Tissari, the Divine Spark's page

Hm. I will go ahead and look through Tissari's concepts for a bit to figure out what I'll keep.

EDIT: Okay, I'll go ahead and keep Stormwielding. I can easily reproduce the other concepts using Mad Scientist, and Tissari made magic a cosmic decree so the other deities couldn't mess with it and exploit mortals easily. Stormwielding can probably end up being errata'd as using willpower to channel the last, dying breaths of the previous world into destructive energy.

Wondering that as well.

You've made Tissari absolutely loathe you without even having met you. Which, considering Tissari, is an impressive feat.

That puts the whole, "journey for a year and a day" thing into a whole new perspective.

"C'mon, Therry! Isn't this roadtrip fun? Look, I know the Cull nearly killed us, but at least we learned some interesting things about how frail our human bodies are."

*Therien, clutching a broken arm* "I HATE YOU"

"Don't be like that! Perk up, I'm sure that the next group of intelligent things we run into will be friendly."

I actually really like that, Therien!

Oh, wow. I can just imagine the interactions there. Therien treating Tissari like his arch-nemesis who he's been forced to work with, Tissari treating Therien like a little brother going an angsty phase.

I'm okay with either way, personally. We can either move forward and run with this story, or we can nuke it and start over. Both have good arguments.

Continue:
-This storyline is fascinating, even though it has caused a few problems and is the result of some. Shess makes an excellent Villain with a capital V, and it reveals more about Therien and Azrael's character.
-The worldbuilding has been interesting. The nonstandard races (irtara and Cull) feel unique, and although it's true we could recreate them, it would feel somewhat disingenuous to me if we essentially went through the same motions when we have the opportunity to do something else cool.
-Maybe it's just me, but I rather enjoy the Warhammer feeling this setting is getting, even though it's mostly due to the absence of the other players than anything else. The world is filled with dangerous monsters, the evil gods outnumber the only good one who hasn't retreated to who knows where, the god of death is pretty nice but you don't want to piss him off, etc.

Restart:
-A lot of confusing, bad stuff happened during the course of this game, which lead to a lot of weird decisions. Starting fresh with some "ground rules" set could greatly benefit the game as a whole, despite the cool setting that we've created.
-Restarting will allow the inactive gods to get a chance to hop on events again. Things have been moving very quickly, and it can be hard to get your feet back under you in a PbP once you're behind a few pages or so.
-Already having a basic world (planet, moon, sun) set up would allow us to spend our initial AP on much more interesting things.

Why do we even have to finish this fight? I say we restart now.

So, let me see if I'm understanding Lortimas' deal right. It's grateful for any help, and probably won't mess with you if you leave it alone. But if there's a way for Lortimas to get more wealth and/or power, it'll absolutely throw you under the bus, and if you actively antagonize it, Lortimas will fight nasty, dirty, and without any mercy.

Am I about right on the mark there?

Right, sorry! And congrats on the job.

Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea, actually.

So, to get a headcount, we still have:

Zakaz
Therien
Tissari
Lir
Azrael

We should contact all the A gods (Atheos, Apedemak, Aranae) to see if they're still in and if they're willing to reset.

I just didn't think of that, honestly. There wasn't a lot of indication in the gameplay thread that I needed to come to Discussion, although that's probably because I didn't notice it. It's been an issue of miscommunication from the very start, I think, and although some of the storytelling has been entertaining, I kind of agree with you.

Now that we've got some ground rules set - no godmodding, talk to other Gods before you initiate a major plotline with them/PVP, clear big actions with you or another mod first - I would honestly be fine with taking a deep breath, sweeping aside all this drama, and starting again.

Yeah, sorry. I feel like it could be a source of amusing anecdotes, if nothing else.

"I have a plan!" Tissari yells over the clangor of battle. "Keep Zakaz off me, but don't harm him! This will be difficult enough as it is, and I don't want to be stuck in a void if you knock him out!"

I have a plan. Mwahahaha! I'm clearing it with Monkeygod and Shess first though, in order to make sure we don't have a bunch of drama.

Tissari, for her part, steps back from the battle as Zakaz's power begins to shred the reality of the Prime to pieces. "Lortimas! Pleasure to see you, even under these... unfortunate circumstances." She grimaces. "A little while ago, some unknown god took Zakaz here captive, and turned him into... this. I'm working on a way to fix it right now. If we don't find a way to seal him away, the whole world may be destroyed."

Lortimas can see glowing orange plans lighting up around Tissari as she frantically sketches out some new creation that may be able to save both Zakaz and the world that he worked so hard to create.

Oh, goodness.

Sorry guys.

Um...

Yeah.

Apparently, my Campaigns tab bugged out, and didn't alert me about the entirety of the last page of discussion and a little bit after that.

Reckless, I'm sorry for kind of godmodding your character a little bit. Really, I am. I did not intend that at all, and I realize I kinda made a stupid mistake.

I was going to do something even dumber, but looking over the Discussion posts I've missed, I realize that would be really, really dumb of me and would probably actually get me kicked from the game.

Once again, I'm sorry for my behavior. Like I said, I did not get any of the last fifty or so posts of discussion alerted in my Campaigns tab, and missed out on all the mediating and stuff that happened.

Disregard the second part of my post. Sorry for the confusion. Maybe going forward, we should confirm that both gods want to fight via PM or Discussion so this confusion doesn't happen again.

K, sorry I missed that. Will post a more accurate Tissari post soonish. On mobile right now, so it's difficult.

Regarding Shess' role in the story, I think that they should be able to roll up a new god once Shess is defeated.

Zakaz left a trail of blood and corruption on the way to the Shard, and I was checking his profile for stats.

Oh, and my new domain came from the creation of the Seraph Aegis and the Heart of Storms, which came to 8 AP. Everybody cool with that?

Welp. It turns out that if you get Tissari pissed enough, you really should be terrified :P

Tissari intercedes herself between Zakaz and Therien, her eyes pleading. "Go, Therien!" she pleads. "There was something of him in there. If we attack him, it'll only strengthen the hold of whoever is controlling him!"

For the entirety of this combat, Tissari will only roll her defense dice, and will refuse to attack Zakaz.

***

When Tissari reaches Shess' domain, however, she is not nearly as merciful.

Following the trail of blood and blight, Tissari eventually climbs down into the central chamber of the labyrinth, fully bedecked in her armor. She wastes no time with pithy wordplay, doesn't even try to get Shess to see what he's done. Tissari could feel herself full of righteous fury.

3 AP to gain Justice (Righteousness) as a domain.

Without warning, she attacks, the Heart of Storms manifesting as a huge warhammer that she uses to strike Shess.

Tissari Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 1, 5, 5, 6) = 23
Shess Defense: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Shess Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (1, 3, 2, 2, 4, 5) = 17
Tissari Defense: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 2, 1) = 9

Tissari Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 6, 4, 2, 1) = 23
Shess Defense: 1d6 ⇒ 2

With all the other good gods having been inactive, it's up to Tissari to be super nice.

Tissari flinches at Zakaz's crazed response, but takes a deep breath and moves forward. She sits down a bit away from Xakaz, legs crossed and murmurs, "It's okay, brother. I'm here. I'm here." Then, in a soft, lyrical voice, she begins singing.

Take a moment to think of just
Flexibility love and trust
Take a moment to think of just
Flexibility love and trust

Here comes a memory
That might alarm you
What someone did
And how it harmed you
Things that you've done
That you don't want to remember
All of those years are
Suddenly swarming

And oh,
You're losing sight
You're losing touch
All of these things seem to matter so much
That they confuse you

That I might lose you

Take a moment to remind yourself
To take a moment to find yourself
Take a moment to ask yourself
If this is how you fall apart

But it's not
But it's not
But it's not
But it's not
But it's not

It's okay
It's okay
It's okay
It's okay
It's okay

You've got nothing
Got nothing
Got nothing
Got nothing to fear

I'm here
I'm here
I'm here

And it was just a memory
Just a memory
Just a memory
Just a memory
Just a memory

It's okay
It's okay
It's okay
It's okay
It's okay

We can watch
We can watch
We can watch
We can watch them go by

From here
From here
From here

Take a moment to think of just
Flexibility love and trust
Take a moment to think of just
Flexibility love and trust

End lyrics.

Tissari gently places a hand on Zakaz's paw. "You are Zakaz, Lord of Beasts, Protector of Nature, the Wild Incarnate, and creator of this very world we sit upon. Nothing and no one can take that away from you."

Throughout their journey, Tissari remained unrelentingly positive, even as Therien refused to save himself. She eventually released the two of them from her own binding, concluding that although, yes, Therien was a brat, that didn't mean he didn't have a right to his own nature.

But when Zakaz reappears, Tissari is instantly at his side, fiery tears streaking from her eyes. "Hey, big guy," she begins. "I... You know, generally, this is where I'd go off on some amusing tangent, or crack a joke. But... you're not in the best place for that right now, are you?" Tissari looks to the path that Zakaz has made to the Shard, a trail of blight and corruption ending only within the Shard's protective energies. "Something terrible happened. Something that none of us can describe, can feel, can even relate to." She sighs. "But we're here for you. Therien is here for you. The others will come, in time. Hopefully. Just... remember that you're not alone, Zakaz. We don't know your pain, though we can help you bear it if you let us." Tissari's eyes flash dangerously. "And I can bring the one who did this to justice."

A shard of herself appears in a flash of fiery light on Zakaz's trail, wearing her full battle gear. Something about this shard seems different. Dangerous and determined and full of righteous fury, Tissari sets off to find Shess.

***

And, in the first human settlement, Tissari appears as well, before the mass of humanity, the few irtara, and the two Cull. "Hey," she begins, then sighs. "Apedemak is normally the one to do all of these fancy speeches and whatnot. He's not here, though, which is part of the problem."

"Look! I'm not saying he's abandoned you. Not at all. It's just we don't know where he is, and the world... the world is becoming a dangerous place, as you've probably noticed."

"Oh. Um, oops. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tissari, I'm a goddess, blah blah blah. Anyways, moving on. The world has become a dangerous place. Blood cultists. Erinae, or whatever you call them. Vampires, I think. Creatures are becoming more and more vicious. And even the Cull is having trouble. Proud of you, by the way, for, you know, making allies with them. But it needs to be more than that. You need to protect yourselves, and each other."

"The irtara are on the verge of getting down here. Within the next few months, at most. No, not your irtara. The other ones, on the moon. You'll need to protect them, and they will protect you. Only through cooperation and a united front will you be able to stand against all the darkness this planet has begun to create."

"So I'm officially asking you all to work together. To be each other shields. To be a light for everybody in this time of night."

"Hm. I like that. The Lightshields."

Spending 2 AP to create the Lightshields, a military order composed of members of all three species dedicated to protecting all those who can't protect themselves.

As the flaming bird flies through space, searching for Tissari, a brass orb begins to hover near it, sputtering, before spitting out an illusionary image of Tissari in an improvised workshop in Kirtavo.

"Is this working? Oh, yes! Hm, glad I thought of this. Otherwise things would get awkward. You know, I really should take this theory of finding divine energy signatures and- sorry, sorry. Getting off topic here," she begins. In the background is a magnificent suit of technological armor, alongside a hovering sphere composed of thousands of interlocking parts hovering in midair. The bird can just feel the magic thrumming from them, even though they are only illusions. "Anywasy, um, hi! So, Therien's been kinda getting out of control lately - wanton destruction with no purpose, spite for the sake of spite, kicking puppies, being pouty - that kinda thing. And since Aped is off doing who knows what and Atheos has a pretty strict non-intervention policy, it's up to me to, well, kick his fiery behind.

"If I win, you won't see me for a while. Or maybe you will. Depends on how this whole, 'humbling the god who is literally born of conflict and paradox' thing goes. Plus, mortal time and god time gets tricky sometimes. This orb here that you're looking at and that I'm talking into should be glowing green... right about now," it does indeed, "If Therien and I's divine energy is bound or subdued if any way. If it glows red, then I'm probably dead, Therien's drinking my divine blood or some other nonsense, and you all should be gearing up for a proper scrap 'cause I think Therien would get mighty pissed at that." Thankfully, the orb doesn't glow red. "In any case, if you need help doing godly stuff, ask someone else. I'm kind of a human now. Or dead. At least for a little while, on both counts. If you just kinda want general advice, then I'll be... somewhere on the planet. If you find my rotting corpse with a knife embedded in its back or something, don't worry, I'll reincarnate. Will just take a few years, is all. If you need to get a message to me now, talk to the Grand Inventor on Kirtavo. Or Mirri. Either one."

As Tissari lands the last blow on Therien, reducing him to a sputtering ember, she stops. "I will not kill you," she says sorrowfully. "That would not help. Instead..." Clenching her fists, Tissari weaves magic around her and Therien. "I will show you what it means to be mortal."

***

When Tissari and Therien awaken, they are both trapped in human bodies. Tissari immediately springs to her feet and helps Therien up. "Now," she says. "You are in my charge. Until I have deemed you are beyond all hope or reason, or your begin to see what amazing things mortals can do, you shall not be released from this shell." She shrugs. "At least you have company. Binding magic is tricky, I had to use both of our essences to put us here."

I feel like this is something suitable to do for reducing Therien to 0 HP. Therien and Tissari will still be able to gain and use AP as normal, but whatever they use the AP on will take place after their journey as human beings.

Tissari looks at Therien with nothing but pity now. "You poor, poor creature," she whispers, sighing. "You still have a choice. Yet you refuse to make it. You refuse to see things in a different light."

Therien Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 5, 6, 3, 2) = 23
Tissari Defense: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 5) = 18

Tissari Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 1, 4, 5, 5) = 25
Therien Defense: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 1) = 8

Tissari watched as the few lakes and seas on that side of Kirtavo boiled away, taking away the precious water that fueled the sky-based mindstorms of that region. She heard Therien's arguments.

"The Cull are people. People make mistakes. People make amends, like what is happening down on the planet." Tissari's smile is gone. "There's peace. A chance at friendship. And you would take that all away for the sake of... what. Recognition? Power? Validation that you're something more than just the discarded remains of gods more powerful, more important, more wise than you?" The Heart of the Storm manifests in Tissari's hands as two massive greatblades, as the Seraph Aegis clicks over her physical form.

"You know what's at the heart of all that, Therien? Fear. You're afraid that you're nothing." Tissari fixes Therien with a glare filled with cold fury and pity. "And you are. Any being who takes such delight in suffering has a nothingness within themself that they cannot fill. But they, down there? They're everything. They forge their own fate. They didn't have cosmic power handed to them on a platter, but they create, they make decisions, they live, love, and die. And for them..."

Tissari rushes forward with impossible speed, great wings of fire bearing her forward as she charges Therien, gracefully wielding her blades in a flurry of godsteel.

Tissari Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 6, 5, 4, 3) = 26
Therien Defense: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 3) = 9

"...I. Will. Fight." She turns her weapon into a great shield as Therien begins his counterattack.

Tissari Defense: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 3, 5) = 15
Therien Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 1, 4, 3, 5) = 19

"I will fight to defend them from monsters like you," Tissari says coldly as the Heart of the Storm turns into a massive cannon that she blasts Therien with, blue indigo energy spiraling out from it.

Tissari Attack: 6d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 6, 3, 2, 4) = 22
Therien Defense: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 4) = 16

"I will fight for their freedom."

"I will fight for their lives."

"I will fight for to undo all the harm that you've done."

Tissari clenches her fists. "LOOK DOWN THERE!" she roars, before calming herself. "The irtara are suffering. The humans are suffering. The Cull are suffering. Their lives are worth just as much, if not more so, then our existences because they are mortal! Look at what they accomplish in their short lives! The Erinae and the blood users thrive while all around them die. Death gives way to new creations." Tissari looks down and bitterly spits out her next words. "But not this kind of death. This only leads to more destruction, more death. Please, Therien. I don't care what Aranae says, we can be more than what we were made to be! You can be more than what you're 'meant' to be! Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel a twang of mercy, of sympathy for those poor people that you've endangered."

Tissari wanted to be friends with Therien. She wanted it so badly.

Deities shouldn't fight. It was bad for everyone, and everything, around them.

But as much as she wanted to justify his actions, as much as Tissari wanted to see the potential for creation in Therien's destruction, it was too much to bear.

The Erinae and the blood cultists just ate away at creation, gnawing and consuming at everything around them, leaving nothing but a dark, hollow world behind.

Tissari tried to rationalize it. They were Therien's first creations. Of course the young god would make some mistakes. And it was in Therien's nature, after all. He had been literally been born of conflict and paradox.

But still... these thoughts gnawed at Tissari. So she took a walk. She took a walk all across Kirtavo, and saw all the devastation the war had wreaked. She took a walk across the planet, and saw all the sadness and desperation blood magic brought. She walked through the night, and saw the pure terror and destruction the Erinae brought.

Nothing but destruction. Nothing but an empty wasteland. The land had been, metaphorically, salted.

And as she walked, and as Tissari witnessed all this terror and destruction, she felt a new emotion. Not familiar to her at all.

It was anger.

With this new drive, with this new passion, with this new burning fire sweeping through her heart, Tissari created as she had never created before.

Day and night she worked, until she eventually perfected her works. They were not right. They were works of destruction. But they were also tools of justice. And she couldn't let Therien go uncaged any longer.

8 AP to create two relics: the Seraph Aegis, a suit of technomagical armor infused with both brilliant displays of the use of aether and magery, granting whoever wields it +1d6 attack. And the Heart of the Storm, a mutable weapon created with the same techniques as the Seraph Aegis, wielding crackling lightning and powerful displays of magic. It can be anything: a huge cannon, twin blades, a shield, a greathammer, suitable to Tissari's chaotic nature. +1d6 to attack.

With her works finished, Tissari flies to the sun, her face no longer bearing her signature carefree smile. "Therien," she says calmly, even though Tissari's newly-discovered fury is raging inside of her. "Please. I do not wish to fight you." But in her heart of hearts, Tissari knew that she did. "But your works have caused untold, senseless destruction. No purpose but the power of the wielder. So, please. Erase your blood magic from the world. I can give the Erinae a home where they won't harm anyone. Just... stop all this." Tissari gives a tremulous smile, fighting down her wrath. "I... I still believe in you! You can be more than conflict, more than blood! You can be more than what you were made from! Every being has a choice, even deities. You have so much potential, so many ideas. We could work together! I... I don't want to make an enemy. So, please, Therien. Do as I ask. See all the suffering your work has created. You can be better than this."

Mirri quickly translates for the male to the humans, and offers her own input. "I will not lie: the experience of entering the hive mind is... disorienting, to say the least. Almost painful. Whoever is going to do it better be sure."

After many months of cooperation, mistakes, and linguistic learnings, it was finally finished. The land was healing. But Mirri wasn't quite done. Not yet.

The irtara called both the human leaders and the two representatives of the Cull together. "Ahem. We all know each other, so there is no need for introductions. Obviously. Because we've spent the last few months learning each other's languages and stuff. But, anyways, we need to talk." Turning to the two Crested, Mirri says, "It should be apparent that preying on either irtara or humans is more trouble than it's worth. And you saw that, by working together, we saved both your people and the human tribes." Next, she looks to the humans. "Same for you. None of us want another Last Stand. Too many people, both humans and Cull, died that day. And... well, we're stuck down here, for the time being. The irtara. And this dirty rock you call home is growing on me, as much as I hate to admit it. It's home to us too, now. And I don't want to see my home, and people I've learned to call... friends tear each other apart again." Mirri takes a deep breath. "So I have a proposal that you may be amenable to." She awkwardly fishes out some parchment from her satchel, and clears her throat. "This treaty is a non-aggression and cooperation pact. There have been disturbing rumors of terrifying creatures in the wilds, with dangerous abilities." Mirri sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We'll be moving on soon. We need to complete our journey, after all. But we'll come back. And I don't want to see you all ripped to shreds because you killed each other, or were too imbecilic not to work together. So, please. Sign this. There's details we can workshop, and I'm sure there will be very loud disagreements, but we need to work together."

Tissari appears behind one of Atheos' free shards, smiling. "They're amazing, aren't they? Mortals."

Eh, I'm in Azrael's favor on this. If you squint at the flavor sideways, it could work, but I'm not a fan of skating that close to the line.

Also: spending 2 AP ahead of time to make Mirri a Hero, even though she technically hasn't exalted yet.

Yeah, advanced concepts only. I'm the resident Mad Scientist.

"Hmmm... oh! This is a project I've been meaning to work on for a while!" Tissari snaps her fingers, and her glowing "notebook" appears in the air once more, spiraling with symbols, equations, doodles, and notes in absolutely atrocious handwriting. "Alright, let's see here..."

0 AP to create the concept of mineral mining. 0 AP to create the concept of mine safety. 0 AP to create the concept of mine infrastructure. 0 AP to create the concept of mining tools. 0 AP to create the concept of basic blasting powder.

Tissari suddenly finishes her blur of activity, and boops Lortimas on the nose, imparting him with all of her theories and how to apply them. "There you go! Consider this my belated first manifestation gift to you! Your creations should be able to enact this pretty easily, and get all the gold you could ever want!"

Well, Tissari has a general fire theme, and so does Therien, even though he's technically more plasma-y.

"Oh! His name is Zakaz. He kinda created the world you're living beneath right now, and all of the life on it. His best creation - I find them fascinating, personally - are the Cull, these sorta super-adaptable apex predator things. Most of them aren't sentient, but some are. Then there's Atheos. He kinda keeps us all in check, makes sure that we don't go far. A voice of reason, of sorts. Atheos made humans, and this big plane where he hangs out, but that's pretty much. Then there's Apedemak. Really dramatic, that fellow, always proclaiming this or that. He helped out the humans after Atheos created them. Aranae is the only other goddess, but she's kinda mysterious. Made the stars and fate and stuff. That sorta thing. Liristel - ah, screw it, we all just call him Lir anyways. He's this kinda roguish sort, made these elemental people and a really big forest. Azrael is new, and he takes care of everybody who's dead, if that makes sense. And Therien is also new, and he's all pouty and grumpy, so he made the sun and some blood cults. And somebody else, but we don't know who yet. They've been keeping to themselves, mainly. We only learned of their existence when he really pissed off Atheos, Aped, and Zakaz all in one stroke."

Heh, Tissari would probably notice at the very least, since she's the one who kind of created the first volcanoees.

Tissari suddenly pops into existence behind Lortimas, whistling. "We are getting way too many fire gods," she remarks wryly. "Anyways, how do you do? Or perhaps what's your name. Yeah, that generally comes first, right? Hm. Does it? I didn't create polite conversation. Don't really have a good handle on it. Anyways, I'm Tissari! Pleasure to meet you." She leans in to whisper in Lortimas' ear. "Oh, and, uh, be on the lookout for an angry panther god. Somebody messed with his creations, and he knows that whoever it is is underground, but I don't think that's your style."

Tissari suddenly appears in Azrael's domain, floating upside-down as her fiery hair brushes the bottom of the Shallows. "Y'ello!" she chirps, before righting herself and dusting off ash from her leathers. "Yeesh, it's going to take a bit to get used to the sun. I was just slightly adjusting the mass of the moon, and whoopsy-doopsy, I fell into it! Also nearly Kirtavo. But it didn't. Thankfully." She pauses for a moment, finger on her chin. "Why did I... oh, yeah!" she snaps her fingers, her fiery eyes lighting up even more. "Ahem, I proclaim, yadda yadda yadda, the whole gist is the thing is would you care to take a peek at this pantheon thing we've got going? It's basically a non-aggression and allyship treaty. Anybody in the Gods of the Vault can't touch anybody else's stuff without their permission, and in case somebody outside the pantheon decides to start messing with things, we stand together to defend the universe and all of that. Sound interesting? We also kind of lend a little bit of power from each other, so we all end up with a net gain."

Hm, fair.

Yeah! All of Tissari's concepts are absolutely free for anybody to use. And Tissari would be totally fine with you joining.

"I believe some of these... hm. Whatever those odd, fleshy sapients are have discovered a solution to that. They're surviving, are they not? And your ability to rapidly evolve and adapt may come in handy." Mirri begins pacing back and forth, hemming and hawing. "The land is salted, spoiled. The water is too, but we may be able to fix that. And if we fix the water, we'll fix everything. Things will return to normal. Of course, the water will have to be transported to the places where it is needed first. Hm." Mirri turns to the mage and snaps her fingers. "Ifara! I need you to begin drawing up a stable water purification manifestation that can function, for, say, ten years. That should be enough to clear this land." Ifara nods. "Ura, help her out. You've been working on the theory of magic. And, um, other stuff. With her. That I'm... not going to mention in polite conversation. But I'll need to talk to the two of you about that later." Both irtara in question blush. "Alay, I need you to teach this two Crested about building and mass work. You were quite the builder on Kirtavo, so I'm sure you'll be up to the task." Alay salutes mockingly, and offers a wry smile. "Everybody else, get to work on the architecture of a system that'll be able to transport water across this area. An artificial river, of sorts." Mirri pauses her pacing. "And I... I will..." she thinks for a moment. "Hm. I will attempt to communicate with these creatures," she gestures broadly towards the assembled crowd of gawking humans, "and see if I can convince them to pitch in."

Mirri clears her throat and turns towards the assembled crowd. "Um..." she lays her spear on the ground and raises her hands in the air. "Peace," she drawls slowly, then repeats herself. "Irtara." Mirri points to herself and the rest of the irtara. She then points towards the assembled crowd, and says, "Who?"

One of the things that's essential to Mirri is that she has to remain something of a dork, even as she becomes a heroine.

Mirri hesitantly reaches out her hand, and her eyes snap wide open as the Cull sweep through her essence, nearly overwhelming her. She pushes through it, gritting her teeth and nodding. "That... went much better than expected," she says, mildly surprised, before smiling. "Ahem. It is a... pleasure to meet you, I suppose. I am Mirri, if you didn't already receive that information via your Hive Mind. And you are... oh, you might not have individual names. Hm. Hive minds are complex. Anyways, perhaps we can help each other. I mean, this is a unique problem, so we would help you solve it anyways due to its nature, but perhaps you can guide us through these lands afterwards. If you would." Mirri pauses for a moment. "Language is new to you, isn't it? Apologies for bombarding you with words."

One of the bulkier irtara steps forward, gritting her teeth, but Mirri utters a sharp command and she backs down. She opens her mouth as if to speak, then abruptly smacks her forehead with her palm and whispers a command to a quieter, solemn woman in the back. Nodding, lightning begins arcing in the air as spiraling circles on her arms flare up. The lightning forms a symbol of a Crested and an irtara grappling in combat, with a huge jagged slash crossing the image. Mirri looks at the Crested expectantly, and mutters under her breath, "If this doesn't work, at least I'll get empirical evidence of the power of two Crested working in tandem. And presumably die."

If somebody tried to invade Kirtavo, the irtara's first line of defense would just to continue with normal life and wait for the environment to kill the invading army off. If that doesn't work, then they get serious.

*points towards crapton of military concepts that the irtara created in response to the blood cultists*

Heh. Um, Therien, the irtara already deal with volcanic eruptions, volcanoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, a huge roiling cloud of blood, and sandstorms on a daily basis. You can't really make their environment any worse :P If you appear in an irtaran city, they'll be intrigued by your ideas, but ultimately dismiss them and kick you out as soon as they realize that blood sacrifice requires, you know, sacrifice.

Mindstorms is a generic term for any natural disaster imbued with creative energy, not just literal storms. The irtara live in an environment that's like a post-apocalyptic wasteland by anybody else's standards. The only reason that they're alive is that they subsist off of creative energy and nothing else.

A strange being approaches Quarrel's End. She was tall, her skin ashen grey and swirled with spiraling patterns, her hair a cascade of flowing blue energy and her eyes glowing with the same light. Wearing Swarm carapaces almost in full-plate armor, she hails the guards at the gate in a beautiful, lilting language, her hand raised up, away from the long spear tipped with a claw at her back. Behind her are others of a similar race, wearing rough leather armor