[OOC] Divinus: The God RP, Mk. III. Finished in Record Time™!

[Cyclone]

Round two!

@Darkspleen for Phystene

Hider

~soon

edit: lol this clown is never gonna see me sneak this in the day after...Hey, you there! Yeah, you! Don't tell Spleen!

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Obligatory nitpicking: "She has the power to change the form and function of any plant and can create entirely no forms of plantlife." Wow, what a useless Portfolio.

In all seriousness though, Plants is a solid Portfolio. Your powers will give you things to do and are in line with what we'd expect from a goddess of plants, and there are some clear Clusters to gun for.

The World Tree is pretty neat, too. I like its effect on Galbar and its various natural connections. One thing that I'm left wondering is whether it's visible from Galbar, and if so, in what manner.

The persona creates plot arcs through her opposition to would-be warlords and destroyers of nature, fulfilling a much-needed niche in stymieing some of the evil machinations brewed up by the gods of moral turpitude.

Overall it's quite good! I wish I had more to say, but there's not much that I can think to critique or suggest.

Sheet approved.

@Aristo for Aelius

Hider

Why can't Apollo this dude wear a loincloth as he chokeslams ugly gremlins?

In all seriousness, I'm glad we have your character. I was high-key pushing for a sun god, and it's always nice to have a bombastic cocky hero of a guy to counterbalance the evil masterminds and insidious plotters.

My Co-GMs each suggested that your Portfolio seems very broad and potentially suboptimal, probably better used as a Cluster, but I'm made aware that they already told you this. They said that you're aware of the downsides of taking such a broad Portfolio and still want to work with, so by all means go ahead. None of us feel strong enough about it to stop you. It'd be nice if you went into more depth and detail on what this Portfolio actually lets Aelius do, though. Thus far we only have the somewhat vague lines, " As their god, he bestows the knowledge and will to live by them. To those that violate his portfolio and turn to vice, he punishes with the firm hand of an arbiter."

Concerning your Sphere, I like it. It's the sun, but it's also a grand city. Its effects upon the rest of the cosmos are obvious and good, and it's thematically fitting even though Aelius isn't a god of fire or heat.

As I previously alluded to, the persona is also a good one to have; with one like that I have no doubt that you'll find plenty to write about, especially given that you and Octopus already have the solar furnace plot cooked up. Big stamp of approval!

Sheet accepted.

[Slime]

@BBeast@Cyclone

Very late reply, but I'll have Abanoc make a gateway to his Sphere in Galbar after he's done setting up the Observatory. That'll probably take a while given that I'll have to build a monument pretty early on to help him observe Galbar since Mutton already said he can at best see half of it from his Sphere. Rodent already said he'd help me build it too. I don't know what Abanoc can do to help form Galbar though.

[Doll Maker]

Ekon

Ekon | The Crawling Terror |Fear God

The Ugly Underbelly

Sitting pretty, beneath a cobalt sky resides Ekon’s domain. Heavily peppered with vibrant stalks of green grass from its rolling hills to open plains. It is a seductive oasis that beckons with the inviting warmth of a yellowed orb above. Groves of trees bearing fruit stand mightily over the expanse, offering their labor to any passersby. Pools of water dotted throughout its landscape tease with the promise of relief. Even the winds smell of sweets, bidding guests to stay a little longer. Unspoiled by progress, one could almost get lost in its sheer vastness and lack of any significant landmarks. Though, idealistic it is a celluloid paradise that unravels with time, all the while exposing its guests’ deepest fears.

Ekon’s sphere reveals its true self through trickery, toying with its guests like a toddler. Fields of emerald suddenly appear barren and flat, before returning to their sunnier appearance. Fresh fruit withers within seconds of being plucked, worms exploding from it shortly thereafter, only for it to vanish entirely. Old fears dead and buried, arise without provocation or reason, summoned forth by the sphere’s magic. Whether that be some horrifying creature of the victim’s imagination, a resurfacing of a petrifying phobia, or the suppressed fear of a loved one’s imminent demise. All terrors emerge within his realm. Despite appearances, these frightful phantasms are illusions spawned from the mind. A Fitting albeit cruel reflection of a deity born to sow dread.

The true face of the Fear God’s sphere is that of an uninspired wasteland, lightly seasoned with desiccated plant life. Illuminated only by the slivers of light offered by perpetually cloudy skies. The land seemingly stretches into infinity, with only a single mountain at its center. Atop its jagged crown stands a lone tower, battered by age and painted black. Its inky surface barely visible against the domain’s dimly backdrop. From this rotted construct, the infantile Fear God rules over his empty kingdom.

It should be noted that Ekon is not tied to his terrible sanctuary, it simply mimics him much like the “homes” of his fellow god’s imitate them. Though, his realm is not entirely self-contained either for its effects can be felt throughout Galbar, particularly when someone is alone. You could say his territory “bleeds” fear that seeps into Galbar’s vast landscape, saturating its inhabitants. Whether it be a familiar “cry” from a darkened cave or the glimpse of some horrible thing in the dark. Travelers emotions will race when they find themselves lost, ever heightened by an unseen forcing tugging at their heartstrings. Indeed, even those outside of the realm are not free from its taint.

Borders:

Sandwhiched betwixt The Palace of Dreams and Sheol Ekon’s hideaway is buried far beneath the rock and soil that makes up Galbar. Due to its infectious quality, The Ugly Underbelly poisons its surrounding with terror. By that same token this very trait also makes it vulnerable to the tampering of its neighboring realm. Of the two spheres Ekon's shares his closest connections with the demon realm. United by an elaborate tunnel system, The Underbelly is also home to the things that make up Sheol.

Lower Chthonic

Fear

Before Ekon, mortal hearts weep with dread. King and peasant alike falter, driven to their knees by an ever-escalating horror they cannot fathom. Knights clad in iron wielding weapons of steel shiver and shake, their armaments rendered useless. Childhood dreads long since conquered, return with a renewed potency. Phobias manifest, terrorizing the innocent and guilty alike for fear cares not for the morality of men, only to spread endlessly across creation. Even titanic monsters of supernatural ancestry cower before dread’s might. Terrible though this emotion may be, it can also be harnessed for a person’s betterment. In fact, if someone is willing, they can master their fear, reshaping it to temper their ego. Nevertheless, fear is inescapable, and no matter how hard mortals try they can never outrun it.

Chief amongst Ekon’s power is his ability to rip the fear from a creature’s soul, granting it a new existence. As a corporeal entity freshly realized, the horror lives to torment its former host. Controlled by the Fear God’s will alone, he derives pleasure from the agony he inflicts upon others through their “demons.” Unlike his domain where the manifestation is, but an illusion these creations are tangible, though limited in their lifespan.

Neutral Evil

Despite his mantle of godhood, it is beneath Ekon to flaunt terror’s majesty. Instead, he prefers a subtle approach, by guiding his victims into the maws of despair. Aware that mortals are ambitious beasts, he implores them to delve further until they are ensnared. He delights in the madness that results from a people gripped by fear, and his actions demonstrate this. Through his manipulations he cultivates and terrifies, not only exploiting man’s fear of the unknown, but of themselves. It is to the people that harness their dread that Ekon considers the greatest prey.

Childishly eccentric, Ekon belies his mantle as the God of Fear. He speaks immaturely, describing blood-soaked conflicts as “Da big kapow kapow” and roaring monstrosities as “snarlies”. His appearance is likewise juvenile, with a wide smile forever stapled to his face. Wars and conflicts are games, and the many deaths they cause simple losses on some unseen scoreboard. Referring to the fear god as strange is an understatement. Even dire situations are greeted with a sunny attitude, leading others into thinking him insane, an idiot, or, a child.

Contrary to what onlookers may suspect, he’s quite aware of how inexplicable his behavior appears to others. In fact, he is quite effective in using it to lull friend and foe into a false sense of security. Much like his realm, he expertly uses people’s preconceptions against them. Though he is by no means dumb and is fully aware of times where decorum is needed. Whenever he wishes to be taken seriously, his extroverted childishness is severely neutered. His speech more erudite and his various quirks largely absent.

Appearance/Form:

Ekon

Musical Theme:

Ekon

The Ugly Underbelly

Entropic, entropic

[Cyclone]

@Lmpkio for Sartravius

Hider

As I said for Nepja's review, I'm a fan of Norse mythology so when I see a spin on Surtr and Muspelheim, I like. I really don't have too much to say about your sheet.

The Sphere is thematic and fitting, and I like how it isn't a lifeless inferno. Bringing volcanic activity to Galbar's surface as well as warmth are also good effects to have; I'd have suggested you might also play off the emotional side of heat by making Muspellsheim's essence occasionally drive someone into a fit of rage or irrationality, but the Pit already does that. No matter; perhaps old Travis will still make a holy order of berserkers! One thing that we GMs would like to see more of is more details about the natural connections to Niflheim and the rivalry there, but perhaps you two were wanting to explore that IC.

Heat is a good Portfolio, though admittedly somewhat broad. Your abilities make sense and it's ultimately fine as you have it, but if you haven't considered it yet, I'll posit to you the idea of starting with something more specific like Fire or Volcanos, and eventually taking Heat or something along those lines as a Cluster. Up to you; just remember that specific Portfolios are allowed to be more powerful than broad ones.

As far as persona, you can join the (trio?) of angry griefers; you've got Orvus, Narzhak, and maybe even Mel to smash things with! I don't think you'll run out of stuff to do, but eventually I hope you'll find something for Sartravius to do beyond sulking or rampaging; too much of that from a main character can get stale after a while. But the fact that you mention him having worshipers and life in his Sphere indicates that you're thinking about having Sartravius take on some more creative pursuits as well, which I like.

One last note: just be aware that at the beginning, you can only have one form. I think we've already told you this and IIRC you affirmed that the dragon and armor forms will come about later when Sartravius buys them with MP, but I just wanted to reiterate to make sure we're all on the same page.

Sheet accepted!

[Lmpkio]

As I said for Nepja's review, I'm a fan of Norse mythology so when I see a spin on Surtr and Muspelheim, I like.

@Cyclone

You can thank God of War for introducing me to the REAL world of Norse Myth.

I'd have suggested you might also play off the emotional side of heat by making Muspellsheim's essence occasionally drive someone into a fit of rage or irrationality, but the Pit already does that.

@Cyclone

Yeah I would love to dive into that mindset - but since the Pit does it already, like you said, it won't be. Although perhaps I could say that some of the Pit's angst does seep into Muspell once in a while, but it might be redundant.

No matter; perhaps old Travis will still make a holy order of berserkers!

@Cyclone

Oooooooooh - I will definitely make Berserkers for him.

One thing that we GMs would like to see more of is more details about the natural connections to Niflheim and the rivalry there, but perhaps you two were wanting to explore that IC.

@Cyclone

Once I get in good contact with Jepisepter, we will definitely flesh it out.

Heat is a good Portfolio, though admittedly somewhat broad. Your abilities make sense and it's ultimately fine as you have it, but if you haven't considered it yet, I'll posit to you the idea of starting with something more specific like Fire or Volcanos, and eventually taking Heat or something along those lines as a Cluster. Up to you; just remember that specific Portfolios are allowed to be more powerful than broad ones.

@Cyclone

I'll keep it as is for now. However, one other portfolio I consider getting is forges (since his heat does make and create metals), for the mortals to make axes and tools. This can be good for the creation of Berserkers actually.

As far as persona, you can join the (trio?) of angry griefers; you've got Orvus, Narzhak, and maybe even Mel to smash things with!

@Cyclone

Fucking sold. You know he's gonna join them.

I don't think you'll run out of stuff to do, but eventually I hope you'll find something for Sartravius to do beyond sulking or rampaging; too much of that from a main character can get stale after a while. But the fact that you mention him having worshipers and life in his Sphere indicates that you're thinking about having Sartravius take on some more creative pursuits as well, which I like.

@Cyclone

Oh definitely I got other plans than simple destruction. Again, getting the forges portfolio will open up some cool possibilities. We'll see what else happens along the lines and go from there.

One last note: just be aware that at the beginning, you can only have one form. I think we've already told you this and IIRC you affirmed that the dragon and armor forms will come about later when Sartravius buys them with MP, but I just wanted to reiterate to make sure we're all on the same page.

@Cyclone

That dragon form might be his avatar actually. I feel that dragon can act also as a guardian of the volcanic portal into Muspellheim.

[Kho]

Seihdhara, Bear Mother

𝔖 𝔢 𝔦 𝔥 𝔡 𝔥 𝔞 𝔯 𝔞

_{Were the aggression of some not repelled by means of others, destruction would surely lay claim to all things.}

_{T I T L E S}

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Seihdhara of the Red Hair, The Crimson Goddess, The Bear Mother, The Sanguine Protector

_{G E N D E R}

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Female

_{A L I G N M E N T}

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Neutral Good

_{V I S A G E}

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Standard Appearance

Seihdhara generally takes on the form of a tall, well-built woman. Her hair shifts from dark, sunset orange to a deep, red-brown. Her eyes too shift, from a light green peppered with turquoise and elements of darker green, to a very light honey-like brown. Her complexion is generally olive and freshly-sun-kissed due to her being frequently out and about. Muscular enough to look fairly robust and like she means business in a fight (which she does, and you better know it).

She's no stunner, but smiling comes easily to her - a broad, hearty smile, flashing teeth, that quite easily explodes into a laugh - and she has a pretty enough face (and given her tendency to rolls about in the hay with whoever strikes her fancy, it helps). Her athletic physique is an unabashed celebration of power, sensuality, and the primed feminine form. She flies in the face of the petite, shy, helpless, and virginal little girl (indeed, she physically dwarves near anybody). It makes her less woman more monstrosity in the eyes of some - but what does she care for Cyclone? them?

She sports a tattoo on her back, perfectly in the middle, beginning just below her shoulder blades its centre along her spine, and stopping short of her tailbone. She has another on her periumbilical region representing a mother bear. On the back of her left hand is the Sign of the Warrior, while the palm of her right hand sports the Sign of the Mother.

She tends to be dressed in a loosely tied sleeve-less leather jerkin and a kilt, both light brown to orange. Her hair is a mess of tousled tresses while others have various beads and bits of jewellery tied into them. When necessary, she ties it back in a rough bun to keep it out of her eyes and face. When she actually takes the time to take care of herself properly, she gets to braiding it. Mortal icons of her tend to depict her with long braided hair. When staying in the company of mortals, Seihdhara has no issues with conforming with more conservative dress codes - this is not out of any respect for arbitrary laws or customs or whatnot, she just enjoys getting into the ways and clothes of whoever she happens to be staying with. A simple necklace of red and yellow beads hangs at her neck.

_{S P H E R E}

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TYPE: Celestial
NAME: The Seal
DESCRIPTION: From Galbar, the Seal appears as a fiery nebulous cluster boasting a constellation of stars, which come together to take on the appearance of a great fiery comet tail, or perhaps it is the celestial reflection of Seihdhara's flaming hair whipping across the heavens and visible from horizon to horizon. From within the Sphere, the vastness of space and the Great Dark and the stars can readily be seen, as well as the numerous other Spheres - the closest of which is the desolate Sphere of Veradax.

The Seal, unusually for the Sphere of a goddess of combat, blooms with life. Water dripping down from the World Tree is carried by clouds from So'E into the Seal, bringing with it life. This, along with light from the Lustrous Garden and Heliopolis shining upon the Seal, means that both light and water are available in abundance. Mixing with Seihdhara's natural energy and life, her Sphere blooms and all within it -from plants to animals - compete to become stronger and more majestic and glorious. Trees grow thick and streams flow in the Seal, flowers fight for sunlight and fruits hang lusciously from fruiting trees. Seihdhara's Sphere is saturated with an electric energy and hotness that lights up the fires of ambition and life within all who enter, inspiring them to great feats while within.

This energy is so great that souls rising up to be burned in the Sky of Pyres are empowered by it and given a renewed will to live, and so those souls whose true potential is unlocked by these fires of life and ambition can resist the rise and instead make for the Seal. If they reach it, they are granted the opportunity to struggle for life anew and glory on Galbar.

While Seihdhara's natural passion, optimism, and liveliness are an important factor in bringing about these potent positive energies, they are in no small way bolstered by the Horizon Grotto and Heliopolis. The blood-red and fiery light of these two meets and mixes with the flame-orange of the Seal in a crimson celestial dance and embrace that leaves all on Galbar awed and humbled by the glory of the gods. Along with Seihdhara's natural energy and life that pervades her Sphere, the influence of blood seeping from the Horizon Grotto into the clay of the Seal adds an additional adrenaline and fire in the belly of those in Seihdhara's Sphere, and causes the plants and creatures of the Seal to be more aggressive in their competition. The influence of the Heliopolis - seeping in on brilliant rays that bathe all things - likewise drives those who come to the Seal to seek out their full potential. All things come together in the Seal to drive those who have come before the goddess of Martial Combat towards nothing less than excellence and martial glory.

These energies gathered in one place undoubtedly exude an immense amount of energy, and this can be felt across the Celestial coil. Thus warmth, optimism, vigour, life, and other energies that are so characteristic of the indefatigably joyous Seihdhara seep into Veradax and the So'E from the Seal, a constant call and reminder that a sister who floats in constant life and joy ever holds her hand extended to her grieving or hollow siblings - Let us cry together, and laugh together, and let us feel together. The hopelessness and misery present in these two Spheres also affect those in the Seal, and that great vacuousness and inexplicable misery which seek to force failure and entropy on all things is yet another challenge that all must face in the Seal, that they may rise anew and be made truly glorious.

A path beaten into hardened mud leads from the entrance of the Seal to its centre, where there stands a stone circle. Within said circle is an oak grove, at the centre of which is a particularly majestic oak tree with leaves of burning flame. Cinder and ash fall from it and are carried for a short distance before settling on the warm earth within the circle from which grows grass tall and red. When cut or removed from the earth the grassblades harden tremendously.

The mud path leaves the stone circle in three diverging directions. One carries on straight, another sharply to the left and the last sharply to the right. Each ends by turning in on itself in a wide circle with a diameter of 12 metres. They are proving circles. Those who find themselves in the Seal may boldly step within and face the fury that will break or perfect them. To complete all three circles is to earn Seihdhara's favour and means one may enter the great stone circle and take a crimson grassblade. These blades shine with a divine light. With it at hand one may return to Galbar having earned an unquestionable station of glory or ascend into the Great Dark and conquer the final frontier of the great unknown, the great vacancy: fear itself. The goddess Melantha can expect a constant stream of determined seekers of martial glory to make her Crowning Jewel a place of pilgrimage, that the glorious fires of Seihdhara may shine where nothing else in creation may!

_{P O R T F O L I O}

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Martial Combat

Wars come in different forms and sizes, from military hostilities to economic warfare to political manoeuvrings between factions and individuals, and beyond. Ultimately, however, it is a state of hostile competition between different groups. It is a method of repelling some people by means of others, and for Seihdhara it is a legitimate (sometimes the only) way to prevent and combat injustice. Every social bond manifests war, different forms of communication showcase subtle violence and force. Wherever there is resistance, however small or subtle, it is only in reaction to force or violence coming from elsewhere. This force does not have to be physical, even words that seek to pressure a person into carrying out certain actions are a form of force and violence. Hostile competition saturates everything, it is not an evil or a sign of failure or entropy, but is simply the way all things are from the basic building blocks of the world to the gods themselves. All things are in competition, all things are at war - it is not a sign of entropy, decay, or moral collapse, but of life marching ever onward and upward and of metaphysical ideals and forces struggling for ascendancy.
Seihdhara's focus is primarily on this hostile competition when it manifests itself in displays of physical force and physical violence. Any war of this nature will require individuals with a certain level of martial skill to engage in combat so as to attain victory. Martial Combat thus lies at the heart of military warfare, and it is this that Seihdhara seeks to teach and cultivate. Martial Combat includes armed and unarmed forms of combat, as well as the base bodily strength and health required for optimal performance. Moreover, for Seihdhara Martial Combat does not only involve the skills necessary to defeat opponents, it also involves principles of how such skill is to be used, against whom, and under what conditions. While not fussed by arbitrary notions like honour, Seihdhara does look with approval upon clemency and the quest to prove one's martial prowess in glorious one-on-one combat, blow-for-blow.

_{A B I L I T I E S O F N O T E}

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• Absolute Combat: Seihdhara has achieved the highest level of combat proficiency (armed and unarmed) and is capable of performing exceptional martial feats even for a god. This is a passive ability but can be further enhanced with Might during combat situations.
• Involuntary Shapeshifting: Seihdhara's association with bears is not purely aesthetic. When pushed to her limit or when in grave danger of perishing, the bear that lies dormant within her emerges and lashes out indiscriminately. This consciousness within her is not a separate entity or soul, but is part and parcel of Seihdhara herself, the manifestation of Martial Combat in its pristine, primal form. Perhaps as a reflection of Seihdhara's deeply-rooted principles regarding self-defence and repelling harm, this form only emerges to preserve her life and only exists for the briefest moment so as to repel the danger with force before escaping.
  
  The Primal Visage

  

_{P E R S O N A L I T Y}

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Headstrong, Independent, Stubborn, Kind, Sensitive, Sincere, Honest, Loyal, Loving, Friendly, Caring, Impulsive, Protective, Athletic, Headstrong, Charismatic, Considerate, Assertive, Spirited, Polyamorous, Impatient, Passionate, Merciful, Sympathetic, Open-Minded, Unpunctual, Sensuous, Temperamental, Sentimental, Forceful, somewhat Volatile, Curious, Self-Reliant, Cheerful, Intuitive, Energetic, Forgiving, Individualistic, Courageous, Trusting, Petty, Incurably Joyous, Fearless, Competitive, Optimistic, Warm, Dominating, Emotional, Lively, Altruistic, Rebellious, Adventurous, Romantic, Benevolent, Astute, Disorganised.

In her natural and relaxed state, Seihdhara lives absolutely in the moment, utterly full of joy and life. In that sense, she is more of a force than a living being, bringing her searing aura of good cheer and the fullness of life wherever she dashes. Her actions may appear to onlookers as random and in-the-moment. Such an observation is not far from the mark. The goddess enjoys a good laugh - has a good sense of humour, if she says so herself. A light-hearted story with plenty of jokes is right up her alley and is sure to garner both approval and appreciatve laughs from her. Stories she tells may not necessarily be funny, and perhaps those she laughs at are not humorous enough to warrant such a reaction, but Seihdhara actively seeks joy and will use any excuse to be joyful and cause joy. Despite some of her terminological idiosyncrasies, Seihdhara is for the most-part articulate, even if that does not translate into prose poetry. She is expressive and can be charismatic, though her quick smile and ready laugh swiftly do away with any impression of distant genius or esoteric mystery. She is unafraid of exposure in that regard.

When angry or irritated, Seihdhara is quick to slap or strike the cause of her irritation. Depending on how irritating or infuriating the cause is, this can vary from a playful tap to a more punishing strike. Completely aware of her power relative to other beings, it is highly unlikely for her to do more or less harm to a target than she intends.
Seihdhara is not vengeful, however, and will swiftly forget minor offences - but she does not see a reason to hide how she is feeling, and that can mean she may over-react to minor things in the moment only to return to her friendly and excitable self some time later. Despite seeing no reason to hide how she is feeling about anything in particular, Seidhara is sensitive to the emotions of others and will regulate her own words and actions as appropriate. She also takes on the emotions of others rather easily - thus when speaking with a perosn who is happy she will reflect that happiness, likewise with one who is sad, and numerous other emotions.
While she may yell or strike out when angry, her anger dissipates as quickly as it arises. She is not prone to retreating into herself or being sombre for long periods. This is much the case with all her emotions - she feels intensely in the moment and has no qualms sharing that with whoever is available (whether joy, misery, melodramatic crying session, anger, or whatever else). This willingness to expose her emotions does not come from a place of weakness. It emerges from the conviction that, ultimately, unveiling these emotions so honestly does her and those around her a degree of good and that in any case no one can truly use them against her - anyone who thinks they can will quickly come to realise that she can deal with them quite efficiently. She is, after all, an apex predator; she harms and is not harmed, protects and has no need for protection, renders kindness and asks none for it, frees and can never herself be unfree. She glories in her unrestrained martial prowess and views with approval all those who seek glory by bringing their body to the zenith of martial might.

Though gods usually do not - or even, cannot - sleep, Seihdhara chooses to. Sleep comes easy to her, and she will sleep for long hours on end in comfort. Being a goddess, she can awaken instantaneously and be alert if the need arises, though when there is no such danger force of habit makes her slow to awaken and more petty than usual in the half-hour or so after she has risen. She does not like sleeping alone and will tend to find something to hug - a rock, some animal, a sentient mortal, or some nearby god; Seihdhara does not discriminate when it comes to these things.

In the same way, Seihdhara is a big eater despite gods having no need for any kind of sustenance. She doesn't much care about what exactly she is eating and will appreciatively gulp down just about anything placed before her. She is also something of a compulsive gambler, which is no issue given her divine nature - it is pretty much cheating (though it may well become an issue with a fiend like Chopstick Eyes on the loose!) As a point of principle when it comes to these matters, she only swindles swindlers - they deserve it!

_{O T H E R}

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'Red-haired Folk', as they are known, are those born with red hair or fur, or whose hair or fur abruptly or gradually turns red. Such folk, it is generally known, are favoured by Seihdhara and are marked out from their earliest days as future warriors of renown. Likewise, all Heroes of Seihdhara are red-haired, and those who join any Order dedicated to her can expect for their hair - if it is not already - to become red.

_{M U S I C P I E C E}

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_{C O D E W O R D}

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Seihdhara has been in the tropic region before, but even the monsoons couldn't put out her hair.

[Crispy Octopus]

Khool

[Muttonhawk]

Just a reminder, folks, we're still doing reviews in the background. If you have updated your CS or have any questions based on previous comments, please let us know here in the OOC to take a look again. There's a lot to juggle with this many players and words in the Discord are ephemeral.

In other news, we are likely to get the IC up later this week, after which we will not be taking any new god CSs. Only demigods (and possibly heroes if you want) will be considered for joining the game after that. If you already have a CS in review and IC starts without your character approval, don't fret, you haven't been rejected, we're just slowpokes.

Thanks!

[Legion02]

Can you post WIP sheets? I'd make a goddess of mana but I only have her sphere and portfolio down so far.

[Cyclone]

Can you post WIP sheets? I'd make a goddess of mana but I only have her sphere and portfolio down so far.

@Legion02

Yes, you can (and should) post your WIP as we’re about to close the window to further applicants. Are you on the Discord?

[Crispy Octopus]

Regarding the soul controversy:

Anyway these are the potential problems I have with the system (not all are objective):

-If god souls are just large souls, and all souls decay, are all gods mortal, though long lived?
-Same, but regarding heros.
-What makes demi gods special then? Why couldn't you just pour a lot of soul into a gecko and make it a demi gecko? Is the process of making heros and demi gods the same, but to different extents?
-When gods/demigods/heros die, why would they go to the sky of pyres? Their souls are still intact, they could exist for eons more, and they have the knowledge to tell Kathy to feck off. They can exist as ghosts forever.
-At what rate do souls decay? How long can a normal ghost think clearly? An extraordinary one?
-What if a god intentionally creates a spectre, a soul bound to no body but energy. Would that soul be attracted to the pyre?
-On that note, what do bodies have to do with anchoring souls anyway? What sorts of bodies count? What can a soul be held in? Can you make a rock with a soul, and if the rock is never broken the soul stays in the rock forever?
-Golems, I mean they don't age. Would their souls decay in their bodies? Would Kathy have sway over them?
-Finite souls, and the peak soul crises, kinda seem silly and off base to me. That's a personal nitpick, so take with salt.

[Leotamer]

I feel like the finite soul thing simply contrives conflict in what I believe is an uninteresting way. The demon god and undeath god no longer become enemies or allies based on ideological grounds, but we will need to fight them because they are hogging a finite resource.

There isn't really any interesting outcome to a soul-shortage. It seems like it really just come down to having the artitect give us more souls, or bully demon boy or undeath god to shake some souls loose.

Edit : Further thoughts, My problem is that it seems like every other god has no reason to care about souls except at a seemingly random point when it suddenly an issue we need to worry about, and it will effectively force all humanity-sided characters to side with Kath since there isn't really any alternatives.

[Double Capybara]

I feel like the finite soul thing simply contrives conflict in what I believe is an uninteresting way. The demon god and undeath god no longer become enemies or allies based on ideological grounds, but we will need to fight them because they are hogging a finite resource.

@Leotamer

I have my issues with the soul problem, but fighting over resources is logical, if not expected, in Divinus, and more interesting than simple good guys, bad guys fight. I don't see how it is different from the other fights that might rise because of portfolios, followers, influence over kingdoms, etcetera.

[Leotamer]

@Double Capybara Because this will become a simple "good guys" vs "bad guys" conflict. It is "Do you want the universe to operate normally" or "Do you want to mess with it for selfish reasons"

It feels like it will be a captain planet conflict, "Do you want to dump toxic waste in the ocean, or do you not want to do that."

[Double Capybara]

@Double Capybara Because this will become a simple "good guys" vs "bad guys" conflict. It is "Do you want the universe to operate normally" or "Do you want to mess with it for selfish reasons"

It feels like it will be a captain planet conflict, "Do you want to dump toxic waste in the ocean, or do you not want to do that."

@Leotamer

Hmm, I am putting trust that Cyclone wouldn't leave it in such a one-sided situation, but upon reading your posts and a few things said, I guess I will ask what is his plan overall. In all honesty, considering my plans for Urhu and her personality, she will be out against Kath big time. I assumed this was an option, though in discord there was this entry,

"It oculd lead to a Thanos situation where more souls are needed, so some gods see the solution as being to eradicate a significant fraction of life so as to free up souls
...or it could lead to trying to ask the Architect for more souls
OR it could lead to trying to free the souls trapped in the undead Sphere
see how many possibilities there are?"

Which really covers only pro-Kathy options.

I feel like this might be a bit much, one of the things that got Sartravius accepted was going with "source of all flames" instead of "source of all heat", which I take establishes some limits of just how influential a sphere can be, and if truly everyone needs to dance along with Kath or risk the death of everything, eh, that is a bit more serious than the latter case.

[Slamurai]

I missed most of the discussion, so I'm coming in with a very limited perspective, but I gathered that souls are a finite resource. There's a 'pool' they're drawn from and recycled into when things are born and die.

However, what I'm not understanding is why this exists when we, as gods, can hocus-pocus things into existence. I understand we're not omnipotent, but we have the means to create. So why are souls so distinct?

[Crispy Octopus]

It was brought up in another discord I think, but what constitutes a soul? Can you make artificial souls? Clearly demons function (albeit poorly) without souls, so basic function isn't predicated on having a soul.

What if a god dumped might into making home grown souls? What if multiple gods established a system, we'll call it 'spirit', that does the same thing as souls?

[Cyclone]

For clarity, the posts above are in response to a debate that sparked on the Discord. I pinned the message where it started so that anybody who cares can jump up to it and read through, but I also told everyone to post the gist of their arguments so that others can more easily see and that it'll be easier to keep track of what's decided.

There were a few things that came up, most related to Katharsos and the current model of souls and recycling souls as it was implied in my CS. Obviously I'm quite invested in the argument because Katharsos would become absolutely pointless were some of the proposed changes to be made, and for that reason I'm going to at least wait for @BBeast and @Muttonhawk to weigh in.

1. The souls in the universe were let in when the Architect opened up the hole to Beyond, allowing entry to the souls of both the gods and everything else. There is a finite number of souls in the universe; more cannot be created. This is why Katharsos has the Sky of Pyres and why he insists upon recycling them.

2. [This idea has since been REDACTED by Cyclone, who was swayed on the Discord, mainly through the argument that this means demigods make no sense.] Gods have souls too, just like mortals. This is supported because they were brought in alongside everything else, how some gods also have seemingly mundane backstories like having been a weatherman or a fish in their previous existence, by how Katharsos believes he must one day burn the souls of the other gods (and my OOC opinion that such an event would make a cool thing IC).

3. Souls decay and get worn down over time, which is why Katharsos believes that he must recycle them, and which can pose potentially big problems to immortal races/beings whose souls would invariably decay.

---

I feel like the finite soul thing simply contrives conflict in what I believe is an uninteresting way. The demon god and undeath god no longer become enemies or allies based on ideological grounds, but we will need to fight them because they are hogging a finite resource.

There isn't really any interesting outcome to a soul-shortage. It seems like it really just come down to having the artitect give us more souls, or bully demon boy or undeath god to shake some souls loose.

Edit : Further thoughts, My problem is that it seems like every other god has no reason to care about souls except at a seemingly random point when it suddenly an issue we need to worry about, and it will effectively force all humanity-sided characters to side with Kath since there isn't really any alternatives.

@Leotamer

I have little to say other than that I fundamentally disagree with almost every premise asserted. Most of these arguments are subjective. Concerning the last point I will say that Katharsos is extremely logical and the very pinnacle of utilitarian in his thought, and it'd be rather unrealistic to expect everyone to take his side even if it ends up looking like the "correct" one from an OOC perspective. I could go on about this more, but it's not the main point.

I think the first big thing to answer is whether souls should be conserved or if they can be created, as in 1. Personally I think it'd drastically change Katharsos' character (and render his Sphere largely moot) if it turns out that souls can simply be created and that there's no necessity behind his actions. Furthermore, I don't think this is anything more than a thematic complaint, because the way Katharsos' system works is that the recycled "soul ash" just drifts back down to Galbar and sits around until it can clump back together into a soul and be a part of some nascent lifeform. Any god could just scoop up souls and use them; they're not monopolized. Though a crisis emerging from a lack of souls could be pushed back and handwaved indefinitely and until convenient (or explained away through other means; for instance, as mortal populations rise, wildlife and animal populations will fall, keeping the number of required souls somewhat constant), I maintain that it'd be an interesting plot arc that could go several ways and potentially even have an entire Age centered around it.

Issue number 2 can be brought back up again if needed, but at this point I think it's safe to say that we're mostly all on board with gods having "divine essence" that is distinct from other souls. This may have come to be because they were gods in a previous existence, or it may be because the Architect thought he didn't have enough helpers and he arbitrarily "promoted" some ordinary souls into divine essences. The net effect is that demigods make more sense in that they have some divine essence to distinguish them from other beings, and that what happens upon a god's death is somewhat uncertain, but that could be tackled IC; perhaps Katharsos is wrong in his belief that he can just recycle gods' divine essence like he can mortal souls.

Issue 3 is a big one that's still on the table. I was going to have Katharsos explore this IC, but now it's pretty clear that was a poor idea. I'll explain now what I've been thinking: souls are like ropes, and that over time they start to fray, so given immortality a mortal soul might grow weaker and this could manifest as a creeping madness or overall weakness. Some beings have larger souls than others, explaining how some beings are longer lived with little ill effect and how heroes can be created (just enlarge their soul as part of the process). The "soul fraying" would mainly come up if a mortal, say a human, used some means other than acquiring divinity or herodom to extend their lifespan far beyond what is natural, or with undead. As undead grow older and older, they start to become less predictable and more dangerously erratic, which doesn't seem incompatible with Foe and Mourner's Hollow) and is why Katharsos would be fundamentally opposed to permanent states of undeath.

I missed most of the discussion, so I'm coming in with a very limited perspective, but I gathered that souls are a finite resource. There's a 'pool' they're drawn from and recycled into when things are born and die.

However, what I'm not understanding is why this exists when we, as gods, can hocus-pocus things into existence. I understand we're not omnipotent, but we have the means to create. So why are souls so distinct?

@Aristo

You have a point in that the distinction is somewhat arbitrary, but in laying down the metaphysics for this universe the owners of the relevant Spheres get a big say in what is canon. In my case for Katharsos, souls being finite is a core idea. The obvious reason that I'm so opposed to that idea being overturned is that it largely renders Katharsos (as he's currently portrayed) unusable for the RP; he'd be transformed into something evil, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted him to be.

Ultimately the creation of souls can just be handwaved off as a power beyond the capacity of our gods, much like teleportation and time travel.

"It oculd lead to a Thanos situation where more souls are needed, so some gods see the solution as being to eradicate a significant fraction of life so as to free up souls
...or it could lead to trying to ask the Architect for more souls
OR it could lead to trying to free the souls trapped in the undead Sphere
see how many possibilities there are?"

Which really covers only pro-Kathy options.

I feel like this might be a bit much, one of the things that got Sartravius accepted was going with "source of all flames" instead of "source of all heat", which I take establishes some limits of just how influential a sphere can be, and if truly everyone needs to dance along with Kath or risk the death of everything, eh, that is a bit more serious than the latter case.

@Double Capybara

What would you expect or want for an "anti Katharsos" option? Killing him and putting someone more lenient in charge of the Sky of Pyres, someone who might simply "temper" souls rather than fully burn and recycle them? Not unreasonable. I quite expect for many gods to hate, defy, and misunderstand Katharsos; his conception was of a god that's incredibly benevolent (probably the most benevolent), wise, and even noble, but only if you're willing to accept his extremely detached and utilitarian view of the world. One can argue that he's borderline Satanic, so I'd say there's definitely a shade of gray and that he's not completely white.

I'm amenable to other solutions for such a potential arc, too. And see my previous comment about it being believable (and honestly preferable) that not every god have the foresight and emotional capacity to see things from Katharsos' perspective and take the pragmatic solution.

[Cyclone]

It was brought up in another discord I think, but what constitutes a soul? Can you make artificial souls? Clearly demons function (albeit poorly) without souls, so basic function isn't predicate on having a soul.

What if a god dumped might into making home grown souls? What if multiple gods established a system, we'll call it 'spirit', that does the same thing as souls?

@Crispy Octopus

My thinking was that soulless beings like demons and golems can be created, but that a mortal being designed to have a soul (like a human) simply cannot be born without some soul. Note some; going back to my earlier comments about some osuls being "larger," in times of scarcity the supply of soul ash could just be spread thinner, and it'd weaken the living beings born with smaller souls.

Creating an alternative to "souls" is a solution to the finite soul thing that I'd accept both OOC and IC; in fact, it has precedence because in Mk. II my god actually created beings with something called Flickers that acted as pseudo-souls. It should probably be a really difficult and big undertaking though; in Mk. II, Fate (that universe's equivalent to the Architect) took some grave exception to my god bending the universe's rules.

[DracoLunaris]

I think your going to have to go and write up exactly what:
Function souls perform in making something alive which would normally be done by meat irl
How those functions degrade due to soul decay
How demons and the like are affected by not having souls, tying this too the above to points
Separate the soul system explanation from Katharsos's solution to the problems the above cause