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[I] Not cattle, bison! [/b] Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather The great Mustached One reeled atop his throne as he felt each pain his subjects felt. The black marble, veined with green and gold, cracked under his hand. It had come, that which he did not believe, it had come for him. Until now his lands had been relatively untouched by the Fimbulvinter. His people were dying, and not in glorious combat as was right, but rather struck down by a cold so powerful that gods themselves had been lost. Priests and acolytes scurried away from their God as he writhed in his seat. Though he barely came to the waist of the average human, and to the knees of his own people, his presence was filled with power and dread. "Your Holiness," his Archbishop-in-Chief Wilhelm Stryker said as he approached, "what troubles you?" For the first time in his long and storied life, Wilhelm felt fear. His god was in pain, why? "WILHELM," Bismark's voice thundered in the vaulted stone chamber, "THE PEOPLE SUFFER. THE PEOPLE DIE." "The people have always died, your Holiness, for you" "THIS IS AN UNNATURAL DEATH." The tremors passed and the pain subsided, allowing the Warlord to look his highest priest in the eye. "THESE SOULS DO NOT PASS ON TO KRIEGERHIMMEL AS THEY SHOULD, BUT INSTEAD LANGUISH IN MALADOR'S REALM." "Is it the frost? Has it finally come for us?" "IT HAS." No two words had ever been uttered with such finality. "What shall we do, Mighty One? There is not enough space in the cities for everyone in the Empire!" "THESE WILL BE FAMINE" Bismark said with a great weariness. "MORE WILL DIE OF THE COLD AS WELL. BUT WE WILL PERSEVERE! FETCH THE KAISER AT ONCE!" Wilhelm dashed off to find the Administrative Head of the Empire. (To be continued)
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Nov 25, 2014 00:28
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 16/16 AP "KAISER," Bismark thundered from his throne as the man prostrated himself. The short period of time spent waiting for the man to arrive from the palace on the north side of the city was excruciating. Bismark tended to let his mind wander his lands when nothing commanded his immediate attention, but the knowledge that his people lay dying weighed on him.  The Kaiser was a slight man, although with impeccable facial hair (which was very important to keep your god happy). "You summoned me, oh Holy One?" Bismark slipped out of his throne and landed on the floor with a pad of orange furred feet. "Johann," he said quietly, "Johann what is happening? The royal seers predicted the Fimbulvinter would not affect us, that the Empire would survive this." His voice was gravely deep, like a distant avalanche. His attempts to be quiet set an uneasy rumble through the room. The various functionaries knew that when the Kaiser and their god met, it was best to distance yourself. Very few humans received the blessing of seeing Bismark like this. They were always humans he trusted and respect, and whose advice he had found to be quite good. "Holiness, the seers were wrong, that's all I can say for sure." "And our people will suffer for it? Remove an eye from each of them. Dry them and seal them in glass. If they wish their visions to serve themselves then they shall wear a reminder of what their oaths mean around their neck. Summon the Royal Huntsmen, I want them in the mountains to the north and to the south, bring our people down from their. They are hardy and have suffered the cold for centuries. Perhaps it is time to tap their wisdom." "An excellent idea, Holiness, I will do so at once." Kaiser Johann Liberhulm Strauss III prostrated himself again, his forehead tapping the polished limestone tiles, then left while barking orders. Bismark may confide in the man, may even call him friend on occasion. But he was still a god. He reached one long-fingered hand up to stroke the black marble of his throne. It had been a gift from a deity long since fallen silent. He could hardly remember the face or name at all, only that he had power over stone and metal. The throne had been his seat of power ever since. If his empire was to survive, he would have to change. The very thought burned inside him and a grimace forced itself across his lips. A disgusting concept, change. Why do anything other than what had worked in the past? Well Bismark had seen what the Fimbulvinter had done to those gods who laughed in its face. He wasn't about to make the same mistake. "It is time you became more than what you seem," he said to the throne. An amber light began to pour from Bismark's eyes and mouth, smokelike, and curled tendrils around the throne. Alright now that I've got some confirmation on what I can do I'm going to do it! First is sending out my humans to bring in the people of the mountains the the cities. +2 Commander is sadly going to be canceled out by -2 Sprawling Empire. For my major action I will be creating a +2 Artifact and burning 4 AP in the process. The Seat of Power will be an artifact with the ability of +2 Seat of Power, and only works when a divine butt is planted in it. The Seat of Power confers on the sitter the ability to see into any part of the land he claims and, with effort, speak with whoever is there though they can't see him. +4 Warmaster as this will be a seat of great tactical and strategic advantage, Bismark may be kicking himself as to why he didn't think of it before. and +2 The Empire as it will be used to view his lands, the lands of the Empire. Of course as people leave, those lands may shrink.
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Nov 25, 2014 08:56
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 14/16 AP The feeling was... intoxicating. A rush of warmth and passion like Bismark had not felt in a very long time. He had no idea his divine posterior could infuse an object with such purpose. Bismark hadn't done a thing, really, the change the throne. He had simply awakened what was already there and given it a new direction. He eased himself back onto the cool black marble of throne, marveling at the way it shifted and stretched on its own to seem larger. It knew him well. "WILHELM," he thundered. "GET OVER HERE." A map would be constructed here in this holy place. Massive and sprawling, much like his Empire, it would spread before him with as much detail as could be accomplished by mortal hands, and then more would be added by his divine grace. A lesser god would have flexed some muscle and created the map from the æther alone, but the Warlord knew that people felt the happiest when they knew they were needed. His cities were ripe with incredible craftsmen and they would now be pressed into making his map. Redsmiths would be commissioned to cast figures for the map that represented his armies, his people, and a box if other things that could be needed, such as bronze tokens to represent food store or tiny bearded goblins to represent those horrid Dwarves. From his Seat he would be able to keep track of his empire and what he didn't notice the vast network of bureaucracies, functionaries, spies, guards, thieves and all others who worked for the Empire whether they knew it or not would be able to gather. And it would all be represented here, in bronze and wood and a sprinkle of divine grace. Ok you get all that? 3D map, constantly update by the empire dudes as well as my own scrying. Not doing a godly action, just a wave of magic dust or whatever minor input of power to make the map seem more real when it's finished. You know, tiny trees and stuff.
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Nov 26, 2014 18:51
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 14/16 AP "WILHELM," Bismark says, "THE ICE IS COMING, THE EMPIRE MUST STAND STRONG. WE MAY NEED TO LOOK BEYOND OUR BORDERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY GENERATIONS. THE ICE HAS SWALLOWED PEOPLE, LANDS, AND GODS. IT WILL DEVOUR MY PEOPLE AS WELL, I MUST PROTECT THEM. SEND AMBASSADORS TO THE MORTAL KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD AND ENTREATY THEIR SECULAR LEADERS TO FORM AN ALLIANCE WITH US UNTIL THIS CRISIS HAS PASSED. OR UNTIL WE ALL LAY DEAD BENEATH THE BLEAK COLD." Even as he issued his command he was casting his awareness down. The dwarves his people had cast from the mountains had dug deep and the heartblood of the world was hot and full of fire. It might be possible to harness that flame, push it through tunnels already crafted by dwarven hands, and release it around his Empire. but first he must find pockets that lay close to the surface, pockets easily reached. Using my new +4 Seat of Power along with +2 Eastern Empire and 1 AP to look for pockets of magma close to the surface around the empire. Preferably as close to where I am as possible.
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Nov 27, 2014 11:53
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 14/16 AP Nothing. There was nothing that would work. Neither Earth nor Fire were his domains to control and reaching out to those elements would be... strenuous. Where there any Gods of Fire still alive? Did the Fimbulvinter claim them first, seeing an enemy? Bismark cast his godly senses across the globe, he would find the barest hint of Godhood and hopefully recognize one who could kindle flame. Just a short post from me. Spending 1AP and using all my domains to find sparks of Godhood all over the place. I say all my domains because I'm essentially using my Godly essence to find where they might be. Especially hoping to find one who can play with Fire.
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Dec 1, 2014 10:27
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 13/16 AP Hmmmm, the last God of Fire. And fighting the God of the Dwarves? Those bearded vermin... like worms that were drunk at all times. "WILHELM," Bismark intones. "THE EMPIRE MUST PREPARE FOR THE FIMBULVINTER. WE MUST DIG, DIG BELOW THE EARTH. NEAR THE WORLD'S HEART WE WILL REMAIN SAFE AND WARM. THE WORK MUST BE SWIFT AND CONTINUOUS, PURCHASE EVERY SLAVE YOU CAN. SACRIFICES WILL BE MADE, BUT FOR THE EMPIRE TO LIVE, SOME MUST DIE." He reaches out with one furred hand and Sanfte Schmetterling, his mighty iron warhammer, appears. Focusing on that distant speck that is the God of Fire, Bismark wills himself to be there to aid the God of Fire. Though he does not wish for the death of the God of Dwarves, if it must be so it will be. Taking the God-train to Dwarf-town, baby. Not sure how to zzap myself there but I'm willing to spend 2 AP to get there and join in the fray. Warmaster +4 will help, but none of the others, really.
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Dec 2, 2014 07:17
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^^^^^^^^ You two need to get some drat avatars. That garbage dick thing is irritating. Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather- Fighting Fire with Fire 13/16 AP Before the burning city of the Dwarves, Bismark appears in a flash of red light and the sound of a thousand soldiers crashing together in combat, Sanfte Schmetterling clutched in both hands and ready to strike. He recognizes Vendruck, the haughty God of the Dwarves. The other must be the God of Fire. "FIRE GOD," Bismark intones with the voice of distant thunder, "I AM THE GREAT WARLORD, BISMARK VON TRIPPLETROW. PLEDGE YOURSELF TO ME AND TOGETHER WE WILL DEFEAT THIS ENCROACHING ICE. DENY ME, AND I WILL LEAVE YOU AT THE DUBIOUS MERCY OF VENDRUCK, GOD OF VERMIN." A wild Lorax appears! He may be short, orange, and furry... but nobody would mess with that mustache. Making a mental attack, I guess, at the embattled Arthak with Warlord +4 and Commander +2 (the Voice of Command is a totally real thing as any former military member will tell you) and Playing it Cagey. In addition I'll be intercepting any attack made against Arthak, but not the other way around.
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Dec 2, 2014 17:02
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Oh snap, stealing my worshippers are ya? 
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Dec 3, 2014 05:16
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 13/16 AP The blow hurt. Pain? When was the last time he had felt pain? There was the Stone God many years ago, but he had been arm wrestled into submission. Now lost to the cold, a pity. The blow had clearly rung his senses, he was lost in thought as Vendruck and Arthak tumbled down. "ARTHAK, YOU FAIL TO HEAR MY WORDS. YOU WILL SERVE ME, OR YOU WILL DIE." Calling upon the godly mastery of War itself, Bismark launches himself downwards towards Vendruk. Now there was no protecting Arthak, the petty godling would live or die on his own merit. But Vendruk had struck him, had hurt him. Vendruk must pay. But what was this? Malador spoke to him? "I GREET THEE, WARDEN OF HELL." Bismark says in that space on the plane of the mind where Gods could talk to each other at length in a near instant. "YOU AND I HAVE A CONTRACT, MALADOR. YOU HAVE MANY OF MY SOULS IN YOUR HELL. IF YOU WISH TO REVOKE THE CONTRACT, I WILL TAKE THE BACK. I DO NOT WISH THIS. ALTHOUGH I DESPISE THE GOD OF THE DWARVES I HAVE NO DESIRE TO END HIM. I WANT THE FIRE GODLING, AND I WILL HAVE HIM." Three ranks of damage? Ouch. I guess I'll be taking that to Empire, Commander, and a rank of War. But now I'm flipping out and swinging for the fences at Vendruk woth my measly War +2, oh wait, I'm also burning 6 AP in order make it hurt. Bad. Basically I'm doing something like this. Deadmeat5150 fucked around with this message at 03:33 on Dec 5, 2014 |
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Dec 5, 2014 03:14
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If Vendruck is willing to negotiate Bismark will pull his blow. If not he's going for the TKO. He doesn't know a lot about Vendruck so he won't know about Grudgebearer, so he'll just keep him knocked out
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Dec 6, 2014 02:57
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Dec 9, 2014 07:47
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My priests are the officers in my armiea.
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Dec 11, 2014 04:01
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather 7/16 AP Bismark raised his hand a glowing red chains wrapped around the form of Vendruk, binding him to the God of War and Conflict. When the chains had bound him tight, he turned to the God of Fire, the last of his kind. "BOW BEFORE ME, ARTHAK, AND ACCEPT YOUR PLACE AT MY KNEE. I HAVE THE GOD OF DWARVES NOW AND HE SHALL LIVE BY MY WILL ALONE." He looked up out of the pit caused by the divine fight and right at Malador. He even made a small bow. "MY APOLOGIES, WARDEN OF HELL, BUT I COULD NOT LET THE SLIGHT GO UNPUNISHED. IF YOU WISH FOR THE DWARF GOD TO ENTER YOUR SERVICE, BIND YOURSELF TO ME AND WE SHALL SHARE OUR POWER." Making a Social Attack at Arthak again with Warlord +4 and Commander +2, also Totally Whipped Vendruk's Butt +2. I'll spend 1AP if it will help. Also extending a pantheon offer to Malador, in exchange he gets Vendruk to be his Judge as he first hoped. Arthak will be bound to me as he bound those other gods. Malador would totally be my buddy.
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Dec 11, 2014 08:51
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I'll just lay here and snore.
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Dec 19, 2014 17:43
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I'm going to try and have something up later. No undead vampire lady is going to take a tiny part of my empire without a fight.
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Jan 4, 2015 05:56
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Warlord Bismark von Trippletrow, The Blight of Suffering, Savior of Pain, The Smugfather Bismark hacked and coughed, the pain and humiliation from his defeat at the Warden of Hell fading as the chilling cold settled in. His eyes opened and he sat bolt upright to look at Arthak. "You saved me," he said to the God of Flames. "I owe you my life. So I will extend to you a hand of friendship, take it and half of what is mine is yours, and half of what is yours is mine. We need each other now, more than ever. And we need to get off this damned Glacier. Be warned, however. This is the offer I give to you, there is no room for negotiation." I'll spend 3 AP to keep the two of us warm while Arthak mulls it over. If he takes too long or tries to negotiate the deal Bismark with teleport straight to his temple and leave Arthak to freeze.
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Jan 5, 2015 23:42
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 I'm still trying to decide how Lai Xi is attending, whether as the incorporeal soul or the ancient corpse.
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Nov 6, 2015 14:02
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Lai Xi Boi - The Enlightened The room in which the Convocation was being held was infinite in its vastness, constrained only by the imagination of those within it. Yet somehow, in this plane that stretched forever into the darkness, a small figure floated in a darkened corner. It appeared to be a human corpse, although it would not take much to notice there were no signs of rot or decay. It floated several feet off the floor, wrapped in a gauzy orange fabric and locked forever in the position of the Lotus. It was obviously mortal, or at least it was once. Now it was something more. Lai Xi observed this gathering of the Gods, those that survived anyway. Had there always been this many? His tribe, lost in the dusky tomes of history, had worshiped a small god he remembered. A tiny being of the Forest who helped the hunters. His tribe always kept to that forest during its migrations because of that little god. But now... there were so many. Seated on the Throne in the room was a god who seemed a little larger than the rest. Not in size, of course, but certainly in authority. There was a wry smile on his lips and a flash of mischievousness in his eyes. It would not have taken the wisdom of the ages to know this was one to keep an eye on. After a moment Lai Xi realized he had been introduced and that now the gods were speaking among themselves. He was no god, and he knew he had no voice to add to the discussion at hand. He wasn't even sure why the god on the throne had said his name, or even knew who he was. A small irritation tickled the back of his memory, knowledge that was somehow both new and yet had always been there. Lai Xi knew who these gods were, he knew what they were as well. Ah, the universe was opening the veil slightly, allowing him another glimpse into that which was and will be. He silently thanked Her with a small prayer. Perhaps he did belong here, with these others. Lai Xi allowed him the barest fraction of amusement. He had prayed, but to the universe. After all, who else would a god pray to? He mused on this as the tower of flesh rumbled, its manner of communication in some way instinctively understood. Then the girl spoke. Girl? No, she may seem to be a girl but the ancient being could see further and knew the power within was enormous. "I greet you all," he finally said. The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. It was not a psychic voice, there was no telepathy involved whatsoever. It simply seemed as though the fundamental idea of sound itself spoke the words in a deep voice in which echoed a vast wisdom. He said nothing more, for nothing else needed to be said. For now, he would simply observe.
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Nov 6, 2015 20:49
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Lai Xi Boi - The Enlightened The snarling of the gods was exactly what Lai Xi had expected of, sadly. Beings who had been born to divinity were driven, frightened and desperate, from the only thing that had ever caused them pain. "There is a world," his voice came again, "in which the entirety of the surface is solid ice. Ice that has been there for millenia. There are seas beneath this ice, even again there are seas here that will be soon covered. There against no fish in those seas, no creatures at all save for the tiniest of organisms, plankton. Along the central belt of that world, where it is the warmest, is the only place that plankton can grow." Lai Xi noticed he had the attention of most of the other gods, many of them he was sure, musing who he was. "One must wonder," he said after a slight pause, "could the worship of plankton sustain a god? Because there was no evidence of any godly being on that world. One wonders if this world might soon become like that one, them who would sustain the gods of the ocean?" He had directed this at no one in particular and after he was through his body floated over to the other once mortal, who seemed to be in conversation with the Moon.
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Nov 8, 2015 20:23
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Lai Xi Boi - The Enlightened The enlightened being ignores the response of the burbling water gods and instead addresses Parelle. "These Wildlings you spoke of, what are they? So much has changed since I last observed the world."
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Nov 9, 2015 20:52
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Lai Xi Boi - The Enlightened "Hmmm I see. Flighty you say? Would you be willing to give some of these Wildlings. I would be very interested in learning if their flighty ways could be tempered into focus with my teachings. Oh and I am very sorry, I am Lai Xi Boi. Unlike you I am not a god, so sorry." Lai Xi does not consider himself to be a god and it would take some pretty extensive arguing to convince him otherwise. He's at GodCon because one of the gods invited him. That's all.
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Nov 9, 2015 23:28
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Lai Xi Boi - GodCon Though the mummified body doesn't move, Parelle gets that sense of something bowing to her in profound respect. "My thanks. A hundred or so will do just fine for my wishes. If I can teach them to focus and abandoned their natural instinct towards being, how to put aside these ways and embrace my philosophy, then I should gain yet another small grain of understanding into how the Universe, in her majesty, works and why."
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Nov 11, 2015 00:25
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Lai Xi Boi Having acquired some followers to teach, Lai Xi is content to settle back and let things progress as they will.
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Nov 12, 2015 21:38
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Lai Xi Boi Lai Xi watches the other gods. If one were look closely at the floating body, one might notice a small smile on dry and cracked lips.
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Nov 15, 2015 19:37
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Lai Xi Boi - Falling Asleep at GodCon So these were the great and powerful gods. Squabbling children in the town square, trying to look better than the child next to them. Once again his voice seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, "We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something." His wisdom about the need for solidarity delivered, Lai Xi waiting to see what it would bring about.
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Nov 16, 2015 21:04
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Lai Xi Boi - GodCon The bickering was beginning to grow tiring. "Each one of us is both the sun and the moon. The sun is constant—every day the same fiery ball rises in the sky. But the moon cycles through constant change—one day it is whole, then it wanes until it has disappeared altogether. Yet, then it is renewed, reborn out of nothingness. So too, we learn and progress by quantum leaps and bounds, yet the timeless, constant wisdom doesn’t budge from its place. On the contrary, the more we move forward, the deeper we fathom the truths behind us."
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Nov 17, 2015 20:43
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Lai Xi Boi The collapse and death of a star is both a beautiful and terrifying thing to watch. Once a star has run out of usable hydrogen that it can convert into helium, a star then takes one of several paths. If the star is 0.5 solar masses (half the mass of our sun), electron degeneracy pressure will prevent the star from collapsing in upon itself. Due to the age of the universe, scientists can only use computer modeling to predict what will happen to such a star. Once it has finished its active phase (hydrogen to helium), it becomes a white dwarf. A white dwarf can come about in one of two ways; first, if the star is very small, electron degeneracy pressure simply stops the collapse of the star, it is out of hydrogen, and it becomes a white dwarf. Secondly, and more commonly, the core of the star can still be surrounded by some layers of hydrogen, which continue to fuse and cause the star to expand, becoming a red giant. A red giant is a star in the process of fusing helium to form carbon and oxygen. If there is insufficient energy to make this happen, the outer shell of the star will shed leaving behind an inert core or oxygen and carbon – a remnant white dwarf. If enough energy is involved in the casting off of stellar casings, a nebula can form. If said white dwarf is in a binary system, it could become a type 1A supernova, but this is very rare. Instead, it is thought that a white dwarf will eventually cool to become a black dwarf – in theory because there are no white dwarfs older than the universe, black dwarfs are theoretical only because there hasn’t been enough time for one to form. If a star that has reached the end of its productive phase is below the Chandrasekhar Limit – 1.4 times the mass of our Sun – it will become a white dwarf; over this limit, it will become a neutron star. If a star is larger than about 5 times the mass of the sun, when the hydrogen fusing stops, a supernova will take place and the rest of the material will condense into a black hole. It was then condensing that Lai Xi was watching when there was a rare awareness from his body. The damnable thing, the mental spirit nearly swept clean the thing line of life force that still anchored it to the time-frozen pile of meat on a meaningless planet billions of miles away. It stopped itself just before the blade of thought snipped the thread. Lai Xi had been enraptured by the beauty of the life cycle of a star, had forgotten what it was he was meant to do. The feeble senses of his anchor told him that things were nearby, were watching. Talking. In an instant the spirit and flesh were one one more. "I am here," the voice of the enlightened monk came from everywhere and nowhere. "You are all that remain of my followers, are you not?" A great sigh rippled out, knocking dust from the walls and ceiling, nearly knocking the wildlings from their feet. "In you lay all my hopes and dreams of an enlightened world then. I cannot leave you undefended again. Take this small Truth of the universe, this tiny grain of Understanding, and with it spark the flames of your souls." I have no idea how many AP I have, but I want to do something super cool. I'm going to make my 100 living followers into demi-gods.
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Dec 21, 2015 03:33
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