The gods were gathered around the playing board, watching the Influence match. Phorothetes cupped two polished dice in his hand and let them loose on the board. They landed next to the blue statuette representing his mortal hero. Satisfied with his roll, he smirked and adjusted his toga. “I will give Kleon the inspiration to take the city via the sewers.”

“I have a saving roll,” said Akhesh, her six blue arms cupping her chin, scratching her head, and resting on her hips. Picking up her own blue dice, she rolled. “Come on...malakesh!” Her red figurine crumbled into dust, just another mortal leaving the world.

“That’s too bad,” said Phorothetes, “perhaps next time!” Akhesh snatched her dice up and pushed her way through the crowd of onlooking gods, all critiquing the game and paying bets. “Alright,” said Phorothetes, “Who wants to try their hand now?”

It was quiet. The crowd parted as one pushed through, Haro, the elephant-headed god of new beginnings, old endings, and other vague interests...like overcoming or somesuch. No one really made it their business to know. He was a small god, not among any nation's pantheon, likely sacrificed to on an altar for ‘unknown gods.’ Those crafty humans were always trying to curry favor wherever it might be found.

“Haroh, is it?” asked Phorothetes. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you play.”

Haroh shrugged, “I am fond of new beginnings.” He took a seat across from the champion and set down a pair of crudely carved dice.

Picking up his statuette, Phorothetes opened a small box and dropped it in. Reaching back into it, he pulled a new one, setting it on the board proudly. The other gods traded excited gasps, Phorothetes had done great things through that one. Haroh pulled one, presumably his only, from a pocket and added it to the board. The red piece was a woman, unlike the opponent, she had neither arms nor armor.

Phorothetes raised an eyebrow and the other gods muttered quietly as the match began, on making bets and speculating on how the challenger could hope to win. “I’m going to have Xeno seek out your woman,” he said. Rolling his immaculate dice on the board, Phorothetes smiled. The statuette slid slowly across the board until it was near the opponent’s.

“I will let her willingly be found,” replied Haroh. Shocked faces muttered around him.

“Are you so willing to give up your turn?” asked Phorothetes. Haroh nodded. “Very well then, Xeno will have the desire to enslave her.” He rolled the dice, a perfect roll, meaning the action could not be countered. The god smiled proudly and the action was permitted.

Haroh’s gray trunk scratched at his chin, “I’ll have her seduce him.” A perfect roll.

Phorothetes bit his lip. He knew what was happening surely wouldn’t be good, but he couldn’t see the strategy or counter it if he wanted. His was the way of war. How could he influence Xeno to be rid of her or even kill her? “I will influence his desire towards another woman.” The dice came up wanting. Xeno would remain under her seduction.

“I would see them married,” said Haroh. The onlookers gasped. It was a bold move, some might call desperate. Nonetheless, the elephant-headed god rolled another perfect role.

“That’s impossible, you’ve only had imperfect rolls,” scoffed Phorothetes, eyeing the crude dice. Squinting, he tried to feel if his opponent was using magic to influence the dice. He felt nothing, not in the dice or crowd. Trying to settle down, he reminded himself however uncommon, it had only been two rolls.

“Sometimes I get lucky,” replied Haroh. One might think that he looked nervous, if anyone bothered to know what a nervous elephant looked like.

“Let’s see if he kills her in a drunken fit of rage,” said the war god, it could very well be the perfect move...if the roll had not been bad. These things happen but not usually like this. Phorothetes had played this game for a long time. He was good at it, though he seemed highly unlucky suddenly.

“I will give her the tranquility to calm his turbulent heart and leave the ways of war behind,” said Haroh. The other gods jaws hung slack at the audacity of the move. Games were usually more drawn out, and took complex strategies if the players were any good. Another perfect roll made the action so.

The weapons and armor of the blue statuette crumbled away and the piece slowly turned red and slid next to Haroh’s piece. Picking both figurines up and the dice, Haroh stood. “I believe that’s the game.” Too shocked at the loss to argue, Phorothetes’ face sunk into his hands. Slamming both his fists onto the table, he stood, anger burning hot in his eyes, but the elephant-headed god was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

Back at the altar to unknown gods, Haroh held both figurines in his hand, smiling widely. With the other hand, he dropped the dice. A perfect roll. He picked them up and dropped them again. Another perfect roll. His smile widened. Humans were crafty. A god would know if another used their power to manipulate the roll of dice but since gods are so far above humans, why would any of them expect the other of using loaded dice crafted by man?