Planet Zar: Nexus

There were nine seated around the holy table that once held twelve. The empty chasm of the High Goddess' throne throbbed a dreadful pale light at her absence. In Conflict's corner Direkes, lord of war, sat alone and slumped, shrunk beneath the power of the other gods circled around him. He was a pitiful sight, aged like a mortal, gripping a gnarled wooden staff that had once been his mighty greatsword, eyes downcast. Stoic and shivering with anger at his own powerlessness. He oozed shame that rippled across the table and soured the air for the other gods. "Something must be done about him." Alaram - lord of Oceans - broke the silence, clutching the edge of the table. "His forces will find a way to cross the oceans with their monsters and Vacillate is unprotected."

"We're not fighters," purred Puaba - goddess of crossroads - lashing her tail. "We have rock and water, neither of which will hold Cassimir back for long."

"Surely we can manage with just that?" Oriph laughed, caustic and humorless. "If only Cassimir lacked foresight and attacked during your reining month, Alaram, you could bury his fleet and crush him with the wrath of your waves."

"We're allies in this," Zaifeth snarled, rising from her chair. Goddess of courage and passion had no problem showing her hands.

Oriph regarded her with fluttering eyelashes. "Are we?"

"If we don't stand united we'll all fall," said Zaifeth, striking Oriph with a vicious glare. "You can't possibly believe he'll spare your temple if you ally with him."

Oriph bristled. "You have no idea what I believe."

"Indeed, none of us do." Tyris - lord of logic - rose to feet, standing at his appointed place as the right hand of the High Goddess. His fixed his shrewd gaze on Oriph, brow heavy and furrowed. "You've been gone for quite some time, Lord of Chaos. I thought you to be in hiding."

"I'm aware as any of you that Vacilliate is next on Cassimir's list of places to conquer and I'm not eager to lose my temple," said Oriph. "Cassimir acquired his weapons far from Lomeelas and I thought it wise to explore similar options."

"We can't bring any more of those beasts here," said Halae - goddess of nature. "They upset the very balance of life and with things so precarious I don't believe I can undo their damage when the moon shines on my temple."

"Cassimir is the problem, not his beasts," said Oriph. Which was only partly true. Cassimir's resurgence and the bloody swath of destruction he'd raged across Conflict was largely headed by monsters he'd brought with him from off-world. "Regardless, I don't mean to bring more of those beasts here."

The remainder of his statement hung heavy on the air.

Zaifeth spoke first. "You mean to bring different creatures here."

"Yes!" Oriph leaned across the table, his form shifting in the light. He slammed a fist against the tabletop sending rivulets of purple light skittering across its surface. "Creatures raised under our tutelage who learn to love Lomeelas for what it is."

"Something we could use to defeat Cassimir," said Direkes, a low murmur of hope threading through his voice.

"Or replace him," said Tyris.

Oriph nodded. "A new lord of destruction."

"And where would we obtain such an individual?" asked Tyris.

"How can we be assured this creature won't disrupt Lomeelas' balance?" Halae's expression turned pinched.

Murmurs erupted around the table until the cacophony of questions turned into an indecipherable din.

"Who will go?" Alaram, excitement and trepidation in his voice.

"Will such a thing even bond with all of us?" Puaba, now perching in her seat.

"How will we reach them?" Vaakar, the shaggy god of merrymaking.

"The balance!" Halae demanded, while:

"The Goddess would intervene if the balance were in danger," snarled Direkes.

"The balance has already been wrecked," added Nezzaru - god of decay and disease, voice like splintering wood.

A flash of purple light drowned the table in silence. Oriph's shadow loomed and his cloak billowed out in a miasma of swirling colors. The gods quieted and turned to him.

"I have some answers," said Oriph. "But what's life without taking a few chances?"

"We face the very real prospect of our demise," said Tyris, also rising to his feet. "Of Lomeelas' total annihilation. Give us your answers."

"I have obtained a means of passage to the location of this..." Oriph waved a hand vaguely. "Creature. Entity. Child, really. And I know it doesn't bond like Cassimir's beasts do, so none of us would have claim to it. But there's no guarantee one of these creatures will choose to come with us. That's not something we can force."

"But it's a chance," said Puaba, quieter now, considering.

"A hope," added Zaifeth.

Oriph nodded. "The best option we've had in quite some time. The only real choice we have is who to send."

"You think it should be you," said Tyris.

"Oh no," Oriph chuckled. "I know very well none of you trust me. Send whoever you like."

Tyris' eyes narrowed. "You're leaving something out."

"I'm leaving nothing out. This creature... this person... will belong to none of us. An independent entity that none of us will truly be able to control. A being of chaos and destruction that might rival Cassimir himself. It's dangerous. But if all of us raise it and treat it kindly, it's likely to consider Lomeelas its home and care for her like we do."

Tyris considered Oriph's statement, hands folded and face crumpled in thought. "We need only send a representative?"

Oriph shrugged. "Someone to prove their worth to the clutch parents and the doctor overseeing the hatching."

"And who among us do you recommend for this job?" Each word was stilted and harsh, pulled from Tyris' mouth like recalcitrant teeth. Taking advice from Oriph was something he rarely did and never by choice. He was loathe to leave such an important decision in Oriph's hands but the cards lay where they were.

Oriph cast a lazy glance over each of his fellow gods.

Alaram, god of travel, would do well for the long journey to the Abstract Destiny, but without him on Vacillate to churn the waters Cassimir might be able to advance across the oceans. No, Alaram would have to stay.

As if sensing the decision, Alaram dipped his chin low and sat back in his seat, heavy and tired.

Direkes was broken, barely a god at all now. He had greater cause than many of them to seek a weapon against Cassimir, but therein lay the problem. How would Direkes treat a child with the potential to destroy his greatest enemy? Direkes was a dangerous choice.

Halae had affinity for creatures and as a goddess of birth and aging would be a perfect candidate to raise a hatchling. But her distrust of something new, something foreign, invading Lomeelas left Oriph with a seed of worry in his chest. What if she closed her mind to the hatchling and drove it away?

Nezzaru was... an odd choice. The cloud of ever-present black flies hovered around them with their immutable buzz. They watched Oriph with careful, sunken eyes, expression unreadable. How would a god of disease and decay handle a child of destruction?

Puaba might also be a crux in protecting Vacillate and the rest of Lomeelas. Could they spare her to send her off-world? Oriph had no doubt her mind would be open to a hatchling and she'd honor any choice those dragons made. She'd do well in the nexus, Oriph thought. She was adaptable and took things in stride. A strong option... if Vacillate could afford to lose her.

Vaakar's genial nature and merrymaking would make him an attractive choice for a child, but a child of chaos and destruction? Perhaps too soft, unlikely to help reign a young chaos entity in.

Tyris could hardly be considered. Oriph snorted and rolled his eyes at the very thought.

Which left Zaifeth. Passionate, courageous, open and honest in all things that she does. She was not the most approachable of the gods, but she'd be truthful to her purpose and had the conviction to handle the oddities of the Nexus.

Send a bleeding heart to the bleeding heart, Oriph thought.

"Zaifeth will do," he said.

The table erupted into chaos once more.

"They've made a decision?" the old man asked.

Oriph shrugged and cocked a hip against the wall. "As much as they can. We'll send Zaifeth with you. I still recommend you don't allow her to know who you really are."

"It wasn't my intention to do so." The old man turned on heel and swept toward the exit. "When will she be ready? The sooner the better."

"Eager to flee Lomeelas, my Lord?"

The old man stopped. His form quavered, writhing with powers hidden beneath the illusion of his skin. He cast a glance over his shoulder at Oriph, eyes narrowed to slits. "That's not my name, not anymore."

"I'd hate for you to forget it."

The old man grunted and continued, with Oriph at his heels. The warm evening breeze kissed Oriph's face as they reached the guarded entry steps. Just beyond them, gleaming under the triplet moons, was a massive golden dragon with antlers branching from their brow nearly as wide as Oriph was tall. They rose to their feet and closed the distance between them, lowering their head to the old man's outstretched palm. Oriph caught the whisper of thought-words between them but kept silent.

Finally, the old man turned to Oriph. "I can't promise anything will come of this, but if your representative doesn't garner the attention of a sponsor I'll find some other way to help you. Al'Kahinath and I are at your service."

"I'm certain we can work something out, one way or another," said Oriph with a soft incline of his chin. "I'll send Zaifeth out to you as soon as you're ready, don't go far."

The High Goddess

Aspect: Life - Balance - Creation - Cosmos

An ever-changing and incomprehensible form, the High Goddess is difficult to look at. Most cast their eyes away from her. What is known is her sheer size, she towers mountainously over a hundred feet tall and emits a soft white light wherever she goes. Her tread is gentle, despite her mass, bending not a single blade of grass as she walks.

The High Goddess resides on the continent Opine, within the island of divinity. She rarely leaves her home, even when the moon dictates her month of power.

Her symbol is a simple circle of white light, plain and unobtrusive.

The High Goddess does not speak vocally, the ideas and emotions she communicates to others aren't done so in words. She merely directs a fully formed thought or image into another's mind.

Alaram

Aspect: Water - Weather - Atmosphere - Travel

Alaram takes the form of a merrow - an amphibious sea creature capable of living underwater or on land. He has minor shapeshifting abilities that allow them to take on a fish-like tail or bipedal legs, as needed.

Alaram's temple is on the shores of Vacillate, where he can travel between the land and sea. During his month, Alaram travels across Lomeelas, rarely staying in one place for long.

His symbol is a fish lain across a compass.

Cassimir

Aspect: Destruction - Annihilation

Cassimir takes the form of an unobtrusive human, able to seamlessly blend with mortals. He - and indeed all of his highest ranking followers - adorn themselves in fantastically spiked and horrific armor.

Cassimir's temple is on Conflict, but he has expanded his reach by destroying Direkes' and Suumara's temples and erecting his own in their place.

His symbol is a red rose with thick, curling thorns.

Direkes

Aspect: War - Honor

Direkes appears as a massive grey-green skinned orc, towering over most humanoids. He is broad and appears ambiguously middle-aged.

Direkes' temple was once on Conflict but has since been destroyed. He know resides in limbo, powers depleted and army decimated.

His symbol is a broadsword clutched in the talons of a raven.

Halae

Aspect: Nature - Flora/Fauna - Birth - Aging

Halae appears as a centaur, with the hindquarters of a spotted deer and a humanoid torso. Flowers and lichen grip their clothes and they are constantly surrounded by animals wherever they go. Creatures find their presence calming and approachable.

Halae's temple is in Extant, deep in the central areas of the continent. It appears not-so-much like a building as it does a natural (if strange) cathedral of trees.

Halae's symbol is a seed and wilting flower.

Nezzaru

Aspect: Disease - Decay

Nezzaru is a firbolg of considerable height, but lacking in muscle or fat. They appear almost emaciated, skin sallow and stretched taut over their skull. A pestilential cloud of black flies accompanies them constantly, which Nezzaru can use to send messages outside their temple.

Nezzaru's temple is in Extant, located deep underground.

Nezzaru's symbol is a stylized black fly.

Oriph

Aspect: Chaos - Metamorphosis - Change

Oriph is a shapeshifter - changing form and gender at their whim. They rarely remain in the same form for long and do not often revisit previously used shapes. Oriph often wears elaborate clothes consisting of reams of silky fabric that also disguises their shape.

Oriph's temple is in Vacillate, its brick and mortar made of magical material that shifts and changes constantly. Oriph often leaves their temple even outside of their assigned month.

Oriph has no symbol and wants no symbol. Their followers sometimes adapt a butterfly or moth motif to recognize one another, which Oriph considers acceptable but not official.

Puaba

Aspect: Wishes - Crossroads - Choices

Puaba is a female tabaxi who wears the form of a melanistic leopard, whose hide is covered in glowing white arrows.

Puaba's temple is high upon the mountain range of Vacillate, difficult for many to traverse but often worth the effort, as Puaba freely gives boons.

Puaba's symbol is a spinning white arrow.

Sumuura

Aspect: Death - Silence - Pity

Sumuura takes the form of a female naga, her scales iridescent black and criss-crossed with the white pockmarks of death.

Sumuura's temple was once on Conflict but has since been destroyed by Cassimir. She wanders conflict alone and has become difficult to search out. Her life is now one of silent observation.

Sumuura's symbol is a viper's skull.

Tyris

Aspect: Logic - Memory - Mathematics

Tyris takes the form of an elf man, with deep russet skin and long black hair. He traditionally wears robes of deep blue and is never seen without a book or two in hand.

Tyris' temple is on Opine's mainland, within the capital city of Thought. Its architecture is grand and modern and beside it is a massive library build from marble. This library often serves as a meeting place for all the gods, when needs for a full council arise.

Tyris' symbol is a book presenting the phases of the moon.

Vaakar

Aspect: Peace - Music - Merrymaking

Vaakar is a shaggy, red minotaur, with four sets of gleaming golden horns. They often sport an assortment of flowers braided into their shaggy hide.

Vaakar's temple is in Extant, near the southern coast. It is built simply from hilly mounds and surrounded by flocks of livestock.

Vaakar's symbol is a lyre made from bull's horns.

Zaifeth

Aspect: Strength - Courage - Passion

Zaifeth is a hobgoblin woman, her long black hair kept in elaborate and meticulous styles. She is as likely to wear armor as she is formal dresses, and makes no attempt to disguise her emotions. She is free with the truth and her heart.

Zaifeth's temple is in Opine's mainland, in the colder southern region. It, too, resides in a rich, successful city.

Zaifeth's symbol is a bleeding heart.