Psybolt

Voted!

Vote early, vote often. 

Here is the 2023 ballot for the EYG Hall of Fame.  Feel free to vote for as many of the nominees that you want and as often as you would like.  Ballot stays active until Talk Like A Pirate Day.
 
https://embraceyourgeeknesseyg.com/
 
 

Alright I am calling it. The full list of choices is on page 1 second post.
 
First off thanks to Hermit and csyphrett who seeing the way things were going after L Marcus, Psybolt and I had made choices decided to oppose us.
Second to Psybolt who graciously allowed me to link my god to his.
Logan and Old Man decided to continue without being influenced that much by other choices. Indeed without the former we would not have this continuing draft.
Thanks to DShomshak and Sociotard who went obscure on us.
 
I am thankful to the thread as it brought Enforcer84 out of retirement.
Cancer did come up with a rather drastic idea which DShomshak later spectacularly torpedoed. His god talked my god into killing myself. If people want to see what was intended I will post it. Upon request.
 
For those who view this rather than participate, if enough of you request it, I will post a poll.

I have struggled with my final bonus interference pick.  Here we go...
 
Mister Rancor had been steaming.  Ever since Alitheon had gifted the world lie detection, Rancor had been searching the depths of his dark heart for a way to overcome the so called gift.  He had come up empty, which spurred on the feelings of vengeance within his mind.
 
Then, Alitheon dared to gift him 'white, hot fury'
 
That was all Mister Rancor could stand.
 
"How dare he believe that he could present me with more fury?  Does he not know that no one has more fury than the God of Hate!  It is a slap in my face!"
 
Was there a way he could directly deal with Alitheon?  No, it did not seem he could.  So the vengeance would have to take a different path.
 
"I do not need 'WHITE HOT FURY' as I am the center of that.  So... I feel the need to share the Gift of Alitheon with all!"
 
Interference (bonus):  Mister Rancor shares the WHITE HOT FURY gift from Alitheon with every living creature of the Chimney.

This is a long one, so I'll put it under a spoiler.
 
 

This is long. Probably too long, but it's my last entry for Etterskell and it brings together a number of previous entries. I hope it's a fitting conclusion for the God of Multiplicity.
 
Special thanks to Psybolt for letting me write in Mister Rancor. I hope I portrayed him as enough of a jerk.
-----------------
Surprise cut through Crax’s irritation. He had never heard Etterskell threaten another God. He lowered his hand and sighed. “If you insist… What concerns you, Multiplicity? Have you caused another doomsday monster you need me to kill?” He hoped the list would not be long: Etterskell rarely kept their mind on only one thing.
 
Etterskell crossed its arms and frowned at Crax. “No, though that’s partly why I’m here. I owe you for that, and I’m repaying you now.” But Crax heard no gratitude in its voice.
 
“I heard a prayer from Hedonia. A broken man, cursing me for the bad luck that cost his money, his family, and his hope. We would have blamed bad judgment, but… Our attention was drawn. We saw him jump from the tower and die. And we saw one of your hypostases there. Autothanatos. God of Self-Murder.”
 
Crax cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, one of my favorites. The victim is always available, but the killing is often more difficult than you’d think.”
 
“I know. Now. I was puzzled enough to consult your father. He explained that suicide often comes from hatred. Hating something within yourself so much you are willing to die to kill it. Some shame, especially. Or killing oneself from spite to harm someone else. Make them sorry. I looked at the wastes around Hedonia. And I knew I had to stop you before you do worse.”
 
Crax tried not to show tension as he looked for Ceass. If Gods battled, she would surely be present. But he saw no sign of her.
 
“Worse?” Crax sneered, but also felt his curiosity piqued. “I killed a continent. I’d kill another, but, been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” Which, now that he spoke the words, became true. He was wearing it.
 
“Worse. I realized you could try to kill the World. Even if it meant your own destruction. Especially. Just… to do it. The ultimate expression of what you are. Murdering everything. Maybe even the rest of us. Not sure, we’ve never been in a world as it was destroyed. We’re not going to find out, either. We’ve already made someone to stop you. From the easiest way, anyway. Good thing you hadn’t done it before we thought of it.
 
Crax nodded and smirked. “The cracks.”
 
“The Cracks. All of us know not to try passing through. None of the rest of us wants to risk destroying ourselves, or the Chimney. Not even Mister Rancor. If he destroyed everything, what would he have to hate? But you might. Except not anymore. Have you called back Autothanatos?”
 
The jump in topic was more typical Etterskell. Crax reflexively reached out to feel his hypostasis, wherever in the Chimney it might be, like a person paying attention to feel the presence of his own foot.
 
It felt wrong. Numb. Detached.
 
“What. Have. You. Done.”
 
Etterskell smiled. “I made some changes to Autothanatos. Vivisection. Theosection. Whatever. Pulled an aspect from the aspect, merged it with a few other hypostases. The other Gods were glad to contribute, once I said what I was doing. Alchemy with Gods is fun!” It giggled.
 
Crax couldn’t keep himself from trembling in rage. “You wouldn’t. You’ve never.”
 
“Never before. And I’ll never have the power to do this again. Congratulations, Crax, you’re my one and only… one and only. No multiples here. Just one guardian to stop you from ever trying to go through a Crack and murder the World.”
 
Crax instantly felt the location of the nearest Crack, and he was there. Etterskell still stood beside him. And there was a third figure, blazing with light but shrouded in shadow, winged, with a sword.
 
“Say hello to the Warden of the Cracks… Crax. I made her from your own potential for self-murder. If you try to enter a Crack, she will be there, and you will die before you can succeed. You can’t fight her and win: Ceass gave her the aspect of the Unbeatable Foe. You’ll never evade her: There’s no Crack so small that Strangecharm’s portion will miss it, or so out of the way that Fitz’s portion will overlook it. Clarkent Kal was glad to add a little of his power to a champion who defends the World.” Etterskell smiled, and qer smile was not pleasant. “Mister Rancor didn’t contribute, except to allow it.”
 
“Father?” Crax demanded. Mister Rancor stood beside them. “You didn’t warn me?”
 
“Of course not, son,” Mister Rancor said. “What, and miss seeing you twist and snarl at being balked from your greatest possible deed? Your frustration, your hatred, is like candy.”
 
Etterskell shrugged. “Maybe you’ll find some other way to murder the world, or murder us, or make the World so horrible the rest of us want to put it out of its misery. But that will be hard. We… I… have done my part for this World, my debt to you is paid by giving you fair warning, and am content.” Crax snarled and vanished to somewhere else.
 
Mister Rancor shook his head. “I still don’t understand why you’d do this. This world is broken. You broke it beyond repair. Why save it?”
 
Etterskell smiled. And frowned. And laughed, and wept. “Because broken things need more love.”
 
He didn’t understand.
 
Bonus Mythic Guardian: The Warden of the Cracks
 

 
Dean Shomshak

Bonus Mythic Monster:  Cetus
 
Mister Rancor thought that there needed to be something special in all of these living rivers floating around the chimney.  

 
 
 

Bonus Mythic Monster:  Cetus
 
Mister Rancor thought that there needed to be something special in all of these living rivers floating around the chimney.  

 
 
 

Mister Rancor remained unfulfilled from his efforts in the new cylindrical world.  That was probably only going to continue as the God of Hatred had never felt happy.  Any time he felt a twinge of what could be considered a positive feeling, he drove them back down into his gut.
 
He did spend more time than not watching the events of Hedonia.  Those individuals were very easy to manipulate and another idea that would sew the seeds of division and hatred sprung to his mind.  He had been engaged with the subtle aspects of his hatred crusade recently as Crax had taken the more direct method.  When he had pulled his son out of the last conflict, Rancor was irritated... or proud.  He wasn't sure which it was.
 
Mister Rancor decided something new.  Other Gods seemed focused upon insects and plants, but Rancor wanted more, no matter how entertaining it may have been.  He constructed a sister-city to Hedonia, built just to the southern border of the city which he named Austere.  It was a reflection of Hedonia and he encouraged easily manipulated humans and other such bio-forms to take up residence in the new city.  He spread the feeling of how these people were being judgmental of those people who spent their time and wasted their lives in Hedonia.
 
To make it even more of a play, he had these beings created temples to both Aziza, to the reflection of the hedonistic land, and Clarkent Kal, the hero with a heavy dose of righteousness.  Mister Rancor knew that the followers did not always understand or out and out misinterpret the words and beliefs of their deities so having them launch such a campaign of intolerance or manipulation against the people of Hedonia in the name of these two gods was something that "almost" tickled Rancor.
 
Geography:  sister city of Austere, built beside Hedonia.
 
Interference, pick 1:  Building two temples to other gods and directing the people of Austere to carry a campaign in these Gods' names against Hedonia.
 
I did not pick yesterday so this works together.  I believe I only have the bonus Interference pick and the bonus monster pick remaining.

Mister Rancor remained unfulfilled from his efforts in the new cylindrical world.  That was probably only going to continue as the God of Hatred had never felt happy.  Any time he felt a twinge of what could be considered a positive feeling, he drove them back down into his gut.
 
He did spend more time than not watching the events of Hedonia.  Those individuals were very easy to manipulate and another idea that would sew the seeds of division and hatred sprung to his mind.  He had been engaged with the subtle aspects of his hatred crusade recently as Crax had taken the more direct method.  When he had pulled his son out of the last conflict, Rancor was irritated... or proud.  He wasn't sure which it was.
 
Mister Rancor decided something new.  Other Gods seemed focused upon insects and plants, but Rancor wanted more, no matter how entertaining it may have been.  He constructed a sister-city to Hedonia, built just to the southern border of the city which he named Austere.  It was a reflection of Hedonia and he encouraged easily manipulated humans and other such bio-forms to take up residence in the new city.  He spread the feeling of how these people were being judgmental of those people who spent their time and wasted their lives in Hedonia.
 
To make it even more of a play, he had these beings created temples to both Aziza, to the reflection of the hedonistic land, and Clarkent Kal, the hero with a heavy dose of righteousness.  Mister Rancor knew that the followers did not always understand or out and out misinterpret the words and beliefs of their deities so having them launch such a campaign of intolerance or manipulation against the people of Hedonia in the name of these two gods was something that "almost" tickled Rancor.
 
Geography:  sister city of Austere, built beside Hedonia.
 
Interference, pick 1:  Building two temples to other gods and directing the people of Austere to carry a campaign in these Gods' names against Hedonia.
 
I did not pick yesterday so this works together.  I believe I only have the bonus Interference pick and the bonus monster pick remaining.

"I really am ruggedly handsome."

"It's a magical place."

Mister Rancor sat upon a stone chair, uncomfortable and hard.  He hated the chair and, for some reason, that felt right.  He stared out at the world forming around him, held within a cylindrical tube, with rivers flowing every which way and cracks sending those unlucky to places across time.  
 
The mosquitos he had unleashed were a moderate success, but the bloodsuckers were more annoying than hate-inspiring.  The excess rivers of the lands certainly helped keep that population active and thriving.  Rancor still felt a distasteful feeling of optimism, of hope in the air of this land.  
 
Even with his always active son, Crax, once again pushing the envelope with the Murder Plant, Rancor could barely care.  He would always say the right things to keep up his image, but many of these were just lies.  He was the master of lies after all.  How could he encourage the expansion of lies among the population of this world?  There must be a way.
 
A spark of an idea came to his foul mind.  Something considerably more subtle than the wiping out of a continent, but something that would surely lead to division, to mistrust, to blatant lying.  It would be his masterpiece.
 
There must be more to the world than just survival.  There must be leaders.  Mister Rancor pulled from his head a human that he named Christopher Patron.  He set Patron up with skills, oratory abilities, and charisma unlike any human to this point.  He also gave him a deep hatred of anything non-human and the skill to avoid any inquiry to reveal his true nature.
 
Rancor followed this creation with another human pulled from his head.  This one was named Stanton Hannity.  He was just as charismatic, but darker.  His quick wit and blatant shamelessness would shock everyone and offend many.  Yet he is the type who you might want to find and enjoy an intoxicant with.  
 
Just to add to the confusion, Rancor pulled up a member of the K-rac C’ho C’o and a figure from the Elven community who is able and willing to step forward as a representation.
 
Mister Rancor sent a feeling throughout the land, piercing the hearts and minds of every living creature, encouraging them to support and congregate with these individuals.  Rancor knew that was all he had to do as this would spread like a virus across this new world.  Power is an aphrodisiac and those that he had brought forth would inspire others in the same manner.  Lies, hatred, intolerance... would multiply with or without the multiplicity of the world.
 
"Gift" to Civilization:  Politics   

And I thought the mosquitoes were evil. 

Superbly nasty, and nastily superb.
 
Dean Shomshak

Crax observed the creations of some of his fellow gods and felt nothing but contempt.
Talking mice, squirrels, the hippopotamus, fireflies, I mean really ?
A mosquito landed on his hand and began to suck his blood. At least his father knew how to create something that fit his image. It flew off, satiated. ‘Go my pretty, let’s see what my blood does’ thought Murder and then paused.
 
Perhaps he needed to create something that spreads but what did that ? Certain animals and of course plants. A killer plant, he thought, mighty it would be with deadly poisons or thorns that would pierce flesh and extinguished as soon as the races realised what he had done.
But what if he was more subtle about it ? Yes ! He would use the other gods powers and gifts to develop something. Here Multiplicity and his gift of alchemy would be useful for the plant would have different effects on different races.
 
To begin with humans would be the test subjects. They would use the plant as an addition to a drink and it would become an intoxicant. That would lead eventually to someone becoming belligerent and thus murderous. That’s addiction for you.
Elves could drink it as an intoxicant and they would be ok but enough of it would lead them to becoming melancholic and losing all hope.
Dwarves could make all sorts of intoxicants from it but eventually this would lead some to greed and wanting to possess all of the plant to brew the perfect liqueur would lead to madness and murder.
Wisps would occasionally glow with an unnatural fire from prolonged contact leading other races to kill it as a source of ill omen.
Rivers could wash away the plant so they would carry seeds which could suddenly sprout into life and strangle the water in retaliation.
Shades avoid it as it makes them visible even in shadows,
His own race, the K-rac C’ho C’o are poisoned by it.
Gandians are weakened by it for weapons coated with the sap or fruit or the flowers of the plant create a vulnerability that repeated hits will lead to their demise.
The Talking Mice use it for bedding and food but it makes them delicious in certain recipes.
Satyrs drink themselves to death on it.
If a hippopotamus ate enough of it their eyes would glow red and they would turn murderous.
Squirrels could use it for bedding as the mice did. The downside being that people would raid their nests for the plant, especially dwarves the greedy devils.
 
And to cap it all, the plant can be used for healing.
 
It usually grows as a bush which has blue flowers and then produces fruits which all but mosquitoes like until the fruit falls off the bush if not harvested. The fruits cause instant intoxification if then eaten by sentient species but then intense gastric distress and madness. Animals are not affected but prefer to eat the plant before the fruit falls off. If the plant is burned it will not reappear for a while but when it does return it does so slowly.
 
Fauna: Flora Intoxicana aka The Murder Plant

Okay THAT is evil

Mythic Monster:  Pontianak
 
Mister Rancor moved around the lands devastated by his son's handiwork and an idea sprung forth from his head.  "A little revenge..." he thought, raising a spirit of one of the dead, a woman, who had been with child.  "You shall be named Pontianak" Rancor said, sending the vampiric-spirit off for vengeance against those who survived over her.  
 

 

Mythic Monster:  Pontianak
 
Mister Rancor moved around the lands devastated by his son's handiwork and an idea sprung forth from his head.  "A little revenge..." he thought, raising a spirit of one of the dead, a woman, who had been with child.  "You shall be named Pontianak" Rancor said, sending the vampiric-spirit off for vengeance against those who survived over her.  
 

 

Mythic Monster:  Pontianak
 
Mister Rancor moved around the lands devastated by his son's handiwork and an idea sprung forth from his head.  "A little revenge..." he thought, raising a spirit of one of the dead, a woman, who had been with child.  "You shall be named Pontianak" Rancor said, sending the vampiric-spirit off for vengeance against those who survived over her.  
 

 

Mythic Monster:  Pontianak
 
Mister Rancor moved around the lands devastated by his son's handiwork and an idea sprung forth from his head.  "A little revenge..." he thought, raising a spirit of one of the dead, a woman, who had been with child.  "You shall be named Pontianak" Rancor said, sending the vampiric-spirit off for vengeance against those who survived over her.  
 

 

WORLD CREATION SUPERDRAFT 7
OUR WORLD CREATORS THIS YEAR ARE . . .
Player 1. Assault God of Intoxicants, Oeneus
Geography. 
Sentient Life. Satyrs
Gift to Civilization. 
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference. Fitz’s Monuments are built with rollers  
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Sex
Secondary Domain . Music
Secondary Domain: .
Player 2,Cancer God of Fire, Thoal Anni’in
Geography. The World is a cylinder
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization: 
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference: 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Purification and Healing
Secondary Domain. 
Secondary Domain. 
Player 3,Csyphrett God of Heroes, Clarkent Kal
Geography. 
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization: 
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference: 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Justice
Secondary Domain Righteousness
Secondary Domain. Exploration
 
Player 4. Death Tribble, God of Murder, Crax
Geography. 
Sentient Life: 
Gift to Civilization. 
Flora/Fauna/Ore: 
Interference: Murdered an entire continent
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Evil
Secondary Domain. 
Secondary Domain. 
Player 5, DShomshak God of Multiplicity, Etterskell Breaker of the Sharded World
Geography. Cracks that can take people backwards or forwards in time
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization. Alchemy
Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Accidents
Secondary Domain. Parts and Wholes
Secondary Domain: 
Player 6. Enforcer84 Goddess of Strife, Ceass
Geography. 
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization. 
Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 
Interference: 
Mythic Monster or Guardian: 
Secondary Domain: Freedom
Secondary Domain / Option: Courage
Secondary Domain / Option. 
Player 7. Hermit Goddess of Hope, Nadiya Brightbringer
Geography. Elven Lands
Sentient Life. Elves
Gift to Civilization. 
Fauna/Flora/Ore: 
Interference: .  
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain.  Resiliance
Secondary Domain: Intuition
Secondary Domain / Option.
 
Player 8. L Marcus God of Intrigue, Masque
Geography. 
Sentient Life. Shades
Gift to Civilization. 
Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 
Interference: .
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Ambition
Secondary Domain. Intelligence and Wits
Secondary Domain: Shadows
 
Player 9. Logan  God of Avarice, Nagus Sterling
Geography. .Holy City of Hedonia
Sentient Life: 
Gift to Civilization.Commerce
Flora, Fauna, or Ore. 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain . Profit
Secondary Domain:/Option: Opportunity
Secondary Domain / Option. 
Player 10, Old Man God of Illumination, Alitheon
Geography. The Celestial Skies
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization. 
Flora/Fanua/Ore: 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Learning
Secondary Domain. Death and Rebirth
Secondary Domain. 
 
Player 11, Pariah Goddess of Small Things, Strangecharm
Geography. 
Sentient Life. Wisps
Gift to Civilization. 
Flora/Fauna/Ore. 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Sand
Secondary Domain. Rain
Secondary Domain.Choices 
Player 12, Pattern Ghost Goddess of Reflection, Aziza
Geography. 
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization. Philosophy
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Truth
Secondary Domain: Indecision
Secondary Domain: 
Player 13, Psybolt God of Hatred, Mister Rancor
Geography. 
Sentient Life. Humans
Gift to Civilization. 
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference. 
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. Intolerance
Secondary Domain: Vengeance
Secondary Domain: Manipulation and Lies 
Player 14, Sociotard Fitz, God of Bastards and Neglect,
Geography. 
Sentient Life. 
Gift to Civilization. Monuments and Pilgrimage
Fauna/Flora/Ore. 
Interference. Alchemy lances protected by the Sons of a Gun
Mythic Monster or Guardian. 
Secondary Domain. 
Secondary Domain: Water
Secondary Domain: 

I admit I was ready to put Ike & Tina Turner's (and later Tina Turner by herself) cover of Proud Mary, originally a hit for Creedence Clearwater Revival, in the "P" slot here.
 
For Q, The Moody Blues song Question on their 1970 "A Question of Balance" album, has been covered by several artists; Fish covered it in his 1993 "Songs From the Mirror" album, which is nothing but covers.

Mister Rancor had been noticeably absent from much of the specifics happening in the cylindrical world, with the multiple events and objects from the accident of Etterskell only opening more opportunity.  Rancor shook his head.
 
He stood on the land that had been scarred.... glancing at the doom brought forth by his son.  Rancor was not sure if what he was feeling was pride... or truthfully resentment of being surpassed by one so young.  His feelings for Crax were complicated, but was much more pure than the feelings he had for his siblings.  
 
Rancor had been existing within the shadows of Masque, a place where he felt comfortable, but the brazen attack demanded his attention.  
Shifting forms into what appeared to be a survivor, one of those saved by the hopeful, whose resiliency always turned his stomach.  When he had the chance, Mister Rancor found himself whispering into the ears of the survivors.  "Why did the God of Heroes cast us aside?"  "Clarkent Kal has forsaken our justice."  "Alitheon brought death to us all."   "I heard the Elven nomads Aelf were the true unspoken force behind the assault. Such black eyes..."    
 
As he spread the rumors through the survivors, planting seeds intended to sprout into the burning hatred and thriving revenge, Mister Rancor decided to target Hedonia as well.  Gambling is such an ample target.  The house never loses and those who find themselves unable to cope, have hatred fueling within their breasts.    Rancor made sure that these hapless losers knew whom to blame for their lot in life... those who worshiped Nagus Sterling. 
 
Mister Rancor never wanted the direct action, preferring to allow the explosion to form from within.  Those were always the most damaging.
 
Secondary Domain:  Manipulation & Lies