Godhood XIV [Syrup Edition]

Tlaca-Ica, once again first up to bat, rubs their fins together in glee and cackles. "Let's make this universe live up to its name, shall we?" they say, nobody in-universe quite understanding what they mean, before changing the properties of vacuum in the material plane so it acts as a thick liquid, spending all 8 accumulated acts in one go. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Let us swim!"

Mi'Grata looked over the development of nature across the universe. There were three worlds which could be rendered habitable without extreme changes. Planet Melody was progressing rather well, the Matriarch's Planet was progressing poorly and the Arbitrator's planet was not progressing at all! It was time to go to work.

Mi'Grata descends upon the Arbitrators world, and conjured forth a thin sphere of water around the planet. The water would immediately fall to the planet's surface due to gravity to fill the valleys and canyons of the world with the life granting fluid. It would then be possible for the right kind of basic life to flourish! Thus Mi'Grata made the Snakevines. The snakevines were long green vines covered with many tiny leaves which grew on the rock walls just below the waters surface. The vines were capable of detecting starlight, and had the ability to turn and twist themselves to bask in it when it could. When the Snakevine gets long enough it would attach itself to another wall and grow roots from its tip. The plant stores its excess nutrients in its roots and when the vine is severed both ends of the plant would be able to survive on their own provided they can both get enough light.

Mi'Grata would then look upon the Matriarch's Planet again. Most of the planet was still uninhabitable. The planet needed to be cooled down a bit, and Mi'Grata thought of a way to do that in a graceful enough manner to not exterminate the life he had already made. Thus Mi'Grata created Sarte, a small moon set in orbit around the Matriarch's Planet. Sarte was a rather dull place, just a spherical hunk of rock. Mi'Grata would then cover the majority of Sarte's surface with water which would turn into ice on the moons chilly surface. Sarte would be heated to some extent by being close to the Matriarch's planet, and in turn Sarte would reflect the light from the Ice Sun towards the planet to ever-so-slightly cool it down.

Sarte would come with the additional benefit of being able to support even more life! Thus Mi'Grata created the Summerweed which strongly resembled the the Winterweed. The Summerweed was pitch black in color and highly resistant to the cold. The summerweed could convert the light from the ice sun into heat and energy, which it would use to draw water from the planets frozen surface. When the Summerweed is read to reproduce it stores all of its energy into a few seeds and withers. The seeds would then grow right next to each other to share their heat to survive.

Satisfied for the time being, Mi'Grata makes itself scarce to observe the other gods. If things proceeded as they were, Mi'Grata would be able to start making more complex things when its strength returned.

Mi'Grata bestows water upon the Arbitrators Planet! (1 act)
Mi'Grata creates the Snakevines on the Arbitrators Planet! (2 acts)
Mi'Grata created the moon Sarte! (2 acts)
Mi'Grata covered Sarte with frozen water! (2 acts)
Mi'Grata created the Summerweed on Sarte! (1 act)

Oiren, rejuvenated by the wild energy of the new universe calls to Canary and Solbruin. "Creating a new plane of existence will take much energy, I suggest we pool our powers to create its basic form, leaving each of us with energy enough to modify it further"

Oiren sketches a set of runes on the ground to represent the basic nature of the plane. Among the runes are symbols for 'Truth' 'Knowledge' and 'spirit', the rest are complex and interlocking swirls of careful lines, looking carefully you might notice the phrase 'essence of Candy Floss'.

Oiren holds 2 acts in reserve for creation of Plane of Knowledge with the assumption that the other two would join him in its creation.

Solbruin would consent, but raises a hand as she points with three others to the mortal plane, where Tlaca-Ica is ostensibly doing flips and shit around some notably sluggish celestial bodies.

"Might we do something about the... consistency, of our existing works? I do believe that sea-cow just fundamentally altered realitiy while you were going on and on about your divine planes."

"Sea cow? SEA COW?!" say Tlaca-Ica as they catch wind — or rather, waves — of the ongoing dialogue. "Okay not gonna lie that's a pretty good one there, props." Tlaca-Ica goes for the fistbump — or rather, finbump — but gets rebuked. "Look, it's no big prob, Bobs. So the planets are a little slow, we can just kickstart these babies and be on our way! Help me push this one." Tlaca-Ica attempts to shove Ournaro back up-to-speed.

Oiren stares at the slowly spinning planets. The creatures currently formed would be effected, probably badly, they weren't designed for this. He didn't have enough power to directly undo the effect but maybe he could change something else....

His charcoal arm went to work again scribbling a single rune.
"I have an Idea"

He pressed another arm against the rune, both began to glow softly.

Expending a small amount of energy he introduced an element to the universe. It was subtle, in fact it couldn't be seen.

The only clue to what had happened was the glowing rune

'Adaption'

Oiren had introduced the concept of Adaption to the universe. Creatures would slowly change by themselves, adapting to their surroundings.

Hopefully this would prevent the worst of the damage on the unsuspecting creatures.

Oiren spends 4 acts to introduce the concept of adaption.

The creation of Adaption both inhibits and bolsters The Arbitrator's sense of Doom. This simple act immensely expands Doom, allowing for multiple ends, or different means to the same end. He opens his mouth wide, and sighs, relishing in his new vision. At the same time, he is overwhelmed. Certain facts become obscured to him through simple luck. He takes some time to breathe.

With this enlightenment, he is capable of prediction, though it is blurry due to split paths. He sees the creation of the Realm of Knowledge, and he decides that it would be very useful to him, no matter what the conditions of forming it would be. After slithering around some more, he finally speaks up.

"I see that the creation of a new realm is underway. It appears to me that there is a general desire for Absolute Truth to be instilled within this universe. Considering how I have that power, it would be possible for me to instill Doom within this universe, allowing for reduced ambiguity. Please allow me to lend a ... metaphorical hand in the creation of this universe."

The message delivered, the Arbitrator returns his attention to the material plan... and he is disappointed. It seems that Tlaca-Ica had performed the Great Syrupy Cataclysm he had known he would do. Knowing this would be but the first of many reality-altering acts Tlaca-Ica would do, he made plans to eliminate this fake god once and for all. He looked down upon the disgusting aberration of godhood once more... and sees him pushing the planets through the syrupy goop he had created. Suddenly his vision is blurred. This can only mean one thing - his prophecies had been altered. He put a hold on his plans for the moment being, and investigated the universe once more. With Adaption comes Change, and with Change, comes Free Will. He aids this slightly more, by instilling 2 acts of Sapience and 1 act of Intelligence within the Snakevines on his planet, allowing for a rudimentary society based on spreading genes to other Snakevine societies, allowing them to evolve.

He then waits patiently, for further developments within the Godly plane.

[-2 SAPIENCE, -1 INTELLIGENCE]

ACTS REMAINING: 4

I survey the universe, something seems.. Odd. Slow. Cracks slowly form in my facade of joy and surprise, a slight bitterness, an alien feeling of disappointment; a feeling that I and others are working hard on making a story, a beautiful story, and someone... Scribbles all over...

Click.

I survey the universe. All is in place. All is as it always was. Nothing is different. I giggle softly with relief... I don't even remember why I was upset... Was I upset? No, I probably wasn't. There's nothing to make that the case!

I twirl amid the stuff of the realm of deities, and scoop up some effervescent, bubbling mist in my empty sleeve. I ready 2 acts for the creation of the Realm of Knowledge in a layer of reality above the material plane. I put forth a suggestion, too. If the material plane is the crucible, this is the retort, from which knowledge passes from the minds of the dead to our glorious possession.

I speak oh so softly to the others who would aid me.

Oh, this will be wonderful, my dears. So wonderful! We'll read all this over soon and laugh about how glorious it was, we'll sit amid the fires of nowhere at the end, and cherish this beginning. But in the meantime, memory must flow.
Oh, how it must flow.
I have an idea, my dears. A lovely idea.

I again sweep down to melody. The sluggishness of my descent does not even register. I spend one act to again warp and change the genetics of the Redweed, mutating them slightly and giving them chemoreceptors and pheromone synthesising capabilities. For the first time, they have something to remember. I listen to the hubbub as over the years, they begin to learn to think. I spend another giving them one point of intelligence, that they may learn to use this single sense, perhaps.

I drift back, and gaze upon my handiwork. I watch as the algae change.

That was not my idea, but it's a start!
Oh, my darlings, I'm so excited. We've already done oh so much! Remember when we made the little weeds? Oh, they were just mindless plants! But they'll be so much more, and their memories shall be a lovely fuel for us.

But this universe beckons. It grows. The plane of knowledge is just a beginning! Good things will happen! Lovely, wonderful things! It's so perfect to have this chance, a chance to work amid companions as fine as yourselves, and one to build something oh so beautiful!

Oiren watched Melody's slow rotation with interest. He was so focused he hardly noticed the other gods. Only once did his interest waver, as the Canary modified the Redweed. And then his attention shifted, the glorious creatures that lived upon the planet, both forms. How would they change, how would the planet deal with this syrupy universe. While one side of the planet seemed to exist in perpetual night, the other languished in the sun. To his surprise the two sides reached a tentative equilibrium in temperature. The air currents and weather systems were astounding. His arms shifted and spun, recording all he observed, the floor around him, the walls, and even some of his arms quickly became covered in his curving runic script. While Canary observed the Redweed, Oiren turned to Melody's other inhabitant. The Greifous were astounding. The effect of adaption had changed them quite rapidly as their populations exploded over the planet. Some had emerged from the darkness to take up residence along the ocean shores, preying on Redweed colonies. Others had delved deeper, chasing new strains of silver moss towards the heart of the planet. The moss itself had been growing in a unique way as well. The darkness of half the planet providing a perfect place for it to grow and expand. Even as the planet turned slowly, half would always be covered in a shining silver sheen. With it came yet another type of Griefous, living in the canyons and mountains carved into Melody's midnight half.

Solbruin seems distracted, but readies 2 acts for the creation of the Realm of Knowledge.

The three gods pool their energy, focusing on the rune Oiren drew to represent the realm. All three feel the drain as the rune slowly begins to glow. Much of the base is represented by the rune but each god is able to exert some aspect of their will on its creation.

The realm stretches into existence between the material and divine planes, the first rung of a metephysical ladder. The ground is a swirling pattern of spun sugar, mostly pink and blue but other colors have made their way into the weave here and there. Slowly a maze rises from the cottony substance, multiple interlocking levels expanding into the space. Its complexity is mind-numbing, its size incomprehensible by all but the gods. Each wall was made of simple light clay that seemed to glow ever so slightly. They were pristine and unblemished, but in time would hold all knowledge of the universe.

Oiren slipped into the maze as the realm took shape. At the very center the rune glowed strongly. Oiren tapped the center of the rune and the rules of the universe began to solidify.

1. No statement may be made nor anything recorded on the walls of the maze unless it expresses absolute truth.

2. All that is written upon the walls of the maze will be in the language of the gods and will be revealed only to mortals and spirits who seek knowledge for knowledge's sake.

3. Upon death each creature's life will be recorded on the wall, if not by their self, the maze itself will record what has passed.

4. True Spirits of Knowledge will be allowed the option to curate the realm after their death.

5. The maze will protect the knowledge it holds from those who seek to misuse it.

The maze rumbled as it formed gaining a sort of...presence. The rune seemed to shift and change in perpetual motion.

Oiren smiled, despite his exhaustion he felt energized. Finally a secret to guard, a barrier erected. This would be a truly great realm.

Oiren: 0 acts remaining
Solbruin: 3 acts remaining
Canary: 2 acts remaining

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SpoilerCanary and Solbruin may make some final modifications to the nature of this new realm as it solidifies.

Turn End

The Thief of Names, in a great burst of energy, transforms the very natural laws of the universe. The planets' orbits slow as they push through the now viscous space surrounding them.

The Seven-Spiked graces the universe with a bounty of water and ice, and further spreads the seeds of life across Sarte and the still-unnamed planet. The Snakevines twist and tangle in their efforts to absorb the sun.

The Man of Unseen Visage introduces the concept of independent adaptation to the universe, and the various species across space begin to shift - partly through randomness, and partly through nature's harsh guidance.

The Seer of All Futures is perplexed by the change, but sees potential in it. Seeing that free will is soon to come, he hastens the process by granting the Snakevines powerful minds. The Guardian of the Past follows suit, bestowing unto the Redweed the senses and logic they lacked.

Several gods combine their power to create a new plane of existence. It is barren as of now but for a small, simple maze, but soon it may expand and fill.

The Bringer of Tough Love heats up her planet further, and crafts a tremendous volcano into a temple dedicated to her glory.

***

The mighty Spacewind becomes a Spacetide, and though it is not as quick, its effects are far more pronounced. Poor Ournaro is tilted and turned by the waves each time it crosses.

The snakevines quickly learn to use their sense for heat as a way to gain more information about their surroundings. Pushed along by Adaption, they soon manage to develop a form of sight based on heat signatures, and begin to communicate in pantomime. Within only a few years, they begin to form separate colonies, intertwining in complex and elegant patterns both as an artistic exercise and to maximize the sunlight every one of them receives.

The Redweed begin to communicate with each other through airborne chemicals, and with their bolstered intelligence, quickly devise a language of sorts. The philosophical and poetical concepts they have developed for years can finally be exchanged... which, while it can lead to enrichment, often leads to vicious arguments as well, for the plants are not used to having their thoughts scrutinized.

Thanks to a rare mutation, a tiny, intersex fraction of the Greifous population arises; though they are still the ones to give birth, their body otherwise bears many more similarities to the males of the species, including wings. About one third of this population begins to follow the males on their pilgrimage... and soon, groups of them begin to set up shop around the coast, where the Redweed is more abundant and easier to digest. The Redweed, in turn, begin to devise methods of producing an unpleasant taste in order to fend off their predators.

Though the intensified heat makes it harder for the Winterweed to survive, some patches still remain. Adaption ensures that they become more and more effective at protecting themselves, and the population slowly begins to rise again, eventually surpassing its former peak as the plant begins to spread further from the coast.

The Energy of New Beginnings provides everyone with four acts.

The Energy of New Beginnings fades significantly.

Acts
Supernerd - Mi'Grata: 0 + 7 = 7
Bigro - The Matriarch: 0 + 6 = 6
Chwoka - Tlaca-Ica: 0 + 6 = 6
Garuru - The Arbitrator: 4 + 7 = 11
Truegreen - Oiren: 0 + 6 = 6
Dalmationer - Canary: 2 + 8 = 10
Schazer - Solbruin: 3 + 4 = 7

Universal Reference Sheet

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Spoiler

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Cosmic Constructs
Ice Sun "Butts": This star radiates light that, instead of making whatever it strikes hotter, instead causes a significant drop in temperature.

Eruditio: An average-sized sun that emits light and heat.

The Spacetide: Between the two suns, where their radiation "intersects," great currents are formed from the difference in temperature, and beautiful lights emerge in the process. They're mostly harmless, but whenever Ournaro crosses between orbital paths, its own wind currents are magnified and distorted, and its rotation thrown off-kilter.

The Duck: The corpse of a single duck, orbiting the ice sun. The radiation has effectively left it frozen solid - perfect to be heated up for a romantic dinner!

Matriarch's Planet: An extremely hot planet orbiting the ice sun. Perfectly geometric lakes and rivers interconnect, cooling down the area immediately around them, and the radiation from the ice sun makes things otherwise more or less livable, but there are substantial portions of the planet that remain unreasonably hot.

Sarte: An icy moon which orbits the Matriarch's planet. It reflects some of the cold radiation towards the planet, and in return the planet's lost heat warms it a bit.

Melody: A small planet, full of canyons and caves, and dominated by a single ocean. It has a vaporous core, also the source of its atmosphere; the metals making it up remain gaseous or liquid even at low temperatures, and frequently rain down alongside the ocean's evaporated waters.

Arbitrator's Planet: This planet has a tremendous variety of canyons and mountains dotting the landscape. A bounty of useful minerals lies beneath the surface.

Ournaro: A gas giant positioned such that its orbit forms a figure eight around the two suns.

Plane of Memory: An as of yet small, but expanding-towards-infinite maze graces the center of this plane. The walls of this maze will record all the knowledge of the universe, and all the details of all the lives of those who have lived and died in it. As of yet, only the Gods may access this realm or read the information within.

Locational Constructs

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Matriarch's Planet
Winterweed: A hardy sprout which stores the cold of the ice sun during the day, and releases it at night to protect it from the intense heat of the planet.

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Sarte
Summerweed: Where the winterweed stores cold, the summerweed stores heat. It grows in thick clumps to share warmth efficiently.

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Melody
Redweed: An intelligent algae with a strong philosophical tradition and the ability to (slightly) shift the tides to their will. Their perceptions and communication are based upon chemical signals, particularly pheromones. Increasingly hostile and insular, they tend to organize in an echo-chamber-like manner, preferring to communicate with those who think similarly to them.

Sliver: A cavern-dwelling moss that absorbs metals from the atmosphere and uses them to produce a thin protective shell.

Cavern Greifous: The females of these insects are flightless; they pierce the shell of the Sliver and then lay their eggs inside. The males are winged, and frequently migrate to other caverns to spread their genetic material, feasting on Redweed if they hunger during the journey.

Coastal Greifous: These Greifous are much less sexually divergent, and prefer to dine on Redweed. They are quickly losing their ability to digest Sliver, but are gaining keener eyesight and more efficient methods of flight.

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Arbitrator's Planet
Snakevines: This climbing vine easily twists and turns, mainly using this to capture the maximum amount of sunlight, but sometimes as an artistic exercise of sorts. They perceive the world around them through a sort of touch-based infrared vision.

Deep in the heart of the maze a rune pulses steadily, Oiren's many arms twist and turn around it's shifting form, adding modifications and energy. He grants it some basic awareness and the ability to change its form at will. And with a final stroke he grants the twisting changing maze a great intelligence so it may never be bested by a mortal mind.

After all, what could better guard the maze than the maze itself? Of course Oiren keeps these things to himself, he is a god of secrets after all. The others might figure out eventually exactly what he had done, but for now it would remain between himself and The Wall of History.

Pushing almost all his energy he held back just a bit. After all, who knows what the others might be doing in the divine plane...

Grants The Maze of Knowledge basic sapience: -1 Act
Grants The Maze of Knowledge the special ability to change its shape: -1 Act
Grants The Maze Insane Intelligence: -3 Acts

1 Act Remaining

Tlaca-Ica claps their fins and creates the planet Sizzurp, a liquid giant made entirely of a cough syrup and Mountain Dew mixture called "Purple Drank", to continue with the theme. Its orbit is exactly identical to that of the Arbitrator's Planet, except rotated 90 degrees. Twice a year, every solstice, their orbits cross and Sizzurp completely engulfs Tlaca-Ica's Planet (No, The Other One) for a day and a night, bringing much pleasure, sweet flavoring, and a general slowness to the inhabitants. Then, miraculously, Sizzurp and Arby's make clean breaks, orbits entirely uninterrupted.

To keep the new planet company, Tlaca-Ica also creates a number of small birdfish that swimfly through the Purple Drank called Screws, so named for their elegant spiral flightswim patterns and distinctive screw-shaped beaks. The beaks are mostly used for hydroaerodynamic stabilizing in the absence of any potential prey besides the twice-yearly Summerweed, a food chain problem circumvented by the Screws' rudimentary photosynthesis abilities, which also gives the birdfish a vibrant green shade that contrasts nicely with the deep colors of the Purple Drank and aids in visibility. The Screws can actually swim entirely out of the Purple Drank, into the syrupfied space and back, to get a more massive burst of solar power, but not very far and not for very long.

4 acts spent on Sizzurp, a liquid giant made of Purple Drank
2 acts spent making Screws to inhabit Sizzurp

The Arbitrator names his planet Progenitor before the faker can.

Tlaca-Ica insists on continuing to call it Arby's.

Oh! So much to do! So much power to route! I continue playing with the little Redweed. Oh, how cute they are! They have little groups of friends! Oh, I am so glad that they are happy! I expend 2 acts on giving them two more points in sapience! Oh, how wonderous they shall be! Little minds, all fire and passion! Their memories and chemical words filling me to the brim! Their stories and individual

Oh, but I have a plan. I use one act to allow some of them to cluster up, to join to others, that their little echo chambers may move and wander, or stay still and live together. Though they still reproduce asexually, individual Redweed plants may cluster together to form composite organisms with like-minded individuals. Various types arise! They cannot last long outside water, however, so the terrestrial ones are amphibious or bound to tidal pools.

And I turn my gaze to the skies again, to my own lovely world, the vast gaseous desert of Ournaro. It seems to rock a little in its spin, but that is okay. It seems stable, for now. Oh, but it is so barren. I shall fix that. I create concentrated areas of various transition metals to gather at the poles for one act.
I use two more to make great sky-reefs of semi-gaseous plant matter in the clouds, with numerous different subspecies. Heavily resistant to the great storms, they float with big balloony gas bags, and spawn rapidly during the period when Ournaro is between the two suns. Yes, this is very pretty. The plants grow oh so slowly normally due to the distance from the sun and varying conditions, but as Ournaro's orbit shifts between its two hubs, oh so slowly, they rapidly reproduce amid the howling gales, reproducing, dying, plummeting to the depths, there to be recycled by extremeophilic bacteria, each age an ending. This pleases me.

I expend two points calming the ambient winds slightly, just in case it should disrupt the verdant biosphere.

Oh, my slow garden shall be wonderful, my dears, feel free to populate it with bountiful organisms of your own design. It will be lovely. I have the very idea for a lovely, oh-so-wise apex predator!

Melody;
2 points on sapience for redweed
1 point to allow redweed to form colonies

Ournaro;
1 point for small but concentrated areas of heavy resources near poles.
2 points for widely distributed plant matter, as yet unnamed, of various subtypes.
2 points calming Ournaro's winds somewhat.

"Allow me to contribute a beast to this world of yours, Canary."

Solbruin turns her back on the assembled gods, the nature of her Void turning her out of existence. She navigates Ournaro's wreathes of gas like a mortal would dance through a sunlit field, claws finally digging into the icy slush of the core.

She waits for the turning of the planets, for the first reefs to fall. The goddess of Darkness plots the dead colony's course, lays the opposite of a spark in its growing shadow, and rejoins the gods.

Under the plant's corpse, something shifts. Solbruin feels to expose the creature by way of explanation runs counter to her ideals, so lets the omniscient 3rd-person narrative do it for her.

Solbruin spends one act to create the very patchily distributed, small animal life - Narkissts. [1 act]
Narkissts are shrimplike, with their legs underneath them, but these legs are many-jointed and can easily reach over the body. Down each flank of their body are three gill-like slits, due to the atmosphere they open and close with pneumatic slowness. The creatures are about the size of a blackbird.
Narkissts have a squat, scuttling profile, with the eight arms and tail of Solbruin. The tail helps anchor them to the surface; the arms are used for any combination of walking and carrying things. An extra [1 act] is spent to allow them to survive on the high gravity surface of the gas giant.
Narkissts are filter-feeder/detritivores, acquiring sustenance from the air and the corpses of the unnamed plants of Ournaro. Due to the harsh conditions, they live inside the corpses, and have an average intelligence [2 acts] which lets them build structures outward from ground-ice and vegetation.
Narkissts seek out other colonies across the blasted landscape with keening vocalisations; a special god-given property [1 act] means these sounds are inherently chaotic; the same intent behind a call can produce a functionally-infinite set of sounds.

---

Solbruin creates the Narkissts, on Ournaro!
1 act for a small, sparsely-distributed creature.
1 act for biology to survive the conditions.
2 acts for medium intelligence.
1 act for an unusual property - their cries are too chaotic to produce meaningful language.

Oooh the little ones, the little ones! They have no words, but they are oh so pretty. I like them and their lots of legs! I will remember one forever!
Yes, sally. In the blackest depths of hydrogen waves they dwell, oh yes! They shall cycle the nutrients in such an efficient manner! Their memories will be fractured but beautiful to read. Their shrieks are songs to my forgetful ears! If I have ears.... I can't remember.

I update the solar system map.

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Spoiler

Mi'Grata watched as the other deities went about their work, and noticed a problem. The fishy Tlaca-Ica created the Screws with the ability to consume Summerweed... But Sizzurp did not cross paths with Sarte, which was the only place that Summerweed grew. Mi'Grata did not have any problem with the Screws at this time, and decided to assist them. Mi'Grata descended upon the Arbitrator's Planet, Progenitor and created a new kind of plant. The Bummerweed! This plant was nearly identical to Summerweed in nutritional value, but it was created with survival on a more standard environment and lacked the Summerweeds substantial heat storing ability.

Mi'Grata created the Bummerweed on Progenitor! (1 act)

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SpoilerI blame MrGuy's messed-up spoiler tags

The Arbitrator momentarily brings his attention to the realm of knowledge. It was brimming with power, flowing under each rune. It was highly intelligent, and had many spectral abilities. He was impressed, and a little bit intimidated. The Truth embedded in the universe was a powerful one, alright. He felt that he should have a small portion of it. Thus, he decided to create an emissary of sorts. Then, his eyes glowed gold. Within a nondescript hall in the Realm, golden particles came into being, then collided into a single point, amassing into a single blob. This blob began to coalescence into a single organism, which appeared to be a many-armed robotic spheroid, rolling along on a single wheel. It was entirely made of gold, of course. Then, The Arbitrator's eyes glowed gold again. The gold was emulated by this spheroid's eyes, located vaguely on the top of its head. It had been embedded with high intelligence and rudimentary sapience. Thus, it would not be smarter than the maze itself, but it could act as an organizer. Of consciousness, perhaps. Of thoughts, maybe. Of knowledge, almost certainly. Thus, it would be The Librarian. A technically-immortal being with no real power, other than collecting information and composing tomes of knowledge, all autonomously.

[-2 CREATION OF IMMORTAL CREATURE, -2 INTELLIGENCE, -1 SAPIENCE]

6 ACTS REMAINING

Then, his attention was brought back to his own planet, Arby's Progenitor. From his vision, he comprehended that the planet was around 30% water. Enough for the Snakeweeds to flourish, certainly, but much of the planet remained sparse. Now that Mi'Grata's Rain of Life had dissipated into a stable water cycle, there was still not much that was remarkable about it. Certainly, it had been gifted once more with a new plant, to aid Sizzurp, but not much else. This would not do. This should be a Progenitor to his legacy. He bestowed a new species, originating deep within the tunnels and canyons that the Rain of Life have not reached yet. Rumblings shook the tunnels, as cracks formed into the ground, walls, and ceiling of each. Molten rock poured out of them, and congealed into rather ugly four-legged lumps of rock, closely resembling bears. They would be called Saxa (singular is Saxum), and they would be able to mine within the tunnels. They were dull-witted, but diligent, as they had also been bestowed with an appreciation for jewelry formed from the depths of Progenitor.

[-1 CREATION OF LIFE (SAXA), -1 SAPIENCE, -1 INTELLIGENCE]

3 ACTS REMAINING

Then, he had an idea. He descended upon Sizzurp, and saw the Screws. He looked again, and saw the Screws. Then, what was unexpected to us, but inevitable to him, happened. He bestowed the Screws with 1 act of Sapience, and 1 of Intelligence. They would not be simple beasts. Rather, as Sizzurp and Arby's Progenitor collided twice every year, there would be a great cultural exchange between the briefly-spacefaring Screws, and the sealocked Snakeweeds and the landlocked Saxa. Then, feeling pity for the Screws, who had to deal with a possibly-insane god, he gave them a toy, which came in the form of Aurigni, plant-like creatures that floated throughout Sizzurp. These Aurigni were normally dormant in seed form, but when touched, they would bloom explosively into a burst of color, then go through a rapid growth cycle, where the bio-luminescent stems and leaves would vary wildly in color. They would then spread their seeds and die, the colors fading away.

[-1 SAPIENCE, -1 INTELLIGENCE, -1 CREATION OF LIFE (AURIGNI)]

0 ACTS REMAINING

Exhausted, he began to rest.

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Spoilersorry this was so long

Oiren wandered through the maze admiring what the work of three gods had wrought. The wall of history extended around him, already small runes were crawling across its surface as small creatures lived and died. As they were all written in the language of gods, even the smallest of the runes held a breadth of knowledge. Oiren smiled, these creatures had such potential, soon they would become complex enough to warrant multiple runes, it was already starting to happen. One day a creature might take up a whole wall. but he could only hope. The walls shifted around him, was the maze trying to tell him something? Oiren stared in surprise as a spherical automaton rolled into sight. He had not constructed this. He stepped forward scanning the creature for any sign of its purpose. "I am The Librarian." the creature stated as if in response to Oiren's investigation. Oiren smiled, one of the others must have put this in while they were constructing the realm, he must remember to thank them. Reviewing the data he received from the creature pleased Oiren. It would make an excellent curator for this wall, but perhaps...a little tweak...he did have a little energy left. Oiren couldn't help himself, two of his arms, made of strange ethereal alloys reached forward, one began drawing runes in the air the other hovered, waiting.

Oiren closed his eyes and opened them in a new perspective. Strands of consciousness floated around him. He reached forward, gently lifting a shining gold segment of self from the automaton and another dark blue from The Maze. Carefully he spliced the two together binding them with godly energy. Satisfied he dropped the threads and released the perspective. The Librarian and The Wall were now connected by thought. They both kept their individual identities, but they could communicate with one another. They would interact with perfect synergy, a sort of intimate friendship. It was more than a librarian now, it was a curator, a guardian. It would act as the Maze's voice, when the need arose, and protect it as only a loyal friend could.

It still needed a name, but that wasn't difficult. Oiren knew exactly what to call it. He carved a single complex rune into the creature's golden carapace. 'Tutorem'. Oiren released Tutorem and leaned against The Wall. He smiled as the brave little curator rushed down a twisting tunnel, eager to accomplish its duty.

Special Ability: Linked Consciousness, -1 act
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Spoiler Don't worry about your long post Garuru, I enjoyed it. I especially like our little spherical friend! I hope you don't mind the modification I made.

Tlaca-Ica swims up to Oiren, offering up a finbump. "Aw, sick job naming The Arbitrator's already-named thing, Oiren! YOU HEAR THAT? OREO'S TAKIN' YOU BACK TO SCHOOL, ARBY! Now make him eat sand!" Nobody can tell how sarcastic they are being.

Oiren stares at the dolphin in confusion. The Arbitrator? Surely Canary or Solbruin had made the automaton. They were the only two who had shown any interest in this realm. But not even Tlaca-Ica could speak lies in The Realm of Knowledge. Not without difficulty at least.

He watched the mischievous god curiously. How had it found him in the maze? It had not had much time to grow, but it was still a very complex formation. Then he noticed the walls. They seemed to shift in a strange way in Tlaca-Ica's presence, almost as though the maze was wary of him.

"You have been very informative, but I wonder. What is your interest in the works of the Arbitrator? It seems a curious behavior for one so driven by chaos to focus your attention so."