World Creation Superdraft 7: July 2023

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Nagus Sterling, The Prince of Profit, gazed at the dead realm the Crax had created. He shook his head and chuckled to himself. That rash fool. He acted with a reckless impulsiveness that Nagus could almost admire. Perhaps he meant it as a gift? No, Crax did not think like that. 

“Why are we here, my lord?” asked The High Exchequer, chief minister of Nagus Sterling’s Church. 

 

“Tell me what you see,” commanded Nagus. 

 

“I see death, desolation, naught but dust.”

 

“We are here so that I may open your eyes.” Nagus bent to the small man and touched his forehead. 

 

“Tell me what you see,” commanded Nagus again. 

 

Tears formed in The High Exchequer’s eyes. He could barely speak through his tightened throat. “I see… profit.”

 

Secondary Domain: Opportunity! To see what others do not, inspiration mixed with a hint of hope and a bit of ambition. 

 

 

 
 

[death tribble]

1 hour ago, Hermit said:

IMO As it costs one of us a pick to counter it's only fair if it costs DT his interference pick

One ?

Oh do you really think only one God can undo the damage.

Like I said three Gods in fiction to counter High King Kallor.

Here we have up to 13 who can do something.

 

Oh and Fitz. Methinks Sociotard is a fan of, or knows, the work of Robin Hobb

Edited July 6, 2023 by death tribble

[Old Man]

On the fourth day, Alitheon saw

that of all the light in Creation,

none was more radiant than the inner glimmer

of each mortal being. And so he said,

“Let it be that the gleam of each mortal soul

Shall never be put out,

But shall instead return to my light,

To be recast into Creation

And shine anew with life.”

 

 

Secondary Domain: Death and Rebirth

 

 

[assault]

I wasn't going to make this pick just yet, but DT has forced my hand.

---

 

Music can be an accompaniment to merriment. Or it can be a reminder.

When the devotees of Oeneus meet, they remember the victims of Crax, and his crime.

Secondary Domain: Music.

[Sociotard]

5 hours ago, Cancer said:

 

 

 

Looks like Fitz to me.

 

=== (merged) ===

 

So DT, about the murder of a continent: where does this fit into the creation game?  Is this an Interference, or is it merely a provocation to get others to spend their picks to counter senseless mayhem?

 

Yes. Fitz means bastard. Fitzgerald means Gerald's bastard, for example.

 

Gift to Civilization: Monuments an Pilgrimage

 

The god of evil sneered at Fitz, surveying the lifeless continent. "Do you think you can undo this, little cast-off? All by yourself?"

 

Fitz turned. "Undo it? Death comes for the favored son as well as the unacknowledged, and I do not oppose it." He turned back to the wasteland. "Still, they are at greater risk, now, of being forgotten. I think I shall teach men to erect monuments, and to perform pilgrimage to those monuments, that these be kept in memory forever.

[assault]

Oh dear. I may have to use my punchline pick earlier than I had hoped.

[Pattern Ghost]

Gift to the Sentient Races: Philosophy.

[DShomshak]

4 hours ago, death tribble said:

I was wondering if anyone would raise this.

The Interference pick from Crax is that he Murdered all the life on a continent.

 

That Interference had better explicitly include that time travel is impossible, because the Geography pick I was working on last night gave that possibility. Not controlled time travel, but time travel, through the... Cracks.

 

 

Given a formal Interference, they can lead somewhere else.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Psybolt]

Secondary Domain:  Vengeance

 

 

[Hermit]

Before a continent died, and before it was purified and healed by fire
 "And we're walking, we're walking, we're trying to get ahead of destruction..."  Nadiya Brightbringer lead her followers, and many who were not her followers, away from the chunk of land about to be ravaged, "Better things ahead...." As a goddess of resilience, she had a knack for helping folks survive catastrophe, sadly only a small percentage listened to Hope, or the hopebringer for fear of cynics calling them fools and judging them harshly.

Then again, what did Cynics know? They mostly complained and made excellent if pitiable kindling.

They left the continent, and the Bright Bringer warned them "Don't look back" As fires engulfed and purged and purified in the horizon behind them. Thoal-Anni'in did his work well, "But trust me on the sunscreen" Nadiya muttered.
Odd that a world that could be at first so dark now might seem too bright at parts. These folks would need shelter, and they would need help. Fortunately, help was ahead.
"Where are we going?" A poor soul asked.
"To the Elven Lands" Nadiya willed, and it was so...
and MORE so... she had not specified the limits of The Elven wood, or truly demanded there be just one... and  Etterskell's shattering of the world created what Nadiya liked to call a "Happy Accident" of it. Multiplicity, Variety, diversity....
And on each continent, save perhaps one, on each , there was "An Elven Land"  full of the long lived slender beings that were meant to be a hope to others even as they sought hopes of their own

Erui bar - called the First home, was home of those that called themselves simply, Elves! They are tall, slender, and beautiful with pointed ears and eyes of vibrant hues favoring greens. Their chief hope is to help the world be better than they left it, or at least help it be no worse. They value peace and often indulge in art, and music and so on.  Erui bar is within a great valley of a deciduous forest, temperate with all four seasons about it though the weather in the core of it's 'city' is always mild.  Said city is a network of buildings harmoniously joined with great giant trees. The Elves welcome all who come in peace but are prepared for battle if need be.
Ar Bar- Meaning High Home, is home of those who call themselves Ylves (Ylf singular). They live in high country just before the treeline ends, in what some would call Boreal forests, for it is cold. The many evergreens about them give testament to their resilience.  The actual city the trees ring are built of stone carved from the face of the mountain in great concentric rings. Ylves are more reclusive and stand offish than elves. They are also yet a bit taller. Their eyes favor pale blues and purples. Their hope is for knowledge, learning, and enlightenment so Nadiya must share their worship with gods better suited to that.
Calen bar- Is in a  great jungle, in tropical warm climes. Here are the Elb. They are shorter than the Elves, but not by much. The Elb tends towards skin hues of dark to light green with resplendent eyes of golden and amber hue. Save for the adjustments needed for tropical conditions, their huts among the trees are very much like Erui bar's set up. The Elb's chief hopes, as a rule, involve family. Most species want their sons or daughters to fare better than they did, but Elb are far more interconnected in their families than other elves, often coming to the aid of second or even third cousins! They consider themselves more civilized than most who do not understand connection as they do.
Estel Bar - is not. It never was. yet it may yet be. A nomadic people, The Aelf travel the surface of the blasted but now purified continent by night and in the tunnels and under ground caves by bright day. They are pale, chalk white in fact, and their eyes large and almost solid black. They are pacifists, preachers, and do gooders... naturally this annoys certain folk who do not trust them. But chiefly, they are gardeners. Like all elves, they live for centuries, and the Aelf have committed themselves to restoring the land destroyed by coaxing strong healthy rivers to return, planting seeds of grass so one day they might plant acorns of great oaks. They dream of Estel Bar becoming a reality. Some say the Aelf are fools, but they seek to  honor Nadiya and Thoal-Anni'in in their day to day lives as they wander, without being lost. Their greatest hope is to make a home,  and heal the land.
Then there is the city  of Dur Lo Bar, and it's swamp dwelling elves... but the less said of them... the better.
And the Brightbringer glanced through the cracks, and while all was in flux, the glimpses she saw of what was to come for each elven people gave her a sense of pride, a sense of sorrow, but mostly? Of course, Hope.
Geography Pick: The Elven Lands (One Land for each continient so number a bit nebulous)

Sentient Life: Elves (By a few varying names)... constant yet diverse, fractured, and glorious

[Hermit]

PS: I should add that, Etterskell is difficult to know, so I Hope I've given proper due to HOW his oops might have altered the nature of the world with this choice. Brightbringer wills one elven land, and got a handful. If I overstepped there, or with mention of other gods being worshiped, let me know.

 

 

[DShomshak]

I should note that it takes more than murdering a continent to offend Etterskell and push her to direct action. Good and Evil are only two choices, after all. Etterskell sees wider possibilities. For Etterskell, everything is very multiple choice.

 

Anything Etterskell does in response will be... oblique.

 

Dean Shomshak

@Hermit: No, that's very much in character for Etterskell. *Everything* tends to become multiple unless a God specifically orders it otherwise.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Hermit]

1 minute ago, DShomshak said:

I should note that it takes more than murdering a continent to offend Etterskell and push her to direct action. Good and Evil are only two choices, after all. Etterskell sees wider possibilities. For Etterskell, everything is very multiple choice.

 

Anything Etterskell does in response will be... oblique.

 

Dean Shomshak

 

Fair. I didn't think of it so much as Direct will... but rather a result of the original world break

[death tribble]

So

Nagus Starling sees opportunity in the dead continent ? I like how you fitted that with your existing portfolio. Have an extra choice of your own choosing.

Fitz chooses to remember the incident and those that died so have another Gift to Civilization as a reward.

Nadiya managed to get some people out beforehand. Curses ! Have another sentient life as reward for your efforts. And come up with a plausible reason i.e. prophecy as to how she found out that SOMETHING awful was brewing because none of the gods knew beforehand that Crax would do this. I like the choices you made BUT how did she know to do something ? Another God may have helped so discuss amongst yourselves.

Oeneus chooses to use music to commemorate the event. He can have a secondary domain/option as a reward.

 

Old Man's choice does not specifically address what Crax has done but it might as an add on to the choice. However should Allitheon try to reincarnate or bring back those that Crax just killed, then Undeath will be brought into being to thwart him.

DShomshak. Why do you think I chose the name Crax ? He could use the cracks as a misheard plea to him and stop it dead. Time Travel would be possible EXCEPT on the dead continent or to get to it from elsewhere before the destruction.

 

As I said beforehand IF you do something about the murder of the continent and want a specific choice say so and provided I accept your action you can have it otherwise it is random.

Edited July 6, 2023 by death tribble

[DShomshak]

Nagus Sterling and Alitheon were, ah "discussing" whether learning should be commodified or free to all. They tried to stay civil so as not to place themselves too much under the influence of their sibling Mister Rancor. Both made cogent points.

 

Nagus grimaced. "I suppose Etterskell will make sure that both options end up happening. And more we didn't think of." Mention of their erratic sibling led them to attend to perceive Etterskell, though Qe was far distanct in the Chimney. Etterskell sat beside the body of awoman murdered by a jealous lover. Blood spattered and pooled on the gravel path where she lay. Qe had a pensive expression on qis face. Qe also seemed to have invented a new gender, but that was nothing strange.

 

"The deed is ugly," Etterskell said to her observers. "But the blood is pretty. So red. And the shapes. But it dries so soon, and isn't so bright anymore." Qe pondered. "But I think I can save it. Bright, bright red, without the need to cut people open." Qe picked a pebble from the path and a star from Alitheon's firmament. Qe pushed together the hardness of the stone, the redness of the blood and the brightness of the star. "There!" Pretty, and durable." Qis expression turned apologetic. "Oh. Alitheon. I should have asked first? Sorry,m sorry. You can name it, if you like."

 

Without hesitation, Alitheon said, "That's all right. It's a ruby. It has a trigonal crystal system."

 

Nagus Sterling coughed slightly and clasped his hands to stop his fingers twitching. "Yes. Very nice. Could I have it?" He tried to sound casual.

 

Etterskell shrugged and tossed him the jewel. "Sure, whatever." Qe was already thinking of other thing.

 

"Making new things is fun," qe said. "I liked putting parts together into new wholes." Qe paused. "More people could enjoy it too. Like mortals. So they can. Alitheon, could you work out the details? Have it all make sense, invent tools because mortals can't just will it and make it happen. Please?"

 

Alitheon blinked at the sprawling new possibilities woven into the world. A whole new science of separation and recombination, ready to be formalized in laws, procedures and recipes. Ooh. "I think I can manage," the God murmered. "No trouble."

 

"I'll help," Nagus Sterling added promptly. The commercial possibilities are enormous...

 

"Thank you, you're both such dears!" And Etterskell was gone.

 

Etterskell often works with other Gods to reify new possibilities. Conversely, iother Gods easily obtain Etterskell's help in any project to multiply and diversify the world. But anything the God does tends to be usable by many or even all Gods, not just one, which may prompt caution in recruiting the Maker of Multiplicity. Fellow Gods can ponder for themselves the uses they can find for...

 

Gift to Civilization: Alchemy. Solve et Coagula!

 

 

Dean Shomshak

Edited July 6, 2023 by DShomshak

[Pattern Ghost]

3 hours ago, death tribble said:

BUT how did she know to do something ?

 

Possibly after careful . . . reflection. 

 

[csyphrett]

I need a third domain. Has anyone picked Exploration as a domain?

CES

[death tribble]

They have now !

I have added it to your domains, csyphrett

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

“Even in the worst of times someone turns a profit.” (Acquisitions 9:162)

 

The High Exchequer looked out over the wasteland. Over his wasteland. Claiming a significant portion of it for his own was relatively easy. The refugees were desperate and saw his offer to purchase as a blessed windfall. They would never farm there again, no one could. If he wanted it, he was welcome to it, and if he wanted to give them a little money for it, they wouldn’t say no. This was a start, and with much of the continent dead now the potential for expansion was limitless. Even dead land was still land, and when it’s this cheap one should grab it.

 

Development would be expensive, but that was the nature of investment. And he, of all people, had the means to afford it. The land was dead, but there were still living rivers surrounding the dead zone. Rivers could move needed materials, and his people* were better at that than any other population. Then the rivers would bring the people, people with a dream of riches, people seeking the blessing of Nagus Sterling. People seeking wealth, people looking for luxury… desperate people.

 

“If I build it, they will come.” A proud grin burst forth from the banker. “Take joy from profit, and profit from joy.” (Acquisitions 9:55) He would build so much joy and enjoy so much profit! “Nagus be praised.”

 

Geography Selection: The Holy City of Hedonia! It is not the center of trade, but it is the center of hedonism. Gambling, sex, gambling, amusement, gambling, and even something to entertain the kids… so parents can go off and gamble. At the heart of the city is a temple to Nagus Sterling, a bank where people can pray and conduct financial business. Hedonia is the second largest center of commerce in the realm. People usually just visit Hedonia as tourists, but they are welcome to stay in the city. For a price.

 

[[NOTE that this pick makes no claim about technology. I’m still envisioning a very primitive, fantasy version of Sin City, not one with modern electronics—unless someone else establishes that.]]

 

* Sentient Race choice forthcoming. One pick at a time.

 

 

 

 

[Cancer]

... The City of Crooked Dice.  (I read somewhere that among the goods buried with one of the Pharaohs was a pair of d6's, loaded to throw 2s and 5s.)

[L. Marcus]

Masque's Sentient Race: Shades!

[DShomshak]

To clarify what alchemy can do: If it involves throwing disparate substances into a crucible, kettle or still, and getting out something different but useful, then yes, alchemy can probably do it. In theory. Some things are harder than others. Throw some herbs in a kettle, distill the liquid, and get a powerful drug against fever? Easy. A drug to make you young again? Very, very difficult, with ingredients and procedures so expensive that the High Exchequer would have trouble affording it. Or, artificial gemstones of colored glass? Easy. Actual steel-blue diamonds? Difficult. Circean drugs to turn people into animals? Challenging, but I don't see why not.

 

Alchemy often involves fire, through Thoal Anai'in's aspect of Purification. Heat can smelt metal from ore. It can also "smelt" alcohol from beer to make whiskey, or the color from a flower to be added to something else.

 

Oh -- Yes, in giving the world Alchjemy, Etterskell has incidentally given the world distilled liquor. You're welcome, Oeneous. And if Oweneous wants to hallow multiply-distilled alcohol as the Sovereign Solvent, almost as important to alchemy as fire, go ahead. If other gods want to ordain particular substances as key to their own substyles of alchemy, I offer that possibility as well. The gifts of Etterskell are always diverse! (At the very least, satyr alchemy tends to be 80 proof...)

 

Dean Shomshak

[Hermit]

"How did you know of the great land killing?" The elf inquired of his goddess as she walked with him, "Are you a goddess of Prophecy?"

Nadiya turned and glanced at him, and shook her divine head, "oh no, Nagus is the God of Profit, See?"

"I mean, are you the goddess of divination?" The elf tried again.

"Oh," The Brightbringer laughed gently, "ALL my relations are part of the Divine Nation."

The devout elf , hoping to write down the words of the Beloved Goddess into some book or another groaned, and finally blurted "HOW DID YOU KNOW?" Then blushed, "Pardon, goddess, I spoke out of turn I... I hope to record you works and pass your wisdom to the common man."

"Like a cold," Nadiya nodded sympathetically, "I'm sorry, I know Hope makes no sense to some. How do I sometimes know things I should not?"
"Yes, I thought perhaps you glanced through the cracks..." He stammered "But in this case some say that was not possible. So how do you know? Did you call upon the goddess of Reflection for Aid?"

"Often, she's very smart, but ...the truth is... I had a hunch," Nadiya Brightbringer nodded, "I'm good at those."
"A... hunch," The Theologian blinked.
"Well, Evil tends to be more predictable than it lets on" Nadiya explained, " I imagine some of my darker relations wake up every day going 'mwhahha, how can I best be an absolute arsewipe to innocents today?' then do what they can to make it happen and pat themselves on the back. Not much of an existence if you ask me." She tutted with Pity, "But yes. I'm good at Hunches."

The elf priest looked  hopefully at her, "Can we... spruce up the term a bit?"

Nadiya beamed at him, and he  felt his heart lift, "Are you kidding? Sprucing things up to make them shine is one of my favorite things. Surely, yes we can."
She cleared her lovely throat and said with as much dignity as she could muster, "Comprehend not with just your mind, your mind can be very limited. Use your intuition."
He wrote that down.
"When you reach the end of what you know, you are at the beginning of your awareness" She continued.

"That's a good one" He wrote it down.
"Thank you, I had a feeling it would be," She said then "How about this one? 'Hope is Trust, and sometimes when you trust- the way is revealed'"

The priest nodded, "So you're the goddess of Intuition as well: the knowing and/or understanding without proof."
"Well, yes," The Brightbringer glanced at him with slightly amused but sympathetic eyes, "The term hunch was just going all over you, wasn't it?"

He winced as he was busted, "Yes, my goddess."

"Then call it intuition, for it is indeed that," Nadiya smiled gently "And it won't make your skin crawl."
Rarely was there a theological chronicler more grateful than he was at that moment.

 

Secondary Domain: Intuition (And Hunches!)

 

[death tribble]

Very nice and it sorts out the problem nicely.

[Pariah]

Lord Commissioner, I have been traveling and have become hopelessly lost in terms of who has chosen what and what remains unselected. Might a roster update be forthcoming?