Forum of the Gods

[[Syl]]

After long eons of silence, it came to pass that The Interdict—which some call the Will of Simon but others merely see as a time that there were no gods—was lifted. The gods could once again speak to each other and exercise their will upon the new world called Pahlia. Some names the gods used were familiar to the scions of Eiran, having heard them or names much like them in the folklore of their people. Others were newer names, only ever heard in Pahlia's recent history.

And while the ways and whims of the gods remain mysterious, their gaze was felt across Pahlia. People have started to declare particular gods saviors or leaders of the new age, offering prayers for their intercession in mortal affairs and paying tribute in secret rituals to their divine status.

No mortal can say if the gods speak truly, but this scroll stands as a divinely inspired testament to their words and purported deeds.

COLU

Domains: Time
Divine Rank: 1

ILLUME ELTANIN

Domains: Light
Divine Rank: 1

THE NUMEN

Domains: Knowledge
Divine Rank: 1

PANDO
Domains: Gifts
Divine Rank: 1

PRIAM

Domains: Fate
Divine Rank: 1

TERRET

Domains: Luck
Divine Rank: 1

[Colu]

I've been waiting an eternal moment for this Time.

[Priam]

It was meant to be that they turn to us.

[The Numen]

The Numen have arisen. We are Knowledge, as we have always been. The Numen know all that is known, and all that is knowable. We, along with our brethren, will shepherd the souls of Pahlia.

[Colu]

Most unfortunate. Well, there will be more opportunities, in Time.

[Priam]

We will all get the souls that are destined to come to us, my brothers. No more, no less.

[Priam]

And so, I awaken. It was Time, really. He did as he must, as we all must - follow the path before us, every bend, every hill and valley. It was Fate that compelled him whether he admits it or not. Time rushes ahead of Destiny. Destiny follows and leads Time simultaneously. That is fine. I do not mind. I am what I am and none can gainsay me although Destiny can be changeable as suits my mood or situation. Yet, even that is pre-determined and will not be denied.

In times of great joy, people have praised Destiny and in times of woe, others have damned my name. I can be a beginning and an end. The course of events cannot escape my direction. I am the agency of all that happens, whether good or bad. It is my nature. I command everything that is to happen and I am responsible for every history that was. Past, present and future has felt my touch.

Every life is mine to bear.

[Terret]

Terret.

Terret Two-Face.

God of the hairsbreadth. God of the fine line.

Patron of those moments when all hangs in the balance. When fortunes, lives, even empires rise or fall with equal ease, of those moments when only the staunchest heart can refrain from a silent prayer for favour, or for disregard.

On such moments turns the destiny of Gods and mortals alike. For the winds of change blow in both directions.

[Pando]

So, here we are. What great works lie ahead of us, I wonder? Oh, what gifts we shall bring! The people must be joyous to receive us.

We are all a blessing unto them, each of us ourselves a gift to this world. It is only right that it should be so.

[Illume Eltanin]

Yesterday, my siblings and I were merely the children of Light and honor, Song and steadfastness, Healing and fortitude, Birth and strength. We Journeyed over on the Arc and had grown to love Pahlia and her inhabitants during the Homesteading.

The stories of our parents and their home grew dim as our caretakers went the way of most mortals. The memories of their voices and their teachings grew ever fainter over the years.

Today, as the spark of divinity I was born with makes itself known, I find myself the keeper of Mother's first blessing to the worlds: Light! I know not of the fates of my siblings; Gryphon and Aliyah felt more at home among full dragon kind when they finally reached adolescence. I and my other siblings heard from them rarely.

Light is all encompassing. My siblings are still here; I would know if they were not. Yet, I know not if their own divinity has developed, whether for good or ill.

The time has come for me to nourish Pahlia in the warmth and brightness of Light. Come, my children. Let the dawn of a new age Light our lives together.

[Colu]

Where is it!!!!!!

[The Numen]

You will have to be more specific, Colu. We know where many things are, but we do not know which thing you seek.

[Colu]

Apologies. Linear is difficult.





Ah, the destruction...

[Priam]

Calm yourself, Colu. it will come all in good time.

heheheheheh

[Illume Eltanin]

[Pando]

The rich have much to give to the world, and Sybil Mallatus, of the city of Empahna in central Pahnia, is a very rich woman. Having inherited her mothers' vast fortune, generated through the family silk trading business, she had proceeded to sell off or give away every part of it that was not part of the business itself. In Empahna now exist over a dozen institutions founded on behalf of the Mallatus estate. Sybil has created schools, clinics, shelters, and food storehouses, and kept only a modest portion for her own upkeep. A little eccentric, for sure, but she has given everything for those less fortunate than herself. I find myself quite drawn to her, such a charitable soul, and with the will and means to give so much more...

So if I must choose a place to begin, then I shall choose her. My first gift: Knowledge. Of the gods; of my gaze watching over this world; of my esteem for her and the work she has done. The knowledge that there is much more work to do.

Yes, this will make a fine beginning.

[Priam]

And so Priam came to Pahnia and found the place that appealed most to him - the ocean along the western coastline. He walked along the sandy shore, seeing the different shades of white, cream, tan, brown, black and green in the granules beneath his feet. The sun warmed his face and the wind lifted his hair, creating a halo of white around his head. Gotwits watched as he passed, running on sticks into the shallow surf, foraging in the wet sand for clams that make bubbles blowing the sea water out of their nests. Overhead the gulls croaked as they rode the wind, hovering in one spot above the water until suddenly, diving for a fish.

The crash of the waves pleased Priam and he looked down as his feet sunk into the soft, grainy sand. Fascinated by what he saw, he reached down and took a handful of the stuff and watched as it ran through his fingers. He stooped down and picked up and picked up another handful of sand. He caught it in one hand and then the other, transferring it back and forth.

And something amazing began to happen....

[Colu]

Yes. It did work out. It is good.

[Colu]

I am becoming rooted.

[Terret]

Uncounted time has passed, and now, creeping across Pahlia from somewhere, the feeling, the suspicion, perhaps even a certain knowledge that pleas to a previously unheeding, uncaring universe may somehow find answer.

Is this a new idea? An old idea that has somehow become new again? Nobody knows. But in unusual quarters, in tired sinks where strange wagers are offered and taken, in dark corners where the desperate plot for freedom or gain or power, wherever the future rests on the fickle tides of chance, a new name is being whispered.

A name that, correctly uttered, the faithful believe may turn that tide, avert the feared outcome, even encourage the hoped for one.

"Terret, watch me," they say, or almost as often, "Terret, turn away."

For chance is blind, and miracles may be ill aspected as well as good. And sometimes, just sometimes, the hand of fate may be subject to...a judicious nudge.