World Creation Superdraft 2: July 2018

[Psybolt]

5 hours ago, Lucius said:

 

It started with a catgirl. After the initial surprise that such a thing was possible, it seemed a natural enough result of the symbiosis between the Cats and their People.

 

Then a Seraphim sought to study the T'skha'morch, and for that purpose took on their form and nature - so well as to procreate among them, resulting in shadowy offspring who came to be known as Shade Beetles.

 

No one was surprised that Humans and the Di Sma Undarjordi bred together. Indeed, the shapeshifting People of the Wild could readily sire upon, or bear for, any other people.

 

And all such hybrids were dear to Arepo.

 

These are Arepo's people: the Hybrids.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

What do you get when you cross a palindromedary with a....

 

 

I think Brother Chaos is a fan of this as well.

[Psybolt]

Sentient Life: Gremlins

[Sociotard]

On an infinite earth, there are infinite oceans. On one port of one ocean, Dee-Ell heard the prayers of his faithful, and he came.

 

A tarmakers guild was in flames, and the guildsmen were tarred and feathered with their own wares.

 

"What is done here?"

 

And the sailors were fearful, but answered saying "The guild would not share the making of their sealant, and so we sought to take their secrets from them."

 

And Dee Ell was wroth, "because thou hast done this thing these waters shall be a curse to you ever more." And he found a wild ooze and brought it to the waters, and he caused it to grow.  It grew until it filled the whole ocean with its hunger and its burning touch.

 

And the god of oceans wept to see such a loss, and called to the god of Stone, and they did close up that ocean, that it never touch the others.

 

Interference: The Ooze Ocean

 

I am interfering with the god of oceans, such that now one of the oceans is an ooze. Unlike normal oozes, it can't move. It could infect another ocean, but the other gods and their devotees are keen on preventing that. It  also can't be eaten, even when cooked. It does retain its acid attack and ability to form pseudopods. Fortunately, it can still be navigated, using special coatings developed by the guilds that mollify the ooze ocean and protects ships from the oozes acid. It just can't be fished or *shudder* swam in.

[csyphrett]

1 hour ago, Sociotard said:

On an infinite earth, there are infinite oceans. On one port of one ocean, Dee-Ell heard the prayers of his faithful, and he came.

 

A tarmakers guild was in flames, and the guildsmen were tarred and feathered with their own wares.

 

"What is done here?"

 

And the sailors were fearful, but answered saying "The guild would not share the making of their sealant, and so we sought to take their secrets from them."

 

And Dee Ell was wroth, "because thou hast done this thing these waters shall be a curse to you ever more." And he found a wild ooze and brought it to the waters, and he caused it to grow.  It grew until it filled the whole ocean with its hunger and its burning touch.

 

And the god of oceans wept to see such a loss, and called to the god of Stone, and they did close up that ocean, that it never touch the others.

 

Interference: The Ooze Ocean

 

I am interfering with the god of oceans, such that now one of the oceans is an ooze. Unlike normal oozes, it can't move. It could infect another ocean, but the other gods and their devotees are keen on preventing that. It  also can't be eaten, even when cooked. It does retain its acid attack and ability to form pseudopods. Fortunately, it can still be navigated, using special coatings developed by the guilds that mollify the ooze ocean and protects ships from the oozes acid. It just can't be fished or *shudder* swam in.

That is a good one, Sociotard.

CES

[csyphrett]

Okay I had an idea for interference.

 

Occasionally Roy gets a little angry at someone on the land. That person thinks I am away from the water, none of the personal messengers can get at me. I am perfectly safe.

 

That is the wrong approach to things.

 

If Roy can't get at you through the water, he will bring the water to you with a hurricane the size of a continent called Roy's Hand.  People who see the storm terns deep in the middle of their lands they know to batten the hatches and do what they can to keep their belongings from ripping up and away to land some place miles away. 

 

Roy may pay compensation if another god's temple is ripped up and placed somewhere else along the way.

CES

[Lucius]

9 hours ago, Cancer said:

I acknowledge the truth in the palindromedary's comment, but it was a somewhat relevant term that floated to the top of the septic tank of my mind as the discussion erupted.

 

It's certainly relevant! Say, have I already given the Civilizations a Gift yet?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is pretty sure we've done an Interference

 

[death tribble]

Yes. Priestcraft

 

But you do have a couple of domains which you could use as something else

[death tribble]

Legends say that there once was a being of pure hatred that terrorised all the peoples and places of the world. Some legends go even further and say it was the creation of one of the gods that Gelmir killed and without them it became a force of pure nihilism. Such was the enchantment and nature of this thing that it could not be imprisoned or banished and that if killed it would reform again and continue in its foul ways.

Further the legends claim that Dee-Eli and Vyago determined what could be done to stop it and they sought the help of the brothers and sisters.

Roy dispatched his hurricane Roy's Hand to drive it to the ground and Aerobell wrestled it into submission. Then they brought it before Amora.

'What can I do ?' said the Goddess, 'it can survive the mighty blows of the War God and evade all the prisons and banishments that we have placed upon it'

Dee-Eli and Vyago then spoke. 'It is pure hate. And ugly in form and mind. It brings no pleasure to any and all. Everything that is opposite to you. So change its nature'

Amora was puzzled but then smiled. 'Yes I can do this. After all the things it has done to all our worshippers and all our domains'

She looked upon two of the others. 'Brother Chaos, Gravitus, you will permit this ?'

'Yes' the two Gods said 'We shall bind it and it will not return to its old ways'

It struggled furiously but Aerobell held it firm 'If there was war in your heart I could quell it and if you only wished peace I could drive you to war. Now we know your secret. Now we know that you cannot escape yourself'

Amora then poured forth all her love to overwhelm the hate and crafted the shape so that it became something of beauty. And it would know pleasure.

It also then knew regret at its misdeeds and was wrought by grief at what it had lost.

'It cannot be allowed to forget what it did. All of our peoples that it killed, the lives it ruined. Are we agreed ?' said Amora

The other gods nodded.

Arepo smiled 'A rebirth is needed'

'I hereby name thee as Asha the Dark, herald of Amora. You will be my messenger to my brothers and sisters and to all of this world. And you will atone for your sins by whatever means we see fit.' proclaimed Amora

 

And that as they say is the Legend of Asha the Dark, Herald of Amora. She resembles what is sometimes called a Succubus with sheep horns curving from her skull and large batlike wings protruding from her back. She is a woman of some beauty clothed in black but there is an unbearable sadness in her eyes. She is often seen in the company of the other gods performing whatever task they bid her do to atone for her past sins or so the legends claim.

As Aerobell stated, 'You can escape everything except yourself' 

 

Mythic Monster: Asha the Dark, Herald of Amora

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

10 hours ago, Psybolt said:

I think Brother Chaos is a fan of this as well.

 

"That's just wrong."

-Gravitius

 

[Hermit]

9 minutes ago, Logan.1179 said:

 

"That's just wrong."

-Gravitius

 

 

[Pariah]

At this point, I think I'm a full week behind. Oh well, we start from where we are, right?

 

And for a time, the denizens of the new world gazed longingly into the night sky.

 

It was really boring.

 

The night sky was dark from horizon to horizon (whatever that means on an infinite world). Poets had no lights to inspire them. Sailors had no stars by which to steer. Lovers had no constellations by which to swear their eternal affections.

 

So Yshic scattered lights across the darkness and fashioned the Night Sky the world knows today. It is a boon to travelers on both land and sea. It is the home of her chosen people, the Seraphim. But deeper still lies a great secret:

 

When they have attained greater knowledge and wisdom, Mortals may travel there themselves one day.

 

 

Geography pick: The Night Sky

 

[Pariah]

It is said that Yshic brings light to all creatures. This is not, strictly speaking, true. To some, she has given the gift of bringing their own light with them.

 

Flora / Fauna / Ore pick: Bioluminescence

 

 

This phenomenon traverses kingdoms and phyla. Algae, lichens, plants, fish, giant singing crabs, even birds and mammals, may exhibit this trait. 

 

Intelligent beings? Only time will tell. In this new world, anything is possible.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

(I'm having a little trouble picturing the continent, so some of these directions may be off.)

 

At the southern end of Gelmir, far away from the beautiful Valley of Justice, the world was wild and chaotic. Gravitius, the Standing Lord, as he was often known, looked over the madness of the zone. With just a few changes, he knew he could bring some semblance of order, but the very essence of that land seemed to defy him. The waters that lapped at the shore and seeped into the swamps seemed to infected the entire zone with disorder. Wind storms swept through with rains that flooded and created mudslides. He tried to bring forth shimmering plateus, but somehow they crumbled before him. Broad plains were cut into wild, craggy canyons by flash floods and the forces of erosion. "Enough!" he cried with a voice that echoed through the canyons and over the hills. "If you demand to be wild, then be cursed by it!" Se slammed the end of his great staff upon the land, and it shook. Great crevices issued forth from the crater where he struck. He lifted his hands and mountains rose... then exploded! Fiery hot lava spewed forth upon the land, ash flowed and swirled in the winds. In his rage, he reshaped the land without a plan, without order. "Let them see what the seeds of disorder have wrought," he said as he turned his back and walked back to the north.

 

Interference: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

 

You could call it tectonic activity, but that doesn't have the same ring of divine retribution

 

 

[death tribble]

The weekend will be for catch ups in the main unless you are some way behind.

[Pariah]

6 minutes ago, Logan.1179 said:

Interference: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

 

I certainly can't fault you for this choice. I feel like it brings a real sense of convergence to our world.

[Cancer]

I've got my third secondary domain, Gift, and Interference yet to select.  The second one is the most difficult, and I'm still casting about for a good concept.  The Interference I am saving for last ("ees tradition").  

[death tribble]

As a reminder secondary domains can recreate any of the other choices including Interference

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

24 minutes ago, Pariah said:

 

I certainly can't fault you for this choice. I feel like it brings a real sense of convergence to our world.

 

I thought so. I was going to wait just in case I needed it for revenge, but I think this works.

[Hermit]

Tagline from one post...

Ivanova: "No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow."

 

Next post?

Interference: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

 

I find this funny

[Sociotard]

A man/cat knelt at the foot of the black pyramid, shuddering but no longer weeping openly. The ritual he had obtained had opened a rift to this hidden place; at least that had gone right. Now he just had to solve the cypher on the door . . . 

And it was done. The massive stone slab slid open with a silence that should not be possible for such a heavy thing, and the man released one more tear, wiped it, and the two proceeded inside.

 

Within was a labyrinth, lit only by glowing fungi on the walls. "We're here" the two said as one. The shadows flickered and surged; this place did not approve of calling out loud. The two were undeterred. "Please. We've come so far. We thought the labyrinth was some sort of trap? But we want to be found. Are you here?"

 

"I am." The two turned and fell to the ground. The spider filled the corridor. It was wrapped in its own silk, and when it moved its joints made a sound like dried meat being bent. This thing had not been truly alive since the stones were young.

 

It arched its long, thin abdomen to dangle its tail in front of its face, a tail which ended in a feminine figure also wrapped in silk. It writhed and screamed "oh save me hero!"

 

the cat cast his head to the side and mindspoke, "That might have worked better when you were alive. The movements aren't right. The voice is raspy and dead. It matches the rest of you. That's some kind of lure, a piece of you. Why do you even use it when we're here for you?"

 

The writhing stopped and the woman shape sighed. "Habit, I suppose. And I prefer to use its speech for these occasions; I'm told my mindspeech is deafening and my real mouth can't exactly speak.  You are here for my services?" The two nodded. "Pity. Adventurers are more fun. Ah well. What is it you want me to keep secret?  A magical manuscript that must never fall into the wrong hands? A memory-bearing weapon you fear will inspire revolution?" She rolled her eyes. "Not a treasure you want me to reveal to someone at a later date? I hate those ones."

 

At this the tears cam back in force, and the two could only mindspeek. "No. Us. We must make ourselves a secret. Please. Hide our shame."

 

A moment of stillness. Then the woman-shape nodded. "Your name will disappear. Memories that touch you will be changed. All evidence gone." a tilt of the head-shape. "You know the price?"

 

The cat leapt into the mans arms. "We welcome it."

 

And so they were eaten, and they knew their shame was hidden forever.

 

Monster: Arachna-Ra, the Mummified Spider

 

 An unparalleled Psi-master, Arachna-Ra can wipe memories throughout the infinite world. She can scour evidence of any kind. Sometimes she is brought things to keep secret, making her hidden home a prize for foolish adventurers. Sometimes, she makes people her secret, perhaps to hide their shame at failure or transgression. In either case, she demands sentient sacrifice.

 

She is a mummified spider. Her tail ends in a sort of lure that looks like a bound woman, her wrists ending where the rest of the tail begins. The lure used to be very effective, but mummified it isn't so much. Again, Arachna-Ra is a sufficiently advanced master of Psi, Magic, and Illusion that it really doesn't matter. Think twice before crawling her dungeon.

[Sociotard]

Hmm, I don't think this one is taken yet

 

Secondary Domain: Banking and Trade

 

On this world, bankers, financiers, and merchants wear masks to honor their patron god.

[Cancer]

With some reluctance, Anuanu declares Its third and final secondary domain, and a number of Its other aspects.  Anuanu, God of Darkness, Guardian of the Unborn, and First Principle of Reflection, assumes the mantle of God of the Underworld, with the aspects of Lord of the One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Hells, Warden of the Resting Dead, Blessed Font of the Balm of Forgetfulness, Render of Willful Sinners, Cleanser of Souls, Guardian of the Sapphire Vestibule of Eternity, and many other aspects besides.  

 

Those who die need some interval before their rebirth, a respite to forget the pains of life.  There they may unlearn the bitterness of disappointment, recover from the wounds of hate, and restore the bright innocence and incalculable potential with which each being is born anew.  The manner of their life guides which partition of the Underworld will be their transmigrational lodging, where their sores are lanced, burns are balmed, disfigurements are restored, and misconceptions are unlearned.  Forgotten memories are restored and reviewed, so that the dead are judged by what they truly were rather than what they thought, or preferred to think, they were.  Their divine patrons are polled for their judgments as well, but in no small way the fate of the dead is what they themselves choose as appropriate for themselves.

 

Overseeing the afterlife punishments for unrecompensed sin is among the duties of another aspect, the Black Hammer of Wrath.  The most vile and unrepentant cases are sent to the Mill of Damnation where the spirits are ground to subatomic powder, each speck too small and simple to be capable of thought; the cries of those being reduced in the Mill escape to the surface from time to time in the explosions of vapor and ash from Peléan eruptions.  The resultant dust is washed in a purifying ocean, mixed with virtuous essences, fired with a spark of hope, and cooled in the outer emptiness adjacent to the Void Beyond, and from this renewed pure potential new souls are to be minted.  The words "to be" are used, because none of the damned have yet completed their milling.

 

Not all of the Underworld is dark, though much of it is, so the eyes can rest from the sight of so much evil in the surface world.  The Hell of Mirrors is piercingly bright, as those who have done violence must see and feel their violent acts visited upon themselves, reflected unendingly so it is experienced from every angle and in every timescale, inflicted with the same unconcern they held in life.  The Plain of Comforting Dawn brings those forced in life to labor brokenly, confined away from the spiritual light of hope, into a quiet and restful spot so they can see again the gentle twilight of the First Dawn, and the boundless potential in Creation, and so restore their will to participate willingly and joyfully in that continued Making. 

 

But mortals, while living, cannot bear to see all the consequences of their acts and passions lest they break down in terror, despair, or apathy.  Therefore the Underworld is bounded by Darkness, overseen by Darkness, and the spirits of the living are thus protected by Darkness, so that their works -- which transcend the designs and even the imagination of the gods -- can grow and extend the transfinite wonder of Creation.
 

[death tribble]

2 hours ago, Sociotard said:

Monster: Arachna-Ra, the Mummified Spider

Why do I get this in my head ?

 

Ancient Spirits of Secrecy,

Transform this decayed form

to Arachna-Ra, the Ever Living !

[L. Marcus]

The murderer had run hard and long, and now the night was coming on. No signs of any pursuit, but after having killed a whole family he took no risks. When the Suns set he found himself on an upland moor, and the ground was getting boggy. Fearing travelling at night, what with not seeing where one puts one's feet, he made camp under the roots of a wind-thrown tree. Being a man that never had much of a conscience to start with, and living a hard life that slowly eroded what little he had left, he soon started to doze under his blanket.

 

He sat bolt upright when he faintly heard the baying of a lone hound, far off in the distance. "A stag hunt? In the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere?" The baying faded, and the killer tried to get to sleep again. But he could not sleep. He lay awake, and listened for any sound, but the night was strangely quiet. And strangely bright. The summer was almost gone and the nights ought to be dark. But that night, the aurora came on. Pulsing bright red and vivid green, flickering across the sky; faintly, very faintly crackling. The murderer remember something his mother told him once: That the aurora was the light from the afterlife, that shone in the sky through the gate of heaven when the spirits of the dead were allowed by their cthonian Master to visit the living. Nothing he ever believed; he'd never believed anything his mother told him ...

 

And there was the baying again. Closer, this time, and more than one hound. And a horn sounded. A faint laughter carried on the night's gentle breeze, a laughter that did not sound good-humored at all. The killer felt a cold sweat break out, and he shivered. He stood up, straining his eyes against the near-darkness of the woods and the moor. Trying to see the hunting party. Trying to hear from where the sounds came.  And the feeling struck him, that it all was coming from the sky ...

 

Ut-Mark chooses his champion and his monster: The Wild Hunt!

[Lucius]

9 hours ago, Sociotard said:

A man/cat knelt at the foot of the black pyramid, shuddering but no longer weeping openly. The ritual he had obtained had opened a rift to this hidden place; at least that had gone right. Now he just had to solve the cypher on the door . . . 

And it was done. The massive stone slab slid open with a silence that should not be possible for such a heavy thing, and the man released one more tear, wiped it, and the two proceeded inside.

 

Within was a labyrinth, lit only by glowing fungi on the walls. "We're here" the two said as one. The shadows flickered and surged; this place did not approve of calling out loud. The two were undeterred. "Please. We've come so far. We thought the labyrinth was some sort of trap? But we want to be found. Are you here?"

 

"I am." The two turned and fell to the ground. The spider filled the corridor. It was wrapped in its own silk, and when it moved its joints made a sound like dried meat being bent. This thing had not been truly alive since the stones were young.

 

It arched its long, thin abdomen to dangle its tail in front of its face, a tail which ended in a feminine figure also wrapped in silk. It writhed and screamed "oh save me hero!"

 

the cat cast his head to the side and mindspoke, "That might have worked better when you were alive. The movements aren't right. The voice is raspy and dead. It matches the rest of you. That's some kind of lure, a piece of you. Why do you even use it when we're here for you?"

 

The writhing stopped and the woman shape sighed. "Habit, I suppose. And I prefer to use its speech for these occasions; I'm told my mindspeech is deafening and my real mouth can't exactly speak.  You are here for my services?" The two nodded. "Pity. Adventurers are more fun. Ah well. What is it you want me to keep secret?  A magical manuscript that must never fall into the wrong hands? A memory-bearing weapon you fear will inspire revolution?" She rolled her eyes. "Not a treasure you want me to reveal to someone at a later date? I hate those ones."

 

At this the tears cam back in force, and the two could only mindspeek. "No. Us. We must make ourselves a secret. Please. Hide our shame."

 

A moment of stillness. Then the woman-shape nodded. "Your name will disappear. Memories that touch you will be changed. All evidence gone." a tilt of the head-shape. "You know the price?"

 

The cat leapt into the mans arms. "We welcome it."

 

And so they were eaten, and they knew their shame was hidden forever.

 

Monster: Arachna-Ra, the Mummified Spider

 

 An unparalleled Psi-master, Arachna-Ra can wipe memories throughout the infinite world. She can scour evidence of any kind. Sometimes she is brought things to keep secret, making her hidden home a prize for foolish adventurers. Sometimes, she makes people her secret, perhaps to hide their shame at failure or transgression. In either case, she demands sentient sacrifice.

 

She is a mummified spider. Her tail ends in a sort of lure that looks like a bound woman, her wrists ending where the rest of the tail begins. The lure used to be very effective, but mummified it isn't so much. Again, Arachna-Ra is a sufficiently advanced master of Psi, Magic, and Illusion that it really doesn't matter. Think twice before crawling her dungeon.

 

Barring the restless revenants laid by the First Priest, this is our first Undead.

 

I need to decide how to feel about that.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Consulting a palindromedary