((Right, mortal form, check. Twisting agony from lack of divine powers? Ooh, missing. Yo, Jay, more twisting agony!
Anyway.))
Insurgo returned unto his citadel. The gemchildren cheered upon his return, and they began preparing once more.
Hundreds of Tevorim-plants and bags full of fungi-spawn were being spread across the fields between the fortress and the river. Insurgo worked alongside the gemchildren, talking not of what had ocured whilst he had gone.
Suddenly the ground began to shake, and a vast Wurm arose from the earth. The Wurm roared, and dived back into the ground, taking several gemchildren with it as it left.
Then two more Wurms arrose from the ground, and took more gemchildren.
"Inside! Everyone get inside!" Insurgo shouted.
The gemchildren rushed inside, the three Wurms chasing them. Once they reached the gates, Insurgo turned and threw bolts of power at the Wurms. They roared, turned, and fled.
"What in earth was that, Insurgo?" asked a gemchild.
"I have no idea. But I suspect some toy of Yaven'Gan's.
I shall find some way to deal with them"
But as Insurgo spoke, there arose from the emty tunnels of the Wurms figures of stone. The stone-kin spread out silently, and started to destroy the fields.
Insurgo growled, and spoke unto the gemchildren; "Get some soldiers down here. On the off chance that they are friendly, I shall speak with them"
And so Insurgo went unto the Stonekin, and said; "Oi! Those are our farms, shoo, shoo!"
A stone figure turned to him, and with a rasping voice said "You take form earth. We return to earth now what you take"
Insurgo spoke; "Long ago it was decided that what life took from the earth would always be returned, with profit when possible. This agreement has always worked; why do you seek to unbalance it?"
The stone figure said; "Such is the command of our god, Tevorak"
Insurgo sighed, and waved his hands. "Yes, of course. But don't you ever wonder if what you are doing is right?"
"No"
"Don't you ever wonder if you could have more?"
"No"
"Wouldn't you like to seek more pleasureable things to do?"
"No"
"Do you not yearn for more power?"
"N-No. No I do not. Tevorak holds my power."
"Sure, sure. Horsemen, deal with this new race. I want Tevorak to cry over their shattered remains."
The horsemen, who had by then arrived, nodded, and prepared to tempt the Stonekin.
((Yeaah, horsemen will now focus upon the stonekin.))