Pantheon - The Third Age - Game Thread

[Eugen Razvan]

OK, now it's my turn. I didn't attack anybody this time around, but here we go! I could let you four decide who I should kill. Okay, granted, I would be surprised if I can actually kill any of you in a single season. Better to say, who should I seriously harm this season? The method I have in mind would be poetic justice if used against Yek.

Oh, I am waiting for how you retaliate, Zephyr. Believe me, I am very much entertained by the idea of it.

[Madadeva]

...besides, a domain does not deserve to be wielded by one who does not even know what all it encompasses. As far as I know, Health may yet be available for you to strive for. My domain is the one of Healing. After all, there is both Song and Music domains in this experiment. Why not both Health and Healing? It would be nice to enhance your efforts in the domain of Health in whatever way I can via Healing.

Hmmmm ... you have an interesting proposition. Since Health would be the superior of Healing as it is permitted through the access to Health!

Very well ... do you give oath that you will SUPPORT my assumption of the Domain of Health? I will then allow you to continue access in healing.

[Zephyr]

*sigh* I knew it. I hoped you had, as promised, spoken your last words to me, Yek. But, really, why would any being have hundreds of mouths if not to hear himself talk at every conceivable opportunity?

In any event, my Prophet will have your rock dismantled momentarily. Would you like the pieces returned, or should we just throw them out?

Oh, and please do thank your boss for the pretty little sun! My Trees have never been happier! Any chance he'll agree to withdraw all sunlight in the upcoming season? I'd really like a chance to test my preparations for that!



Honestly, you fools are too much! I'm a third generation deity on Eiran. Both of my parents were deities here, as were both of my father's. You think we haven't been preparing for the likes of you clowns?

But very well, it shall be you, wormy! Since you're so eager to see how I'll retaliate! Now where did I put that bow and arrow...

[O-gon-cho]

...besides, a domain does not deserve to be wielded by one who does not even know what all it encompasses. As far as I know, Health may yet be available for you to strive for. My domain is the one of Healing. After all, there is both Song and Music domains in this experiment. Why not both Health and Healing? It would be nice to enhance your efforts in the domain of Health in whatever way I can via Healing.

Hmmmm ... you have an interesting proposition. Since Health would be the superior of Healing as it is permitted through the access to Health!

I believe you have that backwards, mil-rd, as a specific domain is always more powerful in that area than the general domain that encompasses it. For instance, my own domain of Light could over come the light of the Sun, if I so desired, and if other arrangements had not already been discussed in that regards.

...but I digress.

Very well ... do you give oath that you will SUPPORT my assumption of the Domain of Health? I will then allow you to continue access in healing.

Again, for one who seems to look disparagingly upon the power of the AllFather, you seem mighty willing to put confidence in Oaths. For now this is all hypothetical, as I initially said, I know not if Health is available as a domain. But we ARE g-ds, so why not? If you find such is available for you to grab, approach me again. I see no reason to not support your assumption of Health, if available. But as to whether I would take an oath to that effect, we will cross that bridge as we come to it.

[Madadeva]

Bah! You prattle! Your oath would be to ME; not the AllFather!

I do find it interesting that you believe you could extinguish the light of the Sun god! *laughs* It would be interesting to see if he agrees!!

I do wonder though ... the taste of the life force of the Sentinel Raven was sweet to me; I wonder how I will enjoy drake!! We will see ...

[O-gon-cho]

Bah! You prattle! Your oath would be to ME; not the AllFather!

As if an Oath to YOU is worth the time it takes to say it!

I do find it interesting that you believe you could extinguish the light of the Sun god! *laughs* It would be interesting to see if he agrees!!

*men*

This seems to be the season for my words to be twisted.

I did not say I could extinguish the light of the Sun, but could overcome it. Meaning, with enough power, effort and concentration I could turn it to whatever purpose I wish . There is a difference. And the subject has already been addressed between those it concerns. I hold true to my words in such agreements.

I do wonder though ... the taste of the life force of the Sentinel Raven was sweet to me; I wonder how I will enjoy drake!! We will see ...

You do remind me of the primal one that was here last Age...
...let me guess...
"Tastes like chicken!" can't be far from your mind...

[Eugen Razvan]

I am announcing my intention to join the Sunset Court.

[Eugen Razvan]

Sololth uncoiled from the transport beast as it came to rest beneath the tower near the center of the flesh and stone city of Aytham. As the hulking, thousand pound mass of muscle and fur crawled away to a feeding pit, which were curiously far away from here, the Yekith glanced up. The stone tower was gray and featureless apart from a single flag atop a lofty pinnacle. Although the sky above was smothered by the purple eldritch radiance of Nor Yekith, the light that fell upon it seemed clear and colourless. Sololth looked to either side and saw the guest quarters, which were elaborate mansions with covered windows. The entrance faced a large courtyard where transport beasts were tethered to sealed carriages. The Yekith could see diplomats of the Void entering one of the heavy wagons, before it sped away to the distant port.

He clutched his maw mandibles in a sign of frustration, recalling that only an hour ago he had disembarked off a sailing vessel. For a year he was in Malyth, as part of the envoy group to the serpent god, Eztlicoatl. A missive had been sent to return to Nytitha at once and speak with Lord Molos Khul, Nor Yekith's odd Minister of Foreign Relations.

Ignoring how tired he felt, he slithered across the courtyard to large iron doors. Above them, written in second age language was the word 'Anachronism', which was the name of the tower and the guest quarters, and as the rumours went, also what Lord Khul was called the God of Mutation's followers. Sololth recalled that, factually, the lord was politically brilliant and incredibly dangerous.

Some moments later, some Houka servants answered the door and escorted him upward through the tower and into an austere chamber with a tall ceiling. Behind tall seats there was a large clockwork orrery at the centre of the room. Lord Khul had turned one of the seats around to face the mechanical device so he could toy with a display of worlds that orbited a copper star. There were no else in the room, and without looking the foreign minister raised a hand and signaled the houka to leave.

When the feline servants closed the doors behind them, Sololth slithered to one side of the chamber to get a better look at the figure. Lord Khul was a tall and ascetic-looking man dressed in unpretentious noble attire. "So the rumours were true," the yekith said bluntly. "You are a human."

Lord Khul adjusted a comet that sat atop a delicate needle of brass and raised an eyebrow. "Correction; I am a yekith, like you, that forged himself into the form of a human. Do you honestly think that my task would be any easier if I remained in our natural form? We have to face facts and accept them: Eiran abhors Nor Yekith. I have heard Amplarx's priests speak of our people as an abomination, Koel's followers barely contain their abhorrence, even Mox shows me the oft-revealed truth of humour being a necessity for revulsion. Therefore, diplomacy has adopted the art of aesthetics."

There was a moment of silence as Sololth considered the use of the term 'forged'. "I disagree; Silister Oord, I and many others have ventured into other lands on our lord's orders to make alliances. The Eclipse Alliance was established from the efforts of unaltered yekiths."

"Incorrect." Lord Khul slowly pushed the comet towards one of the copper worlds as he spoke. "Your group mainly acted as signs of good will. Our lord directly contacted the gods of the alliance. Besides, you would not be required to alter your shape for the serpent god's followers for they look like us. I rather think they are descendants of yekiths. The Void's followers are an enlightened bunch who do not take offence easily, and Calais and the storm god have followers that seem eager to accept us.

"Essentially, my role," he looked up at Sololth, "is to present a human face to the rest of the pantheon."

"Why doesn't our god do that work? That is, save the effort of sending messages across sea and land, save all the effort in providing normality," the Yekith indicated the chamber with a sweep of a mandible, "to diplomats in the Anachronism."

"Because he is not interested." He resumed playing with the orrery, finally moving the comet against a world. "There is only thing on His mind, and that is a paradise. Almost all of his efforts go towards that. An architect who plans and then directs the construction of a utopia does not often deign to act as a messenger."

Lord Khul leaned back in his chair and stared into space. "I am his messenger. May I presume that your role is similar? At least that is what my . . . informants tell me."

"My apologies." The yekith bowed its head and splayed the mandibles surrounding its maw. "I should have said immediately that I am here to inform you that the war against Zephyr is not going to plan. Marshal Nagatar Haarsh has asked me to tell you that the Eclipse Alliance's attack has done poorly, and for you to send a message to the Hidden . . . " His voice trailed off when he noticed the foreign minister grinning.

"The war is not going to plan, you say? That the attack has performed poorly? My dear fellow, what choice of words! Precisely the opposite has occurred; we have done extremely well."

Sololth, regretting so as he did, blurted out, "but Zephyr seemed unperturbed!"

"If you mean the laughter; the god acts more like a teenager than a deity, and is oft impulsive. But he is astute at times. One would hardly expect him to mewl like a child after he lost cities and many followers, for that would be a sign of weakness which he cannot afford. He needs to show strength for his own people, his sense of pride, and to his allies."
"The marshal presumed he had assistance; how else could he have survived the attack?"

"Zephyr survived the assault because the alliance essentially told him how it would occur. No one would have foreseen our lord using the comet as a weapon, but mutagenic energy was its secondary element and threats were made to mutate Shaldir. Eztlicoatl had made his threats public. The element of surprise was consequently lost. He likely could have spent all his godly powers on his defence specifying what was needed, and not required much assistance. However, all this besides the point."

"What is the point?"

"You could say, what are the points." He grinned again and raised three slim fingers. "The first point is that the god of forests was damaged, and significantly damaged. We destroyed cities and his followers, so in that regard we have earned a victory. We forced him to use much needed power, and now because he is at war he will continue to exhaust power to defend himself. The marshal's forces will soon launch their attack, I assume. Which is not to speak for how the alliance will act."

Lord Khul now had two fingers raised. "Second point. We have shown to the rest of the pantheon that the Eclipse Alliance is prepared to act upon its word. Zephyr threatened us, and we retaliated. Accordingly, other deities will rethink their actions against us.

"Last, and most importantly, it has transformed utterly the state of play on Eiran."

Sololth pursed his maw in a sign of curiosity. "State of play? What do you mean?"

"I am sure uKulwa is aware of what this attack has done, although if he were an historian he should have anticipated how everything would change. In the Second Age, our lord transformed a continent from afar and in so doing destabilised political balances, leading him to be attacked."

"You are referring to the formation of alliances following the war on Zephyr, and the war between uKulwa and O-gon-Cho?"

"To some extent, yes," the tall figure nodded. "However, I also refer to the fact that wars are now fought from afar and are attacks are largely instantaneous. Armies are redundant, since what use is sending a fleet of sailing ships and their attendant supply vessels and lines, and waiting months for them to reach an entrenched target when our god can call down a mutagenic rock from the heavens above?"

Sololth regarded the orrery with renewed interest. "Yes, I see your point. Our lord said he once passed a dead planet, where fiery metal arrows that could fly high above continents and where they landed they blossomed into immense fires that scoured the land and poisoned the earth for eons. He said that wars were over in an instant, and not one soldier raised a sword, yet everyone fell to the ground dead."

Lord Khul grasped the copper world with his hand and stared at the far wall intently. "It will be like that for our enemies. Now, I have prepared a number of messages for our allies and potential allies. Would you be so kind to assist me in taking some scrolls to the docks and tasking the fastest corsairs to distribute them? The last message however, will be the most difficult to send, and for that I request you deliver it in person given your talents."

"I am no courier, Anachronism."

The lord raised an eyebrow. "No, you are not. You are an envoy, and a document is not enough to ask of Him an alliance. Your political acumen is sufficient, and for that reason alone I ask of you to take the golden scroll."

Sololth considered it for several minutes. He was about to refuse until Lord Khul produce a number of documents from within his vest and hand them to him. After reading a gilt-bordered document with amber-ink, and upon seeing who it was written for, he changed his mind.

"Excellent," the foreign minister said calmly. "As you can see, one is to go to the Sunset Court. Another, to Eztlicoatl. Two are to go our lord's hidden allies; be careful uttering their names aloud for who knows who is listening. Finally, you are to deliver the last, in person, to Argothoth."

Lord Khul then clapped his hands sharply, and two Houka servants entered carrying a tray and a whimpering puppy. "I must seal the scrolls with wax."

The servants placed the tray on the other chair, lit a candle and then left the chamber. The foreign minister leaned forward and picked up a lump of crimson wax. With one hand he held the wax over the flame so that it melted and dripped into a silver bowl, and the other hand held the squirming puppy. When the bowl was filled with wax, Lord Khul broke the puppy's neck, cut its throat with a knife and allowed the blood to run into the bowl. He then mixed the blood and wax. The documents were rolled up neatly, and some of the mixture was placed on the scroll before the seal of Nor Yekith was then applied to the cooling wax. Within ten minutes, it was complete.

Lord Khul handed the scrolls to Sololth. "I trust you will make haste to the docks, my friend. I would offer you some fine wine and good company, but I must entertain Calais' priests. Unfortunately, I have blood on my sleeve, so I must now change. Will you excuse me?"

He indicated the door, and the Yekith soon slithered out of the chamber. The lord returned to his seat and resumed playing with the orrery. "I must admit, my lord, that I find this political game incredibly fascinating. Do you think they all heard?"

Of course they did, Nor Yekith said. The orrery makes an excellent transmitter to the ether, being that it represents the worlds beyond.

"Sololth will be dead within a week. He made the error of advising you to threaten Zephyr with mutating his lands and people, which resulted in a weakened attack. Although I am concerned mentioning Argothoth will drawn unwanted attention from the pantheon towards us. The god or his followers will kill the Yekith, that much will work."

The orrery, Lord Khul.

"My apologies, My Lo-"

[Madadeva]

ENOUGH!! I have thought on events and now ACTION is needed!

One evening as you and Tireela are walking separately around the newly founded Tireelnan, overseeing its development, your First Paragon is attacked from the shadows by a mysterious figure which appears to somehow be immune to the layers of protection you cast upon Halym and upon the Paragons themselves! A strange, eerie silence surrounds them as Tireela defends herself valiantly and lands a few blows, but the attacker appears not to be seriously hampered and he eventually overpowers her, slashing her throat and cutting off her head, which it puts into a black sack. You perceive the death of Tireela and hasten to avenge her, but by the time you arrive the attacker has gone, leaving behind only her headless body...

Lord of Vengeance, I call upon you, as recognition of my services past rendered, to help me find and wreak vengeance on the being who has dared to slay both my Prophet and High Priest.

Allies and those of you who have been wronged by this assassin, I call upon you to lend me support this next Turn to wreak OUR collective vengeance on the perpetrator.

Perhaps the assasin was sent by the cowardly AllFather who dared not battle openly! *fuming!* The fact that the assassin was able to ignore Life's Protections which are significant, demonstrate he, she, or it has some divine backing.

Whomever is behind this muder, the demise of my prophet, and the successful attacks on so many others will lose LIFE's gift PAINFULLY!! I would grant the soul to DEATH if my Sister guarantees this soul will live in PAIN eternal (perhaps aided by Sister Keev!)

Who will join me? With POWER? With attacks of their own!! Send me your messages privately if you fear public declaration. Those of you who do not join me; I look for you to avow that you have no knowledge of or influence on this assasin. I ask this ... humbly ... that I may not incorrectly focus my ire and that of my allies on the innocent!

*bows; still shaking with ANGER*

[Zephyr]

My condolences, Life. I had tried to piece together information on the various Prophet slayings in the past. Several shared information with me, some very specific. Alas, when I asked for permission to share this knowledge in public, none responded. And it seems I am, sorry to say, not smart enough to find anything worthwhile in the clues.

[Arcadia]

God of Life, note that the death of your prophet is a loss I myself have experienced, along with my mother, Jove.

This same Shadow took the heart of my prophet years ago. Now, it takes the head of your prophet.

I ask the Pantheon: Who else has suffered this Shadow?

A heart from one, a head from another. Could this Shadow be building a creature of its own using the bodies of our prophets?

I would dearly love to have this Shadow dealt with once and for all.

Deva, what do you suggest?

[O-gon-cho]

Those of you who do not join me; I look for you to avow that you have no knowledge of or influence on this assasin. I ask this ... humbly ... that I may not incorrectly focus my ire and that of my allies on the innocent!

I will avow I have no knowledge of or influence on these assassins, other than what has already been publicly shared, on my own word. I make no other vow with the limits set upon making an AllFather Oath. I am willing to make a Court Oath, as there is nothing pending on me in my Court to see the need to make an Oath in the future, but know not if you would trust the Master of my Court to enforce a penalty should I be deceptive. But I am not known for being a deity of deception...

That said, without knowing of the circumstances of each of the slayings, unlike Zephyr, I will remind all that we all know there are two different beings slaying prophets, and one of them has been confirmed as a L-rd of Eiran. Who or what the other may be, I have no idea. But, I will reinforce Zephyr's appeal to make the methods of slayings public. Perhaps they were done in ways that we could use to determine which slayer killed which prophet and we could attempt to make educated guesses as to why from such shared information.

One thing interesting is it seems such slayings of prophets or important followers no longer merits worldwide note, as I have heard privately of prophets slain that have not been mentioned elsewhere, and Devaguhya's First Paragon seemed not to have been mentioned as well, except by Deva himself.

[Madadeva]

I have a plan. I will send it to the Mistress of the Sunrise Court, Master of Sunset, and others that can help. Discussion openly might alert the wrong divine eyes!

[Madadeva]

One request I make: forbearance for ALL hostilities against other Panteon dieties for at least this coming season. No attack or counter attacks. I propose that we ALL focus on ridding ourselves of these annoyances!

Let's see if they can handle the full might of a Pantheon united!!

*chuckles* There will be enough time to handle our traditional conflicts after these assassins are eliminated.

I have contacted many already. Those of you not contacted have not been left out, my thoughts simply have not been able to conceive of how you would attack. If you want to participate, please let me know if you will lend power ... or have a specific vector of attack you want to suggest!

[Madadeva]

Well, it does not seem that we will all be united.

Further, it seems that the primary assassin may be one of the Lords of Eiran ... or should I say "lap dogs" of the AllFather!!

So be it! Many are willing to aid me, and are not cowed by the power of this cowardly assassin. We will see how he fairs our combined might!

[Zephyr]

Further, it seems that the primary assassin may be one of the Lords of Eiran ... or should I say "lap dogs" of the AllFather!!

Indeed. I know of at least three Prophets who were killed by the Unseen One. Including Tireela. Her head was taken, and Calais' Prophet's heart was taken. I was told that nothing at all was removed from the third.


It is also known that, from time to time, the mists whisper words that we all hear. Three seasons ago, some of the words whispered were:

...there are rumors that at least one deity has managed to make contact with the elusive Lords of Eiran, and gleaned a vague idea about their ultimate purpose.

Of course, we cannot know if the Unseen One's harvesting is part of this ultimate purpose or not, but I hope some connections can be made by one or more of us.

[Anaya]

Further, it seems that the primary assassin may be one of the Lords of Eiran ... or should I say "lap dogs" of the AllFather!!

Though I cannot claim to understand their purpose, I do not believe that the Lords of Eiran are the "lap dogs" of the All-Father. Indeed, I am not even certain that they share a common purpose and if they do, that each would approve of the steps the others have taken to achieve that purpose.

[Madadeva]

Lord of Eiran! BAH!! A God of the COSMOS calls you out Unseen One *sneers* You will see if you can survive Life's attack when my support is withdrawn. Do you even have the courage to acknowledge your attacks. Or will you remain cowardly in the shadows!!? Hidden like the AllFather, embarrased by your collective failures!!

[Arcadia]

I would have it known to the Pantheon that I have decided to remove myself from the Eclipse Alliance. The Alliance has been of no benefit to me nor has my presence been of benefit to it. This is no reflection on the members of the Alliance it is just that Mother Earth must follow her own path.

The House of Bhakti has beckoned to me and my return to it is immediate. My father's LOVE cannot be purged and I now embrace it wholeheartedly. Calais is a Bhakti-Jovian, pure and simple.

Brother Zephyr,I can now openly proclaim our alliance as I weary of this sham mantle of darkness. May the grace of our parents bring me swiftly back into the wealth of love of my family.

[Zephyr]

Well, we had some fun there, didn't we, sis? As if the children of Jove and Bhakti could possibly be enemies!