When Gods Walk II: Apotheoses [IC]

[Elenir]

The Djinn
The female inquisitor thinked for a second. "I assume that you come from a desert, the lack of trees means you don't know what paper is" The woman stored the book she was holding, then she took out another book, along with a plume so she could write. The inquisitor ripped a page out of the book, then she gave it to the Djinn in front of her.

I-ORIGINS
I-GODS AND MAGIC
III-HIERARCHY

"If you could answer these questions, I can give you the parchment papers. Just tell me from where do you come from, your gods and what magic you use and how the hierarchy of your people work. Do remember to mention if we are required to use special titles or if certain magic is needed for you to stay alive. Which I assume is the case".

Fort Tamus
The inquisitor returned to the fort. He spoke to those that were defending the entrance. "Those were definitely cursed, every single one of you will be checked for corruption." and so, every man and woman that saw the bikes was questioned about their loyalty to the emperor, however, no man died that day.

[Kowani]

Omar nodded, although he remained baffled by the strange tools used by the woman. "Very well then. We come from Desertu Alquila, or what your people may know of as the Great Desert. It is a good distance south of here, beyond the Eternal Bastion. However, we were sent from the Heart of the Mountain, the capital city of our civilization. We worship few gods, Erraknh and Lenu, for they gave us life, and Kona and Mei, for they give us food. There are some who consider Kallig and Kikai-shin to be worthy of veneration, for they bring about progress. I have heard that in the easternmost regions there are some who worship spade, as they consider him to be responsible for their prosperity." "We have a great many magics, but for the purpose of time, the great majority of them are to do with manipulation of the earth.

Here, he stops and frowns, his shoulders sagging. "It is true that the golems have a limitation built into them,they cannot leave the ground, for that is the Lei Erraknhi. However, they do not require any magic to sustain themselves, unlike us Djinn. Once a lunar cycle, we must cast a ritual that allows us to continue on. As for titles, we have some, but they do not translate well into your tongue, and as such, they are not necessary."

"We have a unique hierarchy, where Erraknh is only in charge when the trumpets of war sound. Other than that, we maintain a simple system, where people are divided by their talents. It is easy to move up, as the highest offices are not those of the military, but rather scholars, and as such, anyone with the dedication and ability can rise. This does not hold true for the Golems, who cannot speak our tongue, or any other, and have no scholars or artists. No, the Golems are a unique kind, all the more so for their number, as they are hand-crafted by Erraknh.


The Eternal Bastion
Qaaba gazed upon the walls, pointing things of interest out to the Golem, who would stare at them intensely. Turning to the Shadow Hunter, he smiled confusedly. "Pardon the intrusion, kind sir, and I do hope this is not too much of a burden, but why are we going into a small, metal box?"

[Parcia]

"Nuclear, Command Walkers are big enough to have that luxury." Kannashin said. "That also means she gets a few special goodies, but those can be explained on the ride. Follow me." She said as she turned and walked briskly towards the ramp that lowered itself. The Command Walker had crouched down, waiting idly for her commander and it's passenger to board.

He fallowed her, ducking slightly to avoid the low hang of the ramp. "Interesting, is it Standard Fission? Hydrogen Fission? Or have you mortals finally figured out room temp fusion power?"

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Reisen Udongein Inaba

"If this meeting is over, Rogal and I shall return to the Bastion," Tith Bengal, the Bastion's diplomat, started, "If there are no more questions for us." he swiftly concluded. "So, before we leave," the yellowgray giant paused slightly, "Are there any questions?" he asked. To this Reisen said, "Yeah, no," she would reply nonchalantly, "We're all set to go and move on from this, accidental scuffle...".

[Arkeyana]

The Trade Group, back on course, continued on towards its actual destination: A Lunarian port, where they'd offload everything, take on materials, and make the long trek back to the Bastion. Of course, they'd have to report their findings.

---

"Hydrogen Fission, the Bastion advanced rapidly once we figured out how the Anti-ship defences were powered." Said Kannashin as the ramp closed behind them. "Welcome aboard, Commander." Said a neutral voice. "If you'll follow me, Lopast, I can guide you to the bridge of this vehicle."

---

"You'll see." Said the Shadow hunter as they stepped aboard it. He waited expectantly for the Djinn and Golem to board as well.

---

"Any questions from the Cadmians?" Bengal asked.

[Elenir]

The inquisitor scratched her chin. "Hmm, that moon ritual does seem dangerous. Just do it in secrecy and I think it will be fine. After she finished taking notes, she closed the book she had in her hand. "And for you, I will give you 10 parchments, by tomorrow news should arrive to the capital about our encounter and that will define what will be the next course of action for the inquisition." She handed a small wooden box, inside of it there were 10 strips of paper that read

By the order of inquisitor Isabel, I shall grant the carrier of this parchment the permit to freely enter the city of Damanilius

"Well, if you don't mind, I need to write a letter about you and the Djinn." and so, the inquisitor entered the city, heading towards the central plaza of the city. Later, a few guards came out to pick up the gifts that the Djinn carried.

[Korhal IVV]

Talarian Enclaves
The Realm of the Machine Lords
Weeks earlier

In the border city of Karusar, thousands of Talarians went on their daily lives, constantly working to improve the city itself as it slowly expanded in all directions under the cold, subterranean earth. As they did so, the smoke stacks of the factories belched out plumes of black smoke unto the sky, fouling the environment around Karusar with carbon monoxide and the like. Every day was another day where the clocks turned and the gears went on, but today was different. Today, a diplomatic envoy was to be sent to the Eternal Bastion in a bid to improve relations with the far away living fortress, as they share very many things in common. These delegation was led by Envoy Kalkas Tygian, and he... it would be accompanied by three whole coloumns of Talarian riflemen and warriors. On the end of the convoy of steam powered vehicles would be a Rune Seal, which was capable of infusing weapons with runic magic to enhance their capabilities. And so, Kalkas and the rest of the Talarians departed, headed for the Eternal Bastion.

---

The Eternal Bastion

The Talarians arrived near the Eternal Bastion, and it seemed that others have gotten ahead as well. Djinns?

And so, Kalkas raised his mechanical voice to speak to the Bastion. “Behold, we have come from the West to bear a gesture of good will from the Enclaves. Perhaps we can speak like friends?”

[Kowani]

The Eternal Bastion
Qaaba looked at the Golem, looked at the metal box, and sighed."I put my life in your hands, Mister Hunter", he remarked before entering. The Golem slowly plodded after him, ducking its head to fit through the doorway.

Toren Dynasty
Omar nodded, turning towards his men. "Very well then. Now that we have obtained permission, we shall enter this settlement. Remember, we are guests here. Treat this place with more respect than if it was your home, and its citizens as if they were old friends. Do not fight with anyone, but make connections." Singling out 2 Djinn, he directed them to enquire about the "Parchments" that the humans used, and another to go outside and map the surrounding area. "I shall speak to the common citizen, and find out more about this kingdom."

[Parcia]

"Hydrogen Fission, the Bastion advanced rapidly once we figured out how the Anti-ship defences were powered." Said Kannashin as the ramp closed behind them. "Welcome aboard, Commander." Said a neutral voice. "If you'll follow me, Lopast, I can guide you to the bridge of this vehicle."


He smiled. "Ah, yes, the Alarmingly well armed Scientific wonder one of my younger brothers, I have been meaning to visit for some time. I would expect your metal working, as advanced as it is, is still lacking?" he paused.

"I mean no disrespect, I swear you that, but metal working is sort of...my thing? If that's how your children say it now-a-days."

[Arkeyana]

The door closed behind the Golem, before the Elevator jerked up, unaccustomed to the weight, before steadily climbing. It stopped once it reached a larger platform, the doors opening onto a Train Station, one of the many Skyways that ran through the city. Edging around the Golem, they exited onto the platform, gesturing for the Djinn and golem to follow. The train hadn't arrived yet, and the platform was empty. All there was was the platform and the rails running by it.

---

"No, it is not lacking. Again, thanks to the efforts of Kallig, our civillization has become highly industrialized, and thus the inventions of better metals have occurred." Kannishin said as they reached the bridge. Entering it, the bridge crew turned and saluted before turning back towards their activities. Kannishin sat in the captains chair before looking over at Lopast. "Uh...we don't exactly have any spare seats, you'll have to lean on something. Sorry, I should've thought about it in advance." She said. "Before you do, Walker, up!" With a sudden shift, the Walker rose to attention before starting forward, each leg moving with a steady rhythm as the Walker caught up with the rest of the group. "And there, if you wish we can run you through the Command Walker's weapons systems." Kannishin said, clearly relaxing in the presence of the Walker's powerful movements.

---

"Very well, Troopers shall be escorting you." said the Bastion as the Tesla Shield retracted, allowing the Talarians passage.

[Kowani]

The Sandstorm Avatar was furious. Two beings, Yuukame's children kept making a fool out of him. Enough was enough. It was time to up the ante. calling together his most prodigious magi, he tasked them with completely destroying the agriculture of the humans in the area. Not a single river would even appear, for they would all be filled with sand. Sandstorms would not stop, and they would be stronger than ever, enough to strip the flesh from a man. There would be no more destroyed forts, not with a new system of Golem seismic defenses. Anything that stepped on the ground would alert a Golem stationed at the camp, which would actively search for seismic tremors in its area while coordinating with other golems to create a network of impassible defense. Within the air, the grains of sand would work as tripwires, preventing stealth attacks. They would see the enemy coming now. Additional Golems would track the exact positioning of each and every Djinn and golem within the forts, so killing one would alert the entire camp. The Golems and Magi themselves were placed under heavy guard, just in case. The age of stealth was over.


Advancing Army
Battuta, head of the Desert Assassins, sent out a small wave of grains of sand, creating a mental map of the situation around the fort. Sensing the great power contained there, he directed his mages to raise up a hot, dry wind, dehydrating the soldiers within. The temperature began to rise, far beyond what a human could take. He set up his golems, solidifying large balls of sand until they became sandstorm boulders. And now, taking what they had learned from the Siege at Wintergrad, the boulders were drizzled in oil, and lit on fire before being thrown at Al-Jazeera. The boulders flew up, then down, and now it was Battuta's turn. Much had been learned from Wintergrad, and here he would employ more of it. Razor sharp, hardened sand, propelled by the desert wind. It flew quickly, outspeeding the boulders themselves.

[The Ebony Republic]

The First

Many mortal years likely passed. Perhaps even many godly ones. Still, there was no mention of Sevelene or her domains. Then, like connecting two wires to make a spark, it happened. A creature was born, though calling it an abomination or monstrosity was far more fitting. Through the DNA of multiple other deities, came forth The First Daemon, as Sevelene had taken to calling in her head. Its body was like a massive goat beastman of sorts, with waves of palpable madness coming off of it. Pestilient boils and blood covered some of its body, while it possessed eight eyes. Horns curled around its ten foot frame easily, its dark black fur accented by shades of red. Its hands both dripped blood eternally, inducing an uncontrollable rage and bloodlust in those who were afflicted by it, as well as Nurgle's Rot.

Yet, the plan was not yet complete. Sevelene performed a more painful version what her sister Yuukame had done, and then went to rest, the process taking place in her own domain. The resulting two children would possess the most powerful aspects of Sevelene's own power. The only sign of what was to come was a plane-rending roar, which sundered the Supreme Wasteland. On Opocran, many of the Outsiders there simply fell over dead from the backlash of energies.

[The Ebony Republic]

A Dance with Death

Coming forth to Lady Death herself, the Pale Knight, was Lord Dhal'gun. He sought out the Mistress of Death for one simple reason. A treaty of sorts, one might say.

[Greater Loralia]

“Very well. We shall launch soon, and meet you at the capital.” She said

The 85 foot tall Admiral Julipia, one of the largest female Jotnar alive, was clad in a heavy armor of dark gray and deep, vibrant blues, with the subtly glowing aura of her magitech armor exerting itself around her. She possessed four arms, unlike the two that most Jotnar usually possessed. When one looked directly at the fully armored Jotnar, one might see things begin to bend, so strong was the gravitic field that she exerted. Like all Jotnar, she could manipulate this field as a spiral force for various purposes, and augment her biology in density. Julipia prepared a shuttle from the Breidablik - 150 meters long and carrying several Jotnar - through the console on her chair, making way to the vessel’s launching area.

Alongside the smaller companions of each Jotnar were the Jotnar themselves.

Inside the Bastion

“Greetings, welcomer.” Vermillion said, watching as Dirga flew off of his shoulder and landed on the helmet of one of the soldiers. Vermillion smiled, approaching the lead, and putting an arm on their shoulder.

[Elenir]

The Toren Dynasty marches south

https://i.imgur.com/GdN7hr1.png The battle plans

The mobilization of the Toren Dynasty towards the south had finally reached its first phase, it was a massive effort of 2 million people. Merchants helped the army by supplying it, bureaucrats helped in the accounting department and the troops and nobles themselves fought the battles. No man or woman was excluded from the massive effort, one fourth of the army was tasked with the conquest and integration of the southern territories. Along with them, inquisitor regiments would aid them by bringing purity and discipline.

400.000 infantrymen, 80.000 cavalrymen and 10.000 cannons all marched together south. Accompanied by those tasked with the logistics of the war, birds would send messages between each group, coordinating the nobles and their armies.

Little to no resistance was expected, the south was a rather empty land, filled with tribes that have barely reached the iron age. No knight or barbarian could match the might of the Toren Dynasty. However, those that did not resist would see their people integrated into the dynasty, ready to serve their new emperor.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Hei

screaming, screaming, SCREAMING

These things he heard when the Djinn lit the very air on fire and burned to death all the men that weren't able to hide from the sun's now scorching rays. Outside, the Orange River had finally clogged with sand, and boulders on flames flew at the fort at top speed, ahead of them, sharp grains of sand flew faster, with intent to wound and maim horribly. Enemy lines were further back, a conglomerate of sandmen, golems, more sandmen, and even more golems, all intending to kill them. Good gods, when will the screaming end?

He had bonded to these men, and they had bonded with him as well. He was respected by them, and he made sure that he was worthy of that respect. He could not weep now, he had men to defend and Djinn to murder. "Mother Yuukame," he intoned like he was praying, "Change the boundary between strength and weakness, make us strong, and them weak.". He walked forward, slowly. Scorched bodies were strewn all over the floor, and he himself had a few burns, though none were fatal, thanks to his godly genes. More steps forward, his men's burnt bodies lying on the ground, their skin charred.

He was now in full sight of the enemy, and he finally saw the entirety of the Djinn horde. "Must've concluded the Wintergrad Siege..." he softly muttered, as he prepared his blade, a massive claymore as long as he was tall and impossibly heavy to mortal men. In spite of all that, he held it with one hand like it was some regular one-handed sword. "Mom, gimme a bit o' strength," he casually said as he strode onward, the sharp sand, and flaming boulders not scaring or even making him hesitate in his forward march, "Mom, gimme a border, soonish.".

His stride onward breaking into a brisk run, his blood allowing him to run ever faster and faster until he started making sand plumes with every step forward. Then he stopped, just when the sand and boulders were very near his position. "A little bit of strength, ok?" he asked, and he faced it head-on. The sand then enshrouded him, and his men assumed he was dead.

A "dead" man would jump into the enemy lines like a berserker on drugs a moment later...

---

Haiiro

"The time has come and so have I..." he intoned menacingly as he strode onwards. Stealth was no longer an option, he had to find the Sandstorm Avatar now, and kill him to put a swift end to the war. The sand scraped against his skin, and some of his wing's feathers were blown away. "In the end," he talked to himself like a waterless man in a desert, "I'll have the last laugh, all of us will.". Onward through the sandstorm, Djinn would converge on his position along with Golems pretty soon, as the sand particles were practically tripwires, and there was a lot of sand flying around.

"Great Sandman!" he called out mockingly into the storm, with intent to bring out the Sandstorm Avatar, "Come out and play with me! I'm pretty bored!". He flew up, the sand harmlessly bouncing off his protective eyewear as he ascended into the air. He then flew forward speedily, if the bastard wouldn't face him head on, then' he'll just have to find the prick himself and screw him over.

[The Ebony Republic]

The Scourge and the Bane

Opocra suddenly faded forth from existence, the planet Opocran cracking under pressure as an entire god died. The resulting backlash flowed into Sevelene, and thus began a dark time indeed. Letting out a scream of pure agony from the sudden influx, the stress finally gave. From the First Daemon and Sevelene came forth what would be the Scourge and the Bane. The Supreme Wasteland buckled, shifting rapidly to become the place Sevelene was now in. A dark, misty place with a river running down the middle. It was no longer madness, but it was...pure, unfiltered insanity. The river itself had taken on this aspect. Any being who touched it would be subject to the raw insanity of a deity driven completely mad. Immediately came forth the only prevalent things in the mind of the plane's ruler: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death, with a fifth aspect being a deep undercurrent: Strife.

Combined with the primal power of The First Daemon, so came forth the daemons. The worst aspects of both mortals and a deity made manifest. These main four were given manifestation like the Fortress of Madness' guardians, but far more twisted, as the Four Horsemen. Primordial fire raged within the center of the Wasteland, which was to be now dubbed as Abaddon, ruled forth from a shattered aspect of Sevelene as the Lord of Flame, commanding fire elementals and fire-based Outsiders. Abaddon itself would almost immediately become beset by war from its various residents, and as such, it was eternally locked due to the nature of Outsiders.

The Scourge was male, and what a strange one at that.



The Bane, a female, possessed flaming red eyes much like Lady Vhaela, bearing a strange resembelence to the former Lady of Antimas.



The male's name would be Asmodeus, and the female would be Elerra. For now, the fires of Abaddon would forge these two. A single portal into Abaddon opened on Terratus, near the ruins of Antimas. A radiating wave of pure insanity could be felt emnating from it.

(Will put pics in a dispatch because the forum is a derpy piece of programming. https://www.nationstates.net/nation=the ... id=1104973)

[Kowani]

Hei

screaming, screaming, SCREAMING

These things he heard when the Djinn lit the very air on fire and burned to death all the men that weren't able to hide from the sun's now scorching rays. Outside, the Orange River had finally clogged with sand, and boulders on flames flew at the fort at top speed, ahead of them, sharp grains of sand flew faster, with intent to wound and maim horribly. Enemy lines were further back, a conglomerate of sandmen, golems, more sandmen, and even more golems, all intending to kill them. Good gods, when will the screaming end?

He had bonded to these men, and they had bonded with him as well. He was respected by them, and he made sure that he was worthy of that respect. He could not weep now, he had men to defend and Djinn to murder. "Mother Yuukame," he intoned like he was praying, "Change the boundary between strength and weakness, make us strong, and them weak.". He walked forward, slowly. Scorched bodies were strewn all over the floor, and he himself had a few burns, though none were fatal, thanks to his godly genes. More steps forward, his men's burnt bodies lying on the ground, their skin charred.

He was now in full sight of the enemy, and he finally saw the entirety of the Djinn horde. "Must've concluded the Wintergrad Siege..." he softly muttered, as he prepared his blade, a massive claymore as long as he was tall and impossibly heavy to mortal men. In spite of all that, he held it with one hand like it was some regular one-handed sword. "Mom, gimme a bit o' strength," he casually said as he strode onward, the sharp sand, and flaming boulders not scaring or even making him hesitate in his forward march, "Mom, gimme a border, soonish.".

His stride onward breaking into a brisk run, his blood allowing him to run ever faster and faster until he started making sand plumes with every step forward. Then he stopped, just when the sand and boulders were very near his position. "A little bit of strength, ok?" he asked, and he faced it head-on. The sand then enshrouded him, and his men assumed he was dead.

A "dead" man would jump into the enemy lines like a berserker on drugs a moment later...

---

Haiiro

"The time has come and so have I..." he intoned menacingly as he strode onwards. Stealth was no longer an option, he had to find the Sandstorm Avatar now, and kill him to put a swift end to the war. The sand scraped against his skin, and some of his wing's feathers were blown away. "In the end," he talked to himself like a waterless man in a desert, "I'll have the last laugh, all of us will.". Onward through the sandstorm, Djinn would converge on his position along with Golems pretty soon, as the sand particles were practically tripwires, and there was a lot of sand flying around.

"Great Sandman!" he called out mockingly into the storm, with intent to bring out the Sandstorm Avatar, "Come out and play with me! I'm pretty bored!". He flew up, the sand harmlessly bouncing off his protective eyewear as he ascended into the air. He then flew forward speedily, if the bastard wouldn't face him head on, then' he'll just have to find the prick himself and screw him over.

Sand. That was what was left. No Djinn who had gone head to head with the monster had been able to withstand him. They had been slaughtered, falling like wheat before the scythe. Death had visited the Grand Army, and it had taken its toll today. If the day was one, this battle would go down in their history as perhaps one of the greatest, and this man... no, this superman...he would be called Hei the Bloody-Handed, so many he had killed. The boulders seemed to do nothing to him, and the razor sand was a mere annoyance, it didn't even slow him down. And but for the Rule of Erraknh, the day would almost certainly have been lost.But the Golems, the Golems. They fell before his blade, but unlike the Djinn, they would get back up. Again and again, the magic that gave them life sustaining them even now. Amd again and again they would stand, beating upon Hei with fists of stone and axes of granite.


The Sandstorm Avatar
He heard Haiiro's taunt. His soldiers alerted him to his location. Even his own sand had told him where the Winged Death was. Laughing softly, he rose. The sandstorm parted for him as he slowly floated into the desert, towards Haiiro. A simple spell allowed the winds to carry his voice out, projecting it. "You know, I was not originally created for this. No, when my father created me, I was meant to hide oasis' from all but the smartest of travelers. I was not built to be a creature of war, or even known. I do not even have a name, I am just the Sandstorm Avatar. Not a true Djinn, just the raw essence of the desert. Not quite a god, but far, far more than a mortal. And if you thought that the Djinn were deadly in the desert, you do not know what it is yet to feel the wrath of the desert. The Djinn take energy from the desert, they twist its will. I rewrite it, and I can do... this." Forming around Heiiro, a cocoon of solid sand. Harder than any rock, for the Avatar had formed levels of interlocking, individual grains of sand. "Now, let us see if I arrive before you get yourself free."


The Eternal Bastion
Qaaba would later deny it. He would claim that upon entering the metal box, he had not screamed at a pitch so high it went beyond a dog whistle. He would deny it until the day he died that he had cursed Erraknh, Kallig, and any other deity vaguely related to the development of that insidious contraption. But the Golem, Maisum, he knew. and only the fact that he could not speak prevented him from laughing openly at his superior. But what both agree on, is that when the ride was over, Qaaba spent a minute trying to recover, before gazing, stunned upon the rooftop fortifications of the Bastion itself. It is said that only one word escaped his mouth: "Marvelous."


`Erraknh
Erraknh stirred. His children were in the north, seeking to create alliances with other civilizations, and to learn their ways, to bring it back, and in the west, dying on the fields of battle, and yet he did nothing to reconcile with his brother, Lopast. He had not been exactly fair with him, not giving him much of a chance to explain himself, or even seek a resolution that did not involve bloodshed or Titan's involvement. With this in mind, he extended his senses north, to Naroda, and found...nothing. A single Golem, this one with speech, Entrei, would be created from scratch. This one would go north, and seek retribution on his part, when Lopast returned.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Hei the Bloody-Handed

He could see nothing but golems and the occasional Djinn survivor surrounding him for miles, and sand, endless, yellow, and itchy sand. The stream had been fully clogged by the sand from the rapidly decomposing dead Djinn he had slaughtered like a wolf amongst defenseless sheep, making a natural bridge in place of the man-made ones, which were being covered by sand blowing over them. The heat from earlier had died down, and his men were coming out, all of them nearly dehydrated, though they subsisted on the ever-drying underground stream that flowed from the primary stream from outside. It seemed as if that stream had fully died from all that heat from earlier, unfortunately. "Why won't these golems just DIE already!" the murderous demigod screamed at the top of his lungs as he made a golem fly into the air, breaking it apart, only for it to reform once the pieces fell on the ground...

Hold on for a second...

He then threw a nearby golem up with his claymore and followed up with another upwards hit, and there he saw a possible tide-turning realization. "Golems, once broken apart mid-air..." he thought as he continuously made the golem mid-air fly, "Can't reform!". With this new realization in mind, he turned to the golems with the intent to kill, and the first one that came at him was thrown up into the air, and its individual boulders were shattered as he dashed through them mid-air. He waited, and waited as the pieces of the golem lay on the desert sand, then he grinned ferally as it never moved anymore. "Looks like you golems..." he muttered as he made a few test swings with his massive blade, "Aren't that invincible anymore...".

---

Haiiro the Winged Death

Soft and annoying laughter resonated throughout the desert. And the bastard finally revealed himself, well his voice anyway; "You know, I was not originally created for this." the being started, "No, when my father created me, I was meant to hide oasis' from all but the smartest of travelers.". The Great Sandman would then float about, "I was not built to be a creature of war, or even known." he said to him "I do not even have a name, I am just the Sandstorm Avatar.". It seemed to have clenched its hand into a half opened fist, "Not a true Djinn, just the raw essence of the desert. Not quite a god, but far, far more than a mortal." it had intoned dangerously, "And if you thought that the Djinn were deadly in the desert, you do not know what it is yet to feel the wrath of the desert.". "The Djinn take energy from the desert, they twist its will." the Sandstorm Avatar had explained to him, "I rewrite it, and I can do... this."...

He was then covered in really hard sand, locking his wings and making him fall to the ground, forming a plume of sand when he collided with the desert's ground. "Now," the voice began talking once again, "Let us see if I arrive before you get yourself free.". Haiiro simply sighed, "Damned monologuing," he shook his head, and his whole body as well, though the sand cocoon had restricted this, "Everybody knows that's only useful in intimidation.". He then smirked, "And I'm not intimidated.".

With a quick spell, he shapeshifted into his bird form, fleeing the rapidly collapsing cocoon of hard sand through the face hole. Now freed from his sandy prison, he quickly shifted back into his regular Tengu form. "Hey! Where you at?" he screamed out, a smile on his face, "I'm free from your prison, do I win the lottery?".

[Greater Loralia]

“Very well. We shall launch soon, and meet you at the capital.” She said

The 85 foot tall Admiral Julipia, one of the largest female Jotnar alive, was clad in a heavy armor of dark gray and deep, vibrant blues, with the subtly glowing aura of her magitech armor exerting itself around her. She possessed four arms, unlike the two that most Jotnar usually possessed. When one looked directly at the fully armored Jotnar, one might see things begin to bend, so strong was the gravitic field that she exerted. Like all Jotnar, she could manipulate this field as a spiral force for various purposes, and augment her biology in density. Julipia prepared a shuttle from the Breidablik - 150 meters long and carrying several Jotnar - through the console on her chair, making way to the vessel’s launching area.

Alongside the smaller companions of each Jotnar were the Jotnar themselves.

Inside the Bastion

“Greetings, welcomer.” Vermillion said, watching as Dirga flew off of his shoulder and landed on the helmet of one of the soldiers. Vermillion smiled, approaching the lead, and putting an arm on their shoulder.

[The Ebony Republic]

The Dragon Lord

The Guardian approached the domain of Kona, The Dragon Lord, and Lord of Heaven, specifically his Skyrealm, holding a small girl's hand as she arrived, Elerra looking around if the two were allowed immediate entrance.

[Arkeyana]

There was a low rumble in the distance, a figure on the rails rapidly approaching. Letting out a few loud metal shrieks and lots of sparks, the Skyway Transport slowed to a halt, doors sliding open on their own to allow entry. "Come, the next train arrives in about an hour, and it would suck to wait on this rather remote station." Said the Shadow Hunter as they filed into the train, once more, he gestured to the Djinn and Golem to enter.

---

The Refugees from the North
Refugee parties had started arriving at the Bastion, telling tales of an empire in the North conquering towards the south. Checking it's database, the Bastion's expeditionary force found mention of the southern border of an empire, that a Trade Group had run into. Thankfully, it knew many of the tribes that might be in the unknown's warpath. Scrambling a force of armored transports, hovercraft, and even six Command Walkers, several humanitarian missions started heading north to evacuate.

---

"Could you get your dragon off of my helmet?" The Hunter asked. "Our tour will be starting at the Industrial District, come, a Skyway station that leads there is a few blocks away." And with that the Shadow Hunters turned and started walking in formation, people on the streets clearing way.

[Andsed]

“Very well. We shall launch soon, and meet you at the capital.” She said

The 85 foot tall Admiral Julipia, one of the largest female Jotnar alive, was clad in a heavy armor of dark gray and deep, vibrant blues, with the subtly glowing aura of her magitech armor exerting itself around her. She possessed four arms, unlike the two that most Jotnar usually possessed. When one looked directly at the fully armored Jotnar, one might see things begin to bend, so strong was the gravitic field that she exerted. Like all Jotnar, she could manipulate this field as a spiral force for various purposes, and augment her biology in density. Julipia prepared a shuttle from the Breidablik - 150 meters long and carrying several Jotnar - through the console on her chair, making way to the vessel’s launching area.

Alongside the smaller companions of each Jotnar were the Jotnar themselves.

Ukawian Caydorees, Ftroirm, President of Glaosil
Ukawian watched as the vessel landed prepared for the conference. Standing behind him were two honor guards and he was sitting at a long polished wooden table in a room overlooking the city. He had received word that the Lunarians were coming as well. He was nervous but was holding it together as he waited.

[Novas Arcanum]

The Dragon Lord

The Guardian approached the domain of Kona, The Dragon Lord, and Lord of Heaven, specifically his Skyrealm, holding a small girl's hand as she arrived, Elerra looking around if the two were allowed immediate entrance.

The Gates of Heaven opened and the Guardian and Elerra where allowed to enter. An angel appeared,a gorgeous woman, with shining multicolored wings "Greetings do you request an audience, with my Lord?" She asked in a divine voice of song beautiful in its accent.

[Lisbane]

Sigmar Heldenhammer, the Savior of Man

Sigmar has awakened to a world much changed from that of before his long rest. The Imperium of Man flourished, and other than a small bit of corruption, it was in an impressively good state. It was with this in mind that Sigmar decided to leave Terratus, a message he had received not long before his awakening made him rather curious, and he decided to seek out the deity who left it – he knew exactly who it was, however he didn’t deal with family matters much and being God of Order wasn’t liked much among most of his Siblings and nieces and nephews etc. He took his hammer, swung it around, and flew into the sky, travelling at the speed of light he reached his destination in a literal instant (relativistic effects ftw). In front of him lay Torune, a world of amazing sights, from trees to crystals it had everything and was paradise to all that lived there. He descended onto the planet, and nonchalantly began walking among the common folk