"No. that is not it. You, you must be like me. A dead and dying remnant of a spark that has faded from the universe." A wet laugh emerged from the man as he sank to the floor, his back resting against the wall. "You were the brightest light left because there are no lights, and so the gutting glimmer that was you seemed sun-like by comparison. Goodbye, Serpent."
Ourogandr caught the old man with his tail as he slumped, gently depositing the body on the floor. The God-Serpent seemed to ponder things momently, then, decision reached, slowly gurgitated a ball of crimson light and flame.
This orb pulsed with rage and energy, and the Fire Wyrm gently nosed it towards the old man's body. Scarlet lightning resonated about the chamber, and though he was more dead than alive already, the Old Man's corpse began to scream. Furious energies lanced about, muscles spasmed, and through it all, the red orb seemed to sorb deeper into the body of the wizened water vestige.
Without warning, the energies abruptly ceased. The Old Man's corpse lay still and dead on the floor, face still twisted in memory of recent pain. And then.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Ba-dump.
Though no heart beat in the corpse's chest, its body resonated with power all the same. Each pumping sound spent the red rage of destruction dancing through his veins and arteries.
"I am no dead or dying spark, and I refuse to let you become the same. Arise, Ruin, and go seek the battle you hoped me to win."
The Old Man was clearly still dead - he felt that, surely, but despite that, it didn't seem to be a problem. If anything, his dead-ness had only left him... reinvigorated.
PP Expenditure 3pp Alter Domain/Artifact - Ourogandrimbues The Old Man of the sea with the domain and powers of Destruction. What he does with that, is his buisness. 1
If you look past the plot and the voice acting, Metroid: Other M was an okay game. Not a great game, but an adequate one.
Not using the Metroid item collect jingle though? That, was a mistake.
In case you haven't seen, there is a PM from me waiting for you.
~God's Crater~
"Trying to use you? Well, if you choose not to trust me, then it does not seem we can work together, for now. I am sure we will meet again, though, err the end. I hate to be abrupt, but it seems that I must work quickly if I wish for things to go well regardless."
Arusi nodded her head respectfully and set off to gather the bodies of the gods.
You give the dying Avatar a new domain? I had thought a quiet death was in order... instead, future plots! Brilliance!
~Hearth~ "You fool! This body was not in any shape to recieve that sort of power!" the voice of the old man ripped from the throat of the now-undead form. The power given him coursed through conduits not meant to hold that level of power.
Gasping, the man concentrated and dissapeared, reappearing just outside the borders of Hearth. He spun and waved his hand, feeling the power building within him. A sphere of fine crystal surrounded the city, reaching high overhead and digging deep into the earth to protect the city from below. The crystal was no ordinary Crystal... it was specifically designed to prevent the passage of divine energy of all forms, be they the devastation that was about to emerge from the old man's form or an actual divine being itself. He felt a momentary twinge of regret that Ourungandar was not going to be able to escape, but knew that when the alternative had been the destruction of the Serpent, this was far better fate.
The Power built more, and the old man stared at the barrier. It won't be enough. He thought to himself, pulling on reserves he did not even know he had. A second shimmering barrier spread around the city, and when it finished encapsulating the city, the entire city... shimmered, disconnecting from the Prime and becoming ghostlike. Hopefully with both...
Detonation.
The Old man exploded in a maelstrom of divine power as Destruction raged through his form. Waves of flame and pressure forced themselves in all directions, digging a deep furrow in the earth that spread from the shore to the city. The city itself was buffeted by the explosion, waves of iridescent colors skittering across the crystal spere as the ground around and below the city was shoved out of the way.
The explosion finally stopped, and the city of Hearth still stood, floating above a deep pit in the earth. With a thundering roar, the Sea flowed into the pit, creating a new lake upon which the city appeared to float.
The Sea of Daj Over the Sea of Daj, a cloud floated. A cloud of divine-water, a cloud that had been the God Tsiyoti. As it floated, it began to rain, and the rocky land began to bloom, brilliant flowers appearing everywhere, nourished by the divine showers. Grass began to grow too, and small lakes dotted the landscape, turning the barren land into, for now, a flowering paradise.
Below, Endrina and Arkesh looked up as the cloud passed them and felt the rain hit their face as the flowers bloomed all around them.
3 PP: Create Artifact: The Crystal Shield. A shield that surrounds Hearth and the place of Ourugandar and prevents any form of divine energy (not to mention mortals) from passing through, this traps Ourugandar on the other side and provides a fun plot hook for the far future where the Embrin are seeking to breach the barrier (either from the inside or outside) and are unclear on what to expect. 4 PP: Create Plane: The Embrin Sanctuary: Surrounds Hearth. More timey-wimey shenanigans with an unconnected plane! Perhaps the Embrin inside have an accelerated rate of time and return to find the world primitive by comparison! 2 PP: Mold Land: A great rift appears surrounding Hearth and streching to the ocean. It is filled with salt water 2 PP: Nourish Land: The Sea of Daj is transformed into a lush savannah instead of a rocky wilderness. The Naga have succeeded in their Trial and have won their final reward... a true home. Now if only they weren't broken into pieces!
Things had finally begun to settle down in Hearth. The initial chaos of detonation had casued all manner of startled gasps and auricular distress (for the Crystal Seal had not shattered under the blast, but had resonated with it, causing some degree of temporary deafness to everyone within the city), and the shock of the events took a few days to settle in.
At first, the mood was one of panic -- Azers tried frantically to contact their beaurocratic brethren in the sister-cities of their burdgeoning Empire, but to no avail -- the seal withstood all attempts at crossing through, whether they be physical, verbal, mystical, arcane, or divine. Without Hearth's central leadership, it was only a matter of time before the briefly united Empire of Flame returned back to its skirmish marred roots.
After several weeks of experimentation, it was clear nothing could be done. A profound sense of rage settled in to the general population. They blamed each other; they blamed their leaders; they blamed the Flame Wyrm, Ourogandr. But Ourogandrwas just as furious over the whole affair, and the mortals quickly determined that they couldn't out-rage the great avatar, and made themselves scarce rather than risk sparking a crimson rage in the great beast (one that was liable to only result in their death). Instead, they took to pleading with the serpent -- please, glorious Isura, great Fire Wyrm, cleave this seal in twain so that we might once more breath fresh air, see the light of the stars, and once more speak to loved ones lost outside the city.
Eventually, the goddess' rage quieted, turned into a listless brooding. It would drive anyone mad-- to be trapped within an iridescent bubble with no recourse to exit. But to the self-proclaimed Eternal Fires of Change? It went beyond insanity. And insanity was worse with gods; it is one thing to imagine things in the course of one's psychotic raving. It is quite another to inadvertantly make those reality due to one's divine nature.
The Isura-that-was could not exist within a bubble, pretty though it may have been. It took months, dark times for Hearth indeed, but eventually Isura-that-was became Isura-that-could-be, the madnesses quieted, the city once more grew quiet and peaceful. But it was a foreboding peace... an air of ill omen wrapped, heavy, around the city. This restless, aimless energy needed a target. And Ourogandrhad finally come to terms with the need for release as well.
(to be concluded in a final post, later)
If you look past the plot and the voice acting, Metroid: Other M was an okay game. Not a great game, but an adequate one.
Not using the Metroid item collect jingle though? That, was a mistake.
It looks like things are mostly winding down. Please go ahead and wrap up any last minute loose ends. When it looks like everything is sufficiently wrapped up, the LoC_GM account will post a brief concluding dealeo and at that point the game will be over.
However, never fear. The next LoC will be starting up in about a week (tentatively dated for next Sunday). We have some plans for recruiting new talent, and we have some great talent already here. Things are looking up. Check the OOC thread or the group for more details later.
~The Wide World of Lords of Creation~
Arusi traveled far across the world, moving as quick as a brush-fire. Time was short. Amun was the the first sleeping god she found, and carrying him on her back, she made her way back to the gate, which was now floating high above the world, the crater far below. She placed him in the gate of destruction and mournfully watched as his essences return to pure possibility.
No, Arusi thought, this is wrong. These gods shouldn't be utterly forgotten.
The True Name of Fire willed the shards of the mountain to return to their ancient place. Giant boulders came hurling through the air, called from across the land. These she ordered in the air, snubbing her nose at gravity. She also set about collecting the planty shards of Ra and reconstructed it, though without the divine touch the tree remained only a burned, shriveled husk. When she was done it seemed like the mountain had been frozen mere moments after the gate had exploded. Rocks and pieces of the world tree floated in the air, a seeming tangled storm of matter but one in which the pattern of what once was could still be discerned.
On one of the floating hunks of rock, Arusi carved a giant statue of the god, Amun. At least here, floating around the gate, the god might be remembered.
She left and found Tireas next. He too she brought to the gate and watched him dissolve. For him as well he carved a statue on a different floating hunk of rock. Though his was a hulking form, larger than Amun, there was something in the way the goddess carved the statues that made it clear that these were two beings of a shared nature. Mortals would, in the future, come here and marvel at the statues, not knowing that these were gods but, in time, coming to sense it.
And so Arusi did similar with the other gods. Baern was next, then Erainull, and in turn each and every one of the rest. When she was done collecting the scraps of divinity that had been left in the world, she then set about creating statues for those who had already left. For Dajjal, and Arvad, and the others as well. When she came to the imposter she hesitated. Should such a thing be remembered? And in what form, the shell that it had discarded, or the thing it had become. At last she settled on the form that she thought would have been most pleasing to it.
When she was done she sat down between a statue of herself and Dloz and waited for her end. The Eye rested next to her.
The remaining bits of my PP are spent on mold lands and nourishes to create the graveyard of the gods. Ra is the most reconstructed thing, but it still looks like it just exploded, with the chunks of the old mountain floating around next to it. An various hunks of rockst here are the statues of the gods, each looking out, away from the gate.
~Glisglaw~
Lucca turned to the god and thought for a moment. "Let me show you my answer."
She led Dloz through the city to the slum and, through there, to a seeming unnotable place. Though Dloz had followed her even to the slums, she had always slipped away when she needed to come here. Inside was a dirty, half-crazed gnome working on a project.
"Davar, I am afraid things are moving faster than planned. Is it ready?"
The gnome turned, recoiled at the sight of Dloz, then nodded. He hobbled forward and eyed the shell. "Yes yes yes, though I am afraid it isn't as powerful as I wanted. Wont have the desired effect, but I think the results will be worthwhile nonetheless."
He then addressed the god, "Lucca here has been kind to me with her powers. You see, I represent a group of mortals who are... concerned with godly meddling in our lives. But how could we resist such power? Then I met with Lucca, here, to whom you gave such wonderful powers. She has helped my research by changing natural things into unnatural things. Take this crystal ball, for example."
Davar held up a small orb that glowed faintly. "It used to be normal crystal, until our lovely lady over there changed it. Now, it is capable of absorbing divine energy. Finding such power was difficult, but... well, then the Tarnished came to my attention and they are curious creatures.
He rummaged around in a pile of junk and pulled out a metal stand. "And this here, she made the metal into a wonderful conduit. It draws out the divine energy stored in the crystal and reverses it. I had been hoping it would kill, but the actual result is still useful. Would you like to see?"
Davar placed the crystal on the stand and slowly but surely Dloz felt a pressure push against him as the crystal began to generate a magical field. Eventually it pushed the god back a step and it continued to grow in force.
Lucca passed through the field and looked back at the god. "I'll stand free, thanks."
3PP craft artifact (Ara was nice enough to be willing to lend it). This artifact generates an anti-divinity field that is roughly the size of a large city. Gods cannot enter this field. Exarchs and avatars (being partially mundane as well) can enter it, although this can be dangerous as they loose their connection to their divine power while in it. As a lovely side effect, any power with the divine keyword does not work within this field. To disable the field, one must remove the crystal from its pedestal (and returning the crystal restores the field).
- Glisglaw - "Clever, Lucca. You've found a way to keep gods out of your city. There's just one problem though. My gift, the bowl, won't work anymore. And I'll see to it you don't get any more chaosplasm," sneered Dloz.
- Outside Glisglaw - He unleashed a new plague on the city. This blessing fed on blood, but it's main goal was chaosplasm. It would seek out any chaosplasm and devour it. Just to be careful he also made this plague immune to the powers of the Chaosspawn. "I hope you enjoy your eternal slumber, Lucca," whispered Dloz to himself as he started to cry.
At Ourogandr'sdirection, the coming weeks found Hearth increasingly millitant, more so than it had been before, even. Across the city, smiths worked feverishly, mass producing armors and armamanets. Industry boomed as well, with food making up a large portion of the economy; though there had been initially been concern over an ability to grow things, the light of the Crystal Barrier proved good enough.for Salamander-grown Lichen, and Azer-grown grains alike.
And behind the dull clanging of forges, and beyond the slow work of the farmer were the ubiquitous sounds of steel on steel. Military participation was no longer optional - Ourogandrhad ordered that even the civilian populace be trained in the ways of war. Not because it expected to use every living being in the city in a grand army, but because the training it entailed provided a sorely needed outlet for pent up rage and frustrations.
Hearth was sequestered, and with no apparant way out of the barrier, all its citizenry could do was prepare for an eventual external intervention. So Hearth trained its soldiers, girded its granaries, and worked its blacksmiths to the bone. In the span of a few years (for time passed oddly quickly within the seal), Hearth had become entirely unrecognizeable. They had become a grim, focused people, honed to a razor's edge.
Unable to bear witness to the outside world, there was little else to do but train, fight, and prepare. When the seal failed, when they were free again, the strength of the city would ride out in force, bringing order to the world. And with nothing to do but prepare for that fated day, Hearth and it's armies would be more than ready. Woe to the one to unleash the Fires of the Sealed City.
And deep within the fortress-city's heart, the Fire Serpent, the imprisoned Goddess of Flame, lurked, quietly seething.
~The Shifting Wood~
Janus smiled as he watched over his army. They were encamped at the farthest edge of The Shifting Wood. Janus could feel another of the War-God's artifacts inside, calling to him. On the morrow, they would begin their assault.
And then, he would turn on Hearth, to liberate the final artifact from that sealed city.
And then he would become a god.
Janus began to laugh, a low, thunderous sound.
He would succeed. And fury help those who dare stand in his way.
-1 Nourish -- The Sealed City of Hearth becomes hyper militarized. With nothing else to do, the city becomes incredibly militant, united under the strong commands of Ourogandr and the Branded Swordguards. Only The Crystal Barrier stands in the way of what will likely become a world conquest.
0
If you look past the plot and the voice acting, Metroid: Other M was an okay game. Not a great game, but an adequate one.
Not using the Metroid item collect jingle though? That, was a mistake.
So the stories tell, in time Dloz came upon the fire-goddess. She had been waiting for him, patiently, as he went about his work. Finally he came for her, the last piece of the puzzle he was seeking. Arusi greeting him warmly and embraced him. She held her killer like she was welcoming an old lover. He ended her life and took the eye, and put them with the other grim artifacts he had collects. With the set complete, the mad god began to piece together the old one. What he lacked he created, until Ebel was complete. Yet she did not open her eyes. Dloz was confounded, what had he done wrong? Sure he his work was true, he began to yell at the corpse-god, demanding she awaken. When that did not work, he began to attack the body, convinced that the ancient one was merely pretending to be dead to spite him.
In his rage her and the corpse-god drifted closer to the gate. A embered hand reached out and grabbed him. Dloz turned to see the lifeless eyes of Arusi looking blankly in his direction. He struggled and clawed, trying to break free, but he was dragged into the gate. In his flailing he grabbed the corpse-god and dragged her with him, back into oblivion. His screams resounded in the very stone and creation could feel it in its bones.
Then, silence.
Mortals knew not what had happened, only that the wind had died, the seas calmed, the fires dimmed, and the earth seemed to rot. From the western reaches of Gnomish lands to the eastern halls of Embrin-Kind, from the southern holdings of the Trail-Now-Gone to the northern forests of the Wandering Woods, from the prime material plane to the Shadowfell and all others, divinity faded from the world.
In the darkness the Gates of Eternity, ancient and always, began to shine. In ebbs and flow it radiated sunlight, then moonlight. This was a herald, this was a sign.
Once every age or so a spark of possibility would fall out of the gates and drift aimlessly until it was absorbed again. This was the ancient pattern, this was how things were.
Now, when the gods had gone, a spark left the gate and called itself Ebel. She opened one gate, the gate of creation, and drew from it a body to shelter her spark. Into the world Ebel swam.
Thus ends this game of Lords of Creation. Don't worry, the next one is scheduled to start in a week. Look to the OOC thread and the main group for up-to-date info
So the stories tell, in time Dloz came upon the fire-goddess. She had been waiting for him, patiently, as he went about his work. Finally he came for her, the last piece of the puzzle he was seeking. Arusi greeting him warmly and embraced him. She held her killer like she was welcoming an old lover. He ended her life and took the eye, and put them with the other grim artifacts he had collects. With the set complete, the mad god began to piece together the old one. What he lacked he created, until Ebel was complete. Yet she did not open her eyes. Dloz was confounded, what had he done wrong? Sure he his work was true, he began to yell at the corpse-god, demanding she awaken. When that did not work, he began to attack the body, convinced that the ancient one was merely pretending to be dead to spite him.
In his rage her and the corpse-god drifted closer to the gate. A embered hand reached out and grabbed him. Dloz turned to see the lifeless eyes of Arusi looking blankly in his direction. He struggled and clawed, trying to break free, but he was dragged into the gate. In his flailing he grabbed the corpse-god and dragged her with him, back into oblivion. His screams resounded in the very stone and creation could feel it in its bones.
Then, silence.
Mortals knew not what had happened, only that the wind had died, the seas calmed, the fires dimmed, and the earth seemed to rot. From the western reaches of Gnomish lands to the eastern halls of Embrin-Kind, from the southern holdings of the Trail-Now-Gone to the northern forests of the Wandering Woods, from the prime material plane to the Shadowfell and all others, divinity faded from the world.
In the darkness the Gates of Eternity, ancient and always, began to shine. In ebbs and flow it radiated sunlight, then moonlight. This was a herald, this was a sign.
Once every age or so a spark of possibility would fall out of the gates and drift aimlessly until it was absorbed again. This was the ancient pattern, this was how things were.
Now, when the gods had gone, a spark left the gate and called itself Ebel. She opened one gate, the gate of creation, and drew from it a body to shelter her spark. Into the world Ebel swam.
