Acanthus's Story

Acanthus

The wind was chilly at the top of the mountain. Acanthus stood up, leaning heavily upon his staff. Snow whipped his cloak and his grey beard glittered with the powder. He looked at the others standing with him. The faces showed a wide variety of shock and awe. Acanthus felt much too tired to even react. They had pushed back the army but at what cost? What had happened to the world they had known?

But there was no doubt about it. The Middle Realm looked beautiful. For miles in every direction there was clear blue skies. The land seemed a flush with life. Acanthus wavered on his staff. "I am weary, even with all of the lives it took to as I cast it, that spell has drained much from me. But, look at the world my brothers and sisters. We have stopped that menace." He looked out at the glistening sea. It felt to him as if Paradise had descended to the Middle Realm.

He sighed, "All thanks to Laska." He turned to thank her. "Where did she go?"

After determining that she had vanished from the mountaintop Acanthus stroked his beard. He sent a spell of communication to Adarani. "Adarani, do you have any more of your reviving fruit? I fear that some of our number may be wounded or winded as the case may be. But we have succeeded. We have won. And that is enough for now."

Nylia

Nylia was in shock throughout the whole battle, but she didn't let it effect her, she just fueled herself on rage and didn't think, just killed. But now...when it was all over she was in shock. All of those revolting things happened, it was horrible. It seemed that not many Amares were killed, luckily most of them ran or stayed in hiding. Quickly, logic flowed back into her mind her disbelief and worry left as she zoomed into thought...throughout the whole battle she never sensed a Divine seed growing to created this new Goddess, Laska...maybe she just didn't sense it because they were in the midst of battle...no, there was something about Laska...something sneaky...Nylia was the Goddess of Manipulation, she could usually tell when someone was lying...it seemed whoever Laska was was hiding something. Memories flowed into her mind about the Inferno, someone told her about a horrible, violent Goddess..."Jute" Nylie muttered, loud enough for someone to hear only on pure luck. The name brought different ideas to her mind...Snakes, Greed, Malice, Deception. She was unsure...she wondered if she should tell the other gods...if she did Acanthus, Adarani, and Mathias would probably push for them to partake in another trial...the last one didn't turn out well...the only person she could trust to help her with this Laska/Jute situation would have to be Cragin, maybe even Aspestis. She definitely had to get Cragin in private though, she had to tell him about her theory, even if it was wrong. "Cragin, I know this isn't the best time but can you go to the Inferno with me?" Nylia asked with a calm facade, "It's quite important," she stated, showing her pleading face only to him so the other Gods wouldn't be suspicious. She believed Mathias was powerful at the start of the trial, but after Kreios got away she lost her trust in him...in Acanthus...maybe...maybe even in the All Father?...Why would he let so many people die? Nylia shook the thoughts out of her head, she had to focus.

Cragin could not concentrate, on Nylia, with her soft voice, or anything. He felt only pain, coursing through every fiber of his being. His body would quiver silently, nothing escaping his hood, but the sudden understanding that he had lost so many of the things he loved, the things he cared for. He broke then, in the deathly silence of the mountain, the wind whipping at them all. He grabbed desperately at his chest, falling back, to the ground, his body would convulse in utter rage, shock, and despair. An empty "No!" Would ring out in the very air, the voice choked and resounding throughout the Middle Realm. As a sobbing was not heard but rather felt, and then wicked laughter, resounding in booms across the sky. He would roll about with the screams bringing his elbows back in fierce strikes carving the mountain below him. He felt beyond tired, weak, but only this broke his will.

Images of those he once loved flooded his vision, and suddenly the booms stopped and he resolved himself to watching the sky. "Nylia, my sister." His voice would be slow as he suddenly realized what had been said. "We will go to the Inferno, then." For he too, in the back of his mind had suspicion of Laska, her sudden appearance and disappearance, the simple attack that kill Kreios when Braun had not. He was skeptical, as they all should be. His voice now, was noticeably struggled, and the silence he bore was now cold as it never had been before.

Cragin had died after the events, but the one thing he thought about, and his heart beat desperately over, was the one thing he had yet to discover fully and truly, the strange spell he was under dictating his mind even in the darkest moments to affection. Love'lyn Joye, and her life was enough to bring him at first to his knees and then his feet, though noticeably he swayed in his weakened state. "Let us go, then."

Jute

Acanthus' blast had been a powerful one indeed. It had been set to force away all the things that were dangerous to the group. Jute had landed far to the west of the mountain. The dome had nearly knocked her unconscious but she had forced herself to remain awake through the pain. The wizard would die for that. She wiped herself off and turned back towards the mountains. She turned back into Laska, using all of the power of her Deception to hide her true nature. She grew white feathered wings and began flying back to the great mountain in the center of the world.


The Sword


The great sword of Genocide had been flung very far after he died. After the chaos had been pushed back it remained. It was now stuck on the edge of a volcano. It changed form, losing its more evil look and starting to glow with a beautiful green luminescence. The blade glossed over with the new green sheen and the hand guard grew so that it connected to the hilt. The sword began sending out a steady audible beat, waiting for just the perfect champion of light to come by.


The Crystal


The Crystal let its power signature pulsate harder. It wanted to be found as well. It was in the Inferno and so it had grown in power, gathering the energies of the condemned. It was now the size of an amulet, circular in shape, and clear like a diamond but black in color. It would seem to any who found it an artifact of great power but nothing more.

Adarani hid her sadness as best she could. The entire Cataclysm nearly wiped out her Vitaiim. She never expected Kreios to target them, since they were not the ones who banished or harmed him in the first place. There was that, and the Elder Goddess of Love made it perfectly clear she did not want a fight back at what used to be the Hall. All the death, the torture, the suffering, it was more than she could handle, emotionally. Now that it was over, she thought about Laska, realizing something was out of place.

Before she could go into detail about it, Acanthus asked if she had anymore Rejiv, to which she nodded and hled out the basket. "Only three pieces of Rejiv are left. I'm sorry, but that is all that was retrieved before the Chaos Beasts destroyed Sacrira."

As he stood there, he noticed the situation shifting ever more. As if he wasn't uneasy enough, new sparks have been unleashed, as new gods begin to populate whatever is left of the Middle Realm. Mathias has no idea what to think of them and this makes him unsettled. Are they good, bad? What are their intentions and personalities? Mathias, despite the care he feels for his kin, can't help but feel suspicious of all new comers. Even if they are his kin, all gods are capable of great care or great destruction. Even with the death of, what we considered to be the evil deities, it still felt like they missed something. It ate away at Mathias and sudden urge to catalog every god felt just right. Did he really have to place his kin under the letter like so?

Mathias didn't like it, but he didn't feel safe without doing it either. Is scrutinizing them, the best approach? It is for the greater good, he can't allow any more death and destruction to occur, the pain is just too great. Mathias finally moved as he turned towards the others.

"I am certain each of have sensed new gods on the horizon, yes?" Mathias asked his rhetorical question. "I am going off to find these gods, they will most likely be confused of their surroundings." Mathias spoke as he turned towards the horizon. He would seek out the new gods and...anticipate who they are and see what threat they could posses. Hopefully, they are kind enough. Mathias decided to take his leave of the mountain and entered what remained of the Middle Realm.

Acanthus


The wizened wizard watched as the group decided to leave one by one. He looked at Adarani. "Keep them then. Let them grow and flourish. They will one day be the most valued of all fruits." He looked at Mathias. "They are many and I am weak. Go, all of you. Explore and continue to create. The All Father made us for that, did he not? But fear the borders, for I could not destroy the chaos, only push it away."


Jute


Laska flew towards the Mountain. She could sense that most of the gods were still there. She released a bit of the 'pureness' of herself. She wanted them to know that she was on her way. She began thinking about all the things she might say to them. She wondered how they would react to her. She hoped well, she had saved their lives after all.

Adarani

Adarani nodded when Acanthus mentioned that she should keep the Rejiv and let them grow. "As you wish, Dad." I know the All-Father is the true father, but Acanthus is the closest thing I have to one.

Transforming into a dove, she flew with the basket of Rejiv westward, where she saw a massive archipelago and landed. This place would be the perfect location for the Sacriran Order to settle and rebuild its civilization. But first, she needed Cragin's permission before claiming these islands, as well as the ones nearest the Southwestern corner of the world. She did not need all the islands in the Middle Realm, just those which would grant enough isolation and serenity that the Sacriran Order would only have to worry about the Chaos Beasts. Speking of whom, the Goddess of Love realized her remaining Vitaiim, who were all still waiting for her in Paradise as refugees, would require more capable protection against such monstrosities. While entertaining thoughts on the matter, a voice came from within her, deep, yet feminine.

"Adarani, can you hear me?"

At first, the Elder Goddess of Love did not understand where the voice came from, looking in every direction to find out. "Who's there?"

"I'm inside you, a spirit within your body. I was dormant until the Cataclysm. My name is Loyalty."

"Loyalty?"

"Yes, and I am your guide and assistant. Whenever you need me to do something, our souls can switch places in our body, enabling me to do what is required that I can do. You will notice that whenever we do switch places, our body will change in response to whichever one of us is in control of it, at the time."

Adarani nodded, taking in this new information while in deep thought. "Do you, by any chance, know any skills with weapons that can defeat an opponent without killing them?"

[i]"I certainly do, specifically with a sword. I can teach whatever race you create how to handle that weapon, though I, myself, am unable to use it in actual combat, as of yet."

The Elder Goddess of Love was relieved, since this was he first good news she heard since the Cataclysm. She decided to plant one Rejiv seed in the fertile soil, in case someone needed the tree that would sprout, later on. The energy she felt told her Cragin was currently in the Inferno, possibly to talk to Nylia concerning Laska. Obviously, it wuld be some time before Adarani could speak to him. She used this time to sit down and meditate, allowing herself to focus on the life around her some more.

Acanthus

"Goodbye sweet daughter." Acanthus said to Adarani as she left. The others had all gone. The Great Sage was alone on the top of what was once his own mountain. It held nothing for him now. He gathered a bit of the dust from the ground. He knew at once that this bit of dust had been one of the Prachians that he had created. He felt no need to create at the moment. The only feeling that escaped the numbness in his body was a great weariness.

He left the cold of the mountain looking for someplace to warm his weary bones. He turned south towards the great desert he had seen.


Jute

The mountain had been full of gods but no longer. Laska seemed disappointed. Then she felt a strange presence. It was a mortal, floating on a strange and powerful wind. "What is this I see?" She asked to herself, her interest peaked. Laska flew in the direction of the flying naked mortal with a small smile on her face.

Ahuv

As Ahuv drank, he pondered on what he sensed. The individual who brought him to the oasis felt immortal, yet only had half the amount of power a regular deity would possess. Furthermore, she felt familiar, almost as if the Blue Crane knew her. He finished drinking before speaking to himself. "No, it can't be. Miurcrost is dead... unless..." Suddenly, it hit him. There was an alter that Miurcrost once had. All that God's power and memories must have been stored there upon his death, and a divine seed landed on it. That was the only plausible conclusion he could make, having seen that same alter during his flight as the Cataclysm took place. "I wonder where the other twin is?"

His thoughts were interupted when he felt another immortal presence, even more familiar than the one he was evaluating. It was arcane, a mix of different mystic energies. "It's Acanthus..." Purifying the water, he made ready to fly towards him. It did not take long due to his great speed in flight. Landing several feet in front of him, Ahuv called out to the God of Wisdom. [b]"Mylord, Acanthus! It is brilliant to see you are alive! Milady, Adarani, told me to take flight and not be involved in the fighting! It was not easy, however!" Realizing he was getting too excited over finally meeting Acanthus, the Blue Crane tok a deep breathe and bowed his head low, straigthening his long neck. "Forgive me, I got a little carried away. I am Ahuv, Blue Crane of Adarani. I was created by her while she was in a moment of sadness at the unlikeliness of the battle to banish Genocide and Kreios ending well. I was right by outside of the Hall when she ran through the doors. It is a pleasure to meet you, at last, mylord."

Acanthus

Acanthus smiled at the large blue bird. The bags under his eyes seemed to lessen just from the proximity of such a humble and beautiful mortal. It made him think about all of the times he had neglected mortals for the sake of his brothers and sisters. He wondered if they should be seen differently. He smiled to himself, he was changing his mind because of a different point of view. If that wasn't wisdom, nothing was.

"So you are Ahuv. Yes, I would hear much about you from Benjamiir. It was a very talkative Prachian when it came to prayers. It is a pleasure to see you as well, even more so to know that you survived the horrors of the last few weeks." Acanthus looked over the dusty sands and at the little oasis that they were in. "Seeing you alive gives me...hope." He snapped out of his reverie as quickly as he had fallen into it. "What brings you here child? This is far from your patron is it not? And it hardly seems... hospitable." He cocked his head at the bird. What a marvelous idea for a mortal...

((OneTailedfOx, you realize the names of places on the map are just for reference for making land claims, right? XD ))

Ahuv

Ahuv saw Acanthus cock his head and knew what he was thinking. The truth was, the reasoning was twofold. "Well, for one thing, since it would have been some time for a group of Chaos Beasts, if any, would find water here, I figured I would be able to remain hidden here, somewhat. Though, since you mentioned it was already over, my estimates were far from accurate." He lifted his head a half way. "The other reason was, there could have been others who came here, as well." Lifting his head all the way, now, the Blue Crane continued. "You may find this odd, but I recently encountered a deity with only half the power a regular one would have. It felt heavily familiar, to say the least. What I sensed was similar to Miurcrost, yet it was only one part. My guess is the shrine of Miurcrost contained his power and memories upon his death and a divine seed landed on it, creating twins instead of just one immortal. The one I saw was female, with a mask and robe. Whoever she and her twin are, I suspect they are now filling the gap Miurcrost left, becoming the new deities of Artifice and Freedom."

Adarani

Adarani's meditation came to a stop when she sensed a deity coming closer. This one seemed similar to Trelas, yet more out of control in personality. There was good and evil at the same time, at the same level as each other. We have a new God of Madness? At first, the Elder Goddess of Love did not know what to do, due to the unpredictability. However, her curiosity and willingness to be hospitable outweighed the risks. She transformed into a dove, again, and flew towards the younger God. Her aura radiated so that he could feel it. While she was in front of him, she jerked her dove head in a motion which indicated she wanted the new God of Madness to follow her. She hoped he would.

Once they were over one of ther islands, Adarani landed and reverted back to her humanoid form, her blue dress knee-length. She looked up at the sky to see if the God followed her. This was the first new deity she saw since the Cataclysm.

Acanthus

The wise god smiled knowingly at Ahuv. "You are very wise for a mortal. And very well informed. Tell me Ahuv, how much of herself has Adarani placed inside you?" Acanthus pondered the mortal for a small while before he seemed to change his mind about saying something. He looked at the blue bird. It's expression made Acanthus think of the Prachians. He had thought of them as mere tools, but he was beginning to change his mind about mortals. If other gods were like brothers and sisters, then mortals should be like children, nephews and nieces all. Acanthus chuckled, "But that is no matter. Tell me about the half god that you met. For that is a strange occurrence indeed."


Jute


Laska watched the naked mortal flying towards her. The wind she was on seemed to be different then the other currents around her. The mortal introduced herself.

"Mother? That is a very strange name? Do you have a creator?" Laska asked in her cutest voice. Then a whisper in her ear caught her so off guard that she had to vigorously flap her wings to stay afloat. Kazus. The god had whispered its name as if it had been nothing. But in the split second that he had said his name, she had learned everything she needed to know about him. She learned that he was the god of secrets, the god of wind, and the god of prophecy. It was enough to know his greatest secret, that of his name, was given freely. It spoke volumes of his character.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, god of wind. I am pleased to meet you and I'm interested in the secrets that you keep. But more importantly, I'm interested in your mortal. Does she prophesy as well?"

Ahuv

Ahuv tilted his head sideways when Acanthus called him a 'mortal'. I can't die of old age, but I guess that's close enough. "I am not exactly sure how much, but I can heal others rather well. I have other abilities, too, though I have not used all of them." It was when Acanthus chuckled and asked about the half goddess that he straightened up his neck, again. "I did not figure out much besides what I already told you. I was dying of thirst when she spotted me and took me to the oasis you see here. By the time I had strength enough to stand and speak, she already left, not even uttering a word the whole time. The mask had a painted face, while her robes were orange and elegant."

Adarani

Adarani was pleased to see the Sanuut worked. Just when she was about to meditate, a machine-like creature landed next to her. This made her tilt her head sideways, confused. The only deity she knew who had the capacity for this sort of craftsmanship was Miurcrost, and he died in the Cataclysm. Who created this mortal was a mystery to her until he spoke, requesting that she follow him to see Torsc. The name's power flowed through her veins. It felt like Miurcrost, alright, yet the power was only half. The name meant Torsc was the Half God of Artifice.

Ahuv

Meanwhile, Ahuv felt Torsc's name, as well, through the link. He closed his eyes to focus on it, then reopened his eyes to look at Acanthus. The link I have with Adarani just told me the name of the Half Goddess' twin. His name is Torsc. I do not know the name of the deity I encountered."

Adarani

Back at the Archipelago, the Elder Goddess of Love nodded and turned into a dove to fly. The closer she and the machine got to their destination, the colder and more desolate the environment became. It was not long before the entrance to what would be an underground network came into view. Adarani was instructed to head inside and assist the Half God with granting fertility to his creations. Once she found her way, she found a citadel made of metal and stone. It was not quite as grand as the Halls of Justice in Paradise, yet she found it impressive, nonetheless. She followed the aura until she came across the deity.

"You're... Torsc, are you not?" Her shyness left her several feet away from him, at first. It was not until a moment later that she gathered the courage to come closer, looking at the empty glyph. "I'm supposed to implace some of the fertility power I have into that, aren't I?" Picking it up, she pondered on whether it was a good idea. "The last time I used my powers of Fertility on a metallic race, it was the Krul made by Genocide. Now that I think about it, violent as both he and his people were, it may not have been the smartest idea, considering Kreios manipulated the Krul into attacking the Vitaiim, before the Trial that took place prior to the Cataclysm." Adarani sighed after thinking it over more. "Although, it would be cruel to not show at least a bit of kindness to others. You don't owe me anything for this, Torsc. I'm doing it because I feel I am meant to help those in need."

With that, the Elder Goddess of Fertility began gathering her Paradise energy from within. Once enough of it came, she concentrated it into the hand that held the glyph. The power then entered the glyph and set it glowing bright blue, the color of Paradise Fertility energy. She gave it to Torsc once the process completed. "Here you go. That should be more than enough. I better go, now. I sense the aura of another God that sprouted from a Divine Seed, and he seems to be chilled to the bone."

Adarani turned into a dove the moment she exited the cave. following the new God's aura, she found him in front of a tombstone, crying as if a child. It turns out, he was a child, swelling with grief. The Edler Goddess of Love felt compelled to help him, unable to resist the urge she felt wtihin herself. Landing behind him, she reverted back to her humanoid form and hugged him from behind. A tear fell down her right eye, unnoticeable due to the heavy rain. "You poor little boy! What are you doing out here? You could get sick if exposed to the cold weather and rain for too long! We better get you indoors!" She let go and stood up straight, offering a hand to him. "Let's go inside the house across from this field. I'll fix up some Vitalita Tea for you." Her gentle smile matched her innocent-looking blue eyes. "What is your name?"

The skies above the world darkened as thunder boomed in the distance. Lighting bathed the world in momentary blinding flashes of light. The wind began to pick up and howl with pure power and it was in that moment that the new God of War appeared. He came out of the heavens as the wind swirled around him. Lightning arced off his body as his new found power fluctuated around him. His eyes sparked with electrical energies as he looked upon Middle Realm for the first time since his creation. In his heart burned the thirst for war yet the power of the storm at his command tempered his blood lust and gave him a clarity of mind the previous Lord of War did not possess. Kalimdor Menethil, the God of War and Lord of Storms had come to Middle Realm. Those creatures that called this realm home felt the shift in power and new not what this meant. They feared for the return of the War God for they knew well the savagery of Genocide yet they knew nothing of Kalimdor, they knew nothing of the true God of War. The skies cleared as Kalimdor granted the world the chance to see the sun again and as quickly as it came the all encompassing storm dissipated. Kalimdor touched down not on the grassy plains of Sovengarde or the island sands that were held by the love Goddess. Instead his booted feet landed softly on the seemingly endless sands of the mainland. it was here the wise old sage was deep in conversation with a talking crane. The oddity of the sight were ignored by the newly formed War God as he landed in the hot sands. Kalimdor's bright eyes locked onto the wise gaze of the first of the Gods. He strode boldy to stand before him before hefting his mighty hammer in his hand. The weapon crackled with power before Kalimdor shifted it in his hand and knelt before Acanthus and set the head of his hammer in the sand. Kalimdor respectfully bowed his head before the creator of magic in the world.

"Acanthus, first of our kind. I come before you as the newly formed God of War and Lord of Storms. I am Kalimdor Menethil, currently the youngest of your brothers."

Acanthus


The Archmage smiled. "Ah yes," He said in response to Ahuv's reaction. "I call you a mortal because though you could live forever, you have not the power of a true god." He nodded when Ahuv spoke of the two new gods. "Very interesting indeed. A Divine Seed must have split itself during its birth. That is a very curious matter. I will look into it when I get the chance. I wonder if they are like mortals themselves, or are they in a whole new category of gods?"

Then a great storm whipped up and rain began to fall across the desert. Acanthus had felt the other gods appear, some quietly, some seemed to fall from the sky, but this one seemed to rend the sky with its birth. Then the storm ceased as quickly as it had started, the rain water was quickly absorbed by the thirsty sands. Acanthus watched as the air filled with electricity and the new god descended from the sky.

He bowed to him and Acanthus nodded in return. "Acanthus, first of our kind. I come before you as the newly formed God of War and Lord of Storms. I am Kalimdor Menethil, currently the youngest of your brothers."

Acanthus felt much that was different from Genocide but also much that was similar in that name. The aspect of storms gave the new god a sense of mystery about him. Acanthus recalled his last meeting with a god of war and prepared himself inwardly for any outbursts. He would not make the same mistake twice.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Kalimdor," Acanthus said. "I have been alive for a very long time. What is it like, experiencing the Middle Realm so soon after your birth? I hope it does not make you want to destroy it, like it did the last god of war."


The Crystal Heart

She felt it. The malice that came from that mortal, the Gorgon. Jute could not let it get out. But the crystal only held a small bit of power. It held the power of greed. She then had an idea. The Crystal began sending out a signal to the Gorgon. She would let it come to her. She would let it pick up the crystal. The Crystal would be something that the Gorgon needed, something that it couldn't live without. The Crystal would fill the Gorgon with greed.

Mathias left the cold wastes of the North and headed for more temperate weather. It seemed even more sparks have given life to more gods. The continuous affect has made Mathias on edge and while most seemed in no one extreme of a spectrum, there was certainly chaos abound. Mathias had a feeling these gods mean to cause mischief than actual harm. While the lack of evil deities was a relief it still didn't make Mathias' duty any easier. A lot of these gods are loose cannons that could cause some sort of trouble at any minute. There was causes for some alarm. A dangerous predatory aura seemed to seep back into the world, as if replacing the one made by Malus.

Once again another familiar force entered this world, one of war fare. It seemed, like the unstable god he met earlier, comes someone to replace Genocide. His power is ferocious enough Mathias to feel it without having to go in search for it. For some reason it didn't feel as vile as Genocide's. Perhaps this is yet a different god. Still his memories of Genocide did not help Mathias accept a new God of War, he felt he could be trouble all the same. It seemed he could be found further south, at the most extreme angle from where he once was. Mathias could also feel Acanthus near. Worried about the his eldest brother, Mathias made haste to reach the vast southern desert to make sure this New God of War, won't be trouble to Acanthus.

After some time Mathias would reach the desert, it was different, yet similar to the North. Vast stretches of barren wasteland, yet sand replaced snow, and heat replaced cold. Mathias wasted little time assessing the geography he had to make certain, Acanthus is not in grievous peril. Mathias soon found them, Acanthus was near that blue bird that serves Adarani, and found knelt before him, the New God of War. Mathias wandered up to the group.

"Forgive my intrusion my eldest brother, I came to assess the situation here." Mathias looked towards the newest god. "I sensed a familiar presence, one that from previous excursions makes me curious of the source." Mathias spoke as he gave bow to Acanthus as well. "Greetings there my kin." Mathias spoke towards Kalimdor. Mathias was unsure of the new god, so just to make sure they didn't have another Genocide on their hands he merely observed him. To see what his intentions may be.

Kalimdor took Acanthus' greeting as leave to rise and did so. Standing to his full height he glanced, ever so briefly at the odd crane that had been speaking to the old one moments prior. "Odd." He thought to himself yet dismissed it in turn as he replied to elder God.

"I care not for the destruction of the world Acanthus. I know little of who came before me or if he even was the true master of War for the one holds claim over the power of warfare should know that wonton destruction is not the path. War does not choose sides. War is neither evil or good, neither cruel nor benevolent. It should remain unbiased as shall I. Like the storms at my command I will not turn the power of war on one faction or another without due cause. War must remain neutral. I am well aware of the death caused by my essence of War and swear to you Old One, it shall not be used for ill purpose. No war shall ravage this realm for any other reasons than the natural motives of the players involved. No storm shall rip the land asunder less it should be so naturally or should my wrath be incurred. On this you have my word."

Kalimdor gave a respectful nod to Acanthus confirming the words he'd spoken. He'd keep to his word. He would not be a savage beast, an uncontrollable force. The chaos of war and the ravages of the storms would flow through him to wreak its destruction upon Middle realm but only as a wild fire purges a forest. It shall not destroy all yet from what was reduced to cinder a stronger form of life shall arise. This was the creed of the God of War, this was his purpose. May the Gods protect any who thought to hamper that cause.

It was then that either a friend or foe appeared beside Kalimdor, after a quick bow to Acanthus Kalimdor was greeted by the Elder God that helped bring about the end of Kalimdor's predecessor.

"Greetings there my kin."

Mathias said. His tone was authoritative as was his nature yet not challenging. Kalimdor turned to face him and the two Gods spent a few tense seconds sizing each other up. The God of War and the God of Justice. In times past they were enemies, the future would show if the future would repeat the past.

"Greetings Justice bringer. It was by your strength of arm that the one called Genocide met his greatest adversary. You are a great warrior indeed. To see you march on the battlefield will be something I look forward to seeing someday."

Kalimdor said doing his brother honor in his words. Kalimdor respected the warrior in Mathias but had trouble understanding how one so skilled in combat could just as easily abscond from war in order to achieve peaceful ends to his endeavors. Kalimdor merely attributed it to his purpose. The purpose of justice was not combat, combat was a by product of it to his understanding. While in war combat was a necessity and such was the difference between the two brothers.

Acanthus

When Mathias came Acanthus nodded at him. "It is good to see you too Mathias." He watched as the two seemed to be squaring off, waiting for the other to make a move. But Kalimdor broke the tension by greeting and honoring Mathias. Acanthus smiled, "There is no trouble, however. I believe we have met a war god far different from Genocide. This brother seems to be more on the natural side of war instead of on the aggressive side."

He turned and looked at the Oasis and then deeper into the dessert. "Would either of you two like to help me make another hall? I had to use the last one to help power my creation spell."


The Crystal Heart

It called the Gorgon closer and closer. When the Gorgon picked it up, it laughed hysterically. The Gorgon thought it had won. it thought it had defeated her. No, Jute would win. In the end, she would rule all. And with that the Crystal shot a spike at the Gorgon. The spike was long and sharp. It would splinter and go to pierce the heart and head. Then it would disappear after it had struck its mark.

Mathias watched the god of war with caution as he soon spoke. His words were respectful unlike the crass words of the former god of war, no Mathias did notice some differences. While he radiated different powers than the previous one, it still created nothing but uncertainty as is with most storms. Mathias studied him and while he wasn't sure, his words he heard spoken gave Mathias some hope. It was then until Acanthus spoke up. Acanthus' words proved to give him more reassurance. While not fully accepting his intentions as clear, he did however accept that he could at least trust him enough to not go back on his word. If The God of War betrayed this trust, then Mathias will know he is no different from Genocide.

"Well I'm glad no trouble is to be found here." Mathias spoke as he gave a warm smile. "Yes, it will be interesting to see you on the battlefield as well." Mathias spoke looking at his electrical kin. Mathias decided to give him a bow as a sign of good faith on his word. "I am Mathias, and as you seem to know I am the God of Justice." Mathias spoke introducing himself to the war god. Mathias watched Acanthus as he spoke.

"Would either of you two like to help me make another hall? I had to use the last one to help power my creation spell."

Mathias placed a hand on his chest, "Why it would be a great honor to help you reconstruct the hall!" Mathias spoke as he gave a smile. But before he could follow, something stirred. Mathias pulled forth from a belt chain, the tile Torsc gave him."Attention, Lord Mathias The Forge of Life has been activated, and organic genesis is about to begin. To return to the Citadel immediately, one need simply hold their invitation out before themselves, and repeat the phrase: "Traicere". This will cause one's invitation to become a gate to an atrium in the Citadel where the Forge of Life rests. This gate will only close upon the holder of the gate's corresponding invitation returning through their own gate. Any invitations used will be lost in this event. Sir Torsc eagerly awaits your arrival, Lord Mathias." It seemed Torsc is ready for Mathias to return. While Mathias would love to help Acanthus, it seemed prior engagements must take his attention. Mathias looked up from the tile and spoke to Acanthus.

"I must apologize, but our kin, the one called Torsc, has just invited me to make an audience to the beginning of his creations." Mathias spoke. "I said I would make an appearance and I will make good on my word." Mathias paused and smiled. "Our brother seems to be very clever with technology as my invitation is also my ticket there!" Mathias gave a chuckle. He then held out the tile in front of him and prepared to use it to travel north. "I bid good fortune to you all." Mathias spoke his goodbye. He then stopped and wondered, surely Torsc wouldn't mind if he invited Acanthus. He then spoke, "Acanthus would you like to accompany me?" Mathias asked his eldest brother. He then looked at his young brother. "Would you like to go as well?" Mathias asked Kalimdor. He awaited their response.