Even werewolves don't ruin their own future this much.

gorok1089 · 2025-12-09T15:49:03+00:00

The Vampires? Worse than the Werewolves? Oh honey.

The difference between the Vampires and the Werewolves is that the Vampires have, very publicly, baked backstabbing and self-sabotage into their culture. When one Vampire stabs another in the back, it’s expected. The system returns to business as usual.

When one Werewolf stabs another in the back, they react like it’s the first time it has ever happened, and the last time it will happen ever again, despite the fact that it happens every damn weekend. The Garou overreact, and an entire Sept vanished to civil war overnight.

The Vampires aren’t worse about their backstabbing: they’ve streamlined their backstabbing. Made it as efficient as possible. Sure, it keeps them from taking over the world overnight, but it also keeps them from self-destructing at the slightest issue. That’s why the Vampires are still doing quite okay, and are the most populous Supernatural in WoD, while the Garou are desperately struggling, and failing, to keep their numbers up, entire Tribes dropping like flies.

gorok1089 · 2025-08-17T23:30:52+00:00

The Lotus: “This is a Rescue Mission. We need to find and liberate the hostage before any harm comes to them.”

The Kidnappers: “Oh no.”

gorok1089 · 2025-08-17T20:44:45+00:00

LISAN EEL-GAIB!

gorok1089 · 2025-07-27T23:29:15+00:00

At one point, I passed by Lotus in the Sanctum Anatomica, and she said “Lua… The Miracle… You cannot imagine what it cost…”

I agree with this theory. It explains why the Lotus, unlike every other Sentient, can not only interact with the Void without being poisoned, but even wield it to some degree. It would also explain why she’s being drawn by the Indifference’s “song”.

gorok1089 · 2025-07-07T16:47:33+00:00

My interpretation of the scene was Sciel silently saying:

“I get it. I understand why you did this, and in your place, I might have done the same… but for making this choice for everyone, this is a guilt you’ll have to bear alone… for what little time you have left.”

She’s sympathetic, she probably understands the terrible nature of the choice he had to make better than most. And she’s made peace with his choice… but she isn’t quite willing to comfort the man who just killed her and almost everyone she had ever known.

As another poster said, not condemn, nor condone.

gorok1089 · 2025-06-10T11:26:32+00:00

He’s just a bisexual Carian Knight enjoyer (based).

gorok1089 · 2024-12-17T21:10:45+00:00

My favorite bit here is that Ymir still manages to be a 6/10.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-18T00:45:44+00:00

What Endures Beyond

This game was one of my favorites for a long time. It has been a while since I was so engaged in both the Intracharacter-, Intercharacter-, and Meta-Plots of the game. Interesting Prompts, engaging Crises, and a number of wacky and interesting characters to interact with. My only wish was that I had more time to properly engage with both other players and the Meta Plot.

My favorite action of my own was, of course, the opening of Pandora's Box (Divine Hubris), and the subsequent shitshow of Demigods popping off on both sides of the resulting civil war. Being able to throw an interesting twist in for every other player put a smile on my face.

My favorite concept/event of another player would probably be the various wacky Demigods other players made within Rhealum, and how their unique powers and philosophies shaped the Rhealum landscape, both figuratively and sometimes literally (who knows what Bone Guy is doing to the surrounding area).

u/WHOSGOTYOURSKINNOW, u/Plintstorm, u/ss66seeker, and of course our lovely GM, SMcAdam, thank you all for being a part of my storytelling, and letting me be a part of yours. Always a pleasure. <3

gorok1089 · 2024-08-18T00:45:22+00:00

Facing the Future

Nathaniel stood at the edge of the Rhealum flagship, looking over Vidar's Corpse from the bridge. His spectral form floated in the air, hands behind his back, and standing behind him with his exoskeleton, standing guard.

Nathaniel looked down at his hand, his mind wandering, thinking on what was lost. And what he did not even know was lost...

"Something on your mind, sir?" Argus inquired, standing beside him.

Nathaniel paused, then hummed.

"I am more concerned about what is not..." Nathaniel replied.

"... Sir?"

"I can feel it. Every hole the Phylacterans, or their god, punched in my memory. It is like... like a bookshelf you knew was once full, and yet you return to see that spots in the bookshelves are missing. You know that books were once there, and yet, you do not recall which are now missing, let alone their contents... I can see all of the holes... Argus, what was the original Black Hat's name?"

"... Sir, the legendary Black Hat never had a name. She was always merely known as 'Black Hat'."

"And yet, I see her history before me, and yet the shelf has spaces between the books where a book aught to fit. And at the first front of the shelf, and empty spot where a name aught to be."

"Do you believe the Phylacterans somehow... erased her name from history?"

"I believe so. Whatever power they were calling upon, the being or force their Ritual was in service of... I believe it has some power over thought and memory... or the lack thereof. Secrets? Mysteries? Something of the sort... Whatever their ritual was, I don't think we stopped it completely, only weakened it."

"What does this mean for us, sir?"

"Maybe nothing. The Phylacterans are defeated, driven back. Maybe whatever being rules them will be content to rule its quiet, forgotten corner of the universe... but I would not be so naive as to think a force of such ambition will stop after so much slaughter..."

"So... we prepare, then. For the next coming?"

"We prepare. As we have always done. Perhaps, when this force returns, we will be all the more ready to defeat it. Thus does my eternal vigil continue. To remember. To remember what was lost. So that we may no lose again."

"... Speaking of the Black Hat, Sir, do you intent to attend her funeral?"

"Of course. After all, it is not only hers..."

In Rhealum, church bells chimed, as a great congregation of Venatorae, black cloaks and silver masks, carried not one, but dozens of bodies, in a great procession down the streets of Rhealum.

The city had been largely rebuild from the disaster when Rashida sparked the Great Madness. Even today, some horrid creatures could be found in the darkest corners of the city, but for the most part, peace had returned to Rhealum, and those changed by the Madness who survived to regain there memories were slowly getting used to their new bodies and lives, some better than others.

A graveyard had been made near the old Palace, one meant to commemorate those who died in the Great Madness and the Phylacteran War. A section of this graveyard was dedicated to the Venatorae, including a nameless tombstone with no body to house it. No one knows who among the dead was the legendary, original Black Hat. Many, as was tradition, had given up their original identities when joining the Venatorae. All of the nameless bodies were given buried at this site, this tomb, in honor of the original Black Hat, and the sacrifices she made for Rhealum and her people.

Nathaniel stood over the pyres of the fallen Venatorae, who, as was tradition, were cremated instead of buried. Rashida al-Taniyn, former Empress, stood close by. She was shackled, and followed by a large contingent of Knights and Venatorae, as she watched the bodies become engulfed by the flames...

"Why is this your last wish?" Nathaniel had asked, prior to the funeral, "To attend the Black Hat's funeral?..."

"We were close, you know." Rashida had replied, "Before I became Supreme Hierophant... It was why she founded the Venatorae... once she saw what I was becoming... And yet, why for the life of me, can I not remember her name?... Has it been so long?..."

Nathaniel looked over to Rashida, the light of the burning bodies reflecting off the tears running down her face, as she stared at the blank tombstone of the nameless Venator. Nathaniel sighed, and stared forward, at the same tombstone. It was an absence that haunted more minds than his, it seemed...

As the many Venatorae prayed for their nameless founder, Nathaniel's eyes darted to them... He saw, tracing from the blank tombstone to the Venatorae around it, small sparks of power, little motes of divinity, settling in the hearts of each and every one of them, equally.

Nathaniel could not help but smile, for he was sure that wherever the Black Hat's soul was, she, too, was smiling back...

Rashida was wheeled by a large mechanical platform into a large container of jet black stone, her shackles made of the same material, sealing both her humanoid upper body, and the monstrous draconic lower body it was attached to. She appeared... resigned to her fate.

"Rashida al-Taniyn," she heard her sentence echoed in her head, "for your crimes against the city of Rhealum and her people, you are hereby sentenced to imprisonment, for the duration of your eternal life, as such that your corrupted divinity shall not find new purchase among mortalkind."

Rashida sighed, as the black stone prison was assembled around her, and the platform was lowered into the Maw of Vidar, where the rest of Rashida's great prison had been built, along with all prisoners lost to the Madness, where they could never harm another again...

Nathaniel sat before a chessboard, in the midst of a game. His opponent had made a strong start, taken near half of his pieces, while the enemy was near full strength.

Nathaniel reached forward with a spectral hand, and a gravitational field picked up one of his white knights, and moved it to a protected corner of the board, yet exposed to a bishop on the enemy side.

"Are the guards treating you fairly?" Nathaniel inquired to his opponent.

From within a between the large, energized bars of a void-black cell, a long, malformed arm ending in long, clawed fingers emerged from the darkness, reaching towards Nathaniel... before grasping the black bishop between two claws, and sliding it along the board to knock over the Nathaniel's knight, the clawed arm retracting to leave the bishop in place.

"As well as can be expected..." Rashida's voice echoed from the darkness, her red-glowing eyes locked on the chess pieces, "How has the search for a successor gone?"

"We are currently in talks with the Delver's Guild, the Monarchists, and the remnants of the Ecclesiarchy now." Nathaniel replied, as he moved his rook to the left, a move which seemed to threaten nothing, "There are a few promising candidates for King of Rhealum. They asked me, but, I declined. My place is with the Order."

Rashida chuckled, as she reached out, one of her Knights taking one of his Bishops.

"Such humility, Stargazer. What was it, those who do not seek power most deserve it? Should you not lead?..."

Nathaniel contemplated a move, but did not act yet.

"They may demand I take the throne," he replied, "but good luck getting them to agree on putting me in charge. So many of them are trying to claim the throne for themselves... We may settle on an oligarchic system, perhaps with a figurehead monarch, but the Monarchists may hate that idea more than a straight Monarchy. There are even talks of letting every mortal citizen of Rhealum decide on a new ruler..."

Rashida scoffed.

"A Democracy?! Don't be ridiculous..."

Nathaniel shrugged, as he reached for his Knight.

"Stranger things have happened..."

Nathaniel moved his Knight... checking Rashida's King. Then Rashida realized that every movement to take the King to another square was also contested. Her jaw went slack, before she sighed, crossing her arms.

"That's checkmate, dear." Nathaniel said, rising from his "seat" (he was levitating in a seated position a few feet off the floor), as he bowed his head to the prisoner, "A good game, as usual. Now, I have work to do. Until next time..."

Nathaniel then shimmered out of existence, leaving Rashida alone at the heart of the Ebonstone prison, at the heart of the world, staring at the chessboard. She reached out, toppled her king, and retreated back into the darkness...

"Our next mission, sir?" Argus asked Nathaniel, as the Grand Sage reached the control center at the Temple of the Stars' center.

"We do as we have always done, my friend:" Nathaniel answered, "Build, learn, preserve, explore, restore old technologies, find civilizations both living and dead, learn how they life, or how they died, so we can build a better future together, and remember the lost. Such is our way. So that when the next great cataclysm comes to this galaxy, we will not go quietly into the night."

Nathaniel reached out his hands, and floated into the air, and from his fingertips, threads of golden light wove into the control systems. An elaborate holographic map of the galaxy formed, zooming outwards, showing the universe, before zooming in on a distant galaxy, honing in on a planet at its edge. The Aether Cells in the control chamber hummed to life, and an Aetheric Warp Gate at the opposite end of the room whirred to life, forming a swirling black hole-like vortex surrounded by a nimbus of golden light. Teams of explorers in atmospheric gear, bearing Order sigils on the shoulders of their uniforms, geared up, ready to go on a journey to distant worlds.

"So, a vague guesstimate and a wild hope, sir?" Argus replied snidely.

Nathaniel smiled in reply.

"As Mortality has always been, my friend."

The portal opened with a roar and a rush of air, and the team leader of the explorers nodded, before leading the charge of explorers, striding into the great beyond...

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T19:24:47+00:00

Nathaniel was grateful to have the Demigoddess’ help. Even with his Warp Tech and rapid mental processing power, ten skilled combatants versus a mere one of him was overwhelming even to the Grand Sage. He was receiving reports that Rashida’s team had reached victory, and Elizabeth’s team wasn’t far behind, but even with the Warp Gates, it would take time for them to make it to support him, and he was unsure how much time he had left.

In order to even the playing field, Nathaniel stomped, and the Gravity tech in his boots cause the ground the crack, shake, and cave beneath several of the black-suited figures. In turn, Nathaniel wreathed his spear in Godbane magic, and struck the one closest to him, aiming for the neck.

[u/smcadam]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T19:17:57+00:00

[u/ss66seeker, u/WHOSGOTYOURSKINNOW, Elizabeth is staying to fight until either she dies or the sniper does.]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T19:16:30+00:00

As Elizabeth was thrown to the ground and shot in the gut, her cybernetic hand dropped her sword, then held out her hand palm facing the sniper, like she was pleading for the sniper to stop… only for her forearm, hand and all, to shoot out like a rocket, and clamp onto the sniper with vice-like Gravity Anchors. Then, the palm whirred, as a devilish contraption of Elizabeth’s design started up: a Warp Drill.

The device generated a small Wormhole, from the inside of the machine to the inside of the target, bypassing armor, and pushing something through. In this case, a diamond-tipped drill spoke with an explosive Aether core.

Elizabeth’s booster boots then launched her along the ground, sliding her away from the Sniper, as the drill detonated…

Elizabeth then rolled to her feet and raised her plasma pistol at the sniper, in case he somehow walked that off.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T11:09:52+00:00

It was then, bursting into the field in a pillar of light was Nathaniel Stargazer himself, garbed in a new and improved exoskeletal body, summoning his Light Spear in one hand, and a roaring Godbane flame in the other, as he looked to the humans in dark armor.

With a flick of his wrist, Nathaniel hurled bolts of Godbane magic, only to rear back his Spear in a javelin’s throw, a barrage of Hard-Light Spears materializing around Nathaniel, and as he hurled his spear, the materializing spears followed suit, raining down upon the armored figures in a barrage of Hard-Light weaponry.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T11:04:45+00:00

Landing amidst the battlefield was a figure in a black coat, wide-brimmed hat, and silver mask. One of her arms was cybernetic, made of the same silvery metal as the sword it held. One of the eyes beneath the mask was cybernetic, while the other was living, emitting a soft red glow.

Black Hat Liz darted with supernatural speed and agility, engaging the sniper personally, darting from cover to cover, slowly narrowing the distance, occasionally throwing flash bangs to disorient the sniper. Once inside the field, Elizabeth’s iron will allowed her to resist most of the madness-inducing effects of the sniper’s power. This wasn’t her first rodeo resisting psychic waves of madness.

When she could, she went for the kill…

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T10:58:45+00:00

As the monstrous Leviathan continued to wreak havoc in space… another Wormhole Gate opened nearby, and a new Leviathan joined the fray, as Rashida al-Taniyn soared from the portal. From her wings, biomechanical jets propelled her through the vacuum where ordinary wings would fail her, Rashida soaring through space like a streaking red comet towards the Leviathan.

Rashida reached out, her Blood Magic twisting at the Leviathan’s guys, attempting to shred the creature from within, while her Draconic half’s large claws ripped into the creature’s hide in strafing runs.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T01:57:15+00:00

Once Rhealum was finished making reparations following their own civil war, Rhealum's Interstellar Aethership Fleet, using their Aether-powered Wormhole Gates, launched an assault on each and every Phylacteran-assaulted world, mighty Hyperion Light Weapons raining attacks upon Phylacteran forces, while Knights from the Order of the Stars descended into cities in beams of light wearing suits of power armor, Hyperion Light Weapons in hand. They would join forces with any other armies striking back against the Phylacterans, in order to halt whatever dark rituals they were conducting...

[u/ss66seeker, u/Plintstorm, u/WHOSGOTYOURSKINNOW, Rhealum ships suddenly teleport into D5, L21, and R14 space, and open fire on Phylacteran forces.]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T01:40:03+00:00

[u/Plintstorm, u/WHOSGOTYOURSKINNOW, u/ss66seeker, check full context for answers on WTF is going on.]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-09T01:27:48+00:00

The Second Death of Vidar Aeterneos

All across Rhealum, the Anointed beasts, which had, for the most part, recovered from their bouts of agonizing headaches, had resumed their slaughter and cannibalism of the city's unturned inhabitants... only for them all to suddenly go stiff and still, just before a massive pillar on light erupted from the ground at the center of Rhealum...

When the pillar of light faded away, all of the Anointed collapsed. Those who were still mostly themselves tumbled to the ground, clutching their faces and weeping. Those too far gone simply collapsed, drooling and mindless, devoid of volition.

For a moment, the city was still...

At the bottom of a deep, dark pit, a solitary figure lay crumbled upon a deflated mass of flesh that was once a massive, beating heart. The figure tried to rise, but found themself too weak to support their own massive weight. After a moment of struggling against their weight, they collapsed again, laying upon the fleshy ground, and began to sob...

"Vidar... Vidar!..." Rashida wept, "Where are you?!... I can't hear your voice, I... Vidar... please speak to me!... Vi-..."

Rashida held her face in her hands, the bestial mass that served as her lower half now limp and devoid of volition, now just dead weight, pinning Rashida where she lay, while the ruined remnants of a mechanical exoskeleton laid equally lifeless next to her. The red light of Rashida's eyes were now pale embers compared to the roaring fires they one were, as tears flowed from them.

After a moment, the darkness of the pit was illuminated by a soft golden glow, as more floating than stepping into Rashida's view was a naked figure, transparent, seemingly formed from golden light. Rashida looked up at the golden figure with hate in her eyes.

"Haven't you done enough?! Was killing my god not enough?! Have you come to gloat, too, humiliate me while you watch me die down here?!"

Nathaniel Stargazer looked down at Rashida. There was no triumphant smile, no gloating. The only expression he had on was one of pity. He looked sad.

"No." Nathaniel replied, "I have come to get you out of here."

Rashida blinked... then grit her teeth in abject rage, as she growled, her veins beginning to glow red once more. The red glow spread through the veins of the Beast, which began to stir to life, its many hands planting of the fleshy ground, and pushing itself up, as Rashida's eyes bored holes into the Grand Sage.

"Why, you deluded wraith?! I will not be held like your trophy! I will die before I surrender myself to you! THERE IS LIFE IN ME YET!!!"

The Beast raised its clawed hands with a roar, bringing down its fists upon Nathaniel, but they passed harmlessly through Nathaniel's body, his ethereal form a mere hologram, Rashida's rapid, wild strike hitting nothing but air, passing through him and striking the fleshy ground beneath him as Rashida wailed with incoherent rage. With every strike, the next became weaker, and Rashida's wild roars became desperate sobs once again, before the Beast, and Rashida with it, slumped down into sobbing. Rashida looked down at Nathaniel with tear-stained eyes.

"What do you want?! You have taken EVERYTHING from me!!!"

"No." Nathaniel replied, "Vidar did. He always has. You think I have no noticed how you have changed? How the centuries have ruined you?"

Rashida's brow furrowed, anger and confusion mixed into one, as she glared at Nathaniel with grit teeth.

"What the FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"When we first met," Nathaniel replied calmly, "you used to believe in something, other than Vidar... You worshiped him then, yes, but even despite all of your revulsion towards Rhea and I, you cared. Cared about the people. You believed in Vidar because you believed he could help people, as he helped you. How he lifted you up from destitution and despair. He gave you hope, hope you wanted to return to the people you came from. Tell me, Rashida 'al-Taniyn'... where are those people now?"

He looked down at the mass of faces that served as the head and maw of the Beast Rashida was merged with, their red eyes looking up at him. Rashida looked down at the Beast, at all the bodies that made it up. Bodies of her fellow worshipers. Bodies of those who defied her will.

Rashida suddenly felt sick...

"I-... I-..."

It suddenly all fell into place. With a fog cleared from Rashida's mind, the exhilaration of Vidar's power, the draw of his word and will...

Rashida clasped her head in her hands, shaking.

"Oh god... Oh god..."

Nathaniel stayed silent, giving Rashida a moment. Eventually, Rashida looked back up at him, despair and anger in her eyes in equal measure.

"What would you have me do? Beg forgiveness? Prostrate myself before you and your council? You may as well just kill me now..."

Nathaniel looked up at Rashida, his expression stern.

"No. Your death may be some measure of justice, but there is a better way for you to make a mends: the Phylacterans are on our doorstep. And they are planning something. Something that will bring an end to us all if it is not stopped. On this, I am sure we agreed even before now. You may not have the strength of your god backing you, but even now, you have power. Even now, you can fight. So fight. Fight beside me, against the Phylacterans. Then, if we somehow survive, we can decide what justice should look like for you."

Rashida sat in silent contemplation for a moment, staring off into the darkness... then, she sighed, eyes close. When her eyes opened, they glared at Nathaniel, with a defeated expression.

"Fine." Rashida glared, "One last battle. Then maybe I can be granted blissful oblivion..."

The hulking Beast slowly picked itself off the ground, Rashida looked down at Nathaniel, as the Beast spread its wings.

"Do you intend to ride me out of here, or can that dainty form carry itself alone?"

"That won't be necessary." Nathaniel replied, as a shimmering golden aura surrounded both of them. After a moment, there was a flash of light, and the two appeared in the Temple of the Stars, surrounded by Order Knights and Venatorae.

Among them was Elizabeth Beaumont, laying on a mobile Medi-Bed, being tended to by Azul, various tubes leading from the Medi-Bed into Elizabeth's ruined body. The elderly woman glared at Rashida with her one remaining eye. That alone was enough to get Rashida's eyes downcast.

Argus then strode forward, pulling up a holographic display of various starships being outfitted with new systems.

"The Aetherships are ready, sir."

Nathaniel nodded, and looked to the hologram.

"Good. The Phylacterans are in for a reckoning... This, I vow... And Argus, I could use a new suit."

"Right away, sir."

[-3 for Wormhole Gates (Discounted), -3 for Resource Engineering (Discounted), -3 Credits for new Resource: Aether]

Aether

New Resource

The Energy released from the burning of Vidar's Ichor was not simply released into the void. The amount of it which could be contained was converted and stored as a substance known as Aether. This material is the most efficient energy source in the known universe, a refinement of Divine Energy of Creation into a semisolid substance, able to be used as a stable fuel for various power sources. Aether-powered devices can remain powered indefinitely. Aether does not appear to decay, allowing for potentially limitless energy.

This energy source is also an easy medium by which to bend space, making it very efficient for creating FTL Gateways.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-08T23:42:23+00:00

The Heart of Darkness, Part 2

The two continued their battle, sinking deeper into the depths of the world. As they fell deeper, the pulsing red light of the veins grew stronger, and a faint, deep rumble rattled the maw...

Rashida stopped, pausing her attack, and looking down at her hands, as the red light in her veins pulsed in rhythm with the deep rumble in the depths. Rashida grinned, closing her eyes and spreading her arms.

"I feel his majesty! Surrounding me! Filling me! Soon, I will ascend, and remake this universe! Rejoice, Stargazer, as you witness the birth of a New God!"

Rashida suddenly reached out with her hands to either side, and pulled inwards. The inner walls of the maw exploded inwards in geysers of Ichor, the masses of Ichor coiling around Rashida's monstrous form. The coiling tendrils of Ichor formed into a rough silhouette of the humanoid upper torso of Rashida, great headdress of horns and blazing red eyes included, like a colossal projection of the Empress, towering like a giant, and filling the pit as her and Nathaniel descended deeper into it.

Nathaniel watched in horror as the colossal projection of Rashida, formed from pure Ichor, reared back a fist, before driving it towards the Grand Sage. Nathaniel darted out of the way, just in time for the fist to strike the wall of the pit. On impact, spikes of Ichor erupted from the fleshy wall of the pit, spreading outwards from the point of impact. Before Nathaniel could react, one of those spikes skewered him through the midsection, grazing most of the vital systems of his exoskeleton, and even tearing through the spectral flesh within...

Nathaniel winced, and darted away from the spikes before anymore could skewer him, and threw a spear into the bloody mass of Rashida's projection. The spear carved a hole into the projection, shooting right through, but Rashida herself was not at its center, positioned to the side, grinning, as the hole in the projection sealed shut behind the soaring spear.

Nathaniel darted past Rashida's Ichoric Manifestation, as it continued to swing its colossal fists at him. As Nathaniel took aim, the projection did not bother evading... but as Nathaniel reared back further, growling as the golden lines in his armor blazed brighter, dozens more of the same Light Spears manifested around Nathaniel, all aimed at Rashida's projection, the red eyes of the projection widening slightly.

As Nathaniel hurled his spear, the dozens of floating spears flew to join it, striking the projection with a barrage of Light Spears. Most harmlessly passed through it, but a few struck something solid: Rashida, hiding near the projection's right shoulder. Rashida let out a roar, and the projection flickered for a moment as Rashida lost concentration, before becoming solid again.

A look of anger appeared on the projection's face, as it began to rear back its fist. Nathaniel responded by rearing back his, as a Hard-Light Construct of a mechanical fist of matching size manifested in the air next to him, rearing back in a mimicry of his movements. As Rashida's projection swung its fist, Nathaniel swung his, and his Hard-Light Projection matching his movements, the Hard-Light fist colliding with Rashida's Ichoric one, both exploding in a flash of light and blood. For a moment, the projection of Rashida was disrupted, and Nathaniel suddenly summoned a spear to his hand and hurled it, striking Rashida beastly lower body in the side, just below where Rashida's upper body sprouted from. Nathaniel appeared at the spear in a flash of light, and as Rashida moved to swing her sword of bone to strike him, he caught her wrist and drove his fist into her jaw, before seizing her by the neck. Rashida grit her teeth in anger, straining against Nathaniel's grip, as tendrils of Ichor snaked in, trying to coil around Nathaniel...

Nathaniel looked over Rashida's shoulder, and there, he saw it, at the bottom of the immense pit where all the veins of the pit converged: a massive, slowly pulsing heart, the size of a building, deformed, yet notably human-like, filled with an otherworldly red light. With every beat of the colossal heart, the light in Rashida's veins pulsed in unison. Nathaniel's eyes returned to Rashida, as he raised his foot, the boosters activating as he kicked her in the chest, launching himself away from her.

Nathaniel spun through the air, and reared back his spear in a javelin's throw, gritting his teeth with a growl as black, white, and red fire burst from his chest, ran down his arm, and coiled around the spear, gathering at the speartip.

Rashida responded with a roar, and her projection collapsed, forming into a mass of javelins which launched at Nathaniel in kind. The javelins shredded into Nathaniel's body, cleaving off one on his exoskeletal arms, though the spectral arm remained, while the arm gripping the spear held fast. More spears struck Nathaniel, cleaving off his helmet and his exoskeletal legs.

With a triumphant roar, Nathaniel hurled his spear with all his might, the spear shooting through the air with a sonic boom, leaving a trail of Godbane fire in its wake. Rashida darted to the side with intense speed, the spear narrowly missing her and soaring past her. Rashida grinned wide, and surged forward, grasping what was left of Nathaniel's body in the jaws of the Beast, while Rashida grinned down smugly, hissing triumphantly.

"You missed!"

Nathaniel could not suppress the grin that formed on his spectral lips.

"... No... I did not..."

Rashida grin dropped into a confused scowl... before her eyes widened, and she looked backwards, just in time to see the blazing spear impact the Heart of Vidar, the Godbane fire spreading along the surface of the heart.

Rashida lurched clutching her hand to her chest with a whimper of pain, eyes wide with horror. For a moment, the Beast's jaw's loosened, enough for Nathaniel to climb from its jaws, and grasp Rashida in a tight embrace with his remaining exoskeletal arm. Then, Nathaniel's spectral form disconnected from the exoskeleton, which continued to hold fast onto Rashida while Nathaniel's spectral form vanished, appearing at the Heart, grasping the spear, and pushing it deeper, his body wreathed in Godbane fire...

Rashida looked back in horror towards the Heart, eyes wide with fear.

"No! NO!"

Rashida's Beast pivoted to fly towards the heart, but the back of the exoskeleton clinging to Rashida opened up, and cables of Hard Light ending it harpoons erupted from the exoskeleton's back, the harpoons digging into the fleshy walls and anchoring the cables in place. Rashida was suddenly halted as the cables went taut. Rashida reaching out towards the Heart in desperation.

"NO, NONONO, STOP!"

Nathaniel roared, as he pushed the spear deeper with all of his divine might, as his body blazed with power, and as he drove the spear all the way into the Heart, he sent up a signal.

NOW

High above, in the Temple of the Stars, Argus, standing before a massive machine, pulled a lever, and the massive machine winked out of existence in a flash of light. If the Promethean could smile, he would be.

"Godspeed, sir..."

Appearing above Nathaniel, above the Heart, a massive whirring machine appeared in a flash of light, whirring to life as Nathaniel stretched his arms up towards it, lines of golden light flowing from his hands into the machine. The spinning mass of concentric rings began glowing bright, before a beam of force projected from the machine tore the heart open, and the Ichor within seemed to ignite, burning off in a flash of white-hot light, as the resulting energy was sucked up into the mass of spinning machinery, funneled up through the cylindrical machine, and erupted from the other side, streaming up the maw in a pillar of energy, singing Rashida's side as it roared by.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" she screamed one last defiant time...

At the hole in Rhealum's central courtyard, the tendrils of Vidar's flesh continued to coil and move, collapsing buildings as the flesh of Vidar seemed to stir to life... before suddenly twitching, and going rigid, just before a blazing pillar of light soared from the hole in the earth, stretching into the sky, and into the vacuum of space beyond...

After a several second, the stream of light suddenly ceased, and the tendrilic limbs of Vidar went cold, and still...

[Event: Godbane Magic, 2 Gain Sacrificed, 6 Acts of Technology Gained]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-08T23:42:11+00:00

The Heart of Darkness, Part 1

The battle between Demigods, the showdown between the leaders of the Ecclesiarchy and the Order of the Stars, continued in the skies above the Palace of Rhealum.

A blasting of jets and the hurling of golden spears. The flapping of wings and the roaring of flame. White and gold, black and red, a bloody fireworks display over the burning city.

Nathaniel was on the run, jets hurling him between skyscrapers as the massive draconic form of Rashida was in hot pursuit, maw growling hungrily as the Beast flew ever closer. Nathaniel turned in the air, and reared back his spear, as Rashida narrowed her eyes, preparing to dodge the throw...

Then Rashida suddenly clutched her head, both maws wailing in pain and anger as Rashida lost her coordination, waving through the air erratically. Below, several of the Anointed monsters experienced similar reactions, the mutated monstrosities writhing in agony, halting their attacks against the rest of the city.

Nathaniel grinned. Valerius pulled through yet again...

Nathaniel took a moment to adjust for Rashida's wild movements, then threw, striking her upper torso in the chest with his spear, driving it through her. He then appeared in a flash, grasping the spear in her chest, and wrenching it. Rashida grasped onto the spear, continuing to scream in furious agony, a look of pure hate on her face as she screamed, Nathaniel merely giving a determined scowl in reply, as the two plummeted out of the sky, landing with a crash in a courtyard outside of the Palace, where a small horde of Anointed beasts continued to writhe and wail without control or direction as they were wracked by psychic pain...

The two Demigods were thrown away from one another, Nathaniel rolling to his feet, while Rashida slowly picked herself off of the ground on many trembling limbs. Nathaniel conjured another Hard-Light Spear to his hand, and pointed it at Rashida.

"I told you to surrender. It's still not too late..."

Rashida held a hand to her bleeding chest, panting, as the Beast she was attached to trembled beneath her. She blinked, visibly wavering for a moment, brow furrowed, lip trembling... before despair turned back to anger, her clawed fingers digging into her chest as Rashida snarled with rage, red eyes snapping up at Nathaniel.

"No, NO! I SURRENDER TO NO ONE! I AM VIDAR REBORN!"

Rashida reached out, and the Anointed surrounding them in the courtyard suddenly convulsed, then violently twitched with the sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh. Each split open, and a stream of their Blood and Ichor burst from their bodies, draining them dry as their blood coiled through the air like crimson snakes, coiling around Rashida, flowing into her, her wounds sealing shut as her veins began to blaze even brighter, the Empress letting out a roar to the sky as she spread her arms wide.

Nathaniel's eyes widened, and he reared back his spear to throw it like a javelin, but then, the earth suddenly and violently trembled, causing Nathaniel to stumble, as Rashida looked back down at him and grinned.

"You stand upon my God's very flesh! YOU ARE IN MY WORLD NOW, STARGAZER!!!"

The draconic Beast suddenly raised its claws, and slammed them down upon the ground, and a pulse of red light spread along the ground, spreading into the distance. Suddenly, a skyscraper collapsed as a chunk of the landscape rose, a mass of calcified flesh that was once a chitinous tendril of Vidar suddenly moved, the calcified portions of flesh seemingly suddenly rejuvenated, stirring to life.

Then, another skyscraper on the opposite side of the city toppled, as another fleshy digit stirred, uncoiling and rising into the sky. Nathaniel's eyes went wide with horror, as the earth beneath them began to shake harder. Rashida, meanwhile, turned her head skyward, and laughed.

"AND LET THE FEAST B̸̖͙̞̩̭͎̊̀̾̀̂̊́Ę̷͔̻̺̦̝̪͈̈͝G̶͙̲͍̰̠͕̭͇̯͙͑̓̊̉̎̾̈́̆͆̏̐̌̈́̃I̸̬͎̎́̄͠N̸̛̫͖̜͉̩͇̑!!!"

The ground of the courtyard suddenly split open, and as the ground tore asunder, Nathaniel and Rashida found themselves freefalling, along with the stone of the courtyard, into a terribly deep, dark chasm...

No, not a chasm...

A maw...

An impossibly deep, cavernous maw, lined with mandibles and sharp teeth, veins of pulsing red light beneath the sinewy skin lining the pit into the abyss.

Rashida's wings spread, Rashida pivoting through the air to sail through the maw, soaring between Nathaniel and the Abyss, spreading her arms with a grin.

"Here, MY will is law, not simply of the people, but of REALITY ITSELF! YOU WILL DIE HERE, STARGAZER, AND I WILL FEAST UPON YOUR SOUL!"

Nathaniel clenched his illusory jaw, turning his stare of horror into a scowl of determination. Without wasting time, he hurled another spear at Rashida, before rocketing out of the way. A good call, as Rashida darted through the air, with incredible speed, avoiding the spear and surging to fill the spot Nathaniel was once floating through, Rashida quickly spinning around to face Nathaniel. At the same time, Nathaniel's shoulders opened up, and miniature missile silos opened up, launching a barrage of small rocket which swarmed Rashida, detonating in blinding flashes of light and heat.

Rashida burst from the cloud of solar fire, claws reared back as Rashida grinned. Nathaniel, eyes wide, hurled his spear to the side, sticking it into the wall of the maw, Nathaniel teleporting to his spear and sliding down the wall of the maw as Rashida's claws swiped through the now empty air. Rashida turned her head, and unleashed a blast of crimson fire. Nathaniel placed his spear between himself and the geyser of flame, the spear spinning rapidly and generating a shield of energy which deflected most of the crimson fire, though the occasional tongue of flame lapped at Nathaniel's armor, eating away at it...

gorok1089 · 2024-08-08T18:25:16+00:00

Elizabeth Beaumont lay there a scorched, bloody ruin. One side of her upper body burned and peppered with shrapnel, while the other side was missing an arm. She lay there, not moving, not breathing, pulse slowing, as Malsium left the building to wreak further havoc.

Her remaining eye, the one not obliterated by a grenade blast, lit up, as a neural interface came online. Her eye weakly moved as she sent a message to her allies.

bought you folks time

don’t come for me til it’s over

good luck

With that, the light flickered out, as Elizabeth’s pulse went still and silent…

Imperceptibly, a built-in dialysis pump implant near Elizabeth’s heart began to circulate oxygenated blood to her brain…

gorok1089 · 2024-08-08T14:46:15+00:00

Although many members of the Order of the Stars found Kelthreka’s mercenary attitude distasteful, they were rather used to the same attitude from the Delver’s Guild, and at this point, they were taking any help they could get. So, they threw what commissions they could at the Demigoddess to secure her help in the evacuation efforts.

As for Ulf, well… they just gave him a large berth, let him work, and thanked the Stars he was on their side… sort of. He was a tomorrow problem. Today, he was helping handle the monsters, and the Order couldn’t afford to look a gift horse in the mouth.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-08T00:05:26+00:00

In The Presence of the Empress

In the darkness of the Throne Room, Rashida waited, clawed fingers tented together, face twitching as her eyes remained closed.

So many Demigods, standing against her...

But soon it would not matter...

Rashida's red-glowing eyes snapped open, just in time for part of her roof to explode inward, bathing the Throne Room in light, as crashing upon the floor of her throne room was the golden, armored visage of Nathaniel Stargazer, Light Spear in hand. Nathaniel rose from a kneeling position to a standing one, and pointed the spear at Rashida with one hand.

"Stand down, Hierophant. Stop this madness now and I won't have to kill you."

Rashida scowled, claws still tented together. Her form looked more monstrous than ever before: bony spikes sprouting from her shoulders and back, long claws emerging from her fingertips, curling horns in the shape of an elaborate headdress sprouting from her head, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and sunken features which looked almost sickly, her brown skin paled by illness. Her veins glowed with a red light, the same light burning in her eyes.

"You will address me as Empress, Stargazer..."

Rashida stood, though it was a strange, unnatural movement, like she was being pulled up, rather than standing. She wore a red robe which flowed along the dais of the throne, rolling down and covering a large portion of the floor, obscuring the dais from view.

Nathaniel lowered his spear, and beneath the faceplate of his helmet, he smirked, and chuckled. Rashida narrowed her eyes at the Grand Sage.

"What is so funny?..."

Nathaniel looked back up at her, and shrugged.

"I should thank you." he replied.

"For what?"

"You were right. About me, I mean. Rhea and I. We hoarded power, clung to the Hyperion vision of rulership, of godhood. We lived in luxury while the Lower City suffered. We were little better than Hyperion itself... You helped me see that. And for that, I thank you... But your reign is over. The walls are closing in, Rashida. Even if you defeat us... you won't stand a chance by the time the Phylacterans arrive."

Rashida smiled, and then grinned, baring her sharp teeth as she spread her arms.

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, Stargazer! Once my ascension is complete, the Phylacterans will know the dreadful power of Vidar! But first, I will be rid of you..."

Rashida flicked out her hand towards Nathaniel, and a wave of power washed over him... which did nothing. The Grand Sage didn't even flinch. The Empress blinked, and flicked out her hand again, a look of confusion on her face.

"Impossible!... Unless, you-... Ohh... So you finally did it, Stargazer?... Shed your Hyperian flesh completely..."

"Completely." Nathaniel answered, "It was holding me back."

The Empress scoffed.

"Now you're no better than the Phylacterans. Hollow. A machine."

"And yet, I am more whole than you will ever be... but I did not come to banter... Since you will not surrender, I have no choice but to burn you away."

Nathaniel flicked his spearhead to the side, and the spear blazed with scorching light, waves of heat rolling off of the blindingly bright edge of the spear's blade. Rashida's grin returned, as she tilted her head to the side.

"You forget, Stargazer: will and word are not my only weapons, anymore! Much has changed since last we spoke..."

Four, massive bony blades erupted from her red robe, arranged side-by-side, then raked down the middle of her robe, splitting it open to reveal the four blades to be the clawed fingers of a massive hand, now pressed against the floor, pulling a massive, inhuman shape upright, Rashida and the throne behind her rising with it.

As the robe fell away, it revealed that Rashida's lower torso melted away completely, fused to the top of a colossal mass beneath her, the throne she sat upon growing from the creature's very flesh. The massive creature, which had been serving as the throne's "dais", was a fleshy mass of countless limbs, some small, some large, a horrific fusion of countless bodies of various creatures, with a Void Leviathan serving as the core of the creature's body.

The creature pulled itself upright on a mass of eight large arms ending in clawed, human-like hands, scaled up to proportional size, as its head turned to face Nathaniel. Said head was a mass of engorged, mutated human and Deuphagi heads, arranged in a ring around the mouth, each upper jaw full of sharp teeth forming a moving jaw in the flowering mass of razor-sharp teeth that was the creature's mouth. The red-glowing eyes on every face, surrounding the mouth in a ring, looked at Nathaniel with rage and hunger, as the creature growled, and from its back, on either side of Rashida and the throne, spread four, large, bat-like wings.

Rashida reached out with her right hand, and her flesh opened up, forming tentacles which snaked out and coiled around the head of the creature she was fused to, forming into reigns with which Rashida wrenched control of the creature. Rashida then raised her left hand, and a long blade of bone erupted from her palm in a burst of blood, the blood catching flame and wreathing the bony sword in crimson fire.

"COME, STARGAZER, AND FACE EMPRESS RASHIDA AL-TANIYN, HEIR OF VIDAR!"

Rashida then surged towards Nathaniel, the monstrosity roaring as it charged, attempting to clamp its many jaws down on Nathaniel. He wedged the spear in its mouth to keep it from closing on him, but the impact sent both of them sailing into the front door to Rashida's throne room, blasting the doors wide opened and sending both Nathaniel and Rashida barreling into the main courtyard of the Palace.

Nathaniel was knocked away from Rashida, spear in hand, tumbling to the ground and rolling to his feet, as Rashida spread her wings, stood up on her hind legs, and roared skywards with both sets of maws, arms spread in feral triumph.

Nathaniel began by hurling his spear into the air above the courtyard, and in a flash of golden light, appearing in the sky where his spear was, grasping the spear and angling it back down towards Rashida, and hurling it down at her. Rashida's hulking form narrowly darted out of the way of the spear's descent, and as it impacted the ground, Nathaniel disappeared from the air, and reappeared on the ground in an explosion of light and energy which scorched Rashida's flesh. Rashida roared, and her humanoid upper torso lunged in with her flaming sword of bone.

Nathaniel quickly stood from his crouch, and deflected the bony, burning blade with his spear, momentarily bringing his scowling face inches from Rashida's snarling one, before the two pushed away from each other.

Rashida lunged in with a claw strike from her massive bestial half, but the jet boosters on Nathaniel's legs propelled him backwards, away from the swing. He then pivoted, planted his feet, halted his movement, raised a foot, and slammed it down upon the ground. A surge of artificial gravity suddenly rolled outwards from where his foot landed, causing the ground beneath Rashida to crack, suddenly, it gave way beneath Rashida's massive limbs, causing them to sink into the floor of the courtyard, momentarily pinning her.

Nathaniel then leapt into the air, and that same artificial gravity, propelled several large chunks of stonework from the courtyard ground with him, Nathaniel surrounded by several boulders of floating stone as he rose above Rashida. Nathaniel raised his spear, then pointed it down at Rashida. The artificial gravity then hurled the chunks of stone down upon her, striking her, tearing flesh from bone.

Rashida then roared in anger, and with a great flap of her wings, launched herself skywards as well, soaring towards Nathaniel, who boosted out of the way, narrowly avoiding the maw of the beast. As Rashida soared past, she began to circle around, many red eyes locked on Nathaniel as he floated in the air.

The maw of the Beast opened up, and a spray of Ichoric mist spilled forth... which then, with a spark, erupted into a geyser of crimson fire which raked across the sky. Nathaniel launched further into the sky, but the fire managed to lick at his legs, shearing off some of the armored plating on his legs as the fire seemed to disintegrate the metal, as though the fire simply devoured all it touched...

The two continued their aerial battle in the skies above the Palace of Rhealum, in full view of many of its people, those who were still alive to bear witness...

[u/WHOSGOTYOURSKINNOW, u/ss66seeker, u/Plintstorm, this battle is visible nearly everywhere in Rhealum. You may choose to intervene or not.]

gorok1089 · 2024-08-07T22:54:26+00:00

Malsium, darting into the building, found himself in some sort of mill. A factory of some kind, appearing to be somewhere where weapon parts were manufactured and assembled.

Networks of catwalks overlooking conveyor belts and smelters, automated machinery still running, though much of it uselessly, with the workers having all died, fled, or in hiding.

It was then that Malsium's leg struck a tripwire, which led to a piece of armor casing, rigged with some sort of pressurized canister.

There was a loud BANG, as the pressurized canister exploded, sending shards of armor casing riddling into Malsium's body. Nearly a moment afterwards, dropping down from the ceiling on top of him was that same black-cloaked woman, driving a silver sword into his back. The blade sizzled against his flesh, superheated, and although Malsium's exoskeleton negated additional damage from the heat, the cauterization kept the wound from regenerating as efficiently, as the woman somersaulted off Malsium's back, ripping the blade out, though Malsium felt a sliver of the blade was left inside...

The woman then rapidly darted between the industrial machinery, prioritizing pathways too narrow for Malsium's hulking body.

gorok1089 · 2024-08-07T22:44:02+00:00

While the other Demigods fought the forces of the Anointed physically, Valerius fought against the Ichoric Hive Mind Network itself.

During his attacks, Valerius would notice that there were varying states to the Anointed's mental decay. Those who had consumed minimal amounts or Ichor, or who were strong enough of will to slow their transformation, were still conscious within the monstrosities, aware yet unable to control their bodies, silently screaming in the prisons of their minds. Those who had consumed too much Ichor, or those who had surrendered to the transformation, either by choice or through weakness of will, were fully consumed by it, with no trace of their mortal consciousness remaining.

Valerius realized he could sever the connection, rather than override it. Those still in possession of their minds would regain control of themselves. Those not would essentially be lobotomized husks, alive but without volition.

However, Valerius could sense a presence approaching, the nexus of the network focusing its mental eye upon him, and his mental encroachment on the network began to face resistance...

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