lif — Roleplayer Guild

Placeholder for Lifprasil

The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations
Level 4 God of Crafting (Masonry, Carpentry, Smithing)
19.5 Might & 1 Free Point

On the southern coast of the Shimmering Sea was a town, with quaint wooden houses and a simple lighthouse. This town was distinguished from almost every other on Galbar by the presence of a port, consisting of a jetty sticking out into the sea with a couple of sail boats moored to it. The town was nondescript despite its above average living conditions, it maintained a low profile within a blanket of drowsy fog. The streets were well maintained, superbly maintained, even, and the mannequins that serviced them paced within thick shawls to hide their unusual nature. The other residences were sparse in their numbers, congregated around the bay as fishermen, or the shimmering town walls as guards, carrying polearms upon horses, or bows upon dull, dimly lit towers.

Over this town drifted Teknall, concealed from mortal eyes. It was an impressive town despite its small size, for it was ahead of most of the rest of Galbar. However, Teknall knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg, and the true Alefpria lay further inland.

So inland Teknall flew. The wall of mist and illusions was unable to deter the god, and in moments he was looking over Alefpria, a grand city of fantastical architectural design and utopian culture.

But his gaze was instead drawn to an object in the sky, over a kilometer long; some amalgamation of flesh and metal hovering in place under the steady roar of rucket thrusters. Teknall was unable to speak for a few moments, his gaze transfixed and mouth ajar. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he burst out into jubilant laughter. "A spaceship! She made a spaceship! A starship even!" Teknall's eventually laughter trailed off. "Why don't I have a spaceship yet? I'm further behind than I thought."

For Teknall was indeed far behind. Although cities had been on Galbar for decades now, Teknall, the God of Civilisation, had only recently even set foot within a city. How events could have possibly conspired to prevent him from doing so, even he was not certain.

Over the city Teknall flew, taking in the sights. His Perception gave him a complete picture of Alefpria in an instant, but observing something with his god-sense was not the same as seeing it up close with his eyes. He needed to take a tour, and who better to give him a tour than the Emperor himself?

Towards the palace Teknall descended, he saw that the majesty of its construction was even grander than the surrounding city. Teknall had been wrong to question Ilunabar's ability to construct a city, for this place was divine in its splendor. Teknall alighted on a balcony and walked through the hallways of the palace.

He paused for a moment as an almost mechanical hum reached his ears, and his eyes turned to find the source, a small white bird. He observed the bird for a few moments, and the bird seemed to observe him in turn, until it fluttered out of view. Teknall continued walking until he found Lifprasil.

"Lifprasil," Teknall greeted warmly, walking closer, "Long time no see. This is a beautiful palace you have here."

Lifprasil took pause, it appeared as if that, when Teknall materialized within his halls, another guest had his attention: a vessel of god flesh mixed with mortality. "Prosit." greeted the Emperor of Alefpria, intrigued by the God's more sudden appearance. The other person, a human far taller than Lifprasil, made bare by the process of becoming a Cosmic Knight, stood silent, "naked", if the body of ArkSynth could be considered legitimate flesh. 

"Thank you, Alefpria is an oasis on our turbulent world, I would like to think," said Lifprasil, turning to face Teknall within his armor Nicielite, the shimmering metal having not lost its vibrant hue since they had last met upon the Celestial Citadel. "What summons you to my palace, Teknall?" asked he, a tired smile gracing his slender lips.

The Cosmic Knight behind him seemed disciplined, calm, his exuberant torso pertained to a perfect V that held broad shoulders, which in turn held broader arms; those which looked as if they could tear off Lifprasil's pretty head on a whim. The superhuman was a pillar of vitality and power, the only soft, human flesh remaining upon his body encompassing a portion of his neck, and his human-esque head.

"I am here primarily on a formal visit to Alefpria. I am long overdue for visiting this city. But I have other questions too," Teknall replied. He circled the Cosmic Knight, inspecting it. With his expert gaze he discerned the hands which had designed it and its kin. Physical might from Vestec. Powerful magic from Astarte. Angelic powers from Niciel. Mental resiliency from Lifprasil. And physiology from Jvan. Plus some strange bioorganic material he had only recently seen. "We'll start with these supersoldiers. They are quite intriguing."

Lifprasil took his place beside Teknall and crossed his arms. "What would you like to know?" he asked. A closer look revealed indents built along the Cosmic Knight's body, peppering his form in areas that mirrored one another.

"I've already discerned the technical details, so I'll ask something else. Why have you made an army of super soldiers and what do you intend to do with them?" Teknall asked curiously.

"The intent is to destroy the Realta." Lifprasil replied.

Teknall paused for a moment, before saying, "You were a little slow there, Lifprasil. I've already killed most of them and the remainder are retreating."

Lifprasil looked like he was at a loss. "So soon? And what of Logos?" he asked, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment.

"Logos was rather non-committal about where he was going from here," Teknall replied. "Vestec mentioned that you would be fighting Xerxes. Is that correct?"

The Demi-God sighed, and nodded. "Yes, I intend to take it from my brother, and if necessary; kill him," he said. "Now, at the very least, I can allocate more Knights, and more soldiers to the effort of taking Xerxes."

Teknall nodded. These Cosmic Knights were of terrifying strength, and although there were only a few at the moment, Teknall could see that Father Dominus held the capacity to manufacture thousands more. Such an army would be overkill. But, then again, he had thought three Avatars would have been enough to take down Violence, but he had been wrong, so best to err on the side of caution.

"I've been to Xerxes recently," Teknall said slowly, "Amartia had been absent for a while. In that time, free from his influence, Xerxes experienced a redevelopment of sorts, and made good progress as a civilisation despite its struggles. When Amartia returned with his blessings from Logos, he brought about a time of plenty, but rather than do anything useful with it he sent his city spiralling into riotous partying. Then, after thirty days of that, he transformed the population into violent monsters."

Lifprasil appeared hopeful at first - but his hopes were quickly dashed by Teknall's revelation. "Abhorrent." is all he said, losing some of his composure.

"Indeed. I believe that if Amartia were to be supplanted by a more competent ruler then Xerxes might flourish once more, although at this stage the road to recovery will be a long one," Teknall continued, "Fortunately, there are some refugees, sent north, who are untainted by Amartia's curses and, if they are willing, could return and help repopulate the city once Amartia has been removed. A hain called Tauga was responsible for that. She's hard to miss, for she wears a Jvanic flight suit and is accompanied by giant floating metal orbs. She's done a lot of good for the city. Now, as you are invading Xerxes, she will almost certainly try to fight you and your army, but I ask kindly that you don't kill her. If nothing else, then if she cooperates she would be invaluable to the restoration of Xerxes."

Lifprasil nodded. "Thank you, rebuilding is key to my conquest of Xerxes."

"There is another thing. Vestec tried to make a deal with Logos," Teknall said. "If you capture Xerxes, Logos leaves Galbar. If Amartia retains Xerxes, Logos gets to stay and Vestec joins Logos is his rampage across Galbar. Logos did not explicitly agree with the deal, but he implied that he might be at the battle. Not his Realta, though."

Lifprasil nodded, silent until the mood took him. "Then I suppose the urgency of my siege has made itself apparent, for all of Galbar rests in the balance," he said, frowning. "Will Logos be there?"

Teknall thought for a moment, remembering, before replying, "Yes."

"Then, may I ask for your council?" Lifprasil asked.

"About Logos? You've got a tough time ahead," Teknall replied, "I would make sure you steer your army clear of Logos. As for dealing with Logos, well... maybe you'll have better luck talking to him than I did. Maybe. He believes the Universe is his right, by means of being the one who brought forth the Laws from the past Worlds. He considers all of Galbar a small price to pay for the security of the rest of the Universe and Reality. He considers Jvan, and everyone else who refuses to conform with his narrow view of Order, as threats to the stability of the Universe. He does not fear Fate or Amul'Sharar. What is on your side, for this encounter anyway, is that Logos believes he will benefit from either outcome of the Xerxes battle, so he may leave most of the warring to Amartia. If you do get into a fight with Logos, he has a blackhole sword which you really don't want to get stabbed by, and watch out for him shooting a relativistic stream of iron. Was there anything else you needed to know about Logos?"

Lifprasil narrowed his eyes, wearing a scowl. "How selfish, the universe belongs to all those who inhabit it, he stated, reciting his diction. "I intend to talk to him, and if he refuses to cease his selfishness, I intend to kill him." explained Lifprasil. He seemed confident, if not sour, at the face of adversity.

Teknall's eyes widened. Slowly, he said, "And how, may I ask, do you intend to kill him?"

"I can tell, but not show, so long as you promise not to give away my secrets," Lifprasil said, "Do you?"

Teknall nodded. "This secret will be safe with me."

"Fate was kind enough to bring a weapon to me, capable of killing a god instantly in the form of a girl named Tira. I'm sure you're familiar with its previous form: the Codex of Creation, one of the things first created when you were but as young as me." Lifprasil denoted, motioning the Cosmic Knight away, of whom was silently robed by a pair of mannequins upon his exit.

Teknall almost jumped at the mention of the Codex. It was here! "Of course I am familiar with the Codex; I was one of its principle authors," Teknall said. "I've actually been trying to track the Codex down for a while. What happened to the Codex? Is it still readable?"

"Vowzra changed it after he trapped mother inside; I have naught an idea as to its legibility, that would be determined by Tira if she wasn't recovering from an episode," Lifprasil explained, and rose a brow to Teknall's intent to find it. "What would you need it for, precisely?"

"I had been hoping to use it to consolidate my understanding of the exact physical principles governing the Universe. Although I had watched most of it be written, I did not see what Vowzra wrote, and having the real thing would also validate what I do remember of the Codex," Teknall explained.

Lifprasil nodded "Fair enough, the Codex of Creation dictated all things material. I had but a brief time to absorb its information during my birth, but in this time, I realised that mortality is no weakness, with the powers of flesh and mind: anything is possible." he said.

"As far as physics go - what could you stand to gain from from learning these rules directly? You could call my question silly, but I'm not wholly familiar with your tinkering."

"If one has exact knowledge of the rules which govern the Universe, one is well equipped to create things to perform any desired function," Teknall explained, "This Universe is a complicated place. There is far more than Logos' physics at work. This is a world of magic and chaos too, all of which is governed by the rules described by the Codex. A total understanding of those rules would be the height of knowledge and allow for the most advanced of technologies.

"I have another question of my own, though," Teknall added, "You mentioned your mother, Vulamera. What happened to her, and what did Vowzra have to do with it?"

"She went mad trying to comprehend the scope of the Codex, so Vowzra trapped her inside, so no harm would come from her insanity." Lifprasil warned, sadness in his eye.

Teknall bowed his head. "My comiserations, then," Teknall replied. He maintained a moment's silence, before continuing, "So, if the Codex has been transformed into a god-killing weapon, I take it that it would be inaccessible to myself?"

Lifprasil nodded. "It is, but I intend to see if there is anything salvagable from its changed state once my schools are established. Mortals appear unharmed by its awesome power." the king said in his usual state of verbose.

"Oh well, I'll just have to work from memory then," Teknall replied, then paused as he registered the rest of Lifprasil's words. "Schools, you say? You will have to show me what you have so far when we tour Alefpria."

"That's the thing," chordled Lifprasil nervously, "There are none, yet. I've tasked Astarte to building them - but you know of Astarte's reliability." he explained, and armor shifted as he scratched the top of his head. "If you would request a tour, however. then I would be happy to show you my Alef."

"I'll be happy to assist in the creation of these schools," Teknall offered. Then he gestured to the door. "But first, let us take a tour of your fine city."

Lifprasil paused.

"Ah-! Thank you, Teknall. The assistance is appreciated. I want to make Alefpria a haven for all things helpful and willing to mortals; so your expertise and your craft would be appreciated alongside the multitude of Gods that have joined me in creating my Alef." he thanked, before he motioned to the intermingling of Trolls in shimmering armor at the end of the great hall. They each gave their emperor a dutiful nod, and heaved open the truly massive gate of otherworldly colors and metals opposite to the massive gap Teknall entered in.

Lifprasil's feet left the ground, and floated to the agape doors, revealing a winding stretch of maintained brick road, which looped around the cusp of the cliff overlooking Alefpria, and thus into the town. There were two towers overlooking the entrance to Lifprasil's Palace, each almost as tall as the structure itself, and interlain with portholes and balconies each attended to by archers of varying disposition and race. The wide highway from the palace down to the city below was flanked by trees native to the landbridge Lifprasil settled in. Each had a hefty head of purple leaves upon white bodies of hardy wood, creating cool shade over the path Lifprasil led Teknall through; only a few wary pockets of light actually penetrated the carefully aligned canopies.

"I call these King Trees," Lifprasil noted, "They were created by Ilunabar, however inadvertently, when her actions wrought a great flood of color and dreams through this very pass. Whatever stood against the tides were stained by the pigments of the most intimate of imaginings - and thus altered forever. Whatever, or whomever faltered, however, was destroyed." he explained, propeling himself to reach the violet leaves above, and snipped one for Teknall.

Lifprasil then delivered the leaf to Teknall, graciously leaving it to his care before he continued down the path.

Teknall inspected the oddly coloured leaf as he walked along the highway. "It is indeed a quite peculiar transformation. It is all the more fantastical when you consider the chemical redesign required to maintain photosynthesis with the new pigments. And the colours seem to match nicely with your palace."

"I would assume the nature of aesthetic holds a higher tier on the physical hierarchy than practicality to Ilunabar." he said as they approached his Alef.

"Of course. If Ilunabar wants to make purple leaves, all she has to do is make the leaves purple. But I think it is a testament to divine power that such a simple command will induce whatever complicated modifications are necessary to cause that change," Teknall added.

Lifprasil found the observation intriguing - he never really thought of it that way. As they descended on the busy city streets, the trail to Lifprasil's palace tapered off to a group of guards. They saluted Teknall and Lifprasil each, and then the two entered the confines of what appeared to be a bazaar. "You have something I don't," Lifprasil said to Teknall as he drifted effortlessly through the crowd that parted in his wake.

The sounds of talk and music threatened to deafen even Teknall as the crowd thickened even still, through tight streets the duo paced as Lifprasil witheld himself, overseen by curious Alefprians upon their finely built houses of stone and clay. It seemed as if every other citizen of Alefpria was serviced by the strange mannequins of Ilunabar's creation. Each contraption was covered in great shawls of otherworldly coloration, matching the brilliant aesthetic of the paints and banners that plastered the walls of the surrounding buildings.

Wooden horses pulled ever saturated wagons, and their wooded joints creaked loudly with their movements, crude iron hooves clattering past upon worn brick roads alongside their arthritic pace. It seemed as if there was a constant, even flow to and fro across Alefpria, the city was a body, and the streets gestated into veins of merchants and socialites. "Perspective," Lifprasil confided, his voice echoed within the divine cerebrum of Teknall, as he attempted psychic conversation; rather than yell.

Teknall seemed to think on the word for a few moments before replying sagely, "Perspective is a relative term. One does not have more or less perspective than someone else, only a different perspective."

"Then I suppose your perspective is far more broad than mine - it had never crossed my mind that one rule pertained to all under our creation; the things we make just work. Even I know not the inner workings of my Lifprasilians - did you ever take into account what was inside your Urtelem? Or Toun's Hain?" Lifprasil asked.

"I did, actually. I am a craftsman; I have to understand what I am making. But conveniently such understanding comes naturally to me. Toun is likely a similar case. Some of the others are likely different, though. Whether consciously or unconsciously, divine power does what is necessary to ensure that our creative will is fulfilled," Teknall explained.

Lifprasil nodded his head. "I guess you could call our creations wishes, only on a scale inconcievable to some; but it is not in my conscious to doubt the power of Mortals." he said, and stopped with Teknall in tow at the center of Alefpria, marked at its core with an intrinsic, fanciful fountain of great height. "This is the heart of my Alef, what I had just shown you were but smaller parts of my great, blessed city." Lifprasil explained to Teknall, almost glowing with exuberant pride at the gift he had given, and helped to grow.

Teknall walked onwards and circled the fountain slowly. His gaze scanned the buildings surrounding the city centre and penetrated into the web of streets beyond. He observed the movement of thousands of people throughout the city, each contributing to the grand civilisation of which they were a part.

Eventually Teknall circled back to where Lifprasil was standing. "It truly is a great city," Teknall said. "Where to next? Shall we investigate the artisan's district?"

Lifprasil nodded, having taken a seat at the cusp of the fountain. Beside him, however, knelt a well-groomed female figure. She wore considerably duller clothing than her fellow countrymen, and carried a bow that clung to her slim waist. "Hello." she greeted, looking Teknall up and down with a bemused face. "Are you the craft-god Teknall?" she questioned, her lengthy, brown hair swept to a left shoulder. Her mannerisms seemed less careful than Lifprasil's, carrying a brashness about her that few possessed in the civilized Alefpria.

Teknall nodded at the female. "Indeed I am," Teknall replied, "And you must be Susa. You are already aquainted with my servant Gerrik Far-Teacher. I take it that Lifprasil has become your patron, of sorts."

"Yes, I am," Susa responded drably, before she stood up and served him a slight curtsy as greeting. "I do know Gerrik, he was kind to me when we met. How is he?" asked she, still looming over Lifprasil and Teknall. 

"Gerrik is doing alright. He went to Fibeslay, and under his direction the lighthouse was finished to an excellent standard. However, due to some... issues he has had to depart. But he is coping well, setting out to new places," Teknall said.

"Excellent, I wish him luck in his next venture." Susa said, seeming much more pert than when Teknall last saw her. "What brings you here?" she asked, stepping around Lifprasil and Teknall as she sized up the apparent Hain. Lifprasil just resigned to allow his hero to have a conversation between herself and his guest, however, running a hand through the teal blue behind him. 

"I'm here to look at the city. As craft-god, it is my duty to inspect hubs of technology and civilisation. So far I am fairly impressed," Teknall explained, "What is it that you do here?"

"I protect, I train, I explore. One of the many things I've done is help Alefprian scouts to navigate Galbar - or the parts I know." Susa explained, and took a knee beside Teknall. "I also keep Lakshmi and Tira in line."

Teknall nodded. "Sounds like a good use for your skills," he replied. "Did you and the rest of the Grand Parade manage to acheive what you set out to do?"

Susa shrugged. "Just about, we heed the call, but I don't think our line of work is one that ever really ends." she answered, running a hand through her hair. "And what of you? Have you acheived what you have set out to do?"

Teknall flipped up a palm. "Like you, my work is never really done. Finish one task, get two more. I spent a few decades teaching the hain, and that has achieved incremental gains. I helped fight back the chaos hordes. I set the Rovaick up with metalworking. I fought back the Realta. And now I have four cities on Galbar springing up and becoming civilisations without me, so I have some catching up to do."

Lifprasil smiled at the mention. "Four? I had no idea you were so busy. What of them? How developed are they?" he asked, armor shifting as he crossed a leg.

"There is Xerxes. As you know, they too have a demigod as ruler, so their technological advancement has been, until recently, fairly impressive. It's a bit of a mess at the moment, though. Another is owned by the Rovaick. They're the ones I helped with metalworking, and are currently under the protection of Toun. The other city..." Teknall turned up both his palms, "I'll let you discover the details of that one. It isn't quite as developed as Alefpria or Xerxes, but it appears to be a purely mortal city, which makes it impressive in its own right."

"Interesting," Lifprasil stated, as if he made a mental note of the last city. "I already know of Xerxes - I intend to take it from my brother and cease his inane excuse for governing in exchange for my own. The Realta were my original outlet for my Knights, but now I have nothing but the world within my grasp, and with him," Lifprasil made sure to motion to Father Dominus up above. "Maybe the cosmos."

Teknall froze for a moment at Lifprasil's mention of the world. After a brief pause, Teknall spoke, "You will need to show me inside your spaceship soon. However, before we do, there is one more thing I'd like to look at down here. I notice that you have found a rather unique method of metalworking. Would you like to show me?"

Lifprasil noted Teknall's pause. "Is something wrong?" he asked as he maintained a smile.

"Oh, it's just... I am concerned for the development of Galbar should you sweep over with your Cosmic Knights and take dominion of everything. Galbar is special in its grand diversity, and that gives it a sort of strength and resilience and beauty. There are many peoples growing independently and uniquely. Global conquest doesn't sit well with that. Makes sense?" Teknall explained.

Lifprasil nodded "Worry not, I aim not to stint the growth of those things I held so dear - I merely believe mortals are strong, and underneath one banner, less hardships will be faced in their strength," Lifprasil explained as he gazed off into the distant horizon; imagining a vast kingdom greater than himself. In this moment, he exhumed the look of a leader: arms crossed, with watchful eyes over the vast scope of his being. "This journey me and my great soldiers will take is selfless, it is one to bring quality of life to those of whom suffer alone, is that not a boon to Galbar? Unity?"

Teknall sighed. "I suppose. Whether your ideals are actually achieved by conquest is another matter, but that is something time will tell." Teknall looked down the streets. "Now, were we going to continue our tour?"

"Yes." responded Lifprasil, before he leapt down onto the street with Susa in tow, both wordlessly walked for some time, until Lifprasil lead Teknall to a large rectangular building; that which took up half a city block, and was attended by many workers. "This is one of the many workshops of the armorers and weapon-makers of Alefpria. Would you like to look inside?"

"Of course," Teknall answered enthusiastically.

When the trio entered the workshop, they saw that every which room was connected by opened doorways, each one held tubs of smoldering iron ingots, and were tended to by Alefprians in aprons of thick hide. Every smith wore masks of the same alluring shape, each with three pressed, horizontal lines which opened to their mouths and eyes. They all worked in the same open candor to one another, some hammered swords into shape with great mallets, whereas others stretched the metal with their calcified hands. 

In the center of a group of doting Hain smithsmen stood the hulking Bay Commander, Hogarth, in his massive hat as he made sure of the newly crafted weapons: shortswords of a much rarer metal than iron - steel.

"This is one of the three workshops within Alefpria, my friend, each one works around the clock to produce weapons and armors for my people." explained Lifprasil as he made a sweeping gesture around the building.

Teknall nodded in satisfaction. "It is a decent production line that you have here," he commented.

"Thank you," said Lifprasil graciously. "Most of it came from our Hain population after a few hundred years."

Teknall's palms flipped up. "They are an innovative bunch, after all."

Lifprasil nodded, and walked past Hogarth, of whom payed him little mind as he reviewed the shimmering metal before him in beguiled wonder.

"I do not know much of the craft, but I do know our metals - particularly those of whom are harder to retrieve, aren't very agreeable." he explained as he encroached upon an elderly Hain's work. The beaked person's hardened arms pressed into the glowing metal below him without much fear of burning. The doughy substance was contained in one of many pits built into the stone floor, layered in sandstone as barrier between the carefully measured rock and the excessively hot liquid. 

"Hello, my Emperor, hello Susa, and hello newcomer." said the jaded smith below them as acknowledgement, his focus impalpable from his craft.

Teknall nodded his beak in greeting. "Hello." He watched with interest as the smith plied his craft.

The smith toiled, and pulled long bands of the metal liquidity below him, before folding it over the original structure, pressing the inconsistencies below, further and further down into the mesh as he went. "The magic that allows our smiths to toil at metals without burning them is of complete happenstance; when my Alef was created, the few of my people developed...Growths. These were similar to Lakshmi's own, but they did not have the same fantastic power, they were much more mild." Lifprasil explained, before he bent a knee and extended his hand to the Hain Smith.

The Smith rested his smaller, taloned hand in the palm of Lifprasil, and he motioned for Teknall to look. "The salt from the world's oceans has coalesced onto the forearms of all here, and it has made their extremities powerful, they can superheat their skin, and are able to bait its injuries. At first they were thought sickly - but this is truly a gift." the Emperor finished his explanation, and thus left the Hain to his work.

"Careful, boss, you act like you're looking to reveal all our secrets." Susa wearily said, eyeing Teknall. "If Teknall has the goodwill of mortals in mind, he is surely an ally." replied Lifprasil, graciously pressing fingertip to fingertip.

Teknall nodded and looked to Susa. "An ally indeed. I desire to see Alefpria prosper, along with the rest of Galbar." There was a flicker in the corner of the heroine's vision, something which looked like a bird, coloured to blend into the masonry. "Besides, there are few secrets that can be kept from the Gods."

Susa crossed her arms, and resigned to craning her head in the general direction of the oddity she hypothetically saw. "You guys can't know everything, you know." she protested. "It's not right."

As the Smith kneaded the metal with his bare hands, Teknall continued to observe with fascination. Manipulating the metal as though it were clay, unfazed by the extreme heat, heating the metal red-hot at will; it all remined Teknall of how he sometimes worked with metal. Mortals a step closer to divinity.

"Anyway, there is one last thing I wish to look at. The spaceship," Teknall said.

"Spaceship? That's a term." Lifprasil chuckled, before he turned to walk out.

Once he stepped outside, the sun began its descent in the east, fiery light cascaded through the mountains, hardly pressing past jungle trees and into the colorful city below. The inkling pink clouds just barely covered the form of Father Dominus floating above, his overwhelming presence threatening to smother the comparatively tiny Emperor and his guest; of whom were at his dutiful mercy. "I always thought him a flying beast of a greater majesty, rather than a ship, much like my Throne." said Lifprasil, as Oevadia came hovering from the skies above.

"He is a hybrid of both ship and beast. A glorious feat of bioengineering, as is to be expected from Jvan," Teknall said.

Her jets fired as she balanced herself, and landed upon the top of the workshop Teknall had just been inside, she balanced carefully on the building before she climbed down from her perch. As she did, the crowd parted as they gazed on at awe at Lifprasil's jet powered mount, and once she was positioned beside her master, she lowered herself to allow him atop her. Once he was comfortable atop luxurious saddling, Lifprasil hoisted Teknall atop Oevadia, and set the apparent Hain behind him.

"I think the only other time I saw something quite so massive was when I fought Grot, or when I visited Jvan's garden. Do you think my father's crisis could have been avoided if I commanded such power back then?" Lifprasil questioned - albeit rhetorically.

"I think Vestec would have just made a bigger Horde and a bigger mess," Teknall replied.

Susa opted out of Lifprasil's assistance when it was offered, and clambered atop Oevadia herself, taking a seat behind Teknall. With all three patricians boarded, the jet powered beast took off, she hovered gently before pressing forward; up to Father Dominus. They climbed steadily, Oevadia demonstrating her power as she carried them high and far.

"Jvan's given you both this mount and that spaceship," Teknall commented as they ascended, "Why did she give you them?"

"She believes that I can offer her things in turn, I would suppose," said Lifprasil in turn. "Or she believes that I can show that her creations are not malignant. I speak of protecting Galbar and bringing it prosperity - but I believe that she does not care for those things, she cares for creating, and for creatures accepting them as creations." he stated. The throne now flew under the belly of Father Dominus, racing past the chitin and ArkSynth skin that was its hull and past the cusp of its form. The flesh parted in front of the calvacade, and opened into an opening just wide enough for Oevadia, granting Lifprasil access into the cylindrical innards of Dominus.

The inside of the beast was surprisingly uniform, ribs dotted the walls of the ship, a spinal column of glimmering, metallic chitin was mounted above them, and there, distantly sat the bridge, hosted by a Sculptor with a hand for a face. "Oh! Greetings Emperor," greeted Dabbles, now the nervous upkeep of the ship, of whom was surrounded by strange, heart shaped beings."The ship is at peak performance now, Emperor, once you will it, we can produce more Knights for your army, and whatever else you may wish - with some changes, of course." explained Dabbles, listlessly stepping down the flat, organic steppes to his position.

Teknall's neck twisted and craned to take in the views of the interior of Father Dominus. "I will have to visit Jvan some time and commend her on this feat of bioengineering," Teknall said, partly to himself, "And while I'm there I have a bunch of other things to talk about too. I should probably visit her next, actually."

Teknall waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, that doesn't concern you. I'm here to look at this ship!" Teknall looked at the Sculptor with one pair of eyes. "And what is your name?"

Dabbles shakily bowed into a sharp kneel at his address. "I am Dabbles - a sculptor of godly flesh of whom was given to the Emperor by my superior." he said before he stood, wreathed in a cloak of thick sinews and muscle. "Have you come to admire this installation in its beauty?" he asked. Lifprasil silently clambered down from his steed, of whom chirped and shifted in place, almost purposefully knocking Susa off of her back. The huntress grimaced once she landed on her bare feet, steadying herself on the unfamiliar interior of Father Dominus. "Agh..." she sighed, wandering away from the Jvanic creature.

The formerly bare floors of Dominus were now sprouting with vegetation, lichen, grass, and even flowers grew from the skin of the Flagship upon Lifprasil's lordly touch, creating a much warmer atmosphere within the otherwise oppressive creation. "What would you like to know about my ship?" Lifprasil asked Teknall with his usual cool demeanour, whilst Susa knelt and examined the garden that grew around her like a miracle. 

"Hmm..." Teknall looked around at the walls of the ship a little longer. With his Perception and innate knowledge of technology, he knew all the technical specifications as soon as he stepped inside, and he doubted Lifprasil could give him any better description. "What have you named this ship?"

"Jvan named it Father Dominus, but it can reproduce based on its androgyny - I prefer to call Dominus a 'He', however. based on his name-sake." Lifprasil explained, while Dabbles chordled odd nothings in the background.

"Reproduce?" Teknall perked up, pondering the possibilities. "The whole ship? Or do you refer to the factory for Cosmic Knights?"

"The entire thing, it is an organism, after all, the factory can be repurposed, and after enough time can produce another creature," explained Lifprasil. "You seem slightly more interested." he then remarked, facing him.

Teknall's hain palms turned upwards and he let out a chuckle. "It's just that the idea of a self-replicating ship is too good to ignore. To construct a self-replicating machine is a great challenge, but Jvan has side-stepped that obstacle by making this ship a living being. The gestation period would be enormous, but you'd still achieve exponential growth given adequate food." Teknall straightened up. "This is a powerful gift Jvan has given you. Use it wisely."

Lifprasil nodded, prideful of his gift, "Galbar needs leadership, guidance to hold it fast against the dangers of Logos, which you have done your way, and I will soon do mine," he explained. "I will use my gifts to their fullest extent."

Teknall looked to Lifprasil with his right pair of eyes and Dabbles with his left pair. "Do either of you know the technical details of the biocatalysed cold fusion or the gap-thrust propulsion on this ship?"

Dabbles shakily raised a hand, "I can show you!" he volunteered "Although, I'll have to take you back to the end of Father Dominus, he is a beautiful, expertly built machine of greatness. You simply must see his inner machinations in person." he swooned, brandishing a chuckle from Lifprasil, and egging him out of his stoicism.

Pleasantly surprised that someone actually knew anything about the technology, Teknall replied, "That would be marvellous. And after that, we can look at the factory," Teknall nodded to Lifprasil, "if that is alright with you, Lifprasil."

"I will have to leave you to Dabbles, but you do have my permission to explore my Dominus alongside him," Lifprasil said to Teknall as he turned on a heel - but then stopped suddenly. "Oh - and for you: my guest." he noted, as the floor then parted below him. "A meager portion of my valuable material to good faith. Strong as metal; but interchangable as flesh. Do not share its qualities with anyone but yourself, please." Lifprasil told the craftgod, and invested a ball of the geometric, porous uniformity of Jvan's creation to his palm, and with it his trust. Both of these things were open to Teknall, now.

Teknall's eyes widened upon seeing the orb of grey flesh. Gingerly, he reached out and held the orb in his hands. "Ah, this stuff. Biological tissue. High potential for differentiation guided by external stimuli." Teknall put the orb under his nose and sniffed it. "Shares components with this Jvanic ship and Mammon's demons, plus..." Teknall sniffed again, and his eyes squinted in thought and his head tilted indecisively, "...something else. I've seen this in use in Xerxes, by Tauga. I had been hoping to get a sample. Thank you." Teknall bowed his head in thanks. Then he removed a clear plastic sheet from his apron pocket, wrapped the fleshy ball in it, then deposited the large orb in his apron pocket, where it appeared to vanish.

Teknall turned to follow Dabbles down the hallway. He gave Lifprasil and Susa a farewell wave. "I'll see you two some other time. Thank you again."

Teknall walked down the metal-flesh hallway beside Dabbles, engaged in animated conversation about the technical details of Father Dominus, the Cosmic Knights and Arksynth. Soon the pair disappeared into the bowels of the ship, passing Sweethearts, bulwark doors, and glowing air-plankton along the way.

Lifprasil stood at a bend, and watched Teknall disappear into the bowels of Father Dominus with Dabbles. He mused over his visit in silence, and once Susa was sure the inventor-god was out of ear shot, she paced up to the Emperor with purpose.

"I don't trust him." said the huntress, looking down that same corridor that Teknall disappeared into.

A brisk dismissal was Lifprasil's reply, a discernible "Hm." parted his narrow lips only slightly, as he stood hunched. "Something was watching me, I swear it." Susa then said, before the same gaze stirred her to turn, pointing bow and arrow to a new presence.

"How did you arrive here, Fortemiel?" Lifprasil questioned, dwarfed by the Knight he had hosted in the palace earlier. Susa relaxed.

"We willed it." was the Knight's reply, as he motioned to his partner. Navy blue armor, covered in subtle mounds of glistening ArkSynth adorned the other one. Their head was hidden from sight, instead hosted by a helmet that extended on a neck similar to a wise Tortoise, and ended with an armored top punctuated with two beady, watchful eyes.

"Hm."

Teknall makes a formal visit to Alefpria.
Scene opens over the port town associated with Alefpria. Some minor exposition.
Scene moves to Alefpria proper, where Teknall has a nerd-gasm upon seeing Father Dominus, a real-life starship.
Teknall enters the palace, passes a suspicious-looking bird, and finds Lifprasil, who is with a Cosmic Knight.

Teknall and Lifprasil have an extended conversation, covering such topics as:
-The purpose of the Cosmic Knights
-How the Realta have been repelled
-The upcoming Xerxes battle, including Vestec's attempted deal and Logos' presence. Also, Teknall asks Lifprasil to spare Tauga.
-Advice for dealing with Logos
-The GodKiller
-The Codex of Creation
-Vulamera's fate
-The schools Lifprasil had been trying to establish for mortals, to which Teknall pledges his assistance
-The nature of divine creation
-The existence of four cities on Galbar
-Teknall's minor concerns over Lifprasil's aspirations for interstellar conquest

During this conversation, the pair moved out of the palace, past purple-coloured King Trees, and into the city. Teknall soaks in the city atmosphere, feeling Civilisation in progress (Teknall Levels up to Level 5).
They meet Susa. Teknall and Susa catch up on events between when she met Gerrik and now.
Then they move on to the metalworks, where Teknall observes Alefprian metalworking. By some magic, the arms of smiths have become calcified and immune to the molten metal, allowing them to work it with their bare hands, and also capable of superheating metal to melting point.
Finally, they go up to Father Dominus, flying of Ovaedis. They meet Dabbles, who is now the ship's upkeep. Teknall continues to be impressed by Father Dominus, and says he'll need to go to Jvan and compliment her. Lifprasil has made flowers grow inside.
Dabbles offers Teknall a tour of the inner workings, which Teknall enthusiastically accepts.
Before parting, Lifprasil gives Teknall a ball of Arksynth, as a gift.

Might Summary
Teknall: 6 Might spent to Level up to 5. 13.5 Might remaining

Lifprasil spent no Might.

Susa played a minor role, with 3500+ characters.
Start: 11 Khookies
Gained: 4 Khookies
End: 15 Khookies
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