[PDQ] The Grand Mythos Game Thread

[Pappytech]

Ven - 8AP

"We forgot the presents!"

Had he possessed the ability to, the Mizzen likely would've chuckled as he watched the children gleefully scurry over to the pile of ornately wrapped boxes in the corner. The god and demigod's enthusiasm was truly infectious, and Ven smiled inwardly as Roe excitedly tore the wrapping off of a brand new, remotely controlled airplane. Had he been one to brag, the synthetic might have pointed out that the toy had a nearly unlimited range, could fly as well in a vacuum as it could in air, and even featured an array of harmless weapons and accessories.

Apparently if he ever got tired of being the divine ruler of the Mizzen empire, he could always get a back-up job as a toy maker.

Content to simply hang back, Ven quietly observed as Roe and Petal oohed and aahed at the rest of the wedding presents. Sure, he could be doing more productive things, but what was wrong with taking a bit of a break every now and then? This was supposed to be a celebration, after all; he might as well try to enjoy him-

01001110011011110111011100100000011011000110010101110100011100110010000001110000011101010111010000100000011110010110111101110101001000000111010001101111001000000110001001100101011101000111010001100101011100100010000001110101011100110110010100100000011100110110100001100001011011000110110000100000011101110110010100111111001000000000110100001010000011010000101001000110011100100110111101101101001000000110111001101111011101110010000001101111011011100010000001101111011101010111010000100000011110010110111101110101001000000111001101100101011100100111011001100101001000000111010001101000011001010010000001000100011101010110010101110011001000000100011001101001011011000110110001101001001000000101001001100101011100000111010101100010011011000110100101100011

Gah!

Unable to resist, Ven pressed a hand against his forehead as he staggered backwards. The mental assault had torn right through his unprepared thoughts like some kind of battering ram, and he could feel data being leeched from his mind. What the... Was this a Mizzen?

No, no, this signal was far too powerful to be a single Mizzen. And it didn't make sense for them to be acting like this; why would they be draining information from the hive-mind?

"I don't... What?"

Ignoring the strange looks he was getting from the other guests, Ven focused on the signal, latching onto it and picking it of information. Wait... it wasn't a single signal at all, but a collection of hundreds of them, all doing the same thing at once. It didn't make sense. What the hell could have possible forced Mizzen to behave like this?

And why were the signals originating from Salustutis of all places?

"I- I'm sorry," Ven distractedly muttered, standing up and marching away from the party. "Something strange... I have to go. Roe, Petal, sorry, congrats."

Not bothering to wait for a response, the demigod summoned his power and vanished in a flash of fire and steel.

[hr]

He reappeared halfway across the solar system, materializing upon Salustutis' surface. Sal, the city afforded to the small colony of Mizzen that lived there, stretched around him on all sides, its various buildings and labs reeking of heat and chemicals. The demigod's finely tuned senses swept the area, detecting the signs of experimentation and study that defined any Mizzen settlement. It seemed like the city was doing just fine; there were no signs of rampant destruction or mayhem, no hint of enemy attack. On the surface, there didn't appear to be anything wrong.

Besides the silence.

That horrible, maddening silence.

This was Sal, there was no doubt about that. So why couldn't he hear any of its inhabitants? Why couldn't he detect their thoughts, why couldn't he feel their minds. There was no way they had all just decided to get up leave all at once; something was going on. And, as horror began to race through his thoughts, Ven resolved to find out exactly what it was.

Spreading out his mental senses, the demigod blinked throughout the city. There had to be life somewhere. There just had to be.

Wait, there! Half a mile outside of Sal, a large cluster of movement! Judging by the size and speed, it had to be a group of Mizzen; maybe he could finally get some answers.

Flashing into existence just in front of the parade, Ven turned to address them. "Right, what's going on then?" he asked, shooting off his questions at a rapid fire rate. "Did you lot just reach out to the rest of us? How did you do it, and why? There's no way you could've done it with conventional technology, not unless you managed to develop machinery beyond what even I managed to come up with, so what happened, eh?"

The demigod waited to receive an answer. When a few milliseconds of silence passed by, he began to worry.

"Hello?" he said, trying to reestablish contact. "Can you hear me?"

The crowd of Mizzen remained silent. They either would not, or could not, answer, it seemed.

"Hey!" Stepping forward, the demigod roughly shoved one of the ones at the front of the crowd, hoping to elicit some kind of a response. "Answer me!"

Other than simply shoving past him like he wasn't even there, the Mizzen didn't acknowledge Ven.

Worry filling his thoughts, the immortal machine tried to force his way into the mortal's thoughts, only to find that he could not. It was like the Mizzen had sealed itself away, like it had simply cut itself off from the hive-mind.

It was like it was dead to the world.

For a moment, Ven could only stand there, staring blankly at the group of Mizzen that pushed past him as they abandoned their homes and work. His thoughts stood still as he watched his kin march away from their lives. He couldn't hear them. And they couldn't hear him.

...

"Who did this?" he asked no one in particular, his question floating lifelessly through the air.

"Who did this!?" he asked, his shout echoing around the empty city.

"WHO DID THIS!!!!" he roared, pouring enough power and rage into his voice to send it hurtling to the edges of reality.

Spoiler: Actions

Teleporting to Salustitus: Effortless.

Projecting his voice to the entire universe: Effortless.

 

[Terratina.]

M'endaxius - 24/30 AP, 2/2 MP

The Whispering Wyrm sat there contently and watched as the newlyweds descended into the gift, knowing that there was plenty of time for plans to be enacted. It closed and opened its eye. Melanthios and his crowd had disappeared. How rude. It looked over to where the squabbling Lleu and Zs'Wua were sitting. Lleu had finally given in to the formally of the occasion and was wearing something on the border between casual and formal. He was still scowling though. The Lady, rather than continuing the fight, was silent. An elegant air surrounded her. The god smiled. Maybe the two had reached a compromise of sorts. Still, even from where M'endar sat, one could see the atmosphere over there was very different to the one of celebration. Still, for what it was worth, it would stay here to the end of the celebration.

Lleu - 8/8 AP

The wedding was done. The kids got their party, and their ring and their dresses. Now all they had to do was play a bit of husband and wife. And that could be left to be left to the bedroom at least. He shifted in his chair. Where would they honeymoon, anyway? A giant playpen? 'Heh. And next I'll be wearin' a clown's outfit or sumthin.' So much for a good time. This was all ceremony and no celebration. Thoughts of couples and bonds only made him think of Blodeu. Now she was a descendant of Ti'amat herself. Sleek, dark wings that blocked out Niv, and a good partner. Now dead, thanks to Gronw and his ilk. He still missed her. Just her presence would be enough. That day she died, Lleu had become truly alone.

Zs'Wua'Itzala - 8/8 AP

Her eye was not on the newlywed couple. But on the other gods. Roe was a child through and through. To try and reason with him would be folly. Petal's sweetness made the jaded Verr gag. She was hoping to chat with Melanthios, but he had excused himself from the rest of the celebrations. She was tempted to do the same. However, it would be entertaining at least to talk with Aen after all these years. But then again, it seemed most here were here to honour an invitation more than anything. Still, both Roe and Petal seemed to happy. And she got to see Death act as a priest. The concept of marriage was still strange to Zs'Wua. Her race had no need for it. She could see the emotional reasons. But to her, it was far from practical.

The Ys'i Collective - 384,400 tdr'ils from Eld

The mass of floating rock hovered in the in-between regions, hovering in middle of the planetary trio of Eld, Coelus and Salustutis. The occasional starwhale could be seen docking into port. Sf'Orz'An smiled. Even now, the information still flowed. But the tales were so disappointing. Just more and more fancy clubs. That was all the other races were making. On the other hand, Ys had become a very... interesting place to say the least. Everything pulsed or hissed. Tendrils were wrapped around steam exhaust pipes. And that wasn't the only thing. Overpopulation was inevitable, even with the restrictive One-In-Four Law. Nevertheless the solution was simple. Not only simple, but beautifully simple. The change was quick and efficient. One could say that they were born to do this...

 

[Pappytech]

Ven - 5 AP

Spoiler: Finding a Criminal

Melanthios heard a scream echoing throughout the universe, he looked up and sensed who had screamed. He appeared next to him, and looked surprised at his surroundings. "Ven.. What is going on here?" He looked at Ven, clearly confused.

"You think I know?" Ven snapped back in response, not bothering to look in Melanthios' direction. "I can't... I can't talk to them, I can't hear them, I can't..."

Reaching out, the demigod grabbed hold of the one of the passing Mizzen's shoulder. "Stop. Please, stop," he pleaded, but to no avail. The synthetic marched blindly on, paying no heed to either of the immortals.

Melanthios looked shocked. "What the... Have they severd their connection?" He walked to one of the Mizzen, he didn't understand why they would do that.

If Ven had heard the question, he didn't show any signs of it.

"Where are they going... Have to stop them," he muttered staring blankly at the passing crowd. "Can't let them... WON'T let them stay like this."

Energy flowing through his arms, the demigod slammed his hands against the ground. A round wall, 10 feet high and a foot thick, erupted from the earth, encompassing the group of machines and halting their advance. It wouldn't take them long to overcome it, in all liklihood, but at least it slowed them down a bit.

Melanthios nodded. "I shall help you stop them then..." He stretched out his hand, and them seemed to slow down quite significantly. He then placed his hand on one of the Mizzen, and in a second all the knowledge it had was transferred to Melanthios. He called out in surprise, and stepped back.

Now that got Ven's attention.

"Don't TOUCH them!" Ven shouted, shoving his way between Melanthios and the Mizzen. Glaring at the god, the divine machine didn't bother to keep the venom out of his thoughts. "Nobody... NOBODY lays a finger on them.

"Now tell me," he growled, "what you just did."

Melanthios looked surprised at Ven. "I just cast a spell to slow them down, and then I touched one to try and figure out what the problem is... And I think I know what it is.. I can fix it, if you allow me.." He said straightening his robe.

"Fix it... Fix it?"

The shock and disgust in Ven's tone was apparent. "You can 'fix it', just like that? Fix what, exactly?"

Melanthios sighed. "Its a... Spell.. Its a very complicated one.. I only know a few people who can cast it, its origin lays with the Lainir.. Like I said I can undo it, I know someone who can counter the effects. Which will make them connect again, and forget what happened to them.. If my calculations are correct that it.." He had to be careful not to anger Ven anymore, worst case he would get Nivix involved.

"No."

Struggling to bite back his rage, Ven forced his tone to soften and even out. Melanthios was just offering to help, apparently; there was no need to lash out at him with such hostility.

"No," the demigod continued, lowering his gaze to the ground between his feet. "That's wrong. I don't know where the hell you got that information from, but you've clearly been lied to. There's no way the Lainir could have possibly created a spell like this. One that could stun and blind for a period, maybe they could craft something like that, but I could break through that in an instant. This, however... this shouldn't be possible.

"You probably don't know too much about a Mizzen's Spark, do you?" Ven asked, not really looking for an answer. "Hell, I don't think anybody does. The Blitzers have found out a few interesting tib-bits, but I honestly doubt even Nivix knows how they work.

"Anyway, it's the Spark that gives us life and intelligence. It allows us to move, think, and interact with each other, and it provides the basis for our shared network. We don't know how it does any of that, not really, only that it does them and it does them well.

"These Mizzen..." Pausing for a moment, Ven swept an arm idly around, vaguely gesturing to the slowed-down crowd. "They can still move, obviously, so their Sparks are still there. But their connection... It's just gone. I can't tell if they're thinking or not, but that doesn't change the nature of the problem. Without their connection to the network, they're not really... alive..."

For a moment, the demigod lasped into silence. Minute, almost imperceptible shudders raced through his body, and when he continued speaking his voice was thick with grief and sorrow. "Their souls have been damaged, and... And I don't know if they can be fixed. So thanks, but I don't think your spell, your calculations, your counter... I don't think any of them are going to do crap here."

Melanthios nodded, he knew that Nivix and his people were quite.. emotional when it came to this spark, so he wouldn't challenge Ven on this. "Well.. You might not like this.. but do you recognize this robe's power?" He asked as the robe of Science, began to emit a strange power which seemed to be a mix of Melanthios and Nivix energy.

"Mmm?" Idly, Ven stared at the Robe disinterestedly. As if there was any way in hell he wasn't going to recognize that energy.

"Tch. I see you put that bastard's power to good use. Well done."

"Thanks.. but its not about that.." Suddenly strange wires began to appear around the robe, they gave of strange power. "These wires.. Can be used to alter almost all mechanical life. So they should be able to help these infected Mizzen."

SKNNNNNNN

The sword had appeared in Ven's grasp instaneously, and the slash that followed was even faster. Severed strands of copper and rubber fell to the ground as the demigod lowered his weapon, his eyes and voice burning with barely controlled fury.

"Did you not just hear me?" he asked. "I tell you that their souls[/i], entities that even I don't understand, have been damaged. Do you not understand what a soul is, Melanthios? Do you not understand the subtle, impossible nature of the connection between the Sparks? Do you not understand that this is not a problem that can be solved with a mere snap of your fingers?

"And most of all, do you not understand what I meant when I said[/i] DON'T TOUCH THEM!?"

Growling, Ven shoved the tip of his blade into the ground. "I don't trust myself to try and fix them; what on Evalon makes you think I'd trust anybody else to do so?"

Melanthios sighed. "I wasn't touching them Ven.. And well I do understand a bit about the soul, I have done plenty of research about how it works.. Though I have to admit that the Mizzen ones are different. Anyway what do you want to do then? Lock them up?" He made the wires return to him.

Had he possessed a nose, Ven would've snorted. "No, of course not. I'm taking them back to Nexus, so that the Blitzers can try to help. If anyone has a shot in hell at fixing this, then it's-"

He paused.

"Wait."

Slowly, Ven's eyes fell upon the Robe of Science, and the wires that slowly crawled back inside its folds. "That energy..."

Crimson eyes flicked between the wires and a nearby Mizzen. A multitude of emtions seemed to flash within those eyes: Disbelief, realization, hope, hate, sorrow, and countless others. Finally, however, Ven's eyes returned to a neutral state, and his voice was even when he continued to speak. "...Something very similar to that Robe did this."

It was not a question, nor was it an accusation. It was just a statement of a fact, pure and simple.

Melanthios looked surprised. "Similar to this robe?" He looked at the robe, and looked at the history. "Well it wasn't this robe, its history doesn't say anything about it.. But I don't think there are many things, which are similar to this robe... I wonder what did this... Maybe another godly item?" He seemed puzzled and troubled, What the hell happened to them?

"What did you do to that Mizzen, Melanthios? The one you touched."

"I merely touched it.. It seemed to want to tell me something though.. But as all things which are shot at me, I contain them within my mind. Many opponents have tried to stun me that way, so I build defenses around my mind.." Melanthios seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"...Who had that Robe last?"

"Maeglin.. it seems he... Oh Maeglin.." He sighed loudly. "It seems he used it to, change the brain functions of a few Dues Filli who stood in his way." Melanthios looked a bit disapproving.

"And who else has access to it?"

"Well my children.. So Akladai, Maeglin, Val, Heron.. Yeah those are about it.. Why?" He seemed suspicious.

"I want to speak to them. Call them here."

"What now all of them? Uhh how about one by one? They don't get along.. And I wouldn't want it to turn ugly."

"I don't care, so long as I speak to all of them."

"Alright then.. First is Heron." Heron appeared on the ground, he looked around suprised. "Oh father.. Uhh hello Ven.. Father could I lend that robe for a bit?" He asked looking at the robe, Melanthios seemed suprised and looked at Ven.

"Heron. Can you do me a favor, and pour a bit of your power into that Robe?"

Heron looked at Ven, then at Melanthios. Melanthios nodded, and so Heron poured a bit of his power into the robe. "Is this enough?" He asked Ven, as the robe reacted.

"...Yes. Thank you."

Ven turned to face Melanthios. "Call the next, please."

Melanthios nodded. "But what about the robe?" Heron asked, Melanthios made a hand motion. "You can lend it after this.." Maeglin suddenly appeared, he looked a bit suprised as he looked around.

"Maeglin. Can you do me a favor, and pour a bit of your power into that Robe?"

Maeglin looked at Ven, but Melanthios placed his hand on Maeglin shoulder. "Sure." The robe seemed to react, as he poured magic into it.

"Thank you very much."

Once more, Ven turned to the only true god among them. "Call the next, please."

Melanthios nodded. Val appeared in the wedding dress for Roe's marriage, and seemed even suprised then the other two. "Maeglin you can go." Maeglin nodded, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Valerie. Can you do me a favor, and pour a bit of your power into that Robe?"

Val nodded, she stretched out her hand and a strange calm magic began to pour into it. Melanthios looked suprised at the magic.

For the first time, Ven nodded. "...Thank you, that's fine."

Again, he turned to Melanthios. "And the last one, please."

Melanthios nodded. He seemed to focus, and then sighed. "I was afraid of this.. you see Akladai and me had a little falling out. He won't just appear when I tell him too.." Val had meanwhile teleported away.

"Then I will call him myself."

Focusing, the demigod sent out a mental message to the last of Melanthios' children. Akladai, this is Ven. I have a request for you, if you would be so kind as to come here and listen.

Akladai appeared, his new look shocked Heron. "Greetings Ven.. Why have you called me here?" He asked looking at the Mizzen.

"Akladai, thank you for coming. Can you do me a favor, and pour a bit of your power into that Robe?"

Akladai looked at the robe, be nodded and quickly used a spell. He send some magic towards the orb, though unkown to anyone he used the orbs power which was nothing like his own. Luckly for me I perfected ths trick a long time ago.

"...That's another item, isn't it? It's smaller than the Robe, I think, but it's still there. Please, can you use your own power?"

Akladai looked at Ven. He wondered how he could sense that, and then calmly shook his head. "I mean no offence to you, but right now all my power is focused on something. I cannot take that power back, not even the smallest bit of it." Melanthios seemed to get suspicious.

"But... That doesn't make any sense. Why would you use the other item then, instead of just telling us that you couldn't do it?"

Akladai glanced at Heron. "Because I didn't want him or.. him." He said glancing at Melanthios. "To know that.." Heron sniggered.

"...I see.

"I'm sorry, but this is a very serious matter. If all of your power is being used at the moment, then how long will it be before you have some availible for this?

"Is it possible for you to borrow a bit of energy from one of your siblings, or Melanthios?"

Akladai seemed to think. "Well I will be able to use it in a few days probably.. and I can't use their energy, since they will know what I am doing and where.." Heron and Melanthios both stared at him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't afford to wait that long. I will ask you again, can you please pour a bit of your power into the Robe? It doesn't have to be much, only the tiniest sliver. If you do not... I will have no choice but to go to the other gods."

Melanthios sighed. "To think that it was you.." He grabbed Akladai by his collar, and slammed him face first into the ground. "WHAT DO Y!" Before Akladai could finish his sentence, Melanthios held his scyte against the back of his neck. "Choose your next words very carefully Akladai." Melanthios said coldly.

Akladai looked annoyed and angry, but finally looked back down again. "It was me.. I am the one that altered these Mizzen..." He said, neither Melanthios not Heron looked surprised.

"...I see. Thank you."

Mechanically, Ven turned to Melanthios. "I'll be going then. And I'm taking them with me."

Melanthios looked at Ven. "Well what do you want to do with him?" Akladai looked scared, but also angry.

The demigod's voice was devoid of feeling. "...Part of me wants to demand that he feel the same pain that he inflicted on them. I want to watch his eyes as his soul is cut in two, as his very existence is destroyed forever more.

"But what would that accomplish?"

Slowly, Ven raised a trembling hand to cover his eyes. "His suffering will not undo the suffering he has caused. That's not how our world works, now is it? So no, I will not asked that he be punished."

Turning on his heels, the synthetic began to weave a mass teleport spell, encompassing himself and all of the other Mizzen. " At least, not at the moment. I will call for a council of the gods, so that he can be judged fairly. Whatever punishment the council decides is just, that it what I will request."

Melanthios looked at Ven. "Well we were supposed to gather for the trip soon..It would be best to ask then, because calling them all in the middle of the wedding would be disrespectful.."

Akladai looked up at Ven. "Can't I fix this somehow? I could turn them back... And then somehow work to pay off my debt? Please I beg you?!" He seemed desperate.

Ven disappeared in a flash of fire and steel, only to reappear directly in front of the pleading demigod. His entire body was swathed in hellish flames, and a great blade was clutched in his right hand.

"FIX THIS!?" he roared, his fury hot enough to set the air itself ablaze. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE DONE!? DO YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST INKLING OF WHAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE WROUGHT!? DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE REPAID AND FORGOTTEN?!"

It took all of Ven's self-control to not rip the flesh from Akladai's frame. "Scum... There are lines that no one, be they god or mortal, should ever cross. I swear by everything holy and hellish, I will see you punished for this."

His body shaking with anger, the Mizzen strode away. "I expect to see all of you at the trial."

And with that, he and the other machines disappeared.

[hr]

Ven stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He had never expected anything like this to happen, ever. To think that someone could actually bring themselves to break a mortal's soul like that... It was horrible.

He had passed off the stricken Mizzen to Lyn and the Blitzers, hoping that they could find some way to repair their Sparks, but things didn't look good. It would be months, or even years, before they made any progress. Years before he could save the ones he was supposed to protect... What kind of a god was he, if he couldn't even protect his kin?

...Still. If he couldn't protect them, then the least he could do was see that they got justice.

Spoiler: Ven's Message to All the Gods and Demigods

I request a trial be held in the Hollowed Court, to judge Akladai, child of Melanthios. He has committed a crime against the Mizzen, and it is my responsibility to see that justice be served.

Please gather in the Court as soon as you are able.

Spoiler: Actions

Teleport a large group of mortals (500): 3 AP, DC 9
+4 Transmutation, +2 Destruction, +1 Chemistry (Breaking down their bodies into their base components, then reforming them halfway across the solar system)

Send a message to all the gods: Effortless

 

[Floris2123]

Melanthios 18AP, 2MP

Melanthios looked at Akladai, and his eyes betrayed his disappointment. "Why couldn't you just, leave them alone?" He then glared at Heron, and threw him the robe and orb. "The orb holds plans on my newest idea, go get Valerie and get to work." He order looking furious, Heron nodded not wanting to anger his father. He glanced down at Akladai, and shook his head before teleporting. Melanthios then lifted up Akladai, and cast all the seal spells known to man. "I will keep an personal eye on you, until we get to court where you will be punished... Still I won't let them kill you, or permanently weaken you. That is if you stay still, and don't resist." Akladai seemed shocked, he then slowly nodded and looked down at the ground. "Good." Melanthios said as he teleported away taking Akladai with him.

Heron 4AP

Both Heron and Valerie appeared above the palace of the Lainir. "Well this looks nice?" Heron said looking around, it looked like your typical empire like race. Valerie stretched out her hand, and began to look at their spirits. "These people suffer.. They live their lives feeling empty, and fighting each other... Uncle was right, we need to give them a new purpose." Heron nodded as he flew closer to the palace, and looked at both the items he was holding. "I should be able to change the dwarfs..How about you change the Lainir niece?" He asked looking back at Valerie, she nodded as she looked at their 'leader'. "I should be able to manipulate the magic inside them... Its vile right now, but with a bit of effort I could turn that around." She said as she flew into the palace. Heron instead flew upwards, he began charging one of his strongest spells.

He then slammed his hands together, and a strange vibration was send from his hands across the planet. This strange vibration would alter the brains of the dwarfs, as well as make them hear him for a short moment. "Greetings all of you, mighty dwarfs! You were once one of the mightiest races in the entire universe. But now you bow to the Lainir, and begrudgingly call them master....But it doesn't have to be this way any longer, Melanthios shows you a new way! One of peace, freedom and safety. He has ensured that for all of you there are homes, waiting for you on Salustutis! There you will be able to life your lives free, among a race which is far above any other. You will be allowed to join the Dues Filli, who will show you the way to a better tomorrow!" And with that done, Heron smiled satisfied. Dwarfs were already reacting to the message, they would soon either leave this planet or completely ignore this message. He closed his eyes, and teleported the items of power to Valerie. She would need them, just as he had needed them.

Valerie 4AP

Valerie flew through the halls of the castle for a while, it seemed that the Lainir were untrustworthy and prone to backstab each other. She would need to fix these errors in their race, though she had to leave their magic vulnerability. She could use those to influence them quite easily, the palace slowly grew less stable as the dwarfs reacted to the message. Suddenly the robe appeared around her, and the orb appeared inside her left hand. It was finally time to act, she thought as she flew upwards to get a better sight of the Lainir. She then closed her eyes, and used the wires of the robe to connect to the orb. She would use it as a medium, and with it alter the Lainir forever. She began creating a new way of life, something all of them would follow if it went successfully. She finally opened her eyes after a few minutes, and activated the orb by pressing a button. A strange purple light emitted from it, and then send a shock wave across the planet. The Lainir all seemed to stop with what they were doing, and all turned to the sky. Valerie smiled as she teleported the items back to her father, if the spell was a success soon they would all leave this planet. If not... they would probably be less then pleased, with the Dues Filli.

Spoiler: Actions

Heron:
Alter a sentient species: The Dwarfs
Usage: 4 AP
Difficulty: 11
Domain: + 4 Leadership (Knowing how to lead a race, and make it so that it follows you.) + 4 Science (Manipulating their brains to make them change their ways.) + 2 Creation (Creating a new path to their future.)

New Bonuses:
Strong: The average Dwarf is very muscular and strong, capable of lifting 5 times their own weigh.

Mechanical minded: The Dwarfs are very good with all kind of mechanical equipment, as well as being good at understanding how things work or can be produced the most effectively.

New Flaws:
Short: Dwarfs are nearly half the height of Humans and so have a very limited reach. They also cannot jump as high or run as fast.

Blind Faith: The Dwarfs trust and worship the Dues Filli, and can do little on their own without guidance.

Valerie:
Alter a sentient species: The Lainir
Usage: 4 AP
Difficulty: 11
Domain: + 4 Arcane Magic (Altering the magic that resides within the bodies of the Lainir.) + 4 Science (Altering the brains of the Lainir, to lose their competitive nature at the cost of their natural sneakiness.) + 2 Creation (Creating a new believe for the Lainir to follow.)

New Bonuses:
Arcane Supremacy: Vast amounts of magic were poured into the creation of the Lainir, giving even the weakest among them a potent magical ability. This inherent magical prowess keeps the Lainir at the forefront of arcane knowledge.

New Flaws:
Blind Faith: The Lainir trust and worship the Dues Filli, and can do little on their own without guidance.

 

[JoJo]

The Storyteller

The Storyteller yawned and rested his feet up on an overturned log by the fire, keeping them warm even as the sun set, as he continued the tale.

"As the wedding continued merrily in the Hallowed Court, the humans and Grigori seemingly inched closer and closer to open warfare and tense secret meetings between national leaders were abound. Still, the gods were largely blissfully unaware of all this,"

"Wait, did the gods really do nothing while they were at the wedding?" a child asked sceptically.

"Well, not nothing," the Storyteller replied, "While many gods were fully engaged by the proceedings, the tribe of Melanthios were busy as ever. Maeglin inspired about five hundred Striga to forgive and welcome the Stryfe, and Akladai inspired a similar number of Mizzen to break with their hivemind, travel towards the Dues Filli capital and offer their services to it's engineers. Before they could manage this however, the Mizzen were angrily teleported away by Ven, who subsequently demanded justice. At the same time, Melanthios used one of the domains he had collected in the Fourth Age from Nivix to create a new item of great power: the Alterator.

Meanwhile, on Evalon a great change was coming to the Lainir and Dwarven people, both of whom had been apparently abandoned by their patron gods. Heron changed the Dwarves and Valerie converted the Lainir so that both races would become subservient to the Dues Filli people and would in time make their way to Salustutis."

 

[Pappytech]

Ven - 5 AP

Ven's Workshop, Nexus

Ven stared bleakly at the documents and blueprints spread out before him, plans and notes that helped him keep track of the countless projects he managed in his spare time. Some were grand in scale and would take centuries to come to fruition, others were simple problems that had managed to earn his curiosity. However, none of them seemed to be of particular importance at the moment.

He had just received Lyn's initial assessment of the "severed" Mizzen. The odds of fixing them with whatever means the Blitzers could muster, both now and years in the future... Impossible. They just didn't have the ability to alter the Spark on such a basic level.

Of course, Melanthios had suggested using divine power to repair the bonds. In theory, the idea could work; godlike power was capable of doing many "impossible" things, after all. But, at the same time, there was always the chance of such an attempt backfiring and doing even more damage... Was it worth taking such a risk?

"Dammit!"

Growling, Ven slammed a fist into his laboratory's wall, sending a series of cracks spiderwebbing through the solid rock. What was he supposed to do, eh!? Let his kin suffer until the day they died? Or risk destroying them utterly in order to maybe fix them? What was he supposed to do?! What could he do!?

...

He could think about his course of action later on. He needed to take all the time he possibly could, ensuring that his choice was the best possible one. Yes. That's what he would do.

For now he had a trial to-

Ven! Ven! It's the Dwarves, they-

At least, he had a trial to get to after he took care of this one last issue. Stars above, what else was there to deal with?

[hr]

The Entertainment Hall, The Hallowed Court

Accompanied by a sound of thunder, Ven appeared in the Court's Entertainment Hall, in the large, circular meeting room. A series of thrones, one for each god, ran around the chamber's walls, each of them unique in design or construction. Slowly but steadily, the demigod made his way over to Nivix's seat. Instead of sitting down, however, the Mizzen simply stood in front of the ornate chair.

Now all he had to do was wait.

Spoiler: Actions

Teleport to the Entertainment Hall: Effortless

 

[JoJo]

Roe and Petal

Roe and Petal cooed for a few minutes over the remote control aeroplane that Ven had gifted them, flying it over the attendees heads and almost crashing it into Zareth, before tiring of the toy and moving onto Melanthios' present. Roe picked the box up and weighed it carefully in his hands.

"Not sure what this is..." he commented as he began to unwrap the paper.

"Hey, I want to open it!" Petal squeaked, "you got to open the last one,"

"Fine," Roe sighed and passed her the box. She pulled off the rest of the wrapping paper and plucked the gift out of it's box triumphantly.

"A kitty!" she cried, lifting what appeared to be a small blue cat out of the cardboard box. With a closer look however it became apparent that beneath the blue fur was not flesh and blood but gears and electronics, not that Petal minded as she cradled the toy in her skinny arms.

"Huh, it's like a robot thing," Roe said and reaching over to his new wife he yanked hard on the cat's tail to test out it's reactions. The animal yelped and struggled in Petal's grip, which the young god decided was satisfactorily lifelike, so leaving her to work it out further he bounced up to Daare and tugged on his trousers eagerly.

"Can I have my present now, please!" he asked with a grin.

 

[DarkRawen]

Dåre 25, 1

"Can I have my present now, please!"

"Yeah, of course." Dåre smirked, took a deep bow,spinning around once before doing so. He removed his hat, revealing that button again. He took the seemingly wireless remote made of wood and some red paint, before standing up straight, starting a countdown, and clicking the button.

The sound it made was that of a fanfare. He stood, waiting a short moment and checking a clock he didn't even have. It didn't take a lot of time before the fanfare was repeated from the distance.

"Perfect."

Dåre looked towards the ceiling, and suddenly, it started raining. Only, the rain wasn't rain, but what we'd describe as rubber-ducks in all kinds of colors. Well, it was rubber ducks. There were still other gods there, so he yelled:

"Don't move! Anyone! At all!" He realized what he had said, and added:

"Apart from you Roe and Petal. One of you, grab one. Quickly!"

He waited for them to do so, and when the rubber-duck was safely in their hands, he snapped his fingers. All of the other rubber-ducks made exploded into something that looked like fireworks, with colored smoke, only for the explosion to consist of shiny paper hearts in all kinds of colors, raining down and covering everything. He pointed towards the rubber-duck.

"That, is your gift. May it bring you luck and happiness for the rest of eternity."

Spoiler: Actions

Conjure a small amount of... rubber ducks. And things: effortless.


Item given to Roe and Petal: The Rubber Duck, +1 Luck and Happiness (Will bring them luck and happiness, and will only work if the action does bring them luck and/or happiness.)

 

[JoJo]

Cassiel, Roe and Petal

Roe and Petal jumped through the falling ducks with outstretched hands until one landed safely in Roe's hands. At that moment, the rest of the ducks dissipated in a flash of colour.

"That, is your gift. May it bring you luck and happiness for the rest of eternity."

Roe stared down at the rubber duck with a curious expression, it was a strange-looking toy but he could feel the power contained inside it.

"Thanks Daare, this will be really handy and eh... I bet it floats really well too," he trailed off, unsure of what else to say, so he bowed formally in gratitude instead and Petal curtseyed. Turning away, he then mentally ticked off the gods who had given him and his new bride a present and soon found one who as of yet was unaccounted for. He bounced up to Cassiel and tugged expectantly on the angel's robe.

"Have you got me a present?" he beamed up at the god.

Cassiel had been distracted. Ven was asking for a trial, something had happened on Salustius, which could only mean Melanthios was busy twisting the minds of mortals again. Cassiel sighed and turned to Roe, who was asking for a present.

"I do, but it isn't tangible. At least, it isn't yet. See, most human weddings have something called a Honeymoon, which is essentially when the bride and groom spend a week or two with one another, away from everyone else at some fun place. Since no other god has lived as a mortal, I figured they would forget, so I took it upon myself to plan that out for you."

It was at that moment that all the prayers mortals had sent before, during and after the battle of Quadringa arrived. Grigori, asking for help in battle, protection, healed wounds. Wha-what had happened? There were Kinderven in there too somewhere, but there were so many prayers that Cassiel was only barely able to make them out before a flood of Grigori prayers replaced them. "Roe, I need to go to Coelus, feel free to come along. I am not sure how long this will take but I think you might like it better than what Ven has planned."


"Okay, I think I remember Petal saying something about honeymoons once," Roe replied, wrinkling his brow in recollection, "I think her people used to have something like that."

He turned and called out to Petal, who was still playing with the robotic cat Melanthios had gifted the pair. "Pets, Cassiel says he's going to take us to a fun which he has planned for us!"


The young girl walked over with the cat in her arms and put her hand in Roe's. "Where's the fun place are we going?" she asked the two gods.

"Coelus," Roe replied knowingly, squeezing her hand gently.

"Oh yes, I love the angels, I can't wait to play with them again!" Petal's eyes lit up and her wings unconsciously fluttered behind her.

Cassiel shook his head and put his hand on his mask. "This isn't about the honeymoon. I had something else planned but this can't wait. I am not sure how much play time will be had until it is sorted." Cassiel identified the main source of the prayers as the city of Quadringa. He had never been to Quadringa, never had the time for it but now was as good a time as ever. If he remembered correctly, the Kinderven lived there.

The god of angels reached out his hand and said "Come along, once I figure this out we can get your honeymoon started."


Roe nodded and turned around to speak to his guests for one final time.

"Me and Petal are now going on our honeymoon and so the wedding is over, thank you for coming everyone!" he yelled to the remaining gods as they began to prepare for the impending trial. He then turned back to Cassiel and Petal and after taking each of their outstretched hands, the trio flew out of the Entertainment Hall and over the edge of the Hallowed Court, down towards the mortal realms below. Within moments the diamond planet loomed before them and suddenly Roe felt a chill go down his spine, as if something was deeply wrong about the scene in from of him. He gripped his companions' hands a little tighter.

[hr]

Entertainment Hall

Meanwhile back in the Entertainment Hall, a bench where seven devils sat materialised in the centre of the room. Several devils were taking notes, others consulting large tomes of law while the one in the center cracked down his hammer.

"Order, order in the court! For those of you who have forgotten, I am Calath the High Speaker, created by Pentar to dispence law and order to this plane. Today the demigod Akladai will be judged by a jury of his peers as to whether or not he is guilty of the charges leveled at him by Ven. Is there any questions before we begin?"

 

[JoJo]

President Hardy

President Hardy read the telegram on his desk with wide eyes, not quite believing what was written. According to multiple officials stationed in the borderlands of the Republic, not only the Dwarves but also the Lainir were already packing up and preparing to depart the planet for the home of the Dues Filli. Unless the Dues Filli were far more advanced in magic than he thought, the only explanation was... divine. Hardy sighed, he was really going to have to reconsider his lack of religious convictions next time he had a moment to spare. For now though, there was no time to lose.

"Order two thirds of the fleet along the western coast of Almia to prepare for departure and landing in Eva Lothi and Ortaw immediately, and for all troops stationed in the borderlands to prepare to cross the northern border once the Dwarves have departed. Also, I need a report on the resource value of those two lands immediately."

The assistant taking notes nodded and then scurried out of the room to pass the message on. The President took out a sheet of paper and began writing a quick letter to his nation's old allies.

Dear our friends the Dues Filli,

Are your people behind the leaving of the Dwarves and Lainir for Salustutis? Also, recalling the agreement made between our two people's at the time of the Great Revolution, is there any assistance you could offer in securing a claim on the vacated lands for the Evalon Republic? In return I'm sure the relaxing of trade tariffs on certain resources we are about to obtain wouldn't go amiss.

Regards,

President Hardy Sharulk

 

[Floris2123]

Spoiler: The great Migration

Maeglin 5AP

"What?!" Kain shouted surprised, the rest of the high ranking Striga looked stunned at Maeglin. "I shall repeat myself once more Kain, we are going to allow the Dwarfs and the Lainir to live on our planet. They have been altered by Heron and Valerie, and they shall life besides the Dues Filli from now on." Kain looked stunned, it took him a few seconds to compile himself. When he did though he spoke once again "So you expect us to treat them as equals now? Those filthy dwarfs and the backstabbing Lainir?" Maeglin looked surprised. "Who said equals? They come here seeking to join our race, and to serve them. They will be safe her, and we will teach them our secrets. But they know, and accept that they are not our equals."

Kain as well as the other high ranking Striga looked at each other, they did need new hands to keep up with the new war preparations. "I guess... in that case we can accept them. But don't think we will completely accept them, or teach them everything we know right away." Kain said looking back at Maeglin, who simply nodded. "That sounds fair to me.. If you will excuse me now, I have something important to take care off. I will see you all soon again." And with that he vanished, leaving the rest of the people gathered in the hall in silence and disbelieve.

And with that out of the way, the great migration started. In what was now refereed as the age of growth, the dwarfs and the Lainir left their old planet for Salustutis. It was a very large scale movement of people, and the Dues Filli send out as many people as they could to help. While not all of them approved of these new people, their leaders and the Striga told them they had to. And they told them that it was the will of Melanthios, which made all but the most headstrong Dues Filli accept their new fate. And as they would soon learn, both the Dwarfs and the Lainir fit right in into their civilization.

But before Maeglin could depart a letter arrived for him from the human president. While he didn't care much for the new resources, he did care for their friendship. He moved his hand and in it two contracts appeared, both of them were declarations of land transfer. One of them was signed by the Dwarf leader and the other the Lainir leader, both of them said about the same thing though. They both said that they transfered sovereignty of all of their lands and left behind belongings to the Evalon Republic, and that anyone other then the humans who took or claimed any of it were simple thieves and enemies of the Republic of Salustutis. Maeglin then teleported both of the letters to the president of the Evalon Republic, and left for the Court.

Spoiler: Melanthios lends a helping hand

Melanthios 14AP, 2MP

Melanthios and Akladai appeared on Salustutis instead of in the courtroom, Akladai looked surprised at Melanthios as he smiled at him. "We might as well use what you manged to get to our advantage son. Though next time, make sure you leave no trace." Akladai looked confused. "But weren't you angry? And disappointed?" He asked looking confused, Melanthios simple shook his head. "Of course not, though like I said next time make sure you don't get caught. Anyway I might act completely different inside the Court, but know that I will keep my promise from before." He said as he broke the seals around Akladai, who he then pulled into a tight embrace. "I won't let anyone hurt you, no matter how good their reason is." Akladai put his arms around his father, he felt relieved at that moment. "I am sorry to have ever doubted you father..." Melanthios then let go of his eldest son and said. "I will be back soon, just going to influence a few people."

Melanthios appeared above the largest city in the Sal Republic, and looked surprised at its beauty. "I never envisioned this when I first opened my eyes so many years ago.. Still I am here now and its all thanks to my brothers and my children.." Melanthios put his hands together, as he began to focus. Soon 5000 purple spirits appeared next to him, they looked quite a lot like the ones he had used before. "Seek out those most worthy, and bestow upon them the knowledge of the Mizzen." He orders the spirits, who flew away from him and sought out those most worthy to posses the knowledge. "Why do I get the feeling that within less then a few days, this entire nation will advance more then 100 years?" He wondered out loud, before teleporting back to his eldest son.

"Are you ready to go Akladai?" He asked Akladai, who nodded in response. "Lets just get this over with." He said with a smile, as he himself cast sealing spells on his own body. After that they both teleported to the court, leaving no trace of what Melanthios had just done.

Spoiler: The arrival at the court

Melanthios, Akladai, Maeglin, Valerie and Heron all appeared inside the courtroom at the exact same moment. Akladai walked up to the seat of the defendant, he looked remorseful as he slowly walked over to it. The other four gods, and demigods took a seat close to him. Melanthios was hiding all of his items of power under his robe, he would fight if that was what it took to defend his son.

Spoiler: Actions

Melanthios:
Inspire 5000 Dues Filli to learn and use all of the Mizzen knowledge for the good of the Republic of Salustutis.
Usage: 4 AP
Difficulty: 11
Domain: + 6 Arcane magic (Creating and giving the spirits the power to find the most worthy ones among the dues Filli) + 4 Wisdom (Knowing how to transfer knowledge, and filling the spirits with the knowledge of the Mizzen) + 2 War (Including detailed explanation of the weapons and tactics used by all the other races The Mizzen have studied, and how to best counter and copy them.)

 

[Pappytech]

Ven - 5AP

The Mizzen had remained still and stoic as devils and gods alike flashed into the Entertainment Hall. His expressionless visage carefully and coolly evaluated the audience that slowly formed before him, while his mind composed the speech he was about to deliver.

He could not expect to be treated fairly. He was only a demigod, after all; he lacked the sheer power and authority that the true gods had been given. There were limits to his power, things he couldn't possibly hope to accomplish, and therefore there was no way for him to force his audience to listen to his words. He would be begging them for their help, and to be honest, they had no reason to offer it.

...Still. He would never forgive himself if he didn't try. He owed his kin at least that much.

"Is there any questions before we begin?"

Ven raised his head as the head devil, Calath, finished his introduction. Out of respect for the rest of the court, the demigod waited a few seconds, allowing silence to rule the court for a short time. It would be unseemly of him to just launch into a speech without giving the gods a chance to say something.

When nobody said anything in the next ten seconds, however, Ven stepped forward into the center of the hall, nodding respectfully to Calath as he moved forward. It was time to begin, apparently.

"Hello everyone," he began, raising a hand in greeting to the rest of the court. "I'd like to begin by both thanking you, and apologizing to you. Thank you for coming here today, to listen to me. It helps to see so many of you here in attendance, as I believe justice can truly be achieved here. And I apologize for calling this trial so soon after Roe and Petal's wedding; I am aware of the sudden, painful shift in moods. However, I believe that this issue is urgent enough to merit immediate attention. If it is ignored for too long, then I fear its seriousness will fade away, something that I cannot allow to happen.

"While I will endeavor to make this trial as expedient as possible, I do ask that everyone here listens carefully to what I and the defendant are about to say. I want to ensure that justice, not revenge or retribution, but justice, is meted out, and I intend to remain here until the court is satisfied that their decision is truly just."

His introduction finished, Ven paused for a moment. Silently, he turned around, making eye contact with everyone else in the Hall. Daare, Cassiel, and all of the other gods... This was going to get interesting.

"Earlier today, Akladai broke 500 of my brethren. He forced his way into their Sparks, and forcefully separated from the Mizzen collective mind."

Though he struggled to keep his tone level, Ven was unable to keep a slight fluctuation, somewhere between rage and sorrow, from twisting his words. An astute observer would be able to detect the slight trembling that slowly stole over his body, from his shoulders to the tips of his feet.

"After severing their connection, he brainwashed them, forcing them... I suppose I may as well just share his own words with you."

Using his own body as a speaker, Ven projected a copy of Akladai's voice, slightly corrupted and tinny sounding, to the rest of the room. "Now lets put you to better use shall we? From now on out you serve the Dues Filli Republic."

After taking a second to let that sink in, the synthetic continued. "I for one can't imagine what Akladai hoped to accomplish by forcefully altering the thoughts of beings that were already happy to work with the Dues Filli. In any case, I saw to it that his plans did not advance any further; currently the afflicted Mizzen are being treated in Nexus, and we are anxiously looking for a way to safely and fully restore their connection to the collective. I can only hope that, with enough time and research, we will be able to restore them to their former state, but...

"Allow me to make my hopes clear," Ven said after a brief pause. "I am not looking to 'punish' Akladai. I do not think he should suffer or feel even a shred of the anguish that he caused. Suffering will only breed more suffering, in the end, and I've dealt with quite enough of that for today.

"No, what I want is to make sure that he can never attempt to do something like this again.

"I know that we all take different approaches when it comes to governing our charges. Some of us prefer to watch things from a distance, only interfering when the mortals need divine guidance. Others, myself included, take a more direct approach. However."

Unable to hold himself back, the Mizzen slammed a fist into a nearby wall, sending a series of cracks cascading through the stone. And as he continued, his words were not telepathic, but real and physical. "I would hope... No, I would pray that we can all agree that tactics like these, simply forcing mortals to follow your desires with no regards as to their own will, are beyond despicable. What Akladai did is unforgivable by any standard; can you imagine how you would feel if he did it to mortals of other races? If he had done it to the Grigori, to the Changelings, the Rowan, the Verr, the Stryfe, the Lanir, the Dwarves? Hopefully you would feel the same way I do now.

"So, in order to ensure that such evil never happens again, I ask that you all, as gods of this world, find a way to keep Akladai from ever acting in such a manner again. I move that he be stripped of his divine powers, and be forced to live out his immortal life on Salustitus."

Once more, Ven turned around, slowly facing everyone else in the room.

"What say you?"

 

[Terratina.]

M'endaxius - 22/30 AP, 2/2 MP

A marriage and now a trial? Things were proving to be interesting to say the least. Such a sad thing to happen after a wedding. It seemed that there to be no reception and now the once gallant Performers scurried away to the edges of the Hall. This was more than they ever dealt with. M'endar raised a hand and teleported them back to whence they came, they did not need to see this. This place of feasts and celebration was not the place for this trial either. The masked god stood up and replied to that ever so nicely placed question that hung in the air. It might be seen as buying time as or even as doing the right thing, M'endar did not care. There was a place and a time for this, yes? Then it would ensure that a trial would be held in the right place.

"I say we take this to Hell's Court. A trial takes place in a court, yes?" M'endar replied.

Spoiler: Actions

Teleport 50 Perfomers to Evalon - DC = 7

Bonuses:

- Chaos [+4] (

Transporting mortals via rifts is quite chaotic.

)

 

[drmigit2]

Cassiel/Zabekiel

Spoiler: Zabekiel / Maeglin

War. Hell to some, but Zabekiel was prepared for it. The humans would possibly invade soon. He needed allies, he needed to be ready. Racking his head the Girigori started to name off a few possibilities. One of the last was the Deus Filli. A race he hadn't seen in a very very long time. Most he knew were certainly dead by now, or an immortal brainless Strigia. Still, they could certainly prove a powerful ally if the need came. Zabekiel came down to the radio room and spoke to Jacob, the operator. The room was filled with whirring noises, gears, gizmos and whatever else the engineers could throw in.

"You here to make a call boss?"

"Indeed."

"Friend?"

"Old."

"Old?"

"Deus Filli old."

"Really?"

"Really."

Zabekiel turned to the Girigori running the microphone and said "Let's do this then. Get me a connection tothe Deus Filli."

The Girigori rushed around and hit a few buttons, twisted various knobs and eventually Zabekiel heard a bunch of static, followed by silence. "You're on, sir."

"Hello? This is Zabekiel, Emperor of Coelus. I am requesting an audience with your leaders. Do you read me?"
Maeglin heard a strange disorientated noise fill his main hall, quickly followed by a Dues Filli secretary using a strange orb to translate it. I wonder who would send me a message.. The Dues Filli answered his mental question, as he began to repeat the exact message to him.

Maeglin placed his left hand on the table, as he seemed to think. "Alright then.. He seeks contact, well tell him this.. Greetings this is Maeglin, one of the five leaders of the Republic of the Dues Filli. I will grant you an audience, if you agree to only take with you up to four guards. And if you agree to be escorted to my mansion, and not land or explore anywhere else."

Four guards? Would hardly do anything against the whole Deus Filli, or Maeglin, but paranoia was custom for the Deus Filli so Zabekiel figured he would agree to the terms. The Deus Filli hadn't made any moves to start war yet, so Zabekiel doubted they were leading him into a trap. "Should be alright. Send Coordinates and I will be there as soon as possible."
"Alright then Zabekiel, an escort will arrive to lead you towards my mansion soon." And as Maeglin said that, he made a hand motion to break the contact. He stood up and began shouting orders, he had to make sure he was prepared for this meeting.

Meanwhile a small convoy of wizards flew towards the planet using space whales, they carried with them one very ancient Striga. The convoy attempted to land as close to Zabekiel as possible, making sure to keep their magic shields up.

As Zabekiel passed through the shields of Salustius, the guards he had selected turned to him and seemed nervous. They had broken contact with the Deus Filli long ago, in fact, some were the ones who had signed the exact bill. Zabekiel laughed and put his hand on the nearest's shoulder. "They won't harm us, the Deus Filli aren't like the humans. They at least posess intelligence."

The whale followed the nearest convoy that seemed to be motioning for it. Once they landed near the kingdom, Zabekiel's guards stood up, but Zabekiel motioned for them to sit. "Don't worry, they will come in for us. Can't have Girigori seeing the city now, might teach us about their sewer system or something. Can't have that, can we?" The guards lauged and Zabekiel motioned for them to be quiet as they awaited their escorts.

The mages dismounted from the space whales, and headed towards the Grigori. "If you will follow us please." The elder Striga said, even though he looked barley 20 years old. They began to head towards Maeglin's estate, which was far into the wilderness. The reason for that was of course safety measures, as well as making sure he wasn't interrupted all the time.

Zabekiel led the Girigori behind him, some tried to fly at a low level but Zabekiel made them walk again. He wanted the Deus Filli as comfortable as possible. He could tell the Strigia was different and could feel the power emenating off of him. Zabekiel was curious as to how old the mage was. He sometimes forgot it was odd not to be immortal. "Tell me, we are both immortals, how long have you lived?"

"I am the apprentice of one of the original immortals, I have lived through two ages so far. And I intend to live many more.." The Striga didn't seem afraid of the Grigori at all, though the other mages looked quite suspicious at them.

Zabekiel smiled and said "You would do well on Coelus then. Many of us were born in the second age. Though that would be for a later time, it has been a while since your people and mind have conversed, but now times have changed and I think it's time to foster some relationships." The Girigori guards didn't like how the Deus Filli were looking at them, but Zabekiel had told them to leave their weapons on Coelus, so they lost a lot of their ability to seem threatening. One nearly turned back to the starwhale.

The Striga shrugged. "If you want to talk politics talk with my master, no offence but I was trained for combat. All I do all day is train and prepare to fight, I don't keep up with the news or anything." The Striga seemed to be bored, he yawned loudly. The Dues Filli mages seemed to be armed, it was clear that they were ready to attack at a moments notice.

Zabekiel continued to smile and asked simply, "Have you ever imagined a time when war would no longer be needed? It's one of my favorite dreams, though sometimes I feel as if it is coming closer and closer to reality. I ask because my father knew people like you once. The people in the Vigil do nothing but fight and look for greater challenges. I asked him what he would do if all the fighting left and he still doesn't have an answer for me."

The Striga looked at Zabekiel, and then simple shrugged and kept walking. "Eternal peace doesn't sound bad, but I already know what it takes to get there. Still the only person who I deem worthy of being able to accomplish that, is either Maeglin or Melanthios." A large mansion suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it seemed to be made out of a strange metallic like stone.

There was a huge amount of power coming from the mansion, it was easily 100 times as strong as the Striga was. "Well we are here, I hope you find what you are looking for here. Good luck to you gentle man." He said making a small bow, and then he walked off with the mages. As the door of the mansion was opened, an old butler Dues Filli stood there waiting for them.

As the Strigia walked away, Zabekiel made a quick thought to himself. He would show the Deus Filli that more than just the Divine were capable of great things. One step at a time though, Zabekiel approached the butler with the now calm Girigori behind him.

"Please come in sir, just head through that door and you will enter the main hall. Where the master is waiting for you." The Dues Filli butler remained completely unmoving, it was clear that he was only supposed to open the front door. The door to the main hall was suddenly also opened by a different butler, which made them able to see into the main hail. The main hail was a massive room, which had an table large enough for at least 200 people in it. At the other side of the table he could see Maeglin, he looked calm and collected as he looked at them.

And there he was, the demigod who led the Deus Filli. Zabekiel could feel his power from the other room. He was always fascinated at how some gods took it upon themselves to lead their races. He had seen the rise and fall of Eldarwen and her rule. Zabekiel wondered if the Deus Filli would do the same at some point. Still, all his time with Cassiel had more than prepared him for this moment. The Girigori walked through the door, ignoring the butler and said "Impressive establishment, Maeglin. Very impressive. Perfect place for a meeting."

Maeglin looked at the Girigori, nothing quite like a tyrant to spice up a race it seemed. He stood up from his chair, as he smiled at Zabekiel and said. "Greetings Zabekiel, and other Girigori." He said mentioning to his guards. "Please have a seat, and would you like to eat or drink anything?" He asked as he snapped his fingers, and five large and comfortable blue chairs appeared opposite him.

Zabekiel smiled and took his seat, along with the other Girigori. The Deus Filli typically offered food it seemed. Tales of the debate between Seith and Melanthios usually said it began with wine. "I suppose some wine could get this ball rolling. Tell me, how long ago did our races break relations? The older ways of the Girigori seem to always cause more problems than anything else. Still, no time like the present to fix things, no?"

Maeglin smiled as he snapped his finger, a strange wine appeared on the table. "This is one of my precious bottles.. This one is from the before time you see." He said as he snapped his finger again, and it began to pour into two glasses. "It has been quite a while since, our two races broke relations."

Zabekiel took a quiet sip of the wine, it was different from anything he had tasted. Felt nice. If anything, the wine made the trip worth it at least. "Yes well, the older Girigori were overly reactionary. I am thinking bigger than they ever did, besides, a refusal to communicate only makes problems in the future. Wouldn't you agree?"

Maeglin seemed indifferent. "Some relations are better left severed." He said as he took his seat again. "And well the other Girigori... were different. Not bad... Just different. They never marched to war, but the new ones do seem to wage war." He looked cold as he stared into the eyes of Zabekiel.

Zabekiel smiled, the Kinderven removal seemed to spread. "Removing some rebels was a nessecary move towards a fully united Coelus. I am sure you can relate, but no, we still do not start wars. In fact, I was hoping improved relations with the Deus Filli could solve some of the problems with the humans and avoid an actual war."

Maeglin slowly nodded. "You did remember to do your homework right? To the Humans the Kinderven are holy.. So for them you have just slaughtered, an city which was full of people that are holy to them." Maeglin finished his glass, as he refilled it.

Zabekiel shrugged. "While that may be true, I heard you had Kinderven on your planet as well. They regularly broke out of the city we granted them and attacked Girigori adults, converting their children. To see what those animals would do, well it was unspeakable, my own sister was one of them. Worshipped or not, they were wild beasts." Zabekiel finished his glass and set it down. "I took the humans into account when I made my decision. Still, this was a matter for Coelus, not Evalon."

Maeglin nodded. "I hope for you, that the humans see it that way too.. Also your race worships Cassiel now right? Have you ever met him, in person?"

"On numerous occasions I have, yes."

"Has he ever told you what happened to Seith?" He always wondered if they even knew, because if they did.. Why would they ever come here?

"Seith was killed by Melanthios, which caused the creation of Cassiel. I know the story but Seith is gone with the old ways. Seith had never talked to any of us, filled us with purpose, but in a way, he already had completed his job. Cassiel serves as a protector to ensure we continue on the right path." Zabekiel sighed. "Seith's death is why I am here now, and not simply continuing as a scientist."

"What an interesting way to look at it... But yes that is the short version of what happend. Still you do know that Roe really likes his Kinderven right? You can get all the men you want, but its impossible to defeat a god."

"The gods stayed out of the invasion in Minas Kei. That resulted in far more deaths than the removal of the Kinderven. I don't think Roe will set out to anihilate us."

Maeglin made a gesture to one of his guards. "I hope that is the case.. But you do know that he is a child god right? He can be quite impulsive. Still why are you talking to me, and why are you not trying to make peace with the humans? What is your goal here? I know you can't lie, and I wouldn't recommend telling me a half truth."

Zabekiel nodded. "The humans are in a state in which they are impossible to talk to. If relations with the Deus Filli resume, trade can advance, the universe will grow faster, and a war with the humans will no longer be a possibility."

"I see.. I think you underestimate the fury of the Human republic though, and we are dealing with our own problem right now.. Huh?" A guard suddenly stepped forward, and whispered into his ear. His face lighted up, as a smile spread across it. "Well then.. Let's welcome our new guests, make sure they are brought where they are most needed." Maeglin turned back to the Grigori. "You know you remind me of someone."

Zabekiel chuckled. "I have a few other allies to call upon to put more pressure on them. The Deus Filli aren't my only solution. Tell me, who are the other guests, and who do I remind you of?"

"I am afraid my other guest must remain a secret for now.. Since they are a gift from my brother you see? And you remind me a bit off Melanthios in his younger years..Or atleast from the stories I have heard." But unlike him, you lack the support or power to make such gambles as he did.

"That's an interesting idea, and a bit ominous." Zabekiel seemed unphased by the idea and continued. "I do not seek to end anymore lives. I killed my sister and I am hoping I no longer have to be responsible for such loss. I think I have proved that there is little disadvantage to resuming relations. I might even be able to help with whatever problem you are having."

Maeglin nodded. "There are two problems which for now, prevent me from accepting your proposal right away. First I have to talk to the other four leaders, as this is a republic and not a Empire. And I also have to test the water with the Humans, and see just what they are about to plan. Also I am saddened to hear about your sister, I had to banish my brother from this world.. Still I don't think I could have killed him."

"Perhaps, if he had killed your Father, you would have an easier time." If Zabekiel has normal eyes that weren't a single color, he would have shown how much hate he had for her. "Get back to me as soon as you can. The sooner I can start applying pressure to get the humans to put an end to this, the sooner my scientists can get back on constructive research." Zabekiel had a copy of the bill signed by president Hardy, written down by an escaped Girigori. "The humans are bold to announce their intent to invade Coelus in the near future."

Maeglin nodded. "I will get back to you as soon as possible, though I don't know where my brother has ran off to.." He sighed as he stood up. "It was nice meeting you Zabekiel, I wish you the best for your future."

Zabekiel stood up as well and said "I wish you the best as well. Let's hope we can defuse this. If you need anything from Coelus, just send a message." Zabekiel signaled for his guards to rise as well and walked towards the door.

Maeglin nodded as he watched the tyrant walk away, it was never a good thing when such a man came to power. Maeglin vanished in a puff of smoke, he had more important matters to attend to now.

Spoiler: Zabekiel/Hardy

Zabekiel had returned home, if only for a little bit. There were other allies to gain, most on Evalon now. He needed no announcement to visit them, but he figured he may as well visit the humans while he was there. Difuse the situation a little bit, or escelate it. Depends on how the monkeys react.

As Zabekiel made his way back to the radio tower, he returned to the old Girigori runnng the station. The angel turned and asked "Making another call, boss?" Zabekiel nodded and said, "This time, send it to the humans. President Hardy and I need to have a little chat."

"You sure, sir?"

"Positive."

"Patching you through."

The Girigori turned a series of knobs, switches, gadgets and gizmos before finally Zabekiel heard a break in all the static. He spoke. "President Hardy, this is Zabekiel, Emperor of Coelus. I saw your bill and I think we need to discuss this, privately. Please respond."

A few minutes later on Evalon, an assistant radio technician working in the presidential palace almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice crackling through the static. He ran through the building and burst into the presidential office, where Hardy Sharulk was smoking a cigar in his chair.

"What is the meaning of this, how dare you burst in here!" the President thundered

"I'm very sorry sir but there's the Emperor of Coelus on the other side of this radio transmission and he's asking for you!"

"What? Give that here and get out," Hardy replied and grabbed the radio from the technician, who promptly fled from the room. He sat back down at the desk and then spoke into the receiver. "Zabekiel, Emperor of Coelus, this is the President of the United Republic of Evalon speaking, please confirm your identity,"

"You know as well as I, that Girigori can not lie. So when I say my name is Zabekiel, and that I am the Emperor of Coelus, I am telling the truth." Zabekiel's voice was cold now. He was already starting to detest the humans. "Now, I would prefer to talk face to face instead of doing this over radio transmission. Since I am apparently banned from Evalon, how about we meet in Coelus?"

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to travel to your planet, I have a country to run here and starwhale travel is regrettably slow," Hardy grunted, "also it would be electoral suicide to be seen travelling to the world of the baby killers,"

Zabekiel winced for a moment. Funny how Hardy called the Kinderven babies, when most were thousands of years old. Still, a tour of Evalon had its uses now. Meeting with the Mizzen would be helpful. "I see, ignoring your insolence for a moment, if you would be willing to let me and an envoy of Girigori and Mizzen into your office, secretly of course, we could talk for a moment."

"Yes, that would be mutually beneficial," the President replied, quickly wracking his brains for how such a meeting could be arranged, "Manor is too densely populated though, your envoy would be noticed. How about meeting in the city of... Damar, in Western Almia? It's fairly isolated and has a large military complex so security would be guaranteed. Trust me your Majesty, there are a lot of people in this country who would be very eager to get a hold of you, or at-least your head,"

Zabekiel stepped away from the microphone for a moment. "Where is Damar? Apparently Western Almia. Show me that on a map. Ah. Yes, that could do." Zabekiel went back to his microphone and said "That will do fine. Expect me soon. Have a starwhale ready to meet me in orbit and we can meet."

Zabekiel pushed the off button on the microphone and walked off. His secretary was downstairs and he needed her for a moment. "N'ara, tell my elite guards I will be needing them. Also, bring me some Mizzen, I am going to be on tour."

"Again, sir?"

"Again."

------------------------------------------------------------

As Zabekiel and his envoy approached Evalon, he seemed unimpressed by the planet. It was smaller than he had expected, much smaller than Coelus. His father spoke about it a lot, but maybe that guy was just out of his head. As requested, there was a starwhale near orbit and awaiting the emperor's whale. They floated down to the surface and Zabekiel exited with his guards and Mizzen.

President Hardy stood with his bodyguards in the deserted army base as the Emperor's Starwhale lowered itself onto the ground. Extensive checks had been done on the military men and women who surrounded him to ensure only the most cool-headed and irreligious were picked. A number of tanks sat in the distance and a small building behind them where the meeting would take place.

"Emperor, safe journey?" the President enquired to the tall angel departing from the whale, picking his words diplomatically, "in the interest of curtsey, how do you wish to be addressed?"

Zabekiel walked out towards the humans, envoy in tow and laughed. "Such formailities will not be needed for now. Most on Coelus simply call me by my name, Zabekiel. It's how I prefer to be addressed."

"Ah, then feel free to call me by my Rowan name, Sharulk, if you wish" President Hardy replied, "come to the meeting room and we can talk,"

"Yes, quite." The guards Zabekiel had chosen to bring this time were warriors. Infected with Vigil A, instead of Vigil B as most were. If things were to turn ugly, Zabekiel was confident in his guard's abilities. Though, his goal was very much peace. He followed Sharulk fairly quietly.

The two groups walked in silence as they entered the grey military building and walked down the concrete corridor, guards posted in doorways every few metres. Eventually they reached a small but well-furnished room with two leather chairs, a colourful rug and the Republic flag hanging solemnly in the background. The President gestured for his counterpart to sit opposite him.

"I had this place set up specially, pretty nice eh?" he said cordially and pointed to a cabinet at the back of the room "want anything to drink?"

Zabekiel smiled as he sat down. This reminded him of Maeglin, offering drinks seemed to be customary. He would remember this. "Sure, let's go with whatever you think best."

"Bring the Aengard tonic over, Private Karmic," Hardy called to a Changeling solider and dutifully a murky brown liquid was poured into a pair of cups, one for each leader, "So, you wish to talk?" the President enquired.

Zabekiel took a small sip and examined the drink. Interesting flavor, not what he was used to. "Yes, I did. Your bill was brought to my attention by a few Girigori that came back to Coelus. It has a few troubling parts, mostly the brazen investigation of ways to invade my planet. I know your people cared about the Kinderven, but this was a Coelus issue, not Evalon."

"You mean the Exclusion Act?" Hardy shrugged, "Trust me, that act saved your people a costly war, there were protesters on the streets literally demanding we fly to Coelus and behead every Grigori who so much as took one step inside Quadringa. I myself am not a particularly religious man but even I know that massacring a city full of little kids is well, forgive my bluntness but one of the most evil acts a mortal could commit. This was the cheapest and most effective compromise we could reach,"

Zabekiel shook his head. "Those weren't children. Those things were older than you and the same age as me. They murdered countless Girigori over the years, refused to pay remittence, constantly proved to be a problem and when offered the choice of submitting to the law or annihilation, they chose the latter. My problem, is that you have actively moved to research interplanetary warfare and further, stated explicitly that it was anti-Girigori. I don't know if you will want a war, but I will be alive for as long as time is and if your replacement wants a war, you are giving him the tools for it. If you continue this course, I might have to act pre-emptively."

"Is that a threat, Zabekiel?" the President smiled ghoulishly, "You see, I don't know what political system you use on Coelus but here for better or worse we have democracy. A wise man once said 'the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter' and sadly he was right, I am shackled by what my electorate likes and dislikes and they really dislike you. You don't seem to understand your people killed what many people here see as holy beings, that's makes them not only very angry but also frightened, 'what if we are next?' they think. They need reassurance and this act provides that,"

"It provides room for the next religious person to send an army to my planet and engage in a war. This will cost me thousands of my own citizen's lives. Sharulk, I don't particularly care about your religion. I also don't care what your people think. I am strictly looking at which option would be best for Coelus and sitting down, waiting for someone to invade isn't my best option. So yes, that is a threat, a warning if you will, one that states your current actions are unacceptable, that either you need to change something or there will be problems and when the safety of my people is in danger, well you can look at the insects I exterminated as to what I will do."

Hardy stared long and hard at the Zabekiel and then let out a long laugh, "Ha ha, that's it? You really expect me to just throw up my hands and say 'okay, better close up the old defence program then eh?' I'd be out of office in a year. No angel, any war that happens in the future will a result of everything you've done, and I promise you that you may not find warfare quite so easy when you aren't fighting defenceless children. Consider that long and hard before you start throwing threats around,"

Zabekiel stared closely at Hardy and made his voice clear. "I am not looking for a war right now. I will not allow another planet to act in a hostile manner while I sit and do nothing. What you are doing is setting a precident that Coelus is up for attacking. This will lead to me having to kill every human at some point. Maybe that will be in two hundred years, maybe a thousand, but I guarentee it will. You will be dead by then, but I will not be. I am here to nip this in the bud before it grows into a forest of headaches for me. The sooner I can verify that you aren't making moves against Coelus, the sooner my researchers can get back to doing productive things, rather than making murder tools. It's simple as that, really."

"I can promise you this," Hardy replied coldly, "stay firmly on that diamond planet of yours and you will have no need to fear a human invasion. Threaten us or our allies though and I can guarantee that every last sliver of gold will be dug out of this planet so that it can find itself in a Grigori heart." The President stood up from his leather chair and signalled a couple of soldiers behind him, "I think this meeting is over now, unless you have anything-else you'd like to say?"

The humans knew about gold. This was bad, the only way they could have figured that out was...no. Zabekiel was barely restrained, gritting his teeth as he asked "How did you figure that out? The gold weakness."

The President grinned widely, "It'd be pretty poor research we were conducting if we didn't find out your race's main weakness, no? Naturally as part of the deportation process there was questioning and you would be surprised how much Grigori were willing to give away, in exchange for safe passage to the Mizzen lands up north,"

That. Was a lie. Apparently Hardy missed the memo that people can't lie to Girigori. Just as they can't lie to others. The other Girigori immediately picked up on this and they all turned to Hardy like hawks.

"You just lied to a Girigori. Do it again and you die. How did you get the information?"

A gasp arose from the human soldiers surrounding Hardy and they leapt in front of him with their guns at the ready. "Don't move, we have the whole building surrounded! Threats to the President will not be tolerated here! Orders sir?"

Hardy shrugged and looked pointedly at Zabekiel, "Leave while you still can, and don't expect anymore invitations from me,"

"You used torture...you inbred monkeys tortured your betters. That's the only way you could know." The other Girigori turned to Zabekiel looking for an order. Zabekiel got up from the table and said "I am leaving."

Zabekiel stormed towards the door, Girigori guards at the ready with auras shining from their hands to be turned into anything they desired. Mizzen in between soldiers. Zabekiel slammed the door behind him.

"What an insufferable fellow," Hardy exclaimed once Zabekiel stormed out, "Wind down our research program after that display, who does that arrogant fool think he is? Karmic, tell Machov that we're doubling the budget of the anti-Grigori program and not to let any-more prisoners go," he rubbed his hands together with a grin, "see if we can dig up any more little secrets they're hiding,"

Spoiler: Cassiel before leaving with Roe

"Those humans will suffer for this. I want that damned leader of theirs burned to a crisp and his head fired into Niv!"

Zabekiel was fuming on his flight to the dwarves. Cassiel was going to know about this, Cassiel would destroy them for their transgressions. Cassiel always understood. Those monkeys would find the end of their lives soon to come. But there was another issue to fix. As the group approached the Dwarven capital, many were seen packing their things, they were also very very short now and seemed to radiate magic. Something had changed here.

Zabekiel landed at a nearby Dwarf and said calmly. "Excuse me but what are you doing exactly?" The Dwarf's eyes were seemingly vacant and he seemed nervous but said "Going to the masters sir, the Deus Filli need us."

"The Deus Filli?"

"Yes. Us and the Lainir are both going to live with them forever! Service is wonderful."

Zabekiel shook his head and flew up. Cassiel needed to know about this. A simple prayer to his god would gather his attention and Zabekiel also spoke in his radio. "I need a full army here, now. We are taking the lands of the Dwarves and Lainir."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Cassiel was sitting and the procession was almost over. Ven sent a quick message about a court case and Cassiel realized Melanthios was up to his old tricks again. Suddenly, Zabekiel requested his presence. It was rare for the mortal to ask for an audience, but always important. Cassiel teleported away unnoticed while Roe looked at his gifts.

"Yes Zabekiel? Why are you on Evalon? What do you need?"

"My lord, something troubling has happened. The Dwarves, and the Lainir have both been corrupted and brainwashed by the Deus Filli. I think there might be divine influence involved. I think you may need to do something."

"What?" Was Melanthios really this stupid? He is twisting not only the Mizzen now, but the Dwarves and Lainir...and expecting to get away with it? No. This was going to be brought up in the courts. "Thank you for this information Zabekiel. I..."

Cassiel decided he would need some evidence and quickly made a small number of fake mortals to wander around and gather testimonies from Lainir and Dwarves. It was a series of recordings speaking about how the Deus Filli had changed them and were bringing them back to their planet. Many had a dead look in their eyes that spoke of brain washing. Terrible business.

Cassiel made a move to head back to the court.

 

[Belmarc]

Aen 30/30, 2/2

The god of combat had been a bit bored of the party, as Aleis had made sure he was on his best behavior. Not even a friendly spar with Carnivox... but this was... "Interesting. A call for justice, backed with reason and sense. Still..." he paused, turning from Ven to Akladai. "In the idea of justice, I'd like to hear both sides before siding either way."

With an absent minded flourish of his hand, he fixed the cracks in the walls that Ven had made. He understand the Mizzen's anger, he'd done much worse himself, but the Mizzen didn't seem quite like him. Losing his head in the middle of a trial... that wasn't a mistake he'd usually make.

'Ven, I understand your plight. I sought justice for the actions of Melanthios' himself once upon a time, but you must be careful. Lose your head, and you lose sympathy for your case.' He spoke casually to Aleis as he sent the message, the way she'd taught him. Though the conversation was plain, her mouth twitched up with a knowing smile.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Zareth 30/2

The wedding itself was short lived, being quickly broken up by Ven and his accusations. It looked like the party was over, it just went to prove that nothing good ever happened when their ind gathered in large numbers. Still it saved Zareth the embarrassment of having not brought a real gift for the bride and groom. What could he have gotten them that was apropriate for the occasion.

The Trial didn't so much start as it did break out. Ven's argument was passionate and well put and his evidence was damning indeed. Plus it wouldn't be the first time Melanthios and his 'children' let something like free will get in their way. He couldn't see how Akladai could possibly defend his actions. Then there was the point of his punishment, what if the others decided against him, there was only one way he saw that situation going.

"Monitor things for me, I want to know EVERYTHING that happens while I'm away." He ordered Flight who chirped her understanding as Zareth unruffled his suit and took his exit. "Keep an eye on people, you know who I mean." he said to Carnivox.

"Mwurh?" The wolf gargled through another mouthful of cake.

*****​

Out in one of the darker reaches of the universe Zareth walked through the void, taking the time to just revel in the silence. Eternity stretched out before him, the light of countless souls rolled on past him. This was the way things were now. With Evermoor gone the realm of the dead was far less tangible. If Zareth had to describe it he would have to compare it to a river without beginning or end. He could even dip his hand in it, letting the sensation of pure life energy tingle at the edge of his mind. Souls beyond counting flowed by, all of them playing their part in the cycle of creation. One day each of them would travel back to the living plane, fining new form, strength and experiences when they were ready. Free of gods and their endless scheming.

This new way was wonderfully freeing for Zareth, giving him plenty of free time. Though there were times when he missed Evermoor and having a place to call his own. Back then he had a sense of purpose, souls that needed him. These barely noticed he was there, they were too busy doing... whatever it was they did. He'd promised them that he woudn't interfere with any of them unless asked or needed, except for one, the soul he'd come to find.

There you are... The one soul he'd locked down and seperated from the reincarnation cycle.

"Demens!" He called out. It's time to wake up!

He hoped that something like this would never happen. Demens was insane even by the lax standards of the gods, he was one of the first wardens Zareth had recruited, well in this case imprisoned. The deranged Filli had tried to force his way into evermoor and even after death had caused havoc in the underworld. He was more of a wild animal than Carnivox but desperate times were on the horizon and they called for desperate measures.

Zareth gathered the light into his hand and moulding it back into a physical form. His free hand tracing runic signs in the void to help bind the soul in place as Demens thrahed and warped itself like a madman's fever dream. demens was waking up and looking out on the living universe with hungry eyes. It would take something more stable to stop him breaking loose and wreaking havoc on the living.

He sent out a wave of silent intention to Aen, his go to authority on runes and their effects. Underlying it was a simple message. Just trust me. Now if only Zareth cold trust this action himself.

Spoiler: Action

Difficulty: 15 Continental Action Cost: 6 AP
Bonus: +6 Death: Bringing a long dead soul back to life. +4 Age: Manipulating the time flow around them to reform their mortal body.

Speak to Aen from an extreme distance: Effortless

 

[JoJo]

Spoiler: President Hardy meets Heron

President Hardy meets Heron

After a melancholy journey back across Almia, President Hardy sat back down in his favourite chair and sighed, it seemed that his meeting with Zabekiel had only brought their two nations closer to war. He regretted mentioning their gold weakness but what was done was done, now was the time for preparation, not moping. He briefly wondered how his daughter was getting on with her meeting with the Stryfe and then noticed a silver-laced letter lying on his desk. He raised his eyebrows, it was signed by the Lainir and Dwarven leaders and gave sovereignty of the evacuated lands to his Republic. The President smiled with childlike delight and picked up a scroll of formal parchment that had been left on his desk, writing out a letter to send to the Dues Filli university in Manor, they would know what to do with it.

To our friends the Dues Filli Republic,

I would like to request an audience with one of your leaders to discuss the recent tensions with the Grigori Empire and other matters of state and trade. Please address any reply to the Presidential Place in Manor, Chama,

Thank you for your time,

President Hardy Sharulk of the United Republic of Evalon

He signed the letter and handed it to an assistant who was waiting by the door, before collapsing back into his chair. Now all he had to do was wait.

[hr]

"So they want to meet with us?" Maeglin said as he just finished reading the letter out loud. Heron nodded "I will go to them, as I have been the one to make the first contact with them." Maeglin nodded, as he placed the letter in the middle of the table. "I am sure you can handle it lord Heron." Kallen said as he looked at the letter. "Please call me Heron, sir Kallen." Heron said with a smile as he snapped his finger.

Less then a second latter he appeared inside the room of the president, he sat in a strange purple chair opposite him. "Greetings mister president, you were the one who asked for a meeting if I am not mistaken." He said with a bright smile. He had a weak spot for the humans, ever since he had been the one to supply weapons to the rebels. He had been watching them closely.

"Woah... wow, eh, hello there!" Hardy exclaimed, clutching his chest and taking in the Dues Filli in front of him, 'Mister President'... that was a new one, not that he really minded other races getting titles mixed up. "That is correct, who do I have the honour of meeting?" he wheezed.

"My name is Heron.. I might be mentioned in your history books. I am the second leader in rank of the Republic, and I was the one who delivered weapons to the rebels during the rebellion." Heron smiled as he stood up, and stretched out his hands. "Its a pleasure meeting you, mister Hardy." He hoped that this president was worthy of his position.

"The real Heron?" Hardy beamed and reached to shake the Dues Filli hand with an awed expression, "I've read about you in the Book of Rowan, the Latter Day Revelations to be precise. You met Orchid the Martyr... is it true what they say, that she was really a talking cat?"

Heron nodded his head. "She was really a talking cat, I was quite surprised when I first met her." He said with an equally happy expression. He then took a seat, and made a hand gesture. Two wine glasses with strange blue wine appeared "It is a custom of ours, to drink wine with foreign friends. So mister Hardy you wanted to discuss something?" Heron asked as he reached for one of the glasses, and drank from it.

Hardy took the other glass, weighing up what Heron had just told him. He wasn't a religious man after-all but a real talking cat... the work of Roe or just advanced magic? That could be considered later, now for the time for matters of state. "Well, I'm sure you are probably aware of the massacre of the Kinderven that happened recently on Coelus. They are highly regarded by many of the religious in our culture, and after such a heinous act, we were left with no choice but to forbid Grigori from coming into our nation and to research how to defend ourselves should they turn their eyes on us next. Their Emperor came to visit recently and openly threatened to invade and destroy the human race if we did not cease and desist. Naturally I refused and now... it looks like there's no turning back. I believe the Republic and the Grigori will be at war within a few months, if not sooner."

Heron nodded. "I see.. My brother talked to this emperor too. He has unlimited ambition, and won't stop until everyone either bows before him... Or has been trampled by his armies. So what do you wish of us?" He finished his drink, and put away the glass. For a moment showing his fangs, before closing his mouth again.


"I propose a mutual defence pact," Hardy replied cordially, "as you just said, it's crystal clear that he will not stop until the entire system is under his boot, at some time or other both of our races will have to battle his armies, so why not together? With your golems and our manpower, we can secure the future of our nations for another age,"

Heron nodded. "That sounds fair... But I cannot accept, I am afraid.. Maeglin won't accept our armies to march, for a pact. If you agree to an alliance, then we can prepare our armies. Don't misunderstand me, I want to help you. But some of my brethren are less... trusting. They believe an alliance is the only thing, which can ensure that people are to be trusted."

"What would be the terms of this alliance?" the President asked with a curious expression, "in our culture, a pact and an alliance are pretty much the same thing, but I'm guessing that's different for you."


Heron nodded "Pacts are temporary.. fleeting. You see the most high ranking people in our society, are immortal. So to them a pact is useless. An alliance however never ends, it states that our races are friends. And that we will stand together, no matter what happens in the future. Do you understand the difference now?"


"I understand now," Hardy replied knowingly, "I accept your offer for an alliance, assuming we can agree on a treaty, not that I expect there will be many problems there. The Dues Filli have been friends of our people for millennia, it's long overdue that we formalise our relationship. Should we agree terms now?"

Heron nodded with a smile. "That sounds like a good idea to me." He said as he moved his hand, and an ancient piece of paper appeared inside it. "What terms do you wish for me to write down?" Heron asked looking up at Hardy.

"I propose that if either of our nation's people or territory come under attack from a foreign power, it shall be treated as an act of war on both nations," Hardy answered, considering what this would entail "furthermore, citizens of either nation should be entitled to certain rights in each other's lands. Are these terms acceptable for you?"

Heron nodded. "Though I have to warn you.. Getting Maeglin and the old ones to warm up to you will be tough, so don't expect to get citizenship or humans on Sal within the next 10 years.. Also if you are indeed trustworthy, which I will do me hardest to convince the rest you are. We might lend our services to you, or sell you some minor things we have. As you know we have wizards, they can do anything from help stop natural disasters. To watering crops in regions where there is no rain.." Heron said as he looked up. "Do you have a problem with what I just said, or do you accept those terms?"

Hardy raised an eyebrow quizzically at Heron's mention of the old one's mistrust but it wasn't worth forcing the point this early, "I would hope an embassy would be able to set up on Sal eventually, once the spectre of war has past, but I accept those terms. We may be able to help you too, I hear you have troubles with unruly Kinderven at times, many of them will be welcome here and on New Quadringa, once we have won that is," he winked at Heron, "Now all we need is a name for our alliance... how about the Salustutis-Evalon Treaty Organisation?"

Heron laughed. "That name sounds good to me.. And one embassy should be possible, but they will be under constant watch... In the beginning that is. You see the old ones are from a time... They were born during the time of the empire, so their vision of races is quite low when compared to the younger ones such as me."

"Excellent," the President replied and reached forward to shake Heron's hand, he could feel re-election just round the corner. "I have to get this passed by the other branches of government but given the direness of the situation, I can't see how they'd say 'no'. This SETO will be an alliance to last the ages,"

Heron smiled as he reached forward, and shook the presidents hand. "I am sure it will.. Though one warning, some of us have very little patience. If they find one spy, or one thing you are trying to do in secret. They will terminate Seto right away, I am afraid."

"I will hold your people to that standard too then, Heron," Hardy said gruffly, "all nations have secrets but our secrets will be shared secrets,"

[hr]

It was just a few hours after Heron had departed that Hardy found himself in front of a radio transmitter, about to speak to his nation. He had just finished giving the official orders for the securing of the new lands to the north and west, though preparations had begun quite a time before, and now there was nothing left to do but confirm the move for the public.

"Good afternoon, citizens. I'm sure many of you have heard the rumours and I can confirm it is true: for reasons that aren't entirely clear yet, the Lainir and Dwarven peoples have left Evalon to travel to the planet known as Salustutis or Volk and very kindly left the rights to their lands to our nation. Right now as I speak, our brave soldiers are travelling across Eva Lothi and sailing towards Ortaw to secure these two lands for our United Republic. Their resources will power our economy for decades to come and provide new living space for our growing population into the 27th century and beyond. I hope you will all join me in prayer to our Lord Roe and Lady Petal that their efforts will not be in vain and that they will return safely to us in time,"

Spoiler: Roe, Petal and Cassiel on Coelus

Roe, Petal and Cassiel on Coelus

As Cassiel finally landed near what used to be known as Quadringa, he changed his appearence in order to not be noticed and saw that it had a new name proudly placed on the outside, Adstringo, togetherness. He went inside the city with Roe and Petal in tow but saw instead of Kinderven, thousands of Clankers putting the final touches on what seemed like a typical Girigori city. Gigantic architecture made of diamond reinforced with a large number of shops and tropical well maintained plant life. Something had happened here. A Girigori foreman was ordering some of the Clankers around and Cassiel tapped the angel's shoulder a few times.

"Excuse me, what happened here? Where are all the Kinderven?"

The Foreman seemed shocked and said "Do you not pay any attention at all? They declared war on Coelus and were killed in battle. This new city will be much better anyway, damn animals won't be attacking Girigori households anymore either. Are you an escapee from Evalon? I heard about what happened there, glad to see you made it back."

Cassiel stared at the Foreman in disbelief. "War? The Girigori? What? When?" Cassiel remembered changing the laws earlier. That was supposed to help them move forward in case of an attack, not this! Though, if the Kinderven did strike first, would it have really mattered anyway? Cassiel turned to Roe to see the poor child's reaction. This wasn't what needed to be on his honeymoon.

The foreman's words struck Roe like a dagger of ice to the young god's heart, all he could do was stare at the new city in disbelief, words stuck in his throat. "No..." he thought, "that... it can't," He turned to Petal and saw a stream of tears running down her right cheek, she was holding something ethereal and golden in her arms. With a jolt Roe realised it was a soul.

"Feel... it," Petal gasped and offered out the floating spirit to the young boy. He took hold of it and then suddenly terrible images flashed in front of his eyes: young children begging for mercy as angels descended on them with bloodied swords and flashing guns, missionaries desperately trying to shelter their young charges from deafening explosions that ripped small bodies apart. More than a few seconds was too much for Roe to take and he let go of the soul, falling to his knees as he did. His body shook with sobs and he pounded the floor with his tiny fists in anger, hardly feeling Petal's arms around him as she shared in his grief.

Roe wasn't happy about this. Cassiel needed to know the whole story here, or as much as he could. He thanked the Foreman and walked away, quickly changing his form to be able to easily gather the souls. It looked just like a war. Zabekiel goes for negotiations of Kinderven amnity, Kinderven attack, Girigori call it an act of war, invade. War had spread to Coelus and everyone was its victim. Terrible visions of dying Girigori, dying Kinderven, destroyed Mizzen and withering Ekiruru flooded the mind of Cassiel. In the background, a Clanker finished the centerpiece of the city, a massive statue of Zabekiel handing a key to a city to an angel clad in armor. This wasn't what the Girigori were made for. What would Seith do if he saw this? Had Cassiel failed the one objective he had when he was created? This had to be fixed.

Cassiel walked over to Roe and put his hand on his shoulder. "This...this is why I made the Vigil. To stop wars like these. I am sorry about the Kinderven, I know they were your creations. We need to make this right."

Roe looked up sharply at Cassiel, his tear-filled eyes burning with anger and his clenched fists glowing a fiery red. "I'm going to kill them for this!" he shouted wildly and punched the diamond beneath him with a terrible blow. The ground lurched from under their feet and reverberated outwards, buildings shaking from their foundations and shop produce sliding off it's shelves into a heap.

Cassiel grabbed Roe and forced the Diamond to get back in place, some Clankers were knocked off roofs and Cassiel made a small number of cushions to catch them and bring them back to the now stable ground. "ROE! This isn't how things work. We have a responsibility as gods not to abuse our powers and kill mortals. There have been plenty of wars before, most involving humans and their conquests. We can fix things without more bloodshed."

"No, I want to kill every Grigori until they're all dead!" Roe yelled as he struggled out of Cassiel's grip and raised his right hand in preparation to strike the ground again, "I'm going to blow up this planet into a million pieces!"

"Wait!" Petal cried and she threw herself in front of her young husband, arms stretched wide, "What are you doing Roe, you're acting mean again like you used to be!"

"No, I'm not!" Roe roared in reply, "They... they..." He couldn't describe in words the pain he felt, having nurtured the race he had accidently created here countless millennia ago, helping them build their Children's Republic and giving all Kinderven a beacon of hope, wherever they lived in the universe. Now last great hope was gone, destroyed on the whim of a mere tyrant.

"Look over here," Petal gestured to the young god and waved her arm in front of a nearby house. The walls of the building became transparent, at-least to the three divine figures outside, and inside were two boys and girl playing happily together, jumping up and down on a bed and pretending to fight each other. "The angels did something really bad," Petal added, "but you can't blame all of them for the bad things a few did,"

Roe watched the children rolling around carelessly and felt his anger drain away as fast as it had come, he knew that they weren't responsible for the bad things their parents may have done and that a hero wouldn't blame a whole people for something a few of them had done.

"I will get... whoever did this," Roe replied through gritted teeth and collapsed exhausted onto the ground, clutching his head as a second wave of grief came to replace the void left by his rage.

Petal breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to Roe, placing her head on his shoulder. He noticed she was shaking and he put his arms around her thin frame, holding her tightly.

"There's so many lost souls around the city," Petal whispered tearfully, looking up at the sky, "I don't know what will happen to them now Evermoor is gone,"

What would happen now? With Evermoor gone, it was very possible lost souls were simply wandering about now. It was hardly fit to leave them there and with Roe being the way he is, maybe some things could be set right.

"What if we made a new one? Evermoor I mean. One that could run automatically and on its own. Something homey where races mix and can build together? It might not fix everything, but it's a start."

Roe glanced tearfully up at Cassiel as the warrior god spoke and wiped his running nose on his suit sleeve.

"I... would help you with that but the Kinderven... they might not want to be anywhere near the Grigori now..." he trailed off, unsure what to suggest.

"What about the Hallowed Court?" Petal asked, "you could send the Kinderven there so they don't have to be with any bad people and they can play with us,"

"That sounds like fun," Roe replied, a sliver of hope audible in his voice "It shouldn't just be for the Kinderven though but for all children who want to, and any grown ups who want to be kids again too!"

Cassiel wasn't sure about the suggestion, it had complications and sounded messy. It also didn't work to solve the underlying root of the problem. Bitter tensions between Kinderven and Girigori had existed untreated for millenia, this is why things couldn't be left alone to stew. Still, planar quarantine could be a solution, even if temporary.

"That could work, but anyone who wishes to return to their family and friends should be able to if they wish. If you can agree to that, I think we could work through this."


"If they asked me," Roe said with a shrug and got to his feet. "Lets do this now, these souls need a new home!"

"I would help, but it wouldn't do anything," Petal added with frown, "I've got an idea for something else though, something so people won't forget what happened here, I'll be back in a minute," she gave Roe a quick hug and then skipped off into the city. He watched her go silently and then turned to Cassiel, offering his hand.

"Let's help each other, then we can't fail!," the young god said, trying to smile but still feeling empty inside.

Cassiel patted Roe's back. "I know what you feel. My father despised war with every fiber of his being. Worked endlessly against it. I think, if he still existed, this would never have been. I sometimes wonder myself why it was I who survived everything, came to where I am now. I think however, that we can learn from this, given time and keep it in the back of our minds to ensure this never happens again. The humans went to war last age. Do you remember? This feeling you have now, it is what countless Ekiruru felt at the end of it. War never has a happy ending for anybody. Once this is done, and you come back from your honeymoon, I think I would like to try and come up with a more permanent solution."

"When my race was killing lots of people and invaded Minas Kei, I helped them get rid of their leader," Roe remarked sadly, "We should do the same with the Grigori and teach them to be nicer to people!"

"That wasn't where the problem was." Cassiel started. "The Minas Kei war, this war, most wars all come from and start with a bitter unending hatered that repeats and cycles endlessly. If one god had stepped into this situation and brought some kind of talks, made some kind of change, this might not have happened. The humans invaded the Ekiruru not because they had a leader, but because they hated the Ekiruru with a passion. This, this disconnect, this hatred is what did this. Removing leaders is a band-aid solution that prevents nothing. I don't know how to stop it, but a solution exists, and when the portal is no longer posing a threat, you, me and everyone else can sit down and come up with a way to stop it. Together."

Cassiel looked into the darkness that was space and pointed at a spot on the edge of Niv's orbit. "There, I think I know where we should put this."

"It couldn't have happened without a mean hateful leader," Roe pointed out, "even the evil human empire didn't kill everyone in the cities they took over, sometime we need to make these baddies pay for what they've done. First we need to save these souls though," The young god clapped his hands together and a great light appeared between them. Suddenly thousands of souls appeared to materialise as far as the eye could see, glowing orbs floating above the city and around the border. Roe flicked his wrists and some of the souls floated gently upwards until they were out of view.

Meanwhile as Roe and Cassiel began their action, Petal skipped through the streets of the new city, disguised as a young one-eyed Grigori girl in a flowing white dress. She hung off a lamppost and then fluttered up to the giant statue of Zabekiel in the centre of town, pointing at it accusingly.

"You've been very bad, angels, and I'm not going to let you forget that," Petal muttered to herself and waved her arms dramatically, spreading an enchantment that covered the land that the Quadringa had sat on. From that day forth, an unshakeable mournful air would cling to the city, even on the days when Niv shone brightest, and sometimes in the dead of night it's resident's would hear the ghostly sound of children laughing. This enchantment would be impossible remove until the Kinderven returned to rebuild a new Children's Republic.

Petal sat back down at the base of the statue, still sad but satisfied she had done all she could. Her eyes lit up when suddenly countless souls appeared like floating lanterns in the night sky, hovering peacefully before drifting up towards the stars. The young girl smiled to herself, Roe's work was unmistakable and finally the poor souls could rest in peace.

Cassiel had never made a planet before. It was something he had always considered, but never bothered with. Times were certainly changing. This planet would be gaseous in nature, any mortals attempting to reach it would find themselves unable to escape its gravity and promptly turned into one of its residents. Warnings of the planet's nature would spread through the universe, but it had a special ability few would know. Any souls would find their way to its swirling and unending core, where life could continue for them in peace. Segregation did not exist, all souls were given a blank slate, a second chance here. The planet itself was massive, anybody who wanted to find a spot to call their own would certainly be able to if that was their wish.

Cassiel turned to Roe as he began swirling the gasses. "Just a tiny bit more complicated than the sword, eh?"

"A little bit," Roe shrugged, trying to downplay the intense effort it took to not only power the spread of his new covenant across the universe but also help form Cassiel's planet. He breathed a sigh of relief as they ended simultaneously and collapsed onto the floor again, exhausted. Petal skipped out of the city as he did and shedding her disguise, ran up to the pair happily.

"I saw all the souls above the city glowing and then they flew off into space!" she exclaimed, "Did it work?"

"I think it did," Roe replied, "they definitely all went somewhere." he turned to his head to Cassiel, "Can you take us to our honeymoon now? I don't want to stay here any longer..."

Cassiel thought for a moment. His original plans weren't like this, but eh, why not make use of what you have? "My original idea was a nice spot on Coelus, but I don't think you want to go there for now. What do you think about spending some time with the Kinderven in the Hallowed Court?"

Roe glanced at Petal, who turned her head on one side and then nodded eagerly.

"I would like that, then we can play with the Kinderven and Woof," she shrugged. Roe turned back to Cassiel with a nod.
"Let's do that, Cassiel," he said dully, hoping that what he had created would alleviate the pain in his heart.

Spoiler: Actions

Roe - DC19, 8AP (Now at 26AP, 1MP) - Enchant/Scry an area equal to the entire game world and attached realms - Roe creates a new covenant where any mortal who dies with childlike innocence or faith in Roe to restore them to innocence will have their soul take to the Hallowed Court, where they will live forever more in the garden by Roe's house. (+6 Childhood - all mortals there take the form of children, +6 Chaos - is what it'll be in the garden with no adults, +4 Love - Roe shows his love for his deceased Kinderven, +4 Hope - Now there is hope for a second life for mortals who believe in Roe)

Cassiel - DC17, 7AP, - Creates a new gas giant planet where souls of the departed will flock if they do not go to Roe's garden or elsewhere, any living mortal who tries to enter will find themselves similarly deceased. (+6 Bravery - it takes guts to create a planet for the first time, +4 Hope - hope for those who have fallen, +6 Chaos - there will be no hierarchy or order of souls in the planet)

Petal - DC11, 4AP (now at 4AP) - Enchant/Scry an area the side of a Large City - Petal enchants the area where Quadringa stood to have an unshakeable depressing feel and sounds and shadows of the deceased Kinderven will be heard and seen occasionally by residents, leading to haunted feeling. The enchantment can only be lifted if/when the Kinderven return to their birthplace to build New Quadringa. (+4 Compassion - Petal encourages the Grigori to remember those who fell in the massacre, +2 Childhood - ghostly child apparitions will be present, +1 Luck and Happiness - the memorial will help bring closure for Roe and Petal's grief)

 

[Terratina.]

Lleu, Zs'Wua'Itzala - 8, 8

Lleu shifted as he that word. Begins with T, ends with L, and stinks of the law. Trial. Why did a celebration like this remind him so much of that? Of that particular day? The day that had changed everything. Zs'Wua, however, crooned softy to herself. After all, she loved a good show; if she could benefit in some way, then it would be even better. The marriage appeared to be a prologue to the main event. Not every day you see a demigod brought to trial. Words whispered in the back of her mind, 'Not every day you see a god die.' She thought back to that moment, where the other gods descended up the corrupted Ailish. It like a pack of vultures. She suspected this case would be no different either. Zs'Wua turned and was surprised to see Lleu.

"Miss me?" He said.

Zs'Wua huffed, "Why would I? There's plenty going on here. I don't need you to amuse me."

"Amuse? We've just gone from one pompous ceremony to another." Lleu replied, shrugging.

"Then leave." Zs'Wua stated, "If you are so sullen about it."

He thought on it a bit, there really wasn't anything keeping him here. Besides, if he stayed here longer, he would probably end up crushing a few of the devils' heads. He had heard the stories. Ultimate power in return for your soul. But always a catch in the contract. Always. Another reason why he had always had a certain disrespect for the law; its cruelty, merciless letters that took lives just because X did Y, not to mention the restrictiveness. Maybe he would leave. The forests of Eld were apparently very relaxing and beautiful. Lleu stood up. He eyed the defendant. "Good luck getting a fair trial here, friend," He thought, "'Fair trial'; believe me, I know that falsehood too well." Without a word, he left. Left the pretence of order and fairness for the wilds of Eld.

Spoiler: Actions/OOC

Lleu

> Send a message to Akladai- DC = Effortless
> Teleport to Eld - DC = Effortless

 

[JoJo]

Roe - 26, 1 and Petal - 4

The first rays of Niv cracked through the bedroom window of Roe's house as the young god slowly stirred himself awake, putting his hand to his throbbing head. Next to him Petal slept peacefully, her long black hair spread wildly across the pillow and her thumb in her mouth. Roe had trouble remembering exactly what had happened after Cassiel had dropped the pair off, he recalled greeting the newly arrived souls and then one of them had found the huge stash of wine he'd been keeping for a special occasion and after that... just a blur of sound and light.

"Good morning Lord Roe, we've made you breakfast!"

A shrill voice broke his train of thought, he cracked open his eyes to see two children standing in front of him. One was a human boy aged about seven with wavy shoulder length brown hair, the other a six year old Kinderven girl with pearly white fangs and a quiet demeanour. She passed him a tray with two plates, a fried egg and slightly burned Sharulk strip on each.

"You can just call me Roe," he replied sleepily as he took a plate and took a bite, before adding, "What's your names?"

"I'm Northern Snow, but you can just call me Snow," the young boy replied happily and gestured to his partner, "this is my new girlfriend Vanette. Do you like the breakfast?"

"Thanks, it's nice," Roe beamed, "has anything happened since last night?"

"There's a big trial with lots of gods down there in the hall," Vanette piped up for the first time, "I saw them all through a window, I don't know what they're talking about though,"

"That could be important!" the young god yelped and jumped out of bed, "Help me find my clothes, my friends might need me..." he commanded the two spirit children and began frantically searching the room for his magic items.

~​

A few minutes later, Roe stumbled through the door of the Entertainment Hall and scrambled up onto the nearest empty seat. He spotted Woof sitting faithly at the side of the room, he must have been there since the end of the wedding! Roe waved at him and the loyal dog bounded up to him, licking him in the ear.

"Down boy!" Roe groaned, "Now, I see you to show me what's happened so far..."

The Storyteller

The Storyteller's voice rose dramatically as he recalled the events on both the Hallowed Court and Coelus, gesturing wildly with his hands as he did, the children rapt in attention once again.

"Together, Roe and Cassiel created a new afterlife to fill the void left by the departure of Evermoor. Those who were imbued with innocence or had faith for Roe to return them to that state would ascend to live a new life in the Hallowed Court, while other souls would find themselves irresistibly attracted towards the great gas giant that Cassiel had created. Meanwhile at the same time, Petal spread an enchantmant over the area where Quadringa stood so that no resident would ever be able to forget the terrible massacre that stained it's past. The enchantment would only be able to dissipate when the Kinderven returned to claim the place of their birth.

As this happened, Melanthios inspired five thousand Dues Filli to research and gain use all of the Mizzen knowledge for the good of their race, including their battle tactics. M'endar teleported fifty performers from the Hallowed Court back to their native Evalon, while Zareth brought a long dead soul back to life to form a new demigod: Demens."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Zareth 24/2

Then it's done...

The deafening silence of space was broken as beyond all the laws od science it was filled up with a wild laughter. Bit by bit the ethereal light that had once been was broken down and reformed into a solid mass, standing before Zareth. The being was clothed in pitch black robes made from the very night sky it had been reborn in, despite how much they blended in with their surroundings Demens could still be seen... twitching... twisting and howling with laughter all the while. His freshly formed lungs were still too new to handle such strain and Demens quickly wore them out, but he kept going anyway.

"OH... oh it's good to be back HAHA!" Demens held his hands up high, stretching himself out. "Back!" He threw himself around Zareth, the chains that linked through his robe clinking together. Zareth Grimaced silently. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back to me!"

"shut up!" Zareth snarled, gripping at the chains that converged around Demens' neck. "You're back because I need you, nothing else."

Demense staggared back as he was yanked about, but the smile never left his face. "You've always needed me, Zareth, it's good that you can finally admit it." He said with condescending certainty.

"You're here because I need an attack dog." Zareth whipped around, forcing Demens along after him.

"I thought you had an attack wolf! That sounds much better than a dog."

"Don't you dare consider yourself in the same league as him." That was the end of it. Zareth had learned a long time ago to keep any and all talking to a minimum around Demens, the snake would turn every piece of information given to him ,however small, into a weapon. He would not give him more ammunition.

"Oooohh." Demens cooed like a school girl, happy to have in an old sore spot.

The two of them quickly got back to the court. The moment they touched down Demens' jaw dropped and he pulled against the chain Zareth was pulling him by as he tried to take it all in, his laughter slowly starting up again. "To think I could finally see this place. How hard would you have fought this in the old days?"

Zareth rounded on him again, picking Demens up by the throat, his talons growing and his teeth slowly shifting into fangs. He hadn't shown this kind of anger in a long time. Demens, for his part only seemed more excited.

"It will not last long." Zareth growled through gritted teeth. "You will never come back here, you will never see it again. When this is done I WILL send you back to the void." Demens' flesh began to wither and burn under Zareth's grip.

"you think you've fallen." Demens choked out. "That my being here is a failure... but it's not! You're rising! This is it the beginning of your better life!" Zareth threw him to the ground as if disgusted to even have Demense this close to him.

"You will stay in position and you will act on my command and ONLY on my command. Understood?" Zareh didn't wait for a response as he skulked back into the hall, hoping he hadn't missed much. The others would have felt that he'd done something but hopefully they wouldn't know what.

"You know I'm right." Demens coughed after him as he staggared to his feet and moved to the roof of the entertainment hall. His hand reached to his neck... there was a new chain there, warpped and jagged. It didn't take Demens long to identify what it was for. "Oh silly boy." he giggled. His depraved mind thinking of ways to get free of it immediatly. But he would have to wait for that, Zareth needed his help and he wasn't in the mood to thank him for it... yet. Until then he would watch as the meeting in the hall unfolded.

Spoiler: Diplomatic opening

Bright-snow fanned himself anxiously out by the stockade gates. This was his first major diplomatic meeting, he was nervous enough without having to worry about sun stroke. Did this place ever know winter? The sky was looking grey and overcast and Bright prayed for rain to help offer some relief. He went back to his crew and fussed over the offerings for the hundredth time, making sure everything looked perfect.

Beyond the basic gates stryfe busied themselves with sorting the rations and sorting out the few construction projects. They were all still sleeping in tents for the most part but he had made sure to send out foresting and hunting teams on the first dawn of their time here. Bright wanted to make sure they had a head start on supplies once the rations ran out, who knew how welcoming the humans would be? He had already heard back from the stunty folk and the grey skin leaders... their replies were strange to say the least.

Some lads were singing a tune while they did their work around the, currently, dead fire pit. Bright nodded to one of his crew who went over to tell them to keep it down and the veteran explorer turned back to the horizon, willing himself to get it together. Be a stryfe for spirit's sake!


The sputtering of an engine came into earshot and a moment later, a small jeep appeared over a nearby hilltop and drove towards the encampment. It was dusty from it's long drive but otherwise had had a recent coat of green paint and it's bumpers well-polished. On the side was the blue, white and red flag of the Republic.


The car halted in front of the gates and out stepped Hardy Lupin. She was in her late twenties with bronze skin and short jet black hair, her colouring was a mirror of her father the President. Her small horns though betrayed the racial identity that she'd inherited from her mother, she was a Changeling of the Grey Tide variety. Lupin walked forward accompanied by three guards, two burly Rowan men armed with pistols and a butch Ekiruru carrying a briefcase, and offered her hand to Bright Snow.

"Greetings, I am Hardy Lupin, ambassador for the United Republic of Evalon, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

Bright cleared his throat before taking her minute hand in his. "I am Vartok Bright-Snow. Sword bearer of Gravengrad and herald of the one Archon of Volk and all the holds that stand upon his ancient flesh." He let go happy that he sounded grand enough.

"I come here on behalf of Archon Kaldra the breaker of swords. This is the first of what we hope to be many of our holds on this world of Evalon. The people of Volk hope to find friendship and trade here." bright motioned to his crew, who opened the chest he had been fussing over to reveal a collection of furs, jewels and fine armour. "If you'll follow me we can show you a taste of what we hope to bring to Evalon." He said leading them to his tent.


"What would you prefer I call you, Vartok Bright-Snow?" the ambassador asked, "naming traditions vary between worlds, you may refer to me by my given name Lupin if you wish," she said as she followed him to his tent, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs laid out. Her bodyguards remained standing.


‎"Firstly, we must discuss sovereignty if more of your people wish to come to this world," she started, "With the leaving of the Lainir and Dwarves, all of this world belongs to either us or the Mizzen up north. If you are to settle in our lands, you must follow our laws and customs. Is that acceptable?"

"Well... Bright is fine thank you... Lupin." Keep it together damnit. This was so different to his previous expeditions to Evalon, most of the time he spent getting drunk with the natives now he had to arrange trade agreements and land rights. His own crew arranged themselves around the tent, keeping close eyes on the guards the horned woman had brought with her.

"Okay Bright," Lupin replied with a polite smile, "Well, any Stryfe who arrive in Republic land will have to be registered with our immigration office and subject to a background check. What sort of numbers do you forsee arriving?"

"Understood." He nodded. "So far I couldn't give you any exact numbers but we would be willing to open up the boarders of Volk to any Evalon citizen that would want to relocate. For now we are looking to set up a series of trade and diplomatic settlements. Our people have been trading for years now but only on a small scale. My archon is looking for an exchange of industry and technology on a major scale. In return we can offer you luxury goods as well as cultural and worker exchange."

His guards quietly bristled at that last point.

"I think we can accept small scale trade, with limits of course," Lupin replied, "people will be wary about letting too many Stryfe settle here, nothing personal about your race, after our experiences with the Grigori no-one wants to risk setting up a fifth column within our borders. So, what sort of technology do your people have? Do you use much magic?"

"The Gri-what?" There was another murmuring among his lads as Bright regained his composure. "No, no magic is not a common practice on Volk and... and our technology doesn't seem as advanced as yours I'll admit. Despite our best effort Rowan machines haven't been able to stand up to the conditions on Volk. We have prepared to help smooth any tensions your people might feel towards our settling here though." Bright smirked, all pleased with himself. his crew seemed less pleased.

Bright cleared his throat by way of silencing them.
"We're told you have great tombs that you call 'museums', that you switch out the trophies of the dead for people to see. As a sign of friendship we offer you this." Two of his crew brought a small chest to the table, covered in locks. The two of them set about twisting and clicking the intricate mechanisms. "My archon understands that our people do not know much of creation beyond Volk and that even fewer know of us. She looks to change that. As part of our 'cultural' exchange she offers you temporary ownership of a horde of artefacts of Volk, and at it's
centre, this..."

The chest clicked open and the metal panel fell away, revealing what looked like an ornate, taloned gauntlet, one that normally would have pride of place in Gravengrad. It still looked as fresh as it did the day it was forged.

"The hand of Grimnir Iron-Frost. First Archon of Volk. Uniter of the stryfe people. We offer it to you... for a time."

"We accept your kind loan," Lupin smiled, "I'm afraid we haven't brought anything nearly as valuable with us to give you but... maybe..." she turned to one of the bodyguards and made a series of quick signs with her fingers. The man nodded and disappeared out of the tent, returning a few moments later holding a large flag reverently in his arms.

Spoiler: Flag of the Republic

"It's not much but it's the flag of our people," Lupin explained, "the blue represents the Rowan people, the red the Changelings and the white in the middle everyone-else who lives in these lands, such as the Ekiruru and Kinderven. The white flower in the canton shows our eternal bond with the Lord Roe through his human bride Lady Petal. I hope this flag will help bring further understanding for your people about our nation," she passed over the flag to Bright and then signalled for her bodyguards to pick up the chest containing the artefact.

"Farewell, you will hear from us again soon," Lupin added as she and her envoy bowed and then exited the tent.

Spoiler: Action

DC5 AP1 Enchant a single person (Demens) with an enchanted chain that allows Zareth to know when Demens commits any action or attack and where he is when he does it.

Bonus +6 Death: Death gods have dominion over all dead souls. Demens may be up and kicking now but he was a resient of Evermoor since the early ages, once you've crossed over, even if you come back, you're never free of death and Zareth is exercising his rule over the dead.