“They are not the same, I am simply being careful.

“The Race of the Eternals is a branch of humanity which was split off from the rest of us by the Celestials and imbued with great amounts of cosmic energy. For all intents and purposes, they are godlike beings, but they cannot gather Faith... so it would be more accurate to say they are angelic.

“They cannot reproduce among their own, either, although the men can have children with mortal women, I’ve been informed, although it is rare.

“They have been around at least fifty thousand years, when our ancestors dwelled in caves, long before Atlantis existed, or most of the gods even cared that humans existed.”

“Do they survive today?” Ororo asked, amazed. “Would there not be conflict between them and the gods?”

“The Eternals had a job to do, given to them by the Celestials. The gods were unable to deter the Celestials at all, and venting their ire on servants who could also not defy their masters was largely seen as useless. They are generally a noble people, and their primary interaction with mortals was to make sure that the Deviant race of humanity did not overcome and replace us.

“They are still here today, living unseen among mortals. Hero and Gilgamesh, from the Champion List, are both Eternals, if you recall their names. I’ve heard rumors that with the departure of the Celestials and the consumption of the Celestial Egg by Galactus, they may also leave our world, especially since The Great Bear has almost annihilated the Deviants from the world.”

“I see.” She was a little wide-eyed, hearing all this for the first time. “Is... Is it true that Galactus could have eaten the whole world?” she asked faintly. “I... felt His arrival. It felt like the whole world drew back in fear...”

“Were plans not in place? Yes. That is what Galactus does. He tears all of the life from a world and leaves behind a cold, dead husk. Millions, probably billions of worlds have been consumed by Him over countless eons. He is a Cosmic Force, a peer of the Phoenix Force itself, far beyond mortals, and indeed beyond most gods. Our world would certainly have died had not there been plans in place and an arrangement made with him... and the Celestials sent packing.”

“I see...” It was her first brush with cosmic annihilation, and unlike most of the world, she had been unable to remain ignorant of it. “And... mortal Eternals?”

“Eternal is the name given to a mortal who steps past Twenty.” She blinked in shock, as the Core Disciplines only went up to Twenty. “That is... a very hard step to take, but it can be done, and has been done. It is likely both The Great Bear and The Golden Hag have done so.

“As the name implies, you cease to age, and are immune to mortal weaknesses of disease, food, water, sleep, and infirmity. Your body is transformed to something approaching genetic perfection, and your mind and soul with it, to someone capable of tolerating spans of time humans were not evolved to live.

“What you do with your additional lifespan is your own. Note that you are harder to kill, but you are not immortal. You can be slain, you simply will not just die from the burdens of time.

“An alternate road to this is naturally enough the Divine path of becoming a god. The two paths are very different, but they are not opposed. It could be said one is the path of Gods, and one is the path of Titans, if you were a poet, and so their fates are wound together.”

She stared at me for a long moment as the racing longship sliced through the rolling waves, still maintaining the wind despite all. “And you know all this how?”

Looking like I was half-dozing, I opened one eye at her. “I am an Alchemist. Seeking immortality is one of the primary goals of Alchemists.”

“Ah!” she exclaimed, raising a finger. “Along with the Philosopher’s Stone, the turning of base metals to gold, and the Universal Solvent!” she recited.

“The Stone represents the ability to transmute matter by itself, the knowledge of transmutation of all elements. Turning lesser things to gold is merely the aspect which sounds most valuable to the greedy,” I corrected her mildly. “Don’t forget the secret to perpetual motion, the creation of panaceas and perfection of the mortal form, the Great Pattern of Elements magical and mundane, the Wheel of Fate and Chance exemplified by astrology, and the creation of true artificial life.

“Alchemists don’t aim small.”

She almost laughed at me. “I see not,” she agreed. “And this is your course towards the Eternal?” she asked carefully, not wishing to intrude.

“Alchemy has its limits. It is part of the greater whole. I’m aiming at the greater whole. Walking a quick, narrow road is possible, but you carry that thin road into eternity. If you can, a wider road is more advisable. Perhaps a narrow road will carry you along faster, but in time, breadth wins the contest.”

“How do you see my skills?” she asked quickly.

I opened both eyes to regard her, and flicked up a Holo.

==========

Ororo Munroe, Terra’s Storm, the Wind-Rider, Young Rain Goddess

Female Powered Human/2 (Mutant), Goddess/1* (Weather)

Scout/6; Psion/4 (Air and Lightning); Druid Shaman/5 (7)* (Weather)

Strength: 11->13

Dexterity: 18->20

Constitution: 15->16

Intelligence: 13->16

Wisdom: 16->18

Charisma: 17->19

Notable Talents/Traits: Lineage of Thunder, Lineage of Rain; Survivor; Claustrophobic

Terra’s Storm Core Template: Weather Goddess; Sky Goddess

============

Ororo stared at the Assay results in fascination. “This is... like the Core Disciplines?” she asked carefully, staring at it.

“Dealer never gave you something like this?” I asked archly.

“She did not interfere with my training at all. She said that she might be refuting the teachings of my ancestors, and I needed to first learn, then make my own path. She said I have a powerful Heritage...” she trailed off.

“Well, that is quite the understatement. An Assay can dissect literally everything you know and render it down into quantifiable terms. This is merely the topical scan, the rest is deeper and much more, eh, invasive to privacy than many people want.”

“Could I... learn to do this?” she inquired.

“Yes. But I don’t know how. My magic is very different from your own at its foundation, and your power is VERY strongly skewed towards the air and weather. Using psionics would probably be your best bet through self-examination, but I am not a psion, either. I would suggest a trip to Cynosure. I am sure they can teach you what you want to know.”

She nodded shortly at mention of the Tribal psionics University, eying the numbers and topical data. “What does all this signify?”

“Well, first, you’re a Human/2. You need to hit Seven in something and get Human/3 as fast as possible. If not, your Goddess Levels are going to distance you from humanity rather quickly. Human/3 will keep you grounded forever, even if your Goddess Levels exceed them in the future.”

“Oh!” She stared at the sole level. “What does this Goddess Level entail?” she asked.

“That you can gather the power of Faith, but not disperse it. Note how your Shaman Level has a boost to it. When wielding power on behalf of your faithful, you have greater power and awareness. Not much, but you are a fledgling in Divine terms. Here, surrounded by Divine power from Asgard, you gain much the same effect.”

“I see. When... would I be able to grant prayers and such things?” she asked hesitantly, as if it were sacrilege.

“That would require being a true Demigoddess, so around Fifteen?” I hazarded.

She blinked in shock. “Oh! That is... not easy, then.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. That is a lot of Divine Evolution to undertake. Before then... well, you’re basically leeching on their Faith.”

She flushed despite herself. “I...” She didn’t know how to respond to that.

I just waved my hand. “They boost your power, you use your power on their behalf. That returns their Faith to them indirectly. Of course, there is nothing obliging you to do so, and many neophyte gods simply keep the power for themselves to hurry themselves along their path to the Eternal. It’s a bad thing to do, as it means they are relying on Faith for power, instead of themselves... but it is quick, easy, and addictive.”

“I must be wary of this, then,” she said carefully.

“Indeed.” I pointed. “I am sure you can interpret your Stat line. You are above average in all respects, with your natural nimbleness and grace leading the way, probably a result of your Scout Levels. I gather you did some thieving or something when you were younger?”

“Yes. After my parents died, I survived on the streets of Cairo for some time. I was part of a group of young thieves and pickpockets,” she confirmed without embarrassment.

“And that is where the Askar found you, and built upon that foundation. A Six is one of the best normal thieves in the world,” I pointed out to her. “So, you’ve talent at the trade, and, well, being a sneaky bitch if needed.”

She smiled thinly. “The Askar seldom use direct tactics, vastly preferring the ambush and hidden knives,” she agreed coolly. “It is how they trained me.”

I nodded. “I can confirm that on the receiving end,” I agreed calmly, earning a raised eyebrow. “Ah, when my powers first manifested, they tried to kidnap me while I was in the hospital going through my Awakening. I’m sure I would have ended up on a dissection table. There was some interference by members of the Aerie, and so I am here today.”

“Ah.” She considered the implications. “I am sorry...”

“You realized what they do and left. Do not dwell on it for me,” I said simply, waving it off. “Your Psion Levels are heavily biased towards your mutant ability to control weather, and are so heavily dominated by your Core and Bloodline it’s actually registering that way. Your skills at controlling the weather move through your psion levels. Your skill at very minor, precise control of your power is your Psion abilities.”

“Oh! So, like this?” She formed a small whirlwind over her hand, which condensed into a tiny dark cloud, crackling with lightning.

I nodded once. “Yes, that is a perfect example. So is, mmm, condensing a snowball and tossing it at someone.”

Naturally she had to try just that, concentrating on gathering ice and compacting it between her hands. It took her rather more effort than she expected to do use.

“I can generate massive hailstorms!” she protested, looking at the lumpy thing of ice in her grasp.

“Small, subtle control is often far harder than big, heavy movements. Can you pick locks?” I asked her.

“With my mouth!” she stated proudly.