The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

While he was able to dodge the worst of the blats, fireballs were difficult to avoid completely. Astoroth didn't feel like enduring another wave of projectiles, so he simply warped closer. Once there, he tapped into his energy reserves to gain a few spare motes of time, which he promptly used to transform into a 20ft tornado.

I can warp up to 170ft, so I should be right in the middle of them (still 15ft up). Then I'm activating Amazing Initiative to trigger the air elemental Whirlwind ability.
Warp Sphere Recharge: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
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Current Effects: studied target (6rds); 50% critical hit/precision damage immunity; +3 natural armor; fly speed 60ft (perfect)
Alteration Recharge: 4rds; Destruction Recharge: 2rds; Warp Recharge: 5rds

Whirlwind form lasts 3rds. I keep my 60ft fly speed but no longer provoke movement-based AoOs. Whirlwind base occupies a 5ft square, and the top is 10ft wide. Anyone I touch (currently the wand guy) takes 1d8+6 damage (Reflex DC 17 for half) and gets sucked into the whirlwind (Reflex DC 17 negates). Anyone caught in the whirlwind can't move (unless I move them, or they can fly - with a Reflex save), need to make a concentration check to cast spells (DC 15 + spell level), and receive -4 DEX and -2 attack rolls.

Also, because my base is touching the ground, I'm generating a 10ft diameter cloud of debris. This obscures all vision beyond 5ft. Creatures 5ft from me have 20% concealment; creatures further away have total concealment. Anyone in the debris cloud needs a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell.

*Doublechecks* Let's see, that's... ah, yes, NOT a spell in its own right, just an ability. Amazing Initiative works fine.

Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

As your spell churned, the damage done was limited - but you did manage to trap the figure with the wand, and he scowled before focusing.

Concentration: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26

Successfully focusing, he gestured curtly at you, and you felt the weight of a Dispel settling over your aerial form...

Dispel Check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

...and getting blown away as your powers clashed. Alas, you couldn't see what anyone else was doing, though you did hear a distant 'thud' from somewhere else in the room.

Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Reflex DC 17 for half

Remaining in whirlwind form, Astoroth spun in a circle for a few seconds before ferrying his cargo into the middle of the chamber. When he was as high as possible, he simply ... let go.

I can fit up to three more Medium creatures inside the whirlwind, so I'll circle the immediate area. Anyone I touch takes the above damage and gets a second Reflex Save to avoid being picked up. I'm then free-action dropping everyone from wherever they'll fall as far as possible. This includes into the energy field if I don't think that'll screw things up for everyone.

As you dropped the man in, he hit the ground with a thud... then winced and held up a holy symbol, right towards the middle of the energy matrix. "Walkena! TAKE THIS POWER!" he bellowed - and the entire matrix of energy turned red and slowly began to shrink towards the symbol he was holding up.

Did I happen to pick up any of the other individuals? How injured does he look? He should have taken a fair bit of falling damage, after all.

What's the holy symbol?: 1d20 + 20 + 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 20 + (4) - 1 = 43

Will post actions after I know the above.

You'd need to be moving back to go pick them up, and he looks very heavily injured. And as suggested by his cry... it's a holy symbol of Walkena (a Lawful Evil demigod of sorts, with a large following in the Mwangi Expanse region).

That wouldn't do. Eschewing more elaborate tactics in favor of speed, Astoroth ended the whirlwind and dropped feet-first from the sky.
Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 13 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 13 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 39 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 3 + 1 + 2d6 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 3 + 1 + (3, 6) = 20
Charge, higher ground, studied strike
Feel free to add falling damage if applicable. I have no problem taking it as well.
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Current Effects: 50% critical hit/precision damage immunity; +3 natural armor; fly speed 60ft (perfect)
Alteration Recharge: 3rds; Destruction Recharge: 1rd; Warp Recharge: 4rds

Dropping down from the sky with... well... the wrath of a god, you crashed into the man and drove the sense from his body. You might have driven the life out of him as well. As his holy symbol fell to the ground, the energy lattice snapped back into place amidst cries of dismay from his allies, and you saw Olvan jamming the last two crystals into place. With that, the lattice abruptly strengthened, and more energy continued to pour in from above as whatever the ritual was actually doing continued.

The angle from the floor wasn't so good for looking back in Nia's direction, but you did see the top of what looked like a crater in the wall there. The man you'd seen walking out before had returned - with a long blade in his hands and a scowl on his face as he looked at the main group of assailants.

Whatever was happening with the energy, though, it wasn't going to take much longer for the ritual to finish... and you were right at ground zero.

To make sure my understanding is correct, being nearby might be beneficial, but trying to take control of the nexus is a terribly bad idea. And I can't stop the ritual without destroying/removing a lot of the gems. Because I don't particularly want the ritual to succeed, but I'm not seeing a way to stop it.

You are correct. At this point in the process, letting the ritual finish or destroying enough of the gems to stop it are the only two likely outcomes... unless you get very creative, anyway. There do tend to be likely outcomes of events, but this isn't a railroad - if you figure something out, changes can occur. (I mean, what's the point of a deity totally bound by fate, y'know?) From your earlier check, you also know that stopping the ritual wouldn't generate enough energy to boost your own divine might.

Incidentally, the earlier damage is such that the lattice is currently fixated on a neutral-neutral alignment.

Good to know - especially regarding the current alignment. Based on what I already know, what's the most likely outcome if the ritual completes and I stay where I currently am? I don't need to know specifics - just making sure it's not going to kill me if I stay at ground zero. If that's not a likely outcome, I'll stay where I am.
---------------------------------------------
Other thought: By my count, there's currently 19 gems powering the ritual (18 -1 destroyed +2 just put in place). If I removed nine of them right now (Wild Arcana for Telekinesis: Divided Mind), would that be enough to stop the ritual? Depending on my current position, I might be able to Amazing Initiative to remove/destroy one additional gem, but that's about the limit of my current capabilities.

You're not going to die if you stay at ground zero - the most dangerous action would be to try and harness the power of the ritual yourself. As long as you're not actually connected to the energy, you're simply nearby. Removing nine gems would destabilize things enough to open a rift to the Maelstrom - right about where you're standing.

Let's not destabilize it, then. XD

After verifying that the man was no longer a threat, Astoroth watched to see what would happen when the ritual completed. It had progressed too far for him to risk interfering with, and the results were sure to be interesting, no matter what happened.

As the chaos around you continued, the man who'd left before moved towards the group of attackers - and didn't hesitate to begin cutting them down as the gathering of energy reached its peak... and reality itself twisted as for a brief moment, the impossible was possible.

5d190 ⇒ (73, 123, 187, 72, 122) = 577
Reroll: 2d190 ⇒ (184, 12) = 196

Well, this is interesting. XD

As the energy of the circle faded, a figure formed in the air. They were humanoid, but only in the broad sense. Over their shoulders hung a cloak made from the skin of a bear. Around their left hand was a swirl of wind - around their leg a burst of water. In their other hand was a pair of tiny clockwork dice, whose ticking occasionally rearranged their faces. As the figure looked around the chamber, you felt a divine will focus on you for a moment... and the fighting in the chamber died down as all the groups paused, uncertain what portent this bizarre figure held.

"KNEEL." It said - and every other figure besides you and Nia slammed into the floor. "MORTALS. YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. I AM AKNIR - GOD OF GAMBLING WITH NATURE. AS YOU HAVE GAMBLED WITH WHAT WAS MEANT TO BE, SO SHALL THE DICE BE ROLLED FOR YOU." With that, Aknir raised an arm, clearly preparing to roll the dice... and cause whatever result might be suggested.

Unless, of course, someone wanted to discourage that... (But then, would the god of knowledge want to resist seeing what happened when another deity quite literally threw the dice of fate itself? Hmm... Well, it might be possible to talk him into accepting a throw against your own, or something else... all up to you, really.)

Incidentally, Aknir's (randomized) domains are Artifice, Fur, Gambling, Wind, and Water.

Astoroth calmly cleared his throat. "*ahem* A moment of your time, Aknir. As interesting as it would be to see what happens when you roll the dice, doing so may have consequences you're unaware of. How much do you know about the other deities and the agreements they've made? I understand that you're new, but it may not be wise to 'rock the boat' (as they say) just yet."

Aknir turned to you, seeming faintly interested in one who'd speak up to them. "I KNOW ENOUGH." He said, his voice shaking the building. He extended one hand a moment later, and one of the six-sided dice appeared in it. "MORTALS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY MAY MEDDLE IN THINGS BEYOND THEM WITHOUT RISK. WORDS DO NOT SWAY NATURE. IF YOU WISH FOR ME TO STOP, THEN ROLL - ONE THROW OF YOURS AGAINST ONE OF MINE. OTHERWISE, BEGONE."

Astoroth shrugged. "I am curious to see what will happen. Just making sure you've thought things through. If so, go ahead and make your roll."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Aknir seemed satisfied enough with your response - the members of the cult (traitors and allies alike) rather less so. Or maybe that was just their difficulty comprehending what was going on. Aknir cast the dice a moment later - and somehow, you could see every side of them at once as one dice split into two and all grew to a hundred sides, along with countless possibilities as they tumbled and rolled.

3d100 ⇒ (79, 57, 17) = 153

A fourth tie appeared and tumbled as the last rolled to a stop, with ten times as many faces as before.

1d1000 ⇒ 915

"BY AN ACT YOU HAVE WRONGED - SO BY AN ACT, YOU SHALL MAKE THINGS RIGHT, FOLLOWERS OF ARODEN AND WALKENA. YOU WILL PLAN AND EXECUTE THE ASSASSINATION OF HALWIN JORPEN, TRADER OF HORSES." At that, one of the cultists finally appeared to find his spine.

"Kill someone? A horse trader!? That's not fair! I-It doesn't even make sense! You can't jus-"

The man slammed into the ground again, held by nothing other than the force of Aknir's will. "PHARASMA IS FAIR. NATURE IS NOT. AS YOU SINNED BY TOUCHING THAT WHICH YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE, SO TOO SHALL YOUR PENANCE BE BEYOND YOUR KEN. AND SO YOU KNOW THIS IS NO IDLE COMMAND... YOU SHALL NOT SLEEP, NOR EAT, NOR GAIN A SINGLE COIN UNTIL THE DEED IS DONE."

With that, the newborn god was gone, and the pressure in the room vanished.

"...Well, if it makes you feel better, he didn't say you couldn't revive the guy right afterward. Kind of an obvious loophole, that one." Nia observed - although the backlash of Aknir leaving was filling you with more power than ever before, making it a bit harder to pay attention to things others were saying. Standing so close to a god's full incarnation had apparently been enough to spur your own growth.

You've leveled up and reached Mythic Tier 3! As a reminder, you're expected to take Divine Source at this Tier (the only ability choice that, for plot reasons, is kinda required).

In addition, since you reached Tier 3, you've unlocked a Faith Ability. Unlike Divine Abilities, which are your personal powers, Faith Abilities represent your ability to build - and improve - your faith among mortals. And yes, I'm totally taking them from Godbound. The power you unlocked is:

Faith Ability: Sanctify Shrine: Gained at third tier, the deity’s worshipers can now sanctify temples and shrines to their deity. When properly consecrated, the deity can choose to perceive anything going on within their precincts, though they must intentionally choose to watch. They can target a power they possess at any person within the sacred grounds, as long as that power is something that can normally affect that creature. Such a marvel is free the first time the deity so acts in a day, but each successive wonder requires the deity to spend one Mythic Power.

*cough* I've been Mythic 3 for a while now. Just haven't started working on getting worshipers. XD You mean 4th Tier?

-Posted with Wayfinder

See, this is why I should look at stat lines more often. >.> Yeah, Tier 4.

Mostly done with the level-up but still need to pick a few things. The WiP is in Discussion and welcomes any input. On an unrelated note, what random tables were you using for Aknir? They're pretty awesome. XD

I was actually using Hero Lab. XD I pulled up the list of Cleric domains (by making a blank Cleric, then going to pick them), then RNG'd on that and counted down to the results. I think it was 122 and 123 that were Inquisitions, so those got rerolled. I'm surprised by how well that turned out, actually... but as you saw in your vision, there were a truly immense number of possible outcomes here. XD

Astoroth took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. He felt invigorated. Stronger. More whole. Perhaps this could be used as a teachable moment. Turning, he addressed the mortals in the room. "So, what have you learned from this experience?"

"We need... better... security measures..." one of the acolytes panted out, glancing hatefully at the fallen body of the enemies' leader. "Everything would have... been fine... if they hadn't interrupted things."

If any soul gems survived, I'll start telekinetically gathering them. I did promise to return them to the Keeper, after all. XD

Astoroth shook his head, reprovingly. "You state the obvious but see so little. The universe decides when a new god is born, not you. That's why Aknir was created, and you can be thankful that something worse didn't appear instead. The attack was not responsible; Galen's hubris was. IF Aroden ever returns, it won't be because of a simple ritual like this. There are forces at work that you could not comprehend." To be honest, he almost pitied the acolyte. His fervor had blinded him to any other possibilities. "Now, it seems you have a man to kill. Is he known to you?"

All gems not destroyed survived.

"And who... are you... to say these things?" the acolyte said, clenching his hands into fists and moving into a martial stance as you started trying to claim the gems.

"I wouldn't try threats, if I were you." Nia opined, stepping up beside you. "Your ritual was never going to work the way you thought. The smart thing to do would be to suck up that unfair punishment and move on with your lives. Go worship Milani afterwards, maybe. At this point, though, fighting things is just throwing all your effort away. So take some time, readjust..." she smiled... slowly. "...or fall into despair and die like dogs. I don't care which, really, but it's not going to go well for you if you try to start a fight here and now. It's not like either of us came here wanting to hurt you, but self-defense is another matter entirely."

"I am Astoroth, Seeker of Knowledge," he calmly replied, ignoring the acolyte's posturing and continuing to stash the gems safely away in his extradimensional pocket. The man's anger was understandable, after all, and perhaps venting would help him calm down. "Miss Nia is correct, by the way: it would be wise to focus on the mission you've been given. If you run into difficulty, contact me. I know many things and will share them when you are willing to hear." The method of contacting him, of course, is an exercise left to the reader. Astoroth did not share information with those who would waste it, but if one was truly ready to learn, he was never far away.

As you moved to stash the gems away, Olvan slowly stood up. "Real or... or not real... my friends bled for those. Some of them died." he said quietly. "I can't let you just take them."

"Yeah, well, you're all going to die if Groetus doesn't get his snacks." No points for guessing who that was. "From a purely selfish point of view, though, the god of the end times falling would be inconvenient as hell, and I don't really feel like going down with you if you have a sudden desire for suicide." Olvan blinked a few times. "Besides, the crystals aren't Godshards, they're just the souls of really hardcore atheists. So..." She turned to you - and in the wall back where you'd started, you could make out what looked like the top tenth or so of a crater. "Whaddaya say we get out of here before the Inevitables show up with a few hundred troops?"

Continuing to stow the gems, Astoroth replied. "I am sorry for your loss, Olvan. Perhaps your friends can be returned to life in time. Miss Nia is correct, though: if Aroden had been here, I would have felt his presence, and things might have turned out differently. I encourage you and your companions to think on what happened here today. Everything can be an opportunity for learning if you allow it to be."

I'm ready to move on whenever you are.

You left the same way you arrived - though just before you stepped through the portal, you noticed your tag-along smirking at the wall opposite the entrance to the ritual chamber. The threat of force seemed enough to keep the injured priests at bay, though, and it wasn't long before the two of you reappeared in the city of Axis, under the impossible heights of Pharasma's spire. Nia stretched widely as you arrived. "Well, that was fun. Let's do it again sometime." she said brightly, looking up at the Psychopomp who'd gotten all of this started.

Ignoring her, it simply held out one hand.

Astoroth handed over the soul gems, glad to finally have completed this task. "Here you go. By the way, in case you haven't heard yet, there's a new god now. Name's Aknir."

Pharasma's minion calmly took the gems. As it touched each one, they flashed and vanished, presumably sent back to their place of storage. "We are aware." they said, gesturing towards the Spire. "Already, the dead speak of their failed gambles, though I feel those of Abaddon may be displeased about the new competition. Your promised reward awaits on the Cage."

"Very well." He was ready to return back to the Material Plane so he could resume his own soul hunting.

"I suppose this is where we're gonna part ways, then." Nia said, putting her hands behind her back as she tilted her head and thought. "Lemme think, the best way towards Rovy's place from here is... the main branch of the Bank of Abadar, I guess? They're all kind of stuck-up and formal there, but it's hard to complain about the consistency of their service. Just ask for a Dismissal home and boom, done."

You got the sense that the Psychopomp was frowning. "My Lady's church is quite willing to provide transportation home."

"Yeah, but that implies he's gonna trust a group that has a secret they want to keep." Your companion answered with far too much pep and cheer. "...And, to be honest, isn't that good at keeping secrets. You're not even part of Pharasma's church, either, so you're not obligated to see to it that someone working for them gets home safely when you have plenty of motivation for a... mishap. At least the Abadarites can be trusted to be neutral as long as they get paid."

"Your concern is noted, Miss Nia, but I think I'd prefer to find my own way back."

Once Nia's gone, I'll track down Torleinn and see if she or Khandescus can bring me back.

Torleinn herself didn't have the power to move people across planes - though from the way she spoke, it sounded like she knew some people who knew some people that were willing to get jobs done and, well, not ask too many questions in the process. Given Axis' status as a major planar city, getting people home was definitely a service they could provide.

One of Torleinn's contacts should fit the bill nicely. Nia was a near-complete unknown, and this made her untrustworthy, and the Keeper's need for secrecy meant it would be risky to use her for transport. Utilizing an unknown third-party was a simple form of risk mitigation.

Nia would probably be sad to hear her suggestion was thought of as untrustworthy - she had, after all, suggested people who had a reputation for fairness to uphold and a strong emphasis on doing things as a business (and not in the exciting entrepreneurial sort of way) - but getting in contact with Torleinn's contacts was easy enough once you got back to her. She told you to hang tight around her place, and after half an hour or so, she returned with a piece of paper that had several apparently unrelated symbols on it.

"Two blocks down, there's a place with the third symbol there carved under the railings. Knock twice, clear your throat loudly, and say 'House Call'. Don't say or do anything else." Torleinn explained. "When they show you inside, put their fee on the tray. They charge a premium - twenty percent above normal rates for spells - but they're not going to ask any questions, and they've got potions to wipe their memories afterwards."

"That sounds more than sufficient. Thank you for your help." Leaving Torleinn, Astoroth proceeded to the indicated location and proceeded to follow the instructions to the letter.

If my math is correct, that'll cost me 540gp for a dismissal spell.

Looks fine to me.

A few seconds after you spoke, the door opened to reveal a hooded figure. Their height was a bit obscured by the fact that they were bending low, and their hood utterly hid their form as they avoided looking at you. They raised one hand a moment later - gloved as far as you could see - to gesture to the tray as you stepped inside. After a few seconds, the figure put a series of weights on another tray. Evidently satisfied, they showed you to an inner room - and before you even had time to blink, you were back in Sothis as the magic surrounding you dissipated. As you arrived, a tickling sensation in the back of your mind strengthened, and you realized you could feel Kozuri's presence and faith coming from somewhere to the north.

...

Of course, north wasn't where your promised pay was waiting.

Feeling the faith of a mortal was like a cool shower on a blisteringly hot day. It was a sensation that he'd missed more than most could comprehend. Whether or not to seek her out wasn't even a question that needed to be answered.

North it is. XD

Tracking down your worshiper wasn't very difficult - not when she was the only beacon of faith for you in the entire city. Eventually, you managed to track down what looked to be a lodge of sorts, with a sign out front proclaiming something about the Grand Lodge of the Ancient Honorable Brotherhood of the- who named these groups, anyway? Either way, knocking resulted in the door being opened by a local boy way too young to be involved with anything calling itself a Brotherhood.

"Y-yes? I don't think I had any appointments today..." he said, blinking at you. Kozuri leaned her head out through an interior archway a moment later.

"Oh. Hi!" she said, clearly happy to see you. "Don't worry, I know him. He's okay. It's been about three weeks local time, Astoroth. How was the thing?"

"Eventful," Astoroth replied. "There's a new deity, and an apocalypse has been postponed. What's been happening in my absence?"

"Nothing quite as exciting as that." Kozuri said, apparently believing you (to the rather less believing looks from the boy). "This here is Kito. He was doing a research project on geniekin for school, so I decided to help him out while you were busy... uh, being you. Staying at the inn got pretty boring, so I figured I might as well do something with my time."

"You know I'm paying you to help me, right?" Kito asked, frowning at Kozuri. "You're supposed to be paying attention to me."

"Yeah, but it's not like I need the money. Besides, you should be nice to Astoroth. He's a Sylph, and if he's in a good mood, he might help you finish your project. That... Jaware kid, was it? Imagine how jealous he'll be when he finds out you got two geniekin to talk to you."

Going by his expression, that clearly meant something to Kito. Ah, youth.

Like most intellectuals, Astoroth loved research. He also had a fondness for students who were willing to go the extra mile in their studies. Hiring an actual geniekin was something he would have done if he'd been assigned a similar project back in his own school days. [b"I would, indeed, be happy to assist with your research, Mr Kito. I'm a scholar myself, so I appreciate those who go above and beyond what's required when conducting research. Might I inquire as to what you're working on?"[/b] The reward from the Pharasmans could wait.

[ooc]Yay for the anime-esque school sidequest! Lol XD

It's as much of a sidequest as you want it to be. XD Mostly, I just thought one of your followers ought to end up doing something knowledge-related when you took your eye off of them for awhile.

Kito drew himself up to his full, not-particularly-impressive height. "For my Independent Report project, I decided to produce an analysis of geniekin and their social presence in Osirion, with a particular emphasis on the ways that their unique talents can benefit society. Madam Dovitch always said that we must understand people if we're going to lead them. Going by the ruffling around you, you're a Sylph with particularly good control of wind, right? What's the effective modification in temperature from that? Do you think you're less likely to contribute to the economy by investing in common clothing and housing options? Why do the winds fail when they're used to shove things around? Do you have any experience with nonmagical temperature-reducing window screens? Do you find yourself avoiding light personal possessions like papers for fear your winds will just scatter them around? How heavy should things be to be convenient for everyday life? Is it awkward to have things be heavier than they are for others? Why are Sylphs usually slender if they have to do more lifting?"

Going by Kozuri's amused expression, this wasn't the first time he'd asked questions at a mile a minute.

Mildly amused, Astoroth waited for Kito to stop for breath before beginning to answer. "The temperature modification is relatively small: I still have need of endure elements when in a more extreme environment. I'd estimate a three degree temperature decrease when my winds are blowing. It's most effective in a dry heat due to the resulting cool breeze, but in a more humid climate, it can be somewhat stifling, so I turn it off. As such, economic impact would be fairly minimal. While Sylphs can live comfortably in slightly hotter climates, a three degree difference won't cause any real change - when you factor in the fact that each individual has unique preferences, it's at most within a single standard deviation from humans. Regarding the limitations of the wind, it has to do with how they're formed. In simple terms, our connection to the Plane of Air makes us magnets for the surrounding air. That's where the breeze comes from: the air around us is constantly being displaced by more air coming in. If I want, I can 'reverse the polarity' to move air away from myself, causing the forceful shove you mentioned. However, this requires effort on my part as, like I said, air is naturally drawn toward me. This is why shoving something away makes the winds fail for a time; the amount of air required takes time to replenish. Consider a hurricane; it takes time to form, and once it's hit a land mass, it rapidly blows itself out."

As for the other questions....
"I can only speak for myself, but I have sufficient control over my personal breeze to not require heavier-than-average items. As my species is rather few in number, I haven't met enough others to form a conclusion regarding your other questions, but from what I have seen, I'd speculate that the winds provide a small amount of lift when items are handled. This would allow a heavier item to effectively weigh the same as a standard one when a Sylph lifts it. This would explain why we're not particularly muscular, but, as I said, I'd require more data before forming a definitive conclusion."

As you spoke, Kito wrote furiously on a piece of parchment, never stopping to dip for ink. "What about your interactions with various humanoid and near-humanoid races?" he inquired, scanning over what he'd already written. "Are there any social interactions that tend to stand out to you? Ethnic groups, gendered groups, age groups? Have you experienced anything you would classify as an odd amount of deference or hostility? Genies are famously independent, but with humanoid ancestry, do you find yourself drawn towards faiths like that of Gozreh or other elemental figures? Or do you look into another direction regarding your soul, and why? What is your relationship with Miss Kozuri, since wind and fire typically don't get along very well? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen sylph who expends wind to slow themselves when falling?"

(Going by his questions, he was probably going to continue on like this for quite some time unless someone stopped him...)

Does that sylph hail from the Mwangi Expanse or Varisia? ;-)

A couple notable answers
- "I follow my own faith."
- "The slowing effect of wind is entirely dependent on the sylph's current rate of speed and any relevant environmental conditions. On the Plane of Air, for example, a concentrated gust would redirect one's momentum to allow for flight. If I was on this Plane and was falling from a height sufficient to reach terminal velocity, however, a gust would cause no discernible slowing of my descent."

At some point
Astoroth holds up a hand to pause Kito's unending questions. "I am happy to continue this interview at another time, but I do have an errand to run. I need to make sure the church of Pharasma has recorded the fact that they owe me a favor."

aka we can move on whenever. XD If Astoroth has some down time, he'd like to research "made god" rituals such as what created Aknir.

You certainly have some downtime. XD Feel free to assume you can just get over to Pharasma's church - or to a library if you'd like to research things.