[Gods’ council chamber]

Six figures sit around a hexagonal table, with each side being ornately decorated with a different theme representing the god/goddess sitting there. Ffaglu, god of fire, appearing as a humanoid golem made of molten rock. Rhaeadr, goddess of water, who resembles a merfolk, only with unparalleled beauty. Genedigaeth, the goddess of life, has the green skin and ivy-like hair reminiscent of a Dryad, but with a figure embodying the true essence of motherhood. Cymylog, god of the skies, lacks a true form, only visible as a cloudy mass in a vaguely humanoid shape. Cythraul, lord of darkness, appears as an old gentleman following his… unique tastes. Finally, there is Lluched, god of light, taking the form of a wise man. They all came today to discuss the dire tidings brought about by recent events. While they have been sitting for quite some time, the meeting has yet to properly start due to nobody having said anything as of yet.

Cythraul is the first to speak up. “It has come to my attention that an anomaly has recently come into existence. While they have yet to do anything of note, one cannot help but fear that they will end up bringing calamity. I say we eliminate them now before they have the chance.”

“That will not be necessary, Cythraul.” Genedigaeth interrupts. “I have already sent one of my finest spirits, Ellie, to aid them, and had you investigated further, you would see the fractured soul that is actually there instead of the monster you have so precariously assumed exists. Besides, I have already attempted to use my powers on them to no avail. They have been guarded against the divine, and making any moves in the mortal realm would require time and resources, both of which are currently in short supply.”

“You say that, but we could just burn the forest down and be done with it. Why do we need to worry about this when the solution is so simple?” Ffaglu notes self-assuredly. The others immediately shut up and look at him with a ‘why didn’t we think of that?’ expression, with the exception of the faceless Cymylog who gives him what appears to be a thumbs-up.

A few seconds later Lluched breaks the sudden silence. “While that would work, the ramifications of doing such would have an immense impact on those living in the area, even if we were to perfectly control it. For the moment, I propose we shelve this topic and move on to what we know is going to happen.”

A voice then comes from the direction of Cymylog. “The assimilation and subsequent invasion, correct? Our current estimates put our time to prepare at four years, seven months, twenty-three days, two hours, fifteen minutes, and eighteen seconds, with the margin of error being two months. Data received from the gods of destroyed realms indicate that we must be prepared at least a year in advance to have a significant chance of survival. I have located a promising idea, but the recordings are unfinished and partially corrupted. It will take time to recover the information needed for a decisive answer on its usefulness, time I fear we may not have to spare should the results disappoint.”

“The world’s fate hangs in the balance, Cymylog.” Lluched replies. “We cannot afford to be indecisive. If you conclude there is a significant likelihood that it will be of assistance, follow through with your research. Even if there is no immediate use for its entirety, some part of it is bound to be of assistance.”

“I will begin the process of extraction right away. If you’ll excuse me, Cylos will be reporting back to me anything else of note to happen here.” After saying that, the form of Cymylog disappears without waiting for a reply, leaving a clearly frustrated spirit in its place.

Rhaeadr lets out a chuckle at the spirit’s expense. “That is most like them, yes? Always so dedicated to their job that they leave no room to socialize. For once, I share their concern. I will not lie, things are looking grim indeed. We are unprepared, less powerful, and outnumbered. One solace I have found is that their naval capabilities seem to have been neglected in favor of aerial superiority, meaning that undersea evacuation would at the very least buy us time. That is, assuming we can prepare the necessary habitats for the non-merfolk and convince them to abandon their homeland. Mortals are known to be aggressive when it comes to protecting what they deem to be theirs, after all.”

“Agreed. What shall we do regarding them at the moment? Even we do not know the full extent of what will happen, and mass panic is the last thing we want. I am currently planning on sending a revelation to my faithful, but am undecided as to the contents. Then there is the matter of our blessings. How much can we afford to spare?” Lluched asks.

The meeting goes on for several more hours, with few decisions being made in that time. Ultimately, the remaining gods decide to wait for more information before making hasty judgements, but prepare contingencies in the meantime. They will also send warnings to each of their clergy and bless champions in a way that makes things seem like nothing is going cataclysmically wrong in order to prepare the mortals. Eventually, the time comes for the gods to return to their realms and start planning.

[Cythraul; Divine realm]

Cythraul is reading a book in his divine realm when he suddenly looks up and calls into the darkness. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

The darkness speaks back with a childish voice. “Such a rude way to greet an old pal, I thought you’d miss me. By the way, how have you been enjoying my little ‘gift’ to the world?”

“I should have known it was you from the beginning. Anhrefn may enjoy causing mischief, but they’d never deliberately put the world in danger. You put them up to this, but why? Didn’t we already have enough to deal with before your meddling? Why can’t you go mess with another world and leave us alone?”

“For once, I’m on your side. I don’t like who you’re up against either, and I wasn’t lying when I told Anhrefn that the anomaly’s power would increase your odds of survival dramatically.”

“Then why not help us in a more direct way? With your power, sure-”

“But I refuse. It’s no fun when you already know the outcome. I only interfered because things would be more interesting that way. Ciao!”

And he’s already gone. What should I tell the others about this?