Lagdorn awakens after a slumber. How long had he been out? That last effort had drained him-very much so. Lagdorn then felt new divine power rush within him. Ahhh... that was the stuff.
Turning to the new realm, Lagdorn frowned. He did not know much of the last universe, but he knew one thing-that it had been torn apart by war.
Suddenly, Lagdorn appears in between Yihdra and Jezebelle. "Stop, my sisters! I myself did not have the pleasure of existing in the last universe, though I know one thing about it: it was destroyed by war betwixt the gods! If you are to initiate this battle, it will be the first step of destruction for this young universe. Please, desist. This universe has so much more potential for you to begin squandering it."
Lagdorn knew that if the Light and Dark Narzions were forced to live together, violence would break out. Summoning his divine power, he created a notion in a Darkened's head: that the Darkened could live without the other Narzions. It was born of pride, one of the staples of the Darkened, and soon he created a vast empire of darkness, learning, creating...
With this final act, Lagdorn felt new godly power rush into his being. He sits and bides his time, waiting for his power to return to him.
Turning to Melehan, Lagdorn gives a craggy smile. "Indeed. If you were to give me this boon, I would be in you debt, Arbiter. As it stands, I must give my people security, and their own sort of power if one of the races from the World were to come here first-though it will likely be more peaceful than the first encounter with the Oreads."
With a wave of the forge god's hand, cities began to form. Some were the peaceful lights of the Minlings, others were dark bastions of the Darzions. The Balance Shamans continued to travel the land, dispensing advice. And then new power entered Mirrodin, the power of Balance Magic.
As his people mastered this new art, Lagdorn turns to Melehan. "Although I appreciate this boon, and the extra men will help my people advance, please do not incur the wrath of your brother on my behalf. Thank you, Melehan."
Actions:
Create Society
Magical Concept: Balance Magic. As described in my previous post, except it combines Light, Dark, and Balance magic.
Now to do domains for my previous actions as well as my new ones.
Oread Stuff:
Advanced Concept Space Travel: Society 2/7
Create Society: Society 3/7
Advanced Concept: Steam Tech: Society 4/7
Bless Warforged: Society 5/7
I like my Narzions, though. Perhaps it's kind of Planet of the Apes-ish and the Oreads come back and time has regressed, Mirrodin is wild again and all of their tech has vanished. Rebuilding will take a hundred years or more.
That will introduce 3 distinct factions on Mirrodin: Oreads, Light Narzions, and Dark Narzions, all warring, making temporary alliances, and then backstabbing each other.
The prescience of Oreads on Mirrodin would accelerate technological advancement-I'd say halving AP costs for advancing.
Alright, here's what's up with AP and the Narzions.
1. I am regaining 4 AP, due to me not reading the rules on creating planets. It costs 5 , not 9 AP.
2. Do the mods like the idea of the technology levels I put out?
3. If somebody, like Lagdorn did, decided to destroy his creations and regain divine essence, how much would be left in the aforementioned creations? (i.e., how much AP would he regain)
Regarding the Narzions: Right now, they are nothing more than a loose coalition of nomadic tribes lead by Balance Shamans who often fight their counterparts. After some time, they will divide. And they will reach the World. Those who follow the light will prove a great ally in the war to come. Those who follow the dark will be great adversaries.
Lagdorn turns to the Final Arbiter. "Hail, Melehan," the forge god says. "What do you wish of me? I felt that the Oreads were endangering the other god's work. These people" Lagdorn gestures to the new, wild Mirrodin. "are much more at peace-at least most of them. I created them to please the other gods, as an offering of peace for the atrocities the Oreads committed. Darkness for Azdan, Light for Aeon, Paradox for Yihdra, and Conflict for Nes. I find that these people, while they have their conflicts, will not endanger the species of the World-they will most likely make alliances with the various races."
Just realized I needed to add some domain points and that Tribes are actually what happens without points spent into society-and that Magical concepts are 3 AP. So, I'm replacing Tribes with a Stone Age technology level.
Balance (2 AP for Narzions, 3 AP for Balance Magic. 5/7 AP)
Lagdorn watched from above as his creations slaughtered the village. The god's face contorted into a mask of rage, and he decided that it was time to end things, to start anew.
With a tear in his eye, Lagdorn started to withdraw the divine power that he had invested in the Oreads and Mirrodin, in the Warforged. It was time to start anew. Lagdorn drew back the concepts that he had placed in the Oread's minds, and he felt a fraction of the original divine power that he had put into his experiments return. The very existence of the Oreads was wiped from the universe's history, and he watched the industrial waste of Mirrodin shrink away into nothing, and the people the Oreads had slaughtered climb back up.
Turning to the fresh, wild expanse of Mirrodin, Lagdorn crafted a new race, one not quite so ambitious. He called them the Narzion.
Actions:
Since creating Mirrodin only cost 5 AP, I regain 4 AP. Because I wiped the Oreads and all that was associated with them, I calculated 1/4 of the AP that I put into them, I figure I got 3 AP back, so I have 7 AP to rebuild.
Create Sentient Race: Narzions (2 AP): The Narzions are mysterious creatures, imbued with the mysticism of Dark and Light. They appear as tall humans, with shining white skin and jet black hair. The Narzions live a diverse, varied life: Those who can master both their good and evil are neutral, and carry the most power, those who conquer their darkness are good, and they use healing magic, and those who destroy their light are evil, and use destructive magic. They live nomadic lives, and the leader of their tribes are the Balance Shamans, whose job is to watch over the tribe and further its interests. The good Narzions are called the Minlings, the evil Narzions are called the Diozkils, and the neutral Narzions are called the Enlightened.
Create Society: Tribes (2 AP)
Create Magical Concept: Light, Dark, and Balance Magic (2 AP): These types of magic can only be used by Narzions of the respective alignments. Light magic focuses on healing and restoring, but has little offensive potential. Dark magic focuses on blighting and smiting, but has no healing capabilities. Balance Magic is a powerful combination of both, enhancing and building upon the principles of Light and Dark magic. A Balance user can use Light and Dark magic separately, or at the same time, multiplying its power. A good example of a Balance spell would be to smite the enemy with a fireball, while rendering yourself immune to fire.
Once I regain control of the computer (typing from my iPod right meow), I will post a complete description of the Oreads. In the meantime, I will think about possible ways to take my creations down a notch. Maybe, because he's pissed at the fact that my space nazis are going through the People's land and slaughtering them, he sends down an angel army to stop the madness? Lagdorn would be cool with that, it would just mean that he would be able to forge new creations without the old ones getting in the way.
I will also modify my AP costs for creating Mirodin down 4 points, since I thought it was 9 points at the beginning.
Looking at what you guys have said, I say I agree. I was making an insane power grab at the beginning of the game, setting the stage for creating new life forms and terraforming areas without AP, and, in a nutshell, violating most rules of the game.
Because I specifically designed my Oreads to be genius forgers, I think it's okay if they got at a faster rate of progression than the other world-which still needs a name. Perhaps 2 to 3 times faster.
But even if Mirrodin was created at the same time as the other world, it would be at about, oh, pretty much late Renaissance, not Steampunk era.
Also, I think that we should make technology tiers:
1 AP: Stone Age
2 AP: Bronze Age
3 AP: Iron Age
4 AP: Middle Ages
5 AP: Renaissance
6 AP: Steampunk/Clockpunk
7 AP: Modern Age
8 AP: Space Age
9 AP: Biopunk
10 AP: Cyberpunk
You may level your culture up to 4 tiers per AP rollover.
How does this sound?
I'd be perfectly happy to retcon my actions. However, another question: What do you think would be a reasonable cost for creating a whole new planet? If gods wanted to create something like that, I think it should be equivalent to 7 AP, leaving 8 AP to create sentient life, create concepts, and level up technology.
This may seem a bit radical, but here is what I propose.
We shall have an OOC vote on who gets to be promoted to Elder Mod. (Haha, get it?) This way, they are completely impartial because they can't make anything below the planar scale. An Elder Mod's main function is that if the game gets too screwy and a whole bunch of pettiness is slung around and there are curse wars everywhere along with normal wars and rules disputes, the Elder Mod has permission to end the Cycle and make everybody start over.
This way, it will make people cool off. If we are arguing about the rules, well, with the new Cycle, the fundamental laws may change. For example, if we have to progress along a linear level-i.e., planet, cavemen, societies, kingdoms, science, steamtech, biotech, cyberpunk-that may not be the case in the last Cycle, but it is now.
Date: Month 11, Day 12, 1561
We have been on this planet for over a month now. After the natives gawked at us, they started venerating us-probably out of fear. After all, we did kill the primitive's chieftain.
There is a strange science here, more advanced than any we have on our planet. The primitives understand it not, yet they use it expertly. What a paradox.
At any rate, we have top scientists discovering the inner workings of what the primitives call "magic." It is powerful. Extremely powerful. Weapons testing on combining magic with our technology is underway. When we begin our conquest of the planet, it will undoubtedly prove useful.
Our newly dubbed "Tekmagi" are working on imbuing even more power into our gravity hammers to make them more effective, and all of us are learning how to manipulate this magic. So far, we have proven adept at shaping and wielding rock and metal.
Now that we have learnt the basics, we can progress on our own. The locals have outlived their usefulness.
Agenda:
1. Bring new magitech weapons to the Council for approval.
2. Subdue locals. Eradicate them if they resist.
3. Establish mines.
4. Call for extra personnel.
5. Begin conquest.
On the unnamed world, the People watched in awe, horror, and curiosity as the great metal monstrosity touched down on the earth. With great geysers of steam, a walkway lowered, and the Oreads and Warforged stepped down and observed the natives. The Oreads in their massive energized suits of armor and the Warforged in all their crackling glory, they were truly sights to behold.
One of the larger Oreads, with his accompanying Warforged, stepped down from the walkway and faced the leader of the People. At first, his speech sounds like the grinding of rocks and stone, but with the fiddling of a few dials on his helmet, the meaning is projected directly into his head.
Greetings. I am Lokar of the Darksteel People, or Oreads. We come in peace, if you help us learn of this place, or war, if you choose to fight us. Which do you choose?
Watching from the Heavens Above, Lagdorn sighs and shakes his head. It has begun, he thinks, and takes a seat to watch events unfold below.
Lagdorn felt fresh power surge into his veins. Turning to Mirrodin, he plants the final ideas, the final solution, to allow the People of Darksteel to travel to the other fledgling world.
In a blink of the eye, in two centuries, space travel was created, then perfected. And then Lagdorn saw something completely unexpected. The Oreads created their own race, a race of metal goliaths. They were completely autonomous, completely powerful, completely new. These warforged were created as a contingency for other life. Yet they were not perfect. Lagdorn sighed, then put some of his own divine power in them, to give them the divine power to help the Oreads on their quest through the cosmos.
[spoiler=Actions]
Create Advanced Concept: Space Travel (-2 AP)
Bless Warforged: Infuse the Warforged race with divine power. (-2 AP)
Turning to the mysterious, ethereal voice, Lagdorn sees Yihdra. "I heard my name spoken, goddess of paradoxes, though I do not understand your speech. What saith thou, Yihdra?"
With a sound like a thousand hammers on a thousand anvils, Lagdorn appears in Nes' palace. "Kingmaker," the Steamwright boomed. "You do not know me. I am Lagdorn, the first inventor. Direct your attention to my planet." With a wave of his hand, Lagdorn gives Nes a view of his planet, named Mirrodin. "This is a planet of technology, where my people have prospered even without magic. They have created a great thing: technology. On a world almost devoid of life, a world of metal and oil instead of earth and sea, they have prospered. The People of Darksteel, or the Oreads, have created technologies that have far exceeded the standards of the Old Cycle, as I understand it. That is my creation."
Turning to the rest of the gods, Lagdorn thunders "My people are on the brink of a great discovery. They will soon find your unnamed planet, and they will soon discover its inhabitants. So, here is what is to happen: The Oreads and the other peoples will forge a combination of magic and science, which will create a prosperous era. Be forewarned, however: my people may make war upon yours because of their differences. I will do everything I can to steer them from this path, but I am weak from the forging of Mirrodin and the creating of the People of Darksteel. You must prepare your peoples for war, should it come to that."
Turning to Aeon, Lagdorn's face takes on a particularly grim cast. "My people will find the most conflict with yours, Aeon. If there will not be war, there will be disagreements at the very least. Please do not hold it against them. Progress has hardened their souls to most virtue, and they will not embrace your teachings."
Lagdorn looks at each of the gods and says "I must go soon. I have much work to do." A grin splits the forge god's big, craggy face. "But I still have time for merriment!"
I got 2 (or 3, if you count Ilja's conditional approval. I only get the conditional approval if everybody feels that Lagdorn isn't stepping on anyone's toes) so that means I'm in. As Yihdra would say: Yaaaaaay!
The cosmos were weaving, and creative energy flew throughout all of the universe. When there was too much, the remainder disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to it. Except Lagdorn.
Lagdorn coalesced from all the spare creative energy, and he knew two thought-to create and improve. So he smithed a new world, independent of the one created by Oenar and the rest of the gods. It was a world of metal, a world of industry, a world of progress. Smog choked the sky, and the compact, hardy inhabitants worked day in and day out, always trying to better themselves. This world was devoid of magic. It had science and progress instead.
Lagdorn watched in satisfaction. The industrious Oreads were working hard at their craft. In the space of twenty years in mortal time, they far exceeded the technology of the Old Cycle. Once in a while, he gave them a nudge, but he was always working on creating new devices, new monuments, new relics. He was the greatest inventor, after all.
The Oreads progressed farther and farther. Soon, Lagdorn became aware of other divinities, and drifted to the palace of Nes to take a look.
AP Actions:
Forge Planet=9 AP
Create Sentient Life: 2 AP
Form Society=1 AP
Advanced Concept: Steam Tech (exactly what it sounds like)=2 AP
Whew! Had no idea that creating a planet and a space-faring race was so hard!
I feel like Nerun doesn't have a lot in common with Asdan. While Azdan is death in all its forms, Nerun is evil in its purest form-a twisted reflection of Aeon.
All that he wants is for the Cycle to end.
The reason I forwarded this concept is because this game badly needs a villain-something to unite the squabbling gods. I wouldn't mind at all if he was destroyed, as long as he spawned a decent story arc.
For this reason, I want him to be an Intermediate God so that the Only reasonable way to defeat him would be by banding together.
As Erande would say, every god story needs a villain. So here's one for your consideration.
Name: Nerun, the Dark Reflection, the Ebon Lord
Played By: Tsirion Ragmar
Domains (Portfolios): Evil (Hatred, Psychosis), Destruction (Demons, Daemons, Demolition)
Theme: The Great Destroyer
Alignment: NE
Attack: 5d6
Defense: 2d6
HP: 30
Description: To all mortals who behold the Destroyer, he is ever shifting, always their greatest fear. But to the gods, he appears as a balor of massive proportions.
Nerun did not exist before. Or, at least, not until the last moments. For all the destruction that 'twas being thrown about, it began to manifest a will. It had one wish: to propagate itself.
Yet the final stages of its becoming did not come to pass until Aeon shed us divine radiance to create his Heaven. The small, unused bits floated until they reached the last, small bits of Nothing, and then found the conscience of the destruction and gave it form.
Since then, it has been watching, waiting, biding its time as it learned It became a twisted, dark reflection of the deity who spawned it. It had become Nerun.
