Godhood XIV [Syrup Edition]

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And now, it seems the gods would intervene
With mortal words and mortal needs and thoughts.
Yet with what they have done, we must now ask
Will this be more a gain - or more a loss?

***

The Weaver of the Wilds carves a tremendous volcano from the Matriarch's planet, designed to draw heat from the rest of the planet and concentrate it in one area, so that the Summerweed may thrive.

The Gatherer of Memories, the Faceless Philosopher and the Protector of the Steppe continue to spread and tweak life throughout the universe: the mighty Platewood and frantic Wiremoss sprung up, and Canary coaxes the plants of Ournaro into a delicate seasonal cycle. This is followed by the creation of the Buzzts - who quickly go to work pollinating the plants in the sky - as well as the Roundfish, Buzzers and Aerwhal, scattered across several planets. The Thieving Whale also contributes, in the form of a bizarre pre-cooked creature with a piercing laugh.

Suddenly, Tlaca-Ica comes to the realization that there is no afterlife - that the souls of the dead either linger as shades, or entirely cease to be. He proposes that a proper afterlife is developed to deal with the problem.

As a demonstration, the Silent Scorpion grants the Narkissts a simple afterlife and the souls to enter it. Following her lead, The Hidden Librarian creates two entities to judge the dead - but the afterlife remains unfinished, so the two remain inert, slumbering, waiting for their duty to be realized.

He Who Obscures thinks it best that the space between dimensions is difficult for mortals to traverse; to that end, he weaves a lattice of viscous sugar into the fabric of the universe. Thus shall crossing between the planes be reserved for the gods, the dead, and the most determined heroes.

Though the gods may not yet speak easily with the dead, for the first time, they speak to the living: the Woman Outside Time decides to make contact with the Redweed, and the Gleaming Trickster follows suit. Two prophets arise: Costro Memorius of the Greifous Feeders, and Frue Hjerteler of the Tornbygge.

Finally, The Matriarch crafts five animals of gleaming metal and great power - trophies for those who would prove their worth - and scatters them across Progenitor. It isn't long before the locals start to notice them, and take interest.

***

The Volcano of Fury soon sees the Winterweed pushed away from the Matriarch's Temple. The lava flows freely, but never touches the sea. The remaining Winterweed accumulates at the opposite end of the planet, where it can grow more freely.

For the most part, the Narkissts have no idea the afterlife exists until they're already living in it. Occasionally, though, one becomes convinced that they saw a glimpse of a recently-dead family member soaring into the sky at midnight. The tales spread far and wide, and their meaning and authenticity are debated.

The Buzzts and Aerwhal frequently come into conflict over resources during the warm season. The spirits of the Narkisst occasionally intervene in favor of the pollinators, but are generally content to merely float among the plants and see to it that they are kept healthy.

For reasons unknown, during one Collision, the Screws find that they may look into the very minds of the creatures of Progenitor, seeing their knowledge and memories. Though this mostly lacks a practical use, it nonetheless reassures the Screws of their superiority, as it quickly becomes clear they are the only ones with this ability.

The Saxa happily incorporate the RBs into their diet, and - at the urging of some benevolent Screws - begin to move away from eating the Snakevines. In turn, the Snakevines begin training the RBs to eat nothing but the Bummerweed, ensuring their safety.

With tensions lowered between the two species, and further encouragement and aid from the less self-absorbed Screws, the Saxa and Snakevines begin to interact peacefully, developing a shared language with a variety of dialects - some focused around signing, others around the written word. A few Snakevines even gain the ability to hear and speak, but this is not a tremendous advantage, and so only takes root in a relatively small portion of the population. The two establish trade routes so that the vines may exchange their technology for the cave-dwellers' gems, and soon the Saxa begin to spread out of the caves, forming aboveground villages.

Peace is short-lived once the Matriarch's gifts are discovered. Three prominent bearers arise: Granite, a Saxa who keeps to themselves and isn't interested in much beyond immortality; Princess Twistknot, a Snakevine who - with revolutionary tactics and inimitable skill with throwing spears - has arisen as a conqueror that seeks to unite her people as one; and Old Blood Eye, a Saxa bandit who seems to have little on his mind beyond cheap thrills and as much wealth as he can get his hands on. In particular, the machinations of Twistknot and Blood Eye bring forth conflicts that not even Sizzurp can stop.

For the first time, a Screw is killed by a mortal weapon, and the question of whether they are truly divine arises. But for the most part, the locals have bigger things on their mind.

Meanwhile, on Melody, the prophets set forth on their mission. Costro Memorius has a relatively easy time getting the Greifous Feeders to follow him, and they quickly rally behind him as their leader. He sees the strengthening of their oral tradition, and sets the great thinkers of the land to either write things worth recording or devise a new method of recording them.

Hjerteler finds significantly more resistance among the conservative and serious Tornbygge, and for a long time, the only laughter she brings about is directed at her. Eventually, furious, she manages to convince a small group of outcasts and skeptics to follow her east, and settle a new nation on the coast. Still, the Tornbygge laugh. Once they decide on a location, they begin recruiting from the small local clans, promising to protect them from the major tribes. Still, the Tornbygge laugh.

Finally, Hjerteler and her followers craft a strange device according to the visions she has received from Tlaca-Ica: a complex instrument to make their churning far more efficient, allowing them to gather far more nutrients from the water than any of their rivals. Their population explodes, and within a few years, they finish constructing a tremendous and beautiful castle that dwarfs any building the Redweed have crafted before. They fence off their piece of the sea, then retreat within the walls of Hjertelfestning to make merry for several days.

The Tornbygge are silent once more.

Acts
Supernerd - Mi'Grata: 2 + 5 = 7
Bigro - The Matriarch: 1 + 6 = 7
Chwoka - Tlaca-Ica: 1 + 6 = 7
Garuru - The Arbitrator: 3 + 4 = 7
Truegreen - Oiren: 1 + 4 = 5
Dalmationer - Canary: 2 + 6 = 8
Schazer - Solbruin: 4 + 4 = 8

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.

Progenitor: 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.

Sizzurp: A liquid giant, made of a combination of soft drink and soporific. Twice a year, its orbit (perpendicular to those of other planets) crosses with Progenitor, leaving the inhabitants of that planet in a bit of a stupor.

Spun Sugar: An interdimensional lattice that makes it nearly impossible for mortals to travel from one plane to another.

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.

Volcano of Fury: This tremendous mountain draws tremendous amounts of energy from the planet - cooling it down for the most part, but leaving the area around it (including the Temple of Parenthood) even hotter than before.

Divine Temple of Parenthood: A massive temple carved into the second-largest volcano on the planet. Any creature who reaches it may give form to a new concept or being, provided they are sufficiently proud of it once it is finished.

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

Wiremoss: A grey, wool-like plant that cohabitates with the Summerweed. It grows and dies quickly, at which point its decomposition provides the soil - and thus the Summerweed - with more nutrients.

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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. Their societies are extremely hostile to any thought that challenges the orthodoxy. Three major civilizations exist - the nature-worshipping Greifous Feeders, the industrious Tornbygge, and the inquisitive Aoyo Mousou - as well as various smaller, unaffiliated tribes.

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

Platewood: Great trees with trunks of iron, bark of copper and silver, leaves of gold, and fruit of shining bismuth. Tend to form dense forests, their branches knitting together and forming a nearly impenetrable wall.

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: Larger and stronger, as well as a bit smarter, than those of the Cavern, these Greifous have a symbiotic relationship with the Redweed - primarily the Greifous Feeders, who willingly feed them their dead in exchange for protection and companionship.

Roundfish: These creatures propel themselves by sucking in and expelling water. Naturally transparent, their color based on what they eat - which is just about anything they can manage to fit in their mouths.

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Progenitor
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; a rare mutation allows some of them to hear and speak, as well. Worship the Screws as angelic, peace-bringing figures.

Bummerweed: Tall, wispy grasses that form swathes of prairie over Progenitor's drier areas. The Snakevines dislike them greatly, seeing them as leeches.

Saxa: Bear-like creatures made of stone. Fond of gemstones, often digging through caves to search for them. Most of them live underground; these only occasionally surface, but always make a point of doing so during the collision with Sizzurp, so they may speak with the Screws. They can speak with the Snakevines using either sign language or writing.

RBs: Hat-shaped creatures made of delicious pre-cooked meat. Cheerful and prone to bouts of raucous laughter. Horseradish not included.

Buzzers: These pale yellow birds travel in packs and congregate on cliffs, where they build nests. The only sounds they produce are buzzes, and they are infamous for the incessant droning that occurs whenever they migrate.

The Penta Numisma: Five living artifacts, each with their own power: The Invincible Armadillo, the Toucan Tactician, the Skillful Sifaka, the Bull Berserker and the Shifty Wolf. Whoever controls one gains its power, as well as immortality - but if presented with a fair challenge, they must accept. If all five are gathered by one person, a single wish may be granted, subject to interpretation by the gods - at which point they will scatter once more.

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Ournaro
Various Simple Plant Life: Vast swathes of floating, semi-gaseous plants have accumulated in Ournaro's atmosphere. The various different plants have adapted to the orbital cycle. In the warm season, the most active plants survive entirely on photosynthesis; in the cold season, various bacteria and the few remaining plant species survive primarily by consuming warm-weather plants that die. Thus, summer comes with a greater concentration of oxygen and a lower concentration of carbon dioxide, which returns to its previous balance in winter.

Polar Metal Deposits

Narkissts: Shrimp-like creatures who scuttle across Ournaro's icy core. They are intelligent, and adapted to high-gravity environments; they live in sturdy shelters built mostly of permafrost and dead plant matter. They are very sociable, but their language is disorganized, so that they may communicate a single concept in countless different ways.

Buzzts: Creatures which roughly appear to have the body of a kite, the wings of a bat, and the proboscis of a butterfly. They're active primarily during the warm season, when they pollinate the plants; susceptible to cold, they hibernate during the winter and are doomed to die if they fall to the ground.

Aerwhal: Large and lazy horned cetaceans who float through the sky, gobbling up plant matter as they go. Long-lived but rare in number, they tend to live solitary lives except during their breeding season when Ournaro crosses orbits.

Narkisst Afterlife: In death, the Narkissts' spirits ascend to the upper atmosphere, where they tend to the plants for eternity.

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Sizzurp
Screws: "Birdfish" which subsist primarily on photosynthesis, and secondarily on the Bummerweed of Progenitor. Their appearance is distinctive, marked by vibrant green scales and corkscrew beaks. They take great joy in Sizzurp's intersection with Progenitor, for when it does, the inhabitants worship them as angels, and the Screws can gain the memory and knowledge of anyone they desire.

Aurigni: These plants' seeds, when compressed, quickly grow to maturity in a glorious burst of color; not soon after that, they scatter seeds anew and wilt away.

Mortals of Note

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Melody
Costro Memorius: A Redweed of the Greifous Feeder tribe. Serves Canary. Her blessing and the underlying culture has made it easy for him to gain tremendous prestige, and he now serves as their de facto leader.

Frue Hjerteler: A Redweed, formerly of the Tornbygge, who has formed a new tribe from anyone who would follow her. Serves Tlaca-Ica.

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Progenitor
Granite: A mysterious Saxa who controls the Shifty Wolf and the Invincible Armadillo. Allegedly, he has little interest in obtaining the other Penta Numisma, as he'd rather not deal with their bearers.

Princess Twistknot: A Snakevine who holds the Toucan Tactician and the Skillful Sifaka, and has used them to wage a great campaign to unite the Snakevines. Currently attempting to seek down and kill Old Blood Eye.

Old Blood Eye: A Saxa in possession of the Bull Berserker, who rides across the land pillaging whatever settlements he comes across. One of his eyes has been taken away, replaced with a finely-cut ruby.