it is only a minimal amount. It will have no consequence in the long run."
"The more we transport and the more we will need to transport. Using that portal to transport even the smallest amount of resources will kill someone somewhere. Can you live with the gratuitouts death of other weighting on your soul ? These portals are not toys, they are weapons of war that can tear the land apart. Put these schematics somewhere safe with enough written warnings on them. This way no Thelash will ever make the mistake of using them."
"I will do so, Lord Shraal."
With that Helesh gathered his papers and left the office. Shraal went again up the circular balcony and looked at the walls under construction. They were still far from completion but could already provide sufficient protection from poorly-equipped enemies. Once finished they would be about 150 meters tall and a good 20 meters thick to resist siege fire, with arrow slits and towers here and there.
He knew Helesh would now focus on these walls, to make up for his nearly-catastrophic lack of wisdom. With him working harder, the walls would be finished within a year.
code:
Leaders status
Shraal : Shushaw Shesh : Administrating site
Shel : Shushaw Heth : Administrating site
Helesh : Shushaw Shesh : Building walls
Thlash : Shushaw Shesh : Military training/Defense research
code:
Shushaw Shesh : NE Forest : Thelash : Hamlet(47)
Shushaw Hath : N of Sh. Shesh : Thelash : Outpost(15)
[ May 21, 2008: Message edited by: Istrian ]
[ May 21, 2008: Message edited by: Istrian ]
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Topic: Battle of the Gods II: an RP Thread (Read 106387 times)