# Blank Slate (Everyone Welcome)



## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

Welcome to a brand new universe. No planets. No stars. No nothing. In this campain, the PCs will all be playing Gods, building up a universe from scratch, and generally doing whatever they please. I will not be using any standard rules sets for this game, the Gods will be pretty much Omnipotent, capable of doing anything that falls into the domains they have chosen. 

I will be a moderator to any action that involves two gods or their creations opposing each other. There will be three major factors in how victory will be decided. First is circumstance, if things are favorable to one side, they shall get bonuses. The second is storytellling. I enjoy the idea of good, crafty, plotmaking with lots of interesting twists and turns. The more devious and well laid out your plans are, and how well they have been set up in the past, will also get you bonuses. The third rule is quite simple. The older something is, the more powerful. This goes for Gods, and their creations. For example, a planet thats older than another has stronger inhabitants. 

Character creation is simple. Post a concept, along with a story of creation and what you want your God to be in charge of. If the concept works, I'll post you character up in the Rogues gallery and let you loose on the world to do whatever it is your god does.

For constant quick access when these threads become so large you can't find anything, I'm posting links to the other galleries here on the first post.

 Rogues Gallery 

 IC Thread


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## WarlockLord (Jun 20, 2007)

Hey.  Count me in.  By creation, do you mean what the god creates, or how he is created?

Hash'mileak, Lord of Death, Treachery, and the Forbidden Lore.
Hash'mileak is the patron of necromancers, assassins, and those who seek to open the outer gates (alienists).   This is not a name to be spoken of lightly by mortals.  Hash'mileak commands the pseudonatural creatures, demons, and the undead.  He is known for making devious plans that can take centuries to come to fruition.  

Dogma: When there is man, there is treachery.  It is one's base instinct to survive.  Do not neglect your instincts.  Death is natural, but can be avoided if you follow my teachings.  Learn all that you can, that you might best thy enemies.  Do not betray your friends, but certify their allegiance first.  Enemies of Hash'mileak must die.


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## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

I mean how the god itself origionated. Right now, there is nothing. I need to know what causes the birth of the new divine entities.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Interesting concept for a game. I'm curious to see how a god of death will get itself born. 

As a suggestion Warlock Lord, until there's a material world with living mortal races capable of dying, murdering each other and formulating eldritch lore to first obscure and then later rediscover, perhaps it'd be best to start off with a more basic primordial concept such as being the Divine manifestation of Entropy and Nothingness. Later, once the mortal race(s) come into being, you could then start killing them off and raising them as undead abominations. Your doctrine and dogma can evolve as civilization grows more complex and refined.

Even a great dragon has to learn to crawl before it can fly and hunt.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

How's this for a start:


Nothing. An unbearable, insupportable emptiness longing for purpose and action. Suddenly, time takes on meaning as the first event conspires to transpire within the void. From a single infinitesimally small point, a fracture appears to mar the surface of reality. With this minute occurrence, existence becomes defined and is thus changed forever. There can be no going back to the nothingness of the past; a spark of consciousness has taken root and an unquenchable desire to experience creation itself surges uncontrollably within the fissure.

By the mere choice to exist, it refuses the void that came before it and learns to desire more. In the span of a mere thought, a blazing nova of light and fire explodes outwards, and what there is of reality shudders in response. With godspeed its warmth and light spreads outwards, continuing to expand and illuminate the boundaries of creation. As fire and light pour forth, the void around this nexus ripples chaotically. What may arise from these eddies the primal consciousness cannot yet imagine as, for the moment, it exalts in its own omnipotence. As both declaration and affirmation, the divine consciousness at the heart of this first blazing star utters the words:

*"I am."*


*Name:* Don't need one until there's something aside from itself to distinguish from itself.
*Portfolio:* Creation, light, fire, time, the sun.
*Doctrine:* Create, illuminate and experience.


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## Kaodi (Jun 20, 2007)

Though many wondrous things exist in the vast expanses of existence, never forget that the emptiness itself exists, and this emptiness has a mind, a will. In the same moment that the void ceases to be empty, this mind undergoes a transformation of its own. When there was nothing, there was nothing for it do perceive. Now that there is something else, the will of the void wakes from the slumber of perfect solitude, and begins to think and understand. However, for now, the emptiness of space remains silent, waiting, watching, to see how creation proceeds.

Name: None, For Now...
Portfolio: Space, Void, Darkness, Cold, Travel
Doctrine: All that is must have somewhere to _be_, and I am the one that allows each a place.


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

For everything that is seen, there is a thing that is not seen. From the very beginning, knowledge is exclusive...to know one thing is to not know another. This carries upward from the  basic building blocks of reality, where you can know the PLACE of a thing, or the SPEED of a thing, but never both. Knowledge and Secrets are lovers, even in the cold void of nothingness. They are born together and live entwined, even though the one is the opposite of the other as well. Out of this duality is born a shadowy half-glimpsed presence. She's the other half of the equation. Where the light of knowledge and determinism shines, she's in the shadows of uncertainty it casts. She's the road not taken, the dark side of the moon.

Long hence, when the first mortals stare with conscious minds at the endless dark of the night sky, they'll sense her there and name her the Lady of Mysteries, or the Eyes in the Night. Hers is the icy stare you feel on your back when you're doing something you'll never tell anyone else about, under cover of darkness...even though you KNOW you're alone. No secret escapes her notice, and when she speaks it is not in godly bellows, but in the tiniest of whispers.

Whisper is the god not of knowledge, but instead of what isn't and in some cases what can't be known. Paradox, mystery, riddle and secret. She is a quiet, cold presence...not given to displays of emotion. Her favor is as subtle as her vengeance and either can easily be mistaken for luck...favorable or foul. As goddess of secrets, it's little surprise that Whisper's motives are guarded, her methods deep and subtle, and her plots often full of labyrinthine twists and turns...except when that's what one would expect.


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## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

Ok, so far this is going along really well. I'm going to create the Rogues gallery tonight, and put up the first three finished applicants. (WarlockLord, I'm going to need a creation story before I can insert you.)

I'm posting up the story of the first three gods in the IC thread. Shayuri, Kaodi, and Ambrus can begin posting. I need Kaodi and Ambrus to pick names for their gods, since you guys are all starting off together. I'll swap the names out in the IC thread when you guys post them. 

BTW: I just want to let you know, I won't normally be altering creation storys as long as they worked, I just needed to plant the seeds to get this campain off the ground.

Finally, I'll let you guys do you own posting in the RG thread. As well, I would like each god to have an inventory list posted of all its creations and possesions so I can have access to whose is what later when things get more developted. This includes Avatars, Heros, and races.

I'm looking forward to more submissions.


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## Arkhandus (Jun 20, 2007)

Attempting to explain my point was a waste of time.  Post deleted.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Hm. It seems we (Kaodi, Shayuri and myself) are primordial triple gods of sorts.

I represent creation and "something", Kaodi is the opposite and represents void and "nothing" while Shayuri is the paradoxical flux that lies between us, a sort of "maybe". If we're to start a creation mythos and pantheon of sorts together, perhaps we should try staying consistent in our creation stories. Should the gods that follow us be our offspring? If so perhaps people can post their concepts and we can work out a joint genesis for them. Just an idea.

For instance, my god has the volition to create something, but lacks any idea of what to create to fill in the void. Perhaps my first wandering thought takes form and gives birth to the Dreamer; my muse of sorts who'll give me some ideas... 

Edit: Alright, I've set time in motion, gone and defined the center (the sun) and the outer edge of the universe (the stars) and filled the whole lot of it with fire and light. What else can creation possibly need?


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## Avalon® (Jun 20, 2007)

At first there was only nothing in the void between worlds. Suddenly, a form stirred within as it felt echoes of things yet to come. Fractured thoughts come to him from out of the aether. He envisions vast armies locked in deadly dances of death, creatures of metal and stone being carved with inscriptions in unknown or yet undreamed of tongues, and a creature works feverishly in a darkened enclosure to perfect a powder that can tear whole lands asunder. More thoughts come upon him. In the time to come, a hellion would find a way to part the veil between realities and make contact with the things trapped between, a warrior born of earth and fire would raise an iron hammer single-handedly against an army so vast that it shook the earth when they marched, and a being of learning would unlock powers that would earn him life everlasting. These thoughts give it strength. With but a thought, a figure tears himself from the void between worlds. He peers at the vast emptiness that he is both a part of and yet now separate from. This plane is still young and yet voices call upon him and thoughts form in his mind on how to mold them to his will. With but a wave of his hand, he begins his task. Only the strong will survive and he will be the one to ensure that these visions of the future will come to fruition.

Name: Ilem Nth Sabbatur
Portfolio: Survival of the Fittest, Battle, Foresight, Knowledge of the Future, Progress, Invention
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Symbol: A hammer that has one side with an axe-head over a partly-open book covered in undecipherable writing. 
Dogma: Only the strongest are fit to survive. The future has many things in store that can only be brought to fruition by those who are strong in both mind and body. Nothing shall delay the advance of the inevitable future.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Great in-character post Shayuri! Right along the lines I was thinking. With nothing to block Nexus' light, there could be no darkness anywhere. Kudos to you. Together, you and I have brought the world into being!


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

Arr...I thought about it though, and realized Whisper's not really a "creator" god. She's a manipulator. In that vein, I did a rewrite, and said that she didn't make the planets herself...rather, she put a bug in Nexus' ear to get HIM to make the planets...making it sound perfectly reasonable from his perspective, while keeping quiet about why SHE wants it done. 

That's really more her style.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Makes sense. The Nexus will go along with the Whisper's suggestion. The fool; it knows not what it has wrought. 

So should I just keep creating stuff or does someone else want a turn? Are others waiting for me to create all the big stuff first?


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

Now now, this is a win-win situation here. You get pretty little baubles to look at, I get places to sneak and brew my little schemes. Whisper's not -evil- after all. Wholly. Muahaha.

Seems like the next stage in creation would be life...Ilem would need that to exist, since there can't be survival of the fittest without life to survive and be fit. Perhaps this is where the Dreamer makes his entrance? Maybe he wants something more than the dreams of the three existing gods so far. Big dreams, sure...but so few! He might see in the world the potential to house more dreamers...dreamers made not from the Empyreal flesh of gods, but from the dust and water of the physical realm, of which there is nearly endless supply, and thus he could make as many dreaming minds as he wished.

Or something like that.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Well, so far we've got time, light, darkness, fire, earth and air, along with the sun, the stars and some planets. Before life, we'd first need to "just add water".  

It's a little trickier for a god of fire to create water, but I'm not adverse to giving it a shot. I'm also itching to create life; one guess what that'll be...


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## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

OK, for all new applicants. At this stage, it would be best if you worked with the pre-existing gods for your creation. Only the three Gods get to be spawned from nothingness.

I'm thinking Dreamer could probably be a child born from Whisper and Nexus. The power of the suggestion becomes a seed for a new entity to be born. Since the forms of the Gods are new and unstable, interaction with different things has the power to cause unintended or unique reactions.

Instead of being born from the void between planets, I think Ilem should be born from within the sun. Its the first material example of friction, two things trying to be in one place at the same time and creating massive energies from their conflicts. I believe thats perfect starting point for the God of Battle/Survival of the fittest.

If there are no objections to these creation suggestions for Dreamer and Ilem, go ahead and post them in the RG and get started in the IC threads. If anyone has anything else to input on them, we can wait and get things just right.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

That's pretty much along the lines of what I was thinking. So how's about it Shayuri? You wanna produce some godlings?


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

Oh, you sweet-talker. 

Course, that does raise practical issues. They'd have to meet on neutral ground as it were...

Perhaps if he sends an avatar to one of the planets to check out what's going on where he can't see.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

I like something you wrote in your post, so I think I'll change my god's name to the "Empyrean". The "Divine Nexus" can be a title of sorts.

The penumbra at the edge of each planet is a neutral ground of sorts where we both already exist. In that sense, we're already right next to each other. As I work my way down the chain of creation I'll probably try forming avatars. This is kind of fun.


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## Arkhandus (Jun 20, 2007)

Attempting to explain my point was a waste of time.  Post deleted.


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## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

Arkhandus said:
			
		

> .......it kinda really screws up my original idea, and I'm not sure how anything further is supposed to be created if all else besides the first three has to be directly created by the entity of nothing, the entity of fire, and the entity of....I dunno......, intentionally or not. -_-




First off, your going to have to go into a bit more detail than that on how being spawned from the previous gods screws up your concept. As far as I can tell, this falls into the catagory of your origional post, except that there was an actual origion point to your creation, rather than just *poof*, you're there. I have a dislike of that kind of writing, because it seems to simply be the easy way out. I'm trying to involve a concept of story building rather than the concept of it happens because you're a god. If my rendition of your birth doesn't fall into your idea of the God, I'm going to need to know why it doesn't so I can fix the problem.

Just in case you got the wrong idea though, I wasn't implying you're god was an actual child, but merely something that developted from the interaction between the two other Gods that went in its own direction.

And I will point out, the three Gods right now are capable of ceating pretty much anything. After all, we already have fire, water, earth, and wind. The only concepts we lack right now are life, and then the insertion of death. The possibilities are limitless.


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

Hmm! It actually fits pretty well, according the wiki:

"Empyrean, from the Medieval Latin empyreus, an adaptation of the Ancient Greek, "in or on the fire (pyr)", properly Empyrean Heaven, is the place in the highest heaven, which in ancient cosmologies was supposed to be occupied by the element of fire (or aether in Aristotle's natural philosophy)."

Perhaps "The Empyrean," or "The Empyreal," are names and/or titles of his? Gods rarely have just one monniker.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Yeah, I'm aware of its exact meaning since I used it for the joint name of heaven and the head of the pantheon in my last homebrew. I'd simply forgotten about it and when pressed for a name I went with "Nexus" cause it seemed to make sense. Now that you've reminded me of it, it seems like a no-brainer. Behold the might of the Empyrean!  

Your goddess to me seems to be the likely offspring of the Empyrean and the Void or a third point to our divine triad. Between the Void and the act of Creation itself, there is endless Posibility. That's what you are; the paradox between existence and non-existance. Your goddess is what guides creation. Make sense?


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## Arkhandus (Jun 20, 2007)

Attempting to explain my point was a waste of time.  Post deleted.


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm not sure I understand that, man.

There's all kinds of things left to embody. What does it matter how you came to be? Look at it this way...at this point, there's basically two big states of being. You can either exist (through the Emypreal) or not exist (as part of the Void). Even Whisper came to be as a result of those two states brushing each other, giving rise to a narrow boundary...she then is the caretaker of that boundary, but still can't have predated the original two states of being. Thus, she's "younger" than the other two, if only by fematoseconds.

Within that cosmos, there's still lots of room. And bear in mind that to arise from the actions of one or more gods right now doesn't mean that the "parents" literally have to shack up and make a conscious effort to have progeny. At this point in time there's no anthropomorphic principle...the gods are probably pure divine energy or somesuch. New gods spring into being as soon as the principle they embody is created. Thus the Empyreal might have "accidentally" created the God of Gravity and Momentum when he made gravity and used it as a tool to create the planets. You can pretty much use a similar framework to work out anything at this point...any force or concept has its origins somewhere, which in this paradigm means that it was created...most likely by the Empyreal. 

In your case, the Dreamer, it sort of makes sense. There can't be a god of thought and dreaming before there's anything that thinks or dreams. So far the cosmology says that the Empyreal was the first being to "awaken" to himself. The Void's sentience was a reaction to his awakening. Whisper finishes last, arising from the interaction between being and nonbeing. It stands to reason that the Empyreal's first 'thought' created the entity called the Dreamer. In these first moments of creation, the big guy can't swing a dead cat without spawning more gods. 

Though I admit this line of reasoning does seem to kind of limit what Mr Void can do...while Big, Bright and Sunny is doing his thing, what's the Void up to to promote emptiness and entropy?


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

I agree with Shayuri; the field is still wide open. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes by acting as a creator god, I just thought it'd be good to first go about the task of setting up the cosmos for others to then come onto the scene. The earth, the seas and the skies now exist each one begging for a god or goddess to step forth and claim them. One or more Gods of nature now have a tableau upon which to bring forth forests and wild beasts. I'm sorry if you feel this somehow impinges upon your concept.

As for mister Void, I'm dreading the sequel to Creation: The Void Strikes Back.


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## Arkhandus (Jun 20, 2007)

Attempting to explain my point was a waste of time.  Post deleted.


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## Shayuri (Jun 20, 2007)

I think I'll just go on the record and say...that's the longest I've ever seen anyone try to stretch a premise. It's so easy to fix too.

Nexus and Void are -exceptions to the rule-. Boom. All better. 

So uh yeah. No offense, but I still don't see how Dari ruined it. It seems to me that you just sorta crawled into a box of your own design, and are stubbornly refusing to come out, even though there's nothing keeping you in. I think you'll find that if you just let go of some preconceptions that you're carrying on your back, that the situation is really no different now than before.

Before, the situation was, "Choose a god, who pops in from nothing."

Now it's "Choose a god, who pops in because of two protogods."

Honestly, if Nex and Void had been NPC's, I bet you wouldn't even have said anything.


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## Darimaus (Jun 20, 2007)

Arkhandus said:
			
		

> My point seems to have been lost, and I won't bother trying to articulate what I mean by it since it's apparently going to continue to be misunderstood.  For some reason people are getting entirely the wrong idea of what I mean and what my cognitive disconnect has to do with.  Apparently I'm the only one that sees the contradictions and the problem here. -_-
> 
> I just hope others who think to join in won't have their ideas or creativity crushed as well by the problems I seem to be the only one seeing here at present.  So as not to clutter the thread I'll try and articulate something of what I mean in a spoiler block.
> 
> [sblock]It seems I'm the only one who sees that nothing can really exist in that universe because of the contradictions, and neither could my idea as presented.  It invalidates all of them except the void, yet it seems no other recognizes the contradiction inherant to this.  It has nothing to do with the matter of existence vs. nonexistence.  It is the fact that Darimaus has basically said there is no spontaneity in the universe; existence/Nexus could not have begun without it, without the potential of it, yet he says there is none, which makes no sense.  Without that which allows Nexus to spring into being and realize existence, there can be nothing else.  Nothing comes into being except through the acts of Nexus, yet Nexus itself could not have come into being if it were impossible for anything to exist without its own intervention.  Nothing could exist except the void, not even Nexus.  If Nexus cannot spontaneously form from the inkling of potential existence, then nothing else can exist.  But if Nexus can begin to exist as such, then other things must also be capable of beginning to exist without Nexus' action or interaction.  Other facets/elements of reality must be able to form from the nothingness just as Nexus did, rather than only existing by acts of Nexus itself.  Whisper forms from the paradox of existence spawning from nonexistence, but how if nothing can exist without Nexus' willing it?  How can Nexus exist if it did not actively will itself into existence, unless there is the potential of spontaneity in the nothingness?  Without potential, nothing can come into existence, and it is from that potential that Nexus came into being.  The same potentiality should give rise to other spontaneous occurances resulting from one impulse or another, one event or another, not suddenly prevented once Nexus comes into being, since obviously Whisper came into being with the same spontaneity resulting from events.  If potential, possibility, and spontaneity cannot occur without first Nexus willing them to be, then Nexus itself could not have formed from nothing and neither could Whisper or the Dreamer have formed spontaneously from the interaction of existence with nonexistence.  Or something like that.  I just can't seem to articulate exactly what I mean, but I don't know that any of it will be realized by anyone else that sees the inconsistencies.[/sblock]




There is one part of the argument you are missing though. Nothing is an entity in and of itself. It has already become its own god. And since it has, even if you spawned from nothing you are spawning from another god. However, I don't like the idea that a whole group of people simply go *pop* into a preconstructed universe, without any care of how or why they should fit into it. After the universe was given boundry by the first PCs, it shall stay that way. You're the contradiction in the matter, as you are trying to supercede a god that already exists, for no apparent reason.


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## Ambrus (Jun 20, 2007)

Maybe this is one of those existential quandaries which will forever confound and frustrate theologians and which the gods themselves will prove damnably incapable of explaining.  

So, I was contemplating creating quintessence, the fifth and final element, and using it to jump-start life. Should I hold off? Does someone else want to contribute something first? After that, I think it'd be time for the ol Empyrean to take a break.


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## WarlockLord (Jun 21, 2007)

Hash'Mileak came into being with nothingness.  First, there was nothing.  Then, the nothing grew more confused, to start creation.  From this confusion, a twisted divine mind (not the psionic character) was born.  He started as a lord of entropy, but grew considerably stronger with the birth of the first mortal.  When the mortals came, they had little but base instincts: survive, at any cost: and it was from these instincts that bolstered this unbodied mind into it's full power.


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## Kaodi (Jun 21, 2007)

I think I will go with the name _Noctuvos_ for now...


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## Arkhandus (Jun 21, 2007)

Right, whatever.  As I said, obviously I'm the only one who sees the inherant contradiction, and you just continue to misconstrue what I say.  I did _not _ crawl into a box of my own design, I just drew conclusions from what had already been posted earlier, the _logical_ conclusions from that initial data.  Well, insofar as that applies to this sorta thing, anyhoo.

So this is where I bow out, since obviously you have no idea what I'm trying to explain and you're just going to get annoyed and jump to stupid, rude conclusions about me anyway. :\     It is apparent that no one else is seeing the inconsistencies with most of the 'deities' origins that arises from the particulars of the restriction.  And it seems folks will continue to misconstrue that I'm whining over simply being given some kind of restriction; I'm only trying to point out a logic problem that invalidates most of the origins and yet is being ignored, and my point _has absolutely nothing to do_ with things just spontaneously coming into existence for no reason at all; that's sort of the exact opposite of my point, only tangentially related to my point.  But it seems to be what folks are assuming for some reason.


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## Jemal (Jun 21, 2007)

Jemal the Infinite, Master of Undeath/Rebirth, Change, and Versatility.

The first mortal to die was also the first to ascend to Godhood.  Death was a new thing in the universe, and when it came, it brought a series of changes.  Jemal was the catalyst through which the universe embodies change. 

He despises the 'Lord of the Void', Noctuvos.  Jemal is about the everchanging nature of life, and the emptiness is... well, boring and unchanging.


*OOC: Obviously, until one of the other gods creates something there can be no death.  I would assume that Jemal and Hash'mileak come into being pretty much at the same time.  

First there is life, and then Hash'mileak appears, bringing death.  That death brings Jemal.


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## Avalon® (Jun 21, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> Instead of being born from the void between planets, I think Ilem should be born from within the sun. Its the first material example of friction, two things trying to be in one place at the same time and creating massive energies from their conflicts. I believe thats perfect starting point for the God of Battle/Survival of the fittest.




He's also a god of future knowledge and invention. How about if he were born in the somewhat cataclysmic birth of the prime world? He could be something like the embodiment of the creatures that are to come afterwards. It can be a reason why he is what he is. It could be something like he first gained conscious thought when friction first happened but he only gained sentience when the 3 other elements were created and the prime world was formed.

How about that as his creation story?


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## covaithe (Jun 21, 2007)

How interesting.  Not sure I completely see the point, but I'm intrigued enough to throw out an idea and see what happens:  

When the eddies of dust and ash from the birth of the Foremost began to swirl together, flowing and mixing, colliding and combining.  At first the motion was random, mindless and meaningless, but as microscopic flecks grew into grains and pebbles, worlds and stars, clouds and leaves and rain, the motion became more intricate and beautiful.  It became, at long last, a dance.  As its beauty grew, the dance became aware of itself, aware that it was beautiful, and to it began to dance with purpose, growing more beautiful and more aware with each measure.  It was no longer just the dance, She was the Rakhdaneet, the Dancer.  

Rakhdaneet dances for her own pleasure and for the pleasure of the gods who watch her.  She seeks always to increase the beauty and complexity of the dance.  She loves mortals, who dance so dramatically and unpredictably, but she what she treasures about them may not always be what they wish:  she may find a fountain of blood from a severed limb as beautiful as a dancing child.   

Name: Rakhdaneet
a.k.a:  the Dancer, the Wind in the Trees, the Starwind.  
Portfolio: Performance (especially dance), movement, freedom, beauty, nature, basic physics.  
Alignment: Chaotic neutral

I have no idea what kind of stats to propose for a goddess, hehe.


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## WarlockLord (Jun 21, 2007)

I suppose Jemal and I would be enemies, me wishing to prolong life at any cost, Jemal wishing it to end.


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## Jemal (Jun 21, 2007)

The point is not for life to end, the point is for things to Change.  Life is death, Death is life.  One becomes the other.

I also think that Rakhdaneet and Jemal would get along nicely.


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## Darimaus (Jun 21, 2007)

Ok Jemal, WarlockLord, covaithe, and Avalon®, post in the RG and get started in the IC thread. You're all in.


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## Ambrus (Jun 21, 2007)

So should I go ahead and create life or no?


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## Shayuri (Jun 22, 2007)

You'd probably better. We have gods waiting in the wings for some mortals to play with.


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

Okey dokey. But be warned; the life the Empyrean creates isn't intended to be mortal. It hasn't yet conceived of death. That'll be somone else's job.


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

Alright, we have liftoff! I've jump-started life on one world. Now all you other guys can start screwing it up with your death, strife, conflict, undeath and other shenanigans. 

For the record, plants came first followed in quick succession by insects and then small mammals, reptiles and fish. In keeping with our rule that the older things are the strongest, these critters will prove to be nearly impossible to eradicate completely. Imbued with magic, dragons are the first _sentient_ race. They will likewise prove to be more powerful and resilient than most anything that follows them.  

The Empyrean's been at it all week, so now he's gonna take a well deserved day for R&R.


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## Gli'jar (Jun 22, 2007)

I'm game, this sounds quite interesting. If I am in, let me know to post to the RG and IG thread.

The clock ticked even before it began to tick. 

The void bellowed. The black foldings of time and space heaved and fluttered.  A black storm moved across the horizon. 

The dreamers eye opened. Saw nothing. Closed. An ear listened. Heard no one. Ached. Slow, black waves on a black beach, whispered softly in, whispered softly out. 

A tiny hand flailed breaking through the soft cocoon of sleep, beyond the reality of the dream. 

The dreamers opened.  Saw nothing.  Closed. Sleep was already ages old. Yet even when the dream grew weak, the eyes stayed firmly shut, clinging to sleep, dreaming away the unmeasurable ages.  

The clock still ticked unheard and the dreamer grew. Even the child of the void cannot derail the mechanics of time. 

The childs of the void eyes opened. Saw nothing. Yet remained open.

“The memory of the dream is weak, it must be rescued from the dark places in the mind, must be brought to the light, cherished and tethered like a straying child.” The child of the void imparted. The stars were dead as if they had never lived, the wheel of time was pitted, its very cradle served as its tomb. 

The child of the void roared like thunder and was answered by the imprisoned soul that yearned for a mother it had never had.  The air stood still to listen, the water ceased to flow, and the rock grew soft and malleable. Darkness shuttered the dreamers eyes yet the dreamers vision was clear.  This was a new vision, not the closing of a door, but the promise of a million doors to open. 

The dreamers eyes opened. Saw. Stayed open. Yet the dream flowed on. “Dream. Determine. Resolve.” The dreamer whispered to himself.


Name: The Child of the Void, The Dreamer
Portfolio: Time, Dream, Darkness, Destiny, The Future


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## Darimaus (Jun 22, 2007)

Alright Gli'jar, you're in if you want to be. The only thing I would like to to consider is the actual ycreation of your god in the universe, other than that you're good to go in IC and RG.


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## Kaodi (Jun 22, 2007)

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to fill in that particular hole. The premise of my god of space pretty much demands a partner in time, hehehe... Welcome to the dimensional club,  .


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

Kaodi said:
			
		

> I was wondering how long it would take for someone to fill in that particular hole.



The Empyrean actually started time, and I've even had it listed in my God's portfolio since the begining. As the sun rises and sets and the planets complete their orbits around it, it marks the passage. I'll happily relinquish it to this fledgling god though. I've got plenty of other stuff on my plate.  

What we really need though are some nature gods to start managing the earth and its myriad processes.


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## Kaodi (Jun 22, 2007)

Oops, my mistake I guess. I think there is some room for overlap, though.


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

Eh. I figure the Empyrean handles the mechanical aspects of the dimension of time, but Gli'jar's Dreamer is more focused on the subtle nuances of prognosticating the future.  

Hm. Maybe I should redefine my God as managing the cosmic forces and elements; time, gravity and the heavenly bodies along with the five basic elements (air, earth, fire, water and magic).

On a side note, does anyone else find it creepy that the God of Death and Entropy created mankind and then gave them fire, metalworking and magic?


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## Shayuri (Jun 22, 2007)

Technically speaking, it's appropriate. Humanity's technology is focused on releasing the energy stored in complex molecules like...oh, wood, oil, and so on...by burning them, basically. This adds to entropy, by reducing the fuel to less energetic forms and releasing the stored energy as heat and light. When you get right down to it, all technology is the byproduct of that basic reaction.

...though from a mythological standpoint, it's unusual.   Still, someone has to bring fire from the heavens. I was thinking it might be Whisper...but I post too slow.


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## WarlockLord (Jun 22, 2007)

Hey, man is a chaotic creature with a short lifespan.  And most of these technology either create entropy or bring death.


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## Shayuri (Jun 22, 2007)

Yep! I don't mind at all, actually. There's other things I can bring man. 

Also, just so there's no IC misunderstandings, here's what Whisper is really doing...though it's my hope y'all will play along IC. 

By lighting 'his fire' in Man's heart, the Empyreal will do more than just stimulate humanity with drive and curiosity...but with a soul. Thus a great, possibly the greatest, mystery will be born...which will give Whisper quite a hold on mankind. Plus it'll give humankind a means to transcend death, which will give her no end of amusement. 

The dragon's immortal, but not a god. What she's getting from IT should be obvious. The egg is what she needs to offer the Void. Hopefully the queen dragon has so many eggs she won't notice one missing. And if she does, she won't think to look under the sand in the desert. 

Why she's making the request of the Void is more circituous, and multithreaded. One reason is because dragons are powerful, way powerful, and right now she has no hold on them at all. They're physically strong, magically strong, never die, and have plenty to eat. But if they WANT things, then she can OFFER them things. Without relying on juvenile inexperience and jealousy that is (see above . It'll also make the dragons and men fight alot which accomplishes two ends. It'll keep humankind's numbers down at first, slowing their early population growth, and it'll result in humanity having a powerful enemy to match wits with, forcing them to grow and evolve and giving them a reason to use their newfound creativity and drive.

She wants both dragons and man to learn...to learn a lot. Things that are Unknown are lost to Whisper. In order to be a secret, SOMEONE has to know it first.


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> By lighting 'his fire' in Man's heart, the Empyreal will do more than just stimulate humanity with drive and curiosity...but with a soul.



Who? humans? What are humans? I don't remember making any humans... Hey! Who gave them my fire?!?  

Seriously though, the way I've described the Empyrean, he's a titanic god with epic powers more suited to shaping the cosmos than fiddling with mircoscopic naked monkey things. His curiosity nearly destroyed the earth before it could really get started. It took all his concentration to create a single egg without vaporising it. The accidental explosion and spread of plant and animal life were simply the result of too much power poured into the egg. Dragons are so massive, strong and powerful because that's as small as the Empyrean could safely manage to make them and still have them able to hold his fire. If he tried lighting the same kind of fire in humans that he placed in dragons he'd likely immolate the whole species in the attempt.  

I think I'll leave the sedecution and corruption of humans to the more wily and subtle gods. There seems to be no lack of them popping up lately. 

Still no nature gods? *sigh*


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## Shayuri (Jun 22, 2007)

I was thinking more of a metaphysical fire in this case... Spiritual.

Seems like he's the logical source of a soul. I'm open to other ideas though!

As for the rest, I suppose Whisper can lure humanity into being curious and so on herself.


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## Ambrus (Jun 22, 2007)

The concept of a soul is a bit premature in the sense that souls are only necessary for creatures that are designed to die. So far, there is no heaven or hell, no afterlife to which the souls of the dead could aspire to enter. Dying was simply not part of the Empyrean's plan when we created life.

It's unclear if WarlockLord created humanity whole-cloth or whether he simply reshaped some smaller mammals from among those that spontaneously arose from the shattered egg-shell. Either way, he seems to have given his god of death and entropy the ability to create or reshape life to suit his needs. Since his humans are sentient then they would seem to have as much soul as they are likely to need. Feeding their ambition should be child's play for the wily gods. Simply get the Dreamer to show them a possible future and they'll surely strive towards it.


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## Shayuri (Jun 22, 2007)

Hmm. I was thinking there'd have to be souls -before- there was an afterlife.

Then there'd be all these ghosts left after humans die...and the gods would have to DO something with them all. Then our god of death could also be the lord of the afterlife, the sheperd of souls. I was just thinking that it made sense for souls...imperishable as they are...to come from Empyreal in the first place.

We can brainstorm a bit though, if that doesn't appeal. Where else might immortal souls derive from? Or are they emergent? A natural property of humanoid life? But then again, who or what defines what natural properties are? 

Ooo...or perhaps a -human being- is responsible for it. Whisper could lure a human...one of those Hero guys of myth...to ride a dragon to the Empyreal, and steal a bit of his fire. In this case, again, not -literal- fire.

Maybe the dragons are wiping the humans out, and Empyreal Flame...as distinct from the pedestrian flame of branches...is put forth as the possible solution.

HMM


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> I was just thinking that it made sense for souls...imperishable as they are...to come from Empyreal in the first place.



That does make a certain sense.







			
				Shayuri said:
			
		

> Where else might immortal souls derive from? Or are they emergent? A natural property of humanoid life?



That's pretty much what I was thinking. By imbuing it with quintessence, the Empyrean has already given to life the inherent qualities which distinguish it from the base elements; including whatever a soul happens to be.

Also, maybe an afterlife isn't really necessary; perhaps souls reincarnate endlessly in this world. Catch ya next life. 

Then again, maybe the entropy gods eats them all. Who's the god of entropy again? I have trouble telling the lot of you apart; you're all darkness, shadows and death.


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## Angel Tarragon (Jun 23, 2007)

Do you have room for another? I'd love to get in on this.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 23, 2007)

Darimaus, congratulations! You have successfully sown the seeds of a new universe, where the players be Gods themselves! The factor that sets this apart from other "Godgames" is that being Gods, in this instance, is not an excuse for power, but rather, a facet for expression and creation, unbridled and in its purest form. You have not attracted players who simply want to become powerful, for the sake of power (as in powerplayers), but who wish to use that power for a greater purpose. This intrigues me to no end! I would love to join!

Now, I could make some lame joke about wishing to be the greatest of Gods, the almighty Chuck Norris, but let's skip it, shall we? One thing that I have noticed is that you have Gods that at least partially deal with the elements (Wind, Earth, Fire, etc.). And yet, the seas rage unsupervised! Perhaps a God of water, the domain forbidden to man, the shifting tides, the falling rain, the sustenance of all life as we know it, is in order? If you would have me, I would be content to fill this niche. As a rough draft (correct as you see fit), I present to you the God of Water.

Name: Pluvos
Titles: The Ever-Shifting Tide, The Rain Serpent
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Portfolio: Water, Rain, Sea, Change, Respect
Symbol: Two back-to-back cresting waves around a sea serpent's head.
Dogma: That which is needed may be provided in an instant, and it may be taken away just as quickly. Respect and do not take for granted what you need to live, lest it be the death of you.

I will provide more detailed information if I am accepted. So, how about it? Provider of water, a force that can be every bit as dangerous as it is necessary? Don't worry, I'll fit his genesis to the story.


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## Avalon® (Jun 23, 2007)

Seems like my god is quickly losing out on his job. His portfolio is being taken over by that entropy god. He was supposed to be the god of battle and innovation but it seems like the god of entropy has been doing things that are not part of his portfolio but mine.


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## Shayuri (Jun 23, 2007)

Well, there are battles now! The dragons and humans will be fighting. That'll drive innovation.

Get to postin! You're the one that'll teach the humans to fight in units instead of all separate and willynilly. You're the one that'll teach dragons to use their breath weapons. You'll show humans how to use rocks to tip their spears, then obsidian...then metal. Show dragons how to fight with their wings, their tails...things they wouldn't do when hunting.

And so on. You're the god, you decide. 

Don't go TOO fast though. No use skipping up to the nuclear age all at once. 

--

And yes...Whisper made elves. Not just ANY elves, but like...Warcraft style elves. *sigh*

Couldn't help it. Night themed race. Turn invisible. Hide in the woods. They're perfect.

Hee hee. Looks like we're making Azeroth.


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## Darimaus (Jun 23, 2007)

Avalon® said:
			
		

> Seems like my god is quickly losing out on his job. His portfolio is being taken over by that entropy god. He was supposed to be the god of battle and innovation but it seems like the god of entropy has been doing things that are not part of his portfolio but mine.




Take into account that realistically, any God can do pretty much anything not opposing another God. However, behind the scenes, his actions give you strength, since he is playing towards your portfolio. As Shayuri said, if you want to get more involved with your God's domain, you need only post and claim the power that is being granted to you.

Nazhkandrias: I've been waiting for a water god. Go ahead and post in RG and the IC. You're in.

Frukathka: You need only read the title. Everyone is welcome.


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## Avalon® (Jun 23, 2007)

No one make the dwarves and gnomes alright? They'll be my children and we'll show you the might of dwarven thunder.


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> One thing that I have noticed is that you have Gods that at least partially deal with the elements (Wind, Earth, Fire, etc.).



I guess that would be me. I originally intended to only take fire, but since people seemed disinterested in the forces of nature I kind of had to step up and take care of them so that we could get the world started.







			
				Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> And yet, the seas rage unsupervised! Perhaps a God of water, the domain forbidden to man, the shifting tides, the falling rain, the sustenance of all life as we know it, is in order?



That's awesome. And you're a serpent god too! Welcome to the elemental dragon god club; we're very exclusive. I happily cede control of all things wet to you. Stop by the sun; we'll do lunch. 


			
				Avalon® said:
			
		

> Seems like my god is quickly losing out on his job. His portfolio is being taken over by that entropy god.



There's a fair bit of that going around. I feel like we're neck deep in death, darkness, conflict, mystery and entropy gods at the moment; I can't really keep track of who's handling what yet. There are plenty of divine portfolios left untouched however...







			
				Avalon® said:
			
		

> No one make the dwarves and gnomes alright? They'll be my children and we'll show you the might of dwarven thunder.



Ooh. Does that mean you want to be our earth god? I'm desperately hunting around for an earth/nature god...


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 23, 2007)

Ah, my thanks for letting me get in on this. Now, naturally, my God is in charge of fish and ocean-going creatures (eventually leading to Sahuagin, Merfolk, Locathah and the like) and whatnot, but I find it hard to resist giving him a race crafted in his own image. If anybody has any issue with me throwing in a homebrew aquatic race (most likely serpentine in appearance), speak now.



			
				Ambrus said:
			
		

> That's awesome. And you're a serpent god too! Welcome to the elemental dragon god club; we're very exclusive. I happily cede control of all things wet to you. Stop by the sun; we'll do lunch.



Let me guess - fish au flambe? 

I'll get some info into the RG and start posting IC as soon as I can.


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## Avalon® (Jun 23, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> Ooh. Does that mean you want to be our earth god? I'm desperately hunting around for an earth/nature god...




I could take up the mantle of an earth god but not that of nature. I don't see him as much of a nature guy. Also, I take it that this prime material is similar to earth? (E.g. having a molten core).


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

Avalon® said:
			
		

> I could take up the mantle of an earth god but not that of nature. I don't see him as much of a nature guy. Also, I take it that this prime material is similar to earth? (E.g. having a molten core).



Yeah. The Empyrean kinda melted the planet's core by accident when it got curious and tried to get a closer look. Geysers, volcanoes, lava, shifting techtonic plates; not a pretty sight... I'd rather not talk about it; it was embarassing.


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

Hey Shayuri, I'm not certain about naming the dragon mother Tiamat. I myself am fighting the tempting urge to call myself Io or Bahamut. It's an easy and tempting trap to fall into, but I'd like to keep things a bit more original if possible.







			
				Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> Let me guess - fish au flambe?



Oh nothing so dramatic. The Empyrean created life; it doesn't get this whole dying thing.


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## Darimaus (Jun 23, 2007)

Just a quick reminder to everyone to post their creations/controlled races/ect in the RG so we can keep straight who runs what after more people join and things get even more complicated. Thx.


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> Just a quick reminder to everyone to post their creations/controlled races/ect in the RG so we can keep straight who runs what after more people join and things get even more complicated. Thx.



It'd probably be a good idea to put together an official list of which things were created in what order to figure out the relative strengths of each.


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## Shayuri (Jun 23, 2007)

Hoo! Yeah. I got ahead of myself.

Sorry! I'll edit the post. Anything in particular you want it named, or shall I just replace the name with a handy-dandy pronoun?


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

A pronoun is fine. I figure she's just one dragon among many by now. Besides, we're gods; I have enough trouble telling the other gods apart, let alone all the living stuff on this one planet. Why start naming any of them?


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 23, 2007)

OK, general outline is posted in the RG. I'll put more detail into it and make my first post soon, but currently, it is very late. I bid my fellow Gods, goodnight.

And, on another note, is there any chance that one of the Gods will spawn...

BANJO THE CLOWN - GOD OF PUPPETS!

Because if they did, I think we'd all be totally screwed. I SERIOUSLY doubt that any sun, void, water, or death Gods could compete with that level of awesomeness.

Sorry, I felt the need to make an OOTS reference, this thread lacked one.


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## Ambrus (Jun 23, 2007)

I am banjo the clown; I'm just so bright, it's hard to tell.


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## Avalon® (Jun 23, 2007)

We are humbled by your presence master! We are not worthy! :kneels down in worship


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## GrandArchon (Jun 23, 2007)

I am noticing a lack of knowledge and magic gods. And Illithids. And Beholders. And other things with tectacles and too many eyes. Would an alien-minded Cthulhuesque God of Knowledge be out of place?


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## Avalon® (Jun 23, 2007)

GrandArchon said:
			
		

> I am noticing a lack of knowledge and magic gods. And Illithids. And Beholders. And other things with tectacles and too many eyes. Would an alien-minded Cthulhuesque God of Knowledge be out of place?




I think several gods of knowledge are already present. My god (Ilem Nth Sabbatur) deals with knowledge of the future so he can have a portion of the domain. But we are looking for a creator god for the unmentionable beings.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 23, 2007)

Behold - our two greatest gods...

Name: Banjo the Clown
Titles: God of Puppets
Alignment: Does it really matter?
Portfolio: Puppets, Banjoes, Awesomness, Sexiness, Sacrifice, Greed, Zapping People Named Roy
Symbol: A clown puppet with a banjo.
Dogma: *Plays banjo*. I think that says enough.

Name: Chuck Norris
Titles: Walker, Texas Ranger
Alignment: That's for him to know, and you to die finding out.
Portfolio: Beard, Cowboy, Roundhouse Kick, Ass-Kicking, Power, Destruction, Manliness, Karate
Symbol: A foot with a beard and a cowboy hat, inscribed with the Omega symbol.
Dogma: *FOOT GOES THROUGH NINJA'S HEAD*

Any chance of introducing them into the pantheon, or would we all be royally screwed?


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 23, 2007)

On another note, my first post is up. I tried to fit it in with the rest of the genesis, and I think that I did fairly well. What I have not mentioned, Pluvos simply hasn't noticed yet. He HAS been fairly busy. And I assume that only this one world has water, and I will spread it to the others later?


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## Gli'jar (Jun 24, 2007)

Sorry I am away on travel. Right after posting I got a message my mother is moving from CA to the east coast so I am away making a last visit before she moves.  I should be able to post a meaningful response to postings and play a role in a few days.


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## Jemal (Jun 24, 2007)

wow, my net goes down for 2 days and the universe expands without me. 
The God of Change doesn't seem to be really needed yet, the Universe is changing rapidly enough on it's own, but I will be watching and introducing myself soon enough.


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## GlassEye (Jun 24, 2007)

The Birth of Byrrl

...the divine egg, washed up on the sands at the verge of Pluvos' domain, breaks open.  The fluid, imbued with the Empyean's own quintessence, spills out upon the earth causing the sands to roil with a profusion of new life, plant and animal, that spreads across its surface.  As the new dragon flies off to pay homage to the Empyrean and build a nest for its clutch of eggs a single drop of yolk, nearly pure quintessence and all that remains uneaten by the dragon, spills into this profusion of life and is drunk down by a single tree.

The tree becomes a new thing born of matter and quintessence which grows to massive size sending branches reaching into the skies to feed upon the divine radiations that bathe the earth, and sending roots deep into the earth to touch and drink Pluvos' essence.  As it grows, intelligence blooms and a god is born: Byrrl, god of living things.

*Names/Titles:* Byrrl, the Oak-Lord
*Alignment:* Neutral?
*Portfolio:* Plants and animals of the earth
*Symbol:* An oak tree
*Dogma:* Live!


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## Darimaus (Jun 24, 2007)

GlassEye said:
			
		

> The Birth of Byrrl
> 
> ...the divine egg, washed up on the sands at the verge of Pluvos' domain, breaks open.  The fluid, imbued with the Empyean's own quintessence, spills out upon the earth causing the sands to roil with a profusion of new life, plant and animal, that spreads across its surface.  As the new dragon flies off to pay homage to the Empyrean and build a nest for its clutch of eggs a single drop of yolk, nearly pure quintessence and all that remains uneaten by the dragon, spills into this profusion of life and is drunk down by a single tree.
> 
> ...




sounds good. You're in. Feel to free to post in RG and IC.


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## GrandArchon (Jun 25, 2007)

The Coming of Irnarr'ktha (the Observer)

... and as the universe grew and the stars were cast against its edge, some of them did quiver, for in His haste Empyrean did not make them all of equal strength. Soon, one of them began to buckle beneath its own weight, unable to draw up the energy to throw out its enormous mass. It shook, blazed- then began to collapse. It collapsed, but rather than stop when it was at its densest, it continued to fall in upon itself, and the very fabric of the void was sundered.

And from the unfathomable void came a Thing which no mind can comprehend, for It was great and terrible to behold. With reasoning alien and unknowable, It pulled the fabric of the universe around Itself, and pinched off all but a tiny whole, as to make Itself invisible unto god and mortal alike.

And with one of Its terrible, alien eyes, It Watched.

*Names/Titles:* Irnarr'ktha (translated roughly: The Observer), The Observer, the Watcher, The Other Power, Lord of Cancer, etcetera...
*Alignment:* Lawful Nuetrual?
*Porfolio:* Learning, Observation, Forbidden Knowledge, Secrets, Madness(?).
*Symbol:* A black and firey red eye, encircled by alien glyphs.
*Dogma:* Watch. Wait. Experiment.


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## GlassEye (Jun 25, 2007)

Ok, this is what we've got so far...

*Empyrean* - Creation, time, life, light, fire, the sun, dragonkind
*Noctuvos* - Space, void, darkness, cold, travel
*Whisper* - Paradox, secrets
*Hash'Mileak* - Entropy, treachery, death, war
*Ilem Nth Sabbatur* - Survival of the fittest, battle, foresight, knowledge of the future, progress, invention, earth
*Pluvos* - Water, rain, sea, change, respect
*Byrrl* - Life, particularly that of plants and animals; (soon to add druids & fey)
*Jemal* - Undeath/rebirth, change, versatility
*Irnarr'ktha* - Learning, Observation, Forbidden Knowledge, Secrets, Madness(?)

Approved but not made an appearance yet:
*Rakhdaneet* - Performance (especially dance), movement, freedom, beauty, nature, basic physics
*The Dreamer* - Time, dream, darkness, destiny, the future

A little overlap but overall not too bad.  Could set up some potential areas of conflict.  And hopefully this list will help newcomers select a portfolio that isn't overly covered by others.


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## Avalon® (Jun 25, 2007)

Most of the conflict would come from Hash'Mileak and Ilem Nth Sabbatur. Oh, and please add earth to Ilem's portfolio. I'll be the resident god of all that is rocky and earthy.


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## GlassEye (Jun 26, 2007)

Avalon said:
			
		

> Oh, and please add earth to Ilem's portfolio.



Done.  This should change the interaction between Byrrl and Ilem but Byrrl is rather short-sighted at the moment so his behavior can be explained by that.

And as Byrrl explores his powers he'll be stretching his own personal envelope (reflected in the changes I've made to his own portfolio) which will likely result in him stepping on some of the other gods' toes.  He's already fed from the essence of Empyrean and Pluvos, though he wasn't fully conscious at that point, and laid claim to the domain of living creatures.  I expect his power/portfolio will fluctuate as he comes to accords with other deities.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 26, 2007)

GlassEye said:
			
		

> And as Byrrl explores his powers he'll be stretching his own personal envelope (reflected in the changes I've made to his own portfolio) which will likely result in him stepping on some of the other gods' toes. He's already fed from the essence of Empyrean and Pluvos, though he wasn't fully conscious at that point, and laid claim to the domain of living creatures. I expect his power/portfolio will fluctuate as he comes to accords with other deities.




Don't worry about Pluvos, I doubt that you'll be stepping on his toes (or tail, considering his serpentine nature). He's a proud god, but the domains of Water, Rain, and Sea are the only things that are fully under him. Respect and Change are more things that he embodies and supports, rather than physical things he manipulates. I doubt that a tree god is going to be creating rain so much as absorbing.

Pluvos and Byrrl should actually get along fairly well - like the Empyrean (and Byrrl), Pluvos is a god of life - his waters nourish the world, and he enjoys seeing all manner of things thrive upon his shores. Still, as I said before, he is proud, and he isn't above the occasional flood or drought, to put humanity (or whoever ceases to revere and honor him) in its place.



			
				Ambrus said:
			
		

> I did then gaze down upon your seas and see my own reflection shining up at me and thus did you come to be; my reflection, my opposite element.



Oh, and Ambrus, great response. I hadn't expected that part, but it makes perfect sense. Good way to fit everything together, kudos to you!

And, concerning posting, I doubt that I'll be able to do anything tomorrow. I'm coming back from Mexico, and I'll be either on a plane or jet-lagged all day. Posting will resume as normal after that.

UPDATE: My newest post is up. It's main point is to show the veangeful side of Pluvos, the rage within the seas and storms. Plus, a biblical reference like that creature is hard to resist.


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## GrandArchon (Jun 26, 2007)

Do I need a response from the DM, or can I step right in?


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 26, 2007)

I would definitely wait for DM approval.

But, as for my opinion on the god, wouldn't Lawful Evil be more appropriate for a god of Madness, Illithids, and Beholders? And if you do get in, be sure to use plenty of tough-to-understand alien reasoning and logic. I enjoy that sort of thing!


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## Gli'jar (Jun 26, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> The Empyrean actually started time, and I've even had it listed in my God's portfolio since the begining. As the sun rises and sets and the planets complete their orbits around it, it marks the passage. I'll happily relinquish it to this fledgling god though. I've got plenty of other stuff on my plate.
> 
> What we really need though are some nature gods to start managing the earth and its myriad processes.




I take it up if you are willing to relinquish it.


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## Gli'jar (Jun 26, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> Eh. I figure the Empyrean handles the mechanical aspects of the dimension of time, but Gli'jar's Dreamer is more focused on the subtle nuances of prognosticating the future.
> 
> Hm. Maybe I should redefine my God as managing the cosmic forces and elements; time, gravity and the heavenly bodies along with the five basic elements (air, earth, fire, water and magic).
> 
> On a side note, does anyone else find it creepy that the God of Death and Entropy created mankind and then gave them fire, metalworking and magic?




Yeah, I'll be defining and redefining the dreamer as we progress.


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## Darimaus (Jun 26, 2007)

Ok GrandArchon, feel free to commence posting in RG and IC threads.


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## Gli'jar (Jun 26, 2007)

The dreamer is in the RG now. Without directly spelling out his creation in the story it was a shard of the sundering of the void, containing the possibilities, realities, futures that could exist. The dream of all that is and could be given breath.


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## Ambrus (Jun 26, 2007)

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> Oh, and Ambrus, great response. I hadn't expected that part, but it makes perfect sense. Good way to fit everything together, kudos to you!



I'm glad you liked it.







			
				Gli'jar said:
			
		

> I take it up if you are willing to relinquish it.



Are you content with *time* in general for the Empyrean and the *future* for yourself?


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## Avalon® (Jun 26, 2007)

Part of the future is mine you know....
But mostly it concerns innovations and war.


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## GrandArchon (Jun 26, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> Ok GrandArchon, feel free to commence posting in RG and IC threads.




Most Excellent!


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## Ambrus (Jun 26, 2007)

Darimaus, I'm wondering whether you intend to make any in-game posts yourself. Are we supposed to role-play the actions of those creatures we create? Will anything ever occur or develop which the PC gods do not themselves initiate? Is there a limit to the number of gods you intend to allow? Do you intend to ever limit what various gods can accomplish? How are conflicting claims over portfolios to be resolved? It seems to me that this could all quickly devolve into a free-for-all. :\ 

And just so I'm clear, which PCs claim a kinship with the Empyrean and what does that mean to you?


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## covaithe (Jun 26, 2007)

This one doesn't seem to be doing it for me, so I'm going to bow out and leave the stage for those with more enthusiasm.  Feel free to use the Dancer if you like, or to let her fade into oblivion.


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## Darimaus (Jun 26, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> Darimaus, I'm wondering whether you intend to make any in-game posts yourself. Are we supposed to role-play the actions of those creatures we create? Will anything ever occur or develop which the PC gods do not themselves initiate? Is there a limit to the number of gods you intend to allow? Do you intend to ever limit what various gods can accomplish? How are conflicting claims over portfolios to be resolved? It seems to me that this could all quickly devolve into a free-for-all. :\
> 
> And just so I'm clear, which PCs claim a kinship with the Empyrean and what does that mean to you?




My place in this game is simple. I'm here to make sure that the game goes smoothly, including dictating the result of conflicts that get out of hand. You will be roleplaying the creatures you create. The game is labeled everyone welcome, so  I don't really intend to limit the pantheon. Gods can share portfolios, that doesn't really matter to me as long as a Gods primary purpose does not overlap woth anothers. That allows for some fun competition without having duplicate Gods. As for my posting in game, I am willing to stir the pot if the game stalls out, but I am more interested in seeing where the PCs take the game first.

As for PCs claiming a kinship, I don't really know what it means. I'd say the decision for that is really up to you, since they are basing it off of your god.


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## Jemal (Jun 26, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> My place in this game is simple. I'm here to make sure that the game goes smoothly, including dictating the result of conflicts that get out of hand. You will be roleplaying the creatures you create. The game is labeled everyone welcome, so  I don't really intend to limit the pantheon. Gods can share portfolios, that doesn't really matter to me as long as a Gods primary purpose does not overlap woth anothers. That allows for some fun competition without having duplicate Gods. As for my posting in game, I am willing to stir the pot if the game stalls out, but I am more interested in seeing where the PCs take the game first.
> 
> As for PCs claiming a kinship, I don't really know what it means. I'd say the decision for that is really up to you, since they are basing it off of your god.





If any stirring needs to be done, The god of change's symbol is a large wooden spoon.


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## Ambrus (Jun 26, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> You will be roleplaying the creatures you create. The game is labeled everyone welcome, soI don't really intend to limit the pantheon.



I find that rather less appealing. I was waiting to see what would become of the race of dragons I'd created; whether they'd remain united, whether they'd faithfully worship my character, whether they'd evolve into different sub-species, spread over the world or be killed off somehow.

Since its been shown that any god can take the creatures of other gods and transform them to suit their whims as well as dabble in others' spheres of influence, it appears that there are no limits involved in the campaign. Already some gods have threatened each other with violence, but since there's no way to measure relative power and control over various spheres of influence, it only amounts to meaningless posturing.

Frankly, I'm not really seeing the point of abstractedly creating and role-playing both gods and entire races. With no outside progression of the campaign setting, there being no limits involved and the concept of risk being largely meaningless, the players are all left to either role-play getting along or pointlessly entering into conflict with one another. I fear it'll eventually devolve into a battle of egos; something in which I'm afraid I have no interest.

As to the matter of divine kinship, I meant to direct the question at the other players since it's their expectations that matter most.


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## GlassEye (Jun 26, 2007)

Byrrl recognizes that his creation was sparked (intentionally or not) by Empyrean and Pluvos -- fathers?
He sees in Ilem a similar nature to his own (though not before Ilem revealed his power) -- brother?
Originally he saw Hash'Mileak as alien and unrelated but that was before this truly alien thing appeared in the sky.  He'll need to realign his thinking but that happened yet and I really don't know how that'll turn out anyway. -- really distant cousin?
This madness thing is just wrong in Byrrl's eyes and not related at all. -- ???
He hasn't noticed Jemal, or become aware of several of the other deities, yet.

And on another note, I think a timeline would be useful in keeping things straight...


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## Gli'jar (Jun 27, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> Are you content with *time* in general for the Empyrean and the *future* for yourself?






			
				Avalon® said:
			
		

> Part of the future is mine you know....
> But mostly it concerns innovations and war.




I am thinking destiny and dream as it relates to the future and the potential possibilities thereof.  It may be better to to call it 'infinity' to avoid the confusion.  That can serve as a rough dividing line between our portfolios. 

Change for the portfolio includes dropping darkness, and time and adding infinity and astronomy


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## Darimaus (Jun 27, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> I find that rather less appealing. I was waiting to see what would become of the race of dragons I'd created; whether they'd remain united, whether they'd faithfully worship my character, whether they'd evolve into different sub-species, spread over the world or be killed off somehow.
> 
> Since its been shown that any god can take the creatures of other gods and transform them to suit their whims as well as dabble in others' spheres of influence, it appears that there are no limits involved in the campaign. Already some gods have threatened each other with violence, but since there's no way to measure relative power and control over various spheres of influence, it only amounts to meaningless posturing.
> 
> ...





I can understand where you are going with this, however, the way you want it is far too difficult a thing to run. When this gets underway, every god will have followers, created races, underlings and the like. This means for every player, I will have to do a detailed post of everything they do and how it affects their followers. Instead, I'm letting people control their own creations... for now. What you seem to have misunderstood is I reserve the right to intervene and insert story. I can have followers break off from their gods. I can decide when a God's plans fail. This is why I am here. To keep things in check. However, right now we are in the creation aspect. Which means I am far more leanient in letting PCs establish what they want in the world rather than starting everyone off in conflict and limitations. If someone makes a race of dragons, I'm interested in seeing where they are going with it. I'm less interested in people who make dragons for the sake of making dragons. I hope this makes things clearer. If not, all we can do is wait for a situation you and I are thinking of to come up, and then see what happens.


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## Gli'jar (Jun 27, 2007)

Well I am giving it a go as to try to temper the damage the watcher has wrought upon the races of the world. I hope it works for an introduction.


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## Ambrus (Jun 27, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> When this gets underway, every god will have followers, created races, underlings and the like. This means for every player, I will have to do a detailed post of everything they do and how it affects their followers.



That's not exactly what I was suggesting; perhaps simply a periodic update of how things are developing in the mortal world; which races are prospering, who's receiving worship and what mortals are praying to receive in general, what kinds of societies they're developing... that kind of thing.







			
				Darimaus said:
			
		

> If someone makes a race of dragons, I'm interested in seeing where they are going with it. I'm less interested in people who make dragons for the sake of making dragons.



I originally created dragons, along with all life, simply because everyone seemed anxious for life to arrive but weren't in any hurry to create it. The Empyrean's reason for creating dragons was because he was incapable of journeying to the earth himself; he wanted avatars that would explore the world and then let him know what they'd discovered through prayer.







			
				Gli'jar said:
			
		

> Change for the portfolio includes dropping darkness, and time and adding infinity and astronomy



With what you're describing, I think the word "destiny" or "fate" might be more appropriate than infinity. Likewise, if your interest in stellar phenomena stems from an interest in prognostication, I believe "astrology" is more appropriate than astronomy.







			
				Gli'jar said:
			
		

> Well I am giving it a go as to try to temper the damage the watcher has wrought upon the races of the world. I hope it works for an introduction.



I have to admit, after reading your in-game post, I'm uncertain what it is you're trying to accomplish exactly. Sorry, maybe I'm just dense.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 27, 2007)

OK, I think that we need to clean this game up a bit. As Ambrus said, it's starting on the long road downhill to being a free-for-all, and I really don't want that. It doesn't need to be clockwork, but I don't think that The Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo is where we want this game to go.

First off, we need to clean up portfolios a bit. Avalon® and WarlockLord, I think you two need to discuss portfolios a bit and set up a few boundaries, since this is looking like its going towards open war between gods, on an in-game and metagame level. This is NOT good. I think a little domain-overlapping is unavoidable, but clearer definitions would help. There is a difference between physical domains (what you are actually IN CONTROL of, such as Pluvos with Water, Rain, and Sea) and reflective domains (what your god supports or embodies, such as Pluvos with Change and Respect). After such definitions are set, I believe that all PHYSICAL domains should be kept mostly separate, but reflective domains can overlap pretty freely. Above all else, I don't think anybody, not even the original gods, should try to influence EVERYTHING that comes their way. Even the Empyrean and Noctuvos have their "limits" - Noctuvos ain't gonna make stars, and the Empyrean ain't gonna break stars.



			
				Ambrus said:
			
		

> That's not exactly what I was suggesting; perhaps simply a periodic update of how things are developing in the mortal world; which races are prospering, who's receiving worship and what mortals are praying to receive in general, what kinds of societies they're developing... that kind of thing.



I am inclined to agree with Ambrus here - yes, it is difficult for a DM to keep up with that sort of thing, but now, it has just been thrust upon the players. We can control our portfolios fairly well, but the people and creatures of the world reflect such an immense intermeshing of traits, it falls under the complete domain of NO god, and as such, I think that the DM needs to resolve it, to avoid further conflict. If I say that everybody suddenly grows gills and live in my sea, what's another player supposed to say? "No, they don't?" I think that I would like to know when people stop praying to and revering me - as you can see, that gets a pretty big and important reaction from me, and I need to know when to sick Leviathan or throw a drought onto the infidels.

As for this being the "creation" phase, perhaps we should put a slow to all of this spontaneous creating. We have the basic elements and the basic races, and more can emerge as we go along, but perhaps we should put a focus on character personas and maintaining the world rather than creating it.

So, as a closing disclaimer, I would like to state that I am sorry if I stepped on anybody's toes, made anybody mad, or am currently on anyone's "kill list". I'm not trying to run the game, but I am trying to help it run more smoothly. This can be a great game, but currently, it's looking like it's crossing over to the anarchic side of the street.


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## Ambrus (Jun 27, 2007)

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> So, as a closing disclaimer, I would like to state that I am sorry if I stepped on anybody's toes, made anybody mad, or am currently on anyone's "kill list". I'm not trying to run the game, but I am trying to help it run more smoothly. This can be a great game, but currently, it's looking like it's crossing over to the anarchic side of the street.



I largely agree with your assessment of the situation and certainly don't take offense myself. The road to anarchy is a slippery one to navigate without any kind of rules structure to fall back on and with the possibility of new players with different ideas and expectations for the campaign to jump in at any time and wreak havoc.

To wit, our latest divinity has spontaneously appeared, made itself "invisible unto god and mortal alike", "interposed Itself between the World and Empyrean" within a "great Adament Sphere, which no god could break"; effectively plunging the world into perpetual darkness and threatening the continued survival of every other god's chosen race; plants, humans, dragons, elves, dwarves and gnomes alike.

It's a bold first act, and certainly an attention grabber, but it does little besides force the other gods to react to put an end to the threat. It could be an interesting plot-device which causes the other gods to finally band together into a unified pantheon, but keep in mind that even if the threat was put to an end there'd be nothing to stop another player from showing up and similarly wreaking havoc in the campaign setting tomorrow. The prospect of having to react to an endless series of ûber-threats created by emerging deities doesn't enthrall me.

I'm likewise sorry if I've offended anyone; like Nazhkandrias I'm trying to help make the campaign a sustainable game rather than a brief flash in the pan. Anarchy isn't usually sustainable in my experience.


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## Jemal (Jun 27, 2007)

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> OK, I think that we need to clean this game up a bit. As Ambrus said, it's starting on the long road downhill to being a free-for-all, and I really don't want that. It doesn't need to be clockwork, but I don't think that The Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo is where we want this game to go.




"Speak for yourself" says the god of Change & Chaos.

Seriously though, I think you two are missing something.  Darimaus allready stated older = more powerful.  Also, the way I see it, these posts are from the various gods point of view (or at least the retelling of their followers, which is biased).  HE thinks he's unseeable.  HE thinks his sphere is unbreakable.  But you are the first god, the Empyrean, basically the Over-God.  You are not bound by lesser gods decrees any more than Jemal would die because A mortal shot an arrow at him and said "Nobody can survive this arrow".

Secondly, if you're not willing to go that route, then if you can't go through something, go around it.  I've allready dealt with the moon thing, and even turned it into a great story thing.. How the moon came to circle the earth, and how people learned to adapt and live without the sun... For a time.

I DO, however, agree with Ambrus that we should limit the number of Dieties.. Or at the VERY least, ensure that those who DO join realize that they are WEAKER gods, unable to challenge the established dieties (At least until they find a way IN CHARACTER of raising their power, which would have to be supported by either another powerful diety or the DM himself.)

Now, as to the limiting of domains.. I disagree.  Look at D&D, for example.. How many Gods of Magic are there?  How many Gods of war or battle?  
Look at our own history, different panteheons from different Areas...
Roman/greek/norse/etc, etc.


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## Darimaus (Jun 27, 2007)

See, what I am hoping for is PCs will get together and create their own plotlines, not just new people entering in to throw a wrench in the works. I want you all to act like Gods, plotting and planning to further some end that nobody else can even begin to fathom.

I will bring this up right now. That sphere can easily be broken by any one of the older Gods. I employed the "Older is Stronger" rules specifically for this purpose. Without story development backup, his plan fails. thats just the way it works. Older gods don't need to gang up on newer ones, its the other way around.


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## Jemal (Jun 27, 2007)

Darimaus said:
			
		

> I will bring this up right now. That sphere can easily be broken by any one of the older Gods. I employed the "Older is Stronger" rules specifically for this purpose. Without story development backup, his plan fails. thats just the way it works. Older gods don't need to gang up on newer ones, its the other way around.




*resists doing the 'I told you so' dance, b/c it would seem immature and rude.*

I just know how Darimaus thinks a little too well, I guess..


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## Ambrus (Jun 27, 2007)

Jemal said:
			
		

> I've already dealt with the moon thing, and even turned it into a great story thing.. How the moon came to circle the earth, and how people learned to adapt and live without the sun... For a time.



I do have to admit that it's an elegant solution you've proposed. I would have hesitated to do the same in your place however; I'd be afraid that directly changing something introduced by another player might have been perceived as being a bit forward. I also didn't see your god as being the type to affect the orbit of celestial objects.







			
				Jemal said:
			
		

> Now, as to the limiting of domains.. I disagree.Look at D&D, for example.. How many Gods of Magic are there?How many Gods of war or battle?Look at our own history, different pantheons from different Areas...
> Roman/greek/norse/etc, etc.



Certainly there are multiple such gods in different pantheons, but in this campaign we're dealing with only a handful of gods in a single loosely aligned pantheon. Besides, if a limit were placed on the number of gods as you suggested then it'd be even sillier to have multiple gods representing the same concepts. There are plenty of spheres of influence left after all that don't yet have any chief deity. I just don't see the need to poach the spheres of other gods.

Also, if we're to plot like Gods as Darimaus suggests, then it'd probably be a good idea for each of us to limit what it is our characters can affect to our own spheres of influence; that way we'd have reason to seek the aid of each other to accomplish our goals.







			
				Jemal said:
			
		

> *resists doing the 'I told you so' dance, b/c it would seem immature and rude.*



I believe you've failed in your stated goal.


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## Jemal (Jun 27, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> Also, if we're to plot like Gods as Darimaus suggests, then it'd probably be a good idea for each of us to limit what it is our characters can affect to our own spheres of influence; that way we'd have reason to seek the aid of each other to accomplish our goals.



My sphere of influence includes Undeath/Rebirth, and more primarily... Change and Versatility.. How would that fit in?  Everything is related to change, in some way or another, so what about those of us whos portfolios seem to give us reign over all?  I've been thinking of it as I can bring forth minor changes in the universe, such as starting a rock orbiting around a sun(Remember, the moon wasn't the god itself, just the hole he made to hide himself in), or sensing when a meeting that has the potential to cause massive upheaval will arrive.  I don't think my power would extend to other gods, but It should be able to affect most things mortal.  If change is required to happen.

Ya see, A lot of things are too abstract to be so defined.



> I believe you've failed in your stated goal.




Eh what can I say? I'm a dick.


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## Kaodi (Jun 27, 2007)

I had thought/hoped that the whole creation process would of been longer and more drawn out. I thought that you were in too much of a rush, Ambrus, in creating everything. So, no one has really done a perfect job. I have been acting mostly according to my plan for my actions, though perhaps the role has been sped up a bit. Agreed to " power-sharing " was always part of my particular concept, and perhaps we will need to have a " grand council " on that soon. In any case, part of my plan addresses the " multiverse " , and I think the time to introduce that will be very soon.


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## Ambrus (Jun 27, 2007)

Kaodi said:
			
		

> I had thought/hoped that the whole creation process would of been longer and more drawn out. I thought that you were in too much of a rush, Ambrus, in creating everything.



I had also hoped to stretch it, but instead of elemental gods slowly creating the universe as I'd originally hoped, players began creating gods for things and concepts that simply didn't _and couldn't_ yet exist. I saw no recourse but to go ahead and create the infrastructure to make it all possible. I don't know how else I could have gone about it.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jun 27, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> I had also hoped to stretch it, but instead of elemental gods slowly creating the universe as I'd originally hoped, players began creating gods for things and concepts that simply didn't and couldn't yet exist. I saw no recourse but to go ahead and create the infrastructure to make it all possible. I don't know how else I could have gone about it.



Well, the point is, it's too late to do anything about that now. I do think we need a "Grand Council" to see where things are going, though. In regular D&D games, players always discuss tactics for important battles ahead of time - why not us?


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## Ambrus (Jun 28, 2007)

Heh. If this works I'm calling dibs on the concept of wisdom™.  

And sorry to the earthbound divinities who were waiting for an audience with the Empyrean. You're all next on my agenda, I swear!


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## Gli'jar (Jun 28, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> With what you're describing, I think the word "destiny" or "fate" might be more appropriate than infinity. Likewise, if your interest in stellar phenomena stems from an interest in prognostication, I believe "astrology" is more appropriate than astronomy.I have to admit, after reading your in-game post, I'm uncertain what it is you're trying to accomplish exactly. Sorry, maybe I'm just dense.




Thanks. Astrology is correct, my mistake.  After seeing the flowery posts that have been floating about I had to be just as flowery. Maybe the bouquet was a little much and its intoxicating effects overpowering, confusing one as to what I was trying to accomplish. 

I used infinity as a surrogate for the endless possibilities that exist and the means to access it as such. Although I could not alter the madness I could make it something that is hidden in the recesses of the mind, playing to the watchers forbidden knowledge portfolio. It (the madness) is still there but it will take a little effort to reach it. Altering it as such shifted realities ever so slightly.

 Then, using the dream portfolio, to mend the shattered minds, the madness was a great nightmare, which still exists in the recesses of the mind. A flickering memory of things past or things to come, again playing to the forbidden knowledge portfolio.

I hope that helps.


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## GlassEye (Jun 28, 2007)

Yay!  Looks like Byrrl just added agriculture and druidism to his portfolio.  Thanks, WarlockLord, this worked out better than I expected.


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## WarlockLord (Jun 28, 2007)

No problem.


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## GlassEye (Jun 29, 2007)

Of course, H'M is the god of treachery.  *begins to feel a little paranoid*


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## Ambrus (Jun 29, 2007)

If players continue to insist on calling the dragon-mother "Tiamat" then soon I'll be forced to likewise adopt the name "Io, the Ninefold dragon". Is that what you all want?


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## Avalon® (Jun 29, 2007)

Do we have to call in the dragonslayers, people?


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## Ambrus (Jun 29, 2007)

In the Council of Wyrms setting, the dragonslayers worked for Io.


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## GlassEye (Jun 29, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> If players continue to insist on calling the dragon-mother "Tiamat" then soon I'll be forced to likewise adopt the name "Io, the Ninefold dragon". Is that what you all want?



Blech!  Let's create some myth of our own and try to avoid using names that have already been used to death.  'Tiamat' carries a lot of baggage that this entity shouldn't/doesn't have.

And I think Malchygara is a great name.


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## GlassEye (Jun 30, 2007)

WarlockLord said:
			
		

> " I did not create these men from whole cloth. I merely took the monkeys that hopped uselessly around, and toyed with their essence. That is quite easily entropy, as nature is entropic: The losers are destroyed and decay. (This is why I feel empathy with Byrrl) I merely needed proxies."



Hmm.  Byrrl _would_ have made a bigger deal about Hash'Mileak's creation of humans if this had been clear in the post detailing their creation.  I suppose he could make a point of it now, but in a previous post I've already had Byrrl mention that humans were created from nothing and therefore didn't concern him overly much.  I just wish my misperception had been pointed out when I made it.


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## WarlockLord (Jul 1, 2007)

Well, the evolution involved imbuing the humans with entropy (Come on! It makes sense! Look at how irrational people are!), so it's half and half.  

I'd say Death and War overlap.  As do Entropy and Technology, as Shayuri pointed out.


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## GlassEye (Jul 3, 2007)

In case it isn't clear by my in-game post, Byrrl is addressing Jemal.


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## Jemal (Jul 3, 2007)

The more I think about him, the more this God seems to develop in my mind as Balance, not Change. Though the fact that things are always changing is a form of balance in itself...

SO, If it's ok with you (Darimaus), and the other PC's, I think I'm going to do a LITTLE Redesign to Jemal..
God of Undeath/Rebirth, and the Evershifting Balance of Life/death.


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## Ambrus (Jul 3, 2007)

I'm afraid I'm having trouble wrapping my head around your God's doctrine. Death and rebirth are a part of life but how does undeath, an eternal unchanging state of being, exemply change or in any way help maintain a balance between life and death? Undeath as a concept would seem to be anathema to change. :\


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## Jemal (Jul 3, 2007)

In a contemporary D&D setting that's the general consencus... But if you think about it, most change is cyclical, and therefore isn't really change anyways, b/c it's predictable and happens over and over.

Undeath is, from a certain point of view, just a different path after death.  

And if you'll note, I'm wanting to switch the 'change' aspect for the 'balance' aspect..

I think he makes more sense as a god of Rebirth and Balance, and Undeath is just another form of giving some semblance of life back to the dead.. Albeit, a very screwed up form.  
But hey, who says ALL of a god's portfolios have to interconnect?

(EX: Wee-jas.. God of death and Magic?  Other than Necromancy, how do those two connect?)


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## Ambrus (Jul 3, 2007)

I dunno, it still seems a bit lopsided to me. Ignoring the question of change, how does undeath help to balance life and death? If the undead are intended to weigh-in on the dead side of the equation it would seem to be a counter-intuitive option. The undead walk around, struggle, experience and consume resources much the same way the living do; in that respect they tend to make death itself much more like life. In effect, they weigh in on the side of life and only help to unbalance the equation; both the living and the dead are now alive and kicking around, leaving fewer and fewer beings to just be plain old dead. Add to that the fact that the undead don't ever come to a natural end; they just keep going and going and never get reborn. Even worse, they propagate by killing the living and in turn produce offspring who are equally timeless.

In effect, unless the living take it upon themselves to destroy the undead, all life everywhere will eventually be subsumed and replaced with undeath. There will be no balance between life and death, simply a single unchanging homogeneous whole that has effectively replaced both. I suppose some might view that as a sort of balance between the two... Is that the "balance" your god is seeking to bring about?


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## Jemal (Jul 3, 2007)

Ambrus said:
			
		

> I dunno, it still seems a bit lopsided to me. Ignoring the question of change, how does undeath help to balance life and death? If the undead are intended to weigh-in on the dead side of the equation it would seem to be a counter-intuitive option. The undead walk around, struggle, experience and consume resources much the same way the living do; in that respect they tend to make death itself much more like life. In effect, they weigh in on the side of life and only help to unbalance the equation; both the living and the dead are now alive and kicking around, leaving fewer and fewer beings to just be plain old dead. Add to that the fact that the undead don't ever come to a natural end; they just keep going and going and never get reborn. Even worse, they propagate by killing the living and in turn produce offspring who are equally timeless.
> 
> In effect, unless the living take it upon themselves to destroy the undead, all life everywhere will eventually be subsumed and replaced with undeath. There will be no balance between life and death, simply a single unchanging homogeneous whole that has effectively replaced both. I suppose some might view that as a sort of balance between the two... Is that the "balance" your god is seeking to bring about?




Undead are on neither the side of life OR death, but UNlife and UNdeath.  Who says there have to be only two sides?  A triangle or square is easier to balance than a single line. (if you ask me).  It's differing points of view.. Mine and my gods are obviously very different from most others.
And as to the sort of balance I seek to bring, that is something best discovered through play.


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## GlassEye (Jul 3, 2007)

Jemal, you beat me to it.  I was gonna say that it's much easier to balance a three-legged stool than one with two legs.  I see your point and it's a perfectly valid interpretation.  People typically perceive it as a dichotomy: life vs. death (with undeath weighing in on the side of death).  Byrrl will likely view it that way.  I like your view, though.


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## Jemal (Jul 3, 2007)

Thanks for the understanding. (Though I admit I like your stool analogy better than my triangle one)
And just for the record, don't worry about actively TRYING to be nice to me, I have no problem being the Outcast God.. without one of those, the universe would grow kinda bland.
Jemal has his own plans and ambitions, and will solicit aid from the others when and where he can, to further his own goals.


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## GlassEye (Jul 3, 2007)

Jemal said:
			
		

> ...don't worry about actively TRYING to be nice to me, I have no problem being the Outcast God...



Byrrl isn't just trying to be nice (though despite having had conflicts with nearly every other god he's come into contact with, he still rather naively believes in the community of the gods.  I expect him to get taken advantage of until he wises up a bit more.).  Ilem and H'M have made it clear to him that there is a lot that he doesn't know or understand and so he's feeling his way through things, trying not to make major mistakes, at the same time that he's growing into his power.  And several things have popped up that he hasn't yet had time to deal with, but knows he needs to, things that he understands better than these undead.

And I'm still trying to get a feel for Byrrl.  Right now he seems to be in a more passive plant mode, going with the flow, so to speak.  Later (hopefully) we'll see him with more beastial cunning, or methodical like social insects, or with the ferocity of a wounded animal.


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## Ambrus (Jul 3, 2007)

I have no problem with the idea of balancing three aspects of existence rather than just two, I'm afraid I just don't see how you propose to balance the three. I'm just saying, if we follow the standard view of undeath, both the living and the dead can be converted into the undead; the former can be assimilated while the former can be animated. The undead however don't ever change into one of the other two by any natural means. As time goes by, all the weight on your metaphorical stool will be drawn towards the undead side while leaving the other two devoid of anything. Normally, that'd cause an unbalanced state.

Metaphors aside, I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with your character if we can't grasp what he stands for. Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't quite get it. :\


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## Jemal (Jul 3, 2007)

well, keep in mind this isn't a 'classic D&D' setting, and I for one am trying to keep it from that...
(You'll note I've been trying to handle Undead differently, though I haven't gone into much detail on them.  I plan it to be something out of the hands of mortals.  Undead are not soul-less beasts, they are the souls having nowhere else to go, or having 'unfinished business' on this realm).

Also you'll notice that while typically in D&D it's the Priests(clerics) who have control/power over the Undead, in this they have power over themselves, and they are opposed by the Druids.

As to the Undead getting the upper hand.. Well, things tend to balance out.  They have two ways of dieing.. A) Being destroyed by the Living. or B) setting right whatever it is that is keeping their soul around.

(And the Undead don't, so far as has been written, propogate themselves.)


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## Gli'jar (Jul 4, 2007)

My posting is going to be rather sporatic for the next few weeks. I was on a fire this past week  and next week I will be back in the field doing bird surveys. Afterwards I will be traveling on scheduled vacation. By no means have I evolved into a major player so my absence should not hinder things much but be aware if you post asking a question of me.

Just posted in the IC. Gave my go at the creation of magical beasts, it could easily be edited however to aberrations. Essentially I pulled creatures from the dreams so it is conceivable they could be aberrations, magical beasts, both or neither. 

As far as appearance the dreamer appears as a male lillend, with great dragon wings and curled rams horns (think bariaur) atop his head.


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## Ambrus (Jul 4, 2007)

Jemal said:
			
		

> (You'll note I've been trying to handle Undead differently, though I haven't gone into much detail on them.I plan it to be something out of the hands of mortals.Undead are not soul-less beasts, they are the souls having nowhere else to go, or having 'unfinished business' on this realm).



Ah, that wasn't clear from the outset. I applaud your efforts to give the undead a new spin.







			
				Jemal said:
			
		

> Also you'll notice that while typically in D&D it's the Priests(clerics) who have control/power over the Undead, in this they have power over themselves, and they are opposed by the Druids.



Keep in mind though that, so far, there are no clerics in the setting.







			
				Jemal said:
			
		

> As to the Undead getting the upper hand.. Well, things tend to balance out. They have two ways of dieing.. A) Being destroyed by the Living. or B) setting right whatever it is that is keeping their soul around. (And the Undead don't, so far as has been written, propagate themselves.)



An important distinction, but since you seem interested in making the undead rather different than the D&D norm, I'd go so far as to suggest the possibility that the living don't automatically fear, loathe and seek the destruction of the undead.

You assumed that Byrll's druids will oppose the undead, but if Byrll instead teaches her druids that the undead do have their place in the natural cycle then why would they? If their god supports the undead why wouldn't they follow suit? If the undead don't prey upon the living and have their own role to fulfill (wrapping up their unfinished business) and then naturally succumb to death then they might be a valued part of the natural order; which I believe is what you're aiming to accomplish with your three-sided balance model after all.


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## Nightbreeze (Jul 5, 2007)

I'd really love to join in, hoping that there's still place for me. The concept of a god I have is not something usually seen in D&D, so I may need approval on the mixing of several concepts.

Name: Irshenal
Titles: The one always there
Alignament: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Planning, Magic, Collaboration, Irrenians (custom made creatures)
Symbol: A tree on a small floating island.
Dogma: The universe exists and always will be. The path of the future multiply each second. Make sure that you can take all of them and be prepared for most of them. Don't make yourselve enemies, as this way you close yourself to some paths. Your reputation is your best friend, as if someone know that you are neutral, they won't include them in their plans. Work with your tools and contribute to the construction of an organization that will someday be able to do something that no other can. And that day, we will all know what our destiny was.

The dogma may seem strange, but I'll expand everything in my first posts.
Waiting for approval.


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## WarlockLord (Jul 5, 2007)

I got rid of any claim on the undead for my part.


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## babomb (Jul 6, 2007)

I'd really like to join in, but I haven't decided yet what I want to do. On the one hand, this place needs an afterlife. On the other hand, I've got an idea for a god of music and love that I think is interesting. On the third hand, I've gone ahead made this list of everything by age, and it'd be nice if maintaining it were in some way related to my character, except I don't REALLY want to be the god of bureaucracy.

The Order of Creation.
1.) *Empyrean
2.) *Noctuvos
3.) *Whisper
4.) Fire/Stars
5.) Gravity
6.) Earth
7.) Air
8.) Planets
9.) Water
10.) The Ovoid
11.) Magic
12.) Grass
13.) Worms and insects
14.) Coral
15.) Small mammals, reptiles, and fish
15.5) larger animals unmentioned?
16.) Trees
17.) Dragons
18.) *Hash'Mileak
19.) Men
20.) Sharpened sticks
21.) Murder
22.) Fire given to men
23.) Ironworking and woodcutting
24.) Sorceror-kings of men
25.) Greed (of dragons)
26.) Elves
27.) Dragon that becomes Malchygara
28.) *Ilem Nth Sabbatur
29.) Dwarves
30.) Gnomes
31.) *Pluvos (Based on order of posts in IC thread; Pluvos's background indicates he was created somewhere between 9 and 15)
32.) Malchygara
33.) Houses
34.) *Byrrl (Background indicates shortly between 17 and 19)
35.) Leviathan
36.) *Jemal (began forming immediately after 21)
37.) *Irnarr'ktha
37.5.) MADNESS!
38.) Moon
39.) *Dreamer
40.) Moon denied a place
41.) Dreams
42.) Agriculture
43.) Druids
44.) Void within Malchygara
45.) Undead
46.) Ankheg, bulette, griffon, sea cat, unicorn, magical beasts
47.) The Thirteen
48.) Psuedo-dragons
49.) Aberrations

Let me know if you find a mistake.


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## GlassEye (Jul 6, 2007)

wow, nice list.

Personally speaking, while there may not yet be an afterlife, we have two gods of death/undeath who could easily expand their domains if they wanted.  My preference would be for the god of music/love, but then, I'm not in charge.


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## GrandArchon (Jul 6, 2007)

Number 49- Aberrations.

And between 37 and 38, Madness.


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## babomb (Jul 7, 2007)

GlassEye said:
			
		

> wow, nice list.
> 
> Personally speaking, while there may not yet be an afterlife, we have two gods of death/undeath who could easily expand their domains if they wanted.  My preference would be for the god of music/love, but then, I'm not in charge.




Aye, there's that. I had an idea I thought was interesting when combined with Jemal's view on the undead, but it would be stepping on his toes a bit much. There's also a couple of issues I have to think on with the other one.



			
				GrandArchon said:
			
		

> Number 49- Aberrations.
> 
> And between 37 and 38, Madness.




Done and done.


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## Gli'jar (Jul 7, 2007)

Thanks for the timeline. For #46, although I named a few specific magic beasts I was going for the general creation of magical beasts.

I noticed that both Kaodi and myself use indigo or at least two very close colors. Is there a problem with that or would others like me to use a different color?


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## Kaodi (Jul 8, 2007)

I use Dark Slate Blue. I don't mind that the Dreamer has a very similar colour to Noctuvos, given the whole " Child of the Void " thing you have been pushing. It fits.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jul 10, 2007)

Ugh, sorry I've been out for a while. I've been very busy, memory's slipping (summer can do that), and I've been trying to hold a job... unsuccessfully, at that. Well, I'm back, and I'll try to give a little more notice for absences in the future. The rain shall fall again.


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## Nazhkandrias (Jul 10, 2007)

AGH!!! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! Ambrus, SLIGHT mistake on your part. I was reading through some old posts, and I hate to point it out, but...



			
				Ambrus said:
			
		

> In my sight you share much in common with your sister Pluvios, Mistress of the sea.




PLUVOS is a dude. Sorry for pointing that out, just doing damage control. Avalon, in the post after that, just change sister to brother, please. Sorry, but being mistaken for a girl in real-life (long hair) is bad enough. These are minor mistakes, but there's no need (or want) on my part to exchange my androgenous Vaarsuvius-ness into this game, too!


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## Avalon® (Jul 11, 2007)

Nazhkandrias said:
			
		

> AGH!!! RED ALERT! RED ALERT! Ambrus, SLIGHT mistake on your part. I was reading through some old posts, and I hate to point it out, but...
> 
> 
> 
> PLUVOS is a dude. Sorry for pointing that out, just doing damage control. Avalon, in the post after that, just change sister to brother, please. Sorry, but being mistaken for a girl in real-life (long hair) is bad enough. These are minor mistakes, but there's no need (or want) on my part to exchange my androgenous Vaarsuvius-ness into this game, too!




Damage mitigated SIR!


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## Nightbreeze (Jul 11, 2007)

It seems that Damarius isn't very interested in this thread anymore...


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## GrandArchon (Jul 12, 2007)

I'm still here. Just kind of waiting for things to move forward.


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## Darimaus (Jul 13, 2007)

Hey guys. Sorry about my abscence, but I had some really bad computer problems for the last week, leaving me stranded in the realm of real life. Things are fixed now (at least enough to get me online again) though I need to go to work, so I'll catch up on everything I've missed tonight.


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## Jemal (Jul 19, 2007)

Hey, I'm back.  Sorry I took so long.  Hope we're still going, will check the IC thread soon as I've caught up with my OOC stuff.

Ambrus - You make a good point RE: The Druids, I was kinda going off the assumption that they will (at least at first) find the undead Un-natural, at least until it is proven otherwise.  
Undead might end up being just as hated/feared/loathed as usual in this universe, regardless of their differences from 'usual' undead, but that has yet to be seen.  It's in the hands of mortals now.


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## WarlockLord (Jul 21, 2007)

[sblock=Jemal]
No hard feelings.  However, how do we reconcile my lich aspect with the appearance of your undead?

Maybe you created them in that form to mock me (IC, not OOC, hopefully)
[/sblock]

So we have the undead, the druids...now, what to do with my sorcerors? 

Answer: They hunt the undead.  Undeath is unatural.  When you die, you should stay dead.  (After all, they act as my rulers and now, as I assume some rulers had illegitimate children, making even more sorcerors, H-M's priests.)   We might have a war.

Say, is anyone going to introduce the scientific method, or should I do that?  Someone should play a remorseless god of dissection, knowledge without things like "morality" or "scruples".


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## Kaodi (Jul 22, 2007)

Why is there a need for a god of scientific method? This is a world of magic and superstition, is it not?


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## Shayuri (Jul 23, 2007)

Mew

I think I'm gonna have to retire from this game...

I'm sort of out of ideas for Whisper, and for the game in general...and time's getting to be an issue too.

Thanks for having me, and I hope y'all have a good time!


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