---

---

With Drakairós' help in manipulating the wind-currents to match their direction, the two draconic beings were able to reach the plains ahead of schedule. Behind them, their storm began to grow more violent and chaotic. The winds howled through the open grasses as the clouds continue to swirl chaotically above and with the lightning strikes becoming ever more frequent. For when it came to food, the three-headed giant would do anything to reach it as soon as possible. And when there's a buffet waiting for him that needs to be eaten for the greater good of the realm, this is something he cannot and will not ignore.

As they approached their path of destruction, the two can see the humungous herd of rampaging Rognyak absolutely devour everything in their sight. It was like watching a swarm of hungry locusts, only these locusts are way many times bigger, had fur, and had an incredibly bad temper. Already the herd was being trailed by a large back of the cat-like ridgebacks who were picking off the lone creatures separated from the mega-herd. Yet even as a considerable amount still died of predation from these creatures, it still isn't enough. It appears Naswaru has definitely gave Drakairós quite a challenge to earn this free meal - even for a 150 meter tall dragon. Nevertheless, the heads were simply salivating to get started.

"FRESH MEAT RIPE FOR THE PICKIN'!" Kai bellows in glee as his tongue droops from his mouth, "LEZ' GO! LEZ' GO!"

The massive dragon then makes a divebomb approach at the fleeing boars, opening their three toothy maws as they gobble up tens of Rognyak in a single sitting before ascending back into the sky. Even the lightning they casted from above was able to hit several boar as their insides were literally cooked upon impact, as well as dispersing large quantities of them from the herd. With the God of the Hunt doing his duty, along with Drakairós commencing more dives on the swine horde, things were going simply as planned.

Yet what the hydra-god didn't expect was the approach of another god coming in unannounced. They knew who exactly had come the moment they saw a huge white bear drop into the Rognyak herd. The shockwave sent many of them aloof yet it managed to freeze roughly half of the populous. Was it perfectly balanced? Was 600 finally slain? Hard to say. Yet this interruption distracted the God of the Weather immensely as he slowly descended to the ground with a large thud.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT OUR HUNTING EXCURSION!" angrily roars the insane head as steam of intense heat emerged from his mouth.

"Oh, greetings Sveiand." the calmest head replied with a cold tone, "We didn't expect that you'd literally come drop by at a time like this."

"Your timing couldn't have been any better or any worse." Dra responded as he eyed the beat while perched in the sky, "What is it do you need from the God of Weather?"

The Ice God apologized for interrupting but noted that the reason he came was to ask them for their assistance in hunting a more worthy foe. He would erect the figure in question out of ice, which instantly became clear to Drakairós.

"A Verzakian dragon?" Dra responded curiously, "Why it can only mean one thing."

"That blasted Fire Barbarian has erupted from his great slumber, I reckon?" Rós inquired even though he already knew the answer.

"HOW THE GREAT RAGNAGEDON HAS RETURNED!" Kai responds with a cheerful undertone, being a "moderate" fan of his work, "PRAISE HIS DESTRU~ GAH!"

The chaotic head was silenced as the opposite head head-butted his face with an annoyed expression.

"Can you shut up about your hard-on for the insolent man-child?" Rós hissed in utter annoyance.

Kai didn't take that lightly at all as he breathed his heat-ray into his opposite's head.

"YOU MEAN "OUR" HARD-ON, CHILLY?" he jokes insultingly as he chuckles lightly before the two heads began to fight amongst themselves.

"ENOUGH." Dra orders with a loud forceful bellow as the other heads ceased. They would then draw their attention back to the Bear, who asked if they were up to it.

There was only one answer they could have on this matter art this point.

"Despite you having interrupted our hunt," Dra responded cautiously at first, "We will still assist you in the hunt for Ragangedon's dragons - for as long as you provide us a compensation meal in return. What say you two?"

The other two heads also nodded in agreement, cementing their answer either out of fear or of mutual manipulation. They then look over to Naswaru, waiting for what his word in the matter will be.

Night had fallen. Through the trees a nightingale gave pursuit to a particularly swift dragonfly. Between branches and over bushes they danced, the bird ever keen on it's next meal. This continued until the dragonfly had unknowingly flown past the treeline and into the Dead Peaks. Just a short stretch before the foot of the North Crown there was a swath that reached from the mountains barring the shore from the west all the way to the mountains barring the shore from the east where nothing lived. The tree line was a true halt for everything as Oao had destroyed everything that might hide intruders into her caverns. There were no trees past that point, not a single blade of grass nor any creatures who dared stray too close to these lands. Any creatures of course aside from the desperate dragonfly and the unwary nightingale.

The little winged pest buzzed it's way up towards the mountains, ducking into a cave well up upon a cliff side with the avian hunter hot on it's tale. The bird suddenly lost sight of it's prey as it vanished into the pitch black entrance. Not one to be dissuaded the plucky bird landed and took a few short hops inside, confident in it's ability to fly away should anything present danger. Listening it heard no sound aside from the empty whistling of wind into the reaches of the cavern. All of a sudden, much faster than it could react to let alone fly from, a pitch black hand reached out from the darkness and caught it fast in it's grip. The hold was secure but not too tight as to crush the thing.

_
What it had failed to understand was that the hand didn't just come from the darkness, it was the darkness. With panicked chirping it struggled against the long flat fingers that held it snug within the darkness's grasp but to no avail. Slowly the darkness formed into a shape. It was a roughly humanoid form with a slender hourglass body, long smooth arms and numerous dark tendrils which extruded out from a single stalk like roots fanning out from the trunk of a tree. Her face was smooth and featureless like staring into the depths of a deep well and her hair flowed around her head in hundreds of thousands of small dark tendrils which seemed to gently blow in an unfelt wind. This was the avatar of Oao, a body shaped from the darkness itself which she has cast her senses into so she can operate beyond her caves without ever having to leave them.

"Shhhhh! Sh sh sh, Caaalm... Caaalm." She urged the panicked beast which listened to her soft wispy shushes but felt no calm nor understanding of the meaning. Gently she stroked a long flat shadow finger across the soft feathers upon it's head to try and coax it into a state of calm but it had no effect. It's feathered were all ruffled now due to all the struggling it was putting up. Gently she lowered her hand over it's head, her index finger and thumb holding the head secure so it couldn't move while a second thumb formed. The second thumb and her middle finger became sharp at the tips like long obsidian swords.

"Don't be scared. This will only hurt... A tiny, little... Bit." The panicked chirping crescendoed into full out screeching as the very tips of her second thumb and middle finger pierced slowly into it's eyes. Taking it nice and easy, not making any sudden movements or pressing to hard, Oao took to this task with every ounce of delicacy to ensure it went cleaner than certain earlier attempts. She gouged the eyes only deep enough so that it could no longer see, taking her painstaking time gently removing her claws so as to not cause undue hemorrhaging in the eye tissue. It issued pitiable cries of pain, still struggling to escape though more lackluster as it was suffering.

_
"Please cry not. Unchained from the light you will fly with more majesty than any." She ushered words of reassurance to the poor bird, words falling on deaf ears. With the long thick tentacles of purest darkness she pulled herself up to the entrance of the cave on her stalk, bird in hand.

"Now fly! Fly with pride into the night!" She pushed her voice to what would largely be described as a somewhat louder whisper. She held her palms up and out to the wind, releasing the bird into the world as it left her grasp and started to fly.

Perhaps this one She hoped deep within her heart. This one will succeed and awaken all other beasts to the true potential of the darkness. Just as her hopes were about to soar alongside this nightingale of hers it lost it's way a took a fast nose dive into the dirt beyond. Her hands fell to her side and her head bowed in defeat.

"No... Just like the rest." She watched as the tiny bird flailed upon the ground, surrounded by a wide field of bones, all of them once belonging to birds not unlike itself. Some of them were killed in the procedure, some of them simply flopped down and crashed against the stones down the mountain. The rest, like this bird, had flown only to blindly crash at the foot of the mountain with all the rest.

She was crestfallen. Time after time she believes that she can break the light walkers dependency on light only to be met with such results. Why? She often wonders. How can it be that so many beings can be so dependent on light that by the simple act of taking it away they are rendered so helpless?

The large willowy figure shrank back into the cave. The edges of it's form stretched into tendrils which joined with the darkness which clung onto the walls of the cave, pulling the form apart until the individual pieces were reabsorbed into the darkness to conserve her energy.

So she sat, alone in her many tunnels
which were masked from all who'd pry.
She'd mourn the death of such a delicate animal,
she would wonder why she should even try.

@Stern Algorithm
Location:
White Dawn

---

"Ta-ta! We'll have ourselves some tea when you come next! Maybe I'll throw in a hat and a rabbit, too!" Giggling lightly, Iva then turned his attention back to Gammaton and his current encroachment. Hm...oh what could he be here for? The God of Law and Order, visiting him of all beings. Curious. So curious. Iva truly had nothing against the other god - but he tended to be a bit of a downer. Didn't know the meaning of the word 'entertainment'.

Walking back to where he had first encountered Dirka, he found the little slime ball sitting there, seemingly reading over a few of the materials already. How excellent! It already knew how to go about life, hee! Now then...she might as well go meet his guests, might't he? They had planned to let the week play out. Let little Lahzira experience what she needed too...but with the other god here, perhaps things could be sped along a little! Turning back to the entrance he had used to appear and taking the guise of the Hag once more, Iva left the library for the mortal realm...

---

Lahzria watched as the traveler gave the basket to another woman, a little upset. Ah, those things were so sweet. She'd have love to eat more of them. Oh well, if it could distract the rest of them then it was certainly a good thing. The woman who had been handed the basket seemed surprised before happily laughing in thanks, running off to share the bounty with the rest of the tribe. In a rather childish manner, Lahzria hopped upon a nearby pile of logs that had recently been cut, sticking her arms out and balancing on them.

"Other gods...?" She frowned as she balanced, still heading towards the treeline. "Only what the Kadisht and Lloi's tell us. They are the only ones who have access to the writings Lord Iva'Krorh gave us when he first arrived." She replied, shaking her head. "Though I may have sneaked in a time or two and saw a few of them myself." She laughed brightly, hopping down from the pile of logs and landing on the snowy ground, walking backwards so she could still look at the traveler.

"There's Lady Dirka! Lord Iva'Krorh speaks highly of the Goddess of Magic. There's this one called Sommler, too. Says he's uh...basically the enemy of understanding and knowledge, but is also necessary? I don't really get that one. Lady Anu'Varr as well." Still walking backwards, she smiled brightly at the traveler. "Doesn't mention much about her, but I think Lord Iva'Krorh says we should be cautious around her, and treat her with respect. I think 'Intriguingly beautiful' was the words the White Star used. Something about her hating humans, but sounds like she just needs a hug!" She giggled brightly, by now having reached the end of the village, arriving at the treeline to the Lyssian forest. "I think all of them are briefly mentioned, but Ragnagedon is just about the only one the Illuminator actively detests. He doesn't like needless destruction without creation."

She stopped walking, reaching into her furs for a few seconds and pulling out an old, worn scrap of paper. Upon it was a rough map of the forest they were in along with a few observational notes. The forest was tricky, but navigable if you knew what you were doing and paid attention to your surroundings. Just had to know what landmarks to look for.

"Why do you ask?" She gave the traveler a quizzical look. A few reasons anyone would ask something like that that she could think of, and all meant that this traveler in some way was related to another god. Ragnagedon could be ruled out. Sommler too, likely. Lady Anu'Varr, too. Which left Dirka and perhaps one of the others. Hayim? He bought something sweet, so possibly. "This way, come on. The wall isn't that far."

---

“Such an unruly beast,” Anu snarled, “Full of mindless destruction… Blinded by rage…” She held down the Verzakian dragon by the back of its head. It struggled aggressively, but try as it might, it could not escape her grasp. It’s frustrated roars and bursts of fire, made for quite a show. Her succubi giggled excitedly from where they sat on the throne, watching their lady handle a dragon was most amusing.

“I could have given you anything, but I think not. Your transgressions demand… Punishment.”

Anu then dragged the creature, its claws doing little to nick the floor, to the center of the large room. There she whispered a few words, and from the ground came a large ragged cage. It was big enough to hold the dragon and would be viewable for all to see. She thrust the dragon in and sealed it, there would be no door. The dragon roared in anger, breathing fire at her, but it did nothing to her godly flesh.

“Destruction consumes all it touches…” Anu smiled wickedly and whispered another word, “Why should you be any different?”

The dragon stopped its protest for a moment, as if transfixed on something else. Then it screamed, a delightful sound of pain echoing throughout the room. A black flame then erupted from different parts of the dragon’s body, like lances. Great chunks of its flesh and scales incinerated instantly, as unnatural fire consumed it from the inside out. It was glorious, but only the beginning. For Anu had made it so the dragon would constantly heal as it burned, in a never-ending cycle. It would come so close to death, but never be claimed by it. It was a cruel agony, and a heinous crime against everything natural in the world, but it satisfied Anu, and in the end, that was all that truly mattered.

The succubi had now joined the Goddess, sitting upon her shoulders and watching in awe. They spoke to her with great praise.

“A fine punishment, Mi’lady.” Whispered Calli as she yawned.

“Truly a work of art, mistress!” Exclaimed Maya.

“A merciful agony indeed, Lady Anu.” Stated Seri.

“Your power is beyond approach, my Goddess.” said Rowa.

“My, such flattery upon this night.” Anu said half-heartedly, “Your learning so well. I shall permit thee to share my chambers tonight.”

As Anu walked away, her succubi giggled excitedly, leaving the Verzakian in damnation. Its pitiful screams would continue, forever and ever.

Gammaton

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Gammaton began following the whimsical child away from the village, seeing why Iva'Krorh had favored this one. She was smart, but whimsical, unfettered by the structure that was often associated with wisdom. Perhaps to the tribe, whose knowledge seems to have sunk into dogma, Lahzria's whimsy is offensive, if not blasphemous. Not that Gammaton had anything against the concept of dogma, but he knew the Honorable One would not stand for it. He listened as Lahzria listed off what gods she could remember, taking no offense that he himself was not mentioned. After all, there were so many gods that it was difficult for a mortal to remember all of them off the top of their head.

"The Honorable Iva'Krorh is wise, and it is wise of you to heed their teachings. Yes, Sommler has a purpose, and despite the Honorable One's hatred, so does Ragnagedon. All gods have a purpose, at least, they will in due time," Gammaton said somewhat cryptically. He then looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes, "Part of wisdom is knowing to ask the right questions. I suppose you are trying to figure out which god sent me? This is the wrong question to ask, for my answer will be, 'I was sent by no god'. Can you solve this riddle?"

@Stern Algorithm
Location:
White Dawn

---

Lahzria continued walking, deeper into the forest as the traveler replied. Honestly, she didn't see the need for Ragnagedon either, but the Traveler did perhaps have a point. She didn't spend more than a few seconds thinking about it though. She had to focus on getting through this forest without getting the both of them lost. Now that'd just make her look more inept than she already was. Pausing, she glanced up at an old, large, worn tree that seemed to have been purposefully split in two, right down the middle.

"Eh? A riddle?" The girl frowned, climbing the tree and positioning herself in between the two sections of it as she began gazing off into the distance. She hadn't been expecting to have to answer something like that. "You weren't sent by a god...but still have affiliation with one?" She frowned, folding her arms and leaning against one side of the tree. Well if he wasn't sent, yet still was allied or affiliated with one...

...no. He...he couldn't -

"Remember, Remember little La-Zha, what this Hag told you earlier." Lahzria gave a minor start at the familiar, shrill voice of the woman she had run into not so long ago. "What was it I said? When all else has been exhausted, the implausible is plausible? Bah, hard to remember." The cloaked woman appeared from the treeline, walking calmly with slow, but purposeful steps. The cloak dragging upon the snowy ground, bare feet making crunching noises on the ground. "Hee! I didn't expect to meet you twice in one day! Trust your mind more. You are correct!"

"L-lord Iva?" Lahzria nearly fell from her perch, but managed to recover in time to make it seem like she had simply gracefully stepped down.

"Ah, I must be quite the popular little god today! First Dirka visits and gives me this beautiful flower." Iva laughed, pointing to the white flower now adorning their head. "And now little Gammy. Here for a party?" Suddenly voice taking a less jovial tone, the god continued in an irritable manner. "No no, I don't think so. I didn't plan one with you. Here unannounced! Why does no one ever tell me they're coming? Always with the unannounced visits! I have things to do! Plots to plot! Holes to fill with cheese!...or was it clouds? Might have been clouds." Tone changing once more to their previous joviality, Iva giggled. "Ah, but you've caught me in a good mood so I will entertain you. What brings the Law to my experiment?"

Lahzria simply stayed quiet, observing the exchange between the two gods.

Naswaru, The Relentless

It would seem that the weather god was rather hungry for something new. Perhaps he would set a new migration route for one of the hordes to go up in his mountains. It’s always good to be on the good side of his kin. That way they are more apt to working with him when he needs their help. The hunt for now seemed to be going rather well, but someone was bound to interrupt their fun.

The thunderous sound of something landing with force in the middle of the horde caught everyone’s attention. Naswaru would have wondered what happened if it wasn’t for the sudden appearance of ice. Another of his kin had come. The god of Ice, the cold one, the pure, Sveiand the enduring cold. For a moment Naswaru was very curious as to why this one would have come down from his icy throne.

Had he found and lost another lover? Was he here to bring his icy heart to bear down on the rest of us and force them into an early winter? Perhaps he was joyous for finding someone that could warm his cold heart? Or maybe still the god wanted an update on the leviathan he had asked for so long ago?

All these questions and not one of them had anything to do with what he had to say. Naswaru was obviously out of the loop when it comes to that one. He should visit more. The news he did bring was rather dire. Their brother who was born of fire could have awakened again. Spitting forth his fiery abominations of misery and torment. This could also have something to do with the humans who keep disappearing in the area.

The hydra seemed rather upset that his meal was interrupted. After some arguing between the heads they all seemed to agree with the idea of going after one of these dragons. An honorable endeavor no doubt. But the god of the hunt had other things to investigate and tend too before he could go off with them.

As the Ridgebacks ravaged and ate their way through the dead and frozen Rognyak around him. He looked like he belonged in the mess of gore and blood. The god of the hunt took a moment to look around at the mess then back to his brothers. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you for that hunt brother. It does sound very inviting but I must look after my own before i can go out for something like that. The Rognyak here shouldn’t have grown this numerous. I need to find the root of the issue here and investigate the local tribes. I fear the two maybe connected.” With a few flaps of his wings he was air born.

“Good hunting brothers.” Naswaru then left the two to their own devices and headed off towards the mountain villages that once hunted these creatures.

Gammaton

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Lavtannoth pulled off his cloak, The Mortal Guise, a gift from Iarus, though 'gifts' from the god of Deception do come with a price. Thus Gammaton revealed his true form before Lahzria and Iva'Krorh. "I am Gammaton, god of the domain of Law," he introduced himself to the child, never one to skip proper procedure. Turning the Iva'Krorh, "This is an auspicious child, meeting two gods in the same day. If you do not have plans for her, I may take her for myself. Her village, at any rate, doesn't seem to want her anymore. But I did not come here to speak of children. Funny that you should complain of gods appearing unannounced. I have two propositions. As the gods of law and Knowledge, It behooves us to have eyes everywhere, after all, what is a god of knowledge without information, and what is a god of law without surveillance? To this end, I would like to propose a joint creation."

Plucking one if his spines from his back, Gammaton proceeded to scribe into the fresh snow, the black blood oozing from the spine leaving a distinct mark. He drew a simple flesh-fly, the kind that lay its eggs in waste and rotting meat, but on the back of its abdomen he drew a single, almond-shaped eye. "Surveillance flies, they would jointly be our eyes and ears across the world, though they would be prevented from traveling to colder climes by themselves, humans would create enough of an environment for them to survive in. The world is changing, Honorable Iva'Krorh, and we must know these changes as soon as they happen. After all, knowledge is power."

Gammaton sighed, "Pity that I just missed Dirka, for my next proposition is not just for you, but to all the gods. As I said before, the world is changing, and there is a matter of high priority that I would like to discuss with all my brethren. I seek to call together a General Assembly of the Gods so that we can reach an agreement on certain matters. I have come to some unfortunate conclusions concerning the nature of the world that demands all of our attention. To this end, I would like you to aid me in contacting the others and impressing upon them the gravity of this matter, and to have them meet me in my office. In return, I will reveal what I have discovered at the assembly.

@Stern Algorithm
Location:
White Dawn

---

Lahzria, was utterly awestruck. She had no idea what to say here. What could she say? She stood before two of the most powerful beings in all of the entire world! Gods! The god of Knowledge and the God of Law. How could she even come up with anything to say? The human child could barely even come up with a response. In fact, the only thing she could think of to do, was laugh.

"Ahaha! Oh wow this is...really something." She brightly grinned. "If the Kadisht and Lloi's knew, their faces would be as red as their pompous clothing." Of course, her words went mostly unheard by the two gods - for they had far bigger and more important things to discuss.

"Oh..." Iva eyed Gammaton curiously, the form of the hag tilting her head to the side as she observed the God of Law's creation. "Ah, how curious." Gammaton certainly had a point. The god of Knowledge could feel it himself. After all, he was privy to such things even if he didn't entirely know what those things were. The burden of knowing everything, often meant sometimes you yourself didn't understand it. You just knew things - whether you knew how or why.

"Littla La-Zha. This is not a conversation for you. Not yet." The god replied, turning their white eyes towards the human. "Run along back to the village, but be quick! Return to the wall...make the journey. Find the Library by tomorrow morning."

"Uh..." Lahzria blinked at this request, unsure how to exactly respond at first. Tomorrow morning? That was asking quite a bit. Sure, she could do it but she couldn't exactly prepare herself very well for such a trek! She'd need something to write with, extra paper, maybe spend some time studying old materials. Even so, there was only really one thing to do when a God made a request. "Sure. I can do it. I'll be there by tomorrow morning!" Eagerly, she folded the map back into her thick furs and set off back for the village. "Nice to meet ya Gammaton! Try not to give Lord Iva too much of a headache!"

"Hee! Quite the entertaining one, that human." Turning back to his guest in a jovial tone, Iva made an exaggerated motion. "Follow me, Gammaton. I shall give you a brief respite at my Library where we can discuss things from prying ears and eyes. These creations you suggest would be very useful indeed." Beginning to walk towards the wall, Iva continued in a much less interested tone. "This Assembly...hahahah! Ah, that is a good one. I am busy. I care not for the affairs of my brothers or sisters. They leave me and my experiments alone, I shall leave them alone...but once I finish straightening these humans out I could be swayed." Pausing for a moment, he turned his head to Gammaton. "And your arrival was quite timely! I could perhaps use your help."

He stood on a rise before a massive prairie, the thick green grass growing taller than him in several places. Beyond the prairie was cold capped mountains, so small to his eyes. Flowers upon flowers dotted the prairie grass in a myriad of bright colors. They seemed to glow when the light in the sky drifted to sleep. The hum of nature was here, birds and little insects buzzed about, living and growing. Off in the distance, a herd of Giant Elk grazed. Their massive antlers reflected golden rays from the light. It was beauty upon beauty.

Then why did he feel so wrong?

Shouldn’t this sight be enough to placate himself? To stop the whispers? He gripped his head, sobbing. He barely felt in control of his mind anymore and it was all for nothing. He dared not look behind him at the grass stained with red, littered with corpses. He couldn’t.
His path to vengeance had cost him everything, and he felt the curse boiling in his blood, whispering in his mind to continue. It was winning.

It never should have come to this, but now everything was gone. His kinsmen were dead, slaughtered. His tribe was scattered, their home now burned. His family gone, murdered by the Raving.

It was all the Devil’s fault. She had cursed them to suffer, to hate one another. So, the man cursed her name out loud for the world to hear, for there was now no one left to listen. His thoughts drifted to the savior. Hayim was the only good God he knew, and that wasn’t saying much, for he only knew of three. But Hayim would come, he knew it, yes. Hayim would come and fix everything. He had to. He HAD to!

“Hayim! Please help me! Please!” he shouted.

The sky suddenly grew dark, black clouds appearing from nowhere. The entire world fell silent, there was not a sound to be heard, except his heart beating loudly in his chest. He managed to get to his knees, spear in hand. He was no longer sobbing, but instead, there was a growing fear. What was happening was not rational, and then there was a sound. A horrible ripping sound, and before him the world tore open. It revealed a mass of swirling red and dark, then from it emerged a woman clad in white. Her skin was pale, her body unblemished, and she was beautiful. Her black hair was long, and her eyes were of amber. He fell to his knees, dropping the spear; the presence was too much to bare.

The woman smiled at him as she strode confidently forward, her hands outstretched. That was when she spoke to him, but her lips did not move. Her voice echoed in his mind, replacing the terrible whispers with words mysterious as she. Yet, he understood.

“Thee hath called me upon this day.” She crouched, in front of his tear stained face, smiling pearly whites at him. Her soft hands took his gently as she spoke again, her gaze unwavering.

“Speaketh not. I knoweth what pains thee. I knoweth what burns in thy heart. Thee has't so much agony, so much longing.” She paused, “Mhmm, thee believeth in a false god. Hayim shall not cometh. F'r Hayim doest not careth about thee. Hayim nev'r didst… Thee has't nothing to feareth from Lady Anu. My lady wishes nothing but to help thee, to taketh hence thy anguish.”

The woman leaned in, her lips close to his ears. The man too stunned to react. “Doth thee wisheth for revenge? Doth thee wisheth to mend the pain away? To break thy curse?” The woman pulled away, letting go of his hands and stood up.

He knew she was waiting for an answer, yet all she had said put doubt into his heart. He felt the curse pounding in his blood, willing him to kill. To kill her. But he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. Had Hayim never cared? Well… He never was around when they most needed him come to think of it. Perhaps the dev- Lady Anu could help him. But he had questions that needed answered before he made his conclusion.

So, he asked, his voice shaky, “W-why were we cursed to begin with? Why make us suffer for what we cannot control!”

Her voice filtered back inside his head, “Anu did desire a way to maketh thy kind regreteth sins. Only those inclin'd to doth harmeth onto oth'rs wouldst beest curs'd. As punishment f'r transgressions. The lady hast at each moment wished to help those who calleth upon h'r name, but few seldom doth. Anu now off'rs much to thee, so what is thy answ'r?”

And the man thought for a moment. He had nothing left to lose. His entire life was in shambles, and Hayim had abandoned him. The curse was setting in, the woman’s offer would save him, and he would have revenge. His doubt left him.

“I accept.” He whispered softly.

The woman smiled, then kissed his brow.

“Thee shalt beest great.”

’ Humans are such a disgusting race, like snakes they slither to and fro spewing venom in the form of lies, like rats they scurry around stealing scraps and not able to see the bigger picture. Like spiders they spin webs of lies that span decades... I guess that's why I see so much potential in them.’





The sudden appearance of the Mad Musician gave what Iarus might call a fright. An ability that he had actually picked up from her a coy tine escaped from the gold slit that was his face, the strange invention she plucked caught him off guard for a moment but he quickly recentered himself,

”Ah..yes, I am in need of an elders eye. My beloved Sagu,”

Conjuring the creature who's body was that of a slithering snake from the jungles and who's upper body, minus the head was that of a human. The snake headed creature opened it's hooded neck and lowered itself in a manner that was befitting a bow saying not a word but showing utter respect for the being he was presented to,

”He is magnificent isn't he? He and his kind are going to make the perfect predators; devious, cunning and charismatic. But I feel that they missing something and as a token to all you have taught, I wished to ask your permission to make them especially skilled at magic. It would be an homage to my mad teacher…

@Archangel89

Dirka looked coyly at the beast. She went up to it at an uncomfortable distance for anything. She moved parts around and stretched others out. She stepped back and thought hard. Then, with a great smile, she plucked the harp and spoke in a joyous voice "I can't permit all magic, due to it's deceitful and dangerous nature, but I know that the illusion and destruction schools will do perfectly, in fact, I'll even give you a scroll I wrote that teaches the illusion school, an art me and one of my favorites have been perfecting before I introduce it into the human population for various purposes. I remember teaching you the destruction schools basic principles in case the need arises for you, so that knowledge should be enough to perfect them." She quickly goes over to a table of stone, vines, and blue gems that had various pieces of parchment and a wisp making a glowing purple fluid. She tossed a few scrolls and grabbed one with bright green and red trimming. She goes to Iarus quickly and shoves the scroll into his robes, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. She walks towards a table and a portal appears above Iarus and the snake-man. She waves behind her, and in a sultry voice she says "And next time, come for fun, not work~. I'd like to see what my little Lier has learned in the last year~." and the portal began to decend, sending Iarus and the Snake to Iarus' home.
Dirka snaps her fingers and a man in very tribal yet ornate robes enters the sealed room of blue and grey stone. He bows deeply, then performs a magicians greetings. He clears his throat and asks in a voice like ripping paper "Me' lady, whatcha' need? I's got a fine spiritous brew goin' for da' party 'dis new moon celebration, and I don'ts want its over heatin'." She licks her lips. She is in awe at the flavor. "I assume you've had a taste? Needs more termite leg juice. Annyyywhhoooo, I need you to tell Sporatog that well be expecting a new race to teach soon. Also, do I have anything in my teeth? I have another meeting, and this one I want to look my worst." She opens her mouth revealing her sharp canines and wisdom teeth, which looked like canines instead of wisdom teeth. There was nothing in them, but the man decided to have a bit of fun. "Dear you, me' lady! Looks like a barn in there!" She closed her mouth and smiled. "Thank you, Haglerot! I want to see if I can make my sister queasy. Bye!" and she was gone.

---

@Lord Zee
She popped up in Anu's throne room, but Dirka expected a filled with dread throne room. "The fresh name of mom? Anu'varr? Are you in here? I've got a proposition you can't refuse!" She turned to see a dragon; not at all what she expected. She walked to it's cage and listened to it's cries. Good thing she listened to Naswaru when he talks to beasts. "Why are you being tortured deary?" she cooed. The beast struggled to get it out, but it did. "The mother...of demons...is...punishing me for...attacking her...territory under...Ragnadon's orders." Dirka hissed when the name was mentioned. She never liked it when Ragnadon attacked her things, but she cared less for things of other gods, mostly because they didn't give her the consideration she believed was due. They asked for her help more often than not, or they try to rip her off or steal, or cheat her out of her things. Just because one is mad doesn't mean they're gullible. Yet she went with it anyhow. It wasn't in her nature to get angry over something that petty. So she decided to have some fun. She stood up, broke the cage, and dragged(impressive for a woman only 8'10") the dragon out, but kept it in pain. She slammed it's head on the ground(which also looked cartoonish) and looked it in the eye. "I'll make you a deal beast. Serve me, become my mythic beast, and I will make sure no more torment heads your way ever. Let madness seep in, let it mold you, and none can hurt you if they themselves are not mad by my right. But first, let me make a deal with your current leash holder. In the mean time..." She sat next to it's head and it's pain went away when she started petting it. "...I'll keep your pain away. Just sleep." and the dragons eyes drooped then closed. Dirka sighed. "Anu's castle always brings out my more diabolical self. Guess that's the chaos of magic for you."

Somewhere between North Crown and Osarion the Ebony Castle, just west of the great lake, a tremor could be felt throughout the ground. All the wildlife in the region could feel the earth begin to shake which created much panic. The tremors gave way as the earth erupted, two massive beams of power surging forth into the skies and beyond. The strange phantasmal beams seemed to encircle one another in a helical pattern, one beam being a pale white while the other was a darker grey which seemed to shudder constantly despite holding a precise pattern around it's conjoined other.

At the base of the intertwined glowing aural strands a black spire of fluted stone jutted forth from the earth. It reached taller than all the trees and all the mountains in the land, possessing a single hole down the middle through which the beams shined through. The spire was pocked all along the surface and contained numerous winding tunnels near it's base which seemed to wind and twist around the interior of the spire. All the while the twin strands continued their ghostly dance, shining like a faint beacon into the night sky.

The power emitted by these strands could be felt directly by the surrounding land. All the animals were the first to flee. Flocks of birds scattered until they were far across the land from the spire. Herds of deer, moose and other herd animals stampeded away from it. Even the insects that called this biome home all left, even going so far as to abandon their hives and colonies in mindless terror. This fear became so potent that even the trees themselves were coming alive just to uproot themselves, pulling themselves away upon their roots to escape the effects of the twin beams. All plants reacted similarly, uprooting to crawl in fear from the frightening force. Even the grass was driven to pull itself from the ground and wriggle away from the spire like millions of tiny snakes. The effect adjacent to the spire was so strong even the dirt surrounding the spire was slowly receding from it. By the time everything was far enough from the twin beam's effect the whole land for a couple acres within it's perimeter was left a barren crater which was completely devoid of everything, living or not. Only the spire and the powers it housed remained.

The enormous strands were intangible to all forces at the time. The amount of divine energy surrounding these strands were enormous. It was beyond the likes of even gods, a danger to even approach for sure.

Ferron was sitting his chair, pondering about his next move. As he was deep in thought, something begin to tickle the back of his mind. It was as he had almost remembered something, but did not know what.

The god closed his eye, and allowed his perception to wander. He was suddenly pulled towards the north. As he was concreting, his own thoughts betrayed him, "What if all I create turns to ash. My great castle lost to the void. My great works demolished and defamed. My children killed or enslaved by a wicked god. That I will never pierce the veil of the core, or perhaps worse I will and find nothing. What if the veil of the core is to protect the world from some great horror. What if all shall fade away, and I will be alone in the black canvas of the void, forever trapped within nothingness itself."

He paused, and allowed his vision to return to the dwarven village. There he looked out of the open temple doors, and saw his children hard at work. He cast his doubts out of his mind, and refocused himself, he begin to internally monologue to ensure himself, and to spite the influence that had slipped into his mind, "I am a cautious god, but I am not a fearful god. I shall defend my home. I shall defend my art. I shall defend my children. I will first learn of the secret of the core, and then once I know it is safe, I will claim my prize. I shall stand against entropy itself I need to, and perhaps I will fail. But I will not fall easily."

As he was casting out the fearful thoughts from his mind, he found the source of his distress. It had seem as some divine influence had been affecting his ore, and it had partially seeped into his mind. He would need to guard his mind more carefully going forward, but such a large amount of ore being influence was concerning. He removed his influence over the rare metal, and as he did, he felt as though it began to change right as his perception left it.

Ferron was left in a dilemma. He did not feel as though it were safe to leave his dwarves, for however a brief window, as they would be left within the dark and be vulnerable to divine meddling. However, if he left this along, it is possible that it will become a greater threat.

He summoned a small council of dwarves, and explained the situation to the group. The dwarves were left speechless, unable to find an answer to the corundum. All except for one, Crom, the strongest of the dwarves who answered, "I shall go out of the gates myself and see what the problem is."
The other dwarves immediately rejected the proposal, but Ferron silenced the other dwarves, and paused to consider the proposal, "So be it, sending a scout seems most reasonable, however you will not use the gate, and you will listen to my instructions carefully. I need to prepare the tools that you will require for your journey. Wait for me in the village plaza."

All of the village gathered around Crom, most treating this as though it were his funeral, but Crom was excited. Unlike Cob, Crom loved the village, but there was an appeal to the outside world.

Crom did not even notice the other dwarves growing silent as Ferron arrived. When he did, he immediately stopped his boasting. Ferron glared at him, "If you wish to return safely, it is urgent that you follow my instructions. I do not know what threat we face, or even if there is a threat, however something has influenced the metal within a region in the north without my permission. This must be investigated."

The first tool that Crom was presented with was a rod with the forked end, Ferron explained, "This is a divining rod, and I use to enhance my own perception. This is the tool that you will use in order to inspect the region. It will guide you to where you need to go, and will also guide back home. You are to use the divining rod to guide you to the location until it begans to shake, at which point you are to immediately stop. Once you are done with your task, whisper a prayer to me and I will use it to lead you back."

He then presented Crom with a silver cloak, the god looked at the dwarf sternly, "This your protection. This cloak was quickly made, but was designed to protect you from whatever may be causing this distress. You are not to draw closer to the source than you need to as I do not believe it will be able to handle much."

Then he handed Crom the final tool, an amulet. One of the dwarves asked if Crom would need to food for his journey. Ferron chuckled, "This will be how he travels. This is a quicksilver amulet. It will grant him an ability that I possess. By tapping the center, a thin layer of mercury will cover his body and allow him to quickly move through the earth itself. Once you arrive at your location, you shall look above the earth, and look around in all directions and report what you see. Do I make myself clear in all of my instructions."

Crom nodded, and after having a quick meal within the village. He tapped the amulet, and begin to walk into a cave wall, quickly approaching his destination. It was not long before the divining rod began to shake, and the dwarf popped his head out of the ground. He saw the crater and its desolation and the area outside of its radius. While everything on the surface was a new sight, the desolate region somehow seemed wrong and scary. Though, something about him resented that fear. He thought to himself that he was not scared, and began to move closer to the source.

He immediately regretted his choice and his fear become immense. He immediately begin to move through the ground towards home. He did not even have to think about his next action, he felt fear and so he ran to the safety of the colony and his god. He did not notice that his cloak was torn.

Once he returned to the village, he had found all the dwarves waiting for him in the plaza. A lot of relief passed through the crowd as they saw him safely returned. He immediately approached Ferron and handed him the divining rod, and told him what he saw. Ferron asked him if he encountered any trouble. Crom answered no, but Ferron had noticed that his cloak was slightly torned. But he decided to leave it be for the moment, but he will keep an eye on the adventurous dwarf. However his mind immediately began to think about how he should proceed.

---

Anu had watched her uninvited guest the moment her sister had arrived. Her Throne was adjacent from the dragon’s cage, and she saw events unfold with a mix of anger and curiosity. Did Dirka really believe she would not be noticed? Well she was mad after all, Anu supposed certain perspectives and subtlety were lost upon her. When Dirka brazenly opened the cage to her guest, Anu let it play out, watching from a distance as she always did. She saw Dirka tell it something, then put it to sleep, even though its body was still being ravaged by the curse of its punishment.

Anu, having seen enough, clapped her hands. The dragon awoke screaming with new intensity as some unknown force dragged it back into its cage, new bars growing to replace the hole Dirka had made. Anu did not like having her property touched. She sat upon her throne still, her succubus still lounged about with little care between a discussion of Gods. She spoke at once, where Dirka would be able to hear her.

”Coming to my realm uninvited… Freeing such a cruel beast from its prison… Blatantly trying to upset me, and yet, you have a proposition for me, dear sister? You will have to forgive me If I am less inclined to hear you out after this little stunt, Dirka. I expected nothing, and I am still disappointed… Now, I do hope you have a good reason for coming here, else this unexpected meeting might take a turn for the worst, I fear.” She finished with cold anger in her voice.

Dirka was one of the first God’s to ever visit her, and Anu did not like unwelcomed guests. Especially from those who were less inclined to reason. She hoped her sister had a reason for popping in like she did. Her relationship with her was already strained, and Dirka was doing no favors to try and strengthen it, simply proving the point that her Elder siblings were fools and could not be trusted. Well, no God could be trusted in the end.

@Lord Zee

Dirka looked at her sister with a smile, then saw her lack of robes and her eye twitched but she kept her sanity and OCD in check. She stood up, brushed her robes off, and put her hand up as if about to explain something, then a temporary loop of this for two minutes. Finally she spoke. "My proposition is this: I will give you a new school of magic for your exclusive and demented use, as well as an alliance between us, and in return I wish for the dragon you've imprisoned, for my own uses that is." She went to the wall with human corpses and grew into Anu's size. She poked a corpse that was fresh three times, then flicked it. "I have a plan that will bring both peace, and war, to the entire world, and only you know of this. Pompous windbag one and two are planning to steal our power, control us like Ferron's tools, and keep us on such short leashes we won't be able to do what we do best; pure uncontrolled maddening sin. I may believe in balance, but true balance is war. And war is full of sin, is it not?" She walked up to her sister with a insane and evil grin. She shrunk herself and floated around Anu'Varr. "You are the only one that knows this thus far. I may be mad, but I'm smarter than most of the gods. You are childish, but you are pure. Pure is good for what I have planned, and as equals, we and the other gods of Chaos will make this world perfect. You, me, Sommler, Oao, Iarus, Ragnadon, and if possible, Iva'krorh in an eternal fued with Gamation, Hyperion and their followers. Of course, Ones like Azheil, hayim, and Naswaru can be neutral if they wish, for they are ones who are attuned for neutrality. But if you accept, the world will be our playground. Those of Order will think they have power, but they will be the puppets, not the puppeteers." She grew to Anu's size again. She spit her green saliva on her hand and held it out. She had an evil, insane, crooked smile, and her eyes glowed with madness. "Deal or no Dice?"

---

Deruga walked the old deer trail towards the edge of the Teeth of madness. He was closer to his goal, and closer to Dirka's greatest favor. He had heard stories of the other sorcerers that did great deeds for his goddess, all were given life in the rift, and power beyond normal. The mimics were lizards and birds, hanging off his robes and ramshackle pack. To pass the time, he had been writing a song to sing to his mistress, but kept getting frustrated with the lyrics, for he wanted her to understand his truest thoughts. The mimics were often making fun of him for this, even laughing at lines they thought were that of a sane man. They were right in a way. Deruga had lost little of his sanity to magic. Most of his spells were minor and relied more on ingredients rather than power of the mind. It angered him, but also made him one of the few that could hide themselves easily as a Jorgun(magicians term for non-magical outsider). "Let the trees glow brighter than ev- no that's pure sanity. It needs to be madder. I want to impress her, not bore her. Ugh, why couldn't I fall for a dryad or sorceress rather than a god? It's hopeless..." One mimic in the guise of a chameleon on his shoulder spit in his ear. "It's not hopeless you fool if you put your mind to it! But we truly do think that you have given yourself a difficult task. But we might be able to help you in your task, if you trust us- yeah, no, just trust me. The others will make you do something stupid. But I could help you. I do know her likes and dislikes of you and other things." Deruga was hesitant, but he got on his knees for dramatic effect, placed the mimic on the ground, and pleaded with crocodile tears. "Teach me the ways of women, please!" The mimic and it's brethren grinned in amusement. It got back on the man's shoulder and sighed. "Fine, I will! Your begging is like a plague!" he made his throaty grinding noise that was a mimic's laugh. Deruga got back up and with a smile continued their journey. "Thank you. Now, my teacher, what's first?" The mimic laughed. "Let's start with how your best chance to woo her would be in the new moon celebration, due to how 'wild' she gets in the dark." Deruga left a trail of nose blood for a mile.

---

As the mainland abruptly erupted into chaos, one domain - almost obliviously so - stood high above the senseless mayhem. Perched upon the tallest mountain on the island, Mt. Peratubo, the Radiant Palace sat peacefully untouched as the golden rays of light stretched their gleaming arms over the entire area. Its holy light would bless any who are welcomed upon the island, basking in the warm rays as they rest their weary bodies upon the land, whilst vanquishing any dark chaotic force who dare step foot. The island was ultimately peaceful; the inhabitants happy and the animals running free with little care.

Hyperion's massive form sat upon the Shining Throne that overlook the entire western portion of the island and the ocean view beyond. Since the last crusade all those years ago, the mighty God of Light simply sat on his throne overlooking the development of his people and minding his own business. He's a fry cry from the days of when he was a fierce crusader, leading his army of divine angels on their quest to vanquish darkness from the realm and to restore peace and order to the realm. Only through the sudden realization which almost knocked his godly judgement out from his golden crown did he halt his advance; for darkness would never cease Now he simply sits, almost depressingly so, as he leaves the world to deal with it's problems.

And it's admittedly rather~

"My lord! I bring some concerning news..."

The tranquil atmosphere was abruptly broken as an angelic servant rushed into the palace in a hastened attitude. Hyperion's glowing eyes pierced through the void of his helmet as he looked down upon his newfound guest, whilst his guards continue standing guard with blank expressions.

"What do you bring, messenger?" the Light God asked, his voice magnified as it booms through the palace.

"My lord," the messenger responds with haste, "Our scouts have reported of a disturbance arising to the east of the main continent. It's been currently identified as some sort of black spire, escorted with twin strands that emit a powerful energy force, one unlike anything they've ever seen or felt before."

The God became intrigued by this information. He leaned forward to gain a better ear at the situation.

"Continue." he coaxed affirmatively, "Were they able to identify the power surge?"

"I can't quite say," the messenger admitted shamefully, "This power had ultimately repelled everything within a several acre radius. Everything wanted to get away from it; all the animals, the plants, gods, even the dirt from which it emerged, had been repulsed from within a certain radius. The scouts had reported to have instantly felt pure terror and, against their will, they fled the scene until they were far enough away from the feeling to cease."

Hyperion straightened his posture as he looked beyond the horizon. Indeed, this was also the first that he'd heard of such a phenomenon happening. A spire erecting suddenly to cast some sort of black magic that repelled everything nearby through sheer fear alone? Who caused such a seemingly heretical object to rise from the depths of Tabrasa? These were only a few of the questions that surged through his mind and he stood up from his throne, his majestic wings stretching wide as they basked within the hue of the radiant dawn. There's only one thing to do in such unknown situations like this.

"This disturbance is too bizarre for us to stand by." he commanded as he began walking forward with each step clanking softly of golden metal, "Call up an Astartes division and open a portal. I shall see this "spire" for myself."

---

Within minutes, a portal of light found itself set up several miles away from the spire's maximum radius range, as Hyperion and his men found themselves perched upon yet another cliffside. This time they had a clear cliffside view of the dark spire that ominously stood over a huge barren crater of bleak nothingness. Everything simply touching the edge of the radius looked dead, with the tree trunks bleached like snow, the leaves turning a sickly grey, the grass curving away from it, and even the berries and fruit were, for the lack of a better turn, shuddering in total fear. The reports were true. Even from this distance did the God of Light sense a form of vague hesitance for he and his men to move forward, as if their senses were trying to keep them from pressing on.

"Stand firm." Hyperion ordered, realizing that his men could possibly feel this fearful scent as well, "I want a clear analysis of the surrounding land. Inspect the entire perimeter and get as close to that spire as you possibly can. Report back to me once you'e collected enough evidence."

With that, most of the angelic guards dispersed, with a few still guarding the God of Light, as they attempted to gather as much information about this thing as possible. What is it? Where did it come from? And what purpose does it serve? Hopefully they'd be able to uncover some information at the very least.

Naswaru, The Relentless

A long flight. Naswaru wasted little time to separate himself from the other two gods. He hoped that they were successful in their hunt, but he had to investigate a few things. The local hunting villages seemed to be a little less active in the area. It was a strange occurrence. These were rich hunting grounds the humans should be all over this place.

Scanning the forest below. His binocular vision could pick up fine details while he soared through the air. Having little to fear of other flying creatures didn’t stop him from keeping an eye on his blind spot. Could never be too careful, he wasn’t the only one that could make monsters.

It wasn’t too much longer before he caught sight of something dark and jagged in a small field. The burnt out remains of a village slowly took shape as he got closer. The small village looked as if it could have supported a few families. Landing ever so gracefully in the center of the small tent city. The burnt remains of rudimentary wooden buildings still smoldered but gave off little heat. This place was attacked recently.

The scavengers had only just begun to come into camp and take what they could. Whoever hit these people, seemed to have destroyed more than they took. The god wandered around the small encampment for a little while longer, taking in the damage to the village before returning to the center fire. Closer inspection of the fire led him to find bones and charred meat. He had found the humans that once lived here.

“Troublesome, very troublesome. I can understand a raiding party but normally they don’t kill and burn the others like this. I need to find more information or a witness to these incidents.” He thought. Questions and thoughts rolled around in his mind for a while longer before figuring he had seen all he needed too. “Further clues would be needed to address the issue. Until the local human population can grow back, more predators will have to be established in this area.” Normally the god didn’t like to micro manage the natural way of things. However, these were his creations and the normal predators didn’t quite have the aggression needed to hunt the Rognyak.

Naswaru continued his flight over the forests for more signs of human activity. The wind wasn’t working in his favor this day. Making it difficult to track them, but if their quarry was other humans then maybe the next small encampment of humans would be where they would go next or perhaps the mountain people to the north.

>>>>>>

He was planning his next step when it happened. It was almost as if another predator of leviathan size claimed a territory. The local wildlife seemed on edge. He could feel it, that unnatural presence, that fear. Quickly the huntsmen began flying low and close to the tree tops toward the source. The valleys and hills keeping him hidden while he flew towards the disturbance. The farther he went the more the animals seemed to run in the other direction.

Then he saw it. The obsidian black spire that rose from the earth. Jagged edges that rose up from the forest ahead of him and towards the sky. It almost seemed to be reaching up to grasp the two pairs of light that swirled around each other, disappearing into the heavens above. The surrounding trees seemed to have uprooted themselves and crawled away from the spire. Forming a natural wall from the crammed trees and vegetation around the site.

Naswaru approached carefully and slowly. Gliding silently and with little effort through the trees until he was at the wall. Gripping and crawling through the dense vegetation like a spider. He slowly made his way to a better view of the spire taking his time to inspect the trees and plants. It never occurred to him that they could move like this. Something to be played with later for sure.

After a few more minutes of inspecting the trees and learning what he could the god began to proceed forward. Stopping suddenly because of movement in the wall. All the animals and even insects had vacated this area, yet he still picked up movement. Subtle vibrations that were drawing closer. The huntsmen’s skin began to change color to better match his environment while he crouched there against the tree. His skin even began to grow rather rough to better blend in with the bark of the tree.

However, the sight of a humanoid caught him off guard. There were two of them, and they were dressed in a familiar fashion. The lord of light was here. Or at least his scouts were. The duo perched themselves on a spot to overlook the barren land leading up to the spire but didn’t proceed towards it. They just kept themselves there slightly covered by the trees but made no mention or movement that made him suspect that they knew he was there.

Continuing his slow crawl up to the scouts he didn’t make the slightest sound. They wouldn’t even know he was there until he stepped up between them. The mark of a true predator, to only be seen when he wanted to be seen. A low growl at the two of them as he passed to subdue any thought they might have had at trying to harm him. Naswaru said nothing as he dropped from the tree and to the edge of the crater down below. Extending his arm into the open air. Almost as if he was sampling the area to make sure that it wasn’t too caustic so his form had time to adapt.

With one quick glance back at the forest, the god of the hunt then proceeded to walk towards the mysterious spire keeping his guard up and his senses peaked.

---

Anu’s face was impassive as Dirka spoke. Her Succubus giggled when Dirka began to float around the throne. She shot them one glare and they quieted down, occasionally holding their hands over their mouths to stop themselves from giggling out loud. Dirka offered a tantalizing deal, but she only wanted the dragon and an alliance in return? To Anu this seemed odd, even for a Goddess as Mad as Dirka. Try as she might however, Anu could not see if there was some nefarious scheme to Dirka’s plan. She knew not how the Goddess was going to go about such an ambitious scheme, for Anu foresaw others to be more difficult to talk to and persuade. Not that Anu was persuaded in the slightest, but her own wheels were turning. She could see that an alliance between magic and devilry to be most… Useful for her. If Dirka wanted a war, just like Anu did, then she would use that to her advantage in the end. It was how she worked after all, making deals with the devil seldom worked out for anyone but her. It was just her nature.

She spoke when Dirka outstretched her hand, ”I do love Sins, sister. I shall accept your terms. To be honest, the dragon’s wails were getting old anyways. But come now, Dirka,” Anu whispered as she stood up, ”That’s not how I accept a deal.” The Goddess of Devilry walked towards Dirka, ignoring her outstretched hand. Anu slowly brought her right hand to Dirka’s chin and lifted it up so that their eyes met.

”Do you really think me childish Dirka? Did you really think I’m pure?” Came the Mother of Succubi’s lovely voice. Anu then moved to Dirka’s lips, a slow but powerful kiss followed. She could feel her sister’s every desire, but before Anu took things too far, she pulled away from Dirka and sat back down upon her throne.

There was a devilish smile upon her lips as she spoke, ”That is how I accept deals, sister. I do hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Now, take thy prize.” Anu then pointed to dragon, the cage around it melting back into the floor.

Suddenly, and most unexpected again, a red and black portal broke through reality in front of her throne. Emerging from it was Elaria, the Devil of Whispers. Anu’s avatar of sorts. She had her task, turning humans into lesser devils and was not to be expected back anytime soon. The Devil girl bowed while her Succubi began to taunt her. They didn't get along with Elaria that well.

”F'rgive me mine own mistress. I bringeth news, something yond shall int'rest thee!”

Anu sighed, ”Elaria, speak properly or I shall have the Succubi torture you.”

Elaria looked up at her Goddess, and if her cheeks were capable of turning red, Anu imagined they would be. She coughed, ”Forgive me my lady, I was just excited. While on my way to the northern parts of the world, a large object seemingly disrupted my travel. As I am a faithful servant, I ventured to the object to see what is was, or if could be any use to you. When I arrived, I noticed the very trees running from the black spire that had erupted from the earth. Everything was running, but I got closer, until… the fear hit me. It was overwhelming, I felt as if my very body was being consumed, so I ran from it. Now here I am.”

Anu thought for a moment, then turned to Dirka, ”I believe this warrants my full attention sister. If you have anything else to say, speak now.”

Gammaton

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Gammton clicked his mandibles as he saw that Iva'Krorh still had a desire to keep the child, pity. As he followed The Illuminator, Gammoton stressed, "I must impress upon you that the General Assembly is of the utmost importance, and involves what I perceive as a threat to our very existence. No god who desires self-preservation should be absent from it. I wish to bring about the Assembly as soon as possible for fear that any gods do anything that we may all later come to regret. To that end, I would like to employ you to speak with our brother, Lord Sveiand, for his ability to travel the world in aurora form will help us spread the word to as many gods as possible. I will try to speak with our sister, Lady Oao, and our brothers, Lords Drakairos. Lady Oao because she is indispensable to my plans and she may be able to recruit our brother, Lord Sommler, whom I have been unable to locate, and Lords Drakairos primarily for their ability to fly. As for the surveillance flies, if you have proper breeding material, that is to say, corpses, we can begin the creation process forthwith." Gammaton wrung his many hands in nervous worry, hoping Iva'Krorh would accede to his requests. "And I will gladly help you with whatever you require, so long as you agree to the Assembly, help me recruit others to come, and that it does not take too much time." Some rear limbs of Gammaton's began fidgeting at the end of his abdomen, pulling out silk and weaving it into a rectangular sheet. Plucking another spine from his back, Gammaton began writing up the work contract on the silk sheet, detailing the conditions he had just mentioned. "Not to worry, this contract is just for my own records, and is in no way binding."