The faceless angel Anonymous would cast open that threshold between the spirit and physical planes, and he did notice many more fish leaving the material world than entering. The souls were miserable, and quivered with weakness and discontent. He pondered, with some amount of merit, if such was a just and natural thing to do to a fledgeling world.
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Sigs shouldn't be higher than 80 pixels - Elki.
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RankenphilePassersby were amazedby the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderatormod
The faceless angel Anonymous would cast open that threshold between the spirit and physical planes, and he did notice many more fish leaving the material world than entering. The souls were miserable, and quivered with weakness and discontent. He pondered, with some amount of merit, if such was a just and natural thing to do to a fledgeling world.
And so did the living fish feed upon the flesh of the dead, and so did they thrive and procreate, multiply and become many. The rivers and oceans and lakes and streams soon ran gleaming with the silvery flash of scale and fin, for life became abundant from the decay of the dead.
So was there balance, and so was there order.
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INeedNoSaltwith blood on my teethRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
Salt thunders in his anger, and for a moment, the whole of the Great Scale shudders and shakes with him; the first Earthquake has struck, and the Lord of Earth is neither calm nor thoughtful - this will be the first of many.
Anger and annoyance radiate from Salt, and he seems prepared to lash out against the Lord Rose - but restricts himself in his divine wisdom.
"I will take your pittance, Lord Rose - but I will not forget that I came to you in good will and you offered me only limitations."
And Salt sets to work doing exactly what he claimed, filling the great tunnels of the mighty, endless Labyrinth that he has created within the Great Scale. Perhaps Salt's true form is varied, or perhaps beyond the scope of mortal imagination - the children he births have no relation to fish, but are coated with armor like steel above their flesh. Some walk on two legs; others four; a few truly monstrous specimens within the Great Scale walk on evenly eighty-two legs.
But these are not his masterpieces; within the Great Mountain, where Salt has embedded a monstrous throne, he raises a great race of creatures and gifts them as a race with his own divine spark; these are towering beings, coated much like Salt's other children in steely shells...
And upon the Throne in the Great Mountain, from the grey mineral that bears the same name, he creates a single monstrous entity, an enormous creature of vaguely reptilian shape. In this he invests himself, creating the first godly Avatar.
Having been given the choice, Salt named himself Immortal - and given the power, has chosen to walk the Scale among the mortal races.
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RankenphilePassersby were amazedby the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderatormod
edited October 2006
Seeing the great stride and shadow of the Avatar of Salt, newly formed upon the face of the Great Scale, Rankenphile sees a great imbalance of power. Such things cannot be suffered, and so the hands of fate go quickly into motion.
With a whip and a stitch of his invisible guiding hand, Rankenphile casts away the bonds that tie the Avatar's shadow to the soles of his feet. Soon the great Shadow is free and takes on a form of its own, gathering substance from air and water, land and sky, lightness and dark, to become the second great Avatar of the Scale. He is the protector of Order and Balance, and he, too, casts no shadow. No harm may come to the Avatar of Order that shall not also be rendered upon the Avatar of Salt, or to all of the Godly Avatars, for in the hands of order, one action that tips the scales shall be checked by another to right it.
The Avatar of Salt, great and mighty may he be for eternity, shall hold no power unchecked upon the Great Scale. So shall there be balance, and so too shall there be order.
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
The time of the Awakening draws ever closer! I have hidden the progenitors of the three Awakened races in distant places on the land. There they will rest until he Time of Awakening when they wil rise and make themselves known in the world.
And when that time comes, they will find the world around them to be both bountiful and dangerous, for I have sent forth the animals of the land, that they might establish themselves and be fruitful:
Great six-limbed herd-beasts with the strength to fell the greatest trees with their charges; speedy six-limbed predators that work together to bring down animals many times their size; Smaller, faster herd animals that feed on the open plain; and their predators, the fastest animal, that uses its four hind limbs to propel itself at enormous speed; great herds of smaller, more agile climbers that inhabit the mountain slopes and graze the hardiest of plants that live there; the lone stalking predators that hide in the shadows and move silently to take individuals from the midst of the herds; and much else besides that is smaller and less significant to the casual observer, but which help make everything else work, for such is the Way of Life.
As for you, Salt, a pittance!? How dare... Such gifts are not lightly given, that power is self-contained and given only to your creations; with it they will prosper well, without it they would yet be lifeless stone. They may even learn to harness darkness to their Will, if you saw fit to give them any when you made them.
((Everything on the surface has six limbs, even the fish (think Coelecanth); it's a theme, yo. The awakened will come with very poorly drawn pictures to give you an idea of what the look like. At that point, I think we need to start thinking about recruiting some Mortal players to move things along, in terms of cartography and names and such. What say ye?))
Gazing at the new creations created by Lord Salt, Soup smirks. Mighty though Salt's children may be, they will need Soup's food to continue to live on the Scale.
My brothers, I fear I have been absent too long. For Salt has his biengs of earth, and Lord Rose has his varied creatures both above and below the water, however they are not biengs of water. I create my chosen race, they shall be the most fearsome biengs in the great oceans. They have 6 arms and yet no legs, a long tail ending with a fin, a head that ends with a snout and a massive fin betwixt the eyes, they have teeth as sharp as any stone, and they will kill any intruders into their territory, but as for now they will not attack with haste and without reason. However these are not biengs of Earth or Life, they are biengs of water and thus require it to survive. They must return to the water every so often or else they will perish. Also to help prevent Seebors' plauge they are resistant, yet not immune you may still do your work brother, to disease.
Also I strive to walk among the mortals so I have forged myself a body of my choosing. I shall have the head of my chosen race, and a beard made of flowing water, my back will be as rough as the ocean floor, complete with the colorful rock that is littered about it. I will have no tail however and will have but two limbs and two legs. I will stand 5 heads over any of my race. Throngarth now walks the plane of mortals.
INeedNoSaltwith blood on my teethRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
Salt roars an epic roar, shaking the Scale and sending bursts of ocean into the air; His avatar growls and fights, tearing his Shadow back, back, as long as he can, even as it rips at his own flesh.
And Salt comes to Rankenphile, disembodied god to disembodied god, and demands an explanation, demands to know who Rankenphile believes he is that he would storm into Salt's own home and steal away his shadow!
One demand I made, and only one; that the Scale and everything within it is MY domain, to be ruled over by ME, as I see fit!
And if YOU cannot be bothered to abide MY demands, what shall keep me to abide YOURS?
(( because this is the coolest thing ever, I'd like to call dibs on the role of first of the Gods of man. I would take up the bile and pelvis of the first sentient race, and become the god of their folly and ingenuity. Since I came from the first 'man', I would be very weak, and indebted to the Gods of Ingenuity and Life. A demi-god of their realms. If that seems okay? ))
Salt roars an epic roar, shaking the Scale and sending bursts of ocean into the air; His avatar growls and fights, tearing his Shadow back, back, as long as he can, even as it rips at his own flesh.
And Salt comes to Rankenphile, disembodied god to disembodied god, and demands an explanation, demands to know who Rankenphile believes he is that he would storm into Salt's own home and steal away his shadow!
One demand I made, and only one; that the Scale and everything within it is MY domain, to be ruled over by ME, as I see fit!
And if YOU cannot be bothered to abide MY demands, what shall keep me to abide YOURS?
Rankenphile, in the guise of the Avatar of Order, sits back gently as Salt thrashes about in a Godly rage. Once the Avatar of Salt has calmed enough to hear the rational words coming from his glib tongue, Rankenphile begins.
Dear Salt, be calm, and thrash not. I am not an enemy, though I am the Anti-Salt. I seek not power, nor to wrest any from your capable hands. Your domain is yours and yours alone, and I shall not, nor have I ever, sought to steal glory from your crown.
But there are no domains which hold me back, and there are no domains of which I am not a part. I am the shadow for each light, and a light for each shadow. I am the star in the sky and the dark which surrounds it. I am order, I am balance, and I am all-encompasing.
Your Avatar is great and mighty, a power unchecked by any other, and so it could not stand alone. Its shadow was cast far too long for it to hold, and so I set it free, and shaped it in my own image, and in your own image, so that it would constantly be there to live as your opposite, and to balance the scales on which you stand.
Your shadow is not gone, good Salt. It stands here, before you, and shall always be before you, and behind you, and upon your flanks. Each action you take shall always have a reaction, just as the famine feeds the living, and the light casts a shadow, and the land and sea shall clash eternally.
I am here because you are here, and so shall there be balance, and so shall there be order.
A question my siblings, we each have domains, amongst us we hold dominion over life and death, light and dark, and all manner of things. Who amongst us claims dominion over love, lust and sex?
We have things to discuss, him and I. Great and terrible things.
Upon first grasping the reigns of power from the Great Fish, Sha'mus had fallen into a deep slumber. The creation of Salt's Avatar, and that of Order, awoken him from his rest. Sleepily, he looked upon the world and beheld the life that was there.
His gift spread out through the newly born races, from the first fish to the primordial monsters that now roamed the Scale. Even the hidden Progenitors, whose destiny lay ahead of them, dreamed of a green world, and the armored children of Salt dreamed how best to serve their rageful Father.
A small bit of his power now coalesced into a new form, one of his own making and unique to his imagination. It was no fearsome creature like that of Salt, Lord Under The Mountain. His own avatar stood only seven feet tall, a thin slip of a figure, with skin the color of bronze and six limbs to match those of Rose's designs. Two legs to walk upon, four arms to grasp the world.
Where this form landed, deep within a lush primordial forest, the land changed. A Dream unfolded around his arrival, forever marking this area as his own. A realm of infinite possibilities, some that defied the very balance of law and order. From there, he walked, exploring the Scale.
The forest..think aboriginal dream time.
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
Seeing Sha'mus' new form, Lord Rose made it known to him that by coincidence, He now closely resembled the form of one of the progenitor races, and wondered if He would take the form of the others as He met them, lest they attack Him through fear or rage.
((Seriously, you have no idea how close you got to one of the three races I designed. Although you do kinda look more like a blend of two of them, being too short for one and too tall for the other...))
"Dreams often point us in the right direction, Cousin. While I choose this form to walk the Scale, Those-Yet-To-Come shall percieve me as one of their own."
Witnessing the conflict between Gods and their Creations, Trenog became reminded of the purpose of Creation. Placing hand upon his head, he did open his mind's eye to speak.
"To the Avatars of Rankenphile and Salt whose birth I even did witness upon my own. There will come a time when the two will become once more. But rejoice not! For this is the beginning of your end! Those energies that have made you will unmake you, and your Gods shall be sent to rage at your loss.
In the end, an ocean shall rise and fall in testiment to this change."
With that Trenog did close his mind's eye, leaving his others to chart the future yet seen.
Scooter returns from the forest, leading a flock of new creatures. They somewhat resmble the smaller herd creatures, except stronger, although not quite that of the largest beasts. They have the sharp eyes and sharper fangs of the predators, although can also be seen nibbling at plant growth. Their smooth, snake-like skin can be seen with a variety of colorings and markings.
I call these the Swiftpads, and I don't believe a faster beast walks this world. And this *pats the beast he's riding on* is Fleetfoot, King of all Swiftpads. I have blessed him with a slowing of age, and I expect we'll have a lot of fun in the future. The others I set loose, until your 'Awakened' see their usefulness for themselves.
Hi-ho, Fleetfoot, away!
Yes. I'm riding a 6-footed dinosaur. Got a problem with that? I'm kind of assuming everything looks a bit like fish so the snakeskin instead of fur wouldn't look so strange.
The lord of shadows looked on at his brother's new children with envious eyes. He reached down and scooped up a great number of the walking creatures of the lands. Held in the cold embrace of the shadows he shaped the young creatures, no longer would they live in the oppresive light, no longer would they seek the warmth of the scorching sun.
He set down the creatures again, the creatures eyes had receeded into a single vesitial eye like a jewel glimmering at the end of a long snout, a mouth full of sharp teeth. Their flesh was now white and smooth, their limbs muscular yet dexterous and a large tail sprouted from the creatures rumps. Where there was a third set of limbs now was an atrophied set of arms extending behind the back each ending in a spike.
The creatures looked for the upon the realm their lord had given unto them. A massive underground realm sprawled out before them. Their lord had set down many other creatures and plants here, and twisted their shapes to suit this new subterranean land.
And as his children looked out on the land that would be their own their creator smiled upon them.
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INeedNoSaltwith blood on my teethRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
And lo, the steely children of Salt did feast upon the beasts of SPI who walked within the Great Scale, realm of the Lord of Elemental Earth, wherever their paths would cross.
As he sat and observed his 'tree', he couldn't help but feel disappointment in light of the creations of his fellows.
"What a fool am I to build a tree- though the string and stick was not much of a gift -while my fellows create creatures to live in this land. I shall not be out done!"
And so Zil, the Crafter, set to his tree, ripping it down and building a new. A being emerged, as tall as the forest trees, with four arms and two legs. Its body carved and shaped into a thing of beauty and might. The God took to the forest to build brothers for his child, ripping down trees and building new bodies, each as grand as the last.
"You are the Craftsmen," said Zil. "So have I named you. Now go! And Build! Carve your land into a thing of beauty, and when the others see it, they will be inspired. And while they will honor my name by imitating you, none shall surpass your expertise."
His children were born, and they took to the land. And yet, Zil felt sorrow. Even in such great number, they were alone. "They will need cousins," Said Zil. And so he walked to Salt, with a preposition in mind.
Where does Hope dwell? Everywhere and nowhere. The lone flower blooming amist the field of battle, the warm light stretching across the grave, the cold heart that beats with a moment of kindness. Find Hope there.
Hope claims no race or breed as its own. Hope builds nothing but more hope, hope for the suffering that their pain will end, hope for the hungry that their bellies will be full, hope for the lost that will find their way.
Let each race voice their own name for Hope, let each thing feel it stir their being. Let those that wish to dedicate themselves to Hope do so.
Please, O Gods of Power and Plenty, look kindly on the Hopeful and they will look to you in awe and wonder.
Orik, please hear the call of the Hopeful when they wish the end of the storm or when the fire must light
Lord Salt, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the rough stone walls must hold or the cool earth must rest their weary heads
Scooter, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the road is long or progress too slow
Karilmat, please hear the call of the Hopeful for inspiration to strike or to calm the raging heart
Aileron, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the winds howl or the sails slacken
Sageina, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the puzzle is too hard or the mind feels clouded with doubt
Lord Rose, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the crops need grow or when the child first cries
Sander, please hear the call of the Hopeful from the darkest of places or when your light's brilliance is just too much
Throngrarth, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the battle rages long or when the warrior's throat is dry from thirst
Cosmic, please hear the call of the Hopeful when words fail or when the unspoken must be said
Gorgol, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the suffering must stop or the mizer's purse-string winds too tightly
Elbonian, please hear the call of the Hopeful for their families wellbeing that all houses may be homes
Rankenphile, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the scales dip or need dip one way
Trenog, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the future seems bleak or the threads do tangle
Spi, please hear the call of the Hopeful when they are alone or caught between worlds
Devryguy, please hear the call of the Hopeful when you are needed most, even by the cruelest of heart
Seebor, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the affliction spreads or the cure is needed
Soup, please hear the call of the Hopeful when livestock grow thin and children thinner
Pil, please hear the call of the Hopeful when searching for that which they have been parted from
Anonymous, please hear the call of the Hopeful when your coming needs be quick and painless
Shamus, please hear the call of the Hopeful when rest cannot come or when the powerful need admonishment
Wezil, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the law must bend or the unjust fear no consequence.
Please, O Gods of Power and Plenty, Great and Small, Cruel and Kind, hear the calls for Hope and let them remind you of your own hopes back when the Great Fish did spawn us all.
((Whew. I used names based off the first post listing. If I got yours wrong, please assume that the faceless entity that is Hope would have got them right.))
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RankenphilePassersby were amazedby the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderatormod
edited October 2006
As the Craftsmen of Zil began to roam the land, shaping it in their Father's Image and Skill, Rankenphile was pleased. He saw the creation of new forms, of new shapes and features to the land as healthy, as a progenitor for change.
The Avatar of Order strolled slowly through their creations, admiring the skill and care that went into the crafting of each new feature. As he did so, he waved his arm gently above the heads of the Craftsmen, invisibly and unnoticed, but setting into action a blessing and a curse.
From then on, as each Craftsman would leave their new creation in search of a new project, their shadows would trace over them and leave a touch of entropy, would begin a chain of events that would cause the creations to begin to decay, as all things must. In this way nothing would be permanent, and the Craftsmen's work would never be done, but so to would they never want for things to do.
So should there be Balance, and so to shall there be Order.
The Avatar of Order's gaze then fell upon the bloody conflict taking place beneath the surface of The Scale, where Children of Salt would feast upon the bodies of the Creatures of Spi, and there to did the divine influence of his hand spread.
The Beasts of Spi shall not go defenseless in this conflict. They shall be blessed with a row of lumenescent scales upon their brows which can flash with light, holy and bright in nature, to scare away the shadows of their dark subteranean world, and blind the Children of Salt, allowing them a method of escape, and a method of defense if their numbers proved worthy of the challenge, rendering the Children of Salt defenseless for a short time. The Children of Salt would yet feed well, and their numbers would grow, but in this way so too shall the Beasts of Spi be able to procreate and grow on their own, no longer being defenseless and no longer being disadvantaged in the conflict.
So too shall there be Balance, and so too shall there be Order.
Now there's an ironic choice of defense for a Shadow God's pets. :P
They were doing perfectly well without flashlights on their heads.
Except for that whole "being eaten in droves" thing, yeah.
I'm surprised you chose to live in eternal darkness. There are no shadows in the dark, silly.
I simply gave them a defense, and a way to control the darkness. The scales are not always lit, but work as a camera flash, of sorts - a blinding flash and then a return to darkness.
Now there's an ironic choice of defense for a Shadow God's pets. :P
They were doing perfectly well without flashlights on their heads.
Except for that whole "being eaten in droves" thing, yeah.
I'm surprised you chose to live in eternal darkness. There are no shadows in the dark, silly.
I simply gave them a defense, and a way to control the darkness. The scales are not always lit, but work as a camera flash, of sorts - a blinding flash and then a return to darkness.
They were "Waging terrible and bloody conflict" but whatever. And who do you think put that darkness there? I will not fight you over this, what's done is done. But be warned I do not take such intrusions into my buisness lightly.
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RankenphilePassersby were amazedby the unusually large amounts of blood.Registered User, Moderatormod
Now there's an ironic choice of defense for a Shadow God's pets. :P
They were doing perfectly well without flashlights on their heads.
Except for that whole "being eaten in droves" thing, yeah.
I'm surprised you chose to live in eternal darkness. There are no shadows in the dark, silly.
I simply gave them a defense, and a way to control the darkness. The scales are not always lit, but work as a camera flash, of sorts - a blinding flash and then a return to darkness.
They were "Waging terrible and bloody conflict" but whatever. And who do you think put that darkness there? I will not fight you over this, what's done is done. But be warned I do not take such intrusions into my buisness lightly.
Creatures great and mighty now roam the earth and Pil certainly took notice. Not to be without influence, Pil wanted creatures for his ideas, but lacked the creativity and power to form his own beasts.
"Where shall I attain creatures to do what I want? How shall I accomplish my goals without avatar or minion? Shall I pale to my fellows in this act where they have beast and man and I am without?"
These questions pressed on Pil, and once again he brooded. Admist his brooding, it became clear what to do. "As I took my 'scale', so shall I take my beasts. Amongst those who reason, I shall go down and pick from them those for service unto me." And with that Pil went from creature to creature, man to man and carried with him a divine shisper. Pil took no entire race, nor no entire clan. Treachery knows no limitations and Pil taught the races to lie, cheat, and steal from not just eachother, but their own. The seeds of treachery were sowed so that at a later date they might spring forth, bountiful rogues and plentiful scoundrels.
How sentient are the races we have so far? My Swiftpads are only as smart as horses (which is basically the role they were made for), although Fleetfoot is 'wise' in the fantasy animal sense. I'm basically waiting for Rose to wake up his big guys before I do any manipulations of individuals. :P
How sentient are the races we have so far? My Swiftpads are only as smart as horses (which is basically the role they were made for), although Fleetfoot is 'wise' in the fantasy animal sense. I'm basically waiting for Rose to wake up his big guys before I do any manipulations of individuals. :P
The Craftsmen are smart, but they really don't know much of anything other than building. It's their creation, so shall it be their life. Zil didn't really give them enough smarts to do anything else.
How sentient are the races we have so far? My Swiftpads are only as smart as horses (which is basically the role they were made for), although Fleetfoot is 'wise' in the fantasy animal sense. I'm basically waiting for Rose to wake up his big guys before I do any manipulations of individuals. :P
Well...shit
(("And the lord spaketh: 'Well... shit'." Now there's a verse that should be in every holy book ever.))
Seebor broods angrily on his throne, nursing a growing resentment against the lord of balance.
How dare he meddle in such things. Who was he to say that these shall not know my touch, while these shall know nothing but. How is that balance for an individual?
How can the individual know what it is to be well, if it never knows ill? How can the individual know what it is to be ill, if it has never known health? Balance for the many perhaps...but where is the balance and order for the one? Every life should be full of all things. All things good and bad, pleasent and unpleasent. In this I see balance, in this I see order...
And what of me? To know that half of all life of the world shall never know the glory of my touch. Shall never feel cancerous ravages or blighted growths...Where is the balance amongst godss that only I am placed under such restrictions...
For now Seebor sits on his throne mumbling to himself, watching the blighted that dwell under his sight and thinking enviously of those he cannot touch, and still nursing a growing resentment...
((It wasn't italisized . I ended up changing it so that I planted the seeds of treachery but they haven't bloomed yet. Hope that helps. ))
It is times such as these that Pil comes out of the woodwork to use his gifts. "How they twist and punish you, claiming fairness on one hand and then defining it to meet their own goals." He leans in close and makes the words even closer, "Isn't it cruel how they shun you to the side and use you? Every wrong turn deserves another, and so you should bide your time and strike when it is right. Revenge governs us and in the future, they'll know not to overstep their bounds lest some foul phenomena strike again."
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UtsanomikoBros before DoesRollin' in the thlayRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
Just as an observer to all this, but I wantedto make the specific suggestion that after some time passes on this thread (doesn't seem to be a deity for Time, though...), additional posters could be recruited to serve as demigods; a deity could pick one to regulate on of their subdomains, or they could conversely be given subdomains that overly-powerful deities have been forced to relinquish, aquire new/undefined minor domains or somesuch.
Further down from that could be angelic beings and semi-mortal 'Champions' of varying sorts, serving as godly representatives or commanders of specific existing works (mortal races, regions, minor aspects, whatever), and then subsequently have heroic individuals, very minor mystical beings/monsters, and other such mortals. Some of them could merely be the deity's forum poster writing as a different lesser character. A separate thread could be created for this kind of interaction once the world building itself is mostly done.
I myself don't have an exact idea of what I'd contribute if I joined in, although I have a few ideas of abstract domains (change, disorder, maybe time). Has anyone created any moons or stars? Those would be fun to lord over, I could get into doing planets and constellations...
Yea, I'm thinking of making a mortal Champion or three, but since everyone interested can just become a god I'll probably just do them myself. Actually, I'm not sure exactly what our goal is here. Is there a point when we'll be 'done'?
Yea, I'm thinking of making a mortal Champion or three, but since everyone interested can just become a god I'll probably just do them myself. Actually, I'm not sure exactly what our goal is here. Is there a point when we'll be 'done'?
When the gods are all dead/unable/unwilling to affect the mortal world?
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And so did the living fish feed upon the flesh of the dead, and so did they thrive and procreate, multiply and become many. The rivers and oceans and lakes and streams soon ran gleaming with the silvery flash of scale and fin, for life became abundant from the decay of the dead.
So was there balance, and so was there order.
Anger and annoyance radiate from Salt, and he seems prepared to lash out against the Lord Rose - but restricts himself in his divine wisdom.
"I will take your pittance, Lord Rose - but I will not forget that I came to you in good will and you offered me only limitations."
And Salt sets to work doing exactly what he claimed, filling the great tunnels of the mighty, endless Labyrinth that he has created within the Great Scale. Perhaps Salt's true form is varied, or perhaps beyond the scope of mortal imagination - the children he births have no relation to fish, but are coated with armor like steel above their flesh. Some walk on two legs; others four; a few truly monstrous specimens within the Great Scale walk on evenly eighty-two legs.
But these are not his masterpieces; within the Great Mountain, where Salt has embedded a monstrous throne, he raises a great race of creatures and gifts them as a race with his own divine spark; these are towering beings, coated much like Salt's other children in steely shells...
And upon the Throne in the Great Mountain, from the grey mineral that bears the same name, he creates a single monstrous entity, an enormous creature of vaguely reptilian shape. In this he invests himself, creating the first godly Avatar.
Having been given the choice, Salt named himself Immortal - and given the power, has chosen to walk the Scale among the mortal races.
With a whip and a stitch of his invisible guiding hand, Rankenphile casts away the bonds that tie the Avatar's shadow to the soles of his feet. Soon the great Shadow is free and takes on a form of its own, gathering substance from air and water, land and sky, lightness and dark, to become the second great Avatar of the Scale. He is the protector of Order and Balance, and he, too, casts no shadow. No harm may come to the Avatar of Order that shall not also be rendered upon the Avatar of Salt, or to all of the Godly Avatars, for in the hands of order, one action that tips the scales shall be checked by another to right it.
The Avatar of Salt, great and mighty may he be for eternity, shall hold no power unchecked upon the Great Scale. So shall there be balance, and so too shall there be order.
And when that time comes, they will find the world around them to be both bountiful and dangerous, for I have sent forth the animals of the land, that they might establish themselves and be fruitful:
Great six-limbed herd-beasts with the strength to fell the greatest trees with their charges; speedy six-limbed predators that work together to bring down animals many times their size; Smaller, faster herd animals that feed on the open plain; and their predators, the fastest animal, that uses its four hind limbs to propel itself at enormous speed; great herds of smaller, more agile climbers that inhabit the mountain slopes and graze the hardiest of plants that live there; the lone stalking predators that hide in the shadows and move silently to take individuals from the midst of the herds; and much else besides that is smaller and less significant to the casual observer, but which help make everything else work, for such is the Way of Life.
As for you, Salt, a pittance!? How dare... Such gifts are not lightly given, that power is self-contained and given only to your creations; with it they will prosper well, without it they would yet be lifeless stone. They may even learn to harness darkness to their Will, if you saw fit to give them any when you made them.
((Everything on the surface has six limbs, even the fish (think Coelecanth); it's a theme, yo. The awakened will come with very poorly drawn pictures to give you an idea of what the look like. At that point, I think we need to start thinking about recruiting some Mortal players to move things along, in terms of cartography and names and such. What say ye?))
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
Scooter tries the large beasts, but they're too slow.
Scooter tries the herd animals, but they're too weak.
Scooter tries the predators, but they keep eating him.
Hmmm...these need some work.
>.>
<.<
Scooter grabs a few creatures and runs into the wilds.
Also I strive to walk among the mortals so I have forged myself a body of my choosing. I shall have the head of my chosen race, and a beard made of flowing water, my back will be as rough as the ocean floor, complete with the colorful rock that is littered about it. I will have no tail however and will have but two limbs and two legs. I will stand 5 heads over any of my race. Throngarth now walks the plane of mortals.
And Salt comes to Rankenphile, disembodied god to disembodied god, and demands an explanation, demands to know who Rankenphile believes he is that he would storm into Salt's own home and steal away his shadow!
One demand I made, and only one; that the Scale and everything within it is MY domain, to be ruled over by ME, as I see fit!
And if YOU cannot be bothered to abide MY demands, what shall keep me to abide YOURS?
Planeswalker
Will of the Council - Starting with you, each player votes for death goblin.
Rankenphile, in the guise of the Avatar of Order, sits back gently as Salt thrashes about in a Godly rage. Once the Avatar of Salt has calmed enough to hear the rational words coming from his glib tongue, Rankenphile begins.
Dear Salt, be calm, and thrash not. I am not an enemy, though I am the Anti-Salt. I seek not power, nor to wrest any from your capable hands. Your domain is yours and yours alone, and I shall not, nor have I ever, sought to steal glory from your crown.
But there are no domains which hold me back, and there are no domains of which I am not a part. I am the shadow for each light, and a light for each shadow. I am the star in the sky and the dark which surrounds it. I am order, I am balance, and I am all-encompasing.
Your Avatar is great and mighty, a power unchecked by any other, and so it could not stand alone. Its shadow was cast far too long for it to hold, and so I set it free, and shaped it in my own image, and in your own image, so that it would constantly be there to live as your opposite, and to balance the scales on which you stand.
Your shadow is not gone, good Salt. It stands here, before you, and shall always be before you, and behind you, and upon your flanks. Each action you take shall always have a reaction, just as the famine feeds the living, and the light casts a shadow, and the land and sea shall clash eternally.
I am here because you are here, and so shall there be balance, and so shall there be order.
We have things to discuss, him and I. Great and terrible things.
His gift spread out through the newly born races, from the first fish to the primordial monsters that now roamed the Scale. Even the hidden Progenitors, whose destiny lay ahead of them, dreamed of a green world, and the armored children of Salt dreamed how best to serve their rageful Father.
A small bit of his power now coalesced into a new form, one of his own making and unique to his imagination. It was no fearsome creature like that of Salt, Lord Under The Mountain. His own avatar stood only seven feet tall, a thin slip of a figure, with skin the color of bronze and six limbs to match those of Rose's designs. Two legs to walk upon, four arms to grasp the world.
Where this form landed, deep within a lush primordial forest, the land changed. A Dream unfolded around his arrival, forever marking this area as his own. A realm of infinite possibilities, some that defied the very balance of law and order. From there, he walked, exploring the Scale.
The forest..think aboriginal dream time.
((Seriously, you have no idea how close you got to one of the three races I designed. Although you do kinda look more like a blend of two of them, being too short for one and too tall for the other...))
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
"Dreams often point us in the right direction, Cousin. While I choose this form to walk the Scale, Those-Yet-To-Come shall percieve me as one of their own."
"To the Avatars of Rankenphile and Salt whose birth I even did witness upon my own. There will come a time when the two will become once more. But rejoice not! For this is the beginning of your end! Those energies that have made you will unmake you, and your Gods shall be sent to rage at your loss.
In the end, an ocean shall rise and fall in testiment to this change."
With that Trenog did close his mind's eye, leaving his others to chart the future yet seen.
I call these the Swiftpads, and I don't believe a faster beast walks this world. And this *pats the beast he's riding on* is Fleetfoot, King of all Swiftpads. I have blessed him with a slowing of age, and I expect we'll have a lot of fun in the future. The others I set loose, until your 'Awakened' see their usefulness for themselves.
Hi-ho, Fleetfoot, away!
Yes. I'm riding a 6-footed dinosaur. Got a problem with that?
He set down the creatures again, the creatures eyes had receeded into a single vesitial eye like a jewel glimmering at the end of a long snout, a mouth full of sharp teeth. Their flesh was now white and smooth, their limbs muscular yet dexterous and a large tail sprouted from the creatures rumps. Where there was a third set of limbs now was an atrophied set of arms extending behind the back each ending in a spike.
The creatures looked for the upon the realm their lord had given unto them. A massive underground realm sprawled out before them. Their lord had set down many other creatures and plants here, and twisted their shapes to suit this new subterranean land.
And as his children looked out on the land that would be their own their creator smiled upon them.
"What a fool am I to build a tree- though the string and stick was not much of a gift -while my fellows create creatures to live in this land. I shall not be out done!"
And so Zil, the Crafter, set to his tree, ripping it down and building a new. A being emerged, as tall as the forest trees, with four arms and two legs. Its body carved and shaped into a thing of beauty and might. The God took to the forest to build brothers for his child, ripping down trees and building new bodies, each as grand as the last.
"You are the Craftsmen," said Zil. "So have I named you. Now go! And Build! Carve your land into a thing of beauty, and when the others see it, they will be inspired. And while they will honor my name by imitating you, none shall surpass your expertise."
His children were born, and they took to the land. And yet, Zil felt sorrow. Even in such great number, they were alone. "They will need cousins," Said Zil. And so he walked to Salt, with a preposition in mind.
Hope claims no race or breed as its own. Hope builds nothing but more hope, hope for the suffering that their pain will end, hope for the hungry that their bellies will be full, hope for the lost that will find their way.
Let each race voice their own name for Hope, let each thing feel it stir their being. Let those that wish to dedicate themselves to Hope do so.
Please, O Gods of Power and Plenty, look kindly on the Hopeful and they will look to you in awe and wonder.
Orik, please hear the call of the Hopeful when they wish the end of the storm or when the fire must light
Lord Salt, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the rough stone walls must hold or the cool earth must rest their weary heads
Scooter, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the road is long or progress too slow
Karilmat, please hear the call of the Hopeful for inspiration to strike or to calm the raging heart
Aileron, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the winds howl or the sails slacken
Sageina, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the puzzle is too hard or the mind feels clouded with doubt
Lord Rose, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the crops need grow or when the child first cries
Sander, please hear the call of the Hopeful from the darkest of places or when your light's brilliance is just too much
Throngrarth, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the battle rages long or when the warrior's throat is dry from thirst
Cosmic, please hear the call of the Hopeful when words fail or when the unspoken must be said
Gorgol, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the suffering must stop or the mizer's purse-string winds too tightly
Elbonian, please hear the call of the Hopeful for their families wellbeing that all houses may be homes
Rankenphile, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the scales dip or need dip one way
Trenog, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the future seems bleak or the threads do tangle
Spi, please hear the call of the Hopeful when they are alone or caught between worlds
Devryguy, please hear the call of the Hopeful when you are needed most, even by the cruelest of heart
Seebor, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the affliction spreads or the cure is needed
Soup, please hear the call of the Hopeful when livestock grow thin and children thinner
Pil, please hear the call of the Hopeful when searching for that which they have been parted from
Anonymous, please hear the call of the Hopeful when your coming needs be quick and painless
Shamus, please hear the call of the Hopeful when rest cannot come or when the powerful need admonishment
Wezil, please hear the call of the Hopeful when the law must bend or the unjust fear no consequence.
Please, O Gods of Power and Plenty, Great and Small, Cruel and Kind, hear the calls for Hope and let them remind you of your own hopes back when the Great Fish did spawn us all.
((Whew. I used names based off the first post listing. If I got yours wrong, please assume that the faceless entity that is Hope would have got them right.))
The Avatar of Order strolled slowly through their creations, admiring the skill and care that went into the crafting of each new feature. As he did so, he waved his arm gently above the heads of the Craftsmen, invisibly and unnoticed, but setting into action a blessing and a curse.
From then on, as each Craftsman would leave their new creation in search of a new project, their shadows would trace over them and leave a touch of entropy, would begin a chain of events that would cause the creations to begin to decay, as all things must. In this way nothing would be permanent, and the Craftsmen's work would never be done, but so to would they never want for things to do.
So should there be Balance, and so to shall there be Order.
The Avatar of Order's gaze then fell upon the bloody conflict taking place beneath the surface of The Scale, where Children of Salt would feast upon the bodies of the Creatures of Spi, and there to did the divine influence of his hand spread.
The Beasts of Spi shall not go defenseless in this conflict. They shall be blessed with a row of lumenescent scales upon their brows which can flash with light, holy and bright in nature, to scare away the shadows of their dark subteranean world, and blind the Children of Salt, allowing them a method of escape, and a method of defense if their numbers proved worthy of the challenge, rendering the Children of Salt defenseless for a short time. The Children of Salt would yet feed well, and their numbers would grow, but in this way so too shall the Beasts of Spi be able to procreate and grow on their own, no longer being defenseless and no longer being disadvantaged in the conflict.
So too shall there be Balance, and so too shall there be Order.
Except for that whole "being eaten in droves" thing, yeah.
I'm surprised you chose to live in eternal darkness. There are no shadows in the dark, silly.
I simply gave them a defense, and a way to control the darkness. The scales are not always lit, but work as a camera flash, of sorts - a blinding flash and then a return to darkness.
Fair enough.
"Where shall I attain creatures to do what I want? How shall I accomplish my goals without avatar or minion? Shall I pale to my fellows in this act where they have beast and man and I am without?"
These questions pressed on Pil, and once again he brooded. Admist his brooding, it became clear what to do. "As I took my 'scale', so shall I take my beasts. Amongst those who reason, I shall go down and pick from them those for service unto me." And with that Pil went from creature to creature, man to man and carried with him a divine shisper. Pil took no entire race, nor no entire clan. Treachery knows no limitations and Pil taught the races to lie, cheat, and steal from not just eachother, but their own. The seeds of treachery were sowed so that at a later date they might spring forth, bountiful rogues and plentiful scoundrels.
Pil waits to hear every lie and see every cheat.
((EDIT: Changed it to make more sense.))
Well...shit
Seebor broods angrily on his throne, nursing a growing resentment against the lord of balance.
How dare he meddle in such things. Who was he to say that these shall not know my touch, while these shall know nothing but. How is that balance for an individual?
How can the individual know what it is to be well, if it never knows ill? How can the individual know what it is to be ill, if it has never known health? Balance for the many perhaps...but where is the balance and order for the one? Every life should be full of all things. All things good and bad, pleasent and unpleasent. In this I see balance, in this I see order...
And what of me? To know that half of all life of the world shall never know the glory of my touch. Shall never feel cancerous ravages or blighted growths...Where is the balance amongst godss that only I am placed under such restrictions...
For now Seebor sits on his throne mumbling to himself, watching the blighted that dwell under his sight and thinking enviously of those he cannot touch, and still nursing a growing resentment...
It is times such as these that Pil comes out of the woodwork to use his gifts. "How they twist and punish you, claiming fairness on one hand and then defining it to meet their own goals." He leans in close and makes the words even closer, "Isn't it cruel how they shun you to the side and use you? Every wrong turn deserves another, and so you should bide your time and strike when it is right. Revenge governs us and in the future, they'll know not to overstep their bounds lest some foul phenomena strike again."
Further down from that could be angelic beings and semi-mortal 'Champions' of varying sorts, serving as godly representatives or commanders of specific existing works (mortal races, regions, minor aspects, whatever), and then subsequently have heroic individuals, very minor mystical beings/monsters, and other such mortals. Some of them could merely be the deity's forum poster writing as a different lesser character. A separate thread could be created for this kind of interaction once the world building itself is mostly done.
I myself don't have an exact idea of what I'd contribute if I joined in, although I have a few ideas of abstract domains (change, disorder, maybe time). Has anyone created any moons or stars? Those would be fun to lord over, I could get into doing planets and constellations...
Yea, I'm thinking of making a mortal Champion or three, but since everyone interested can just become a god I'll probably just do them myself. Actually, I'm not sure exactly what our goal is here. Is there a point when we'll be 'done'?
When the gods are all dead/unable/unwilling to affect the mortal world?