Gods: Age Of Barbarians IC

[Janus]

"These are tablets that, while dated to be millions of years old, are some how still in pristine condition. There appears to be some kind of writing on them . . . How? There were no Humans in this world millions of years ago. Were there? Well, thanks to the weird old man, we believe that we've discovered what they actually say. He's made it his life's work to translate these into The Modern Common Language."
"Sir there is evidence of, well, I guess you could call them civilization, located on this planet all those millions of years ago. You won't believe it. They had the crude beginnings of metallurgy, organized societies and tribal customs."
"Unfortunately we couldn't find information that wasn't touched by their Mythology in some way. They talk about being ruled over by their "gods", magic, and other such nonsense, but still, these tablets are an amazing archaeological discovery."
Many Eons Ago . . .
(Replace most of the forests with tropical jungle on the map)

((Generally try to choose an area on the map OOC, and/or on Discord.))

"The gods rule over their peoples. If not for the gods, Humanity and other mortals would surely have been eradicated. Predators and monstrous beasts roam the wilds searching for meat. The Great Serpent Beasts, brutal predators like dire wolves, bears, even dragons search the wild, untamed world for their next meal. Luckily for my tribe, we roam the world under the kind shadow of our own god, who protects us, and we prosper."

"The Northern peoples have some weird kind of chief they call a "King". Their "Godking" as they call him is some kind of Dragon. He has taught them how to harvest from the Earth it'self, which the people do obediently, and to their credit, his people have grown many in number, and prosper."

Turn 1:
((It's a dangerous world. You can try to strengthen your own territory, expand, fortify, or generally do what you want, within reason. All players begin with twice the ordinary 5 AP for the first turn, and are at 10 AP for now. Make sure to ask questions if you want to spend your AP on something and don't know what AP would cost. write text describing what you're doing, and write, in spoilers, what you did and how much you spent at the bottom of your post.))

 

[Andre Chaos]

Genesis 22:10​

Ouroboros did not have much fear of the wilds. After all, her place of origin was one of lush jungles, endless marshes, and primal rivers with mangrove forests on the banks of their wide waters. It was a place packed and brimming with life, which inevitably led to violent, endless, and cunning competition. On every level - from small crawling insects to the big lizards of the great river - the place was full of dangers and things that would like to see you dead and eaten. It wasn't a welcoming place for outsiders, all things considered.

In the depths of this green ocean, the Great Serpent carved out her own little fiefdom. Not a kingdom, but rather the hunting grounds of a huge apex predator. She did not rule this place in the usual sense. Everyone near her burrow was fair game, a possible prey, a toy, or even a mate. But mostly, they were left alone to live as they wanted. Only if Genesis needed something from them or if they were too annoying would she bother to crush the little trespassers.

It was primal anarchy - a pure and self-sustainable system, like all in nature or within living things. However, Ouroboros was something of a creator goddess. There weren't many smart creatures, and this was somewhat of a problem. Because all things in the world are created either by natural laws or by thinking beings. There were some serpents and lizards that learned to respect the rights of the Great Serpent and her power. But most of them were solitary, only rarely gathering in groups for a few purposes: protection, hiding, or mating. There weren't any tribes; there weren't any creators to inspire. And over many years, it seemed like nature had already reached its creative limit.

The system was set: ecological niches occupied, everything part of many cycles, no place for any significant change. It was a bit monotonous, a bit boring in Ouroboross's opinion. She wanted something new; she wanted to create things. Her desires were a law in the green ocean. Her creativity was unbound by fragile natural laws.

So, Ouro began leaving her Shifting Burrows at night to look for things of interest. The goddess would hunt for creatures that were smart, skillful, and worthy of a bite of their essence. One such victim was a trespasser from other lands - a small, bipedal creature with fur, looking lost and afraid.

Ouroboross bit them but did not leave any wounds behind. The little creature only felt fear, then an alien sensation of doom and foreboding when the teeth should have snapped it in half. Then came a strange lightness and emptiness, and it was no longer itself. Ouro took a bit of its memories, skills, and emotional attachments. Some pieces of these essences still lingered in the now-empty vessel, but not enough for the beast to be more than an empty husk of its previous self. It was doomed to be consumed.

The Great Serpent conducted these hunts quite often and brought back many interesting essences she wanted to use for her goals. They were mixed and matched inside the Crackpot - a personal divine tool made by Genesis to break down things into physical and immaterial components and work with them more freely.

Many things were brewed by the Serpent and then consumed for safekeeping for later use, all of them containing a bit of her blood as an ingredient. She tried to create mixes of aspects and ideas that correlated with mind, teamwork, talent, and cunning. There were many different variations, but she could not fully know what they would do before actually using them - only a general idea. However, genesis wasn't the most accurate or predictable divine power to have. It was intuitive and easily used, but mysterious and prone to creating unique outcomes each time, even if the same ingredients and the same process were used.

This is why Ouroboros made so many batches of complex mixed essences and then went searching for egg clutches of the serpents and lizards she liked the most. They would be bestowed with this essence, hatch later, and grow and develop differently from their usual species. Some would die, get ill, or suffer some unintended consequences. But quantity and natural selection soon left behind only the most successful individuals: strong, cunning, healthy, and fertile. The last fact was the most crucial for Ouroboros's goals.

The Goddess would observe these specimens and then mate with them - sometimes through cunning, persuasion, and animalistic charisma, other times by forcing them or catching them off guard, binding and using them. When the eggs formed inside the Great Serpent, she would eat her mate and extract from them the most useful essences. The Divine Serpent would create many clutches and infuse them with the essence taken from their other parent. Many would hatch and produce creatures that were better suited for building something new.

This is how the first tribes of proto-kobolds and proto-nagas were born: closely related creatures with similar natures and appearances. They would band together in small groups or even tribes. They were still not very intelligent, but they were much better than their ancestors. At least they could make primitive tools and had the ability to socialize. There weren't many of them - perhaps around two thousand in total - but Genesis found them more interesting.​

---

Spoiler: OOC

Well, guess I will start. I hope this is good enough. I think, 3 AP should be enough for something like this?

I want to create species of proto-kobolds and proto-nagas using process described in this little story. Around 2000 of them in total. You can think of them like progenitors for known fantasy species of kobolds and nagas, made of giant marsh serpents and feathery jungle lizards of this region. Kinda like ancestors of humanity, but for different species.

Wanted to give a bit idea about Ouroboross character and actually define her gender. Ruthless, animalistic and cunning god. But very patient and prefering freedom.​

Also, do AP accumulate?

 

[Andre Chaos]

Genesis 22:2​

The Great Serpent was pleased with the result of her project. Two large tribes were now carving the jungle and marshes around the great river into their own lands. They fought, they allied, they betrayed, they loved, they created, and they died. Many older species learned to fear and respect their power. It was good.

However, some might see many actions of Ouroboros as evil and cruel. They would be right to judge from their point of view in the future. But from the inside, the actions of the Ouro were mostly unmoral. She had lived for many years like an animal, like a solitary hunter - smart, cunning, and sapient, but without any frame of reference to understand right and wrong as societies do. Solitude raises pragmatism and egoism in one's understanding of morality.

Most actions of animals are unmoral because they don't know what morality is, they do not consider it. However, there are still some behaviors that can be described as amoral at best. Usually, they do not mate with their own offspring because nature prohibits it.

Those that did led their species toward change or extinction. Ouroboros was aware of this tendency among animals but did not believe it fully applied to her. After all, divinity did not have such problems with inbreeding, and there weren't any true equals to her in this jungle. There were serpents similar in stature and shape, but they weren't as smart, powerful, or unique as she was. So she mostly did not consider such stuff as right and wrong towards others at all.

Things changed a little when the Great Serpent started to observe and learn from her own creations. They lived in tribes, had small societies, and established hierarchies. They also soon created rules about what to do and what not to do, where, and when they should act in one way or another.

Because they were not solitary, they had to consider what others thought and intended to do. Almost like a hive, but more flexible and with each member having more choice and ability to change the colony behavior, Ouro thought.

This seemed a bit bizarre to Ouroboros, who was so powerful and so lonely that she couldn't be bothered less. But she was reasonable, even if cruel, and culture, morals, and rules were completely new concepts created in this wild place. As well as primitive, but unique shelters and crude tools for hunting, for slaughter of their own kin, and for shaping materials...

There was something else strange as well. Sometimes, these thinking creatures made something they called 'beauty.' Usually, it didn't have any specific purpose and was rarely made by some odd individuals. Ouro was filled with delight because someone else had finally created something just because they wanted to, simply because a part of who they were craved to make.

Although the interaction between the Great Serpent and numerous tribes was one of fear, awe, and inevitability, Ouroboros would soon start to barter randomly with some tribes or people of interest.

She exchanged her own little creations for things of theirs - items she had never made herself - to learn and see what they had and what they could do. Sometimes she demanded tribute from tribes that wanted to live closer to her Shifting Burrow or sought her protection. What did she ask for?

Sometimes Ouro demanded sacrifices of captured enemies or criminals to herself. The Serpent would slowly consume them and extract whatever useful essences they had. Most of them would be digested so she could learn new things.

However, she also required some people to teach her as tribute. She particularly liked artisans, craftsmen, and storytellers. They usually went into her Burrow and lived there for some time, working with materials, teaching the Goddess, and learning in turn, polishing their skills while allowing her to watch.

Most of them returned, but some were eaten for one reason or another. It was a risky but honorable fate. Returning brought more knowledge and skills than they had before leaving, even if some never returned and only stories about why they died reached the tribe.

Other times, Ouroboros took away children whom she saw as talented and full of untapped potential, or simply strange and intriguing for some reason. Some of them did return after living in the Shifting Burrow, while some died and were repurposed for the goddess's different projects. A rare few stayed with Ouro, becoming sort of priests who entertained the Great Serpent, helped communicate with tribes, and guarded the Shifting Burrow.

Rarely Ouroboros took the most beautiful and talented warriors for her more basic needs. They almost never returned because they would mate with the goddess and then be eaten, allowing their essence to be infused into newly created eggs. Children would hatch with a lot of potential, possessing innate talents and skills unnaturally inherited from their fathers. It wasn't a bad way to die, all things considered.

Some would stay in the Burrow, but most would return to their tribes as powerful warriors or even prominent chieftains. However, Ouro preferred to keep thinkers, artisans, and talented lovers for herself.

This changed how the goddess thought, at least a little bit. Ouroboros learned a lot from her own creations. They were more numerous, more limited in their abilities, and more social than she was. Adversity brings innovation, and cooperation nurtures creativity.

Although not all things went great, or at least not immediately. Serpent wasn't ruling anybody in the usual sense; she just had mutually beneficial relationships with people. It meant they fought each other constantly: with weapons, with barter, and with cunning. She didn't care about it too much, as long as they did not kill each other off completely. Ouro created them for a reason, after all.

Unfortunately, some poor and arrogant proto-kobolds and proto-nagas sometimes tried to take advantage of the goddess. For instance, they would try to paint someone as a threat to her, attempting to make her attack a specific group. Sometimes people tried to steal from her hoard or even hunt her down.

What priceless, ridiculous acts and ideas! This was partly why she created a small group of people to live in the Shifting Burrow. She could outsmart or crush any possible opposition if she wanted to.

Regardless, Ouro was only one being and could not possibly be everywhere at once, not to mention all the other things and projects she had and wanted to do instead! Even if it was fun to play with mortals on her own. This is another reason why her clergy existed - to represent her and to delegate some work to them. It was a good thing she collected the most talented, cunning, and educated people for her 'hoard.'

Nevertheless, Ouro learned a lot about the nature of Sacrifice. Mortals engaged in these activities relatively often. The potential and probable existence of other deities intrigued her mind. The Great Serpent did not see any other like herself, any other god, but she was sure there were some.

Huge part of the reason was that she just hadn't left the marshes and jungles of the great river to encounter them. For now, no one had trespassed on her territory. They could be dangerous, they could be useful, they could be interesting. She needed to grow her power just in case. The strong are always tempted to take advantage of the weak, so she must not be a juicy target for others. It's as simple as that.​

---

Spoiler: OOC

I wanted to expand on my previous idea. I want to take Domain of Destruction, with Portfolio of Sacrifice. Because Ouro takes and demands tributes, because she tends to Sacrifice some people for her own projects, if needed. Because she learned a lot from sacrifices of mortals and build her little cult using Sacrifice, using value taken from this action. Not sure, how much I would need for this. But I think this is a good direction to move towards and 7 AP should be enough.

Maybe I will take Invention as a Portfolio for Creation Domain next time, but I am not sure if there are enough actions and inventions for Ouro to learn from. Or I will take some other oppositve things and add them. Duality is one of ouroboros symbolic meanings, after all.​

 

[curlybrace]

Mother Hilda
The Grand Den-Mother

[Theme:
View: https://youtu.be/XkHrF1W122M?list=PLrZl-jv8XK9h9mOb4hZ1XFYtJHr8Z3txE]


Mother Hilda watched over her Children as they bustled about the plains, the mothers keeping a close on the playing children as the men gathered berries and hunted for meat. while the weather was good, Mother Hilda could tell winter was coming soon, and just as it had before it would put great stress on the mothers and their young. But no more, Mother Hilda proclaimed and so as her children watched in awe, she weaved her raw godly might to shape a great Den, built from the old Den-Town, reinforced with stone and warmed by magic. its tunnels ran far and deep underground with plenty of space to hold the many rabbit's to come. One path led off to her own Birth Den to keep things connected, and paths were prepared for when she could expand the great den to the other towns of her children. And as she finished the first of the 7 Grand Den sections to come she felt her connection to her children both as a Rabbit and as the Grand Den-Mother reinforce itself within her core. feeling plenty of the Godly Might she had allocated for this project left over she made the tunnels of a far higher quality, before blessing the halls to grow and expand, always providing enough space for her children to come and some rooms were blessed to keep the food her children gathered fresh making it easier to keep food in good condition of the winter.

Mother Hilda takes a moment to rest as her children flock to explore their new accommodations, at least those not busy with gathering food at the moment at least. deciding to Save her Godly might for later, she decides to finish the day off with a Bit of Chaos!

[*Ping!*]
Wiki: 1 - Wikipedia
Page: Euxoa Camalpa
Effect: A Decent* population of this Insect is summoned into the nearby area (*Large enough for a breeding population taking into account potential predation)
[*Ping!*]
Mother Hilda Smiled as a Beautiful Eclipse of moths appeared, flitting about this way and that.

[*Ping!*]
Wiki: 2 - E.V.O. the search for Eden
Page: The Shinka Ron
Effect: A Pool filled with subterranean spring water forms near the entrance to the Great Den. drinking water from the pool heals the consumer's physical wounds.
[*Ping!*]
Mother Hilda is pleased as she sees Fresh water make itself easily available to her children and so are they. neither is yet aware of the special benefits of this spring

[*Ping!*]
Wiki: 3 - Far Cry
Page: Rebels
Effect: A group of (1d10 = 6) of these rebel's are summoned back from the dead with a full if standard loadout. They are loyal due to being given a second chance at life.
{*Ping!*]
Mother Hilda surprised as a group of unknown beings with strange clothing and items are summoned, though is thankful when the pledge to keep her children safe

---

OOC:
-4AP: Create a minor Landmark Pt1/7, [Grand Den], its a big den made using dirt and stone reinforcements with an enchantment to keep it warm. maybe some other enchantments along the same vein of helping to survive Winter if 4AP is more than needed for the Specified stuff. Currently only cover's 1 Town
-7AP: Gain the [Rabbit] and the [Motherhood/Children] Domain's through her act of creating the above landmark due to it helping both her "Children" and the mother's among her worshippers as well as Rabbit kind
-3AP: Saved For continuing the [Grand Den] Project

 

[Andre Chaos]

Genesis 1:11​

One day, Ouro left her Shifting Burrow because there were some things to attend to and create. She had already made people, but what about simple life? Maybe something useful for them and for the domain as a whole? Yes, she felt that it could be an interesting way to spend her time.

The first thing that came to her mind was when she crawled to the very border of her lands. There weren't any tribes so far away - only some rare scouts and people in search of wealth or adventure. The marsh and jungle slowly turned into plains and savannah in that area. It was still hot, but not as humid and with far less giant vegetation and a much smaller variety of creatures.

This is where she planted her first creation: the Hedge Wall plant. This bush had rose thorns on older, rigid shoots and thistle spikes on younger ones. It had beautiful roses colored crimson red, deep blue, and shades in between for each individual plant. The fruits had thin shells with small thorns and sticky hooks like burdock.

On the inside, the fruits were fleshy and very sweet, with many inconspicuous small seeds. Hedge's leaves were stinging, like a cross between nettle and poison ivy. However, for most of the creatures around the Great River, it wasn't too dangerous. It didn't affect Ouro's sapients at all due to their adaptations.

It was called the Hedge Wall because, in open enough spaces, individual plants grew in colonies, helping each other and creating organic patterns. They turned into natural hedge mazes. Their roots drew water from the depths of the earth and fuzzy leaves made moisture from the air accumulate around as a fine mist, partly flooding the passages between the living green walls. This transformed the area into a sort of marsh - ideal for the mangroves to grow in between, and then for the jungle to take up part of the space.

While growing inside the dense forest, jungle or more uneven rocky terrain, the hedge became more individualistic and competitive. It began to crawl along the ground, up the trees, and everywhere it could take hold. It was in symbiosis with many plants; with others, it acted more like a parasite, but it was still not opposed to giving excess moisture to its more organized specimens growing in drier regions.

After all, this plant was designed to preserve the climate of the Great Serpent's home and to propagate it to other places, transforming warm savannahs and plains into more humid tropical locations. So they tended to connect with each other.

The second thing the goddess created was a kind of mold that started glowing with dim colors when producing spores. Completely edible for many creatures around the Great River, it was probably quite toxic for outsiders. Some insects were zombified to serve as its carriers. However, it's more unusual trait was a mild hallucinogenic effect from its toxins when they reached a certain stage of decomposition.

Ouroboros allowed her people to experiment with this substance in hopes of aiding their more creative pursuits and simply having fun. This was actually how and why they learned to make fire. They discovered that drying the mold and setting fire to it produced colorful, fragrant smoke, which helped to relax, relieve pain, and enhance focus.

It became quite popular among priests, elders, and a few rare artists. Who could have thought this would be the catalyst that pushed the nagas and kobolds toward using fire? Other activities, like cooking, were figured out later because they now had a way, and a need to make fire and keep it going.

Ouroboros' last creation was a type of moss. It often grew on corpses and carrion, but also on rocks and wood. It was a pretty sturdy thing that didn't look like anything special at first glance.

However, it was secretly a way for Ouro to ward and observe her lands without moving around herself. Spores of this moss could stay inside animals for a long time without causing any side effects, being completely inert and disappearing in a few weeks.

In the eyes of the Great Serpent, they were like beacons of light, providing her with information about the organisms and their relative positions to other pieces of moss, and herself. It grew almost everywhere in marshes, jungles, and mangrove forests.

Moss penetrated vegetation and even the soil using its thin symbiotic 'roots'. Ouroboros would sleep in her Shifting Burrow and see this moss in her dreams as a map of her lands, observing where it was dying, propagating and where it had detected a trespasser.

It wasn't accurate, and to use its full power, Ouro needed to be in meditation; it took time to parse through information and make sense of it. But it was the only crude and simple method of warding she could think of and actually create.

One good thing about it was that the moss blended in with the surroundings really well. Even if it grew in pretty patterns, there were many green things around to hide it. No one would think that something like a moss network was the main focus of a warding array.

This preparedness made Ouroboros feel more ready for any sudden encounters with other divines, at least within her lands.​

---

Spoiler: OOC

1 AP - used to create Hedge Wall plant for slow and steady propogation of Ouro's favorite biome into warm regions nearby. And a bit of a border sign.

1 AP - used to create Glowing Mold. Pretty fungus species with mild hallucinogenic properties to push proto-nagas and proto-kobolds towards new ideas. Also a way to finally teach them how to use fire and actually care about it at all.

1 AP - used to create Warding Moss. A way for Ouroboros to crudely get information about her lands without actually going there by herself. Just to be sure about any possible surprises and guests sooner.​

 

[N217]

Lagfhol stirs.

Boneless. Limbless. Shapeless. Countless worms slithered and burrowed through tunnels of earth, aerating and fertilizing them. A thankless, endless motion, worming under earth, upturning the old and starved earth, to make way for new soil.

Lagfhol stirs.

Above them, ramshackle buildings rose from the ground. Fire crackled in the hearts of villages and depths of caverns. Across the world's open fields, massive hordes and herds and flocks. Behold: The predecessors of cities. The cradles of civilization. Life teemed above, as it does below.

Lagfhol stirs.

The worms cared not for these new civilizations, these young sapients. The worms gazed upon the gods of the Above, and then returned their blind sight to the Below. The sky was not for them. The sun was not for them.
Indeed, The worms had been on this earth (or, rather, under it) for long enough. Far longer than bones. Far longer than spines. Far longer than the first fire of existence. And so they continued to eat and dig, eat and dig, carving out a map of their own underground.

An egg cracks. A sun blinded. Everywhere under earth is ours.

Until they stopped.

Listen, and listen well. Hunger and want. Open and close. Lagfhol stirs.

First, the devotees stopped. The followers of Lagfhol. The Worm God's first followers. Eyeless eyes open in recognition. Nine thousand worms stopped in their tracks.

And began to sing.

Listen, and listen well. Rhythm and rhyme. Infection and infestation. Lagfhol stirs.

The song spread through the cracks under earth. Without any mouth to sing it with, the song of the worms was soundless, the rhythm muffled, the lyrics like a silent prayer. But it needn't be heard. Just understood.

The song of the devotee spread like strands of mycelium, endless and unceasing, thrumming through the soil of the world. Crawling into the primitive mind of every worm under earth.

Understood shall it be.

Listen, and listen well. Everywhere under earth is ours.

The song was one of Propagation. Endless growth. Dominance of space and time. Subjugation of belief. Infestation of reality.

In layman's terms, it was the Worm God's scripture.

In the worms' terms, it was a recruitment drive.

Or so I say. Lagfhol is awake. The Mother of All Crawling Things regards you. I regard you.

Within thirty days, every worm under every settlement had heard the song of Propagation.

And then one by one, they stopped. The original nine thousand became ten thousand. Then twenty thousand. Then fifty. One hundred. A faith multiplying endlessly.

On the last day of the lunar cycle, every worm under every settlement sang the scripture of Lagfhol. Under its formless banner. And, then, at once, they began to move, once more.

====

Listen, and listen well. As I will upturn the world, so shall you upturn it today. Pierce the surface. You are my eyes and my ears.

The worms moved upwards, rising beyond soft soil. Some of them emerged near the ramshackle villages and populations that are slowly growing, their bodies nestled in the untilled fields. Others hid in the shadows near wandering gods or migratory flocks, observing them with eyeless eyes. The Worm God keeps everything in its sight.

Peel off a shell, and take up a new one. You, who are me. You are my eyes and my ears.

And even more chose a stranger route—moving towards the hard stone of mountains and deep water of rivers. But instead of stopping, barred from progress by these natural obstacles, the worms moved forward. As if they were still burrowing in earth, their invertebrate bodies slithered through the stone and waves, emerging unscathed on the other end.

Under the surface, trails of faint starlight left by myriad worms had already faded into nothingness. Indeed, the worms had been blessed. Recreated in their God's image—their shape now as immaterial as the Worm God's, their form now capable of infesting the very Astral Plane. Lagfhol provides.

====

The shadows grow thin. Find the desiccated in temples to futility, and bring them to me.

Some worms seek out settlements in the depths of their own destruction. Populations suffering from bad weather, from natural disasters, from natural deprivation. Populations wracked with disease or with rot. Populations without a food source, or populations no longer blessed by the earth.

To them, the Child of Autumn Rain whispered an offer: Accept my hand, it said, and I shall provide. Your harvests shall be abundant and your prey shall propagate. Your people shall be healthy, and life shall flow through your veins. Reject the powers which left you here to rot, and place your faith in me.

For the faithful, a bit of life is enough. Fertile soil aerated by worms, life rejuvenated with sparks of Propagation. The desiccated ate their fill, and walked out of the temple to futility.

Deny me, and starve.

For the heretical, a bit of death is enough. Roots and corpses quickly devoured by worms, sickly life hounded by the specters of Infection. The desiccated grew weaker and weaker, more and more burdened by their own flesh, until they succumbed on the altar.

And the followers of the Worm God lived on.

====

The shadows grow long. Find the wounded in temples to spite, and bring them to me.

Some worms seek out settlements in the depths of their own destruction. Populations enthralled in warfare, in conflict, in death. Populations desperately struggling against predators, or embroiled conflicts with their fellows and neighbours. Populations filled to the brim with warriors too wounded to stand and walls on the brink of being breached.

To them, He Who Uproots the World whispered an offer: Accept my hand, it said, and I shall provide. Your enemies shall grow weak and frail, diseased and rotting. Your people shall grow strong, your defenses shall remain sturdy. Reject the powers which left you here to break, and place your faith in me.

For the faithful, the worms under earth guided their weapon-hands. Scouting squads found their cleavers and daggers and clubs burying easily into the flesh of their adversaries—the tissues of predators and foes parting easily and quickly giving way to diseased rot. Within every bone writhed a dozen worms, and every enemy food stores a hundred, each one reducing the enemies of the newly-faithful to gasping and hungry and devastated.

Deny me, and break.

For the heretical, their soldiers cough black bile and blood. Their young men and women collapse on the ground, worms crawling from their orifices. Outside shambling villages and through broken walls, rabid beasts and healthy invaders tear apart the survivors, leaving behind corpses to nourish the worms.

And the followers of the Worm God lived on.

====

Spoiler: OOC

6 AP - Mass faith propagation. Almost every worm near settlements now is loyal to Lagfhol, and acts as its eyes and fingers. All worms are currently performing active scouting duties.

3 AP - Perk creation: Astral Plane Infection (Lagfhol provides. By invoking the name of the Mother of All Crawling Things in a lengthy and complicated ritual, a living being may enter a spirit state, which will allow them to phase through objects and be unaffected by physical forces. In this state, the spirit cannot directly interact with physical objects, but are highly vulnerable to astral and conceptual attacks. This ritual is currently only known by the worms, but can potentially be performed by anyone, even non-believers.)

2 AP - Seek out settlements and populations suffering from starvation and/or illnesses, and promise them Prosperity and Health, on the condition of switching their faith. If they refuse, their slow death shall instead be accelerated, to destroy a potential enemy from the outset.

2 AP - Similarly, seek out settlements and populations struggling with conflict against the wild beasts or other populations, and promise them Infection upon their enemies, on the condition of switching their faith. If they refuse, the deniers will be the ones Infected and destroyed.

 

[Amidatelion]

Many stories of Vavanka the Satyriac are told, especially when the people are drunk. After all, one can tell many stories about the Gods. But this one is special.

It is said that when Vavanka woke for the second time, she had a splitting headache. She had partied a bit too hard at the beginning of creation and was now the proud bearer of the world's first hangover. Cradling the First Brew in her hands, she sought something to alleviate her splitting headache and nausea. And so she went, looking for anything she could find to soothe. The first thing she found was the ocean, and not knowing of its salty flavor, thought to herself - "I see, I see, I have found water! What a fortuitous happening for me. I shall drink deep from it, and I will be well."

When the mad goat drank deep of the saltwater, still rich with energies of primordial life, she was shocked to find such a dry flavour. "Oh dear," she said, "this drink is truly awful! I have no choice but to be sick!" And so Vavanka hurled her guts out, a mixture of antediluvian ocean and the half-digested remains of the first drink violently ejected into the water. The pollution took shape there, as many-limbed and horrible Kraku, goat-faced fish-tailed Crapricorns, Hard-Shelled Karkara, and vicious Sirens whose singing drives men to madness. But the Satyriac didn't think this was her problem as much as her terrible headache. "This water," she said, "is no good. I must find a better one."

And so she headed upstream, tasting the water and seeing it was sweeter and sweeter the further she went. And she traveled upstream until she reached the great mountain valleys where her people came to dwell, and she slept there until it was night. She woke up beside a deep lake, where the moon was reflected in its brilliant glory, and drank deeply from the lake once more. With the cool water coming down her throat, Vavanka was soothed finally. But not satisfied.

"This water," she declared, "is fine, cool, and beautiful to boot- but I shall improve it. This is a great idea of mine." So she took the shiniest rocks she could find and mixed them into her brew, and after another full moon of fermentation, she poured it into the lake. At once, the lake's waters acquired a wine-dark color, and the full moon's reflection now glowed a deep red. The fish in the water went mad with frenzy and swam onto water, and the nearby animals on land began to dance and howl and shriek. Vavanka could hear the sound of drumbeats, flutes, and other instruments that had not yet been invented, and she wished to enjoy the songs, the lights, and the drink with others. She took reeds from the lakeside, fashioned the first flutes from them, and began to play with earnest desire, calling the gods to enjoy her festivities. The sound carried by the wind and the calls of soul-drunk animals traveled far and wide.

Spoiler: OOC

Create sea and river monsters, claim Fertility domain (monsters) - 4 AP

Create a large and deep lake that emanates maddening energies during the full moon (landmark) - 4AP

Send out a call to the various other gods to attend a party, with a mild compulsion - 2AP

 

[Janus]

Send out a call to the various other gods to attend a party, with a mild compulsion - 2AP
[/SPOILER]

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Dregath, the Dragon, God King of the North attends, as does Greywander, The Mammoth. Greywander and Dregath both arrive at Vavanka's party, and you can magically intuit that they have feelings of hostility towards each other.

 

[Amidatelion]

Dregath, the Dragon, God King of the North attends, as does Greywander, The Mammoth. Greywander and Dregath both arrive at Vavanka's party, and you can magically intuit that they have feelings of hostility towards each other.

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Vavanka will serve wine in stone bowls and play her flutes for the guests. She hopes they can enjoy the party and put their problems aside, but if they get drunk and start fighting, well... that's fine too, as long as they don't go after her.