It was with trepidation that the Prince of Blossoms awoke. He'd already sensed problems during his sleep, but their true form was obscured by slumber. As he roused back to consciousness he knew they would be waiting. He awoke within the Cathedral of Petals. Inside his holy chamber he had a few brief moments to compose himself before he pushed open the doors and stepped back out into the greater cathedral. Would he find invaders? Would the cathedral be burned? Would the rest of the structure even still be standing? Pushing open those doors, he found the Cathedral of Blossoms as he'd left it. In fact, it was far more crowded than it had been in the previous era.

The halls were packed with kitsune. At the sight of the Prince they fell to their knees and wept, they bowed in fervent supplicant and some toppled to the floor so overcome with his presence that their bodies shook and trembled. They parted before him whispering his praises and kissing the ground that he passed over.

In was not long before Kenderis found him. The second of Irani wore far different attire than he once adorned. Rather than a robe of living vines he wore clothes made of the wide leaves of cacti. The interior of the leaves had been cleanly stripped away while the sharp quills still jutted from the exterior. The religious leader bowed low, "A thousand praises to the lord of the leaf and vine, the bringing of thorn and quill, the holiest of holies! I knew you would return during this darkest time of Irani! You will cleanse us of the heretics who now claim the heartland! You see my lord, in your passing Ikyte has gone astray and leads kitsune away from the true path. She whips her population bloody putting everyone to the thorn whip, but she also only required eight hours of worship per day! She does not hold to morning and evening fire rituals and does not offer up blood or flesh in your honor!"

It seemed that there had been a rupture in the Children of the Petals. Kenderis now led half the faith from the Cathedral in Easfyre while Ikyte held the heartland and led the faith there. In the early days many meetings and conferences of the faith had been held, but the final one erupted into violent fisticuffs and one priest of the faith even being killed. Since then diplomacy had fallen to the wayside and when the two opposing sects did meet, it was with increasing violence. Signs of this were everywhere, outside the Cathedral of Petals the area looked more like a war camp than a religious settlement.

"We have the edge though, my lord," Kenederis said proudly, "Our tradition of foxfire makes us far more formidable, though their Omamori wards do pose some difficulties. But our faith cannot be measured, with you at our sides our cleansing fires will wash across the heartland and burn away heresy. Once again Irani will be united and whole!" Kenderis' eyes glinted brightly at the prospect and the religious fervor burned in his every word.

This shed light upon the growing religious zealotry that the Prince of Blossoms had sensed. It had been growing naturally, but also been fed by outer influence. Now faith and ritual had grown into its own beast. However, that still left the matter of the demi-god which the Prince of Blossoms had sensed.

The Prince of Blossoms had emerged from the depths of the Cathedral of Petals, renewed and refreshed. He could no longer sense any of the tree's active energy in the realm that he had sensed, so whatever aberration had tried to take root here he knew was stamped out. But that didn't mean all was well in the homefront though because he could feel the zeal burning through his people, and then seeing it as he emerged from the Cathedral's depths cemented it as fact. And that demigod presence he was sensing was still present as well.

He ignored the kitsune for now as he walked through the Cathedral halls, flower petals falling from nowhere in the the wake of his passing, although occasionally nodded at them in silent acknowledgement. He was still waking up and MUCH weighed on his thoughts. He did pay Kenderis more attention though.

"Keeper of Summer. Did I not instruct you and the Keeper of Spring to work together to help the realm grow in my absence?" The god asked, with a hint of controlled annoyance on his lips.

"Know that I am not pleased be greeted with such a schism after just awakening. However, I am not prepared to pass judgement yet either as I simply need more information and more time to process things. And so judgement shall wait for now. Come...walk with me outside. I wish to see how Easfyre has changed, and try to see if its link with me has improved since slumbering. And there is someone whom I wish you and the Kitsune to meet as well." the god said.

"Yes...I am sure the Kistune will be most pleasantly surprised by what I have to show you. And I also want an update about the progression of Foxfire as well. I can FEEL that the magic has improved and grown while I slumbered, and now want to try it and have some demonstrations as well. But come - let us go outside and you will witness another miracle I've been working on whist I slumbered."

"My lord, I have done everything I could to ensure that all kitsune properly understand your glory! Ikyte and her Heartwood cultists have lost sight of the true path. But all will be well now that you've returned."

Led down the path from the Cathedral of Petals, the Prince and Kenderis passed the two smoldering tigers who stood vigil outside the gates. Passed the sakura trees they emerged from the walls of the cathedral. There the militants camps were set all about the grounds outside the holy site, further past those the Prince could see a number of signs of domestication across the landscape. A proper cobblestone road had been laid into the ground and offered a path back towards the heartlands of Irani. The plant-life he'd coaxed into being during the Age of Piety had spread well and was also being cultivated in a number of large plots near the cathedral.

While they walked the grounds Kenderis sent an attendant back to the temple. When they had completed their circuit of the surrounding area, they returned to find a dozen disciples of the Cathedral nearly arrayed outside the temple gates. "As you requested, there will of course be a display of our faith and piety." Kenderis nodded towards the disciples.

In unison they began to go through slow practiced motions. They called up fire which they held in the palm of their hand, they then shifted to dance-like motion where they dragged their feet through the dirt and in the wake of their passing left flames that grew tall. Finally, one of them came forward and took several short breaths, closed his eyes, then erupted in flame. Still burning the figure raised both arms and sent a great plume of fire straight into the air. It stretched up taller than the cathedral and the heat pouring off the plume could be felt even from a dozen paces away. For several long seconds the blaze erupted, then guttered out as the kitsune collapsed into charred heap. Kenderis beamed proudly, "A true display of the devotional fires that burn within our hearts."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:22, Mon 29 Aug 2022.

The Prince at first was intrigued and pleased by the demonstration. The firebender-like motions to help channel flame was a nice added touch, and then then fire itself gathering and remaining stable was pleasing to him! As he contained the upper limit of Kamihana's potential within himself, he knew what was possible now. But once the adept began to allow himself to become engulfed by flame, the Prince suddenly shifted from pleased to concern and began to reach out, but it was too late to stop as seconds later the kitsune had burned itself into a charred heap. The Prince could regenerate even burn wounds, but he couldn't bring back the dead. Not without souls or some other higher power expenditure.

Frowning, the Prince held up a hand.

"STOP! All of you!" he exclaimed forcefully. "Stop this demonstration at once. This is NOT now you properly use Kamihana Foxfire. Not at all. I did NOT create this art form, and then gift it to you all, only for you to use it to burn yourselves to a crisp. You're channeling too much of the power all at once, pushing past your personal limits, and burning through your lives all in one burst!" he continued, frowning.

He then bent down to examine the remains of the adept that had burned himself to death.

"True devotion to me is not the same thing as throwing yourselves into fire like moth to a flame. What good are you to both Irani and your god if you're dead? Self-sacrifice has a time and a place, and sometimes a protector and steward must be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the greater garden and my own person. But that must be a calculated and purposeful thing. But this, you are wasting your lives and turning the Foxfire art - something I spent an AGE developing for the sake of the Kitsune by the way - into an instrument of suicide. This is not pleasing to me, Kenderis. Not at all. It seems I awoke just in time, for further instruction is needed."

The Prince stood up then, and addressed the masses.

"Foxfire was meant to be used sustainably. I do not want to see any more over-channeling from any of you. You are meant to both control but also commune with the fire, not let it control and consume you. If I sense any of you over-channeling so much it mains or kills, I may have to re-consider if you are worthy of my gifts. I worked for AGES to grant you this gift, because I thought you all could handle it. Do not disappoint me." he said firmly, like a parent chastising children. Which actually was a fairly accurate analogy.

"Now come...let us take a break from the demonstrations. I shall introduce you all to my latest miraculous Creation. I created a Divine Guardian Beast from mythic essence whilst I slept. Like all of you, he too is a steward of Irani and I expect you all to treat him with the respect due to his station." The Prince said as he held toward the sky. A divine portal opened up, and from it emerged the Prince's Celestial Dragon! The creature slithered and flowed through the air in defiance of gravity while making a circular path that allowed it to get a good look and feel for the land and its inhabitants before the mythic beast came to the ground and curled up on itself like a resting serpent. The Prince of Blossoms deftly climbed atop the resting beast and stood on one of its large scales.

"Kitsune! I present to you Jylis Danna'd, the Celestial Dragon of Wood/Water! The Divine Guardian Beast of Irani! He doesn't answer to any one faction but simply serves my person and Irani, in that order. Do not attempt to drag him into politics or intrigues either, and in turn he will avoid politics and intrigue although has the authority from me to do his job at all times. It is my wish for the Kitsune and my celestial dragon to be kind and mindful of one another at all times."

Kenderis blinked in confusion at the Prince's reaction to culmination of the foxfire display. "Of course we would not use your power wastefully! No, we save our sacrificial fires for the most dire of circumstances. But I understand, we will ensure all sacrifices in your name be made without Kamihana. Now that you've stated it, it makes perfect sense, using your own magic to make a sacrifice is like giving one a gift that they already own. A thousand apologies for such a simple oversight!"

Drawing their attention to the sky, a gap opened up and through it slid through a great serpent that coiled and wove hypnotically through the air. The assembled kitsune 'ooohed' in proper amazement and fell to their knees to recite prayers and chants as they bowed and prostrated themselves upon the scorched dirt.

Jylis Danna'd wove through the air, sweeping down low to curiously investigate the Cathedral and the many mortals spread out before it. His passing sent a cool wind sweeping across the assembled kitsune. Twisting back up into the air, the dragon flew over to some nearby hills and lazily draped itself across the crags, quickly making itself as home in its new realm.

"Miracle of miracles," praised Kenderis from where he now knelt. "Truly the God of Irani is the greatest of all powers to command such a great and majestic beast such as this. Allow us the honor of attending you! We shall present a grand feast and sing your praises and bathe you in scented oils."

The Prince shook his head, ignoring what Kenderis said about sacrifice for now as the man wasn't completely wrong. Plus, he needed to remain focused.

"Save the festivities for later. I have much, much work to do." the Prince said as he leaped off of Jylis Danna'd and landed gracefully onto the ground, like a cat.

"Let us practice with Foxfire a bit, but not in unleashing its power. That you all can do plenty well. No...I want to do the opposite. Let us work on using kamihana to help protect and ward against flame, even without using Omamori wards. This will allow you all to unlock further more advanced spells - such as self-immolation without dying for instance - which could have practical defensive uses on top of the more utilitarian ones of not being burnt by fire, withstanding this realm better, and so on." the Prince said.

He held out a hand, and willed flame to project from it from nothing. He did this seamlessly and easily as the power flowed through him like water through a river. He then pointed at a bonfire pit that currently wasn't aflame and tossed his hand-held ball of fire into it, igniting it.

"Let us practice on using the Kamihana and foxfire principles to allow us to sustain contact with the flame without burning. But do it SLOWLY you guys, until you get a feel for it and codify it as a true Foxfire ability." he said as he walked over to the fire, and willed kamihana energy to suffuse his hands.

Mind you, his divine aura's essence trait was so strong normal fire couldn't touch him really anyway, but this was different. He wanted to practice using the kamihana to allow a practitioner to withstand contact with flames, and with greater proficiency move and act in heat and fire like it were normal air.

The Prince pushed his hand near the flame, so he could feel its heat, and willed an invisible layer of Kamihana Foxfire energy to create an instant flame ward around his hands. He tested its efficacy by seeing how the feeling of heat changed from normal to reduced to eliminated over time, and he slowly pushed his hand into the bonfire while regulating the magical flow of his protection.

"Like this my children. Start OUTSIDE the flame, and try and insulate yourselves with my mana and slowly feel if there is a reduction of discomfort and heat as you come near the flame. If there is, go closer and closer and even skim the surface until it starts to just barely hurt, then pull back and refocus!"

The Prince attempts to create a "Protection from Heat & Flame" spell for Foxfire.

Gathering the acolytes of the Cathedral, the Prince set himself to teaching. For him it was a familiar action, for these students it was like living through a story. Hundreds of years had passed, but now they were being privileged to be the first kitsune in generations to learn firsthand from their god.

The concept of heat dispersal was a simple enough idea, but was quite antithetical to foxfire itself, which was all about generating inner fire and heat. This was not to say the desired effect was impossible, but it was taxing and time consuming. All around the chamber acolytes inadvertently made their candle flames larger or hotter rather than actually shielding themselves.

But the hardest part had already been done in the prior era. Foxfire now existed, refining it could be done by the mortals. For whatever faults they might possess, there was no doubt that these pupils would throw themselves into studying this strangely backwards application of Foxfire to make it diffuse heat rather than generate it.

Protect From Heat and Flame Spell will be learned on 9/28/22

+10% Kamihana

The Prince nodded affirmatively at his followers who were working on carrying out his instructions.

"Good. I am pleased. Mastering Protection from Heat and Flame will become a valuable if not vital resource for the Kitsune in the future. If you wish to honor the Foxfire art I have granted your kind after literally an age of preparation, then please do master this technique. It will help you all prepare for even more intricate techniques in the future of the art as well." the Prince said to them.

He then remembered something, and went to Kenderis.

"Keeper of Summer. I wish for you to give me a summarized report of the happenings in the realm while I was asleep. Aside from the schism between the factions of Summer and Spring." he said.

"I also sense a foreign presence of power in my Realm somewhere too. Something not quite on my level, but beyond just about anything besides possibly the celestial dragon. I'd call it...demi-divine. Do you know anything of the presence I refer to, and if so so where I can find it?"

As he spoke to Kenderis, the Prince Motioned toward the Central Easfyre Volcano-hole. As he did, four orbs of molten lava surged upward quite visibly and unnaturally into the air from the depths of the pit. They sped through the air at great speed before stopping near the prince. His power kept the lava together as cohesive balls.

"Yes...a presence is in the realm indeed and I am unsure if it is friend or foe. Just in case, I leave Easfyre with more protection. They will not aid the schism though - like the tigers they serve the Cathedral and the land and of course myself above all other masters. But against a non-Kitsune threat, they will be most useful!" he said as the orbs of lava splashed to the ground a bit away in an unoccupied area. The lava began to take the form of something serpentine before solidifying and gaining a semblance of flesh, although what was created was something both alive and fiery at the same time!

The Prince expends 200 souls to create 4 Salamander Special Units, which are a type of fire elemental.


This message was last edited by the player at 22:45, Sun 11 Sept 2022.

"I have heard rumors," Kenderis admitted reluctantly. "There is a group, truly lost souls, they worship what they call the White Wood. But even Ikyte had the sense to ban such heretical talk, these cultists keep their vile faith in secret. It is said they worship a great tree, one which cannot be found unless it so desires it. Perhaps that is true, for we have never found any strange wood within Irani. It is said to be white as bone and bare of leaf or bark and that it whispers to its chosen. Those who had taken up this cult often wear a sliver of white bark as a pendant and these fetishes are how we identify them."

"As for the rest of the passing era you wish to know of? Aside from the Children of the Petal going astray, it has been quiet. There was a building that appeared decades and decades ago, but it was swallowed back up by the forest. There have no been other oddities. This would be a wonderfully serene era were it not for the other children going astray."

The Prince nodded stoically.

"These Salamanders should help ensure the safety of the Kitsune of Easfyre while you all meditate on my teachings." he replied. "In the meantime, please do not engage in any overt acts of conflict or war with the Faction of Spring. I wish to tour the reast of my realm including the central province and will be doing an inspection, and conflict right now would hinder my efforts. Plus, I wish to witness the conditions there myself." he said.

"I suspect the root of the conflict between the factions has more to do with this White Tree cult or possibly the entity itself than with the Kitsune actually meaning to slight one another. What this means, Kenderis, is that you all must make an effort of will to try and clamp down on your emotions and even on your zeal until I can investigate further, as I believe you all have been manipulated. Including Ikyte." he continued.

"As for the building that was swallowed up by the woods...that was an outside influence trying to take advantage of my slumber, but that offended the Tree of Life in the process and got stamped out before it could establish itself. I know little more about it and leave it to the Tree. But until further notice, be on guard against this new cult as I am unsure if it has any connection to the False God of Blossoms, or is otherwise a hostile power waiting for me to turn it into porch planks or kindling or something, or if it is a misunderstood entity." he added.

The Prince then turned away and faced the direction where the celestial dragon was taking a rest on some crags. He gave a quick whistle, the sound which was unnaturally carried on the winds so that the dragon could hear, and the great divine beast stirred into the air and flew down to the ground nearby. The Prince deftly and effortlessly jumped and scaled its form until he stood in perfect balance atop the dragon.

"Jylis Danna'd? Let us take to the air and fly westward, to the central province. At the center of the central province lies the Cathedral of Blossoms. It will be good for you to survey and see more of the realm as well, and if we encounter threats we can destroy them together. But come - let us take flight!"

The Prince is leaving the Summer faction to work on the fire protection magics, while he and the celestial dragon fly to the central province to visit the Cathedral of Blossoms.

Stepping onto the back of the wood wyrm, the Prince of Blossoms took to the sky astride the back of the mighty serpent. The sunbaked earth of Easfyre fell away and the landscape shrank down to orange blotted with patches of green marking the desert foliage. Flying west toward the heart of Irani, the signs of the schism grew clearer. The border between Easfyre and Irani became dotted by scorched earth and broken wooden blades and spears. The border itself showed the clearest signs of this conflict. Blackened bodies mounted on spears were impaled upon the Easfyre side, on the Irani side there were kitsune lashed with thorns to trees where they'd been left to waste away from blood loss and the elements. This boundary seemed to be main site of the violence from the schism. Even now the Prince could see acolytes of each faith guarding the borders. Both sides looked up and let out cheers as the saw the Prince.

Flying past the contested border and the Omamori sigils securing the Irani side, the Prince flew back into the great towering trees and cascading falls of Irani. Here a quick fly through of the land revealed a dozen small villages that all encircled the Cathedral of Petals. At each village kitsune could be found prostrating themselves before living woven ivy idols depicting the Prince. Priests of Petals could be found in their traditional robes of living ivy leading these ceremonies, though all of them were interrupted at the sight of the great dragon and the god riding atop its back as they passed through the village.

The Prince passed through the Omamori wards effortlessly and with no disruption to them in return, and by his will the celestial dragon was also exempt from them. He surveyed the land and the air, and was troubled by the sight of the border being like war zone filled with war crimes. "Jylis Danna'd, you are not seeing my people or the realm at its very finest but this is the current reality. And even in this state, it needs to be defended and nurtured. I should say...especially in this state!" he said.

"There are currently two provinces now, and this one is the original central province. There is a sacred Cathedral baptized with souls near the center of both and these places help spread the Kamihana even whilst I slumber, so they are two very important places to both the realm and the Kitsune. We are going to fly to the center of this province, there, and go visit the Keeper of Spring who leads the other faction of Kitsune." The Prince said as he pointed down at the Cathedral on the ground.


"I need to hear the Spring faction's side of the story, but I still deeply suspect my people are being manipulated by a third party. Most likely this White Oak entity. I am deciding if I'll take it under wing or turn it into some white planks and tinderwood, and simply need more information before I can pass judgement. come - let us fly down to the Cathedral of Petals below" the Prince said as they made their way downward and descended to the Earth in front of the Cathedral.

Reaching the center of Irani, Jylis Danna'd graceful descended, his great body only stirring the leaves on the ground as much as a gentle breeze might. The Cathedral of Petals was unchanged from the last two eras and despite the hundreds of years. The around around it though had been transformed. Most of the surrounding trees had been felled and there were several mills raised up, and the smell of pulped wood rose up into the air. The wood being ground out from these mills seemed to be dedicated towards creating papyrus and had also gone towards constructing a number of wooden buildings. There were also many jars scattered about and filled to the brim with different colors of liquid. Ink. All around the cathedral all the kitsune were dedicated to holy magic of Omamori.

The arrival of the god and his dragon had hardly gone unnoticed. Everywhere kitsune had fallen to their knees and were reciting prayers and hymns, markedly different prayers than the ones that had been Cathedral of Petals. Sweeping out from this cathedral, still adorned in the ceremonial living ivy robes of the Spring Bearer, came Ikyte. Touched by divine power, the passing of time had left her unmarred. She hurriedly forward and threw herself to her knees.

"Oh holy of holy days, this time shall be marked out into the future as the day which the god of our land returned to us!" Ikyte praised happily. "You must have sensed the evil brewing in the east and come to answer our prayers! My judgement has proven to be woefully misguided I must confess, while I had hoped Kenderis would be a steward of the faith he has led them astray. He's become blinded by his love of fire, he sacrifices kitsune to the flames and claims these pagan acts are a form of worship. Under his guidance the kitsune of Easfyre have become savage and ungodly, they do not recognize the holy word of Omamori and he forces the kitsune there to spend half a day in their terrible prayers, they pray till their throats are as dry as their wastelands and their lips chap and bleed. They turn their fires upon your true sons and daughters and they hound our borders, but our wards hold strong! Should they fail the homeland of all kitsune would have been desecrated and reduced to cinders and ash." Ikyte shared mournfully, but then she stirred, "But you're here now, with our god returned we can drown the fires that have threatened us for so long and correct the blasphemous ways of those lost souls. It shall be humane of course, most of those kitsune are merely misguided. Once we make an example of Kenderis and his priests then the true faith can be rekindled!"

The Prince of Blossoms gracefully leaped from atop his dragon and landed on the ground with the silent grace of a cat. He listened quietly as Ikyte soke, although his face never smiled and occasionally frowned with disapproval. But he let her speak her peace, for that was why he came - to hear her side of the story.

"Keeper of Spring, and also my other children who have assembled here today. I have not arisen from my slumber to help you in your squabbles, nor to smite entire town fulls of my people in Easfyre or here in the central Iranai province." he declared boldly.

"No...I woke because I sensed there were external forces trying to meddle with my realm, and also meddle with the people. I have witnessed the....imbalance of faith and emotion of the Keeper of Summer and his subjects, but do not think it is due to his malice or ambition." he continued.

"On the contrary...I have come to ask that you all stop warring with them for now, for I believe you all - both Spring and Summer factions - are being manipulated by this outside third party into having your faith both artificially amplified but also twisted and subverted. Have you ever heard the saying that too much of a good thing is bad, yes? Or perhaps that the road to hell is paved by good intentions? That is what is happening in Easfyre. AND, I suspect, there may be some of it here too. And I think it is the fault of the White Oak Cult and its pale patron." he added, dourly.

"I have tasked the Summer faction to develop  and systematize fire protection magic with Foxfire. It not only is keeping them busy, but will help them not accidentally kill themselves as much too. But enough of that - leave Easfyre alone for now. I will tolerate no wars while I suspect a third party is meddling and manipulating the people."

He then pointed to the dragon beside him.

"By the way, I would like to introduce my latest and individually grandest creation. This is Jylis Danna'd, the Celestial Dragon of wood and water. I crafted him myself from a fragment of primordial elemental wood and water, and breathed life and flesh and power into him. He has met the Summer faction already, and now he greets the Spring. He is the Divine Guardian Beast of Irani, and is not tied to anyone faction nor does he answer to anyone but myself. However, he is a guardian and servant of the people and the land while not being a slave to either. Do not involve him in politics, and do give him the respect due his station. For he is an ally of all Kitsune who hold me in their hearts, but is also a quasi-divine mythic creature." The Prince said.

"Now tell me Ikyte of the happenings of Irani whilst I slumbered. I want to hear your perspective on things, and also need you to tell me anything you know of the Cult of the White Oak and its pale oaken patron. Including if you know where it is and if there are centers of cult activity."

"Hell?" Ikyte blinked back in confusion, the word being completely foreign to her.

As the Prince of Blossoms spoke her eyes welled up and her face fell. "Don't let them deceive you, my lord!" she implored. "The heresy of the fire worshippers cannot be blamed on anyone but themselves. We are familiar with the Cult of the White Oak, but they are a small group of heretics, we put them to the thorn lash when we find them. The influence of the cursed White Oak is but a trifling matter. It doesn't hold sway over the proper faithful. But if you wish to hunt out the cult and its icon, that would be a blessing. We've never been able to find it. Even those few heretics we've located have been unable to lead us back to their cursed tree. Truly it is quick to abandon its flock. I wish we could guide you, but its location remains a mystery to us. All we know is that there are some who roam the forests and come across a great tree. White as bone, its branches bear no leaves. They say it speaks to them. It offers them healing, or strength, or vitality, and in turn it demands their faith. Those who had strayed are found out by the cursed tokens they wear, chips of white wood adorned as a necklace. Their false god does not save them when we hang them from the thorns. There is even one now that is serving out his sentence, I do not believe he has expired yet, if he still lives, perhaps he can be of more assistance."

The news that the mighty dragon which the Prince of Blossoms had rode in upon was one of his own creation drew appreciative gasps of a fresh wave of prayers and hymns from the assembled faithful. Jylis Danna'd seemed to enjoy the attention based on the way it drew itself up ever so slightly. "Miracles upon miracles you bring, oh great lord of Irani!" Ikyte praised. "We shall dedicate a place to the mighty Jylis within the Cathedral so that he might rest in a place properly suited for such a holy being!"

True to Ikyte's word, the Prince of Blossoms found one living kitsune dangling from a barbed rope of thorns. Several dozen others hung alongside him, though most of those bodies were long dead, their skin desiccated and picked over by the birds. This cultist still wore his heretical necklace with the bone white chip of wood. His skin was burnt from the sun and his lips were chapped and peeled by thirst, but he still lived.

The Prince shook his head.

"Ikyte. Do not be so quick to dismiss your brethren of summer. I just came from Easfyre, and they said the same things about you that you are saying about them. Except I can feel their faith, and also you mortals simply have no chance of lying to to. My regal gaze sees through such things. That is just further evidence of what I already know: that you all are being manipulated. Or do you dare doubt my judgement?" he asked firmly, although it was more of a rhetorical question than anything.

"For the time being, I command that an armistice period begin between you and the Children of Summer. They have received a similar command from me as well. I need time to assess the situation. Instead, let us hunt down this white oak. I need to judge it myself and see if it is something I spare or put to the torch."

He allowed them to guide him to the tied-up cultist, and he looked on with a soft sigh at the grisly sight. He looked at the Cultist and approached.

"My wayward child. How did this happen to you? How did you let yourself be turned astray by the White Oak? Did my slumber cause you and yours to lose faith in me? Is the Kamihana art itself not a constant reminder of my immanence, even when I am in slumber? Is the lore of your ancestors not proof of my being?" the Prince asked.

He waved a hand in a quick motion reminiscent of a sigil, ignoring the need for the usual magical methods, and a glob of water appeared in the air, floating in defiance of gravity and a most perfect casting of the water kamihana spell that was currently possible.

"Drink - I will not allow you to thirst or expire whilst in my presence, for even now I choose to show you mercy." he said, as a smow stream of water gently floated to the bound man's lips so that his parched lips may drink of the purest water. The thorns that bound the man disintegrated away into dust in the wind, and the vined binding the man loosened unnaturally so that the man could fall descend from his punishment-post.

"Behold and bear witness to the miracles of your very creator! I grant you a second chance at a meaningful life..." the Prince said as vitality suddenly flooded into the injured man, causing his fleshy to mend and his wounds to heal. "Tell me about the White Oak, and this cult. It is not a real god, but merely a demidivine interloper. However...I would meet with it first and hear its side of the story before passing judgement. But do not allow yourself to stray from the path of your true creator any longer!"

The Prince watched and waited to see the cultist's resaponse. To see if he had the presence of mind to understand that he was int he mercy of the real god of the realm, and being shown a great mercy, or if his mind was somehow unnaturally addled and such. If the cultist seemed to act unnaturally even in the face of the Prince's direct presnece and influence, the god will use his powers to try and purify the taint of the oak directly from the man.

"If you wish to strike down the infidels yourself we will of course honor your wishes!" Ikyte replied fervently. It was perhaps not the spirit of agreement the Prince had wished for, but it was still agreement. Soon word would spread to halt hostilities at the borderlands. In the meantime, the Prince had greater interest in the heretic of the White Oak who was languishing upon a cord of thorns.

Retreiving the cultist, the kitsune who looked up at the Prince of Blossoms held no reverence or wonder in his eyes that the god was accustomed to, but also did not seem to radiate any sort of hint of interfering powers. There were no black blossoms in his eyes like that time in ages long past. "Turned astray?" he croaked, his voice strained from his days without water. "I was given a choice. It is more than most of us are given. We are told to spend all hours in worship, till our knees creak and bruise and our lips bleed. The Great Oak is hungry for devotion, just like you, but is not so greedy or demanding as the tyranny of your cathedrals. It is a simple choice, and it is my choice." His voice cracked with defiant emotion at the end.

"The Great Oak wishes to meet you too."

Staggering to his feet, the cultist threw a venemous look at the faithful kitsune who had gathered nearby to watch the exchange. They shook their heads disapprovingly. On unsteady legs the cultist of the White Oak turned and stumbled towards the forest to lead the way as evidently both god and demi-god desired. It was a slow, meandering walk given the state he was in, it allowed plenty of time to reflection on what the Prince of Blossoms had seen since returning.

Despite his initial suspicions, there were no signs of divine powers in place, either amongst the either the Cathedral of Blossoms or Petals, not even this cultist to another power showed signs of manipulation. All of this was looking to be purely mortal in origins. There had been signs of extremism in the prior age in the demands that the Cathedral of Blossoms had placed amongst it faithful. Those had only grown with time and then, when another sect of the religion was introduced, it had led to the break. It seemed that extremism, even extreme love for ones own god, only became more extreme over time. Those who did not perfectly follow the same prayers or practices as the majority were labelled as outside. Both these groups clearly still revered the Prince of Blossoms as their god, but through their love they had learned to hate and abhor the other group over countless minutia. This schism has been given centuries to form. It would take more than a simple declaration of 'Get over it' to mend.

But these thoughts were put aside when the cultist led the way through a tangle of branches and in a clearing ahead rose up a great tree as white as bone. "At last, the appointed day has arrived. You have done well, my child." The voice blew through the clearing, the words formed by the way leaves rustled and branches shook. "God of Irani, you stand in the presence of the Great Oak."

"I have never demanded that you all spend every waking hour in worship. You and your kin have chosen that. I simply have allowed your people to develop as they will in terms of their faith. I demand devotion, but that is because I am your creator. Don't compare me to either this interloper of an oak or to the institutions of mere mortals." The Prince responded firmly and sternly to the man, although never actually lost his temper or poise. It was a dignified, matter-of-fact sort of no-nonsense answer. Although the Prince did consider if perhaps he had been too hands-off with his mortals religion and faith institutions. It was something to address later.

------

Some time later, after a walk where the Prince reflected on many things while also surveying the land and sky, he finally stood before the White Oak. He strode forward, bold and standing tall with regal grace. The leaves on the trees of the surrounding forests rustled unnaturally as they quivered under the weight of the Prince's flexing divine aura.

"And White Oak, you in turn stand in the presence of the Prince of the World Tree, the True God of Blossoms. You are an interloper here in the realm, and to my knowledge you do not have permission from a high-ranking authority of Spring or Summer and certainly not from myself to be here. And from what I can tell, as well as what I've been sensing whilst I slumbered, it seems you may also have some role in the current civil war that is taking place in my realm." the Prince said, with a cool politeness.

"But I will not simply smite you immediately. No...I am fully aware that there are two sides to every story. In this case, probably at least three or four. And so I am withholding judgement for the moment, and wish to hear your side of things before I decide what to do with you." he continued.

"So I will ask you this: how did you come to my realm when I didn't portal you here what are you doing here, and what are your intentions towards myself and the Kitsune? And your white color...do you have any relationship to the False god of Blossoms? Know that I will know if you lie to me, and if you do I will punish you accordingly." the Prince added, as he locked the oak under his firm gaze.