The Heart of Taeltresin

Situated 'beneath' the Valley Divine and above the Fallen Kingdoms, the core of the Tree is brilliant with intensity - every color like fresh paint, and every feeling the first you've felt, every taste an explosion, every sound harmonized and clarified.

Taking the form of a forest saturated with magic, trees of every description fused and intertwined, magic is greatly enhanced here. Many a divine has lost a life to errant experimentation, and rituals of catastrophic power have been conducted here.

With the Blight gone, the heart of the tree is returning to it former self, colors slowly brightening hour by hour. Strange women called Norns make this place their home, and woe betide any caught sleeping within this dreamlike wood . . .

Locations of Interest

Rabbit Hole: a secret exit from the Realm Supernatural, found by Anathema.

The Well of Fate: The heart of the heart of Tael-tresin, fiercely guarded; the original 'wishing well'.

Sólkerfislón: The fortress of the three fates that determine the destiny of mortals and also a well of souls that draws them up from the Netherworld, defended by the Norns.

Looking at Ophelia, he gazed out at the forest. Fresh memories of the battle and loss of Anathema having happened here. Closing his eyes he then opened them, speaking, "We shall go to the fortress of the fates. Warn them of the coming danger. Are you ready? We may meet opposition here by it's guardians.

Through a pall of shadow against a great boulder steps Bezaleel and his daughter, the Goddess of Harvest.

Lucky for them, it is night within the Realm Supernatural, and starlight shimmers in pools and pillars. Strange bird calls echo through the night, and no enemies are in sight.

Ophelia's eyes turned gold. "There's a military here. A fortress, and a number of beings with divine power. Marilla is here, and three other gods, allied to her. One is particularly powerful, the others are of Neonate or Ancillae rank. They are opposed by another faction, which holds the fortress. There are 600 of her servitors and 120 god-touched warriors of various mortal races.

"How fast can you move? They're seven leagues from us, west by northwest."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:53, Thu 24 Jan 2019.

Bezaleel smirked, "Sounds like it will be fun. I can fly and travel through anything in the way. Between my strength and speed. I can get close in bounds and leaps. Meet me there. We will sneak upon them. I'll raise an army of Shadows and beasts to my fullest extent. Fill them with souls, then make a second army that will last only a day. You and I both will deal with the stronger one together. Other than that, identify the Gods, be cautious. We will get them with assassination techniques. We are outnumbered. I'll have your back against one if you have mine. Stay close so I can watch out for you."

Going into his wraith form, he dropped into the ground, flying as fast as he could. Ready to start the fight. Setting his plan into action. Creating enough units to run on positive energy made by shadows. They were all made of Shadow-metal, armored and equipped with shields and longswords. Then using Ophelia's to change their material from shadow in the case of positive energy negatively affecting it.

OOC: -4000 souls.

Finishing the creation of that part of the army. He began with his monsters and beasts, extending his powers as far as he could until he hit the soft limit on numbers.

After promptly getting everything ready. Bezaleel smiled. Flying high above the ground behind the army. Cracking his fingers, he made a violin, one that would reverberate the sound. As it floated in the sky, darkness drifted off of it like smoke. Only lit by the moonlight. Below the forest, exhaled fogs of darkness, washing over the fields.

Floating in the sky, Bezaleel flew to it, whisked a bow to play with. A smile cracked on his face as he promptly began to play a short serenade for Ophelia, and the deaths of their enemies. This being something he would have the most fun doing since he has awoken originally. As the sound carried through the night and the more silent back lines.

As it finished, he signaled the entire army to swim across from the forest behind them into their ranks. Beginning the carnage. At the tole of a loud bell.

Talking to himself some before flying into the field. "Guess I am one for dramatics as well" he chuckled lightly. Dropping into the battle, slaying mortals by the swaths.

Raising all who die within the area of his powers to raise them under him as undead. Using their own numbers against them as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:47, Thu 24 Jan 2019.

From his position in the air, Bezaleel got a better look at the lay of the land.

The three lesser gods were conducting an elaborate magical ritual, protected by Marilla's servitors; the god-touched mortals were under the command of the more powerful god, who appeared to be little more than a vermilion robe fluttering in the wind, like a flag on a pole.

Your armies rose at your bidding - 4000 souls translated into 80 umbral knights, backed up by ten swarms of hungry shadowlings - perhaps a hundred in total, if you were going for quantity over quality. (each shadowling, you felt, was bout five souls worth of power, and the present limit of your ability to freely conjure without taxing effort was 500 souls. Either ten shadowling swarms, ten powerful shadows, or calling your own shadow to fight alongside you as a heroic-tier entity; no telling how Leech's presence in your shadow would affect that last one.)

Under cover of darkness and with the element of surprise, your troops crashed into the servitors, tearing fifty of them to bits before they could respond. then battle was joined.

You were among the melee, driving the point of the wedge through the servitor's lines, who only barely slowed you down. However, they were able to slow you enough that you only had just broken through when the trio of gods responded.

The ritual went off - a little earlier than expected, resulting in backlash that was shared between the three gods - and a massive flash of light and positive energy blew your shadows apart and sent your knights flying backwards, albeit mostly unhurt; they were powered by positive energy, after all.

A hemispherical shimmering wall of elemental light, positive energy, and physical force shielded the the three gods and the greater deity from your interference, and being shoved away by the shield did light damage to you - although you could feel that your unnaturally quick daughter was invisibly present just behind the wall. She'd focused entirely on penetrating the defenses, not bothering to engaging any enemies along the way.

With a happy note, you realized she was borrowing your ability to turn ethereal, as you'd been borrowing her ability to learn quickly.

With a satisfying snap and a flaring of forge-light, she broke the neck of one of the three gods maintaining the ritual, then was gone again.

Darkness again covered the battlefield, with only three narrow areas clear of your influence, created by the auras of the three gods.

Ophelia was beside you. "Change of plans. Big god is engaging the guardian Norns; support them, I'll focus on disrupting the lesser gods, keep them from countering you. I'll get your back if things go south on your end."

=
Gods:
Antideath: 10/10
Deflection: 4/10, neck broken
Light: 10/10
Blood: 10/10

Harvest: 10/10
Shadows: 9/10

Troops:
Servitors: 500
God-Touched: 120

Shadowlings (flood): 9/10, regenerating
Umbral Knights: 75

Clashed back by the light the flew back from the shield.

Placing a hand on his chest he placed enough positive energy into himself to heal. A smile broke on his face as Ophelia ruined the ritual, breaking the neck of one of them.

Bezaleel nodded, "Don't do anything rash. If you find yourself out numbered retreat then re-engage. Flare if it gets bad. I'll immediately assist you. The guardian norns are used to dealing with deities. Hit the one who you broke the neck of. She will an easier target now. Keep the forces against theirs. They should handle themselves for the most part."

Slinking into the ground, Bezaleel took his way straight to the stronger god. He would catch her off guard from underneath.

As he flew up from the ground ethereal, he set his body aflame, gripping them with shadows, he flew straight through the body of the deity burning their insides and out as he did.

Turning around in the air he kept himself ethereal and covered in flames. Kicking off a shadow forming under his foot he dove into combat with them holding his kusari-gamas in each hand.

The flames of his body flickered as he clashed. "Greetings, I'm Bezaleel."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:55, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure, Shadowgod. Why exactly are you interfering? What do you stand to gain, here?"

Twin auras flared from the blood god, one of light and one of force. You were within the force aura, trapped by it, and the light stripped away your shadows, leaving your bare.

The blood god was just . . blood. The red flowed from the hood, leaving it pristine and white; and within the cloak was a humanoid torso and face, at least, the flowing-blood facsimile of of one. He drove tendrils of his own sanguine essence into yours, draining the lifeforce from your soul, even as you tore at his own with masterful skill. He was recovering just slightly slower than you could damage him, but your incremental progress wouldn't be enough to stop him from draining you dry first.

Meanwhile, Ophelia cut the legs from the Deflection god, appearing briefly before she was gone again. The other two goddess - Marilla, and the Goddess of Light - were back to back. Marilla opened a portal while the Light goddess grabbed the unconscious Deflection god, dragging them through.

Ophelia would be on her way to assist you next; between your forces and the Norns, without the trio of lesser gods the forces they'd left behind wouldn't be enough to take the fortress.

"It seems my associates were more self-serving than I gave them credit for. Interesting,"

Bezaleel: 7/10
Blood: 8/10
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:54, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

Bezaleel spoke as he continued his striking. It would be some time before he was drained or made a super meaningful impact on the God of Blood, deciding while his other powers weren't of use in the light while his essence was being attacked directly he came to persuasion, "A pleasure indeed. Please, call me by Bezaleel. You are not lesser than I nor a mortal. I didn't catch your name, Bloodgod."

Answering their question, he continued, "Mainly I stand to gain things I kill, dying. As well as them becoming Undead. Besides massive boredom as well. Marilla thought leading a host in my realm wouldn't affect me wanting to be her Ally, but it has lead to her undoing. She is an example to any who would tread upon me or my people."

While, shadows would be of no use to him. His ethereal state stopped his being and items from being touched or interfered with. That was the only thing keeping him on the playing field.

Bezaleel wanted to test something. Without stopping his assault, he threw his right Kusari-gama through the blood god into the cloak, snagging it he extended his being of phase to it. Grasping the chain with his hand he yanked it back to himself. Catching the hilt of the sickle. Seeing if the cloak was an extension of his being or an item he could rob from him.

"Was this your plan or did you really let the nats pull you around? They could care less about you, you should have seen that the moment they came to you. A shame you find that out now."

Bezaleel's eyes opened some, "My plans are to naw on the others' bones and drink their blood. I have no reason to Ally with you, but I see no reason to make an enemy out of you aside from this fight. You have done me no wrong. With your allies gone, you've lost this battle and fight. They flee from us on sight even with you here."

"You help us get into their realms and inform us of what powers you know that they have. I'll take care of the rest from there."

Dissapating into flame Bezaleel shifted away from the tendrils. Holding his weapons in hand ready to re-engage. "Do we have a deal? Or shall this be a fight to the death."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:38, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

"We may have a partial deal."

He lowered his auras, and returned to the ground. "Bezaleel it is, then. I am called Ichor. The three offered me quite the handsome price for my assistance in gaining entry to this fortress - I have consumed each of them. Quite the time to be alive, when the prey leaps into your mouth, isn't it?"

"I am bound by old laws, and cannot betray my employers, even if I knew of their realms. I may freely inform you of the abilities I gained from them, however. The two auras - one of which creates a protective globe of force, and another that radiates shadow-banishing supernatural light - as well a curious little ability to detect the means in which another being may die, from the little Antigod."

Ophelia appeared near you. "Hello, Ichor. I am Ophelia, his daughter. Are you part of the Pantheon?"

Ichor maintain a neutral face and tone. "Which Pantheon? I have known many. I can't say that I'm aware of any specific group going by that title; I have only recently awoken."

He inclined his read respectfully. "Do mind that beast blood of yours. Quite voracious." He opened a portal, and departed.

When he was gone, Ophelia drew in a deep breath.

"I think he was playing nice because he knew I was going to back you up. My eyes said he was of Baalkant rank, but he had no artifacts with him. Or weapons. Do you think that cloak was just soaked in his blood, and not even really him?"

She shouldered her scythe. "I think we should go. The Norns are going to be like a hive of angry bees, and I don't think they'll stop to hear our excuses for being here once they clear through the remaining forces of the trio. Maybe we should talk to the Pantheon?"

Bezaleel nodded in understanding, "That is good enough for me, Ichor. It'd be nice if they would lay out ready for consuming. I can't say I wouldn't have passed that up myself."

Bezaleel cocked his head, his ears shifted as well. "That is quite the curious ability indeed."

Looking at Ophelia, he spoke in some agreement, "We can use this actually. Marilla and the other godling left their people to die. Why not recruit them, they won't feel so loyal to them now I suppose having been abandoned. Leave Marilla's servitors to be dealt with by the Norns.
"

"We can bring it up to the Pantheon. But you already informed your mother yes? She should already have extended that information you gave. Maybe they will give me a portal to their realm to deal with them personally. Yes, I suppose we shall talk to them.

Flying above the sky, Bezaleel stretched his voice with divine energy to all below, "Your patrons, your deities, your creators have abandoned you here to die needlessly. They ran from a fight they started, dragged you poor souls into it, then left you to die without putting up a fight themselves!! For what cause!? Your deaths? Lay down your arms and come with me! I shall grant you safe haven, in open arms!! I shall present to you my gift upon your entry in my realm!"

Using the shadows he created paths and openings between Marilla's servitors, allowing the mortals to drain into the forest with his Umbral Knights. Using the shadowlings to keep the line. After that he swooped in, picking up Ophelia. Leading them all away.

Ophelia echoed you, using her own (far less intimidating) appearance to lend credence to your goodwill. Given their only other choice was death or remaining in the strange wonderland forever, the remaining 100 god-touched warriors followed your umbral knights willingly.

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