Crispy Octopus

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

Illumination and Reprisal

Feat. @Crispy Octopus, @Aristo

Asceal sat at the reins of the golden Chariot, her gleeful visage a testament to her excitement. After having seen Aelius craft the wonder that was Heliopolis she was beyond eager to shape her own sphere, even if it did leave her as exhausted as he had been. She spared a glance at her friend’s sleeping form beside her and shook her head happily, she hadn't even known they could sleep! Was it K'nell's influence that made it possible?

It was something to consider, but any further rumination on the causes or consequences of a god’s sleep was cut short when Asceal felt a sudden rush of warmth. The very moment she crossed the boundary she knew it, that she'd finally arrived. Entering her Sphere felt like coming home after spending far too long away, and even empty as it was she couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else. As if guided by instinct she steered the chariot to the center of her domain before bringing it to a halt.

Without even a moment's hesitation she jumped from the Chariot and felt herself float in the void. With a thought she began to move away from Aelius, distancing herself from his sleeping form until she was certain she had enough space to work with. When she at last came to a halt she closed her eyes, her very form dimming as she focused.

She didn’t know what it was like for Aelius, but to her creation felt like gathering an invisible light and compacting it, solidifying it. It was an exercise as mentally taxing as it was physically exhausting, and by the time she opened her eyes to a small world of crystal she could feel the beginnings of fatigue assailing her senses. That didn’t stop her, though.

The vast glassy sphere before her was beautiful, but it wasn’t complete, not even close. She felt it tugging at her and let herself fall to its surface, only resisting its pull at the last second so as to land on its surface with some grace rather rather than barrelling into it. She reached down to feel the surface of her new home and found it smooth, perfectly so. Had it not been on the other side of Galbar from Heliopolis it would have been a colossal lens in space.

Of course, that was the point. She focused her power into the crystalline world and it warped according to her will, vast hidden lenses forming beneath its surface and distorting the pitiful light that passed through them. Aelius’s solution had been effective but wasteful, terribly so in her opinion. Her sphere wouldn’t waste a single mote of light. Her furnaces every emanation would be harnessed, strengthened, and bent so that far more than a mere half of Galbar could be illuminated.

The idea alone excited her, but she couldn’t deny the toll the effort was taking. Creating a simple planetoid was one thing, but to shape it so perfectly was a task that could quickly exhaust even a god. She took a moment to lay down, her form dimming. Taking a break after just beginning? It was pitiful, and she would need to get better at this. She meant no offense to Aelius, of course, but he’d managed to finish his creation before he showed any sign of weariness hadn’t he?

After what she felt was a great deal too much time she stood and picked up where she’d left off. The structures below the surface of her creation were complete, but how unappealing her new home looked, bare as it was. It needed personality, structure. With images of Heliopolis lingering in her mind Asceal raised great spires of crystal, each one a different colour, all across her creation. Unsatisfied, she focused again and continued until she saw the spires shift from simple pillars to palaces and towers. Where before there was a crystal ball, smooth and unremarkable, there now stood edifices of a grandeur to match those Aelis had erected, and with far more colour than simple boring gold and white.

Well, there was no accounting for taste. With a contented sigh she made her way to a nearby palace, grander than all the others she had shaped. The building was dominated by arches of blue crystal that joined its many towers to each other, and within was a chamber of black crystal on which an opening formed to permit Asceal entry as she approached it.

One would have expected darkness from the outside of the chamber, but the inside was awash in brilliant blue light. Much of the light of the universe had been funneled here by the lenses deep within her new construct, and inside this chamber even the dim specks that emanated from the barrier were brilliant beacons that shone up from a transparent floor. It was here she would build her second furnace, and it was from here the Architect’s creation would truly know warmth and light.

As she began to assemble the framework of a Furnace, a duplicate of that which she had wrought in Heliopolis, her sphere began to glow. It was hardly a stealthy activity, but what had she to fear? Melantha, doubtless the only god who despised light and the good it brought to the Architect’s creation, had sequestered herself at the very edge of space and would never arrive in time to meddle with what Asceal was doing here. This was to be the fulfillment of Asceal’s purpose, and she would not be thwarted.

Fittingly, it was with that very thought that she was interrupted. Aelius was on his feet and his voice cried out through the crystalline walls of the palace, urgency in his tone. “Asceal! Heliopolis isn’t safe. I must go back! The dark one, Melantha - I see her!” He couldn’t watch her through his physical eyes, of course, but via the glassy film that covered Heliopolis, for all intents and purposes an alarm system, his mind was aware of the goings-on in his sphere.

Aelius paused suddenly to take in the beauty of Asceal’s work. He felt guilty, remembering falling asleep through the ride. But the terrible sight of the dark goddess in his mind’s eye brought him back to the matter at hand. “She means to destroy Heliopolis’s Furnace, I just know it,” he added bitterly. “I can’t let that happen.”

Asceal scowled and spun to look at her friend, “We can’t let that happen,” with some effort she strode over to Aelius, the task of creation having taken its toll, “I had feared she would do something like this, but so soon? Let us confront her Aelius, before that wretched shadow manages to undo all we’ve accomplished.”

Aelius nodded and climbed back into the chariot. Once Asceal was aboard, the craft rose from the ground and Aelius sent it into motion. It sped off into the sky, and the pair rode in grim silence. They knew what what at stake.

Summary & Might Costs

Asceal makes her sphere.
Aelius takes a nap.
They rush off to stop Mel.

Might Costs:

Asceal:
-8 FP (Creation of Asceal's Sphere and Furnace Framework*)
{8 FP & 5 MP Remaining}

*[4 FP will be required to ignite it.]

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

The First Light

Feat. @Crispy Octopus, @Aristo

After they bid the Goddess Phystene and God Kalmar farewell the two of them made their way to the crystal the Architect had set aside for Aelius. The God of Virtue had just started to outline his plan when the divine vehicle sped out of the Architect’s palace, streaking through the empty universe and arriving at the space that would be Aelius’s Sphere far too quickly for much to be said en route. There had been no rush once they’d arrived though, and in truth Asceal had been rather glad for the privacy such isolation offered. There were gods whose very existence concerned her, Melantha in particular, and being able to hear the details of Aelius’s proposal far from any eavesdroppers was a relief.

His explanation hadn’t been long, but once he’d spoken it she knew trusting Aelius had been no mistake. The idea was as elegant as it was simple. They would build their spheres on either side of Galbar, one marble, one crystal, and each equipped with a fragment of light itself. A Celestial Furnace, he’d called it, and from the moment the words had escaped her fellow’s lips she’d begun to consider how such a thing might be built, how she could bring forth and then confine an eternal spark.

In fact, she was still considering the problem even as a city grew around her. With little else to do, Aelius had long since left her to her ruminations and begun the construction of his marble city, Heliopolis. While she might normally have marveled at the complexity and grandeur of the Sphere being erected around her, for the moment her attentions belonged to the problem before her and nothing else.

At least, until she had a breakthrough. She gave a little cheer and flashed with excitement, light flooding Aelius’s dark city for the slimmest fraction of a second before she calmed herself. Asceal knew how it was to be done, and without delay she began crafting an luminous ethereal orb, a framework that could contain a source of light so potent even she would exhaust herself summoning it. It was a fiendishly complex working, and even when it was completed a way to focus its energy on Galbar would need to be found, but it was taking shape before her very eyes. She had done it.

Aelius wiped his brow and emerged from a newly-erected alleyway. He’d marvelled at his abilities as he channeled them, raising all manner of structures with just the strength of his will. The foundation and layout of Heliopolis had been established. The finer details could come later. He took the opportunity to check up on Asceal and see how her work was coming. When he found her, she was leaning over some object, bathed in an intense light. He stepped forward, shielding his eyes with a hand. He whistled in awe as he stopped at her side.

“I see you’ve been making progress,” he said.

“Hm?” Asceal looked up from her work and smiled brightly at Aelius’s question, “I have! It took some time to work out the specifics but I have it now, the framework is just about completed. I did it, a Celestial Furnace, like you said.”

Just then she took in her surroundings for the first time since she’d arrived, “It seems I was not the only one making progress, though.”

“That’s great,” Aelius said, peeking through his fingers, “but this is much too bright to keep out in the open all the time. We have to contain the Furnace and redirect its light towards Galbar. And out of my eyes!” Aelius spun on his heel and looked out across Heliopolis.

“I’ve an idea,” he said, and made down the marbled street with Asceal and her Furnace in tow. Eventually, the pair came to a massive plaza, clear of obstructions. “This is the center of Heliopolis,” he announced. “This is the perfect place. Now, stand back.”

The God of Virtue took a deep breath and threw up his hands. At once, the ground rumbled and from his feet a magnificent palace rose. It was arrayed with columns and golden domes and frescoes adorned the surface, exhibiting scenes that most likely represented Aelius’s ideals of virtue. He spun, grinning, and said, “Here is where the Furnace will reside! Bring it in.”

Asceal stopped for a moment to gawk at the palace Aelius had just erected, the man certainly liked gold, before shaking her head and positioning the nascent furnace where Aelius had directed her to. Once it was where he wanted it she took a second to prepare it for its true activation, for if Aelius thought it was bright now he hadn’t quite grasped what he’d directed her to construct.

“It only needs energy now, Aelius. Provide that and the Furnace will do the rest. Half of Galbar will be bathed in light and the lost souls that reside there will know what is to come,” She paused for a moment and ran a hand though her glowing hair in thought, “Though, I cannot say I know how you intend to focus its light.”

Aelius simply smiled and with a wave of his hand, a wall slid into place, sealing off the Furnace. Then, he ascended a set of winding stairs, waving at Asceal to follow him. The pair exited onto a rooftop walkway and before them was a golden dome, unadorned and simple, save for a small hole in the center through which Asceal could see the Furnace. “Take my hand,” Aelius said, beckoning her to the dome. Aelius pressed the palm of his free hand to the gap in the surface. Asceal hesitated, pursing her lips, but complied.

When the two were joined, Aelius closed his eyes and focused on the sphere on the other side of the dome. He imagined the light exploding outward, washing Galbar in it. He felt the warmth of Asceal’s hand - her godly energy - and with a shout, he poured his might through the gap. A wave of heat shot through his body and left through his palm, and his breath became labored.

Aelius let go of Asceal’s hand and motioned her back from the dome, then he took a step back himself. Where his hand had been was a fist-sized lens, and a brilliant ray of concentrated light shot from its glassy surface. Jubilant, Aelius looked up, following the ray’s arc towards Galbar.

She felt it, in a way no other being could, when the ray of light impacted Galbar and reflected off its rich oceans. Where once there was only cold darkness now there was light, a trillion trillion brilliant streams of light bouncing off Galbar and illuminating even the farthest reaches of the Architects creation. Her heart swelled with equal measures joy and pride.

This was her purpose, and it was nearly fulfilled. Better yet, the tasks second half was to be a mere simple repetition of the first, the hardest part was over. With a wide grin she took Aelius’s wrist in hand, as if to pull him to their next task, “Let us waste no time! Our job isn’t over, my sphere beckons to me, it desires the same light we have made here.”

“It will have it!” Aelius said. “But first-” He snapped and a wave of white light ebbed across the horizon, an alarm, for all intents and purposes. If anyone entered its circumference, he would know. He snapped again and gleaming chariot materialized before the pair. He helped Asceal into her seat and climbed beside her. He snapped the reins, and though it seemingly had no beast of burden, the chariot took off into the air, making for Asceal’s Sphere.

Summary & Costs

Aelius and Asceal build a city and a sun.
Aelius makes a alarm system.
Aelius makes a COSMIC BICYCLE!

Might Costs:

Aelius:
-16 FP (Creation of Heliopolis & Furnace)
-1 MP (Creation of VirtueCorp Alarm System)
-1 MP (Creation of the Cosmic Bicycle)
{4 FP & 3 MP Remaining}

Asceal:
-4 FP (Creation of Heliopolis & Furance)
{16 FP & 5 MP Remaining}

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

Asceal

Light, warmth, and the others.

For as long as it had been, and it could not recall a time it had not, those were the three things that had existed in the world. At least, until now.

Now there was the disturbance, the fourth thing. From the very moment the disturbance had manifested the others had perceived the difference between those things that had always been and that which had just emerged, and they had scattered in response. Alone among its fellows, it had decided to investigate rather than flee. It didn’t know why it was drawn to the fourth thing, at least not until it was close enough to peer into the disturbance.

Darkness, cold, and others.

Not the others, but others still. Within the disturbance they could be seen falling, plummeting towards some distant world, and in their fall they cried out, some in joy, some in agony. It gazed upon the world they fell toward and, for the first time, it felt a sense of awe. Those endless others were approaching a place without light or warmth, and yet it could already see the countless things that waited for them.

Countless things, endless others, and no light, no warmth.

It knew then why it had been drawn to the fourth thing. Without hesitation it threw itself into the disturbance, and behind it there were again only three things in the world. As it joined the immense congregation flowing towards to the dark world below it learned of other worlds and peoples, of cruelties and joys, and of so many things it had not even begun to conceive of.

It learned it was a She. She learned she should have a name, and so she was Asceal. Asceal learned she should have a form, and so observed the others and copied one that pleased her. She did not need to learn she had a purpose, for she had known hers what seemed like eons ago. As she finally entered the dark world she had spent so very long plummeting toward she found herself separated from most of the others, a greater presence having driven almost all of the other souls away, scattering them across the dark. She felt for them, those who she had already spent forever with, but she had her purpose.

She was the light, and she illuminated the dark space she had been brought to. The entity before her, the one that had called her here, spoke its greetings and used its power upon her so that she would know its will. It need not have bothered. She knew her purpose, and she had not been pulled from her past. Asceal had chosen to be here.

She watched the first of her fellows depart, driven by as great a purpose as she was, and made ready to do the same. Yet, as she prepared to ascend the crystal she knew was to be hers, she hesitated. She had no doubts about what needed to be done, and already she saw how she could do it, but why do it alone? She regarded the being that that brought her here, and then her comrades.

From the moment of clarity the Architect had granted her she already knew which of the assembled to approach. There was much to do, but perhaps it could be done faster with a friend.

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

Monday comes....

Monday goes.......

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

I can't believe you've done this

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

gasparagus

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

who was that guy smh

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

Oof

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

I like cats

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

Hm. Sounds good.