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Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Aureia, of gold, commerce, wealth,

and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

“Hmm.” Aureia seemed unimpressed with the sun god’s answer, but that he stopped moving to war against the mortal and her fellow gods protecting her was good enough for her. Nonetheless, she fixed him with a glare at his persisting threat. “Tsk tsk. If you haven’t already noticed, you’re hardly in a position to dictate terms. Let’s settle this productively, okay?” It was obvious if they let him have his way, he was more liable to destroy the sources of any answers than to get them through violence. If it came down to it, she would physically intervene as well; while she might not have had the sheer force of will in a fight as Alasayana, or the warlike prowess and passion of the god of Love and War –Both aspects of Ashte that she was intimately familiar with—she had her own tricks up her sleeve.

Her attention drifted to the unconscious maiden, and then Alasayana, her interest in the god of the sun already at an end. “Oh, Alasayana! Good to see you again. Mm, a pity, though. I was hoping that somebody would have an idea of this place. Suppose we’ll have to find out for ourselves, huh?” It seemed her attention was still on the young girl, together with Trineon, the god of rivers, lakes, and oceans. Apparently, he had quietly stepped in while everybody’s attention had been on the Sun God. As a god closely aligned with mortals and their development, she did not have a very high opinion of the god of water –too many times had the god interfered with her interests by sinking, destroying, or otherwise disrupting the great instruments of commerce of the mortals that prayed to her for protection with his aquatic whims.

She let them tend to the girl, preferring to more closely inspect the room they were in. As she examined the strange inscriptions, noting their glow, it was because of that close affinity to humans that she was the first to notice the unmistakable signature of more mortals nearby. Above and beyond the waiting stairway, perhaps, and no doubt connected to the girl. Aureia was quick to announce her findings.

“Ah! I can sense more mortals… just above us. Hmm... Perhaps they will have suitable answers that pestering our poor sleeping maiden cannot provide. Please refrain from lavishing punishments upon her, mind, I for one appreciate being awoken rather than resting in slumber in perpetuity, you know.”

It didn't hurt that she had a suspicion it would be far more profitable to work with tentatively friendly mortal summoners than to intimidate or threaten them. Especially given the clearly weakened state she and her fellow gods were in, from lack of followers after eons of slumber, no doubt.

-FV-

“Hmm, well. I don’t want to jump to conclusions or downplay the situation, but aside from a very angry beast destroying everything it sees in the region, could there have been a severe radioactive event? Would explain a lot,” she suggested, before immediately frowning and dismissing her hypothesis. “Wait, no, a satellite would have picked that up the instant it happened. Forget what I said.” Shaking her head, she finished off her drink before nodding at John. “Sounds agreeable. As infuriating as the London matter is, I don’t think it’s world-ending,” she chuckled.

Iphigenia pulled out her phone after he left, tapping away on her screen to send a few texts and rearrange her schedule for the immediate future. With 24 hours’ notice, it looked like she would be saved from a few boring meetings, not the greatest loss in the world.

Before she rose to leave, it seemed Mason had one last request. Iphie wasn't the best with kids, but granting the time for Mason's star struck granddaughter was leaps and bounds better than being hounded by the obnoxious superfans of the Final Five that had turned up after their victory. “Dinner? Sure. We’ve a lot to catch up on, after all,” she nodded at Tian-Gui. “I’m sure five plus one’s no big deal for anybody here, right?” She gave Mason a smile before turning back to Tian-Gui. “We can do karaoke, but you don’t want to terrify the poor girl, don’t we?” Although Kyouko was supposedly supposed to be become an idol, Iphie didn’t have a very high opinion of anybody’s singing here. Herself included.

“Honestly, hanging out here with the kiddo and getting takeout sounds the best. No offense to the diners or Waffle Houses, they still have their place for sure.”

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Aureia, of gold, commerce, wealth,

and the far less important, trivial aspects of travel and luck

It was a strange feeling, to exist, to think again after an eternity of ten thousand years. Already, the dreams of millennia past began to fade, if they could even be described as such. Perhaps, after all this time, others might have wished to return to the illusion of comfort in oblivion, but the Goddess of Wealth, the embodiment of the mortal coil of materialism, would accept nothing less than the bite of reality.

Reality, it seemed, was harsh as usual. To blink back into existence was one thing, but to blink open into the unknown was disconcerting, even for a god. The room before her was an unknown; to stand before the unknown without the empires of fortune that followed her was... not fun. And was it her, or was she smaller than before? Nonetheless, she found herself standing, anchored, she realized, to some degree of comfort and familiarity. Familiar gods—and familiar things, as she examined the golden umbrella in her hands, and the matching robes that she wore.

But of the six others in the chamber, one was mortal. A follower? A devout? Answers would be nice, but there were certain ways to go about getting them. Kicks and punches were just bad business.

“Oh, it's the God of the Sun. It’s probably been a while, huh? Eheh, I see how well you value our past relationship by how you treat my namesake,” she gestured to his trashed bracelets, the goddess of wealth half-tempted to fetch them for herself. “Eh, I’m getting ahead of myself. Please don’t kick the poor girl while she’s down, she may be the reason for our return, or, even our only remaining anchor to this world.”

She shared in the frustration of not knowing anything at the moment, but with how weak she felt compared to how she once was, she couldn’t help but to feel the smallest disruption, the tiniest blip, would scatter them all to the winds once more. Aureia would have moved to intervene, had her fellow goddesses not done so before her. She nodded at the goddess of the Hunt and then the one of Love, but raised an eyebrow at the goddess of Eternity.

What? She had spent an eternity condemned to dreams, after all. Don't blame her for being a little suspicious.

“Yeah, long time no see, huh. Ah, don’t suppose any of you girls come here often?”

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Hmm, I don't suppose the gods might have known each other? Unless those associations and memories are also lost to time, that is.

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

ka-ka~ ka-ching~ ♫

Name:
Aureia

Gender:
Female

Appearance:
A bit short for a patron of such grand and intoxicating hallmarks of society, but if the consequence of being revived after ten thousand years of death is looking a bit cuter than she used to and having difficulty reaching top-shelf alcohol, then she’ll take it while silently mourning her lost height. Her dark, simple hair gives her some measure of contrast against her golden eyes and often golden clothing; despite her capricious tendency to change clothing and style, they often seem to remain the same color.

Personality:
Luck and fortune can be a fickle thing, and so is the patron of such aspects. While her personality itself is stable, her opinions and preferences change day by day on a whim; those she favors as friends may be enemies the day after, and then friends again shortly after.

It would also be no surprise, then, that the goddess of commerce and wealth is quite… greedy, and will look to her own self interests. All that glitters is indeed gold. Rumor has it that the touch of a god named after gold can indeed turn things into gold, such is her lust for wealth and treasure.

Aureia is by no means a hostile or unforgiving god, though. At heart, she’s a sweet, amiable person; whimsical and sometimes excitable sure, but playful nonetheless. She'll still stab you in the back with a smile, if it's to her benefit. After all, she is still the god of Commerce, perfidious Aureia.

Domain:
Commerce & Wealth, Traveling, and Luck

Abilities:
Fortune favors the bold, or so they say, and who better to dispense fortune than the plucky and bold goddess of wealth, luck, and traveling? Wherever she goes, and whoever she blesses, those around her will always find favorable circumstances and conditions, and fortune and luck are her personal sword and shield. Under her guidance, the seas are always calm and the winds fair as you sail the ocean blue; the forests amiable for your carriage to pass; the odds tilted in your balance in even the direst of battles; the art of business, ever given, and ever gentle.

One can travel in many ways. One might, perhaps, travel by land, sea, or even air and beyond, using many multitudes of different vehicles available to mankind through the ages. It would be deeply remiss, then, for the goddess of traveling to be unfamiliar with any such means of travel. With her divine knowledge and skill, any means of transport—any vehicle—are not beyond her wisdom and ability to personally use or guide.

Contracts are sacred, and agreements must be binding. Who better but to sanctify them than by the watchful eye of the godly patron of commerce & wealth? Her divine power binds any contract that she wishes to sanctify in such a way that they become sacred and inviolable, under penalty of swift and celestial retribution. At the peak of her power, her sacred intervention could easily push an impossible or even intangible contract into the realms of reality.

Brief Backstory:
Representing perhaps some of the most important facets in any organized society, Aureia was a well-known god. Once worshipped by kings and usurpers, merchants and scammers, and pilgrims and bandits alike, she was a goddess that was followed by many across the world’s lands during her time. In times of great need, when a deal needed to be hammered out, or when one just wanted to travel to the next village over, she was there for the people.

To her, it was a great game in the board of life that was the mortal world. With so many that prayed to her, so many conflicting wishes, how could but one goddess intervene in it all? No, as the god of luck, things must be arbitrary. With the flick of a wrist, she would determine the paths and fate of men, cities, even countries, on a whim... or with a sizeable enough offering. She was still the god of commerce, after all. Seeing nations grow was a drug; in a way, she could live vicariously through their wealth.

It just would have been nice if she could have shepherded more civilizations before her demise.

Dead Gods Dream: A post-apocalyptic divine action-adventure RP

Yo~ I didn't post in the interest check, but I hope y'all don't mind if I drop by with this sheet.

ka-ka~ ka-ching~ ♫

Name:
Aureia

Gender:
Female

Appearance:
A bit short for a patron of such grand and intoxicating hallmarks of society, but if the consequence of being revived after ten thousand years of death is looking a bit cuter than she used to and having difficulty reaching top-shelf alcohol, then she’ll take it. Her dark, simple hair gives her some measure of contrast against her golden eyes and often golden clothing; despite her capricious tendency to change clothing and style, they often seem to remain the same color.

Personality:
Luck and fortune can be a fickle thing, and so is the patron of such aspects. While her personality itself is stable, her opinions and preferences change day by day on a whim; those she favors as friends may be enemies the day after, and then friends again shortly after.

It would also be no surprise, then, that the goddess of commerce and wealth is quite… greedy. All that glitters is indeed gold. Rumor has it that the touch of a god named after gold can indeed turn things into gold, such is her lust for wealth and treasure.

Aureia is by no means a hostile or unforgiving god, though. At heart, she’s a sweet, amiable person; whimsical and sometimes excitable sure, but playful nonetheless.

Domain:
Commerce & Wealth, Traveling, and Luck

Abilities:
Fortune favors the bold, or so they say, and who better to dispense fortune than the plucky and bold goddess of wealth, luck, and traveling? Wherever she goes, and whoever she blesses, those around her will always find favorable circumstances and conditions, and fortune and luck are her personal sword and shield. Under her guidance, the seas are always calm and the winds fair as you sail the ocean blue; the forests amiable for your carriage to pass; the odds tilted in your balance in even the direst of battles; the art of business, ever given, and ever gentle.

One can travel in many ways. One might, perhaps, travel by land, sea, or even air and beyond, using many multitudes of different vehicles available to mankind through the ages. It would be deeply remiss, then, for the goddess of traveling to be unfamiliar with any such means of travel. With her divine knowledge and skill, any means of transport—any vehicle—are not beyond her wisdom and ability to personally use or guide.

Contracts are sacred, and agreements must be binding. Who better but to sanctify them than by the watchful eye of the godly patron of commerce & wealth? Her divine power binds any contract that she wishes to sanctify in such a way that they become sacred and inviolable, under penalty of swift and celestial retribution. At the peak of her power, her sacred intervention could easily push an impossible or even intangible contract into the realms of reality.


Brief Backstory:
Representing perhaps some of the most important facets in any organized society, Aureia was a well-known god. Once worshipped by kings and usurpers, merchants and scammers, and pilgrims and bandits alike, she was a goddess that was followed by many across the world’s lands during her time. In times of great need, when a deal needed to be hammered out, or when one just wanted to travel to the next village over, she was there for the people.

To her, it was a great game in the board of life that was the mortal world. With so many that prayed to her, so many conflicting wishes, how could but one goddess intervene in it all? No, as the god of luck, things must be arbitrary. With the flick of a wrist, she would determine the paths and fate of men, cities, even countries, on a whim... or with a sizeable enough offering. She was still the god of commerce, after all. Seeing nations grow was a drug; in a way, she could live vicariously through their wealth.

It just would have been nice if she could have shepherded more civilizations before her demise.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @PKMNB0Y

Narkissa wasn’t too picky about quality wood. She was just going to build a basic frame, after all, not a precision instrument or timber for an actual wood frame house. Even so, finding wood that suited her tastes –which paradoxically still remained at a high standard—took her a while. It was only after became fed up on her own that she found something that suited her task after asking some of the villagers.

Very conveniently, it was an actual lumber gathering site. Small, yes, but complete with all the basic tools that she needed, minus the convenient electric saw to reduce logs to nice uniform planks. She knew she couldn’t win it all, though, so she picked up an idle hand axe and got to work, grateful for her newfound youthful body.

It didn’t take long for her to realize that she had company, though, although she had to question the wisdom of anybody trying to sneak up on and attack anybody that was brandishing a handaxe. Thankfully, she realized it wasn’t a cultist on a misguided attack, but a friendly face.

“Oh, Lazhira! Fancy seeing you here,” she greeted, before giving the girl a bit of a questioning look. Despite her own words, she doubted she’d run into her here by coincidence, and indeed she wasn’t, as she quickly realized.

“It was pretty obvious from the start, yeah,” she agreed, before setting down the axe against a nearby log. “I can’t say I’m that busy since this is a bit of a side project… I do appreciate the trust you’ve put on me, though.” They’d only known each other for a few days, after all, so really, she was flattered.

“Ah, yes, the Illuminator is your dad—wait, what!?” Of all the secrets that Narkissa thought Lazhira was going to hit her with, that one was not what she expected. Wow, was she actually in the story of some ancient Greek legend? The new information made a lot of things make sense, though, but at the same time, it changed just about everything.

“Err… does that make you a demigod, then?” She couldn’t help but to open with that line, but immediately moved to rub her temple with her fingers. “Well, that explains why he wants you back so much.” She coughed. “What’s your story, then?”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @PKMNB0Y

A square meter. That too, would have been easy, except…

“Hmm. You know, it occurs to me that we’re not going to have any rulers or standardized measuring equipment, whatsoever. I mean, I’m sure I can approximate a meter to within a couple dozen centimeters or so, but still, something to consider.” Something like creating a standardized set of universal measurements… like reintroducing the metric system, for example. Narkissa was sure that even if some country did have some system set out, it would probably be terrible like the imperial system. Base-ten was superior, after all.

“Right, regardless, I can do that. I’d say the most difficult part would be getting the right mix and consistency of the pulp. Get the ratios wrong and we get a communion wafer on one end, and a poorly manufactured rag on the other. Wonder if we’ll have the time to get it right, really, but it’s still worth a try.”

Aside from the papermaking matter, there was also the Kyrinth, which Narkissa was beginning to realize was a bigger deal than she had originally thought. In fact, it tied directly into her run-in with the Illuminator, actually. The context she gained was… enlightening, but not exactly reassuring.

“Huh. That… explains a lot of what we ran into yesterday, actually. I knew that god was up to no good.” If Misaki didn’t know already, she gave her an edited recollection of her run-in with the god of knowledge. “Sounds like this Kyrinth is the way to go, here, but I’m studied well enough in the classics to know that making deals with any sort of gods –especially ones in a pantheon—is only going to end in misery for mortals. Hopefully things work themselves out,” she agreed.

“Right then. You have fun with the plants… building a waterwheel will be a project in and of itself. I’ll need to find some good wood from somewhere to work with, in the meantime.”

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @PKMNB0Y

Oh, it turned out Lazhira was around after all. Well, it would probably be a bad idea to back out of this new project now, and it still interested her, anyway. Sorry, Leannah.

Still, Narkissa shot Lazhira a look that basically said ‘we need to talk later,’ before falling in with Misaki and her papermaking experiment. Making paper was hardly her expertise, but Narkissa had experience fashioning wooden tools before, and she was certain that papermaking needed various sorts of such implements. The question was where they’d get the pulp, which the foxgirl helpfully explained.

Apparently, Narkissa hadn’t been paying enough attention to the local shrubbery.

“Hmm, well, I can try to work on making the frame you need, if you’ve got any specific specifications. Normally, doing these sorts of things, I’d have the reference books to work with, but well,” she shrugged, stating the obvious.

The other Japanese girl from before came around and announced her departure, earning a raised eyebrow from Narkissa, before she was reminded of something else.

“I am a bit curious about this Kyrinth matter, though.” The earlier exchange had distracted Narkissa slightly, especially when she had gotten the feeling that it might be involved with whatever ahd happened at the temple.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Narkissa Langdon

@Rune_Alchemist @PKMNB0Y

As far as archaeological (mis)adventures went, the temple excursion could have been better.

Then again, it was hard to top the disaster that was her last archaeological jaunt. That one had cost Narkissa her life. Thankfully, as close as it had seemed with the temple burning itself down and being hunted by misguided devotees of a questionably sane god of knowledge, she and her two would-be companions made it out safely with the help of a strange, but apparently friendly black fox.

It turned out that the fox in question belonged to a drunk merchant named Mie. As things were, Narkissa was tired, hungry, and without an offer of food or shelter from the woman, she followed Lazhira back to her home without much protest after giving a brief recounting of their temple tale. As soon as she had some of her stew, she slumped over to bed and was out like a rock, despite her lingering worry for her missing catgirl friend.

--

Despite her tiredness, she was surprisingly early to rise. It helped that she was still unsettled by the events of last night. She had no intentions of helping the Illuminator, but it was still… worrying. Even more so when she received the news that the temple was just… gone. How can a temple just up and leave? There were questions that Narkissa needed to ask Lazhira. And in private.

Before she could approach the girl in a place that was out of the earshot of prying eyes, though, Lazhira had up and disappeared off to somewhere, precluding her questions, and any rescue missions for Leannah, too.

When Misaki found Narkissa, she was a little bit irritated at the distraction, but the fact that she was being approached by the Japanese girl surprised her, and the apology she received surprised her even more. The impression she’d gotten was that the girl was way too secretive for her own good. She didn’t know what changed, but she appreciated the gesture, at least.

“Apology accepted, and no offense taken,” she replied, after a moment. Her opinion that her fellow companions from earth should stick together had not changed, even if she'd been annoyed by the response she had received the other day. “Perhaps I was a little too forward earlier,” she admitted, raising an eyebrow at the Japanese bow. She knew Asians often did that, but it was still… jarring.

“Well, I suppose we should properly reintroduce ourselves, then. Narkissa Langdon, nice to meet you.”

The impression she got was that she was approaching her for something, though, and she quickly got the answer for that after a moment. “Papermaking?” She raised her eyebrows. Of all the things that she thought she was going to be asked, being solicited to recreate paper was not one of them.

It definitely interested her, though. It was experimental archaeology, after all; she rather enjoyed recreating old things the way they were supposed to be made. “Well, count me in. You’re going to have to fill me in on this matter of the Kyrinth and this Enli fellow, though. I’d otherwise like to look for Leannah, but with Lazhira gone for the moment, there’s not much else I can do besides sit on my ass here since I don’t know the land at all. What sort of help do you need?”