This is the In-Game thread...

Everyone be sure to post two concepts when you start, and if you want to declare one as your Chosen, don't forget to so declare.

''Where is she?!'' Zab mentally questioned, pacing back and forth under him and his sister's self-designated cliff ledge. Enko, his twin, had been several hours having left at sunset it was quite dark and getting colder by the minute, Zab halted his dithering to glare into the immense black outside his shelter.
''Ach! What am I worrying for, she'll be back,'' the young man grumbled, plonking onto the fur heap. Several more minutes passed and Zab's reconsideration of his earlier statement when the sound of scrambling and huffing from below reached Zab's ears.
A skinny and wild-haired looking form which would have been frightening if it was not so familiar, heaved itself up on the ledge, quickly scurrying to sit beside her brother. ''Took you long enough,'' the elder twin mumbled, cautiously eyeing the creature in Enko's lap, not at all appearing to be dead.
''Yeah, yeah, whatever. But check this out!'' Enko thrust her prize into Zab's face, ''what is that?'' grimaced the man, leaning back from the critter as he was not able to see it very well. ''A goat dunce. You kinda see them every day,'' Enko snarked, cradling the bewildered animal to her stomach.
''And why is it alive?'' Zab asked, wondering what the latest shenanigan his sister had come up with. ''I wanna keep her,'' explained the woman, curling around the kid and pulling a skin over the both of them.
''That's food, not a child En,'' Zab sighed, it was way too late for this crap. Enko completely ignored her brother's statement, grabbing his neck and pulling him down on the bed.
''Go to sleep. I need you to fix Vonzo's leg in the morning,'' Enko ordered, moving closer to Zab for warmth and pulling another hide over him. ''Vonzo? She's goat, not Vonzo. That's a human name. And why do you want her fixed? Food is best dead before you eat it,''Zab interrogated, wondering why Enko needed him to fix the goat, seeing as how first, it was food, and second, he showed Enko if you cover something bleeding it seems to make it stop sometimes.
''There's no blood coming out,'' Enko answered as if she had read her brother's mind, ''her leg is the wrong shape after it got stuck between some rocks, so she can't walk. You need to make it the right shape again,'' she said plainly as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
''I can't do that! There's no way you can do that,'' Zab protested, ''whatever! We'll figure it out tomorrow! She doesn't seem to be dying so we can wait!'' Enko barked, rolling over violently.
The siblings ruminated in silence long enough that Zab thought his twin was asleep but Enko's threatening tone told him otherwise. ''It's Vonza, because she's a friend, not food...so don't eat her!'' Enko growled, Zab was too tired to protest any longer, but couldn't comprehend why his sister would want an animal friend.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Fri 15 Oct 2021.

PLACE: Zab, Enko, and Vonzo the goat kid live in the rocky desert of Ossau.

https://images.fineartamerica....ho-abbas-effendi.jpg

https://cdn.tourradar.com/s3/t...04_5ea0a252d803c.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals...ded2fe2c8127e151.jpg

https://p1.pxfuel.com/preview/...-desert-mountain.jpg


PEOPLE: Zab and Enko are part of the Ossain people, who excel at finding sustenance from the wildlife of the desert and its areas of scrub and chaparral.

The next morning Enko was perched high on a rock, soaking up the rays and watching her brother struggle with the young goat's small leg. ''There, try that,'' Zab directed Vonzo, gently steadying the doeling as she attempted to walk, this was his fifth variation on how he would wrap bleeds to fix them, in an effort to repair Vonzo's leg.
But nonetheless, the goat immediately toppled over on her unstable leg, Zab sighed and gently laid Vonzo in his sister's lap, giving her some brush they had found earlier in the morning to feed the goat.
The slightly less wild-haired man than his sister gazed intently at Enko's new friend's leg, trying to figure out why his cure-all wouldn't work. Suddenly his face brightened a little, ''what if I gave her a new leg?'' ''how would you do that?'' Enko asked, looking up from the bowl of water she was holding for Vonzo.
''The bone in her moves when it shouldn't, so I'll just put a new one in!'' and he was gone to raid the community bone pile before Enko could protest, having remembered an experience from earlier in the year. A child had been caught in one of the many rockslides that happen, and though he survived, his leg had been mangled badly, leaving a gaping wound. The blood stopped on its own but before anyone knew it, an evil spirit crawled up the boy's leg turning it black and even a bit green, he died quickly.
That's when Zab came up with the idea to try to stop bleeding, he figured it leaving left a space that the spirit moved into, Enko thought otherwise, she believed it was because the leg itself was open to evil. Making her apprehensive about Zab's idea.
He was clambering back on the sun-baked rock a minute later, a handful of different sized goat leg bones in one hand, and pulling his knife from his leather belt with the other. ''No! You don't touch her!'' Enko snarled, enfolding Vonzo with her own body, Zab looked confused for a moment but then sighed, ''is this about that theory of yours?'' ''Yes,'' ''well it's not true it's in the blo-'' ''yes it is true!'' ''No!'' ''Yes!'' A incredibly mature shouting match ensued, causing some of the tribe members to look up from their duties, only to roll their eyes in annoyance.
The twins finally gave up, reconfirming their equal stubbornness yet again, both with a red tinge to the brown skin of their faces. Zab went back to pondering seeing as Enko would not let him near the increasingly confused goat, ''what if you put the leg on the outside?'' ''How would that help?'' Zab questioned, ''give me those,'' Enko took the smallest of the bones as she scooted herself and Vonzo closer.
Soon after and a few more arguments later Vonzo was awkwardly standing with a ring of bones tied to her left hind leg, in a clunky but stabilizing manner. ''You think it'll work,''Enko asked,  ''I have no idea,'' Zab answered honestly as they both watched Vonzo attempt to waddle around with the world's first splint.

MAGIC ITEM: THE RUBY EYE: Magic has acted upon one local crystalline structure to make a magic item found on the ground near Zab and Enko, the Ruby Eye. This is a ruby, clear (but red) in the center, almond-shaped, but about the size of a cactus fruit (but a little more flat). It sparkles in the sunlight of its own accord, so either Zab or Enko will be sure to notice it.

The magic in the Ruby Eye is good for just one use: If a sentient human looks at an animal through the Ruby Eye for a second, or at a specific plant for a few seconds, a new sentient people will be created, with the traits of that animal or plant.

Several months later spring arrived, that is back to the scorching sun and less frostbite at night, as well as a fully healed goat leg, though it seemed she would always have a bit of a catch in it. The warmer weather prompted the twins to set to work on scraping and stretching the hides from their most recent kills, finding the top of a cliff to be the best spot. Full access to the sun and fewer gossiping tribe members.
''You know,'' ''hmm?'' Zab replied lazily, fully aware of how his sister couldn't be quiet for more than a few minutes. ''We should get Vonzo a companion,'' Enko said cooly, Zab's golden eyes snapped up to Enko identical ones, ''excuse me?'' ''I mean I should get her a companion,'' Enko rolled her eyes, ''you know what I meant. Are you crazy? What are you ev-!'' ''Oh look at that!'' the younger woman interrupted, suddenly intent on a cluster of fruiting cacti under a crystalized overhang.
Zab stalked behind her with full intention of setting Enko straight about this ''befriending animals'' thing, when a bright glint in the sand caught his eye. Squatting down he sifted out a large gem of some sort, it looked like a crystal but did not match the brownish-red and white of the overhang's crystals, at first glance it could have been mistaken for a cactus fruit were it not for its intense sparkle.
Zab held it up to the sun, marvelling at how the light made the strange crystal glow, Enko to see what had stopped her brother's rant, several prickly pears stuffed in her mouth and more tucked into her arm. ''Whots at?'' Enko queried through a full mouth, juice running down her chin, ''Swallow,'' Zab sighed before handing the gem to her, to see if she could guess where it came from.
Enko looked through it like her brother had, but instead of at the sun, focused it at the horizon, ''I dunno what this is but it's cool,'' she beamed. Presently Vonzo was having a fit of goat zoomies and ran across Enko's line of sight through the ruby, then something strange happened.
Several tufts of Vonzo's winter hair whisked up into a dust devil that wasn't there before, the whirling intensifying as soon as they were sucked in. Zab and Enko crouched on the ground, bone knives drawn in confusion and startlement to the sudden turn of events.
Before either of them could question the dust devil split and began to take on form, the right forming a great set of horns, exactly like the wild goats that roamed the Ossain's territory, the left one showing much smaller horns. Both their bodies reminded one of a human but with legs of an ibex, as well as horns. And just as quickly as it began, it was over, the two forms unceremoniously dropped onto the hard ground.
The twins blinked at each other speechlessly, then looked down at their strange find, then Enko shoved it into her bag, they had no idea what just happened but there were two strange people who just fell out of a dust cloud because of that crystal.''That was uh...unexpected,''Enko commented, spitting a mouthful of sand out, ''hmm,'' Zab replied shakely, ''quite unexpected.''

As the days went on, more and more people like the first two showed up, appearing from similar dust clouds around the desert (but mostly not more than an hour's walking from the spot where the first two appeared. They came to be called the Ixen, and all had the horns and horizontal pupils and legs of mountain goats. They all turned out to be quite intelligent, and learned the language of the Ossain people quickly...

The hot sun beat down on Enko's exposed back as she bent over to pick up a cactus fruit she dropped, stuffing it into the nearly full leather bag she had slung over her neck. ''Should be enough,'' Enko muttered to herself, deciding the amount of fruit was enough to fool her brother she had gone ''prickle pear picking'' as she liked to call it, honestly surprised Zab bought it.

Looking over her shoulder she noticed Vonzo getting rather affectionate with a young buckling, ''perfect,'' Enko smiled. It had been a week since the Ixens incident  and she had been dying to figure out if it really was the crimson crystal or something else, and to execute her companion acquiring plan. At first Enko was going to steal another kid like she had before, but upon arriving at the cliffs she saw the mother's and their kids, inspiring a thought.

Now all she had to do was let nature take it's course rather than scrape up her knees chasing goats. Settling on a rock in the shade of a cliff to let Vonzo and her admirer finish, Enko carefully took out the glittering crystal and considered it thoughtfully, Zab would kill her if he saw her. Delicatly placing it between her fingers, Enko looked through it once again straight at the sand. Nothing happened.

Half relived, half annoyed she look around some more, careful to avoid the herd of goats, her golden eyes landing on a cactus, taking note she had missed some of the juiciest fruit. Then something happened. Snapping her hands closed around the apparently spirit holding gem, Enko gawked as things began to grow and swell out of the cactus' flesh, plopping on the ground with a small thunk.

About have a dozen beings appeared, bearing the appearance of a human but having the green, plump flesh of cacti, and tiny little thorns sticking out from all angles, and were only about as large as Enko's forearm. ''Well back you go!'' the heavily tanned woman informed the crystal, dropping it back into her back, deciding it was best not to make more competition for food. But that in no way curbed her curiosity about the new creatures.

Leaning down from her perch she got close to the little cactus people, grinning like an idiot. ''Hey,'' Enko chirped, the little people scurried back, understandably frightened by the what seemed large to them human. ''Sorry, uh...well I guess I kinda created you? I don't know either, but that plant you dropped off's fruit is really good. Can get lots of water out of it,'' she began to ramble but stopped as the other beings just stared and blinked at her.

''Right, you won't understand me yet,''Enko sighed, recalling how the Ixen hadn't been ''born'' speaking, but they now understood all the basic phrases and words of the Ossain. Sliding down to sit on the ground Enko wondered how much longer Vonzo would be, hoping to not raise her brother's suspicions.

The new people are The Sabral, the cactus-people.

The small ones are barely a foot high. However, they can grow to be up to 10 feet tall... although they move and speak increasingly slowly if they grow bigger than six feet.

The Ixen start experimenting with doing magic... making fire, attempting to change the weather, with words and ceremonies.

The Sabral do the same, but with a sort of nature magic.

The Ixen try to change the world by understanding the secret rules behind the nature of the world, and using those rules.

The Sabral try to change the world by asking the spirits that they think are secretly in the world to change things for them.

Time passed, the Ixen were fully communicating and living with the Ossain within two months, the Sabral kept to themselves and could barely talk with their counterparts. Both of the newest races were becoming particularly adept to the art of magic, much to the chagrin of the resident shaman Tab, but he nevertheless had taken Gneb, an Ixen, on as an apprentice.

It was a long time before Zab found out about the cactus people, three whole days, a new record. But one tends to know a certain twin sister has been up to something when a mini cactus in the shape of a human scurries by. The sibling's row was heard through the entire canyon, ''I was just makin sure it wasn't something else okay! Isn't that what you always say?! FInd the truth, we must find the truth!'' Enko lowered her voice three octaves and crossed her eyes in a poor immatation of her brother.

Zab suddenly sprang onto his sister and they fought tooth and claw but soon enough Zab was sitting backwards on her chest and confinscating the crystal, before finally letting her up. ''If this does that,'' Zab stated pointing from the red crystal to a now confused Sabral, ''you shouldn't have it!'' ''You treat me like I'm a kid!'' Enko bawled, ''that's cause you act like one!'' he shot back. The woman pouted and spun around, climbing the rocks angriely as Vonzo bounded along beside her.
Zab shook his head and turned to go back to his cove when he felt a trickle of blood running down his leg. Looking down he saw a sizably and deep gash on his thigh, he must have cut it on a rock when he was fighting Enko.

Having returned to their cave he pressed on the furs against the cut to stop the bleeding, then turned back to repairing his cloak that he had ripped on a branch the day before. Halfway through he noticed the seperated fabric looked much like his leg, inspration struck. Knotting off and cutting the sinew thread his was using to fix the cloak Zab turned his attention to his thigh. Hissing and gritting his teeth as the needle penetrated the bloody flesh.

But his guess had been correct and though the area was quite sore and looked like a mangled gut pile, Zab was very satisfied he had figured a way to keep the bad spirits out of a body, he couldn't wait for Enko to come back from her moping to show her.

A little Sabral steals the Ruby Eye after Zab falls asleep.

It takes it out and buries its treasure at the base of a large (regular) cactus, to look at later.

Later, though, it forgets where it hid it.

The magic leaves the Ruby Eye, turning it into a regular, entirely non-magical, ruby. But the magic enters the cactus, and it grows to be 500 feet high and fifty feet wide.

The cactus is resistant to even the strongest windstorms.

The Sabral regard this as a very holy and sacred thing. They hollow out the interior of the giant cactus and live in it as a tower. It is said that the roots run surprisingly deep. The walls of the giant cactus are still alive...

The Sabral name the giant cactus Sabro.

I can feel their little feet running about inside me. At first, I found it annoying, now it's a natural as breathing, or respiring in my case. The first thing recall being aware of was the blistering heat of the sun on my leathery skin, nothing seems to be larger than me aside from a few of the dusty cliffs surrounding my valley. Within a day, various creatures began gathering in the shade I cast, a week, the smallest kind of all the folk began offering me their food and drink while singing, a month, they began carving thru my thick skin and removing the water I held in store, thanking me profusely before proceeding to consume it. Little blighters, immobility can be inconvenient at many times.
But I am not at a total loss, it seems these ''Sabral'' are quite studious with their housing once they've butchered out halls, rooms, and walkways to their heart's content thru one's inner working. Sabral magic appears to centre around water, thus they have hundreds of clay jars stored throughout me, allowing me to feed off the evaporating water droplets. They also have taken to viewing me as a god, they commonly refer to me as ''Sabro.'' Starting about midway of my height, they hollowed out the centre of me to my main root, allowing for each little Sabral to make a nightly offering, pouring a full jar of water down the well. I suppose circumstances could be worse, though, I don't know of many cacti that have been hollowed out for inhibition, and I do wish Sabral children were quieter. They give me a literal ache in my head.

(Roll: 5. A magic item.)

An Ixen enchanter accidentally creates an amulet that makes one's magic more powerful.

Well, technically, he was trying to do that. The accidental part is that it also slowly drives the wearer insane (and they aren't aware of that part).

The Ixen enchanter is delighted by his Amulet of Powerful Madness, and he calls his new creation the Amulet of Power. Then he starts planning to make more magical items with his newfound power-- no, wait, then people might want to steal his magical items. Or, worse, his amulet. Who wouldn't want an Amulet of Power? So he'll need a secret location to create things from... hey, what if it had a lightning rod that he could use to charge up his new creations? Maybe he'll need a little servant to help him-- ooh, or he could make one!

Tab groaned as he sat up from his sleeping spot, his inflamed knees creaking as he readjusted to sit crosslegged.  Tab is ancient, oldest of the Ossain, oldest anybody knew, a whole 66 years. The shaman looked over to the curled up form of his two mates and three youngest children huddled together while they slept. Tab had outlived four previous mates, all his family, all his friends, he was lonely.
He never wanted to be a shaman, he had wanted to be a farreacher like his uncle, exploring, finding new places for the tribe to settle and hunt. That was so long ago, his dad was right, ''your uncle is crazy, he's not like the others. It's not safe out there, be what the tribe needs and they'll be what you need.'' Tab was a good son, he learned how to keep all the evils away as his father taught him.
It was his turn to teach, Gneb was bright but didn't have a good memory, ''I might not live long enough for him to finally hear what I tell him,'' Tab thought to himself with a chuckle. His expression soured when he saw the twins sneaking out to go on some ridiculous escapade, farreaching most likely.
Freeloaders, they never gave to the tribe and yet they were free to do as they were happy to. Tab snorted and crawled under the furs, that was enough cold air for the night. Tab gave his everything to the tribe, but he knew for way too many years now he would never get what he needed. The thing the twins had. Damn freeloaders.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:26, Sat 11 Dec 2021.

(17:12, Today: The GM rolled 4 using 1d10 ((4)): a place)

To the east of the rocky desert of Ossau is The Deep Sea, a place that the Ossain people know only by its dark water. There are light-colored sandy beaches all along the coast, often with sea-caves, most of which aren't safe when the tide comes in, though there are also many exceptions.

The Ossain people do not know the art of boat-building, so the sea is a mysterious and forbidding place for them.

They are vaguely aware that there are other seas in the wide world, but all they know is this one, and that its name is the Deep Sea.

They believe that there are things with wills of their own far under the surface. Water-breathing people? Water spirits? Sea monsters? (Some or all of the above?) The Ossain don't know. That's just what they believe. They have a few very old, short, and vague folktales about such things, though.

I rolled a 6


A young Ixen man in the shade of the cliffside surrounded by various jars of paints in many shades of red, a few black, made from ground rocks in the area and blood from animals. Tab had given him the task of updating the wards painted on the walls of the rock passageway to keep evil spirits out. And Gneb had started but was soon distracted by a passing vulture which he watched for a time before sitting down instead of working.

He idly painted circles on the dusty ground, his mind wandering to everything and nothing Gneb began to think about how he and the other Ixen came to be. An oddly friendly Sabral told him it was a prickly pear-shaped crystal, he began painting a stylized version of a cactus in the middle of one of his circles. As he was admiring his handiwork Gneb suddenly remembered the job he had yet to complete. Jumping and knocking one of the paint jars over, this on containing blood for the activating part of the wards. ''No no no!'' Gneb fretted, trying to scoop the blood back into the jar in vain as it ran into his prickle pear doodle.

Gneb mumbled to himself about what Tab would do to him as punishment and didn't notice right away the symbol's lines fizz and bubble. Drops of blood, paint and flecks of sand rose into the air, shooting skyward with virtually no sound. Gneb squeaked and froze on the spot, his mind racing trying to remember anything Tab said that might be in reference to what he just did. Something about, ''don't put it in a circle unless you want here,'' uh oh.

A large form began materialising in front of the Ixen who was panicking out loud, '' I j-just summoned a pear?! A giant pear! With prickles! Tab's gonna kill! That's it! I'm dead!'' As Gneb babbled about his inevitable death, the being in front of him opened their bright yellow eyes, an expression of utter confusion immediately following.

''And the-! ACKK! Who-what are you?!'' Gneb jumped when he saw the creature, all six feet of their height, four giant wings, and warmly glowing red-brown skin. ''A Guardian. You?!'' they replied instantly, their voice sounded as if they breathed whilst speaking. ''Gneb! Ixen! I mean I'm an Ixen named Gneb,'' the man shook his head to clear his scattered thoughts, ''what's a Guardian?'' The being snorted ''a servant of Numen of course. Now tell me why I'm here, Gneb, bonded to you,'' the Guardian bent down, their flat nose nearly touching Gneb's own.

The jittery Ixen could hardly get any words out but between some babbling and signing the pair were able to figure out that since the prickle pear is shaped after Numen, the top God's eyes, and Gneb putting that shape in a circle and spilling blood on it, he had effectively summoned one of Numen's personal Guardians. Who now was bonded with Gneb until he died, at least Sizouze, as they were called, seemed to know what was going on. ''Tab is so gonna kill me,'' Gneb whimpered, as he slunk back to camp, trailed by his personal Guardian.

(11:18, Today: The GM rolled 2 using 1d10 ((2)): a group of people)

At the very top of Sabro, the eldest and most powerful of the Sabral meet.

"There is an imbalance." The group nods and moans at the fact of the imbalance in the desert.

"We do not know its nature, save that it is in this plane of reality..."

"We should send one or more champions to seek the imbalance..." This is agreed to.

(What the Sabral mystics sense is the danger of the Ixen mage who bears the Amulet of Powerful Madness, though they don't know that yet. They plan to send one or more champions out to investigate what the imbalance//threat might be, and to do something about it before it threatens everything...)

I rolled a 7

Numen sighed heavily, he'd just gotten word that the imbalance was intensifying. Thizuth's strength was growing. Numen's scions, the Humans, and through adoption the Ixen and Sabral, would need to learn to fight this evil soon. ''Will they survive?'' Braara asked her husband quietly, nodding her head down towards the world millions of leagues below their celestial home. ''Yes. But they'll suffer,'' Numen smiled sadly, ''but they'll be stronger for it,'' the god lingered a moment longer, examining the carved marble walls of his and Braara's palace.

''I'll be back in a few days. Keep an extra eye out for trouble,'' Numen strode across the room to kiss his wife, summoning a cloak from thin air as he went.  He needed to find someone to bestow the art of blacksmithing on if the people had any chance of surviving Thizuth's malicious trickery. The hard floor seemed to melt away, revealing a cosmic path leading to the mortal world. ''I'll be off. Make sure the dogs don't get in the garden again,'' Numen waved to Braara before the floor melded back over the portal.

(11:37, Today: The GM rolled 1 using 1d10 with rolls of 1.)

Numen decides to give the knowledge of blacksmithing to a strong Ixen named Selen.

Selen doesn't even understand what this new ability is for-- she only knows she must use it.

She tries to get other Ixen to descend with her into the tunnels of Cloud Mountain... They do at first, but aren't interested in repeated trips to get iron ore.

The young Sabral are more interested. If nothing else, they see potential in what Selen is making as a new medium for artistic works.

Selen makes pickaxes to gather more ore, and crude carts are made... Soon Selen has a true forge on the side of Cloud Mountain, and all the ore she needs to work with...

22:31, Today: Book rolled 1 using 1d10 with rolls of 1.

Drall carefully picks his way between the rocks and crevices of Cloud Mountain, shivering occasionally from the thick mist surrounding him. The rhythmic sound of a hammer hitting metal began to push through the loamy fog, giving the young boy a sense of direction other than the small goat path he followed. A cave entrance glowed warmly, the heat emanating from it warding off some of the mist.
Selen's ears flicked back, having heard the human. ''Hey kid,'' she drawled without looking at him, ''they need some help,'' Selen nodded towards the mineshaft and the little sabral bustling in and out. ''A cart got stuck,'' ''no problem,'' Drall confirmed, ducking his head and avoiding stepping on any of the smaller plant people.
The boy was a year into his apprenticeship with the ixen woman bearing a strange new talent. The partnership had come about by accident, Drall would finish his chores quickly then goof off before his mother could assign more work. He liked to wander the mountain and soon found Selen's forge, watching her and her sabral helpers several hours before she spotted him and chased him down.
She put him to work as a punishment but realized the child had an aptitude for the craft that she was just discovering herself, deciding it would be good to have an assistant she didn't have to worry about stepping on. Drall loved blacksmithing, to know how to transform rock into a blade, only he and Selene could do that. Needless to say, Drall's mother wondered why in the past year he had become so efficient in the morning, no matter, as long as the work gets done.

(Roll result: 7: Something divine (a deity, a miracle, something else))

The ways that the Ixen and Sabral felt about the deities about which the humans spoke was... idiosyncratic.

They were interested in listening, but didn't really inherit the emotional gravitas that the years of tradition that the humans already had imparted.

The Ixen were particularly interested in Numen-- they sometimes mentioned him when they were about to start a long magic ritual, just for luck.

The Sabral were more interested in Braara, since they were told of her interest in plants and gardening.

But, being plant-based, they were also a bit more interested than the Ixen in Noric, deity of the sky.

The humans told the Sabral that Noric was not in charge of the sun, and wasn't all that interested in the rain-- in the human tradition, Noric was particularly the deity of the clear night sky, because it was Noric who created the stars (with Numen's approval after the fact, naturally, or else there might have been trouble).

But the sky was very important to the Sabral, and the humans seemed convinced that Noric had a lot to do with the sky (more than Numen, except for the phenomenon of dawn/sunrise), so they started honoring Noric anyway.

Noric noticed, and he listened when the Sabral went out of their way to talk to him. He began to grow fond of the cactus people...

And... Noric liked tall things. He was often associated with tall trees (that don't drop edible things). And... when a Human, Ixen, or Sabral was near great Sabro, the giant cactus... didn't they look up at the sky...?

And so it was that Sabro spoke, now and then, slowly, as plants do, to Noric... and sometimes Noric spoke in return, in the quiet whispers of the wind...

(Noric: deity of the night sky and the stars
--zodiac signs
--navigation//finding the way
--darkness//making a small light in the darkness
--the things one sees when one looks up, such as birds, tall (non-food-producing) trees, mountaintops, wind (moving the clouds aside so the stars can be seen)


And, as long as I'm here, the major constellations:

The Earth Signs:
Horse, Tent, Chair

The Air Signs:
Bow, Knife, Eagle

The Fire Signs:
Dragon, Snake, Hand

The Water Signs:
Dolphin, Wolf, Wave

)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:38, Wed 05 Jan 2022.

11:44, Today: Book rolled 6 using 1d10 ((6)).

There was a sabral woman named Teni and lived in the dense tropical area called the Drizzle Forest. The imbalance that had been creeping through the land had reached this area that lay south of the Ossau desert, the swelling sickness seemed to be a result of it. People would unwittingly ingest something born of the imbalance whether it be something as simple as water or fruit and shortly after their heart would begin working overtime. Blood would be pumped too fast and in too high amounts to the entire body, often they were dead the next after suffering bitterly. That is what took Teni's grandmother, little sister, and father, the only reason she and her brother were still alive was that they just so happened not to be hungry when their father came back with those forsaken maracuyas to eat.

Now they wandered around their home aimlessly, mourning their family's deaths and afraid to drink or eat anything. It had been a week and Teni was fed up, why should people have to live in fear and be subject to every maleovent spirit and ridiculous acidents. Grabbing a knife and some paint Teni stormed out of the hut snatching a chicken on the way, walking far off into the bush. After three days of sacrifice and various rituals she attracted the attention of Noric and they struck a deal. He would grant Teni and her descendants the ability to change their luck for the better through a spell deemed the Serpant's Fortune, in exchange for Teni and at least a dozen other's devotion. She set out to work right away, convincing others in her village that the sky god could protect them, making their odds much better. Not long after gathering others, Teni lead them to the plains lying between the desert and the jungle, so they were better able to look upon Noric's work. This started a new sky obsessed sabral tribe called the Norcs.

(2: A group of people
5: A magic item)

Teni's dreams lead her (and the Norcs) to Sabro.

Sabro whispers in Teni's mind that there is a particular person (their identity, location, and motives all unknown) who is adding to the magical imbalance, and that Teni should seek out the smith of the mountain for help.

Teni and the Norcs continue to travel until they find Selen, and Teni asks for help.

Selen crafts for Teni the Shield of Magic Resistance, a medium-sized round shield with holy symbols etched into it... It will offer great protection against spells targeting its bearer...

20:05, Today: Book rolled 3 using 1d10 ((3)).

Vonzo was reclined proudly on a high rock, soaking up the last hours of the sun before it began to set. It had been some years since Enko had ''rescued'' the young doeling, now there was a small herd in the village. For three years straight Vonzo has kidded twins, making for the majority of the herd. An ostrizied buckling from the wild herds soon joined, having come to the realization that free females, water, food, and protection from predators is not to bad an idea.
Another revalation fell upon Enko, when it occurred to her she has just as much access to Vonzo's milk as her offspring. Nobody ever thought of it before because no one had gotten close to a goat. But once the discovery of milking had been made, the village was a lot less hostile to Enko's crazy ideas and as such Vonzo was a local celebrity.

(3: A special or unique animal or plant or monster or species of animal or plant or monster
7: Something divine (a deity, a miracle, something else))

Thizuth was very pleased. The magical imbalance that was growing in the world was not only fun, it was making Thizuth more powerful. If this kept up xie might be able to challenge Numen's role as the most powerful deity.

So... it was time for more fun. Thizuth thought hard about what would be best... some sort of monster, Thizuth decided, to threaten what Numen would want protected. To keep Numen distracted.

And xie knew the perfect target-- that little shaman and the thing protecting him, that Sizouze thing. She belonged to Numen, right enough... Well, let's get Numen paying attention to them, instead of the imbalance itself, Thizuth thought. Now, what kind of monster...?

Thizuth liked that fruit that was poisoning people from the jungle... what if it was a monster...?

Thizuth found a maracuya tree, and made it grow a little bigger... the trunk split in half... the roots just became toes... the branches merged to become four powerful arms... and she made two fruits eyes... Then sie just pointed it in the direction of the village of Gneb and Sizouze...

That way. Northeast. Go there. There's a village. Attack it. Destroy it. Poison it.

...If you pass any cactus-people on the way, feel free to mess with them too, just for practice...

Thizuth figured it would speed things up if the Sizouze came to zir monster, rather than wait for the slow-stomping thing to make the whole trip by itself...



New Monster: Maraq, the maracuya-tree monster.

--Maraq is 20 feet tall and very tough, for a thing that is able to walk around (though not quite as tough as when it was a tree).

--Maraq will "bleed" acidic sap if injured (though it is immune to the effects of its own sap).

--If blinded, Maraq will attack prey by feeling vibration of movements through the ground.

21:45, Today: Book rolled 4 using 1d10 ((4)).

Life was becoming particularly troublesome in the South, and as such things do it will cycle through the whole earth, but it had not yet reached a place far to the North of the Ossau desert and the Drizzle Forest. And unlike these places it was cold. Bitterly so. But the people who inhabited Abram personalities' are more than warm enough to drive away the chill.
Abram is a settlement beneath and within the Shield Peaks, a twisting series of ice and rock caves, crawling high up into the mountains before falling back down to the hot springs in the Shield's roots. The ice filled the existing caves and created its own when an underground geyser exploded, blasting boiling water into every nook and cranny and freezing within minutes. Ice hangs off the roof like beard moss off a tree and a few open gaps above as skylights, allowing the sunshine to make the caves sparkle like a gem. Ice caves may not seem the warmest place to live, which is true, but the people love their home and would do nearly anything to protect it. Not that many challenge them for it.

(17:59, Today: The GM rolled 4 using 1d10 with rolls of 4: A Place)


To the west of the Ossau desert is more desert, but it's even harder to live there: fewer plants. Only the Yano people live in the part of the desert they call the Khavos Dunes.

The Yano people do not come to Ossau, because they are a camel-riding people, and the feet of the camel cannot abide the sharp stones and cacti of Ossau...

22:11, Today: Book rolled 10 using 1d10 ((10)).

22:12, Today: Book rolled 3 using 1d10 ((3)).

22:12, Today: Book rolled 6 using 1d10 ((6)).

Truth is stranger than fiction, and quite frankly, oftentimes ridiculous. One such instance was Drok's strengthening potion, or lack of therefore because the Ixen was very unsuccessful in his attempts, dumping the strangely glowing slime into a nearby river that flowed out into the plains. Not far downstream was Maraq, slowing picking his way across the slippery stones. Drok's potion failed to strengthen anything but it seems he had created something. Because as the nauseating coloured liquid flowed down the river and wrapped around Maraq's legs in an oily film, something interesting happened. Maraq suddenly felt a lightness in his step, looking down to see he now bounced across the earth's surface. Now a bouncy, walking, tree monster may not sound the most threatening but it certainly allowed him to travel faster.

(Roll results: 2 and 7:
2: A group of people
7: Something divine (a deity, a miracle, something else))


The Yano people of the dunes set great importance by the other deities that humans revere, though they call them by different names. However, the most important, to them, is the one they call Aphet (although the Ossain people know this deity as Imhar).

Aphet (Imhar) is the deity of dreams, secrets, mysteries, and revelations.

Aphet is seen as male.

Imhar is seen as female.

The Yano are aware that others see Aphet as female, and going by another name, but this doesn't bother them at all. The point of Aphet is that he is extremely mysterious, and so he must have his own reasons to appear to others as a woman, and to tell them he/she has another name.

The animal associated with Aphet is the puma, or cave puma. The dunes are riddled with once-volcanic spires of rock that have plenty of deep caves, and the pumas live in them and hunt in the desert. There is a constellation that corresponds.

(The Ossau people call this constellation the Wolf, but they do also associate it with Imhar.)

The Yano call a skilled (or lucky) hunter one who was "raised by pumas" if that individual hunts alone, or "a pack hunter," also a reference to female pumas hunting in trios, if they work well with others in hunting.


The Earth Signs:
--Horse  --Braara: Goddess of plants and bounty and survival and spring: LG

The Air Signs:
--Knife --Numen: God of Creation, beginnings, and the forge: LG
--Eagle --Noric: God of birds and the sky: CG

The Fire Signs:
--Dragon  --Thizuth: God of change, unexpected surprises, and violent rebellion: CN

The Water Signs:
--Wolf/Puma  --Imhar/Aphet: Goddess/God of dreams, secrets, mysteries, and revelations: CN
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:48, Fri 28 Jan 2022.

00:17, Today: Book rolled 6 using 1d10 ((6)).

There is a small and select division of men who serve as priests to Aphet. Collectivly this group made the discovery of a spell known as Suspend. It allows the user to stop the passage of time for up to a minute.

(6: A magic spell or a magical effect that changes something else in some way)

And then, one day, things for the Yano changed drastically.

A species of lizard in the desert turned up... larger... but since it was a grazing plant-eater, it was no threat to human (nor Ixen) life.

With the lizards' larger size, it would have been hard to keep them fed... except that they spent a lot of time hibernating, conserving energy after each meal.

This changed things for the Yano. It meant that, with the right preparations, they could go certain places that had previously been too rocky for their camels...

https://images.squarespace-cdn...6DQ/image-asset.jpeg

https://cg0.cgsociety.org/uplo...-1-42410ab8-reyf.jpg

The lizards had formally been called simply "blue-tongues" (for their tongues were a startling bright cobalt), and so the new type became called "giant blues."

10:24, Today: Book rolled 1 using 1d10 ((1)).

The first person to take the time and effort to train Giant Blues for mounts, as well as cart hauliers, was a Yano man named Aali. It took him 3 years to train his first mount, a large female he called Abla, and in a decade he began teaching others the great benefits of domesticating these large lizards. Now nearly every town and many villages have caves dedicated to housing their scaly helpers.

(14:02, Today: The GM rolled 9 using 1d10 with rolls of 9.
14:02, Today: The GM rolled 4 using 1d10 with rolls of 4.
14:02, Today: The GM rolled 2 using 1d10 with rolls of 2.

2: A group of people
4: A place)

The river that flows along the south of the Ossau desert is the Eska. It has two sources: the Drizzle Forest, and the Khavos Dunes.

However, the riverbed of the Khavos Dunes is dry for 10 months out of the year. Only in the rainy season when the winds change, combined with heat in the west that causes clouds at the same time, does the river flow again in the Khavos Dunes.

Then, bands of green and brown lushness wind across the desert (one wider and greater than all the rest). Plants sprout forth and all animal life, including the Yano and their mounts, rush forth to gather food and water.

The Yano, perhaps oddly, also call this river the Eska.

When the river in the desert flows, the Eska south of Ossau rises. When the river in the desert dries up after two months, the Eska south of Ossau returns to its usual level, fed only by the source upriver in the Drizzle forest.

Now, the Yano are still a nomadic people, but their society has changed-- every cave of size now houses sleeping Giant Blues. The Yano have learned what floral scents will wake them up for a short time (although they all wake up in the rainy season anyway).
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Mon 14 Feb 2022.

14:50, Today: Book rolled 2 using 1d10 ((2)).

The Sabral were in turmoil. It's very frustrating to be aware of a danger, warn others out of care for them, and then they laugh at you. The plant people were the most aware of the imbalance, the Humans second, and the Ixen the least aware, which was surprising due to their protectivness of nature. The Sabral decided to extend an offer of alliance to the Humans, perhaps together they could solve what was causing this imbalance and stop it. All shamans, warriors, and farreachers, had to be paired up with either a Sabral or a Human coworker, whichever was the opposite of their race.

(18:24, Today: The GM rolled 5 using 1d10 with rolls of 5.

5: A magic item)

The Sabral shamans, concerned about the Imbalance, make a tool that can be used to fight against it: a large (9 feet tall), very rough statue with two arms and two legs. The final stone chipped from it, a hunk of rock about the size of a human fist, controls it, and whomever holds it can make the statue walk... or fight... They name the statue The Walker, and weave mystical enchantments upon it to make it as impervious as they can make it to magical attacks...

https://www.dndbeyond.com/avat...252772331779404.jpeg
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:25, Fri 11 Feb 2022.

23:26, Today: Book rolled 4 using 1d10 ((4)). Place

23:27, Today: Book rolled 7 using 1d10 ((7)). Divine.

''Yes!'' Numen exclaimed in loud whisper as he was gazing intently through the special stained glass he had made, each segment allowing him to see specific area of the world. Braara turned from her garden tending to peer over Numen's shoulder, curious to what had got him so excited. ''They're almost upon it,'' the god shifted so his wife could see through the pearly gray glass he was looking through. Selen's little Sabral helpers were mere inches from the gift Numen had left for the first metalworker, ebrin. It was a dark coloured metal, strong like the mountain it was in but light like the clouds that surrounded it.

''Ah! There we are,'' Numen said satisfidly when the Sabral took a  piece of the unknown metal back to Selen. In the next week an entire cavern of ebrin was revealed in the heart of Cloud Mountain, Selen though, deemed what Numen called ebrin, Cloud Steel.

(09:40, Today: The GM rolled 4 using 1d10 with rolls of 4. Place.)

Far to the northwest, near the top of a very high spire of rock, is a cave that is known to the Yano to be sacred to Aphet. Those who travel there and enter are, it is widely known, likely to be given a dream or vision granted to them by Aphet...

15:46, Today: Book rolled 9 using 1d10 ((9)).
15:46, Today: Book rolled 4 using 1d10 ((4)). place
15:47, Today: Book rolled 3 using 1d10 ((3)). special creature

There are some interesting little plants that seem to grow only around Aphet's cave. They look like a yucca except for their fluorescent green glow, and bear glowing red fruit, they seem to give anything that eats them a great deal of energy. Thankfully the plants grow very quickly so any who eat them have constant supply, the only drawback is these special yuccas have a nearly unbearable taste. Even the lizard mounts are wary of them.

(Roll: 2: A group of people)

Among the Yano there is a mystery cult of Aphet made up of only women and girls. They worship in secret, as they know Aphet would want. Indeed, secrets and mysteries are highly prized by the cult, as are dreams that they think are significant. When two people have the same dream independently, they know it is from Aphet, and they puzzle over its possible meaning/significance...
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:01, Thu 24 Feb 2022.

23:15, Today: Book rolled 3 using 1d10 ((3)). Special creature

Enko is a crazy adrenaline junky. Everyone knew that, but her latest creature domesticating escapade was truly something to behold. She had tamed and successfully mounted a Relk, that is more or less a giant, four-winged, desert hawk. Their food intake is surprisingly low in comparison to their size, a definite benefit. Relk tempers can be a bit on the short side so they require a determined crazy rider.

(Roll: 6 A magic spell or a magical effect that changes something else in some way)

The mad Ixen mage with the Amulet of Powerful Madness casts a new spell and creates: Gretchlings.

Gretchlings were once common moles, but now they walk on two legs.

Gretchlings are:
--about 3 feet tall
--hairless
--gray skin color
--slimy
--no visible ears
--nose: like a star-nosed mole, with feelers
--teeth: rows of shark-like teeth
--eyes: six small eyes, solid black
--build: lumpy
--hands: clawed for digging/burrowing
--tail: none
--Gretchlings are extremely gullible and extremely loyal. They will follow whomever they believe is powerful, and it's very hard to change their minds about that.

The gretchlings start doing small chores for the mage, gathering and preparing food and digging more tunnels for themselves... Enlarging his lair... going out and gathering ingredients he needs for spells by night...

18:59, Today: Book rolled 8 using 1d10 ((8)). a conflict of some sort

Gneb was minding his own business, getting relatively close to accomplishing some sort of work while Sizouze was reclining on a rock not far from him. Just thankful that Gneb was talking at the moment. And him being as oblivious as he is failed to notice the gigantic shadow falling over him.

Maraq slammed his giant claws into the Ixen's side which sends him flying across the hot sand and dirt, coming to a stop a bit past Sizouze's resting spot. Numen's servant lept into action, their right hand slicing across Maraq's eyes causing acidic sap to burst out of the new wound, sizzling as it burned away at Siouze beautiful skin.

They growled in pain but spun around quickly and scooped up their bleeding charge, taking to the skies immediately while Maraq rumbled angrily. ''Wha-what was that?!'' Gneb whispered frantically while clinging to his companion, ''I don't know,'' Sizouze admitted, they were very confused, ''I should have sensed it approaching!'' the guardian hissed frustratedly.

''Aww, is that a 'sorry for letting you get slashed'?'' Gneb cooed, patting his friend's strong chest, regretting the action when more blood spilt from his ribs. ''It was nothing of the sort nave'' Sizouze assured in a deadly tone, carefully flapping their wings to lower to the ground in front of Sabro. ''We need to alert the elders,'' Sizouze explained briefly before rushing off to find the Sabral elders, leaving Gneb on the ground for the healers to look after.

(Roll results (eventually!):
1: A person
7: Something divine (a deity, a miracle, something else))

Meanwhile, northwest of Sabro, Yara, a little sabral child was playing.

She wasn't playing alone... she was playing with Ronsi.

Ronsi knows all children. All children talk about Ronsi. But not all children have met Ronsi.

Ronsi is the youngest goddess, the goddess of children and play and fun.

When adults grow up, some of them forget about Ronsi. Some remember her, but don't think about her very much.

Ronsi felt like Yara had fun ideas for new games... and that made Yara special.

There had been other paladins of Ronsi before, but Yara is the first sabral paladin of Ronsi...


--Ronsi: Goddess of childhood, games, and fun: CG

Constellation:
--the Dolphin, a water sign.

19:15, Today: Book rolled 3 using 1d10 ((3)). special creature

Cloud Mountain is an odd place so it's no surprise odd things pop up from time to time there. Specifically, the little cave foxes Drall, Selen, and the Sabral miners had discovered most recently. They are like other foxes aside from their permanently dark fur and crystalline eyes that glow faintly, allowing them to make their way in complete darkness without trouble. The foxes don't seem hostile or shy of other beings, preferring to go about their business, nobody is sure what purpose they serve yet.

(16:29, Today: The GM rolled 5 using 1d10 ((5)).

A Magic Item)


For those cold nights in the desert: One prominent Yano tribe owns a dry log which burns... but is never consumed by fire, meaning it can be used over and over again, night after night. This log was probably cut from some very special tree, and probably has some much more amazing properties to it, but this is the only remarkable thing anyone has ever discovered about it so far.

10:11, Today: Book rolled 7 using 1d10 ((7)) Something divine (a deity, a miracle, something else

Little did they know Braara was the provider of the ever-burning log, the Yano had piqued her interest. The way they continually fought for survival and won, much like the desert plants the goddess had created. So she decided the Yano would be here people, while Numen focused on the Ossau.

(Dice roll: 6.   6: A magic spell or a magical effect that changes something else in some way

Welp, that does it...)


Yet another wild surge of magic changes the cave foxes of Cloud Mountain, and they become vaguely humanoid and as sentient and intelligent as any human.


They are the Kitsu.

VIRTUE-- People should act:
Truthfulness. Lies are the cause of all evil.

VALUE-- Our society should strive for:
Stability. We should fight against chaos, and when it comes, we should try to make things peaceful and ordered again as soon as possible.


God of interest: Numen