Snippet #1710553

None would say that the Fire god was not fickle, nor that he was not easily enraged. Who's fault this war was would only be clear to each side, and recorded according to who won. That's how it always happened. Chath was restless, and his people saw this. Their God stood, vigilant, gazing north, waiting for anything to dare and set foot inside HIS desert. Twas not from fear, mind you... no... it was hope. Hope drove their God onward, hope that peace could be secured with his sisters, hope that Bellegar would be foolish enough to press his fiery brother further. His was a rage that begged to be unleashed, and if any were truly a God or Goddess of war, it was he. During the day, the sun burned bright, and Chath oversaw the construction of his temple, the first stone structure, gained from the digging done in the mountains. As they mine, they gain materials. This place would be large enough that Chath would be able to rest there, and regain his strength if needed... but also to grant his people an audience with their god. When the temple was finished, he would reward it's builders with rest, and the first audiences with their God. He would thank each of them, one at a time, and cure any sickness, any ailment that was plaguing them or their family. A feast would be in order for Obsidia, a small celebration... but that was in the near future, not now. Those were only plans!

For now, Chath had quite a bit on his plate. First, Morganna appearing once more to request a few things. It happened as Chath was inspecting the damage. The God of Fire was surprisingly somber in that moment, the imprisonment of his Templar weighing heavily upon his very soul, but such a thing would not be as noticeable to mortals as it would his ethereal sister. "Your terms are more than acceptable, Morganna. You can see that I will need healing knowledge in the years to come... yet I do not wish to drag you into this spat between my brother and I. Were you to, indeed, give your blessing to ensure the safety of Katar, and send healers to teach my people at the shrine that I will gladly have constructed there for you, then I would be most pleased. In turn, I will do everything within my power to keep the horrors of war away from your people. I will not request that my soldiers take refuge in your lands, but the one thing I ask of you is to build a shrine in Oceania. The Suo-ata are a beastly race, but they are my race, and will steer clear of a city containing a shrine of Chath. For smaller villages, something smaller would be sufficient. If the Suo-ata truly expand that far, I will provide alternate means of protection, and ensure their numbers dwindle. You have my word on each of these things stated, so long as you do not turn an aggressive eye towards me or my people."

So, the Goddess of Water would have a guarantee of peace, and the shrine that she wanted, so long as Chath could have the same. His people would meet hers with suspicion, as was common in the desert, but under Chath's watchful eye, a shrine would be constructed in Katar, so that fishermen may ask Morganna her blessing. Eventually, his people grow accustomed to the idea. Obsidia was a different story, but they could certainly understand the need for a Water Shrine in Katar. Further north, they would begin to rebuild Fort Dagga, but in a different way. A siege had begun, and they needed to fortify. Instead of building up, they dig into the ground, building underground storage spaces for supplies, underground homes, and so on... reinforcing the dirt walls with wood and stone. Forges were established, and with the God of Fire's blessing, they did proceed to make arms and armor. Bows had been seen, but now that they had wood, they could make them. Thus began his people's training with long range weapons. Armor was created from what metal could be traded for lumber. It was light armor, but armor nonetheless, and in time it would improve. To make boats in Katar, lumber was floated downstream, through Obsidia, and to Katar. Escorts would accompany each bundle, but in time, an outpost system evolved. Each was placed within sight of the other, so that no gaps were allowed, and communication would be possible from Dagga to Obsidia at nearly the speed of sound. Rudimentary systems of communication were developed. His people discovered, eventually, that the oils of some desert plants burned slowly, but brightly, and so lanterns were created, and used to flash different messages at night across this warning system. In time, more complex messages could be sent. During the day, hand signals would be used. Thus, the desert people invented sign language, a method of silent communication.

Meanwhile, an Acolyte (the position formerly known as "Prophet", changed to avoid confusion) was making his trek through the desert, in search of the hidden shrine. A very small Oasis had sprung up around the shrine in the middle of nowhere, but he would not reach that just yet. No, a few of the minerals he had been experimenting with were in a pouch. These minerals, for whatever reason, burned quickly, and hot. If he could accelerate that process, the destructive power would be increased one-hundred fold. Alas, there was something missing. On this journey of discovery, he would become frustrated, tossing the bag of minerals away into a less sandy, cracked part of the desert. The result was something he never expected. An explosion. Suddenly, the shrine didn't matter anymore. He moved to investigate, eventually tasting the substance that had acted as the final catalyst... salt. When he returned home, he would begin experimenting anew... salt now in his pack to complete the formula, but it would take time to perfect and weaponize. Luckily, he shared this discovery... ensuring that it was completed should his experimentation prove to be his demise.

So much was going on in the world, and so much of it was because of war. In Obsidia, they followed Dagga's example, digging into the sand, using water to create a more manageable substance, and digging. The people would do this to their own homes as they could, and the extra earth was moved to the north of the city, starting to hide it from view as the dune grew. Stone was used to line the new underground homes, and some even kept digging further, creating tunnels, or digging more and more deeply, perhaps discovering caves, water, minerals, and so forth. The amount of digging was limited, however. If they dug too much, the city would become unstable. So, Each household was limited to one tunnel to a neighbor's home, and most worked together to provide a way to reach one side of the city to another. The tunnels generally didn't go directly through a home, but rather right past it, connecting by a very, very short tunnel. Doors or cloth kept privacy, and various locks were being created. Marks were put on doors to identify who's home it was... the start of a written language. Things were starting to progress in the desert ever so slightly, even with the war looming over the people. It was not so hard to remember a time that they were simply warring tribes, stories passed down through generations of the Dragon God that forced the tribes together, and brought the people more than they would have done themselves in a very long time.

War. ...Such a heavy word to be used so lightly... but a burden that the desert people would bear with dignity and strength. Their enemies were honor-less curs, and would be shown no mercy. Templars made their way to the tribes of Suo-ata, the lizard-men heeding the words of their god's people. They were not to consume the Meridians, as they were poisonous. A mammoth, however, would go a long way towards repopulating. So, as quickly as each lizard was slain, more filled the gap it left. With communication now open, the Suo-ata would start to become more organized, less of a mob and more of a force. Strength in numbers had it's advantages, but they would never truly be an army. No... they were the cannon fodder. One or two tribes would be relocated to the other side of the eastern-most mountain range, a living barrier between the Meridians and Dagga. Chath would be busy seeing to the construction of schools, the temple, blacksmiths, the mine, and the shipment of weapons and armor north, armor with the symbol of Chath in it. The lightning had been replaced by a more complex symbol. An S shape, the top and bottom separate from the center, and framing the center image, a small dot with rudimentary flames roiling around it. It symbolized all that Chath stood for. Honor, determination, justice. It would become a more commonly seen image. Focus was given to metalworking, improving technique and forge construction to purify metals, and perhaps even begin smelting iron ore. It would be some time before they mastered Iron, and longer before they create steel.

Thus, with his people doing well enough, learning and teaching, it was time to tell them of their purpose in this war. Temple or no, he would gather his people, they would feel the fury of their god burning in their chests, begging to be focused and unleashed

"A brother in faith is held within Bellegar's seat of power... that stark, toiling city he calls home. My brother in godhood would have my Templar believe I have abandoned him... I saw as he saw. The lies told to him are an insult to me... to you. He showed a decimated Obsidia, and yet HERE WE ARE. He said I abandoned my faithful while he keeps your brother from me, we will show him where he is wrong. We will shake the very earth with our rage at these lies. Obsidia demands justice for the death inflicted, for if we allow one to die, another will die without purpose. We will not back away, we will demand freedom and respect from the God of Earth! The price of this war is simple... I will have my Templar back, and one of Bellegar's commanding officers... as he lacks any faithful enough to spread his word... We will then forge northward, securing a path through the mountains, so that we may learn from Arianrhod's followers... nothing more, and nothing less. Bellegar fortifies and hides in his mountains. We will not hide, we will not lose. Morganna allows us to drink her waters and consume the bounty of the ocean. Her kindness will be repaid... Arianrhod will prove a valuable ally, so in a gesture of good will, construct a shrine to the God of Air. Praise her, so that she might see your anger and sorrow, and know why you fight. Let her see your wondrous, sharpened minds. Let us end this war quickly, my dear faithful... the sooner it is over, the less sorrow there will be, and the sooner Tyrol may come home and heal."

Again, there was much going on. Chath dealt with his worshipers on a very personal level. He began to get to know his people, their thoughts and feelings even when they did not pray. Despite his fearsome behavior and, at times, cruelty... he would become cherished and admired by those that worshiped him. There would even be times that he accompanied the group escorting supplies floated downriver, both for security, and simply to bestow such an honor to the guardians of that shipment. Moral would be kept high, and the fearsome god would be endeared to his people. All this time, supplies were gathered, weapons were forged and invented, and his people prepared for war. Siege machines were not yet possible for them, due to limited amounts of lumber and metal. Not until gathering had progressed would they be able to build such things. For now, they would instead train to become the most dangerous warriors on the face of the planet, and develop advanced tactics and coordination of their forces. A well organized, tiny force could, under the proper conditions, defeat a much larger force. Intel and the environment would become crucial. Hopefully, his sisters would both build shrines to honor his wishes. He made it clear that he waged war for justice, despite how Bellegar may misinterpret his intentions and actions, and wished for a quick end for peace, and to prevent his people from suffering. Hence, the desire for knowledge and safety from his sisters.