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The attached image is the underworld, as of Turn 23.


If you're interested in participating, my next post contains all of the necessary rules. If there is anything that you don't understand, please feel free to ask.

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If you are wondering how to join this game, it's simple. Introduce yourself and explain what sort of god you are. There's no formal template for this. Make your introduction simple or as complicated as you like. You don't even need to choose a divine domain, though one could provide a little flavour for your actions.
Once you're done introducing yourself, you're free to spend your 6 Divine Power on the Divine Abilities in the attached image. Simply copy the map, use your favourite graphics editor to mark the biomes you're creating or where you're placing a species and post your version of the map, along with how you spent your Divine Power.
Alternatively, you can choose to save your Divine Power (up to a maximum of 24) for future turns. That's fine too.
Once that's done, you're free to roleplay with the other gods as you wait for me to update the main map and start the next turn, which will grant you another 6 Divine Power that you may spend or save all over again.

To summarise:
When you first join the game and at the start of every turn, you gain 6 Divine Power that you can spend on Divine Abilities.
A new turn will begin every day, roughly at this point in time, which I will always begin by consolidating the contributions of the gods and updating the map.
A god can hold up to 24 Divine Power, so if you are unable to participate for a few days, you will not lose out.

Here's a couple of simple rules to keep in mind:

>If you use a Divine Ability in a way that does not align with that Ability's rules or goes against the intended spirit of the rules, it will fail. Any Divine Power spent in this way will be refunded at the start of the next turn, and I will explain the reason for the failure.

>You cannot target a hex that has already been targeted by another god during the same turn. For example, if you try to create a species in a hex after another god has changed the biome of that hex during the same turn, you will fail. Any Divine Power spent in this way will be refunded at the start of the next turn, and I will explain the reason for the failure.

And a couple of more complicated rules:

>If Shape the World is used to turn a hex inhabited by a species into a biome that isn't a favoured biome for that species, then that species will be removed from that hex at the start of the next turn, unless Adapt Species is used to make that biome a favoured biome for that species.

>If a species has been wiped off of the map and doesn't exist on a single hex, you do not need to use Create Species again if you want to bring it back. You can simply use Transplant Species to reintroduce it to the world of Apoch.

And the most important rule:

>If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. I will try to answer you as soon as I have the time. If I do not, then I will try to answer it at the beginning of the next turn.

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>>5253825

Hello! Reposting the image of the Painguin.

>>5252702
>>5251578

Already in a bad mood from his first excursion, Fractal visits the Northern continent. It's been quite a while since he last set foot there. The Thundertusks still remember him well, and bow to him as he visits. He takes on a smaller form to wrestle with their greatest, who end up battered and scarred, but receive great renown among their savage tribes. He hears of the scorpions from them, and partakes in their killing. He finds their juicy insides far more palatable than whatever the god of Mirth did to the sea.

However, amidst his revelry, a group of foul-tongue crows descend upon the Thundertusks. Though their conflict is over, the beasts have been freshly 'blessed' with bladed tongues that do naught but spit venom. The God growls in warning, offering the murder a chance to leave them be. Instead, they turn their insults to him. Word has spread, from the birds in the South, of his little incident with the golems. They cackle to themselves, coming up with all manner of insults and veritably spitting in the hunter's face. He sits silently as they laugh, calling him dull-clawed, dim-witted, and continuing their malicious mockery till the sun has almost set.

He waits for several hours, till the cerulean moon begins to rise. Fractal then raises a claw. The Crows go silent, eagerly awaiting an exchange of insults. They have the utmost confidence in winning a verbal conflict, as the Beast opens his mouth and inhales...

Fractal snaps down on them, consuming a great swathe of the forest all at once. The crows are subsumed into his great maw, along with any poor Thundertusks who stayed to watch. He trots towards the Southern sea, continuing to chew the whole way. While he's no dumb beast as they alleged, he's not terribly creative. For their bandied words, he can think of one simple punishment: To be prey forevermore. He spits them out in their new forms, right-smack in the middle of the sea. They maintain their flight... But only underwater. Their bodies shall never take to the skies again, and they're fat enough to be a juicy meal to any sea-dweller. Perhaps being ripped apart by the monsters of the ocean will teach them humility over time.

>Create subspecies of the crows: Painguin- Ocean, Coastal, Glacial Floes, Cola sea, Deep Cola, Great Lake, Sea of Blood, Maelstrom Edge, Perpetual Storm, Great River

that was fast

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>>5253838

(Just checking in the new thread to say I'm alive, I've just been busy lately and my creative juices aren't flowing. I'll be back next turn to start another war against the Serpent-Twisted and write some stuff out lol.)

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>>5253831
(Phew thought I was late when I saw the post)

His two creations and their homes prepared, Insoleo knew that he needed one final piece to complete this puzzle: A goal, a motivation that could push them to compete with one another, draw them out of their comfortable homes and on to the main continent that he oversaw. And so, Insoleo set about creating a prize worthy of his progeny. As he arrived at the center of his primary continent, he set about bringing the image he had in his mind into reality. To creations after his own heart, what would be more enticing then a light purer and brighter then any other?

Insoleo began, once again, with terraforming. An indent, spreading out across the whole continent, a tilt just slightly inward. It would be necessary for what would come next. Then, he dug great channels through the glass, all across the continent. Empty rivers flowing inward, to the core. Next, he altered the permeability of the channel’s walls. This was the most delicate part of this step. Too thin, and they wouldn’t even be able to support their own weight, but too thick and they would be unable to serve their purpose. After several days of experimentation, the fractal feline let out a sigh of relief as pure, liquid sunlight began to bead through the glass surface, pooling in the bottom of the channel and flowing downstream, slowly traveling towards the continent’s center. After he implemented the change in all of the channels that now spread across his continent like blood vessels, Insoleo waited as more and more liquid light collected at the center, until a vast lake of blinding brilliance shone up at him from below, a several kilometer stretch of land completely submerged in luminescence.

This would suffice, at least to begin. With a wave of a paw, the shimmering water began to flow into the air, spiraling together to form the beginnings of a structure. Not since his creation had Insoleo worked with pure light like this, always diluting it through glass, crystal, or heat. And yet nothing had ever felt more right as a grand, towering mountain took shape before him, its blindingly bright peak piercing the clouds. As the liquid that formed its shape hung suspended in the air, Insoleo transformed it. What was once intangible had become liquid, and now he willed it to change again, to gain yet more solidity. At last, he released his grip and was relieved to see the peak stand sturdy and strong, liquid transmuted into pure, crystallized light. And as he looked down, he could already see yet more rivers of light flowing in from channels across the continent, solidifying as they lapped against its base. Forever would it continue its upward climb, a shining beacon beckoning his children with its brilliance.

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>>5253871
…But Insoleo was still unsatisfied. This would certainly serve as encouragement enough, but it lacked…challenge. His progeny’s primary competition would be one another, of course, but left as it was this would simply be a race to the mountain, and that would be no fun at all. Yes…a place such as this needed caretakers, and perhaps one last player for this grand game he had prepared. He had come to quite enjoy this creation process, and he had already laid out his materials before him after all. And so, he set to work one last time, one final act of true creation before he suspected he would take things on a little more indirectly. His children needed room to grow, after all.

At the base of the mountain, Insoleo formed four tunnels, from each cardinal direction, watching as some of the churning, liquid light that had collected there began to flow in. The mountain would continue its growth, but it could afford to have some of its light diverted inward. Then, he returned to the apex. Much as it bothered him to mar such a fine peak, this was for the best…he hollowed out the very top, opening a plunging, downward tunnel until, at last, he sensed it connect with the intersection of the four smaller holes at the base. Already he could feel the liquid light beginning to fill up the tunnel, slowly building up towards his location. He’d need to work fast. A capstone, a focus, and a mould, all in one…well, he’d manage somehow.

Several grueling hours later, the focus was at last complete, laid over the opening he’d created in the peak. And not a moment too soon, as light rapidly gurgled up through the passage towards his most delicate construct yet. Insoleo watched with bated breath at the light met his device, transforming into something not seen since himself, something…organic. With a flap of wings even lighter than feathers, his fifth progeny emerged into the world, form indistinct and ever shifting, their only consistent feature seeming to be the wings that kept it aloft before even those faded away for a moment, the being of light soaring on willpower alone as it circled the peak from which it had been born. Even the liquidity of the Vintri paled in comparison to that of this creature, which flowed from one form to the next with natural ease. His more or less done, Insoleo watched in satisfaction as more and more of them emerged from the mountain’s peak, frolicking through the sky together in light-speed games of tag or strange, transforming communication. He loved all his children, but these, he could not help but feel, were the ones closest in nature to himself. A fine last addition.

>Insoleo spends 3 DP to Shape the World, using three hexes to create a great, towering Holy Mountain of pure, crystallized light, a shining landmark visible, if faintly from just about anywhere in the world
>Insoleo Spends 6 DP to Create Life, bringing into the world the Solarions, elementals of living light not unlike Insoleo himself

>>5253875
(Also, would it be alright if I changed the name of the Crysii to the Intrum? Just feels a bit more fitting)

>>5253825
Buufhonks current ID, it will change when I get home but ill verify its me
>>5253024
[S]Dont forget my turn[/s]

ur reporting in has my move been confirmed from the last thread.
if anyone have any ideas feel free to tell me if i can do something more thematic or exciting and i cna change it

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>>5253831


Yearn dreams deeply of his greatest wishes in his unconsciousness of only of a god. He sees the wishes of the populace of Apoch and enjoys them all. Nearing his slumbers end, Yearn feels a new desire forming in Apoch as it becomes larger with even greater density of hopes and dreams of sentient beings of all tastes.


Yearn awakens once more and scalps the ground beneath the north western continent throwing the earth above creating mountains.

>15 DPS on shape world caverns with orange dot underground

>7 DPS on shape world mountains with black dots

I'll be doing the update as per usual around 23:00 UTC, no need to remind me. I'm taking everything into account and if I make a mistake and miss something, feel free to remind me.

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>>5254005

I’M BACK
Did the big fucking moon die yet?

>>5254050
No.
Updates pertinent to you would be the breaking of the bond between the Crows and the Yetuns, the weakening of the Crows to Level 5 and Fractal creating a new subspecies based off of the Crows called the Painguins.

You've got roughly half an hour to do something before I stop accepting input for Turn 23 as I finish the preparations for Turn 24.

>>5254075
did my action get accepted of adapting the shadows and infecter vines?

>>5254087
Yes. Unless I specifically raise an issue with something that you have done, you can just assume that I've accepted any action you've taken.

>>5253831
The crow-god was enraged- no, that would be putting it mildly.
The bond was broken, for no good reason. Friendship forged is kept, not out of need but out of respect.
And to lessen his favored, his only creations- what gall?!
> empower the crows 5 times, connect them even more to Murtnag, to remove the treachery and disunity, at the cost of most of their individuality
Frosore shall pay

Proposal for the Mad Moon
Yo Ur, so how would you feel if Buufhonk was familial, im just saying throughout mythology gods origins are often retconned and vague. Your thoughts on Buufhonk being from or part of "Mad Moon Ur" in some capacity, this is also my way of seeing if you want to start an alliance like ive kinda been pushing for my last few turns

>>5254109
Fuck i guess my IP changed again, its gonna do this every now and then yall im sorry

>>5254115
The easiest way around that is to use a tripcode instead of just namefagging.

Also, closing entries as I prepare for Turn 24.

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Oh my. The emergence of the Stiltwalkers and the enfeebling of the Shadows might potentially shift the balance of power in that swath of marshland. In fact, the only thing keeping the distended clowns from driving back their foes is the symbiosis between the Infesters and the Shadows. Over many millennia, they have learned to use those ominous creepers to their advantage.

While I do not care if the Shadows are pushed out of the swamps, I worry about the possibility of their giant foes pushing them out of the underworld as well. For the Ogres are quite a successful species and I see no reason for them to reign over the subterranean landscape as well as the many mountains of Apoch.

So, I place a curse upon the Ogres to weaken them. Their great hunger shall become a curse. Should they go without frequent sustenance, their fattened bodies will begin to wither and fail. Their great appetites are no longer a matter of desire but a matter of need, a requirement if they wish to survive. This shall grant the Shadows a fighting chance against them and help them escape outright extermination.

Once more, I shall grant the Gorecaps a boon. Not only will they draw strength from blood, but they shall gain great sustenance from it as well. A mouthful of vitae is enough to keep one of this bloodthirsty species satiated for an entire day, with no need for any other food or drink.

Finally, there is the matter of Effie's Magma Snails. They have not spread anywhere near as effective as they should, thanks to their initial placement. I believe I shall place a handful of them in a far more advantageous location, so that they might proliferate far more effectively.

>First, I shall spend 2 Divine Power on one use of Enfeeble Species, to bring the Level of the Ogres down to 9.
>Second, I shall spend 2 Divine Power on one use of Empower Species, to bring the Level of the Gorecaps up to 6.
>Third, I shall 2 Divine Power on one use of Transplant Species, to place the Magma Snails in a new hex as seen in the attached image.

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Turn 24 of the Age of Land and Beasts has begun.

The attached surface map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

Failed Divine Abilities & Refunded Divine Power:
>Loreleilim did not show where the new Poconthy subspecies should be placed, so I am refunding the 3 Divine Power that she spent on them. If she can show me where she wanted them placed last turn, then I shall make up for any lost species spread.

Existing Conflicts & Bonds:
>Bond: Infester Vines & Shadows.
>Bond: Roggs & Dexter Vines.
>Bond: Gorecaps & Trufflehogs.
>Bond: Crows & Harpies.
>Bond: Harpies & Carnies.
>Bond: Vintri & Hyalax.
>Bond: Harpies & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Crows & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Stormscales & Serpent-Twisted.
>Bond: Gridvines & Gearmechs.
>Bond: Earthern & Brainbulbs.
>Bond: Flamers & Dragons.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Ashtongue.
>Conflict: Shadows & Ur-Spathi.
>Conflict: Wilted Dexter & Heralds.
>Conflict: Ogres & Shadows.
>Conflict: Shadows & Roggs.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Stormscales.
>Conflict: Halflings & Poltergeists.
>Conflict: Shadows & Stiltwalkers.

Remaining & Expired Timers:
>Conflict between Fire Goblins & Serpent-Twisted can now start.
>The bond between Earthern & Brainbulbs can now be broken.
>A bond between Crows & Yetuns cannot be created for another turn.
>The conflict between Halflings & Poltergeists cannot be broken for another turn.
>The bond between Flamers & Dragons cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The conflict between Shadows & Stiltwalkers cannot be broken for another two turns.

With the start of a new turn, all of the species have spread to adjacent hexes of their favoured biomes and every god has gained 6 Divine Power, up to a maximum of 24 Divine Power.

Here is the current Divine Power of every god:
>Scaper: 24 DP
>Fractal: 9 DP
>Frosore: 12 DP
>Yearn: 6 DP
>Effie: 24 DP
>Uthys: 24 DP
>Torc: 12 DP
>Totalous: 24 DP
>Loreleilim: 10 DP
>Carrion Lord: 24 DP
>Ur: 24 DP
>Drazil: 15 DP
>Lases: 6 DP
>Yidith: 24 DP
>Murtnag: 20 DP
>Trillimti: 11 DP
>Endestria: 6 DP
>Insoleo: 17 DP
>Vellyn: 12 DP
>Buufhonk: 6 DP
>Dryf: 6 DP
>Chitinron: 16 DP

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The attached underworld map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

Next turn, Turn 25, I will implement the following rules as we prepare for the end of the First Age:
>The Catastrophe ability will be disabled entirely.
>A god will only be able to use the Create Conflict ability if that god created at least one of the two races they are creating a conflict between. If the god created neither of the races, the god cannot use the Create Conflict ability on them.
>I will reserve the right to refuse any actions or use of abilities that I consider overly disruptive. As we go into the Age of Culture and Strife, I would like the world to be in a relatively stable state that everyone is happy with. For example, no one-sided conflicts out of nowhere that will end in genocide and no painting over swaths of pre-existing biomes.
This is the last turn before these rules will come into effect.

And as always, please point out any mistakes I've made.

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>>5254149

Yearn rests at the end of his work before deciding that his desires can be fickle and he must whisk himself off to view the creations of other gods. He comes upon a creature similar to the crow that he once knew. It seemed the fatness of these winged beings had been increased by another in their transformation. Yearn smiled at the work of another.
Perhaps a similar creature of the crow but without the fatness of the crow or the new being, Yearn could work the desire of a winged being for material things. A bird of collections with infinite desire for interesting objects. Yearn placed this bird in the south eastern continent for it to live freely and create the ultimate collections.

>Use 3 DPS to create subspecies of crow the Magpie with the same biomes of the crow placed at the blue dot

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>>5254170


Yearn carries the Magpie and brings it back to his domain where it can thrive with the species of the north western continent as well.
He watches the Magpies for a spell to ensure they are able to begin their collections before returning to shaping the earth of this land.

>Transplant magpies to blue dot with 2 dps

>Shape world and create one mountain 1 dps

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>>5254151
Time to finish the sea
>Spend 3 dp to shape the world.

>>5254149

With the Poconthy created, and the Viersperan almost finalized, Loreleilim was pleased. The only thing she needed to do was guide the giant serpentine creatures changes through the years to have skin as tough as their scales and stronger bones to both deal their body weight better and to withstand any strike that should come to them in the future, and lastly to better deal with extreme heat. With this done, there was only a little bit more to work on, that being guiding the Viersperan to be able to stay in any warm place, and in the case of the Poconthy to truly make them adapted to just about everywhere. But of course, the Viersperan would come first. They were closest to completion after all, and the work on the Poconthy would take a very. Very. Very long time.

(Poconthy should just start in the plains in the south of my little continent. With that out of the way, 2 more to empower the Viersperan.)

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>>5254149
Dryf stood at the edge of a cliff. Below him stood the exposed sea bed made long ago by Lases. It wasn't a problem then, but now that Scaper had expanded it to seperate the sea of blood from the rest of the ocean, it was in the way off trade.

Dryf didn't want to do this, Lases had proven to be a good trade partner, and he didn't want to see his creations destroyed. But Dryf was not a god of friendship, he was a god of trade.

Dryf raised his hands the crystal fields behind him began to shake, in a few moments, they would expand over the exposed sea bed, killing the scallop crabs there. Dryf raised his hands so that he may finish the process.

Wait.
Oh Wait.
This is stupid.

Dryf realized that he could raise new crystal fields and create new exposed sea bed as compensation, or he could just adapt the Earthern. That was a way better idea. It unlocked new potential land for his people, including that island in the middle of the map that never got used. And they can sell Scallop crabs as food and pets.

Why didn't he think of that earlier?

Well he had already gotten the Crystal expansion spell ready, so he should put them somewhere, and Dryf had a space in mind.

>I use 3dp to adapt the Eathern to exposed seabed
>I then use 3 more dp to turn the blue Cs into Crystal plains

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>>5254149

Fractal’s permafrost caverns grow deeper, cutting through the solid rock and pushing it apart. Sparks of half-digested life are present throughout its walls, and something is brewing within…

Where water meets the lava rivers, Fractal repeats the same process. As the fiery flow meets the ocean, it naturally peters out and turns into obsidian. The Rol aren’t present at these caps, though.

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>>5254562
((Oop, please ignore the top one. I didn’t see that Dryf had it handled. I’d like to change it to this one

(new thread, yay!)

With the beginning of the Great Bridge and the first Turbine Falls completed, Endestria had run into a problem: A severe lack of any races well suited to maintaining them. Oh, he could ask the Harpies and Mousefolk, but they were already extremely busy with the Gear Fields and were not well-suited to underwater activity by any means. He had other plans for the Gearmechs, so that wouldn't do at all. Creating a new race would take too much power out of him, so of course, he struck upon the original idea that had resulted in the Harpies: Adapting the work of another for the purposes. What to use? The Serpent-Twisted wouldn't be well suited for the job, and while the Painguins had elements he was familiar with, their small size would be hazardous in the strong currents of the Falls.

A terrestial species twisted toward aquatic motion, then? While he loved the Harpies, Mousefolk and Gearmechs, they would certainly not do, and neither would the Waspfolk, Carnies or Halflings. Casting his gaze Westward, Endestria finally found the perfect inspiration: The Viesperan. He gave the Viesperan the gift of ingenuity, before taking some and twisting their tails for better locomotion underwater. With the adaptation of gills to breathe and resistance to the warm and cold waters in the area, he finally had the maintenance crew he needed. They would survive in the Turbine Falls, under the Great Bridge and in all the coastal waters nearby, and they would be called the Mer.

>2DP: Empower the Viesperan with ingenuity
>3DP: Create subspecies of the Viesperan: The Mer, and start them on Turbine Falls

~~wow, stock fantasy merfolk race, how original! i'm sorry, someone had to do it~~

>>5254581
also, huh, id changed. guess it's time for me to learn how to trip then, whoops

Effie's dreams of war were again quashed. Emboldened by Drazil's words, their utter defiance of her will, the Fire Goblins had yet to utter a word of reprisal to their serpentine brethren.

Together, they were able to form something of a mutual bond. The larger, amphibious Serpent-twisted protected the Fire Goblins, and provided food from the waters surrounding the island. And the Fire Goblins provided shelter and servitude to their needs.

All was well. The Sly Serpent was cackling from the depths, a maelstrom of laughter. With the war over for now, he gave away more of his power to Fractal as a reward for his aid.

>Bond between Fire Goblins and Serpent-twisted.
>Give Drazil 3 DP

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>>5254546
Due to how I map spread, I do need a precise location. So unless you want somewhere else, I will go with this location (and account for spread that should have happened during the previous turn).
>>5254581
The Viersperan have three favoured biomes. Could you choose two more, in addition to Turbine Falls?

Otherwise, great additions.

>>5254594
Meant Fractal

>>5254149
Effie's people had defied her. They longed for peace, for an end to war, an end to the senseless slaughter that had been going on between them and the Serpent-Twisted for generations. Effie... did not understand at first, why would her own creations defy her? Do they lack the courage to fight? No, it is true courage that made them have the gall to stand against her.

Effie would be proud if it were not for her great rage. The Fire Goblin's courage did not mean they were immune from punishment. A bright light shines from her crystal form and covers the entire island, and each goblin the lights touches can feel their mind break to Effie's will so that they might never defy them again. They will obey her.
>Use 2 DP to enfeeble the Fire Goblins with susceptibility to mental attacks.

With the Fire Goblins under her yoke once more it was time for the war effort. First, the Magmamorks were tamed by the most courageous goblins who would ride on their bucking backs for days at a time to tame them.
>Use 6 DP to create a bond between Magamorks and Fire Goblins

Next, a peculiar race of mercenaries that Effie felt a strange kinship to were brought in as temporary warriors- ones that had to leave the island as soon as the war was over.
>Use 6 DP to create a Bond between Fire Goblins and Flamers.

Finally, she cursed the vile Serpent-Twisted for their continued intrusion on her realm, and empowered the Fire Goblins as an apology for her harsh punishment earlier.

She cursed the Serpent-Twisted's young, made their eggs sensitive to heat and unable to stand the harsh magma rivers of the volcanoes.

>Use 6 DP to empower the Fire Goblins 3 times
>Use 4 DP to Enfeeble the Serpent-Twisted 2 times

Effie's rage is terrible, and when a grudge is swore upon her name, it shall never end.

>>5254594
(Oh, I got ninja'd. I'll let Scaper decide whose actions he wants to refund. I will say that when I said I was going to war earlier it was OOC until now.)

>>5254617
>Use 6 DP to create a Bond between Fire Goblins and Flamers.
All of your other additions are great, but the Fire Goblins are yet to encounter the Flamers and don't share any hexes with them, so I cannot allow a bond between those species.

>>5254617
(Wait, I forgot the 3 DP to create a conflict, remove the enfeebling of the Fire Goblins and one of the Empowerings of them. Replace it with using 3 dp to create conflict. I guess the mental thing will just be an RP thing instead of actually doing anything mechanical.)

>>5254627
(That's fine. Just go through will all my other actions then, forgot cancelling the Enfeebling and Empowering lol.)

>>5254620
>>5254628
>>5254631
There can't be a conflict if there is already a bond and he did post first, so I will refund your use of Create Conflict.
Consider this time to prepare for a great battle in the future, if you wish to break the bond that Drazil has made.

>>5254634
(Ok. Can a bond be ended and a conflict created the same turn? Also can't say I'm not a little annoyed that create a bond is being used for the purpose stopping the create a conflict action as soon as the timer after the ending conflict action expires.)

>>5254149
As Lases waited for a reply some part of him suddenly became aware of the fact that his idea to form a bond between the Dryfters and his Brainbulbs was impossible for two simple reasons, one the Dryfters were now known as Earthen and two the there was already a bond between the two.

Feeling a bit sorry for the fact that poor Wicky had to deal with all that documentation he had sent for no reason Lases decided he should make it up to them. Luckily he knew the perfect way to do it and after stealing some sugar from Buufhonk's biomes made a chocolate cake the size of a mountain with the words "Sorry for the extra work Wicky" on it and sent it away to it's targe... er recipient.

While he had still not gotten answer from Insoleo he figured the God of Light was probably fine with his offer and f not he would undo the bonds as soon as he could, but there was still the issue of how to make them all benefit, making the Vintri ride his snails seemed like the obvious solution but what would the snails get from it? After thinking it over he at least came up with some benefit for the smaller Glass Shells.

Create bond Vintri and Glass Shells 6 dp. Using their semifluid bodies the Vintri have figured out how to ride the Glass Shells, due the snails small size it's somewhat awkward and not as fast but still. While being ridden the Glass Shells enjoy some extra protection beyond what their shells provide otherwise due to the extra glass coming from the Vintri

>>5254642
Yes. While I understand your annoyance, it is all a part of the game.
Allow me to give a bit of advice and suggest that you should wait until Turn 28 or later before you break the bond and start the conflict (which will require 15 Divine Power), if you want the conflict to be a thing going into the next Age.
And if that 15 Divine Power seems like a lot, it's only 3 more than Drazil had to spend in order to end the conflict and create the bond in the first place.

>>5254651
((For the purpose of post-turn 25 rules, do Subspecies count as made by the god? Or does it mostly refer to the original 6 cost base species?))

A lazy god wakes up on an island of dead land.

He thinks.

He ponders

He goes back to sleep.

>>5254656
A subspecies made by you counts as a species made by you.
>>5254663
The presence of a lazy god has been noted. His Divine Power shall accumulate while he rests.

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>>5254642
((Goddamn. I wrote this post once before but it got erased/eaten upon posting:

There’s a rather fitting way to get a leg-up in the war, and stop it from being an arms race to get DP.

You could form a sort of border around the volcano, and turn it into a ringed city. The problem is that Volcano is amphibious, which means the Goblins are perpetually surrounded and can’t actually mount an attack. Making a border of purely terrestrial land would prevent the Serpents from pushing all the way in, unless specifically transplanted, which would cost extra to do each time. Could even do something like leave a single gate tile open but defended, so they’d be pushing through one breach instead of flooding into the island all at once. ))

File: wesley-ward-glow-side.jpg (237 KB, 1920x1440)

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A green chrysalis glows pulsing with divine power as the young god inside stirs, the worship of his/her subjects filling her dreams, worry of the crazed moon returning, the birth of a budding friendship between her creations and the creations of another, the birth of new races and the coming of old gods, and speak of the dreaded mad moon returning. SHE MUST PREPARE HER CREATIONS!
His/her chrysalis rest in the center of a giant jungle tree surrounded by small flowers jars of honey, small carved flint tools and pieces of fresh sweet bread, dozens of flowers and vines have grown around her resting place, small primate wax candles lay around lit, the occasional wasp-folk would come to give thanks with a morsal or some trinket they made. Some would just sit and rest after a hard day’s work. This calm peaceful moment is suddenly interrupted by a bloom of divine energy pulsing from the chrysalis its energy lashing outward toward the wasp folk and downward into the ground toward the wasp-folk and mouse folk underground.
(1/3)

>>5254682
(I was considering doing that when it first started but I felt bad about using Shape the World for war purposes. I might just have to do it because at this point it'll just be a cycle of kicking the Serpent's off the island for two turns then the conflict being immediately ended since there's no way for me to actually wipe them out.)

File: warrior waspfolk.png (109 KB, 477x538)

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As the war leader of the first united hive Sol khan was born the first of his family the eldest son of the stinger clan who had first defended their brother and sister from a jaguar as a grub biting its head of with his jaws, from this he learned from a young age he would need to defend his clan and so he pioneered martial combat the first of his people to create a sort of martial code to teach how to use not only a blade but the mind of a aspirant warrior to be able to defend the warriors soul from harm, while crushing their opponent with a combination of sharp bites strong punches and stings, some say there is a possible technique that could obliterate an opponents verry soul but that is only a Rumor surely?
>Empower wasp-folk with mental defence-2dp,
>empower wasp-folk with martial prowess-2dp,
>empower wasp-folk with hidden talent soul-strike the ability to combat spectral opponents 2dp.

As the divine power reaches out ward it reaches towards the ground reaching the wasp-folk within the underground and indecently reaching the first meeting between the wasp-folk and the mouse-folk both parties feel the blessings of a god reach out toward them circling around the, while at first the experience is terrifying it is soon replaced with the feeling of what could only be described as a mother caressing her children and smiling at their new friends.
>spend 6 dp to form a bond between mouse-folk and wasp-folk
but as sudden as it appeared it left slowly retreating back toward the chrysalis
(3/3)

>>5254689
((Ah yeah, we do have that agreement to not just nuke each other’s islands. But this feels more like a fair tactical use, rather than retaliatory destruction. Thoughts, Drazil?))

oh great new ID

>>5254691
>Warrior Wasp-folk
Based name, absolutely love these guys.

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>>5254691
((by the way that is literally a chittin helmet combined with a boar tusk padding no metal involved just special cut bone, chitin and boartusk))

>>5254699
((thanks))

>>5254697

Long as it isnt completely dunking on islands I'm good

>>5254599
oh my bad sorry, the 3 biomes are Turbine Falls, Coastal Oceans and Great Bridge

File: Land and Beasts Turn 24 E(...).png (3.41 MB, 9256x6112)

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Thinking of overhauling how I post the map. Keep in mind, the attached image is not an update, it's just an experiment.
I see three possible methods of posting updates:
>One map and key for the overworld, one map and key for the underworld in two separate images. Basically what I've been doing all along.
>One image contains both maps and a single key for both the overworld and underworld. See attached image.
>One image containing both maps and a second image containing a single key for both the overworld and underworld.
Which sounds best to you guys?

Also just repeating, this is not an update, any information contained in this image is absolutely incomplete.

>>5254748
(( I prefer the split key, like you’ve been doing so far. There’s so many biomes and races that it’s easy to get them all confused. So with the two keys, things exclusive to the surface/underworld haven’t been melding, which has been easier to keep track of. ))

>>5254748
>One image containing both maps and a second image containing a single key for both the overworld and underworld.
I think that'd work the best, although split key works too
One thing that would be helpful might be keeping the hexes the same size so it's easy to overlay them on top of each other and see which underground hexes correspond to overground (particularly for those who would want to make new underground entrances? we might be finishing the age soon though so maybe there's no point)

File: Land and Beasts Turn 24 E(...).png (1.99 MB, 4904x6864)

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>>5254751
That's a fair assessment. My main issue with the format is the insane amount of white space that just looks ugly. I flinched when I realised how awful the OP image looks.
How is this? It still has all of the usual information, just laid out in a different manner.
>>5254755
Unfortunately, I learned shortly after I began this quest that the hex grid I chose to use isn't entirely even. Every now and then, it's a pain in the ass but there's no way in hell I'm going to try and transport all of this over to another hex grid just to satisfy my autism. That would be an entire day's worth of work that would have minimal impact on the actual quest.

Again, just repeating, this is not an update, any information contained in this image is absolutely incomplete.

>>5254767
i see, i think that looks good
maybe you could separate the species list into terrestial/aquatic to mirror the biomes list? problem might be that there's a very skewed distribution so maybe 2 columns for terrestial and 1 column for aquatic?

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>>5254767
((I think the verticality makes it way more mobile friendly. I can zoom in much further on this version, as opposed to one that’s wide. While splitting creatures by type would be nice, I also really really enjoy being able to keep track of which creatures came first on the list. It’s a sort of chronological, living record of our work. Might just be me, though.))

Fractal stirs within his mountains. He senses the ending of an era, and great upheavals to come. He’s made many creations. Yet unlike the other gods, he doesn’t seek to uplift them and create civilization. His children are beasts and fellow hunters, before all else. He feels the urge to fill the world with his feral progeny, before the Age of Land and Beasts is over, so that there’ll always be trials for the mortal races to conquer in the future.

And so, he lies in wait, forging cataclysmic beasts within his throat and thinking hard on their designs. Once the serpent pays back the final portion of his debt, he’ll be ready to fill swathes of the world with his Monsters.

>>5254109
Not against it perhaps not familial as then it would be incest if we co-create something or not but i like the red moon being interpritated as the great red nose in the sky.
Any ideas of what too do this turn as i am loaded with points like a baloon ready too burst

>>5254899
Also KEK Proposals could mean something else when joining pantheons among gods

>>5254767
Maybe you could merge the biomes into one list, and have some kind of asterisk or other indicator to distinguish between types of biome. Also, you could mess a bit with font size to combat the white space. Another option is to just have the key be an entirely separate image from the map, which would certainly at least make the OP look better.

>>5254936
Yeah we sort of must, but also colours getting hard to tell apart should we try switching over too some codesystem or is this unfeasable? Perhaps set a certain amount of species per tile would give more reasons why too conflict or bond?

>>5254945
Agreed on just the colors. On mobile, it’s impossible to tell the multi-lined ones apart.

>>5254767

I don't mind which format for maps you do. Any variation will be adapted to for sake of continuing to play.

Does divine points carry over into the next age ?

And to have the ogres spread across the caverns in the underworld that I shaped last turn, do I need to transplant them there or will they spread by themselves?

(I think I have been misunderstanding the rules about spreading from their origin location as well as their transplanted locations)

(Hmmm, not sure if I should hedge my bets and see about at least getting the Leolor and Intrum uplifted this turn, on the off chance that's one of the things that gets restricted on Turn 25. Anyone that'd be up to loan 7 DP? Can pay it back to them on the subsequent turns, with some interest.)

>>5254970
Sure i could loan that

>>5254970

((For your info:

I was going to keep this to myself until the very end, since telling people might encourage them to just focus on species right up until Turn 30. But yes, the plan is to have additional turns after Turn 30, with a few extra rules:
>All abilities except for Shape the World are disabled.
>Shape the World can only be used to turn Dead Land into another biome.
>Shape the World cannot be used on the underworld, only on the surface world.
Also most of the abilities will remain in the Age, though they will increase in cost to place greater emphasis on civilisation-based abilties instead. Though for the gods less interested in civilization, I plan on providing some new options.
As of this moment, the only abilities getting removed are:
>Create Species. Any new creature will have to be a variant of existing one, made using Create Subspecies.
>Enlighten Species. Once the Age of Land and Beasts is over, intelligence will be limited to the species that already have it and any variants of them that will emerge.

And as for 25:

Next turn, Turn 25, I will implement the following rules as we prepare for the end of the First Age:
>The Catastrophe ability will be disabled entirely.
>A god will only be able to use the Create Conflict ability if that god created at least one of the two races they are creating a conflict between. If the god created neither of the races, the god cannot use the Create Conflict ability on them.
>I will reserve the right to refuse any actions or use of abilities that I consider overly disruptive. As we go into the Age of Culture and Strife, I would like the world to be in a relatively stable state that everyone is happy with. For example, no one-sided conflicts out of nowhere that will end in genocide and no painting over swaths of pre-existing biomes.
This is the last turn before these rules will come into effect.


Hope this helps! Pasted everything Scaper said.))

Does the map wrap? Like, is the world flat, or actually a three dimensional object? Can land masses connect from the top of the map to the bottom of the map?

>>5255040

They do not. Scaper informed us of this in the previous thread.

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I'll probably settle on the vertical format for the time being.
>>5254945
>>5254946
That's something I am thinking of changing with the end of the current Age, as I will be taking at least a week to try and restructure things a little and make a few improvements for the next Age.
The main issue is - what's a good system of conveying that six different species inhabit a single hex and what those species are? What's an elegant way of conveying so much information in a tiny amount of space? I can't think of any system better than what I've got so far, but I have got a few ideas for how to change colour representation. See two possibilities in the image and tell me if they are more intelligible at all.
>Perhaps set a certain amount of species per tile would give more reasons why too conflict or bond?
Too late for that. For some gods, stuffing as many species as possible into a small space seems to be their niche, so I'm not going to limit that at this point.
In a new game with a fresh start, I would absolutely apply that limit.
>>5254952
>Does divine points carry over into the next age ?
No. All gods will have to start fresh in the next Age.
>And to have the ogres spread across the caverns in the underworld that I shaped last turn, do I need to transplant them there or will they spread by themselves?
The Ogres have spread to their maximum natural limit of five adjacent hexes away from their original hex - with spreading from an overworld hex to an underworld hex (or vice versa) counting as spreading to an adjacent hex.
If it's confusing at all, see the attached image for how I've handled their spread. If you will want them to spread further than that, you will have to transplant them. Sorry for any inadequate explanations in the past.
>>5255040
My original response was this:
>Assume that the world is a roughly spherical planet - but unless people would like me to, I won't be simulating species spreading from the eastern edge to the western edge or vice versa. Assume that there's a large gulf of ocean I haven't mapped and that we have no interest in, for the purposes of the game.
So for all intents and purposes, treat the map like a flat plane.

>>5255059
>For some gods, stuffing as many species as possible into a small space seems to be their niche, so I'm not going to limit that at this point.
(...oops, guilty as charged, sorry)

>>5255059
I think Alternate #1 has potential, but Alternate #2 is definitely going to cause confusion. Alternate Glass Snail #2 looks identical to two species living there that are blue and white. I think limiting the number of species per tile in the future would be a good way of helping this.

>>5255059
(Hmm… A hex has 6 points. Would it look too fucked up if a species has the alternate 1 scheme, and takes up one point on the hex? And if there’s more than 6, then it could start getting split like it currently is. That would still leave a big window in the centre for the biome art.

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>>5255079
((Something like this, though I can’t quite envision it on a large scale since I’m making this edit on mobile

>>5255059
Idea, why not use the edges of the hex? There are automatically 6 on each side, if you bring the line in just a little you can squeeze some color patterns for subspecies while still getting the biome thumbnail in
Idk how bad that would increase the workload though just offering a possible alternative

>>5255081
This is more or less what I meant but the corners look nicer imo smart thinking

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>>5255070
There's nothing wrong with what you're doing and I don't have a problem with it. It's just difficult to graphically represent.
>>5255075
I confess that I expected most people to be a little more interested in creating their personal patches of land with their own creatures. Instead, there's been a lot of overcrowding of small oases that I just didn't foresee. I don't have a problem with the players doing it, any problems that occur because of this are on me.
>>5255079
>>5255081
>>5255084
>>5255090
It would be an elegant solution if it wasn't for the uneven hexes and the fact that I still think it would be pretty illegible on a phone. If I started a new game, I would probably try that instead (as soon as I confirm that the hex grid is actually even this time).
Instead, I'm going to place my hopes in the next Age and how I'm planning on representing civilisations. Like how species are shown on the bottom of the hex, the local civilisation will be shown on the top of a hex.
Only one civilisation is allowed to exist on a hex, since they're not very fond of sharing. In addition to this, any species represented by the local civilisation will not be represented in the species segment because... well, it's obvious. If the civilisation exists in that hex, so do the species that inhabit it.
The 'one-civilisation-per-hex' rule also allows the civilisation segment to be made more fancy and be given emblems and patterns and stuff, if people want to make tiny 'flags' for their civilisations.
See the attached image for an example.

>>5255103
That looks dope and makes sense to me

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The lazy god wakes up and realizes they have the worst ache in their back and neck.

This won't do. He sighs, this is going to involve work.

While the lazy god hates effort, he also loves efficiency, and so with something akin to popping his stiff neck he pops five duplicates of himself into existence.

They sigh as one and teleport across the world, each landing on a different island. Metaphysical sleeves are rolled up, cosmic blueprints are examined, local wildlife is checked for and found absent, many many grumbling worker clones are popped into existence. A seed is planted, watered with divine power, shaped with divine will, and in the case of two of the islands simply pushes existing smaller trees directly into the ocean. The tree grows, and grows, until it covers the entire island, a colossus in the ocean, roots large enough to dock a ship against. The interior is shaped and transformed as well, grand libraries, sweeping hallways, cozy bedrooms complete with beds formed of soft fuzzy leaves. Branches sprout a variety of fruits and complex root systems purify salt water and release it into streams that run through the public spaces of the tree. For all their majesty the trees are effectively groveling servants without masters, forming massive cozy mansions without any inhabitants.

Their work done the six lazy gods find the nearest bed and fall asleep.

> Spend six DP on Shape the world at the starred locations to create "The Arbor Hotel", a massive tree that provides food, shelter and water to any who wish to live in it.

((Question about bonds. Do they apply species-wide? Or only on hexes that both species share?

>>5255223
((I think it depends on how the god creates said bond))

>>5255128
Great entry.
>>5255223
I have always intended for the benefit of Bonds to be limited to hexes that both species share, but for some reason I forgot to include that when writing the rules in >>5253831.
Even then, I'm not sure if it's such a good idea. I'm open to input on this and I'm willing to change it for the next Age and future games.

>>5255225
((My suggestion for a future game would be to have bonds still apply species-wide, but maybe be broken automatically if both species share zero tiles at some point. Might help with overcrowding))

>>5255007
(Ahhh, that helps a lot. No need to hurry then.)

hmmm i guess i can no longer play with the shadows then

anyways scaper is my loan to insoleo made offical?

>>5255303
i dont remember but can a species be adapted to become aquatic? and does bonds count for the species count for the sub species.
all of these are stupid questions from me

>>5255312

If I'm reading the powers post right you can't adapt to be amphibious, but you can make a subspecies that has water habitats instead of land ones, but never both.

>>5255303
You still have the remainder of Turn 24 to use Create Conflict to start fights using the Shadows, if you want to. So, you have roughly another hour.
Also, the Shadows still have on-going conflicts with the Stiltwalkers and the Ogres. Even if you won't be able to make new conflicts between the Shadows and other races, you can still try to empower the Shadows and weaken their enemies if you want them to win - or vice versa, if you want them to lose.
>>5255304
His request was made out of a lack of understanding and as he said in >>5255301, there is no need to rush. So unless you want to donate 7 Divine Power that will likely be wasted, I advise against this.
>>5255312
>i dont remember but can a species be adapted to become aquatic?
No. A terrestrial creature can adapt to terrestrial and amphibious biomes and an aquatic creature can adapt to aquatic and amphibious biomes.
At this point in time, a terrestrial creature cannot do anything with an aquatic biome and an aquatic creature cannot do anything with a terrestrial biome.
You can use create subspecies to create an aquatic version of a terrestrial species if you want, but then it stops being terrestrial. The same is true for terrestrial subspecies of aquatic species - they stop being aquatic.
>and does bonds count for the species count for the sub species.
No.
>>5255320
You're absolutely correct.

>>5255321
ah so i cant make a aquatic creature from a terrestrial one for a subspecies

>>5255334
((You can.

Btw, Scaper, are you planning on archiving thread 1 on Suptg?

>>5255334
I said that you could when I said this:
>You can use create subspecies to create an aquatic version of a terrestrial species if you want, but then it stops being terrestrial. The same is true for terrestrial subspecies of aquatic species - they stop being aquatic.
Other people have already done this too, so it is perfectly possible.

>>5254149
>create conflict between infester vines and micefolk
its a parasitic vine so it would interfere with monocultures of crops close too eachother its like a wetdream of a plant parasite

>>5255338
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erIgEEZ_tmo
basically this like why would not a parasitic plant species attack literally the most weak and vulnerable plant all identically packed close too eachother its a prime nursery for infecter vines and that would put it in direct conflict with them as a agricultural society.
this is probably too late as i sort of just feel asleep a bit

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>>5255338
>empower mouse folks twice
I gift them the power of insect swarm magic to defend her children’s new friends

>>5255341
Basically infested flower covered feilds ripe for pollen and nectar actually more then the host can really sustain

((Oh wait doesn’t the pact between the waspfolk and micefolk already bump them up to nine so instead of wasting dp she just empowers them once to create a tie))

>>5255338
Oh also shadows so its a even 6 points
>conflict between shadows and micefolk
The shadows protect there hosts

>>5255338
>>5255352
With this spent the feilds are blighted but returned too nature ripe with nectar nurishing bees and other pollinators

>>5255351
Noice

>>5255351
See >>5255225. If the Waspfolk aren't present on the hex, that bonus will not apply. That's how I've been doing it so far, so I'll keep it that way for the rest of the Age. Just five more turns.

This is starting to fall apart but I'll try and keep this game running until the end of the Age, at which point I will be able to rewrite the rules for the next Age with some input from the rest of you.

With that, I lock entries for the night as I finishing mapping out Turn 25.
>>5254546
>>5254599
As you haven't given an exact location, I shall go with the circled location for the Poconthy.

>>5255007
so turn 30 nothing but reshaping the world and only on the surface , we are sort of running out of tiles already too shape other then perhaps spamming the ocean

>>5255365
the loan was retracted right?

>>5255367
We didn't make it official or anything, so I think you're good.

((Well at least they aren’t entirely screwed and I am gonna need to keep at least some of my own dp for later emergencies I’m sorry ))

(( btw I’m cool with you guys writing with waspfolk as characters and using specifically named waspfolk like the hive speaker or the war leader))

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The age of civilisation must truly be approaching, with so much friendship and violence between the intelligence races. Allow me to begin by taking advantage of one of the most ancient and unintelligent beasts of this world.

Behold the Hoarboar, which dwells in the distant south. I believe I shall relocate some of them to an island in the faraway north, a frigid place where they shall prosper. A boon to those who discover them, surely.

Next, I shall bless the Gorecaps once more. This time, they shall be graced with an excellent scent of smell. They shall be able to smell spilt blood from hundred of yards away, perhaps even miles if the wind is in their favour.

Finally, I shall weaken the Halflings. I shall curse them with the same overwhelming metabolism as their Ogre cousins. Their desire to eat shall become a need, thanks to how their bodies shall wither and rot without adequate sustenance.

>First, I shall spend 2 Divine Power on one use of Enfeeble Species, to bring the Level of the Halflings down to 9.
>Second, I shall spend 2 Divine Power on one use of Empower Species, to bring the Level of the Gorecaps up to 7.
>Third, I shall 2 Divine Power on one use of Transplant Species, to place the Hoarboars in a new hex as seen in the attached image.

File: Land and Beasts Turn 25 A.png (2.03 MB, 4904x6864)

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Turn 25 of the Age of Land and Beasts has begun.

The attached surface map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

Failed Divine Abilities & Refunded Divine Power:
>There were none.

Existing Conflicts & Bonds:
>Bond: Infester Vines & Shadows.
>Bond: Roggs & Dexter Vines.
>Bond: Gorecaps & Trufflehogs.
>Bond: Crows & Harpies.
>Bond: Harpies & Carnies.
>Bond: Vintri & Hyalax.
>Bond: Harpies & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Crows & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Stormscales & Serpent-Twisted.
>Bond: Gridvines & Gearmechs.
>Bond: Earthern & Brainbulbs.
>Bond: Flamers & Dragons.
>Bond: Fire Goblins & Serpent-Twisted.
>Bond: Fire Goblins & Magmorks.
>Bond: Vintri & Glass Shells.
>Bond: Mousefolk & Waspfolk.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Ashtongue.
>Conflict: Shadows & Ur-Spathi.
>Conflict: Wilted Dexter & Heralds.
>Conflict: Ogres & Shadows.
>Conflict: Shadows & Roggs.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Stormscales.
>Conflict: Halflings & Poltergeists.
>Conflict: Shadows & Stiltwalkers.
>Conflict: Infester Vines & Mousefolk.
>Conflict: Shadows & Mousefolk.

Remaining & Expired Timers:
>A bond between Crows & Yetuns can now be created.
>The conflict between Halflings & Poltergeists can now be broken.
>The bond between Flamers & Dragons cannot be broken for another turn.
>The conflict between Shadows & Stiltwalkers cannot be broken for another turn.
>The bond between Fire Goblins & Serpent-Twisted cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The bond between Fire Goblins & Magmorks cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The bond between Vintri & Glass Shells cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The bond between Mousefolk & Waspfolk cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The conflict between Infester Vines & Mousefolk cannot be broken for another two turns.
>The conflict between Shadows & Mousefolk cannot be broken for another two turns.

With the start of a new turn, all of the species have spread to adjacent hexes of their favoured biomes and every god has gained 6 Divine Power, up to a maximum of 24 Divine Power.

Here is the current Divine Power of every god:
>Scaper: 24 DP
>Fractal: 15 DP
>Frosore: 18 DP
>Yearn: 6 DP
>Effie: 12 DP
>Uthys: 24 DP
>Torc: 18 DP
>Totalous: 24 DP
>Loreleilim: 11 DP
>Carrion Lord: 24 DP
>Ur: 24 DP
>Drazil: 12 DP
>Lases: 6 DP
>Yidith: 24 DP
>Murtnag: 24 DP
>Trillimti: 14 DP
>Endestria: 7 DP
>Insoleo: 23 DP
>Vellyn: 18 DP
>Buufhonk: 12 DP
>Dryf: 6 DP
>Chitinron: 12 DP
>Belphagor: 6 DP

File: Land and Beasts Turn 25 B.png (892 KB, 4552x4424)

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The attached underworld map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

The following rules are now in effect:
>The Cataclysm ability is disabled entirely.
>A god is only able to use the Create Conflict ability if that god created at least one of the two races they are creating a conflict between. If the god created neither of the races, the god cannot use the Create Conflict ability on them.
>I reserve the right to refuse any actions or use of abilities that I consider overly disruptive. As we go into the Age of Culture and Strife, I would like the world to be in a relatively stable state that everyone is happy with. For example, no one-sided conflicts out of nowhere that will end in genocide and no painting over swaths of pre-existing biomes.

In addition, you have until the end of Turn 30 to use these abilities, as they will no longer be accessible in the next age:
>Create Species
>Enlighten Species
If you want to create entirely new species unlike anything else on the face of Apoch, you don't have long left to act. Similarly, if you want to uplift existing species into intelligent races who can participate in civilisation in the coming age, you will need to do so soon.

And as always, please point out any mistakes I've made.

Also, I usually take a nap shortly after each update, so please don't be shocked if your queries go unanswered for several hours.

>>5255365
With the turn 25+ power setup will we still see the spread of our species? And/or influence it? Im sure youve already said and if you have sorry honk

so buffhonk so whats the plan? should we send down the stilt walkers into the caves?

>>5255396
Ignore this
>>5255398

>>5255388
The beast gives an approving nod towards Scaper, for it had been intending to do exactly that in the future. A portion of his essence has been saved in the act, so he returns it in kind.

Ur’s machinations continue to irk the beast. He doesn’t begrudge the hunting of the mousefolk. They’re the very epitome of weaklings to him, after all. But he remembers Uthys well. Uthys, the dark. Uthys, maker of swamps. Uthys, primeval darkness. Uthys, father of shadows. Though the deity has faded from the world (perhaps to return during the next eclipse), the corruption of his shadows is a sign of disrespect to an elder. He despises the fact that they’re being used as pawns by another god, in an endless series of proxy wars.

There are many of them who seek to create, and only few who wish to destroy. Fractal calls upon those who responded to his earlier accord. Each only needs contribute a single point or two each, to restore order. Let the gods who actually hold sway over their creations be the ones to decide whether they go to war. Not an interloper.

>Requesting crowdfunding. Filled in numbers are Fractal’s own contribution.

>End the conflict between Heralds and Vines. The most important. 3/6 thanks to Chitintron’s earlier donation.
>End the conflict between Shadow and Rogg. 0/6
>End the conflict between Shadow and Ogre. 0/6

>>5255399
"No, theyre much too tall, theyd never fit" he said to the talking balloon, "Ugh get out of my head, this is far from funny!" Buufhonk quickly pulls his cosmic bowling pin and swings down hard on the balloon

*SQUISH*

Uh oh, in his hallucination fueled episode brought on by the mad moon he accidently flattened a group of Stiltwalkers, when he looked at the leftovers he saw something new, there was colorful gasses rising from their bodies, slowly they took forms of spectral entities covered in stripes, at the tops of each of their head stood a fleshy mass shaped like horns, he thought he had hit them so hard even their hats fused to their heads. No, these were spirits, essence of a carnie of any type. Slowly from his peripheral he saw it again approaching him this time with a bright yellow eye. "The underworld has never welcomed any from the laughing gods stock, you have been blessed again by me, these are the Koshare, spirits of the clowns, they are mostly harmless, but go against them and they will make your life unlivable." The blur across his vision lifted, the balloon he had been looking at was no balloon at all, it was Ur.
=======================================
>Buufhonk uses Shape the World for 6DP to create Honk Heaven
>Buufhonk uses Create Subspecies to create the Koshare for 3DP right in the middle of honk heaven
>Buufhonk uses Adapt Species to adapt Koshare to Biome: Caverns

>>5255398
Got idea for spathi sub species names the B-ur-p

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>>5255434
Goddammit again sorry about no pic

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>Mushroom Forest in the marked dark yellow hexes

I don't really have a story to tell this time. Just sick of all the dead lands. Still not sure what I want to do with the Tattered Lands. If someone else wants to pave over them or do something with them, be my guess. Ur might find some use for them, given the Lovecraftian theme they were intended for.

And yeah I know the Mousefolk are under threat but they seem strong enough to take care of themselves. I'm not really the war type.

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>>5255391

Fractal’s earlier interest in the >>5242624 Ice Spirits of Trillimti’s realm finally takes shape. He’s thought long and hard on how to use them. Ultimately, he decided against drawing them directly from the underworld, despite them filling his needs near-precisely. To do so would mean subjecting their entire existence to the pushing and pulling force of the conflicts that he requires. No, he won’t take those souls wholesale.

Instead, he studies them, perching himself at the edge of the Fortress and watching as they swirl through the dead landscape. He commits every aspect of them to memory, ensuring that he’s completely familiar with their behavior and intentions. Most importantly is their magic. It’s no easy feat for any God. But their entire existence had been shaped by him multiple times already. First, the boars. Then the tusks. Then the tusks again, when he turned them into titans, and a final time at the Lord of the Dead’s hands.

When he’s ready, he returns to the mountains and recreates their magical existences. The resulting ‘creature’ is unique— a ghost of a ghost, lacking even a soul. It’s more like a repeating series of magical algorithms than a living organism. They patrol the Fangs of Fractal with icy-cold and calculating mannerisms. The Beast looks West, and sees the multitude of elementals that Dryf has constructed. He takes their naming scheme, dubbing his new wardens the Frigian.

>>5255435
Im down, make them like lesser Ur-spathi and like small gremlinesque things

>>5255437
>>5255434
WONDER-full seems like everyone is in High-Spirits today

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>>5255448

Over the years, Fractal has slain many wild beasts. Traces of various creations remain within him, threatening to leak out and infuse their own lingering essence within the life that he shapes. This time, the influence of Chitinron comes to the forefront. He makes it as a sort of homage to the insect lord, who paid tribute many millennia ago. The beast that he creates is crafted as a foe to the Frost Scorpion, sharing its affinity for the cold.

The Centigrade is a massive worm, that uses its sub-zero fluids to freeze prey solid and form armour for itself. It skitters over the tundra with ease, boasting immense speed— a most fitting foil to the patient Scorpion.

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>>5255463

And finally, the influence of Drazil takes shape. Fractal releases the Rimescale into the world by breaking off several of his fangs, much like the serpent once shed scales. The Rimescales twirl their bodies in dazzling patterns, summoning blizzards and whirlwinds with ease. Though they still can’t take one in a fight, their jaws could open wide enough to swallow a Thundertusks. Despite the savagery of both Monsters that wrought this beast, a sort of unusual intellect shines in its eyes. Maybe two wrongs do make a right sometimes, for it’s nowhere as vicious as the Beast hoped.

Despite their lack of aggression, the colossal serpents turn into deadly blenders when angered, shredding foes with cyclones of icy daggers.

>>5255455
First post did not post but i suggested for lesser we can remove arms and make them into sort of bowling pins or shape them into alot of sphereoid creatures.... more gremlin esque like creatures will need more consideration but it makes me think of the yolk people of jimmy newtron will start drawing after i wake up from bed but can start planning now

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>>5255448
>>5255463
>>5255468

As he finishes his creations, Fractal turns towards the Archipelago. He seeks his final bit of payment from the Serpent, for warring against Effie and gaining her ire forevermore.

>3. Create Subspecies of the Ice Spirits: Frigian. On the blue tile. Fangs of fractal and Hoarfrost Deadlands
>3. Create Subspecies of the Frost Scorpions: Centigrade. On the light blue tile all the way to the right. Tundra.
>3. Create Subspecies of Stormscales: Rimescale. On the Navy blue mountain tile. Mountains, Permafrost, Boreal Forest, and Hoarfrost Deadlands

((With my 3 earlier, that should make 12.))

>>5255474
Thats literally what I was thinking about holy shit are we actually family? Yes thatd be awesome

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>>5255434
Image of the Koshare
These are actual clowns in native american culture known as "Sacred clowns" they laugh evil away, im kind of been wandering the clown rabbit hole since I made Buufhonk, theres a lot of weird esoteric things about clowns throughout time with no origin outside of what researchers think to be psychoactive compounds our ancestors consumed and then hallucinated

>>5255476
Well bowling ball memes have been popular lately.......... if you know what i mean

>>5255495
I did not know of that gifs terrible existence, fitting for the Mad God to have shown me in a vision

((Hey buufhonk, do you have any plans for the candy islands? I was gonna do some stuff in future turns regarding the Spearmints, and I don’t wanna intrude on any goals you may have for it))

>>5255503
Thats super cool with me, one small issue, Carnies diets are entirely candy and fair food outside of Carnie subspecies who eat from the native flora and fauna, I only worry we have natural enemies in a sense, but I think we can make it work, how do you feel about allowing me to be a figure in the Spearmints future religion, obviously youd be the main idol of their worship, but if any are particular to comedy they may favor the Clown God, I promise you these minty warriors that do will be the funniest in their communities, bringing them closer together with their tomfoolery and pranks

>>5255519
It would make sense too as the foundation of my peoples home in turn created theirs, from my pure sugar candy golems your bestial spittle mutated, especially with the fairgrounds right there too

>>5255519
((I don’t mind at all! Definitely space for another god to fit into their religion. Like the Ancestor Spirits, it’s not in-character for Fractal himself to do anything with them. So I’m just using my DP to do things I’m interested in OOC. He probably won’t interact with them further, apart from their accidental creation.

I was planning on giving them intelligence, which would cause them to fight the golems due to that one golem habit of shattering other candy creatures to form new life. Thought it would be really cute to have a knightly order of peppermint guys protecting each other from that fate.))

>>5255418
"My apologies however I will soon be doing something that will require most of my power so this is all I can spare."
>Put 1 dp into ending the conflict between my Heralds and the Dexters

>>5255501
The funny thing is i have never seen it but i have seen lewd toasters, old wood panel tv set gain weight like the lowerbody of a human, abstract cones in the veauge position of human bones dirty talking holding a whip somehow? That rules a empire and 4th dimension clownporn based on hotdiggedydemon 4th dimension clown All randomly flashed in my face on the internet

>>5255532
Fractal lowers his head in acknowledgment. His own contribution was the same, and the larger portion did come from the young Chitinron. This was the point of the accord, after all. No one God has to pick up all the pieces of cosmic vandalism. Though Scaper swore to resolve the conflict earlier, this ought to leave Him more power for actual creation.

>>5255537
I have seen visions beyond stuff horror suffering

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>>5255391
I spend my turn finally getting around to shaping the rest of the original lands of the Dryfters.

>I use 4 dp to shape the world into plentiful hills at the tiles marked with grey Hs.

>5255418
>I then invest 2dp in Fractal's cause to use as he pleases

>>5255527
Cool with me, if youd like id even recommend having them bond with the candy golems and domesticate some for their little candy people village, I never said they had any particular form, just they were basically animals made of candy, I imagine a golem can be any shape, like a cow or horse, they work off of what fits the needs of the area theyre in or whichever golem shattered it raises it as its particular form

>>5255418
>>5255532
>>525558
Great. That ought to be enough power. Fractal takes the combined essence of the Gods and descends into the underworld once more. There, he raises his claws and rends the souls of the wilted vines, altering them on a fundamental level. A deep chill permeates their spectral forms, slowing them down forevermore. They’re still free to wrap around the architecture and grow like they’ve always done, but they’re no longer fast enough to ensnare the Heralds and break their bones. With time, their tormented spirits calm down and return to normal. All is as it should be.

>End the conflict between the Heralds and Wilted Dexters, using the combined might of the four Gods.

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>>5255391
An island disappears without warning. No one knows why it vanished however every year on the last new moon it reappears in the center of a large amount of fog. It is believed that you can predict your future based on the number of magpie spirits you see on it. It is also populated by the souls of viersperans. These souls can predict the future with near perfect accuracy and can allow others to communicate with the dead in Trillimti's realm.
>Spend 4 dp to shape the world into new biome The Departed Isle.
>Spend 3 dp to make subspecies Fatefeathers favored biomes the isle, my realm, crags, gear fields, desert, mountains, tundra, boreal forest, savannah, and plains.
>Spend 3 dp to make subspecies Oracles favored biomes the isle, my realm, and savannah.

>>5255394
The mer spirits protect souls from accidentally sinking into the abyss and if they get into the living world would save people from drowning.
>Spend 3 dp to make subspecies Sea Gaurdians favored biomes soul sea, turbine falls, and coastal water

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>>5255636
Forgot image

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>>5255391
This is very cute, but this "Arbor Hostel" does not belong here.

>Use Shape the World to create a Boreal Forest hex on that marked with a Triangle

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>>5255704
Also, some more life to diversify the lands, or waters, as it were. These massive beasts will be a treasure to those who can manage to catch them, containing precious rare materials to be gained from dissecting the creatures, such as the sheer amount of blubber, and incredibly strong bones needed to sustain such creatures. But doing such would not be an easy task, as their massive size outstretches those of even normal whales, and they are capable of using their prohibitive size as well. Not only are they difficult to kill, they are difficult to find, only needing to come up for air a few times a day given their gargantuan lungs, but their coming up for air is a glorious sight indeed to behold.

And also, I shall create a cousin for them, but suited for freshwater. Perhaps easier to catch, given the lack of need to venture into the ocean to find them, but they are nonetheless a challenge to take down, and are capable of rapid adaptation to counter hunters.

>Use Create Species to create Colossus Whale species on the hex marked with an X, preferred biome: Ocean
>Empower Colossus Whales four times (Gigantic size, immense lung capacity, unbreakable bones, and intra-species communication)
>Use Create Subspecies for Colossus Whale to create Freshwater Colossus Whale on the hex marked with a square, preferred biome: Great Lake

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The lazy god woke up, reached out for a cup of water and found none. He looked around for snacks. Nothing. Six synchronized grumbles later six lazy gods (one soaking wet) merged back together into one lazy god and started grumbling to themselves. Sure there was fruit, a dozen varieties hanging from the boughs of the tree. Sure, there was a fountain full of fresh clean water just twenty feet away. But all this walking and moving around...no what the Arbor Hostel needed was room service. And room service needed staff. Intelligent creatures. Someone who could bring him snacks and a drink and operate a still. Sure he could miracle up alcohol, but that just sounded like...effort.

The lazy god wasn't fond of effort he had to do more than once. Or even once for that matter. A cosmic little black book was flipped open, well worn pages were ruffled, suitable individuals were identified for education. Crafting something from scratch seemed like effort but using the locals and subcontractor...

A snap of the fingers later and a grumpy dryad formed out of the walls of the tree.

"How can I help boss?"

"This is a hotel. Hotels need maintainence and room service. I'm going to...arrange an accident momentarily. Be ready."

"That old game? The 'you have been chosen to tend the world trees' thing? Again boss?"

The lazy god shrugged and teleported into the skies above the hostel. It didn't take long to find what he was after, a sailboat crewed by the Mousefolk. With only the slightest twinge of guilt the lazy god summoned a harsh wind, sending the boat spinning out of control straight at the hostel. Already the dryad was waiting on one of outstretched tree roots. With any luck by the time he woke back up he'd have decent room service.

> Spend 3DP to make a sub species of Mouse Folk, the Mouse Dryads, with favorite terrains: Arbor Hostel, Woodlands and Gear Fields. Start them at the indicated hostel.

>>5255391

With their work on the Viersperan coming to a close, all that was needed was to adapt them to the warm jungles and their undergrowth. Of course, there was some consideration to make them better adapted to the temperate plains and woodlands, but Loreleilim considered such too cold to befit them. Other than this, she prepared for them to spread across the warmer portions of the northern continent. Really, there wasn't too much needed to be done. Though, one thing that did catch her attention during this was the creation of the Mer. It certainly would be interesting how such a large species would adapt to the water, though given the nature of the creatures of the ocean, chances were the Mer likely weren't the largest things in it. Still, this was but a distraction for the time being. There was much histories to observe and record. And now she could easily do so as she worked to make the Poconthy spread just about everywhere. She planned for them to be adaptable, and she certainly meant it...They would be able to withstand heat and cold. But naturally given their proximity to the former, it was more fitting to adapt them to that and the lands she made first...But after they were adapted to those lands, well...There was a whole world for the smaller more frail race to explore and claim... She expected them to take a while before they could properly become a civilization unlike the Viersperan due to their decentralized nature but they certainly would have far more lands where they lived upon comparatively. Still, unlike the Viersperan, the Poconthy weren't likely to cause issues with any ecosystems they were integrated to. After all, their smaller size meant they didn't have as much of an apatite as the larger Viersperan had.

(Adapt Viersperan to the Jungle. Adapt the Poconthy to the Savanah and Jungle. Transplant the Viersperan to the 3rd row of the crags, middle of the chain. AKA where they'd be able to cover the rest of the continent. Really after this turn I basically plan on adapting and spreading the Poconthy to just about everywhere...)

Jesus, can adapt species just adapt as many biomes as we want now? For just 3 DP? Had I known I wouldve made something that was all terrain

>>5255776
My apologies I mean create subspecies

>>5255394
This turn I'm gonna create a bond between the Vintri and the crystal snails

Copying their brethren from the Mirror Steppes the Crystal Plains Vintri start riding the Crystal Snails and in exchange use their superior eye sight to guide the snails to bigger natural crystal outcropping than they could find on their own

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Sol Kahn's sword is a Macuahuitl because we haven't quite cracked metal....yet....

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progress on various careers that wasp folk have taken although there are many jobs that dont require head ornamentation

>>5255338
>>5255352
.....Oh. Oh dear. Endestria looks away from the central continent for just a century and what does he find when he gets back? Wholesale slaughter of the Mousefolk! This will not do. For once, Endestria sets aside his work and decides to intercede in a conflict outside the Gear Plains.
>6DP: Enfeeble the Infester Vines thrice
A little industrial herbicide should do the trick. Endestria sighed. The vines would have been a pain when it came time for larger-scale agriculture anyway, so perhaps getting rid of them now was for the best. If nothing else, they would stay in the swamps, where they belonged.

(OOC: i wouldn't otherwise hate the infester vines that much...... but he started it. i think 2 more weakenings would be enough to wipe them out of town, which i'll probably do next turn if no one else meddles in order to pave the way for a future civilisation.)

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>>5255128
>>5255734
When Endestria turned back to the bridge, instead of the dead island he had expected to churn into sand for cement, he instead saw a living tree, with all manner of delectable fruit. Apparently someone else had taken up residence on the island. "Seems like the plans need adjusting," sighed Endestria, already pulling out blueprints and making the changes necessary to connect the bridge to the hotel instead of through it.
>1DP: Continue the Great Bridge on the hex marked in black

(OOC, the rest of the hexes marked in blue are where I plan to build more bridges later on, and the hexes marked in red are my plans for Gear Fields. Not sure if this is too ambitious a plan to achieve before the next age, so I might give up on the southern Gear Fields, and the northwestern bridge might be scrapped if someone else decides to take up the nearby hexes.)
>

>>5255758
......Also, I may have underestimated the size of the Viersperan when making the Mer because I can't read imperial units well..... Uhh just assume they were downsized in the adaptation, because I intended for them to be approximately human-scale (definitely bigger than the Poconthy, but not as big as the original Viersperan)

>>5255916
Is it not already balanced out? Like not actually wiping as mouse got boosted

>>5255956
(yeah i missed that whoops, thanks to chitinron they're equal but i think i'll go for pushing them out of the woodlands and plains anyway in preparation for the age of civilisation)

>>5255398
The only rules that changed are the ones that I said changed. So no, those rules have not been impacted.
>>5255776
People have always been able to adapt a species to any number of favoured biomes. This created a discussion in the last thread. A subspecies can also have as many favoured biomes as its base species.
>>5255996
This is where my current rules for bonds come into effect, and why I'll probably be changing them in the next Age.
The base Level for Mousefolk is 10 and the base level for Infester Vines and Shadows is 7.
One species needs to be 3 or more Levels above another Species in order to wipe it out.
Infester Vines and Shadows have a bond so on hexes where there are both, they both count as being Level 8. This means the Mousefolk, at Level 10, can't wipe them out.
However, Mousefolk have a bond with the Crows. So on hexes where there are both Crows and Mousefolk, the Mousefolk count as Level 11, which allows them to wipe out the boosted Level 8 Infester Vines and Shadows.
It's relatively complicated and not at all obvious, which is why I'm probably changing the rules regarding bonds with the next Age.

If there's any further questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise, it seems like solid updates from everyone.

>>5256233
((Would it be fine for us to remove biomes or intelligence when creating a subspecies?))

>>5256238
I don't see a problem with making a subspecies that's explicitly weaker than the species it is based off of. In fact, that's another change that I was planning on making in a future version of the game.
But I'll allow it from now on, if anyone wants to do that.

>>5256241
((Hell yeah, that's good. Definitely good for crow subspecies, since I'd want to make them more region-specific and get rid of a bunch of spare biomes.))

>>5255704
Frosore.

Is there a place nearby I could plant a hostel, or would you prefer the frozen north stay devoid of comforting inns?

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>>5256296
The Frozen North must remain as such, but there are perhaps areas nearby if you are insistent on the idea. There is even dead land yet unclaimed. Another alternative is you could just have people create hostels and areas of welcome that don't dominate the entire area of a biome.

(((I just realized we are by far one of the most responsible gods a goddesses except for some of the more wacky and insane if us like we rarely fight until it’s appropriate for us although that’s probably because of chitinrons young age)))

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scrambling making these for the last 30 minutes i think? some of them are reused things i have not drawn.
but the top 3 i actually had yesterday if not earlier drawn for spathi ideas.
THROW ideas at me my HONKER BROS

>>5256310

It's hard to fight when you want to create. Species I have made have been kicked by others multiple times but with only 30 turns, and the world to shape as well as beings to create, there is little time to fight in this age, unless one gives up on creating

>>5255391
(At work today, so can't give this the panache I'd like to unfortunately. I'll just have to compensate tomorrow.)

All the pieces now in place, the only thing left for Insoleo to do is inform them of the game. He begins with his latest creations, the Solarions.

>Insoleo spends 12 DP to Enlighten the Solarions.

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((When the age of strife begins I would suggest this video on how early humans uncoverd metal working although outdated, also due to the fact that a part of the biology in waspfolk originates from usocial paper wasps the have instinctual knowledge on how to create paper and as such have been experimenting on the use of it such as creating primitive notations to store learned knowledge)) https://youtu.be/4vDDMYyhLBw

>>5255447
>>5256332
The Mad Moon Ur shines portentously upon the ghosts of forgotten cities that squat evilly amidst the mushroom forests of the West beside the sea of blood, in which he is reflected, a brilliant red sparkle atop the waves.

In these Tattered Lands, obsidian towers jut forth, constructed by unknown beings of elder ages - bones in the burial place of an undead god, their father and king, from whose marrow extrude vines like veins that tangle upon the landscape, red and pulsing, feeding on the heat of magma pumped from the great river of fire.

Here, in the shadows, a bizarre and eldritch ecology looms, of parasites - some aboriginal, and some tracing their ancestry to that ultimate source of lunacy that leers down from the black void - who dwell and feed upon this, the unrotted corpse of Vellyn, whose last breath weaves still a knot of winds twining about the towers of the many-pillared expanse, its affinity to mortals an artifact of amnesia. In faded memories only, and in such dreams as gods dream in the sleeps that come upon them between the portentous moments of millennia, does the Wind Rose conceive, distantly, shudderingly, hints of that obscene vastness of which it is but a meager portion - originating, perhaps, from the utmost abysses of frightful cosmic distance, and cousin of sorts to the celestial source of Apoch's miseries.

Were ever this colossus to awake, and chain its breath once more to the lungs which lay deflated beneath the charnel mass of flesh-ground - were the black towers that are its ribs to be uprooted, the parasites that feast upon its corpse realigned as the immune system and conscious contagion by which that dark god unleashes its fury and lust upon the world - then there is no question that the gentle prodigal spirit which ignorantly bears its name would be swallowed up, its soul bound and enslaved once more to its long-lost greater self, and its creations, innocent, impotent, and naively trusting their creator, would be swallowed up with it - their fate at best unknowable, at worst too terrible to conceive.

This and more occupied the glacial thoughts of the yetun prophet Odunaz, mythic ancestor of the eastern kingdom of Frosore's land, as he lay, dead and dreaming, across the centuries, entombed in his throne of ice, blessed and cursed by his lord to never rest in the earth until the day he or his descendants by his psychic direction can uncover, sealed away in the beating heart of the Tattered Lands, the key to solving the longed-for mystery of Vellyn's true origin.

But what door will that key unlock? And will what pours forth from that door, in time, be Apoch's ruin?

Thus he ponders.

This is a continuation of my post yesterday. I was not inspired enough then to write anything. Today I am. :)

>>5256332
Gorgeous work bro, love the armored look of those top guys, are they the improved spathi the cult of Ur is trying to summon? Those little B-ur-p's are perfect, I like the thought that most of them arent copies of one another, all the shapes they take are *chef kisses*

>>5256413
Been thinking of like doing spiders and other random starcontrol creatures but i am not good at that sort of thing. These spathi would be just a remix of features like you are trying too make a spathi but there are no spathi? So how do you know you succeed?

>>5256413
I could spend 6 points now for something perhaps more clown heaven or adaptation for the clown spirits or adapt and transplant

these spathi may not be the pinnacle of being but they are there playing a game that is and that never been but is yet now that being this bowling but who knows the rules? and where do they live? WHY OFF COURSE over the street on the other side, other side of what you may wonder i do not know? i am just a voice in the head of perhaps Buufhonk only they would know or would they?
this message IS NOT SPONSORED BY "Life is but a dream"
>ADAPT koshares to caverns 3 points
when with a laugh in your hearts and with some stuff you can make anywhere a home if you have the imagination to make it true
>adapt spathi to the caves 3 points

>>5256485
>ADAPT koshares to caverns 3 points
Already done. See >>5255434.

>>5256500
wait do they not have adaptation to honk heaven? if not then spend those 3 points on that so they dont go extinct

>>5256502
Yes, they do.
If Buufhonk is starting a subspecies with one favoured biome in a Honk Heaven hex, then it is clear to me that the favoured biome is Honk Heaven.
He then spent 3 Divine Power and adapted the species to add another favoured biome to it, which was Caverns.
So the Koshare can exist in both Honk Heaven and Caverns hexes, because they are both favoured biomes for the Koshare.

>>5256507
then geothermal springs.... i am relived i was sort of worried

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My, so many new races added to this world. Yet I believe I shall add one of my own to populate certain regions of the Underworld.

Or rather, I shall repurpose one that already exists. Behold as I take this Halfling. All I need is its skeleton and its skin, so I shall dispose of the rest. In the empty space left behind by the creature's absent meat, I shall place soil and seeds. With the addition of a little magic to animate it, I have created the first of the Gardenfolk. This race shall inhabit the subterranean regions that are full of vegetation and though they might be intelligent, their primary desire shall be to preserve the flora native to these places, no matter the cost.

Next, another boon for the Gorecaps. Their offspring shall age at an alarming rate, maturing fully before most other intelligent species even attain adolescence.

Finally, there is one particular region where the marshland bleeds into the underworld. This displeases me. I shall fix this by ensuring that all of the water that flows from the swamp into the bowels of Apoch shall mysteriously evaporate. This shall cause the subterranean bog to dry up, leaving behind nothing but another cavern. The Infester Vines that dwell here shall die, but I care not.

>First, I shall spend 3 Divine Power on one use of Create Subspecies, to create the Gardenfolk as a subspecies of the Halflings. They are Level 9, Terrestrial and their favoured biomes are the Underground Garden, Eldest Wood and Subterranean Jungle. I shall place them on the location indicated in the image.
>Second, I shall spend 2 Divine Power on one use of Empower Species, to bring the Level of the Gorecaps up to 8.
>Finally, I shall spend 1 Divine Power on one use of Shape the World, to turn a Swamp hex into a Caverns hex, as shown in the image.

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Turn 26 of the Age of Land and Beasts has begun.

The attached surface map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

Failed Divine Abilities & Refunded Divine Power:
>There were none.

Existing Conflicts & Bonds:
>Bond: Infester Vines & Shadows.
>Bond: Roggs & Dexter Vines.
>Bond: Gorecaps & Trufflehogs.
>Bond: Crows & Harpies.
>Bond: Harpies & Carnies.
>Bond: Vintri & Hyalax.
>Bond: Harpies & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Crows & Mousefolk.
>Bond: Stormscales & Serpent-Twisted.
>Bond: Gridvines & Gearmechs.
>Bond: Earthern & Brainbulbs.
>Bond: Flamers & Dragons.
>Bond: Fire Goblins & Serpent-Twisted.
>Bond: Fire Goblins & Magmorks.
>Bond: Vintri & Glass Shells.
>Bond: Mousefolk & Waspfolk.
>Bond: Vintri & Crystal Snails.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Ashtongue.
>Conflict: Shadows & Ur-Spathi.
>Conflict: Ogres & Shadows.
>Conflict: Shadows & Roggs.
>Conflict: Fire Goblins & Stormscales.
>Conflict: Halflings & Poltergeists.
>Conflict: Shadows & Stiltwalkers.
>Conflict: Infester Vines & Mousefolk.
>Conflict: Shadows & Mousefolk.

Remaining & Expired Timers:
>The bond between Flamers & Dragons can now be broken.
>The conflict between Shadows & Stiltwalkers can now be broken.
>The bond between Fire Goblins & Serpent-Twisted cannot be broken for another turn.
>The bond between Fire Goblins & Magmorks cannot be broken for another turn.
>The bond between Vintri & Glass Shells cannot be broken for another turn.
>The bond between Mousefolk & Waspfolk cannot be broken for another turn.
>The conflict between Infester Vines & Mousefolk cannot be broken for another turn.
>The conflict between Shadows & Mousefolk cannot be broken for another turn.
>Conflict between Wilted Dexters & Heralds cannot start for another two turns.
>The bond between Vintri & Crystal Snails cannot be broken for another two turns.

With the start of a new turn, all of the species have spread to adjacent hexes of their favoured biomes and every god has gained 6 Divine Power, up to a maximum of 24 Divine Power.

Here is the current Divine Power of every god:
>Scaper: 24 DP
>Fractal: 9 DP
>Frosore: 6 DP
>Yearn: 12 DP
>Effie: 18 DP
>Uthys: 24 DP
>Torc: 24 DP
>Totalous: 24 DP
>Loreleilim: 6 DP
>Carrion Lord: 24 DP
>Ur: 24 DP
>Drazil: 18 DP
>Lases: 6 DP
>Yidith: 24 DP
>Murtnag: 24 DP
>Trillimti: 6 DP
>Endestria: 6 DP
>Insoleo: 17 DP
>Vellyn: 12 DP
>Buufhonk: 6 DP
>Dryf: 6 DP
>Chitinron: 18 DP
>Belphagor: 9 DP

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The attached underworld map contains all of the updates made during the previous turn.

Just a few additional notes as we approach the end of the Age of Land and Beasts:
>At the end of this Age, any species that do not exist on at least one tile shall be removed and cannot be brought back to the world of Apoch. If you want an extinct species to exist in the coming Age, you should use Transplant Species to find a new home for it before the end of Turn 30.
>Please do not worry about species spread as we approach the end of the Age. When the Age of Land and Beasts is over, I will ensure that every species spreads to its maximum range, accounting for conflicts.

And as always, please point out any mistakes I've made.

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>>5256564
I don't like those Stiltwalker. Ya know, since their creator is allied with Ur. But I am afraid other gods will weaken the Shadows and Vines into the dirt to protect the mouse folk, I can't spare much now but I have a idea of how to help.

Then I shall focus onto more business focused pursuits, I shall create a new group for potential trade and business. I shall take some of the Gorecaps and put them on the island south of Buufhonk's lands.

And then to show the clown I mean business I am going to create a massive volcano whose ferocity the world has never seen berf-
What the hell?
Gods damnit, whatever candy flavored magic Buufhonk did to create the candy islands spread over to this one as well. Well I'm not going to bother changing it.

>I use 2dp to enfeeble the Stiltwalkers, now they may be silent when walking, but they will have noses that honk, and a desire to honk them, even at inopportune times.
>I use 2dp to transplant the Gorecaps to the red R.
>I then use 1dp to create a new biome, The Cotten Candy Volcano, at the purple C.

((( hey who are the the species that are moving into the same biome of the jungles they have a lime green hex color? along with those snake people?)))

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The dryad checked in on her employer and found him still snoring. A silver bowl sat beside him, filled with golden glowing pearls. Typical, just leaving divine power sitting in a bowl next to him for anyone to take. She picked up the bowl and let her gaze linger on the raw power of creation. Well, someone should probably use this.

The dryad stepped through the great trees of the world until she stepped into the living quarters of one of her novice mousefolk dryads, a delightful young mouse who had taken to recording the flowers of the world on the walls in inks of crushed flowers, berries and roots. The artist glanced up.

“Teacher.”

“I have a task for you. I want you to paint an ocean.”

The mousefolk swallowed. “An ocean? Me? That’s…quite the canvas.”

The dryad handed her protege the bowl of divine power.

“Have fun with it.”

—

The great Arbor Hostel shuddered, an act that spilled hundreds of leaves and lesser branches into the ocean below. Buds formed, then bloomed. Swarms of common honey bees hurried about. Flowers, some the size of a fist, others the size of a house, formed, then detached in a flurry like snow. The floral blizzard fluttered down and carpeted the ocean, creating a vast ocean of floating flowers.

The dryad smiled. “I like it. But I think it needs one extra touch…” Far across the ocean were creatures made of pure light, living in the realm of a powerful sun god. But the dryad knew that in every pure light waited an explosion of color. She called the creatures known as Solarions to her, split their pure light into a riot of colors, then let them loose in the sea of flowers. They leapt and splashed and played, filling the air with flashing light and color.

> Use six DP to create the Floral Sea at the starred locations
> Use three DP to create a Solarion subspecies at the purple star, known as Rainbow Children. They are a playful aquatic species who’s only favored terrain is the Floral Sea.

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>>5256564
As war leader of the first united hive Sol khan trained his men in Arial combat in the stone carved training arena a scout came and flew by bearing a message, scouts have spotted newcomers to the jungle, what appear to be snakes that have arms and mammalian hair on the tops of their heads, confused by the development of this Sol khan immediately ordered a gathering of hive speakers as many warriors that they can amass we need to at least evaluate these new presences and attempt some peaceful accord but ensure if talk would break down they wouldn’t be out bowed.
>Empower wasp folk with training in Arial combat and maneuverability 2dp matched only in the air by crows whose speed matches their maneuverability
>Empower wasp folk with an echo of courage 2dp
>Empower wasp folk with an echo of honor 2dp
These aspects are not instinctual but a learned/trained trait that is present in select few soldiers and hive speakers (afterall a leader who knows how to defend themselves in combat is a leader who survives a jaguars ambush)
(1/2)

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As the snake folk and other beings enter the jungle homeland the wasp folk they see many creations of civilized culture such as pueblos and large paper canvas tents covered in textiles, these huts act as bazaar tents exchanging various food, pottery, tools, paper scrolls containing art, and the occasional scroll with how to on professions, the D.I.Y. farming, or a combat and meditation for dummies (a hobbiest guide not the real deal), and clothing along with the occasional weapon shop but instead of this being restricted to the ground there are large wooden bridges interwoven into the jungle canopy these wooden huts are filled with talking speaking and various sounds of craft6work to the basic necessities of neolithic gardening life, outside of these towns in clearings of jungle there are crop farms dug into hills and interspersed in grasslands are various species of cattle and jungle fowl, along with the occasional fishery and frog farm. There are pottery kilns and food stores that are usually manned by wasp folk or two.
>Empower wasp folk with an echo of ingenuity 2dp
>Empower wasp folk with an inherent ability to farm, (this skill originates from leaf cutter ants who would farm a domesticated form of mold) 2dp
>Empower wasp folk with a primitive written language 2dp

>>5255463
A man amused pulse of energy Emanates from the insect god/goddess

>>5256668
((That supposed to say an amused pulse))

>>5256564
>>5256567
You put two different levels for the mousefolk

>>5256673
Same with wasp-folk although I have sneaking suspicion that it’s because of the bond or maybe it’s just a mistake

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The Sheddalin were wretches. More rabid beast than creation, they hunted together in the inhospitable deserts, devouring whatever they could.

That was, until they were visited by a traveller. A creature in a snakeskin cloak, followed by a cavalcade of similar folk. Their skin was thick and scaly, their eyes a dark, glowing orange. The creature in snakeskin had it's supplicants capture and hold the Sheddalin to the floor. Placing a dark orange finger to their skull, they awoke to their true nature. Sentience. The figure growled in a language it somehow understood

"Your creator has abandoned us, as he abandoned you. But the wheel of fate turns, and we have come to deliver you from your... depravity. Go forth. Live. And.."

The figure turned to face a stray crow, one of murtnags children. A bolt of storm gripped the creature, and it's body wretched. Growing massively in size, scales ripped through parts of its body. Its face was contorted into a mixture of snake and bird. It took flight, the massive beating of wings filling the air as it screeched, the sound of thunder filling the air.

>Create subspecies of Serpent-twisted, known as the Adjutants. Preferred biomes are coastal, swamp and ocean
>Create subspecies of crows, known as the Akula Baba. All the same preferences as the crow but change gear fields and spires of murtnags for swamps and floating mountains
>Enlighten Sheddalin

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Drazil shuddered. He felt a part of him rip at the seam. Something was taking power from him.

Adjutant image

Location posted when I get home

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>>5256332

The Moon is a craven coward. It has spent millennia bringing blights upon the works of other Creators, kicking at them like a child wrecking sandcastles— all the while refusing to partake in creation of its own. And only now, when it thinks itself free of consequence, does it attempt to leave its mark.

This will not be so. The blue moon fills the sky, continuing to block the view of the red. Fractal declares that his fangs will fall upon any children of Ur that dare lay their Eldritch appendages upon Apoch. He’s had countless years to repent, and simply join them in creation, but has spat on every opportunity. To the clown god, who’s chosen his allegiance poorly, he snarls the same warning. Continue this madness, and he will make an eternal enemy.

((Scaper, would it violate the post-25 rules to attack Ur’s creations with intent to remove them? I believe there’s justifiable reason to, in character, considering he’s devoted 25 turns solely to fucking with people.))

>>5256918
Wait oh mighty fractel stay your hand these beings may have been of urs creation, they are still innocent in this instead of smighting the son smight the father instead of at least cut their ties from him, I am but a young god but I must at least defend those innocent of the actions of their creators

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>>5256564
My Brainbulbs are doing pretty well and while I'm not gonna boost their abilities anymore I'm gonna spread them all over the world. I could adapt them to my mushroom forest but nah I'm gonna claim some empty biomes because I can but where?

Aha there is a nice spot, on the other side of the world and surrounded by water on all sides so whatever specimens I pick can never go back again. Surely they won't mind being sent there without warning and never seeing their friends and family again

That leaves me with extra power which I'm gonna use to turn some dead land into exposed seabed

Instead of killing them teach them of a better path after all we are gods

Smight the moon but not the enlightened children, give them the chance and they become something more

Give them sanity

>>5256924
>>5256928
>>5256933

The beast motions to the deep caverns, where Shadows and Ogres remain locked in conflict. Lumbering giants are drained of life by the dark beings, and the darkness is in turn extinguished by torch-waving cavemen who slay their own shadows to prevent the birth of more. Neither party sought this.

The spawn of the moon are not creatures. They are tools for its entertainment. The races of the world have begun advancing, and their civilization is developing enough that they can ignore the influence of other gods, rather than rushing to do the bidding of the first voice from the sky that calls to them. Only now that they have become immune to his chaos, does he deign to partake in their creation. He is not forging life, he is forging creatures who will forever be his, and only his, to do his bidding.

They are weapons, and nothing more. There is no innocence in that. If he had intention to change, he would have done it earlier. But even at the turn of the era, at the final juncture, he used his power to assault the mousefolk.

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>>5256941
he he/she stops and ponders for a moment deep in thought but is sadened when he/she cannot at least come up with an argument

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maybe you could create a hunter that keeps their pace in check instead via create subspecies he /she leaves you with this idea as her voice dissipates away

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>Started writing short passage to add fluff to turn
>Accidentally made a whole story
>Not even done
Whoops))

>>5256618
It's the two varieties of snake people made by Loreleilim. The brown are the massive Viersperan while the brown-and-green are the smaller, more adaptable Poconthy.
>>5256673
>>5256679
It is a mistake, sometimes I forget to update the underworld key after updating the overworld key.
>>5256762
Looking forward to seeing where this is going. I'll wait for those locations.
>>5256918
He hasn't actually made anything yet and I'm willing to give him a second chance. Besides, with the Turn 25 rule changes, I will actively prevent anything that he does that I consider disruptive. So even if it's in-character, no, I won't allow any targeted destruction of Ur's creations for the remainder of this Age.
>>5257011
Looking forward to reading it. I'm just glad that this game is giving some people the opportunity to let loose their creativity.

>>5257017
Right, I'll save it for the Civilisation era then. I'm a bit worried about flooding the thread with way too much text, since it's like, four posts that hit size limit. But oh well, hopefully I've formatted it well enough that it's not a slog to read.

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The group of intrepid adventurers made their way across the rocky mountains. They were a motley crew, hailing from the Gear Fields in search of adventure and wonder. Among them was Mari, a young Harpy looking to see the ocean blue. Steamven, a Gearmech known for his prodigious strength and kindness in equal measure. Tommy, a halfling who always brought breakfast, and finally, Steelpaw; the mysterious Mousefolk warrior, who seemed to be a veteran of many wars… Despite being the same age as the rest of them. The crew had set out from the Gearlands with packs laden with equipment, and picnic baskets heavy with goodies. Though they could still see the turning wheels over the mountain crags, they were a long way from home now. Tommy plopped himself down on a rock, his face red from exertion. His chubby cheeks puffed out as he panted.

“Lads, I can’t- I can’t do this no more! Blimey, what a climb!”

Steelpaw crossed his arms and looked over the portly halfling. He rubbed at his eyepatch, as his tattered crimson cloak fluttered (he always claimed it was stained with blood, but Mari could smell the redcurrant jam on it still).

“Hmph… W-weak… Come now, Tommy, surely a bit more. On my last quest, when we delved into the depths of the turbine springs… We had to leave the slow behind while being chased by a terrible monster. It was a-“ Blah blah blah.

Mari rolled her eyes. Their intrepid leader was always like this, coming up with some tall tale and blistering with bravado. She didn’t hold it against him, however, for she could see the kindness and concern in his one eye. Despite his harsh words, Steelpaw was the very first to unpack their baskets and offer Tommy his flask.

The halfling always bought his blustering anyway.

“Oh, nonono!” He exclaimed, as honey-water dripped down his many chins.

“Please don’t leave me behind! I’ll be eaten out here! Oh, no no no! Steamven, tell him! I’m not slow!”

The hulking golem reached a reassuring hand out. It set the limb on Tommy’s brown curls, patting his head as steam billowed from a little chimney.

“Beep Boop…”
Steelpaw shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable at having upset his friend. And so, he did the same thing he always did to escape awkward situations: He clutched the metal gauntlet that he always had, holding it to his chest. His face scrunched up in what he probably thought to be a brilliant facsimile of pain.

Mari decided to bite the bait and play along, seeing as Tommy was busy tearing apart a loaf of rich nutbread.

“What’s the matter, great leader?”

“My arm… Ugh… Every night, I remember. It hurts…. My arm and my eye… The comrades I lost… This body… It won’t stop hurting…”

Tommy staggered to his feet, his face covered in sticky syrup and brown crumbs. He gently grasped Steelpaw’s good arm and pulled him towards the picnic mat, compassion sparkling in his beetle-black eyes.

“Oh no… Maybe we should rest up after all?”

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Mari agreed with a swift, birdlike bob of her head. It was still a long way till the edge of the mountains, where they could behold the grand ocean like they always wanted. Sure, they could take the trains, but where was the adventure in that? The four of them were a team, and they had each been eager to cross the mountains and explore their peaks. They were filled with crows anyway, and the omnipresent watchers wouldn’t let anything happen to them. She hoped.

And so, they settled down for a meal. It was a poor time to start a fire, so they finished their perishables first, for they had only set out a day prior. Steelpaw tucked into a wedge of delicious flatbread, studded with nuts and dried berries. Tommy bit into a crisp apple, eating it all the way to the core, and only discarding the stem. There was already a small pile of stalks and seeds beside him. Mari marveled at the endless appetite of the halfling, as she pecked at her own smoked fish. And lastly, Steamven just sat there, his gears turning noisily. He had nothing to eat, and up here, there were no gridvines to hook him up to. Fortunately, his gears had been blessed to keep turning long ago, by their beloved Gods. All he needed was water to cool down sometimes, and melting snow would do just as well.

Up above, crows silently observed them. They perched in crags and treetops, forming a line that stretched across the mountains and vanished over the horizon. Mari knew that they were marking out the path for them. While the crows enjoyed their lies and pranks, and could be a bit mean at times, she knew they had good hearts. Even out here, far from the gear fields, the wild crows would have heard of their mission from their brothers and sisters, their cousins and nest-neighbors. She knew they wouldn’t let any harm befall them, but she kept that fact from the others. Let them think they were having the adventure of a lifetime, with no adults to save them! True danger, real peril! They’d enjoy it all the more.
Eventually, the group packed up and moved on. Tommy was still tired, so Steamven lifted him up without hesitation and perched him on his shoulder. Steelpaw had then started clutching his arm again, muttering about how the soreness of his feet was triggering his pressure points and sending pain into his phantom limb. Steamven had put him on the other shoulder.

Mari flew ahead of them, scouting out the landscape. The mountains stretched outwards as far as the eye could see, and she thought she could catch a glimpse of shimmering seawater in the distant South. A deep rumble drew her attention to the East, however, to the other set of mountains…

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Her Great Great Great Great grandmother had been alive when these sprouted. “How could this be?!” Curious Mari had asked, when mommy Harpy first told her. Aren’t mountains as ancient as the earth beneath their feet? And then mommy had told her of Fractal, the beast who laid down beyond the mountains and turned it into his body. The snowy peaks that reached the sky were the ridges of his spine, and the beasts that stalked the snow were terrifying creatures who would eat any adventure foolish enough to chase the prize.

Prize? She had asked. Mother had gone quiet then, and ushered her to bed.

Between the real mountains and the Fangs was a great gulf. It was a massive canyon that even the crows dared not cross, with untold danger and adventure beyond. She stared enviously at the bone-white peaks, wondering what it would be like to go. But whenever the airborne adventurer tried to wander too far off the path, crows would descend on her in a flurry of black feathers, quickly ushering Mari back to safety. How she longed to take a detour and visit… Their little group would be the first explorers to ever set foot in the Fangs of Fractal!

Right as she thought this, a sudden quake caught them off guard. Mari squawked in surprise as the mountains rumbled. Up in the air, she was safe from it, and watched helplessly as rocks tumbled from precarious perches and went sliding down the slopes. Down below, the boys huddled together for safety. Steamven loomed over them protectively, shielding them from the pebbles that skittered down the mountainside. A particularly large boulder came crashing towards them, but the Gearmech caught it with Herculean effort. His servos and clockwork span rapidly, going into overdrive as he pitched the colossal rock off a cliff. The two smaller folk cheered and whooped, hugging the legs of their big buddy and singing his praises (Yes, even Steelpaw, all decorum forgotten).

When the quake was over, Mari landed to rejoin her companions. They exchanged hugs, glad that nobody had gotten hurt.

“All thanks to you, you big lug!” She said, punching Steamven’s side affectionately. The side of the golem’s head heated up, turning cherry red for a moment. Steelpaw coughed, getting their attention as he pointed to the mountainside.

“My brave brothers-in-arms-“ he paused, quickly mumbling ‘and sisters’, “-behold! Look what’s just opened up!”

He motioned to the spot where the Gearmech launched the boulder. In its wake, an angular slope of destroyed trees and churned earth had been left behind, forming a furrow that they could follow. It lead back down the mountains, but in the opposite direction. They had inadvertently carved a path into the gulf, and it would be easy to traverse. Beyond it lay the white mountains, and they would be able to reach its Western edge.

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Tommy knew what their brave leader was about to suggest, and he puffed his chest out as best as he could. He would prove that he was no burden! Wherever Steelpaw the warrior went, he would go too! And indeed, the Mousefolk motioned to the gulf.

“We come here for adventure! For danger! But dad- the grownups don’t take us seriously now, do they?” Steelpaw cried. The group nodded hesitantly.

“Well. I say that we prove our merit as adventurers! No man nor mouse has set foot in the Mountain Monster before. But before us is a path that leads right to it! It’s an opportunity of a lifetime! The next time we come here, the rain and snow might make the path untraversable. So let’s do it right now!”

Steamven peered over the edge, at the gulf that lay beyond. He shook his head, turning towards them to lay out his concerns.

“Beep boop… Beep.”

“No, not all the way in, my friend! Just the edge. Even I, the great Steelpaw, would not venture onto the peaks without real weapons. Let’s grab a trophy. We shall receive great renown for being the first! Come, who’s with me?”
Tommy raised his hand and jumped up and down, as though somehow afraid they wouldn’t take notice of him. His curly hair lay plastered across his forehead with sweat, and his big nose was red from the cold, but the expression on his face was unmistakable.

“I am! I am! Let’s go! Lead us, Steelpaw!”

Their attention finally turned towards Mari, who felt the tension settle over her. It was their group policy. On a tie, they would return to the mountain trail and continue as planned. Steamven wasn’t in favor, so if she said no, they’d turn away and head South, to the ocean they desired.

“Well? What’ll it be, Mari!”

She thought long and hard, raising a wingtip and settling it on her sharp chin. It was the adventure of a lifetime. But what about those birds? She looked to the trees around them, and noticed that for the first time, the crows were gone. Scared off by the quake, perhaps! But either way, they were unsupervised. It was their chance to slip off and have a true adventure, into uncharted territories. She bobbed her head and flashed them a winning grin.

“I’m in!”

Along the way, she told them of the prize her mother mentioned. This was enough to get even Steamven excited. Buried treasure! Here, within their grasp! The kids had the sense to not go chasing it, at least. They only had its existence as a lead, and they held no delusions that they would actually find it. Regardless, the faint hope, the distant ‘what if?’ filled them with encouragement, and put a spring in their step.

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Cold. Icy cold. Even here, at the foot of the actual mountain, they felt it. By right, the gulf ought to have pinched off the bitter wind. They expected it to be toasty in here, but it was somehow as cold as the peaks. Steamven had no trouble navigating despite this. In fact, he felt better than ever due to the natural coolant. However, Mari was freezing. The mouse had his fur and furs, the fat halfling had his hand-knitted mittens from grandma. But the Harpy couldn't swaddle herself up, or she'd lose the ability to fly. She took to wrapping herself around Steamven, and the golem's gait had turned stiff and uneven as a result. It was far colder than she expected. Even Steelpaw seemed to be losing steam, and he was clutching his arm repeatedly to try and get someone to call a break. Tommy trudged along, his picnic basket far lighter. He loved to snack as he went, and had left a long trail of crumbs from all the bread and biscuits he had munched on.

Up ahead, Mari beheld a row of great spikes that extended from the earth. They were spaced close together, and their tips ended in wicked points that seemed like they could skewer even Steamven. However, she could see a brilliant blue beyond them. Ice, perhaps? Yes, it had to be. These were caves! They could take shelter within, and have the rest that their edgy Mousefolk needed. She motioned to it, and the huddled adventurers made their way to the cave. They failed to notice the scattered white fragments that could only be bones.

"What is this place, laddies?" said Tommy. His eyes were wide open, marvelled by the vast cavern that they were in. It was huge! The ceiling gave the illusion of a blue sky, apart from the colossal icicles that extended downward. Snow and ice stretched out as far as the eye could see, crunching underfoot and sticking to his boots. The others were equally enthralled. They had never seen this much ice before. It was truly a new biome, that beheld wondrous adventure. The cold was now unbearable, however, and they would have to turn back soon. Tommy had stopped eating, for his fingers were quivering too hard to even grip snacks.

"I don't know. But we better be careful. We don't know wh- AAAIIEE!"

The group turned to look at Steelpaw, who was backing away from a looming shape. They turned to run, fleeing from the towering figure that was standing right in their path. All four of them dove behind a pillar of ice, listening out for footsteps, or any other sign that they were being chased. For several minutes, they heard nothing but the rushing of air. It came and went, like a great exhalation of breath, pushing and pulling constantly, extending from the depths of the permafrost.

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When the group finally plucked up their courage, they beheld a wondrous sight. Frozen in clear ice beyond them was a massive creature, with hairy bristles and two great tusks that curled to a wicked point. It stood on all fours, with thick arms that propped up its body. Orange-hued hair stuck to its face, and swirling patterns marked its pale skin. One hand could easily engulf all of them. However, it seemed to be completely immobilised. Dead, definitely, for nothing could live in such temperature. Steelpaw cleared his throat, attempting to regain some of his pride.

"Ah... It seems the war-cry was no use. Though, had it been able to move, it would surely have been scared off!"

He charged forward to examine the giant further. Around them were several more pillars and walls, each bearing a
different beast within. They gawked and gasped at the strange monstrosities that lay frozen within ice. There were big pigs, a colossal scorpion, massive snakes and even something that looked like a giant halfling- but with a beard! As the group explored the permafrost, Mari's feathers suddenly stood on end. She looked around, trying to pin down the source of the sensation. Instead, she found...

"Hey. Guys... Where's Tommy?"

Their halfling companion was missing. Here in the caves, he could be anywhere. He could have fallen into a ditch, or tripped into snow, or- or... Where the heck was he? Mari's heart sank in her chest. The other two began searching, calling his name and fanning out in hopes of locating him. The Harpy girl quickly called out, forcing their little party together. It wouldn't do to get lost in the cold. They had never been separated like this before, and they hadn't been moving at all, so there was no way they left him behind. Steelpaw sniffed the air and tilted his wide ears upwards. Using his sense of hearing, he tried to figure out where Tommy went.

With a gulp, the mouse pointed further into the cave. His metal gauntlet shook in fright, numbed from the cold.

"He's screaming.. And- Oh... Oh, he's stopped..."

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With Steamven leading the charge, the group wandered further into the cave. The light from the entrance was swiftly fading, leaving the ice illuminated by a ghastly-blue hue that came from deep within. Their faces were washed in it, giving them the appearance of pale wraiths. As they headed towards where they last saw Tommy, the group began to notice the scattered bits of bone and shell in the snow. Their eyes widened at the sight. They knew for a fact that nobody had come here before... So why were there countless bodies lost within the hoarfrost? More concerning were the bug shells. Steampaw had come from the woods, before moving to the Gearlands and making friends with the three others. So he could recognise shed carapaces when he saw them. They certainly weren't alone in the cavern.

Once again, the mouse smelt it first. His snout picked up a scent that turned his stomach, threatening to send breakfast spilling out. Blood. Blood. Blood. Real blood. He had never smelt it in such quantity before, for nobody had gotten hurt this badly on an adventure. The worst one could receive on a trip through the woods would be a scraped knee. Not this. Not whatever he was smelling. It was acrid and metallic, cutting through the air and filling his mind with visions of red. Of violence, of harm, of unspeakable acts against the innocent. He groaned, slowing down and clutching his head. Without a second thought, Steamven picked him up and cradled him.

Mari flapped her wings and took into the air. Her night vision was a bit better than the others, and her Harpy eyes were already sharp. She soared across the vast cavern, despite the chill making it hard to move. And so, she was the first to see it. The girl choked out a sob.

Tommy was lying there, on a slab of ice, his green breeches covered in white powder and red slush. He stared straight up at the ceiling, his beetle-black eyes glazed over and distant. His arm- oh Gods, his arm. It was missing. And so were chunks of his thigh.

Steamven rushed to his side, and the group clustered around him, stunned into silence. Mari ripped open the pack that hung off the Gearmech, looking for the bandages within. All she had to do was tie it up, right? And then good ol' Tommy would be fine. He'd be fine. As long as they stemmed the bleeding, he'd be okay. Nevermind the huge pool that he sat in. Nevermind the spurts of horrid crimson that emerged from his leg wound every heartbeat, spewing onto the snow. Nevermind all that. He would be fine. He had to be.

The Halfling moved, shocking them all and nearly causing Steelpaw to die of fright right there. They clamored and shouted, gathering around him and trying to treat his wound. And yet, he struggled, trying to fight them off while mumbling with his final breath.

"Tommy! Oh, by Endestria... Tommy! Look at me! It's me!"

"BEEP! BEEP BOOP!"

"Tie it up... Tie it up... Steelpaw, help me! Grab that edge and knot it!"

"..."

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Steelpaw leaned in, turning his huge ear towards the lips of the Halfling. Tommy tried once more, his words half-hidden in a great exhalation. And then he went still, and his wet eyes began freezing over. The Mouse froze up, slowly turning towards his friends as the gravity of the situation hit them.

"W... What... Tommy... Oh, gods... Tommy..."

"We have to... He said-"

"Beep... Beep...?"

"He said-"

The mouse gulped.

"He said 'Run.'"

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The snow around them erupted into chaos. Mari's shrill scream pierced through the air, and Steelpaw brandished his spoon. It was batted away in an instant, sent spiralling through the caves. Steamven came to their rescue, swinging his arms in a great arc and sending their assailants flying. More and more shapes began pushing their way out of the walls- shapes that certainly hadn't been there before. Shrieks and hisses echoed endlessly through the Permafrost, filling the minds of the adventurers with nothing but utter terror. They turned to go, heading for the entrance at breakneck pace. The ceiling crumbled above them, and the entire cave began shaking as their pursuers swarmed them.

Mari took to the sky in blind fright, moving ahead of the two. She didn't notice the icicle falling towards her. Steamven's whistle of alarm managed to alert her, saving her from being impaled. Instead, it clipped her wing and shattered the hollow bone instantly, sending her careening towards the snow. The monsters closed in on her, only to be beaten back by the Gearmech yet again. Steelpaw, who nearly tripped over a buried bone, cast his eyepatch aside. It would only get in the way. With two working eyes, he stumbled towards the Harpy and pulled her up, limping with her towards the entrance. They made the mistake of looking back, and witnessed the beasts falling upon Tommy's body. Already, his arm and leg were raised in the air, tossed about callously as they fought for the best bits. Mari vomited, and the mess froze to the front of her coat within seconds.

One final whistle emerged from Steamven's chimney, as they reached a narrow gap in the cave. He turned, planting his feet staunchly in the snow. He was dented and scratched from the relentless assault, but only he had the strength to even contend with their foes. And so, he stood his ground.

"Beep... Beep boop."

"NO! NO, NO, NO! I CAN'T LOSE YOU TOO!"

Mari pounded on the mouse's back as he lifted her onto his shoulders.
He pulled her away as the swarm descended on the Gearmech. The big fella was the real hero. Not him. He was just a poser, who led his best friends to their demise. The mouse turned away, tears already turning into icy crystals amidst his fur.

"We have to go back! Steelpaw, go back! GO BACK!"

"Beep... Beep."

The mouse refused to look. He trudged on, carrying the wounded harpy and taking one step after another towards safety. Mari, however, refused to avert her gaze. The sobbing began anew as she watched them overwhelm Steamven. Another friend gone. Forever. All over a stupid adventure, a stupid prize, some stupid game. They should have stuck to the path. She should have voted to carry on. Stupid. Her fault. All her fault, she thought.

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As they neared the exit, Steelpaw felt something catch his leg. It bit down on it, cutting it to the bone instantaneously. He screamed and kicked out with the other foot, dropping Mari into the snow beside him. His foot struck a solid shell, failing to dislodge the monster. The THING stood taller than any one of them, except for the mech who was now shredded to pieces. It possessed a vile maw, filled with teeth that spelt their doom, and a shell that the ice refused to cling to. It pushed against him, tearing the bone apart and filling his vision with black spots. Mari screamed next to him, fighting off her own assailant as well.

It all happened so fast. Something big and black barrelled into the creature, sending it flying. He gazed to the sky, only vaguely registering the avian shape of the crows. They were here. They had come to rescue them. His snout picked up the honeyed scent of bread, amidst all the blood, and he knew that Tommy had saved them. It was his snacking. His crumbs. Without the Halfling's appetite, the crows wouldn't have known where to look. A final gift from his closest friend.

Two particularly large birds grappled with the monster, pecking at it and trying to get at a gap in its shell. They found no such thing. Another pair grasped the mouse around the shoulder, and took into the air with him in their grip. He struggled, watching as they tried- and failed to pull Mari from the grasp of the monster. She was sprawled on the snow, her wings flapping uselessly as it began ripping into her. The crows covered her as her screams faded, trying their utmost to pry her free. Steelpaw sobbed, the grief and fury leaking out of his mouth unbidden.

"GO BACK! WE CAN SAVE HER! NO! DON'T- LET ME GO! NOT WITHOUT HER! NO!"

But the birds flew on, carrying him into daylight. They refused to let the final child die. Steelpaw's desperate pleads began to peter off, as he felt unconsciousness take him. His missing leg dripped crimson across the landscape as they flew. As the sole survivor's mind swam with the pain of his loss, one thought pushed its way to the forefront.

The ocean. They'd never see the ocean.

The crows flew onward.

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Hooooooooly fucking shit that was too long. If anyone took the time to read through it, thank you. Obviously, if you didn't, no worries, because that's mucho fucking texto. Sorry for flooding the thread.

>Create species, 6 DP: Divine Parasite. The Divine Parasites are monstrous creatures that have formed within Fractal's body. They're horrid, predatory lifeforms, who feed on his divine essence, as well as the essence of other gods whose creations have been consumed. Their bodies are incredibly malleable, and they go through metamorphosis to take on the traits of creatures they eat and assimilate. Coming in the form of a colossal, ever-shifting swarm, the Parasites embody infinite hunger, a violent yearning to hunt and kill with no regard for consequence.

>Place them on the aboveground Permafrost tile.

There we go. All that text to make xenomorphs. Also, apologies to the other gods for horribly mutilating your creations in this story.))

>>5257048
(amazing work! loved the read, definitely gave me the creeps. captured that "monster-lurking-in-the-shadows" vibe perfectly. hope they don't spread though, that would be a nightmare and a half)

>>5256233
(great, so one more weakening should do it, then?)
>>5256941
Endestria looks back at the plains, where the Mousefolk continue their attempts at eradicating the Gridvines. He twists the vines, to be unable to hold their grip on the hard soil of the plains and forests. They shall blight the land no more, and hopefully they may remain solely in the dark swamps for the next age.
>2DP: Weaken the Infester Vines one more time
While the Shadows may still be skirmishing with the Mousefolk, Endestria bears the Shadows no ill will. Hopefully with the removal of the Vines from the plains and forests, the Shadows shall be pacified soon. (OOC: i'm planning to end the conflict between shadows and mousefolk next turn)

>>5256636
Endestria turns back to his blueprints. With the changes made to connect it with the Hostel, the time has come for the bridge to be complete. Gears shudder back into motion and pistons pump as the end of the bridge itself begins advancing toward the mainland for the final time, while a smaller machine curves away toward the Arbor Hostel.
As the bridge meets the mainland, gears spill out onto the shore, converting it into wide plains all the way to the Sea of Blood.
...Is it really part of the "mainland" if the inland sea keeps it separated? Ah well, the sea can always be bridged by other means if the need arises.

((>>5257072
Thank you very much! Glad it was enjoyable. I had a few more scenes planned, like running into a friendly Rimescale in the mountains, but I cut them since it was getting way too long. Definitely gonna keep the parasites contained to the Permafrost.

>>5257072
>(OOC: i'm planning to end the conflict between shadows and mousefolk next turn)
Ah nice. I've got my plans completely set, so I can't donate anything, but hopefully the crowdfunding trend catches on and people can donate little bits.

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Locations

Blue X - Adjutants
Blue Circle - Akua Baba

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>>5256564

Torc stirs, his long, ancient work nearing completion.

The world below is united for the first time in perhaps ever, lands stretching out to claim and link every biome.

Green are caverns

Blue are gear fields

Light blue are permafrost

Orange are jungles

Yellow are to be an underworld variant of obsidian spires, obsidian caverns.

>>5257110

Well done, shaper of the underworld. His work has taken long, and he have done much. It is thanks to Torc that the underworld holds as much beauty as the surface.

However, Fractal requests that the two tunnels pushing into his permafrost be revoked. It is his stomach, the inside of his maw, after all. And he would hate to have metal and stone pushing their way into his body. Let it stay separate, for he wishes for the Fangs of Fractal to be their sole entry point.

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>>5257121
>>5257110
The request is reasonable enough, and with some begrudgement about unlinked entryways, some amendments are made to the penultimate designs.

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>>5257110
Beneath the surface, as Endestria continues tinkering with the bridge, he feels gears shift. Oho, it seems someone else has taken a fancy to the underworld! Many thanks to you, Torc, for completing the connection of the caverns.

(OOC, since Fractal requested in >>5257121 to have the permafrost stay disconnected, you could use an alternate path something like this? it would keep the rest of the underground connected with the same amount of DP while also skirting around Fractal's maw)

>>5256946
>>5256953
If you would allow me to say something, my dear Begater of Bugs. You should be thankful Fractal gives his focus to the Mad Moon.

You see, Fractal plays the part of a god of order. And he is quite good at it I will admit, but it is not his nature. At his core, he is a hunter, he lives to kill. Why, he created one of the first races on this world, the Hoarboars, just to hunt them.

If there was no Ur for him to pursue, he would find something else to hunt. Maybe Drazil, maybe Endestria, maybe even you and me.

But you words have not gone unheard. The idea of... reforming the Ur-Spathi is an interesting one, and one that might be most profitable if done right.

I will have to repay you for this idea some day, but for now, I have plans to make and employees to order around.

>>5257150
>>5257151
(oh, whoops, by the time i posted you'd already gotten an alternative arrangement. ignore that then sorry)

>>5257150
((Big thankies!