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31

Legends of the World / The Saga of Nayala - Chapter 1

« on: January 24, 2018, 10:41:11 PM »

'Nayala'[Create Hero, 1 Prime] ran as fast as her legs could take her. She was the only child of the ruler of Tascrig. Her father and his subjects would often call her 'the jewel of Tacrig'. No one objected to it as anyone who saw her could understand why. Her beauty captivated every man in Tascrig. She was her father's treasure and the pride of Tascrig. Traders often brought gifts to her from all over the world but no treasure was more precious than her. Whenever she left her palace to collect flowers, it felt like it was a small parade for the townsfolk.

That day started like a normal peaceful day. When the ground shook, she was visiting a small hill near the town to collect flowers like she often did. She headed back to Tascrig as soon as the shaking stopped, but she soon met waves of frightened people fleeing the town. She was quickly separated with her servants when they were swept away by the fleeing people. Nayala who quickly realized she was not going to find her servants anytime soon, however, decided to head back on her own.

She moved out of people's way and took a short cut she knew to head back. She was worried for her father. She knew something terrible must had happened in Tascrig to force so many people out of the town and her father was not the type of person to leave behind his subjects.

Before she even entered the town, however, she realized something beyond buildings near the gate. There was a strangely large cloud floating above the town. She knew it was no ordinary cloud when she saw two glowing blue eyes as no cloud she had seen had eyes. And below it, there was a giant mountain she had no memory of. Tascrig had no mountain near it and it definitely was not there when she left the town. She almost stopped breathing when the top of the mountain moved.

A moving mountain and a cloud with eyes...

She had never heard of such things. But her surprise did not end there. There was one more. When she was only a child, her father once took her to a place in the far north where the ground was bleeding with hot glowing blood. The same hot blood of the earth was here, standing before the mountain.

It even spoke!

Before she could comprehend what was going on, the mountain moved again. The top of the mountain turned toward Nayala. Her blue eyes, once praised to be as beautiful as the brightest stars, met the two giant rubies of the mountain. At that moment, her head was filled with white. When she came to her senses again, she realized she was running... away from the city. She ran until her legs finally gave out. Her consciousness faded as her body collapsed on the ground.

32

Work in Progress / The Legend of Umviak

« on: January 23, 2018, 03:20:42 AM »

Darkness, fire, screams, heat, roars, light, blood, and finally... laughter.

'Umviak'[Create Hero, 1 Prime] gasped for air as he woke up. It was that dream again. He had the same dream over and over since he could barely speak. And like always, he was sweating from top to bottom. Feeling his heart pounding against his chest, Umviak decided to get off his bed as he knew he would not be able to fall back to sleep again. He knew it was better to move his body if he was to forget about the nightmare. He knew it would comeback to haunt him again but at least it would not bother him for a few days.

It was still dark out when he walked out of his ger but he could still see his tribe's flag. His tribe, the 'Iron Axe' tribe[Create Settlement, 1 Prime], was one of the bigger tribes on the 'Ulgarian plain'[Name Plain, 1 Prime] and they were the largest among the tribes located west of the 'Kakumayan lake'[Name Lake, 1 Prime]. He was a wondering orphan on the plain when hunters of the tribe found him. Luckily for him, it was the wet season so the tribe decided to accept him as their own since they could afford to raise him. The plain was a harsh place and even children born in large tribes often did not make it to adulthood. Tribes of the plain often welcomed orphans, who were often called sons of the land, to make up for children lost during dry seasons.

When he first arrived, he was only skin and bones. But as he grew, he became taller, stronger, faster, and smarter than other children of the tribe. No one could match him in both hunting and fighting. While other children were hunting birds, he came back with a wolf. By the time others could finally hunt wolves, he brought a hide of a large bear. When one of the neighbouring tribe attacked the Iron Axe tribe, he chased them by himself for a month to take his revenge. When he came after a month, he brought forty ears back.

His deeds became a legend of the tribe and adults of the tribe often spoke about how Umviak would become a great chief one day. Even the eldest shaman often said he would become the 'warrior of light', a title reserved only for the greatest warrior of the plain. Only Ulgar the Lord of the Sky was called the warrior of light when he walked alongside mortals. No man since his ascension could dared to use such an honorable title.

As he took his eyes off the flag, he saw few guard on duty walking around the nearby gers. They exchanged short nods with Umviak then continued their duty. Umviak grabbed his axes and got on his horse to leave the tribe. The tribe was going to move near the lake today to replenish water but he wanted to be ahead of the tribe to make sure there was no hostile neighbour near the lake. He would have to ride for at least half an hour just to get to the western edge of the lake. Riding around the western bank of the lake would take few hours and by the time he had finished searching the area, the tribe would be settling down near the lake.

He had to hurry if he was to finish everything before noon. The tribe was going to hold the coming of age ceremony as soon as they settled by the lake. Normally, young hunters had to hunt at least few wolves to be accepted as adults but Umviak had already done that when he was only twelve. He brought yet another bear back not too long ago. No one in the tribe questioned the chief when he decided to allow Umviak to become an adult a few years ahead of others. He was already larger than most adults and no one could beat him in 'voral'(wrestling) so there was no point on leaving him as a child. As Umviak rode off to the lake, the sun began to rise before him.

33

Work in Progress / The City States - Chapter 3

« on: January 20, 2018, 06:28:21 AM »

The harbor of Lerikion was flooded with ships from Tascrig. Refugees from Tascrig flooded the streets as there was no place to accommodate so many people. But the biggest problem was the shortage of food. Lerikion was not prepared to take several thousand people all at once.

Lerikion itself was still recovering from the damage caused by fallen debris from the flying mountain. Lerikans could not welcome anyone when their hands were full with their own problems.

Lerikhir, the ruler of Lerikion, ordered soldiers to patrol the streets to maintain order but he knew it was not going to last long. Luckily for him, however, Lerikion's closest neighbours answered his request and decided to send enough food for Lerikion to feed itself for few months. 'Harajin'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] used to be on the other side of the mountain that flew over the town. But with the mountain gone between the two, there was no need to go around the mountain. All the years Lerikans spent aiding Harajans against barbarians finally paid off.

"Lerikhir. What are you going to do about the refugees?"

Lerikhir's oldest adviser asked.

"How about making some tents for them outside of the town? As long as they are outside of the town, we can deal with them even if they start a riot.", said a younger adviser.

"Our soldiers need some rest too. They have been working non-stop for the past week. They are at their limits. If we don't do something our soldiers will revolt before the refugees."

"Why don't we ask Irkhen to help us?"

"I'd rather conscript some people temporarily."

"Or we can call retired soldiers back to service until we get things in order."

Lerikhir quietly watched his advisers argue and discuss. Advisers could not agree on solutions but that was expected. Nobody ever thought of accepting few thousand people all at once. The biggest problem was the refugees were most likely going to stay in Lerikion. Soldiers who were sent to check Tascrig returned with strange yet grim news. Most of Tascrig no longer existed. Instead, it was replaced by a giant pyramid which appeared from thin air. Everything was happening all at once too quickly. From the flying mountain to the destruction of Tascrig, and now the giant pyramid. Lerikhir pressed his tired eyes with his fingers then began ordering his advisers.

"We will accept Tascrigians as our citizens. Put them to work. Start with collecting resources to build more houses. Call the master builder. We need buildings that can house multiple families."

"Would that even work? Tascrigians won't simply accept orders from us."

"Make it work. Tell them what happened to Tascrig. They will come to their senses when they learn about the fate of their town."

34

Work in Progress / Wanted: Chapter 4 for Shapers of the First Continent

« on: January 20, 2018, 05:46:31 AM »

Is there anyone who wants to write the next chapter? Think the continent could use more features.

35

Legends of the World / The Seeker Council - Chapter 1~7

« on: January 19, 2018, 10:52:18 PM »

<Chapter 1>
Gravity was an interesting phenomenon.  Quaranis could see possibilities in it, depending on exactly how it worked.  Were there natural elevations?  Something to do with the air?  She would have to experiment.  Maybe if she incorporated the air into her lava it could fly properly.

Her idle musings as her body re-knit itself were interrupted by a familiar sensation.  One she had not felt since awakening in this broken world.

Prime.

Prime flowing freely.

There was Prime in this world.

She flung her half-healed form through the newly-widened arteries of the archipelago, and into the still-expanding network deep within the world.  Pushing faster, faster, desperation surging through the capillaries...

Here!

It is here!

She started to rise, then remembered.  Gravity would cast her down, just as it had before.  But perhaps, if she changed the balance of her lava, a little more of earthen solidity, a little less liquid flowing...

A new form rose, half-molten magma taking awkward shape.  A head, to hold the eyes.  Arms, to reach and grasp.  A trunk to pull more and more of her self up, and out...

There!

Deep within a great gaping hole lay Prime!  It had a strange shape in this world, but what of it?  It could be all.  If it chose to look like the void, studded with stars in grand patterns, then so be it.

She reached...But could not grasp.

No, no, no no no no nononononononono...

This...Body she had built was constraining her.  Her essence was spread across too much of the world, she could not gather enough of it to meld with the Prime!

So near the eternal Prime, and yet unable, incapable of reaching it.

Black obsidian tears streamed from her woe, and her sorrow caused the very air to blacken and rise from her in grief.

36

Work in Progress / The Seeker Council: Chapter 6

« on: January 18, 2018, 01:57:13 AM »

Astalos took its eyes off from the ground to see the cloud. Then slowly moved its eyes back to the ground to look at the being of lava. It nodded to the both as it could feel that none of them could even get near the crevasse alone. Even two did not seem enough. But perhaps three could.

The being of lava, Quanaris, and the being of cloud, Reis, sought the leaking prime and so did Astalos. Its new peers had already poured their power to reach for the prime and it added its strength to aid their effort.

When its power met with its new peers, it felt strangely connected to the other two. It was a strange yet familiar feeling. It was what Astalos had yearned for since its birth. Its wish to become whole again. Although it was not as perfect as it had wished for, it could feel that it became a part of something bigger.

At that moment, Astalos knew the crevasse, the very source of prime, could no longer stop them from claiming it.

37

Work in Progress / The Saga of Nayala - Chapter 1

« on: January 15, 2018, 10:59:23 PM »

'Nayala'[Create Hero, 1 Prime] ran as fast as her legs could take her. She was the only child of the ruler of Tascrig. Her father and his subjects would often call her 'the jewel of Tacrig'. No one objected to it as anyone who saw her could understand why. Her beauty captivated every man in Tascrig. She was her father's treasure and the pride of Tascrig. Traders often brought gifts to her from all over the world but no treasure was more precious than her. Whenever she left her palace to collect flowers, it felt like it was a small parade for the townsfolk.

That day started like a normal peaceful day. When the ground shook, she was visiting a small hill near the town to collect flowers like she often did. She headed back to Tascrig as soon as the shaking stopped, but she soon met waves of frightened people fleeing the town. She was quickly separated with her servants when they were swept away by the fleeing people. Nayala who quickly realized she was not going to find her servants anytime soon, however, decided to head back on her own.

She moved out of people's way and took a short cut she knew to head back. She was worried for her father. She knew something terrible must had happened in Tascrig to force so many people out of the town and her father was not the type of person to leave behind his subjects.

Before she even entered the town, however, she realized something beyond buildings near the gate. There was a strangely large cloud floating above the town. She knew it was no ordinary cloud when she saw two glowing blue eyes as no cloud she had seen had eyes. And below it, there was a giant mountain she had no memory of. Tascrig had no mountain near it and it definitely was not there when she left the town. She almost stopped breathing when the top of the mountain moved.

A moving mountain and a cloud with eyes...

She had never heard of such things. But her surprise did not end there. There was one more. When she was only a child, her father once took her to a place in the far north where the ground was bleeding with hot glowing blood. The same hot blood of the earth was here, standing before the mountain.

It even spoke!

Before she could comprehend what was going on, the mountain moved again. The top of the mountain turned toward Nayala. Her blue eyes, once praised to be as beautiful as the brightest stars, met the two giant rubies of the mountain. At that moment, her head was filled with white. When she came to her senses again, she realized she was running... away from the city. She ran until her legs finally gave out. Her consciousness faded as her body collapsed on the ground.

(Fixed some parts.)

38

Q&A / Destruction with Purity

« on: January 13, 2018, 12:58:30 AM »

It costs 5 purity to create a continent or life.

Can spending 5 purity destroy a continent of all life? Or will it cost more? Any restrictions?

39

Q&A / Heroes and Artifacts

« on: January 13, 2018, 12:57:29 AM »

So what kind of abilities can heroes and artifacts have?

Do they gain more extreme abilities when we spend more prime?

Is there any restriction on their abilities? I am guessing they can't live forever like immortals but maybe we can grant them longevity?

40

Work in Progress / The Seeker Council: Chapter 3

« on: January 12, 2018, 10:34:45 PM »

When an earthquake split the town in half, many Tascrigians fell into the newly formed crevasse. Some fled in horror while others looked down into the crevasse hoping to find those who fell.

Not long after the incident, the ground shook again. It was enough to make those who stayed behind leave their homes. As they fled Tascrig, they missed the sight of clouds gathering above the town.

Tascrigians ran toward east where they could find boats or ships to take refuge in Lerikion. They sailed for half a day when they saw something that should not be above the sea, a flying mountain. The sea under exploded from the debris which fell from the flying mountain. Waves from fallen debris pushed ships away from the approaching shadow of the mountain.

Astalos, whose eyes were fixated toward Tascrig, flew over the ships without noticing them. It was only interested in the familiar presence it knew when it was a part of the whole. Astalos remembered the feelings of being complete and perfect which were lost when the whole was divided. Although the magnitude of the presence was not the same, the purity of the presence was the same. It was the same energy which Astalos still carried from the time immemorial, prime.

While Astalos was buried in thoughts, it finally reached its destination. It could see the source of prime with its own eyes. It was not what it remembered but the energy the crevasse emitted was still the same. Unfortunately for Astalos, it was not alone. There were two other beings who resonated with prime just like Astalos. Both were shrouded in elements like Astalos and through the manipulation of elements, they created voices. They both stayed near the crevasse and conversed with one another.

While watching them talk, Astalos landed on the eastern side, destroying the eastern half of Tascrig with its massive body. It closely inspected the crevasse and realized prime leaking from the crevasse was too violent for Astalos to reach for it. Astalos was no longer the whole but a fragment of it. Although the energy coming from the crevasse was small, it still radiated more energy than any of the beings shrouded in elements. Astalos waited patiently while watching other two.

41

Legends of the World / The City States - Chapter 1, 2, 3

« on: January 12, 2018, 01:21:39 AM »

It was another busy day in Lerikion. Its harbour was full of people from other places. Some sailed from as far north as 'Irkhen'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] while some came from 'Tascrig'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] which was just across 'the Lerikh Sea'[Name Sea, 1 Prime]. They all gathered in the central square where the statue of Lerikhir looked over them to trade goods they brought from different parts of the world.

Among the ships docked in the harbour, Irkhenic ships stood out the most. They were larger and coloured from top to bottom with strong yet bright colors. Each ship had different markings which looked pretty but made little sense for others but Irkhenic people. Irkhenic people always brought largest furs you could find in Lerikion. Furs of large and terrifying beasts were popular among men while furs of smaller yet silky creatures were popular among women.

People who owned most unique looking ships were Tascrigians. They were closer so they could afford to travel back and forth often. Their ships were simple but unique looking. The bottom of the ships were flat which slowed the ships but provided unmatched stability for navigating seas that were not too deep. Their ships could carry more cargoes than anyone in the vacinity of Lerikion so they made excellent traders. Which also made them rather unpleasant to bargain with as not many could get them to lower their prices. But you could find almost anything you want from them except furs. Tascrigians often tried to make Irkhenic people to sell their furs to them instead but Irkhenic people only traded with Lerikans as they did not trust Tascrigians.

Lerikans were master smiths and sculptors. From the mines around Lerikion, they could get the best ores to forge the best weapons and armours. Irkenic people traded large quantity of finest furs for sharpest and hardest weapons and armours while Tascrigians traded for their spices and silks for finest marble sculptures.

Everyone thought the day was going to end with usual rants from grumpy Tascrigians being upset over Irkenic people's refusal to trade with them. But before the sun was down, a group of heavily armed soldiers with the Tascrigican insignia led by a Lerikan soldier rushed to the largest building in Lerikion, the Obsidian Hall. The Obsidian Hall was built based on the local legend regarding the birth of Lerikhir who was said to have emerged from the pitch black darkness to mold men out of nothing to build Lerikion. All the precious black stones Lerikans could find were used to build it and now served as the administrative heart of Lerikion.

When the soldiers reached the Grand Halls, the only room in the building to be built with white marbles, they were greeted by a man whose name became the name of the very land they stood.

"Lerikhir, these men have brought strange news from Tascrig."

The Lerikan soldier who led Tascrigian soldiers stepped aside. One of the Tascrigians stepped forward and took his helmet off.

"Tascrig got split in half just a day ago."

Lerikhir leaned forward.

"Split in half? How did that happen?"

"The ground shook all day. It started weak then by night it shook so violently the ground cracked open and the city got split in half. And then..."

The soldier looked back at his comrades then turned back to meet Lerikhir's eyes.

"We saw a crevasse of endless depth filled with glowing black stones."[Prime Source Found, Tascrig]

"Glowing black stones? I have never heard of such things. How can black stones even glow?"

"The stones glowed like as if they held stars inside them."

"Can something like that really exist? It sounds too unbelievable."

"You know something similar, Lerikhir. The sacred mountain has two glowing red rocks at the top."

"That is true. I had forgotten about the sacred mountain. I wonder if they are related. Let's send some men to check both pla-"

Before Lerikhir could finish his sentence, the ground started to shake. Within half a mintue it became violent enough to terrify everyone in the city. Lerikhir and others quickly rushed outside as soon as they felt the shake. By the time they reached outside the shaking had stopped.

But their hearts which pounded against their chests almost jumped out when they witnessed something that defied everything they knew about the world. The sacred mountain with two red rocks one of his advisers mentioned was flying over Lerikion except it did not look anything like he remembered. Its two red rocks were glowing but it had wings large enough to cover the sky from Lerikhir's sight. People screamed in terror and tried to find a place to dock from debris that fell from the sky as the mountain flew over them. It quickly flew over Lerikion and headed toward the direction of Tascrig.

"What on earth is going on today. First glowing black rocks and now a flying mountain? I must be dreaming..."

Lerikhir mumbled as others panicked around him.

42

Q&A / Soul

« on: January 11, 2018, 03:25:39 AM »

Do humans have souls?

43

Q&A / Chapters with prime source

« on: January 11, 2018, 01:19:56 AM »

The title might be misleading. What I wanted to ask was what happens if nobody writes about the prime source that was found earlier in the overall story? Just like that prime source that was found in chapter 1 of city states. I think 1 legend can have up to 5 chapters was it? If people ignore the prime source, can someone open up a new legend focused on the prime source? Also do you have to dedicate a whole new legend to claim the prime source? What happens if your rivals don't want to see your council take the prime source so constantly reject your chapter over and over?

44

Q&A / Council

« on: January 06, 2018, 11:56:26 PM »

How many immortals are needed to form one?

45

Legends of the World / The Color Green - Chapter 1, 2

« on: January 06, 2018, 10:25:22 PM »

(By Loren)
When the earth had separated itself from the water, and the air from them both to fly high in the sky, and above them all the fires of the heavens, the oceans were dark and hard with white capped waves that crashed against the dull grey and brown mottled rocks of the earth. The air would sometimes dance with the fires in the sky and create fantastic yellows and reds and purples that would streak across the wondrous blue that reflected the color of the ocean. Yet there was no green in all the world for it had yet to know it could exist.

Riding down a pillar of fire to a place where the sea and the earth meet came the Nameless Wanderer. Now where the pillar touched down, there happened to be a reddish brown metal baked into the rocks and so hot was the flame of the heavens that bore the wanderer to the new world that it caused the rock to catch alight with newfound flame. But unlike any other flame in all of existence, this one burned green!

So great was the delight of the wanderer at this spectacle that he leaped for joy into the air in great bounds, bringing with him the spray of the sea, and the burning rocks of the land into the sky with him for all the world to see. With outstretched arm he plucked from the heavens the yellows and oranges and reds, and created the first of all rainbows. However, now that it existed the color green had no place to go and this deeply saddened the wanderer, and so he swept up as much of this first green that he could and he packed it tightly, smaller than any mortal eye could ever see and spread it down upon the surface of the earth wherever the sea, the earth, and the sky met. And there did it grow and multiply, spreading across the lands as a blanket of verdant color, and so too did it slip into the shallows of the seas where light still trickles down to the sandy bottom. For this was the first combination of the elements and there was nothing to hold back its exuberance, save the need for the warmth of the fires of heaven, the nourishing water of the seas, and the stable bedrock of the earth.