Elfgirl wrote:Ah, but I have the power to summon storms - as you will have noticed in my first encounter with Rydnick (my favorite darling!)...
are not winds part of storms?
therein, you see, it is part of Nature...
Thyddian (briefly manifesting as vast figure made of old branches, before flickering into a giant of sparks and shadows): Yes, but nature is tangible, as are storms. But can you see the wind? You can see its effects on the leaves of trees, the grass and the sails of ships. The same way laws are invisible yet their effects upon men and women are noticeable. When one man declares 'this is bad' and thus writes it out and then acts upon his law, he merely masks the intangible with word play and material objects. Thus, all is illusion. You point to nature, storms, and say 'this is nature' but point to me the wind? The wind is truth - an underlying, chaotic and capricious force than men and nature try to circumscribe - as you have just done - but what we call 'the wind' is merely identifying illusion.
Therein lies the wisdom of Thyddian.
Oh Thyddi darling - you are SUCH a windbag! You and I must get together and see what we can concoct against the malice and chaos of Nephirthos...! Here, love - have a beer with me!
"Right away would be good. Right now would be better"
-- Nick Succorso OK, so what's the speed of dark?- Larry the Cable Guy
Thyddian: I am all for the consumption of substances to alter perceptions, for what does not show the illusory world than that? Please, be welcome in Ai-Thyddian, Goddess of Nature. But I warn you, I am not to sign any alliances or deals as yet. I merely wait.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
Loremaster wrote:Thyddian: Ahhh, Bhakti, the god/goddess of Love. I am pleased to finally meet you. I also look forward to the ultimate wisdom of Thyddian flourishing in your cities and lands. For what greater maker of illusion is there than love? For does not love push to lofty heights the merits of lovers and interests, and mask flaws and inconsistencies?
Yes, no greater tool of Illusion than Love.
It would seem that all ways of viewing life are illusory. If that is so, could there be a better lens - or perhaps it would be better to call it a distorting piece of broken glass - to view life through than Love?
I am the self-fulfilling prophecy. Give love, and you WILL receive love. Let your every answer, your every action and reaction, your every desire, be rooted in love.
A warning to any who would attack Nephirthos: He is no longer the aggressor in any war, hostilities have ceased. Any attacks on anybody else will, by necessity, be opposed by me. I am the god of protection, I protect anyone who needs it, even if I don't agree with their philosophies or ambitions.
You may have won the battle but not the war. You're right, I will not be attacking anyone... so I would listen well. The God of Protection will fight for anyone being attacked, even allies hehe.
(Xar: though posted in a public area, the following message is not for the eyes of Morgath.)
I shall be making use of this relatively peaceful turn to prepare for a campaign against the demons in the far south. If any of my fellow deities wishes to aid in this military effort, or can think of their own approach toward this threat, please get in touch so that we may organise ourselves against them.
Elfgirl wrote:Do not be so hasty, darlings. You forget that, as Goddess of Nature, both the oceans and the winds also respond to MY call...
I think you rise above your station, goddess. You are no Gaia, no deity of all the realm. Not yet, anyway. Be content with what you have. I have no cause to seek strife with you. Same for you, Thyddian. I do not offer alliances. Rather, I am only trying to caution that it behooves us all to work together, lest we become so embroiled in our petty squabbles that greater opportunity pass us by.
And Maeror speaks true. The demons must be addressed eventually. As we seek to strengthen our positions, be assured that they do so as well. And since it seems they don't have any troublemakers in their midst that would drain their own resources, it is reasonable to assume that they will come to the table with more leverage than any one of us would likely have. Think on it; if wind and sea and air move against them (Maeror, you could be the healing fire to complete the quartet), what hope could they have? I'm not exactly proposing anything, as this is mostly a hypothetical exercise. But think on it.
Besides, there's plenty to go around at this point without having to take eachother's stacks, isn't there?
"The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators."
-E. Gibbon
Darling Solus! At last, a voice of reason! You too, Maeror!
I agree that we should take this time of relative peace to take stock of the situation, and ascertain how best to serve our peoples. After all, a God or Goddess is only as great as their followers. They serve us for our benificence and protection, and we would all be amiss to neglect this duty. I also firmly believe that no man or woman or child should be denied the freedom to explore the credo of other deities. I let my children decide for themselves where their loyalties lie. Some have tried to lead an attack against the followers of Morgath, only to fail. Others look to me for guidance, and this I freely give. Like Love, Nature, Beauty and Majick are the province of all, and I deny none my gifts.
I am not trying to incite petty squabbles about who controls what. I merely stated that, as Goddess of Nature (yes, that is a kind of Gaia-like status, I'm afraid!) I will allow no evil to enter my forest. The majick that surrounds my realm is for the protection of both the forest and my people. If you desire counsel with me, or assistance, or war, I will know this. Your intentions are as visible to me as your countenance. Those who seek guidance or help will be allowed to pass safely. Any ill intent toward me, my people or my allies will be met with instant disintegration at the border of my realm. My darling Ryddi and his company have also set up a lot of those quaint "booby trap" thingies so those who would attempt subterfuge to gain entry will be foiled regardless. Those who come to me with no ill intent will gain safe paths through my realm.
I would be happy to join the fight against the demons in the south. This is what I stated before. My people will always oppose evil in all its forms, and are ready to take arms against any who would destroy the land and its peoples.
"Right away would be good. Right now would be better"
-- Nick Succorso OK, so what's the speed of dark?- Larry the Cable Guy
Thyddian: For now, I will not accept any alliances nor pledge my few troops to any war. I will focus on building my city and expanding the numbers of followers I have. I must commend myself for choosing to build Ai-Thyddian so far from the north as I can reasonably avoid being involved in any disputes.
I have only recently ascended to godhood, so I need time to assess things, and must spend all my efforts in assisting to the needs of my church.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
Bhakti wrote:It would seem that all ways of viewing life are illusory. If that is so, could there be a better lens - or perhaps it would be better to call it a distorting piece of broken glass - to view life through than Love?
Thyddian: The difference is that I want it to be my lens.
Indeed. Well, I will go about trying to achieve my illusion - spreading Love as far and wide as I can; and you try to achieve your illusion - absolute power. May Solus be with me!
I am the self-fulfilling prophecy. Give love, and you WILL receive love. Let your every answer, your every action and reaction, your every desire, be rooted in love.
Thyddian: Absolute power? Dear me, no! Power over others is against my way. For power is the implementation of laws, which goes against my way. I seek to reveal the ultimate truth that everything is illusion. To force people to behave - to obey - is like setting what is concrete - order, a system of rules. Illusion is opposite to this because it has no permanence. The unfettered realm of the imagination can birth any image, and indeed I have every reason to believe that the universe is the dream of a greater god. Laws restrict the force of pure creativity. Thus, power is the antithesis of illusion.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
And if one of your followers tries to impliment a law, seeking to compel others to obey - will you punish him for behaving in a manner that is contradictory to your way, or will you leave him to do as he please so as not to impliment a law yourself?
Those who are as nothing shall be raised above all others.
Movahl wrote:And if one of your followers tries to impliment a law, seeking to compel others to obey - will you punish him for behaving in a manner that is contradictory to your way, or will you leave him to do as he please so as not to impliment a law yourself?
I need no laws; I have a philosophy.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
I does not matter what form the destruction took. Nephirthos is the cause. In my case, a terrible, unnatural storm full of vile magical energies has fallen upon Ai-Bhakti, killing hundreds; the storm came from the north.
I am the self-fulfilling prophecy. Give love, and you WILL receive love. Let your every answer, your every action and reaction, your every desire, be rooted in love.
Thyddian: Ai-Thyddian escaped relatively unharmed, for how can meteors damage the city when half of it is imagery? And those buildings that were destroyed revealed that mere matter - stones and wood - is untenable. Thus, the shower served Thyddian's way.
Waddley wrote:your Highness Sir Dr. Loredoctor, PhD, Esq, the Magnificent, First of his name, Second Cousin of Dragons, White-Gold-Plate Wielder!
I told you. I am not at war anymore. You have no proof of who attacked you and an attemped to attack me would mean the good old God of Protection would have to protect me.
Murrin wrote:How am I expected to act when the information I recieve is so conflicted? What destroyed my temple: An earthquake, or a meteor shower?
It was the earthquake, which shook most of the continent, actually. The meteor shower is an added catastrophe, which also caused many deaths, but was not responsible for the destruction of the temple.
Also, I have decided to extend the deadline to tuesday, so Avatar, Argothoth and whoever else will be out for the weekend will be back by then. Given the situation, I think it's for the best.
You and I must get together and see what we can concoct against the malice and chaos of Nephirthos...! Here, love - have a beer with me! 
