JNES: The Age of Gods

Jehoshua · Jan 28, 2020

JNES RULES AND INTRODUCTION

-

Welcome to JNES.

Recently while enjoying the respite of the Australia Day public holiday by holing myself away and interactive with the good burghers of NES on chat, I found myself lamenting the dearth of the eponymous NES's on the thread and resolved that the best way to be proactive would be to start an NES myself. Now regretfully I am a working man with many commitments which means a statistic heavy game would unfortunately almost certainly result in me running for the hills, and indeed on previous occasions when I have considered starting an NES the prospect of managing a bevy of spreadsheets and calculations has always been the reason which led me to demur. So instead of a stat heavy NES, I have decided to follow the example of Thlayi's TNES VI [currently on hiatus], and develop a fantasy NES which has minimal stats but which is heavy on narrative. I have also heavily ripped off his [admittedly simple] ruleset with due diligence being undertaken and amended i slightly according to my own preferences. They do say plagiarism copying someone is a form of flattery after all ...

. At any rate I acknowledge him as the pioneer in this particular subtype of NES and for his excellent work with TNES [may it be resuscitated before we see 2021 ]

Now then, before I get to the thick of things, I want to make clear that I will try to update once every two months on the first of the month [Australian time, so make sure to get your orders in early!] as a regular schedule, giving three weeks from the start of each turn for orders to be submitted. Note well that I will not in any circumstance give people extra time to submit their orders, although I may take them as well as stories into account after the cutoff depending on the status of the updating procedure at the time they are received. Also I may update faster if things go well and I find things proceeding more smoothly than expected, but as I mentioned before I am a busy man toiling away at his desk job, and this if my first NES so I am giving myself plenty of time and a regular goal to get things done.

One last thing, the story that develops in this game shall be entirely player driven, I will not 'force' a scenario of my choosing. That said there are certain loci placed within the game that players by their own agency might invoke be it by design or accident and which might serve as key drivers of the story. Good luck finding them!

-

Introduction

Similar to TNES you can begin as a god, a numinous being beyond mortal comprehension, a hero, a mortal touched by the divine, or an empire, with each beginning with an allocation of points respective to their station.

To initiate your selection your application should include the name of your god, hero or civilization in addition to a description or story to establish the character of your entity, or for an empire the values and cultural foibles of said empire. For example.

For a god/hero:

Name : Shadur/Gilgamesh
Basic description: Eldritch Monolith/Demigod Warrior
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description: varies in style according to ones artistic muse or inspiration.
Location: Optional [if choosing a god, a specific region rather than a precise location would be ideal]

For an Empire

Culture name: The name of your culture [needn't be a civilisation, could be any society of mortals]
Mythos: What are your peoples beliefs regarding the gods and the world.
Society: How does your culture’s people normally govern themselves? What are their social customs? What are their traditions.
Location: Please note where you are on the map precisely.

-

The Rules:

The rules are simple. You shall be distributed of two types of points, Magic and Civilization and it shall be up to you how to make good use of them.

At the beginning of the game, you will claim one of the three possible roles. You will get 5 points distributed across the 2 categories to spend or bank as you see fit in your first turn. You will then generate at least one new point a turn, and probably more, if you do something I think is meritorious and/or I feel generous. Furthermore at my discretion factions/characters may gain or lose power depending on circumstances in the game narrative. For instance a god whose "sphere" is damaged may lose power, whereas one who has obtained widespread worship or via other means spread its influence far and wide may gain more power than expected. This does not necessarily pin on a gods relationship with mortals, it is perfectly fine for a god to ignore the writhing hordes of mankind if that is what you feel like. Likewise an empire that obtains great temporal power and is filled with numerous subjects will on the whole gain more power than one that is nothing more than a huddling tribe slowly starving to death, same with a hero who fulfils a great deed.

-

God: A great supernatural being. The font of magic power. These are beings that are beyond physical constraints. Their favor is capricious, and their wrath terrible to behold. Tremble in fear before their holiness for they adhere not to mundane but to a higher order far greater than we who crawl in the muck.

(Choice 1: 0 points civilization, 5 points magic) (Choice 2: 1 point civilization, 4 points magic)

(NOTE: Do note I will not accept a one dimensional deity. Gods are complex beings. They may have a portfolio of powers, or their power may be completely un-categorizable. But they are fundamentally mystical. If I don't think your deity will work in this NES than it will be rejected and you will be asked to think of something else.)

Empire: The artifice of mankind, the rule of chiefs raised up to the status of law, the invention of wealth. Empires often have a symbiotic relationship with gods and heroes; they worship them, and occasionally are ruled by them. But at times the hubris of mortals, or even just the desire for understanding results in rebellion against the gods and a fractious relationship with the divine. After all Empires thrive on predictability, and gods and heroes are not predictable.

(Choice 1: 5 points civilization, 0 points magic) (Choice 2: 4 points civilization, 1 point magic)

(NOTE: An Empire refers to any type of civilization. You need not be large, or even imperialistic, to qualify.)

Hero: The medium between our world and the world of gods and magic. Humans or other mortals touched by magic, or gods touched by humanity. These can be mighty warriors, or the greatest of priests. The holiest of saints or the most blasphemous of apostates. Perhaps your hero is a great king, or a beggar crawling his way through the refuse of humanity and watched by something in the world, yet beyond it. Heroes can be produced by gods or empires, in the heart of courts or on the fringes. Heroes, however, wherever they arise have one foot in the spiritual world and are inherently unpredictable. Change inevitably follows in their wake.

(Choice 1: 3 points civilization, 2 points magic) (Choice 2: 2 points civilization, 3 points magic)

(NOTE: Heroes usually spawn from an existing Empire or God. You can work with another player, however you do not need their consent to arise from their midst or in their service be it as it may. Heroes can ‘belong’ to Empires or Gods, but they can also be free agents. You can control heroes as another faction, although one never knows if circumstance might lead to betrayal...)

As mentioned before each turn, you will generate magic and/or civilization points, depending on your nature and actions. You can then spend your magic and civilization points to do great things. You can also use any holdings (people, artifacts, etc.) and Heroes you have gathered. Writing stories or world building will generate bonus points in return for your beneficent service to the NES. Even naming things is of great utility.

Note: you may store points for later use if you so desire.

Here are some things you can do with your points:

Magic

1 magic point: The memory of a distant god.
1 magic point: The making of a prophecy.
2 magic point: The occasional favor of a cohort of magical beings.
2 magic points: A caste of magicians, to obtain through esoterica what one cannot by force of arms.
3 magic points: The creation of a magical artifact.
3 magic points: The destruction of a mundane mass of foes or their homes.
4 magic points: The enlistment of a race of magical servants.
4 magic points: The birth of a demi-god, or a Hero.
4 magic points: The casting of a great blessing or a great curse.
4 magic points: The breaking or making of a great feature of the world.
5 magic points: Try to wound a god; perhaps if you are lucky it will break them. Or unlucky.
6 magic points: The birth of a god, or a new race of magical beings.
6 magic points: The breaking of an empire.
7 magic points: Attempt a deicide.
9 magic points: Wreak a great and lasting change on the bones of truth.
10 magic points: Complete the prophecy.

Civilization

1 civilization point: A court, guards, weapons, a village, farms, a tribe. Trappings, workings, makings.
1 civilization point: Diplomacies and emissaries, spies and intelligence.
1 civilization point: Enjoy life! (Sometimes it helps.)
2 civilization points: A city, a modest castle, or a network of towns.
2 civilization points: An ideology or religion that people may not forget after you are gone.
2 civilization points: A new innovation, well aren’t you clever.
2 civilization points: Raise an army, or an elite band.
2 civilization points: Create a new caste of specialists in your society.
3 civilization points: A tributary or alliance with neighbors that brings them into your system, for now.
3 civilization points: A humbling sign of obeisance that placates gods or rivals enough to keep you around..
3 civilization points: The execution of a mortal, or semi-mortal, foe.
4 civilization points: The production of a great ruler, leader, prophet, genius, or Hero.
5 civilization points: Something truly wondrous: A hundred ships, a glorious legion, a towering fortress. A reasonable kingdom.
6 civilization points: An empire of glories.
7 civilization points: To dare that which mortals should not.
8 civilization points: Make a gambit for world empire, to bring the very gods to their knees.
10 civilization points: Apotheosis.

Note: You can also do things that aren’t listed here; tell me what it is and I’ll give you an appropriate cost.

-

Updates

Update 0 - The Beginning of Days
Update 1 - The Harbinger of Destiny
Update 2 - The Price of Knowledge

-

Current Deadline: pending

Jehoshua · Jan 28, 2020

UPDATE 0 - The Beginning of Days

-

The past is a strange thing, half-remembered, all too easily forgotten in the heady rush of the present and dismissed by those who look only to the future. It is said by some that in the past of this world, at the very beginning, the Great Progenitor Deity, the Maker of All Things uttered the words of creation and thus wrought the Land, The Sea and the Gods and all other things that crawl and swim and fly upon the face of this fair world. They say that he was so pleased with his work that he muttered to himself "good" in appreciation of what he had made. Alas for him that for good to exist so must evil its uttermost lack thereof, and thus it is recorded (by some anyway) that the Progenitor was slain by the gods who shall not be named that rose forth against his utmost holiness to bring defilement and sin into the world, forever marring it with the stain of "evil". Yet others however say there is no progenitor and that the world is eternal, that it ever was and always will be until the gods become old and all perishes and returns to chaos to be reborn. The Truth shall remain the truth, locked away in the heavenly book far from mortal eyes, but the understanding of the past as known to mortals shall change in a manner according to those who speak of it.

Let us then attend to the world of mortals as it is, indubitably in the now.

In the west we find the great sea, its depths home to strange gods and stranger denizens far from the light of the all-seeing sun. Its azure waves are whisked to white foam by the great western wind and at times churned by laughing storm spirits, who crackle and whip across the skies in raucous play as the clouds thunder overhead. The waves beckoned by these divine children find themselves crashing against the cliffs where uncountable seabirds nest in great colonies upon the first outcroppings of Land, their flight overshadowed by a great smoking mountain arising from the depths of the sea as a great island, its fires beating like a heart beneath the earth. This is the first taste these feathered voyagers partake of the region known to all as "The West'.

The west is a green fair land surrounded on three sides by the sea, where mountains catch the clouds to feed rolling rivers. Swift streams roar down the slopes of snow-capped mountains descending through boreal rainforest bedecked with moss and shrouded by a bed of clouds before the waters are released upon broad sweeping plains and becoming wide meandering rivers thick with schools of fish. Upon their banks meadows filled with flowers and grazed by herds of wild cattle and playful deer make an excellent hunting ground for tribes of men just beginning their ascent to civilisation, while their toil and play is encompassed by the great forest of temperate broadleaf trees that dominates all in this gentle realm. Amidst the boughs of ancient sentinel oaks fae gods and spirits find their abode laughing beyond the edge of hearing and bestowing their blessings upon the woods, calling forth new life from the rich black soil. To those who give respect, benediction and favour is in their train. However oft has an errant child travelled where he should not, touched what is forbidden and dissapeared never to be seen again.

Reluctantly turning our gaze from this pleasant country to that realm that men know as the North. Here far beyond the great peninsula the temperate forests give way to a cold, damp land of perpetual rain and misty shadow and a great boreal expanse that stretches without end. Great rivers fed by distant glaciers far to the unknown north and east lugubriously sidle their way underneath the sullen branches of giant pine and fir, their depths stalked by things entirely unfriendly to human travellers. At their confluence is a dreary bog where morning and evening mists ensnare the senses of the unwary as witch lights and unfriendly ghosts flickering enchantingly in the dark lead them to their deaths amidst the fens. In the forest meanwhile wilder gods with a cruel aspect think of naught but their own pleasure and take delight in the blood of mortals and the ecstasy of the hunt. Yet even they tremble and shrink into hidden redoubts when the cold winds of the farthest north rise each winter, for at this time sleeping powers stir and horned creatures of bark and horn and beastlike aspect seek prey that their substance drawn from their mangled gore might feed the trees in the coming spring. This is a dangerous world, and those who live here must walk a thin line between the spiritual and material domains lest they perish not only in body, but in soul as well.

Passing south, we cross high mountains and find ourselves at a great freshwater lake. The land here is parched grassland and semi-arid scrub to the north of the lake where the mountains ensnare some small measure of moisture from the prevailing winds to pasture herds of wild horses and antelope, while yet more is ensnared at the isle of echoes by the arcane sorceries of the crystal tower (of which we shall speak). Further south cut off the from the sea by yet more high mountains [the highest in all the known world] we find the endless crystalline desert. Here whispering djinn and fierce tribes wander hither and yon, singing songs marking the passage of time and peering each night in wonder at the sea of stars which wheels overhead to the light of Vahashtai, the Keeper of Time. That is save upon the great river, which leads from the great freshwater lake unto the world-sea. Here villages of men taking advantage of the fertile silt and the annual floods each spring till the land and live a settled life, turning thereby away from things spiritual to more mundane matters. Whether that is to good ends is yet to be seen.

Regardless, this river flows onward from these nascent builders through a deep gorge in the mountains overgrown by tangled jungle. Navigable only by boat (albeit barely, it is a perilous trip, for it is said that beguiling sirens tempt river-men to perish upon the jagged rocks for their own amusement in this place) it pours out of the rock upon what to man is nothing less than heaven on earth. A great tropical forest rich with fruit of many kinds and every abundance, spice and treasure required for earthly satisfaction. The coup de grace of which is the great delta, the plains thereof of which are the most fertile in all the land and a nest for that most fickle of beasts and tempting of seductresses that wiser men know and revile as "society", a consequence of agriculture no doubt.

But let us return to the Crystal tower, for here the Order of Timekeepers, a fragment of a lost age which is charged by some unknowable destiny with the keeping of history and the prognostication of the future abide in their crystal tower, a white shard of dazzling quartz a mile high infused with ancient magic that seems in the eyes of lesser men to pierce the very heavens. They have found themselves frenetically busy of late, for strange tidings have revealed themselves in the book of heavens that have disturbed the idle serenity of former days. Year after year the astrologers have watched the skies and debated animatedly at what these portents entailed. At times the learned sages came to blows in the great orrery as the horologists of the order for their part perused the graven records for precedents in the archives, but as each night came and went the signs became ever clearer and such disputation came to rest where it belonged, that is to say in the past. So we come to the Lord Horologist, master of this arcane order, who has called a great convocation of his brethren. Watching dear mortal, from the congregation turning its gaze hither you see him taking his place upon the highest seat amidst the council of the wise, and striking his staff thrice upon the crystal floor, the sound echoing amidst the silence.

"Behold"

he says, his voice grave his grizzled beard belying the lively glint in his azure eye.

"The Age of Creation, the dawn of days in which the world was forged has ended. So begins the Age of the Gods."

-

MAPPA MUNDI

key:

Light Blue: Water
Dark Green: Boreal Forest/Taiga
Medium Green: Temperate Forest verging to subtropical
Lightest Green: Wet Tropical
Yellow: Desert
Tan: Semi Arid/Grassland
Grey: Montane

-

NOTE: Regarding orders, I will accept them via the thread [public orders], via CFC conversation [in which case I ask any subsequent orders via that medium use the same conversation] or if you are really pushing it via discord [I am on both IOT and NES discords].

Also once you have established your application feel free to make use of the points and write stories for turn 1. I'll give a due date for you to have everything in when I deem that we have sufficient applicants.

Jehoshua · Jan 28, 2020

STATS

PLAYERs

-
LordArgon

Spoiler :

TheMeanestGuest

Spoiler :

Gelion

Spoiler :

Angst

Spoiler :

Lord Iggy

Spoiler :

Daftpanzer

Spoiler :

ThomasBerubeg

Spoiler :

Terrance888

Spoiler :

-

NPCs

Gods

Vahashtai

Titles: The Keeper of the Heavenly Records, The Moon God, The Memory of the World
Power: 10 magic/1 civilisation
Holdings: The Moon, The Book of Ages [artefact], A monastic brotherhood.

"The Goddess"

Titles: The Tyrant of the Forest, the Maiden of Spring, the Witch of Winter. The Bloody Queen.
Power: 7 magic
Holdings: Dominion over the Northern Forests, The Change of Seasons, The Leshnoi,

Dulsharain

Titles: Seneschal of the Sands, God of the Desert.
Power: 5 magic
Holdings: The Dustrains Desert, the suffering of the desert-peoples.

A Forgotten Deity [sealed]

Titles: ***
Power:***
Holdings: A locked door, a witch coven, A prophecy

A Nascent Deity [re-forming]

Titles: The Cruelty of Aoldom, Ex-Dinner.
Power: 0
Holdings: Leaking essence.

Ran

Titles: The Sea Goddess, The Lady of Waters, etc.
Power: 3 magic
Holdings: The Servitude of Yokai, Listeners to the Song.

Heroes

Shurvan [Sleeping]

Titles: Scourge of Heaven, Dragon of Chaos, Mercenary Lizard
Power: 7 Magic/3 Civilisation
Holdings: An undiscovered Lair

Empires

The Order of Timekeepers

Power: 5 magic/1 civilisation
Heroes: The Lord Horologist [5/0], The Heavenly Oracle [4/1]
Holdings: The Crystal Tower, the Isle of Echoes, A flock of ravens, A Certain Stone [Artefact]

The Brotherhood of Warrior Poets

Power: 3 Civ
Heroes: None
Holdings: God-hating resentment, shifting sands.

The Taethlin Kingdoms

Power: 5 Civ, 1 Magic
Heroes: None
Holdings: A collection of city states, a hill on which sits a magic well.

Petty-States

Power: 3 Civ
Heroes: None
Holdings: A collection of various chiefdoms, a plea to a god.
The Gashwin People

Power: 3 civ
Heroes: none
Holdings: A rivalry with the Uwal, the favour of the desert god

Jehoshua · Jan 28, 2020

reserved

Jehoshua · Jan 28, 2020

BESTIARY

-

pending

LordArgon · Jan 28, 2020

Name : Cho'Manos
Basic description: Swirling Ball of Hands
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description: A strange sphere of a thousand alabaster hands. Origins unknown, but presence made known. Cho'Manos sees mortals as its clay to be molded and deformed. It will test the limits of flesh and bone, feather and scale, to see what wonders and horrors can be made. Monstrous abominations and beautiful paragons will be sculpted by its many hands. Soon all the world will be its sculpture garden, but for now the jungles will do.
Location: The Southern Jungles
Stats: 1 point civilization, 4 points magic

TheMeanestGuest · Jan 29, 2020

Aols are not men, but an unusual ken. They were made by a god who is dead. They like it this way, for they killed him they say, and they ate up the flesh of his head.

Once they were liquid metal and fire for both an eternity and an instant, or so they claim. A glorious time of incomprehensible wonder - one which they'd rather forget. They are quenched, and have been seized by mortality. In this they consider themselves fortunate, for eternity is indeed an unwelcome curse. The minds of Aols are naturally filled with great wisdom and knowledge - which they routinely ignore, as they find these boons oppressive and chafesome. They are gaunt and tall and appear as though formed from smooth char and ash. Aols are furtive and quiet and often unnoticed, though their presence can be confirmed by the near-immaterial dusting of soot that trails behind them. Their facial features are subdued and vague except when in motion.

Men are often wary of Aols, fearing them spirits or lurks. Aols find this very annoying, primarily for reasons of inaccuracy; the blessing of solitude is in fact a welcome one. They trade infrequently with some human groups, primarily for cold-hammered metals, which they regard as a delicacy. Though they live long lives Aols are not a numerous folk, residing now in but two fastnesses in the far west: Irec and Briumbar. In the passing of a much elder age they carved these halls into sheer cliffs by the sea with the craft of their hands and their art and the fervor of desperation.

They are skilled makers, pearlescent blades cultured in the bellies of great clams, fashioning wares and armours as they mold living crustaceans into desired form, and creating fine frescoes of artistic coral. They weave robes of sea-silk in bronzes and golds and garb themselves thus. Aols do not traditionally travel by sail, but rather in the bellies of whales. They do so quite rarely and often under some duress. While strictly speaking they do not require the presence of breath within their lungs, most vastly prefer it over weakness, discomfort and the torpor of near-death.

Of late the world grows loud again, and by this they are displeased. If the clamour should rise much higher they may yet be roused to reluctant action to preserve their cherished peace.

Spoiler :

Jehoshua · Jan 30, 2020

Very good, and with iggy stating his intent to join that's three, still need a few more applications yet however before we can proceed in earnest so if you are interested in giving this nes a shot do sign up.

@TheMeanestGuest : I'll treat your submission as being a corporate hero option rather than an Empire per se.

Gelion · Feb 1, 2020

“Some say there was no beginning. This point of view has merits – if there's no beginning there is no end. The reality is much sadder, as I was there.

Plunged from a height of thousands upon thousand of steps I was thrown down towards Mundus, wounded, bleeding. The complexity of the world, its inner workings were closed to me as my surviving consciousness focused on the few things that mattered - that I was defeated by my enemies and now approached the inevitable doom. Yet the Earth was merciful. She has accepted me into her arms, soft and suffocating as a stack of yellow hay in autumn. My body shattered into a thousand pieces that sprung in all directions and yet I remained. The starlight night that followed was long and refreshing. I was woken up by the cold of the misty clouds touching the evergreens that sprung from the earth that very morning. To a god an hour is a lifetime and an eon is as long as day. A new day, that will surely end, was awaiting me.”

“Confessions of our God”, Book VII of the Foundation Texts

Name : Rultan
Basic description: Cast down god eager to recover his memory
Location: The North
Stats: 1 point civilization, 4 points magic

Jehoshua · Feb 8, 2020

alright: two notes

Note I: Apart from the applicants on the thread so far we have four people [Iggy, Daftpanzer, Angst and possibly ThomasBerubeg] who have expressed interest and worked on submissions. Regretfully I cant start the game without sufficient initial applications on the thread, however if at least three of the four interested parties submit on the thread and utilise starting points I will be able to proceed and start drafting the first update.

Note II: @Gelion, @LordArgon - feel free to utilise the points to take actions. The first turn is to bot submit an app and take initial actions and having you take actions enables for a quicker turnover since it gives me something to work with in terms of concocting a draft update [into which the others when they lodge their submissions/orders can be inserted]. I am also fine with stories in this initial stage if it pleases you.

Angst · Feb 8, 2020

Sargal of the Sands
Hero
(3 Magic, 2 Civilization)

Background
The Uwal are an old tribe living in the southeastern sands of Dustrains. Named in irony, Dustrains is the driest realm of all of the Worldreaches, our lands. Pitted in dust and storms away of the civilized lands, they are reluctant and scarce. Still, they are connected to strange lands of eastern wastes and what they insist is unimaginable geography, swirling mountains and strange waterfalls. And they call to strange powers of beings invisible to the rest of the world. As we neared the end of the Age of Gods, a child was born, Sargal of the Sands. Showing immense promise beyond that of man, he has gathered his followers and is traveling northwards, bringing the Uwal to the rest of the known world. And something he will bring with them. For the Uwal are not a people of divinity - they claim that the Worldreaches, our lands, are under a cruel dominion. The land belongs to its peoples - not divine tyrants from lands far away. Birthing a child does not grant you its life as a slave. And the promise of providence rings true to some people. From the desert, Sargal brings the saying: You are good as yourself. Make them leave you be.

Sargal's traits
Endearing and pragmatic, Sargal is a swordfighter with some impressive capability of magic, skills unmatched by anyone in his tribe at least. Primarily a military leader climbing the Uwal warband, he is formally under the Uwal chieftess, Mosu. Mosu is middle aged and bald, but beautiful in her own right, and can have bousts of cruelty, as she treats crime and violence incredibly harshly. Sargal seems to appeal to the better of people, using speechcraft before conflict. However, his enemies swear that he is not as he seems, publicly courting Mosu herself, and weirdly having befriended certain travellers of the Timekeepers' devout. He is also a bard, playing several different instruments.

-

If you want to listen to some of the Uwal music he does, here is some I made.

EDIT
First actions this turn!
I'm going by the example list:
3 Magic to create a magical artifact - the Godpyre, a powerful sword with a hissing swing, a black blade that scorches things it cuts into. It has no fire, but leaves burns in what it cuts into. Some say Sargal forged it himself by destined will, some say he called upon the best smiths of the Uwal and blessed it after the fact, some say it is brought from the shadowed east.
2 Civilization to create an ideology - the Wildfyre, the idea that humans should be left alone by the gods and reign by themselves as the true lords of the Worldreaches. Whether gods are to be forced from their throne by cold blood or are to be left in their own devices as toppled kings (like they are in the Western monarchies today) is much debated within the Wildfyre.

Lord_Iggy · Feb 9, 2020

Name : The Black Spring
Basic description: Bottomless Sentient Magical Spring
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description: In the mountains of the northeast, there is a fracture in the stone, a small deep pool of unplumbable depths. Its waters are known to cleanse infection, accelerate healing, wash away disease, and even slow or reverse the passage of time on the body. Life grows richly around it, and the place has become sacred to the surrounding humans, who call it 'Angar Lok'. The pool is self-aware and possessed of godlike power and intelligence, although it is only capable of sensing things happening where its own waters flow (growing steadily fainter as its waters become diluted downstream, or in the surrounding earth). It has no knowledge of its own creation, and at present, little curiosity about its past nor ambition for its future. Recently, the Black Spring sought to communicate with the humans around it. To do so, it reanimated the body of a drowned deer, and then used this oracular animal to listen to human conversations and learn their language, before introducing itself as Angar Lok. The local humans slightly misunderstood this and now include this deer in their worship, which does not overly bother the spring.
Location:

Stats: 1 Civilization (the local tribe), 1 Magic (an oracular deer), 3 Magic (blessed waters)

LordArgon · Feb 9, 2020

Turn Zero Orders
1 civilization point: The Ba'gali tribe occupies the northernmost edge of the river Delta. Using the clay from the river they create clay pottery and sculptures, with a hand motif running throughout. They have some small farms and orchards that greatly benefit from the proximity to the river.
2 magic points: A new caste of magic men forms. Among the Ba'gali are one who have a mastery of the magic that gives one dominion over the earth. Using their magic they can uplift and shape even the hardest of stones. These magic men create the homes and defenses that keep the Ba'gali people safe from the creatures of the jungle. They are also the ones who make the altars to Cho'Manos. At these hand shaped altars is where new children are blessed, artwork is sanctified, and blood offerings are made.
2 magical points: When the blood offerings are made, sometimes something answers, especially if the blood is one's own. The Drekori are a magical race of beings who have great power over flesh. If properly compensated these crimson wheels of pulsing flesh might show up and close wounds, purge infections, and possibly grant a useful mutation. If they feel underpaid, the Drekori may instead take a blood fee, or reshape the supplicant into a new fleshy form.

Daftpanzer · Feb 9, 2020

Selection: Hero
Name: Cerun
Basic description: Chosen Warrior

Introduction: Cerunnaihn, also known as Cerun, is a man born amongst the peoples of the North, peoples who face a daily struggle for survival. Here even the trees themselves may turn vengeful, ensnaring and ripping men apart to feast on their blood. And yet fouler things-that-shall-not-be-named stalk the forests at night. Merciless winters grip the land for half the year, chilling to the bone. Yet there is also great beauty here; the still crispness of a winter morning; the dawn chorus of a thousand birds; the nighttime skies illuminated by the gentle glow of divine aurorae...

Cerun was no different to his kin. Until one day, not long after his twentieth year had dawned, he found himself alone in combat with some foul man-shaped beast of the woods. He was mauled across the face and neck, left for dead as comrades came to his rescue, finding him barely alive. A severe fever took hold, and despite the best efforts of the village healers, he remained deep asleep, as unfeeling as the dead. While his body succumbed, his soul reached out for help from the divine.

It was then The Unknown God took mercy on this soul. Cerun was gifted with a vision and a prophecy, as a great knowingness engulfed him; he would lead a chosen band of men and women far across the world, over land and water, to reach a green oasis of an island, in a river surrounded by hot sand. A place where the sun shone, fertile waters flowered, and by their hands, they would make the white sands turn green; they would bring the wild spirit of the North into the burning plains of the south, bringing balance to the world, and forging an empire that would last a thousand years.

While the revelations filled the mind of this young man, his body was engulfed in healing magic, until at last he awoke like a thunderbolt, suddenly leaping from his bed and stretching his arms skyward in prayer, he began to speak in unknown tongues, pouring forth thanks for his deliverance and awakening. Soon it became apparent, as a result of his ordeal, he had been gifted strength, wisdom and vitality beyond normal men. Many have been his victories since then, against the ravenous forces of the wild, and great has been the glory of him and his chosen band; warriors from far and wide have been drawn to drink from his blessed cup.

Cerun does not yet know the name of the God That Is His Saviour. He himself does not claim to be even a Demigod. He only knows that he has been Blessed, and can only trust that all will be revealed in time, as he follows his path towards the south, and to his destiny...

Location: The North, perhaps at the northern point of the inland lake.

2 points civilization: an elite band of warriors from across the northern tribes has been drawn to follow Cerun Wolf-Biter.

3 points magic: the making of a prophecy (the promised land in the south), and the creation of a caste of magicians - all women - the Morraghain, able to commune with the forces of nature and the essence of the Unknown God

Turn 0 orders: our journey begins, we will march to the south-east. The Morroghain have heard rumours of a magical spring. Cerun desires to seek its blessing.

[EDIT: amended hero name]

TheMeanestGuest · Feb 9, 2020

Of Aols and their Dwellings

Aolish folk, generally speaking, are of a broadly similar mien and nature. As a people they are possessed of a well-subdued recklessness - one that is often bound to rule their destiny regardless of restraint. They are tall and proud, thinking themselves broadly above other kinds and realms, and they often consider obeisance their due. Yet they are secretive and wary, hiding themselves away in carved tunnels and halls.

They have lived by the sea for a long-stretched age, for its rhythm calms the tumult of the heart and slows the fire of the mind. They have learned to love the salten winds that howl adrip with stinging brine, and so they stand together atop those great balconies that remain at Irec and Briumbar, their eyes drinking of the storm. In the Maker’s Age there were many havens of Aols. Foremost among them was the pillar-city of Caranath - that of the gleaming glass - which stood as a great beacon amidst the Shallow Seas. Some lords amongst the Caran Aols could recall the molten heat of eldest days, and they used this skill in the forging of hot metals and the making of glasswork, and their crafts were wondrous and fine. Yet an enemy begrudged them, and brought them to an end. Over the course of a long siege the Shallow Seas were filled up with burning sands, and at last marching right across that new desert the unnumbered legions of the enemy put the city to the sack. Despite all their skill and grandeur each Aol in Caranath met an ignoble end amidst that slaughter. But in turn and time this enemy was ground down by a power still mightier, and as their kindred likewise dwindled in all other parts of the world, the Aols of what would become the West were near entirely forgotten.

In this age Aols come in two kinds: those who knew fire and supped upon the godhead, and those who came after, and did not. The former are the teihbin, and the few that are left fade from the world. Their chambers lie deep within the havens, and they have long dispensed with the better part of their recklessness. Undeniably their wisdom is the greater, but slowly they have ceded their control of the surs to those few children they have sired. These latter Aols are the teshann, born mortal and material. Their stature has grown smaller, that they barely overtop the tallest of men. They are undoubtedly more meddlesome than their forebears, and with their briefer centuries are prone to a wandering caprice. Their knowledge comes to them innately through their blood, and not of their own choice; and so they are afflicted with pain. These errant wisps of utter truth originate in Cruelty - which the Aols name Ghatur, and it is their most terrible curse.

Teshann are seen at times amongst the scattered holdings of the westernmost clans of humans. The cleverest of these humans have learned the tongues of Aols, and so their people are called Taethlin, or Speaking Men. Some Aols idly teach them of symbols and of literature and of the lesser stonecraft, and so far it has indeed been of profit to both; the Taethlin are tranquil and cultured when compared to most of their kind, and perhaps in this way and others the West can be redeemed. The Aols feel a looming chaos, its ire pressing down upon their necks.

Jehoshua · Feb 10, 2020

Excellent, excellent, we have sufficient submission to begin. Of course new applicants are most welcome, and likewise @Gelion is well advised to make use of the points allotted to him.

-

In terms of time, I shall grant you all two weeks for new applications [for those watching], stories, orders, amendments to orders and any other such literary contributions to the thread that come to mind. That is to say there is a 24th February 2020 deadline. After that I hope to have the update in good order.

Lord_Iggy · Feb 11, 2020

Flow through.

Flow through.

Flow through.

Flow up. Flow through.

Flow up throw the rocks. Flow out.

Seep into the soil.

There is more there too. Flow into plants. Flow into animals.

Welling upwards and outwards. There is a world outside.

Outside of me.

I do not know when I became aware that this was happening. I could not tell the passage of time from when I first became aware that I was, without anything to signpost the endless cycle of days, of years. It may have been when I first noticed a change to my eternal rhythm, and realized that things had once been different than what I could sense in that instant. Perhaps it was the arrival of the first great disruption- the thinking animals which called themselves human.

I became aware of them as they ate the plants that grew around my edges, as they ate the animals who roamed my forest, and as they themselves consumed me. They disrupted and fascinated me. They interacted in ways unlike anything else I knew. I wished to interact with them, yet I was without agency to do so.

I felt them change over time, in my presence. More and more of the humans came to my edge, swam through me, and lived in my proximity. My desire to know more of them grew greater by the day, until at one day the opportunity arose.

A deer had gotten tangled in a root near my edge- deer had grown more scarce since the humans had come, but there were still a few. It had struggled with its head caught beneath the water, then gone still and fallen in. I felt it saturate with me. I was more aware of it than I had been of any other animal, and devoted my attention to it. I felt its shape, its body, its muscles, its skin and fur, and willed it to move. With effort, I was able to make it move.

This was a unique experience. With this deer's body, I was able to actively move. I kicked several rocks into myself, and delighted in novelty for a while, before devoting this tool to my task at hand. Cautiously, I observed the humans, heard them through its ears, and learned their secret of speech. They called their tribe 'Wat', and each had names for one another, which I learned in detail. At times, before I revealed myself, they pursued me as hunters, but never were they able to catch me. When I felt prepared at last, I approached them.

“Tribe of Wat. I am the water which you drink, that which you call Angar Lok. I have come to you you to speak.”

I did not expect them to prostrate themselves on the ground before me.

LordArgon · Feb 11, 2020

"The first of the servants of Cho'Manos, the Drekori, are some of the most hideous of the Divine races. They take the shape of a wagon wheel, with bloodslick organ instead of wood and with tendons serving as the spokes. These pulsing circles of wet crimson flesh may be horrible to behold, but with proper payment, they can become the most graceful saviors. As one would expect from such an appearance, the only currency they accept is blood. If treated with respect and properly, the Drekori can cure the most virulent of illnesses, purge the most deadly of poisons, and close the most horrendous wounds. Even lost limbs can be regrown, feeling better than when it was lost. But remember, everything has a price. For them to do such wonderous acts, one must be willing to drain their own lifeblood as payment, and the more miraculous the act the more blood must be spilled. There are many horror stories of those who prayed for salvation, but we're not willing to pay for it. As punishment for these insults, the Drekori turned them into hideous monsters, covered in painful pustules and an unnatural number of limbs. In order to help you avoid such a fate, we have included a chart of proper blood prices for various acts recorded from eyewitness accounts and historical records." - Excerpt from 'The Machines of the Gods' chapter 5 on the god Cho'Manos.

thomas.berubeg · Feb 14, 2020

Name: The Wishing Well
Basic description: A simple well, on a simple hill, near a simple village.
Narrative Introduction or Detailed description:

Location: Where ever you want.

1 Civ Point: A simple village
4 magic points: A great blessing upon those who gift to the well. A gift for a gift. That is the covenant of the wishing well.

Jehoshua · Feb 21, 2020

48 hours to deadline.

JNES: The Age of Gods

Catholic

Catholic

Catholic

Catholic

Catholic

King

Warlord

Catholic

Retired Captain

Catholic

Rambling and inconsistent

Tsesk'ihe

King

canonically ambiguous

Warlord

Catholic

Tsesk'ihe

King

Wandering the World

Catholic

Similar threads