(Nah, I'm gonna rule that you don't need to roll for this.)

...There shouldn't be that much breeze down here. Not unless there was a hurricane up on the surface that would rip up plants and topsoil and entire lakes and maybe hills. And there wasn't.

So it was his sister.

Noric sighed. She didn't want to come down, so she wanted him to come up. Maybe someday he'd make a little messenger-- there was a stalactite that looked a bit like a resting bat that he could maybe bring to life? --but... he did sort of want to show his sister his little people, after all...

He got up, walked away from his people, and then sank into the stone...

...Re-forming himself up near the surface.

He walked out. "...Hello, sister," he rumbled.

There's a little dust devil flurry of wind and the mist rises up then recoalesces and Lyric now comes about as close to touching the filthy ground as Lyric deems necessary right now.

"Are you always going to be deep down in the dark?" Lyric says, as if injured. Lyric isn't spoiling for a fight, per se. Lyric is trying to seem above it all, as usual. But Lyric is also glad to see their brother. "What are you doing down there?"

"...Usually..."



Noric seems about as excited as Lyric's ever seen. Which isn't exactly all that much, but still. "I made some little people. They can talk and walk. They can each think for themselves." He's proud, Lyric thinks. "They're delicate, but I talk, in the dark, and they are picking up how to talk from me." Delicate, Lyric thinks, probably means they'd break if you dropped them to the ground from a mile up, but the meaning is nonetheless understood-- they're too fragile to appear before in true divine form, too fragile to do anything but barely whisper around in a divine voice.

Usually gets a pout, and their lightning crown flashes; so, too, their eyes, a crackle of ozone, but Lyric leaves it at that.

For now.

Lyric folds their arms, rests their chin (which seems pointed, now) on the dip there. Right now, their eyes are the clear robin's egg (pretend this world has robins and eggs) blue, a Spring-sky sort of blue, cloudless (wait, is that a hint of cloud? No...), happy and serene.

"They can think for themselves?" Pause. Lyric does a little loop de loop, coming to float/drift/hover on Noric's other side. "Bring one up. I want to see! Show me, Noric. I mean, are they really real if they're just in the deep down dark where nobody and nothing can see them or feel them? I don't know."

(? Because she's lying down...?)




"Yes."







"...I do, though." Pause. "We are too... powerful. For them to see us directly. Do you want to change form to observe them, or just hide?"

The way he said it, it seemed that he would prefer to just hide.

Yup: On a bit of mist/cloud. Floating, drifting, sitting, etc. Best way for a deity to get around.



"We'll see," Lyric says, doubtfully. It's clear they don't quite think things that the Sky can't see count as 'real,' but they're willing to entertain the notion (for the brief flash of time) if their brother really insists. "If you want us to hide, we will hide."

Lyric ... glances around, even more doubtfully, because would they have to actually touch the ground to hide properly? They let their cloud settle even lower, so they're really just on Noric's level, and follow his lead as far as hiding goes.

What could go wrong?

Noric simply becomes invisible and intangible and inaudible... any deity can do that, after all.

The complicated part would be getting his little people up here. Lyric wanted to see them now, so just getting them to walk up here was out of the question, and Lyric didn't want to go down, so...

Once Lyric was invisible, inaudible, intangible (not to non-divine beings, of course, but to the Arys Tal), Noric tried creating something again...

(14:13, Today: The GM rolled 13 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 6,5.  Creating a couple of portals..)

Oh, good, it worked!

A very large (well, to an Arys Tal) half-circle of metal rose up out of the ground, and energy swirled within it.

Another rose up down below where the Arys Tal were.

Noric knew the light and vibrations of the energy would attract them...

They started walking through it, curious...

Success!

They liked the sunlight, the second light source they'd ever seen after the portal. It fed them, a little, in a different way than water with minerals did. If water with minerals was their food, sunlight was like their milk or juice to them, quenching a sort of craving they didn't know they had.

Noric was pleased. He hadn't known they would like this so much. And they could always use the portals to quickly go back below, if they wanted...

Well, Lyric had never seen anything quite like the Arys Tal, that was for sure. Lyric wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that they didn't BREATHE-- no air in, no air out. When they spoke to one another, they just sort of vibrated-- their voices were like bells... It was still pretty, though... And the sounds still traveled through the air... these people just didn't breathe. Huh.

Xan was busy trying to find the hiding god. Picking up big leaves and looking under them. Sticking her head in the waterfall and looking around. Even climbing a tree to get a better sight.

Noric definitely has to remind Lyric that they can become invisible and intangible but once reminded they’ll let their cloud drift behind a rock and become Unseen And Inaudible To Mortal Eyes.

"They're very beautiful, my brother," Lyric says, somewhat jealously. "They look good in the open air. Are you sure they're really thinking for themselves?"

Lyric listens to some of their conversations. What sort of things do crystal people discuss when faced with sunlight and portals and their first emergence out of darkness? Maybe Lyric can steal them...

Though Lyric doesn't want to upset Noric...

But Lyric is lazy and while it sort of occurs to them that they could try making their own creatures, to rival these crystal folk, they aren't quite ready to stop admiring Norics' handiwork.

A flush of pride: their brother is surely the best at creating pretty things.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

Seeing a chasm far off Xan looked to AnBas, "I think maybe they are hiding there." Points at the chasm.

She flew from the tree towards the chasm.
"Ready or not here I come !"

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !" down into the chasm.

"Yes."




The Arys Tal speak slowly, by Lyric's standards, but they're practically chatterboxes at the moment. Everything's all "the light feels good" and "what are these upright things that aren't stones?" (they mean trees) and "the ground is strangely pliant but I like it" and "look at those white stones in the sky" (clouds), lots of discovery and noticing going on.

Then there's the portal... they have fun for a while walking back and forth... Many are overwhelmed by the abundance of sensations on the surface, and feel more comfortable underground... but most of them come back now and then.

Then there are a few who prefer it on the surface... After having fun going back and forth through the portal a few times each, they stay on the surface, exploring...

Since fun is being had, Xan becomes aware of the location...

(Note: I think the default of deities will be to appear invisible and inaudible and intangible to mortals, otherwise we'll all keep going places and destroying mortals who happen to be there and going "ooh, sorry..." Of course Xan looks like a little mortal (mammal) girl right now-- I mention this because AnBas)

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Oh that looks nice, fluffy and soft !" Lyric's cloud.

Whooosh through the cloud she goes getting wet then....PANG !

Xan hits the ground pig tails splayed out.
"Ow !"

The Arys Tal near either of the two portals discuss them.

They feel that Noric must have created them, so they could choose to get some light now and then.

Lyric notes that they are very vaguely aware of Noric as their creator, the deity of rock and stone (and therefore also themselves) but that they don't seem to be aware of the existence of any other deities yet...

They don't seem to be aware of other deities? Lyric means to change that, stat. There's a flicker of lightning on the horizon, perhaps; a roil of clouds, gathering, less 'white stones' and more 'tarnished silver'... Lyric means for some of their winged creatures to descend from the light, and tell these crystal people all about how Awesome is Lyric, how they owe their ascent into the light to Lyric, the responsible sibling, etc etc.

<Orange:OOC: This roll is all I could have dreamed for fun times, to be honest. :grin:

17:08, Today: Lyric rolled 3 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,2.  Tell! Crystal people gotta know about the Sky Deity, who is so excellent and basically the best.</Orange>

And a little mortal girl goes splat through Lyric's cloud.

Lyric's cloud reforms around the little girl shaped hole and Lyric, startled, Spring-sky eyes turning to the white uncertainty of an Autumn morning's sky, looks up, rather wondering where the girl came from.

*smiles* "You must be more Careful Xan.  You don't want to end up hurt do you?"  He flies down to check on her, after all it is not her time yet. Then Standing, he says "Hello. I see we have two new friends and a new race of creatures." he address the thin air and the Arys Tal.

One of Xan's pigtails pries itself from the ground and taps her on the shoulder.

"Mii fafe urts AnBas."

Dozens of parrots descend from the skies, and land among the Arys Tal.

They speak about a rival deity to Noric named Lyric, how Lyric is awe-inspiring and terribly powerful, about how Lyric is the one who controls when the sun comes and goes, about how Lyric is burdened with glorious purpose.

The Arys Tal don't know what to make of all this.

"What are you creatures?"
"What makes Lyric so full of awe?"
"What-- what does Lyric do with all that power?"
"What are Lyric's pronouns?"
"The sun is going to go somewhere?!? But I like the sun!"
"What is Lyric's glorious purpose, and why is it a burden?"
"Does Noric know about this...?"
"Who taught you creatures to speak like us?"
"I bet it was this Lyric deity!"
"What does Lyric want?!"

The parrots are taking no follow-up questions, however, and they all fly away.

The Arys Tal discuss this new information amongst themselves... one goes back underground to tell the others... another comes with, in case anyone thinks the first one is just making it up.

Other Arys Tal notice Xan:

"Who are you?"
"Do you have anything to do with those not-touching-the-floor creatures?"
"Are you Lyric?"
"What are your pronouns?"
"Are you burdened with glorious purpose?"
"Is the sun going somewhere?"

Xan pries herself up she is missing some teeth and has a black eye. She is already healing up though.

"Huh, oh small mountain giants. Hi ! Im Xan, it is nice to meet you."
She gives her few teeth missing smile.

Seeing her teeth on the ground she picks them up.
"I sense you will be useful for something." She says to her teeth.

"Oh no I am not Lyric, hmmm I was flying with my friend AnBas if anyone is burdened with glorious purpose it is probably him. The sun ? I know it hides sometimes and it is really good at it but it comes back."

"Mountain giants?"
"Small mountain giants?"
"Are you okay?"
"Are you a god?"
"What's AnBas' glorious purpose?"
"The sun hides? But it always comes back? How long does it stay gone? Do we need to look for it when it goes...?"

Xan nods, "Your mountain giants just small ones. You have so many questions I LOVE THAT !" She smiles more.

"I will be better, just thought that soft fluffy thing would break my fall, yes I am a goddess. The goddess of youth." her teeth were growing back.

"Well, AnBas is a god too. He is the god of death which sounds scary right but he is really nice."

Xan tilts her head, "The sun, oh no you don't have to look for the sun though sometimes I do. I like hide and seek. Hey your all young !"

She let's her love for the things of her orbit shine through so they know they are loved.

“Noric,” Lyric says, in a complaining sort of voice — tremulous, filled with terrible possibility. They’re not sure they entirely like the way their rainbow flock has muddled things. The complaining sort of voice matches the astonished expression (for those who can see such things) on the Sky deities regal if youthful features. Their eyes flick to a cold winter-sky green full of stars.

Lyric also hides behind Noric. Lyric will deny allegations of such should any allegations ever be brought up. Noric may feel a whisper as Lyric delicately, finickily pinches Noric's sleeve-or-skin-or-shoulder-or-a-lock-of-hair, something to hold on to all my brother not yours mine and ack new things I wasn't expected it I am not afraid I am the sky deity and the sky deity is not afraid.

Lyric is beginning to feel a little more encouraged by the patter of questions and the back and forth with AnBas and Xan. Once Lyric figures out Xan's a god (maybe not all that far in advance of her telling the Arys Tal), they stare at both new/old gods, peeping from around their more solid brother.

"Hello. You're Death and Youth then? What do you do?"

OOC: Edited 'cause I"ll let Death explain what they do
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

*smiles* "That is why you should watch where your going" *chuckles*

"Greetings, Xan is the goddess of youth and vitality, she is the springtime of all life." *smiles* and gives her a pat on the head.
"I am as Xan said, AnBas the God of Death," *smiles kindly* "or another way to look at it, I am the end of all things. But only when it is their time."


Editing to address what we do, so that Xan's post makes sense.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

Xan looks around, "Oh HI !" Waves.

Xan then looks mad, "You better not AnBas they are young and have not had the chance to really enjoy life." Her look was serious. She stands defensively between the Arys Tal and AnBas.

*chuckles* "Worry not Xan, none of our friends here are close to their end."