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Deep Roots
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In the beginning, there was no "beginning": there were two; hence the holy union of those that could procreate was always a sacred thing eons later when mortals would live as their creators had: pairing off with a loved one to breed new life and keep society going. There was The First Mother and The First Father, and from their sexual union, the universe known hereafter as "The Mortal Realm" was born. He was the winds of change that shaped the direction of the evolution of life, as well as took that which the First Mother birthed and fabricated it into systems and worlds and how they would all work in harmony to support life. So First Mother would birth physical world: stars, planets, and moons, while the First Father was the governor and creator of the laws that would be called the rules of science and math: he created the formulas for how everything would function, the universal laws that prove true no matter what corner of the mortal realm you are exploring! They hugged one another close after their tiring creation of the universe, and with the deepest love for one another in their eyes, they looked down from their unreachable perch within the heavens with benevolent joy and intense curiosity. They had done all they could to create reality: First Mother gave the shapes and forms, and First Father gave the laws that life would abide by. What would they do? How would they evolve and change? Thus the reason for the First Mother and the First Father: Can we do this? And what will happen if we do? Well, they accomplished a mortal realm, and now they peer down at mortal life, like children watching the functions of an ant farm they created themselves, with some love, some confusion, and a tiny bit of contempt here and there... There were many wandering eyes literally upon First Mother's physical body, around fifteen in total. And she decided to pick a mortal soul for each eye from the many hundreds of thousands of souls created. With the eye open, every act the soul made would be known to First Mother. She quickly picked her favorites, and assigned an eye to each, and with its watchful protective gaze, came a wild unheard of power as a gift for being the most entertaining to watch. Upon a "Chosen One's" death, the eye watching would seal close, until their soul rejoined The Mortal Realm. (Cray Cray's soul is one of these fifteen "Chosen Ones" that First Mother finds the most amusing to watch) Over long swaths of time, they came to be known as "The Old Gods". Numerous other gods rose and fell, in the Realm of the Gods, but The Old Gods always had been, and supposedly, always would be... No mortal could ever penetrate their home. At least, they thought no one could!
There were siblings born of the union of First Mother and First Father. And those two would go on to incestully birth all the gods in The Realm of the Gods. The daughter was a monster, who hated what she created and hated herself and her existence, forced to suffer with no promise of an eventual death. Immortality was her first prison (the face of the moon her second jail): and she was desperate to escape. She did not intend for her children to go forth and populate The Mortal Real with their vast power. When she birthed her children, she wanted them to be as she was: more than a god, and their dalliances into creating mortals was naught but salt in her gaping wound. She didn't know that the laws her parents sewed into reality was that one cannot create something on par with themselves the parents. Every god she birthed was a disgrace, a mistake, and they had the audacity to create even more inferior creatures. Her ego was wounded viciously by the mediocrity she was responsible for. Thus, she wanted it all gone. Erased, not just dead but gone forever where she could continue to try and create those she could stand shoulder to shoulder with, proudly. She took it upon herself to eradicate the "illness" that was the mortal. She cast their world into a darkness so deep, they could not see her coming. She could only prey upon them under the cover of what came to be "Night Time" when mortals were blind. Her brother, the other parent saw to it to corral his sister and her vicious anger. She really had no peer when it came to destructive murderous intentions. He trapped her in a single celestial body, which just to spite her, gave light for mortals to see by and escape her hunting. He crafted a realm known as "The Fae Realm" Where many miraculous creatures lived in peace and happiness. He introduced the concept of "sleeping" where the spirit would be transferred to this realm and was safe from the obliteration of Knight Time. Knight Time did not deposit souls to the Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be, for recycling into new bodies, she destroyed the mortal soul, hoping to destroy them all totally. Those that did not sleep at night, were fair game, and thus mortals became accustomed to sleeping in the darkness, and their souls "dreamed" and experienced a place of safety. It was said that some defied the notion of sleep during the darkness even though sleep was a gift of rejuvenation in so many ways. Knight Time's brother seemed to have found a way to contain his sister's horrible intent-- but on the night of the "new moon" when she succeeded in sinfully cloaking her beautiful glow and hunt without anyone being able to see her coming-- they could not even run from her unseen presence. Again, mortals warned being "awake" on that one day each month through tales, legends, and songs, because only asleep and dreaming in the fae realm could save you. No mortal could possibly stand up to this threat, and retreating to safety was the only option. Knight Time would torture her brother for trying to thwart what she thought was her purpose in life. But his love and noble dedication to his sister, no act of her own could sway him to ever act in anger against her. His love for her was stronger than even her unmatched combative power. The Mortal Realm saw its first nefarious threat to existence in Knight Time. But another evil was brewing...
From the most primal form of union, the children of the two creator gods saw their offspring split and multiply. New realms of existence were populated by various species, all created from the holy union of procreation. The first realm was the shadowy solitary den of the First Two. It was as much a prison as it was also impenetrable, allowing the creators to merely observe. Their reach was so far removed from the Mortal Realm, that their influence and thus their existence was under heavy debate and suspicion. This suspicion was largely enflamed by the gods in The Realm of The Gods. Another world where the offspring of Knight Time and Sombre lived in total euphoria, having every need they might have granted with the flick of a wrist, and every wanted pleasure was provided. However The Realm of the Gods was another realm unable to be invaded, so those Gods that made it up were just as distant as First Mother and First Father with their creations. Knight Time and Sombre's offspring were the bane of Knight's immortal life. They were a mistake, an embarrassment, a total detriment to her nihilistic stance on that which was the "god" their offspring from a sexual union. The gods however, did not use sexual intercourse to craft the many numerous peoples and species. The mortal was no child of a god or Knight Time and her brother Sombre: they were hand crafted by the power of the Gods, and sent to populate The Mortal Realm: the largest Realm of all newly created 5, a strong pillar for each place could attain for so many species clogged the over crowded world. (Elder Dragons and Foxes being the first two "mortal" races-- and those two fought and warred to a point of extinction for both races.) Since mortals were "created" not born, they had the limitless potential to always be able to ascend to higher and higher (really totally unchecked) with power and ability. The sexual union of gods created angels and demons. Demons sprouted from the loins of gods closer related to vicious murderer Knight Time, abominations needing to be sealed away from The Mortal Realm, where their entire drive was to leave their jail-like confines in the dangerous and torturous realm of Demons. A quick slip into The Mortal Realm saw great catastrophe and danger for the other Mortal races just minding their lives. Angelic children of the gods were blessed to be allowed into The Realm of the Gods, where they acted as messengers and ...almost "slaves" to the corpulent and often lazy gods. However, for as spoiled as the Gods got, it was a realm of the ultimate pleasure: so the angels accepted this servant role to their parents, simply happy to not have to struggle in life, or even worse, be confined to a hellish landscape of evil torture. With the creation of the mortal soul, "The Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be" was created to hold the river of souls that would siphon between life and death. One god would soon be banished, and taxed with the obligation of making sure "The Realm Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be" was in balance and working properly. (She'd have to pop into the mortal realm on occasion, to catch a soul uninterested in seeing his current life end, hoping to hang onto his identity.) The next realm, known as "The Fae Realm" was a strange world Sombre created to save not only his children, the Gods, whom he loved even in their fat lazy spoiled state, but mortals too. Upon going to sleep (an invention of Sombre, was a gift to Mortal and God alike) a soul would be transferred to the Fae Realm. Here all life could enter. If that life could sleep, that life would visit The Fae Realm. Populated by fox-spirit messengers, Sombre of course, and all other mortal souls asleep safe in their beds. They truly didn't know how safe they were, as Sombre watched over trying his best to keep the neutral peace he wanted to see others enjoy. Foxes, though a bane of the first fox: Knight Time, were often the servants as well as messengers in the Fae realm, upon gaining their ninth tail, and thus their highest ability to ascend to the Fae Realm permanently, helping Sombre do his job. Now, First Mother and First father gave form shape and law to every universe, parallel or otherwise, and universes often didn't clash without a good reason. (First Mother imported Cray Cray from her home in "our" world, and turned her into a cow in this story, all for amusement. "An eye upon ye" was the most incredible status to have as a mortal!) But all realities, no matter from our world of cars and glass buildings, or this more primitive Mortal Realm with expansive medieval kingdoms, and wild unruly territory just waiting to be subjugated... All these mortal souls met one another in the Fae realm. The Fae Realm was the only realm that was singular and used by all those who sleep across the infinite number of souls. The Mortal Realm, The Space Between, The Fae Realm, The Realm of the Gods, and the Demon Realm are the sections of this world, as they came to be known through population and necessity. To be born is to be a tier lower than your parents. To be created gives you the "potential" to grow as much as you work on it through your short mortal life. Mortal life has the limitless potential to surpass the "creators" (in this case, the Old Gods)-- and when a sexual union between God and Mortal, the Demigod is born: the most powerful two creatures to ever squall as they screamed and blinked into their new realm that they hoped would be theirs to command for eternity..
The first god that incurred the direct wrath of Knight Time was a child that dared to besmirch the holy ideal that Knight Time was meant to be. This wayward god thought an offering might calm Knight Time's vicious nihilist behavior: an homage to the mother god of all. Taking a small clipping of Knight Time's fur as she bristled in her prison, the god created a mortal race defined by the characteristics of Knight Time: the fox spirit. Through age and time passed they would grow and gain power, going from one tail, to nine, which denoted their strength and ranks. Knight Time bore nine tails, and such was the aim of the entire race to ascend to. To gain nine tails was to see a path to the fae realm for eternity, where their power would not stress the balance of the mortal realm. And while this god did all this to appease her parent, Knight Time was horrified and embarrassed to see a race spawn from her likeness. Knight Time's rage was beyond measure, and she banished the god from the proper realm, to "The Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be", stripping her of every luxury power and pleasure the Realm of the Gods offered. She was cast into shame and infamy for all her work and effort, and came to be known as "Death". She was the end of everything, ushering souls from The Mortal Realm, to the flowing river where they would soon be reborn into new lives and bodies. Death became the bane of existence, hated by all and widely shunned as the height of folly. Death became cold and isolated as the sandy stary river of souls ran through her fingers. Some souls would run from her, and she would manifest in the mortal realm to strike them with her bow and arrow, forcing their soul into the river of souls. Fox spirits, to the great shame of both Knight Time and Death, became one of the most powerful race of mortals fabricated: the only race that could contend with them were the first children of gods: the Elder Dragons. And the two races, since the birth of the Mortal Realm, warred until they were nearly eradicated from the world.
...and then, to the delight of Knight Time, a man named Sylar was born... and from the darkest place, she whispered softly to him-- a voice only meant for him...to manipulate him with her nefarious desires to see all life shook to its core, and he became her pawn unknowingly, tempted by promises of power no mortal man could claim as his own...Her aim was to twist the future of the Mortal Realm, as The Two had made it to work. War and chaos were her aims, where mortals would destroy one another and help with her total eradication of the Mortal Realm...
So the two pillars of this world, are Lord Sylar, and his mighty ancient high priestess and most devoted servant, Oldmusic. Sylar was initially just a man consumed by curiosity to the point of it being dangerous. He became a warlock, making a pact with one of the one higher than a god: the mother of all the divine, the evil and horrible Knight Time, for the lady of the night had waited so long for a proper champion to hitch her wagon to. Knight Time observed Sylar and his dreams...his potential. He began to gain power through knowledge. Knowledge and power are forever interchangeable, and Sylar did not learn through experience, or by participating in combat, but by getting his hands on all the knowledge this world had to offer. Even the most forbidden truths that could make a man insane for just attempting to put them in his brain, were not off-limits to Sylar and his voracious appetite. His power was so vast, that his body began to break down and decay, as the mortal coil was unable to keep up with his incredible power. Sylar found Oldmusic as a feral monster, driven mad from being unable to sleep. Her god, a god known far and wide as the peaceful and noble creator of the many tailed spirit fox race, in a rare moment of anger cursed Oldmusic, for the total annihilation of her people. More than anger, the god of the spirit foxes was more sad than anything else. She had given everything she was to create her beloved foxes-- going so far as to steal a lock of hair from the first fox, Knight Time. She was punished most harshly, banished from the realm of the gods to become the one who ushered mortal souls to "The Space Between Where Mortals ought not be", robbing her of her title, and with her own children all gone-- she fell into a deep depression, but nothing could break her of her soft and gentle nature, sympathetic to those souls she ushered to the river as The Mortal Realm's grim reaper, now only known as "Death". The curse had the screams of her her kin folk as she murdered them in a most brutal fashion echo endlessly in her mind. The constant haunting screams in her head, keeping her awake at all times as her brain deteriorated into feral low-level mush. Sylar banished the screams of those she murdered, and from that day on, Oldmusic pledged her incredible power to him in thanks. She lived only to serve him and his every need. Oldmusic soon was the oldest and only many tailed fox in the world, with nine tails and enough power to put down an elder dragon with minimal effort. For a fox spirit, time is what affords them more and more power. And since the creator god barred Old from entering the realm of the Gods, (which is where a fox spirit ascends to, upon gaining its ninth tail) Oldmusic became a stronger and stronger master of the living realm. Sylar eventually became Lord Sylar, and with Oldmusic's power and dedication to him, she helped him ascend to the realm of the Gods. For a time, Sylar and Old were separated, which was painful for them both. But Sylar would visit Old in her dreams, promising her they'd be together one day. And Oldmusic was patient, and believed in him, as she always had...
Now, in the realm of the Gods, there is no hierarchy. A god that has existed for all time, or a god that has just manifested the realm, are all on a level playing field with one another. Knight Time was really the only being that would banish a god here or there, as she often had destructive temper tantrums regarding what she termed her "mistakes" (the gods). Usually, gods keep to themselves and focus only on those creatures in The Mortal Realm they created and watched over. Lord Sylar was not used to this lack of conquest, conflict, and hierarchy. With Death trapped in the mortal realm, Oldmusic was able to join Sylar in the realm of the Gods but not before giving Sylar a daughter, whom Old raised for the first hundred years of her life. "Ona" had her mother's viciousness and her father's insanity. This daughter was to one day make a passage for Lord Sylar and Oldmusic to return to the living realm, but not as mortals, as the Gods they are now. From her mind being touched by the ultimate darkness that was Sylar's seed, Ona's insanity was the most terrifying case anyone has ever seen because she could warp reality to fit her delusions through dark and disturbing paintings of the Void; and through her unmatched talent in the art world, she would paint a portal into existence her parents could step through with ease, no matter what reality would define as "impossible". Sylar's daughter knew no such limitations. So they could rule with no one being their equal...to the utter delight of his new patron saint: Knight Time. Knight Time was behind the whispers in his mind, and she made sure he did not devolve into insanity when he consumed knowledge not meant for man. The realm of the gods was nothing but knowing who was pulling the strings.
Lord Sylar influenced many changes in the living realm. He made far more contact with the living than most gods thought was appropriate. And for Lord Sylar, you either fell in line, or you were shoved in an early grave by the faithful. Sylar wanted Anagory the Steel Drake destroyed. Or at least, his people destroyed. They posed a great threat (or at least, he fabricated that they had posed a threat in his mind) and Sylar had Oldmusic destroy his people. Anagory was the sole survivor, having been kicked out of the clan, and living on the fringes of society as a social pariah, shunned and hated by his brothers, succumbing to the looked-down-upon job of a bounty hunter. (And during his travels looking for the next gold coin, the next meal, the next roof over his head, he came upon a Strawberry Cow anthro named Cray Cray. She had landed right in his path from a world far beyond the current one where our story is taking place...Needless to say, she was begrudgingly adorable, hence the gruff and cranky Anagory would shoulder the irritation she caused, and made her his companion--and later on, his girlfriend, even!!!) It was his exile that saved Anagory, but Lord Sylar would not stand for him keeping his life. Even one living steel drake was too much of a risk for Sylar, as he was on a conquest to acquire alliances with all the peoples of the mortal realm. Old then looked to one of her unwanted pregnancies, her arctic fox daughter Tsurara, abandoned some three hundred years before she ascended with Sylar. Old's (other) daughter hated her, for abandoning her, but Old knew that Tsurara's heart pined for an immortal, (a Mother always knows...) and she offered her daughter the immortality she would need to pursue the Immortal man she loved (read: totally obsessed with). It seemed to upset Tsurara that her mother even knew her heart's one secret and most deep desire, without asking...and Tsurara said in no uncertain terms to leave and never return to her life again. But Old smiled as she complied, knowing full well that one of her blood may think they were doing everything against who Old was, but her children were of her flesh, and thus, they all shared common taints and sins. Oldmusic knew that Tsurara would pursue her love at all costs, just as Old had... Old returned to Sylar and said, it would take time, but it would be done...
Lord Sylar's ascension to the realm of the gods changed the course of time and history across all of The Mortal Realm. And a powerful elder dragon the gods' had cursed for his creation of new life through the forbidden magic known as Necromancy had his destiny changed. Xeddre felt the bondage of the Old Gods weaken its grip, for a reason unknown to him. They were momentarily distracted from using a small amount of their power to keep him banished...(even if he did not dissipate as they had hoped). He had been sent to the aether, but his spirit was too strong to disperse as the gods' intended. And he learned that which no one in The Mortal Realm should learn as he drifted...(Much like his eventually sworn enemy, Lord Sylar) and the world without him changed, developed, and became new. Xeddre called The Old Gods, "the false gods"; in his eyes, they did not use their vast power appropriately in hands-on ways and since being cast out into the aether with his destruction as their intent, he harbored a deep hatred and an insane need for the ultimate revenge. They were fat lazy petulant children poking at an ant's nest like children, as far as Xeddre was concerned. He pledged to move time in the correct vein by destroying Sylar somehow and doing away with the Creators. But he was still lost in the currents of the aether (made up of the space between worlds, "The Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be" where souls of the dead filter into, only to be reborn into new bodies to live new lives as different kinds of mortal life forms). If he were only able to return to the Mortal Realm, he was perhaps the only force strong enough, to take any god down. For him and his people, the elder dragons, were the first life born of The Old God's initial creation, and the older gods got fat and lazy from lack of conflict, in Xeddre's dismissive opinion. He wished not only to dethrone this "illness" that was Sylar, but to completely destroy the realm of the gods (and all those that resided there in the lap of ultimate luxury and euphoria as a reward for a life lived well), and become the ruler of all reality. How would he return? The grip of the gods was no longer as potent, but no path had ever been made. So the Two Gods had more on their plate to deal with, than an elder dragon with a taste for necromancy... He was supposed to have just dissolved like sugar into coffee, and when he broke free of their bondage (thanks to Sylar) he was still adrift in a sparkly inky black slow-running river. A living soul had never returned to The Mortal Realm totally intact as when they had been pitched into the body-corrosive aether known as "The Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be"... (yet!)
Lord Sylar favored the most complicated of all magics to master in his time among the gods: Time Magic. Even the Gods are touched and twisted from their normal activities when subjected to the convoluted and often contradicting aspects of Time Magic. Just as no one before Sylar had evolved from a mortal to a God, so too was he the ultimate authority on Time Magic, regarded by most as simply not worth the headache and potential unraveling of all those laws and definitions of The Mortal Realm. It takes a deft hand to alter the ripples of time across the pond that is the Mortal Realm and refrain from screwing everything up into total nonexistence. A gentle touch, a whispered incantation uttered under the breath, a complicated web of tangled knots with the sticky threads being tugged one way, and unraveled in other ways. Sylar had the ultimate patience, and the heinous appetite to do everything The Mortal Realm called "That Which Can Undo All That Has Been Done". He was very aware he was one ripple in the river of time or a single accidental snip of an important thread in the web that connects all beings... but that only made it all the more exciting for Sylar as he played games even the most powerful supreme beings avoided. If the Two Creator Gods were children playing with an ant hill, Sylar was the adult getting ready to douse their fun with fire... As Sylar 'toyed' with all these supposed impossibilities, he was sure that no one, and nothing, could ever surprise him... and mind.
Naiomi was simply beside herself without her creator, Xeddre, who she had ever so creatively anointed, "Creator Master", as she was willing to submit to just about anyone. Naiomi had never known emotional pain before Xeddre was taken away from her, and banished to the aether where it was promised: "his soul would dissolve like sugar into coffee." Clearly, the Old Gods underestimated Xedddre... and the will of his first dabbling in undead servants, Naiomi. Desperate to bring her Creator Master back to the Mortal Realm, where she could continue to care for him, love him, and serve him. Naiomi knew that Xeddre could not be without his Naiomi! The Old Gods were far too ferocious in their punishment, and Naiomi set out into a cruel world to find a way to rectify the harsh unjust act. Naiomi ran into many difficulties though, namely that despite her noble soul, submissive attitude, and helpful nature, she reeked of Necromancy magic, and everyone and anyone avoided her like a literal harbinger of the Great Plague. In her wanderings, she heard from numerous minstrels and bards, singing for coin in low-cost taverns and brothels, of a myth of a relic item, from the long long ago. Described as some sort of egg, the mysterious tale told Naiomi that hidden away in a secret location in the harshest of climates, among the highest of mountains in the vast Northern Territory, whoever was able to find it would be granted one wish. And this wish did not come with any of the rules and stigmas of the djinn or genies of the times. Whatever the adventurer wanted, be it love, death, or a combination, whatever; a single wish would be granted (as well as without the backward care needed to be taken with other wish-granters, where the intent of the wish could be twisted and interpreted differently based on the wording of the request). It was a straightforward goal the brainless Naiomi could understand. She knew what she had to do: and she set off with the intent to get it done, just as she faced any other task in service to her Creator Master, in her words: "It will be done, my Lord." She needed the aid of traveling adventurers and the like, many people aided Naiomi in her long journey that took years, (that didn't matter to Naiomi, for she was largely without age). Those wacky outliers who were ready to help Naiomi in her "somewhat noble" endeavor to find the wish egg, those who didn't instantly shun her for her Necromancy stink, some even visitors from other worlds, realms, and realities, who may have even been ignorant of the sinister foreboding notion of totally unlawful Necromancy, pitched in and helped the little powerhouse of a golem to find that egg.
And when she came upon the pale yellow egg, covered in splotches of cherry red and leaf green, she placed all four of her hands against it, and wished aloud for Xeddre to be returned to this realm, and ultimately, returned to her. The egg began to hatch, and out came a creature like no other had seen in this world: a combination of an Elder dragon (not unlike Xeddre) and a Kitsune. This was strange because in the long long ago, these rival factions would normally spit in the face of one another, should they cross paths; and yet born of the egg was a young female hybrid of the two. All other Elder Dragons had long gone extinct from their own ferocious war... so the newly born creature was (other than Xeddre) the last trace of Elder Dragon blood still alive in the mortal Realm. The hatched creature knew her name was Toraburu, and she explained her origins to Naiomi, who was rapt with attention to the mysterious new creature. Long ago, so like our version of Romeo and Juliet, an Elder Dragon female fell deeply in love with a nine-tailed kitsune male, and he loved her back with even more depth and ferocity. As the Elder Dragon factions committed war crimes against one another's varying factions, these two love birds met and married in total secret, lest they be slaughtered for their passions, seen as the gravest of sins by each side. Toraburu was the product of said passion, but the egg could not hatch in her parent's lifetime. Leaving the egg, the kitsune male beseeched his god Inari to let his Elder Dragon wife ascend to the Realm of the Gods with him (as all nine-tailed kitsunes ascend to be with Inari in the Realm of the Gods, for their power is too great to maintain in the mortal realm) so her life as she was would be preserved there with him for eternity, instead of him suffering her eventual death, and her soul returning to the aether to return in a totally different body and incarnation... Inari being good and noble allowed the request, and the pair ascended to never be seen again, leaving their unborn love child behind, for a time when the Mortal Realm was older and could support her vast power within it. The wish hatched the egg, and Toraburu displayed the power that was too much for the once newly created Mortal Realm, she pulled Xeddre back from the aether, fully intact (thanks mostly to Xeddre's power and will) back to The Mortal Realm, and back to Naiomi's waiting loving embrace. Thus Xeddre returned to The Mortal Realm to begin his campaign against the Old Gods and, a little more covertly, Lord Sylar as well. Naiomi was so grateful to Toraburu, that she begged for Xeddre to allow her to grow up and live with them, at his hallowed shrine (that Naiomi crafted from an enormous tree with her four bare hands!). And because Xeddre too, was thankful for what Toraburu had done for him, (if only because of Naiomi's enduring love and devotion) he allowed her to grow up safe and loved as Naiomi's sibling and companion. Xeddre, as a proper "bad guy" though, never does something solely for the benefit of someone else, even if someone else is a beloved subordinate. Xeddre knew that there were so few that could match the abilities of Toraburu, and when she came of adult age, he tasked her with keeping a "Soul Lantern" safe from theft or destruction. The Soul Lantern housed the soul of his top undead army lieutenant, Karahdsh; and because his soul was separate from his body, he could never be destroyed, no matter how much damage his body took in combat. Toraburu became "The Keeper of the Lantern", an honored post in Xeddre's vast network of underlings. Toraburu happily accepted the responsibility, and became totally infatuated with Karahdsh (a bit to the irritation of Xeddre, and much like the forbidden love between her parents), pranking him often to show her undying love, as only a confused and strange young tomboy can. He ultimately began to call her, "The Berry Thief", a treasured nickname she wore as a testament to the slightly one-sided love affair between her and Karahdsh. But even the ice-cold heart of Karahdsh eventually warmed to Toraburu's antics (especially her ability to change her size at will, and her penchant for floating about his head like Link's fary in Zelda, "Hey Listen!") ...and maybe, just maybe, Karahdsh enjoyed his budding relationship with Toraburu as a very very minor and subtle defiance against Xeddre, the only real liberty Karahdsh could take at all... Xeddre must now regain his strength and build the army of undead he will need to take out the "illness" that is the new God Lord Sylar, and sweep up the "trash" that is the Old Gods. He had his little Naiomi, so far (and she is the reason he was cast into the aether in the first place, for taking the role of a god and creating life from where there was none previously.) Xeddre, however, was tainted by darkness after his beloved family was killed, Naiomi was there to settle the ache in his lonely soul. But Xeddre is back and gathering his other minions to eventually take on the main threat of Lord Sylar and Oldmusic...
Before Xeddre was cast into the aether for creating life through Necromancy (thus producing Naiomi, a bandage upon his soul until he had the power to defy not only his death but all death), by the old gods...Not only did he have a beloved wife, but he had a family. His twins had not yet seen the light of day, cradled within the sublime comfort of the mother's womb. But when their mother was destroyed, Xeddre was unable to salvage the babies... This made the loss even more devastating for the mighty Xeddre. And as he floated through the aether, too powerful to dissolve like sugar into coffee as the old Gods expected, Xeddre swore he'd find a way to perfect bringing people back from the grave. His first experiment, his little Naiomi, had him sentenced to non-existence. But one can learn a lot from "the space between where mortals ought not be", and as he bided his time, he learned ancient secrets not meant for the minds of members of the living realm. Upon his return to the flesh and bone world, he exercised his new powers, and from the unborn twins' cherished remains, kept hidden and intact, he resurrected his daughter, whom he named Alpha. She was the first, in his heart (thus the name). His ancient forbidden Necromancy magic was only able to bring her back as a Wendigo, a cruel and malevolent evil spirit bent on murderous rage and rampages; and Alpha was no different from her kin, though her details mimicked her parents in appearance, whorls of green and expanses of white...so much like her furred dragon mother. Alpha set forth into the world, and with direction from Daddy, she became a ferocious force among mortals. Her name was an intimate secret, and she made a massive stamp in the mortal realm as "The Cult Leader"...the Leader of an enormous group of brainwashed mortals willing to "Heed the Call" and enter into the "Eternal Conflict" willingly when Xeddre was ready to start his march against the Old Gods and defeat them and Lord Sylar. These steadfast minions spent their entire lives preparing to die and submit to Xeddre's whims, as The Cult Leader told them: they would be eternally rewarded for being "On the Right Side" of the impending war.
The Marching Skeletons were up against various legitimate religions, to siphon membership away from their noble congregations and morph them into cult-minded zealots ready to lay down not only their lives but their eternity in service to Lord Xeddre the Undying. The most popular religion was known as "The Old Way" and it centered around the two confirmed creators of all that exists in The Mortal Realm: The First Mother, and The First Father. The religion centers mostly around the love for one's fellows, as all are beloved treasures of The First Mother and The First Father, (of those races they created, and those races created by their god-kin) romantic monogamous sexual encounters, and dedicated worship and honor of the two true creators of the universe, through maintaining the way of life as it had been intended to be lived by them. A lot of creeds and prayer centers around an "au natural" system that embraces the traditional way of doing things and largely shuns any advancement of development to make life easier, or different from the traditional methods. The nuclear family is hailed as a perfect unit and sought after by all. The monogamous romantic union between male and female is the most cherished relationship a person can have because it replicates the union between First Mother and First Father, and the way their sexual union birthed all that is, was, and ever will be. The current leader of "The Old Way" is a motherly, kind, gentle, loving, tender, and all-around benevolent female albino cobra known as "La Princessa". She leads her enormous flock with gentle kindness and motherly attentiveness. No problem is too small, no person is too far gone, for her to take interest and try to guide one to the light of "The Old Way". Unlike other religions, despite how enormous "The Old Way" is as the main religion of The Mortal Realm, Princessa is incredibly accessible to anyone and everyone in need of her help and/or guidance. In the religion, females are often leaders with a second-in-command romantic male partner, and a blind male goat known as "The First Follower" fills this role in the congregation. He was a kindly, if not a bit fearsome-looking older man, with his fur greying at a rapid pace all over his body, and his milky unseeing eyes. Bandages and a ragged cloak as well as a traditional farmer's scythe are all religious tokens passed from ruler to ruler. (Scythes are the weapons of choice by "First Mother"). These ancient relics made him look ragged, haggard, and more like a wandering old homeless man, than the second-in-command of the largest religion practiced in The Mortal Realm, but that was intentional. While La Princessa was put up on a pedestal and denied no request, The First Follower is meant to be humble since he had the sacred pleasure of being the only one with a key to the "heart" of La Princessa. While she was trained to be La Princessa since she was young, she kept hold of something forbidden for one of her rank (Infertility)-- but for now, only her beloved Fist Follower is aware of this trespass that would result in execution, no questions asked. Princessa is not much for combat, but she was born with a strange and potentially crazy powerful ability to craft potions that can have any effect one could think of. The more limitless your imagination, the more out of control her power. (Given the desired effect of the potion in question, Princessa will need materials to make it, and a container to hold it...but there is no potion she cannot craft!!) The Cult Leader abhors Princessa and is not above trying to make her life a living hell, which Princessa simply rises above, and usually easily deals with incoming trouble and gains members for her noble religion, pulling people out of the cult, rather than losing sheep to The Marching Skeletons...Will The Cult Leader ever be able to break the seemingly impervious good-guy armor La Princessa wears at all times? (Unbeknownst to La Princessa, The Cult Leader had perfected the art of not only killing the body of someone, and letting their soul filter through the aether and back to The Mortal Realm with a new attempt at a good life, but absolutely destroying the soul of a living person: erasing them from existence in the most permanent way.)
Xeddre also brought his son back to life (Alpha's fraternal twin), to help and aid and protect his daughter. Alpha appointed him the head of the "Anointed Males" who got to breed with the female members as often as possible to have as many fighters as possible in Xeddre's army when they "answered the call" ...Kairito hated his sister, and vicious sibling rivalry was born between them, constantly competing to see who could please Xeddre better. Karito was a monster in every way and in every "arena" he entered. And in addition he was a high-class socialite with much political power, (he had an exquisite ability to recruit the service of others to do for him what he could not be bothered withn. He was the definition of having a real silver manipulative tongue.) and he served as a beacon to what one could become in Alpha's cult, drawing in those with a lot of power, land, prestige, and money. It was Karito who Tsurara had fallen in love with from afar. She: the uneducated heathen who knew how to survive well in the wild, but was totally ignorant of society, its ways, norms, and habits. Karito saw her as a conquest: a highly skilled woman warrior he could get under his thumb, beat the wild animal out of her, and groom her into a perfect wife for himself, one that would worship him (and his very vain inflated ego) while accepting the fact it was his religious duty to knock up young female cult members. And as he groomed Tsurara who loved him so, he was betrothed to another fox, this one with vast power in the political sphere that Karito enjoyed as his chess board, taking his time and thinking every move well through. Princess Hono was the second born to the royal family that ruled the largest kingdom in The Mortal Realm, a hot desert that swept across the main continent where at the center, the capitol thrived. Though Karito had no feelings for Hono, it was he who had maneuvered himself so close to royalty in an effort to take control of the city and anoint himself as royalty: the goal he hungered desperately for. His relationship with Hono was aggressive at best, and downright vile at worst, with both of them trying to destroy and dispose of one another. Flames burned endlessly on Hono's body: as the royal family of the desert region were all blessed with flame powers. Princess Hono was taunted for the fact her firey neck cowl of flames, and the small fires that burned on her body were green: a color associated with evil and looked down upon like the God of Death. She was a tortured soul, where people obeyed her commands when faced with her, but slandered her viciously when they thought she could not hear. She was trapped in a political situation where she would never ascend to be any kind of ruler, making her title "Princess" pointless and without a chance to ascend to the ruler's seat. This also caused her to have a nasty relationship with her noble older brother, Titus, who actually was going to be king someday soon. Only his death would realize Princess Hono's dark dreams.
Titus Dawnflame was the beloved prince that the public hoped would bring the region to some sort of utopia. People loved him, even those from other kingdoms were happy to work with him on trades, resource designations, and other political discussions. He was as good as one could be in this dark and now twisted world, where what was supposed to happen, was tainted by Sylar's ascension. Titus was noble, and rightly deserved the respect of all, his fire abilities were holy, and he could use them to banish undead-- something sorely needed in the time of Xeddre, as the Marching Skeletons bore down on every kingdom hoping to convert faithful citizens into undead cult members. Titus had to take a queen, of course, but Titus was too focused on bettering the lives of others to fall in love... then on his way to a meeting, he bumped into what he thought was a homeless old hag. She was wrapped head to toe in tattered robes that hid her well. But she was so tall. Women did not get that tall! He was about to ask her pardon for bumping into her when his holy light illuminated her shadowed face. She was beautiful. His opposite in every way, he had run into Death, or at least, the God of Death. Though she was trapped in the mortal realm, she continued her duties, bringing souls to "The Space Between Where Mortals Ought Not Be"-- but the process was slower and more difficult when confined somewhat to the rules of the mortal realm. Her black fur was like looking into a night sky with no stars, and her body was embellished in gold, skulls, and the mark of the dead: luminescent intricate green markings on her long powerful legs. "Beautiful" was not the word for her appearance, but Titus was taken by her hidden charm. She attempted to flee, but he halted her pass every time, with a big smile he couldn't help. Death was the end of things, and here this righteous soon-to-be-king man would not leave her alone. She cautioned him to at least not touch her bow and arrow: to be struck or even touched meant instant death. She was confused, and dismissive of his "love at first sight" but Titus would persist, promising her she would be his queen one day. She wrote such notions off as preposterous, but the noble Titus was not so easily rejected.
A god, tired of getting fat and impotent, trying to ascend in the same fashion as she observed Mortals doing! Those little ants were nothing compared to her. She brought her massive ego with her, and shlepped on down to The Mortal Realm, where she expected to be the bell of the ball: loved and worshipped with servants and power over everything. It had never been done before, a god just stepping her dragonic toes down the steps from her realm, to one of lesser power. Her sister Death had been tasked by other Gods, angry about the Love Goddess Thea trying to be a big fish in a little pond, with explaining the Mortal Realm to Thea: the rules, the low profile she was expected to keep out of dignity, and the tumultuous drama that fed from kingdom to kingdom. Thea wanted power, almost like an insatiable demon, she always needed more! More compliments! More slaves! More people to lord over, more land to be ascended to a royal status! Unfortunately, her body and her ways brought only a sea of men, drooling for a slice from her hips, tits, and ass. Spending time in the Mortal Realm was nothing like wasting time getting fat and lazy on the golden teat, everything was a struggle. Every slight a wound that didn't bleed. She was totally obsessed with Prince Titus-- she poked and prodded Death about the heir to the largest throne in the world. Death was uncomfortable letting this boisterous power hungry God run wild and without any impediment. Thea was unashamed to be known as a total gold-digger. Titus was prey for Thea, and the tender feelings Death had for him would be cut sadly short as Death saw it. Getting into her head, she could only feel quiet emotional pain as Thea used her charm on Titus: and when he stoically denied her transparent attempts to use him and his status. No one said no to Thea. The acrid scent of her anger and humiliation followed her all the way back to the Red Light District where she lorded over as the owner and Madam to the most high class Whore House. At least in her brothel she could take out her frustration on her lesser mortals she employed. But Thea was always scheming. Her wounded pride was perhaps one of the most dangerous accessories Titus could've given her. She made a list-- names to subjugate. She was the sin that love had always been. And her nefarious musings would go unchecked...
Another threat to Lord Sylar's reign was a young orphan known fondly as "Gilded Lilly" or more affectionately, "Lilly". She was naive as a child to her threatening horrific potential for limitless power. Lord Sylar needed to twist her into a member of his army, even as her religious upbringing pushed her towards the path of light as a paladin. She trained every free moment and paid homage to the dragon god Bahamut. By now, Lord Sylar had acquired many followers and sent out the first in command of his demonic army. Demitri was a massive wolfish creature with a mind so twisted and dark, that he seemed to strike more fear in others with his shadowy presence than the outright brutality displayed by other demon army members. Demitri laid waste to the church and orphanage to steal away Lilly as a young teenager, not yet set in the mold of a noble paladin as time was supposed to see her become. Lord Sylar's presence warped all of reality and made it possible for Demitri to adopt her and ultimately corrupt her, and her vast potential to fight for Lord Sylar. Lilly had all the strength in the world to bring Sylar, as the man he once was, to his knees, and set the time track right as if the wound Sylar caused had never occurred. Demitri was a master manipulator, and by building a strong bond with the young deer twisted her into a vicious and aggressive master of the Darkest Great Sword known to man: a relic only she had the strength to wield-- with one cloven hand even! Lilly was not one for intelligence, making it all too easy for Demitri to earn her trust, love, and respect. Her life was spent fearful of Lord Sylar, who she only saw in her night terror dreams as a vindictive black shadow creeping into the edges of her mind. She was more loyal to Demitri than Sylar, but that was good enough, for Sylar. As long as she would never raise her sword against him when he entered The Mortal Realm as a god to rule all, she was not just neutralized as a potential threat, she was turned to fight in the name of spreading Lord Sylar's power and influence. She grew into a formidable warrior member of the legions Lord Sylar had manipulated to conquer in his name. Sure, she was kidnapped, but Lilly saw Demitri as her salvation, and much like Oldmusic dedicated all she was to Sylar, Lilly was completely consumed by the primal need for the demon Demitri's approval of her every action. It was sad to onlookers how deeply she loved the demon who turned her into a bloodthirsty and above all else obedient slave.
Little Hot Tail is the kobold that survived being thrown into a volcano, and had to summon and create her only friend in the world! She and her faithful (but largely brainless) magma lizard elemental summon, Kazem, wander aimlessly and experience the significant changes in the world, set off by the disruption of Lord Sylar's entering the realm of the Gods. It is to be understood, that Lord Sylar has completely broken the world, and made the "old way" of doing many things completely different! Think of it as, waking up one morning, and the sky is green, and physics no longer functions in the same way they used to! (Physics still exists, but some of the most basic laws would have changed or altered!) Lord Sylar's ascension has completely and upended the living realm because mortals are never supposed to become gods. His finding a way, required the way things work, to change. So in this new generation of creatures and characters, some old stable laws are simply altered in a very noticeable fashion.
In an innocuous incident no one could've predicted a strange-looking glass bottle bounced its way free of the lashings keeping loot from a quest acquired by local travelers, and adventurers. It tumbled down to the dirt road and was not even noticed as it rolled off the beaten path, to nestle in a little fruit-dappled shrubbery. The delicate shimmering glass bottle looked as if it should've shattered the moment it bounced off the tough wooden carriage: as the setting sun cast its long rays from the horizon, various colors of the bottle to shone in a kaleidoscopic fashion. The night saw the bottle undisturbed, lying by the side of the road. The new morning rays would see the bottle fall into the hands of a young boy. A human boy. The Mortal Realm was largely incredibly racist towards humans-- most species of the world thinking them as underdeveloped orcs, only not as strong and useful to the world at large. When humans were not being shunned, denied services food and lodging, denied fair jobs and even known to be ingredients in some nefarious recipes, hostile anthro races were constantly keeping the few and far between rare human territories under conflict: choosing to attack and take the land for their own, with the former owners turned into a built-in slave workforce. Fleeing from the fires that were running unchecked, the boy steeled himself to not look back as his mother had always taught him. And her last lesson to him would see to it to save his life. He ran until he could no more, out of breath, but with the chaos of his town being forced under the talons of a barbaric lizard race. Even when his lungs burned, and his legs trembled from harsh panicked running, he got as far down the road as to when he could no longer discern the screams...
He tripped over the glass bottle and got a face full of dirt. He wasn't hurt, but tears welled up in his eyes as he realized he had just run like a coward. He didn't even get a chance to save his little sister! He picked the bottle up with wide wet eyes, the dazzling colors made it look so strange and wonderful. He could probably buy some armor and a weapon from the next town over and start his own journey, at the age of 11... fighting monsters, saving fair maidens, and defending the weak-- he vowed to never forget his first steps down the path of manhood, and no one would suffer any more, if his actions could help it, moving forward. Curious about the bottle's contents he popped the bejeweled top and peered with one eye inside. The bottle began to tremble and shake, and an oddly colored green smoke began pouring from it, and the boy was so startled he dropped it on the wet stones at his feet, stumbling in an attempt to run, but this time he felt brave enough to peer anxiously over his shoulder at the mess he had made. The green smoke continued to pour out seemingly with no end, and the growing clouds formed together and solidified. A young reptilian maiden stepped from her smokey shroud, with a gentle, patient smile. She was not very tall, with rich black scales, blue ring markings, and a white belly, all held up on dainty little golden hooves. A reptile with hooves...?
She had not a stitch of clothing and was very much an adult female. "There we go. Out and about, summoned by babbling babes? Have I fallen this far? Fallen from being on the leash of kings who owned more land than the Gods, and now babbling children can summon my presence. At least I can leave now..." She was unable to walk away from her bottle, and she could not touch it-- only her new "owner" could tote along her mini prison. "You may call me Goldie Hooves, and you shall be my master until I have granted you three wishes." She explained to the boy. "I'm Jhonathan" the boy answered with his name back, almost timidly so. He was so confused! The fair maidens came after the glorious defeat of some ugly monster, right? This seemed all out of order. "I am a djinn, an all-powerful spirit trapped in a bottle as a prison. Those who come to own my prison, own me, for the duration of those three wishes." Goldie explained. "Sounds like you're a prisoner," Jhonathan said. "I promise that I'll figure out how to help you, Goldie Hooves." That statement cut her core, and there was genuine sadness in her all-seeing blank white eyes. "Just..." he started. He felt terrible that, sure she was powerful, but she was no more than a forced slave. Jhonathan had always and forever wanted to be the valiant hero who saved pretty girls like Goldie, not kept them under his thumb to play with. Jhonathan reached out, "Just, please, don't leave me alone!" He clutched her bottle, and ran up to her, throwing his arms around her waist, with so much emotion he didn't register her nudity. Goldie's face softened into a genuine smile, and she placed her claws on top of his head, comfortingly rubbing his scalp... "Granted." And thus started a relationship that would change both their lives forever.
She was never away from his side. And he was happy. They shared stories of terrible times and vowed together to make a better life for them both. "I want the power to make evildoers pay, and keep you safe, Goldie" He mentioned one evening. And Goldie smiled and said, "Granted" A vicious demon entered Jhonathan and gave him a berserker form that was truly unstoppable, but noble in an anti-hero fashion. Goldie really liked that Jhonathan did not in any way treat her as a powerful tool as everyone else did. He never failed to make her feel special. And he pledged to her he would never just use her for her power. They formed the deepest of bonds, and even though she had granted two wishes-- he never felt comfortable demanding things from her. He decided to never make that last wish, so they could always be together...but demon-possessed or not, Jhonathan was a mortal. Goldie would surely pass many many more hands after he was dead and gone, even if by not wishing his third wish, she was bound to him, and loved him genuinely. He softened her heart, and she fell deeper and deeper in love with him as he grew older, and she stayed the same... He was demonized when he was inhabited by a demi demon, giving him an unstoppable ferocious monster form, that only she could peacefully quell his rage when it got out of control (And to keep him from being murdered by guards or whatever.) In a way, they both became each other's keepers. Only her genuine tender affection could bring him back to the young sweet and heroic human male he had always been after he destroyed anyone he saw as morally "dubious" ...but all good things come to an end, right? And when death was nearly upon her beloved master whom she had served longer than anyone else, she knelt by his bed and tended to the simple needs of an old man.
One night he reached for her head, "I wish we could do it all over again..." Goldie smiled her biggest smile.
"Granted..."And they lived his lifetime together, all over again. With all the firsts he didn't remember, but she did. They were the only pair in the entire Mortal Realm that had "forever" together..
