In response, I Manifested to fight it. Simjen created a weapon/shield for me to use. The result:The Allfather wrote:One of your Forestals, the youngest of them, surpasses himself in an attempt to heal the damage dealt by the fires; a crucial doubt during the keystone of his song - as he senses something dark hidden beneath the ground - causes a monstrous aberration to rise from the earth instead of your normal vines and trees - the ground itself groans in pain and terror as the burned remains of charred trees and vines, the moldy remnants of whatever was buried beneath the ground, and dirt and soil itself rise in a lumbering shape, drawing the power of your hapless Forestal into their form. As soon as the first hints of what is happening reach your Forestal, he tries to stop himself, but the abomination latches onto him and leeches his power away before he can do anything about it. His body is crushed into a bloody pulp, its very blood drunk by the abomination's roots, feeding it and making it stronger. Vague, menacing glows that might be considered eyes turn towards Shakari's depths, and the lumbering thing begins to move towards that area, all the while gathering more and more rotting, burned mass into its form. By the time the other Forestals realize what is happening, the abomination already towers above the trees of Shakari, and its gurgling roar echoes for miles. The fires that seared the Forest still burn within the abomination's chest, and dragons fly in an attempt to stop it from devastating more of the forest. But the abomination's power is great; it has drained a Forestal of his might, and it is fueled by rage and pain. The first dragon to reach it battles valiantly, but in the end the abomination prevails, and grabs the dragon with an arm of rotting mold, draining it of blood and power, rejuvenating itself and growing ever stronger. More dragons fly in a desperate attempt to either overcome the abomination or at least slow it down, but their efforts seem to be doomed to failure, and with each drop of dragon blood or Forestal blood spilt on the ground, the abomination grows more powerful. It rampages through the forest, its might now great enough to strike fear even in the boldest Forestal, the most foolhardy Dragon.
At the same time, Simjen went into the Mists that circle the world, to meet a mysterious figure, who turned out the be the Allfather himself! Short story, we were all granted, iirc, five extra DRPs for the turn. Many gave at least some of that power to me. And so, Turn 14's results:The Allfather wrote:All creatures, including Wiri, Eileen, Adomorn's child of destiny, Anathar, the dragons and all others flee the Abomination, even as Thomirr flies to Shama to welcome your child. There, he is surprised to discover that Caroline - Jove's Prophet - is already there, apparently waiting to receive the child herself; upon the child's birth, he reports that the baby is a healthy boy, and that Vadhaka assigned a blind man and two Houka as his guards. He senses something strange in the way Caroline reacts to his presence, and is uneasy as he feels she is trying to keep the baby away from him. He expresses his doubts to you, and asks that you talk with Vadhaka to make sure nothing strange happens.
Simjen delivers to you the Herzwald, a beautiful shield with a red-blue heart embedded within it. It is a powerful symbol of Love. You wield it as you Manifest on Eiran, facing the Abomination and pouring your power into the Herzwald, showering the creature with Love and forest health. At first, the Abomination shrugs off the attack and advances towards you; then, suddenly, it seems that the attack is working - but not as expected. Rather than weakening or quieting itself, the Abomination writhes in rage, and seems to grow in strength; undaunted, you draw upon your power, the bond of love between you and Jove, and the source of the Abomination's power itself to stop its advance.
For a moment, the Abomination falters...
And then a great blow suddenly strikes you. Even as the Abomination falters, you suddenly feel hollow, as if a great source of Love were waning - and you realize, unbelieving, that it is Jove's Love for you that is waning. You don't know why, or how, but her Love for you is dying. In a flash of panic, you realize suddenly that she must have known - that this must be the reason why Caroline is behaving so strangely towards Thomirr in Shama. You realize that Caroline must know, that she knew it before you did! Mithyaat Vam's web of illusions concealed Jove very well - it concealed even her feelings, but now...
It is too late. Before you can recover, the Abomination regains its strength and advances upon you. With a cry of rage and inarticulate power, it grabs your Manifested form by the neck, and holds you high, slowly squeezing your divine life out of you. You feel its putrid, unnaturally strong fingers wrapped around your neck, preventing your form from un-Manifesting, slowly drawing your deific essence into itself. It is killing you - killing you, a feat beyond the power of the other gods!, and yet the hollowness within your chest which once was filled with Jove's love for you refuses to be denied...
Actually, my biggest regret in all three games so far is that I didn't disperse then. I wonder what Xar had in mind for me, player or character, if I had done that.The Allfather wrote:Love.
Love floods your weakening body, strengthening instead as rivers - no, oceans - of Love flow into your essence.
Argothoth's Love for your father, for you, for his allies, for knowledge.
Hedra Iren's Love for Eiran, which gave her the strength to live when the old world perished. Her Love for Simjen, and for her people.
Jove's Love for you above all, and for Zephyr (Hey, look!), for her followers, for wealth, for herself.
Adomorn's Love for his people, for the protection they provide to their loved ones.
Maeror's Love for their followers, for you, and for their child.
Mithyaat Vam's Love for her followers, for Murah and Seura, for the beauty and desire in the dreams of her brothers and sisters, for Vadhaka whom she Loves above all others, for her father Movahl and her mother Solina.
Norn's Love for you and for her daughter.
Simjen's brotherly Love for you, tinted with the protectiveness of fire, the strength of steel, and the spirit of the forge that makes things stronger after they have suffered the extremities of heat and forceful blows.
Vadhaka's Love for his sister and for his followers.
But wait! There is more! Even as your essence seems to burst with divine energy, impossibly MORE floods into you! Simjen's wish was cast into the Mists, and it was fulfilled; but even more, even beyond this, something momentous happens in the Pantheon even in your moment of direst need: a spark of Love - not mortal, but divine - blossoms into a blazing fire, the Love between two deities - between Simjen and Hedra Iren.
You were wrong. You were wrong, you realize, to think there was little Love left in the world. This Love could move mountains; it could create worlds; it could give life. No, you miscalculated the strength of this love. You are more than four times as powerful than you expected!
The Abomination cannot stand against a fully manifested, 36 DRP god. Even strengthened by Tsaloga's attack, it is still no match for you. Its hand is not choking you anymore; it melts in the radiance of the Love you manifest. You are beyond the might of any god that ever lived. You need not even raise Herzwald against the Abomination: with a pained shriek of frustration and rage, the pure radiance that emanates from you causes it to burn and explode, vaporizing its hate within the greater power of your Love. Its shrieks echo for one more instant, and then vanish, even as the power it stole from you floods you back, restoring you.
With this might, nothing is beyond your power. You smile on Shakari, and the devastation wrought by the Abomination, and by the great fire, is healed. Trees are healed of their wounds and their sickness. Vast swaths of forest, where once the fire and the meteor shower slaughtered your trees, are healed, as if both the meteor shower and the fire - and the Abomination - never happened. The forest is made healthy by the power of your smile and your Love.
You turn your gaze to Nor Yekith and Melirelle; for all the power they wield, right now they are nothing compared to you.
You are everywhere. You see Zephyr through the eyes of Thomirr. You can stretch your hand and touch Khenstorn. You can turn your eyes on Nor Pupae and pierce the shadows of Yekith. You could bless the entire world with Love, if you so wished.
And then you realize a choice is ahead of you. With so much power, you are beyond the gods. Soon, the power will disperse, and you will return to your proper station, but right now, you can do anything. And there is much to be done. A choice is in front of you: to return to your station, or to disperse. To embrace Eiran in Love forever, even though this means you will permeate all of Eiran, and abandon the Pantheon. Doing this, you will give every living being a gift of Love.
The choice is yours.
