Saw an advertisement for Lord of Ultima on Origin. Clicked it, then was blasted in the face with the image of a guy in platemail with an axe (which was cool enough).... and two women in summer dresses that did not in any way match the rest of the image.
Goddamnit gaming industry. Goddamnit. It's almost like gaming advertising for these "free to play" strategy games has only five images of women in total.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Making writing that isn't wordy
As a bit of a condolence to the few poor, miserable souls who actually visit this place (assuming that number is above zero, which is not a safe assumption), I've been sort of sitting on the next parts of my story for some time now. The main worry I have is that, well, they're too wordy. There's a lot of personality bits, exposition, and dialogue in the story at this point. I'm trying to figure out what exactly I should do to reduce the level of dialogue... show, rather than tell.
So... I have two options. I'm deciding whether or not to post what I have and ask for feedback, or just go and try to re-write it entirely. If anyone visits this place, feel free to leave your opinion on the topic.
So... I have two options. I'm deciding whether or not to post what I have and ask for feedback, or just go and try to re-write it entirely. If anyone visits this place, feel free to leave your opinion on the topic.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Brainstorming Mk2
Developing the concept further, there are two ideas here. The first, is that the pairs represent mental dispositions:
White <--Attitude--> Black
Grey <--Liveliness--> Green
Brown <--Alacrity--> Yellow
Blue <--Dedication--> Red
Clear <--Method--> Violet
This would make the various colors opposed to each-other. Which is why I have not put much effort in to it, because it does not always make sense. Red and Blue would not necessarily be opposed to eachother-- fire and water to create steam for example. Clear and violet to give substance to mental constructs. White and black to sacrifice your own health to heal others.
And so on and so forth.
Thus, I think it works better simply as a representation on a larger sphere-- the ultimate goal of most wizards is to attempt to understand the mythical Eleventh Sphere, the sphere of Ascension where one literally becomes magic, or so the story goes (what actually happens I am not revealing here).
White <--Holy <--Relation to the Gods--> Unholy--> Black
Grey <-- Artificial <--Relation to Nature--> Natural--> Green
Brown <--Within <--Relation to the World--> Without--> Yellow
Blue <--Cold <--Relation to Heat Energy--> Hot--> Red
Clear <-- Physical <--Relation to the Mind--> Mental--> Violet
So, then, if the spheres do not represent mental dispositions, what do they represent? Abstract concepts-- each one represents a different section of the four dimensional hypersphere that is the Eleventh Sphere. Every element is, in some way, connected to every other element, but they are connected most strongly to their opposite. Thus why Brown has magnetic powers, and Yellow has meteoric summons-- they are intrinsically connected despite being, at the same time, opposites to each other. Brown is the power within the Earth, while Yellow is the power beyond the Earth, but both are inherently connected to the Earth.
An easier label of the pairings might go as such: Divine, Life, Source, Energy, and Substance, creating five colleges within the wizard's school of magic, a much easier number to organize than ten (which is why I did the pairing system to begin with).
The College of Divines: Studies holy and shadow magic. There are no demons or angelic hosts in this setting, but there are deities. The exact nature of these deities, however, is only known by the archmages. There are five archmages for this subdivision of the wizard's college-- two Holy archmages, two Shadow archmages, and one headmaster who oversees both. The headmaster of the College of Divines has been the grandmaster of the Wizard's College more often than any other headmaster. The Campus of Twin Divinities looks much like a cathedral, with the white magic students cloistered in the upper levels while the black magic students study within the crypts below. Their attire tends towards traditional loose mage's robes, with either hoods or hats depending on the taste of the wearer.
The College of Life: Studies druidic and golemantic/technomantic magics. There is only one archmage, and only by necessity of needing a headmaster-- the most powerful golemancers prefer to call themselves Artificers, while the most powerful druids call themselves Grand Druids. The headmaster, however, still wields a lot of power within the college because of their bureaucratic authority, and thus they tend to be the one keeping both sides from fighting. Indeed, the head of the College of Life is often the one called upon to make decisions regarding diplomatic matters for the Wizard's College as a whole. The Campus of Creative Magicks Is made up of a widely disparate group of workshops, nature preserves, parks, zoos, arenas, and storage areas which are spread roughly in a circle around the central dormitory. Their attire tends to be more functional than other schools, even incorporating armor, although they all wear the clockwork tree symbol of the college somewhere on their robe.
The College of Sources: Studies geomantic and astrological magics. There are seven archmages of the order, three Astrological and four Geomantic, with the headmaster being the most powerful Astrologist. The reason for this splitting has been lost to annals of time, but the headmaster of the College of Source is still required to respect and run their opposing school, thus they tend to be long-lived masters of both, but rarely become the Grandmaster of the wizard's college. The Campus of Heaven and Earth is what is traditionally thought of when commoners think of Wizard colleges, striking as it does both deep in to the ground and in to the sky, with Geomancers studing in the rocky cellars while Astrologists peering at the stars from the tower above. Their attire tends to be more showy than the rest, including jewelry created by Geomancers, arranged in patterns that are said to be fortuitous by Astrologists, and because of the necessities of the campus, they tend to wear pants and tunics, believed to be more suitable for climbing stairs as the various initiates have to do until they learn their a travel magic.
The College of Energy: Studies pyromancy and aquamancy. There are three archmages, whom are rotated out amongst the top fifteen wizards of the college. The headmaster is more of a military general than anything, and indeed may not even be a wizard at all. This often results in scorn from the other schools, but the wizards of the College of Energy always give their headmaster respect, for they have almost always earned it. As a result of the separation of the Grandmaster and Master Militant, the headmaster of the College of Energy is almost never also a grandmaster, instead holding what is often the more powerful position of Master Militant. The Campus of the Elements is often described as a glorified barracks and military camp, and there is some justification for this despite it having a combination of pools, lakes, fire pits, and bonfires. The headmaster runs the college with the efficiency of a general, and they train their wizards in more physical combat as well as magical. As a result, their attire often includes chainmail and a sheathed (and heavily enchanted) weapon, or even a magical musket traded from the College of Life.
The College of Substance: Studies general arcana and illusions. There are ten archmages, evenly split between the college, with the two most powerful sharing the headmaster's spot unless one of them concedes it. In the case of concession, the headmaster of the College of Substance rivals the College of Divinity in number of grandmasters, although this is happening less and less as time goes on. The Campus of Mind and Matter is a wondrous sight to behold, a floating castle surrounded by wondrously resplendent energies and images, and it is known as a party school. Despite this, it provides the best general education to its students of any of the colleges, and is by far the most egalitarian and creative-- even if its students often take longer to complete its courses than in other colleges. Their attire tends to fit in with the fashion of the times, varying as much between decades as between individual students, but they always wear a circlet which glows when worn by an approved member of the college-- and unwanted guests may find themselves being pushed off to fall to their doom!
White <--Attitude--> Black
Grey <--Liveliness--> Green
Brown <--Alacrity--> Yellow
Blue <--Dedication--> Red
Clear <--Method--> Violet
This would make the various colors opposed to each-other. Which is why I have not put much effort in to it, because it does not always make sense. Red and Blue would not necessarily be opposed to eachother-- fire and water to create steam for example. Clear and violet to give substance to mental constructs. White and black to sacrifice your own health to heal others.
And so on and so forth.
Thus, I think it works better simply as a representation on a larger sphere-- the ultimate goal of most wizards is to attempt to understand the mythical Eleventh Sphere, the sphere of Ascension where one literally becomes magic, or so the story goes (what actually happens I am not revealing here).
White <--Holy <--Relation to the Gods--> Unholy--> Black
Grey <-- Artificial <--Relation to Nature--> Natural--> Green
Brown <--Within <--Relation to the World--> Without--> Yellow
Blue <--Cold <--Relation to Heat Energy--> Hot--> Red
Clear <-- Physical <--Relation to the Mind--> Mental--> Violet
So, then, if the spheres do not represent mental dispositions, what do they represent? Abstract concepts-- each one represents a different section of the four dimensional hypersphere that is the Eleventh Sphere. Every element is, in some way, connected to every other element, but they are connected most strongly to their opposite. Thus why Brown has magnetic powers, and Yellow has meteoric summons-- they are intrinsically connected despite being, at the same time, opposites to each other. Brown is the power within the Earth, while Yellow is the power beyond the Earth, but both are inherently connected to the Earth.
An easier label of the pairings might go as such: Divine, Life, Source, Energy, and Substance, creating five colleges within the wizard's school of magic, a much easier number to organize than ten (which is why I did the pairing system to begin with).
The College of Divines: Studies holy and shadow magic. There are no demons or angelic hosts in this setting, but there are deities. The exact nature of these deities, however, is only known by the archmages. There are five archmages for this subdivision of the wizard's college-- two Holy archmages, two Shadow archmages, and one headmaster who oversees both. The headmaster of the College of Divines has been the grandmaster of the Wizard's College more often than any other headmaster. The Campus of Twin Divinities looks much like a cathedral, with the white magic students cloistered in the upper levels while the black magic students study within the crypts below. Their attire tends towards traditional loose mage's robes, with either hoods or hats depending on the taste of the wearer.
The College of Life: Studies druidic and golemantic/technomantic magics. There is only one archmage, and only by necessity of needing a headmaster-- the most powerful golemancers prefer to call themselves Artificers, while the most powerful druids call themselves Grand Druids. The headmaster, however, still wields a lot of power within the college because of their bureaucratic authority, and thus they tend to be the one keeping both sides from fighting. Indeed, the head of the College of Life is often the one called upon to make decisions regarding diplomatic matters for the Wizard's College as a whole. The Campus of Creative Magicks Is made up of a widely disparate group of workshops, nature preserves, parks, zoos, arenas, and storage areas which are spread roughly in a circle around the central dormitory. Their attire tends to be more functional than other schools, even incorporating armor, although they all wear the clockwork tree symbol of the college somewhere on their robe.
The College of Sources: Studies geomantic and astrological magics. There are seven archmages of the order, three Astrological and four Geomantic, with the headmaster being the most powerful Astrologist. The reason for this splitting has been lost to annals of time, but the headmaster of the College of Source is still required to respect and run their opposing school, thus they tend to be long-lived masters of both, but rarely become the Grandmaster of the wizard's college. The Campus of Heaven and Earth is what is traditionally thought of when commoners think of Wizard colleges, striking as it does both deep in to the ground and in to the sky, with Geomancers studing in the rocky cellars while Astrologists peering at the stars from the tower above. Their attire tends to be more showy than the rest, including jewelry created by Geomancers, arranged in patterns that are said to be fortuitous by Astrologists, and because of the necessities of the campus, they tend to wear pants and tunics, believed to be more suitable for climbing stairs as the various initiates have to do until they learn their a travel magic.
The College of Energy: Studies pyromancy and aquamancy. There are three archmages, whom are rotated out amongst the top fifteen wizards of the college. The headmaster is more of a military general than anything, and indeed may not even be a wizard at all. This often results in scorn from the other schools, but the wizards of the College of Energy always give their headmaster respect, for they have almost always earned it. As a result of the separation of the Grandmaster and Master Militant, the headmaster of the College of Energy is almost never also a grandmaster, instead holding what is often the more powerful position of Master Militant. The Campus of the Elements is often described as a glorified barracks and military camp, and there is some justification for this despite it having a combination of pools, lakes, fire pits, and bonfires. The headmaster runs the college with the efficiency of a general, and they train their wizards in more physical combat as well as magical. As a result, their attire often includes chainmail and a sheathed (and heavily enchanted) weapon, or even a magical musket traded from the College of Life.
The College of Substance: Studies general arcana and illusions. There are ten archmages, evenly split between the college, with the two most powerful sharing the headmaster's spot unless one of them concedes it. In the case of concession, the headmaster of the College of Substance rivals the College of Divinity in number of grandmasters, although this is happening less and less as time goes on. The Campus of Mind and Matter is a wondrous sight to behold, a floating castle surrounded by wondrously resplendent energies and images, and it is known as a party school. Despite this, it provides the best general education to its students of any of the colleges, and is by far the most egalitarian and creative-- even if its students often take longer to complete its courses than in other colleges. Their attire tends to fit in with the fashion of the times, varying as much between decades as between individual students, but they always wear a circlet which glows when worn by an approved member of the college-- and unwanted guests may find themselves being pushed off to fall to their doom!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Brainstorming
I'm still working on the other story! I just can't seem to get the next chapter to a state which I am happy with. Too much re-writing and then I feel it's incoherent and now I'm gonna just start the chapter over. But I'm also planning out the next story's setting. Wizards as a concept are fascinating ot me. I plan on having the concept of the next story be similar to a more serious take on Magicka. Magic is created through various "spheres", which embody concepts that are often difficult to understand and sometimes even inherently contradictory.
White <-> Black
Grey <-> Green
Brown <-> Yellow
Blue <-> Red
Clear <-> Violet
Each sphere is associated with five concepts. A type of magic; an element; a boon; a form of travel; and a flaw. All magics are, however, capable of fulfilling most roles (healing, buffing, damage dealing, minion-making, martial arts, swordmagery, etc, because they are not defined by how they are used, but by what they are) and in the end, no sphere is either more or less evil than the other, although that doesn't necessarily mean that the common person won't think of it that way. Each one has a tendency, but these are not universal-- merely common traits of wizards who end up choosing that specific sphere.
White
-- Type: Healing
-- Element: Holy
-- Boon: Protection
-- Movement: Flight
-- Flaw: Arrogance
-- Example spells: Healing Hands, Luminal Blast, Bless, Revive, Disintegrate
-- Tend to be optimistic, but preachy.
Black
-- Type: Necromancy
-- Element: Darkness
-- Boon: Life-Stealing
-- Movement: Shadow-Stepping
-- Flaw: Pessimism
-- Example spells: Blood-Siphon, Shadow-Strike, Drinking Blade, Create Undead, Touch of Death
-- Tend to be alluring and friendly, but pessimistic and sometimes nihilistic.
Grey
-- Type: Golemancy
-- Element: Metal
-- Boon: Endurance
-- Movement: Automated Constructs
-- Flaw: Laziness
-- Example spells: Fix Imperfection, Iron Hands, Create Stone Warrior, Golemantic Resurrection, Create Mithril Golem
-- Tend to be brilliant inventors, but lazy.
Green
-- Type: Druidic
-- Element: Nature
-- Boon: Regeneration
-- Movement: Gliding/Hovering
-- Flaw: Short-sightedness
-- Example spells: Regenerate, Poison Needles, Infinite Ivy, Infestation, Temporary Immortality
-- Tend to be well-meaning, yet rarely think of long-term impacts of their actions.
Brown
-- Type: Geomancy
-- Element: Earth
-- Boon: Shielding
-- Movement: Tunneling
-- Flaw: Slow to change
-- Example spells: Stonegrowth, Rock Spikes, Earthquake Trap, Animate Stone, Petrify
-- Tend to be diligent, but dour. and conservative.
Yellow
-- Type: Astromancy
-- Element: Lightning
-- Boon: Retribution
-- Movement: Teleportation
-- Flaw: Wrathful
-- Example spells: Starlight Cloak, Lightning Bolt, Spark of Life, Meteor Strike, Thundergod
-- Tend to be motivated and just, but also prone to fits of rage.
Blue
-- Type: Aquamancy
-- Element: Water
-- Boon: Evasion
-- Movement: water-Walking/Breathing
-- Flaw: Indecisive
-- Example spells: Lifedew, Water Spear, Ice Crash, Water-Clone, Bloodfreeze
-- Tend to be adaptive and intelligent, but indecisive and prone to second-guessing.
Red
-- Type: Pyromancy
-- Element: Fire
-- Boon: Power
-- Movement: Haste
-- Flaw: Passion
-- Example spells: Warmth, Fireball, Magma Bolt, Phoenix Blessing, Conflagration
-- Tend to be highly passionate about whatever they do-- and burn themselves out often.
Clear
-- Type: Arcana
-- Element: Force
-- Boon: Generalism
-- Movement: Force-Assist
-- Flaw: Incoherency
-- Example spells: Wound-Binding, Force Bolt, Exponential Impact, Force Cage, Telekinetic Crush
-- Tend to be considerate and decisive... until they become distracted-- oo shiny!
Violet
-- Type: Illusions
-- Element: Mind
-- Boon: Mirror Image
-- Movement: Image-Walking
-- Flaw: Hedonism
-- Example spells: Wounds to Illusion, Injury from Insult, Illusory Army, Temporal Wavering, Mind-Snap
-- Tend to be joyous and gregarious, but also often forget their goals in seeking to enjoy life.
White <-> Black
Grey <-> Green
Brown <-> Yellow
Blue <-> Red
Clear <-> Violet
Each sphere is associated with five concepts. A type of magic; an element; a boon; a form of travel; and a flaw. All magics are, however, capable of fulfilling most roles (healing, buffing, damage dealing, minion-making, martial arts, swordmagery, etc, because they are not defined by how they are used, but by what they are) and in the end, no sphere is either more or less evil than the other, although that doesn't necessarily mean that the common person won't think of it that way. Each one has a tendency, but these are not universal-- merely common traits of wizards who end up choosing that specific sphere.
White
-- Type: Healing
-- Element: Holy
-- Boon: Protection
-- Movement: Flight
-- Flaw: Arrogance
-- Example spells: Healing Hands, Luminal Blast, Bless, Revive, Disintegrate
-- Tend to be optimistic, but preachy.
Black
-- Type: Necromancy
-- Element: Darkness
-- Boon: Life-Stealing
-- Movement: Shadow-Stepping
-- Flaw: Pessimism
-- Example spells: Blood-Siphon, Shadow-Strike, Drinking Blade, Create Undead, Touch of Death
-- Tend to be alluring and friendly, but pessimistic and sometimes nihilistic.
Grey
-- Type: Golemancy
-- Element: Metal
-- Boon: Endurance
-- Movement: Automated Constructs
-- Flaw: Laziness
-- Example spells: Fix Imperfection, Iron Hands, Create Stone Warrior, Golemantic Resurrection, Create Mithril Golem
-- Tend to be brilliant inventors, but lazy.
Green
-- Type: Druidic
-- Element: Nature
-- Boon: Regeneration
-- Movement: Gliding/Hovering
-- Flaw: Short-sightedness
-- Example spells: Regenerate, Poison Needles, Infinite Ivy, Infestation, Temporary Immortality
-- Tend to be well-meaning, yet rarely think of long-term impacts of their actions.
Brown
-- Type: Geomancy
-- Element: Earth
-- Boon: Shielding
-- Movement: Tunneling
-- Flaw: Slow to change
-- Example spells: Stonegrowth, Rock Spikes, Earthquake Trap, Animate Stone, Petrify
-- Tend to be diligent, but dour. and conservative.
Yellow
-- Type: Astromancy
-- Element: Lightning
-- Boon: Retribution
-- Movement: Teleportation
-- Flaw: Wrathful
-- Example spells: Starlight Cloak, Lightning Bolt, Spark of Life, Meteor Strike, Thundergod
-- Tend to be motivated and just, but also prone to fits of rage.
Blue
-- Type: Aquamancy
-- Element: Water
-- Boon: Evasion
-- Movement: water-Walking/Breathing
-- Flaw: Indecisive
-- Example spells: Lifedew, Water Spear, Ice Crash, Water-Clone, Bloodfreeze
-- Tend to be adaptive and intelligent, but indecisive and prone to second-guessing.
Red
-- Type: Pyromancy
-- Element: Fire
-- Boon: Power
-- Movement: Haste
-- Flaw: Passion
-- Example spells: Warmth, Fireball, Magma Bolt, Phoenix Blessing, Conflagration
-- Tend to be highly passionate about whatever they do-- and burn themselves out often.
Clear
-- Type: Arcana
-- Element: Force
-- Boon: Generalism
-- Movement: Force-Assist
-- Flaw: Incoherency
-- Example spells: Wound-Binding, Force Bolt, Exponential Impact, Force Cage, Telekinetic Crush
-- Tend to be considerate and decisive... until they become distracted-- oo shiny!
Violet
-- Type: Illusions
-- Element: Mind
-- Boon: Mirror Image
-- Movement: Image-Walking
-- Flaw: Hedonism
-- Example spells: Wounds to Illusion, Injury from Insult, Illusory Army, Temporal Wavering, Mind-Snap
-- Tend to be joyous and gregarious, but also often forget their goals in seeking to enjoy life.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
A slowdown in my writing.
Yeah, sorry to ya poor souls trying to suffer through my horrid writing.
I've been preparing for a couple of roleplays recently, on top of the Only War roleplay that I GM. First off is DnD 3.5, which is nice to get back in to. A science-y wizard is my current concept there. And then Exalted after that, I'm playing an Abyssal Dusk Caste, focusing on Dark Messiah style martial arts.
Fun times.
Will write the net bit up (IE, the post-fight bit) next time I feel I have a chance.
I've been preparing for a couple of roleplays recently, on top of the Only War roleplay that I GM. First off is DnD 3.5, which is nice to get back in to. A science-y wizard is my current concept there. And then Exalted after that, I'm playing an Abyssal Dusk Caste, focusing on Dark Messiah style martial arts.
Fun times.
Will write the net bit up (IE, the post-fight bit) next time I feel I have a chance.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Writing Practice: Day 4 (Mythology)
Pain, all alone, knows no dreams, resting in a void of itself
Sorrow's tears and sobbing silenced, burdens lost forever more
Muse, unseen, inspires our greatness; Death then takes it all... away
Sorrow's tears and sobbing silenced, burdens lost forever more
Muse, unseen, inspires our greatness; Death then takes it all... away
Excerpted from
Musings On Universal Origins, and the Nature of Existence
authored by "The Scholar Unbound"
At the beginning of time, the universe was perfectly balanced. All was made up of a single, primordial element, and all energies were spread evenly-- there were no stars, there was no void, there was no creation. There is no true birth of a universe, they always were, and always will be. The undiscovered, infinite universes are the play-toys of gods. Sometimes they work in unison, sometimes alone. Rarely do they work subtly-- for the beings which we call "gods" are almost omnipotent, almost omniscient, almost omnipresent in universes that they claim for themselves. Where they yearn, worlds are created. Where they rage, universes are irrevocably damaged.
Perhaps there is a greater power than the gods out there, guiding the universes in some greater plan. Or perhaps it's just the fickle hand of chance, with no thought at all, no fate save for what we make for ourselves...
--------------------------------------------------
In this universe, one claimed by a god who never gave us his name, the standard creation procedure by the gods was not followed. He just wanted this particular universe for his own personal playground, after all. After creating the physical realm for him to enjoy, he began to toy with the metaphysical aspects... turning them in to personifications, one by one. First he formed Love, the Compassionate, whom he coveted above all else-- and shut her away so that none could have her. Then he created Pain the Sentinel, as well, intending to do the same thing to her as he did to Love the Compassionate... and yet, he could not have her, for by her very nature the pain he felt from being near her led him to be unable to withstand her. And so, angry, he collapsed Pain's mind with various tortures, until she became Pain the Autistic, and was not able to interact in any way with the world around her... she lived in a universe in herself, where there was only Pain.
Learning from his mistakes, he then created Valor the Honorable and Rage the Wrathful, then set them against eachother rather than attempt to claim him as his own, all the while continuing his abuse of Love. The deific arena swelled to include Courage the Inspirational and Pride the King as well, each one fighting for different reasons, and with different methods, all for the god's amusement. Growing bored still in the endless time before mortals, the god formed a social function to match the warriors arena, and added to it Greed the Lonesome, Sleep the Dreamer, Sorrow the Mourner, and Muse the Unseen. And yet, this was never enough, and so he mixed and matched each of them to his amusement, and yet despite his abuse, such as his complete control over them that they could not even desire to disobey, never mind actually do it.
Still bored, still restless, the god moved to create mortals, in an attempt to expand his decadent court. To govern over them, he created Science the Lawgiver, Wisdom the Scholar, Death the Reaper, and then the final one, Hatred the Bloody. Strangely, however, he was unable to control the minds of mortals as firmly as he could his previous creations, and so they began to converse with them... and give them strange new ideas. Ideas that were not in his vision of how the universe was to be. Mortals were always fickle creatures after all, and we still are. We desired, we raged, we loved, we lived, and we died, no matter what he did to the Living Concepts. And yet... we also felt pity. But the god did not desire pity in the universe, and thus never personified that concept.
The universe doesn't work out that way, however. As Hatred's tortures continued over hundreds of years, its hate turned inward, to self-loathing. For god hated Hatred, as that is what she was. So desperate, however, was she to escape her inevitable mind-shattering, that she sought the advice of the mortals. Not strictly disobeying her master for he could recall her at any time in an instant, she tried to learn how they had survived the divine torment that they had been given. Upon relating the pains, both physical and emotional, that god was putting her through, she saw the pity in their eyes-- the eyes of the things which crawled in the dirt, which starved and thirsted, which could not even bend reality to their will... and she wept.
The First Rebellion had begun at the instant that Hatred the Bloody had accepted their pity in to her heart, and become Hatred the Pitiful. It lessened the pain that she felt, and made her feel strong again, as she had when she was first formed. As she was living amongst the mortals, however, she turned her thoughts to the firstborn, Love... Love, the Compassionate, who cared for everything, and yet was locked away, unable to act on her compassion. The newborn pity in her heart made her hatred turn outwards, towards the creator. Taking with her Ictis, the First Knife, an artifact made from stone by the first human to try to work their will upon the world, the first to try to change it in their own image, Hatred confronted god within the arena, calling him out.
Laying before him a list of crimes, she built up the black hatred within her heart to hide the pity that was to truly power her rebellion. Angered by this rebellion, god struck her down... but she rose up again. And again, and again. Moment by agonizing moment, step by futile step, Hatred moved through his divine power much to the shock and awe of her fellows and the mortals that were watching. Even as the bolts became blasts, and the very essence of creation was turned upon her, she focused on her pity for Love, and pushed her will through Ictis, then plunged it in to god's chest. At that instant, the mortals were rooting not for god, but for Hatred. They chose the Deifics over the Creator, and his powers were removed leaving him as nothing but an angry immortal who knew everything in the universe.
This was not enough for Hatred, however. She fell in to a cold, black rage that frightened even Rage the Wrathful, and literally beat god to death-- something that Death the Reaper thought should be impossible, for god was not within her purview, as a being from outside the universe. In fact, it should have been impossible, even other gods who had visited this universe were unable to understand how it happened. Gods themselves could not kill other gods, never mind mortals or other created beings. This singular instance in all of creation resulted in the gods closing the universe off and investigating it... leaving it to evolve and change on its own instead of at the behest of the gods.
Freed from their obligations, the Deifics honored the mortals for freeing them, and blessed them with their virtues, before fading in to the shadows, to give the mortals freedom of their own. And so they spread across the world, and over many generations, different cultures became attuned in different ways to different deifics, resulting in the various races. The ambitious Humans held on to Hope and Pride, while the dour Dwarves held on to Science and Greed. In their search for meaning, the Elves clung to Wisdom and Sorrow. The fae Celestials held on to Sleep and Muse, and entered the Deific Forum, while the martial Daemons coveted Rage and Valor and turned the Deific Arena in to their own eternal bloody fighting pit.
Of those remaining, Death continued her eternal vigil, while Courage set out to inspire individuals. Hatred the Pitiful helped heal Love, whom she had utterly fallen for, and then both of them helped bring Pain halfway back in to the world, so that she knew she was not alone any more. The smile upon Pain's face was enough to make Sorrow's icy tears turn warm, and make the ever-dour Death crack a smile-- all of them had learned to pity their second sister, punished despite committing no crimes. As the ages went on, the Deifics found themselves in the same boredom as their dead master did.
This time, it was Pain that provided a solution. Though she could not properly communicate with the other Deifics, she found that she was able to enter the body of a dying mortal, and make them her Host. She took their pain, and handed their soul to Death, and found... she could think. She could talk. Walking the land as a mortal made her feel happy; even the pains of mortals were like the finest wine compared to the suffering she had gone through trapped in her own mind. And in the body of a mortal, she approached the Deific Forum and talked to her sisters in great lengths. Even Death found mortal bodies useful, for they helped her further her understanding of her role.
These experiences deepened the character of each of the Deifics. Science and Wisdom provided a system through which the Deifics would rotate, spending time as mortals as leisure whenever their duties in maintaining the universe were not backed up. Hatred was the only exception. Watching from afar, Hatred felt the loneliness she had before... her duties were twice as demanding as the other gods, and she was unable to keep up. Her hatred for herself built up once more, bringing her the attention of Sorrow, whom called in the others to intervene. Science and Wisdom created an automated secretary to fulfill Hatred's duties (and have to continually check upon them, leading to the diminishing of the Elven and Dwarven races), while Sleep and Valor guided the near-catatonic Deific in to the body of a willing mortal, whom Death had empowered with agelessness for this purpose and whom Love had gifted with the will to continue on through the ages until Hatred's recovery.
I still am not sure who this person is. Is it someone that wallows in self-pity in a tower in a forgotten corner of a world? Is it perhaps a secret mover of history, empowered by the weakest, yet strongest, of the Deifics? The historical gold mine that would be this person's brain has long tantalized mortal scholars. It is my theory that Sleep has made the identity of Hatred's host vanish from the pages of history through influencing the dreams of those who write it, or simply making us not care. I have only avoided Sleep's attention because my focus is on the Deifics themselves-- I have taken a vow not to research this mortal's identity or nature, in exchange for this information.
Perhaps, some day, the glories or villainies will come out-- perhaps when Hatred the Pitiful has recovered. Until then, the universe has far too much to study. The origins of magic is one of them, and I will cover that in my next musings. As always, I expect these writings to be declared heresy by the Human Church, but the knowledge I seek to disseminate will not be denied, so long as I follow the guidelines that Muse has laid out to me. May your endeavors be as fruitful as mine.
-- The Scholar Unbound --
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