Despite the cold the trees did not seem to abate. They only grew and changed further and greater as they ascended, their trunks becoming thicker than the dragons themselves. The snow which blanketed the forest floor began to change into a carpet of long interwoven white vines. The snowflakes that flew upon the raging winds became soft white motes of pollen, carried along as the powerful storm served only to spread them far. To spite the cold itself the trees which still held green leaves started to transform, their leaves coiling up and becoming blankets of needles which shielded them from the biting winds of the cold storm.

The great tree itself had become a unique dichotomy of fire and ice. Large red maple leaves adorned the massive branches on one side while slender pale white leaves were formed across the other. It was a unique splendor onto itself which had absorbed the divine energies being thrown at it, making it it's own. Even still it continued growing.

_
Luckily for Hayim his friend was growing fast enough to keep up with the great tree's ascent. He lifted the not-so-little little god high up, his branch reaching far as he approached the sprawling network of massive branches which grew out from the rising top of the great tree's enormous trunk. With as much haste as the tree man could muster he set Hayim upon a branch close enough for him to reach, rescinding his branch the very moment Hayim stepped off lest he be entangled in the twisting growth of the tree's branches.

"Go now." The tree man imparted his words unto him as he retreated from the great tree's encompassing expanse.

"Go and... Free our people... Tame the tree." With that said Hayim was, for the most part, on his own.

Time was of the essence though. The branch which he stood upon was growing further away from the light which each passing second. Pretty much everywhere he could look all that could be seen from his position were vast networks of interlaced wood, fantastical leaves of many colors blanketing the gaps between the branches like a great curtain cast all around him.

In one space directly opposite from the light he could see a small gap in the branches where the world beyond was visible. Through it he could see not the lands below but rather a vast field of clouds. The tree's limbs had reached beyond them now, branches reaching as far as the upper stratosphere. They extended as far as the last vestiges of oxygen could still be had before curving width-wise to expand outwards rather than upwards.

_
What he couldn't see was that this expanse was not limited to the branches alone. The trunk to this great tree was now miles thick and it's roots reached far and wide. The lowest roots now touched upon the surface of the core itself, it's roots starting to grow around it since it was simply incapable of growing into it like it had for a majority of it's other obstacles. Many of the great chunks of earth that hadn't been transformed by the resident energy were either absorbed into the roots or simply broken apart by them if they were too large. Many deep lurking metals and precious gemstones were now entangled by roots, locked in the hard grasp of powerful wood.

The homes of the dwarves felt the shifts in great force as the mountain ranges began to rise, canted by the shifts in the earth brought upon by the massive roots of the great tree. It's canopy cast a shade upon the land which stretched further than even the storms of Drakairos could cover, blanketing the lands in a speckled twilight as anemic sunlight trickled through the gaps in it's leaves.

What the gods present were looking upon was no mere great tree anymore.

It was a world tree.

---

"Those fools..."

Azhriel stood in the Observation Hall of the Emerald Castle, his personal residence within his Realm. He was fully adorned in armour once more, his arms folded as he regarded the massive ethereal globe floating in the center of the massive room; it's glowing hue cast everything around it in a green light which seemed to ebb and fade as it slowly rotated. Upon it he could witness the Flow of Souls as each one traversed the Ether in order to await judgement within Neberziel. The God of Souls had referred to his siblings as he spoke aloud. Lyssa had afforded him some time alone after explaining Tabrasa's more recent events that had come to pass during his slumber. It was safe to say he was not at all impressed.

Selfishness and petty squabbles had led to a distinct increase in Deaths across the world. And with the Old God's untimely intervention, the Flow of Souls had been very much disturbed. There had even been a few instances of his siblings interfering with the Souls of recently deceased beings. Anu'Varr was one such culprit. The thought of his estranged sister working her devilish magics in an attempt to influence his Domain angered him profusely. This was a slight he would refuse to take lying down. Hyperion, Lord of Light, had also dipped a gauntleted hand into the Ether. The Crusader-God would likely have a better reason for doing so than Anu, he guessed. Besides, he was not yet back to his full strength, so confronting him would be an unwise move for now.

Then there was the matter of Oao and Iarus to consider. Lyssa had shown worry when detailing the events that had transpired but Azhriel remained unfazed. Oao, one of his eldest siblings, had always been a shy one. If this new transformation meant that she might show herself to the world a bit more, who was he to argue? Iarus seemed to have fallen silent since his re-imagining as a God of Fear. Could it be possible that he now feared his own power? Either way, Azhriel paid it no mind. However, the issue of the Divine Cords themselves intrigued him. Which is where the World Tree came in. Its sudden emergence had certainly caught him by surprise, a large influx of Souls had been the initial indication of its appearance. It had even sent him the very first Soul of a Dwarf; a creation of Brother-Ferron no less. His would be a Soul worth keeping in mind. It wasn't often that Azhriel was presented so easily with a bargaining chip of such potential.

"It's high time I pay the world another visit, so it seems." He declared.

Closing his eyes momentarily, Azhriel scoured the Realm for Thaddeus' Soul. The location became known to him within an instant. Spinning on his heel, the God of Souls began to leave the Observation Hall. He retrieved his staff from where he'd left it - standing unnaturally just a few feet into the room - as he exited through the stone arch-way. Lyssa had been standing outside the entire time, she was still concerned regarding his unexplained period of unconsciousness. And whilst Azhriel had commanded her to let it be, he knew that her mind would be thinking of nothing else. He startled her as he strode by, interrupting her thoughts.

"Have you decided on a course of action, my lord?" She inquired, struggling a little to keep up with his newfound pace.

"I'm going topside." He stated, a term he used whenever he meant to travel outside of the Realm.

"B-but, my lord? You are still not fully recovered!" She protested, like he knew she would.

"Hold the fort here, my child. I'll be taking our newest Ashen Guard to see the world through his new eyes." He turned to smile at her as he said so, choosing to ignore her protests of concern. He was still very much a God after all and he answered to no one. Not even a doting subordinate. Before she could speak any further, Azhriel summoned a portal to the inner gate; the entrance-way between Neberziel and Tabrasa. A bridge in sub-space that allowed him to enter and exit his Realm at will. Thaddeus would already be waiting there, having received his Lord's intentions upon his Soul being located.

The green-flamed portal dissipated almost as soon as he exited it, leaving no time for Lyssa to follow. No doubt she would be unhappy with his current actions but that was a problem for later. Nodding towards his newest subordinate, the half-dragon fell to one knee as he appeared.

"I am ready when you are, Master."

Azhriel said nothing as he passed by. He simply strode towards the dimension-gate with purpose, Thaddeus now barely a few steps behind.

"Let us see what place the world has become."

---

---

The god of light was silent for a moment, thinking upon these implications.

"A demigod?" Hyperion asked with blunt curiosity before sighing, "Why am I not surprised..."

He was already getting a headache just from listening to all this information. And now with a mortal being having been granted divinity - for some reason - it's already going from bad to worse. He'd definitely yell at Dirka for this insolence, but he already knew that he simply can't control the Mad Magician. He'd shift his weight to the other side of his seat as he leans in towards her.

"And where do I fit in this, Dirka?" Hyperion asked reluctantly, "If I had to guess, I suppose you want me to eliminate it, yes?"

Gammaton

---

@Leotamer

Gammaton tapped the dirt floor in introspection, and decided to accept Ferron's explanation. "Since all gods are powerful and therefore, dangerous, then that is to say, you trust no one? Truly, I can find no real fault with adopting such a position, only that it has temporarily inconvenienced me."

He quickly produced another scroll and handed it to Ferron, "Just a written form of our agreed upon deal. Words are wind and physical copies are always nice to have. And that should conclude our business. I will arrive at Dwarfhome when I have finished drafting these laws." He perused the scroll Ferron had handed to him. "Yes, everything seems to be in order. And while such stipulations of tampering with the laws on my end after the fact are unnecessary, the caution is welcomed. yes, this is a fairly well-worded contract. But concerning the map, Are there any nondisclosure clauses you would like added? For example, if you do not wish for the map to be copied or to have the information otherwise transmitted to anyone else?" Once Ferron had answered this question, he would be free to leave.

Ferron
@Stern Algorithm-Gammaton
@A Lowly Wretch- The Spire
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ferron looked over the scroll to ensure that its contents were true, and once he certain of that, he had rolled it up and pressed his thumb against it. A metallic seal formed around his finger, and he then placed the scroll on his person. He then replied Gammaton, having used that time to formulate his thoughts.

"As I have said, trust is a commodity. It is something that can be traded, but like all commodities, it gains its value through scarcity, and mismanaging it can lead to disaster." he said in his same, dry, monotone voice.

He paused for a moment, and then continued, "Nothing on that map is secretive. You may do with it what you please. Now as I said, I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I hope you will excuse my hurry.

He said, walking out of the hut with slow and deliberate steps. Once he was returned to standing above earth and soil, he slipped into the ground and begin to move towards the new pillar.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once he arrived, Bishop was waiting for him as he had instructed. The mercury construct once again had scouted the pillar, and had handed his creation a sphere containing what he it had detected. The information only confirmed that the fear spiral was not a singular incident, and strengthened the connection between these spirals and the earth's core. He would need to investigate later, however for the time being, he needed to deal the encroaching roots.

He spent a few moment trying to engineer a solution while avoiding the planet aura. While he could use his influence in a region outside of the aura, that would require him either spend a greater amount of energy to cover the same amount of area, or surrender more territory that his dwarves could expand too.

However, he then looked at the plants of fire and ice and saw opportunity. He had found it difficult to create plant-life, and yet this spire does it easily.

First, he conjured pillars of iron, copper and tungsten from the ground around him, and used his power to throw into the plant aura, firmly planted within the ground. He next created powdered gold, silver and platinum, and scattered them in the influenced ground. And finally, he created snake-like constructs of mercury, lead and chromium. They burrowed into the ground of the sphere of influence, filled with a singular purpose, to cling to the roots of the great tree and slow its growth.

Once his work was done, he waited and he watched. The other gods in this region did not completely escape his notice, but he did not pay them much mind.

@Lmpkio

Dirka looked at him with horror. "No! I was hoping to ask how do you control your angels so well so I can teach when and where to open his infernal mouth. Anu cursed him so he can't use magic, so that's a start, but I need some one who knows how to be stern to a being. I was hoping to ask you, since you do that job better than any one! Iva, for his sake, let's things run amuck as long as he get's his prized knowledge. Anu's a bitch, Oao's a coward, Azhriel is always busy, Naswaru is not very tame, and the list goes on and on! And I know you would normally be berating me with harsh words if I wasn't me, so don't give me that look that this chick is crazy ranting. Please help me?" She took a deep breath after her tangent, then seemed to relax a little. She looked at him as calm as she could. "Help me control the only known demigod child. If you do, I'll make it worth your time. I don't want him deviled." She had a guilty and pitiful look in her eye as she started looking down in thought. "Please" she asked one last time, for he knew she was already making Hyperion either very angry or very contemplative. Which, she did not know.

---

Rescorje was once again mad at his mother. Her dirty little secret, and she wouldn't help him? Saying it was his fault? Bah! If anything, his 'Auntie Anu', which he laughed at, had over reacted. He was telling her the flaws in her character. He was being helpful, at least he believed he was. But his plan had expected Anu to do something, ask his mother to fix the damage caused to him. But her refusing to do so was very unexpected. And so calmly!
It made him forget what he was mad at her the first time for. When that came across his mind, he simply shrugged his shoulders. Maybe his siring parent could help him? He is supposedly a great mage that has survived a blood curse twice. He stopped and smiled. "Yes, that will do indeed."

The fire dragons were screaming at their ice kin as they approached. Thesan hid the shuddering in his heart while he continued to focus on the fire orb before him. The thing was fighting to implode before the great dragons. “What are they doing!?” Lira barked at no-one in particular. “The fools… The bloody fools! They’d rather fight us than kill the strangling tree?” She looked at her brother. There was doubt in his eyes, she knew it but he carried the Will of Ragnagedon. “Brother, grow our proclamation. I will deal with the hydra god.” A quick nod was enough. Lira released her hold over the orb and immediately Thesan was nearly blown away by the force he had to contain. But the Arch-Dragon was not to be defeated by his own power. Stone broke behind his hind legs as he dug his claws in deep. Meanwhile, Lira took flight and gathered a contingent of fire dragons as she ascended.

When high enough to overview the upcoming battle she cried out: “Three heads yet no brains at all! Do you not see we have a common enemy here? Do you not see the power that will strangle all of us?” She had to swallow her pride now for a second. “I propose a truce, hydra god! Wherever you hide! A truce for as long as this green monstrosity remains. So that we may destroy it and the hold it keeps on the land.” She hated every word she uttered.

Thesan released their proclamation. The blue fire orb was pushed forward, towards the massive trees and plans. The power of fire was not willing to burn the vegetations. No anything flammable would be reduced to ash the second it hit anything. Nothing would burn. Everything would be rendered to ash. As it turned out, the orb was heading straight for the wood-turned-villagers.

---

---

As the swarm of ice dragons began to engage the Arch-Dragons and their forces, they'd bear witness to an angry Lira bellowing towards them.

“Three heads yet no brains at all! Do you not see we have a common enemy here? Do you not see the power that will strangle all of us?”

Thunder would soon began to rumble followed by streaks of lighting that rippled through the clouds above. Even a few would begin striking towards her direction, almost as if they were attempting to put her in her place. The Weather God knew all too well of what's happening, but within the midst of their bitter rivals flying in front of them, they wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them for their own pleasure and satisfaction.

“I propose a truce, hydra god! Wherever you hide! A truce for as long as this green monstrosity remains. So that we may destroy it and the hold it keeps on the land.”

The lighting storm would begin to cease its fire upon the female arch dragon before moving to assault the spire once again. However, that didn't just mean the three serpents were going to accept this proposal just yet. Slithering down from the heavens, the three long bodies of golden began to descend upon her, their cackles echoing through the storm. They would then encapsulate her within a make-shift ball, circling around Lira in a fury of glowing light as they finally began to speak.

"A truce you say?" Rós hissed cautiously, "Such bold words... yet spoken at a worse possible time. We've seen what the spire can do. Your flames and our flames - your physical forms, and our physical forms - everything that remains within will be assimilated into its ever growing form. Even when you damage it, it'll only regrow larger and stronger than ever before."

"THIS IS A LOST CAUSE!" Kai fires his response, "WE'RE FIGHTING UPON A LOSING BATTLE!"

"Silence! Both of you!" Dra barks in annoyance to his bumbling idiot-heads before speaking to Lira, "Enemies we may be, yet, as you've said ,we face a common enemy. Perhaps on our lonesome we are powerless against it - and even if it's not the case, the fate of this realm is at stake. Know this, Pawn of Ragnagedon. Despite the hostilities between us, we will aid against the spire on behalf of your wish. But once this is over, business shall be as usual. This warning will not be repeated."

With that, the serpents broke up the swirling ball as they screeched for their units to mobilize with the enemy for one last hurrah against the spire. They'd either bring it down together or die trying...

---

---

"No! I was hoping to ask how do you control your angels so well so I can teach when and where to open his infernal mouth."

Hyperion eyed the mad magician curiously as he shifted his weight.

"They are of my blood." he answered with indifference in his voice, "From my blood, I have given them new life as units of Terratora. Fierce discipline and training, have kept them in line for centuries. And their code of honor prevents them from leaving forth my side, less' they risk vowing treason."

Of course, he couldn't finish without cringing to himself about a particular angel having recently betrayed his honor to devilry and attempting to lure others to his cause. Thankfully, the black void of his helmet prevented his real feelings from public view, but dare he does not reveal weakness to such a madwoman. Of course, most angels still call to him upon his beck and call, but the traitors were something he'd have to deal with himself and himself alone.

Nevertheless, Hyperion continued to listen to Dirka's pleads for help. According to her, the demigod had been cursed out of it's magic by Anu, and her master had been asking everyone else for help, but they refused due to certain circumstances. The armored god couldn't help but to feel pity for the mad magician, even as she attempts to make herself look the sanest he has ever seen her.

"Please?"

Another long pause deafened the throne room.

"Very well." the Light God confirmed, "I shall help you~"

He'd then lean towards the Mad Magician after remembering something she said.

"But under ONE condition." Hyperion mutters, "I want to utilize part of that holy magic of yours. There is something that will benefit... greatly from it. Give me said usage of this power and I will help you tame this creation of yours. Do we have a deal?"

---

"What's wrong Thaddeus?" Azhriel spoke, noticing the strange look that had filled his subordinate's face shortly after arriving through the dimension-gate.

"N-nothing, Master, it's just..."

"You still remember it don't you?" Azhriel inquired. "Your death, that is."

Thaddeus remained silent for a while, humbled by the horror of the events that had taken place when he walked these lands last. "I try to forget, but the visions..." He paused before continuing on, "...they haunt my dreams. He haunts them." The half-dragon winced as the memory of his battle against Ragnagedon flashed before his eyes.

"It will take some time, halfling. But fear not, Ragnagedon cannot hurt you whilst I am around."

"Forgive me for questioning, Master, but how? Does your power hold the ability to douse those infernal flames?"

"You have forgotten, young one. You are no longer a member of the living. You are a Soul. And only I, Azhriel - Lord of the Underworld and God of All Souls - decides what happens to them. Ragnagedon's flames couldn't reach you even if he breached the Gates of Neberziel himself to cast them upon you." Azhriel was quick to reassure Thaddeus. Of course, he didn't know for certain what would happen should the unruly God of Fire attempted to force his way into the Underworld, nor did he care. Many attempts had been made by others before now and each time Azhriel had beaten them back.

"Now, if you've had enough time to lament, don't you think we should at least see the sky?" The entrance to the dimension-gate remained buried deep within the Pit of Ahael. It was more akin to a tomb if anything. Though it wasn't anything extravagant, merely a dark cavern situated at the bowels of a barren crater. No life even attempted to grow around it, most likely due to the energies of his Realm seeping out into the world. The pair began their ascent, casually walking forward in the pitch black. Azhriel tapped his staff to the floor and the head of it erupted with a small, green flame, illuminating the darkened passage. They then began to forge ahead with purpose; the God of Souls eager to see how the world had changed.

---

As he crested the ridge of the crater, Azhriel was dumbfounded. Thaddeus, following close behind, stopped in his tracks as the image of Tabrasa greeted him. Instead of a sprawling blue sky laid out for miles in each direction, towards the north the horizon was intruded upon by a single, gigantic tree. From this distance - nearly half the world away - it could still be regarded as massive; easily the largest thing either of them had ever witnessed.

"W-what is it?" Thaddeus was simply awestruck, unable to say much more than that. Azhriel, however, had regathered his composure, remembering the scene he'd witnessed in the Observation Hall. This tree had upset the Flow of Souls. No matter how magnificent it was in sheer size, it should still be regarded as a blight upon the Balance.

"That..." Azhriel pointed straight at the hulking behemoth. "...is where we're headed." He finished, a wry grin filling his face. Thaddeus shook himself in order to reclaim his mind from amazement.

"Of course, Master!" He bowed, suddenly remembering his place beside his God.

"Then you are aware of why I brought you instead of Lyssa?" Thaddeus simply nodded in reply. "Excellent. Now, show me."

The half-dragon took a knee and began to focus himself, channeling an energy deep within him. He felt the onset of pain a lot quicker than he'd expected but he had already felt a lot worse. Slowly, his body began to morph and contort until he grew larger. His robes no longer fit as he expanded even more, they tore at the seams before long. The pain simply kept building and building until he couldn't take it anymore. Thaddeus let out a guttural scream which slowly transformed into a roar. His dark scales now fully enveloping his new form; or rather, an old one.

It took a few moments before he was fully transformed, but Thaddeus had reverted to his original dragon-form. Although he was much bigger than when he'd first arrived in Neberziel. The residual energy from the numerous amounts of Souls had strengthened him considerably, making him a noticeably larger and a fair amount stronger than before. Azhriel was content with his new steed. He wouldn't be able to utilize portals to merely appear wherever he wanted within the world of Tabrasa, so bringing Thaddeus along to use as a mount was the obvious solution.

Once he'd completed his transformation, Thaddeus bowed before his Master indicating that it was time to go. Azhriel wasted no time in mounting his new dragon, throwing his leg over the former-Verzakian to sit straddled upon its' back. Thaddeus knew instinctively when his Master was ready and, using his powerful hind legs, launched them both clear into the air before finally unfurling his massive, leathery, wings to propel them ever further into the sky above. Their destination: The World Tree.

---

"Fighting?!" Azhriel said aloud, agitation clearly evident in his tone. "At a place like this?!"

As his steed flew ever-closer toward the towering tree, Azhriel bore witness to a raucous display of violence. It was only once they'd gotten closer did he realize that it was none other than Drakairós and a band of what-looked-to-be Ice-Dragons facing off with their polar-opposite; Fire Dragons. Two larger dragons seemed to command them, no doubt lackeys of Ragnagedon. Having already subdued the very first Verzakian Dragon, Azhriel needed no help identifying these new reptiles. Despite the obvious size difference, they still bore Ragnagedon's flame which meant they must've been his. Oddly enough, however, just as the fighting seemed to come to a head, Drakairós seemed to descend from the lightning-scorched sky in order to converse with one of the two larger reptilians. Azhriel's initial frustrations began to die off after that.

Although he could sense Thaddeus' unease at the sight of his apparent kin, Azhriel pushed him to fly faster. The tree far was more important than a little bit of fear. "Do not waiver now, young one. We are nearly upon it!" He had to raise his voice slightly amidst the thunderous cacophony that continued to play out amongst the clouds. With every wing-beat and crack of lightning, the Soul-God's excitement grew.

Azhriel arrived at the scene just in time to witness both sides calling a truce, each of their respective troops turned in mid-air to face the enormous World Tree that stood miles above them all now. The sight of it remained both eiree and fascinating at the same time. "Glad to see that I'm not too late to join you, Brother." He boomed, allowing his voice to carry across the wind in order to reach the Weather-God's multiple ears.

Thaddeus drew nearer to the three-headed dragon, eventually slowing until he was only a few meters behind them. "Looks to me like you could use an extra pair of hands." The God of Souls stated, his gaze focused on the tree that dominated the sky before them.

I still have nightmares from that day. It always starts the same, without fail. I find myself talking to my brother at our tent, but the conversation is always different. How can that be? I want to ask, I want to know, but then the shouting starts and Hesif runs off. We were unprepared of course, how could anyone be ready for such senseless cruelty? I am forced to watch them burn, the men, women and children. To watch them scream as the fire engulfs them, as it chars their skin and blackens their soul. I am powerless to stop it. No matter how hard I try, I am always too late to save any of them. Including my brother.

I see him pinned, fighting two of the masked men, if you can even call them that. I see the third one, his bloody knife glistening from the light of the fires. I try to shout, try to scream- but there is silence from me. I watch him die, as the blade slits his throat. He stumbles, and is then kicked into a flaming tent. I am so angry, I want to kill them all. Make them suffer for causing so much pain.

But I stop as I see it. Then everyone stops, our gazes like children viewing something new for the first time. There stands Ghoran, the fearless leader of the Coalition. The one who brought the tribes together in the time of great peril and strife. His face is wrong, always so wrong. Behind him is something I simply cannot wrap my head around. Like the surface of a lake, yet with colors so twisted.

Ghoran then speaks, but it is not his voice. I hear her voice so clearly, for it is intoxicating, yet sounds so bored. I want to hate that voice, but I can't.

Then the demons come and my nightmare becomes real. They fight with ferocity, tearing and biting into flesh so easily. I almost break, I want to run away from such creatures but my legs refuse to work properly. I am then attacked by a wolfhead, it's sword a wicked instrument of death. I only had a stone spear in my hands, my knuckles white as I gripped the oak.

It swung and swung and I dodged, taking nicks to arm and my face. The pain is small, simply a reminder that I have been hit. Something else numbs it, an intense feeling of action surges through me in response. I needed to strike quickly before I was overwhelmed. So I went to jab the demon, only to feint my attack at the last second, confusing the creature. I then swept it legs out from under him and finally I screamed as I jabbed my spear into it's heart.

It gurgled something, I don't know what. Then it died, and I took up it's sword.

But it was not the horror of the demons that truly shook me, it was the Fire-Spawn. I see her face still, bloody and horrific. Nothing human remaining but flesh that held the madness in. The next thing I know is that she is in front of me, laughing and smiling. I cannot move, I try and try but I cannot. Then she unleashes fire upon me, and I wake up.

It never happened, but it feels so real each time. What she said I still think about. She spoke and people listened, their God had answered them. Where was ours? Where had ours been in our time of need? There was truth in her words, and I don't blame them for joining with them. But to live a life consumed by fire and murder, I hate them. Those Fire-Spawn, curse them all.

But she had made a mistake. My will to fight did not die that day, no, it only grows stronger as the days pass. Ghoran's coalition failed because we were not prepared.

My name is Ordun, and no longer shall we be afraid. No longer shall we fear to live! I say this, so our children can have a future free of fear and hate! So they might know peace...Our war, has just begun and no longer shall we be unprepared.

@A Lowly Wretch

Higher and higher, Hayim was thrust into the air by the friendly human (or was he a plant-friend now?). As he rose, faster than the health god had ever moved in his long life, the growing presence of his siblings could be clearly seen. Dragons flew through the air, the three serpents of Drakairós being the most easily seen thanks to their large size and glowing radiance. Fire and ice slammed into the leaves of the constantly growing tree, rendered into more leaves and bark from which to grow - at best it left a burn or a bit of frost for a few seconds.

Hayim was lucky that they seemed more focused on the upper portion of the tree, allowing him to focus on moving up with his ally. He'd have to think of something quick, or else the dragons would accidentally slaughter the animals and humans that were turned into vegetation below. Or worse, they would intentionally slaughter them.

Just as Hayim was thinking of pouring some of his essences into the tree-man, helping him boost himself higher, Hayim was slammed onto the nearest branch. Grappling the bark with his ungainly limbs to prevent falling hundreds or even thousands of feet, Hayim watched as the tree was slowly left behind in the spire's growth.

"Go now. Go and... Free our people... Tame the tree."

"Thank you Humie! Hayim promise you - I'll save everyone!"

'I?' Weird, Hayim usually didn't speak like that - that level of self-awareness was typically restricted from him. Considering his current predicament, Hayim didn't pay it too much mind. Instead, he crawled along the wide branch, eventually moving to a walking pace as the branch continued to widen and guarantee he wouldn't fall.

As soon as this safety was guaranteed, Hayim began to run as fast as his boosted limbs would carry him - the light, the damn radiance that caused all the problems here, was growing further by the second. The light was posing an issue to his other siblings - the fear they had for their own bodies prevented them from coming close. Understandable, since the closer they got, the more they slowed and weakened. But for Hayim, it was the total opposite - his limbs were heavier, but they were boosting attributes he already had as a plant. Grappling forwards with eight limbs, each wider than all of his previous limbs put togethor, Hayim was making rapid progress towards the light.

But as he grew closer, the desire driving him towards the light so fervently seemed to... weaken? No... it'd be more apt to say that it dulled. Why run so much and try so hard to do something, when he could simply take a break, rest? The sun was beautiful today, and Hayim was feeling somewhat parched...

No! Why was Hayim thinking like this?! For one, there was no sun out - a storm overhead was a dark grey, and from Hayim's position, the sun was impossible to make out behind the clouds. He shook his head, a new addition to his growing body, and continued throwing himself forwards, occasionally teetering somewhat on his new limbs. He'd make it to that damn light, even if it meant falling off the tree when he was done.

As Hayim scaled up the ever growing branch, his pace only slightly faster than the speed at which the branch he was on was extending away from the mountainous trunk of the world tree, he could feel the energy coming from the light in the center starting to cling to his Divine Cord. His approach was stymied when the bark beneath his feet changed without warning. Branches erupted from the meat of the main branch, surrounding him, entangling him. Worse yet it seemed like tendrils of wood were reacting to his presence. It sensed his connection to it's domain growing so it reached out, wispy tendrils of wood attempting to physically connect with the god in the complete sense of the term.

As the essence of plants started to fill his Divine Cord he could start to feel not just the world tree but all trees reacting to his presence. Every tree from every forest, every blade of grass from every field, every plant from every corner of Tabrasa. With the changes having spread to the Divine Cord itself he and all plants were connected as one yet with individual thoughts and desires. Though they lived simple lives plants still held thoughts and feeling which they readily shared with those who could understand them such as Hayim.

Down below he could feel the forces at work at the forest which was growing ever faster, the efforts of the gods below not even slowing the overgrowth. From above he could see the pillars of iron, copper and tungsten cast forth by Ferron transform into large root vegetables which held rich quantities of the aforementioned minerals. The powders of gold, silver and platinum were scattered upon the white vines which carpeted the forest floor, quickly growing into brilliant flowers with speckles of the aforementioned metals gleaming across their elegant petals. The snaking tendrils of mercury, lead and chromium burrowed into the earth where they were quickly absorbed into the roots of the many trees like so much nutrients. The roots were not slowed by the addition of these metals. They only served to strengthen them, their qualities carried into the trees where their minerals would reside.

_
In an instant he could hear a multitude of voices all crying out in pain. Most of them were plants, a number of them were humans. The blue sphere of plasma unleashed by the servants of Ragnageddon incinerated everything in it's path, cutting a long trail through the giant forest. Trees, bushes, trees that were once people, naught was spared from the ball of fiery destruction which rocketed towards the world tree and the spire therein. Rather than reduce the side of the tree to ash like it had for all that stood between it and the world tree however it hit the side with a weighty thud. As it had coasted towards it's destination it's surface had grown a skin, it's insides dimming as the power of the god was blanketed with the enormous amount of plant power being projected by the divine helix.

When it hit the tree it stuck to the side, it's insides trembling with tremendous heat as the skin on the outside thickened, the power of plants bleeding further into the sphere cast forth by the dragons. The destruction it had caused wasn't strictly a tragedy either for those that were burnt down by it's force still remained in the form of seeds and roots. The people who were transformed by the spire were almost killed by Ragnegeddon's power but thanks to their roots and the seeds they've scattered they lived on through their remains which immediately started to reform. While the forms and minds of those who were hit by their attack weren't wholly intact they still lived on despite it.

Furthermore the destruction of the greenery had provided a unique boon to the woods. Given how much life force the trees were saturated with from the plant aura they were starting to grow so big that the spaces in between the trees themselves were vanishing underneath their tremendous size, many of them having melded into one another forming mega trees, all lesser than the world tree of course but impressive conglomerations all the same. With this little slice of space created the trees that were previously crowded were given the chance to stretch out their branches and grow to fit the vacancy left for them by the burning sphere of destruction. Before the dragons knew it the evidence of any damage that the sphere had dealt was all but gone. All aside from the thick skinned fruit which now clung to the side of the world tree of course.

_
Hayim could see that the assault by the combined forces of the dragons and Azhriel were met with similar fates. All dragons who drew near the world tree quickly found their bodies turning from blood, bone and scale into sap, wood and bark. Much like the tree people they had tried to destroy they found they were being changed into plants but such changes did not limit their motions too strictly however. Their legs might have become wooden but they continued to move no less than before. The membranes of their wings were now leaves but they still held the winds tight, keeping the now plant based dragons aloft on pollen infested winds. The dragons who still had yet to become one with the plants found the air much harder to breath as the power of the spire influenced even the very air they breathed, turning strong gusts into clouds of pollen and other plant dander.

Only the gods themselves found it even possible to approach the tree in it's current state without immediately being transformed and even they were not unaffected. The arch dragons would fare no better than any other dragon for they lacked Divine Cords. No amount of divine power invested in them would compare to the sheer intensity of the aura being generated by the spire. The gods themselves would find their physical forms receiving the first stages of the changes Hayim himself was so very along into. Things like hair and scaled would become vines and bark. Extremities such as fingers and claws would begin to harden into wood. Leaves would begin to sprout from the naturally formed edges of their forms. Those who possessed multiple forms would find their ability to transform weakened severely by this. The changes imposed by the aura resisted any efforts made to shirk them and such resistance only grew the further they spread.

Hayim could see all this and all the while the world tree tried to grow ever closer to him as he began to shift from his domain of health into the domain of plants. Inside the tree he could feel the spire as though it were within himself. He quickly learned from the tree that the spire itself was unbreakable for no matter how hard the tree tried to expand through it the effort was in vain. Another lesson passed onto him was that all things that crossed the path of the divine helix which shined up from the heart of the spire were destroyed, shattered apart by the sheer power of the light as it shone through into the night sky, rising past the stars and continuing beyond.

The voices of the humans who were trapped within the tree all chattered with confusion and bewilderment for they were not hurt though their very existence was radically altered. They had yet to truly comprehend what was even happening. For Hayim however one certainty was clear.

If he remained in the aura any longer his domain would be lost for good. He would be a plant god forevermore.

---

Relevant to:@Duoya@Kalas@Lmpkio@Legion02@Leotamer.

Ferron
@A Lowly Wretch- The Spire
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The mountain god, wrapped within his earthen cloak, was not deterred by his poisonous constructs failing to slow the roots. While it did not happen as he intended, he could still achieve his goals. His metals were diluted, but they were still present within the monstrous roots. It would be a waste of effort in order to try to fall the great tree while still connected to its source of power, however all he cared about was the safety of his children. He turned his attention away from the aura's reach, and instead focused his attention on the vines imbued with his metals that where quickly approaching his colony.

He called upon his mastery of metal in order to reach out to the trace elements within the roots, and fed them the energy needed to grow. He used his power in order to cause the giant roots to shift at old angles, not only preventing them from reaching his precious colony but creating a wall that protected his grand project, as well as a measure of the ground below it.

Once that matter was taken care of, he turned his attention to the plants that he had seeded. He waved his hand over his construct Bishop, who melted away into three different bodies which collected samples of the flowers and vegetables that had spawned. The small blobs of quicksilver moved quickly, and after few moments, the construct reformed into a singular construction. Ferron took the precious cargo and stored it within a chest that he had quickly conjured. Drips of mercury begin to fall from Bishop's vaguely humanoid form like leaves before Ferron refocused his construct to be aligned with metal.

His task accomplished, he sat down to consider what he should do next. It had been a rather busy day with his attention being grabbed by two unexpected occurrences so quickly. While he was pondering, he allowed himself to watch the event unfold before him. It appeared as though his siblings wished to destroy the great tree, which seemed pointless. It would take a massive amount of effort to destroy the tree while it still gorging on divine energy, but beyond that, he had a certain appreciation of the tree, and its hardiness. He was forced to do some degree of harm to it, however that was only because it interfered with his own work.

@Lmpkio

Dirka looked at him with relief. "Deal! I'll give you every last bit of holy magic! Hell, whatever project your doing I'll do for you! But my boy needs manners. So how would you suggest we start?" She was very happy that Hyperion agreed. She knew everything had a price, and she found what Hyperion's was, and she was more than willing to pay it.

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---

The Aho'Nohg certainly weren't a comfortable ride, were they? Perhaps he should make something for personal travel later, but for now this would do. The more pressing question would be how to go about this meeting. He only had one goal, after all. The spread of knowledge. He didn't care how it was acquired or how it was made. As long as it was new and shiny, unknown and yet to be made, he cared not.

"Ahhh, who cares!" He laughed. He was in far too good of a mood to consider such things at the moment. He'd build a library in Osarion, just for Anu's use. Maybe even give her a portal to the Library itself! Definitely give her some Aho'Nohg. That was another thing he wanted to possibly talk to her about. Making them was quite difficult, since they were made from humans. He wanted a better way to make them. She was the most likely candidate to help with that matter. A thought for later. The library came first, his own experiments came second.

For now, he was in a good mood so the form he took was obvious.

Reaching Anu's castle, the Aho'Nohg sat down in front of it, wings flapping silently as it touched down. As much as he'd like to pop in without a shred of respect, he had no desire to offend Anu so readily. Announce his presence first, then he'd go in! Crouching low to the ground, Iva stepped off, the tattered cloak of the Hag brushing along the ground as she moved.

"ANUUUUUU!" The Hag laughed. "Iva is here! Oh wait, is my face, right?" Slender, pale hands reached up to the Hag's face, pressing and molding the flesh that seemed to make it up. Pressing the corners of the unmoving mouth into a grin, Iva shrugged. "Eh, good enough, good enough. Anu! Care to let me in? Or am I going to have to skip the pleasantries so early?"

Anu was in a poor mood of late. With the severing of the pact between herself and Dirka, she had found the blood magic scroll vanished from Osarion. She had grown fond of learning from the scroll and teaching her creations how to control the bodily liquid that flowed through them all. Her only saving grace was that she had consumed a great amount of its knowledge before it had been ripped from her grasp. It was now up to her and those that practiced the magic within her realm to achieve greater understanding of the subject, and to unlock its darker secrets. Dirka had benefited from Anu's pain, by not only taking the scroll but by also having taken the dragon. Though Anu had cursed her follower, she wanted nothing more than to inflict greater suffering upon her. The Goddess of Devilry was patient, and she knew that there would be a time when that day came, and she would act.

Lately she had been spending more and more time on reaching out to those who were ripe with sin. The Goddess took great pleasure in destroying the lives of the humans she inhabited and tempting those she deemed worthy with gifts. All these gifts and pacts only benefited her in the end, and new creatures were beginning to grow in the world. Her devilry was potent to the world's inhabitants, and everything it touched would warp to align with the order of chaos. From blood drinkers, to monsters of flesh, her agents were growing in strength and power. Even in Osarion, her armies were beginning to grow. Tirus, the Demon Prince of the forge was making great strides in unlocking the power of metal, and his forges burned at every hour of the day, deep in the mountain where the ore's ran thick. Soon she would create generals, and greater warriors for a grand genocide of all humanity. She did love toying with them, but in the end, they did not deserve to live.

Now it came as a great surprise when Iva'Krorh finally made an appearance before the blackened gates of her castle. It had been such a long time since she had received the letter from the Illuminator, and now the god was finally here.

A portal opened before Iva and from it came Anu clad in her infernal armor. She had a delightful smile upon her face.

She bowed slightly before looking at Iva, "Welcome to Osarion, sibling dearest. I've been expecting you for some time now. Come now, we have much to discuss and it’s been so long since I've had decent company." Anu mused. She noted the form Iva was wearing, a strange one, but she would say nothing but beckon him to follow her through the portal.

"Wonderful to see you again, Anu! I just had the loveliest party in White Dawn!" Iva laughed, as the portal opened and Anu stepped forth, clad in armor. "The old Kadisht was hilarious! Oh, he made the most pitifully amusing screams! Oh, when I get the time, I'm going to have so much fun playing with him." A curious thing, that armor. Did she really need it? Hoho, well, he wasn't saying anything.

The illuminator followed her through the portal when she beckoned him, shooing the Aho'Nohg away with a wave of her hand.

"Ah, but you probably don't care just yet, hee! I'll be sure to write down all the lovely unpleasant things I'll do to him later and send you a scroll of the most graphic details." He chuckled once more as he exhaled. "Apologies for taking so long. I had to babysit little Gammy and make sure White Dawn is functioning as it should. Wonderful work, he did for me, heh! Shall be easier to corral the little mortals now."

Straightening slightly, the Hag took a mildly more serious tone.

"Ah, Osarion is a marvel as always. But yes, onto the main discussion. I believe I promised you a Library full of tomes from Cy'Lathak."

She noted how Iva spoke such strange little words, ones that had no meaning to the Goddess of Devilry. She only knew of White Star being a part of Iva's realm, but nothing more than that. What even was a Kadisht? Well if it made Iva content then what more did, she need to know? Her sibling did love play things, after all.

The portal opened in the middle of a hallway, and once they were through it vanished, leaving the two gods at a cross walk. Directly in front of them was Anu's personal bed chambers, the large doors were opened wide, revealing a mass of Succubi enjoying themselves. Anu frowned, for sight was only a reminder of her recent loss and betrayal she still felt. Without saying anything, she turned around to face another door, this one closed. Her room's doors then shut with a large boom, leaving them in an eerie silence.

Anu broke that silence by speaking, "No apologies are needed, I understand completely. It seems we both have had unwanted guests as of late. Yours Gammation, mine Dirka. Here we are through all the same. If you look this way, I have arranged a room for your library to be housed, do what you will to make it work. As I recall, you seek my own knowledge to collect and catalogue. In return you would feed me any information upon this little assembly, but if you seek something else let it be known, I can be very accommodating if needed." she said slyly. "I must admit however, I have no yet been privileged with the presence of Gammation, and I do hope it never comes to pass, but my curiosity is peaked. Why corral the mortals when a simpler solution would be to just kill them? What can Law give besides rules to be broken?" Anu asked.

She then began to walk towards the door, and invitation for Iva to follow.

Iva followed, not saying anything about the scene in her personal chambers. They were wholly uninterested in such things.

"Ah, see," Iva replied with a sigh hoarse sigh. "Much like you, I hold no love for the mortals. Useful tools. Many hands make for quick work. And watching them squirm around for my amusement is quite fun!" Iva laughed. "Even better when they know they're being manipulated." Iva paused, the Hag running a hand through her oddly clean white hair.

"...but unlike you, we need Mortals." He continued in a more serious tone. "They fill the Library so nicely. Were we to kill them, it would curb their...potential to make something great? Generate new knowledge. Which brings me to our second request." Iva stopped following Anu, the back of his hands pressed together in an odd manner.

"We hold no illusions one day you will attempt to kill mortals." Continuing, he moved in front of Anu. "A simple request is what we want. We care not what happens outside of White Dawn or the Library, so kill all the ones you want. The day you do...leave White Dawn alone."

Anu continued towards the door, listening to Iva speak of the mortals being useful tools and his explanation for why he deemed them necessary for existing. She could have guessed as much, he was a god of knowledge after all, and humanity was proving themselves capable of learning. Much to her disgust. They arrived at the door post haste, and at the second request of Iva, Anu turned to look at the hag. Her expression was blank, before a mischievous smile crossed her lips.

"You mistake my hatred for mortal kind to envelope all of them. Dear Iva, I only care for wiping out any trace of humanity. But I can look away from White Dawn, it is so far away anyhow, and I barely have a foothold on this continent." she paused, tapping one finger to her chin. "Of course I won't touch your toys, but I do require something small in return. Let me explain my little predicament of late. You see, Dirka and I once had a pact, but she thought me weak and incapable. She used my sin curse to create abominations and then had the audacity to gift them to me. The envoy she sent with these beings was distasteful and a human to boot. As you can imagine, this offended me greatly, so I broke the pact and cursed her envoy. In retaliation, she took back her gift to me, a blood scroll filled with knowledge and magic. I want to make her suffer, Iva. So, I shall request this in return; I want to know her secrets and any information that I could use against her. Does that exchange sound fair?"

Anu then turned back to the door, and with a flick of the wrist, the doors opened to reveal an empty room that seemed to stretch on and on.

"Will this be satisfactory?"

"Hmm..." The hag tilted her head as Anu spoke. A deal with Dirka? A falling out? Any deal with Anu involved was shady at best, and one needed to be wary. Dirka was of a similar nature, if only because of her erratic behaviors. Understandable that the deal didn't last, then. At least they could be trusted to keep their end of a bargain, hee! Usually. That scroll Anu mentioned greatly intrigued them too. Nothing like it existed in the Library! Dear Dirka was holding out on them. Tsk, that wouldn't do at all.

"A fair deal, we accept." The hag replied as Anu came to a stop. "I have just the little former human in mind for this task." She chuckled darkly, spinning uneasily on her feet as the door opened. If all went well, the Dirka would be none the wiser for a long, long time.

"Oh..." Quickly changing subject, Iva gazed into the cavernous room. It seemed to stretch, on and on, farther than the eye could see. "Yes yes! This shall do nicely! The hag rushed into the room, quickly checking the dimensions and quickly formulating some plans.

"Will need...temporary portal...some Aho'Nohg to help move materials...stone and wood from the forest..." Reaching into the rags that she wore, the Hag, pulled out a vial full of a thick, silvery liquid as she continued to ramble, listing off various things she'd apparently need to complete the task. "No interruptions until I am done, dear Anu! Wouldn't want to...mess something up...hehehe! Ah, I'm so excited...!"

"Excellent. I am glad we can be so reasonable with one another." Anu mused. "I shall look forward to the first report. Now then, I shall leave you as requested. You'll find me across the hall when you are done." With that being said, Anu spun around and left Iva to create the library. With their new agreement, Anu was teeming with anticipation and for once she felt content. A feeling that had escaped her for a very long time. It was time to relax for a while and let Iva work.

She opened the doors to her chambers, and with a snap of her fingers, her armor began to fall off.

---

Oh, he hadn't created something like this since he had helped them! Iva dropped to the floor, kneeling upon the cold stone floor of the castle. She pulled the lid off the container for the substance, dipping her finger into it and coating her finger in the substance. A curious creation, this was. Created from their own heart! A quick path to power. A little touch of divinity. An easy way to connect oneself to the library, at some cost. A little loss of free will never hurt anyone.

Iva slathered the substance onto the floor, steady hand making a large circle on the stone as she shuffled across the floor.
"Trust Anu?!" She suddenly shouted. "Why of course not! Can't trust any of them. They'll all want us sooner or later...hee! That's why we're doing this!" Suddenly the hag stood, slathering her entire hand in the substance before making a long, seemingly random mark upon the nearby wall. "Ah, but Anu is useful...best not get on her bad side. Neutrality is best. We'll convince little Gammy and Hyperion to leave us alone next." A giggle. "No one would want their enemies to have you, my Library..."

More seemingly random conversation followed as Iva worked well into the night. Soon, the sound of construction could be heard from the room, more of the Aho'Nohg moved between the temporary portal from the forest to Cy'Lathak. The forest little Hayim made was a great boon, so many trees at their disposal now! So much to archive and catalog...experiment with. He'd love to have simply make an extension of the library itself. Create a rift in the building, so that one could simply walk until they reached the library itself...but it was not safe to do so. Not yet, and it'd require a bit more power than they were willing to give for now.

Shelves upon shelves of wood was brought from the frozen realm, all now being stacked high to the ceiling of Osarion. Pages and pages of thick tomes filled with knowledge straight from Cy'Lathak. Subjects of biology, sciences, human behavior...secrets that he had discovered from other gods. Tomes of magic, though few, would soon be expanded. Historical texts, and some musings on the Void. If Anu wanted to know something, it could be found here - and a storehouse for her own findings. Her own dark machinations and schemes. The Library would know. If she so elected to use it of course, but Iva truly hoped she did. It'd be a shame to let any knowledge be potentially lost or forgotten.

By the dawn of the next day, Iva had completed his work.

"Aaahh, that was fun!" Iva walked out of the room, a loud sigh of pleased success. The Lord of Knowledge looked even more disheveled than he ever did. Clothes stained with some of the silver substance. The Hag's hair was messier than usual, strands were stick out everywhere. Her odd, unmoving smile and unblinking gaze was the same as ever, though. "Anuuuu! Dearest beautifully dark sister, we are done!"

If ever Anu had cared for how long Iva would take, she never mentioned it, nor displayed impatience to her followers. Time was such an abstract concept for beings who would live forever, and this was no exception. She simply relaxed in the carnal desires of her succubi and pleasures of the flesh they provided. Such events could last for weeks without a single stop, for such was the way of those that sought pleasure over existence. Many of her servants would drop dead from exhaustion, long before they would ever quit before their God. Such was the price to pay for delights. And one could never truly satisfy the Goddess of Devilry, it was just her nature.

Now when Iva came calling, Anu knew the time for relaxation was over. Her anticipation to bear witness to the library was bubbling, for much like Iva, she coveted knowledge. For with knowledge there was secrets, and secrets could be used for wonderful things. The large doors opened, revealing Anu's naked figure walking towards Iva. Her long hair was a mess atop of her head, and she had a very amused smile upon her face.

"Iva." Anu began, "Dear Iva, I am so glad to hear it."Anu said as she walked up to Iva. She looked down at her sibling, then over to the Library's opened doors. Her excitement grew still, "I must see it, I must know it....Won't you show me your work?" Anu asked as she looked back at Iva.

"But where are my manners? You have worked so hard...Would you care for any refreshment? My blood wine is particularly good, if I must say so." she said.

"Ah, a drink after a long night of work! As it should be, heh!" Iva chuckled. "Bloodwine, hm? By all means, I am always ready for a bit of debauchery!" He would accept the gift, before heading back into the recently constructed library.

"Not much to be said about here, though!" Iva continued jovially. "Many tomes, copied and brought here from Cy'Lathak. What you do with it is entirely up to you!" The god spun on the spot, letting Anu take in the sight of it. The god had done its best to conform the library to look like the rest of Anu's domain. It was by no means as vast as the tomes within Cy'Lathak, but the dark oak that made the shelves were decorated regally as the rest of the castle. The shelves reached to the ceiling.

"Take the tomes as you will. Knowledge of the physical world and of the mind, the mundane beasts and the creations of our brother Naswaru are all here somewhere." Iva finished. . "What you do with it is entirely up to you...your demons are no doubt strong, but a weak mind will cause failure to more clever opponents. I would suggest perhaps, devoting a specific one to research to aid the rest of you."

She had graciously handed Iva the wine, which had been brought by a demon servant. A cross between a wolf and a man. That species had been most entertaining to make. She dismissed the servant and took a sip of the wine as she followed Iva into the library. The moment she stepped through the doors she was taken aback by how quickly it was created, and at the beauty of the craftsmanship displayed within. Most noticeable was the smell, it was pleasant to her senses, and reminded her of a dark forest. She then walked closer to the nearest bookshelf, marveling at how height it went up. Anu then caressed the wood, getting a feel of the grain, before moving on to stroke the books themselves. There was so many, each a tome full of knowledge, ranging from the most basic of subjects to topics most advanced.

She would spend a great amount of time in this library, but Iva's suggestion did not go on deaf ears. Another demon prince perhaps? Yes, that would work. But not know, soon. Very soon. "Demons and devils, they all have a purpose in Osarion. One will find purpose here, in time." she whispered.

Anu then turned back to Iva with a coy smile, "Beautiful...It truly is a work of art, Iva. The Ebony Castle shall grow from this." she paused in thought before continuing, "Tell me, what have you on our siblings? Where might I find such tombs? For academic purposes of course..." she finished speaking with a devilish smile.

"Hee." Iva tilted its head in amusement. "A curious, schema little question you ask, dearest sister." Iva chuckled lightly, taking a drink of the wine. Oh, it was certainly wonderful! He wanted some for his library now, hee. He'd have asked Anu how it was made, but no, he couldn't overplay his hand just quite yet.

"I do so love a good scheme! Often ends with a bit of blood! Death! Hanging a body from the ceiling by their intestines!" A mad giggle followed by a contemplative hum. "But yes. For academic purposes. I got a little carried away, hee!" He paused a moment, seemingly in thought. "If you want something more about one of our siblings specifically, I could...be convinced to find something up for you, for a price. Aside from our previous talk about Dirka." Taking a few steps closer, the Hag's ever-present smile seemed to promise great, terrible things. "...what is said knowledge worth to you, my darkest, dearest, Anu?"

There was always a price for knowledge, this Anu knew well. She sipped her wine, a crafty smile forming on her lips. Though Iva was, by all accounts, a crazed god, he still had his wits when it most mattered. For he was in a powerful position, this Anu also knew and she hated it, but there was nothing she could do, save rip out his chord. Such a thought was quite distasteful, for Iva was a guest, and Anu was a humble host. No, as unfortunate as it was, she would see would Iva wanted in return, so that she might gain something more. Was it not her place to know all secrets?

She spoke after a moment of thought, the smile never leaving her lips, "I desire to know all my sibling's secrets, Iva. Even yours. You know what I am, look around for it is painted quite clearly. I am the Devil, Iva, the one and only. None can be me, and none may know me. Is this not my nature? To learn of the darkest secrets our siblings keep locked away? So that I might bring about beautiful, carnal desire?" she paused, taking another sip before beginning again, "What is such knowledge worth to me you ask? It always has a price, I know this. I am willing to give much to obtain my goals, Lord of Knowledge. So, I shall ask you, dear Iva..." Anu moved closer to the Hag form of Iva, shrinking in size to match the same height.

"What is it you desire of me, Illuminator?" Anu whispered alluringly, reaching out to stroke the Hag's cheek. Anu's smile was warm, and her eyes were inviting as she looked at Iva. There was more than one way to get what was wanted, lack of trying was not an option for Anu.

The hag tilted its head to the side, seemingly unaffected by Anu's words. Despite her raggedy and craven appearance, the Hag's flesh was soft, almost unnaturally so. Pliable, as though it was made of something else other than flesh.

"How bold!" She chuckled, unblinking gaze fixed upon the Devil. "Asking me for my secrets...hee." There was no humor in that laugh. Just a cold, emotionless stare. "My my what do I desire? Knowledge? Ragnageddon to keel over and die? Freedom?" One of the hags bony hands shot up, grabbing Anu by the other cheek. "The chords of one of our siblings to play with? Tinker with? If we didn't like you so much, dear Anu...we might just take you for ourselves, hee!"

Pulling away from Anu, the Hag held her hands together.

"You get me one of those...and I'll trade you whatever information you desire about any of the other gods." That was certainly a monumental task. Something that not even Anu would be able to do so easily. Did Iva care? Certainly not. Whether she completed or failed, it didn't matter, or even if she didn't accept the deal.

If she did accept it, that would certainly give them time to gather the needed information.

The hag's touch was soft, softer than most, and even her cheek was unnaturally so, almost like clay. She would have said it was odd, but Iva was Iva. Anu also noted the lack of emotion when Iva spoke, had she sprung a nerve? Well it didn't matter to her. She enjoyed making her siblings react, even if their reaction was one of blankness. It still counted for something did it not? She let her hand drop to her side as Iva spoke.

The smile on her own face however, curled into a frown at the request of Iva. She could be angry at no one but herself, for she had asked Iva what the god desired. She had hoped it would be something simpler, even the pleasures of the flesh, but no, it was not to be. What Iva wanted would be no easy feat, by all accounts. Her thoughts briefly turned to the fear spiral, and the power it unleashed by merely attempting to get close to the tower. Then there was the other method, killing one of her siblings. Both would be difficult, but perhaps in time, an opportunity would present itself? The Goddess of Devilry was crafty after all, and patient.

After a moment of thought, she sipped her wine and smiled.

"I would except nothing less from you, Iva but I am flattered nonetheless. Such a task you set for me, such a task. It is a pity they are not easy to come by, but I shall accept this proposal. You shall have your divine chord, even if I must rip it out of one of our siblings myself. And when that day comes, I shall want what is owed in return. One chord, for all of their secrets."

Anu then outstretched her hand, a simple gesture, yet one that carried the weight of divinity.

"We have a deal!" Cackling madly, the Hag took Anu's hand in both of hers. "Yes yes yes! Wonderful!" A pact had been made. A dark, infernal thing that could spell trouble for the rest of the gods. Did Iva care? Not one bit. It'd mean more work for them; the library was already sifting through its store of knowledge for secrets, but such was fine.

Time meant little, to a god.

"Now if you'll excuse me, dearest Anu, I have a meeting with Ferron to set up! Ah, so much to do! so much to do so little time! Hehe! Anything else, Anu?"

The Goddess of Devilry looked down at Iva, Anu's eyes glistened with a predatory look, one that hungered but, in a flash, it was gone from her face. Replaced with a fake smile.

"There is nothing else, Iva. Do have a good trip to Ferron...His little shack holds many surprises." Anu began to withdraw from the Library, but stopped and looked back at the Hag, "Oh and do remember our other agreement. I'll be excepting information on a certain Goddess...Very soon. Goodbye sibling, I trust you can find your own way out." And with that said, Anu left, leaving the illuminator alone. There was much to do still.

@A Lowly Wretch

Hayim raced ever towards the glowing, piercing light. At his current distance, he could feel it burning into his newly formed retinas, the light being present even with closed eyelids. More than anything else, he wanted to simply stop, sit down, and remain silent. He still had no need to breathe, but he could feel his body growing more ragged with the exertion than it healed and powered up from the spire. His eight limbs flung forwards in a rough synchronization, a meager attempt to increase his already ludicrous (well... by his standard) speeds. The light grew closer, but at a pace that was far from encouraging. Hayim could feel the energy of the light burning him even more, digging in, planting its roots in his very being and replacing him.

And it was far from metaphorical. Hayim fell down on the branch, his tentacle having been caught on one of the numerous growths of bark. He didn't manage to release it in time, before another root broke off of the main branch, wrapping itself against another leg and constricting him to the branch.

It was far less distressing than it would have been to the old Hayim. Now it was more... Annoying? Too light of a description. Frustrating? Too rough.

An inconvenience. The fact that he was now being buried alive in branches and wood was an inconvenience.

Still, it was a welcome inconvenience. Hayim's limbs were so tired, his stamina depleted. He wished for nothing more than to simply allow his body to fade into unconsciousness. The darkness of closed eyes wasn't even that scary anymore - Hayim was not the large plant creature, sitting on a branch that was larger than hundreds of trees. He was the blades of grass, the trees in the forests, the berries that the Humans and Animals ate with such eagerness, the bits of bark that now restrained him to the branch and were steadily crushing his old body. He was the canopies that offered shade and refuge from the sun and rain, and he was the logs that were used to make the Human's huts.

He was now the world tree and, more importantly, he was the world itself. He almost lost his sense of self, almost forgot the reason he struggled so desperately to reach the light. The screams were a good reminder.

Hundreds of voices cried out in pain - if he included the plants and not just the animals and humans, then it would easily be in the millions. He could see it without his old eyes - the heated plasma against bark and leaves, the photoreceptors sensing a bright light before fading away. Cracking open the complex structure that was once his eyes, Hayim saw balls of blue light crashing through the Spire's forest - his forest, leaving massive trenches and trails of destruction in their wake. They passed away with expected ease, cascading towards his World Tree.

It, of course, did only superficial harm. The forest would grow back, as it did in response to any damage. It didn't matter how bad a forest fire was - they always died, and the plants were always replaced. The trees, thick enough to compare to the oldest trees in Tabrasa, simply grew back once more, the surviving trees appreciating the sudden space. Hayim's bloodshot eyes traveled to the impact point on his World Tree. Red Fruit hung from the sites, far too gargantuan to be any real thing... But the appearance reminded Hayim of something. Villages filled with fleshy Humans, a sweet interior that was filled with juices, seeds that would be planted for the future of the tribe.

Hayim's mind was more mature - he knew the strength of the spire, the futility of his mission to destroy it. The old Hayim was wrong - this was just like the fear spire, if not worse. At least the fear spire was kind enough to show its colors early - this thing was insidious, seeking out to strike Hayim from the roots, change his very being. It was cutting his branches, pruning his essence and filling the empty space with more of itself. He would be reduced to nothing more than an extension of his World Tree

Hundreds of voices spoke in Hayim's mind, all chattering at once, paranoia and fear running rampant. The last bits of his domain sensed their unhappiness, and Hayim suddenly felt something he had lost in his sudden growth. He spoke to the voices, his own so much stronger thanks to his spire's influence.

"Don't worry Humans - I'm here to save you. I promise we'll all eat fruits again, so please just stay calm."

Hayim opened his eye once more, just realizing that it had been closed for the last few minutes. The bark was completely covering his old body, and he was in what appeared to be a cocoon of wood. He reached deep into his well of Health, speeding up the growth of the shell of plant matter. His bark pierced his old tentacles, wrapped around his old head, constricted his old body to the point of breaking.

He fell through space, landing a few feet away from the base of a large tree. The familiar warmth of Akhuz beamed down on his old body as he laid in the meadows of eternity.

---

Hayim's senses were the first to go - almost as soon as he entered Akhuz, his knowledge of the plant's feeling and thoughts faded, as did his awareness of them. His old body was, once again, his only body. It was nowhere near as uncomfortable as it has once been, but he hoped that it would revert back to normal soon. He laid on the grass of Akhuz, lying beneath the Akhuz version of the World Tree. It grew much like it's real-world counterpart, but unlike the real world, these fields were endless. Hayim gently rubbed his tentacle along the grass, touching the numerous flowers that blessed Akhuz's surface.

Hayim looked through the tree, being careful to not actually enter the real world - chaos reigned in the forest, and he bore witness to the plant dragons flying through the skies and over the great canopy of trees. The assault on the forest did nothing, only increasing the potency of the forest. Did the spire extract the godly-essence in the dragon's attacks? Did it use the new space and wounds to explore different applications of its vegetative might? Or were the attacks simply draining the Spire's well of power faster than it otherwise would, and they were more effective then they appeared.

Hayim's eyes drifted to the fruit that hung from the world tree. Out of the Spire's influence, memories were much easier to access - those were the same fruits he had given to a northern tribe of humans only a few weeks prior. A tribe that was composed of mothers, fathers, and children. A community that was ransacked by Ragnagedon's forces, his cult of human followers.

Humans that Hayim could not save.

Hayim lay at the base of the World Tree of Akhuz, tears gently falling from his yellow eyes, waiting for his strength to return and to give aid to the humans thar praised his name.

---

The Betrayed II

---

Our exile is long and fraught with hardship each passing day. We have to flee fast and far, the Fire-Spawn's words cannot be trusted. Their madness, her inhumanity, will not allow them to live contently with what they have conquered so far. The people they murdered along the way were only just the beginning. I know this, for their powers will lead them down a twisted path of misuse. They will kill for the thrill of it, and revel in those they burn alive. It makes me sick just thinking about it, but it also fuels my body to fight another day. For that, I hate myself.

My band is large, perhaps the largest that now remains, and we are heading south. To unknown lands. There we might seek refuge for awhile, and grow our strength, maybe even find allies. Rowri says he once met a traveler that had come from the south. He said the man was colored a dark tan, like that of a deer. When asked why he was darker then us, he laughed and pointed up at the sun. The man went on to say the lands down south were warmer, but also full of danger. When Rowri asked him about what dangers there could possibly be, the man looked grave and said no more. I don't know what to think about that, but for the future of our band, we must press on.

Many look to me for guidance now, and I wish they did not. I am no leader, no great chief, I have not even taken a wife. Yet, many of the warriors turn to me to give direction, and follow me without questioning if I am leading them to death. I doubt myself, even now. But a small part of me hopes I am doing the right thing, and if they follow me, then I will lead them. It is dark now but tomorrow I will teach the boys who have lost their fathers, to hunt. They are scared, like all of us, but when I look at them I only see the future. They must learn, even as we flee our home. We could all die tomorrow, leaving them with nothing. Another thought I cannot bear, so I will do this, like their fathers would have. They must learn, for one day, they will teach their own children. This gives me hope every time I shut my eyes to welcome the nightmare.

---

Undeath I

---

Tiok was thirsty, so desperately thirsty. His throat felt as dry and parched as a desert, and his belly felt as if it was eating itself. He struggled against the chains again, but he was weak and even when had been strong, he had not been able to do anything. Even with his new strength.

He had awoken several days ago, before a figure sitting upon a throne of skulls. Human skulls. The first thing he felt was thirst, then an emptiness inside of him, something he could not explain. He didn't know what to feel about it. He had been chained then too, but on either side of him were two demonic creatures holding the ends of the chains. Like he was some sort of animal. Dangerous.

Why was he chained? He looked up at the figure again, she was unearthly beautiful and her crimson eyes bore deep inside of him. Tiok begin to speak, only to find himself hit on the back of the head. He barely felt the pain, but grew annoyed. He turned back around to see another demon, wielding a strange weapon. It looked like an ax head, but far larger, had been fitted upon a staff of wood. The demon snarled at him, and Tiok turned back around to face the figure.

She spoke then, her voice alluring, like whispers all around him speaking in layered tones. "Pets are not to speak unless spoken to. Now, do you know who I am?"

He knew the voice, it was the same one that had come through Grambo's mouth. It was all coming back to Tiok now, like a flood breaking through a dam. He had been weak and broken then and he wanted to be strong, so that he could get revenge upon the men who killed...Dratiri!

Tiok began to panic as he remembered her death and how she was gone when he came too. He spoke frantically, forgetting what the figure had said, "Dratiri! Oh no, oh no! Where is she! What have you done with her!" he began to rise but was quickly hit again. Tiok growled, something he knew not he was capable off. But he shrugged it off as he remembered his goal, he had to find her body! He had to take her body to Ahael! He had to save her soul!

"Dratiri? Oh...you mean the human girl? She is not far, little one. Only look and you shall see." Anu pointed laughing, and Tiok followed, his eyes going wide. Dratiri's body was strewn upon a massive spike, jetting out above a large pool of blood. He wanted to wretch at the sight, but there was nothing in him to throw up. But he did have anger, an uncontrollable rage began to boil inside of him and it burst. He roared defiantly, then stood with blinding speed. Far too fast for the demons, and Tiok then pulled upon the chains, sending both demons colliding into each other as he jumped backwards, over the other demon. Before the one with the pike could react, he punched it from behind. There was a sickening crack as bone broke as it flung forward crashing into the other demons.

Now free, Tiok took one look at Anu, to find the Goddess smiling at his defiance.

He screamed before flinging himself at her, fists clutching the chains to use as weapons. Time seemed to slow down momentarily, Anu was still smiling and Tiok was fast approaching, now swinging his arms down to strike her. Then Anu's eyes moved to look at Tiok, and in that moment, he knew it was over.

The Goddess grabbed him in an instant, and slammed him down into the ground, shattering the stone with the impact. Tiok gasped loudly as he felt multiple bones break. The force of the impact felt akin to a mountain bearing down onto him. He could not move in her grip, but only watch as she shook her head.

When she spoke, her voice was no longer alluring, but full of anger. "Such defiance, over what? A dead girl? You no longer have need of such a want. She is dead. Gone. You are alive because I allowed it. You have been given your gift, because I wanted it. To even think of striking me... I should kill you. But what purpose would that serve? Your soul belongs to me, after all. No... I am a benevolent God, death is not an option. But punishment is in order... Yes... Until you submit completely my little blooddrinker, you shall be punished."

He tried to struggle, tried to speak, but could not. The next thing he knew, he was chained again. This time by the legs, arms, and a metal collar was placed upon his neck. Then the Goddess had him suspended above the blood pool, right next to Dratiri. Both things he could not have, but so desperately needed.

He was forced to watch her corpse rot, a pain beyond pain. Yet still worse was his thirst, growing every day. But Tiok would not yield to Anu, he would have rather died then submit to her will. His fate was against him however, for even as Tiok grew weaker, he felt no closer to death then he did at all times. He was no longer human but a 'blood drinker' as Anu had called him.

Soon a choice would have to be made. Suffer eternally as a prisoner, or suffer as a slave. Both options were as equally horrifying.

Ferron & Iva @Rune_Alchemist
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After leaving Anu's castle, Iva swiftly called one of the Aho'Nohg. Ah, so tired after all this. He should return to White Dawn and have a bit of relaxation, but no. No rest for him as long as there was something else to discover. Things to do. Things to build! Bargains to make. Hm, hm, how to converse with Dirka? Perhaps little La-Zha heard something when she was training. They'd need to ask For now, however, the Illuminator set his path towards Ferron and his castle. He had many thigns to discuss, and a great many hands for help in his endeavor. A trade he was sure Ferron would be interested in. If not? Well, he'd just haggle a bit. They were quite confident in their ability to do so.

Reaching the Deep Castle did not take Iva more than it should take a god, though this time he took a slightly different form. That of the Scholar, feeling slightly more agitated than before. He landed in front of the dirt hovel that served as the entrance to Ferron's realm. How unbecoming of a god, but perhaps he shouldn't judge, heh! Sending away the black winged creature, Iva entered.

Ah, his robe was going to get dirty, and not in the fun way. The illuminator quickly found the false door, descending down, down, into the depths to where the sentinels and golems were. So tiring. Ah, sometimes he wished he could pull a page from Dirka's book and pop into and out of existence, wherever he wanted. Would suit him far better than her anyways. Hmph, didn't have any idea how to properly use what she had.
Hmhm. Quickly getting back on track, the Illuminator impatiently and swiftly moved, ignoring all of the sentinels on watch. He had nothing to say or do with mindless creations.

Not even fit for an ornament.

The golems reacted to the presence of the scholar as he walked through the cavernous room. At first, they merely shifted their heads to watch him. As he started to move towards the center of the room, the golden golem walked in front of him and slowly reached his hand as if to motion him to stop.

"What's this?" Iva laughed. "This little golem thinks to stop me? ME!?" He chuckled merrily, before promptly whacking it with his cane. "Out of my way you mindless golem! Or bring Ferron here! He began walking once again, sidestepping the golem.

In response to the intrusion, the golems hit one of their metallic hands against their chests, and begin to move with unnatural speed for their size. The gold and silver golems quickly repositioned themselves in front of the giant stone door, while the iron and bronze golem moved to block the staircase. All of the golems then raised their hands forward as to motion the stranger to stop.

Ferron immediately became aware of someone trying to assault his castle. He had just resolved his current situation, and now he must immediately handle another situation. He moved into the earth and began to quickly move towards his realm.

"Annoying!" Iva grumbled. Bah, if only they weren't mindless drones he could move them aside so very easily. "Can't even talk! Your creator must have rock for brains, hmph!" As much as he wanted too, though, he couldn't make the mistake of affronting Ferron too terribly. He was here to do business, after all, and this should be almost enough to get the other gods attention. This little stalemate would likely continue until Ferron showed up.

After a few more moments, Ferron arrived. He emerged from one of the side walls of the cavern, walking forward to meet the intruder. At first, he was guarded, but he saw that it was merely Iva. "Brother, why did you attack my guardians." , he said in a monotone voice.

Iva tossed a animal skin full of water at one of the golems, just as Ferron made his appearance.

"...Ah, Ferron!" Noticing the other God, Iva turned to face the lord of Metals and craftwork. "Just the god I wanted to see! Never mind that, it was the quickest way to speak with you, hee!" He laughed, flipping his cane in his hand and leaning on it. "How fare thee? I just returned from Osairon. Lovely weather this time of year, not nearly as beautiful as she who inhabits it!"

The golems returned to their position. Ferron simply looked at his brother, and paused. His face was still obscured by his cloak. "If you say my name in their presence, they will summon me. There is no need to strike at them. However, I did need to see you about some recent events." He waved his hands, and the giant stone doors opened into a room constructed of bronze. He walked towards his castle, "Lets have this conversation somewhere more comfortable. Please do not break anything."

"But I was bored. Not very fun, are they? Maybe make them dance or something." Iva mused, following Ferron into the room of bronze. Quite a wonder. Good. Excellent. This seemed like more and more a good idea. "Me? Break something? I am not Ragnageddon. I only break things when I find it serving a purpose." Pausing, the White Star took a moment to think.

He wanted to see him too, how quaint.

"That aside, dearest metallic brother..." Iva chuckled. "What business do you have with me? Perhaps we can make a trade of sorts?"

Ferron removed his earthern cloak and placed it on a rack close to the door. He waved his hand over the floor, and two chairs formed from the floor itself. As he sat down, a table appeared between the two chairs. Once Iva entered the castle, the doors begin to close behind him. "Please, don't mind the doors. I wish to keep this conversation private. If you will deal fairly, and respect that somethings should not be discussed outside of this castle, then I believe we can have a very fruitful exchange." he said, pausing to see Iva's reaction.

"Of course, of course!" Iva replied, making an exagerated bow as the doors closed behind him. "I know the value of knowledge and secrets far more than any other god, after all, haha!" Taking a seat where indicated, the lord of knowledge rested one of his elbows on the table in a relaxed, mildly impatient seeming fashion.

"But do lets hurry, hmm? We're both busy gods, so let us get down to business."

Ferron nodded, "Of course. Allow me to start with non-secretive request. Should any other god inquire about our meeting, this is the only I have requested. I have created a colony of my creations, the dwarves, in a nearby mountain. I ask that you establish a library, as well as teach my dwarves a written language so that they may benefit from such a building. I have already constructed a building to serve this purpose, however recent events have damaged much of the colony. I will be willingly to help with any needed repairs."

Ferron paused for just a moment, and continued "As for the secretive request, I will be willing to compensate you for an ongoing investigation of divine chords and any past or future spire event. I will be willingly to aid you, however I do not wish to directly connect myself to such a project at this time. Our siblings can be quite reactionary, and may not understand why certain actions may be taken in pursuit of this knowledge. As a sign of good faith, I will share some of the information that I have gathered regarding the spires. It will also explain my newfound interest in divine chords. I have sent one of my constructs to gather information about this phenoma, and have found that both spires that have appeared were growths from the earth core. I withheld this information after the first spire as I was unsure if it was an isolated incident, but now I believe that these spires are the key in order to unlock the mystery of the earth's core, and they seem intristinically linked to divine power. While I alone hold claim to the earth's core, should you assit me in this matter I will gladly share with you all of its secrets, as well as generously reward your efforts."

"I see, I see, a library!" How unfortuante. Not in the fact he was upset that he could be spreading knowedlge, but because he had less to bargain with for his own personal matter if this was what he was already asking for in return for the information of the chords. Ah, regrettable, he'd need to think of something else. "Yes, my Aho'Nohg have mentioned the spires to me. Curious artifacts I would very much like to study."

However, at the same time, this request was a welcome boon. If he had two different gods potentially supplying him with study materials over the spires and chords.

Heh.

"We are pleased with these terms and accept them! We will not divulge such information to others." He chuckled. "Eaten, locked away! Perhaps never to even be seen again, just like the old Kadisht, haha!" Jumping up from his seat, Iva bolted over to Ferron, placing his hands on his chest.

"Now for my request. Make no mistake, I realize its going to be asking quite a lot from you, brother dearest, but I desire an amicable and long relation with you!" How truthful was that statment? Even they couldn't say.

"I desire help, building a grand dwelling for White Dawn." Iva pulled away from the god of metal, twirling the cane in his hand and turning back to the table. "A palace befitting of one such as myself, a relam that is cut off from the rest of the world. Impregnable and unable to be gotten into from the outside without my or the residents permission."

He pulled a single, large scroll from his sleeve, placing it on the table.

"Construction plans, dearest brother." Upon it was written what seemed to be an undertaking for the ages. Large, stone walls, extending all the way around White Dawn without even a single entrance. A pristine palace fit for a god themself, all made of items from the physical realm. Advanced construction techniques that no one other than he currently had access too. The dialogue was written in the same runes Iva had developed and used for White Dawn, but the majority seemed to be drawings, diagrams.

"I am willing to share with you, all the secrets of building. Construction. Advanced physics. I'll even tell you how you can safely travel the sea with nothing but wood and a bit of cloth! You could build a stone spire reaching to the heavens themselves with this! But only if you'd want to make the other gods jealous, haha!" Pausing, Iva slid the plans over to Ferron.

"And who knows, haha! Maybe in the process your dwarves will learn something new!" Taking a more serious tone and straightening his posture, he fixed the other god with his faceless visage. "This will be a massive undertaking. Would likely require quite some time, heh...as such if those terms are unnaceptable, I am willing to negotiate a bit."

Ferron waited patiently for Iva to finish her speech. He carefully looked over the plans, and while he did not outwardly show it, he was interested in this project. He paused for a moment, "I would be happy to oversee the creation of this palace, however as you said, this will be a massive undertaking. I can not immediately commit myself to this project, however I believe we can begin the primary work. This will require a lot of preparation, and I can send an initial team of three dwarves and several constructs to ensure that everything will be ready by time I am finished with my other matters. Is that argreeable to you?"

"Of course, of course." Iva replied. "I expected it would take time! Send them as you would, then! I suppose I need to return to White Dawn myself, for a bit." Iva chuckled, long, bony fingers running over the top of the cane. "...last time I left them, they got a little too arrogant. Made a lovely coat of red coloring though, hah! If that will be nothing more, brother Ferron I shall return here after a brief return to White Dawn."

Ferron waved his hand, and the great stone doors open. As they did, Bishop entered carrying the chest that he brought from the plant spire. Ferron called to Iva, "If you do not mind, I will need to return to the dwarven colony in order to ready the library for you, as well as gather the team. I believe it will be more approriate if we were to meet there." . He said, as a sheet of metal formed from the table in front of him. It passively lifted and it floated towards the god of knowledge, "There is a map in case you are unaware of its location."

"Ah, wonderful. A map!" Iva took the sheet of metal, touching the metal reverently for only a moment. "Ah, such a wonderful thing, something not created by our own, hehe! I think I'll put it right in the entry hall." With gruff chuckle, the Illuminator turned to leave as he tucked the metal map under his arm. "Then we shall meet you there within three cycles of the heavens!"

He had to come up with an entirely new writing system! How fun!

---

---

As the three serpents and their forces continued to bombard the ever growing forest from a far, they would suddenly be greeted by a familiar face. Dra was the first to look behind him, noting the God of Souls who was also going to give his all for this battle.

"A long time it has been, Azhriel," he'd respond, "We will need all the help we can get to have a chance in defeating this vile spire."

Yet soon, all three dragons would suddenly begin to feel a force coming from within the spire itself. Something was within this spiraling rock - one who wielded immense power and is trying to combat it for dominance. It must certainly belong to a god... but the question is who in particular?

---

---

Hyperion was pleased that she agreed to his wishes. At first, he wasn't so sure if Dirka would agree to it, knowing how secretive most of her projects can be. But then again, his purpose was no less secret than any of her's. He rises from his throne, grasping his lance as he thunders down from his glorious throne. With that, he motions two of his elite paladin guards to escort he and his fellow goddess. The Mad Magician would then ask what they should start doing first.

"I suggest we find this demi-god of yours, first." he responds bluntly, "Take me to him."

@Lmpkio

Dirka jumped looked at him with a crooked smile. "I'll do one better!" She snapped her fingers and her son popped into existence, in mid air. He fell face first on the floor, then looked at his mother and Hyperion with a roll of his eyes. She glared at him for that. "Brother, meet my foolish and now cursed son. Rescorje, meet your uncle. He's going to teach you manners!" She went over and helped him up, before smacking him upside the head. "And I know damned well what you were doing, so let's not pretend you can get away with it. So, brother, how would you like to do this? I give him to you, and I do your little project, or both of us on one subject at a time?"