PlaceRelay/DomainOfTyrannicalEarthGod
PlaceRelay: The Domain of a Tyrannical Earth-God
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The Town of Neyre -- Bira
To anyone looking from the outside, Neyre would look like a somewhat dull medium-sized town surrounded by mountains and forests on the Southeastern corner of the Inland Sea, if it weren't for the gigantic pile of rubble sitting on its edge, where another of those mountains should be.
The inhabitants don't talk about it. They just take the stones and use them to build the temple, in which used to be the town square. As it grows, the surrounding houses are demolished, and soon there will be a shantytown forming outside the walls, to house the displaced citizens. The buildings on the edge of the construction site are all adorned with beautiful, fist-sized gemstones, but the builders actively avoid looking at any of them.
Two years ago Neyre was the site of an epic battle between an undead army and a circle of Solars, which resulted in the complete destruction of that mountain, slain when a Daiklaive pierced its very heart. The Chosen have long ago moved to bigger undertakings, leaving Neyre to rebuild on its own. This, however, was the perfect opportunity for Vein, Secretary of Precious Minerals Under Neyre And Environs, to stage a coup and gain some power for himself. The god has gained possession of the gemlord's corpse which lay in the fallen mountain, and is using its still-functioning eyes to monitor the populace. He has commanded them to build the temple in his honor, and threatens to destroy the city entirely with terrible earthquakes should its people resist his will.
The Forgotten Oasis ~ WillCoon
Once, there was a god of the desert sands. He was shifting and deceptive, but he was a creature of earth all the same. The desert is wide, and Sutsen-Aien is patient. One might think him fae in his toying with his lost, wandering prey, but he would have been deeply insulted by this insinuation. The Raksha are flighty and inconstant, swirls of thought, barely even real. Sutsen-Aien was inarguably real, and he adhered to ancient rules that still lie inscribed upon a tablet, somewhere in the desert, in his original domain.
Just as long ago, there was an oasis, near the southern edge of Creation. The structure built there must originally have has some purpose, but its arrays of essence batteries and endless webs of glass and metal refuse to disclose it. It was built at an oasis because the location was inherently easier to 'remember' in the face of the Wyld, but the end to which it was utilized is as lost as those who once walked its halls.
After the Usurpation, there remained precious few who knew of the place. Though they did not return, they remained sworn to secrecy, and this vow was never broken. The last knowledge of the Oasis departed with nine-tenths of the population in the wake of the Contagion.
The Oasis, having been Forgotten, should have been lost to the madness of the Wyld. But perhaps I misspeak when I say that the last knowledge was lost - for there was one who discovered it in his interminable wanderings, and something about the place called to him. Thus, when the Fae came to eat everything Creation had dreamed, Sutsen-Aien held the Forgotten Oasis against them, binding himself to it, infusing it with his subtle yet unyielding essence, as much to save himself as it. Bathed in First Age memories held in the metal and insane structs of woven gossamer, Sutsen-Aien endured, and when the Riders of the Wyld withdrew, he remained.
He did not survive the experience unscathed, however. He became even more convinced, having made contact with the residual memories of the walls and foundation, that the purpose of the Oasis was inherently important. Why, or indeed what that purpose was, he could not say, but to ask such questions would leave him with less time to fulfil that purpose, and as such the idea of even considering it was itself unthinkable.
And so, in his stronghold at the edge of the world, Sutsen-Aien sent out tendrils of mirage to entrap the lost, as he did in the days before he entered the Oasis. Travelers, scattered by sandstorms, would find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into the desert, until they came upon the Oasis. Sutsen-Aien, being a fair and equitable god, would save their lives, and demand in return only their service, willing or, more often, not. He can be very persuasive, even more so when his words are backed up by the examples provided by those who have opposed him - twisted, deranged wyld-mutants, muttering, in an ancient tongue, words and phrases that had not been spoken in that place for over a thousand years.
Thus, over time, Sutsen-Aien has gathered a precious few workers to him, and they live within the Forgotten Oasis, maintaining the facility in accordance with procedures that even the god himself does not understand - but that he knows must be followed, as the walls insist in their incessant whispering.
The Forgotten Oasis is being kept ready for its purpose, waiting, like a vast, ancient, unblinking eye. Sutsen-Aien is unwavering in his vigilance, and he ensures that his workers serve him with faithfulness. He waits for the day when the Oasis' mysteries unfold before him, even though it may not be until the end of time.
Sutsen-Aien is patient.
Kirtock Mountain Top -Miles
Southwest of Gem (or what is left of it) is a very plain looking mountain. Once someone reaches the top, if they can, through avalanche and earthquakes, lies a small gazebo made of adamantine. In the middle of this gazebo is a hole the stretches well into the depths of the mountain. Deep within can be heard the screams of slaves as they are whipped into working long and arduous hours without a chance to see the light of day. Once a year, a caravan comes to pick up the multitude of jewels and gems that are left piled at the top and leave there offerings of prayer scrolls, paper, and foods. The caravans return richly laden to the cities beyond and being preparing their next, if almost cheap, offerings for the next year.
What lies under this mountain is to be discovered by those who are clumsy or stupid enough to delve within. Many of men have been dropped into the depths as it is said that one who enters will never return to civilization. Those who do not bring offerings to the top are also said to never return.
Empty Field with Rocks ~WillCoon
An old man circles this field every morning and every evening, meticulously writing in his ever-lengthening scroll. He notes, on one side of the scroll, the position and orientation of each rock in excruciating detail. He draws the rocks, individually and then all together, from several angles. As this side of the scroll lengthens, so, coincidentally, does the other, which lists the laws of his realm, dictating the positions and orientations that are most pleasing to him. Conveniently, both sides of the scroll contain nearly identical content, and his routine inspections are equally as uniform, differing only in the angles he uses for his drawings. As one might imagine, he has little time left over to rest during the day.
The back side of the scroll also contains, in addition to his laws, the unspeakably harsh punishments for any transgression. Happily, none of his subjects have yet contradicted a single one of his edicts.
Cave of the Ignored One ~Wordman
Deep under a mountain on the Blessed Isle, Mountain Folk labor to honor their ancient pacts and war with the forces below. The have long since rerouted tunnels around a once popular cave that to this day contains extremely pure jade deposits. Now, they avoid this cave like the plague, driven away by contempt of its occupant, a spirit whose name reminds the Mountain Folk of such irritation, that they refer to him only as the Ignored One.
The cave, a minor earth demesne, was claimed as a sanctuary by the spirit over a century ago. Vastly overestimating the worth of the jade to the Mountain Folk, he assumed his control of the cave allowed him to make any demands he liked of them. It did not, and he grew increasingly agitated and adamant that he deserved better. For their part, the Mountain Folk found dealing with him not worth the effort. He remains in the cave still, convinced that if he just withholds his precious jade long enough, they will come around.
Comments
Wouldn't "Earth-Gods" be elementals? - Telgar
- Not necessarily. If the God isn't as much -earth- as it is earth-oriented, God is fine. The above example elaborates what I'm saying. - Seiraryu
