Kalmar

CHAMPIONS of DRAYDON ⚔️

@Scrivener
I live, I'm just still stumped on whether I should keep Gorim or make a different character.

CHAMPIONS of DRAYDON ⚔️

>character picture is literally jaime lanniser

Nice.

Hmm... I'm considering a Drow Arcane Archer as an alternative character. I'm doing some reading about Drows on the Forgotten Realms wiki.

CHAMPIONS of DRAYDON ⚔️

Hmm... seems at least two characters are already Rogues. Maybe I'll do something else.

CHAMPIONS of DRAYDON ⚔️

I shall attempt to join this.

Edit: Here is what I have now. Still a WIP.

Edit2: Now it is done.

Gorim

Name: Gorim
Race: Dwarf
Gender: Male

Height: 4'9"
Weight: 200lbs

Main Class: Rogue.
Subclass: Assassin.

Appearance:


Biography:
While dwarves are normally seen as a deeply principled people, no race is without its scoundrels and criminals. Gorim was born a street rat, who as a boy wound up in the service of a dwarven crime lord. He began his criminal career as a pickpocket, but as he grew older he moved on to burglaries, and eventually assassination. The latter he was especially well-suited for, and took a secret joy in.

He became the crime lord's most trusted and efficient agent, and as a reward for his service, a pair of enchanted boots were bestowed upon him: they would allow him to jump to unnatural heights and land safely on his feet. With this gift, his efficiency as a killer only increased, and it was whispered that no target was beyond his reach. Gorim revelled in this reputation, yet despite his infamy, the thought of betraying his boss never crossed his mind. He was happy with his place.

Unfortunately, it was not to last. Gorim's boss was eventually poisoned, and his lieutenants began squabbling amongst each other to replace him. Gorim could have made his own claim, but he had no interest in running a criminal enterprise. Instead he chose one candidate, and personally assassinated all rivals. Yet the candidate he chose was paranoid, and tried to have Gorim killed soon after. The attempt failed, so Gorim killed him in return. The poorer districts of his city soon fell into chaos, becoming a free-for-all between the now leaderless criminals.

It was at this point that Gorim decided it was time to leave the city behind... but not without performing one last act to leave his mark on the city's history. He assassinated the city's ruling lord, sparking a succession crisis, as that lord was the last of his clan. Only then did his home city behind, seeking a new life on the surface.

Life on the surface brought complications, however. Although Gorim had not wished to change his ways, he found that he had to. In a world of humans, dwarves stood out, and so if a dwarf was seen fleeing the scene of the crime, he was a natural suspect. Furthermore, he lacked the protection or connections necessary to reliably find assassination contracts. So, he had to be more careful.

Why have you come to Draydon?:
After a long period of travel, Gorim eventually settled in the city of Draydon, where he took to legal work; acting as a mercenary or a private investigator. He considered such work beneath him, however, and couldn't help but occasional revert to his old lifestyle. From time to time he would burglarize a merchant's estate, or murder a particularly sleazy nobleman. He did his utmost to be subtle, as he could not afford to be seen.

Personality Description:
Gorim is a man who thoroughly enjoys his work. He takes deep satisfaction from outwitting others. Sneaking past guards, robbing greedy merchants, besting a foe in combat, or killing a supposedly untouchable target. All these things and more bring him an almost giddy sort of joy. Internally, he is in a constant struggle between a need to be cautious and to avoid attracting the law's attention, and a desire to show off his talents and strike fear into the hearts of the city's citizens.

In his everyday life he presents himself as a jovial and generous. He is eager to help those he considers friends, and from time to time he will give a coin to a beggar or buy drinks for strangers at the tavern. He is a friend to the lower classes or to fellow outsiders of the city, and harbours a resentment toward those in positions of authority - especially those who abuse their power. Those of more refined background may view him as ill-mannered and uneducated.

Character Fighting Style:
Unlike most dwarves, Gorim relies on agility and dexterity rather than brute strength. Although he generally prefers to remain hidden and strike from the shadows, when he does show himself on the battlefield he is a whirlwind. His stout dwarven stature grants him a lower center of gravity which allows him to nimbly dodge attacks, and his enchanted boots enable him to leap over the heads of his foes with acrobatic proficiency. He is a climber as well, and will often take to rooftops in order to get the drop on his foes.

Primary Armanent: A mithril shortsword.
Secondary Armanent: A steel shortsword.

Inventory Items:
-An enchanted pair of boots which enable Gorim to jump higher; enough to just barely pass over the head of an average height human.
-A concealable blackjack which he uses exclusively for knocking out unsuspecting targets from behind.
-A pair of smoke bombs.
-A rope with a grappling hook.
-A set of lockpicks.
-A waterskin.

Coin Purse: 200 gold.

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

Karamir

&

Abanoc

---

Karamir had been reluctant to leave the Eye of Desolation, and yet, he had to.

For despite what he felt for Arya, and what she felt for him, there was still much he had to do. His original ambition - uniting the mortal races by creating a haven for them - still stood, yet he had another goal in mind as well: prevent Laurien from wrecking any further havoc.

And so, he hesitantly bid her farewell, but not before devising a plan in case Laurien ever attempt to approach one of them in a different form again. Arya had also presented him with the gift she had originally intended to give him: a magical rose, which projected an aura of emotional comfort. He pinned it to his chest in order to keep it close. He would need to give her a gift in return - that was another objective, but it was admittedly far less pressing than the other two.

Now, the platform upon which the Stone Book sat came into view. He touched down upon it, and then strode toward the book itself.

Abanoc, he prayed, coming to a stop just before the pages, can I come in?

Light filled his vision for a few moments. The whiteness gave way to the familiar sight of the Observatory. “Karamir.” Abanoc stood from his throne and walked down the steps. “Did I ever say you needed permission to come?” Now standing level with him, Abanoc gave him a slight bow. “Welcome back.”

“You did not,” Karamir said, returning the bow. “But I still thought it best to ask.”

“There is no need for formalities. Especially not now that we are on a more equal standing. A shame it came at the cost of Kalmar’s life, but there was nothing that could be done.”

Karamir nodded grimly. “Yes,” he said, his voice somewhat empty, and then after a moment he decided to say something more. “I haven’t claimed his sphere yet. To be honest, I don’t know how I would do such a thing… but in the meantime, I’ve been teaching others how to use mana, and spreading the news of Kalmar’s death.”

“It would be no easy task to claim your parent’s inheritance. To date none have achieved such an act, so I fear I cannot be of much assistance on that matter.” Abanoc look to the side in thought for a moment then looked back at Karamir. “But I can help with the information you seek. What do you wish to learn?”

“Many things. I’m not sure where to begin,” Karamir admitted. “I want to find a way to transport large groups of people to Kalgrun. They’re also going to need places to live… and I’ve seen large settlements before, but most were deeply flawed, so I’ll need to figure out how to avoid recreating those mistakes. Then there’s also Laurien to consider…” he sighed.

“Caravans, perhaps. With the assistance of beasts of labour transferring large groups of people would be trivial. As for the settlement you wish to create, you would need to understand architecture. I harbor the information you need, but my Archive does not in all the details that you need. Mnemosyne.” He called the muse.

“Yes, Master.” She came to them and gave Karamir a soft smile and bowed in greeting.

“It would be faster to directly transfer my knowledge through Mnemosyne. You already know the procedure. Are you prepared?”

Karamir nodded.

Mnemosyne reached out for Karamir’s face and softly held it in her hands. Abanoc held her shoulder. Her mask opened, a light came from the mirror beneath. Abanoc transferred his memories through the muse. Of building transports, caravans, and taming the right animals to pull them. The complex equations to building a structure, measure its frame and integrity.

He staggered as the information flowed into his head, and then took a moment to collect himself as his brain rapidly compartmentalized the information, and he regathered his thoughts. “T-thank you,” he said. “This will all be very helpful, but… I’m not sure caravans will be enough. I want to find a way to move people between continents. I’ve been told that other gods have found ways to do it… like Ohannakeloi, and… Shengshi.” He bristled somewhat as he spoke that last name.

“Ships to ferry through Ashalla’s realm then. There are also means of transport through the air to reach mountains, but not even I know how to build transports for the task.”

Light came again from Mnemosyne’s mirror. This time the information on ship building came. How to seal the gaps on the wood to prevent flooding. Threading strong sails to catch the wind. Finally the mechanisms to operate one such transport.

“Hmm… this could work… but it will take a long time to build, then to teach people how to use it, then to actually travel… and it doesn’t seem entirely safe… sorry, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but...” he thought carefully. “Could you show me how to make something similar to what Ohannakeloi and Shengshi have made?”

“Ohannakeloi and Shengshi both build transports that travel the skies, true, but they were able to do so because of their divinity. As it was entirely a work of their godly powers this would require direct action to replicate. Are you able to wield the power to create such an object?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never attempted anything on that scale before,” Karamir admitted.

Abanoc thought for a good moment. “I suppose this calls for a practical lesson. Let us go to Galbar. I shall assist you in learning the ways of a god.”

Karamir seemed surprised by that, but then he nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

---

At the top of the mountain where the Stone Book lay, Abanoc and Karamir prepared to accomplish a godly feat.

“The powers of a god are usually restricted to the concept they represent. Asceal to light, Azura to the winds and Ashalla to the seas to name a few. Then are also the intangible concepts: Kirron to strength, Narzhak to war and myself to recording. However, were we to force our limits, we gods can attain nigh omnipotence, if only for a moment. This lesson shall be about overcoming one’s limit by constructing your airborne vessel. What do you hold in mind?”

Karamir drew the dagger at his belt, and the weapon morphed into a pointed metal stick. He began to narrate what he was imagining, basing his description partly off of Shengshi’s own vessel, and as he spoke, he knelt and scratched a rough sketch into the surface of the mountain. Once he was finished, he rose.

“Can this be done?” he asked Abanoc.

Abanoc analysed the sketch. A ship, much like the ones he knew of in life, but with a somewhat different shape. “If you can imagine it...” He lifted his arms, letting his sleeves roll down to his elbows. The markings on his arms glew in a faint golden light. “Then you can make it.”

The mountain shook slightly as bits and chunks of metal emerged from its surface as if the rock was liquid and floated in the air. With careful control, Abanoc extracted iron and copper among other materials from underneath his feet without collapsing the mountain’s foundation. It shook again, this time making a noticeable drop before stopping again. “Now, imagine the shape. Bend the metal to your will.”

Karamir stepped forward, and focused on the metal. He imagined what he wanted, and then, slowly, it began to shift. He extended his hands forward, and then, after it had finally taken shape, he solidified it. It was a ship, very similar in design to Shengshi’s, but it had wings and was made out of metal. The deck was clear of any buildings or structures save a railing for safety, and a raised section near the rear, with two sets of stairs leading up to it on either side. Then he imagined an interior, creating floors, rooms, and hallways. Finally, it was done.

And then it fell.

“Capture it! Do not let it fall.” The tattoos on his arms shined brighter. Karamir wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but he banished the doubt from his mind, and refocused on the object. It took an immense amount of concentration, and he could physically feel the power drain from him, but he was able to stop its fall mere inches before it shattered against the ground. He willed it to obey him, and it did, gently rising back into the air.

“Good, now for the final touch. It will have to sustain its own flight like a bird. Infuse this power into it.” The light from his tattoos grew dimmer, but retained a spark.

And so, Karamir did. Once he was finally done, he collapsed to his knees, gasping and clutching his head, but the construct remained in the air. It was finished.

Abanoc lowered his arms, his tattoos becoming black again. “Well done. Though it may have been made with my assistance, your first construct is complete. You are still only halfway through the path to full fledged godhood, but today you exerted your will as a deity.” He offered Karamir a hand. “Be proud of yourself, Karamir.”

Karamir accepted the hand, and as he rose to his feet on shaky legs, he smiled wearily. “Thank you…” he breathed. “It seems… I owe you a great deal…”

“Repay me with more growth from your part. Become what Kalmar was and surpass him. Truly become as gods.” Abanoc flashed a faint smile of his own before returning to usual expressionless look. “Now, is there anything else that you wish?”

“There is one more thing…” Karamir revealed. “It’s about Laurien… I need to know more about her.”

“A complicated creature, that one… I have watched her since her birth. I believe I have what you need.”

Abanoc then told Karamir of the important details he knew of Laurien. About her connection to Silver and Li’Kalla. About the artifacts that she possesses and about her latest activities. Karamir listened, his reactions ranging from concern to anger as he heard of the atrocities she had committed and just how dangerous she had become. What was most concerning was that the bulk of these seemed to have occurred after her interaction with a strange portal on Atokhekwoi, which somehow made her worse than she already was. “There are other powers at play here,” Karamir realized with a tone of dread. “Whatever she is up to… whatever she is planning… she needs to be stopped.”

Abanoc stood silently for a good few seconds. “I am afraid I cannot interfere. My expertise lies in learning and teaching. Whatever help I can be of in this matter is limited to sharing information on Laurien.”

Karamir nodded. “I understand. It falls to me, then, and whoever else I can get to help me. But first… I have a settlement to build. Thank you again.”

Abanoc gave a slight bow again. “You are welcome. Now, if there is nothing more to discuss, please excuse me.” He turned to the Stone Book and departed to his Sphere.

“Goodbye, Abanoc,” Karamir said, shortly before the god vanished.

And with that, Karamir levitated toward his ship. He set himself down on the metal floor with a soft clunk and looked around with a brief sense of marvel and wonder. This was his. He had not built it alone, but it was his nonetheless. He ran a hand along the railing, then ascended the stairs up to the quarterdeck, which gave him a view of the entire main deck. He imagined it full of people, bound for one destination or another.

Then he approached the wheel. The mechanism intended to steer this flying vessel. After only a moment’s hesitation, he reached forward and gripped it. He turned it slightly, causing the ship to rock gently. Then he willed it to go forward, and it did. He smiled, recalling what he had felt when he first been gifted his flying cloak - that had been freedom. But this, this was power.

Power he intended to share.

---

Abanoc has information if you have free time (please he’s lonely)

Karamir shows up at Abanoc’s sphere. He asks for advice on city-building, so Abanoc gives him knowledge of Architecture. Karamir then mentions that he needs to find a way to get everyone in one place, so Abanoc tells him about ships and caravans. Karamir point out that this process will take too long for the endeavor he has in mind, and asks Abanoc how to build a proper divine vehicle - like what Shengshi, Ohan, and Urhu have built in the past.

Abanoc and Karamir go outside and build a flying ship. The process leaves Karamir drained mentally and physically, but he thanks Abanoc for the help. Before he boards it, he asks Abanoc for more information on Laurien, and Abanoc provides it. Karamir is troubled by many of the revelations, but Abanoc can’t offer any help beyond providing the knowledge.

They part ways, with Abanoc going back to the Observatory and Karamir getting on his cool new boat.

MP Summary

Karamir
Beginning MP: 4
Beginning FP: 8

Expenditures
-1 toward building a Flying Ship, name pending.

Ending MP: 3
Ending FP: 8

Abanoc
Beginning MP: 22
Beginning FP: 23

Expenditures
-1 MP toward helping build a Flying Ship, name still pending.

Ending MP: 21
Ending FP: 23

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

Arya

&

Karamir

---

Things hadn't been the same on the island since the attack. Though no one saw the pigguts anymore, their presence had left its mark on the Vallamir and those that had gone to confront them. Though Arya had healed those with physical wounds, many mental problems haunted the survivors. Especially the Mir children who had lost parents and uncles and aunts. Families had been shattered and it was all because she had failed to address the problem sooner. Perhaps she could have met with them, tried to reason… Maybe it could have been prevented.

Arya had withdrawn herself as of late, dwelling on her failure. She was supposed to protect people and be a beacon of hope and couldn't even do that without people dying. Orvus, Rowan… Even Lily and Ava had tried to console her but to no avail. Her guilt weighed her heart down like a lump of orvium, just like a year ago, before everything happened.

Now she sat on a beach of black sand, a steady breeze ruffling her hair as it blew on that gloomy day. It reflected her feelings. The night kept playing over and over in her head, from the festival to the slaughter… It was so surreal. She, a being that was supposedly above mortalkind, failed in her duty. Just like she had failed to see Laurien’s actions, or to see that Orvus had been taken, or how she had failed to the Mir and the Dreamers.

She did not cry on that beach, no, she was far past tears. She just felt numb, a feeling that was all too familiar. She pulled her knees in closer to her chest and sighed, listening as the waves crashed on the beach.

This went on for some time, until suddenly the sounds of the sea were interrupted by the flapping of wings, and an all-too familiar bird landed on the sand nearby.

She turned her head softly, and with sorrowful eyes gazed upon Arryn. She blinked before smiling softly, beckoning him to come closer. ”I was wondering when you might return, Arryn.”

Something was different about him. It was not a visible change, but he seemed smaller, somehow, and the sense of power and confidence he once projected was now gone. As if he was just an unusually coloured bird.

He stared at her, and hesitantly began to walk forward.

”Arryn?” she asked, with concern in her voice. She places her knees upon the sand, and crouched forward slowly, reaching out her hand flat. He stopped, looked down, and then stepped onto her palm.

She brought him to her face, and with her other hand, began to lightly stroke his head. ”What’s wrong Arryn? Why aren’t you speaking?”

He did not respond, and then she realized that he was shaking. He looked up at her, and she saw grief in his eyes.

It was a grief she knew all too well and it broke her heart even more. ”Oh Arryn… You were alone when he… When he passed, weren’t you? You didn’t know… And now that his divinity is gone… You’re…” her voice broke as she sniffled back fresh tears. ”I’m so sorry Arryn. So, so sorry.” was all she managed to say as she pulled him in closer.

The bird could only nod in response, and extend his wings around her.

They stayed like that for a long time, bearing each others grief and pain. The sun finally set when Arya began the long trek back to her home, Arryn perched upon her shoulders. She spoke amidst the chorus of the jungle to him softly, ”This can be your new home now, with me, Arryn. You won’t be so lonely anymore.”

Arryn looked down at her, then up at the sky, as if he was considering something. And then, once again, he nodded.

She patted his head, and knew all would be well with him in time. In time.

---

Not many days went by before the next arrivals. Two nebulite children, brought by a being of Arae. Her sister's children. The girl, Andromeda, had inky black skin, coated with white stars and light red swirls. Her hair started black, but faded to silver at the tips. She looked around Doron's age, perhaps slightly younger. Phoset, her little brother had deep purple, almost black skin. He had no stars upon his body and his hair was also the same, but glowed softly. Both of them were shy and hesitant to interact with her, but eventually Rowan and Orvus came and they began to warm up. Satisfied that they would be kept in good hands, the Dragon of Arae departed.

A week went by as the two settled in, taking a liking to Doron, who was still reeling from the effects of that night. Though Doron had not been there, his two Mir friends had and their loss had been great. She blamed herself. Andromeda and Phoset also had terrible night terrors at first, but from the teachings of an old friend, Arya was able to give them refreshing sleep. Though it was worrying to know what her sister might have subjected them too. They missed her all the same though and she did not know how to tell them that she had no idea of knowing if she even lived anymore.

And so time passed on, until the final visitor arrived. His presence was announced by a sharp knock at her door. The night had grown dark, but she seldom slept anymore in her tireless thoughts. She sat up from her chair and made her way to the door. She seldom expected anyone so late but it was her duty to see if she could help those that asked. To her great surprise, she opened the door to see Karamir standing before her.

”Arya,” he greeted her, with a nod and a somewhat uncertain smile.

She stared for a moment, her face a mix of uncertainty before her expression faltered and her tears gave way to one word, "Karamir…" before she pulled him into a hug.

His arms wrapped around her, and he hugged her back. “I… I heard about what happened,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

She began to speak but could not as she broke down again in his arms. He continued to hold her, and rested a hand against the back of her head in reassurance.

"I tried to-to save those I c-could." she murmured into his shoulder. "It was so awful."

”I know how that feels,” he nodded wearily. ”Let’s go inside.” She pulled herself away, wrapping her arms around herself as she nodded. She walked back inside, letting him shut the door.

"I didn't think you would come back so soon." she said softly, glancing back.

“I would have liked to return sooner,” he revealed. ”But I had to give the news to my people. Some took it well, some didn’t… but most of them should know by now, and they can tell the rest. I met Roog, and Kalgrun’s guardians - the closest thing I have to siblings, I suppose - and they should be able to look after things in my absence.”

"I'm glad." she said, leading him into the dark dining room. Not a candle was lit and the place didn't look like it had been cleaned in weeks, though there was hardly any major mess. She sat down at the table and looked at him. "I apologize for the mess… It's been hard to clean lately."

”I don’t mind,” Karamir said truthfully. ”I probably made it look a lot worse when you first brought me here, anyway.”

She smirked slightly. ”Yeah. It’s good to see you better now.”

He nodded, subconsciously touching his side. ”So… how have you been adapting to godhood?”

She frowned, looking down at the table. ”Poorly.” she said at last.

“Oh… I see,” he said, looking down as well, before looking back up. “Is there anything you need help with?”

She looked up and tilted her head at him, eyes thoughtful. ”I… I don’t know.” she began, hugging herself again. ”I feel like I should be able to protect them all, that I should’ve been able to prevent such a tragedy from ever befalling. I feel weak. I don’t even know how to create things, not like the true gods. I feel like a child… Perhaps I am a child still…” her voice faded into the dark.

“No,” Karamir shook his head. “Knowledge does not determine age, and age does not determine intelligence or wisdom. I’ve known Vallamir who came up with things I never even considered. And I’ve already met one goddess whose ideals seemed fundamentally broken. But you… you might be one of the wisest people I’ve met.”

”You… Think that? I don’t feel very wise.” she said with a slight chuckle.

”Neither do I,” Karamir admitted. ”But the Vallamir trust my judgement well enough. Most of them, anyway. I don’t think wisdom is something you are meant to feel…”

She said nothing for a moment, her expression one of contemplation. ”I’m not sure if any trust me… Not after what happened. I failed your people, as well as mine. We have sticks and stones for protection and they had metal. And I knew that, didn’t I? We saw them arrive.”

“Then the failure is mine as well,” Karamir spoke softly. “I knew, and I left you to deal with it… I’m sorry.” He looked out the window, and took a deep breath.

”But we can’t change the past,” he continued, before she could reply. “What we can do is learn from it, and figure out how to avoid repeating it.” He looked back to her, and met her gaze. ”I will help you.”

A smile grew upon her lips as she nodded before saying, ”I’d like that.”

---

They stood up to their knees, in the stream where Arya had first ascended to godhood so long ago.

“Mana is in everything,” Karamir reminded her. “You, me, the water, the ground, the air, the trees… everything.” He reached down into the water, and as he had done before, formed a gravity-defying ball in his palm. Then he dropped it, allowing it to fall with a gentle splash. “Now it’s your turn,” he said. “Try to focus on the mana within the water. Concentrate hard. But stay calm, and keep your movements loose.”

With her hair up in a bun, and a fierce look of determination in her eyes, Arya concentrated on the water before her. She outstretched her palm, taking great care to focus and relax at the same time. She envisioned the water before, it’s ripples, the coolness, how it flowed in the current, and after a great amount of time, a small orb of water, no larger than a small rock, lifted up it’s normalcy and into the world of air.

She smiled instantly, and her focus broke, sending the small orb back down. She turned to Karamir and said, ”This is harder than it looks.”

Karamir smiled back, and nodded. “As a mortal, it was weeks before I was able to do that, but I began to learn spells much faster after I... ascended.”

”Well,” she said with a laugh, ”I certainly hope so, God of Mana.”

His smile faltered. “It’s still strange to think of myself as a god,” he confided.

She tilted her head as she looked at him. ”Isn’t it? To think we can control such power… Such knowledge… And I don’t feel the need to do anything with it, besides protecting those I care about. And even then I’ve been doing terrible.” she said light heartedly before sighing, ”I’m sure in time… It’ll become the norm.”

“I’m sure it will,” he nodded. “It’s just that I have all this freedom and power, and I’m not sure what to do with it beyond show others how to access it. I want the Vallamir to do well… but the other species need aid too, and I can’t be everywhere at once.”

She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ”Start small. I almost forgot, but the first thing I ever created… Was a comb. I gave it to… A Dreamer I hope will use it well. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s easier to build upon what we have first and help those that we can, when we can. If that makes any sense.” she said, dropping her hand and looking back at the water.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe…” he said slowly, an idea formulating in his head. “I think I know what the problem is,” he said, a moment later. “Galbar is too big. We’re all too spread out.”

”Well… Yes, Karamir. The world is a pretty big place, but who’s we?” she asked thoughtfully.

“You, me, mortals, gods, everyone. The Vallamir, the Jotnar, the Nebulites, the Dreamers, the Selka… how much do you think they could teach each other if they met? But they can’t… not unless we could somehow get them all into one place.”

She looked back up at him. ”What are you suggesting?”

“Kalgrun is a huge place, and it’s full of life, but only a fraction of it is inhabited by intelligent mortals. It can be home to more than just the Vallamir and the Jotnar, if only we had some way to move them, and could convince them to come. With everyone so close together it would be easier for them to protect and communicate with each other.” He was speaking faster, now, almost excitedly.

Arya could not help but smile. ”Jot-Jotnar?” she said slowly, going over the word. ”I can’t recall every being told about them. But yes! It would be a wonderful thing, but the question is how, after all.” she brought her hand up to her chin. ”Perhap a floating city? Like Ohannakeloi? Or his Lordship?”

Karamir squinted. “Whose Lordship?” he asked, a mild note of confusion in his voice.

”Shengshi?” she asked.

At the mention of the River God’s name, Karamir’s expression suddenly darkened. “No,” he said dully.

”It was just a suggestion.” she said softly, before focusing back on the water.

Anger briefly flashed in his eyes. “He-” Karamir began, but then he stopped himself, and took a deep breath. “Nevermind. I’ll uh… I’ll probably go to Abanoc. Chopstick Eyes might have an idea or two as well…”[/color] He spoke quietly, his enthusiasm suddenly gone.

”What did he do this time?” she suddenly asked, a sad note in her voice.

“I… don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “I’ll tell you about it some other time, but for now… please don’t mention him again, and please don’t talk to him about this either…”

She said nothing for a moment, the flow of the stream the only noise between the two, until her voice broke through. ”Sure thing.” she put simply, summoning a slightly larger orb of water, before breaking it into several tendrils that began to wrap around her fingers, until they faltered and fell back into the stream.

They fell into an awkward silence after that. Karamir was brooding, uncertain. Many times he opened his mouth to speak, as if attempting to diffuse it, but he simply couldn’t think of anything that might work. Until, finally, he pointed a finger at the river, raised another small ball into the air, and with a sudden smirk he flicked it at Arya’s face.

She blinked as the water hit her face. With wide eyes of shock she turned to Karamir and placed her hands on her hips and huffed. Her face was a mix of anger and confusion and it stayed like that for several tense moments, before she began to laugh and in her laughter, she flicked her wrist, sending several tendrils of water at Karamir.

Karamir’s eyes widened slightly at the display - even as a deity, he had not expected her to reach that level so quickly - and he stood still as the tendrils splashed against his tunic. Then his smile returned. Placing his left hand behind his back, he conjured another ball of water, this one almost as large as his fist, and threw it up into the air, only to catch it in his right hand as it came back down and throw it up again. His eyes did not leave Arya’s, and as he caught it a second time he brought his arm back for a sudden throw… only to let the ball dissipate, and pour back into the river.

"Show off." she said joyfully. She then jumped up and landed on top of the water. She put her hands behind her back and smiled playfully. "Bet you can't hit me."

Karamir’s smile widened. “Showing off was my goal,” he said, stepping backward, and just then a wave splashed into her from behind.

She laughed. "No fair! I wasn't looking behind."

“That is the point of a distraction, yes,” he chuckled, before looking back behind his own shoulder. He saw nothing but the moment he turned his head back, he was splashed again. Arya giggled.

“Well,” Karamir said, wiping water from his eyes. “I think you’ve more than proven yourself. Think I should start teaching the rest of your people?”

"I think they'd like that." she mused.

“I uh... haven’t actually spoken to any of them yet,” Karamir admitted, scratching the back of his head as he suddenly grew uncomfortable. “The last time I did was… you know.”

Concern spread across her face and she floated over to him, gingerly taking one of his hands within her own. She smiled warmly. "It's okay. You won't be alone in this endeavor, not again."

He looked down at her hand, then floated up to her level and pulled her in for another hug. She let out a small, relieved gasp and shut her eyes in his embrace, hugging him back. They stayed like that for a while, before eventually letting go. It was time to go to the village.

---

And so, they went to the village. Karamir began looking for capable students. His encounter with Laurien was still fresh on his mind, but it soon became clear they were not like the ones he had met in the desert. Arya’s influence, most likely. After the first few conversations his wariness had faded.

It had been a fairly straightforward process to identify those who could wield it; Karamir could sense them almost at a glance, and it was simply a matter of he and Arya approaching them to explain the concept. Some were skeptical, but after the first of Karamir’s students became capable of minor spells, there was no denying it was true.

Soon, entire crowds of Nebulites began to approach him directly, asking if they too were capable, but most were disappointed. He had to explain to them that mana was a skill like any other; that mastering it would take years, and that if everyone focused on learning it, they would have no time to do other vital tasks like farming or hunting. Some were satisfied by this explanation, while others were gloomy or envious. A few went so far as to request or even demand that he use his powers as a god to give it to everybody anyway, only for him to sigh and tell them such an act was not within his power at the time. Thankfully, nobody pushed the issue any further.

As he had with the Vallamir, he focused primarily on introducing them to the concept, teaching them the basic principles, then observing their practice and offering corrections. The majority of it would be learned on their own, through practice. He also gave them a number of warnings, such as the dangers of directly manipulating raw mana, or how it was important to always practice where nobody would be in danger if something went wrong.

He had met the Vallamir of the Eye was well. Myra and a number of others had assailed him with questions, which he did his best to answer. Unfortunately, less than a handful of the Vallamir present were capable of wielding mana. Myra was not one of them, and most were actually children. He internally debated whether or not it would be a good idea for children to learn mana at such a young age, and ultimately decided they would have to wait until they were older.

Speaking of which…

“Arya,” Karamir had said, approaching her outside of her house one week later. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, if you don’t mind… what’s the story behind those two children? Andromeda and Phoset, I think.” He had only seen them a few times, and had barely interacted with them, so busy was he with his teachings.

Yet he knew they lived with Rowan and Orvus, and he had seen or heard nothing of them the first time he had been on the Eye, so naturally he was curious as to where they came from.

She sat in her porch, sun hat on head. She smiled at Karamir briefly before frowning slightly. "They are Laurien's children, Karamir. Arae took them after she cursed my sister to wander endlessly, unable to stay in one place for too long. They've been here ever since."

“I see,” Karamir frowned thoughtfully, before taking a breath. His hand fell to his side, where he had been stabbed only a few months ago. “Are they anything like Laurien?”

She shook her head. "They're only children Karamir. They've been scarred horribly and only now are beginning to heal. Andromeda is… boisterous, an attention seeker. Whether that's just who she is or because of her trauma, I do not know. Phoset is soft spoken, questions everything and has a hard time interacting with others. They will grow up here, safe and cared for, I know this." she said.

Karamir was quiet as Arya spoke. “Children don’t need to be defined by their parents, it’s true,” he said at last, his hand drifting away from his side. “And if you think you can set them on the right path… I believe you.”

"Well… Thank you Karamir. So what's on today's agenda?" she asked, getting up.

”Well,” Karamir said. ”I came here to tell you that they are both capable of wielding mana.”

"Hmm I see. Aren't they a bit young though? I know you won't teach the other Vallamir children." she said with a smirk.

“I don’t intend to teach them. I’m just letting you know, for the future.”

"I'm sure they'll love to be taught. It will give Phoset something to do and work on. He gets very bored or so I'm told." she smiled.

“When they are ready to be taught can be left up to you,” Karamir told her with a shrug. “I’m just worried… there’s no telling what effect that power might have on a child’s mind, and even if they do have good intentions, they might lack the discipline or the control to use it safely.”

"Very true, which is why when they are mature enough, I will teach them how to wield it safely." she said proudly.

Karamir nodded approvingly. “One more thing,” he added. “Your other siblings… they have it too. I think being the direct offspring of a god might have had something to do with that.”

"I figured as much… Still that must mean Andromeda and Phoset are lucky then. Still, I'mI glad! It can be a family bonding experience." she said clasping her hands together.

“I’ll go talk to them about it, then,” Karamir said. “Do you want to come with me?”

"Oh no, I promised Myra I'd check in on her. Go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

---

Karamir took a deep breath. He stood before the house of Orvus. Kalmar had warned him of Orvus once; a god bent on destroying the world. Yet Arya had told him differently, and in the one time he had seen Orvus, it had been when Kalmar was present, and there had not been any ill-will between the two.

Having gone through both a change of heart and a loss in power, the former god was not that much more dangerous than anyone else. Yet even still, Orvus had once been a god; he had been present for the world’s creation, and no doubt contained a great deal of knowledge and secrets.

Karamir’s thoughts suddenly turned to more personal matters. He recalled Li’Kalla’s suggestion, and immediately dismissed it with a shake of his head. He wasn’t going to validate those beliefs.

His fingers rapped against the door.

There was a muffled shout and then a moment later, the door opened to reveal Rowan, hair down and wearing an old dress. She greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hello Karamir, what brings you by?" she asked, opening the door fully.

“Is Orvus here?” Karamir asked. “I need to speak with you both.”

She beckoned him inside. "Come on in, dear. We're just inside." she said as she led him inside the illuminated home. Down a hallway and to the left they entered a large sized room. Orvus was there in human form, sleeping with a nebulite toddler to his side. The small girl had light purple skin, with darker purple swirls and freckles of starlight on her cheeks. Her hair was a vivid pink, a stark contrast to everything else in the room. They looked quiet peaceful.

Rowan went over to Orvus and gently shook him awake. He smiled up at her before his gaze fell upon Karamir and he sat up, careful not to wake the child. "I was wondering when you might show up." he said, handing the girl to Rowan, who walked back over to Karamir and asked, "Can I get you anything? A drink or food perhaps?"

Karamir shook his head. “There isn’t much point in me eating any more,” he told them with a small shake of his head. “I assume you’re aware of what I’ve been teaching the rest of the Nebulites?”

Rowan nodded warily and left the room. Orvus then spoke again. "Sit down if you like. But yes, I am aware and for that I am thankful. Whatever happened to Ikarus is a shame, but you are fulfilling, perhaps even expanding, the capabilities of Mana."

“I never met Ikarus, though I would have liked to,” Karamir said sympathetically. “Anyway, I came here to tell you this: your entire family is capable of manipulating mana too.”

He gave a sly smile. "I would hope so. Ikarus did come from me after all. It would only make sense I think."

“If you created Ikarus, does that mean you know where mana comes from?” Karamir asked, tilting his head.

He shrugged. "He came into the world through my ichor, and could see it wrapped around everything and anything. If I were to guess, it arrived with him or us, at the beginning of creation."

“Hmm… anyway, I was also going to ask if anyone in your family wants to learn how to wield it.”

"No one has expressed any major interest in it right now, far as I know. And it isn't much to be honest with you. I'm sure if they want to learn, they'll find the means to do so, Karamir."

“Do they know they are capable of using it, though?” Karamir asked. “Their interest might change, once they are told.”

"Who knows. Ava and Lily might be your only suitable candidates right now. I know Rowan has no desire to learn and Arya is already one of your students. The rest are young. Simply tell the twins and you'll have your answer." Orvus mused.

“Very well then,” Karamir said, and then looked as if he was about to leave, but then he turned back to Orvus. “Although… there is one more thing I need to talk to you about.”[/color]

"Ask away. There's no rush here." he said.

“It’s about Laurien.”

He sighed, his expression changing to sadness. "There are many questions about Laurien, I am sure. Not all of them have answers that are fulfilling."

“The day she tried to kill you… what happened, exactly?”

"I know not what she was thinking or what she truly felt, only that she was in pain. She rationalized my death to be the only solution to her grief. So she attempted to avenge her beloved Silver. So she turned my gift into her weapon and she stabbed me and from that came him and even more pain and suffering. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't and for that, I am sorry." he said sadly.

Karamir blinked. “Wait… did you say Silver?”

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes… A fragment of Li'Kalla and my friend. Do you know of her?"

“I… met someone named Silver on Li’Kalla’s island, only a few weeks ago. And Li’Kalla acted strangely when I mentioned her.”

He gave a small smile at this. "Then perhaps she found life again. One can hope, at least."

Karamir frowned bitterly. “So Laurien tried to kill you to avenge someone who wasn’t even dead… then she tried to kill me because she was afraid I might find out she tried to kill you.”

"Do not be mistaken. Silver was dead, I killed her myself in the hopes that Li'Kalla would be reborn. It's what she wanted in the end. Decades went by before I even knew Li'Kalla had been born anew, and it was not the Li I knew, nor the one Laurien knew. Yes, her attempts at keeping my demise a secret were illogical considering there are two deities that make it their business to know everything. But she was successful for a decade all the same. Perhaps she thought the secret could be kept indefinitely, that no one would find out, it was her undoing and now she's been kicked from both of her homes, cursed to wander Galbar eternally. I know some would have liked to kill her outright but I think of myself and my own actions and how deserving I was of death. In the end I redeemed, perhaps she can still do the same. I hope so, anyways." Orvus said with a cool voice.

“And if she won’t be redeemed?”

"Since imprisonment is out of the question, and if her heart has become as blackened as mine had been, then for the good of Galbar, the Pyres should take her." he said solemnly.

So there it was. Even her own father would advocate death, if the circumstances absolutely called for it. Laurien was alone in the world, and Karamir had to wonder how long she would last. He recalled the stories of the Rot on Li’Kalla’s island, how some of the Vallamir, driven mad by grief and starvation, began to murder or even cannibalize other tribes. It seemed to him that desperate people became more dangerous, not less.

He frowned, then made his way to the door, only to stop once again. He looked over his shoulder. “If any of your other children do decide they want to learn mana, my offer to teach them still stands.”

Without another word, he left the room.

---

The weeks went on. Karamir continued to teach and direct the Nebulites, and he made the name he had come up with earlier - wizards - into an official term for those who practiced magic. He recalled the word from a conversation in the Palace of Dreams - a distant memory now.

One of Orvus’s daughters, Lily, had joined a training group, and Karamir did his best to help her catch up to the rest.

And when he wasn’t teaching, he found other ways to keep himself occupied. Mostly by spending time with Arya, or the Vallamir. He taught them some of the Kalgrunnic customs, which a few chose to adopt, even if it meant getting strange looks from their Nebulite neighbours. Sometimes, he also took the time to help with more mundane tasks. He built up a rapport with those he interacted with, and earned their respect.

But eventually, it was time to move on.

“Arya,” he said to her one evening, in the tone he often used when he wished to discuss something other than pleasantries, “Do you want to go for a walk? Just down to the creek?”

”Why not?” she said cheerfully, getting up from the porch where they sat.

As they walked, Karamir tentatively reached out one of his hands to hold her own.

She returned the gesture, interlocking her fingers with his own. A small smile formed on her lips, as well as her face blushing pink.

They continued down to the river in silence. When they arrived, Karamir let go of her hand. He removed his cloak and spread it across the ground, before sitting down, and gesturing for Arya to sit next to him.

She did so, sitting down with her feet laying sideways, hands on her lap. She looked all around and then blushed slightly.

Karamir took a deep breath, and then turned to face her. “Remember what we discussed one month ago? I think it’s time for me to talk to Abanoc about it.”

She raised her eyebrows. "The one about having all races connected?"

He nodded. ”Yes. If we can get them all on Kalgrun - the ones who want to come, of course - then everything will be so much easier. I was wondering… do you think your own people would want to come?”

She nodded slowly. "Perhaps some… This place is their ancestral home, but many cannot deny wanting to see other parts of the world. We'll just have to ask."

He nodded again. “Would you be willing to come?”

"I don't know." she said, "I'm connected to the people that live here, and I cannot leave those that want to stay behind without protection. How could I?"

He looked away, and sighed. “We’ll need to find a way to convince them all, then. If they were all on Kalgrun… they’d have more land, more protection… and you wouldn’t have to watch over them alone anymore. We could do it together.”

She grabbed his hands and said, "Not everyone is so open to change, Karamir. Even if most wanted to come, there's always going to be those who won't. I'm sure my father is one of them."

“I understand… we’ll just have to see what happens…” He fell silent once again. “Sorry… it seems I’ve ruined the mood.”

"No, not at all. You're just excited about helping others and saddened when you are unable to do such a thing. I've felt the same way. Don't even worry about it." she said with a reassuring smile.

He smiled back, and then pulled her in for a hug. “This is why I like you.”

"I like you too." she said sweetly.

His cheeks reddened, and he pulled away. He looked her in the eyes, a hesitant expression once again crossing his face. Then he leaned forward, and went to press his lips against hers.

She leaned into it as well, a little too much actually and ended up bopping him in the nose with her own. She pulled back with a horrified expression on her face. "I'm sorry! Are you hurt?" she said with large eyes.

He squinted, rubbed his abused nose in mild discomfort, and then he smirked. “I’m alright,” he said. “I suppose this means we’ll have to try again. You lean to your left, and I’ll lean to mine.”

She nodded and did as asked. This time their lips connected and a short kiss was shared between them. Pleasant and sweet, followed by many more.

Then, once again, Karamir pulled away, although this time there was a satisfied look on his face. “How far do you want this to go?” he whispered.

A puzzled look came over her face. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

He found himself blushing once again. “W-well, sometimes mortal couples… um… I mean, only if you want to… and it’s fine if you don’t… uh… sorry, I s-shouldn’t have mentioned it.” he stammered.

She began to giggle. "I'm just messing with you. I know how babies are made, duh. But uh maybe we just take is slow first, yeah?"

A look of relief crossed his face. “Y-yeah, of course.” He took another breath, and then regained his composure.

"Oh I almost forgot! I have a gift for you, I left it at the house, i'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" she said excitedly, before running off. Occasionally looking behind at Karamir with a joyous smile before she disappeared into the trees.

Karamir watched her leave with a smile of his own, and once she was gone he looked out toward the river. As he waited for her to return, he began picking up nearby rocks and throwing them, trying to see how many times he could make them skip across the water’s surface.

She returned, perhaps a little too quickly, wearing a different dress. One of blood red. There was a smile on her face as she walked up to him. "I hope I wasn't gone too long." She said playfully.

“You were actually much quicker than I expected,” he said, rising to his feet and walking toward her.

"Well I am a God aren't I?" She said embracing him in a hug again. "Are you ready for your gift?"

“I am,” he said, “Though you don’t seem to be carrying any… wait, is that the dress you wore in the Palace?”

"Uh… Yes actually! I'm surprised you remembered. As for your gift, I decided…" she leaned into his ear, "I decided to change my mind." She then pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss, unlike any of their previous kisses.

He leaned into it, his arms wrapped around her. But something seemed… off. “What brought this on?” he asked, pulling away. She grabbed his hands in her own, breathing heavily. Her breath sweet.

“I love you Karamir, isn’t this what you desire? To be kissed, to be loved… To make love?” she smiled seductively. “Don’t tell me you don’t want this?” She then put her hands behind his head and kissed him again. This time she was forceful, grinding her body into his as the moment intensified. He attempted to push her away - this wasn’t right.

”...And I think you’ll really love this!” came Arya’s excited voice as another Arya, this one wearing the same clothing, cleared the last of the trees carrying a small box in her hands. She froze when she saw herself kissing Karamir. Eyes wide, and a horrified expression on her face.

The Arya that was kissing him turned her head to look at the other one, then back at Karamir with a devilish smile.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Karamir glanced between the two, his expression one of bewilderment. Then, realization dawned, and his face became as hard as flint. He rounded his gaze on the Arya in red, anger blazing in his eyes. He knew not who she was, but she was an imposter.

His cloak flew back to his shoulders. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Why are you doing this? And give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you…”, his hand fell to the hilt of the multi-weapon, and golden energy swirled around his offhand.

Arya was still frozen, her gaze unwavering as she looked at her doppelganger. The one in red laughed, as she put her hands behind her back. “Oh come now, Karamir. Is that anyway to treat an old friend? Especially one as close as I? I mean… I did try to kill you.”

“Laurien,” he growled venomously, in a voice that sounded almost nothing like his own. In a flash his dagger was out, the blade extending into a sword.

Two things happened at the sound of her name. One, an object came flying out of the trees and she caught it behind her back, as she reverted into her original form. The one they knew her by. She began to laugh as she placed a crown atop her head with one hand, brandishing Aaldir in the other.
”Hello Karamir.” she then turned to Arya, ”Hello sister. Did you miss me?” Arya dropped the box as both of her hands covered her mouth, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

“Why are you here?” Karamir demanded.

”A girl can’t visit home? My birth place, might I add?” she said, twirling her blade.

”T-This isn’t your home anymore.” Arya said, quickly flying over to Karamir.

Laurien frowned. ”Well if you must know, Li’Kalla kicked me out. Who would have guessed that she didn’t like cheaters? So I was nearby, though I’d drop by to see what’s new. And oh my, did I find something interesting.” she said, looking at the two of them.

“Silver is alive, you know,” Karamir informed her blunty. “So you tried to kill Orvus for nothing. A secret which, by the way, was already known even before you attacked me. So you tried to kill me for nothing. When does it end?”

She smirked. "I am well aware that Silver lives. And when I found her I realized that my idealization of her was flawed. As for the secret, I realized, it was always going to be revealed. And Arae came to punish me accordingly. The Mother Goddess. A fool and a hypocrite. Luckily, I've outgrown her chain."

“Why. Are. You. Here?” Karamir spoke through clenched teeth.

"I told you already… I'm just stopping by. Saying hello to family, catching up with my sister. Speaking of which, Arya, when were you going to tell me that the Tendlepog and the Dreamers had left existence? Was I not their daughter as well?" she asked, looking to Arya with smug look.

Arya's fists clenched tightly. "They would be ashamed of you, sister. You're lucky K'nell is gone from this world, or he would have made you see the error of your ways!"

"So he is gone." she hissed excitedly. Arya seemed to pale.

“K’nell is hardly the only one who can make you answer for your actions,” Karamir spoke acidly.

"We shall see Karamir. Oh you poor thing. Did I upset you that greatly when I broke your soul? Or was it perhaps my kisses? Delightful weren't they. Dripping with ecstasy. Delicious." she said with a selfish grin.

Karamir did not rise to her mockery. “Laurien,” he stated firmly, struggling to suppress his fury. “It’s not too late to change your course.”

"Please Laurien." Arya affirmed. "Let us help you."

Laurien's face went blank as she looked at the two of them. There was a split second where she looked full of remorse and guilt but then she shook her head. "I don't need to change course and I certainly don't need your help. I've become what I was always meant to be. I am Desire and soon enough, I'll be even more." she said with a wicked smile.

“What you were meant to be?” Karamir asked. “Nobody is meant to ‘be’ anything. Whoever whispered into your ear, whatever conclusions you reached… that isn’t the way it has to be.”

"But it does matter. It's always mattered." she retorted.

"Laurien stop this madness. You aren't acting like yourself!" Arya said, raising her voice.

"Madness? No sister, I was mortal then. That's the Laurien you remember. The one who was used like a dog by her father who was too afraid to face his failures, sent to find you when you didn't need to be found. I lived with you on Tendlepog for decades and you could never see that I was treated more like a guest then someone who fit in and I did it for you. So forgive me if I can't be who I truly want to be." she spat.

"Laurien…" Arya said heartbroken.

“And what do you want to be?” Karamir snapped. “Someone who tries to kill those who only want to help her? Someone who is alone, hated, and feared? Because at this rate, that’s all you’re ever going to be.”

She looked unamused as she turned her head to Karamir. ”Oh my dear Karamir, I am only two of those things and I am quickly on trek to erase the third, forever.” she said, walking back and forth.

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

”Always with the questions. Doesn’t that drive you mad, sister?” she said, looking to Arya.

”No! He’s just inquisitive! Lik-” Laurien cut her off, ”Like a child?” she laughed, ”You always did love children best. So like yourself, or perhaps who you always wanted to be at heart. I know how greatly it pained you, watching the Dreamers grow old. Frail. And where are they now? You probably know, don’t you. K’nell would not have left this world, without telling his ward that secret. He loved you like a daughter so, and yet when the time came, they abandoned you. Our mothers, abandoned you. Our siblings, abandoned you. And for what? How much did you want to scream when they left you? To beg them to stay? Oh knowing K’nell… You never got the chance, did you?” she said, watching Arya as she fell to her knees, crying.

”S-Stop…” she whispered, looking a the ground.

”And you call me a child…” Karamir whispered furiously. “Look at you. Here you are, pretending to be other people, mocking and insulting someone who once cared for you. Out of what? Envy? Spite? Is this all you have left? You’re pathetic. Let me tell you this: I will never abandon her, and if you do anything to harm her, I will do everything in my power to see you destroyed.” As the anger in his voice rose, the mana which swirled around his hand seemed to glow and brighten tenfold, becoming increasingly unstable.

”Now go,” he commanded, “and never return.”

Whether or not she seemed to notice the mana around his hand, Laurien shrugged, crossing her arms. She then gave a final laugh, ”We’re all a bunch of hypocrites, in the end.” With a smug smile, she looked at both of them. ”Farewell for now, sister. Karamir. I do hope we meet again, your taste is quite… pleasant.” she then took off into the air and before long became a blink that quickly faded into nothingness. It left the two of them alone.

Karamir pointed his hand skyward and unleashed the mana he had gathered. It flew upward in several scattered beams, wild and unfocused, which hit nothing except air. He was fuming. Yet when he looked down at Arya, his anger suddenly faded. He fell to one knee, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

After several painful moments of silence she spoke in perhaps the smallest voice he had ever heard. ”I don’t think I’ve ever really been a child. That’s why I always hold them so dear…” she took a breath, ”Even when I was born… No… Created… I was thrown into a world that I did not know, and I had to learn quickly. There was no time for playing when I was learning from Kalmar, training under Shengshi, and adventuring with Split. Until I met… K’nell and and Hermes and Xiaoli. I was happy then, until I was gone and when I went back, I had grown and new babies had come. Then they left me… And even when I see them in my dreams… They’re in paradise… Why would I ruin paradise with my failings… And the others… They’re gone because I told them to go… The pigguts came and I barely got to see them… Now my sister is a monster, and my people think I can’t protect them... Is my life just one big cruel joke?” she said, looking at Karamir, face stained with tears. ”Is it?”

“I used to think so,” Karamir said, his own voice small. “I used to think that life had no meaning. That we existed for no reason other than to suffer. That any victory would be fleeting. I already told you… there were times when I thought it would be better if I just didn’t exist…” he sighed, as he began to feel tears of his own. “But then I met you. You showed me there was more to life than loneliness and suffering. So, I kept going. I learned new things, met new people… I was happy. Then, when Laurien tried to kill me, and I was once again at my lowest… you saved me again.”[/color]

He reached under her chin and gently pulled her up to face him, then wiped away one of her tears. “I don’t know what to tell you about K’nell, or the Dreamers,” he said truthfully. “I didn’t know them that well, and the few interactions I’ve had with them have given me mixed feelings at best. But… they aren’t the only people who care about you. You have Orvus, and Rowan. Ava, Lily, and Doran. The other people you met in your travels. And you have me. I love you, Arya, and whatever happens… whatever comes next… I will always be there for you.”

Even through the tears, she began to smile and then she kissed him. And as the two fell onto the grass, she knew through all the pain and sadness, through the depression and loneliness, somehow, everything was going to be alright.

And they were happy.

---

Summary

Arya is practicing her favourite hobby: being sad on a beach. Then Arryn shows up. It quickly becomes apparent that Arryn can no longer talk. But he can still understand other creatures, and he wordlessly agrees to stay with her.

Anyway, a few days later, Arae comes to drop off Andromeda and Phoset offscreen, and Arya does her best to get them settled in.

Then Karamir shows up. They talk a bit about what has happened since they last met, and he tries to console her after all the drama she went through. He then decides to teach them mana, to give them another tool to defend themselves. The first person he teaches is Arya herself, who picks it up quickly because she is a goddess. He then goes on to identify the rest of the Nebulites who are capable of learning it, and gets them started as well, but decides not to teach children… because that’s basically like giving a toddler a machine gun.

This goes on for a month or so. He has a conversation with Orvus, where he reveals that all of Orvus’s kids have mana, and also about Laurien, where Orvus expresses a hope that she can be redeemed… but admits death may be necessary if she can’t. Karamir is like: ‘damn.’ Anyway, Lily joins Karamir’s horde of apprentice wizards.

Oh yeah, Karamir also pitched a rather ambitious idea to Arya: they bring as many species as they can to Kalgrun, so that it will be easier to protect them all from troublemakers, and technology will progress faster because they can all share their ideas. Naturally, he decides to consult Abanoc, and since Abanoc’s gateway is literally on the other side of the world, that would mean leaving the Eye of Desolation.

So he takes Arya out to the river, to confirm that she is on board with the idea and tell her he is going to need to leave. She is unsure, however, and they talk back and forth about the difficulties of the idea, which leaves Karamir a bit bummed out. Arya is like: “Nah it’s fine, you only want to help.” Then they kiss, but Arya accidentally bumps into his nose, driving it into his brain and killing him instantly.

Okay no, it didn’t happen exactly like that.

Anyway, they try to kiss a second time, and it works. Karamir awkwardly inquires as to how far they want to take this, and the answer is to take it slow, which Karamir is fine with. Arya then runs back to the house to go get a gift for him.

She comes back, wearing a different outfit, but no gift, and is all: “we’ll bang okay?” She starts acting very lewd, and Karamir is confused, then the real Arya returns with the actual gift, and the fake Arya turns out to be Laurien. Wild stuff. Karamir is pissed. Karamir and Arya then proceed to call her out on most of the bad things she has done, while Laurien calls Arya out on her things. Eventually Laurien finds a soft spot - the dreamers’ departure - and proceeds to bring the hammer down, until Arya breaks down. Karamir intervenes, making a vow to never abandon Arya, and then threatens to kill Laurien.

Laurien leaves, but not before promising to see them again. Karamir is livid, but manages to calm himself enough to comfort Arya. Once more she goes on about how difficult the Dreamers’ departure has been, and how every time she has something nice, it is immediately ruined. Karamir reminds her that there are still many people who care about her, including himself, and reaffirms his vow to never leave her.

They then engage in some wholesome PG-13 implied fade-to-black banging.

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

Karamir

&

Li’Kalla

Deviant Goddess of Rain
MP 14 FP 20

---

The demigod and his companion walked on. Their direction was clear, and they could not afford to waste time. Since the last encounter they’d made sure to avoid all of the overly muddy terrain they stumbled upon. Eventually a single structure, a shabbily built wooden watchtower, broke the line of the horizon. And soon after that, many more structures rose from beyond sight. They were all tents and huts, easy to move and just the bare essentials to protect oneself from the elements.

A furry critter scurried past the two travellers and into a particularly tall spot of grass as the distant cries of a bird resonated throughout the plains.

The tents were erected on either side of the road and the largest of them was surrounded by a handful of the smaller ones. As Karamir and Fenris approached, the sounds of indistinct chatter reached their ears. Many voices, all of them male, were speaking inside the larger tent. Suddenly, the voices started to grow louder and louder, until one of them started to yell.

“-hat is he thinking, seriously? Does he even care about this project?!”

There was a loud thump. Someone brought their fist down on a table most likely. And then another voice yelled back.

“Of course he does! You can’t see it because you’ve only been with us for…” The second voice’s volume eventually went down, but the first voice would not back down.

“THAT MAKES NO SENSE! Use your heads, by Li’Kalla’s Grace!”

Shortly after, an adolescent Valthumir stormed out of the tent and stomped his way into the treeline on the other side of the road, opposite from Karamir and Fenris. A few moments passed, and the unintelligible chatter began once more inside the large tent.

”Wait here,” Karamir instructed, leaving Fenris to wait on the muddy, uneven road. He then carried on toward the tent, and came to a stop just before the flap. ”Hello?” he ventured. ”May I come in?”

The chatter stopped, and after a moment a deep voice rung out. “You may come in.”

And upon stepping into the tent, Karamir was hit by the scent of burning lavender petals, as well as the sight of little over a dozen Vallamir sitting around a large oval table staring directly at him. There were all kinds of shapes and builds present, but there was one thing they all had in common. They had well-developed muscles, and strength seemed to lie dormant under their skins.

A few of the Vallamir averted their gaze, others scrutinized him further.

But there was one whose expression softened somewhat after he was done scrutinizing his form. This one Vallamir, dark haired, with pointed incisives and heavy in both muscle and fat stores, nodded at Karamir.

He spoke in a deep, rumbling voice not unlike a lion’s roar. “Hey. Name’s Bon. You looking for work building The Queen-Mother Li’Kalla’s roads, by any chance?”

Karamir shook his head. ”No,” he said apologetically. ”My name is Karamir, son of Kalmar.”

“Oh, then I see that quite the privilege has fallen into our laps. What do you think, children? Meeting Kalmar’s son.” Bon asked the others sitting at the table with a chuckle.

Most of them laughed.

“I thought I’d be swallowed by the mud before I saw another divine’s son, after the Goat. Hah!”

“Yeah, no joke.”

“There’s so many divines, aren’t there?”

“Maybe it’s just us being special. If I was a divine I’d want to visit us.”

Bon slapped the table and everyone fell silent, even though they had smiles on their faces. “So,” Bon began, “What’s the goal behind your visit, Karamir? And why did Kalmar not invite us to his wedding… Actually, nevermind that, you’re probably older than you look. We probably weren’t around by the time you came around.”

Karamir paused in confusion at the mention of a wedding - Kalmar had never mentioned being married, and the Vallamir of Kalgrun had learned that concept from Arae rather than him - but decided to address the more important matters first. ”I came here to find out what happened to those who followed Li’Kalla across her bridge,” he said. ”Now, it seems I found that, so I suppose I should meet Li’Kalla herself.”

Bon nodded, “Yes, that’d probably be a wise move from you. Introduce yourself and she might grant you permission to work with us. I know you’re on the fence about helping us out but let me tell you, Muc right here,” He said pointing to one of the smaller Vallamir present, “Makes some of the best stock in the entire world. It’s definitely worth it.”

Karamir stood in awkward silence. This was such a sharp contrast from Sun’Kalla’s cold difference. Yet it had also been far more upbeat and welcoming than any other reception he had received on Kalgrun. His gaze shifted from figure to figure.

”To tell the truth,” he said after a while. ”I’m not even sure what you’re building, or what ‘stock’ you’re referring to. Could you explain?” he asked in a genuinely curious tone.

The Vallamir all exchanged a look. Their faces twisted and Bon looked back at Karamir with his brow furrowed, “You… Don’t know what a road is? Well…” Bon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his index and thumb, “It’s a permanent path connecting two locations. It is meant to make travel quicker, safer and cheaper. Right now we’re building a road to connect the Eternal Forest and the Holy Capital… It hasn’t been easy, thanks to the Life-Giving Rain, but we make do. We should be finished in… About three hundred moons, I’d say? And then we will establish a settlement in the Forest in the name of the Queen-Mother.”

”And what is this ‘Holy Capital’, exactly?” Karamir asked next.

This time it wasn’t Bon that spoke, it was Muc, the presumed cook of the group. His voice was high pitched and raspy. “The Holy Capital is the Holy Capital. It’s where Li’Kalla’s manor is located, and we built our lives around it.”

That told him absolutely nothing. ”Is it a village, then?” he asked instead.

“It’s bigger than a normal village, and with sturdier homes. We had some trouble keeping everyone well fed for a few years, but some Valthumir were tasked with learning how to make use of plants and grow them for our benefit and their experiments showed promise… That was a month ago, though. Have heard nothing since.” Muc said, and then Bon nodded.

“Yeah, we get decent amounts of food because we work hard. Others are not so well taken care of. Especially those that just exist to breed and breathe.” Bon said with a shrug.

”What do you mean?” Karamir asked, furrowing his brow.

“The less physical work you do, the less food you’re given. We do hunt and gather most of it, so it’s at a premium these days. Some Vallamir have to make do with eating Living Mud.”

“How do you decide who does what work?”

Bon looked at another Vallamir seated at the table. This one blond and with eyes slanted to the point they almost seemed closed. He sat with his elbows propped up on the table and a sigh revealed sharp incisives much like Bon’s. “Most people choose where they want to spend their days when they come of age. If you can’t cut it however, the hierarchy takes matters into its own hands and plans your life for you.”

The furrow in his brow deepened. ”Why would anyone want their life planned for them?”

There was a collective shrug in the room and a few moments of silence until Bon piped up, “It’s how it works here. Now, we have to keep planning our project. Unless you changed your mind, you should probably go on your way so we do not bore you with talk of stone hauling and dirt packing.”

”I think I’ll stay and listen for a time, actually.” Karamir said.

Bon perked up, and so did many of the others. “Oh? So you’re going to lend us a hand?”

”I’m still not entirely sure what you are doing,” Karamir told them. ”I just want to learn more, but I won’t get in the way.”

“Ah, that is a problem,” Bon leaned back, “You see, we’re not supposed to let non-officials know the details of our project. Telling you our plans for a future settlement might already have been too much. So I’m sorry Karamir, but unless you intend to work with us then we have to ask you to leave. Even if you did offer to work with us, you’d have to get official permission from the Queen-Mother anyway…”

“Is there a reason why I can’t know?” he asked. ”I always thought it was better to share information than to withhold it.”

“A fair belief. You might be a member of a settlement that’s enemy to the Capital and therefore all of Li’Kalla’s Faithful, though. Sorry, no exceptions. Not even for a Divine.” Bon nodded apologetically.

”An enemy? What?” Karamir spoke incredulously. ”Why would I be your enemy? I’m the first of your kind. The entire reason I came here in the first place was to make sure you were all alright.”

The blond Vallamir buried his face in his palms while Bon raised an eyebrow. “You must know how easy it is to lie about one’s reasons and motivations. This is all procedure, we do it for every single new arrival we get. By Her grace, and here I was thinking I wouldn’t have to get all formal…”

”Is everyone on this land so skeptical toward others?” Karamir asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.

The blond Vallamir groaned, “What, do you want us to wait until we have a knife through our guts before being skeptical? Maybe you don’t have enough dangers where you come from, but here if we’re not careful we could wake up to see the whole Capital in flames.”

“Who would do something like that, and how?” Karamir asked doubtfully.

“People, and with fire. Now go.” The blond pointed toward the exit with his head, before Bon cleared his throat.

“Tang, you don’t have to be so disrespectful-”

“He’s delaying us. We’re already behind enough as it is, if we take any longer we might not have another opportunity this good!”

”You misunderstood my question,” Karamir insisted. ”Why would they do this? Where are they? How can they be stopped?”

Tang stood up in an explosive movement and stormed out past Karamir. Bon shook his head, “You’ll be better served by asking those questions to the Queen-Mother, should she deem you fit enough to talk to you in person. Just follow the road and you’ll reach the capital in half a day if you’re quick.”

Karamir sighed. “Alright, then,” he sighed. ”Farewell.”

And with those words he exited the tent.

The first thing he stepped into was a confrontation. Fenris, having heard the conversation in the tent due to his enhanced senses, maneuvered in front of Tang to block their path, and had commanded him to stop. Now, he glared at the shorter Vallamir. “You need to learn respect,” he growled.

Tang stared back, taking in Fenris’ features and giving the air a sniff. “Huh, that’s funny, where was your friend’s respect when we told him we could not give any more information and he kept asking stupid questions?”

“Questions about why you couldn’t give him information,” Fenris corrected. “You have functioning ears, don’t you?”

Tang tsked his mouth and maneuvered around Fenris. “Just go, stop wasting our time. We’re on a tight schedule as it is…” He said as he disappeared into one of the smaller tents.

”Let’s go,” Karamir said.

Fenris looked to the tent, then back at him. “You shouldn’t-”

”We’ve been over this,” Karamir snapped. ”There’s no point talking to these people. We can’t help them if they won’t tell us how, and there’s no use letting yourself be provoked by mere words. Let’s go. Maybe Li’Kalla can give us some actual answers.”

---

The further they advanced upon the road, the more developed it seemed to be. The closer they drew to the Capital, the better the infrastructure, and the more numerous the unmarked graves on either side of the road.

His frustration turned to melancholy. It had been twelve years since the Vallamir had been created. The bodies buried in these graves had not died naturally. They had been killed, by animals, by sickness, by hunger, or by the enemies the others had alluded to. It was wrong. Why had they been reduced to this? Why had Li’Kalla allowed it to happen?

Eventually over the horizon poked out the straw-topped wooden huts, and past the huts were bigger, taller homes. It was a sight to behold, and it was clear that the predominant color in the settlement was white. Maybe the color came from the packed dirt between the buildings being strangely washed out, or the air itself being thick and heavy.

It made no difference to Karamir and Fenris as they approached the village-turned-city. Walls were in construction, and the arch welcoming the two travelers to the city had four guards posted on either side, armed with stone weaponry, clubs,crude bows and blowguns. They were dressed in impressive furs, and their white hair, grey eyes and refined features regarded the approaching Divine with barely held back alarm.

The guarding Valthumir exchanged a look and one of them took off running into the city and towards the biggest, most luxurious structure visible. A manor the size of ten high-class homes, built by unknown materials using unknown techniques.

The other guards didn’t try to stop the two travelers, but it was clear to Karamir and Fenris by the way their grip tightened on their weapons that this land was anything but friendly.

As they walked through the streets, tailed by two of the guards, most of the Vallamir and Valthumir that caught sight of them quickly moved out of the way and glared at them in fear, hesitation and most of all, curiosity.

They passed through a market and someone dropped a basket of freshly cooked Boiledfins. Someone else bumped into a stall offering nuts.

Karamir furrowed his brow. Sun’Kalla had been suspicious. Tang had been impatient. He could understand those emotions, even if he did not think them justified. But now… he was seeing fear. He had done nothing to these people. Then he remembered the talk of bandits, and curses, and he realized they were not afraid of what he had done.

They were afraid of what he might do.

Over the distance, an unseen bell tolls and the heavy wooden doors to the Manor are dragged open. All the activity in town ceases, and everyone drops to their knees facing in the direction of the manor, before lowering their head and exposing their napes.

The only ones that didn’t kneel were the guards and the travelers, but when the bell tolls again, activity begins once more. This time, people seemed less afraid of the travelers and continued with their daily routines.

And so the two came up to the entrance to the Manor, and three guards were standing in their way, even though the entrance was open. One of them, the one that had run all the way there, moved aside without taking his eyes off the Divine Karamir.

And a voice spoke directly into Karamir’s mind, coming from the unnatural darkness shrouding everything past the entrance to the Manor.

”I have not met you before, Karamir. You’re a new Divine, aren’t you? You give off an aura similar to Kalmar’s… Come in. Alone.”

Karamir squinted. Alone? What an odd request…

Yet… it was also one that made little difference. Fenris, even in his Vallamir form, was far stronger and swifter than any common mortal, yet could do nothing against a god. If Li’Kalla did indeed have ill intentions, then the wolfman would likely be safer if left behind. Besides, he was in the heart of Li’Kalla’s lands, with the intention of meeting the Goddess herself. That required him to put some level of trust in her.

“I’m going to need you to wait here,” he said to Fenris. “No disputes.”

Without awaiting Fenris’s response, Karamir nodded to the guard, and stepped into the darkness of the manor.

Upon passing the threshold of the entrance, the darkness dissipated for Karamir and the doors closed on their own behind him.

He was in a rather modest looking hall. There were spots with missing ornaments and furniture, as evidenced from the shapes left in the dusty floors and walls. It was a very… Bare room. To either side there were counters with closed doors behind them, and looking straight forward he saw a big foyer with a grand ornamental staircase at the far back. The entire place was lit up by strange bright lights hanging from the ceiling, some in chandeliers and some in more subtle casings.

It was nowhere as near as grand as the Palace of Dreams, yet he couldn’t help but feel reminded of it.

Suddenly footsteps came from the staircase, and coming down it was Li’Kalla, the Goddess of Rain. She looked as beautiful and attractive as one could be, and her dress was made of an otherwordly material, with golden accents along the seams and cuffs, and cutouts for her shoulders, navel and elbows. The dress ended just a little bit above the floor, just enough for it to not drag along and get dirty, and she was not wearing footwear of any kind.

She confidently walked down the staircase with her gaze glued to Karamir. Her voice was soft yet firm. ”I’m Li’Kalla, Patron Goddess of the Faithful. Kalmar never mentioned your divinity to me before, which leads me to believe you may have ascended recently. How did you obtain divinity? Does it have to do with the slight scent of Kalmar’s aura that I detect around you?”

”It does,” Karamir nodded slightly. ”Kalmar… is dead. His last act was to pass his divinity on to me.” He then realized his words had been emotionless. He was so used to delivering the news...

Li’Kalla furrowed her brow and came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. ”He’s dead? May I ask for details on what brought on his death, if it’s not too fresh a memory?”

”Not too long ago, meteors and strange decaying energies started falling from the sky. It went on for… a few days, I think. I’m not sure. I was unconscious for a lot of it. Do you remember that?”

”I do. Luckily none fell on the Capital, but other areas were heavily affected to the north and northeast. Did one of the meteors cause Kalmar’s death?” Li’Kalla asked with a subtle tilt of her head.

He shook his head. His voice sounded almost hollow. ”No. Kalmar tried to stop it. A creature named Abraxus had taken over Orvus’s sphere. Kalmar fought it. He managed to free Orvus, and put a stop to the decaying energy, but in the end Abraxus was able to wound him. Ashalla and Arae arrived, but it took Orvus giving up his divinity in order to destroy Abraxus. Arae brought Kalmar back to me, and… I already told you what happened after that.”

Li’Kalla crossed her arms and sighed, ”He died a heroic death, I see. As expected of a man of his disposition. I see you’ve grown used to giving the news of Kalmar’s death, or shall I say, grown weary of it, so let’s discuss something else. For example, the reason behind your visit… But first, follow me.”

With that, Li’kalla turned and walked to one of the locked doors all around the foyer. As she drew closer to it, it opened and light washed out from the room. It was a kitchen outfitted with a countertop and stools. ”Take a seat while I prepare some local tea for us.”

Karamir starred at the room in puzzlement - nothing in the Palace had looked like this - but then assumed that the stools were one of the ‘seats’ she was referring to, and so he approached one and sat down.

Li’Kalla pulled the sleeves of her dress up a little and fished around a large cabinet for some time, before pulling out a rough clay pot and setting it down on the counter, then a tea strainer and two ceramic cups.

Next, she filled a strange contraption with water from another strange contraption, and the flurry of activity became confusing enough to ignore. Instead Karamir took to studying literally anything else - the ceiling, the other furniture, Li’Kalla herself...

Eventually, though, Li’Kalla held two cups of how tea in her hands, a wide grin on her face and a skip to her step as she practically floated over to the countertop where Karamir was sitting, and sitting opposite to him after setting down his cup of unsweetened tea in front of him.

She took a sniff of her tea and let out a gasp of delight, “Aah~ I made it well this time. Memories really can be useful sometimes! Please try it, Karamir!”

Karamir took the cup in hand and eyed it with some level of caution. After all, Kalmar had told him a story which involved this very drink, and the drink itself had not been described as pleasant. However, Kalmar had also told him the consequences of expressing distaste for the drink, and Karamir realized he could not refuse: not if he wanted this meeting to go well.

”Thank you,” he said simply, before taking a sip. He was… pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was not bad as it had been described, but while it was pleasant it was not overwhelmingly so. ”It’s good,” he said with a nod.

Li’Kalla grinned and nodded, then took a sip of her own tea and relaxed. ”Yes, so about the reason behind your visit…?”

”I came to find out what happened to those who followed you here. The Vallamir back on Kalgrun were spreading strange stories, and it turns out none of them were true,” Karamir said with a shrug.

”As is usually the case with mortal rumours. You must have confirmed the fate of these Vallamir and Valthumir a while ago, so why have you come to me?” She asked and took another sip of her drink.

Karamir furrowed his brow. ”Valthumir? What’s that?”

”Those with pure blood, showing Streaks of Divinity such as white hair, grey eyes… In the case of men, strong jawlines and lean muscle with a lot of explosive strength potential. In the case of females relatively prominent hips and ample stores of energy… There’s more, but they haven’t been disclosed yet and won’t be until the Faithful evolve some more.” Li’Kalla smiled and pointed at herself, ”I possess almost all of the Streaks.”

“What makes them pure, exactly?” he asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Li’Kalla’s smile faded, ”I’m not sure. I believe the answer lies within my memories, but those are sealed away for now.”

”Oh,” Karamir was surprised. ”You can’t access your memories?”

”Not without side effects at least. Courtesy of the Architect. It doesn’t bother me.” She shrugged.

”I lost my memory once,” Karamir revealed. ”Abanoc, the God of Recording, and Mnemosyne, his Avatar, helped fix it. If you decide you want your memory back, and you’re willing to trust them, they might be able to help you?”

Li’Kalla furrowed her brow, ”Yes, thank you for telling me. It is not the time yet, however.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but decided not to press the issue further. ”Anyway… I came to you specifically, because the Vallamir kept telling me to go to you. They didn’t trust me, and wouldn’t answer all my questions.”

”I see. So, what are your questions?”

”What disagreement caused Shengshi to curse these lands?” came the first, and in his eyes, the most important question.

”I called him a deviant for encouraging unnatural behaviours, and he saw it fit to cause pain to mortals that had said nothing.” Li’Kalla sighed.

”What sort of unnatural behaviors?” he asked next, wondering just what exactly was unnatural in a world that was mostly handcrafted.

Li’Kalla shifted on her seat with small frown on her face, before drinking all the contents of her cup and looking straight into Karamir’s eyes. ”Encouraging sexual and romantic practices that do not normally produce offspring.”

Karamir was momentarily taken aback. ”Is… is that it?”

Li’Kalla nodded, ”Yes, he cursed the land and indirectly cause the death of hundreds of mortal children that had nothing to do with the issue because of it.”

His eyes widened further. He could not believe it. ”Because you disagreed over…” His head swam. ”That… that’s madness…” He whispered.

”He’s a God that chose a physical form mixing animal with humanoid. If that is not a sign of derangement…” Li’Kalla sighed, placed her elbows on the counter and rested her head on the palms of her hands.

“Wait... why does his form matter?”

Li raised an eyebrow, ”A Divine should be the prime example-setter for their followers. Physical forms count into it, so if your example is that of a deviant’s fantasy of a slithering reptile mixed with vaguely humanoid characteristics - an example that no mortal can try to reasonably strive to achieve - then there’s no point to that specific form and is therefore a sign of either derangement or excessive self-absorption.”

”But… what if he created a species of humanoid reptiles? What then?” Karamir asked, his confusion only deepening.

”Has he created such a species? I do not believe so. Therefore he’s simply a deviant. Such a shame for our Divine roster to be so… Strange. Ashalla was quite nice however, I loved the thematic implications of her chosen form. An Ocean Goddess that is the Ocean itself? Perfection. I do wonder if she allows substances foreign to water inside her body, however.” Li’Kalla hummed as she scratched the side of her nose.

”I don’t know if Shengshi created such a species or not,” Karamir admitted. ”But if he did… would you no longer consider him a deviant? His opinions on… other issues… aside?”

The Goddess rolled her eyes, ”He’d still be an individual that is capable of killing hundred of babies because he didn’t like a few words, and he’d still be encouraging unnatural acts, so he’d still be a deranged, dangerous, deviant entity. If he was a mortal and lived on this land my faithful would have culled him long ago...”

Karamir sighed. ”But if he hadn’t done those things. If his appearance was the only issue. And he then went on to create a species that looked like him. What then?”

She pursed her lips, and then, with difficulty, spoke, ”Then… He’d be… Okay, I think?” She shrugged.

”So, if everything Kalmar told me was true, there was once a time when Galbar had no land and no life. Just the gods. Does that mean that, back then, all of the gods were deviants?”

”If nothing is established, there can be no deviancy. Tell me, how many species now, eons after creation, reproduce homosexually while two sexes exist? That is my point.”

”Kalmar once told me of a woman named Hermes,” Karamir mused. ”She and another woman gave birth to an entire species, which had males as well as females. That woman was Xiaoli, a creation of Sheng…” he paused to see Li’Kalla glaring at him. ”Oh.”

After a moment, she shivered and shook her body. ”I’m aware. Shards of my memories persist and I believe I used to know Hermes, so it disgusts me to know I laid my hands on a deviant’s skin.”

Karamir maintained a diplomatic expression. ”I can see how you might find that… unusual… but aren’t there more important issues to be worried about?”

”Of course. I make attempts at guiding the Valthumir down a righteous path every day in this cursed land. If it weren’t for my guidance, they would have had been swallowed by the mud long ago… And I also received troubling reports from the latest exploration rites.” The winged goddess suddenly furrowed her brow and looking down at the counter.

“What kind of reports?”

Her voice was lower, ”A massive canyon of snow-covered sandstone was found by the children undergoing the rites. I knew about this canyon of course, but… Their mentor reported to me that they found strange creatures in it. While climbing down, the very sandstone warped and… ‘Encased’... One of the children, then when another went to help the first, she was ‘encased’ as well. I’m not sure what that means, and the Valthumir was shaken up so I suggested he take some time to clear his head and comfort his pupils before reporting again.”

”They’re dead, then?” Karamir blinked. ”Have you taken a look at this place yourself?”

”Most likely, considering the journey back from the north takes around two weeks for a group undergoing their exploration rites... But perhaps not. And as I mentioned, I’ve been to the location in the past, but never saw these creatures myself. In any case, we need more information before committing our divine time to this issue.”

He tilted his head. ”Won’t we be the most capable of getting this information?”

”At some point we have to let mortals prove themselves. A creature their patron Goddess has no information on, is the best opportunity to let them spread their wings.”

”Wait… did you give some of the Vallamir wings?” Karamir asked, raising an eyebrow.

Li’Kalla stared at Karamir blankly. ”No. It’s a manner of speech.”

”So, in other words…” Karamir mused, his eyebrows rising as a revelation dawned. ”You’re the only humanoid creature with the wings of a bird.”

”What are y-” Suddenly, Li’Kalla gasped, blushed and spread her wings as far as they’d go, knocking more than a few things onto the floor. Karamir leaned back, fearing his careless words had once again provoked a fight.

”Y-You! I am NOT a deviant! I just… I-I just,” She stammered, shrunk a little and looked down at her lap as she twiddled her thumbs, her wings slowly drooping a little, ”I had them from before, okay! A-And, and they’re fluffy and soft and warm, okay! A girl needs something to cuddle sometimes and I don’t really like stuffed animals, s-so… It’s not even a cuddle okay, it’s like a hug. A big warm feathery hug. NOT a deviant.”

Karamir relaxed, as a mixture of amusement and pity flowed through him. He fought to stifle a grin, and just barely succeeded. ”I’m sorry,” he said, sincerely, before another idea struck him. ”Though maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Giving some of them wings. It would make travel or exploration easier. And, it will prevent others from coming to that... conclusion.”

Li’Kalla’s crimson blush kept on strong as she brought one of her wings forward and caressed it gently while avoiding Karamir’s gaze. ”N-No. They can’t have wings. The only way they shall attain flight is by bending the world to their wills or by the use of advanced, futuristic technology.”

”Hmm. That’s disappointing.” Karamir got off the stool. ”Do you mind if I take a closer look?”

Li’Kalla shrunk a little bit more and her voice came out shaky as she looked at Karamir through bangs of her pure white hair, ”O-Of course, I don’t mind. Go ahead. C… Confirm it for yourself...” And so she shakily extended her wings again and straightened her back.

Karamir walked toward her and reached out a hand to touch one of her wings. ”Similar softness to my cloak,” he observed. ”Only warmer. Probably because you’re actually alive. Hmm… do your arms make flying difficult? Most flying creatures don’t have to deal with those.”

Li’Kalla shook her wing a little with a small gasp, but now she had relaxed somewhat. ”Umm, no, I know how to use them just fine. I guess I learned that basic stuff before.”

“Hmm… most gods can fly without wings. So that brings up the question: do you need your wings to fly? If not, do they make flying easier? Or are they just for appearance and comfort?”

”Huh? In my case I could only float very slowly if I tried to fly without using my wings.”

”I see…” Karamir said, withdrawing his hands. ”Hmm. I’d think about growing some wings myself, but I already have this cloak…”

Li’Kalla frowned and puffed out her cheeks. ”Don’t be a copycat. If anything I think leathery bat wings would suit you better.”

“They would likely be more durable, yes,” Karamir nodded thoughtfully. “But… why don’t you want anyone to copy you? You said being different was a bad thing.”

She crossed her arms and huffed, ”Hmph! Traits like these are best passed down through natural means rather than simple copying, okay?”

“What sort of natural means?” Karamir furrowed his brow. She had already said that she would not grant them wings herself, so how could…

”BREEDING of course!” Li’Kalla interrupted his train of though, her previous mood thrown to the wind and replaced by a wide childlike grin and a starry pair of eyes, ”Oh, breeding! That’s the proper way of passing down traits both good and bad, it is the one thing you can control that has long-term, very palpable effects on everyone… Oh, oh, I really really really like thinking about it… How I can so easily fine tune what I tell my Faithful about proper breeding practices and watch the results in their offspring. Did you notice the children running along the streets outside, Karamir?” She asked breathily, leaning over the counter with her wings furled tightly against her body but still shaking in barely contained excitement, ”Did you see how many of them had true Streaks of Divinity, and how the Vallamir and Valthumir do not mingle even in their early lives? Oh, so beautiful! I only wish I could find someone acceptable to breed with…”

Karamir’s cheeks reddened slightly. ”Oh… that’s what you meant… I um…”

Li’Kalla sighed happily and went back to resting her head on her palms, looking up at the ceiling dreamily for a few moments before looking back at Karamir, ”Ah… But what can a girl do. There’s no one of my status that I can consider a potential mate. What about you, do you have a mate, Karamir? Maybe a gal that you want to take for yourself? Oh gosh, perhaps you might have taken a liking to one of my girls here… I can pull some strings and plan out the rituals for you, if you want! We have some fertility enhancing herbs as well that I think you two could use...”

Karamir’s eyes widened. “Wh-what? No. I don’t… er… well, I thought about… um...” He stopped talking and took a deep breath. ”Can we talk about something else?” he suddenly asked.

Li’Kalla tilted her head and looked at him blankly, before a smirk slowly seeped onto her face. ”Oh, oh, no Karamir. See a male is supposed to say things without worrying about others, they’re supposed to take whatever they want whenever they want as long as it’s within the limits set by their superiors, and as long as it’s in the best interests of their mate and offspring. See, Karamir, you have to be more confident! Tell me who you want to take as your mate! I might be able to help you seduce her! I am a girl after all so I can give you advice, hehe.” She said with a giggle.

”Um… you wouldn’t know her…” he said nervously. ”She… saved my life once, and we seemed to get along. But I’m not completely sure I want… or that she wants…”

”It… Doesn’t really matter what she wants however, as long as you’re of the same status. So just get her father’s approval and take her, if you want her. She’ll be happy that someone wants her.”

Karamir looked at her with genuine befuddlement. ”It… does matter what she wants. I can’t force her to do anything, nor would I want to. Is that how things are done here?”

Li’Kalla rolled her eyes and sighed, ”Ah, you ruined the mood. I don’t really want to help you find a mate any longer. Good luck, though. Your offspring will probably be quite healthy, if you do get to that level with a female.”

”Why don’t you let women have a choice in who they mate with?” Karamir asked. ”You, yourself, are a woman.”

Li’Kalla blushed slightly and bit her lip, ”Well, uhm, It’s just how it is. I want a proper male with good features to make me his mate. I don’t want to have a say in the matter, as it should be. I’m just a female, and he’s going to be risking his life to protect me and our children so I want him to feel like he can do anything.”

”That doesn’t make sense,” Karamir objected. ”You’re deciding that you don’t have a say… yet with that decision you’re also proving that you do. It’s contradictory. You’re one of the strongest beings in existence. You always have a say, whether you choose to use it or not.”

”Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a Goddess. I’m just another girl who wants a strong man. If a proper Valthumir God would rise and force his decision upon me I would be thrilled. There’s no better fantasy I can think of… Well, not proper ones at least. Aah… It really stirs my soul.” She said with a small shiver.

“What if this hypothetical god is cruel, or abusive? What then?”

She blushed deeper and let out a steamy breath.

His eyes widened in horror. ”Wait… you don’t really want…”

Li’Kalla perked up and shook her head vigorously, narrowing her eyes, ”O… Of course not! That’d… That’d be… Improper, wouldn’t it?” She muttered, breath still heavy to some extent.

Karamir sighed. He regained his composure, and when he spoke again, his was quiet. “Take it from me. I spent years travelling with someone. Before you get any ideas, it’s nothing like the type of relationship we’re talking about. So, this ‘someone’ did everything in their power to hurt me and keep my life miserable. Others in my place might have been driven to death or madness. I stayed with them only because I believed I had no other choice.” He shook his head, and when he spoke again, his voice was full of resolve. “Yet the day I finally chose to leave them, to make my own decisions and carve out my own fate, was one of the greatest days of my life.”

”Huh...” Li’Kalla nodded, ”I mean, yes. But also… You wouldn’t understand what a fragile, little girl like me feels like. I want to be protected, I want to be someone’s treasure…! I can’t feel like that if my mate is scared that embracing be a bit too roughly might hurt me. Ugh...”

”They won’t think that if you show them you’re strong and capable of protecting yourself, won’t they?” Karamir countered. “You can be protected, while still being capable of protecting yourself. And you can be treasured, while still being capable of making your own decisions. Those are good traits to pass on to your offspring, aren’t they?”

Li’Kalla squinted her eyes at him, and after a few moments sighed and shrugged, ”You’re… Not completely wrong, I suppose. This is too deep a conversation for acquaintances to be having, however. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Karamir thought for a moment. ”There is,” he said. ”Did a Foreas woman who called herself Silver or Ami come here?”

She suddenly glared at Karamir. ”No Ami has come here. You never met a Silver either, she doesn’t exist.”

”What?” Karamir asked, his brows falling back into their furrowed state.

”You never met her, do you understand? You may have met an Ami, but not a Silver.”

He squinted in suspicion. ”Why?”

Li’Kalla rolled her eyes, ”So, anything else you wish to discuss?”

”There is another question I have,” Karamir nodded guardedly. ”Why did you help create the Vallamir?”

”Of course, to ensure that this world had a civilization capable of defending itself. To ensure that they’re strong and can destroy our… Enemies?” She furrowed her brow and rubbed her temples, ”Must be a part of my memories...”

Karamir frowned. ”You seem to be making a lot of decisions without being certain as to why. Are you sure that’s a wise idea?”

”I have confidence in my instincts. It is better to act and regret than to sit on the sidelines and always wonder what could’ve been.”

”You know how I said I once lost my memory?” Karamir asked. ”I didn’t lose all of it. I still had bits and pieces. I jumped to incorrect conclusions, and said things I regret.” he shook his head, then looked her straight in the eye. ”If Abanoc had not restored my memory when he did, I would have done things I would later regret as well.”

Li’Kalla took in a deep breath, and then slowly opened her eyes to stare coldly at Karamir. ”You misunderstand your position. The state of my mind, body and soul are none of your business. I have already told you my stance on my memories. Do not push your luck.”

He looked as if he was about to say something more, but stopped himself. ”I am sorry if I have given offense.” he told her instead. He stepped back toward the counter, picked up his cup of tea, and took another sip. Li’Kalla waited for him to finish his drink and after he drained the last of the cup, he stood up. ”I’ll be going, then,” he said, and walked out of the kitchen.

”I trust you won’t get lost finding the way out. Good fortune on your travels, Karamir.” The Goddess said as she herself stood up and began collecting the cups and utensils to be washed.

---

Summary

Karamir finds the road. It is in terrible condition, because it’s basically the first road ever built by mortal hands. He introduces himself to the Vallamir building it. They’re friendly at first, but become increasingly annoyed and suspicious when he tries to learn more. Eventually he is told to leave.

Karamir is annoyed. Once again Fenris is angry and tells him he shouldn’t stand for that. Once again Karamir tells him that there’s no point overreacting.

Anyway he continues on, and eventually reaches the Capital. Everyone there is spooked by his presence. He reaches the manor and goes inside. He meets Li’Kalla and gives her the news of Kalmar’s death. She gives him some tea, and after recalling an incident between Kalmar and Shengshi, decides to tell her it’s good.

Anyway they talk about stuff. Karamir asks about what Shengshi did. She then tells him about how Shengshi is a deviant and such. Karamir tries to figure out just how exactly she defines ‘deviant’ - one such reason is the fact that the snek’s form is a mixture of animal and human, when no such mortal species currently exist.

Conversation eventually turns to the Vallamir and some of the dangers they face. She talks about how some went missing lately. Karamir suggests they help, but Li’Kalla says something about how it’s important to let mortals “spread their wings.” This suddenly gives Karamir an idea, and he asks if she gave any of the Vallamir wings.

She says no. Karamir then proceeds to point out that wings are an animalistic feature, and she is the only one who has them, implying that by her own definition she is a deviant. He says this knowing full well that angels are a thing, so he’s actually just trolling. Li’Kalla is shook, however. So shook that Karamir apologizes, and suggests that she should give the Vallamir Red Bull. Li’Kalla refuses, saying that the Vallamir should invent Red Bull on their own.

Anyway, Karamir asks to examine the wings more closely, and asks some questions regarding the potential complications of wings on a humanoid form. He then considers the idea of getting some wings for himself, but Li’Kalla is like: “No it’s an original idea plz don’t steal.”

She then goes on to say that traits such as wings are best passed on through natural means… and then goes into a spiel about breeding. She then goes into full shipper mode and offers to give Karamir dating advice. Karamir refuses to reveal who he is actually interested in, but points out that he still isn’t entirely sure he wants her, or that she wants him.

Li’Kalla then gets creepy and says that what a woman wants doesn’t matter. A debate about consent then ensues, which kills Li’Kalla’s mood. Karamir points out that she, a woman, wants to restrict the rights of other women, but Li’Kalla is like: “That’s fine, I don’t want to have a say in who I end up with.” Karamir is becoming increasingly disturbed, and now has to mansplain the merits of feminism to her. Unfortunately, she remains a staunch supporter of the patriarchy.

Eventually Li’Kalla is like: “You don’t know me well enough to have this discussion” so they move onto other matters. Karamir asks if Silver showed up, and Li’Kalla immediately adopts a hostile and evasive tone. He attempts to press the matter somewhat, but eventually drops the issue.

Out of curiosity, he asks why she helped create the Vallamir. She reveals that she wants the world to have a strong civilization capable of defeating the world’s enemies. She doesn’t know what those enemies are, however - she’s just acting on bits and pieces of her memories.

Karamir then points out that acting on incomplete information like that is probably a bad idea. She says it’s none of his business. Things get awkward. He finishes his tea and leaves.

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

Karamir

Demigod of Mana
&

Ami

Rogue Avatar of Rain

---

”East until we find a road. Do you know what a road looks like, Fenris?” Karamir asked as they walked.

“I do not,” Fenris answered simply.

The wolfman had been quiet ever since Ami and the Forean Hound had joined them. It was clear he didn’t entirely trust their new company, but ever dutiful and loyal, he had not offered much resistance beyond his initial objection. Still, Karamir couldn’t help but notice a tension in the man.

There was little that could be done about it, he supposed. Perhaps Fenris would get over it in time. ”What about you, Ami?” Karamir asked.

Ami skipped forward, having fallen behind a few steps due to the pup cutely prancing around her. It is a path. A semi-permanent one at that. The one we’re searching for must be rather wide, so we’ll know when we stumble upon it.

”Hmm…” Karamir wondered aloud, and then an idea struck him. ”Wait here. I’ll take flight and see if I can find it.”

Ami merely kept walking as Karamir took off and flew into the distance. The pup followed her closely until for some reason, it ran ahead and kept up with Fenris, bouncily walking beside him with his leafy, wagging tail brushing against his calf every half second.

“Stop that,” Fenris ordered in a dismissive tone, not bothering to look down at it.

The forean pup’s ears perked up and it looked at Fenris with shiny eyes, not slowing down and wagging his tail even faster, panting happily.

“Can this thing not obey commands?” Fenris asked disdainfully, looking to Ami. “Get it away from me.”

Ami tilted her head and made her leaves twitch. The pup looked at her and rushed to her side, allowing Ami to pick him up and hold him close to her chest.

They stopped walking and at that point Ami noticed how muddy her feet had gotten. When did they step into such wet terrain? It hadn’t rained lately… Ami sniffed the air and felt the humidity clinging to her skin and being absorbed by her body. The leaves on the back of her neck prickled.

The sky became covered with gray clouds. The air became chilly and a tense breeze scraped against Ami and Fenris’ bodies. The pup growled.

It was then that she fully engaged her Soul Sense.

A lone dragonfly flew low past the two, until it flew no more and landed on a blade of grass. A barbed tendril of mud snatched it up and dragged it down under the earth.

Fenris...

Grass was displaced as a small mound of mud rose with two pearly black orbs sunken slightly into the material at different levels. The mound seemed to stare right at them, even as the remains of a clear insect wing traveled up and down its surface, melting.

... We should keep walking.

“We should turn back,” Fenris decided, abruptly turning around and heading back the way they came.

Ami hesitated a moment, turning toward Fenris. The pup in her arms suddenly squirmed and broke free and ran off toward the mound of mud, barking.

Ami’s leaves prickled and her heart skipped a beat. The pup was small, really small and young.

Time slowed down. Ami could see every single clump of mud that the pup’s paws kicked up, she could feel the earth shift, and she saw several mounds of mud pop up around them, all staring from afar.

And then she saw a large barbed tendril spring up and wrap itself around the pup.

Her eyes widened and without thinking she ran toward it. The world warped around her as she lost some focus, but she jumped as hard as she could and yanked the pup free off the tendril with a tearing sound. It whimpered and cried, but all Ami could do was hold it tight and roll along the mud as she fell back to the ground. Lifting her head she noticed the very ground beneath her shift and morph… Becoming softer, and splitting apart. Dozens of tendrils popped up out of the ground, and the moment her Sight revealed rows of sharp bone fangs reflecting light below the muddy surface, she just ran.

With no care for direction, with no thought for anything else other than running and escaping. She stumbled and dodged and crawled through the terrain as tendrils tried to grab a hold of her.

She winced and fell on her side as one of the more agile tendrils wrapped itself around her left leg. Its barbs tore her living dress apart and dug into skin.

She reached and tried to grab onto anything, but all she could touch was mud. In her panic, she had let go of the pup and it hurried up to her face. She saw sap flowing from its waist and broken leaves all throughout its body.

And still, the pup barked at the tendrils approaching, then ran around Ami and bit the tendril holding onto his friend as fiercely as he could.

It was mud. Once its hardened exterior was cracked and broken, the tendril holding onto Ami went limp and she jumped up to her feet and picked the pup up again and ran, not looking back.

Fenris, meanwhile, had stopped moving. In one smooth motion, he pulled the bow Karamir had given him from his shoulder. In the weeks he had been with his ‘brother’, he had had time to practice, and he knew what the weapon did. He nocked an arrow, the tip setting itself alight with black fire, then took aim at the mass of tentacles, drew the string back, and loosed.

The arrow flew forward, disappearing into the mass. The tentacles closest to where the arrow had struck collapsed back into the mud.

But there were many more where that came from. As the tentacles shifted their attention to him, Fenris drew another arrow, and loosed it. With their size and his weapon’s enhancement, he barely needed to aim; simply touching the creature was enough. In only a few seconds he had drawn a third arrow and loosed it as well, scoring another kill.

Yet the creatures continued to approach, and Fenris realized he was surrounded. There was no time to transform. Armed with only the bow, he had to create an opening, and fast.

He concentrated on one particular section of tentacles, in the direction from whence he had came, where they were fewest in number. Arrow after he shot, but when he did make a gap, that gap would swiftly close as the beasts inched closer and closer. He was running out of time.

Then a bright stream of orange rained from above, bathing half the tentacles in fire. Made out of mud, they immediately hardened under the heat, then began to crack and crumble. The rest of the tentacles, evidently realizing the tide had turned, began to inch away as they receded back into the mud.

Karamir lowered himself so that he was only a few inches above the ground. He was breathing heavily. “What happened?” he asked. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Fenris answered with a shrug. “She ran. That way, I think.” He pointed.

With a sigh, Karamir seized Fenris by the hand, pulled him away from the mud, and back onto dry ground. Wasting no further time, he flew off into the direction Fenris had pointed toward. He maneuvered his way around trees and branches, and although he moved quickly, he could not see her. ”Ami!” he called out. ”Ami!”

There was no response. Perhaps Fenris had pointed him in the wrong direction, or perhaps she was much faster than she had led either of them to believe. Either way, despite much searching, even with his divinely enhanced senses he could not locate her, much to his astonishment. If he flew above the trees, his vision was obstructed by the canopy. If he flew below, the need to avoid trunks and branches slowed him down.

He searched for a long time, but it soon became apparent that he wasn’t going to find her. Perhaps she had already made her way back, and had found Fenris. But when he returned to the spot, he found that she was not there. Only the massive form of Fenris, who had changed back into his wolf form and eyed the mud warily.

Karamir suddenly regretted the decision not to have Fenris show her his true form earlier, for if she saw him as he was now without knowing who he was, he would surely scare her away from the area. Cursing angrily, he ordered Fenris to change back, and the wolf immediately complied.

He decided to wait, to see if she would return on her own, but she did not. He looked up at the sky and realized that nearly half the day had passed since he first set off looking for her.

If she had not returned, she had likely put as much distance between herself and this location as possible. He was not entirely sure which direction she had gone in. The texture and colour of her skin gave her a natural camouflage. And although he could move swiftly, he would need to slow down in order to see clearly.

He was no fool. The chances of finding her were almost non-existent.

He had told her where they were heading. Perhaps she had continued in that direction. Or perhaps she had gone back to the tree. Either way, they were more likely to find her there than by aimlessly searching the woods.

He clenched his fists in anger. The one time he left them alone…

”I found the damn road…” he muttered angrily. ”Let’s find this ‘capital.’”

---

Post Summary

Karamir, Ami, and Fenris are walking. Karamir decides to fly ahead and scout for the road he was told about. While he is gone, the Forean Hound begins harassing Fenris. Ami calls it away from him and picks it up.

She then realizes they are standing in a large body of mud, which is rather odd, because it hadn’t rained recently. Turns out the mud is home to these bizarre tentacled creatures, who immediately attempt to grab Ami and her puppy. Ami runs, leaving Fenris to die.

Fenris meanwhile stands his ground and begins shooting them with Kalmar’s Bow, which received an upgrade when Roog burninated it. It instantly kills the muddy beasts, but there are too many, and Fenris is about to be overwhelmed.

Then Karamir appears. Using his abilities, he converts raw mana into flame, and then bathes the creatures in fire. Because they are made out of mud, this is super effective. He kills half of them, and the rest retreat. He then goes off to find Ami, but is unable to. He decides it might be easier to wait and see if she returns on her own, but she doesn’t.

After many hours, it soon becomes apparent that too much time has passed for him to stand a reasonable chance at finding her. He decides that either she returned to the Eternal Tree or continued toward their destination, and assumes she can probably be found at one of those locations. He and Fenris continue onward.

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

Karamir

Demigod of Mana
&
Silver

Ami

Rogue Avatar of Rain

---

“Where do we go now?” Fenris asked.

Karamir looked around. The air was moist with fog. His divinely-enhanced senses allowed him to see well enough, and Fenris was exceptionally perceptive himself, but the reduced visibility was still rather irritating. ”I think it would make the most sense if we followed the coast,” he suggested. ”Until we find something else to follow.”

And on that note, they made their way north. And so they walked and walked until the air cleared and they could see further. It was only temporarily as the fog was quick to come back, but they managed to see a plume of smoke further inland into what seemed to be green, breezy plains with very sparse trees. White smoke, perfect for signalling.

It was a single plume, which meant it was likely controlled. ”Civilization,” Karamir said, pointing in the direction he had seen the smoke. ”Let’s go find some answers.” The pair walked inland, and eventually the fog gave way to a moderate sized bonfire. Around it, three individuals were sitting down taking bites out of dry-looking strips of meat. One of them, a Vallamir with white hair and grey eyes stopped eating and looked at the Fenris and Karamir critically. Then he nodded and motioned towards the vast space around the bonfire before pulling out several strips of dry meat and offering it to them.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Divine approach our lands without the intention to go directly to the Queen-Mother’s Manor.” Said the white-haired Vallamir, who looked straight at Karamir for a few seconds, “Sit wherever you like. I possess the name of Sun’Kalla. What do people call you two?”

”My name is Karamir,” Karamir said, returning Sun’Kalla’s gaze. ”This is Fenris. We’re sons of Kalmar.”

“Karamir and Fenris it is. Kalmar is one of the creator Gods, so I assume you come from Kalgrun.” Sun’Kalla broke the gaze, “So are you two going to sit or do you prefer to stand? I suppose as a Divine you feel no physical exhaustion, Karamir, but what about Fenris?”

Karamir looked to his companion, who shrugged, so Karamir stepped forward to sit near the fire, while Fenris did the same. ”We’re here to find out what happened to the Vallamir who followed Li’Kalla to this land,” Karamir said, as Fenris accepted a piece of meat and eyed it critically.

“It’s dried meat, it keeps for longer. Taste is not as good, though.” Sun’Kalla took another bite of his, swallowed after way too little chewing and nodded, “Those Vallamir are alive and well. Well, most of them anyway. Quite a few died during the Rot a decade ago and many settlements either splintered, were wiped out, or turned to cannibalistic behaviours and raiding as their way to stay alive. If you go further north you will be walking into The Stalkers’ territory. Go directly east and you will find the New Monster Cult. To the west, living mainly on large boats on top of the water and coming to land rarely are The Droplets.”

There was a short silence, and Sun’Kalla sighed, “Only safe path is southeast, through the Eternal Forest. Be warned however, those plants are clingy. You can count yourself lucky if you don’t stumble into them in your way through the Forest. After you’re out of the forest, you should be in safe territory. It’s very rare to see any raiders, slavers or cannibals in that territory as we’ve culled most of them over the last ten years. So just head east and you’ll eventually find a road under construction. The eggheads are giving it their all lately. That road will take you to the Holy Capital.”

Karamir stared at him incredulously. ”Raiders… slavers… cannibals?” he asked, in a mixture of shock and outrage. ”How did this happen?”

Sun’Kalla shrugged, “The Accursed River Worm, Shengshi, cursed the land to produce rot instead of fruit or produce edible to Vallamir merely because of a difference of opinion to the Queen-Mother’s stances on certain topics. The rot poisoned the land and those that ate it got sick and died, many animals included. Eventually, those that walked away from the Queen-Mother’s protection had nothing to eat but the occasional half-dead, diseased prey or the corpses of their fellow Vallamir…” Sun’Kalla furrowed his brow, “We Valthumir never had that problem. We would get dozens of refugees every day who’d bring in all the food they had. With sensible rationing we managed to make it last. It was difficult to everyone and I remember almost all of our firstborns perished. That alone would make a lesser mind break and turn to cannibalism.”

The mention of Shengshi’s name caught Karamir off-guard. That was the god who had healed him. And while Karamir knew he had a temper, he had never heard anything to suggest he would commit such… such an atrocity. ”That’s… that’s terrible…” he whispered, and even Fenris grit his teeth in anger at that.

“That snake has a knack for treachery,” Fenris said, his voice low and filled with fury.

Sun’Kalla chuckled and put away the meat he was biting at, “I wouldn’t call it treachery. It seemed to be a burst of anger from what the Queen-Mother told me a few years ago which is... Expected, of a lesser mind. I was surprised a Divine would show such lack of restraint. Either way, it is all in the past. We have had many sons and daughters since then and wounds have scarred.”

Karamir sighed. ”Kalmar once told me of the other gods. He always said that Orvus, Vakk, and Sartravius were the ones to be wary of. He said that Shengshi had a temper, but… I was never led to believe it went that far. Shengshi saved my life, not too long ago.”

Sun’Kalla perked up and raised an eyebrow, “Did he? What kind of weapon would even manage to graze a divine’s skin, may I ask?”

”I… wasn’t a god back then,” Karamir admitted. ”That happened only a few days before I became one. The weapon was a sword. I don’t know what it was made out of, but… I was stabbed. When I woke up, I was told that Shengshi had healed me.”

“Ah,” Sun’Kalla rubbed his clean shaven chin in thought, “I’ve never seen a sword, so I’m afraid I cannot picture it. It is fortunate for you that a God healed you, in any case. You must have performed tasks exceptionally well for him in the past in order for him to consider you worthy of defying nature.”

Karamir blinked. ”I never met him before that,” he said. ”And by all accounts, he and Kalmar had never gotten along.” As he spoke, Karamir pulled a dagger free from his belt. Then the blade and hilt extended to become three feet in length. ”This is a sword,” he said. ”And no, they don’t normally change shape.”

“I see. What material are swords usually made of?”

Karamir shrugged. ”Wood? Metal? I’m not sure. Kalmar gave it me, and well… I can’t ask him how to make one.”

Sun’Kalla furrowed his brow even more, “Metal? I admit this blade has a similar glint to strange rocks found in the Abyssal Rift years ago.”

”Maybe I’ll have a look at it,” Karamir said, as the blade shrank back to a dagger and he returned it to its sheathe. ”There’s… something I should tell you,” he said, his expression turning hesitant. ”Kalmar is dead.”

Sun’Kalla’s breathing paused for a moment, and so did the other Valthumirs’ present, but quickly they went back to eating and talking.

“So that’s why the sky stopped falling apart? Was that a funeral ritual for a God?” Sun’Kalla asked.

Karamir furrowed his brow. ”What? No!” he objected. ”He was wounded while putting a stop to that.”

“I see, who was he fighting and why?”

”It’s a long story,” Karamir sighed. ”But I will tell you what I know.”

He leaned forward. ”Orvus is the God of Desolation. He has two daughters. Arya, and Laurien. More than ten winters ago, Laurien for some reason tried to kill him. Somehow, that released a creature known as Abraxus, who trapped Orvus is in his own sphere, Veradax.”

”While this was happening, I was on a land known as ‘The Kick.’ There, I met two gods. Abanoc, who taught me how to tap into a new source of power. And Chopstick Eyes, who offered me a place to stay. I stayed there for years, developing my skills and learning what I could, before moving on. I reached a land known as Dragon’s Foot, and there, I discovered a city called Laurienna. Named after Laurien,” he said, letting them soak in that information.

”There were a number of warning signs that all was not well. But I was inexperienced in dealing with mortals, and naive. I met with Laurien. She was friendly, and we talked about our experiences. But then she revealed that she was having problems with some of her people - they kept making attempts to overthrow the city’s leadership, and their most recent attempt had killed the city’s queen. She said these ‘rebels’ had been put to death.”

”It sounded like a serious problem, so I offered to help. I suggested we go to Abanoc. He’s the God of Recording. He sees everything that happens on Galbar, and might have known something about the issue that she didn’t.” He took a deep breath, and shuddered. ”Then she tried to kill me.”

”She was afraid Abanoc would tell me her secret,” he said, his voice low. ”She attacked me, I defended myself. She called for her guards, and I defended myself again. But they surrounded me, and that’s how I was stabbed. After that, she used her powers to damage my very soul. I nearly lost everything. My memories, my personality...”

”When I woke up, I was in a new land, called the Eye of Desolation. My cloak allows me to fly, and it had carried me there to safety. I was with Laurien’s sister, Arya, who had kept me alive until Shengshi could arrive to heal my injury. But meteors were falling from the sky, and it seemed like the world was ending. I learned that Kalmar had gone to Veradax to save the world from destruction. In the meantime, Abanoc arrived and repaired the damage done to my soul.”

”Eventually, Kalmar did return, but… it was bad. He had stopped the meteors, and freed Orvus, but Abraxus defeated him. Orvus had to sacrifice his divinity so that the Goddess Ashalla could kill Abraxus. Then, the Goddess Arae carried Kalmar and Orvus back to the Eye. Before he died, Kalmar’s last act was to pass his divinity on to me…” A tear began to form in one eye, but he wiped it away. ”And that… that’s what happened.”

“I see, you’ve been through some things. As for Laurien, I wasn’t aware she was on the run from so many Gods. We were tracking her after she left the Queen-Mother’s Manor until a few weeks ago, when we lost her trail near the Endless Tree.” Sun’Kalla said simply, all the emotion from Karamir’s speech seemingly sliding off his skin.

”Laurien was here?” Karamir asked, wide-eyed, while Fenris nearly choked on his food.

“What do you mean you lost her trail?” Fenris demanded.

Sun’Kalla nodded, “Yes, the Queen-Mother housed her in her Manor for a few short days, after which she left without an escort. We traced her all the way to the Endless Tree just southeast of here, but we assume she took flight as there was nothing to go on after that. None of us sensed any malice from Laurien’s presence. Though granted, most of us never even saw her in person.”

”Oh, I didn’t see any malice in her either,” Karamir said. ”At least not until she tried to kill me. I need to find her.”

The Valthumir raised an eyebrow, “Seeking revenge?”

Karamir shook his head. ”I’d like revenge, but no. That won’t help me. I want answers, and to ensure that she won’t hurt or betray anyone again.”

“Heh. So revenge it is. If you truly wished to ensure no one got hurt or betrayed, you should seek the erasure of sentience. Yes, that includes the Gods. You can certainly choose to lie to yourself and assure yourself that you’re hunting Laurien out of a desire to be a kind entity, however.” Sun’Kalla pushed at one of the pieces of wood in the bonfire with his foot and watched as the flames crackled.

”It’s no lie,” Karamir grit his teeth, ”And I would say I know myself better than some stranger who just met me minutes ago.”

“Perhaps I spoke too honestly and too truthfully. So, what are you going to do?”

Fenris glared at the man and was about to issue a harsh rebuke on his brother’s behalf, but Karamir spoke first. ”Leave, for a start,” he said bluntly. ”I won’t share a fire with someone who calls me a liar, and can’t admit when he misjudged a stranger.”

With those words, Karamir rose to his feet and walked back into the woods. Fenris followed behind him, casting a warning glare back over his shoulder, only to see the Valthumir group remain as they had found them, relaxed and completely unphased by their existence. As they walked away, Sun’Kalla waved goodbye.

“South-east, then east after the Endless Tree. That’s the way to the Holy Capital.”

Fenris turned and spat. The two kept walking, which happened to be in the direction he had advised.

---

“You shouldn’t have stood for that,” Fenris said, once they had gotten out of earshot.

”Stood for what?” Karamir asked idly as they maneuvered around a particularly dense section of ferns and bushes.

“The disrespect. You’re the first of his kind, the son of his creator. He barely even blinked when he learned that same creator was dead. Then he named you a liar, refused to take back his words when challenged, and in the end you were the one who walked away.”

”I walked away because I don’t care for his opinions. His words were false, I told him so, he didn’t accept that. I’m not going to sit and be judged by some stranger I don’t even know, and I’m not going to seek vengeance just because he was arrogant. That wouldn’t have changed anything.” Karamir waved a dismissive hand.

“It would stop him from sharing his lies with others,” Fenris suggested.

”Or others would think I silenced him because his words might be true,” Karamir shook his head. ”Let it go. There are thousands of Vallamir. The opinions of one matter little by comparison.”

“And when others take up his opinions?”

”Why would they?” Karamir asked. ”If they’ll make such judgements about me without even knowing me, then I don’t see why I should care about what they think in the first place.”

---

It was a new, cloudy day in the Eternal Forest. Silver was on her knees meditating in the middle of her favorite clearing with Rose laid down around her protectively. The world was dark and cool and that’s what she wanted. To be able to see, and hear… It was too much information for her to be able to think properly. This way, she could fully focus on her own self. She took note of every single thing she felt, no matter how small.

From the way she felt a little tickle each time one of her leaves twitched, to what it felt being in her own skin and even the subtle heat emanating from the sleeping giant that was Rose.

Everytime a foreign thought entered her brain and disrupted her meditation, she would let it run its course and then softly bring herself back into relaxation.

This is how she coped with the world. This is how she confirmed that she was, after all, real. That she had a body, that she felt the world… A tiny smile grazed her face and with her eyes closed, as soon as she felt the tingling of the sunlight dancing over her leaves to signify midday, she decided it was time to begin her daily practice.

If her body had turned out to be more humanoid, she would have used breathing as a catalyst for what she was about to do, but since she didn’t even have a throat now, she had to make do with her willpower.

And so slowly, carefully, with light pulls and pushes, Silver would draw out the essence of magic from her surroundings. So carefully indeed that she was able to mix the mana coming from so many different sources into one invisible, amorphous blob the size of a ladybug. Then she drew that blob into her body and felt the shock travel through her system. From the smallest leaf at the top of her head to the tip of her toes, a slight warmth suffused her body.

And it went deeper, crawling in past skin, past fibrous muscle, past ultra-dense wood and straight into the intangible, mighty thing that was Silver’s soul.

And she gained complete control over the mana as it became a part of her. Much like an animal would take to excess nutrition, her soul would store it for further use in the future. But that wasn’t the plan. She meant to use it now in her exercise.

With a mental exhale, her soul detached a small part of itself from her body, and that small invisible part swiftly coated every part of her body, including her living dress, and relayed information back to Silver.

She could see herself, taste herself, smell herself… All because her own body had mana coursing through its veins, mana that reacted to that within her detached soul and allowed it to sense.

On to the next stage of the practice, Silver willed her detached soul to expand and grow in size, encompassing her and Rose and most of the clearing. It never ceased to amaze her, how different the world seemed when one could actually see and hear things properly. How colors looked and how the sounds of breeze synchronized to the imagery of gently swaying grass and leaves…

Then she caught wind of a new and unfamiliar scent, beyond the range of her newfound ‘soul sense.’ A solitary entity, with a vaguely canine scent, approaching her position.

Then, for one moment, the scent stopped moving. The next moment, it rushed forward at almost imperceptible speed, and then the individual was in the clearing.

It was not one individual, but two. They were both males, and they were both tall. The male with the canine scent was holding onto an even taller male, who carried no scent at all, but possessed the unmistakable aura of a lesser god. They let go of each other, and while the shorter male eyed Rose warily, who was picking himself up off the ground, the taller of the two turned his gaze to her. ”You can use mana,” he said, eyebrows slightly raised.

Silver smiled at the divine male and nodded her head, then slowly opened her black eyes out of politeness.

”My name is Karamir, the demi-god of Mana,” he introduced himself. ”What is your name?”

Silver grasped at the thread in her mind, connecting her to Karamir. Silver.

”So, Silver…” Karamir said, continuing to speak aloud, ”Where did you learn to wield it?”

Here, by myself.

”I see…” Karamir said, in a tone that suggested some level of disappointment. Then his brow furrowed. ”You seem to be… divine?” he asked. ”But you don’t have the aura of a full god, and you’re somehow different from any demi-god I’ve encountered. And it also feels like you’re being restrained somehow. What are you, exactly?” he asked. ”If you don’t mind me asking.”

Silver furrowed her brow in imitation. There was no point to speaking of the past, and his question was very specific anyway… A Foreas. We’re plant humanoids that take after the Eternal Tree. What are you?

”A demi-god, a Vallamir, and the son of Kalmar,” Karamir answered. ”I saw some of your kind on the way here. You are different. Why is that?”

I am wearing a dress made of living plant matter, that is the biggest difference. As for why, it’s because it feels like I’m being embraced all the time.

Karamir let out a small sigh. ”I meant the divine aura.” he said. ”Are you an Avatar? Did Li’Kalla create you?”

What is an Avatar? Silver asked as she rose to her feet.

”An Avatar, from what I was told, is a fragment of a god,” Karamir said. ”And shares its creator’s power. From what I can tell, every avatar’s relationship with their creator is different.” The furrow returned. ”If you aren’t an Avatar… what are you?”

Silver’s smile faded, It isn’t important.

Karamir frowned, but did not press the issue further. ”How long have you been here, then? What can you tell me about this place?”

I don’t know how long I’ve been here. This is the Eternal Forest. All the trees you see are actually the roots of the Eternal Tree, which is the Tree that goes above the clouds. Beings that look like you come from the east every once in a while.

Karamir nodded. ”Yes, we’re called the Vallamir,” he said. ”Creations of Kalmar, Li’Kalla, Arae, and Roog. I was the first. We hail from a land called Kalgrun, but eleven or twelve winters ago, the Goddess Li’Kalla led a portion of us to this land. I came here to find out what happened.”

They’re alive and thriving. What does it feel like being the first of your kind? Silver asked with a tilt of her head.

He scratched his chin. ”For a time, I was lonely. I knew little about the world, I couldn’t reproduce, there was nobody else like me. I wandered, and for a time I found myself in bad company. Then, decades later, when Kalmar first told me he was going make a species based off of me, I was overjoyed. I would no longer be alone. There would be thousands of people who would accept me, that I could lead and teach.”

”When I finally met them, I was happy, and I have been teaching them some things - how to wield mana, mostly. But by that point, it had become a responsibility. Kalmar, my father, had died, and he expected me to take up his role as their guide and protector. That’s why I came here - I wanted to make sure the ones who followed Li’Kalla hadn’t walked to their death as some claimed.”

Silver nodded, And if they had walked to their deaths? What then?

Karamir blinked in surprise. ”W-well… I’d need to find out what killed them. If there were any survivors. I’d need to find out if Li’Kalla was still alive, and if she was, I’d have to find out why it happened. Was it intentional? Was it an accident?” He shrugged. ”Once I had that information, then I would decide would to do.”

Silver smiled and shrugged, I don’t think about death and justice that often- It doesn’t seem necessary here. Everyone’s happy, we all get enough sunlight and nutrients and we share our love. Some of us leave every once in a while, too - I imagine to see new lands - but they never do so out of spite… I would not think they walked to their deaths just because I never saw them again. I would think they found a new home, and are waiting for me and others to reach them so they can share their Little Dream with us.

”I didn’t believe they walked to their deaths either,” Karamir said with a wave of his hand. ”At least not at first. Back on Kalgrun, some said those who followed Li’Kalla found death. Others said they found paradise. And others said they were still walking. I came here to find out the truth, but as I crossed the bridge I found bones.” his voice turned sad. ”Dozens of bodies. Then I learned that hundreds more were killed by a god named Shengshi. So you can see why it was a relief to learn the rest were alright.”

You take your position as First and Guardian very seriously. At that pace you might not last long at all, mentally speaking. Why must you act as a protector for so many people? I don’t see the point, besides trying to fulfill the wishes of your late father.

”If I don’t do it, who will?” Karamir asked. ”Life is cruel as is. I’m in a position to make it easier. And besides, I enjoy helping people, and sharing information.”

Oh, in that case I can understand your reasons. And, since you admit that you enjoy sharing information, I have a request. Um. Silver suddenly felt sap rush to her face as she took a step closer to the two males, a phantom reaction from her past as a human. What she was about to request would have been taboo in her old bodies. In this one, however, it meant nothing inappropriate. Her leaves began twitching and she lowered her head a little as she clasped her hands. Would you mind describing my appearance? I can see myself with my ability, but it’s not the same sight you possess.

”You’re blind?” he asked, clearly surprised by that, but went on to comply with her request anyway. ”Your skin is a pale orange. Your eyes are black. You have leaves where most two-legged creatures would have hair. The colour is red, and they reach all the way down your back. Your… clothes… are also red, and look to be made of plants, just like your skin, but there are some green vines on them as well.” He shifted his gaze back up to her face. ”Is that a good enough description?”

What kind of red? Can you touch me? Can you tell me how I feel? Describe me. I want to know myself. I feel like touching myself with my own hands isn’t giving me the correct feedback. As she conversed with Karamir, Rose, who had been standing still decided to walk up to Fenris and lean his massive featureless face into his space.

Fenris did not blink nor back away. “You’re lucky I only eat meat,” he said, looking up at the giant and speaking in words Rose could not hear.

Meanwhile, with some reluctance, Karamir stepped forward. He ran one hand across Silver’s arm, and with his other hand he patted her on the head, eliciting a grin and a starry eyed look. ”The skin is soft and smooth. More so than most people I’ve met, I think. And the leaves feel like… well, leaves. Rough and coarse.” He pulled his hands away from her.

Silver remained there, frozen as if expecting more. Then, after a moment, she pulled away and smiled sheepishly, I understand, thank you. So I wasn’t wrong to think we Foreas are exceptionally soft and huggable… Huh.

”So are you the only one who can communicate like this?” Karamir asked her, changing the subject.

Yes, but only with Divines.

”I see. And you’re the only one here who can use mana?”

The others have had no reason to try to learn it, so yes.

”But are any of them capable? Not just anyone can use mana. If some of them can use it, I could teach them.”

There are potential users, but you’d have a really hard time teaching Foreas as they are now. No sight, no hearing, no speech and only basic thoughts. They’re barely a step above animals. Wait a few years, let them mature.

”If you say so. Tell me, have you travelled at all since your creation?”

I wasn’t created. I awakened on my own, with the help of the Eternal Tree. But no, I haven’t left the Forest in this life, I guess. Silver said, furrowing her brow and shrugging.

”So what have you been doing in all that time?”

It hasn’t been that long. I don’t know how long exactly, but I have probably felt less than a hundred starlight cycles… And I guess, I spend my time interacting with other Foreas and coming to this clearing to work on my experiments.

”And do you enjoy it?” Karamir asked, raising an eyebrow.

Of course! I love it… But I do wish to travel. I want to see the world I’ve awakened to, and I want to bring my memories back to the Tree when I come back here. I don’t know if I’m ready though...

”And what makes you think you aren’t ready?”

She pursed her lips, I don’t know how to defend myself, and if I leave Rose and everyone else behind, I won’t have anyone else watching out for me… There are many herbivores around these parts… And the mud balls, ugh! They’ve gotten a bit too complex over a short span of time. I think they ate a leaf off of someone’s head a few cycles back. I don’t want to have my leaves eaten!

Karamir looked to Fenris, and then back to Silver, before pursing his own lips. He thought for a moment, and then spoke again. ”Well, I’m still new here,” he told her. ”I still need to see the rest of this island. Fenris and I can handle ourselves easily enough, so… if you want to explore, I suppose you can come with us.” This request caused Fenris to break his tense staredown with Rose, and look askance at Karamir.

Silver stared at Karamir, frozen like a statue. After a long time, she clicked her tongue and nodded. As she did so, a wave of uncertainty washed over her and she felt her heart wrench itself in a sudden nostalgia. Was her infancy in this new life about to end…? This soon, this suddenly? She preemptively wiped at her eyes and smiled. Yes, I want to go with you. I have one question though Karamir. Your friend smells like a canine, do you two travel with a dog or pup of any kind? I would like to meet it if possible!

Karamir smirked. “Not a dog. A wolf,” he turned to look at Fenris. ”Do you think we should show her?”

Fenris scanned his surroundings. “This isn’t the place for it,” he said. “Not enough space, and there’s no practical need just yet.”

Karamir nodded. “Fair enough.” He looked back to Silver. ”You’ll see it soon enough.” Fenris squinted at him but said nothing more.

Silver looked at Fenris and then back at Karamir and nodded while pursing her lips. Okay, so if we’re not going to see it, I want to show you my dog-friend. It’s back at the Tree. Do you want to visit it?

Karamir nodded. “I have been meaning to get a closer look at the Tree. Let’s go.”

Silver’s smile widened into a grin and she swiftly turned around and began walking towards the Eternal Tree with Rose, Fenris and Karamir in tow.

---

After a while, Silver’s leaves twitched a few times and without turning her head she spoke into the minds of her two acquaintances. A fox and a wolf jumped into different pods as they closed, and a few days later our new dog friends came out.

They approached the entrance to the Great Tree, and immediately a crowd of Foreas assembled and curiously watched the one dressed Foreas and the two foreigners walk into the Tree, through the biggest, lushest entrance and into the expansive interior that was the base level of the Foreas’ home.

The ground was covered in a green, with dirt paths naturally occuring leading to different areas of the Tree. At the far end of the Tree flush against the thick bark were slopes that led either down or up, visible only because the path kept anything from obscuring the view. Anywhere where there wasn’t a path, however, quickly became overgrown with vegetation of all kinds. Some of the spots showed tampering, with some resembling hammocks, and others forming small huts or stalls. One Foreas was in one of the rough stalls and a queue of others,both males and females, were waiting to go up to her.

Whenever anyone would go up to her, she would dip her finger in a bowl made of branches and thick leaves and it would come out coated in a thick yellow liquid, which she then jammed into the mouths of her kin. Many visibly perked up and loved the taste, but the males who only wished to fit in would find their faces smeared with the liquid, as they lacked mouths.

Honey. She’s spent a long time going up to bees. Longer than I’ve been alive.

“Her name is Honey?” Karamir asked. ”Or are you just saying what she’s handing out?”

Huh… I guess that could be her name. I don’t know. Foreas don’t use names. We can’t speak. I would like to change mine, to be honest… I don’t think it fits me very well. She said with a shrug and kept walking. Rose fell slightly behind the group and whenever a Foreas attempted to go up to the strangers, he would push them away without hesitation. After a few moments, the Foreas stopped trying to approach and just kept on the sidelines. The small divine group passed by several improvised structured and objects made purely out of living vegetation, and once they reached the end of the path a kilometer or so after, they went down the slope into the underground levels of the Tree. And they went down and down and down…

Silver wasn’t tired at all, Rose was fresh as well. The darker it got, the brighter the bioluminescence that the vegetation possessed. And even in the dark, the two strangers could see Silver’s body emitting a soft, slowly pulsating bright orange light in a complex swirling pattern across her skin. The lights were mostly covered by her living dress, however.

At a point, deep underground, Silver stopped and turned sharply into a very brightly lit level. It was devoid of the usual overgrowth, and instead there were rows upon rows of large closed, softly luminescent pods growing from the very bark of the Tree, which at this level was everywhere. Internal root-like bent pillars of bark went from floor to ceiling and even in those pillars, pods grew. While Fenris maintained a guarded expression, Karamir took the time to admire their surroundings.

It was beautiful, and for a entity that could breathe, breathtaking. Like a living art masterpiece, with all kinds of different colors of light that still somehow managed to follow some unseen harmony. The weird, natural architecture of the place clearly spoke of the divine nature of the Eternal Tree, and the sheer lifeforce that was emitted from that level...

Silver stopped for a moment to take in the feeling with a sad smile, and then pushed forward down a main path. In the side paths one could see the occasional Foreas checking up on the closed pods and making sure they were healthy. Eventually, there were no more rows or side paths and the level opened up into a central sort of park. The ceiling was completely bioluminescent here, and it was the color of the sky. It gave the impression that they were out in the Forest. Even the scent was similar to the one on the surface… Only here, there were no predators, and there were very few animals made of meat and fur.

The moment Silver stepped into the park area a shadow jumped out at her and propped itself up against her legs.

It was a green mass of holly leaves stacked on top of each other in such a way that it resembles the fur of a dog, with a great big fluffy tail made of long plump leaves and a pair of very functional ears that perked up at every sound.

It panted silently with its dark green tongue lolling out its mouth and looked up at Silver happily, pawing her thighs a few times and then letting itself fall back to the ground, still looking up at Silver.

She grinned at the leafy dog and got on her knees to pet it and roughly push it around. It squirmed and wagged its tail and dropped to the floor belly up, so Silver rubbed its belly and it stretched its whole body out. While she pet her dog-friend, Silver spoke again.

Forean Hounds. A mixture of fox and wolf. They’re naturally tame and friendly and love to be pet. I haven’t seen any of them approach a meat-person, however. I guess no meat-person has ever been this deep in the Tree, to be fair.

“And they were created when a fox and a wolf jumped into… a pod?” Karamir asked curiously. ”What became of those two animals?”

They spent a few days inside the pods, the fox died of thirst I believe. Sad, but the dog survived and was taken outside the Tree after the pod opened again.

Fenris scowled at the news. “Such a senseless sacrifice,” he remarked angrily. “Just to create… this,” he gestured to the Forean Hound. “Does it eat? Does it hunt? What purpose does it even serve?”

A purpose? It lives, it feels, it loves. It needs sun and air like everyone else. You do not need to kill in order to have a purpose. As she said so, the Forean pup rolled around and pressed its snout against Silver’s hand, licking her palm.

Karamir, meanwhile, had turned away from the argument and walked back toward the pods. He approach the nearest one which happened to be closed, inspected it for a moment, and then ran a hand across its surface. It was hard, like a walnut’s shell. Tiny hairs which tickled Karamir’s hand extended from its surface, and the moment his hand touched the pod, a light current of energy coursed through him.

He instantly withdrew from the pod and stepped back. His hand closed around the grip of his weapon, but he did not draw it. ”What’s happening?” he demanded.

Silver shrugged, I don’t know. You can relax here. There are no predators, there’s no greed, no fear… You’ll be fine. The Tree’s gentle.

”You say that like it’s alive,” Karamir said. ”Er… well, all trees are alive, but you say that like it has feelings.” he did another scan of his surroundings. ”Where did it come from?”

The Tree’s the Mother of all Foreas. It nurtures us, allows us to grow, teaches us about ourselves and the world while in the Dream… There are no records yet, so I don’t know where it came from specifically. I expect the soil as it is a Tree, after all.

”It had to have been made by a god,” Karamir concluded. ”I can sense divinity all over this place. Not unlike your own aura, actually. If I had to guess… I’d say Li’Kalla or Phystene? I never met Li’Kalla, and I only met Phystene briefly, but Li’Kalla led her people here, and Phystene is the Goddess of Plants, so it’s likely one of them…”

Silver looked at the pup in front of her, and shrugged. Improved perhaps. Had its growth accelerated, perhaps… I do not think a God is capable of creating something this beautiful, though. Not in this world.

”According to Kalmar, this world used to be nothing but ocean, until the Architect called the gods here,” Karamir said. ”But yes, there is a certain beauty to this place, unusual as it might be. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Fenris cast him a disapproving look, but said nothing.

There was silence for a few moments. The only sound was the rustling of leaves, until a hiss and the sound of liquid splattering on the ground echoed through the area. Silver sniffed the air and grinned, and another Foreas came out from one of the side paths and ran down a different one. Silver stood up and the pup looked up at her curiously.

Another one’s awakened. Let’s leave now, we should give them space to get used to this life before having to meet strangers.

Karamir nodded and, after one last look at the strange underground chamber, turned and made his way back the way they came. Fenris followed, staring warily at the plant-hound.

Silver walked a few paces, then turned back to the pup, who looked at her with wide, shiny sad eyes. At this she clapped her hands and the pup rushed up to her and stuck close to her side, tail wagging excitedly with every step. At this point, Silver rushed to stay ahead of the other two so they wouldn’t get lost, and they started making their way up…

---

The edge of the Eternal Forest. They’d left her home merely minutes ago and on this cliff overlooking the landscape, she could catch all the scents wafting from where she used to live, and could barely see Rose standing amongst the trees watching her leave. She waved at him but of course, he could not see her.

She smiled and her heart fluttered, and her smile turning into a grin and her eyes became wet and tears began to flow. Her leaves twitched and squirmed and she wiped her tears with one hand and tried to hold down her leaves with the other.

As she felt her goodbye, she saw Rose hesitantly turn around and walk back into the Forest. Before disappearing between the roots of the Eternal Tree, he stopped to sniff the air once more. This was his way of remembering her existence, Silver realized. The pure hearts of the Foreas cared not for names, or appearance. They cared for the way a being would stir their hearts. The feelings left imprinted into their memories were what they held dear to them.

That night she spent out in her clearing right after awakening, only to be attacked by a predator… In many ways it should be a bad memory. It should be, but in Silver’s case, she only remembered the way her heart warmed up when she was saved by Rose’s mighty swings. They never shared a word. They never truly saw each other, or heard each other… And it felt like a more genuine, grounded connection than anything else she’d experienced.

Her first friend.

Not Silver’s first friend, but hers.

My name’s not Silver. It’s Ami.

---

Post Summary

Karamir and Fenris are walking in the woods. They meet an edgy twelve year-old smelly forest hobo by the name of Sun’Kalla. They talk a bit. Karamir asks for directions and about what happened to all the dudes who went with Li’Kalla. He learns a bit about the land and also about Shengshi’s tantrum. He then breaks the news of Kalmar’s demise and his own ascension, and in doing so tells the story of Laurien, Abraxas, and all that jazz.

Nobody gives a shit. Then Sun is like: “Yo, Laurien was here lately.” Karamir asks where. Sun tells him. Sun then suggests that Karamir wants revenge. Karamir is like: “Nah I want answers and to also make sure she will stop hurting people.” Sun is like: “Ah, vengeance it is.” Karamir is confused and tries to correct him, but Sun continues to insist that Karamir is after vengeance, so Karamir gets annoyed and walked away.

Fenris is triggered by Sun’s blatant lack of respect, and suggests that Karamir should have asserted dominance. Karamir is dismissive and says he doesn’t particularly care for the opinions of a twelve year-old smelly forest hobo.

Anyway, fast forward a bit and Silver is practicing mana, with her guardian friend Rose nearby. She smells Fenris, but not Karamir, because Karamir is odorless. Anyway, Karamir then zips forward with Fenris and meets her, having sensed her usage of mana. While Fenris and Rose stare each other down trying to assert dominance over one another, Karamir and Silver talk a bit, with Karamir trying to learn even more about the land and the Foreas.

Silver asks Karamir to describe her appearance, and then touch her and describe how she feels, because her own senses are shit. Karamir is weirded out by this but reluctantly complies.

Anyway, the conversation carries on toward other topics. Eventually Silver mentions a desire to travel, but isn’t sure she can defend herself. Karamir is like: “Hey, I’m strong, and I’m travelling, why not come with me?” So she’s like: “Sure, why not.”

Then she takes them to the Eternal Tree’s basement where she shows them some weird plant puppy thing that was made recently, after a wolf and a fox got trapped in a pod. Fenris is not okay with this. Meanwhile Karamir touches a pod and something weird happens, putting him on edge. Silver reassures him. Karamir then begins to openly speculate on the tree’s origins, but eventually they decide to head back to the surface.

Later, on the edge of the Eternal Forest, Silver gives a heartfelt goodbye to Rose, who she is about to leave behind. As she leaves, she thinks about her name, and then decides to change it. Instead of Silver, she is now Ami.

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

Karamir

---

"So that's it, then. He's gone."

Karamir looked to Shynir and nodded sadly.

The four sat under the shade of a large tree. All three of Karamir's siblings now wore furs and animal skins. Fenris had donned the garments without complaint, while Shynir and Gorm had tried to protest the necessity of clothing, but Karamir managed to convince them otherwise.

Now, a melancholic mood had swept over them, their initial reactions to their new forms swept aside as the topic that brought them to Karamir in the first place inevitably came up again. Kalmar's death.

"We walked these lands for years," Fenris said, his gaze downcast. Even in his Vallamir form, he was still missing an eye. Either he had chosen not to give his new form one, or he had been unable. "We guarded it against threats. Kept order. All for him. And now, he's gone..."

"I killed so many ghouls for him," Gorm whispered, staring at his hands.

"Does Melantha know?" Shynir had asked.

"Melantha?" Karamir asked as Fenris looked up. The wolfman and the birdwoman exchanged a glance, while Gorm seemed confused.

"The Goddess of Darkness..." Fenris said.

"They were close," Shynir added.

Karamir sighed. "If I ever see her, I'll tell her," he told them. Like I've had to tell everyone else... Everytime he spoke of it, it became easier to talk about, yet it still hurt.

"Listen," Karamir said after an awkward silence. "You're the closest thing I have to siblings." Fenris and Gorm nodded immediately at this, while Shynir bit her tongue. [color=yellow]"Our father wanted me to take up his role as protector of this land, and I intend to honour that request. But I can't do alone. Whatever obligation you had to Father, I won't hold you to it. If you wish to move on, you are free to leave and pursue your own goals. But... I would appreciate it if you stayed."

"Oh, brother!" Gorm grinned. "Of course I'll stay!" He pounded a fist on Karamir's knee, causing the Hunter's Son to wince slightly.

"I see no reason to abandon my duty," Fenris said seriously, with a nod of his head.

"Leave this land?" Shynir shook her head, and smiled. "I've watched them for years. Now, I can finally be one of them..."

Karamir sighed with relief. "Thank you," he said.

"So, why don't you tell us of your own travels?" Shynir asked him.

---

And so, he had. Everything from when the point where he left the Palace of Dreams. But eventually, he reached the point where he had visited Laurienna. He realized he would have to tell them about Laurien, which meant he had to tell them about her attempt to kill Orvus so they would understand why she tried to kill him. And while he was at it, he figured he might as well mention that, as revealed to him by Arae, it was Laurien's attempt to kill Orvus which led to Abraxas's creation - the being that killed his own father.

So, Karamir opened with Laurien's attempted patricide and Abraxas's creation, and then described his visit to Laurienna, eventually concluding in the decayal of his soul and his escape.

"She did what?" Shynir asked, wide-eyed, as Fenris grit his teeth and Gorm clenched his fists.

"She tried to kill me to keep a secret that wasn't even a secret, and then decayed my soul when that didn't work, yes," Karamir confirmed bitterly.

"And all for... for nothing..." Shynir hissed, as anger overtook her and her own fists curled into balls. "We should flay her alive... and make her eat her own skin..."

"Smashing in her skull would do it," Gorm shrugged.

"So long as she dies, it doesn't matter how," Fenris said drily, before looking to Shynir. "Though, the longer it takes, the more likely the prey is to escape..."

Shynir returned his gaze but then dropped it, conceding the argument. "Fine," she said, and then looked back to Karamir. "She'll still die for this, right?" she asked.

Karamir hesitated for a moment. "We need more information," he said, after a moment's thought.

"More information?" Fenris asked, perplexed. "What else is there to know? She nearly killed you."

"I need to know why," Karamir said.

"But you know why!" Shynir protested. "She thought you were going to learn that she tried to kill her own father, and wanted to silence you before you found out."

Karamir shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he said. "Why did she think killing me was the best way to keep her secret? Why did she try to kill her own father in the first place? Who else has she killed? What drove her to do all that?"

"Does it matter?" Shynir asked. "Whatever happened to her, she still chose her path. She's the reason our creator is dead!"

"It does matter," Karamir said quietly, not entirely believing it himself. In truth, there was a part of him that wanted to see Laurien dead. To run her through with his sword. To smile and gloat while she suffered, as she had done to him. To find out how to decay a soul, and then rip hers to shreds. To return the pain that was inflicted on him. And to succeed where she had failed, so she would never hurt anyone again. He then imagined her city in flames and ruin, and its people...

No. No.

He shook the thoughts off. Vengenace would not serve him. The only thing that might be gained from the death of Laurien is the knowledge that she couldn't hurt anybody again, but he needed more information to determine if such a permanent solution was truly necessary. And her city? Some had tried to overthrow her and her 'royal family.' Whatever fate she deserved, surely not all of them deserved to share in it?

Then there was Arya. She would not condone him for such an action. She would hate him for it. And somehow, that reason alone proved almost as compelling as his previous argument.

"We need more information," he insisted.

---

Of course, no such information could be found on Kalgrun. So, for now, Karamir would continue doing what he was doing, and it was time to resume his travels.

He had decided that of the three, one would accompany him - acting as a guide and giving him advice. Fenris seemed best suited for such a role. The others - Shynir and Gorm - would fall back into their role as guardians of the continent. Karamir also showed them the Knife of Friendship, and how they could call upon it.

"Just be sure to take me next time," Shynir had smiled.

"Good luck, brother!" Gorm had said, before unexpectedly throwing himself forward and embracing Karamir in one of the dreaded spine-cracking hugs.

Afterward they had parted ways. Karamir and Fenris simply walked across the water, with Fenris in his human form, while Gorm and Shynir transformed back into their original forms behind him. Karamir smiled. Despite their eccentricities, he liked them both.

So, for days, he and Fenris wandered, taking the time to teach mana to whoever they came across. He had given Fenris the Blackened Bow, because, while unatturally strong and powerful for a Vallamir, the man still needed a weapon.

They walked through the swamps situated around the Hunter's Eye lake, with Karamir at one point having to wrestle a crocodile to death. They had given it to a nearby band of hunters, who had been grateful enough... only for Karamir to once again dash someone's hopes by breaking the tragic news of Kalmar's death.

In the meantime, he continued to practice and teach mana. Abilities which took him months if not weeks to begin to pick up could now be grasped in a matter of hours or minutes. Fire, earth, plants... even his personal control over the naturally-volatile raw mana had increased. Wherever the golden streams could be found, he had power.

All he asked of those he taught was that they spread the news regarding the death of Kalmar, his own ascension, and his teachings of mana wherever they could. Karlyn had said that people needed faith, and so, he would give it to them.

Then days became weeks. They followed the Nuhe River eastward. As they met new people, Karamir discovered fascinating new details regarding the culture they had developed. One of the tribes they encountered was performing a ceremony called a 'marriage', taught to them by the Goddess Arae, in which two people pledged themselves to each other for life.

"It is a mating ritual," Fenris had tried to explain, but Karamir realized he had heard of this concept before. Keibrik had warned him against it, back in the Palace of Dreams. Yet in this particular instance, the two people who were at the center of it all seemed genuinely content. For once, he decided to withhold revealing Kalmar's fate, not wishing to spoil the mood.

For a moment, he wondered what it would be like if had someone who made him feel that way... and felt the same way about him. But he was a god. Did he truly have time for such endeavors?

Eventually they reached the coast. Karamir began to hear whispers of something called 'The Endless Bridge.' He looked to Fenris for guidance.

Fenris only shrugged. "It was built by Li'Kalla," he said. "When the Vallamir were created, she led thousands of them across it. They never came back."

"Nobody knows what happened to them?" Karamir asked. Many had claimed they knew, but every story was different. Usually the conclusion was that they were dead, they had found paradise, or they were still wandering to this day.

Fenris shrugged. "Some tried to follow them afterward. The ones that come back say it's endless. That they found the bones of others who tried to walk the same path, only to starve to death."

The ones who starved being the ones who didn't come back. That was clear enough. "Someone has to find out what happened to them," Karamir decided. "Let's go."

Taking Fenris's hand, it did not take them long to reach the bridge's location. They could have travelled the plains at a similar speed, but Karamir had opted for a more thorough and intensive exploration."It's made of... solid water?" he asked, stepping on it with one foot to confirm. "I suppose she is the Goddess of Rain..." he marvelled at its design for only a few moments, before extending a hand to Fenris. It was time to continue.

They sped across the bridge, stopping only at the occasional skeleton or set of bones. It was terrifying to think about. The idea of a lone soul wandering a seemingly endless expanse. Not knowing if it would take him anywhere. Hunger and thirst slowly waring him down. It reminded him of his time in the Infinite Maze. He shuddered. He had been lucky then. But now... he feared what he might find on the other end of this bridge.

They dropped the bones into the ocean below. It was better, he decided, than leaving them to be worn down by heat and rain.

Eventually they did reach the end, and they found not a vast field of bones as Karamir had feared, but another landmass. A landmass with vegetation, and life.

"I'm not sure this is paradise," Karamir said, inspecting a tree. "But at least it means most of them might still be alive."

---

Post Summary

Karamir and the three beasty dudes talk about Kalmar's death and about Laurien's attempt to murder Karamir. The three former beasts unanimously agree that Laurien has to die, but Karamir isn't so sure. Inside, however, he feels a desire to see Laurien suffer for her actions, which he suppresses by trying to see the situation in an impartial light, and then thinking of Arya.

After that he decides to explore the continent with Fenris alone. They go on adventures, observe the Vallamir, teach them more mana. Karamir engages in solo practice. After a number of weeks, they eventually reach the coast. Karamir hears about something called 'The Endless Bridge' - a bridge made entirely out of solidified water, with no end in sight.

Karamir tries to find the other end. He flies across it, only to discover a new land at the very end, which comes as a relief.

Might Summary

Nothing that can't be discounted to 0.