Realm: Deusica Terras

Location: Heaven’s Palace

Several days after Sendrien Dagon (Thistleman’s) victory

Heaven’s Palace, seat of the Highest ranked gods across all the realms and home of the Ruler of Heaven, Ishtar.

Clouds and land mix together in idyllic perfection, as picturesque floating islands dot across the crystal clear blue skies. Each of the islands are connected to one another via a series of extraordinary arching bridges made of smooth and polished mahogany, with gold and silver inlays that shimmered with light from the sun.

The floating islands varied in size, with the smallest the size of a village while the largest island was the size of several cities combined, and it housed Heaven’s palace, a magnificent citadel that was the size of a whole city on its own. Numerous spires and towers climber high in to the sky, however they were all dwarfed by the palace’s central spire, which had cloud-like paths spiraling up its sides. Numerous large crystal windows dotted the sides of the tower, and interspersed cavernous entrances were spread along the cloud-like paths. Each of those entrances had a small river running through the center, creating sparkling waterfalls all along the sides of the tower with a near permanent rainbow visible from any angle. Outside of the palace itself, numerous gardens and pavilions sprawled across the island with incomparable beauty. Fountains with gorgeous statues of various idyllic creatures and people also filled small water canals throughout the gardens, providing irrigation for the flowers and blossoming trees.

The water from the central island flowed out in several directions, falling to the other islands below it, and from them it flowed to other islands still further away. Farthest out was a massive golden gate built on the clouds themselves, made with numerous intricate carvings and inlaid with countless priceless gems. The grand entrance of Heaven, guarded by a legion of angels, yet known simply as Heaven’s Gate.

Deusica Terras was full of activity, with myriads of angels bustling to and from various islands under the directions of the high angels, who flew around on wings of pure white. Today was far busier than usual, as even the archangels were taking personal care in preparations and coordination for the day’s activities. Numerous trumpets and horns were constantly sounding, as Heaven’s Gate would open time and time again. Each time, another entourage would enter, with each member of the entourage riding a Pegasus and at the center of the entourage would be a grand carriage carrying the gods and goddesses from the various worlds they managed. Each carriage had but one destination: Heaven’s Palace.

Ishtar sat at the head of a grand table, her attire and expression a strong contrast to the palace she called home. She wore humble clothes, and her wizened face was wrinkled in concern, accentuated by her graying hair and stern golden eyes. Overall, she gave the impression of an older mother instead of the ruler of the Divine.

Of the 12 seats before her, only 10 were filled. Ishtar made a clear note of looking carefully over each seat once more. Zeus: God of the sky, Anubis and Hades: Rival gods of the underworld, Gaia: Goddess of Fertility, Venus: Goddess of Love, Michael: An extraordinarily powerful archangel representing the ever-reclusive Yahwe, Thanatos: The shrouded God of Death, Inari: The Goddess of Prosperity, Amaterasu: Goddess of the Sun and lastly… a monkey. Two of the seats were empty and that… that was a problem. That was a really, really big problem. Something like this has never occurred before, and it was at a time like this that Sun Wukong, the God of Trickery, sent an actual god-damned monkey in his place. Just looking at the creature made Ishtar furrow her brow in frustration, while it was apparently enjoying a nice cup of tea.

Each of the other gods and goddesses were looking nervously between the empty chairs and the silent Ishtar, not one of them daring to speak for what felt like an eternity. Ishtar’s hands were folded on the table, and they tightened, emphasizing the whites of her knuckles before she slowly began to speak.

“Almalexia: one of the twelve great gods and The Goddess of Light and Hope. Thor: God of Thunder and Head of my divine enforcement division, along with his lieutenants Athena, Bast, Takemikazuchi, and Bellona. As I am sure you have noticed, two of the seats of the Great Gods are empty.” Ishtar paused for a moment, swallowing before solemnly continuing “The reason I have called all of you today, and summoned the lesser gods, is because shortly after they traveled to Americia to fight its Demon Lord… I lost their connection. The world has fallen and become a Demon World.”

Silence momentarily filled the room, as the sheer weight of her words sank in. Slowly, eyes widened in shock as the implications sank in, and the council erupted in chaos!

“Preposterous! You’re telling me that we sent that much firepower to some third-rate world and still lost?!” With a thunderous slam, Zeus fist shook the table, causing his iconic robes and long white beard to also flutter with the impact. The electricity emanating from him was palpable in the surrounding air.

“All gods are connected spiritually to the Divine Soulstone… for Ishtar to lose her connection to them can only mean that they have died.” A cold, distant, rasping voice echoed from seemingly nowhere and everywhere in the room. Even with their authority as gods, it was a voice that still sent a chill down their spines. The voice was merely represented by a translucent shroud emanating for visual purposes on one of the chairs in the room. Thanatos, the only god who pre-dated the era of the Titans.

“Buts Gods can’t die! Even if our physical form is destroyed, we are just scattered until we reform by the Divine Soulstone again.” A man with the head of Jackal rose as he spoke, a hint of nervousness coursed through his voice. The clattering of all his adorned golden jewelry did little to hide it. The concept, coming from one as esteemed as Thanatos, caused the idea that was at first implausible to suddenly feel much more real to Anubis. To be able to suffer the same fates as those he judged… unthinkable!

“Hmph. I hate to admit that he is right, but this is precisely the reason we sealed the Titans eons ago. If we simply destroyed them, they would just keep coming back.” Across the table, Hades leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing in focus towards Anubis. Unlike the bare-chested Anubis adorned in Jewelry, Hades opted for a reserved and simple outfit in dark blue colors, provided courtesy of his brother Poseidon. {Ordinarily, I would take the opposing side of anything that bastard says… but to admit that death is possible for us…?}

“If they were able to come back, then Ishtar would not have lost her connection to them. Even sealed, we can sense the Titans through the Divine Soulstone. To not be able to sense them almost certainly means that a way to kill gods has been found.” Thanatos continued unabated. {And for such an intriguing subject that is within my realm, which I have studied since the beginning of life itself, only to have another beat me to this discovery is truly abhorrent!}

“Then we need to immediately launch a full scale invasion of Americia and kill its Demon Lord before more of us can fall! This cannot be allowed to stand!” Zeus bellowed across the table, while pounding his chest.

“Such foolishness! You would ask that we brazenly march into the enemies trap? What would happen to the order across the different realms if more gods were to fall? Just the loss of Almalexia alone is enough to upset the balance of power in hundreds of worlds! We should stabilize our realms and take care of the abandoned sects so they do not fall into conflict!” A woman who could be described as no less than the epitome of perfection cut in to the conversation. She wore a skin-tight outfit the emphasized her ample curves in the most… sensual way, while leaving enough to the imagination to entice even the most chaste of men and women alike. Venus, who normally would speak carefully in her melodic voice, was unusually direct and her voice sharpened by her agitation.

“Thank-you Ishtar for providing this information. My Lord will have much for me to do on this matter. He would have no interest in the rest of this… conjecture spouted forth.” The archangel Michael, clad in shining silvered armor that emphasized his pure white wings and burning holy sword on his waist, interjected matter-of-factly in the middle of the conversation. He maintained a stern, expressionless face as he stood and turned to leave, his jet black hair swaying slightly with the sharp motion. His demeanor served only to further rile up the other gods present.

“Pah! If it weren’t for honoring the pacts of old, I would wage a holy war on you and your young upstart for your arrogance!” With a snarl, Anubis grabbed his golden cane and brandished it, pointing it aggressively towards Michael as he radiated holy energy!

“Maybe you could still give it a try, it has been quite some time since I launched a righteous crusade against an aggressor! Go on, break the rules! Lets see what happens!” Rarely missing an opportunity to get in Anubis’ way, Hades quickly took Michael’s side. Conversely, Michael acknowledged neither and continued to leave the room unabated.

“Who are you calling a fool, woman? A pacifist as always! If we allowed the realms to adopt your ways, we would have never been able to establish our authority as gods!” Zeus continued his shouting match with Venus, his thunderous voice overpowering the argument growing between Hades and Anubis.

“Enough of the bickering! Do not forget the matter at hand! While you were arguing, Inari, Gaia and I came to an agreement to conduct a reconnaissance of Americia. While Zeus is correct, and we cannot let this threat stand, we also cannot discount the possibility of a trap or the disorder already in progress. We must temper our actions with caution.” In the midst of the growing heated arguments, Inari, Gaia and Amaterasu had locked eyes and quietly grouped together, discussing quietly amongst themselves before making a decision. Amaterasu, with long, raven black hair and red eyes contrasted by her shapely red and white kimono, spoke authoritatively for the group.

Neither Inari nor Gaia chose to speak up, as for them conflict brought neither prosperity nor fertility, and as such they would regularly rely on Amaterasu to speak up for them. Inari stood to the left of Amaterasu, wearing a fox mask while 9 fox tails weaved back and forth behind her, and her loose Kimono showing off her ample chest. To her right was Gaia, clad in countless miniature trees, flowers, roots and earth that made up her feminine body. In place of her eyes was a single large well, from which water would endlessly flow down her body and be reabsorbed. Ordinarily the size of a mountain and the only Titan that was not sealed, she compressed her being for the sole purpose of attending this meeting.

The debate amongst the Great Gods continued late in to the night, as the gods found themselves feeling placed under an incredible pressure and threat the likes of which they have never known before. The pressure caused by facing severe risks to themselves only served to deepen the divisions amongst the gods and factionalized their groups.

Ishtar continued to watch in silence as the debate further devolved into shouting matches, before finally adjourning the meeting with a slight majority in favor of conducting a reconnaissance.

Votes Reconnaissance and stabilization Amaterasu, Inari, Gaia Invasion Zeus, Hades Stabilization Venus, Anubis Abstain Yahwe, Sun Wukong, Thanatos

Ishtar sighed deeply as she collapsed into a deep leather recliner back in her chambers.

Surrounded by the countless volumes of her personal library and the dancing lights of her fireplace reflecting off the marble and granite statues, the room had a very serene look which allowed her to relax for a moment and gather her thoughts.

Hmmm… a cup of tea would be nice right now…

As a cup of warm Chamomille honeyed with Ambrosia appeared in her hands, she abruptly remembered that the only one who seemed to enjoy himself at that meeting was the damnable monkey-representative of Wukong! At the end of the meeting, he sloshed down the remainder of tea in his cup and puckered a smile at her, showing off his teeth before disappearing in a poof of smoke!

Ishtar winced at the thought, and then wished the tea away again.

Even if the meeting had gone completely according to her expectations, still, having to deal with it was always a strenuous ordeal. And, despite the meeting going according to expectations, having to have a gathering of the Great Gods was not according to any of her plans.

Her hands tightened, tearing the leather, as her face contorted into a terrifying expression.

Almalexia! That bitch! What did you get up to? You dared to summon a Legendary Hero, which had even eluded my ability, and for what purpose? Always the thorn in my side since she was born 4,000 years ago, blessed with foresight the likes of which should have been mine! I cannot imagine she would have gotten herself killed, but what other purpose or outcome could there be?!?

*Inhale*

*Exhale*

Ishtar’s face returned to her usual motherly look, as she calmed her nerves.

This is not something I can overlook anymore.

Ishtar glances to a particular corner of her room.

It seems I will need to use all of my resources to investigate this. No matter how strong her foresight is, she cannot compare to what I have at my disposal!

A smile slowly starts to break across her face as Ishtar regains her feeling of control over the events at play.

Archion, Luthas

Magical Transference chamber within the palace

Present timeframe

Within the King’s Palace in Archion was a large chamber, one of only three built in all of Anastasia. While the chamber was mostly unadorned, it was secured by countless magical talismans and traps to prevent intrusion, scrying and all manner of unofficial entry. Within the center was a large crystalline formation, with countless arrays and designs connecting various points that can be realigned to create three separate configurations. Of particular note, there were also three decent sized circles that could fit most types of humanoids within them.

Standing in one of these circles was Lex Calrainne, dressed in his full regal attire. Behind him was Cardinal Rasputin and Lieutenant Septimus of the Imperial Knights.

“My King, I have finished adjusting the circle for two-way communication with Rivellion. Their Imperial Mage, Balgruf, has sent the signal that Emperor Hirihito is also prepared. We are about to initiate the connection.”

“Good work, Rasputin! I am glad I can always count on at least one reliable ally around here!” [Lex]

Lex straightens out his attire one more time, as the crystal formation begins to alight. In the opposite circle, lights gather and form the image of a tall and powerfully built man with sharp grey eyes, wearing elegant robes with the imperial sigil of a gold shield with two red lions circling an ornate scepter emblazoned over his heart.

The man speaks first, quite quizzically “Well? Are you not going to bow first in the presence of an ‘Emperor’?”

“Well I would bow, alas if it weren’t for those garish shoes of yours I am afraid they would damage my eyes.”

A moment of silence passes…

*Bwahahaha!*

“Ah, Little Hiri, how you have grown since we went to the University of Sankore! It seems the years have treated you well, old friend!”

“Truly, if only I could say the same for you! You have always been older than me, but it seems like the stress of running your kingdom has not done you any favors…”

“Heh, I would be offended if it wasn’t so true. To think after all these years I would be presiding over a country on the verge of ruin and for it all to be done courtesy of my younger brothers…”

“You know, I could always ‘invade’ as a peacekeeping mission to stabilize the kingdom in your waning years?” Hirihito offers a slight wink at the suggestion, prompting a laugh out of Lex.

“As much as I would appreciate a helping hand, you and I both know how terribly that would turn out for everyone involved! Both my brothers would cease their squabbling to fight you, so not only would Luthas still fall in to ruin, but it would drag you down with them as well. From what my Cardinal tells me, the church isn’t too happy with the stunt you pulled.”

“Hah! Of course they wouldn’t be happy! They are just blindly following the will of Ishtar, but I cannot comprehend how faith would let them ignore how useless the hero is that she called for us. After all these years, he has not ranked up once! Still, even dealing with the fallout, at least I was able to salvage a trump card from this mess.”

“Oh? Is that so? So not only did you drop a nameless evil into my lands ‘on accident’, but you also get to keep all the profits to yourself? I see how it is these days, hah!”

“Bwahahaha! Well, I did send my best knights to aid you and to bear the brunt of the search! Pray tell, has there been any news?”

“It seems not much, other than the annihilation of one of our border villages. Oddly enough, your knights were telling me that this monster of yours actually wasn’t the one responsible. Unfortunately, this pesky little civil war seems to be getting in the way, and I will have to continue to rely on your knights for this task, as anyone else I could send would just get brought in to the war.”

“Hmmm, this is most concerning. Then please relay to Septimus that he will continue to fully dedicate his team for these endeavors. Know that even if the worst comes to pass, you will always have a place at my court!”

“Hah! I appreciate the offer, but you and I both know that the only way I will be leaving this throne is in a casket. The least I can do is try and outlive those greedy bastards so they won’t live to see their ambitions come to pass! I will claw on to every last day I can get! Ah, now since you do happen to owe me for the troubles so coincidentally brought to my kingdom, you wouldn’t happen to be willing to share some news about this ‘trump card’ of yours, now would you?”

“Well… when you put it that way, it is rather hard to refuse. It is a truly incredible blade we received, the likes of which I have never seen nor heard of before. The sharpness alone can cleave through Mythril, Quicksilver, and Orichalium like butter, and on top of that the blade never dulls! Furthermore it has an absurd mana capacity that is overflowing with power. While testing the blade, my bastard accidentally split one of the gardens in half!”

“You gave the blade to your bastard?”

“Of course, even though Balgruf was certain the blade was not cursed, considering recent events I still wanted to be quite sure that it would be safe to use.”

“You know… this is why you can’t make any other friends…”

“Hahaha! I only need one good friend! Ah? What’s that? Hmm, ok. My steward is telling me I have more pressing matters I need to attend to. When we have some new reports available, maybe we can use that as a good excuse to find time to chat again? Hah! See ya round!”

The hum and glow of the crystals subside, as the image of Emperor Hirihito IV dissipates. With an audible sigh, Lex steps out of the circle.

Peaceable moments with a friend are always too few and far between, and even when I have them, they are always far too short… such is the life of a king!

Lieutenant Septimus and Cardinal Rasputin step forward towards the King, offering a half bow as they approach.

“Septimus, I am sure you overheard Emperor Hirihito. We would still need to utilize your assistance in this investigation.”

“Which, coincidentally, while the main branch of the church is very much opposed to assisting the Emperor at this moment, my branch finds assisting our King a very worthwhile endeavor. If necessary, some of our Templars could ‘coincidentally’ find themselves on very similar missions with your knights.” Cardinal Rasputin politely interject with a smile.

“Yes, King Calrainne, I would gladly continue to provide assistance as my liege wishes it. The knights also find themselves in your debt, Cardinal! Unfortunately the trail following our best lead has gone cold, so I am splitting my knights to investigate strange occurrences and rumors around the kingdom. While I am quite confident in my knights, one of my newer team leaders is being deployed to Njord to follow up about the strange disappearances of numerous orphans in the city. Perhaps you could send some Templars there?”

Lex raises an eyebrow at the mention of more strange occurrences happening in his kingdom.

Can the problems not take a break for even one day? He thinks morosely to himself, suppressing another grimace.

“Ah… Njord. Quite the town and far off too, but I am afraid my Templars might not be welcome there, as the town is fiercely loyal to the King and would not appreciate church interference. Although… that does seem to be a matter that I may still be able to assist with. I happen to have a couple of specialists who handle certain… occult matters, and one of them is free. I am sure his skill can be of use for you! I will contact him at once and have him meet your knights there.”

I had been having Thistleman work really hard at saving money for a little while now, and while I have been using Terra’s map a lot, my attempts to edit it and make it better just… have not been working out well.

I figured it would be a better idea if I could get my hands on a decent local map, like the ones some of the other adventurers have, in the hopes it could make my questing more efficient!

However, finding a new map was proving challenging as I ran around town looking for someone with maps… all the market vendors were sold out, the cartographers had been hired for the war, and none of the street vendors had any maps! At least, that’s how it went until I finally found an out of the way antiques shop.

*huff huff*

“Hey shop-keep! I’m looking for a map of Luthas, I’ve been running around all day but I can’t find one…”

Elderly Shopkeep “Eh? You want a map of Luthas? Your timing is terrible, I sold my last one today. With all the fightin going on, I can’t seem to get my hands on any more. I could sell ya this old map though! It should do ya well!”

“Eh? Well… this is an older map of the continent. I guess it’s definitely better than my current map.”

“Are ya gonna deliberate and whine all day or will ya buy the map? At the rate these are going if you don’t want it, someone else will, hehe!” *cough* *rasp*

“Fine, I’ll take it gramps! Thanks!”

After paying, Diane hurries back out of the store with her new map. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a better start!