The Clockwork Mansion

   Hello!  This is the friendly neighborhood Meany calling in to try my hand at forum roleplay.  Probably won't take, but still.
Deification.
Introduction: You were great Gods and Goddesses of your realm.  Each of you had a city to your name, and vast power at your disposal.  The mortals worshiped you as you deserved.  None dared to darken your door for you were mighty, and would crush them.  And this was your undoing.  Each and every one of you were betrayed by your own King.  Fear of you had grown in him until he lashed out and tried to destroy you.  By and large, he succeeded.  Many of your brothers and sisters are dead; and their cities now give worship to your former King.  With dwindling options, you have all fled south, to the rocky islands which spawned your cults.  Here dwell tribes of mortals, giving worship to archaic depictions of yourselves, and still operating with Stone Age technology.  You have now a chance to start over.  But what will you do with it?

Setting: You will be operating in a chain of mountainous islands, the chain itself has no name, but the individual islands have their own names, depending on the player character it gives worship to.  These islands have no safe harbors, and are so inhospitable that most of your worshipers have burrowed deep into the rock, forming caverns in which to live, grow, and kneel to you.  You come from an Bronze Age setting to a Stone Age setting, so behave accordingly with regards to technology; social and economic conventions are up to you.

Disambiguation: Yes, you the players are gods/goddesses.  You are long-lived, mighty, and not of the material plane.  You are not all powerful. There are limits to what you can do, primarily based on the number of worshipers you have, and the faith they place in you.  Since your fall, you have lost the bulk of your powers, and so will be limited even further.  Rest assured, your lives will not be easy.  Divinity, or no.

Mission Statement: The purpose of this roleplay is to have fun.  To explore what can be done with such monumental power that you are effectively gods.  To build a society from the ground up.  This is a game, so let loose and enjoy yourselves.

That said, anyone interested?

Template!
Name: Naming conventions are up to you lot.  You are the gods, after all.
Depiction: What you look like, and the preferred manner in which you are depicted by your followers.
Domain: What is your primary purpose in the cosmology?  If you intend to use an umbrella phrase, like Winter, please explain what specific areas are covered by your umbrella.
Titles: What names have you earned to go with your power and cunning?
Island: They're all inhospitable spits of rock.  Give yours some personality.
Origin: How did you, specifically, come to exist?  Feel free to use propaganda.
Temperament: What is your personality?  Give your god some quirks!
Clergy: How does your cult go about worshiping you?
Symbols: What images are associated with you?
Backstory: How has your life been up to this point?  Adventurous, I hope. :3
Family Tree: Have yourself some mortal children running about?  Describe them here.  Feel free to confer with others to create a little family tree of the gods.

Current players:

SquirrelWizard	Masota (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347648.html#msg347648)	Luck, Trickery, Adventure
Corgatha Taldothar	Jerrel (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347650.html#msg347650)	Law, Cataloging, Tactics
techmaster-glitch	Zaltan (//http://)	Knowledge, Invention, Curiosity
AmberCross	Aellor (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347656.html#msg347656)	Chaos and Order, Weather (particularly storms), Astronomy, Possibilites/Chance
Tezkat	Tezkatl (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347660.html#msg347660)	The Night Sky, Moon, Dreams, Messengers, Shape-shifting, Death/Birth (spiritually), Boundaries
Techcubi	Kuntorus (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347663.html#msg347663)	The Hunt, Wilderness
VAE	Horiv (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347683.html#msg347683)	The Earth, Underworld, Ore, limited Agriculture
Inumo	Kesh'Noria (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347712.html#msg347712)	Devotion
Kafziel	Kumbha (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347780.html#msg347780)	The Sea and Oceans
Dr. Hatari	Gys (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347860.html#msg347860)	Life
Cogidubnus	Oshye (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347906.html#msg347906)	Victory, Lost Cause
Previewer	Ainos (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347921.html#msg347921)	Time
Arclane	Tharsus (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347923.html#msg347923)	Fire, Volcanoes, Lava/magma
e_voyager	Volare (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg347872.html#msg347872)	Kindness, Guidance
Ashen Star	Sombriel (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,8129.msg348034.html#msg348034)	Death <physical>, destruction, endings, murder, decay

This sounds *very* neat. I'm interested.


I would like to know, however, how..... *gropes for the right phrase* mentally elemental we are? Suppose I play some sort of Winter God, embodying concepts like stasis, rest, stability, would I be able to see the need for counter-portfolio solutions, even if they're not really in my guy's "sphere"?

After expressing disinterest, I am suddenly interested. I call dibs on God of Knowledge/Construction :U  A general pacifist, but I also imagine someone's going to be a God of War at some point."Win" or "lose", this should be fun. :3

If you need counter-portfolio solutions, (thank you Techmaster, for the translation), you can adapt.  But adapting a force which represents a force of the universe takes time.  You'd need to learn about it, and modulate your self image to acclimate the change, and risk loosing proficiency with your old powers.  Of course, if you need something done fast, and done well, there are other Gods/Goddesses floating around that you could negotiate aide from.  Just avoid the trickster.  He probably caused the problem in the first place.

Other cosmology questions. I know we're powered by our worshipers, but how did the world and people and gods come to be set up? (do the gods even know?) Is there an afterlife, and if so, what is the divine effect on it? Do we get to have any say in what happens to the souls of our worshipers? Do we get to bend the rules and steal souls that by all rights we shouldn't have?  :eager Who regulates the gods actions, outside of the feeding power from mortals thing?


Lastly, is there some sort of template bio sheet we can use to shape a submission, or should we just freeform?

ohhh nice, so what happens if we're a god of trickery and adventure?

The gods were born from the mortals.  Who needed explanations of what happened to the world.  That's the prevailing theory amongst them.  But this implies you are children of the mortals, so most tend to ignore it.  Claiming to have been born alongside the planet itself, to govern that which if uncontrolled, would cause havoc. 

The player who's god is of the Afterlife, or of Death with a stipulation to include the after-death would have the souls of the dead.  Those souls belong to that player, and he needs to provide for them in addition to his living followers.  But you should find ways of stealing.  Just as he/she/it will find ways of stealing from you.  Actions have consequences.  You don't have much power at the beginning, due to your low population of worshipers, but you can do small things.  Those small things should have chain reactions if you can think of them.  But aside from me being the GM, here are some rules of thumb.

• No one god can have more power than the collective.  You've all learned your mistake in regards to your King.
• The more unnatural what you're trying to do, the more energy it'll cost you.  This also relates to how long you attempt to make it last, or how quickly you do it.  Something on the scale of Noah's flood would leave you comatose for decades, if not centuries.
• You all can be in more than one place at once by default.  This is useful because in order to die, all of you needs to be in the same place at the same time.  However, this period is when you are absolutely your strongest.  Many of you should be lingering around the Divine Realm-presently a Board Room of sorts-to confer with each other at a whim.  Which means other gods should be right there to knock your teeth out if you cross a line.

Squirrel, clarify your question, please? :P

well, what if you are a loki style trickster god. One who pushes the issue? IE, "Oh ho! So you say that ship is unsinkable?... I so do love a challenge."

except the god isn't evil. He merely favors, and encourages, those who push the envelope while striving to do what would normally be considered impossible or within the realm of the gods themselves.

That would be acceptable.  You have free reign to create the gods and their personalities.  Just don't have a God of War who wields a bouquet of flowers, or something to that effect, and all shall be good.

In other news, character template in the works.

Excuse me for the double post, but announcing that the template is up.

Pardon me while I go iron my hands to make up for the double post.

Name: Masota

Depiction: Masota has many forms. Her appearance changes depending on what she is trying to accomplish. But, she usually appears as a humanoid of varying degrees of humanity with either traits of a fox or squirrel, sometimes even combining the traits of all three. Those few who have seen her always comment about her piercing green eyes, flaming red hair, and her lilting voice.

Domain: Masota focuses in Luck, Trickery, and Adventure. While a patron of Trickery, she tends to favor ingenuity and cleverness over outright trechery. And, for adventure, she favors pushing boundries, and (re)discovery. She dabbles in many other aspects but only focuses on those above.

Titles: Laughing Siren, The Green Eyed Succubus, The Fickle One

Island: Extinct Volcano on the northern end of the island. A few patches of volcanic soil, but mostly rugged forest and underbrush. There is a natural harbor (note: natural doesn't always mean safe) which consists of extremely pointy jagged rocks, steep granite cliffs, and a pebbally beach. Detrius and debris collect in the cove.

There are natural predators on the island which are large squirrel like creatures that grow to the size of small dogs (think wolves but just a smidge smaller) that are omniverous, and are the premier predator on the island's surface but they are not overly aggressive. They are trumped only by the Land Squids (Balls of rubbery tentacles with a wicked beak in the center) that lurk in the caverns of the Volcano's caldra.

Origin: Masota came to being when the first man was about to sucumb to severe injury. When Death came to take his soul to the underword; the man said, "Wait, I am the first of my kind. I have stood up from the realm of beast and have set forth to see for myself, to forge my own destiny. I am no animal who has lived and died by instinct and strength alone, but have used my mind to plan, to craft, to thrive. Grant me this! This one last exercise of my mind, a wager as it were. Bring me a board, checkered with squares of color, and some pieces and I shall play a game of Pago with you. It is a simple game of my design, I played it with my sons, and I shall play it with you. Should you win, I shall go with you, otherwise I go free." Death's eyes seemed to glint with scruitany but he did as told and brought forth the board and pieces.

After explaining how the game worked, they began to play the game in ernest. While the man had experience on his side with the game, Death was a very fast learner. After what seemed like an eternity of grueling play, the game came to an impassible stalemate. Seemingly satisfied, Death approached the man as if to usher his soul to the beyond, when the man merely smiled, "My soul is not yours to take. For while the game is over, you did not win." This caused death to pause as he considered the events that had just transpired. Death's grin seemed to twist, as if what this man had done caused him some sort of twisted mirth. With a wave of his skeletal hand, he returned the man to the land of the living, alive, but forever crippled by his injuries.

But, he was not the only thing to return from the mythical beyond. A force from the beyond was brought into the world. Sparked by the mans ingenuity and luck, Masota was born, named Masota for graceful/luckful lady.

Temperament: Masota is most well known for her fickleness. While she seemingly randomly grants her boons to those in need, she is just as likely to withold them. She favors people who strive to make their own luck, but looks poorly at those who constantly supplicate her for her boons, utilize her gifts without proper humility, or squander her blessings on trecherous mechanizations or paltry task. Masota loves to counterdict mortals, especially those who are haughty enough to wild claims. Masota is not particularly vindictive, but she likes to be thorough. She may work against many people but very few actually incur her wrath.

Personality wise, Masota enjoys her work, watching as her influence affects history. She can be a bit of a hedonist as she enjoys herself, but her fickle nature and rather short attention span means she never focuses upon one thing for too long.

Clergy: There is very little in centralized religion, as most prayers or supplications are done on a personal level. Either alone or under one's breath. Masota's clergy typically fill in the cracks of society, by either providing opportunities for one to grow, or by selectively weeding out unwanted elements.

There are roughly two sides to her openly devout followers. The clergy, who serve as tutors and teachers. They manage the affairs of the church. And the "Paragons" are a sect of warriors and specialist, glory seekers and soldiers of fortune, which act as Masota's physical arm in the world.

Symbols: Acorn, sometimes a set of dice.

Backstory: Masota spent her time roaming the countryside laying forth a large swath of chaos. Where heroes and ledgends were born, she was there. Where nations fell, and conquerers plundered, she was there. When the God King moved against the others, it is said that she assisted him in his endevors; not personally, but not through denial of the powers under her control, and as she was pushed out of the realm, her final words to him were to remind him of how insubstantial luck can be and, when his runs out, she will be there when he falls.

Family Tree: Masota has yet to have any children, nor is she related to the other gods through blood.

Name: Jerrel.

Depiction: Jerrel appears as a vast human male, standing roughly 14 feet tall and weighing close to 2000 pounds. He has coal black hair , and a square, trimmed beard. He has flecks of gray at the temples, but the musculature of a much younger man, with sad, deep set slate eyes. His shoulders are broad, and his body is lean. He typically wears a flowing white robe, and is indistinct under it where  the folds reveal his body. When acting in an official capacity, in front of mortals, he dons Impartiality, an ornate, feathered mask, impassive and stern, and his voice changes, becoming deeper and rougher.

Domain: Jerrel is the Lawgiver and Cataloger, and he views his purpose as to promote divine efficiency, not only making sure that the rules are obeyed, but that the rules themselves are just, and promote benign, industrious behavior. While not a war god, he has a martial aspect, but he is more concerned with organization and logistics, with strategy and planning, than with crude slaughter.

Titles: The Masked Judge. The Bookbinder. To his priests when they are Inside, he is simply Master. To his progeny,(see below) he is The Appointer.

Island:  Jerrel's cult is from the island of Teleothial, a small, barren rock on the end of the world. It is not particularly fertile, and there is only limited agriculture. Animal husbandry gets a bit further, and on the coast fishing is the primary means of feeding people. The island is almost completely flat, and there is sufficient rainfall in the northernmost spur to support a sparse woodland. There is no natural harbor, but at monumental effort, a small but serviceable quay has been dug out along the eastern shore, making a crude but somewhat serviceable harbor and boatworks. The weather, however, tends to be unpredictable, and many accidents occur, making boat travel unsafe.

There are no major cities, villages dotting the island at an almost uniform concentration, and the only elaborate structure to be found is The Temple. The Temple is divided into two sections, the Courtyard, where anyone may enter, and doubles as the administrative center for the Island. The inner section is only accessible by the clergy, and even they rotate service inside. Entering while not being called upon to serve carries the death penalty. Indeed, that is primarily what the inner section is known for, as the condemned are to "Greet Jerrel in his Home.", and are cut down when they are pushed through the doorway.



Origin: Once, a rich farmer hunted a fox who was known to make off with his chickens. He roused his hounds, and gave chase to the vulpine intruder. He pursued the fox down a lane and into a quiet forest, throwing darts, but connecting with none. A tracker, hearing the noise, went to investigate, and with one sure toss, impaled the fox on his javelin.

At once, the two men quarreled over who had ownership of the fox's remains. The farmer said that as it was his quarry, he had first right to it, and that the tracker had no business interfering. The tracker said that it was his skill and industry which brought the beast low, and by rights the pelt should be his. The two raised their hands against one another, but before blows were struck, MY voice rang, Pronouncing that lo, the hunt of the fox was a good for ALL, and that it is the sacred duty of all men to advance the cause of their community. The pelt was to go to the farmer, for it was his stock that had been taken by the beast, and he was a pillar of the folk in the way that the hunter was not, but I Decreed that he was to pay compensation, in the form of three hens and a new spear, to the hunter, in payment of his skill.

Following this exercise, I was able to Manifest,  and soon I was to bring all of Teleothial under my rule, for before, men had none to guide them in their pursuits, waging a war of all against all. I put an end to it, and from their My Doctrine spread, eventually touching the hearts of all men.


Temperament: Jerrel is almost always completely impassive, speaking primarily in declarations or observations. He only barely understands mercy, or pity, and while he can make exceptions to his rules, it is only by formulating that the rule itself would produce an undesirable outcome in the current situation, and will immediately try to reformulate the rule so that it covers the unintended circumstance. He considers the other deities sovereign, and unless they submit to his authority, he will not overly concern himself with their actions. Mortals he views as little more than peons to be ordered about, for their own good.

Clergy:  Worship of Jerrel takes two primary forms, inner service and outer service. Inner service refers to the inner section of the Temple, and is as such only available to the priesthood. (Priests are ordained by higher ranking priests following a testing ceremony focusing primarily on logic and memorization skills. The highest ranking of priests, those allowed to serve Jerrel and his progeny directly, are only appointed by the god himself.) Inner service consists of compiling legal compendia, executing troublemakers, cleaning up the temple, and educating the Appointed. Inner service never lasts for more than a year at a time, and the priests are absolutely forbidden to speak of what occurs inside the temple, even to other priests who have reached such a rank as to be able to go in themselves.

Outer service covers everything else, and is demanded of both the clergy and lay people. Essentially, it is merely a requirement that one live harmoniously with their fellows, and that they resort to the judgment of the priesthood/courts to resolve major disputes rather than engaging in self help. Violence against other people is almost never permitted, although personal deals and pacts are allowed, even encouraged. There is little ritual involved, Jerrel seeming to view that the quiet running of his island is itself an act of worship.


Symbols: Jerrel's primary symbol is a fasces. In times of war, the rods are bladed on the outside, but are otherwise just sticks. Secondary symbols include a set of scales, with human hearts on them, a shield with an unrolled scroll device, and a blank, solemn mask.

Backstory: Jerrel rarely ventures from the inner temple, at least not in his primary form. He often creates wandering personae, traveling the land anonymously, so he can see what is going on around him. The only time he will leave the temple in his own name is to pronounce a supremely important decision; he is the highest appeal possible. He sometimes mediates disputes among the gods, but always does so in remote, inaccessible places, far from prying mortal eyes.

When he needs something done in the mortal realm, he either sends his clergy to do his bidding for him, or, in rare cases, one of his children.

Family Tree: Jerrel does not acknowledge kinship with any other deities. (This is open to modification, pending future players joining and wanting to make some sort of bond). Very, very rarely, in times of great need, Jerrel will call for a mortal woman to be brought to his temple. She is always selected on the basis of being the highest ranking priestess that is still within childbearing years. Jerrel will sire a child, known as the Appointed.
   
The appointed are raised in the temple by the priests, and are trained from the time they can understand that they are being addressed to redress a single, specific wrong that Jerrel had in mind when siring them. They are given whatever instruction Jerrel considers necessary to right the wrong, and are then sent out. If they fail, Jerrel will take another priestess and try again. If they succeed, they report their father, and Jerrel embraces them, snapping their necks. The appointed know that they are to die at the end of their tasks, but are indoctrinated to view this as a positive, the fulfilling of a divine destiny.

Currently, there is one appointed, a babe, who will be charged with slaying the King who dared to drive Jerrel and the other gods from the mainland.


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Hope this is good enough.

Name: Zaltan

Titles: The Keeper Of Books, The Scholar, Great Inventor/Builder, King Of Craft, Teacher And Learner

Depiction: Zaltan has two preferred forms when a mortal glimpses him; a silver-haired young man in a large, unhooded tan robe, and always carrying a scroll or book, and a silver-haired young man dressed in carpenter's or smith's fatigues, and carring a carpentry or metalworking hammer.

Domain: Knowledge and Invention (or in other words, Curiosity and Ideas). Zaltan embodies two stages of an abstract concept; one, the drive to acquire knowledge, and two, the cleverness to apply it. He inspires his followers to reach greater heights and learn all they can about the world, and the wit to use it, being the literal thirst for knowledge and will to apply thus knowledge in humans. Since the mass deicide, Zaltan is one of the weakest of any of the remaining gods, not even having the power to physically manifest and having very little power to work miracles in the physical realm beyond leaving the occasional clue for his followers. This is made up for that, thanks to his influence, Zaltan's followers have gotten quite good at figuring things out and discovering things for themselves, which Zaltan encourages in every way he can. However, where convenient or necessary, he will attempt to give a direct flash of inspiration to a particularly dedicated follower.

Island: The island of Zaltan's followers is decently sized, covered mostly in spares trees and plenty of scrub bush. There are some natural predators around the island, but despite all this, Zaltan's people have already moved out of their caves and established surface settlements, generally ringed by defensive wooden walls with a spike trench to keep out beasts. The island has little in the way of resources, either by edible plants or usable ores, as the island has was mined out long ago. Zaltan is working rectifying both of these problems with his highly limited god-power. Due to this, his followers are struggling to survive, not being particularly skilled hunters or warriors aside from making good traps, and also the aforementioned few plants suitable for farming. However, his followers have already learned to use fire as a tool, and while there isn't enough ore or larger-scale metalworking projects, they have found samples enough and already made metal hand tools that are better than stone ones. While there are no harbors any safer than the other islands, Zaltan's followers have already begun to excavate one and fill it with rigging and docks to create something better than simple rowboats. They have also learned how to create wheeled carts to transport materials easier. At the moment, however, Zaltan's greatest focus is getting his tribe to begin unraveling the deeper meanings of mathematics, and realizing that the stars move in predictable patterns.

Origin: On one of the origin islands, there was a tribe of people who had managed to secure their village well enough against preadators that they could simply relax every now and then. At one point, one human made a small deal with another, but the next day, the other human had forgotten the exact words of the deal. The first human began thinking that things would be much better if they had a way to keep things they know and say in some kind of permanenet form. While carving a few stone tools next a boulder, he slipped and accidentally put a scratch on the boulder. He looked at it, and realized the scratch would still be there the next day. He made a few more scratches in specific patterns, and though to himself "What if these scratches represented sounds in our Language?" He showed tis to the other villagers, and writing and reading--the process of recording an instant of knowledge permanently--was born, and an essence of a new god began to take shape.
  The tribe progressed, and everyone in it got into the habit of writing down important things, and passed this skill to the next generation. The tribe then got into the habit of observing the world around them, and recording it with their writings. A human then saw another human observing something that he himself had already observed and recorded. This human then got the idea that instead of everything observing things on their own, they could take advantage of these records outside of everyone's own mind, and allow someone to benefit from something that someone else has already observed, making learning things faster. The tribe then stored all the writings together, and the first Library, the first repository of Knowledge, was built. The god-essence took more shape.
  Another generation passed, and the first Library expanded. A human, one day, was frustrated with his stone tools, which were inadequate as he was trying to carve a larger rock to remove it from his path. He looked through the Library for Knowledge, and learned that someone had discovered very hard "rocks" in the ground, but they weren't in a useable shape and he could not figure out how to reshape them. Some searching later, he found another record from a particularly cold season that water that has become like a rock itself in the cold will return to liquid when exposed to fire and become a new shape when it becomes a stone again. The human then wondered if the same thing would happen to these super-hard stones if he exposed them to fire. After experimenting, he met with success, and discovered how to shape metal, thanks to combining Knowledge in a new way. The god-essence grew again.
  Another generation passed. By this time, parchment and ink had been discovered, much more compact than stone tablets, and there was an entire group within the village dedicated to writing everything down. The rest of the villagers found that they could use Knowledge to make other things with their hands, things made of several individual parts joined together in ways that bound them, but still allowed them to move. These Crafts were always made to fulfil some task. Gaining new Knowledge, and using the Knowledge to Craft, became important enough that the villagers finally gave the thirst for Knowledge, and the will to Craft it, a name.
  Zaltan was then truly born.
 
Temperament: Zaltan is relatively pacifistic, and encourages his own followers to tend towards the same. He doesn't interact with other gods much, and is usually blank and soft-spoken anyway, except when he thinks he's learning something. Because he's hardly interacted with other gods much, and especially since his near-death at the hands of the King, he tends to act cloistered and mistrustful, but that doesn't mean he ever stops observing and studying. When he does talk to other gods, he has a tendency to refer to them by title.

Clergy: As a god of an abstact concept, the closest thing he gets to worship and a temple is a library in the center of all the settlements his followers have made. One of Zaltan's very few direct edicts is to always record everything, and thus, all his followers are literate, and write down everything the see and observe on stone tablets, which are kept in the 'library'. The closest thing to clergy are the eldest and most knowledgeable humans on the island, who are the keepers of the library. They are hard at work attempting to recreate a form of proto-parchment, the idea given from flashes of visions from Zaltan, using the scrubs around the island. This project has been met with some limited success. The sages are also charting the movements of the stars, convinced that when the docks are complete and a large enough vessel to safely escape the treacherous waters built, they will need a way to navigate, and the predictable patterns of the stars provide just that. In addition to the knowledge the sages keep, many of the people on the island take the knowledge and find ways to use it, finding a new way to make wooden armor and bows (as they have not yet found enough ore for significant metalworking), and have begun experimenting with devices incorporating pulleys and springs. Closely related to Zaltan's first edict of recording everything is to learn from what is observed; whenever his followers see something (or someone) who does something better than they can, to watch and learn how to do it themselves and improve upon it.

Symbols: His followers usually use images of a scroll or book to refer to him.

Backstory: In Zaltan's heyday, he used his power to nurture the minds of the humans who were already quite intelligent. Under his subtle guidance, many cities established great libraries and other centers of learning, the partakes of which then took what they learned and used it to build ever greater structures, and shape materials in better ways. Zaltan--being primarly the literal human drive to understand hw the world works, and how to make the world work for them--eventually grew less active and more passive as time went on. He entered a slumber-like state, where his power simply remained to sustain the minds of humans so that they could be more and more independant. Zaltan was of course as aware of the other gods as they were of him, but Zaltan did not concern himself with them. The more knowledge huamns gained, the more power Zaltan gained, but at the same time, the more indepentant the humans becauise because of their knowledge, the deeper Zaltan slid into slumber. And he was fine with this.
   Up until the god-king's mass diety slaughter.
   Zaltan was caught near completely unprepared as he slept, almost all his aspects caught in the same instant. Only the sheer power he had gained from the sum of human knowledge allowed several shreds of his essence to escape. In panic and confusion, he followed the most familiar thing he could--the fleeing essences of the other gods who barely escaped the godking's wrath, as they went in the direction of their collective birthplaces.

Family Tree: Zaltan has no children, mortal or immortal.  However, he never talks to or about Kuntorus, and his dogged avoidance suggest there is some history between them.

Name: Aellor

Depiction: Due to his nature, it is disorienting to look at Aellor for long. He changes at a rate just slower than your eyes can follow (or perhaps just more quickly) and the net result is that you won't be able to notice him change but will abruptly become aware that he is different. In more orderly parts of his cycle he may appear as an assortment of spheres (stars or planets usually) floating near each other or perhaps an ordinary looking man that appears to be made of a fractal pattern when you look closely. In less orderly parts of his cycle, he has been known to be a man with lighting in his eyes, a floating cloud, a panther shaped darkness, an ordinary looking attractive woman, nothing at all, and a blinding ball of light all in the same conversation.

Domain: Chaos and Order, Weather (particularly storms), Astronomy, Possibilites/Chance

Titles: The Fractal God, The Everchanging, Harbringer of Chaos, various other nicknames that come and go.

Island: Picture a crescent island. Now ring it all the way around in rocky cliffs. Now add a really tall mountain to the side away from the bay. This is the general gist of it. The waters are treacherous due to reefs and the cliffs appear barren, though riddled with caves where people tend to live. There are more hospitable lands between the bay and the mountains and cliffs where the population gets food from a combination of hunting (and fishing) and low level farming. The island is surrounded by fierce winds and there is no safe route to or from this island. Every time going through will need a different route due to prevalent wind direction and it takes both skill and fast reactions to safely navigate. See 'chaos surfing' under 'clergy' for more information about this.

Origin: When all things are possible, and all possible things happen at once, certain things will happen more times than others. In the chaos that is everything, patterns will arise, events will converge, certain things will always come to be. Such a thing was the creation of our world, such a thing was the creation of the one we call Aellor. Born as the sum of infinite possibilites, he is constant as the stars and as everchanging as the wind. He is ever in a cycle of creation and destruction as the order within him evolves into chaos and the chaos back into order.

Temperament: As an everchanging diety, Aellor tends to follow cycles. His core essence will remain the same for the most part, but he will go through periods of chaotic behavior where he does not seem to make sense and spins beyond understanding. Eventually these patterns will form into something that makes a bit more sense and he will stabalize for a while in a more orderly format. Each cycle of order tends to be a different sort of order than the other. They also last different lengths of time but will inevitably spin back into chaos for his to recreate himself.

Clergy: Different people find their calling to Aellor in different ways. Some will attempt to follow his pattern of chaos and order, reinventing themselves on a periodical basis. Some believe that even at his most chaotic there exists an order to him that is simply beyond their capability to understand and if they understood more of the world they may better understand their god. Some will even approach the destruction or chaos aspect and will offer up sacrifices by setting things into flame or wrecking that which is perfect. Whether worship is offered in philisophic thought, running through perfect snow, or flirting with a new guy every other week, all are considered equally viable methods of worship so long as the intent is there and the situation can be applied. Another popular sort of worship is chaos riding, usually done in heavy storms where a worshiper will throw him or herself into a chaotic situation and trust to chance and their own skill to see them through it safely. The trust in him, the faith that puts them in the situation, the skill and performance of those who dance through danger, and sometimes the death of those who don't make it all fuel Aellor's power. There are all sorts of ways to chaos surf, whether cliff diving, surfing, even navigating to and from the island.
    It is said there is a cave at the very top of the mountain whose path is guarded by fierce winds and treacherous footing that if one were to reach would automatically entitle the questent a boon from Aellor himself. Thus far, his worshipers have not bothered him to the point where he feels the need for priests or other such structured religion, but as time goes on this may change.

Symbols: Fractals of all sorts are considered holy symbols. Storms are also revered, especially blizzards. Aside from that, various things may be considered holy for a time for some reason or other before falling back into mundane nature. One week snails may be holy due to their spirals, come back a month or so later and the same person who told you this will clam snails are nothing special but the flower he is holding is holy because of the twelve petals. Those who follow Aellor can tell what is holy at any given time. It's kind of like a fashion trend sort of thing.

Backstory: When the great purge came, Aellor was like many others ripped apart. However it was as inevitable as his creation that he would reform from his remnants to live on and he has done so at this island far from the city he once ruled. He has yet to build it to any sort of advanced level and fragments still seem to be scattered, but he's working on it.

Family Tree: As one of the first gods, and a primary pillar of the universe, it is hard to say if Aellor has any relations with other primary universal forces. He does not have any children who currently live, though he has had children in the past. Due to his nature, he loses track of how many or when, but there aren't many in the first place. Considering the reincarnation aspect of Aellor's religion, it's even harder to say how many there were.


Some notes to clear things up: some may find a god of both chaos and order to be confusing. For the most intuitive answer, consider the universe is governed by entropy, a constant trend towards chaos. Yet out of this situation arose galaxies, and even life. The concept is not so terribly different from this. On a side note, by nature the population of my island is a very varied lot. Would it make sense for them to develop traits over their life with accordance to their interpretation of worship towards their god? A philosopher who studies the nature of things may take on a crystalline cast. A man who frequently chaos surfs with an airglider will grow feathers and eventually wings. Someone who often sacrifices things by lighting them on fire may develop a higher body temperature than normal, wind up with personal heat thermals, and eventually get hair of flames. The older the person is, the more exaggerated their 'traits' become. A possible explanation for this could be Aellor's essence filling the island and gradually absorbed/affecting people over time?

Edit: which is to say... stuff I thought of later and will now tack on like a tail to a picture of a donkey.

Quote from: Future meAh, reminds me of something I forgot to mention last night. Aellor highly values creativity and therefore story-making (and telling) is a common hobby of those who follow him. A result of this is his people have no constant constellations and while they know the stars are the same, they constantly reinvent connections between them and meanings for these stars and constellations. The north star would always be the north star, but it can change from a man guarding the greatest treasure in the world to a mountain so tall it punctured the sky and the fixed point that remains is where the divine realm leaks through. Usually general associations such as good luck, or change of fate will remain the same. Dreams are considered the most inspired method of story creation and creativity though none can say whether the signs that arise from Aellor, if it's due to the person (similar to making an actual story), or something else entirely. Followers of Tezkatl would surely tell them it is from their god the dreams come from, but Aellor's people would be somewhat skeptical.

The last and probably most important thing I had wanted to mention was their belief of afterlife. These people (I REALLY need to come up with a name for them and their island non-plussed) belief that death is the devolvement (or evolvement) of the structure that is their lives into a state of chaos. It is generally accepted that their scattered souls will eventually come to pass again someday when they develop back into order and are born again. Like their own god's cycle of change, this rebirth cycle is considered to be sacred. To live forever would be to deny a vital part of themselves and similarly on the other side of the veil, to be forever dead would be just as tragic. As such Aellor's people don't fear death, though most would rather put it off for a while to fully experience life in any given incarnation before returning to the more scattered state of chaos. The 'souls' of these people exist in a state of emotion and instinct rather than higher thought. They might take the forms of animals, inanimate objects, disappear entirely for a time, exist in and among the fierce winds and raging storms that often surround their island, or sometimes just join with Aellor himself for a time.

Name: Tezkatl


Domain: He is a shapeshifter, bringer of sleep and ruler of dreams. He guides souls to newborn children and carries them away when they die. He is time's keeper and heralds the passage of days and months, and is also responsible for the cycles of tides and menses. He is the patron of boundaries and those who cross or guard them, often using his position to act as a messenger god. He was identified with the moon and the night sky. With the death of the sun, he now watches over the heavens alone.


Titles: (Formal) King of Dreams. Watcher on the Threshold. Messenger of the Gods. Bearer of Souls. Keeper of Time. (Casual) Dreamlord. Soulbearer. Shifter. Wayfinder. Moonspeaker. Starguide. (New/Temporary?) Lord of the Heavens. Twilight Sentinel. Celestial Guardian. (Obsolete?) Lord of Night. Night Sentinel. Nightlord. (Archaic) Eye of the Night. Shepherd of Souls.


Depiction: Traditionally represented as a jaguar with glowing white eyes and the night sky as his coat. He can adopt any appearances he chooses, however, and often communicates with people by taking the forms of those important to them.

Following the funeral of the sun, the dying embers of his lost love cover his fur with patches of dusty twilight.


Island: Active volcanoes continually reshape the landscape. Lush jungles and farmland spring up out of nowhere in the rich soil, only to be blasted out of existence as the cycle begins anew. The island is covered with many strange plants that bloom at night, nourished by the moon and stars, and most of the animals are likewise nocturnal. Bioluminescent insects and fungi shimmer in the night. The caves are holy places, and the deepest passages lead not only to the underworld but the lands of spirits and dreams. There are many hot springs said to have rejuvinating properties.

The most holy landmark is the Throne of the Jaguar, where the first men offered their souls to the King of Dreams. A megalithic obsidian henge rings the sacred monolith.


Origin: In the beginning, in the world before time, there was only everlasting day, where men toiled endlessly under the burning sun. Exhausted from their unending hunt, the men slumped in the shade of a large rock. The jaguar sunning himself on the rock looked down at them.

"Why are you sad?" asked the jaguar.

"We are tired and weary," said the men. "We hunt and gather all day and never find rest."

A sparkle shone in the jaguar's eyes. "I can give you the rest you seek," said the Jaguar, "if you but lend me your souls for a while."

The tired men agreed, and the jaguar spirited their souls away to serve him in the land of dreams, where he was king.

The sun came upon the sleeping men and asked, "What has happened to these men?"

"They were tired," said the jaguar, "so I brought them sleep. When they wake they will feel alive and refreshed."

The sun pondered this information. "I too am tired," said the sun. "I shine all day and never find rest."

A sparkle shone in the jaguar's eyes. "Come with me," said the jaguar. "I will show you to a place where you can sleep."

The jaguar guided the sun beyond the horizon, and night fell upon the world for the first time. The jaguar climbed up into the sky and became the moon, watching over the world while the sun and the men slept. When he returned them to the world, they felt so alive and refreshed that they agreed to come with him again the next night.

And so time was born. Each night, the jaguar would guide the sun and souls of men away, and each day he would return them once more. Days came and went. With the passing of days, months came and went. With the passing of months, seasons came and went. With the passing of seasons, years came and went.

The men called to the jaguar one last time. "We are tired and weary," said the men. "Take us to the land of dreams."

The jaguar shook his head. "Many days have passed," said the jaguar, "and with the days, the months, the seasons, and the years. You have grown old and can no longer serve me in the land of dreams. I must take your souls to their final resting place."

And so the jaguar carried the souls of the first men up into the heavens with him. They became the spots on his coat, shining as the stars that would forever watch over their children, and their children's children after them as he travelled across the sky.


Temperament: His mood is as mutable as the moon and the tides, swinging between great highs and lows. He's known to be a creative, slightly mischievous god with a fondness for riddles and hiding the truth in plain sight.


Clergy: Before the Betrayal, he was the traditional patron of messengers, navigators, gatekeepers, artists, performers, midwives, undertakers, astrologers, shapeshifters, and shamans. Although not necessarily their patron deity, burglars, harlots, assassins, and others who operated under cover of night often paid him tribute, as did most travellers and expectant parents. He figured prominently in rites concerning birth, death, adulthood, seasons, and divination.

He is credited with teaching man how to reckon time and read the stars. As time's messenger, he delivers prophecies and foretellings to mortals, usually through dreams and stars. His priests played an important role in interpreting these signs for lay folk.

Followers have a totemic animal or spirit beast that watches over them when they sleep. Becoming a true priest, or nahual, requires a pilgrimage to the land of spirits, where they must hunt their spirit guardian and defeat it. Wearing its skin allows them to take its form under the light of the moon. Among cultists on the island, only those who have walked with spirits and completed this rite of passage are permitted names or ranks in society. The rest are considered children or slaves.

The villagers are semi-nomadic, moving their settlements as the island reshapes itself. They are mainly active at night, ruling the land as both men and beasts. As boundaries are also his domain, they have developed elaborate systems for marking and crossing territories. They also build boats to travel beyond their borders, using the stars as their guide.

Traditional prayer times are at twilight (just before dawn and after dusk) and midnight. The full moon marks his holy day.

He rarely demands living sacrifices (which only make more work for him), although in ritual warfare followers will initially attempt to capture enemies alive so as to present the souls with proper ceremony. He generally prefers that his worshippers offer creative energies instead, such as artwork, poetry, song, and dance.


Symbols: The crescent moon is his symbol, usually accompanied either by stars or the rising/setting sun. The jaguar is his sacred animal, though metamorphic animals, nocturnal beasts, and those that change colour with the seasons also figure prominently in his mythology. Obsidian is considered a sacred material, used for building tools, weapons, and mirrors. The latter play an important role in rituals and divination, symbolizing the boundaries between worlds.


Backstory: Since the birth of their son, the Lord of Night and Lady of Day circled the heavens, dancing in step to the heartbeat of Time. They guarded the heavens in turn. Each day, the celestial lion poured life-giving warmth upon the earth. Each night, the celestial jaguar turned one moonlit eye to the sleeping lands of men while the other watched over the land of dreams.

From his throne of bronze, the King of Gods watched the celestial dance.

Every day, the sun rose into the heavens, and he asked, "Why do men sing praises to the sun, when I am King of Gods?" Every day, the jealousy in his heart burned hotter.

Every night, the moon rose into the heavens, and he asked, "Why do men sing praises to the moon, when I am King of Gods?" Every night, the bitterness in his heart grew colder.

His bitterness turned to madness. His jealousy turned to rage. "My light is the only true light!" he declared. He went to the Mistress of Song and demanded that men sing praises to him alone. When she refused, he raised his sword of bronze and ran her through. He would make sure that the prayers of men no longer reached the heavens. He would not rest until all men bowed down to him as the One True God. On the night of the dark moon, when the Lord of Night would not see his treachery, the King of Gods slipped beyond the horizon to slay the Lady of Day as she slept. And so began the War of the Gods.

The Lord of Night built a great pyre from fallen stars and lit it with fire from the heart of the earth. Fueled by the endless potential of dreams, the flames consumed the remains of the sun. They grew brighter and brighter until the whole sky was ablaze. They seared his flesh, and even now his coat glows with the embers of the dying sun. When the flames died, night and day were no more. The moon stood watch over the world from twilit skies. Time built a great mirror in the heavens to mark his mother's grave. Even in death, she would continue to keep time for the world.

Alone in the sky, the Lord of the Heavens knelt over the ashes and wept. As each tear fell upon the dust, it crystalized into a new egg, the embers igniting a tiny spark of new life. These were the Children of the Sun. One day they would grow bright and rejoin their father in the celestial dance. One day they would restore balance to the shattered heavens.


Family: Consort to the Sun, the union from which Time was born. After the Betrayer slew the Sun, Tezkatl cremated her body and spawned a clutch of cosmic eggs from the ashes. Each could grow into a splendid new sun, but he hadn't the strength to raise them alone. So he fostered them out to be adopted by other gods, that each might lend their power to restoring the heavens.

Name: Kuntorus

Depiction: For the most part, he looks like a well-muscled human, with black hair, and facial hair. For the most part, he wields a spear, and wears various animal-like headgear most of the time, which is what he's often depicted as wearing. He's also depicted as having a hunting net.

Domain: Wilderness/hunting

Titles: Grand hunter, great predator, ultimate hunter, and, Grand deity of the hunt

Island: Kuntorus' island is often known as the ultimate island of hunting. On it, are all the basics for the food chain's needs, including various predators and prey. It is decent-sized, with a large tribal village being located on a flatter part of the island, and, a tribal temple, which is where it is said Kuntorus spends anytime in the physical realm. There are rumors that in this temple, time goes faster than normal in the dimension, although, not very many people have been inside to believe it. Also, part of his group of followers includes a former pack of wolves, who he hyper-evolved to become anthromorphic.

Origin: In a tribe of barbarians, there lived a hunter, named Gursin. For the longest time, Gursin would only hunt for food, in order to feed his tribe. However, after all that time...He grew tired of the type of hunting he was doing. So...He began killing for sport, and for challenge. Although, a few barbarians of his tribe questioned him, many did the same, starting to hunt for sport on top of for need. One day, Gursin encountered a female alpha wolf. It is said for days they tusseled. Then, after about a week went by, Gursin plunged his spear through the wolf's heart. And, from this, and from the combined energy of the hunters...Kuntorus was born.

Temperament: Although, it is thought that one born from barbarian nature would be utterly savage, Kuntorus is a cunning hunter. With his birth, he helped give his followers many new methods of hunting. However, despite that, he's also a deity of strength. He admonishes those who would force their peoples to constantly rely on them, only teaching a select few their techniques, calling these deities weak, and egotistical. Due to this, he rarely, if ever, goes by Jerrel's ruling. Despite having a decent amount of respect for his brother, Zaltan, he often ends up keeping away from his brother, just as often. Also, due to his wilderness job, he also has a decent affinity with animals. Although, he often prefers them to be just as strong as his hunters.

Clergy: His tribe often goes out on an all-out hunt, once a week. Then, after this hunt's done, they bring the biggest trophy to his temple. Then, using one of his followers, he cuts off the head of the trophy. Usually, he will keep this. However, if he feels the one killed it did a great act of hunting, he gives the trophy to the one responsible for the kill. There are also other ways, such as giving a great weapon of the hunt to him in his temple.

Symbols: His symbol is often those of hunts, ranging from nets, to javelins, to even spears, and animal heads.

Backstory: After he was first 'born', Kuntorus appeared before the tribe of barbarians, in a flash of light. The barbarians immediately fell to the knees. After a few moments, he had them get up. He had begun teaching them methods how to hunt more effectively, making the barbarians more clever. After awhile of teaching the tribe, he decided that his tribe should hunt greater than just animals: That they should hunt other men. So, when a group of warriors from another tribe stepped into their territory, they found themselves quickly ambushed, and killed for trophies. After awhile, they started raiding other cities for their prey. After the king's betrayal, Kuntorus' barbarians were killed, and, he was forced to start anew, following the other deities to the south islands.

Family Tree: It is said that Kuntorus and Zaltan are brothers, though, neither usually seem to want to admit such a thing. As in regards to his children...Kuntorus often sleeps with various mortal woman, often wanting to create great hunters. However, unlike most other deities, he's definitely a parental figure, in the sense of the word most people prefer to think. He often teaches his children how to hunt, and, how to become stronger. Although his other children were slain, he has two living demis, currently. Luntarus, a demi, whose mother is one of the anthromorphic wolves that Kuntorus hyper-evolved. After he was done being nursed, he was taken to the temple, and, after eight months, came out, a sixteen-year old. As decreed by Kuntorus, Luntarus became the leader of the tribe. The second child, was Yutus, currently an infant, and the son of a human woman. Also, he decided to take his dead children to his realm. Currently, two are often seen with him. Turas, his first son, and, Morina, his first daughter.

Contents of this post moved to original thinga-ma-jig.

Ouch. I've been informed that my diety's name is practically identical to "Zoltan", apparently -something- from the movie "Dude where's my car" (which I haven't seen), and thus, this is a point of comedey. A name-change is pending. :/

Corgatha Taldorthar; Accepted.

Techmaster-glitch; Accepted.

AmberCross; Accepted.

Techcubi; Accepted.

SquirrelWizard; Accepted.

Tezkat; Accepted.

Edit: Profile yo

Name: Valkus

Depiction: A tall, commanding woman with long white hair, maroon eyes, and pale skin.Normally appears to people in bronze armour, usually carrying a shield and spear, with a sheathed sword on her side and a blood red cape. She also bears a long, jagged scar over the right side of her face.

Domain: Warfare, by means of tactics and skill. She embodies battle strategy, pragmatism in combat, and the patron of Generals, tacticians, and others who must lead the campaign.

Titles: The Conqueror, The Exalted General, The Queen of the Battlefield.

Island: of a medium size, it's fairly temperate, if slightly hostile, plagued with weather ranging from thunderstorms to winters most lethal. It has plenty of space, perfect for farming, and some impressive mountains, which, if one knows how to look have a decent amount of resources.  However, the biggest challenge is surviving the forces of nature long enough to be able to use these resources. Which strikes Valkus' fancy. Those who can prove their wit and mettle here would likely be the finest warriors.

Origin/Backstory: Long ago, a small Kingdom was on the verge of war. The Barbarian horde was innumerable, skilled in personal combat, and bloodthirsty, while the Kingdom was small, and consisted of farmers and fishermen. Many thought the Kingdom would fall, and the King sought the help of his neighbours. A clever King, he told his neighbours that once his Kingdom fell, the barbarians would turn on the others. His allies skeptical of victory, the King proposed an idea: The summer flooding would render most of the routes to the land unusable save one mountain pass. It was narrow, the barbarians sheer numbers mattered little. This would be where they would hold there ground. he next decreed that the weapons of war would be large, massive shields, long spears, and bows and arrows.

The arrows of the Kingdom would decimate the hordes before they reached the line, where an impenetrable line of shields and spears made any advance impossible.Facing heavy causalities, the barbarians retreated.

That night, the in his dreams, the King was visited by a white haired woman.  She asked him for a name, saying she had none. The King suggested Valkus, his people's word for spear. She smiled, telling the King she would always watch over his people and admire their clever appoarch to war.

Eons later, she would leave the city, her temple sacked, her worshipers slaughtered, the royal bloodlines she guided betrayed. as she left the burning city, she decreed the traitor would pay for his crimes, disappearing into the night shortly after that.

Temperament: While mostly calm, Valkus is fairly quick to anger. Nevertheless she much prefers staying ahead of her enemies and allies as much as possible. An honourable deity, the easiest way to incite her wrath is to break a pact, as she views disloyalty and betrayal as the greatest of sins. However, she will never betray anyone she considers and ally or has made a pact with her.

Clergy: Being a martial goddess, she prefers a smaller organization of priests and oracles,  and demands sacrifices in her name, though prefers livestock. He favoured worshipers are soldiers and military leaders, mostly before a battle.

Symbols: her trademark weapons, the spear and shield.

Family Tree:She has some children, but refuses to speak of them.

Strike-out for sucking.

Name: Horiv

Depiction: Generally depicted as a lynx with claws made of metal. It is said that if one interprets them correctly, the patterns on his fur map out the locations of ore veins and water springs, and his whiskers have the properties of lodestone.

Domain: Horiv rules over the earth, underworld where he resides, and all that is below. He is the patron of farmers and those who seek gems and ores. It is into his domain the Jaguar brings the souls of the deceased,   and it is him who makes sure their bodies merge with the earth so that new life can spring from it.

Titles:  One who prowls the Depths, The  Watcher of Souls, The Giver of Harvest, Guardian of Earth's Riches.


Island: A hilly island with relatively fertile land decent supply of ore underground. At least one of the mountains is a source of ferrite/magnetite.
The mountainous regions are rich in lakes and rivers.
Origin: It is said that when the Creator made earth, and separated it from the waters, the sound of his hammer  resounded through the universe. Far below the ground, Horiv  awoke, and began to wonder what is going on. For a long time the lynx dug and dug, fragments of his claws lodging into the earth and taking root, growing into ore veins.  When he finally reached the surface, it was twilight, and the Creator was no more, but the earth was barren and empty.
Horiv looked around, and noticed his shadow. Having nothing to do, he began to play with it, clawing and pounding the earth, and creating valleys and mountain ridges ... When he grew weary of the game , the lynx looked around in surprise on how the world was changed. He began to wash himself. Drops of his saliva falling on the ground began to flow as  lakes and rivers, and bits of his fur pierced the earth's surface and grew into the first trees. Once again, he glanced around, and saw the earth full of forests, hills, lakes and rivers, and took a liking of it.
Time passed, and the sun climbed up on the sky, shining on Horiv at the full of its strength. The light tired his eyes used to the perpetual dusk of the underworld, so he decided to return to his realm for a rest, but couldn't find the way by sight.
Noticing his whiskers pointed him to a place, the lynx followed, and surely enough, reached his hole.
Horiv could not make sense of it,  but then he noticed one of his whiskers lay near the entrance, broken off sometime during the day.
Promising to return to the new world above on the next evening, he returned to his underground realm, but not before plunging the whisker into the earth as a mark.
Ever since that day,  near places where Horiv moves between the worlds, one can find a magical ore, pieces of which move together if separated.

Temperament:  Horiv, like his cult animals tends to be most active during dusk , dawn and night. During dusk and the first half of the night, he takes care of earthly matters,while for the second half and during dawn, he prowls around the underworld, judging the souls of the deceased.The righteous rest until they are ready to walk the earth once again, prepare the meals for the deity out of sacrifices and aid to watch over the earth when the lynx  sleeps. In the meantime, souls of those wicked are re-wrought by fire and  blows of the hammer until they are fit to be people again.


Clergy: The priests of Horiv  maintain a population of temple cats - the animals that have been said to be the god's gift to man. Services are generally held during the dawn and the dusk, when Horiv is said to be most active. The general word is that due to his feline temperament, the response to prayers tends to be a little erratic, but once it happens, it happens more than fully. Followers bring him sacrifices of ore and livestock, the latter of which are usually eaten by the sacred cats (and the priests) , the remains being dug into the ground.
In times of war, the same is done with the enemies, giving the earth god more material to work the earth from.
His followers never burn their dead.
Farmers pray to him to give strength to their wheat to survive weather and pests and bring forth harvest, prospectors pray to have luck finding ores and gems, and everyone prays for their relatives to have a nice and comparatively short stay in the underworld.
It is said that earthquakes arise when the god doesn't receive enough sacrifices  and is hungry, the shaking being him pouncing on his prey deep underground.

Symbols: Felines of all sorts are a living symbol of Horiv.
Furthermore, lodestone and heliodor (the second resembling the eyes of the deity) are his sacred materials, and to a lesser extent, all metals.
His depicted symbol is a feline eye.
Caverns are often dedicated to his worship as well.

Backstory:
After man first appeared, he lived like the animals, hunting in the forests, As the numbers of men grew, prey became more and more rare.
One morning the lynx god was prowling across his land and met a man with a torch.
"What are you doing with a torch at dawn? " the lynx asked curiously.
"I am going to set fire to the forest to chase out some prey."
Horiv grew angry at the foolish man, threatening to punish him, but the man responded.
"Do what you wish, i won't live like this anymore. None in my village have eaten for days."
The lynx admitted the man was right, and asked to be taken to his village.
The man obeyed, and when they arrived, the lynx ordered him to call all of his people.
With a swipe of his claw, he tilled the ground near the settlement, and then scratched himself.
Fleas falling from his fur landed into the soil, and from each of them, a stalk of wheat grew, bearing harvest.
The lynx told the villagers how to eat the grain.
"The grain grows and breeds  the soil, just like the fleas bred in my  fur. As long as you will save a tenth part of every harvest, and return it to the soil it came from, it will grow anew in plenty and you shall never starve again."
The villagers rejoiced, and built a shrine in his honour.


       ****************
One day a thief of great skill by the name of Ira died and was brought into the realm of the lynx, and judged to be re-wrought.
While the lynx rested during the day, and only his followers were at guard, Ira said to himself. "I have tricked many of these during my life, why shouldn't i succeed after my death?"
As he said he had done, dressing a piece of wood into his own clothes while the one to guard him was looking elsewhere, and quietly sneaking away in the poor light of the underworld. Several like him followed, and soon the group reached earth's surface.
"We have gotten back to the world, but we lack bodies" they began to confer "When the lynx goes prowling around the world he shall surely notice us"
"We are thieves, brothers" said Ira, "We can steal the body of a nimble animal, one that can hide and sneak. That way, the lynx shall never find us"
As they said, they did, one finding a songbird, other a grasshopper, and Ira himself a forest mouse. But the animal's forms were twisted by their evil, most seen by Ira's - the mouse grew a long tail resembling a snake, great teeth, a cunning mind and the ability to bear disease.
And as days passed ,their vile kin spread all over the land.

Soon , voices reached Horiv in desperate prayer.
"We hunger, Giver of Harvest"
"Have you not been planting your crops like i commanded your ancestors to?"  the lynx asked.
"We were, and the harvest was plentiful, but what of it when it is being eaten by pests"
The lynx looked at the pests, retreated into his realm, and called forth those who served him.
"Have you watched over the souls of the wicked well ? Did none escape you?"
All but three of the souls present answered.
He called them forth;
"We have been tricked because of the darkness" they said, and explained what has happened.
The feline god thought for a moment.
"You have no guilt in what happened, but still, you have to go and correct your wrongs. However, for telling me the truth outright, i shall reward you"
The great lynx god went, and out of earth made figures in his shape. To it added claws made of sharpest stone, spine of springy willow, tail of a squirrel, and into the eyes he put two coals out of the underworld's furnace.
He gave the bodies to the three, and brought them to the people .To the three, he had said: "You shall stay here and slay every rat, locust and sparrow you see until you bring the missing souls back. Then you will be able to return to my realm. To make sure you are not fooled again , i give you eyes which can see in the darkest of nights, for they carry their own light in them"
To the people, he said:
"These are my gift to you to protect you from the pests that bring you hunger. Take care of them and your harvest shall be safe"

And since that day cats live with man, leap onto anything that moves, and having killed their prey they carry it off to Horiv to see if it's the one in which the soul of a thief resides. And at night, one can see the coals burning in their eyes, giving them sight even in the darkest of places.
    ******************************


The city of Horiv's people stretched in the mountains of the continent. Surprisingly ,they were able to grow quite enough crops to expand even in such a difficult region, a feat some attribute to the help of the earth god himself.
When the armies of the King of gods hit the city, the hardy mountain folk resisted for a time, having access to far more  primitive, but still metallic weapons and armours, and having a strategic advantage, enclosed by hills.
It is said that when the attacking armies broke the defenses, and entered the city, slaying everyone in their sight, the prayers of Horiv's priests were answered, the ground opened in a massive earthquake swallowing the city and the invading force.
For many years then, Horiv rested in his underworld lair before digging out to prowl the earth once again.


Family Tree:

Some say he is related to Tezkatl.

Kneel before me, fools who hide behind those facades that you call gods!

Name: I am Kesh'Noria.
Depiction: I am naturally a ball of golden light, but I often take the form of a comely woman. However, that is not my only form, and in the past I have revealed myself as an old man, a priestess, a toddler, and even a tree. My shape matters not, and as such, my followers oft define me solely by a radiant glow around the form I have taken.
Domain: I am the Goddess of Devotion. All who give even a portion of their selves to a cause, to another, or to a practice pay homage to me, whether or not they intend to do so. However, I prefer the devotion given to me purposefully, as I rather dislike the practice of trickery and deception when it is unnecessary.
Titles: I have been under many names, but those that wish to refer to me without using my own oft call me the Light of the Soul, the Spirit of Focus, or the Shifter to Dedication.
Island: Until this recent business with the King, I had nearly forgotten about my island. Much like me, it can be many things to many people. In the most true sense, it is a pair of mountains, with nary five hundred feet appearing over the sea. What small valley exists between the two peaks holds the only vegetation that grows on the rocky isle. However, should one investigate, they may find an entrance to the great cave system which I have slowly crafted beneath the twin peaks. In its depths resides the pride of my years as a deity, the Mish'Na people.
The Mish'Na are the work of many generations of slow, gentle intervention. Fearsome people, ropes of flesh flow from their shoulders down to the backs of their knees, a natural cape of sorts. Their scaly skin is slick like a fish's, colored a deep green like an asparagus. Their hair falls in cords, like smooth dreadlocks. I have made them so that they cannot do anything without some true devotion, and thus are they my greatest followers.
Origin: I have been since the first wolves mated. Homeless, I watched as Man grew. In time, I took my island as my home and simply waited.
Temperament: Temperament? You ask me what my temperament is? Hah! Rather foolish of you. To put it simply, I adhere strongly to precedent. I detest all who think that they can feed off of their betters without repercussion, but have a special place in my core for those who are willing to put up with those who do.
Clergy: Wherever one devotes themselves, there do I find a source of power.
Symbols: In pictographs and in my churches, a torch within a ball of glass is used to represent my presence there.
Backstory: When Man first set off into the water with their crude flotation devices, I was the one to help when a wordless plea was cried. I set them upon my island, and made them into what they are today. When they grew to acceptable numbers, I set them off in rafts to colonize the vast expanse of land from whence they came. There they spread my will across the lands, becoming pinnacles of leadership, artistry, and essential practices. Many gained a devoted following of their own, further empowering me until I could give any man the ability to devote himself wholly.
   So sure was I in this power that I did not see the King prepare to rise against me. With the constant influx of worship, I never noticed his change in direction. When he revolted and battered me, I was... surprised. Despite my omnipotence, my omniscience, I had been beaten. So shocked was I at losing my power, I returned to my home, safe from the King... for now. Thus am I here, relating this tale to you.
Family Tree: Though children would be a great focus for my own abilities of devotion, my incorporeal form has unfortunately prevented my ability to procreate.

((Yes, this is in character. :P ))

VAE; Accepted.

Kafzeil; Waiting for you to get a new char together. :P

So it seems Meany has been hinting we need a sun god, a sea god, and some sort of plant/forest/whatever god. I have set wheels in motion for a new sun god, but we'll still need an ocean. Any volunteers to be berefit with grief over the loss of the sea (perhaps a family member or something) and cry out a new god? Or perhaps we should just say the old sea god was well loved and thus all the gods cried over her loss (you know, in a sufficiently godly manner or something... I suddenly remember that crying makes gods mortal or something) and of the tears were formed the new god. Self absorbant, she loves the attention everyone pays attention to her as the newest of the gods, but is prone to temper tantrums when she feels she isn't getting her way. She has a crush on the moon and so will always reach for him (or her, with gods it doesn't quite matter) when it passes overhead, but is jealous of the sun, another new god who rivals her for attention. So she has a tendency to leave/disappear when he is near (evaporation). This is my submission for our new sea god... anyone else god any ideas?

Also still haven't figured out if the sun should be a person, or some sort of artifact. Maybe we find the body of the old sun and set it afire, and set it into motion around the earth or something. *shrug* I'm open to suggestions.

I'm making a sea god. So I'll take care of that.

I find this rather interesting. I'mma give it a think. >:3

I have taken quite a shining to the thread, and am in development of a very flora/fauna centric life god. That may sufficiently address the pantheon's need for greens. More after daily errands!

Name:  Kumbha

Depiction:  A tall, athetlic young man with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. Usually depicted as handsome, and always depicted dressed in blue finery, hands covered with rings and bands of gold, necklaces, and  other jewelry.

Domain: Formally the Messenger of the Sea and it's caretaker when his father was incapable of his duty, Kumbha has since acquired his father's domain of the sea, the waves, the oceans and all under them.

Titles:  Keeper of the Waves, Lord of the Deep.

Island:  Kumbha has claimed an island that, while comparatively small, is surrounded by swallow waters and it sparking his interest, a shallow bay . It's mostly tropical in climate.

Origin:  It has been said that in the beginning, as the rain first began to fall the God of the Seas was born from that rainfall. And from his willpower alone her decree it would keep raining, swallowing much of the dry land into a vast body of water.  And thus, the oceans were born. Stretching as far as the eye can see the God smiled at his newly born Kingdom, as beautiful and ever reaching as it was both kind and dangerous, for a man could feed his entire village from it, sustaining himself and his family...or it could drag him down beneath the waves, his livelihood also his tomb.

To help him rule over his domain, he created a son born of his kingdom. His son would answer only to him, and live in his Kingdom under the waves at all times while the sea god would venture to seek counsel with his brethren. And so his son, Kumbha, would watch from the depths as the foolish mortals took from his home, asking his father for safe passage and a full net. He watched his fellow gods rule the world and bask in the foolish mortals' praise.

Temperament:  Ambitious, arrogant, and temperamental. It's not uncommon for Kumbha to be seen enjoying fine dining and entertainment one second theta swearing vengeance and taking up arms against someone for the smallest infection. He views mortals as nothing more then tools for power, and completely disposable ones at that, often drowning them for the slightest error in worshipping him.

Clergy: Being a new god Kumbha doesn't really *have* his own clergy, having prior only been a hardly worshiped deity. However, he'll likely simply take over his father's old temples, and usually order his priests and followers to pay him tribute least they wish to end up swallowed by the briny depths. Kumbha prefers animal sacrifices and offerings of wealth. Please him, and mortals will find there reward in a safe passage or a bounty of fish. However, given his capricious nature even the grandest offering can mean little to him.

Symbols: The conch shell, and to a lesser extent the harpoon.

Backstory:  The others did not see it coming.His father a fool for having overlooked it. Kumbha had remained behind, as always, to tend to the Kingdom, as he did so before. But...something was different all of the sudden. The Land was swallowed in darkness, the volcanos erupting at random. The entire world itself was thrust into chaos. Then, his father returned, bleeding heavily, barely alive.

He explained the Godking's betrayal. How many his his brothers had fallen. Many more wounded and weakened. He urged his son to protect him and accompany him to find the other survivors. Kumbha took his father's gilded harpoon, the very symbol of his power and reign.

Kumbha knew his father's wounds where too grave. His father was a fool for not sensing such betrayal, or even stopping it as it happened. He was weak, and losing control over this domain.The Godking would claim Kumbha's birthright, the very oceans we had spent his life caring for.  or worse, his father would die the oceans would die with him.

Kumbha look his father in the eye, then thrust the harpoon into the sea god's chest.

And thus the new God of the Sea took his Throne.

Family Tree: Father: former god of the Sea (Deceased)

Hoo boy, a fiest one that is. I was originally thinking of having my god of weather be allies with the god of the ocean cause ships need weather AND sea to sail right, but I don't see that happening anymore XD.

Indeed, Aellor would probably not actually like Kumbha that much cause he got his power through usurpery (even if it was for good reason) and not via his own merits by way of creating a new domain. Anyway, nice to have a sea god... hope you have fun!

Heh heh... nice
Also, given the relationship between sea and landmass, nevermind the fine personality, guess who'll probably be Kumbha's sworn enemy >:3
Sort of an inheritance tax.

Blah, I RAEG!!! stupid internet cut out and ate half of an IC post. It didn't come back on until a couple of minutes ago. I'll have IC up soon.

AmberCross: That doesn't mean they *can't* work together. It just means they won't like it. :B

VAE: I kinda figured. It'll be delicious fun seeing these guys try to rip each other to pieces.:P

Quote from: Kafzeil on February 19, 2011, 03:02:14 PM
AmberCross: That doesn't mean they *can't* work together. It just means they won't like it. :B

VAE: I kinda figured. It'll be delicious fun seeing these guys try to rip each other to pieces.:P

The dynamics from now-dead Myr's RP comes to mind

Name: Gys

Domain: For better or for worse, Gys presides over Genesis and Life itself; vitality, fertility, and growth. Famine is absolved by his mercy, and parents-to-be petition him for healthy offspring. He considers every living thing to be one of his children, but for all his generosity, he can be a capricious and savage brute. He is the herald of lush and choking plant life, ravenous beasts, and even virulent plagues. It is also said that he is the source of the world's most terrible monsters, although no one deity could claim responsibility for all of them.

Depiction: Gys' avatar is covered in a heavy scarlet hooded cloak, embroidered with living ivy and caked with patches of moss and bioluminescent fungus. His visage is always obscured by pervasive shadows, although a mane of long quills and anchored serpents hang in the sides of his hood -- one could loosely approximate them to 'hair'. Additionally, Gys must either have a multitude of limbs or some ability to borrow them on a whim, for on the occasions that any are seen, they have never belonged to the same type of creature.

Titles: The Chimera, the Verdant Lord, the Breath of Life, the Father of Ill Omens, and the Two-Faced God. Gys' names, like his influence, may be either curses or blessings.

Origin: During a time when the world was still young and void of movement, there was naught but the Creator and the works of his progenitor gods. The whole of creation was silent, static, and cold. In time, even the sloth of the primordial powers was eroded away by their boredom, and they tried their hands at animation. Of the first forms were elementals; crude men of earth, fire, and water. This pleased the ancient powers, but elementals were not enough. They, too, were too simple -- too lethargic -- too few. An agreement was made between the gods, that they might share their elements with each other to further the diversity of Genesis. With a full palette of elements at their disposal, the primordial gods set about creating the first true men. But even with earth in their bones, fire in their hearts and water in their veins, the first men remained stagnant. Unhappy with the results, the gods abandoned man where he lay, and things began to continue as they always had. But mankind was not so ready to be forgotten. They reached out, pleading with mute cries, and called the first prayer out to the heavens. "We wish to live! We wish to breathe! We wish to run, and prosper, and flourish!" So strong was man's implacable desire to be, that a deity's voice rumbled back to answer. "Is that so? Then I shall lend you my breath, the essence of Life, that you might go forth and fill this empty world." And so, from this first prayer, Gys came to be.

Island: At one time, the island of Airen-Rae was nothing more than an unremarkable stretch of desert sand and mesas that had been lost to the sea. If not for a modest shrine erected by pilgrims of Gys in centuries past, it still would be. With each generation since, life has exploded outwards to grasp at every corner of the land. The island is now suddenly host to the very last of the Chimera's altars and faithful, numbering only a handful of small families struggling to survive the congested jungle-hell that their home has become. Gys' "boon" has been responsible for Airen-Rae becoming one of the most deadly and unforgiving locations the world over. Colossal carnivorous plants and insects the size of houses prey on the unwary, while even the briefest visit threatens to give outsiders a deadly fever. All considered, the tribes of Rae have done reasonably well to adapt to their Lord's overbearing influence. Safe (if humble) bunkers in the cliff sides provide shelter from whence they scavenge and harness simple agriculture.

Clergy: While a more formal hierarchy of druids once touted Gys' principles and furthered his faith, all traces of that order now lay in ruins. The tribes of Rae now represent the informal totality of his church, with no one member any more versed in creed than another. But Gys has always held a particularly close relationship to the world of men, and certain rites of acknowledgement and respect remain ingrained in the culture of his people. Indeed, little besides a god's vital blessings could have allowed human life to persist on Airen-Rae. With no mortal druids left to learn from, Gys' faith shall have to be born anew.

Temperament: Gys is a simple-minded deity, unconcerned with the nuances of civilization or politics -- divine or otherwise. He is best known for his vexing dual-nature; While he personally gives of himself to foster all forms of life and shows diligence in answering his children's prayers, he is also entirely willing to let them suffer horrible fates and visit indiscriminate violence upon each other. For his nurturing hand and cruel designs, he has earned the title of the Two-Faced God. Such is the nature of life.

Symbols: A single drop of blood wreathed by ivy, a lone ant carrying a leaf, and any arrangement of classical Chimera.

Backstory: Gys has spent the eons aloof of most divine matters, contenting himself with the design and propagation of life - and then a trump for that species -- and then a double-trump for that species --- and then a contagion to thin back that species. While many gods have been responsible for various examples of Genesis, the Verdant Lord has made it his pastime to fill out and reshuffle the world's ecosystems (in addition to throwing the occasional wild-card at them). While the world owes him its green coat and charming songbirds, Gys' knows absolutely no restraint. Erratic and irresponsible, he has crossed many of his divine kin at some point or another with a stray blight or legendary beast left to wander through their lands. While this has rarely left true and lasting animosity, the Chimera has had many heated confrontations with the Grand Hunter. The two deities have never seen eye-to-eye on the meaning of nature or man's role therein. Gys views every hunt for sport as an abuse of life and a personal slight, while Kuntorus claims the Chimera's unchecked work to be a perversion of the wilderness and threat to its balance. In the old world, Gys made a mirthful sport of his own by turning the tables and sending his most nightmarish creations off to ravage Kuntorus' people. To their credit, the champions of the Hunter have always defeated these attacks.

Family Tree: Gys' has no divine relatives, and despite his rhetoric, has no literal progeny - although he has doted on some of his greatest beasts as though they were.

Name: Volare, Melioration
Depiction: often shown guise as faceless mortal in traveler cloaks or a sea mammal guiding lost ships at sea
Domain: kindness and guidance of mind and body
Titles: wondering star, guardian of voyagers , guiding light, giver of visions, gentle stranger
Island: a fair size volcanic island who's outer edges have a couple fishing villages with sea ports. And inside holds only a few sparse settlement's(smaller villagers) and temples to Volare.
Origin: unknown there only thing that is certain is that he appeared through a rift in the fabric of creation. Of the theories two are best accepted; 1 several mortals seeking forbidden knowledge into the birth of the gods and universe had their spell and methods conflict and destroy them but as this happen a small hole was torn open in the fabric of creation through which he entered closing the tear after him. Or that it was during a god war that he appeared on the seen through a tear that the other gods conflict caused to open up.
Temperament: kind but stern. This guy does not take kindly to harassing innocent travelers or pilgrims. It's said that those who pray to him for vision and guidance are often rewarded with sights that most mortals never see otherwise and brief burst of humor
Clergy: while promoting good will and safe haven to those in need is key to the teaching of Volare they also speak of moving forward in mind and spirit. Expanding ones' understanding of the world though and study and exploration.
Symbols: a comet and the walking staff are his give symbols
Backstory:  when Volare arrived many things were in disarray and there were several vacancy's in the celestial framework. Volare travels the world several times dismayed by what he saw and by chance happened upon a young child taking there adults test a solo fishing trip beyond the shores of their village. The child was in trouble and Volare dove into the water taking on the guise of a local sea mammal. Speaking to the terrified youth Volare calmed his worries and guided him back to land and his village. Finding the island without a patron deity the stranger decided to stick around and help the troubled islanders to build a better life guiding them as best he could to better easier way to  survive and protect themselves from the elements while traveling. Over time he became adopted by the very people he had adopted and became the islands patron deity.  
Family Tree: at this point no children have been confirmed in this universe.

Dr. Hatari, Accepted.

e_voyager, Accepted.

Just as a note; obviously, if we're going to beat the God-King, then we do need to band together, but I honestly -don't- expect Zaltan's words to actually work here. That'd be too easy this early in the game. :U

EDIT#2. If it's not too much trouble Meany, could you put the aspects up next to the God names in the OOC thread?  was trying to chart out the holes we have in the panethon, and it gets a little hard (I'm lazy!) to go sketching at each and every bio.

It would help if the domains were more concise, wouldn't it? :3  I'll put them up when I can safely summarize them.

Techmaster, I find Zaltan's entreaty particularly hilarious in Aellor's case because Aellor hasn't actually insulted or taunted the Lord of Waves just yet. And since his future selves have already gone and insulted him lots, it's clear before Zaltan said anything that Aellor really isn't going to listen XD. Essentially he considers it to be a different scenario, more deserved and less unprovoked. Anyway, insulting him NOW will mean less insults in the future which will actually smoothen relationships between the gods of sea and weather which was all Zaltan was really saying anyway ;)

Name: Oshye

Depiction: In Iconography, he is often depicted as a broken spear, wrapped in red cloth. When he himself is depicted, it is often as a man with a wound in his chest, with his eyes closed, leaning against a cypress tree.
His avatar is a man in a white clothing wearing a red cloak, and two weapons strapped to his side. On his left, a broken spear, and on his right, a sword. He tends to take on a physical form similar to those he is speaking with - or perhaps those who speak with him see what they are most comfortable with. His hair is red, his smile is easy, but it is his eyes that leave the strongest impression - burning red, and glowing with a flickering and dancing flame.

Domain: Victory and Lost Causes

Titles: The God of Promised Victory, The Keeper of the Promise, the Wounded Man, The One who Remembers, The Broken Spear

Island: The Island is covered in trees and flowers - a jungle that grows thicker the closer one gets to the sea, and thins to nothing as one climbs the mountain. Animals and flora of all sorts live on the Island, and most treasured are the flowers the natives call Red-And-White, a beautiful flower whose leaves can be made into a fragrant tea. High on the mountain, there are Cypress trees, although how such arbors got to a tropical Island is a mystery the natives do not appreciate.

Origin: Once, there was a kingdom that lived at the heart of the earth, known as the land of the endless sky. They lived in prosperity, and kindness, but it had been so long since any one of them had seen conflict, that they forgot what it was to struggle. The wisest among them, their king, realized the danger they were in - for they were surrounded by many tribes who envied the ease of the Land of Endless Sky. But he did not know what to do. War came to them, and they would be every one killed and enslaved. Their King was broken-hearted for his people, and as his finest soldiers fell, he picked up the spear of fallen enemy and he himself fought for his people. He was killed, but his people were so inspired by their King's sacrifice that they took up arms and beat their invaders back. That King's name was Oshye.

Temperament: Defiant. Oshye picks his battles, but never once has Oshye admitted defeat, even in the face of insurmountable odds. He may be beaten back, time and time again, and if a thousand strategies do not secure him victory, he will try a thousand more. He is the god of Victory to his people, and he loves them, and will do all in his power help them. He is quick to anger, and equally quick to cool his anger. To his children he is kind, but prefers for them to learn from his example and win their battles themselves, rather than depend on his intercession for victory.

Clergy: Oshye's portfolio leaves him ill-suited towards a traditional hierarchy of priests, and he prefers to nominate specific mortals as "chosen ones", who act as his representatives on the earth. They are recognized by the wound on their chest that never heals, and does not bleed. Oshye tends to choose those for whom it seems there is no hope, or those in a position of greatest despair. Oshye's hand is with them always, and through their example of victory through the worst of circumstances, the God aims to inspire the rest of his people.

Symbols: A broken spear wrapped in red cloth, the Cypress Tree.

Backstory: Oshye, before he became the God of Promised Victory, was an incredibly weak deity. Unable to stand against any of his peers, he was driven from his previous portfolio and his realm, and cast off into the Material Realm to die of starvation. Humiliated and despairing, the god wandered the earth for a long time, slowly dwindling and waiting to die.
It was in his second century of wandering, when he had only a years of life left at the most, that he came across a battle between two tribes of mortals, and chose to watch. The victor was plainly obvious, and Oshye was waiting for the invading tribe to get done when he saw a single mortal grab a spear, and charge headlong into the enemy formation. He was cut to ribbons, sacrificed stirred the crowd into inspired action. Oshye himself was dumbfounded and amazed by the mortal - and decided what he would do with what was left of his life.
With remnants of his divine power, he strengthened the almost-defeated tribe, and as he died, he chose a new name for himself - Oshye, the name of the King that had sacrificed himself for his people, who himself became a part of the God. Oshye felt the swelling of the faith of his new people, and knew he had found his new purpose.

Family Tree: Oshye has a mortal son, who he keeps an eye on from time to time.

Cogidubnus, Accepted.

Name: Ainos



Depiction: To the other gods, Ainos has never taken physical form. His manifestation is usually that of a presence felt by other gods in the vicinity. Beyond his immediate presence, the other gods are aware of him as the linear progression of time. On the mortal plane he is perceived as the passage of time, days and the seasons. Should he choose to manifest physically to a mortal, it is in the form of timekeeping devices such as sundials, water clocks and calendars.



Domain: Ainos ensures the linear, unidirectional and regular flow of time. Ainos also embodies the duality of change and constancy that occur both with the flow of time and its absence. Ainos simply ensures the flow and brings the changes or keeps things constant with respect to time. The indication of the passage of time: day, night and the seasons; are heralded by the Keepers of Time: The Sun and the Lord of the Night.



Titles: The Flow of Time, The Passage of the Seasons, The Gift of the Present, The Cosmological Constant, The Changing Cycle



Island: A small circular island, with a small cove in the north. Surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides it is accessible only through the cove. From the cliffs at the edges to the central part of the island, the land begins to rise upwards culminating in a tall mountain. An all but forgotten temple lies at the summit. A small village lives in the cove, the descendants of those who built the temple.



Origin: Ainos was born of the need for mortal comprehension of time. In the beginning, time was chaotic. The timeline would fracture, diverge and converge, loop back upon itself and cause ripples affecting past, present and future. This had effects on mortal understanding of causality and the happening of events.

With the constancy of day brought on by The Sun before the emergence of the Lord of the Night, mortals had no means of reckoning time. Ainos was therefore unable to take form, in spite of the chaos that permeated the timeline. When the Lord of the Night emerged and united with The Sun, day and night became cycles, death became the end of life and by these cycles formed by the Keepers of Time, Ainos was finally able to take form and bring order to the timeline.



Temperament: Outwardly, Ainos presents himself as extremely impersonal, showing concern only for the maintenance of the order of the timeline. He is neutral and dispassionate unless the order of time is disrupted. His interactions with other gods have only been with regards to the flow of time. With his worshippers, he communicates via visions that are matter of fact and unclouded by emotion. He has little concern for the accumulation of power or the gathering of followers, preferring only to keep enough worshippers to continue managing the flow of time. He has been known to ignore personal safety in the pursuit of this duty.

There have been instances in the past when Ainos has allowed changes to the timeline. These however, are very rare and only performed after it has been determined that such disturbances would benefit the overall order of time.

The exception being The Sun and Tezkatl, the only two gods with whom he has a more invested relationship. In part because their union allowed him to take form and also because their continued existence is necessary for his function.



Clergy: The observance of time is carried out by all mortal men and this is no small contribution to capability of Ainos to keep time in order. A dedicated sect of people, those who produce timekeeping devices and instruct others in their use, can be considered his full time clergy. While the basic reckoning of time is still attributed to the passing of night and day, more sophisticated methods of reckoning that take into consideration longer periods of time are the domain of Ainos. This includes things such as phases of the moon and the seasons.

Temples are essentially workshops which produce these timekeeping devices and calendars. Due to the use of these devices, they are found in every major city or settlement. Initiates are apprentice craftsmen who assist their seniors in such construction. Ascension in the ranks is dependent on their proficiency in this task. The highest of the order are those can design these devices as well as calculate calendars.

There are also smaller independent militant cults who practice their arts and pray to Ainos in hopes of him altering the flow of time while they are in combat in order to give them an advantage over their enemies. While Ainos has so far ignored their worship it does provide some measure of power. Their continued belief so far stems from thinking that the advantage they gain is a boon from Ainos rather than the effects of training. Ainos has so far deigned not to support these cults and disrupt the constancy of the timeline, nor has he actively discouraged this lest they prove to have some future use.



Symbols: Sundials, Calendars, water clocks, any device used to measure time

The symbol used by temples is that of a hollow circle, formed by a single line looping back upon itself. There is a small gap at the 12 o'clock position however. This indicates the singularity and linearity of the timestream. The break of in loop signifies one direction but the overall circular shape denotes cycles.



Backstory: Since his beginning, Ainos has been content to regulate the flow of time and allow the coming of the seasons and cycles, occasionally interfering in the affairs of mortals to impart knowledge of timekeeping and their devices. He has worked with Zaltan in the past to impart this knowledge and respects him for this cooperation. Mortal observance of time and the eventual worship by those who would become his clergy was sufficient for his duties.

At the time of the betrayal, Ainos had not been in contact with the mortal realm for a good period of time. The sudden diminishing of power came as a great surprise. He panicked realising that he would soon be destroyed but before that happened, he was able to use the last of his power and what remained of himself to bind the timeline to order.

The other gods would feel this effect upon time but the presence of Ainos himself was gone.

What little forethought that gone into this plan was first and foremost, the preservation of the order of the timeline. Scattered as he was, the other gods would perceive him as dead and the King would not see him as a threat. However, in these remains, the possibility was there, no matter how remote, of Ainos reforming himself if some god were to begin the task of gathering them. This however, Ainos thought to be highly unlikely if a similar fate had fallen on the other gods.



Family Tree: Parents: The Sun and Tezkatl

While a result of the union between The Sun and Tezkatl, he does not publicly acknowledge this relationship. Privately however, he shows concern for the well being of his two parent deities and this is quite evident despite him trying to hide it. Any insinuation of such by other gods is simply dismissed as concern for his Keepers, as without them, the mortal means of reckoning time is lost.

Need a light?

~~

Name: Tharsus

Depiction: Tharsus always appears as a full plate armour-clad humanoid, roughly eight or nine feet tall and apparently sculpted entirely out of flawless obsidian. The armour reveals no details of who or what is beneath, and cannot be removed. At his side hangs a similarly made and unbreakable greatsword-sized blade; he may wield it with one hand, but it is far too heavy for mortals. If Tharsus wills it, the blade will burst into flame, and can be summoned back to his grip - either by levitation or teleportation. He can throw it fairly well.

If exceptionally angry, his eyes glow like fire inside the helmet. Sometimes, he carries a (fireproof) spellbook at his side. But not often.

Domain: Fire, magma, lava, volcanos, brimstone and ash, that sort of thing. Also a minor deity of war and arcane knowledge. The latter are hobbies to him, rather than strict areas he derives power from.

Titles: Tharsus cares little for fancy titles, or what the mortals choose to call him. He is simply Tharsus. Formality isn't really his thing.

Island: Tharsus Island is the last refuge and hiding place of Tharsus himself. Not exactly creative but there you go. A jagged volcano risen from the sea bed that dominates the horizon, covered in spikes of basalt and gabbro wherever there are not solidified flows of lava. Ashen deserts are treacherous and ashstorms are hardly pleasant.

Still, the island has it's perks - the lowlands around it and what soil they have is rich thanks to mineral infusion from the ash, leading to good farming crops. Volcanic glass is plentiful, making for excellent tools and primitive weapons. Wood is rare however, as trees do not fare well on the island. The volcano itself is saturated with magic. A massive entrance can be seen about a third of the way up on the southern face - it is the only way to access Tharsus' sanctum.

Within the Sanctuary is an "Anchor", designed to stabilize both the volcano and the Sanctuary itself. If it were destroyed, Tharsus island would probably self-destruct in something resembling a multi-megaton nuclear explosion. So let's avoid that, hmm?

The Sanctuary itself is a sprawling affair, inhabitable by humans and serving as the refuge of Tharsus and his Lieutenants in the mortal realm, when they wish to escape the other gods and/or mortals. It is warm and dry but not stifling, and maintains arrays of writings pertaining to geology, alchemy and the arcane arts of magic. Oh, and it has all sorts of guards and traps to keep out intruders, naturally.

Either way, the presence of the Anchor grants him significant control over the island's landscape through the volcano, and the manifestation of his unfortunately corruptive power. Equally, his power diminishes the further he attempts to exert it from the Anchor, requiring that he instruct for the establishment Obsidian Monoliths to act as relays. The only Monoliths remaining on the island are shattered remnants, and further ones must be summoned by his Lieutenants.

Origin: Tharsus is as old as the volcano (and thus the world) itself, so legend says. He came about when the few inhabitants of the island prayed for protection to no god in particular, out of fear, during an eruption. He suddenly manifested, and used his power to quickly assemble the Sanctuary and the Anchor. With this, he protected the survivors who became his followers, and stabilized the volcano.

The Anchors corrupt those near them indiscriminately, first turning them into shambling, zombie-like entities, then into much more insidious-looking minions, unless they possess arcane protection or are of particular mental fortitude, and serve as Tharsus' Lieutenants. Misguided adventurers seeking to destroy the Anchors are just as vulnerable as passing squirrels or deer that spend too long near the volcano.

Tharsus is essentially invincible as long as at least one of his Anchors remains somewhere on the world, but would be weakened vulnerable to a truly killing blow if it were destroyed. Otherwise, if somehow destroyed, he merely reforms at the nearest Anchor after several days. It was this fact that allowed him to survive the Betrayal and - in an odd display of altruism - buy time for the other gods to escape, then in turn survive when he was the last to depart.

Temperament: As befitting a deity of volcanos, a slow to rouse but terrible temper. Otherwise, he's actually quite calm and not that much of a pain in the ass. Deep down, he cares for his still-living followers despite their sometimes suicidally-inclined worship. But for those who earn his ire, he is a merciless and dangerous foe, especially if he can convince an Earth deity to raise a new volcano in a strategic location. He would be most dangerous in tandem with deities of the Earth and Sky, calling down meteor storms to devastate wide swathes of land.

The greatest sign of his care for the mortals is that he asks for little actual sacrifice in return for his protection and did not attempt to extort them much. He was also known to intentionally create or maintain hot springs and summon occasional ash-clouds to rejuvenate farmlands when offered suitable sacrifices... or just if he felt benevolent.

Ultimately his goals are unknown. In contrast for his care for mortals is that he shows contempt to those who willingly expose themselves to the Anchor's power with no protection, and sympathy to those unfortunate animals that fall victim to it. He cares little for the transitional phases of corruption outside of his Lieutenants.

Clergy: Tharsus has - depending on who you ask - varying numbers in the way of direct followers. Most of those still on the island pray for mercy and safety rather than to support their overlord, and nothing he does can seem to change that. Some seek greater power - some can handle it, some cannot. Those that fail become mindless guardians of the Anchor. Those that succeed become Tharsus' lieutenants, commanding said minions and leading his armies.

Personally he doesn't much favour the mindless worshippers-from-fear - they show no aptitude for lieutenantship, no aspiration to lead - making them of little use to him unless they eventually wind up as a fully-corrupted minion. Aspiration and desire to lead is key to mastering the corruption. Those that show promise may hear whispers on the wind, instructing them of what they must do to earn Tharsus' favour. Those that seek it without the whispers believe that the Anchor is the key... and are subsequently corrupted by it.

Of course, the Anchor is the key, but mere exposure with no protection is the problem. Those that obey the whispers are protected and granted power, though not all can handle it, as mentioned before.

The Corrupted: Mindless guardians of Tharsus' Anchor and Lieutenants, the Corrupted are living beings of any kind, twisted by the raw power emanations of the Anchor. They can be animals or people, either way the result is the same. The Corrupted begin as merely ashen, blackened mirrors of their former selves, but the most ancient and terrible Corrupted are composed of smooth volcanic glass marked with channels that are filled with glowing magma-like energy. Corrupted that are not intelligent, but not yet at the final stage are uncontrollable - they merely wander and guard the caverns. Final stage Corrupted, on the other hand, are barely-intelligent, nigh-indestructible terrors that unflinchingly obey the commands of Tharsus, even if it would mean certain death. These terrors are collectively referred to as "Tharsians".

Corruption will slowly heal, with time, if the process is not completed and no further exposure to the Anchor occurs. This often requires physical restraint, especially if the corruption has progressed beyond it's earliest stages.

The Lieutenants: Channellers of Tharsus' will and power, Lieutenants act as another physical link into reality. They are powerful, cunning and ambitious, but poor at direct combat save for the durability-of-rock their corrupted body brings them. The oldest of these Lieutenants come to look like the most terrible corrupted - likewise sculpted out of glass and marked with the channels. With age and mastery of the corruption grow power, insanity, and eventual loss of free-will, most becoming little more than avatars for Tharsus. The very ground they tread turns to ash and volcanic glass. Only one Lieutenant remains, the leader of the survivors on the island.

Lieutenants near the Anchor or Monoliths may command and channel the power of volcanic fire into fireballs, walls of flame, swirling storms of ash, flensing volleys of obsidian flechettes, and much more. Drawing on this power speeds their corruption and eventual insanity/loss of will, but they are otherwise very dangerous.

Those that lose their free will become Arch-Lieutenants, fully-corrupted entities encased in featureless obsidian armour like their master. Unlike corrupted minions, Arch-Lieutenants are cunning, vicious, and most of all, terrifyingly powerful in battle, with almost limitless command of their elements when in the vicinity of an Anchor or Monoliths. Isolated from these power sources they are relatively weak, but their obsidian staff is topped with a bladed head that allows it to be utilized like a spear or halberd. A powerless Arch-Lieutenant knows when to run, but he also knows when he can win, even without his powers. Some even refused to use their powers until they truly needed them, relying on martial prowess.

But, like the Lieutenants, most of the Arch-Lieutenants were destroyed, sacrificing themselves to ensure Tharsus could not be tracked during his flight to his island stronghold.

Still, one Arch-Lieutenant yet remains, the ancient overseer of the island who oversaw the maintenance of the final Anchor in Tharsus' absence.

Symbols: An erupting volcano! No, really. Also a black-iron gauntlet and/or helmet. Or his sword, the Tharsian Blade.

Backstory: After his Origin, Tharsus managed to spread to the mainland, establishing Monoliths and then Anchors in other unstable volcanos. Otherwise, he kept to himself, turning his time to arcane and martial studies. Yet one eye remained watching his followers and the other gods...

Tharsus was one of the last to be driven away, and inflicted the bloodiest of injuries upon those who supported the King before he was completely removed from the mainland. He unleashed his most powerful minions upon the King's followers, and stood his ground to buy the other surviving deities time to escape, knowing that as long as at least one Anchor remained, even the King could not destroy him entirely.

When none were left to flee, he called the last of his pieces to the field and had them launch one final counter-attack. In the ensuing chaos, Tharsus begrudgingly retreated back to his last remaining Anchor, on a tiny island in a chain of others.

Through his Arch-Lieutenant, his fellow deities, and the rebuilding of a Tharsian Horde, Tharsus intends to exact his revenge. And what a bloody revenge it shall be.

Family Tree: No direct relatives, and no deities would want to be openly connected with Tharsus' unfortunately corruptive powers.

~~

Yes, his name is based off that region on Mars.

Can't promise high levels of activity but we'll see what happens!

Ed: Removed quote tagging, adjusted "Family Tree" wording.

Fire, magma, lava
Sounds like he might be a relative of Horiv ...

Arclane; Accepted.  And holy dayum, a Great Name in my rp?  How...surprisingly successful I'm being.  o.o

Previewer; Accepted. :3

Indeed, great to see you Arcalane, interesting that this is the RP that brought you back after several years. x3

WE ARE NOT WORTHY! WE ARE NOT WORTHY!

Err...good to have you aboard Arcalane.

Holy crap, so many new people! I'm almost glad I left while I could; gives me time to let things calm down...

I wasn't aware I had such a reputation. :U

My other concept was a wizard who ascended to godhood, but blew up the top of his tower in the process and destroyed the technique in turn, also saturating the island with raw arcane power in the process. Said power seeped into the locals, who used it to speed up crop growth and create golems to do their heavy labour. In the meantime the Wizard puttered back to the mainland with his discoveries and became a patron of arcane universities. Then when the Betrayal happened he stripped all the arcane power from the mainlands and peoples of it as punishment.

Ed: Tharsus' "theme" (http://www.magickagame.com/sites/default/files/Magicka%20-%20At%20World%27s%20End.mp3)

Ed2: I feel I should clarify some minor things in my posting;

Italicised speech, "like so", is that of mortals.

Bold speech, "like this", is the commanding, authoritarian tone of the Arch-Lieutenants.

Bold italics, in this manner, are the voice of Tharsus himself - deep and a little menacing. He was originally going to be allcaps, but I decided against that.

Well last I checked, there is no system of magic not related to some god or other. Even those that didn't get their magic from their gods at least had their brand of magic defined by said god. So a wizard that is his own self enough to ascend to godhood would be interesting. As for your reputation... I wasn't aware you had one either. ^.^; But then I am relatively new here. On a side note, I like your avatar. Something about a hulking machine looking thing saying stereotypical brittish things makes me giggle inside.

Inumo: I too am glad I pulled myself out of the divine room before having to deal with the sudden new influx. You may even notice that E snuck in before I could actually leave and I declared I left before that anyway XD

...Ok, should I edit out the times Kuntorus talked to Kumbha and Gys?

i don't expect wining others over to my cause to be easy. also are we confined to the island we adopted or can we branch out to other islands so long as we stay with in our domain?

Quote from: e_voyager on February 21, 2011, 05:42:13 PM
i don't expect wining others over to my cause to be easy. also are we confined to the island we adopted or can we branch out to other islands so long as we stay with in our domain?

As far as I can tell, our mortal followers are all confined to their current followers because no one yet has the capability to build a good enough ship to get out of the crags and trecherous waters around each island. Meany might have something else to say, though.

Lava + Water = Rock = Landbridge...

But Tharsus is too weary from battle + losing all but one of his Anchors and all of his Monoliths to try to wrangle the ancient volcano that's been kept dormant for several hundred/thousand/etc. years. :(

Who needs ships? The ancient Polynesians made it halfway across the Pacific in canoes. And this is an archipelago, which by definition means that most of the islands are fairly tightly clustered...

Quote from: Tezkat on February 21, 2011, 06:34:40 PM

Who needs ships? The ancient Polynesians made it halfway across the Pacific in canoes. And this is an archipelago, which by definition means that most of the islands are fairly tightly clustered...

One does have to wonder though, how many of those little boats ended up decorating the ocean floor somewhere. A lot of the Polynesian islands lost contact with each other, implying that while they could make trips like that, they couldn't do it reliably. We're pretty short on mortals as it is, might not be such a great idea to take chances.

But... they have the gods on their side... :3

Yet the god of the sea seems particularly fickle and capricious. Still, I guess if a few too many boats go missing he might get pulverized for his cheek... >:3

I'll stick with the artificial land bridges for now. And maybe build some airships later. :>

true that could be the deciding factor and air ships are a wonderful ideal.

Yeah, but you still have to deal with god of storms ;)

Actually the airship thing is something I had already intended to do. Eventually I'm going to give my people hanggliders. From there they'll work out better, more mobile versions, and with my grace they shall fly. ^.^

Does that mean i should build my followers a metro?

Umm... you guys realize Aellor is taking care of the sun problem right? And as a result he's not currently at the divine meeting? I mean he may not have told them his exact plans, but he made it clear he was going to go fix it >.>

Quote from: AmberCross on February 22, 2011, 12:40:28 AM
Umm... you guys realize Aellor is taking care of the sun problem right?

From a purely pragmatic standpoint; there is no guarantee your plan will succeed.

And hey, who says we can't have two suns?

Quote from: AmberCross on February 22, 2011, 12:40:28 AM
Umm... you guys realize Aellor is taking care of the sun problem right? And as a result he's not currently at the divine meeting? I mean he may not have told them his exact plans, but he made it clear he was going to go fix it >.>

you can be in mutple places at once you know.

and while namak may have had 3 suns i'm sure the gm would tell us if there was more then one sun in theses skys

Well, planets orbiting a binary star system would be entirely possible.... just IIRC the heat output would be very variant...

Quote from: e_voyager on February 22, 2011, 12:52:33 AM
you can be in mutple places at once you know.

Yup, and I am in fact two places right now! One with Hope and one with War. ^.^

It's just since this is sorta risky I'm putting all my concentration into this leaving essentially no attention to the archipelagos. Heck, Aellor doesn't even know about the stranger god, the volcano god, or of time's revitalizing yet. Well... maybe time, he'd probably have felt the effects of his return. But the other two definitely not.

As for variable heat output... that sounds like an awesome way to have seasons.

true. i was briefly in three places but now i've left the island behind for now. i just need to try and see the sun form a different angle. i wonder if my people will start praying for the miracle so that the gods may fix this broken world.

Some possible outcomes to think on;

1) Yaaaay the old sun is back at full strength. We drop our own project.

2) Yay the old sun is back, but it's only at half strength or something.

3) We make our own sun and it has what it takes. The bits of the old sun are kept as a memorial or something.

4) We make our own sun and it doesn't have what it takes to run the show by itself, at least for now. But it's better than no light at all.

5=2+4) Okay so like we glued bits of the old sun back together and turned it on but it's only at uh, half capacity or something. Our own sun can't run at full power either, but with the two of them everything runs fine.

And that's only If you lot get this done before Mr. King figures out how to do it himself. :3

sounds good to me but i'm having a hard time getting coordinated with the others. i'm hoping that we can get this done and get my followers into a better situation.

Quote from: Meany on February 22, 2011, 12:08:46 PM
And that's only If you lot get this done before Mr. King figures out how to do it himself. :3

Hey! Working on it! Kinda waiting on you now :/

 Gm i want to give my followers specifically those who make the clothing visions of insulated clothing stuffed with feather an/ or fur sewn between the layers of fabric. i would go so far as to give away an example or two to help spread the idea among my people. one more thing Gm. is it with in Volare's power to guide the others gods to the materials they need to rebuild the sun even though he can't build it himself.

also  Volare is willing to make a deal or two with the gods of earth and literacy for bringing warmth (and a hot spring or two) and expanding the knowledge his people have of there world.

Name: Sombriel
Depiction: So many forms.  An eligant woman with flowing black hair that meshed with a body of onyx.  A scarred girl in ragged coat and wide brimmed hat that hid all but her frown and luminous eyes.  A middle aged fortune teller tantilizing you with your fate.  An old woman in a black shawl knitting a funeral shroud.  A naked child covered in ashes, weeping soundlessly.  A still and empty room.

Domain: Death <physical>, destruction, endings, murder, decay

Titles: The quiet one.  The mourning queen.  The shadow beyond the veil.

Island: Quietus was a rock surrounded by still waters.  It was neither warm nor cold.  Neither bright nor dim. Neither wet nor dry.  All was enveloped in silence and still contemplation.  What trees grew amid the cut basalt stones were gnarled and leafless.  Yet for all its stillness, a whispering perpetuated on the edge of awareness.  Cracks ran in fractal patterns of tantalizing order; never simply breaking.  The detritus of creation littered the island; things broken and unmade and discarded.  Books lay in scattered heaps; their meaning forgotten or never created.  And on every surface were names.  Names of those born and yet to be born, and all things that were to die.

Origin: The old universe was dead.  The final name spoken.  The final writ made.  The last decree spoken.  She reached out her hand and gently stole the light and warmth of the sun.  Her breath scattered its ashes.  Then her other hand reached out to caress the moon, and it crumbled in her grasp.  And one by one she gazed at the distant stars and they too became dark. And she looked at creation and gave a great sigh, and all that remain was dust and broken and scattered.  And so she blew the old creation away, and stepped aside as a new creation was born.  And so she watched and waited for that which would inevitably be removed.

Temperament: It is said that she never smiles for at all times she feels the death of every mortal.  For this reason she can not glorify the death and destruction she is forced to met out to creation.  She weeps and smiles while weeping.  She walks in pain and loneliness.

Clergy: The silent ones do not met out death. They wait, for death comes to all, and when it does they take the bodies and carefully prepare them according to the wishes of their loved ones.  They comfort the sick and the weak, reminding them that death comes kindly or poorly.  They give succor to those who despair, and clean passings to those who can not bear the burden of life.  And they comfort the souls that can not return to the cycle of rebirth.  And, it is whispered, occasional help remove those whose time has come and gone.

Symbols: Empty rooms.  Knives.  Nooses.  Headstones.

Backstory: Apart from undoing the last creation... and the one before that... and before that... and before that...

Family Tree: Sombriel has only ever had one child.  The pain of its passing was so acute she could never bear to have another.

E; consult with Tech.  My spidey-senses tell me such developments would be under Zaltan's purview.

Ashen; Consult with Tezkat, he's usually on the IRC.  I want a clear seperation of what is the physical and spiritual act of dying before I accept this.  It is good, but that one detail needs to be quite clear.

This is interesting.... especially given the ghost domain.
Ghosts are those who wander the earth even though they shouldn't ... in defiance of the order imposed by me and Tez - one carrying the souls off, other keeping them until they are fit again to be born, and as such represent a different, constructive and orderly aspect of death as opposed to the destructive and unrestrictive one that seems to be Sombriel and her clergy.
The mention of "souls that can't return to the cycle of rebirth" ... it might even be that she has her own "place" for these, separate from mine... after all there were variant afterlives in quite a lot of religions.. it might be so in this universe too

Oh well, it might be that i am reading into it wrongly.

Also, i feel that the profile lacks  this smiley  :reaper

Hmm...

Tezkatl oversees the crossing of boundaries, both physical and symbolic. While life to death is certainly a very important transition, I'm willing to be more specific and say that, in this case, the important crossing is not from the state of living to the state of death per se, but from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. Given that Ashen also wishes to include ghosts in her portfolio, and we established that the dead in this world are lost souls until the Soulbearer collects them, I see it working thusly:

Consider Greek mythology. Thanatos is the god of death. Without him, no mortals can die. Hades is the god of the dead. He rules the realm of the afterlife. Hermes collects souls from the mortal realm, and Charon ferries them across the river to the underworld. In our cosmology, Sombriel would be Thanatos, Horiv would be Hades, and Tezkatl fills in for both Hermes and Charon.

In effect, the act of dying itself and the souls waiting for collection could be Sombriel's domain. The bodies returned to the earth and the souls returned to the afterlife belong to Horiv. Tezkatl oversees the transition, and he might be a more recognizable face of death, being the one mortals see once their time has come to pass beyond.

Since gods are powered by mortal worship, perhaps the most important thing to work out is how our three gods factor into their death rituals. You don't usually thank death for taking your loved ones from you (although you may entreat her not to take them before their time, or at the very least ensure that the passage is painless), but you do pay tribute for their safe passage to the next life and pray for their speedy return to this world. Prayers to Sombriel would probably come before death, and prayers to Tezkatl and Horiv after the fact. So long as it's understood that I get my cut for the transportation expenses, I'm happy. :3

Besides, I'm apparently the new god of the sky until y'all get off your butts and make us a new sun. I could use a little less on my plate. :animesweat

On the other hand, the appearance of this new deity does potentially throw a bit of a wrench in my plans for Ariel's subplot as missionary to the lost souls... :dface

Ashen Star; Accepted on one condition.  Please remove Ghosts from your domain list?  In this continuity, the undead are supposed to be unnatural, and so not possessing of a divine patron.

On another note, this would make the third deity with mirrors as one of their symbols. :U

This time i might contradict... in DnD undead are unnatural too yet there are deities with them in their domain.

Unnatural mainly means that the gods that have to do with nature shun their existence...

Tez, just cause you are god of sky doesn't make you ONLY god of sky ;P

As for the goddess of death... yay neighbors! Fractals... the metaphysical cycle of creation and destruction is not so different from chaos and order after all ^.^ (I promise not to steal your spots!)

Corrections made.  Ghosts removed.  Decay added.  I'd add entropy, but I just know some mage player would argue that it trespasses on luck, despite the fact that entropy has nothing to do with probability.

Sombriel as Thanatos is accurate as well.  She is a goddess of endings, not a caretaker of spirits.  In truth, she really doesn't care what happens to spirits since eventually they too will be destroyed.  In essence, she unmakes things; death of the living is just the most impactful to mortals.  Eventually all things break down or fail and it is her job to remove them so that new creation can be made.  Sombriel is also invoked by people hoping to bring about radical change; ending the old to replace the new.  Of course, Sombriel makes no guarantees that that will be better.

Oh, entropy has everything to do with probability.
As far as the old lynxy me knows, entropy is defined as kb ln O where O is the number of possible states the system can be in (kb is boltzmann's constant)
Given that the probability of an event is related to how many out of the possible states have it as an outcome out of the total... there is a definite relationship i see.


Also, good news she doesn't care about spirits... certain selfimportant sea god is already enough foes  for me :P


Revolutionaries? Actually... them worshipping the goddess of death would sortta explain some real revolutions as well :P
*is intrigued*

Ashen Star, Accepted.

Heh, we have domain infringment all over the place anyway. Two sky gods, three gods related to death, chaos infringes on destruction and luck also. We have an earth god and a magma/volcano god, a god of kindness and one of devotion, one more infringement is hardly going to be noticed. As long as the primary aspect is different, we tend not to make too big a deal of it.

Indeed... we are the socialist heaven, with full employment and 5 gods for every 1-god task.
*carries the red flag proudly*

So wait... wouldn't putting the new bit of sun inside the corrupting influence of the anchor be... bad?

>:3
Perhaps....  i have my own bit so  it's really inconsequential.

Quote from: AmberCross on February 25, 2011, 09:41:46 AM
So wait... wouldn't putting the new bit of sun inside the corrupting influence of the anchor be... bad?

It only corrupts mortals*, and only then due to the sheer power it radiates.

In this case some of the power would be absorbed by the shard/egg/thing, like an incubator, since the shard/egg/thing is a product of deific design that is explicitly non-mortal. :)

*Yes, that means the Overseer is several centuries old.

The corruptive effect is actually a sort of relic of Tharsus' original design - a "necessary evil". He held/holds several of the domains of cliche'd "evil" gods, but generally wasn't that bad of a guy (apart from the whole 'corrupting mortals and turning them into mindless soldiers') so it was better to keep him around in order to keep the domains out of the less scrupulous/those more inclined to cause havoc for havoc's sake and generally wreck everybody's sandcastles.

I figured it was a neat way of conveying how much the Anchor(s) mean on the general scale of things. They're comparable to the Dungeon Heart from Dungeon Keeper, or your Temple in Black & White: without at least one, Tharsus is basically powerless/essentially dead. But as long as at least one remains intact - or functional at the very least - he is indestructible. The tradeoff for that is his inability to do anything significant miracle-wise outside the influence of an Anchor or one of his own Obsidian Monoliths besides whack things with his BFS. Which is something he's pretty good at, mind you.

Ashen, could you please clarify the context for your post? A few of us are confused as to how to respond. Sun's body was cremated and transformed into eggs several posts prior, and it kinda looks like you decided to retcon the ceremony and have Sombriel waltz in to hack at the corpse in front of her loved ones... :dface


In other news, as these events mark a rather important change in my deity's role, I've updated his profile. I also wrote up the episode in legend format for you to enjoy. :3

As I understood it, the sun was a dying ball of energy like a broken mirror, with the corpse of the slain sun god within.  Parts were taken off and removed to create the glowing eggs of energy.  The majority of the power has been salvaged in your eggs.   She disposed off the rest, so now there is no sun corpse.   There is just a big empty space where the sun used to be and now everything is dark, save for star light.  So, if you're going to replace the sun, now is the time.  There is no corpse left to "fix" or "resurrect."  You cremated the body, I scattered the ashes.

Ah... you probably aren't aware of this because the plan was hashed out in a chatroom, but these eggs are going to take a year to hatch. At least. Using four gods we could have salvaged the old sun somewhat instantaneously, more and we could have gotten it somewhat back to full muster. This plan however requires each god to nurture an egg which will hatch on a timeline depending on how much energy is put into them. Part of the point of having the smoldering remains of the sun I believe was to have at least SOME light salvaged so the people would not freeze to death or something like that. Times are going to be tough enough during this next year...

Sigh... looks like I'm going to be busy...

Somebody has a  case of the mondays XD

(Seriously, apparently mondays are associated with more incidents of cardiovascular problems, giving such as Sombriel a ton more work)

Ah, sorry. Seems my estimated figures of 'a year' were off. Also inaccurate. And unbased in reality. In actuality I have no idea how long it will take. Possibly that long, possibly longer, possibly shorter. Apparently the official figure is '3 GM posts'. So we'll just have to wait to find out I guess.

This is what you get for not telling us about your plan and just running off to try to fix things by yourself, you know. :rolleyes

Meh he's a god. gods do what they do including me. i've mad my intentions clear and with lack of response form my pears it's time for action. after i wake up.

Time moves at the speed of plot.

Quote from: Ashen Star on February 27, 2011, 10:49:48 AM
Time moves at the speed of plot.

Methinks this fundamental law needs to be expressed more clearly
(http://www.texify.com/img/%5CLARGE%5C!%5Cfrac%7B%5Cpartial%20t%7D%7B%5Cpartial%20t_%7Bref%7D%7D%20%3D%20%7Cv_%7Bplot%7D%7C.gif)

Edited for clarity (and a bad error).

sorry guys not only am i busy in rl but i wasn't even here yesterday at all. will post soon as i catch up some

Looks like we're waiting on a GM post, then. :B

Actually, I do believe Hatari and Techcubi are up next to post. :B

But what about the mini-post you promised with the Love/War thing?

Quote from: Meany on March 07, 2011, 05:39:50 PM
Actually, I do believe Hatari and Techcubi are up next to post. :B

Well we can't wait for them forever, can we? It'd be improper to let two players hold things up for everyone else. Equally irresponsible of them to have not given a reason for the delay(s), if possible.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see. :P

Quote from: AmberCross on March 07, 2011, 05:43:45 PM
But what about the mini-post you promised with the Love/War thing?

Your minipost has been upgraded to a full GM post.  There will be no timeskip this time.  Which, for those putting serious effort into hatching their sun eggs, will be good news.  >:3

My bad - I didn't mean to hold up the show for anybody. I've just been in a pretty big fugue lately and haven't been in any kind of mood to swing by and write :< . By all means, keep on keeping on. I'll just have to mark myself as on hiatus for now.

Quote from: Meany on March 08, 2011, 03:31:02 PM

Quote from: AmberCross on March 07, 2011, 05:43:45 PM
But what about the mini-post you promised with the Love/War thing?

Your minipost has been upgraded to a full GM post.  There will be no timeskip this time.  Which, for those putting serious effort into hatching their sun eggs, will be good news.  >:3

Ah... that's probably good for me too. Since I plan to have Aellor finish his storytelling with the announcement of the egg and the hope/war thing if that ends up happening. I'd have done it already if I had a particularly viable and obvious source of power. As is, I plan to command my people to care for the egg as they would care for a child of their own. I assume that like most godly things these eggs can be in multiple places at once?

Only if you give them the energy to be so.  These aren't gods yet.  They're babies.  They need to learn how to screw with physics. :]  Hatari, noted.  I'll gently remind TC to post, and be on the lookout for a GM post.  One way or another, it will be up before Thursday.

Ah, let me rephrase. Can I PUT things in more than one place at once? Or would it be one original and the rest sort of images... shortcuts... symbollic links and whatnot?

how does they type of energy that we are feeding our sun eggs affect there development?

E, wait and see.

AC, no.  You can't duplicate them completely yet, so it's the shortcut/symbolic link thing.

Pardon my double-posting, but as GM I need to say this.

Ashen Star- To be perfectly clear, I handle relations of the players, like yourself, with non-players.  Followers, non-player Gods, the forces of the universe set loose, that sort of thing.  Until you attempt to connect with non-players, I will not be able to give you a section of the GM post.  For everything else, interact with the other players freely.

I would like to say for the record that I am very amused by the ploy of 'Look at your god. Now look at me.'

In other more relevant news, I am going on vacation starting very early Saturday morning and don't know when I'll have internet or whatever. This is probably not an issue as I have not struck up anything (or will anyway once my post is up) that will require my attention after this post, but I figured I'd mention it anyway.

yeah that was pretty funny. sorry i took so long guys but thing's aren't exactly stable at the moment' it's all i can do  to keep up with my other rps let alone write for this one.

Um...I was wondering if there was room for one more player in this RP?

Lot's of vacant thrones left.

I'm going to try this RP out...

Name: Karaius

Depiction: A Young looking Humanoid adult male with lightly tanned skin and short brown hair. His eyes shone like sapphires. He wears six rings representing six elements, three on each hand. (his left hand has the ones that represent water, wind, and darkness...his right hand has the rings that represent the elements of fire, earth, and light.) He also wears armor that has two colors...silver and gold. From his back protrudes two sets of wings..one set is similar to that of an angel's set of wings...the other is that of a demon's.

Domain: Karaius' domain is that of balance between Light and Dark, the elements,  and the virtues and sins of the people (mortals, angels and demons)...in all, he is considered a god that judges and enforces the balance of the world.

Titles:  The bringer of balance, the child of light and dark.

Island: A Island considered to be a symbol of balance, Soulhaven's sentient population was half made up of humans while the other half were of beastmen (Furres). In the past, the island had a variety of plant life and variable climates.

Origin: A long time ago, before the death of the previous universe, there existed two deities that had lots of children...but they had one problem, the children had no bodies of their own and therefore were just spirits. to help them gain bodies they made a mortal realm to help their children develop bodies. one of these childrem who gained mortal bodies was Karaius. He had sought to find out the secrets of why they were born without immortal bodies...it turned out the source of all gods was sealed within a cup lost upon the world he inhabited. The cup was called the Theistic Chalice. The cup was said to give upon the one drank from it the energies from the mana stream of either the Netherverse or the realm of angels the existance as a god (which type of god was depending on which mana stream they drank from). He had found the chalice and headed to a nexus point where the Netherverse and the Realm of angels connected. however, he drank from where both mana streams originated and gain the abilities of both a dark god and a god of light. seeing that one of their children had gained godhood and the abilities of the both of them...the God of humans, light and angels (known as Jaehwailyn, the patriarch) and the goddesss of beasts, darkness and daemons (known as Altierra) felt that he had matured enough to start out in the next universe to come.

Temperament: His mood towards those who try to live as best as they can is that of kindness and will often try to help those who have lost their way and seek to regain balance in their lives. However, he is not without wrath...and those who recieve it are those who try to destabilize the balance in the world and those who seek to destroy the peace between beastmen and humans.

Clergy: His Priests and priestesses are those who devout themselves fully to the balance of the world and are made up of both beastmen and humans. the most faithful of his clergy is often said to be given the gift of the two toned wings like their god has, by their god.

Symbols: the symbol chosen to represent karaius was a sun-like amulet or pendant, except it had two colors...golden yellow, and purple...one for each half of the symbol.
Family Tree: currently he has no wife or children of his own...but he seeks a Beastwoman to share his godhood with.

How's this for a character profile, Meany?

Edited for spacing

hmm, balances sins of souls? That's kinda meh job, considering they are all in my cozy domain! :3

Can ya break up the profile some? Reading a giant wall o' text is really hard on the eyes, and makes baby Jesus cry.

Quote from: VAE on April 01, 2011, 10:28:35 PM
hmm, balances sins of souls? That's kinda meh job, considering they are all in my cozy domain! :3

*looks at Horiv's profile post*

Eh...you sure?

We have three gods of death as of now. You would basically shove a fourth in there. I also think we have two gods of balance already as well (in a way). They're different sorts of balances, mine is between order and chaos w/flipping and transitions between them while Tez is more about tipping the balance from one state to another and all that other between stuff. This doesn't necessarily exclude another balance, just be aware you have competition.

yeah we kinda need gods of other venues...

like PIE!!!

You could be the glorious pastery god!

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

Admittedly we have an NPC war deity already, and Tharsus is shaping up to be the most warlike of the others so far.

Hmmm...do we have a god of Lightning, wind or thunder?...or maybe beasts or demons?

Quote from: KarlOmega1 on April 02, 2011, 02:08:52 AM
Hmmm...do we have a god of Lightning, wind or thunder?...or maybe beasts or demons?

The following is a list of players and gods whose domains may include the aforementioned things.

AmberCross (Aellor) - Weather(particularly storms)

• lightning, wind and thunder

Techcubi (Kuntorus) - The Hunt, Wilderness

• beasts

Dr. Hatari (Gys) - Life

• beasts

Aellor is primarily about Chaos and Order and the transitions between them. Weather and storms is how he tends to manifest his chaotic side. So while weather in general would skirt close, a god of lightning would be far enough away to not matter. Heck, you might even manage to branch out into energy in general. Only person anywhere near that is I think Arcalane with his domain of fire. I mean yeah Horiv does the geothermal thing, and I suppose Kumbha gets hydropower, while solar energy goes to the (somewhat dead) sun... actually I'm starting to see problems here too :/. Still, lightning is definitely open in that specific form and you can probably branch out a bit from there. It's looking a bit limited though.

And I can't speak for the others, but my impression is that if you find someone whose domain is a wide bucket thing, and you only border on a part of that, you might be okay.

Finally I should also mention that definitively open spots includes festivals/song and plant stuff.

Plants probably fall under Gys' umbrella as well. Life is pretty vague after all.

Granted, Life is very vague. I was worried about portfolio overlap from the start - doubly so when I realized there were both Wilderness and Forest deities already. The interpretation I had been running with was life as a separate and distinct force, intrinsic in all beings. The quality of animation and vitality itself; death's contrast.

You know, like that green glowing energy-stuff when you touch a health pack in video games.  :3

While Gys' aesthetic is beast-heavy, it was intended to be a secondary domain. Just a bit more tangible expression of the primary. Creatures, species, cultures, or whole plant/animal kingdoms I specifically wanted to leave open to any interested specialist or themed deities.

A thing to remember is that you can manipulate stuff that is outside of your portfolio. But, remember that a portfolio is a specialization. It represents a strength within a specific realm of power.

An example of specialist vs dabbler.

Masota, a diety of luck creates, a giant storm to maroon a group of people. She can create a storm that fits her needs, but it requires quite a bit of power on her part, and only affects the local area. with a similar amount of power, a dedicated Diety who has storms as part of their portfolio can make the storm of the same strength but affecting a larger area, a stronger storm that affects a similar area, or a combination of the two.

Both can make storms, but the diety with the portfolio/specialization does it more efficently.

*sigh*...I really don't want to abandon my character's current profile...you sure we can't have three gods of balance?

Get it worked out with the other gods of balance and sure, you can.  Having a trinity is actually more efficient, as it lessens the possibility of a stalemate.

However, if you cannot get the current players overseeing Balance right now to agree, you'll have to find a new concept.  True, we have a God of war, but seeing a God of peace would be nice too.  Or you could take on the persona of an NPG-non player god, if you could make a case for it.  Present NPGs are War, Hope, the four seasons-Autumn, Summer, Spring, Winter-Vengeance, just to name a few.

All things to consider. :3

 I'll add to it - there's always a possibility of a minor domain squabble... the overlaps sometime happen that way too -eg. in greek mythology.
After all, noone has said the remaining gods love each other too much... in fact so far, the opposite was the case.

I'm sorry to say, this RP has gotten too big and wild for me. Combined with some RL issues, I'm going to have to bow out. It'd probably be best for the Bronze King to simply kill Jerrel.

Aww.  Okay, I'm sorry you have to go.  I understand, and sympathize with you, getting some issues of my own to see to.  Hope you get through okay!

Never said there can't be 3 gods of balance, just that you should be aware there's competition ^.^

Something that might help though is saying what kind of balance. Or how that balance applies. I get the impression you're balancing humans and furs at the moment which doesn't seem that impressive, especially since the make up is 1/2 human and 1/2 mix of crazy lot of things. Aka, 1/4 canine and 1/3 feline or some odd such. Way I've always seen that go is that the various species tend to band up and self divide themselves. In order for that makeup to work, the furs would have to be drastically different from humans. Something like what Fire Emblem: Dawn Brigade did with the Laguz vs. the Beorc. Again, just the impression I'm getting so far. Either way, can you maybe go into a bit more detail about what you're thinking with this?

Quote from: VAE on April 02, 2011, 10:27:40 PM
I'll add to it - there's always a possibility of a minor domain squabble... the overlaps sometime happen that way too -eg. in greek mythology.
After all, noone has said the remaining gods love each other too much... in fact so far, the opposite was the case.

Mah spotz! Always stealin mah spotz!!! >:]


Ahem...

What's important in cases of overlap is that there be some clear delineation of domains and duties. For instance, it seems quite reasonable to have both a god of fire and god(s) of the hearth or the forge, because a hearths and forges represent specific fires with particular meaning to mortals. So while the aforementioned fire god would have dominion fire in general and wild flames in particular, responsibility for specific fires tamed by mortals would fall to the others.


Tezkatl is the god of boundaries, both physical and spiritual. He's the divine representation of the area between A and B, and he watches over the threshold. A gatekeeper, if you will. He's not interested in balancing A or B themselves, merely providing safe passage if your paperwork is in order. He's not even the god of change, per se, so much as the often arbitrary markers that define when one thing becomes another. For instance, Gys governs the process of growth, but Tezkatl oversees the day when a boy becomes a man. Likewise, Sombriel governs the act of dying, but Tezkatl collects the soul and brings it to the afterlife. And so on.

All of his other domains stem from that. For instance, Tezkatl's personal kingdom is the realm of dreams, which in his cosmology represents the borderland between the realms of gods and mortals, where the symbolism and metaphor that characterize divine existence intersect with mortal perceptions of reality. His position as messenger god is a natural outgrowth of his dominion over the borders a message must cross to travel from one person to another.

Even his mastery of the night (and later the heavens due to the untimely death of his partner), arguably his most important domain, began thusly. He's the one who tucked the sun in at night and watched over the world while she slept. His body itself (the night sky) simply grew to fill the gap between days. It evolved into something much more significant as nighttime became important to mortals and time itself required him settle into a balance with his consort. (Kids are so demanding, eh? :3)


So... Tezkatl isn't really a god of balance, at least not intentionally. However, depending on how KarlOmega1 interprets his god's mandate, there could be some stepping on toes. For example, the literal balance between light and dark, at least in terms of celestial illumination, defines Tezkatl's most significant domain. As for metaphorical light and dark (i.e. good and evil)... honestly, the laws of man are more Jerrel's domain. And if he does indeed get himself killed soon, there will be an opening there. :dface

Quote from: KarlOmega1 on April 01, 2011, 10:22:19 PM
Domain: Karaius' domain is that of balance between Light and Dark, the elements,  and the virtues and sins of the people (mortals, angels and demons)...in all, he is considered a god that judges and enforces the balance of the world.

Quote from: AmberCross on April 03, 2011, 01:03:53 AM
Something that might help though is saying what kind of balance. Or how that balance applies.

Yeah... that description does seem rather vague and abstract, not really explaining what it is your god does. Do you drive people to murder when the world's evil quota gets to low?

More specifically, what balance(s) in particular are you trying to maintain, and how do you go about enforcing it? The latter could provide plenty of opportunities to step on other gods' toes, especially with a broad mandate backed by unwavering commitment. (Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but it would be a guaranteed source of drama. >:])


Not incidentally, the world is pretty out of balance at the moment, what with the Big Bad's campaign of genocide and deicide causing the place to wither away.


There are a couple of other things to note...

We do not (yet) have angels or demons in our cosmology. For the most part, our gods communicate directly with mortal followers. Your god would probably have to create angels and demons on his own.

After death, mortal souls are recycled and returned as newborns after spending some time in the underworld. There isn't much of a post-death judgement process in place. I don't think any of our religions currently preach rewards in the next life for good behaviour.

Although there's no reason you can't have beastmen as followers, this world is not inherently furry. All of the anthropomorphics so far are divine pet projects. (Kuntoros has his wolf-men, Gys has his menagerie, Horiv has... um... treecats, and Tez's priests are essentially werebeasts.) Unless Meany's had a change of heart, few of our "enhanced" followers would have survived the purge on the mainland.




In other news... I'm dealing with some kinda heavy RL stuff at the moment. It might be a while before I manage to get a proper post written. :dface

For those of you waiting on a response from me...

Assume that anyone who wants to adopt one of Tez's kids has permission. Only one egg per customer, though.

I'm also considering leasing out spot space for any gods who would like their own constellation. It seems reasonable in this setting that the gods would be represented in the heavens. The nebula won't completely obscure the constellations of active deities (and may even serve to cover scars left in the cosmos by fallen gods).

Quote from: Tezkat on April 03, 2011, 03:37:52 AM
There are a couple of other things to note...

We do not (yet) have angels or demons in our cosmology. For the most part, our gods communicate directly with mortal followers. Your god would probably have to create angels and demons on his own.

Although there's no reason you can't have beastmen as followers, this world is not inherently furry. All of the anthropomorphics so far are divine pet projects. (Kuntoros has his wolf-men, Gys has his menagerie, Horiv has... um... treecats, and Tez's priests are essentially werebeasts.) Unless Meany's had a change of heart, few of our "enhanced" followers would have survived the purge on the mainland.

Tharsus' minions are about as close as we have to anything supernatural in that fashion I think, and they are certainly not his domain. Mortals, if they had a concept for demons, would definitely brand them as demons though; glassy/ashen horrors that were clearly once living - either in nature or in design - but are now servants of a higher power. >:3

As Tezkatl marks the barrier across domains, Aellor is the cycle of creation and destruction. Not directly, but in its metaphorical sense as the world becomes more or less systematic. It was he that marked the creation of the cosmos as if fell into order and when the world arose from chaos. It was the fall of the previous order of gods that gave him the power to survive a direct blow from the Betrayer King and the recreation of that order (limited though it may be) on the islands that allowed him to pull himself together. He is order, chaos, and the transition between those two states as well as the balance between them. He exists in the perfect order of a solar system and the chaos of a raging storm, but he thrives most in the moment of change. When a star first ignites itself off of internal fires, when a tornado touches upon the ground, when the sun breaks through the clouds to mark the storm's end, when that same star reaches the end of its life and falls into supernova... these are the moments when he is at his strongest. (You know, all that propaganda bull.)

Anyway, Tez and I currently overlap on this particular boundary as well with our constant squabble about the stars and stuff. Not sure about him, but the way I see it... we both claim the cosmos as our playground, but it's one of those things that is so vast it really can't actually be claimed by one entity. I imagine the cosmos as a giant maze, one of the most awesome playgrounds ever. It's a bit complex and confusing to most, but Tez and I have been playing around here since forever and know most of the ins and outs of it. We both can apply our influence just about anywhere, but we also have places that are our own haunts that we hang out and have more influence (know the area better) over. The cosmos is certainly big enough for us to both have empires there after all. Anyway, there's really nothing stopping other gods from coming here except the rather confusing nature of the place (and of course either of us if we decided to try stopping them) so they're welcome to come and have spots of their own. It's just that their zones of control/familiarity aren't really as widespread or anything as that of Tez or I.

But of course none of that is directly relevant to you. I imagine if you choose a particular balance and stick with it, you could probably end up with a similar arrangement Tez and I do in regards to the chaos/order boundary and balance. Just make sure to double check.

Heh. It's worth remembering that the cosmology of this universe is inherently old world geocentric. Pretty much everything beyond the bounds of earth is governed by the subjective reality of the gods. The laws of physics rarely matter. The sky (or, more specifically, the heavens) is Tezkatl's body as seen from earth. Stars are merely spots on his coat, and the new nebula glows where the sun's funeral pyre scorched his fur. Aellor might see himself as playing in a vast cosmic maze, but as far as I'm concerned, he's just trying to paint my spots. >:]

Karaius could have created angels and demons...if that's okay with meany. as for the balance thing...I really cant be specific, but he's mostly a God of judgement. You've said that the souls of mortals are recycled as newborns? What about said judgement is what they'll be reborn as after weighing the virtues and sins agains each other to see if they get reborn as a mortal again, an angel, or a demon?

Feel free to create new races.  However, I -will- take it out of your hide. :3  Also, don't forget reincarnation as animals.  Animal souls have to go somewhere.

i find that i like this game more and more now if only i could figure out how to work  better with my fellow gods .

Ze postingz will be happeningz when I wakingz in ze morningz.

Quote from: Meany on April 04, 2011, 01:53:27 AM
Feel free to create new races.  However, I -will- take it out of your hide. :3  Also, don't forget reincarnation as animals.  Animal souls have to go somewhere.

I have to remember that.
and yes..animal souls do have to go somewhere.

:mwaha

That is all.

Ed: brb inventing magitech guns. :U

I'm starting to think "Rambling About Vaguely Important Things Until The Thread Dies" should be part of Tharsus' domains.

Maybe we're due another GM post to grease the wheels?

who knows i don't want to overplay my role but i've been thinking about posting in main again just to keep Volare functional. say Gm did anyone in a felid related to Volare's domain pass away?

Argh! Am not dead! Just catching a short nap! (well, short in divine terms)

don't sweat it as the voyager i've slept away decades only to have to time travel back to avoid missing important events.

For reference the information I am giving out is pretty much straight from Meany by way of forum PMs, if anyone was wondering in regards to it's validity.

Heh, well...I think I'm dropping out. Sorry guys.

No worries. We've kinda gone stagnant allasudden.

We seem to have run out of steam. I've been tossing around ideas for a bit of a reboot since I think this concept could go somewhere, it just needs a little... refinement. Anyone else interested?

I wouldn't mind. If Meany's not up to it, I could probably try my hand at GMing again, too.

I was curious if anything had been done about this reboot idea.  Anyone?

This could be interesting I would like to join this so here's my god
let me know if there's any problem to it so I am able to join, thank you :mowhappy

Name: Varnel

Depiction: Before you is a dirty little urchin filled with mischief in his eyes, no wait you see a slightly disheveled tinker, in his hands and on his clothes are various tools for his craft, look again, the tinker is now a peddler wheeling a cart displaying his wares, small treasures and knick-knacks could be yours for the purchasing.

Domain: The powers of Varnel stem from the half-hearted prayers, the muttered curses, the annoyed outbursts of mortals and life, when mortals request for divine assistance, whether or not the gods answer the power of their request flows to Varnel indirectly. In this Varnel can become powerful or weak. His strength is dependent on the number of people contributing to a request, an individual plea may only bring a little action that may not result in any change at all, while a massive collective desire from mortals may bring greater action. Yet there is still a limitation, because the energy Varnel gains is not directed to him and nearly all requests fall into domains in which Varnel has no skill, his ability would be 1/8th of that of a god specializing in the particular domain in which a request is made.

Titles: God damn it! , God! God! Please don't let this happen, God I swear to you if you let me live, become rich, get healthy again, etc.

Island: He has only just awoken so Varnel has no particular territory or people.

Origin: Throughout the ages people have taken the name of the gods in vain, sometimes a particular person might just forget the name of their god in the excitement or those who have no particular deity will exclaim the usual when frustrated, afraid, desiring or joyful. Yet the prayers and faith of the people do not go into the void in vain. These people's wishes and thoughts collected together into a primal force, the desire for the divine to touch the lives of the mundane. Still all this power remained untouched and forgotten as there were gods and goddess enough. This all changed with the Betrayal resulting in divine voids where many gods and goddess existed, now there is room for this primal force to awaken and take form and so he awakes, Varnel the god born unintended from the people.

Temperament: Varnel knows not enough to form a personality but he watches mortals in their daily lives and is interested in their hopes, their fears, their dreams, and everything about them.

Clergy: All intelligent life is his cult though they may not know it; the request for divine intervention is his worship. Whether or not he answers is entirely up to his whim.

Symbols: As he has just awoken he has no symbols

Backstory: Nothing but blind oblivion and then awareness, the rush of sensation fills his tiny mind expanding it. He feels it, the wishes of mortals in their daily lives endlessly asking for help, for mercy, for power, for a sign. Then he feels another thing, the dying thoughts of the gods betrayed by one of their own. He is afraid, life is wonderful and Varnel does not want to give it up. Now he hides and waits, testing his powers and wondering what should he do...?

Family Tree: A primal force only just awoken, there was never a chance that he has had children.

Aside from the way overpowered nature your god (we may be god modding, but we do try to avoid god modding), his domains seem a bit incompatible with the story so far. Beyond wondering how exactly technology has anything to do with half considered prayers, it should be pointed out that technology in this RP has barely progressed beyond the idea of levers. Seriously, we haven't even reinvented the bow and arrow yet. I could mention a few other things, but being not the GM (just someone who got bored at some odd hour of the morning) it's really not my call on how significant an issue prayer poaching, controlling fate, and other similar things are.

Of course this all boils away into insignificance because this RP is three kinds of dead and has been for months now. (It's a joke cause we have three death gods. Get it? Three kinds of... oh, nevermind.)

That and my god kinda took technology already, too. Admittedly, I'm probably not going to stick around for the reboot, but there you go.

(Sigh) You're right, the concept really has power issues, the original concept was something that involved the area of divine intervention but when I tried to branch that out I got the problem that AmberCross pointed, perhaps this would be less broken if I went with the original concept? I've edited Varnel now to reflect that, if this RP still lives I would still like to join anyway.

Quote from: techmaster-glitch on August 20, 2011, 12:13:05 PM
That and my god kinda took technology already, too. Admittedly, I'm probably not going to stick around for the reboot, but there you go.

You know, I thought about bringing up that issue, but your god already died (got a GM post and everything) so a brand new god that came into existence after the Betrayal would have no reason not to take up your dropped mantel. Besides, we have three death gods, two sky, two tied in with magma, and my god has overtones of fate himself. I think we're a bit beyond worrying about godly domain poaching.

And to critic, the issue here is that your proposed god would have a significant hold over the other gods. He's like this omnipresent barkeeper that can cut off anyone he wants if he put a mind to it. I would suggest (assuming we do restart this) looking into a specific domain that gives a similar feel. When I read your post, I get the impression of a god of (mis)fortune with perhaps ties to impish behavior (mischief). I'm seeing in my mind's eye a sort of Murphey's Law incarnate. Just watch out you don't get too close to Squirrel's character ^.^;

Ummm... I really liked this RP concept, I wonder if you guys still accept new members...  I would like to join...

Meany hasn't shown his face around here to help resolve some IC issues, so we're deadlocked for now. There's been talk of a restart but nothing confirmed yet.