Death, Taxes, and Cookies: to Rule an Underworld - INTERMISSION 2 END

[X] Renovation
- [X] Location 1: Make it look like the bakery you wanted to have

I wave my wand around idly, thinking to myself. The Aspect said there wasn't enough divinity in here to create anything else... but that didn't stop me from changing what was already there, did it? I gather some of the energy around me again, before I gently tap the "ground".



It's a weird feeling, manipulating this "divinity". But the more I do it, the more natural it feels - like smoothing something over with my hands.

But what I create is... a room. An empty one.

... This doesn't look like a bakery.

A BAKERY?

Oh, um.

It's like - a place where you make n' sell sweets and pastries n' stuff. I wanted to turn this place into a bakery.

I like them.

...

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH SUCH A LOCATION WOULD BE DEFINED BY ITS' FURNITURE.

MERELY CHANGING THE ENVIRONMENT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH...

TO TURN THE UNDERWORLD INTO A 'BAKERY'.

Well, that's phooey. Do I need to add a bunch of cake stalls or something?

IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING.

BUT PLACING SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTS WOULD BE INEFFICIENT.

RATHER, YOU SHOULD CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OF MORE GENERIC CREATIONS.

I see Barold ghost over to the chair, still standing in the middle of the room, unperturbed by the sudden makeover of the space around it.

THIS CONSTRUCT, FOR EXAMPLE.

WOULD THERE BE AN EQUIVALENT TO IT MORE ALIGNED WITH THE IDEA OF A BAKERY?

Um.

Maybe a stool...?

THE MORE ALIGNED THE CONSTRUCTS AND LOCATION ARE TO EACHOTHER...

... THE MORE COHESIVE OF AN IDEA FORMS.

THIS IS A GOOD THING.

I just wanna bake cookies, Barold.

[Result: Location 1 renovated. Renovation action upgraded to work on constructs.]

---

[X] Harrowing Hell
- [X] Upwards

After that, there wasn't much else to do except send the Aspect to go get more land.

Okay, um... I command you to go and perform a Harrowing in my name!

Was that - was that good?

...

WHAT DIRECTION?

What?

IN WHICH DIRECTION SHALL I HARROW THE ABYSS?

Uh. Um.

... Up?

...

I'm hungry.

---

Outside of my sight, Barold races upwards. Not that up really has any meaning, considering that...



It immediately finds a coursing river, flowing into the distance. How the deeply red liquid isn't flooding into my room (or at least dripping through the ceiling) is beyond my understanding. It's rather big, though, which would make it quite suitable for conversion -



- if it weren't for a pack of fearsome demons to accost the Aspect!

I think they were fearsome, anyway. I'm just paraphrasing the report.

Grip Combat RollsShow

Round 1
Barold Attack: 40+30=70 Defense: 6+30=36
Red Turtles Attack: 45-9=36 Defense: 99+1=100
Round 2
Barold Attack:54+30=84 Defense: 82+30=112
Red Turtles Attack: 27-9=18 Defense: 9+1=10

The turtle-demons' shells were oddly impenetrable at first, despite their appearance.They even tried to swarm Barold with a flurry of snapping jaws. But they were ultimately paltry against the might of the Aspect, quickly being driven off.

One, however, remained, hiding in its' shell, however dilapidated it may be. Seizing the opportunity, my angel offered a deal to it to come under my dominion - if I willed it.

Roll: 41+30=71
Success

An easy decision to make, and after being presented to me Barold gave me the choice of whether or not to keep the strange turtle-demon as a servant. Or pet.

[ ] Keep the turtle. Two angels are better than one!
[ ] Don't keep the turtle. We barely have enough space as is!

I'll probably have to make this decision before planning out the rest of my actions. Either way, a successful Harrowing - with a section of the Underworld twice as large as my starting room placed under my power, split up into two different locations.

[Result: Harrowing complete. Locations 2 and 3 added. Expanded "up".][/align]