Eleven elite paladins walked with Benea. Behind them marched three-hundred and eighteen paladins. Altogether the group had marched out from Node 1, the land of high meadows and recent construction, and then through Node 6, the cradle of order, and into Node 7, the friendly land owned by Dzallitsunya. There the sun was shaded under a thick mist that the land of Tsunya was known for. For the most part, such a change didn’t bother the paladins, having trained in Maelite, the arctic or in the shade of the mountains. The biggest issue the paladins had with Node 7 was the people, and their judging stares.
On the whole, the people of Benean lands had great trading relationships with the dusklanders, but as of late a sense of isolation seemed to permeate the dusklander culture and marching an army through wasn’t going to help. Unfortunately, Benea didn’t have much choice, but did send advance notice and then decided to stick to marching around any major settlements so as not to worry any sensitive locals. In the letter Benea offered to meet with Tsunya before entering Node 13 herself and so when the Goddess made it to the spot she had envisioned in her plan, she and Jermane split off from the columns.
With promises to reunite with the army before they made it to Node 13, Benea and her bodyguard made swift work of the Dusklands, eager to reach the designated meeting area. The way station between Node 7 and 8 proved itself to be the most logical meeting point, a woman in a cyan uniform welcoming the goddess before guiding her to a side-path, avoiding the area with most mortal travelers and instead moving to a quiet wing of the building, entering a spacious room that overlooked the Mirror Marches.
Dzallitsunya waited there, looking a bit different from last time they met, with longer hair, skin a bit more olive but still pallid and most notable of all, a bump in her midsection, as she was in the later half of her pregnancy. She nodded in acknowledgement of Benea and pointed to a nearby chair.
“Greetings Benea.” she half-smiled. “I hope this journey wasn’t harsh? I tried to deliver supplies to you, but it seems you have avoided my towns in the later half of your journey.”
"Woof," Benea let out a puff of air as she deflated into the seat and threw a hand over her face. "Take no offense, darling, it was to keep tensions down. No one likes an army."
The goddess peaked through her fingers. "My, my, you're showing."
Tsunya tilted her head, narrowing her eyes as if thinking deeply but quickly giving up, “Showing?” she questioned.
Benea let her hand fall to the side and sat up straight. "Your baby bump, dear."
A hit of pale pink flashed on the pale goddess’ cheek. “R-right. I got married since we last met! I forgot to mention it in my letters. Uhm... Twins too! A bit impressive that mortals can produce offspring with gods, no? From what I can feel though, they will be much, much closer to mortals than whatever I am.”
“I’m delighted for you dear, truly I am,” Benea gave the goddess a smile. “Although, I hope you understand the dangers of such a journey.”
“I do not think it will be too relevant. My lands are not a kingdom, they will be part of a house like any other, and follow the same rules as all others.” she said with weird confidence. “Or do you mean some more biological threat? In that aspect I do not feel worried either.”
“I mean to say, dear…” Benea trailed, her smile fading as it turned to a pensive thought. Her own heart skipped a beat as she continued. “If you wouldn’t mind me asking, rhetorically of course, but have you ever outlived someone you care about?”
Dzallitsunya shook her head. “Well, death is death, it comes to all. When I got married I did it with that question in mind, and sincerely, I would be at peace if my husband left me after a fulfilling life. Children, well, who knows, ultimately however…” she stopped for a moment, measuring her words. “I embark on this to kill my mortal self. I lived with humans, in their village, and that created a me that simply cannot exist, it is not the place for a god to be. But it is not bad either, there is much to learn from these little short-lived chaotic beings. So… I decided to give myself one mortal life to live, when that evening dream ends and the sun rises bringing me back to reality, then I will truly commit myself to godhood.”
She took a deep breath. “Did that make sense to you? Or did I just sound like a complete fool?”
Benea gave a pitiful face and leaned back in her chair as she rolled her jaw in thought. “You’re young — which is to say we are both young. We are bound to be complete fools as we grow, dear.”
The Calla Lily Goddess waved a hand and a pink porcelain cup formed in her fingers, she sipped at a black liquid. “At the very least you have a plan.” A pause. “And if nothing else, you’ll always have me for support.”
Tsunya stood still for a moment then nodded, probably as soon as Benea’s reply was understood. “That is good to know. I have to say… I expected things to be a bit… uhm… more peaceful than they are now, especially in the sunny lands beyond, one which is now mine, as you requested.”
“Oh trust me I had high hopes for peace,” Benea looked up at Tsunya. “You know I appreciate all you have done, though, darling. Have a seat with me, I owe you some explanations, don’t I, sweet Tsunya?”
The other goddess nodded and moved closer, placing her chair by Benea’s side. “I must confess that indeed I have been a bit confused about current events.” Each euphemism forced the goddess of dusk’s eyes to dart to the side.
Benea held out a palm towards the dusk goddess. It was flawless, with not a mark on it — not that anyone in the room besides Benea or Jermane would know how cut up it was days prior. The Calla Lily goddess cupped her hand, as if asking for Dzallitsunya to take it.Tsunya was confused at it, but soon enough extended her hand to meet Benea, who gingerly grasps it.
Flicking her stare into the dusk goddess’ visage, catching her eyes, Benea spoke slowly. “Do you know about the poison in the nodes? I’m sure you at least felt it, dear; the addiction, the desire it gives.”
Tsunya glanced to the side at first, but at the mention of the addiction she found herself staring back with wide eyes. “Oh. Of course. It is a… feeling of power unlike anything else, but also a feeling of limitation too, it promises you infinity but quickly halts, wilting back. Like a blooming flower.” she then stopped, gulping and adjusting her stance. “I can understand why other gods may have fallen to the trap, ultimately though, there is no such way. It is as I said when this world began, we must work together to survive.”
“Well that’s also why I warned everyone about weak wills, dear,” Benea squeezed Dzallitsunya’s hand and maintained eye contact. “When I went to go talk to Anak’thas he was defensive, avoidant, and all too eager to get rid of me. I was a threat to him, my plans were a threat to him, the alliance was a nuisance to him — now how could that be? He only wanted nodes. Even with how he treats the people who live in his lands, he strips them of everything that would interfere with his advancement, even names. He is maddened and poisoned by the Crucible, so I detained him. I won’t see the sickness spread.”
A pause.
“I know I asked a lot of you, sweet Tsunya, and for that I am truly sorry — but at the same time you have my deepest gratitude.” Benea slowly let go of the other goddess’ hand. “I’m afraid sometimes that I am all alone, having you is a comfort.”
“The people… In node 13 truly were something else. I had to stay my hand to extreme levels to avoid tragedy there. I think my average subject has gained quite a bad impression of the sunlands thanks to those experiences. That said, it also offers unique things, there are qualities in it that cannot be found in the dusklands, or in Xavior’s realm. I wish Anak’Thas had not been so reckless, so that his land could have developed freely.” the dusk goddess then bit softly at her hand, an aura of anxiety. “Which brings up two things I wanted to ask about. First… you are aware Anak’Thas is free again, correct?”
“Hence the army, dear,” Benea leaned back in her chair and crossed a leg. “His followers slaughtered their own countrymen and then three of my loyal companions in the attempt, going so far as to poison volunteer guards picked from their own cities. I was wrong to assume the madness was isolated to Anak’thas alone… but you had a second question, darling?”
“How… How is Xavior? I mean… If I were to ask him for a meeting, do you think he would be willing to? See… my lands and his lands are very… different. We have completely different ideas of how to run a country. In our borders there has been some tension, smugglers, lawbreakers, it is harsh for me to punish my own people and even harsher to deal with people from his land, which I have just been sending back, but often do they return. So uhm, I would like to create some sort of… common agreement between us, laws for the borders if possible, but I have no idea what he is like.”
“I’m sure he will see you. He is amicable — though perhaps not exactly fond of myself at the moment. I intend to talk to him myself, but there is a chance you’ll get to him before me.” A pause before a sudden snap from Benea. “Oh! I just had a delightful idea, sweet Tsunya. We should do a diplomatic exchange of a sorts, wherein Dusklanders go to live and learn the culture of my lands and the people of Node 6, 2, and 1 come here to learn the ways of the Dusklanders. I’m sure it will only sweeten interactions between the pairs.”
Dzallitsunya nodded. “I would love a chance to talk with outsiders about the ways of the night. The people of Node 13 have not been the most receptive to our ideas since we did come down there as invaders, in their perspective. Increasing the connection of our lands will surely be good for the alliance too.”
“Precisely, dear,” Benea agreed. The Calla Lily goddess tucked a slant into her cheek suddenly and leaned forward. “You don’t… resent me for any of this, do you?”
“Sincerely, there was some primal annoyance at first. To be taken into plans that are not mine, to have my resources stretched and possibly being involved in a war. If I said I did not mind that I would be telling you a lie, and I prefer to be honest. But that said it was no fault of your own, we are not perfect and the world is full of chance and chaos, so from this whole regrettable situation I resent no one.”
“I should probably let you go soon, to accompany your soldiers. But before that..” the goddess stood up, moving to a nearby cupboard and taking out what looked like an ornate metal lamp, except past the black there was only darkness. Moving back to Benea, she tapped the glass, causing the insides to clear out, revealing a caged shard of umbrium.
“I have been absolutely fascinated with this little thing. As one would expect from the goddess of shadows, I guess!” she smirked. “The issue is, I have been holding back on studying and experimenting with it, because I wanted to talk with dear Monica before. But alas, she is always away, always hard to find, and her lands are so troublesome to traverse, especially when I must zeal for the health of the children I carry. And yet, waiting so long has also caused some trouble, the most clever of mortals within my realm has recently passed and it is hard to think of all the good work he could have done with it but that now is lost to us. So… I wanted a second opinion from you, if… it would be fine and not too rude, to just take a bit of this here and there, study it a little bit too...” for once in this entire meeting Dzallitsunya seemed truly energetic about the matter.
Benea tilted her head and tapped her cheek. “Sweetheart, I’m not too sure what you’re asking of me, but I don’t see anything wrong with you satiating your curiosity.”
“Nice!” now she felt free of guilt, if Benea could vouch for it, there was little to worry about. “This is good. Such a productive meeting, much like the last. I have had my magistrates prepare provisions for your soldiers both at the exit of this province as well in Node 13, it should help with your campaign and to appease the locals, as it cuts the needs to take from their stock to feed your band. I can only wish you good luck on what is to come.” Tsunya bowed gently.
“Thank you, dear.” Benea shrugged and smiled. “Just be careful regarding whatever your cooking up in that head of yours.”
The Calla Lily goddess stood up. “And if you meet with Xavior, be sure to give him my best as well.”
“I will.” The Twilight goddess also stood up, giving the other a sudden hug before letting go. “Stay safe, ok? If you ever need help, call for me and I will answer.”T
A laughing snort came from Benea and she pulled Dzallitsunya back into the hug, giving the dusky goddess a surprising squeeze. “Take care of yourself, dear… and if you’re going to hug, always give your best.”
Benea starts the journey east to face Anak’Thas with her army, starting to cross an increasingly xenophobic Duskland. At the border to node 8 and 13 the group splits so Benea can meet Dzallitsunya. The two have a pleasant talk, Tsunya talks about her marriage and pregnancy, then they move their topic to the current troubles with Anak’Thas, Benea asking if Tsunya was resentful for having been involved, Tsunya doesn’t hide she was annoyed to have to occupy 13 but also says she does not blame Benea. They talk about Xavior, since Tsunya wants to meet him to discuss their borders, about Umbrium which Tsunya wants to study and finally they set up an exchange of population between their realms, to work as some sort of proto-embassy between cultures.
Benea starts with 5 -1 spent on a node warning for Node 1 -1 spent on sharing node 6 with Xavior
A small tickle of rain made the world glisten, the air was cool and pleasant and the sounds of chirping animals and water droplets falling made for a calming soundscape.
And yet, the goddess felt increasingly more uncomfortable in this comfortable setting, having been forced to travel all the way back to her node because of unclear news. When she met the scouts and hunters inhabiting one of the many frontier lodges, she did not waste time with simple questions.
What happened? Where is Croll?
The group in front of her was Bedjo's hunting party, some could even say his tribe, though only a small core group of four was truly close to their leader. Croll's son himself was not around, instead, the second in command answered for him.
"We discovered a smuggling operation of local goods with foreigners from the lands west. They seemed to have intensified while you were away, my goddess." the woman explained with a gentle and cordial expression.
"And?" Dzallitsunya's words were quick to the point and caught the woman by surprise, it was far from what she expected and it took her some time to know what to answer.
"Well, that is bad... right? A crime, of course. So we, uh, us four and Bedjo, started to approach and try to dissuade them from fighting."
The goddess sighed and turned. "To the point."
"Well, a fight broke off, some people were wounded, Croll's group harmed us and we harmed them back, some died, Croll fled."
The goddess froze in place, her rage impossible to hide. "Who gave you the permission to become agents of the law? Who gave you the permission to even think about harming another citizen without asking me about it first? HMMM? Look at this mess that you have created. Look at how much I will need to fix."
"B...but goddess. We were just upholding what you established and..."
"Do you think I was not aware of Croll doing some under the table negotiations? It did not matter I was giving him a chance and you idiots stuck your nose where it did not belong, I never asked for your help with this, you overstepped and you caused me great harm."
The mortals recoiled at the sudden rage of a typically quiet goddess and in a sense Dzallitsunya felt bad, she could not blame them. She opened up her arms and made movement with her open palms to silence and calm all those around before clapping.
"Nevertheless, what is done is done, I will track Bedjo and Croll before the situation worsens"
And with that she turned, starting to leave the shelter, observing one last time the wounded few frontiersmen who now stared at the floor nervously. She noted their wounds.
Then she froze again.
She turned and started to approach another one of Bedjo's confidants, she got awfully close, almost pressing the man between the wall and herself. With a quick move, she took his own dagger, the man now sobbing in a nervous breakdown, and with his dagger, she compared it to the wound in his own belly. She made a few movements in the air with the knife at different angles, until one matched the wound in his belly.
"Goddess?" the second in command tried to distract her but her approach now just resulted in her hand being grabbed by the goddess, the sleeves being pulled down to allow her a better look at the wounds in the scout's arms. They looked closer to clawing and nail marks against it, not like anything she had ever seen in combat before.
As the dots connected, they formed a disgusting image.
"What have you done..." this was not a question to them, it was almost a lament.
The arrival was not the typical cold wind and ringing bells, but a strike like silent thunder. Bedjo was now facing the goddess, the loyal man gasping at the sudden arrival but holding his ground where many would fall back or trip down.
"Why have you done this to me? What have you done to your father?" there was no context but the man immediately knew what she was talking about.
"I found it necessary to strike at evil where it stood. My father was never going to listen to me. He would continue committing crimes, undermining your rule, he had been since you made Zed your husband, perhaps even before!"
"That... was... calculated! I understood what he would do, it did not matter! I had got Zed married to me, his sister would only take up the leadership of the clan in his name, that is the cities under my control, then your father Croll would slowly move out, because he wanted space for his business, and become less of a clan and more of an entity that holds the outer realm and its resources. It was perfect, perfect and ruined it."
The man stopped. "But, he would use that power for crime. I am sure of it, he was smuggling. He wanted to get enough power to strong-arm you into a position of his liking."
"That bloody past tense, you already did it, didn't you? Murdered him. Your mother too? Where are the corpses? Every divine action costs me some power that would be better spent somewhere else but if its to bring back a brilliant mind like his I am willing to take that sacrifice."
"The... sulfur pit. It was done weeks ago, in a moment of rage, when he... insulted your intelligence. My goddess. Please. Whatever I did, I did out of love for you. I believe in your views of the world, I believe in gentle nights for all. He... he was lured by the ways of those who dwell in sunny lands, he wanted personal riches and..."
The goddess hadn't been listening, she had been calculating, the sulfur would have melted the bodies, how hard would it be... too much, it was too unnatural to turn back now. "Who truly insulted me here is you. Who acted in my name without my person. Who assumed I was not aware of how Croll saw me. He was a smart man, perhaps greedy, but also driven. I was allowing him leeway, to see if his ideas could work or if the troubles I had with it would come true. He was a good man, if the troubles appeared I was sure we could agree to stop them."
She turned, staring at the boy. "You, meanwhile, you are worthless to me. Your greatest act was using your human chaotic nature to have your little potential strike at someone with far more. Congratulations for that." he tried to speak but was immediately cut off. "And speaking of that, how can I know you are not even worse than a fool. You and your father, there was little time between you and him. Very few years. If your father ruled the clan to 70, how old would you be? 52? 55? I can see why you would want to speed it up and coup at his domain."
He stood still, before shaking his head vehemently. "Of course not! I would... never. I just... felt like, what he was doing was wrong. I thought I was helping everyone...."
The goddess shook her head. "Sincerely. At this point. I don't want to even think about it. You are not worth the trouble. I do not care if you were foolish or greedy. The damage is done. How much effort and brute force it will take to make up for all that was lost? Just too much. I cannot even be angry at you. I am just exhausted. You deserved to be punished, to wish for death over having to repay your kin-slaying sin, but that would require thought, and there is no space in my mind for that."
The world moved slowly and he could not quite follow, but the image was not good. "My friends, they just helped me to hide the bodies, you shouldn't... ack" he clawed at his neck as a quick and rapid slash had cut halfway through it. He fell in front of the goddess' feet, strength quickly leaving him, darkness approaching, and then, a consuming whiteness, true nothingness.
The goddess stood a moment staring at the now lifeless body. Mortals were truly terrible at times. Zealous devotion had just caused her problems suspicion and greed had not. And yet the little zealot had died lying to her face, because she had seen the wounds his friend had, some were indeed made up to make up a fake fight, but those clawing of hands at the arm, that was the result of someone strangling someone unarmed, who that was? Had the mother got involved as he tried to hide the body of Croll, resulting in his friends killing her? Was it some assistant, or a helper? An innocent civilian? Had they conducted a purge of those Croll-aligned?
The sheer possibility of damage was just too great, so many of her most useful subjects and even personal friends could be among the dead now. She whispered names in silence while overthinking, from Marana, to Turillo, to Kadja, and many others. A prayer for them to be safe, a foolish act she recognised, for in these lands there were no gods but her.
She loved humans, she really did, and she wanted them to be safe and free, she did not want to impose a will and stifle their creativity. That was a valid mindset.
On the other, it was absurdly irresponsible to fall back and not exercise her full power as a god, no other god did that, and whenever a mortal had power, one could be certain they would use that power for whatever whim they had.
There was, after all, no garden without a gardener, the flowers had to be selected, the plants nourished, and the weeds to be cleansed. To avoid such responsibility was not noble but cowardly, to pass the sin of poor decision making to the mortals and leaders.
And so, she had decided, she needed to expand herself. If the node expanded her will to the realm on a spiritual level, it was time to do the same in a more physical manner, to acquire the knowledge and decision making power and speed necessary for these trying times.
"Greetings." she finally acknowledged the crowd that had formed in the currently empty central temple of the city. People she had picked for a variety of reasons, some she trusted, some who were skilled, and finally, those who had never been blinded.
Those born in the cave, Zed's tribe, had never seen the sun until they left, some did not even after because they were shielded by the Shadow Petal all the way to the Twilight Swamps, after that, they still had not seen the orb of fire, by never leaving the fog and mostly being awake at night. Just looking at a bright light was enough to make one unable to see well in shadows for a long while, so it became the belief that those who never saw the overwhelming solar light were obviously unblinded. The goddess did not initially believe in this myth of the cave dwellers, but, not only she was becoming partial to the unhealthy factors of sunlight, but the sheer respect these people had was also quite useful for her purposes.
"In the last days I have seen more of the world, met more people, talked with other gods and saw how the world really works out there. We, our way of life, may seem steadfast and secure, but even the strongest rocks can be broken by the constant flow of water. Troubles within and outside are endless, my initial belief that the gods would tame the chaos and bring about something good was wrong. Man-eating beasts, corrupt agents of intrigue and much worse."
The crowd was quiet until now, merely listening to the goddess, there was some anxiety and tension considering the size and secrecy of this meeting but so far they already had assumed all she spoke about.
"Knowing these troubles, I believe we must adapt. I wanted to create a country of full honesty and transparency, I thought being among mortals was enough, that I could lead by example. As unfortunate as it is, that was foolish. There is a time for everything, a time for cold when you must warm-up and a time of heat when you must cool yourself. Similarly, simple honesty and consensus while useful in general may become worthless at times. It is something harsh, but still true, there are times when mortals do not know what is best for themselves. It must be scary to hear someone say that, but it is what it is, the best vases aren't made by asking the opinions of a whole village on it, but by the firm hands of a skilled potter."
This brought up some murmur among the crowd, speculation on just what the goddess was aiming for was wild.
"I will be reforming the way this land is run. The clan system, the family arrangements, even the hunting bands, all will be disbanded. In its place, this lands and all other of the duskland will be ruled by an able government body, it will have clear rules, clear limitations and clear freedoms. To do that, I will need to dwell beyond the realm of the honest and direct, the world of intrigues and whims, of deception and hiding the truth, it too must be part of the state. It makes no sense to ignore that realm, we cannot destroy it, but we can tame it, and make sure these things are done for the benefit of our people."
"For that purpose, I will need a system. In your body, you have a nervous system that collects and transmit information, imagine how weak you would be if your skin could not immediately inform through pain that there is a leech in your leg, by the time the issue is noticed even the people with the most vitality could end up sick. My issues with the land are the same, and so, if I am to rule, I need the information to know if I am ruling effectively. I need a bureaucracy to know which granaries are full and which are empty, which lands are losing people or receiving immigrants. if there is a drought or if there is a flood, or even a new illness. I need to know where all the bridges are, who and what crosses them, I want to know how well the roads are kept, what passages the hunters and travellers are using, I want to know what opinions the people whisper while drinking tea or wine. I want a name for every face, I want every death and pregnancy to be reported. I need the agents to act if foreign forces try to lure people into system that smell like perfume but are in truth a pit of decadence, I need the agents to dissuade a citizen from doing something foolish way before that happens."
"And you, who I invited here, are those who may become this system. What I offer you is not the role of clan leaders or kings, you will be handling data and protocols, and, if necessary, sometimes you may act to protect the order and the land. I will need your full devotion if you accept, with the blessings will also come obligations. Your mind will be fully exposed to me and unlike most work, you will never be allowed personal material gains from this. To accept this offer it will mean to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of the rule and the people, for all of your life and beyond that. I will perfectly understand if some of you do not accept it, to those who do, step forth, for now you will be one of my Moonbound Magistrates."
A terrible act happened while Dzallitsunya was away, the fight between Croll and his son Bedjo became heated because the zealot son felt like Croll was betraying the goddess by trading with others and getting influence and power to impose his will against her decisions. Ultimately, Bedjo slayed Croll. Dzallitsunya liked Croll very much and expected him to do that, she executes Bedjo soon after and decides its gloves off time. She starts to reform the entire governing system to make it far more bureaucratic and centralised. For that end, she creates a special group of people, the magistrates.
Starting= 4
-4 (Advanced curse or bless a group) The Moonboud Magistrates are a group meant to be the core of Dzallitsunya's government. Sharp senses, strong minds and reliable memories which can be accessed by Dzallitsunya just by being in their presence.
Meant to be the unseen forces of her rule, they are blessed to be invisible, having to use makeup, ink and eye-drops to counter that, this gives them an almost paper-white complexion, with no colours in their eyes and hair outside of the grey-scale. Blessed by the shadows, they have trouble being out in direct sunlight unless it's the dim weakened sun of Dzallitsunya's lands.
The sun shone bright, piercing past the window and conquering the room. The goddess almost felt like using her cape of divine power as a simple curtain, if it would help to make the room more comfortable.
She had been trying not to hold a single drop of bitterness in her heart, towards a friend and an ally, but Benea had bound her to a regrettable position.
"My goddess." a guard said as he entered the room. "We have another guest. A mayor..."
The goddess simply waved her hand, signalling for him to let the man pass. Soon the man who called himself the leader of a nearby village entered the room, nodding before sitting on the chair, a finery imported from the Twilight Swamp.
"Hello, your ladyship." he started. "Uhm... I came here today, to this audience, to request your help in protection, and maybe if possible, propose a trade of our resources?"
"W...What?" a dusklander woman by the goddess' side gasped in indignation. "You and your village denied helping us, said we were freaks with the hair of rats, and told us to crawl back into the shadows. Now YOU come here asking for help?"
"Hatzur, that will be enough, let us not dwell in the past."
Indeed, from the wording of the goddess, the group of her people who crossed south expected to be received as peacekeepers and friends, instead, they found nothing but hostility, from beginning to end. First villagers refused to house them, then some bandits were given free rein to harass the group, finally, in the capital Telum'velik, the goddess had to activate her cape's protective powers to walk to the Node, repelling all the stones and dirt being thrown at the group.
Thus began Dzallitsuny's reign on Node 13. Unlike the initial plan, they did not make a base at Tillume Villahke, as the dusklanders called Telum'velik, but something closer to Node 8, Dzalli's own Mirror Marches. This position was advantageous for there was a river that ran from the north all the way down to the sea, not only were her people master at river navigation but rivers and boats were such delicate things that the goddess of dusk could manipulate the situation with minimal divine actions.
The goddess did not want to bring an army to impose her will upon these people, but the truth was that the condition was rigged, the side of the shadows had a goddess, and the side of the lamp was lacking its creator. A lightning strike to a warehouse here, an inopportune rain or hail at the wrong time, and the path for the domination of the river route by Dzallitsunya was cleared. The moral of it was questionable, but the goddess took a pragmatic approach, it was best this way, chaos would retake this land without her leadership, and surely no other god would be as gentle.
With the river taken, the goods of the twilight swamp then flowed in, as bribes or gifts, what was important was introducing them to the wider public, to get the locals "hooked". Silver and platinum, gemstones and amber, clothes, oils and salts for enduring and exotic lamps, dried up tea leaves and spices, cocoa fruit and coca leaves, even many types of mushrooms, the normal and dream-inducing types. Soon the goods of the Mirror Marches would also flow in, Croll had been exploring uses for the many new things that had been found there, from grapes, nuts, and apples in the green valleys to the black cotton-like flowers of the salt flats, the peculiar spiders that seemed to craft webs of crystalline strings or the many bees that existed both on Node 7 and Node 8, suspiciously close to the centre of the nodes, producing very distinct types of honey and wax on each area.
Finally, the third pillar of the goddess's presence in Node 13 was her army. Well kept and always fed thanks to the goddess' blessings and ultimately protected by the goddess herself, who had no qualms about fighting with her people. This group was not meant to conquer cities, but they were not there for just defence either. Bandits and criminals started to increase their presence due to the crisis of faith and the lack of divine leadership, and to the East rumours of beast-like men cannibalising entire villages were spreading, awful but useful.
With all that in mind, she turned to the pleading mayor.
"It is about the recent wave of refugees isn't it? Leaving the east after a village was burned..." she added. "I can lend the boats to move the food to feed them, and help them resettle with my own materials and my people's expertise. I can protect your village but your actual leaders in Tillume Villahke will complain, won't they? Such a troublesome lot, if not for their threat of having my 'embassy' raided I would have moved east already to properly scout and eliminate these raiders."
The mayor gulped at the clear implications of the goddess' words. "We will have a council meeting in Telum'Velik soon. To address some issues... I can put my word for you there. If that helps..." this was the fourth mayor of a local village saying this, it would help indeed. "And about the trade... I visited another village and I saw the silver pendant you gave them, so I was thinking..."
"I do not trade. But friends to my realm will receive pleasant gifts with a formal agreement on some basic rules. After that, you can put requests for resources and goods, and I will see if am able to provide you with them." the goddess added, smiling. "For a start, have this. If you ever see trouble nearing your village, burn his oil in the village's bonfire, it will rise a bright flare that can be seen from afar, that will signal me and my soldiers that you are in need of help."
One of the dusklander guards observed the salad that had been among the produces gifted by the mayor, cabbages, onions and some sort of white round thing with a yellow core. Without thinking much, he took a handful of it and started chewing, trying to identify what the hell the third ingredient was.
One of the other guards looked startled at that. "Dude... that is like, chicken egg." he said, waving his head.
Immediately the salad eater froze, tilting his head. "W...what?"
"Ayup. It's an egg, from a chicken, popped out straight from their rears. They clean and boil it but like it's any better but it's still, you know, messed up man. It's like the lady bird's baby-making stuff, and they eat it." the guard added, smirking.
"No way what..." the other guard coughed the now chewed up salad out, narrowly avoiding vomiting onto the floor. "This is sickening. What is wrong with these people? Don't they have enough food? Why would they eat eggs?"
A female guard nodded at those words. "They also drink milk here, from those large things... uhh... cows yeah?"
"They drink it straight from the tit I hear, as if they were little baby calves." another person said with a laugh. "Sun-landers are messed up in the head man, all this sunlight cooks their brains."
The guard shook his head. "Now you are just making stuff up." he sighed. "I really hope we can go back to the swamps soon."
"Not lying man, ask Zillike when he is back from scouting." then he blinked. "Wait, what are you doing here? Weren't you meant to be in the north?"
"Right. Trouble in the mirror marches, I have a message to send to the goddess."
Telum'velik was of all cities one of the oldest and one of the largest. Being so close to node 18, where all humans had been created, had given it potential, and said the potential was later fully realised by Anak'thas, though without his leadership issues of corruption and slums had started to spread it was still one of the jewels of the world, as far the current level of metropolitan cultures went.
Zillike had been a scout since the start, rarely in the swamp, often in the barren plains and beyond. Unlike most dusklanders, he had maintained a healthy sun-kissed appearance. He could easily blend in with the crowd, and not be called out as one who came from Dzallitsunya's lands. As such, he had been their primary ear in the region, keeping the goddess' embassy informed of any developments.
He noticed a crowd and went to check on them, but it was merely a group of children around a story-telling priest. Something about siblings, a girl and a boy, the girl made many small little lights, represented by a jar of fireflies, one of the goods imported from the swamps, while the boy would make a greater light that dwarfed all others, represented by an oil lamp, a traditional local one. The girl would then live in jealousy of the boy or something, he stopped paying attention when the theme became clear, it was a mockery of his goddess and a declaration of her inferiority to Anak.
These days these types of stories were almost all one could hear, Dzallitsunya leaving and letting the cities be independent had made for some time without much hate for her, but now it had all been rekindled. Something was off, Zillike could tell, so today he decided he would be bold, and try to spy on the council of the city.
Wearing black garbs and given the cover of the night, the young scout climbed up and sneaked past the few gate guards, going to the temple near the node. Since what he was doing was unusual, security in most places was quite weak, Dzallitsunya, in the time she took to claim the node, had also surveyed the central building, even loosening some stones or casting tunnels on the ground to help her future spy once she left. With his skills and such blessings, he was quickly within ear range of the council meeting.
"And this is what the usurper goddess has said to me. She gave me this oil that would turn any fire into a beacon of light, and she would march with her soldiers to its location." said the mayor that had just arrived after visiting the goddess.
"Great! we could lure them in, prepare a trap! If we join all our forces, even a god should fall." answered another.
"At what cost? Half of our adult population? And then what? Wait to be raided by another god, or those animals to the east?"
"So long as she sticks to the river and doesn't try to take cities, I think we can tolerate her."
"I don't feel comfortable making my village the centre of a trap. Not while the goddess is here."
"We could lure her east, she did say that she would go deal with the werebeasts if she was not worried about our forces, we give her our word, and act while she is away."
"All of you are too eager." Spoke Perfek Tilus Tilum’Velik, the governor of Tilum'Velik in the absence of Anak'thas. "Our Lord has returned, it is what everyone in the east says. He is biding his time, creating an army powerful unlike any ever seen, and soon he will march and cast out all usurpers. The word of our brothers is that he has recruited soldiers capable of performing miracles. The plan to lure the invaders is good, but it is not yet the time for confrontation."
This caused the spy's eyes to widen. If he was to be believed, the imprisoned mad god had returned. Zillike felt the pressure upon him now, this was crucial information that he had to tell his goddess. Yet, as soon as he stood up, his heart froze, he was no longer alone in the dark chamber he had been using to eavesdrop upon the council, in front of him, three guards were smirking.
"Didn't I tell you I had heard of a rat scurrying around?" the leader of the guards told, readying his weapon, the dusklander did the same, though he had just a knife, he was not about to just go down without a fight.
The wind blew gently upon the wheat fields nearby Tilum'Velik, under a tall oak tree a single torch was lit.
Perfek Tilus Tilum’Velik stared at the torch and at the bloodied young man fallen on the ground, clearing his throat as soon as he felt a chill of cold wind up his spine. "You are late."
"Have mercy, I am with child." Dzallitsunya smirked, offering the governor a cup of fire tea. "Oh, seems like you have caught Zellike."
"My guards were a bit rough. He lost a few fingers in the sword fight. I am sure you can re-attach them with godly magic. As you did to the assassins we sent against you."
"Any news on Anak'thas?"
"No further contact since the news of his escape."
"I expect he will act soon. When the time comes, try to not make big announcements about where Tilum'Velik will stand..."
"It would be unreasonable to expect us to not side with our creator."
"Yes, but you do not have to say that. Let the people go and fight as you please, but if you announce it, the city will be part of a possible conflict, with enemies in all directions. I would recommend waiting until the safety of the city is guaranteed, until then, at least pretend you will be neutral."
"So you think there will be a heavenly war."
"It is not impossible." she sighed. "So. The brigands to the northeast, near the hills, are they...?"
"Not ours. I would guess it's people fleeing east and going desperate. We have our peace deal Dzallitsunya, and so far it serves our people well."
"On my side, I do not see movements from any other god, the beastmen also seems to have stopped, probably by Benea's actions"
"Right, speaking of that threat, you should do better than to trust every mayor who comes asking for help. That fire you gave today was almost used for a trap."
"That was not for him, that was for you. I will need to leave the region for a few days. If there is any emergency, be it a god or an existential threat to the city, light it up and I will know there is trouble."
"Leave for the north huh?" the governor stroked his beard. "Some sort of trouble up there."
The goddess rolled her eyes, wouldn't he like to know. "No, I am merely incredibly lonely and I want to kiss my husband." she said in an annoyed tone. "Just make sure nobody has funny ideas in the little time I will be away, nothing that would test the patience of a pregnant woman, yes?"
"A conflict with you as we stand now is not of the interest of the people, even if few realise that. Now, did you bring me the goods that I requested?"
"Here. Two disks of gold, and a vial of the poison of the most venomous snake in the swamp. Have fun I guess?" she smirked. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to heal my spy."
As he left, turning off the torch and vanishing into the field of moonlit golden wheat, the goddess sighed in annoyance. "Its trouble after trouble. I really hope Croll did not do anything stupid."
Dzallitsunya has went south and taken Node 13 from Anak'Thas. Knowing conquest would need bloodshed, she instead leaves the city and rules by bribes, espionage, diplomacy and minor divine arson. Secretly, she has a deal with the governor of Tilum’Velik, the node's capital, to keep the peace and other gods away, in exchange for neutrality and no attacks against her troops.
Initial 3 + 3 (Quiz answers)
Spent - 1 (create special flora: a type of black cotton-like plant with certain properties that will be discussed later) - 1 (create special animal: bees that create a different type of honey and wax depending on which node they are. Much like bees IRL can make even hallucinogen honey if they feed on certain flowers.)
Dzallitsunya - Goddess of the dusk, of shadows. Zed - Leader of a tribe of humans who lived in a cave in Node 18 Croll - Leader of a tribe of humans who lived in the surface in Node 18
Twilight Valleys- The name of node 7, including both the swamp and jungle proper, as well as the dry highlands and mountains nearby Mirror Marches - Node 8, a cold desert with salt flats that turn into massive mirrors that spam from horizon to horizon, to the north, ice covers the land
Marriage Festival - A plan by Dzallitsunya to fully and finally eradicate the differences between the two tribes and guarantee her realm
Croll
Croll was not a man to overthink, the world was simple when you broke it down, yet one thing had been bugging him, and that was... what he was. Was he still the tribal leader of his people? Were he and Zed Dzallitsunya's second in command? If he said he wanted to leave for another province, how many would follow him?
Not that he wanted to leave, the thought didn't even truly pass by his head, he was part of a small group of people who did not wander from camp to camp, but that stayed fixed near the major village of the Twilight Swamps. He had built what was probably the largest of homes, the first one to have a second floor, with the first floor now being dedicated to storing goods and meeting people.
He was obsessed with having as many materials as possible, every new herb, every new animal fur, every new rock, he wanted it. Initially, he travelled with the groups to collect them but now he saw far more results by centralising it to his home, where he could mix and match materials together, he could plant herbs, ferment them, burn them, he could polish rocks, melt them. The majority of results were mediocre at best and bad at worst, he and a few helpers had gotten themselves poisoned a few times. But when it worked, oh the results were amazing.
Textiles from plants, from animals and from whatever the mucous thing that made Tsillo was. New gemstones were freed from stone. New Dyes. New plants that worked either to eat and nourish or with unusual but pleasant spicy or sweet tastes. And although the tribe was becoming more distant, he found himself with a closely-knit group of associates. Kadja, master of foodstuffs, his wife Midzi who helped with working the stones, and many young and curious lads and lasses, some of his tribe, some of Zed's tribes. When seeing that, he almost felt like it was fine, he could just imagine that maybe it was fine, he could be happy with this arrangement.
But oh things weren't so simple.
For one, his son, Biedo. He saw in him good leadership, his work on the highlands had been tremendous. But like most of the young, he was too much of a... zealot, for Dzallitsunya. He even called himself Bedjo, using the goddess' own pronunciation, a mix of Zed's and Croll's. It felt like ironic karma for his sycophant ways when he first met the goddess, but that was a plan to get blessed, Biedo's desires were true.
Still, he was sure the boy would fix himself over time, and it's not like being too faithful to a goddess that was real and active in the community was that bad, until at least he rejected a great marriage opportunity, of him with Zed's younger sister, Daga, because of some misguided crush on the goddess and a belief he should rigorously follow the setting of the marriage festival to find his partner.
And that led his mind to the actual problem. He was unsure about the goddess.
There was no other god he'd rather work under, even as rumours of others spread about. Dzallitsunya, lady of twilight and shadows, was surely caring and rarely demanding, she was intelligent and amicable. He imagined trying to talk to other gods was like talking to a wall, and she was no wall.
She was a river.
When talking to someone as stubborn as a wall, you have no delusions of progress, you can see the points you make bouncing against an unmoving mind. Dzallitsunya? She was stubborn as a river, she gave the impression you could make it, the chance to put your full effort against the water, but the water is uncaring, its flexible in form but inflexible in destination, you can even swim up a bit, but what does that change for the river? Nothing. And that is what he felt when discussing with her, she was understandable but never willing to learn, she asked how they felt but only saw it with her own eyes, she expressed having doubts but never seemed to even consider his opinion as truly worthwhile, even if she wasted time listening to it.
This worried Croll, because if she was not listening to the humans closest to her, then she was all alone, alone with only her mind and thoughts, and nothing good could come of that. Not for the land, not for the realm and not even for herself. He would have to deal with that one way or another, sooner or later, for everyone's good.
Then suddenly he rose up, all this talk about moving rivers... it had inspired him.
Zed
The tall, pale-olive skinned man looked down at the bags of colourful pigment. In particular, he was interested in the colourful rainbow-like purple and cyan stones that seemed to appear less and less in the village.
"Maranya, my sweet friend, what is happening? Not only you don't have Chalcopyrite anymore, but the selection of powder extracts are so poor too. I wanted to paint the new wall of my home with something shining and colourful. After all, I will be having a bride there soon."
The woman sighed. "The rainbow rock is gone cause of something weird Croll's group did, some kid, a friend of your sister, discovered how to make metal out of it, somehow."
He laughed. "My my, isn't Croll on a streak? First, he discovers how to move the hot water from the central swamp, then how to use that to grow lots of plants in the fields. Now you tell me these sharper knifes that have been showing are also his design? That man's brain is as big as his belly."
Maranya shook her head "You are so rude Zed. Always were. Back in the cave, always felt like you were a prick to be fully honest."
He gasped, a hand in his chest. "How... How could you!" he then laughed. "Not like I asked to be the leader... In fact I don't even remember exactly what happened, was just born a leader, just like my sister was born my sister? You know. When the world was created."
She nodded at that, and then looked up at the starry sky. "Isn't it weird? How in enough time there will be no one left to remember the creation of the world?"
"It is not the future that scares me, that is natural, but the past, it does bother me Maranya. Dzallitsunya explained the origins of the world by the hands of a dying god... does that mean we are his imagination? Did he imagine me, my sister, you, Croll... maybe even Dzallitsunya? Were we people he knew and brought back? Was it some random act, and we, who we are, is just a random whim of fate? I feel lost when I think about this, everything around me feels so more brittle..."
The girl laughed, stepping closer to Zed. "Man... when you want to be smart, you really say some interesting things." she hummed. "Anyway, before we get too distracted, I just wanted to add that yeah, sorry for the lack of pigments, it's Croll's fault, his stock has been poor." she circled closer with small steps, delivering a sudden punch to the side of the arm, a playful one. "Though the information you would be in the marriage festival, well, that is new. Got any plans for any lady of your choice there?" she smirked mischievously.
Zed felt her eyes piercing him, probably for clues, he blushed at that concept, especially with how close she had gotten now and what he felt was something... very complicated to express here. "Say, Maranya, small talk is nice and all, but I should probably go and see what is up with Croll".
With that, he fled.
...
The fields of Croll's home were the closest to the boiling swamps near the volcano, and ever since he had started working on the farm, they were directly connected to his field by a simple dug-out canal. The hot water was not useful for irrigation, but what the other tribal leader had discovered was a method where the fertile land is put above a layer of stones. The hot water filtered through the stone, trapping both heat and nutrients that rose to the vegetable patches above. It was a complicated set up since it used multiple canals with different types of water, but growing crops that before had been rare were now flourishing in the central swamp.
Zed had been fully distracted by the crop patches until he heard something, it was Dzallitsunya and Croll, talking in a somewhat secluded area, their tone serious.
"My Lady. I do not see the true problem with this. It helps us to move the goods faster and get the people to have a better will to work. I am not doubting your ideas but... you cannot possibly believe the current arrangement can last, not with more lands being added to the realm, not with more and more babies being born. It's impossible." the slightly overweight man complained, avoiding an outburst however.
The goddess sighed. "I appreciate your ingenuity Croll, and I accept this must be frustrating for you, but the way things were developing was bothering me." answered Dzallitsunya, remaining calm and still, as she always did. She had a way to look imposing but also reassuring, perhaps not unlike the night sky, as black and as deep as a pit but never as scary, thanks to the small hints of light called stars.
"The way things were going, everything was starting to have a price, at first, it was the precious things people sought, the pigments, the tsillo, and that were fine. Then it was the tools, everyday clothes, that started to be bartered, then it was most of the food, and at that point, it was too much. What will be next on our society's bartering list?" she waved her cape about, showing a bit less control than usual. "Will we deny water to the man dying of thirst in the highland deserts unless they give us three pieces of amber? Will we let children drown unless their parents brought us a copper knife? Or maybe refuse to help someone with a broken leg just because they don't have enough snail conchs to give us."
Croll took a deep breath. "We can control it better, everything is new and we are testing things, I... I just find your actions to be a bit harsh my goddess, you can't stop bartering within the territory, you can stop us from doing things to streamline it, but is it good?"
"I do not understand why you think your methods are deserving of being given chances, but mine should be made to step back for it because it too has mistakes." she half turned away, the ringing of her jewellery filling the tense room for a long time. "You and some others even started paying people in earrings and gemstones to work as your maids and servants, how long until what is being traded are not people's services but people themselves? Sold off in a market not unlike an animal fur or a pet fish."
"Selling people? That is absurd no one would..." he noticed in his own words that his tone was naive. "And even if they did, you can make that a crime. On the other side, as you are managing the system now, any mistake you make will also result in unhappiness, things cannot be solved by gift sharing and supplies from the temple. And we already struggle with jobs, most young males want to be hunters and explorers but we already have more than we need especially now that the farms are providing food, meanwhile more boring and mundane tasks are piling up, to give them a payment they can exchange for something they like, it gives them the drive to do those tasks."
"I can assign people manually to the jobs they must perform."
"But would that not lead to unhappiness? To lock someone in working on something they do not like and that provides no benefit?"
"It keeps their community safe and healthy, is that not enough benefit?" she sighed, rubbing her chin. "Perhaps, make it a duty all would perform from time to time."
"The latter proposal does seem sound goddess, but what about the people's main work?"
"We will see about that later, look. For now I am too busy, I am sorry, I did not come here to discuss this, I came to discuss the new lands we need to explore and connect. But now, I do not think I have time even for that. We will resume this conversation in a few days, after the festival."
The shadow goddess left, her dark cape twirling, Zed not even saying hello as she left, instead immediately looking at Croll, who only now noticed him.
"That was rough." Zed said. "From what I got, she shut down your operations here? Shame, this warehouse was doing wonders for my work."
"Bah. It's useless my friend." he patted Zed's shoulder. "I will be lucky if I get even a minor concession, there is no reasoning with the goddess on this."
Zed turned, surprised. "Do you think so?" seeing the other tribal leader tilt his head in confusion, Zed continued. "She was passionate about the topic, and yet, she did hear your points. At least I felt like it. More than usual at least. Dzalli has cold words but you need to pay attention to her expressions and the way her body sways."
Croll was surprised. "Do you think so."
"Well, at least she admitted she has issues going on, despite things still being good. At the worst case, she will prepare for those problems." Zed added. "Come on, you are so boastful normally, yet you don't realise how good you are at this? To talk back to the goddess like that, I would not have the courage."
"I am boastful? You are the one spitting remarks as edgy as snake fangs."
"But that is with friends, and with humans." Zed sighed. "Plus, well, it's easier to be nasty than to be sincere. When I am fearful, I freeze. Goddess, all eyes on the marriage festival will be on me, and I think I will freeze in place. How did you ask your wife on marriage Croll?"
"We... didn't?" he laughed. "Woke up with her as my love, and our kids too. But if I had to say, you should just take the dive Zed. The girls love that fancy talk of yours and the whole event is meant to help people not to be shy. Now, speaking of which... about Daga..."
"I am sorry Croll, I think that ship has sailed all the way to the geysers. She also now seems to favour another hunter from your son's groups, one that doesn't leave her hanging."
The merchant nodded. "Hmm. Who else could be a good match to him. Hatzur seems too rough for his taste. Maybe the pigments and paints girl, do you know her, Maranya? I am sure he seems to fancy her."
Zed gulped. "Maranya huh? I... don't think..."
Dzallitsunya
The festival had started, the people had gathered once again like they never had before. The goddess even felt like she had seen some people she had never seen before, from the nodes beyond the swamps and highlands of the twilight goddess. Of course, the entire getup for the young ones in the festival was meant to make it hard to instantly recognise who was who. The young unmarried this day wore colourful masks and clothing, unlike anything that one would see on an average day to day of the city, colourful, sparkly and far more revealing. The duskladers had barely started to produce music and yet it was already a key part of the festival, the musicians played flutes, messed around with copper bits that produced sharp small ringing noises, and, for once, used percussion such as drums, which was most of the time seen as an unpleasant noise. The latter was probably appreciated for once because it gave the cover of sound to the already masked individuals, add to that the fragrant incense burning and oil fires illuminating the night, and the party-goers were given full anonymity until close and personal, unless they were very obvious people, like Zed for example.
To the sides was the realm of the older, the married or the left behind. The families discussed and whispered at dimly lit tables filled with the best food the swamps had to offer, shifting from table to table, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and uncles, tried to set up new deals for their future family unions. In the middle of all that, in the horizon line between the young and the old, those rising and those setting, stood the goddess of twilight, her face was at first filled with joy, but then, well, the message arrived.
My Dzallitsunya,
Tragedy has struck us early, dear. It would appear that Anak’thas has succumbed to a certain madness or even illness of the mind. He seems only interested in gathering power and nodes at the cost of our order, even. I could see the infection inside of him as he spoke, his words disguised to being in favor of order but his actions bringing chaos to the future. For the sake of peace, I have detained him and Node 14 until I can cure him of his madness.
I would ask that you do the same for Node 13 and coordinate with our beloved Xavior and Monica. Us four are the only things currently standing between either a world of chaos and war, and one of unity and order.
Stay strong, darling.
Like in the day of the creation, hope was followed by trouble. She had believed in Benea's future and naively believed all would obviously follow it, but of course they had not, even excluding the degenerate gods like that foul smelling woman who defiled a corpse to steal teeth, one's ambition could get in the way, and in this case...
It hit too close home.
The mention of lust for power and nodes, she knew that, she had felt it. Those shadow flowers with cells made of pure raw godly power among the void and chaos. Her godly power. Twice she had felt it, and she could not lie that she needed a third time, then a fourth...
But she wasn't mad, of course she wasn't, she was actually extremely bothered she had over-expanded faster than HER civilisation, if she could choose, she would rather have Anak'thas keep his node. She wasn't mad. But of course, if she could have all the nodes, she would...
But for no other reason than to have some more freedom when creating the land, she constantly found herself struggling against seasons and the sun, who never accepted it was just obnoxious, and every time she tried to reduce the time it ruled over the sky she found herself being held in place by the other provinces, be it those ruled by chaos, or those ruled by others.
The goddess sighed, holding her forehead and looking up at the starry sky. Of course, she wasn't mad. She was sensible and listened to others. She told herself. She did not even know what had really happened between Anak'thas and Benea, and how mad Anak'thas had been, she was just filling the blanks with her own experience and thinking of herself being 'trapped' for being 'mad', she reasoned.
So with a deep breath, she turned away from the party, moving behind a stone-walled home and creating a mirror of silver-light.
Greetings my dear Benea.
It is regretful to know that negotiations went poorly in the south. In the mirror marches I had set up the land to be of easy access to there in hopes of helping trade flourish among our friendly realms, that Anak'thas has turned such an opportunity into tragedy is upsetting.
At the moment my hands are tied in the land, but I will start to prepare a force to keep the peace in the surroundings of the 13th node, just please forgive me if I turn out to be late, as the last few days have been eventful among my mortals and my manpower is running low.
I hope to see you again soon, and to discuss the events with Anak'thas, to better understand what this affliction is.
May the shadows bless you with respite, Dzallitsunya
Copying Benea's technique, she sent the message away, back to the goddess, the silver light fading as it flew like a thrown disk into the sky. The goddess merely stood in silence and darkness, closing her eyes and pondering deeply.
Then she heard a rattle by the docks, a little spark of light. With gentle, silent steps, she sneaks upon the anonymous duo.
The marriage festival was, of course, not just a festival meant to have fun and wear masks, the core was finding a partner. The way this worked, at least in this first version of the event, was by uniting together the materials to make an oil lamp. Following temple specifications, the bachelors and bachelorettes would collect additives for the oil and test them as an individual flame of aspects such as intensity and colour that was of their liking. When the day of the festival came and their partner was selected, the two concoctions would be mixed and used in a single lamp, the resulting flame was to be later used to kindle the first flames and hearts of the couple's house and its recipe would have to be remembered and followed as the unique signature of the family for many future festivals. Already, some couples had made their matrimonial lamps, some with good results, some with poor results.
But this one was the first that seemed to have wandered off, and the goddess could not help but wonder why.
"Hello?" the goddess of starlit skies said when she was already upon them. "Oh. Hello Hatzur, Maranya." she smiled, but the two did not, they let out a surprised eep, something unusual for the two of them, one steadfast and another one quite a trickster. The goddess was made to stare at them for a moment with true confusion in her eyes, not following the situation nor understanding why they were by the docks... only with overwhelming evidence, like a rock for starting a fire and the lamp with a united concoction did she finally connected the dots.
"Oh!" It was hard to get at first, mostly because concepts of love felt so distant and hard to understand her, to her this whole festival had been about having the humans find mates and intermarry the clans and tribes, practical reasons, childbearing, the romance and love of it was lost to her. But she appreciated those concepts, perhaps she even wanted to be able to feel them as well, though it felt impossible, as distant from her as the feeling of godhood was from humans.
"Goddess we didn't..."
Dzallitsunya shook her head. "No no, it is fine. This is a festival of love, isn't it? If you two love each other, then you have my blessing." she added with a smile, then turning her head. "I would just like if you two lit the fire together with everyone, okay? There is no reason to be shy."
Despite her words, the two feared a scandal, but it was hard to deny the goddess' own invitation. So they followed her, but soon enough any fear of scandal would be lost, as the talk of the town for the evening and morning would be something else.
Because as they entered the central plaza again, they were quickly approached by Zed.
"I..." he took a deep breath. "My goddess. I wanted to say, that I really enjoy the time I spend with you, be it talking to you, or just being by your side. Your beauty consumes me like the depths of the night sky, and when I am lost, your words are the shining stars that show the way. I... I know it's insolent of me, and if I am to be punished I will understand, but, I just must do it. Dzallitsunya, would you marry me?"
There was no gasp, the world just stood silent, music stopped, all eyes, even of those dancing and holding their partners close, was upon the duo. Dzallitsunya for her part was flabbergasted, Zed was many things, lazy, fussy, but he had never been such a fool. The full extent of her godmind could not for a moment understand what logic was at play here, from all angles, it was a terrible idea that would shake the political arrangement of the land.
It already did in fact, Croll had stood up with an indignant stare, visible to all despite him sitting quite far away from the light-giving bonfire, his own son was the one who stopped him from stepping into the light, reserved only for the young and unmarried during the festival. They bickered in whispers, the son strongly advocating for the father not to make a fool of himself.
And yet... Dzallitsunya was grinning. This was insanity, couldn't Zed see? He was the smartest mortal of these lands, despite wasting his intellect on frivolities. It was everything wrong with Humans... and that made it enticing, a tingle in her chest making her heart skip a beat, wouldn't it be funny if she said yes? What would happen? It was entirely out of her plans... before her senses could return, she found herself talking.
"I cannot marry someone who is a tribal leader, it would break the peace of the land." the bait had been set and it was not subtle, she still had the grin and one eye closed.
"Then I will let Daga have it all, my title and possessions, I wish for nothing but the title of being your loved one."
He actually did it. She thought in her mind. No hesitation even! How did humans even work? Were they all this insane? This was just too much, too much to let go.
The goddess opened her hand and revealed a vial containing a dark material, one she had gotten in the ever dark lands to the west. Umbrium, tamed and diluted by the lady of shadows herself. She handed it to Zed, the people in the plaza just feeling more and more incredulous at each passing event, if a maniac was to fall in the middle of the plaza and start crushing people to the death against walls they would probably be less startled.
The man took the material of exotic matter and walked to one of the religious agents controlling the event, the old woman, with shaky hands, gave them the special lamp, Zed added his materials and then Dzallitsunya's exotic dark matter. The flame was lit, and all gasped as in front of their eye they saw something impossible, a dark flame, eating light instead of giving it. Zed's ingredients gave the flame some colour, an aura of turquoise among the dark dancing shape, solid at the core but spreading into little sparkles at the borders, to the mortals like a piece of the starry sky taken down to earth, to the goddess, not unlike those dark flowers of flowing power she felt when she overtook a regional node.
Dzallitsunya advanced and held the lamp together, her fingers touching Zed's. "Then, let us be husband and wife." she pulled him closer, and shared their first kiss by the darkness of the lamp-gloom.
This big post starts with Croll, as the man ponders over how hard it is to actually get Dzallitsunya agree with anything, how much of a zealot his son is. Still, he is happy, having a group of people to find use and purpose for every last rock and plant in this land. This results in copper work and agriculture being invented.
Zed overhears Croll and Dzallitsunya discussing economics, Dzallitsunya being very worried that the increase of trade will lead to slavery and paid medical care. Since she is a goddess, she shuts it all down, and Croll is left to cope with the consequences.
Dzallitsunya receives Benea's message and is left quite bothered.
The marriage festival finally stars, Dzallitsunya is left pondering about love after she sees a same-sex couple, how humans got together not for the sole purpose of mating and babymaking but for genuine affection. For someone who made this whole event with the cold purpose of intermixing the clans with marital ties and thus centralising power on her, it is quite curious. Then Zed goes full mad-lad mode and actually proposes to Dzallitsunya. The goddess thinks he is insane. But given her previous thoughts, she is finding human insanity kinda hot, so she says yes and kisses him.
A sword fell to the ground and met another one, their blades fusing in the ripples of the thin layer of water against salt. All around the Node there was nothing but this great natural mirror and the many blades used to slay the monster that acted as its guardian.
This was not the first time Dzallitsunya had met a monster, she had met another, in the north of her province.
In there lived a giant chameleon-like creature with copper-like scales, a crafty creature which had successfully gatekept the twilit goddess from the ocean, forcing her to return time after time to the Twilight Swamp with nothing to show but a collection of wounds. Ultimately she gave up, not for a lack of courage, but from the fact her humans tended to overreact to the idea something out there could hurt a god.
This second creature, which took a shape of something close to a bull, made for much easier combat. The creature was simpler, in body and mind, and with Benea's help the goddess had been able to easily manage it. Her style was obviously to dart around the 'prey' at high speed, and deliver sudden swings at a high velocity. The idea was sound but her weapons were lacking, initially, she used stone axes, spears, but those broke too soon, now she had been conjuring simple metal blades, but they had been too heavy, too blunt, even when she struck a perfect cut her momentum would be so great that the sword would slip from her hand, launched off all across the battlefield, forcing her to summon another sword.
In total, about eight swords stood around the pillar, each standing up, their tips planted firmly against the salt flats of this new land. With a sigh, the goddess went and picked one of them and looked around to see the shape of this new land.
The Mirror Marches, as she came to call it. Directly to the East of the Twilight Swamp, the 8th Node. Benea had inspired, perhaps even commanded, her to take it, that goddess' gentle words melting away any sort of doubt Dzallitsunya had. At first, immediately after the battle, after Benea left and she was left alone to her thoughts, she had felt unsure, it had dawned on her that she did not truly have a drive or reason to claim land yet.
Then she touched the Node pillar, and everything felt right.
The whole area was a highland, growing higher and colder the further north one went.
The central area was a dry and cold desert. Salt flats spread out like mantles of white in many areas, normally this gave the land an even more desolate look, but when the snow from the north fell down as rain, a thin layer of water formed over the salt, making the land into a massive natural mirror that spread from horizon to horizon. The node was on a small island in the middle of a central salt flat, and this one was always in a mirror-like state.
These were however not the only reason for the land's name, northwards was the realm of snow and tundra. Deep lakes with their surface frozen up existed on the cold plateau, with peculiar animals swimming underneath the ice. In other areas, crystalline growths spurred from the land in pastel colours, one's face reflected in the pure and cold geodes.
The lands south were far less fantastical but far more liveable. Rolling hills of green, a dry-ish air but a land that was nourished by the sand and ice from the higher regions. Cypress trees were spread all over and groves and small forests existed, but it was mostly a land of bushes and flowers. Of note, was that this green land was more connected not to Dzallitsunya's Node 7, but a node of an unknown god south of it. It did not feel usual, but the dusk goddess did not worry, Benea seemed familiar with that god and had promised peace between the whole council of gods. And she had no reason not to trust Benea.
No unnatural fog kept this land in eternal shadows, but, the goddess' bias still showed, and it had only gotten stronger. Sunrises dragged longer, the horizon seemed to peek up just a bit, even without mountains, just so the sunset happened early and left most of the afternoon to the afterglow, and the sun was always dimmer, especially when near the horizon, while the moon and the stars shone brighter.
Little adventure East finished, it was time to return to the true core of her rule. But, to mark his new land, to consolidate the realms of the twilight, she decided to make a structure at the border between Node 7 and Node 8. It also served some purpose for the mortals that would one day come to cross the snowy mountain passage with frequency, as it was a warm, sheltered spot to rest and ideal to hold supplies for a long time. She could even imagine government officials and traders living there permanently, keeping the road in safe for all, and firmly under control.
Dzallitsunya has claimed Node 8. A cold land of dry sand and salt flats with the north being straight up covered in snow all year. The south is nice and Mediterranean like. She ponders about why she even did it, realises Benea influenced her to it, but thinks that was good. Before leaving, she makes a pretty gateway in the mountain path between Node 7 and 8
Intial: 5
Create Structure (-1): Inn/Gateway between Node 7 and Node 8
"So. Up between Modzu Tsonya and Poya Tsonyamiri?" the goddess questioned, making a gentle but firm point of calling the rivers in her new language, over Zed or Croll's alternatives. "A safer passage up to the high lands. Hmm. That could be useful Croll, however... I do not see the tribe going that direction any time soon."
The man nodded and then sighed, before creating the courage to make his proposal. "But what if we were to let an offshoot group go hunt up there? We need the warm furs and wool of the animals up there, we cannot wait for too long."
The goddess side-eyed the tribal leader and rubbed her chin. "You know I am not for the idea of us splitting. It could lead to trouble, especially when I am not around to protect the tribe from monsters and hostile gods..."
He adjusted himself, nodding in acknowledgement and yet not agreeing. "A split... sort of implies a full division. I do not wish to do that, I am saying, a group of say, six? Eight? Of course, from both tribes."
This changed the goddess's disposition, she turned towards the tribal leader and seemed more interested. "That is more feasible. I will give it thought..." she straightened up her position and squinted her eyes. "And I assume your son will be one of them, yes? Not that that would be an issue, he is a good boy, growing up to be a fine man."
He laughed nervously, his intentions unclear to the goddess, the suspicion of power play did not feel unfounded but she did not want to rush to conclusions.
"Bah. Boy needs to keep his head on the ground. I get worried sick of he getting hurt because even during the hunts his mind is in the future." he complained. "But it would be silly to exclude him from a hunting group no matter what, perhaps some isolation will do him some good."
The goddess chuckled. "He is young, it should be fine." she then looked towards the city centre. "Speaking of which, even if I allow the split group to leave for the highlands, I still want them to come back for the festivals, especially the marriage ceremony."
"That seems fair." Croll nodded. "Wouldn't want my boy to go unmarried, right? I want grandsons after all. Though, again, can you believe him, such a dreamer that when I asked about what girls he had an interest in, he had the gall to... no offence my lady but... to add you to the trio. I had to shout off such insolence from his mind."
The goddess laughed louder at that. "Now I will wonder what my position on that list was. Such a silly boy." at that she stepped back and bowed gently to Croll. "I think I will be taking my leave to rest for the night. Thanks for your hard work Croll, these new homes you are building are lovely and even Zed was forced to compliment them."
The man smiled and nodded before taking his leave as well to leave his goddess to rest without worries.
There was however no true rest to be had. As the humans went to sleep and the village chatter quieted down the goddess was left to think over things far greater than this village's mud walls and eel soups. She had aimed to be active and integrated with the community, almost letting them to forget she was a goddess, and in turn, she had learned there was some joy in truly not being a goddess. But the fruit of knowledge could not be regurgitated, the fate of the crucible and the taste of what she could really do were constantly in her mind.
Today, she decided she would pay a visit to the node at the centre of it all again. With her cape and the cover of darkness slipping off from the village was trivial, so was traversing the volcanic swampland and rising up the volcano. The villagers were aware of the magical node and the volcano, they called it the Podja Fa, Red Lake, what they did not know, was that in the creation of this land a structure was made as if carved by the hands of man, not nature. It could perhaps be called Dza Padjilli, House of the Moon.
However, with most of her power going to shape the land and seed it with life, the structure was left malformed, a stone skeleton of something clearly unfinished. On the day of the formation of these lands now called Twilight Swamp by many, she was too tired to fix it, but today, she was not.
Once again she stood by the chamber with elegant black tiles, lit by the lava below, with the node at its centre, under the moonlight that seeped through the open roof. Focusing her energy, she placed her fingers down against the floor right by the node at the very centre of it, soon power started to surge, and the solid stone walls of the building started to be reshaped.
Dzallitsunya was partial to designs that were solid, somewhat blocky with hard angles, it stood in contrast to the villagers who enjoyed round shapes for their home, however, they had imprinted in her some preference for high contrast decorations, though as a goddess she could work in platinum and gemstones instead of red paint made from squashing a type of bug with some clay.
The entrance had been carved out of a reddish rock in contrast with the dark blue of the volcano. Cyan, purple and yellow in designs of stripes and triangles decorated the wall, pearlescent gemstones cut into lunar circles and bright yellow topaz cut into a rhomboid surrounded the trapezoid-shaped open entryway.
Past that, one was greeted with a large corridor. Here the stone was cute in sharp squares, forming a smooth flat texture. This area tried to be more discreet than others, rock carvings decorated the borders of walls and windows, some plants and railings followed a series of small water canals and fountains. Light seeped in from the lava cave outside, filtered by colourful stained glass windows with very geometric patterns in them. The side doors of this zone led to a library, a kitchen, and a dormitory, among other amenities for the more bureaucratic side of godly work, clearly meant to be a place to be populated by her servants if she ever were to make some, at the end of the corridor were the staircases that led upward, to the node room and the garden area.
The node area was the same one Dzallitsunya had visited before, now with some more flair and less dust, the difference was that now it was not surrounded by the void but an open garden area. This garden was mystically kept alive, this same magic also was imbued in the local decorations, shining stones and walls that looked as if decorated by the starry sky were common here, the same system of canals and fountains also decorated this area, along with the magical spring that condensed this water that fed the whole garden from the region's fog. The rooms in this area were meant for the gods, including Dzallitsunya herself, the main meeting area for the gods visiting Node 7 however was still above this garden, past the volcano walls.
A ring-shaped room existed above the node temple, inner walls were made of glass and there was no outer wall, instead, the roof was held by a series of pillars. The normal view of this zone was that of the misty twilight swamp and the highlands beyond, one could even see the sea past the mountains and the layer of clouds far below the observatory. However, the room was also able to cast an illusion, a view of the crucible as if one was high in the sky, of course, not a real one, just a pleasant version of it that was made of tamed pleasant nodes and a blue ocean hugging the land. Dzallitsunya felt this would help remind the gods of what was at stake if they were ever to hold a meeting in this carefully crafted meeting room.
The goddess found herself in her room by the end of the process, looking up at the gold and silver stars that decorated the borders of the glass roof and the far more beautiful true stars above. In this bed, she could rest as Dzallitsunya the goddess, this whole palace was like an anchor keeping her linked to this higher world she was a part of. She smiled with the results and got up, ready to return to the village down below and the dingy mud hut barely held up from the swamp water by rough wooden stilts, she had an immortal time to come to inhabit this palace, but not so much to share with her mortal human comrades.
Dzallitsunya and Croll talk about having a split-off group go up the highlands to hunt larger animals for their fur and wool, this generates some tension as the goddess is really, really keen on keeping the tribes united, but they find compromise. Then the goddess goes up the volcano and makes a neat palace for herself
1 might: won from the quiz
-1 might: Spent to make a nice crib for Dzallitsunya
Ahead was a sea of glowing red, lethargic waves of molten rock moving slowly but causing nearby rocks to crash with great force, for any mortal a second of exposure to this and they would be a charred lifeless husk, for the goddess, however, the whole place was survivable, but far from pleasant.
She had never realised how much of her nimble movement was tied to her cape, not until she found herself struggling to skip properly between the flowing rocks atop the lava, though there was no option, the closer she got to the node, the more chaotic the world became, so it was better to leave the humans behind with her cape as a shield while she went alone for this last stretch of the journey.
The node was getting closer, yet to finally reach it there was one last challenge, the flat lake of lava gave away to a massive pillar of stone rising from the earth, the molten rock pouring down it in torrents of flame further making it harder to climb. Despite the task ahead, the goddess couldn't even imagine herself giving up now, not because of courage or diligence, but because the closer she got to the node the more attracted she became to it, not unlike a moth to a flame.
At the top of the volcano, she could see the small black pillar at its centre, the Node, the core of this region. There was no safe path to it, so there was nothing left but to go for a leap of faith, diving down with hands extended and touching the mysterious obelisk. She wondered if the slick black stone would even be possible to grab, it did not matter, with the mere touch of the finger of her finger upon the unclaimed stone her fall stopped, the bubbling of the lava and the very heat it emanated stopped, everything was frozen along with time itself. And then she felt everything at once.
A flower rising up, a flower growing down, these were the images spreading across Dzallitsunya's mind as her power exploded across the environment before reaching its limits, be it the skies above or the world below as well as the still chaotic nodes nearby, then it all flowed back in equally violent and sudden power.
All she had done before felt like the acts of a mere lowly magician, this power, this feeling of having a presence that was greater than her body, this was what godhood truly had to be, this was her land now and she was its ruler. It was now time to shape it.
The final design was perhaps unusual but far from impossible. Making use of the lava carved topology already present but now as a cradle for life and civilisation, Dzallitsunya made Node 7 into a massive green valley.
The zone was surrounded by a massive ring of mountains with some chains splitting and marching inland though smaller and broken, around these mountains were mostly highlands and plateaus, dry but inhabitable, the jewel of the province was however the lowest stratum, formed of dense jungles and swamps. Finally, at the very core, the last remnant of the region's previous state, a tamed volcano crater, the swamp turning into hot springs and geysers as it approached the mountain that contained the lava and the temple that now housed the Node.
The water cycle of the region was peculiar, the high peaks at the border kept humidity in, that humidity went down in the form of rivers, which pooled around the volcano, where the hot temperatures evaporated them, it was a notably sunless water cycle and very much self-contained. This also made rain a constant factor in the region, no four seasons much less the tropical dry vs wet seasons, the only seasonal change in this swampland was the amount of snow melting off from the peaks.
In stark contrast to the wetlands below, the highlands lacked rain, having humid air yet very dry soil. This was also a factor in the unusual water system of the province. Hot air can carry more water than cold air, rain is created when hot air cools down, the highlands however were in general hotter than the lowlands, the reverse of the process that makes rain, this trapped all water, creating a constant wet mist in the air that rarely ever turned into rain. To further make the issue worse, the rivers that streamed down the mountains were centred around canyons, leaving them out of reach for most animals and any people without the proper technology.
These stretches of highland were thin enough to avoid becoming too dry however, with one exception, directly south there was a massive plateau that created a full dry frontier between this land and the coastal one to the south.
With the constant fog even in the drylands, the rain clouds and the volcano's own black smokes, the skies of Node 7 were always mantled with a thick layer of this or that, always blocking the sun, at night, however, with cooler winds, the skies cleared up to reveal the moon and stars,,, The goddess had not put an intentional effort towards that way, but her preference was unquestionable and her rule upon the land had unconsciously worked towards that. And as she finally fell down, not unto a lake of lava but the cool and elegant floor tiles of the Node's temple, she was more than happy to look up and see no blazing sunlight overwhelming her vision.
... Afterglow
In her first outfit change since birth, the goddess had made her skirt knee high and then raised it further by tying it to her wait, her cape too had shortened and her blouse was airier and looser. Most importantly, she had weaponized herself, carrying a less than formidable sharp wooden spear to slay equally puny beasts of nature, such as fishes.
Zed, sitting in nearby mangrove branches, whined. "My goddess, is it really necessary for us to mudlark? Not that I am lazy but... I get a bit tired of having to untangle my feet from river reeds or plop out those dreadful leeches. Can you not cast today's dinner with your divine will? Why since you became more powerful since this land was established, with that pleasant glow of yours only increasing, I was thinking..."
The goddess merely pressed her lips together and the message was understood by the cave tribe leader. The surface tribe leader however did not make things silent and understood merely by subtext.
"Bah! What happened to mister oh my goddess we will work the land while you watch the heavens? Stop being so delicate and come help me get these eels, we all gotta suffer and struggle here!"
Dzallitsunya sighed and smiled. "It's not about struggle or suffering, it is merely that it is necessary. I cannot be a provider and caretaker because I cannot guarantee I will always be around, no? Furthermore, it is a bit offensive that you think of this blessed jungle of my making to be that unpleasant, Zed. Do you think I am unpleasant as well?" the goddess added, splashing at him, not that it mattered since it was already raining, as it always was.
"No no my goddess, on the contrary," he said. "It is just that perhaps... you could have gone lighter on the mosquitoes?" he dared to add.
"Gonna have to agree on that one with ol' Zed here lady." Croll added. "They are a bit annoying."
"Well... I will admit I did not expect them to be so widespread. That said, there is a root around here that when burned will repel them. a mischievous grin spread over her face. "Which one though? It is a mystery~""
Having guaranteed a meal, the group returned to their current base. Near the rivers land that was stable and dry, especially those held by a large rock, had proven themselves to be prime space for settling when natural formations weren't available, a series of reed huts could be built and provide for good enough long-term (for the time, a year or two) homes, wooden logs were used to make less stable temporary platforms as the united people of Zed and Croll worked together to make a living in this lush territory.
Although they worked together, the goddess could not help but notice how the ties between the two tribes were still mostly among themselves. She had been thinking about solutions to this, from forcing a new culture by her own hand to promoting marriages between the two groups, though she did not like to overthink such topics and felt like she had more time to wait and observe these humans before actually making decisions.
The central part of the village was a gazebo of bamboo pillars with a thick thatched roof, under it, a rock cauldron would receive what had been gathered or hunted down in the day was now added to a stew. Eels, frogs, fishes, roots, even fruits as well as some of the tastier grasses. In the jungle, this was also a good way to keep the food from spoiling by keeping it bubbling constantly, everyday one person had to spend the night keeping the low fire alive and stirring the soup with a stick, not even the clan leaders or the goddess (by her own request) had been saved from the soup duty and today it was Zed's turn.
It was a lone job, but he found himself in the presence of a pouting goddess, of course, he assumed it was something he was doing wrong. "I am sorry for whatever I did, my goddess, even if I am yet to know what it was!" he blurted, wondering if as he was stirring with a distracted mind he had allowed some bug to fall in, and not one of the tasty ones at that.
The goddess looked at him and smiled, her pallid face and flowing silk white hair gaining a new lively tint when lit by the low fire, the contrast of light and darkness only making her look more ethereal. "Oh I am sorry, it has nothing to do with you, no." she looked south for a moment and then back. "It is just that I think some of my siblings have settled south of here, and I was wondering if it wouldn't be nice to give them a few gifts from these lands."
Zed nodded. "Better to be on good terms with the neighbours, I say."
"I will prepare a basket when I have the time then, amber, river pearls, fancy feathers..."
"You should get some food too, just saying, maybe a caiman boot, or a live one to put on her pond, assuming she has a pond."
The goddess nodded and then just sort of stood there, humming for a few moments, making Zed nervous before he decided to have a go at more small talk. "I don't know how you managed to spend your time on soup duty, it's boring for me, I imagine for a god it's ten times more boring, with it being something so lowly, and yet you were humming and happy the whole time."
"What do you mean? What do you do when you are stirring the soup?"
"Well I uh... I just think about things all the time." he started "I have so many responsibilities and so many plan, my mind focuses on that while I am stuck on it"
The goddess put a hand on her hip and widened her eyes. "And then when those responsibilities and plans come, you do them poorly because you are so distracted." she immediately noticed how harsh she was being with Zed and shook her head. "What I mean is... I do not believe that is the way to go. You had to live in the present, be here in the moment, and focus on what you are doing. Otherwise, you will just waste your whole life thinking about the next thing and never be focused on the current one."
Suddenly she stepped forward, between the man and the pot, and seized his arm, holding the stick with him. "I feel like I am not saying it well with words, so lets try to do it together, so I can lead you." she announced. "Your focus should be here, in the movements you do, in the bubbling of the water, in the aroma of the ingredients within. Think about the taste of the food you are making, see how it cooks in the fire. If at some moment you are without things to think, then just allow your mind to go blank, you do not need to be busy thinking." she explained, as she guided his arm and helped him about, the man now trying to not get too distracted with the goddess leaning against his arm.
Dzallitsunya felt help with things as they were right now. The land was pleasant, the tribe was full of people she loved, Zed, Croll, Daga, Muna, Bima and Tuug, Yud, Rida, Boto, and all the other humans who she knew by name. She didn't need much more in life, fishing and cooking the fish, sharing that meal with everyone, sleeping, wasn't that good enough?
and yet
The thoughts of the explosion of power she felt when claiming the node filled her mind, that high was now long gone, but it had been more than just a preview, even right now, she could feel she was more than just her body, there was an echoing hum, a flower-like wave, but weaker and quieter, that was also her, spreading from west to east, north to south, within her node, all of it was under her presence and if she stopped to focus, she could feel it all.
and although she had just said one should not be distracted, whenever she focused on that hum, she could not help but wonder
wonder if maybe, with more nodes, that feeling couldn't reach farther, if it couldn't go deeper and if it couldn't rise high to touch the sun and the stars.
Dzillatsunya establishes her cool swamp-jungle land! She fishes and ponders about many things. Zed stirs soup Also maybe having used the node was a bit addictive to the goddess, that rush of crashing power... is something.
0 (starting)
0 might+1 node: (Tier one)Raise a civilization to the stone age (fire, simple homes, stone knapping
The chatter of the gods started to fade as Dzallitsunya crossed the verdant fields, to the edges of the valley where she had seen the group of humans venturing into a cave. It was notably distant, a few hills away from the glowing red of the unstable parts of the crucible, a testament to how far she had been looking for an excuse to leave and/or how tall that Hydra stood, nevertheless, by the time she arrived the humans were gone, only their tracks remaining behind.
The goddess didn't hesitate to walk into the cave, on the contrary, she found it far more welcoming than the intense sunlight outside even if that had gotten milder as midday passed. Walking down one of the naturally made corridors she quickly noted odd patterns on many of the cavern walls, hand marks against the rocky surface in strong red colour, hands of all sizes too, but one, in particular, seemed the freshest so she followed it.
And as she expected, this led her straight to where one of the humans was, two in fact. One seemed to be struggling, trying to walk about but clearly lacking balance, his red-stained hands from time to time pressing against the walls. The other man, a paler one, seemed to be able to follow him just fine, sighing at the man yet again going down a dead end.
"Come on my friend. You are staining all of my walls, I do not need you and your tribe's filthy hands all over my place." the man who could see complained. "And you are still going in the wrong direction..."
"No, you will just lead me to a hole, just you wait, I will find the big sky fire again and it will all be fine."
Although it was amusing, the goddess decided to politely knock on the rock to bring their attention to her. "Excuse me, mortals," she said gently. "I am Dzallitsunya, one of the gods of this world, could I have a moment of your time?"
From what the goddess understood within the cave there were not only one group of human but two. A smaller one led by Zed, which had woken up already in the cave, and the ones she saw entering, a larger group led by Croll. The latter had spent their time collecting berries and moved in when they heard the commotion as the Hydra was created, going to the cave to hide and feast upon their bounties, quite rudely forcing themselves in. That of course quickly backfired as the sun moved past the valley, shadows overtaking the holes and opening that worked as the cave's light source, in moments the whole tribe found itself almost blind. Zed's people, still able to see, seemed to be helping as they could, mostly because Croll's people had been trashing up the place even more now than they were stumbling and finding their way by pressing their red berry stained hands over any surface they found.
"And that is the gist of it. Look at my poor cave now, it looks so garish with all these red hands all over the walls, nothing like the minimalist decor I had gone for," complained Zed, now sitting with all of the two tribes in the middle of the main chamber.
"Now, now. Let us stop this senseless fighting, okay? Let us be mature here." the goddess sighed.
"Anything you say, o beautiful goddess." Croll declared. "You were the first thing I saw since darkness fell upon us. And since then, my vision has returned, if only a bit. Surely it must be a blessing of yours, my generous deity. We will worship you forever, offer you half our harvest, and I will kiss your feet if you so desire!"
"Please don't?" Dzallitsunya sighed. "Though that is curious, seems like your people are now able to see again? I cannot say I understand..." the goddess rubbed her chin, many within the cave imitating her just for the sake of acting like a god.
"Nevertheless, Zed, I know you really love this cave, being your birthplace and all, but I cannot recommend you live here, this has a real chance of being a battleground of the gods. I am off to claim land for myself, and I would be honoured to have your people along with Croll's to be the ones who inhabit such a land."
Zed seemed pensive. "We did not like the outside very much, one of ours tried to walk into the light and they say they saw a great round spirit who blinded them immediately."
"That... That is called the sun. Do not stare at it." the goddess stood up. "And as a goddess, I will be able to protect all of you from the dangers." as if to demonstrate this, she walked outside, the sky now starting to become golden as the sun was setting. She focused on her cape and imbued it with greater power, it extended over the land like a veil, the strong winds, the red glow of the unstable lands and even the very light of the sun faded under the protective mantle.
Unlike Croll who had fallen head over heels for the presence of a deity, Zed had been unsure about this goddess until now, though seeing that starry world under her cape he immediately felt as safe as he was within the cave, he smiled. "Quite the display my goddess. I am sorry for doubting you." he looked to his tribe who nodded at him. "I, no, we, can say for sure, there is no one else we would rather follow."
As the first sunset ended, the afterglow announced another debut into this new world, as the first night started, and it was quite a sight to see.
The column of travellers, Zed and Croll's combined tribes along with one or two stragglers, had been enjoying the sight quite a lot, the goddess too, from the moon, so much gentler than the sun, to the sea of stars that spread like a garden of flowers above. Zed hummed, walking closer to the goddess. "Dzallitsunya. I was having a discussion with my sister Daga. When did the little lights move into the sky? She says it was when Muma tripped and fell, but I remember seeing them before."
The goddess laughed at that, causing the man to blush a bit. "What?" he questioned.
"Oh no no, nothing, I guess it's harder for the mortals to see, or maybe it is my cape, but they did not move in, they were always there, since the start."
Zed looked confused. "What? Not to doubt you my goddess but they clearly moved in after the sun set."
"They were there, they were just hidden. The light of the sun was hiding them, you see? As it left the skies, it became easier to see them." the goddess explained.
Zed chuckled. "Well that is quite rude of the sun, isn't it? Interrupting and overtaking those little lights like that, reminds me of my noisy brother, or maybe... you know who." he tilted his head towards a distracted Croll.
Dzallitsunya chuckled too but then contained herself. "Zed... No more mean comments, okay?" she sighed and tried to look him in the eyes as much as she could without turning back to face her followers. "He is a good leader to his tribe and so are you, I am counting on both of you, for the sake of our people, and my own, too, okay?"
As the second day dawned, the sun heavily contained by the dark veil, the group was well out of the protection range of the central node, skirting the lands of another zone to avoid the central chaotic area surrounding its untamed node. Her cape kept her humans safe as winds became scalding hot and heavy with dust, thunder fell upon the land and flames seemed to sweep about randomly. The only real trouble was that the group was getting tired of walking non-stop and as such the goddess made her protective cave roll once in the shape of a ring, similar to a tent, and moved it to a secured area nearby, giving the humans a chance to rest.
Food and water were lacking but the goddess could provide for that, creating such supplies with her innate powers. One human from Croll's people had a brilliant idea of using a dry stick they found to help them walk and the goddess provided for them, she also create simple clothes to better cover up the humans and allow mothers to carry their little ones more comfortably. It was sure peculiar how humans were created yesterday yet already came with pre-packed family ties, though seeing how it bound them together it was easy to see why Peninal had made such decision.
Before they lifted camp and left for their destination, one last incident took place, as Daga, Zed's sister, had walked out of the mantle during midday to pick some nearby plants and rocks, she returned safely but had been squinting and rubbing her eyes since.
"I don't see anything wrong with them, when I try to heal it my powers just washes through with no effect." the goddess explained as she held the girl's face with both her hands, observing her beautiful violet eyes, now somewhat bloodshot. "Outside of the itchiness, is there any other issue?"
"It's a bit darker under the mantle now." she confessed "Darker than it was before I left... I hope it isn't permanent..."
The goddess sighed. "It was foolish of you to leave into these scorched, sun-baked lands like this. Thankfully only your vision has been hurt from the reflected light upon the sands. If Croll's group is any indication, you will slowly start to see better in the dark again very soon." or so she hoped, truth was, Croll's group had never been as able in the dark as Zed's group.
Later, as they were marching forward again, she called Zed to her side. "I was thinking. About the visions issues, we have been having, about what Daga experienced." the goddess whispered, trying to not get the attention of anyone else.
"Hmm? What is it, my goddess? Are you worried about her?"
"Well, do you know how the sun hides the stars from the night sky?" she started. "I was thinking... what if it's the same with our eyes? It seems that when people look at a strong light, they become unable to see weaker lights."
Zed rubbed his chin, a behaviour he had mimicked from Dzallitsunya and now could not really stop. "Well... could be something like that. Light sure is weird. Do you know what I noticed? That when the sun is closer to the ground our shadows start to grow bigger." he said and when seeing Dzalli gasp upon that "revelation" he chuckled "But you know... If a goddess is struggling with understanding it, I feel like a poor old mortal such as me does not have a shot at it."
"Hmmm but you are as old as me if you stop to think about it. Everyone is equally old, that mother and the babe resting against her chest? Born at the same time."
He laughed. "True my lady, very true. Still, you just seem a bit wiser than all of us. I will try to help you understand things, but I feel like the best I, my people, even Croll and his tribe, can do, is to take care of the mundane so you can look at these higher things."
The goddess sighed. "As you wish, but know that I find talking to you very interesting, yes? Easier than talking to my siblings, it seems. So please do share your mind with me whenever you feel like it."
Dzallitsunya goes to the cave and find not one but two different tribes of humans there, one of the cave dwellers led by Zed and the new arrivals by Croll. Dzalli says it is a bad idea to settle there and invites both to come with her to Node 7, they both accept and thus the journey start. To make the journey possible and easy, Dzalli makes a magical cape described in the might section below.
On the journey, Dzalli starts to ponder about light and darkness, as well as the ill effects of the sun like making peps temporarily unable to see smaller sources of light, like the stars.
Surely this is not a topic she will obsess over time!
5 might spent on the Shadow Flower 0 might remains
The Shadow Flower (Dzanyi-Magja)
This is the Signature Artifact of Dzallitsunya. It takes the form of a black cape, decorated in ever-changing patterns best fit the goddess' current appearance.
Its main ability is that of unusual movement. When wearing it the goddess can slide, dart and skitter over the ground without moving a single limb or even making actions that contradict the direction in which she moves. She can launch herself with sudden speed and also fully nullify her momentum stopping in an instant and not moving further, even if still midair. While jumping she can reposition herself as if her feet landed on an invisible wall (Meaning vertical support, not horizontal ground-like support).
Preparing herself and taking a position (such as performing a runner stance) makes for faster, wind-slicing rushes and jumps at the cost of no longer being as precise or as quick to stop herself.
One important note is the movement is very ground-based, she cannot simply float upward or fly nor gain additional momentum mid-air. Her "air jumps" are merely redirecting the speed she still has.
Finally, the cape itself provides some minor defence mostly only effective against simple and mortal hazards such as arrows, fire or sunlight. It can be extended as a "trail" of cloth-like darkness that can protect a small column of mortals from such hazards as long as they follow her.
The following conversation was surely interesting, with valid points about how to proceed, hints of certain personalities, and the shadow goddess was even given a compliment. However, it was all washed by the goddess with only her basic acknowledgement. The reason for that was simple, as more gods approached, a true show of horrors started to form, its apex being... the desecration of a corpse. No, not any corpse...
Dzallitsunya held a hand over her mouth, gagging, going paler... somehow. It was... their creator, a person who gave it all to give this world a new chance... and they just... treated it like animals, hanging over the now maggot filled body like it was carrion, one, the most abhorrent of all, took pieces of Peninal for trophies.
Why
Why were they doing this? Why did... such people exist? They had no right... Monica, who once made sure the fallen god was given dignity now did nothing... not that Dzallitsunya could judge, she had been, small step by small step, leaving the scene instead of confronting it, resting a hand against a tall rock as nausea still overtook her senses.
Then the land shook, and all attention, godly and mortal, was brought to the centre again as the great Hydra rose to guard this zone.
Its creator, Benea, then addressed the shadow goddess directly, putting her in a hard spot, the intention wasn't bad but after all, she saw... Dzallitsunya did not know exactly how to proceed.
"Well, you see. The thing is." her speech lingered as she looked around as if searching something, finding her excuse nearby as she only now had noted the humans had fled with the rise of the Hydra. "The humans seem to be in a bit of a panic thanks to uh... the guardian. Spreading about all over the valley and well... that can be troublesome, no? What if they walk into the untamed zones or fall in a river... oh look, those are hiding in a cave, that is bad."
She stared at the map, and nodded. "I think I will be stabilising that node at the middle of the northwest?" she pointed to Node 7 "But first, I must go and seek that group of humans rushing into those caverns before they get lost or stuck. It was pleasant to meet you. Goodbye."
Her excuse given, Dzallitsunya quickly slid away from the congregation of gods, rushing half a valley away, towards a rockier area where the entrance to the cave was.
Tsunya is incredibly disgusted with y'all, especially those who messed with the corpse like it was a play thing. She decides she needs some time away from her family and with humans starting to flee thanks to the Hydra she decides to go pick a group of them before leaving the initial node.
Existence was sudden and without warning, the world was, and so were the gods. Among the circle of deities stood a figure clad in darkness, her first movement being to raise her hand above her eyes so she could peak at those around her and the surrounding landscape.
The prelude to Dzallitsunya I
Existence was painful too, proof of that was that tragedy had been the opening act of this world. A god much older and wiser than them laid there, dying, without a hand to comfort him in his final moment. Dzallitsunya felt her heart sink at the sight, yet she could do little but to move the hand that shaded her eyes from the sun over her mouth, hiding a gasp. She was frozen in place, feeling cold and overwhelmed, her mind lost.
Then came Monica, the first of the newly made deities to step in and act, first and foremost giving the fallen deity a proper rest, then taking the lead in presenting herself and making the wishes of the fallen god clear. To the dark goddess Monica stood in there like a true monument, imposing but also inspiring, making Dzallitsunya's unsure soft heart feel both a rush of courage and shame in her own hesitation.
With gentle and careful steps, the shadow clad deity stepped closer to the centre, it took her so long however that another god flew in, and put to words what Tsunya was already thinking.
"Indeed!" she chimed. "It is almost like it is a trick or a test, no? The wording implies conflict, but when the time comes if there is a conflict the world will be destroyed. Yet, if we all work together, we can guarantee a gentle existence. A god has to control the nodes but it doesn't mean the other gods have to be gone, we could form a council and elect someone for the task of overseeing the nodes, someone like Monica, yes?" the dark goddess shared with a genuine smile, not believing she had spoken so much at once and immediately regretting her wording and phrasing. Not that it mattered, they were all siblings and the situation seemed clear in her mind, why would anyone oppose this? They could prosper where others failed, and build a peaceful gentle world together.
Dzallitsunya arrives, unlike her character sheet, she has a meek and gentle personality. She proposes they just vote for Monica to be their leader and thus ensure peace. Simple, no?
Lord Zee
Ashh
Frettzo
Vec
