"Brother?", asked Ulfur, turning his body to include Anathema in the conversation, "I confess I know little of the Realms beyond my own, and then only these past days..."

"Well, not blood-brothers," Anna clarifies sheepishly. "Brother in arms. It was a rough war." She hops over and leans over Bezaleel from behind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders affectionately, flashing a V-sign at Ulfur with her more-visible hand.

"You prove my point", the Lord of the Mountains smiled, interpreting her gesture as a friendly one, "What war?"

Bezaleel's tail whipped about happily as Anathema embraced him, "Yes, indeed." he agreed as Anathema clarified.

Bezaleel picked up from what Anathema said about their judgment, "I was set up to be killed by the Pantheon after I was to create a child with my would be assassin. An amaranth permitted by their judgment. Theadeacus however, took my place upon his request to them...I can't say I've come close to forgiving them, but I know not all are at fault entirely. I am also to blame. My demeanor and faith of trust in them, mainly."

"The fact they also require a tithe of our mortals unannounced, then send them to wars of their own is also distasteful. One such war is one we fought along side each other in.

To answer your question, Ulfur. It was the Battle of Noor as well as the last attack to drive the blight out of Taeltresin in the realm supernatural and heart of the world tree.

This is the first we have seen everyone and Anathema since. As well as meet Petra and you."

Looking down he left a bit of a advice on the Pantheon, "Be warned though, to act out would be brash, that is coming from me at that. So I definitely do not suggest anything that would be unbecoming in the slightest. Most have poor attitudes. A few found me amusing that was about it. I can't really say what their attitude towards you will be considering the number of new gods and old ones coming about."

Rubbing his chin with his hand he continued, "Though, your demeanor is better than my own. So I think you would fair better than I."

Looking over his shoulder some at Anathema, he spoke. "Speaking of blood though, I discovered my mother's existence. That as well my predecessor was indeed my father. I would like to see if there was some way for you to help me remove the blight's influence over him.

I know of no one better than you to come to with this endeavor. Given your magic and knowledge. I would entrust it to you before I mess things up more." he rubbed the back of his head as he shyly admitted that.

"I'd be trusting you with his life as well as my own."

Anna disengages from Bezaleel and steps around to the side so the three gods are roughly evenly spaced.

"For my part I understand why the Pantheon wanted a tithe," Anna adds. "And an army, and even to amaranth one of us new growth gods. My main problem with the Pantheon is that they're just so- damn- conceited!" She punctuates each of those last words by slamming a fist into her palm, each hit producing a loud clink! from her metallic skin. "If they had just friggin' asked and explained the situation I'm sure any one of us would've been happy to offer ourselves up. I was actually very curious about the River Styx at the time and considering dying just to see what it was like! But noooo, they had to pull authority on us. They might be ancient and knowledgeable and powerful and knowledgeable about ancient power, but they're a bunch of butts. Never take orders from a butt."

Anna's quiet for a time, calming herself after her little outburst. When Bezaleel addresses her again she perks up, eyes widening.

"Oh, you found Diadea? Wonderful, I want to have words with that pretty little witch. The pantheon may have ordered it but she's the one who did the deed. Want me to destroy her entire realm for you?" There was no facetiousness in Anna's tone; she sounded for all the realms like she genuinely believed she could do it. Her destructive nature was waylaid by what came next, however.

"Me? You want me to try and exorcise your father? I... I'm not sure my modest abilities are up to the task, but I would be honored to try! It's the least I can do! I tentatively had a visit to Erebus penciled into my schedule after I took care of some issues in Arthos, but if it's time-critical I can pop on over shortly."

Bezaleel rubbed his head some, clarifying to Anathema shyly, "Ah no no, not Ophelia's mother... My own mother."

A fanged smile came across his face though, "As much as I would like that Anathema. I'm afraid doing so now, would further complicate things considering Ophelia. However, she will reap what she has sown."

Putting a hand on Anathema's shoulder, Bezaleel reassured her, "I'm sure they will be enlightening at the very least. It can't be any worse than what I would try, so there is that." He smiled lightly then put his hand back down to his pocket.

"Time sensitive it is not. I am currently speaking and seeing about business with a being pacted under my mother. I wish to see what it is she is doing in my realm. After that I plan to take care of Marilla as that is the most pressing thing. With those things done. I would be more than glad to have you here and see what can be done."

Absorbing everything that was said, Ulfur felt as if the road he had taken had been through foothills and the mists had finally cleared to reveal the true mountains. Patience and wariness were need, the snow-capped mountain not the one of flame and fertility and change. As they spoke, he nodded. Gleaned what he could

Anna blinks, replaying her eidetic memory over again. Opps. Anna blushes bright, luminescent cyan. "Right, sorry, guess I got carried away there..."

Nodding along as Bezaleel continues, Anna couldn't help but envy Bezaleel for having a whole family. She knew so little about her own, and what she did know terrified her.

"Yeah, the antideath thing sounds important," Anna confirms. "Please be careful, Bezzybro. Something about that whole story reeks. Anywhoodles, I'll keep you up to date on what's going on in my realm and when I'll be ready to transition over."

After remembering that Ulfur was busy getting overshadowed by the shadow god during her last explanation, Anna turns to Ulfur and repeats most of what she told Petra just a few moments ago (in message #75, to be specific).

At Anna's repeated explanation, Ulfur nodded thoughtfully once more; there was plenty of pitfalls and, it seemed, existential threats not only to those of his Realm, but the whole of Creation. Certainly a need to tread carefully

He turned to Bezaleel, "Best introduce me to this Pantheon then, so I might confirm this tithe..."

Bezaleel shrugged, "It may be better if you don't get one from me at all. I'm not sure what exactly my image is with them, but I'll do so."

Waving his hand he left the arena going to the upstairs room where the map was. Ready to throw another instance into the valley.

Anna waves a cheerful farewell as Bezaleel leaves her sight. "Good luck!" she calls. She's not quite ready to drop into the Tattered Valley yet... in fact, maybe best for the Pantheon to think she is dead for as long as possible. Instead she returns to the bar, helping herself to another fancy wineglass of grape juice. Under the counter her feet alternate happily tapping the footrest.

After a few seconds of drinking to herself and thinking, Anna spins around on her stool and looks to Theadeacus.

"Hey Deekin, I just remembered," she says. "Y'know those globs of essence I dropped when I died? Yeah, wasn't expecting to come back from that and I trusted you to be responsible with power more than anyone else. One of 'em was yours to begin with anyways -- I never actually got around to making the artifact I borrowed it to make -- but the other came from this big blight beast I killed. I'd like it back if you haven't used it already. I'll feel a little safer knowing I have a panic button in case something happens."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Wed 20 Mar 2019.

Theadeacus moved to Anathema, producing the Essence from within himself.

"Here you are Anathema. I am glad that you returned for it. If something had happened I intended to use it for....less conservative purposes. Luckily there is no such need for those extremes."

He gave a slight smile but revealed no deeper meaning to his words. Nor would he.

Anna cups the preferred essence in her hands and absorbs it back into herself, sending ticklish motes of light up her tattoos that make her shiver pleasantly. "Thank you."

Anna looks into the bottom of her glass, absentmindedly swishing around the scant few purple drops still left there. "So I did promise that when this was all over I'd answer any questions you might have about what I've been up to," she says suddenly. She looks over with an inviting smile. "What did you want to know?"

Theadeacus considered Anathema's question and wanted to open up with 'tell me everything' but felt it was a little too much and had a sneaking suspicion that even if he did inquire about all of her...activities he wouldn't get a complete response.

Instead he looked at her and gave a faint smile.

"It's good to see you again Anathema, really. I had thought you were lost in the end. Let's start there: What really happened at the end of it all?"

"After I followed Fate's Thread into the Fallen Kingdoms?" Anna asks, striking a thoughtful pose. In truth she didn't need to consider the topic long, but didn't want to give away just how much she'd been dwelling on the issue.

"Well, the old needle led me straight to the heart of the Blight's presence on the tree. Gotta admit, I didn't think it'd be so easy. That's the artifacts of the Pantheon for 'ya I guess!" She chuckles some before continuing on. "The heart, then. I had some options. If we pooled our souls and broke down our artifacts into essence, we might have been able to cut the Blight off from the rest of the tree. That seemed like a temporary fix... even with the tree slowly developing immunity, having that thing hanging around like a tumor just didn't sound good to me. The alternative was to use that immunity that the tree invested in us, expending our lives to wipe the Blight out forever. I couldn't know how your battle with the feasters on the tree's heart was going, or whether you would be able to find your way to me without the Thread. Lysandre, Skeles, and Komatas were MIA or a statue, and thanks to the Pantheon you and Bezaleel had both died at least once apiece. I was the only one who could do it herself."

Anna let out a long sigh. "I defined my entire life around the Blight. My magic, my projects, my identity... when it was gone, I'd be adrift. I've never been to Eros but I could tell how much you care for your people, and Bezzy had his daughter to think about... I dunno... it just seemed like if we had to sacrifice our lives that I was the objectively correct choice. So I resigned myself to death, grabbed that infernal heart with all my divine essence, and tore the everloving crap out of it the whole way down to Styx with me. At some point, I must have... crossed essences with it? I didn't think it would matter, but as it turns out, my calculation of how many lives I would expend in the process was off by one."

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Her next words are a little shaky. "I lived. That wasn't supposed to happen."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:59, Mon 22 Apr 2019.

Theadeacus contemplated what would be the best response before turning slightly and looking off into space.

"You're right Anathema. I do care about my people. Very deeply. I am their god which makes me responsible for their safety and their happiness."

He placed his hand on Anathema's shoulder, squeezing it slightly as if concerned she might disappear if he let go.

"But I care for you just as much. You are my friend and I love you. Please value your life more. I don't want to be here with you."

Anna gasped softly as she felt the squeeze on her shoulder. After a moment's hesitation she reaches up and gingerly puts a hand over Deekin's, rests her head on their joined digits and closes her eyes.

"At least it's over now," she muses softly. "There's peace on the tree. I am... eager, to see all that we've saved. I am sure there are many beautiful sights out there waiting to be discovered. I would love to see Eros."

Anna drums her fingers on Deekin's as her thoughts churn. A thought comes to her that makes her eyes snap open again. She raises her head and turns to face Deekin properly, looking him up and down appraisingly.

"Will you have a child with me?" she asks, abruptly. When she realizes what she's said her cheeks start to glow, but she doesn't try to redact the question.

Theadeacus was taken back by the sudden question, his hand loosing its grip and retreating slightly. The normally composed and emotionally conservative god blushed which on his pallor skin looked like aged bruises. Still his embarrassment faded soon after and he stammered into speech.

"That is...um. A most serious proposal Anathema. I must admit I have not given much thought to children since Bezaleel had his own daughter."

He was silent for a moment searching for an answer within himself.

"Why me?" was the question that escaped his lips.

"Surely there are more powerful gods to have a child with. Bezaleel himself has proven a capable warrior and Ulfur held his own in the duel."

Anna nods slightly with a faint acknowledging hum.

"I trust your judgement," she says, simply. "That is much more than I can say for most on this tree. I barely know Ulfur, I'm not a hundred percent on whether he is even real. Bezaleel... may be capable, but his capacity for poor decision making rivals my own at times."

She looks away. "Anyways, no need to answer right away! I need to make sure my condition won't cause any complications. No sense repeating that circus with Ophelia."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:14, Wed 24 Apr 2019.

Theadeacus remembered what he had recently learned about Ophelia and Bezaleel and understood Anathema's apprehension all too well. Still he appreciated the compliment on his judgement. That said there was still a nagging piece of information.

"I thank you for your belief in my judgement and I hope that in light of that you will understand why I must ask you to inform me of something before we continue."

He looked Anathema squarely in her eyes.

"Why have you not spoken to me of this secret magic? I will not speak its name but I am aware of its existence and the being you have charged with guarding its secrets."

"Mhm?" Anna cocks her head at the Serious Eyes being directed at her.

She tilts her head the other way, casually scratching at her cheek with one nail. "You mean the Deep Magic of Taeltresin?" she asks, shrugging slightly with her shoulders. "I don't know... it didn't come up in conversation I guess. It is incredibly dangerous, capable of causing irreparable damage to the tree if mishandled. It was my intention to spread the viese throughout the world tree so that they could use Deep Magic to repair the Blight's damage. Little helper fairies, haha..."

She frowns, cocking her head one way and the other as she considers between the lines. "Its existence is not a secret, but I am trying to regulate its use to those I know can handle it..." She looks back to Deekin. "Is my guardian attacking you? I can call it off..."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Fri 26 Apr 2019.

Theadeacus' expression went flat.

"Anathema. You can't honestly think that I believe that. I still remember the day we gathered to form the new Pantheon and I was tasked with perfecting our magical knowledge. I find it difficult to believe that you simply failed to mention it, especially given your keen intellect."

Theadeacus sighed slightly.

"But I can understand your hesitation to share knowledge of such a potentially dangerous power with me, even if I am slightly wounded by the fact. All the same I am in no danger of our creature as of yet. We won't be engaging in that magic; not for any time into the forseeable future."

Gathering himself he spoke again.

"Now that we have resolved that I suppose I should give your proposal its due diligence in thought. We are headed into a dangerous time and a child could be a boon and burden. If we were to have them which world would they be raised on?"

Anathema expression now competes to express sheepishness and confusion. "W-well, I'm glad one of us remembers? Ahaha... ha... ahh..."

She genuinely didn't remember anything about forming any new Pantheon. She knew they were taking some measures of defense against the existing Pantheon should their admittedly poor judgement turn them into outright enemies but the idea of a new Pantheon was eluding her at the moment. If this was a plan they had formed together then nothing much must have come of it what with the Blight occupying a majority of their attention.

Anna shook those thoughts away. "It was not my intention to withhold Deep Magic from you," she says. "You are the only other god I'd trust with its secrets, so... just say the word."

Now that the conversation has moved on, Anna switches gears.

"What with my being on my last life and all, I would be much more comfortable knowing that if something happens to me that someone exists who could take care of Arthos when I am gone. I am intending to birth an heir so the obvious choice would be to raise her on Arthos, but... hm..." She pauses, striking a cute thoughtful pose with a finger on her cheek. "I am intending to embark on a (much belated) tour of the realms in the near future and may not return to my realm for quite some time. I have people I would trust with her care but I would feel much better with her in another god's custody. Being versed in another realm's culture could be beneficial in giving her another viewpoint, but could also backfire; as I understand it Eros has a fairly militaristic culture while Arthos is more a place of peaceful cooperation. So, given all the above, I think... hm..."

Anna sips her recently-refilled grape juice, a look of intense thought on her face. "Ideally, I think I would like her raised on Eros with someone from Arthos that I trust watching over her. I think I know just the right person for the job. If you decide you want to train in Deep Magic, you can bring her to Arthos with you while you study; my people have largely surpassed me so it would be better to learn from them. This all assuming of course that she is not born with a realm of her own to govern... I do not think that will be the case, but this is unexplored territory for both of us."

She cocks her head. "So those are my thoughts. What're yours?"

Theadeacus considered Anathema's response carefully and formulated his own.

"I believe that what you have proposed makes the most sense. A new divinity would find Eros most hospitable. The Aso are an advanced and orderly people who have demonstrated time and again their ability to repulse foreign invasions. I also believe that bringing the Arosian will prove to be a boon for not only the child but for both our peoples."

"As for there own realm, if it should exist, it should remain in our stewardship until such a time as they are ready to assume control. It would do that Realm no benefit to have their divinity repeat the actions of the previous generation of born gods."

He turned then to look at Anathema.

"I accept your offer Anathema. Let us have a child together."