Phthia is a world simultaneously experiencing the seasons of the spring, autumn, and winter. Colorful blooms are seen everywhere, burgeoning through the permafrost, heedless of the foot of snow that forever burdens the ground and the trees - willows and maples mostly, but fruit and nut trees continually provide their bounty also.

This a sunless realm - everything here is luminous, the snow reflecting the light of unseen flowers hidden beneath the snow, the trees casting amber hues of red and gold, and twinkling stars of every color fill the cloudless skies.

There is only one bastion of civilization in the entire realm, built within the shade of gigantic evergreens - The Sanctuary of Myriel.

The upper manor-house is well appointed, and the people of the realm - the Myrmidon - live in a vast underground network below, like a strange colony of ants, leaving their home only to forage.

Today is Myriel's birthday, and her people have gathered strands of flowers in every color to weave into strands of gentle lights, which now festoon the manor.

Areas of the Sanctuary:

Feasting Hall - the main area, with food suitable for any palate.

Parlor - the southern entryway, where Gods first appear when they portal in.

Autumn Court - the western court, dominated cherry blossom trees and host to a botanical spice garden.

Spring Court - eastern court of the manor is an artificial glade, complete with a gentle stream of water.

Winter Court - warmed by five bonfires, this walled enclosure is just past the exterior gate of the Sanctuary.

A unique trait of this realm is that you may be in multiple places at once, so long as each instance of yourself is in a different area of the Sanctuary. In this way, you may have multiple private conversations while at the same time speaking openly in the Feasting Hall. Additional instances should be clearly demarcated within the same post, and displayed in the Hall / Parlor / Autumn Court / Spring Court / Winter Court order.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:50, Sat 05 Jan 2019.

Caerden Reveler

Through the velvet drapeway was a beautiful room, fine marble tiles warmed by magic covered with plush carpeting. The walls were crystalline - within them were countless treasures, as well as seemingly everyday items - children's toys next ornate pistols, wreaths of flowers next to pots of hideously expensive incense.

The fragrant scent of myrrh underwrote cooking meat and fresh-baked bread from the feasting hall ahead.

Soft pastel hues of green, blue, purple, and pink were abundant, worked into frescoes on the ceiling and mosaics set into the floors of other rooms that exited the parlor you were now in.

There were many others already arrive - mostly human, but some not so. A large black wolf with luminous eyes was laying at the feet of a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in tailored sable-on-rose breeches with a matching doublet, bearing a crest badge over her right breast - a cherry tree argent with blossoms rose on a field azure.

Judging by how many of the other gods were near her or within earshot, she was the hostess.

She spotted you, hopped over the black wolf, and broke into a completely undignified sprint, tackling you with a hug. Luckily, she was all of a hundred pounds, and hardly made you move back a step.

"Caerden! You came!" She released you. "You're the first of the Virtù de Luna to arrive! Most of these Divines are Virtù Della Valle and didn't have to come as far. Feel free to mix! There's a few hundred guests that will still be arriving - dignitaries, scholars of my particular interest, courtiers, enemies, you know."

She looked at your right shoulder. "You brought Xixi? How is she? I thought you two would get along great - congratulations on getting hitched." She reached out to scratch Xixi behind the ears, who purred softly in your ear.

Pallav arrived just then - a time delay across the worlds, probably. He was immediately engaged by a transparent woman - some kind of ghost? - who was asking after his wife, Yami, the Queen of the Dead.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:26, Sat 05 Jan 2019.

"I could hardly decline such a gracious offer." Caerden said with a bow. "Lord Caerden Remad, it's a pleasure to meet you. "I presume you are our hostess, Myriel? Thank you for your hospitality." Caerden offered, then allowed the ebb and flow of the party to carry him away, it would not do to try and monopolize the hostess upon first meeting her.

Letting himself drift through the party, Caerden took stock of his fellow guests and to get a measure of who exactly he was sharing his food and drink with. His brief trip to the Realm of Skies had been a wise foray, it had already opened his eyes to how different each world was, but he was still inexperienced in this arena of godly politics.

[Private to The Empress: Caerden will be using his ability to see the wants and desires of the various guests to start getting a feel for what exactly it was that motivated gods. He'll pay particular attention for anyone that is seeking appreciation or acknowledgement, for such things are easy to grant and the rewards for such an easy boon could be great.]

Caerden Reveler

Your mind stuttered, attempting to take in too much information at once, before adapting to the circumstances. You felt Xixi's influence, assisting your innate divinity in expressing itself in a way you could perceive. She whispered secrets in your ear, bearing the weight of your divine senses and processing them into something bearable to a mortal body.

[Private to Caerden Reveler: Many of the gods wanted knowledge more than anything - the secrets of the enemies and their next moves. Their desires were dark - death, power, true immortality. A few of them were different - a goddess is a dress of silver leaves wanted to find her mother, a god in ceremonial lacquered armor was looking for sword call 'Cvelant', and a being cloaked in fragant smoke wanted to create a narcotic strong enough to affect him. And then, yes - there were many, many lesser gods looking to make friends and connections here, knowing their lands were easy pickings without a pantheon or patron to protect them.

Curiously, the hostess had the strangest mess of desires - so many desires, it was hard to make them out. She desired death, she desired to grow - she desired to kill, and wished nothing more than to never kill again. She wanted a world of order, and a world of freedom. Every desire she had was split and confused. Except for one, that burned hotter than all the others - the safety of her children. And even that, was matched with her desire to avenge herself.

Pallav's desires were extremely clear - ensure the continued functioning of the Realm of Skies; and protect the hostess. He was a lord first, and a knight second.

The only person who's desire were entirely opaque was the wolf's. To your divine senses, she was nonexistent - a void in space.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:20, Mon 07 Jan 2019.

Caerden smiled, nodded and noted. Despite the strange attire and look of many of the guests in attendance the underlying nature of gods was not so different from mortals. Everyone had wants and needs. And then there was the host. She seemed pleasant enough, but... powers be shew as a mad thing. So many conflicting desires. Caerden made a note to steer widely of her. If what Xixi had said was true, she was the most powerful creature about and she was clearly wildly unstable.

So Caerden went to the lesser gods, he smiled, he bowed, he expressed delight and fascination with their stories and talk of their lands (And most of it was genuine, this was all still so very strange to him) Caerden worked to collect the names of some of these less influential members of the gathering and what lands they might hail from. Through them he tactfully inquired about who the goddess in the silver leaves might be or the one who wore strange smokes.

Caerden Reveler

Charming as you were, you had fully seven of the godlings eating from your hand before the hour was out.

Erenia, Goddess of Streams;
Annibale, Goddess of Wine;
Baldovino, God of Horses;
Filomeno, God of Humiliation;
Cupido, God of Purity;
Zena, Goddess of Cereals;
and Sostrato, God of Theatre.

All of them had estates within the Valley Divine, rather than their own Moons. Your own status - loudly announced by the Hostess, probably intentionally - as a Virtu de Luna was ample enough to make you a desirable ally to these lesser gods.

The goddess with silver leaves was Ackerlea, Lady of Sacred Groves. Her mother, Ardyne, was the Deity of Wildfire and had been missing for some months.

The narcotic seeker was Rohypnos, Lord of Spiders and Drugs. It took awhile to find out about him, but he was a Virtu de Luna, like you, and regarded as powerful. The smoke was magic that disguised his true and horrible form, which involved the lower body of a great spider, allegedly.

Parlor

With a silent *pop*, Petra Filfeex appeared in the parlor, a small bag clutched in her hands. "Oh..." She murmured as she looked around the parlor, taking in the strange environment.

The sudden lack of Forterra's background resonance made her feel almost deaf and blind, but only for a moment.

Tucking away the name of each god and goddess like a coin in his pocket, Caerden made small talk. At the current moment he was chatting with Annibale. "So what does being a goddess of wine entail? I must admit, I'm only recently aware of my own status and I'm still coming to terms with what exactly it means to hold concepts as an area of dominion. I must have you visit my home some time, if your abilities mean that a glass never runs dry then you will be wildly popular."

"So you live in the Valley Divine? I've heard of the place. Is that your world then? If so then the pleasure is mine, I have heard your world spoken of in high regard."

The Parlor

Another part of Caerden had wandered off, unwittingly as it were, and while he was distantly aware of his conversation with the wine goddess, this other iteration found itself bumping into something quite unique amongst the party guests. Did that woman have... rabbit ears? She seemed out of sorts herself. "Hello there," he greeted the long eared woman, "have you just arrived as well? It's all a bit overwhelming isn't it? I am Caerden, "

The Autumn Court

Caerden Reveler

"Wine is more than just a drink - it is a story," she began. "The spirit of the land is impressed into the grape. The soil, the temperature, the wind, rain, the daily work of trimming the branches, inspecting each grape individually. To know wine is to know a place, a people, and a year." She smiled beautifully. "And wine is more than that. It is celebration, elegance, heritage - and also debauchery, bloodletting, poison and lunacy.

"But letting my enemies think I'm just a glorified waitress with a useless domain has its perks, hmm?

"The Valley Divine is beautiful - my estate is in the hot, parched Tarrekian range region. Wine must struggle to be any good, and the rest of the valley is far too lush."

The Parlor

Petra & Caerden

Caerden introduced himself to slightly bewildered Petra. Between themselves, there was an immediate sense they were of a kind - not similar, as such, but beings of greater power than the other Gods of the party - Virtu de Luna, Caerden knew, based on a similar feeling he had gotten when seeing Rohypnos.

"Oh, hello!" Petra made a small curtsy. "Yes, I just now app... arrived. It is very... unusual, I must agree. It is hard to remember the last time I was anywhere so... quiet." She glanced around the room curiously.

"Oh, apologies. My name is Petra." She curtsied again. "Petra of the Filfeex. Is... Is this sort of thing common?"

The sense she got from Caerden and the other guests, that they were alike each other in a way that they were different from the others was odd. This was surely something to do with what Amitoj had spoken of, of 'gods' and 'anima'. She had always know she was different from the regular Filfeex, but she had always attributed that to her union with the world's heart. The thought that she was in fact some completely other class of being was curious enough on it's own, but that there were other such beings was requiring a rapid re-adjustment of her assumptions. An adjustment that her mind was almost suspiciously adept at making.

The Autumn Court

"Beautifully put. Wine certainly has the power to transform a situation and is more flexible than I might have guessed, you have me convinced." Caerden said with a smile. "The nature of divinity is all still rather new to me. Perhaps you can enlighten me. As wine in all colors and flavors falls under your purview, does that mean you can look up out of every glass, or know the future of every cask that is to be consumed?"

"An estate you say? How did you come to dwell in the Valley Divine?"

The Parlor

"I haven't the faintest notion," Caerden replied to Petra with a kindly smile, "This is all new to me as well. This must be different from your world, I have yet to see any of quite the same stature as yourself, though I did see a cloud of smoke in another chamber. What is your own world like?"

The Parlor

"Hmm... I suppose it isn't too terribly different when I really consider it, though there certainly isn't anywhere quite like this back home. Still..." Petra walked over to tap a finger against the crystalline wall, then paused, seemingly listening to something for a moment. "It seems to be made of mostly the same sorts of things. Plants and dirt and rocks." She turned back to Caerden, smiling. "But then it is always the little details that make things special. My home, Forterra, is... peaceful, I suppose. Perhaps a bit more 'rustic' in some ways? I have not been anywhere else until now, so it is difficult to describe it."

Petra moved to the entrance to the feasting hall. "Have you already met our host? Perhaps you could introduce me?"

Dang, I guess my reply to this yesterday got eaten.

The Autumn Court

Caerden Reveler

"Perhaps. I have a degree of . .  clairvoyance. "Through the Grapevine," my ability is called. Where my wine is shared, I'm all ears. Shh, don't tell, hm?"

"All Gods are born within the Valley Divine . . save for the Virtu de Luna, such as yourself. We call ourselves High Gods . . . living in fortresses under armed guard with a company of mortals under our beck and call. It's nothing compared to having a Realm of your own, but city life has its perks." Annibale said as she sipped her pitch-black wine. "If you require lodging within the Valley, I would be pleased to lend you my townhouse. I rarely socialize with the Boledi of the valley . . . Mortals that treat Gods as if they were our equals are too difficult to stomach."

The Parlor

"You put it quite well, the details are what make up a thing," Caerden agreed with a smile. "And those details seem quite different the further I get away from home. And even within my own home I've discovering. How does the afterlife operate in your world? I thought I understood it back home, but I'm learning more and more these days that the world is full of mysteries waiting to be unraveled."

Paling a bit at Petra's suggestion to meet Myriel with her shifting and violent wants, Caerden shook his head and politely deferred, "I'm sure the hostess is around here somewhere, I'm not quite sure myself, normally I would be happy to make introductions, but as I hardly know her myself, it would properly be more proper to allow you to do so on your own."

The Autumn Court

Caerden smiled and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "Not to worry, our secrets are what keep us young." Letting the intimate talk of powers pass, he listened as she shared her living condition and he heard the small dissatisfaction that underlies her words. Dissatisfaction was like sand in the joints, it urged one to action. "What benefits to city life are there? From what I hear you saying, it sounds like one constant slight to be treated less than the station than you're owed. Even nobles demand honorifics and respect and I'm told we're something greater still than that being beings that shape lives and worlds at our whim. To be treated as something less is... simply offensive."

Sipping at his drink, he casually planted the seed of an idea, "No doubt there are other worlds that would be more welcoming of a lady of celebration, elegance and debauchery."

Petra

As you were talking with Caerden, the parlor became crowded for a minute as gods mixed between the areas. A few gods were so brusque as to come between the two of you, and Caerden disappeared from your view, perhaps lost in the crowd, yet . . . you felt the strange sense that you wouldn't see him again.

You were alone in the parlor, until a small woman in a tailored vest and trousers entered. She smiled. "Sorry I didn't greet you before! I got wrapped up. I'm Myriad, your hostess. It's nice for you come to my party, Petra; I'm glad you could make it. How fair your people?"

The Parlor

"The afterlife?" Petra seemed somewhat taken aback by the question, though not due to any offense taken. "Well, it's not~" She paused for a moment as the other gods bustled through, only to find Caerden missing once they cleared out. "Oh... well." She frowned for a moment. It had been a pleasant conversation, but perhaps it was time to venture further into the party to pay her respects to the hostess.

Or it would have been, if she hadn't shown up herself!

"Oh, I have taken no offense, lady." Petra curtsied politely. "I am very appreciative of your invitation. My people are well. Perhaps even more than just well in fact. It seems a time of great change is coming upon my home, but the changes have been good so far, and I shall ensure that they continue to be so."

Myriad bowed back slightly, acknowledging the courtesy. "I'm afraid the ebbs and flows of time have done you a disservice - you've only just arrived, and the party is already coming to an end." She smiled. "You are one of my Virtu de Luna, though. You are free to have your run of my home, and remain as long as you like. I believe some of the others will arrive eventually; I know Eris and Ulfur don't mix as well with crowds and didn't receive an invitation, and Aran is wrapped up with something in his realm and won't be along for some time,"

She smiled. "I'm sure you have questions, too. It's best that you learn some things on your own, but I'll answer questions that I don't see any harm in."

She settled into a chair in the parlor; a dark-furred wolf with golden eyes came from the room and laid at her feet. She scratched the wolf between its ears. "This is Ixchel, my guardian and dear friend. I may be an avatar of the universe, but I'm really quite helpless. I'd never be able to handle having a party without my dear friend. You can pet her, if you like?"

The other guests seemed to have left; some servants entered, petite like the hostess but strong in body, clearing away plates and party detritus.

[Private to Petra Filfeex: Your divine senses detect the subtle communication between Ixchel and Myriad; Myriad is socially anxious and Ixchel is adept at providing her security and emotional support.]

"It is quite alright. I had hoped to meet others while I was here, and I find myself satisfied with what I have managed." Petra stepped forward and knelt in front of Ixchel, cautiously reaching out a hand towards her flank. "I would love to." She ran her fingers through Ixchel's fur, delicately at first, then a little harder once she had ascertained the wolf's sturdiness and tolerance for a good scratch.

After a few moments of canine appreciation, Petra leaned her head down, angling an ear towards Ixchel as though listening to a sound only she could hear. She smiled softly. "I can tell that she is a good friend."

Petra rolled back on her heels, leaving Ixchel in peace as she looked back to Myriad. "You say that I am one of your Virtu de Luna. A trait I assume I share with Caerden? Can you perhaps elaborate on the significance of that for me? I have a sense that I hold an important place in some greater tapestry, but as of yet I have little idea what that tapestry looks like, or what my place in it might be."

The wolf's fur was thick and double-coated, but pleasant. The wolf trusted you because Myriad did, and relaxed into the attention, wuffing softly.

She considered your question.

"Without giving too much away, you're a goddess. However, you're also a place. All places of significance have some spirit to them. Annibale, Goddess of Wine, is the spirit of her estate, which includes extensive vineyards. You, petra, are the Goddess of Luck and Earth, and the spirit of Forterra given flesh. I'm sure that will make immediate sense to you, given your domains."

"I am the ocean, and many flow with my current. The rocks within the river each resist me in their own way, and worn by me in their own way, and perish in their own way. I do not consciously decide how this proceeds. I am just the river, and they are stone. Those are mortals.

"Virtu are those that can withstand the current - the fish. They still depend on me, but lead their own lives and have direction, a sense of purpose."

She reached out to you, gently touching your shoulder.

"And the greatest of the fish are those that learn to be amphibious. You are a Virtu de Luna because you were strong enough to assert your own reality, in defiance of my current. This is why you have your moon, or Realm, that is yours alone, and your own collection of rocks that bow to your current, and your own little fish that swim against it."

"That metaphor got convoluted, didn't it? But I hope that explained something."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:57, Tue 22 Jan 2019.

"It did." Petra pulled a chunk of yellowish-gold crystal out of the bag she'd been carrying since she arrived. "However much my realm may be separate from yours, I hope that our currents can travel in harmony. In that hope, and for your birthday of course, I would like to make you a gift. If you would give me a moment."

She held the chunk in one hand, and began scraping and tapping at it with her finger tips, chipping off tiny flecks of yellow crystal with each movement. "I hope that it does not upset you, but I could not help but notice your... unease?" Petra spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. The crystal was already beginning to take a recognizable shape as a stylized heart in the middle of... something.

"I do not know exactly how much you know of my home, but I assume that you are aware of how the Filfeex sense each others feelings? Usually, only comparatively strong feelings sing very loudly, whatever one is feeling in the moment. However, there is a deeper, quieter song beneath that. Only Filfeex that are very close to each other ever hear it, and it is wholly unique to each person."

The outer element of the piece took shape as well, a wolf, certainly intended to be Ixchel.

"Of course, the Filfeex are only unique in that their spirit-song is given such a distinct voice. Everyone has one."

The piece was almost done. Petra placed it on the floor, then gently placed one hand on Ixchel's forhead. She used the other to tap against the crystal in an irregular rhythm, knocking off the last few errant chips to reveal the shape beneath.

"This is for you." It was a mid-sized pendant of golden crystal, roughly two inches across, depicting a very good likeness of Ixchel curled protectively around a heart. It was subtle, but in the right light, the shape of a rabbit could be seen in the patterns of the wolf's fur.

"It holds a echo of Ixchel's song, with some notes of harmony from myself. It is not much, but I hope that it might provide you some comfort."

She smiled softly as she took the gift.

"How wonderful. Someday, I would love for you to journey into the Waking Night and meet Ixchel's true form."

She smiled again, smaller. "I don't have anything to give you in return, well. Not directly. But you have enabled me to use making a ripple in the river, if only for a moment."

A sense of another place came to you - a forgotten meeting-place, hanging in the air, alive with strange gods -

Continue Posting in the Forgotton Buoy, if you like.

"You have already given me far more than any custom could demand." Petra swept a hand above the floor, calling all the loose bits and fragments of crystal up in a glittering cloud, then gathering them into a little lump. "The wonderful ring you sent with your invitation, the invitation itself, and even more, knowledge of my place in this universe."

She smiled back. "I will look forward to such a meeting. You are welcome to visit Forterra whenever you like. Ixchel as well of course."

Petra curtsied again, taking a step back. "Still, I do not wish to overstay my welcome, and the party is well over. Thank you again for your hospitality. I hope we meet again soon!"

A rosy portal of sparkling sand swirled into existence behind her as she stepped back once more, leaving the Kaleidoscopic Sanctuary behind.