OOC:

Here's how this goes. Both of you give me your actions in private lines in this thread, and then I post the results of your actions. This keeps the second poster from having the advantage of being able to respond to what the first poster does.

Setting:

Both of you are one mile apart, and can detect the general direction of your opponent. You each begin in a clearing about the size of a house. Surrounding you is dense temperate woodlands. It's night with with a moon, so you can see strong outlines in a clearing but not color; while under dense tree cover, it's pretty much straight-up darkness.

Neither of you have artifacts, nor can magic be used or any means of conjuring assistance, including mythcrafting. This includes your power to summon shadow units, Bezaleel.

Gotcha!

[Private to The Empress: Bezaleel sensed Ulfur's direction. Assuming his wraith form he moved to the side in the forest. Deciding to close the distance he took off in a hurried speed. Keeping his eyes open to defend any incoming attack. If coming closer he covers his form in shadow and stealths.]

Noted

[Private to GM:
Activate his Shroud power, with blackened steel for stealth if possible and move to the edge of the clearing, preferably behind cover

Do I know of any limits on how often his Eruption power can be used? If it is not limited, then Activate it three times a hundred yards out from this clearing, in an arc so as to cause three magma upwellings in three sections cleared by the pyroclastic blasts

Are any aspects of the other Ulfur available?
]

Near Ulfur's starting positon, three eruptions of magma clear a forward-facing semicircle of forest, leaving behind a moat of magma and setting the forest ablaze.

Bezaleel proceeds with stealth, remaining hidden but covering a half the distance to Ulfur, who had announced his approximate position with the fires, though Ulfur had yet to be spotted by Bezaleel.

[Private to Ulfur Tellurii: None of your dream-self's abilities are available.]

Blooop

[Private to Gm: Seeing the fires, Bezaleel stayed in his wraith form. Instead he flew higher into the air, using the shadows to keep him hidden along with the smoke.

Once catching eye of Ulfur. Bezaleel will use Ulfur's own shadows in layers of his armor and clothes to strangle his movement with bladed hooks expanding on his body forcing itself to go up into his nose.]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:20, Mon 04 Feb 2019.

Ulfur watched the fire take for a moment, knowing the acrid smoke would have little effect on the God of Shadows even as he wondered if it might channel his options

[Private to GM: Circling left and towards Bazaleel's starting point, Ulfur seeks out a borderlands between the charred clearings left by the fire and heat, the magma itself, and the dense cover. He is unconvinced that the God of Shadows will be hampered in his perception in any way, so seeks somewhere where his squat form can wait in stillness, ready to pounce. If Bezaleel appears, he will hurl himself towards him, feinting with the axe to try and shatter his weapons]

There was a long stealthy stalemate, and as minutes passed the fire spread further, engulfing half the area with the aid of the wind. Ulfur was forced to move from his position frequently to keep out of the flames, and this gave Bezaleel the edge.

Ulfur felt the darkness within his armor coalesce into rending claws and biting teeth, tearing at his hardy body - blood soaking into his clothing.

Ulfur: 8/10
Bezaleel: -10/10
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:16, Thu 07 Feb 2019.

Bezaleel's eyes tightened, watching his prey move. A slight fanged smile broke on his face. He wondered the possibilities of a trap being sprung on him.

[Private to GM: Bezaleel dropped from the air, diving with his Kusari-Gama. Ready to deal a hard fatal blow to Ulfur. As he fell he tethered his control of the shadows to further restrict Ulfur's movement and then rip apart violently flaying their grasp of him.]

"Just let me strike you once", growled Ulfur, "You slippery fish"

[Private to GM:
If Ulfur can see Bezaleel then full frontal assault; if he cannot, then pyroclastic eruptions at the four cardinal points around him, say 50 ft away and as dispersed and widespread as he can make the wind, but as minimal and narrow as he can make the magma. His intent is to stun or knock down the God of Shadows long enough that he can engage him God-on-God. His theory is that he is relatively close by, to use his powers
]

Bezaleel dives from the air to slay Ulfur while maintaining his shadowy assault on Ulfur's person. Ulfur, unable to locate Bezaleel, calls up four intense eruptions with a focus on generating a blastwave of superheated air.

The bid is successful, catching Bezaleel only partially by surprise, as he had suspected a trap; he is only moderately damaged before turning ethereal and continuing through his dive to engage Ulfur is direct combat with his twin chain-sickles.

Belatedly, Ulfur discovers that centering himself within the blastwave of all four eruptions was not perhaps his brightest idea; he is surrounded on all sides by lava now, and the force of his own windblast deafens and stuns him for the round.

Ulfur: 3/10
Bezaleel: -8/10

What looked like a smile stretched upon Bezaleel's wraith form. "You singed me a bit, I'll give you that. I'm no fish though.

[Private to GM: Switching into ethereal form, he ignited himself with dark flames as he leapt through Ulfur with his kusari-gama chain hanging behind him along with a wave of shadow.

Turning himself corporeal behind him, he bound Ulfur to his own back with the chain, sandwiching him between the dark fire and shadows.]

Gritting his teeth against the surprising force of Bezeleel's strikes, Ulfur nonetheless refused to yield

[Private to GM:
Attempting a multi-layered defence:

1. Experimentally try to flex his Divine Aura, firstly with the solidity of the Mountain and then with the chill of it's high passes, feeding it Souls if needed
   
2. Activate his Earthmold power, flinging up arcs of earth and stone to impede Bezaleel's options or force him to be solid only in known restricted places
   
3. Activate his Eruption power, on it's lowest setting, targeting those places where Bezaleel has his opportunity to be solid when he moves through them. Basically build a skein of stone in the metre or two around him
   
4. Continue to make use of his Earthmold power, nudging at Bezaleel's weapons with his feet, elbows, hands, whatever and whenever he touches them fray the chains, warp the blades or otherwise impede them. Partly this is to disarm him, but partly it is to try and rob them of their force by turning that into a molding action
   
5. Finally, strike out with his own hammer and axe, against targeting those places that represent his opportunity to be solid

Clearly his Shroud should still be Active; if not, Activate
]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:59, Fri 15 Feb 2019.

Bezaleel charges through Ulfur - or he would have, if Ulfur's mountainous aura and the metaphysical properties of the Mountain God's mineral shroud hadn't prevented Bezaleel from passing through the other deity.

The divine energy that fuels Ulfur's eruptions manages to damage Bezaleel to a limited extent even while incorporeal, and Bezaleel is otherwise caught by surprise and forced to retreat from the fortress of shaped clay and stone that Ulfur formed around himself.

Ulfur: 3/10
Bezaleel: -7/10
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:41, Tue 19 Feb 2019.

Bezaleel blinked as he backed up. "I see. Interesting indeed, you have definitely caught me by surprise."

[Private to GM: He was curious if he could control the darkness within Ulfur's shell or if there was a gap between the shell and Ulfur. Willing the shadows within to explode and contract with blades all over within. Using these few moments. Bezaleel forced the field to be filled with inky and foggy shadows. Blanketing the area in darkness. Preparing for the fight to continue.]

With a smile, Ulfur cocked his head, "Our natures make us predictable sometimes"

[Private to GM:

Ulfur continues to reinforce his Divine Aura with his Mountain nature.

From within his protective shell he hurls his axe at Bezaleel, hoping that the mundane attack will either land, dodge down a predictable path, or encourage him to become ethereal.

If he dodges, he will open a strength 2 Eruption beneath where he moves to.

If he becomes ethereal, a strength 3 directly below where Bezaleel stands.

With both of these options he will rely on the stone shell to protect him from the blast itself, and follow up with using his Earthmold to 'lift' lips of earth to either side, to channel the lava where Bezaleel stands or may move from.

If Bezaleel closes, he will strike him with his hammer
]

Ulfur awkwardly hurled an axe at Bezaleel, who casually turned ethereal to evade it - only to be singed by an eruption beneath his feet. The divine destructive energy still hurt Bezaleel a bit, even while ethereal.

Meanwhile, Bezaleel cloaked the area in shadow, blinding Ulfur. Sharp shadowy claws tore at Ulfur within his armor, partially mitigated by Ulfur's shroud.

Ulfur: 2/10, Blind
Bezaleel: -6/10

Bezaleel spoke, "I commend you on what you've done thus far. I must admit I am surprised. You've done better than a few gods I've fought already. But, it is time we end this."

The field was mostly in his control now, all but his eruptions.

[Private to Gm: Dashing back out of the field of Shadows where he would most likely get attacked. As he dashed back and waited for Ulfur to make the first move, as soon as he did. Bezaleel would send forth his Kusari-gamas and shadow doubles from behind him. Flaying him with the blades. In an execution if possible.]

Ulfur smiled, his eyes wintry and full of steel like the high peaks, "Let us end it then"

[Private to GM: Full strength eruption with a base wide enough to cover both of them, centred between them and broader to account for Bezaleel moving away. Attempting to force a technical draw]

The match reached a catastrophic conclusion as Ulfur poured all of his might into one last explosion; the earth quaked, the ground rose and split, and a geyser of holy magma immolated both gods.

Ulfur: 0/10. Unconscious.
Bezaleel: -1/10

The blast was heat and light and stone, weakening Bezaleel's shadows slightly, and hot enough to destroy Ulfur utterly . .  were it not for his shroud, which deflected enough damage to leave him alive . . if at death's door, and Bezaleel's mercy.


Bezaleel is victorious.

This thread had been moved to Archive, revealing private lines, to allow a full understanding of the fight for spectators.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:42, Wed 13 Mar 2019.