Theomachy [Deity RP/IC)

[Arasi Luvasa]

The green god responded to her question, only he had not answered it directly. Instead he asked her to build her own conclusions. However he did first mirror the question but onto her, perhaps an oversight on her part. He was right though, one should not intrude beyond what they would give. Still Anamara was unphased, lifting her hand up to her lips she laughed. "Perhaps I should state it more directly. Think of me as a divine gardener, pruning off the weak and dying branches so as to nurture the best plant I can." The goddess conjured an appropriate image between them, sheers and many fruit baring trees with the odd bad branch. Some were infected, others just seemed old contributed nothing towards the organism. "I do not really worry about the individual mortal, instead what I wish to do is help urge mortals on. I just want them to improve and grow, to reach new heights and skills from time immemorial unto the end of all things. This of course includes us, we have lived and can live for so long but these being be able to form worth in the mere instant the blink into time before disappearing."

The image dispersed with a flick of Anamara's wrist. way. Colours melded, then the imposed image faded into that which it should have been. "I suppose my goal is to see mortals excel on their own merit, even if it means that some people die to spur on the rest.".

While she spoke, the green one restored the peoples fields, or rather he accelerated their own process of restoring their fields. She of course would not do this, it is beyond the scope of her domain, but she was glad that the damage had finally been repaired. The people would have ordinary food, though some required different sustenance now that they had risen. Seeing this, Anamara decided to hazard a guess as to his desires "You just want to help, to sustain others?"

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

Matrix heard her laugh and was glad, a green cloud moving through the air towards another and reaching a vine over to communicate with the other. Matrix heard her speak and show in image a metaphor of what she supposedly did and was intrigued. He found they had somewhat intersecting goals, even if somewhat different in execution and other aspects.

Underneath them as the rains fell upon the land, the plant system he had first made was watered along with the crops and grew, their vines and roots extending to hear and smell more. A cloud watered the orchards and the one it had communicated with went to speak to another. This one rained black drippings for some reason but the reason for this was soon revealed. After the fruit trees of the village were rained upon that way, the fruits they bore soon began to grow back on their limbs and the chewed out ones dropped harmlessly to the ground. The villagers began to cheer as they watched the fruit grow on the trees in a timespan impossible for most growing seasons. They cheered and whooped as new fruit grew before their very eyes in the timespan of seconds. Villagers began running about gathering baskets and bowls to put the fruit in to collect.

"l'homme vert nous a sauvé maman! l'homme vert nous a sauvé à nouveau!" He could hear. He could hear many variations of this as his clouds worked. "The green man saved us!", they cried in their own language. The green man saved our harvest!, they spoke. Matrix didn't speak the language yet but could make his own guesses. Matrix listened to her finish speaking and was content. He might be able to work with her.

Matrix would have responded had he not been interrupted by a great voice calling out from elsewhere on the global stage. It spoke about the end of times and Matrix got the feeling it was speaking as if the plan was to bring it about soon. Matrix found such divine meddling pesky and unintelligent. It was so predictable and utterly devoid of any complexity to it.

Matrix turned to face her and got on a serious voice and demeanor.

"To be truthful I am not sure what my true goals motivations are in the end game" he began, only knowing what his current ones are now.

"But suffice to say I am wanting of justice in these very moments and I found it a great injustice for the chaos gods to simply wreak havoc on this village for their own vain pleasures and base lower instincts" he said, showing clear disgust with the way things were done here.

The villagers didn't know this language the shouting voice spoke but were frightened nonetheless. They didn't need to understand it to know it meant trouble and doom.

"Similarly it seems I now have a goal to stave off this supposed great destruction the shouting voice speaks of" he says, his face showing a look of determination.

"Suffice to say my goals are more about acting on CREATION than sitting about in the boredom of DESTRUCTION" he said, finding this great nothingness the voice advocated entirely unlikable.

"This pure destruction the voice speaks of to me is a base, vain, boring, brutish and barbaric act that I am hoping you and I could be allied against" he said, looking at her to let her know he was serious.

"I would think that MOST sane minded deities of our cosmos would agree that this pure destruction is entirely madness and something to ally with each other against with limited reservations" he said, knowing he can't be the only one hearing this and thinking this destruction talk is all rather outrageous.

[Triassica]

Yxarus, The Great Anarch

Yxarus watched and grinned with glowing diabolical
eyes as Juri vanished from his citadel and creation. The contract laid before him with her signature and with clawed hands slowly picked it, creating most hedious smile as he read his work. The deed was done and the Great Rebellion begins again, ready to finish what started so long ago at the beginning of time itself. Yxarus, Lord of Chaos, gave out a horrible laugh, a great laugh so terrible that Pandemonium itself shook with his internal majesty.

"I have waited eons for this opportunity." Yxarus cackled with triumphant voice that boomed throughout his world, "Now the event 1 billion years prophesied is coming at last! Imagine it! The my chains breaking and chaos finally
reigning on Earth as all the Gods finally fall... and then... The Grand Finale! Hahaha! Go Xino! Go out and ready whatever forces you have! And as for Juri... make sure she doesn't disappoint me..."

Yxarus gave out a laugh and snapped his fingers, returning Xino to the Mortal World, before creating a new tear in his domain. In another empty space of the Underworld, Pandemonium spilled back into reality, with Bedlam all the more terrible as it loomed over all. There was much to do and much to repair for including the creation of an army. Xino had his bandits, Yxarus his infernal lovecraftian abominations, and Juri her own people... Rabbit people... How amusing...

But now there others to recruit and one have been scratching at his mind for some time. In a village there was a party going on, and the God of Death waiting for him. With a red strike of lightning, The Great Anarch appeared before Abhar, dressed in his usual "humam" form.

"Abhar, buddy, I believe you have been looking for me?" He greeted with a bow, "Yxarus, the Great Anarch at your service. How can I help you? Or rather, how can you help me? You heard Juri's message, have you not?"

[Arasi Luvasa]

Anamara barely even heard her companion speak, her blood seethed as she heard Juri broadcast the doomsday message. Her 'mortal' aspect was the greater problem at the moment, both risking her kingdoms safety and revelation of her divinity. Without affecting her divine consciousness, Anamara siphoned her power away from the avatar involved with the prince as she began crushing the throne. Darkness began to swirl around the village, taking the form of terrible beings never even seen amongst mortals or immortals. Abominations feared even by gods of the underworld, or most anyway. The air in the village grew cold and silent as light drained from the world, leaving at best a dusk and more lands shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

"We should leave." The goddess said through clenched teeth, it took a great deal of effort to control her anger. "...to my Scuttling Abyss, Valari-Nyxialeth." With that said the goddess disappeared from the village, her throne crumbled away to dust leaving only a few bits of metal. In turn, she reformed upon her grand throne. This was the seat of her power, the darkest depths of the Underworld where few gods even dared to venture. Her palace, Valari-Nyxialeth, was at the apex of the Scuttling Abyss and was housed within the citadel of Nyxialeth. It is the greatest of all mushrooms, the progenitor of all the other towers across the cosmos. Here she could release her rage in safety, and so came an explosion of darkness and decay. Miasma swirled as she raged and even the oldest inhabitants of this pit, dwelling in it's darkest depth, cowered in fear of the queen of the realm. The incident at the village had only just been concluded, but now even greater idiocy was to be wrought. Juri and any allies she had would pay dearly for crossing the mother of dragons.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Austris, Goddess of the Storm
The Palace of Cyrion, the Celestial Realm
A few moments before the Proclamation of the End Times

Cyrion’s palace lacks a single, grand entrance hall or complex for entertaining guests and holding court like those of earthly kings and nobles; he, after all, receives few visitors and desires to receive even fewer. Austris and her new companion thus appear not in any such place but within the all-encompassing library that is the elder god’s greatest treasure, the air that was there beforehand pivoting across some dimensional point to the tempest whence they came.

The newly exalted goddess dismounts – and immediately feels profoundly wrong. Her feet on solid ground… She shakes her head, solidifying the air around her form to lift herself from the floor. As rapidly as it had left her, the familiarity returns.

That familiarity becomes a sense of powerful, intense nostalgia as she gazes up at the shelves upon shelves of books, a documentation of the entire universe. Years since I last saw it… How much has been added since? How many rooms?

All worth it, though. She gazes down, where her companion now rests, feline-like, lightning flickering through its form. What I have missed, I have more than gained myself.

Surety steadying her, Austris smiles. Thoughts turning to her purpose here, she raises her hand, letting rushing wind and lightning, roiling cloud and biting hail and rain gather in its palm and twisting them between her fingers.

Cyrion is already aware that I am here; I may as well show him what I am capable of now, too.

“Watchful One, may I talk with you?” she asks to the empty air. “I have been away for so long and you know what has passed better than any.”

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

Matrix heard her anger and felt it as well. In her voice he could tell she may or may not have even heard what he had just said.... But he nevertheless took it as a good sign that she meant business none the less. WHAT business she meant, he did not yet know but he was certain she understood now the benefit in having a business partner of sorts.

Matrix conjured in his being and mind, the image of Anamara so that his power would lead him to follow her. Appearing in the same realm he could feel power in the air and wondered briefly if she planned to do anything rash because of her anger. Matrix looked and watched at the surrounding landscape and noted the familiarity of the feeling he got. This was a chamber of the underworld.

The decay her anger caused in the air made him shiver. This was dangerous. Anamara was dangerous. Being humble he couldn't say he wasn't scared. Anamara was powerful and experienced in her crafts. He was aware that if she turned her power on him, it would be tough goings. He was not going to bow and scrape before her obviously but he obviously knew what tough times he'd have messing with tough beings like her. Matrix simply watched and waited nearby.

Matrix scanned the area around him, looking at everything with microscopic vision and taking it all in. Given the state she was in, Matrix thought it might be wise to just watch and wait for her to say something if she wanted to instead of interrupting whatever session of rage she might be having. Matrix stood far enough away to give her space and not seem like a pest, but close enough to be heard clearly and speak face to face like civilized people talking business.

[Nova Corina]

Cyrion sighed. He hated visitors. But he supposed a goddess that had returned merited at least some of his attention.

He opened the door to his library. "So, you would like to know what is going on," Cyrion said. "Well then, I guess I must oblige you."

"There are two gods that are stirring up trouble as of late. One is Lokarn - the old goddess that consumed all of my brethren. She's trying to take over the world, and has established a strong fortress in the north, and created an entire race to serve her will - demons.
Yxarsus is the other. As we speak, he is trying to rebel against Lokarn, and has gathered a small coalition of other gods to aid him. He is trying to start an apocalypse." Just then, Juri's announcement rang out over the heavens. "My case in point."

"Anyways," Cyrion said, addressing the storm goddess, "is there anything else you need from me?"

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Austris, Goddess of the Storm
The Palace of Cyrion, the Celestial Realm

Austris’ concern begins to mount as she listens to Cyrion speak. Things have changed… She clenches her fist. But I am more powerful now. Complete. Her face even takes on a smile again as she looks to her companion, gazing at the elder god but still unmoving. If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to exercise that completion. Let’s see what we can do.

After glancing up at the booming voice – mirrored by her companion – she nods decisively. “If I’m going to involve myself, yes. I assume that Purgem is leading our defence; could you give me his location?” Her smile grows stronger as fond memories of the god of fire, craft and conflict return. It’ll be good to see him again.

By the lightning, it has been a while…

[Nova Corina]

"Defense?" Cyrion asked. "Juri has made her announcement at most minutes ago. Your kin are not that quick to react... And as for Purgem, he's off meeting with Excalibur, a fellow 'lost' god of yours. But never fear," Cyrion said, chuckling, "Juri has made a most idiotic move, and for that she will pay. Announcing your plans for the whole cosmos to hear is almost never a good idea."

"Now, if you excuse me, I will have to leave," Cyrion said. "I have... important matters to discuss. Good luck on your counter-rebellion, or whatever you're doing." And with that, Cyrion disappeared from his palace.

The palace was made of black stone - it was a twisted inversion of Cyrion's own. It was barren of any furnishings except for the racks of souls that the elder goddess had taken - not as numerous as Cyrion's records, of course, but enough for a mortal to percieve it as infinite if they somehow managed to get here.

Lokarn was speaking to Kirsin, the god of forces - but after this announcement, she would probably have to end that little conversation. Cyrion hoped to speak with her before she acted further. The triumvirate's plan was in its infancy, but it would have great consequence on the cosmos, and Cyrion resolved that he would discuss it with Lokarn - elder god to elder god.

Cyrion knew that Lokarn could now feel his presence within her domain. Now all he had to do is wait for her to arrive, if she ever would.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Juri

With a smug smirk, she prepared to leave, but was stopped by a certain plant god pointing a finger at her and beckoning for her attention. He then went on a tangent about his goals in the Endgame, and why he had to stop the apocalypse. To all his blabberings she simply giggled childishly, and only told him one word, a word that would be heard by other gods not through an eardrum shattering announcement, but through a single psychic whisper. “Wildcard” was all she whispered, and with that, she left for the north, to merge with her double, who had done a great job at uniting the hundreds of tribes of human and rabbits scattered about, it seemed as if a conquest had already begun, as they had already brought down the walls of a few city states.

After merging with her body-double, she sifted through the memories of it, or to be technically accurate, her own. It appeared she had been leading from the rear, a commendable initiative, as she was merely a fragment of her own power, and would die like any other mortal. Now that she was united with her however, she could finally lead from the front without fear, after all, what could she be afraid of when facing mortals? A single thought and the boundary between life and death would become null. Unless they had godkilling weapons but she had failsafes for those kinds of scenarios, and contingencies when said failsafes failed, then, that would defeat the purpose of a failsafe now, wouldn’t it?

Enough of this tangent however, she had people to lead. The soldiers were covered with various armors, ranging from leather from various arctic animals hunted, to metal armor from the pillaged bodies of slain warriors. Their weapons were a motley conglomeration of bone spears, iron swords, slings, and sturdy bows, albeit highly organised unlike your everyday run-of-the-mill tribal army. As was expected, she had high standards, and so did her fragment. And these high standards combined with her strategic prowess had gotten them far, now they were at Monarchis, the Valley Fortress, past it was the rest of the world, but breaking it would be a challenge.

She was a goddess, yes, but she loved a good challenge.

---

Battle of Monarchis, Week 1

First week was building and setting up siege weapons, such as catapults, ballistae, towers, battering rams, using the thick pine trees near the city, they had to fight off a couple of enemy groups scattered about in the forest. They had also fought off a sally around the last day, losing only a few men in the process, while the enemy too, had comparatively little losses, though they lost more men than the army however.

Week 2 would begin right after that, and there she would demonstrate tactical prowess.

Battle of Monarchis, Week 2

Juri had gotten a few corpses from previous battles, and with these corpses she manipulated a few boundaries to increase bacterial growth, and she found a rather lethal strain, Yersinia pestis, or colloquially known by the regular people in the south as, bubonic plague, though they didn’t know it was a bacterium of course, that knowledge would be given in the future, after the Endgame.

The city had a northern wall stretching from the sides of the two mountains it was nestled in, blocking the path for any would be tribal invaders. There were a few mountain goats however, in the mountains, and these and their paths she would use to transport the rancid smelling corpses. Ah, yes, the smell, some rats would be needed. And so she came down to the city to hunt for rats, and flea-infested rats she got.

With all those out of the way, she infected the fleas with the plague, and brought them about on the caravans supplying the city, as well as those southbound caravans from the nations in the south. A few days later at week’s end, the magic began. Reports flew in of a plague going rampant throughout the city, and when it hit its climax, the gate was opened.

They never stepped inside, only her, and she forced a few survivors to send all their caravans of rat-infested cargo to the south, to bring about the plague. After all was said and done, the city was torched, reduced to nothing but rubble. It was a symbol of oppression to the tribesmen, and now, it had been broken, the people had free reign over what they could do in the south.

The smelly caravans were only the beginning.

---

The Goddess

Things are never as they seem, that mortal’s saying was true.

All these actions would only tarnish her reputation as a destroyer of nations and a bringer of pestilence and rot, especially with her bubonic stunt. Indeed, this generation of men and women, and the generation after, and the generation after that, would talk about her name in hushed whispers, as a bedtime story for misbehaving children. She who wrought upon them the great plague yes, and Matrix would come and save them, he always would, even for minor plagues. The overprotective fool, humanity would have to adapt to survive, just as her children, her many creations, have, and she would bring about just that, adaption, or extinction.

In the end, after many generations had passed, which would only be a day for her and her fellow deities, she would be begrudgingly called a saviour of the human race, the one who brought them into near-ruin, then into greater strength. And at the end of it all, she would be at the very top, all notions of Underworld and Celestial gods brought down, with only her as the guiding hand for all of the mortals.

The torch would then cross the great firmament in the sky, and into the black abyss, glittering with diamonds. At the head, her.

But not today.

[Arasi Luvasa]

The upper walls of her palace crumbled and fell, sickly black dust floating down into the depths of an abyss feared by even gods. Though the swirling shadows appeared more fearsome, the cloud of miasma was far more dangerous to other dieties and her soul-curse was based upon it as a far stronger template. The human form of the enraged goddess fell away and she was reduced to her most basic form, her original form. Where Anamara stood, now only a mass of darkness floated amongst the ruins of Valari-Nyxialeth's throne room. An abyss deeper than even the pit, an endless shadow from which nothing escaped; no matter, radiation or energy.

Shedding her 'mortal' flesh, Anamara also shed all other mortal aspects within that partitioning of her consciousness. Rage, love and compassion were all mortal concepts. The true abyss, the Darkness felt none of it. Darkness only held intent, to act upon that intent it re-birthed it's conceivable manifestation. Anamara once more took form, the shadows coalescing into her flesh. Reformed, the goddess drew the miasma back and shaped it into her dress and jewels. Deep in the Scuttling abyss, the monster called Jormungandr had writhed away from that which bound it in this plane. When that which the nithling feared had finally disappeared, the ancient original darkness, it relaxed it's coils and once again occupied the Abhorrent Fissure (the very deepest and darkest depths of the Underworld). Other nithlings still cowered in fear, only things older and more terrible than Jormungandr stayed still. The creatures from before the first gods formed, unspeakable abominations which still slumbered under the command of Utter Darkness, the Formless Abyss which dominated them from it's inception.

"Come, let's talk." Anamara said, speaking to the green god. With but a flick of her wrist, the walls regrew and metals undid their rusting. Mere seconds after she spoke, Anamara's throne room was once more a dark hall of terror and splendor. "All should now be safe, few would dare to invade my realm for fear of those I keep as pets in the bowels."

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

Matrix watched her work and wondered at just what kind of events shaped her into how she is now, wondering just what lessons she had been taught which molded her into what he sees here today.

"I expect one weak spot that can be exploited from one of the chaos aligned entities, is a penchant for dramatacism I suppose" he said, not sure how to go about speaking to her seeing as she had never answered as to whether she was against this pure destruction talk or not.

Matrix came nearer for a more personal discussion, hoping they would be getting down to business now seeing that time was of the essence.

"Theatrically it was bold of them, but TACTICALLY it would be a more wise decision for them to bring about the end of time and NOT announce it beforehand" he said, thinking that a secret impeding doom was harder to stop than one announced to the world at large.

"What is your take on all of this?" Matrix asked wanting to know if he was in the present company of a friend, or a foe.

[Arasi Luvasa]

"Indeed, and Juri's plans will be brought low and I will string her up upon the very precipice between my realm and cessation... within the very depths of Hell, the Abhorrent Fissure of reality." Anamara growled as she spoke, a scowl marring her beautiful features. "I had thought this foolishness was dealt with by the village, I suppose I was wrong and some chaotic deities will need to be used as examples to deter this sort of behavior."

The green god finally approached. Anamara was glad he did not flee in her outburst, not even when she was reduced to her most base and vile form. She would have conjured him a seat, but her powers were in many ways an antithesis to his and may be nauseating to his senses. She needed to keep calm, her emotions were only purged and could very well still reignite.

"I intend to stop this madness. Wanton destruction will not be of any benefit to the world, at the very least not when a deity unleashes it. I intend to preserve and grow this world, that requires a far more careful touch... and mostly it requires Cyrion's habit of letting things unfold." Anamara folded her hand in her lap. "Already I am forced to suppress one of Juri's plots, I am altering the bubonic plague among other ailments so that they do not harm or hinder the infected for the time being. Essentially I am curing them of the disease, and of course I will be removing it's infectious qualities."

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Austris, Goddess of the Storm
The Palace of Cyrion, the Celestial Realm

“No – no, wait –” Austris stretches out a hand, then clenches it in frustration as Cyrion warps away. She sighs tersely. “Well, now I don’t know.”

She looks back to her companion – and has a thought. She grimaces. Then she stills herself, reaching into the air that unites the realms, extending her mind into it, becoming one with it.

Sensation assails her all at once; it leaps out as Austris extends herself and encounters things in their trillions. The air encloses much, after all. Straining, she forces herself to block out the mundane information, searching for a glimpse of familiarity, a single spark in a mass of concealing cloud.

Hours later, covered in sweat, trembling and numb from sheer focus, Austris finds it – vague and barely descript but most certainly there. She opens her eyes, finding herself again in Cyrion’s great library, steady above the ground. Her companion stands proud beside her, seemingly on guard.

Slightly open-mouthed in pleasant surprise, the Goddess of the Storm whispers thanks. Then she climbs on.

Within the Physical Realm, a pocket of air is suddenly replaced.

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

"That might not be enough I'm afraid" he said with worry emanating from his person, knowing how these audacious beings tended to not give up very quickly.

"These gods tend to simply double down on any opposition and when confronted with their efforts being challenged they will tend to lash out with even MORE force on the victims of their tyranny" he said, consulting instances of this happening from his memories.

"These gods are like little mortal children that way" he said irritatedly, remembering the childish behavior he had witnessed in the past when a chaos god didn't get their way.

"If you cure a disease they will simply send meteorites to kill everybody" he said, remembering the never-ending arms races throughout history with gods especially being prone to this kind of mentality.

"Counter them and they will merely start huffing and puffing in anger to thereupon inflict something worse on the world and it will often be a case where one must use increasingly more powerful counters only to then be faced with greater Armageddon from the increasingly frustrated tyrants of the cosmos" he said, remembering the cosmic phallus measuring contests he had witnessed throughout history.

"This cure might be a nice treatment for the Armageddon to come but I would suspect a more direct and aggressive act would better suit our needs" he said, wondering whom they might call to bring in more power towards their goals.

"I would suggest something along the lines of joining a coalition of divinities to strike more at the root of the problem and dispatch the plague makers ENTIRELY" he said, imaging Juri being disabled much like a king on a chessboard.

"Less bothering with the individual pawns that is the plague and instead targeting the infection at the SOURCE"

[Ruskland-Preuben]

Juri

The gates of Monarchia had been opened, and the south lay open for her forces to despoil. But something had changed, she could clearly see it in the corpse she was keeping around, and practically everyone that had a cold or pneumonia. The corpse was safe to touch, and people were suddenly up and running again with great vigor as the disease that wracked their bodies suddenly just, stopped. Yes, the bacterium were there, but, they were just standing there, doing nothing. She of course, did more tests to see if she was simply seeing things, such as force feeding a fleeing enemy civilian some salmonella infested food, nothing. Or moldy bread, still nothing. A few more tests and then she concluded, "It's just Anamara going at it again.".

This event, most likely a way to stop her from weakening the nations of the south with her plague caravans- none of them had arrived even. It was, however, a welcome one, as highly pathogenic species of bacteria and other disease causing lifeforms had been neutered, salmonella and the ones causing dysentery one of them. What does this mean you may ask? Well, spoiled food was now safe to eat, that meant people could just go nuts eating carrion, and still be good. Sure, the food was demoralizing, but it will be uplifting after she sends her people to suicidal- in the case of supply that is, missions.

Whatever the case, the invasions were a go, her massive "Heathen Army" as it was called by the people she had crushed underfoot went on the move, sticking to the areas that experienced winter as to maximize the efficiency of her mammoth cavalry. Village after village was conquered, though not ransacked, yes, she only targeted those settlements that suffered under their previous rulers, and be seen as a liberator, not a conqueror. This of course, sent ripples to other settlements, and as town after town was subjugated with minimal bloodshed, these ripples would stack on each other, and if she continually went at it, the ripple would become a wave, then a great tsunami of change.

There were people that opposed this change, as was expected, the nobles, some of the priests, and a couple of misguided peasants. All would fall under this great tide, and she would make sure they wouldn't get up. As her great tide of soldiers continuously marched west, taking village after village, the coalition grew, and she expected to be confronted by a grand army of sorts. A grand army of all sorts of people, nobles, peasants, you name it. Germanic or Romance tongue, followers of the Matrix, followers of other gods.

All she saw was a field of dead corpses covered by arrows, broken weapons, and of course, vultures. Always the vultures.

[Arasi Luvasa]

"Agreed, the plague seems to only be a means to an end anyway." Anamara ran a hand through her hair, first combing it with her fingers then jerking it down as she lightly scratched her neck. "But who can we seek aide from? It will be of benefit to know exactly who we are fighting and to gain a more concrete idea of their goals."

Anamara drew herself up to her full height before briskly walking to her ally. The goddess held out her hand, in it rested a small pill that was silver in colour. The pill had no identifiable markings on it besides an ornate partition halfway down it's length. "Take this, I will be instigating a second counter-measure. A miasma that I have not yet released on a wide-scale, only having experimented on a few gods that tested my patience." As the queen of decay spoke, the viruses and bacteria that she had previously rendered inert began to function very differently. Remaining infectious and producing no ill towards man, the former agents of disease now caused their hosts to produce an invisible gas. To mortals and immortals, this gas would have no effect but gods who can into contact would writhe in pain and suffer bouts of dizziness. The miasma was made to force other gods to experience mortal suffering, specifically illness to which deities were usually immune.

[Toaslandia]

Xinos nodded his head and returned to the bandit oligarchs, commanding, "My devout worshipers, it is time for the tyrants of the cosmos to pay! Go, gather your clans and march on the city nearby, the one you people call "Knightfall". Burn it to the ground and enslave all those who refuse to worship Yxarus, Juri, or me!" The oligarchs ran to equip their warriors.

2 Days Later, Outside of Knightfall
The city was the only other city besides the bandits' in the Great Sand Sea, and it's stone walls were cracking under the oligarch's assault. The famed Phoenix Knights had charged and killed a large group of Clan Sea-Sword's warriors, but were quickly dispatched by the Oligarch Manius' Calvary. A battering ram had knocked open the great gates of the city, and the Clans rushed through, slaughtering those in their way.

1 Week Later, Inside the Keep of Knightfall
The Duke of Knightfall and his remaining knights fought the bandits to a standstill, praising the Celestial gods. The Duke, Janus Liverwurst, saw Xinos watching the battle and yelled, 'Foul god of Bandits! I will fight you, and if I succeed in wounding you, you and your heathen warriors must leave my city!" Xinos cocked his head to the side and chuckled. "Very well, mortal. I will enjoy severing your head from your shoulders." Xinos dropped to the ground and summoned his black, crystalline sword and brandished it at the Duke. Duke Janus charged and swung, expecting to slice Xinos' arm, but Xinos suddenly appeared behind him and ran his sword through the man's back, killing him instantly. "Now, burn this city to the ground."

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

"What does this object here do?" He asked, scanning the pill in his hand with his senses, trying to see the chemical makeup of it and see what it does.

"As for allies I know of only one myself as I have generally been pretty isolated in my times" he said, remembering the smith fondly and wondering just what had become of him.

"I remembering meeting a smithing god early on in my dealings about the globe. I never learned his name but I believe he is one such god we can count on to be opposed to all this destruction rubbish" he said, knowing he didn't need to know his name to direct them to find him.

"I know that if I concentrate on what I remember about him. I can find where he is and summon him for us or go to see him" he says confidently.

[Arasi Luvasa]

"The pill is something I created some time ago, specifically for a situation where I need to release my god's-bane miasma but also protect allied deities from the effects of my disease." Anamara replied, she allowed her head to droop slightly to the left. Her lids fell, not deep enough to close but enough to appear like the goddess was in a dreamy daze. "Without it you will be subject to my weapon, like all the rest. I intend to extend this courtesy to the rest of our allies in this endeavor."

The god then went on to describe the forge god, a celestial deity which Anamara could somewhat respect. He covered a domain which did very much benefit her plans, all her followers who also shaped metal spared him part of their worship. Dragons or undead, Anamara promoted respect for gods where it is there due.

"I know of him too, though I have not yet met him in person. Unfortunately I do not know his name, niether have I asked you for that matter! So, what should I call you?"

[Ah-eh-ioh-uh]

"Currently most people are calling me.... 'Matrix' " he said, tapping in to the roots system bellow him to sift through their knowledge to find out what most people are calling him.

"I seem to be referred to by a variety of other things" he said as he looked into the pill to verify what had been told to him by Anamara.

"But that one seems the most prevalent in the cosmos at the moment" he said pondered as to how this device's powers are to be manifested.

"As for the smithing god I seem to be hearing the name... 'Purgem'.... being associated with him at the moment" he said, tapping into the wealth of knowledge lying just underneath his feet at the moment.

Matrix got the idea that placing the device into his being should be the most optimal way to induce it's intended purposes. Being very wary of its possible ramifications, Matrix cautiously places a portion of his brainpower into studying it as he places it in what passes on him for a mouth. Matrix didn't so much mistrust her in this moment so much as he knew that people could change and be unpredictable. Matrix knew his fate could be much worse if he didn't take than if he did so he made sure to swallow it and cautiously always be monitoring its effects within his being. If Anamara ever decided to turn its abilities on him, he was quite confident in his abilities to turn whatever malinteded uses it could have away with ease.

She may be powerful but he was no one to mess with either.

[Kistan]

Antiphes and his volunteers set out for Granea, moving south along the river after pilfering enemy armor. It was a small group of two hundred at best, but it would be enough for what the goddess had planned. On Hishar's order, Calchas took command of the mobilized garrison in burying the dead and gathering spoils from the fallen. All that needed to be done at the moment was wait, so the Iron Lady decided to make a trip she had delayed for some time. She cast herself East, passing over the river, across a few dozen miles of low rolling plains and foothills, and straight through the midst of the mountain range which protected Cobea from the nomads of the upper basin.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Cobea held only one of her Icons, but it was the only one with real sentimental value to her. Hundreds of her symbols had once existed in the old land, but magic users and her own inattention to the corruption of her chief servants had brought about the collapse of the unified state there. However, it was the one area which predominantly worshipped her-as-Hianu, and as such, held a population she could reasonably rely upon to obey her. Furthermore, the High Priest of the Clans, main administrator of the temples, was a position whose occupants had held her most iron hand for centuries.

It was to exactly this man that Hishar travelled. He had no name, as the Cobeans, in following with their traditions, gave up their names when assuming clergy roles. Similarly, his face was tanned, bland, and usually covered by a similarly traditional iron mask which served to provide the image of being a representative rather than an interpreter.

I am here, Priest. Hishar noted with satisfaction that he snapped to attention, seeming to know what was happening immediately. His predecessors had done well passing down her instructions. Say nothing. Do you understand? It never hurt to remain cautious of prying ears. The man nodded slightly, pretending to look back through the tithe paperwork at his desk.

Cobea is broken. I want this changed, and you will begin the work. Call a meeting of the Clans in one month's time and demand the appointment of a new King. Make it clear that this will not be an elective monarchy, however - the decision is final. Only the Clan Lords are to vote, and they must choose one among themselves and their families. Send the candidate to the Temple of Hianu alone, and I will test them. If they return with my blessing, I will give them one of my Icons which you are to leave at the altar. If not, you will elect another and send them in until a suitably obedient candidate is found. Another nod from the listener.

Finally, there is a change to my policy on foreign gods. You may specifically allow the worship of Lukren, Æurielle, Purgem, and Miaulin; of course, they are not to be worshipped as my equals, at least in my favored seat of power. She considered adding Ashora, but they had never exactly agreed on their maternal aspects. Lukren, on the other hand, was only a second-hand acquaintance, but directly opposed Lokarn's spheres and so was a natural ally. Æurielle she had known at one point and actually liked, and she could not exactly leave out her only confirmed ally. Miaulin was a bit of a gamble, but Hishar wanted favors from her badly insofar as her servants' souls went. Albigor had crossed her mind briefly, but there was no chance Hishar in either of her aspects was letting more than a handful of foreign gods into the lives of her servants. Even four others would be difficult to keep control over without constant attention, but it would hopefully gain her the goodwill of more allies to run around Lokarn with.

"HEAR ME! ON THIS DAY STARTS THE GREAT GAME! LET IT BE KNOWN AT THE END OF IT, WILL BE THE END TIMES!"

On second thought, maybe she had more foes to deal with than just the apocalyptic, all-consuming demon she had to protect her worshippers from. Best to get in touch with Miaulin and the other two potential allies in haste. Expanding her horizons would need to wait.