Althos watched, curiosity visible in his eyes, as his energy surged through and mutated the dire scorpion. The creature's body vibrated and a series of strange, low-frequency hums radiated out of the thing's carapace.

Before his very eyes, the creature who had endured and resisted his spores was growing in size and in width. He himself was visibly delighted with the creature's new and changing size, and he heard the thing's mental anguish as it underwent the transformation he was inflicting upon it.

Pain... This... hurts. But I feel... stronger.

The scorpion's simple mind was effective for the purpose of enduring and analyzing the pain and changes it was undergoing.

The scorpion's body had increased in length, width, and height by at least a full meter each since the process had begun to warp it. Its carapace was thicker, its stinger was longer and filled with far more potent poison, and its pincers were now not only denser but also covered in venomous, hair-like spines.

The scorpion was not the only one undergoing significant changes at that very moment. Althos had taken the initiative and had just finished absorbing and replacing all of the memories, secrets, thoughts, and knowledge of the jackaloids.

The deity did that in about an instant thanks to his creative usage of his assorted powers. In the following instant, he grinned and froze as his mind was assailed by the sensation of hundreds of thousands of hours of memories flooding his mind at once. He shivered in delight and closed his eyes so that he could focus on visualizing the memories now entering his brain.

The jackaloids themselves had empty minds for just an instant. Their memories were almost immediately replaced by fabricated memories made by the young god, memories which were often identical to each other and were just from different angles.

Among other lies, the deity had made himself an object of their worship in these entirely fake lifetimes. So through this, the deity gained new worshipers almost immediately, and as he felt their devotion to him increase as memories flooded into them, he knew this was an excellent tactic that would enable him to swiftly make entire populations into his minions.

The jackaloids gradually rose to their feet and moved over to their new master, bowing before him and acknowledging his might in the much same way as their fellow had. Althos grinned at them, recognizing their devotion and feeling the power of the emotions they directed at him, even though no words were exchanged between them.

"Now... all we must do is wait."

Althos said, referring to the scorpion struggling through the ritual Althos had inflicted upon it, before looking at the cruel-looking sword in his hand. It was only partially complete, a handle and a short made of imprecisely created glass blade were complete but nothing else had been completed in time.

The deity shrugged and then handed it to the one who dropped the sword the deity now possessed. The one who had dropped the sword was the third to fall to his spores and his mind-erasing powers and the creature then looked reverentially at the sword its master and god had handed to it.

[Alert: The jackaloid perceived this as an act of kindness, the bestowal of an artifact. All jackaloids who hear of this act of kindness will afford you more awe and respect than they would have otherwise.

Also: new species knowledge alert.

Jackaloids are the shape-shifting descendants of evil extraplanars. Their ancestors mated with jackals, savage canines who live in deserts and other temperate areas and they are the results. They traveled with their extraplanar parents to other dimensions and worlds aside from the one they were first born in. Now they roam the multiverse.

Jackaloids are evil, like their ancestors, and they form nomadic packs that allow them to safely harry anyone they deem inferior to themselves, which is most people and creatures. These mobile menaces have three forms: a human form, a jackal form, and a hybrid form that fuses the lower body of a human with the head of a jackal. All of their forms are powerful, but they are at their strongest when in hybrid form.

These creatures once worshipped ancient evils, creatures like demon lords, archdevils, and the stranger, sometimes hostile eldritch entities once known as the Outer Gods and even the Great Old Ones. Their fanaticism should not be underestimated, nor should their ability to tap into their ancestry. Many jackaloids who worship something become its clerics, bards, or Dark Nights in the service of their dark masters.

The extremely rare few jackaloids who can evolve, evolve into the same sort of creatures they are descended from. This means that they are the rare sort of evolving creature whose evolution isn't affected by their personality, or their choices in life, but purely by genetics.]

Althos read through the notification, nodded solemnly at it, and then willed it away. When he did, he realized that the scorpion he had been watching was now utterly still. The deity looked at it and hit the thing with a single, direct usage of the faith domain's subversive power.

My mind... is expanding. I can feel myself growing wiser and more aware.

It was true. The awakening the dire scorpion had been subjected too was greatly and rapidly expanding its mind. Rather than its body undergoing the most drastic change, it was its mind that was the most warped by the ritual.

The scorpion was still as its mind was flooded with knowledge, its vocabulary expanded, and it made aware of the great god it was now irrevocably tied too.

It gained an intimate awareness of its proximity to its master, and its senses were improved to the point that it gained a vague awareness of the litany of powers at Althos' disposal, many of which the deity could have used to wipe it out of existence. It was made aware of how merciful Althos was, to both it and to the jackaloids who were now on their knees before their new master.

Master is... powerful but also a giver of opportunities. He has given me an opportunity not only to live... but to grow. I must serve him faithfully.

The indoctrination the scorpion was undergoing was effective, but it also never deceived the thing. At no point did Althos' ritual give the arachnid false information, it simply spoke the truth about Althos and the assorted powers at the god's disposal.

The deity had only been alive for a few weeks but he was already unimaginably strong. He had awoken and evolved creatures, he had done the impossible by forcefully promoting a pair of soul-orbs into higher ranked devils. He had united devils with a demon. He had saved a forest from a filth demon.

His powers and his actions had changed the universe, in thus far small and localized but still significant and in at least two cases utterly undeniable ways.

As a part of the ritual, the scorpion was given an awareness of this, and it made the creature loyal. That, coupled with usage of the power of the faith domain that Althos was fond of, easily created in the scorpion a genuine devotion to Althos that turned the creature into a legitimate worshipper of his with no difficulty at all.

Althos, after examining the scorpion and confirming that the creature was still alive, turned back to the jackaloids once more.

These things are fanatics huh? How neat. I wonder if I could make them, or their allies into some sort of specialized worshipper...

Althos, his interest in the jackaloids' fanaticism evident in his eyes, looked at the creatures on the floor before him.

He wondered how to take advantage of their devotion, but realized that he simply lacked the knowledge needed to do so. And for now, he couldn't quite change that. It annoyed him, but he simply marked it as something he'd take advantage of when he was more knowledgeable.

I'll just... take advantage of this moment to gain some worshippers. He quietly thought to himself, using the possibility that he may yet acquire more power as a means to cheer himself up.

He motioned to the jackaloids that it was time for them to rise up, and when they did he was pleasantly surprised to see the scorpion also begin to move again. The thing rose up, bringing itself up to its full height, almost equalling that of Althos himself. The deity wasted no time sending the thing a message.

[Why hello there little one.]

Rather than wait for it to respond, the deity instead connected it and the jackaloids, and the jackaloids and it, forming a whole new chain of mental links. This chain was separated from the chain of mental links that he had created and was running that united him and his other, older servants.

I may connect this chain with the other chain, but for now, I'll keep them separate. The deity thought to himself. That's a lot better than creating one massive chain. It's just a lot more manageable than keeping these folks separated. Right?

Althos thought for another second, debating whether or not it may benefit him to connect everyone. But then he quickly came to the conclusion that his initial decision was right. Yes, it'd be too noisy and confusing if everyone were suddenly connected via a single mental link. This is the right move.

The creatures who were suddenly connected were confused as they felt the effects of the connection take hold. The scorpion looked wearily at the jackaloids, who looked back at it in confusion since their memories had been wiped and replaced.

The last thing they remembered, was that their deity had personally summoned them to this barren part of the desert and they had just completed their trek to find their master. Althos looked out at them, and his eyes began to powerfully shine. The air around him grew colder and brighter. The creatures before him looked at their master, confusion still visible in their eyes but it was now mixed with a healthy amount of awe.

To the jackaloids, he sent the following message: [Hello servants. I've been waiting for you.] And to the scorpion, he sent another.

[Greetings little one. I'm excited to see you remade, and practically radiating power.] His compliment was true, the scorpion that stood before him was far stronger than it had been minutes ago.

His eyes were alight with assorted emotions, some of which were ambition, happiness, and desire. Others included curiosity, patience, and hope. Needless to see, the deity's mind was hard at work. He was using his multiple wills to have more than one conversation going on at the same time.

One of his wills spoke to the jackaloids. [Little ones... you are the faithful. You are the chosen. I see in you, my will made manifest, and that loyalty... that faith will be rewarded, if not today then soon.] The voice that penetrated the minds of the jackaloids was a slow, smooth, and powerful voice.

His other will spoke to the scorpion. [I am excited that you have joined me willingly. And now you are not alone. The jackaloids are now my worshipers. And none of them will ever bother you again. In fact... I believe we may just make more of them my worshipers.] This voice was rough, harsh, cruel-sounding even if it spoke gentle words. [I'll make them revere you. So please, follow my lead.]

The scorpion nodded at the god it now worshiped and spoke through the link the deity had created. [I'll follow you, oh Mercurial Alpha.] It said, which made Althos laugh internally.

So that's the title it got? Not my Fungal Lord one? How odd. The deity laughed, but he was honestly mystified as to why that was the title the scorpion received. That said, he accepted it and turned his attention fully to the jackaloids.

Before he mentally spoke to the jackaloids Althos took a deep breath and concentrated. When he next manifested the power of the faith domain it was intensely powerful, almost immediately causing thick tendrils of blue vapor to waft off of the deity, and begin rolling down the hill towards the jackaloids.

It didn't just surround them this time. The potent power very literally entered them, entering their ears, their nostrils, their mouths, and even seeping into small cuts that only those with the most acute vision could detect.

The power afflicted the jackals with potent visions of their deity's divine power. Their eyes clouded over as they were subjected to visions, in much the same way as they had been before their memories had been wiped. These visions served to confuse them and lessen their ability and any desire they may feel to resist whatever Althos was about to say next.

[These are troubling times. Your pack has fallen off of my dark path. And for that, they must be punished. They must be brought back into my dark embrace, after being held accountable of course. I chose the four of you to join me in this task because you all are special. Your devotion to me has not gone unnoticed my children.]

Althos was now speaking powerfully, his mental words ringing out in their ears, empowered by the impact of the faith-domain based assault he was subjecting them too.

The jackaloids made yipping sounds of pleasure, pride, and joy to indicate that they understood their master and were delighted to know that their service had not gone unnoticed. Althos smiled at their display. And then all of a sudden everything, but Althos, froze.

It took the deity a second to confirm that everything was frozen. He almost heard the sudden silence, but that wasn't the tipoff. What actually alerted him to this strange development was when he looked behind himself, after waiting for the sound of jackaloids to return for nearly a quarter of a minute.

When he turned around to look behind himself he saw grains of sand floating in mid-air, because right before time froze a chilly gust of wind was blowing past them, disturbing and uprooting grains of sand. Well this is strange. The deity thought to himself, confused and curious at the same time. Then he received a notification that cleared this up.

[This is one of the administrators of The System. A domain that has been enjoying your adventures so far has intervened so as to help you in a minor way.

The time-domain has frozen time for but an instant because one of your new worshipers is about to recite your dogma, but you see... you haven't made a dogma yet so they don't and won't know what to say. That can be easily corrected though.

Dogmas are basic tenets of a religion, your religion. Worshipers can recite it as a means to hone their obedience and devotion to you and as a way to pursue penance for a minor offense against you. Your task now is to create your own dogma.

Normally dogmas would be related to your domains and subdomains but you are currently basically acting as a deity of deception. And in doing so you've accidentally stumbled across a neat opportunity: as a deity of deception, you can make your dogma pretty much whatever you want. And you're intelligent... think of this as an opportunity to shift the future of an entire settlement.

Dogmas are created for and revolve around your titles. In this case, you're creating the dogma for the Lover of Lies title, which happens to be the title the jackaloids know you by.

Be creative.]

Althos absorbed what he had just been informed of. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that this confirmed that someone ran The System something he had suspected may have been the case before this, but he was more focused on the here and now of what to do next.

Dogmas huh... The deity's mind ran a mile a minute as he considered what to do with this chance. He pondered it for what felt like a few minutes. Eventually, he managed to articulate several distinct objectives.

I want faithful creatures. A race whose fanaticism I can exploit and direct. I want shapeshifting creatures who can gather knowledge for me and destroy anyone who decides to be my enemy. I want creatures who view devotion to me as a facet of daily life.

I want creatures who respect those who seek to go further in their devotion to me. Whether someone seeks to become a cleric of mine, a dark-night, an oracle, or even becoming wards in my service, I want creatures who organize their culture around my will.

The deity, having figured out his goals for the dogma set about constructing it. Oddly, now that he had some base awareness of what dogmas were, he began to instinctively understand how to create one. He began the process of sending a message to the system.

[My dogma is as follows:

Faith and knowledge are the keys to greatness. It is not enough to have one, one must have both. And the ways to acquire both are varied. It is true that greatness can often be gained through the swinging of a sword, and someone can be converted into a believer in the wake of a successful battle, but greatness can also be gained through intelligent wordplay and reasonable discussion.

Deception involves intelligence in action and those not smart enough to see through a disguised form or an untrue word are lambs who can and should be led, be it to the slaughter or to the temple.

Our natural or supernatural skills are gifts given to us by the Lover of Lies to be used in service to him. In exchange for faithful and successful service, we can expect greater and greater gifts and powers, as well as more responsibility and yes, more opportunity.

Service to Althos means gaining knowledge and sharing it, not only with him but with others, and subverting others so that they too may become his servants.

It also means cultivating cultures that recognize his greatness, reward devotion to him, and correct those who fail him or are unfaithful when possible, or purge them when not possible.]

Althos read through the dogma, reviewing the message he was preparing to send. A quick review of it left the deity feeling satisfied with what he had read. He smiled and then sent the message. He turned around and prepared for the world to return to normal.

Within a matter of moments everything around him was in motion again. The deity heard one of the jackaloids begin to mutter something under its breath, in its canine language of yips, growls, howls, and other bestial noises.

"Faith and knowledge are the keys to greatness. It is not enough to have one, one must have both."

The deity heard the language, automatically translated it in his head, and recognized the first passage of the dogma he had just created for the Lover of Lies. He grinned at the jackaloid and began to continue the speech he had mentally created to excite the creatures.