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Gongon appoints ███ as their attorney

Gongon offers the defence a settlement outside court procedures, as may or may not have been suggested by the groanings of dead gods which only the divinely deaf can hear. Gongon is acknowledged to have full ownership of the Winespring and its contents, and in return does not press any suit.

Gongon reminds Sornlun to move to the Dull Maybe posthaste

███ has begun preparing for the upcoming trial.

ANTHEM-314 considers the counteroffer from VERSE-849. It was clear that an Angel was very different from a mere machine regardless of its origins. While a commission was a far cry from straight up ownership of the department, there was no upper limit on how complicated the commission could be in the deal.

"Very well then. I already had some ideas for a Transportation Nexus based around Starbase ANTHEM-314 and the Canvass of Stars, which I shall permit you to view; and give you a final chance to back out of the deal."

Spoiler: Commission for ANTHEM-314's Transportation Nexus (click to show/hide)

The first component of the Nexus would be a massive portal that links Starbase ANTHEM-314 to the Historia province in the Canvass of Stars. This portal would permit the travel of gods, starships, or whatever else needs to be moved. The portal would not be larger than the Starbase's existing hangar is able to accommodate, so titan class ships may be unable to utilize this. The portal can be opened or closed by ANTHEM-314 at their discretion via uplink in the Starbase to deny access to potential hostile forces.

The second component of the Nexus would be a Jumpgate. This structure can accellerate gods, spaceships etc to FTL speeds, thus permitting them to travel to any location that has line of sight to Starbase ANTHEM-314 without needing their own method of locomotion or the expenditure of a movement action. This only works for moving away from the Starbase and does not make it easier to get to it; but it would be possible to go to the Starbase in a turn and then leave or leave it and then return.

The third component of the Nexus would be a network of portals that all connect to a planetoid near the massive portal exit in the province of Historia. This network would provide at least one portal that connects to every continent on Final Shape, with the potential to be expanded upon further. This would enable Angels to easily move from one place to another, and encourage them to stop by ANTHEM-314's properties via convenience.

Outer Space/ANTHEM-314:

Thank you for submitting your request for a      Transportation Nexus    . Should you wish to check on the progress of your job, your ticket number is   M53  . We are currently serving ticket number   C97  .

Outer Space/VERSE-970

(ANTHEM-314: -1 Ages Act, -1 Machine Act)

B

Turn 6.0: Hell on Final Shape

The Light of Civilization

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Pitying the poor intelligent pustule and bloodbags, Yalini blessed them in the hope that they'd recover and grow to be strong in their own right (Yalini: -2 Unaligned Acts). The Pustule seems to have had a better time with the undiluted blessing and the power of the hat and has developed a minor following of Bloodbag admirers and followers.

Lacking an Incarna, Yalini promoted a swarm of flinir into a tricksy shape-shifting Creature made of many flinir moving about to adopt other shapes (Yalini: -1 Light Act; +Creatia; +Materia).

Not to be outdone, ANTHEM-314 created a host of VERSES, larger and mechanical beetles differing in their penchant for creating guns, spaceships, and video games if left to their own devices (ANTHEM-314: -1 Ages Act, -1 Machine Act). Lacking any specific goal at this time, VERSE-849 and a number of other VERSES have formed the Department of Mobility and Volution with the mission of making transport between far-flung places easier for divinities and their servants. They have also petitioned ANTHEM-314 for office space on the Starbase after trying and failing to obtain a sublease from from Mortal Affairs.


Yalini asked Aur the world guardian to steal Yitterbium's acts, bones, and organs, and the auroral guardian zoomed off into near space as if running away from Yitterbium.

Gregory created the host of the Grigons to enact the Recitation of the world and record all that is. (Gregory: -1 Order Act; -1 Civilization Act; +Creatia) With a clearer mission in mind, the Grigons have begun drawing up a charter for the founding of the Department of Recitation, and owing to the advance preparations made, this department will cost only half the usual amount to fund. Noticing its as-yet unclaimed status, this department is operating out of a tooth in the Yawning Repose.


Alerted to the imminent threat to the stability of the world posed by yet another round of Star Wars, Precious-Is-The-Fledgling's-Breath Stomil donned the Hat of Creation and ordered that half of the department's budget and power be routed through the hat. This directive was met by heavy resistance from sympathetic clerks concerned for Stomil's health and stingy clerks not wanting to gamble the department's budget on a possible lead. The fears of those worried over Stomil were very much confirmed when lights all over Workspace 1 flickered off as the hat chamber began filling with a white-hot light, bloodcurdling screeches, and the unforgettable smell of roast wombat...

The Tentacles of the Bureaucracy

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Gongon recruited a few Roachids to the Bureau of the Heavenly Mandate, but the Roachids don't seem to be too enthusiastic about this career path for unknown reasons. (Gongon: -1 Feeble Act)

Yalini appears to have engaged in serious attempts at forging versions of Neobel Eka's will, which Gongon has seen fit to counter by filing for Yalini to be defined as various lost hats at the Bureau of the Heavenly Mandate. Forgery in particular could put Yalini in legal hot water, but enforcement is rather spotty with the Bureau wishing it was only literally struggling to stay afloat.

Another strange intrigue involving oversight of the Bureau of the Heavenly Mandate has seen a few VERSES starting work there where the pay is good. ANTHEM-314 made a token attempt to seize the mandate diplomatically, but Gongon's lack of hearing appears to have stumped this route.

The Nine Plagues of Yitterbium

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The Neobel Eka flared brightly, and gave of all its essence to protect the Grand Wine and safeguard it from any threat (Neobel Eka: -Neobel Eka; Grand Wine: +Neobel Eka; ++Materia).


This was not without its cost, and the fall of a god of life has resulted in a shift in the universal scales toward the opposite of life, especially in those many places not blessed with long exposure to newly life-giving sunlight. The first plague. (-Creatia; -Materia)

Yitterbium struck out at the Grand Wine, but protected as it was by the Neobel Eka's sacrifice it could not so much as scratch the pure, blinding light of the wine sun even with all its might. The same could not be said of Yitterbium, whom the Grand Wine blasted with a scorching stream of fiery ideal alcohol, wounding the angry god and slowing it down (Yitterbium: -2 Eyes, +2-3 Chaos Acts, +2-2 Flesh Acts).

Yitterbium burned with the rage of three fallen suns (and one large living one) and turned its fell attention to less guarded targets. The Star of Chaos Ascendant tore an incandescent nose-like growth off and flung it into the Bloodwine Broodwaters, where it flash-boiled the ocean, sending its contents cowering into the atmosphere. The site of its impact will forever contain an unfathomably large crater with steep walls and a towering central peak of mystery flesh. The second plague. (Yitterbium: -2 Ears, -1 Nose, +4-3 Chaos Acts, +2-2 Flesh Acts; ++Creatia; --Materia)

It was at this point that Aur emerged from Starbase ANTHEM-314 wearing an enormous shimmering wombat pelt rapidly shedding coarse bright hair and tufts of fur made of brilliant light into its surroundings. Aur flew to Yitterbium to intercept its remaining organs and heart to protect the world and managed to disrupt Yitterbium's next plague, flinging part of Yitterbium's speech gland far away where it wouldn't trouble the Winespring in particular. Undeterred, Yitterbium mixed what remained of its speech gland with what remained of its olfactory gland to unleash a powerful blight upon the Evenheard Corn, but thanks to Aur's timely intervention, this only killed the vast majority of the Evenheard Corn in the world. The third plague. (Yitterbium: -Speaking gland, +2-2 Flesh Acts, -1 Chaos Act; +Creatia; -Materia)

Yitterbium ripped out its flagella, tongue, locomotor muscles, and much of its bone to craft a fearsome projectile to destroy the Winespring, and this, at last, drew Gongon out of hiding. Bursting from BHM headquarters in a cloud of unspeakable sand and blinding words, the vile maggot latched onto Yitterbium's unfinished projectile and launched the both of them into a confused blind scrap with a particularly chaotic eruption of fleshy lightning singing everyone involved. Ultimately, Gongon successfully stole back its planar motors and squirmed back into the safety of the offices, and Yitterbium compressed its projectile enough to have something to toss (Yitterbium: -Bones, -Movement, --Manipulators, +4-4 Chaos Acts, +4-4 Flesh Acts). Dimly aware of what was to come, Shredder, who had been watching the muddled duel disguised as a nearby hurricane, rushed in to stop Yitterbium's fearsome shot but was obliterated. This wasn't enough, and the ball of flesh, fury, and fire still struck its mark and dispersed Shredder in the process, but Shredder's sacrifice was not in vain, and damage to the Winespring was greatly limited to mere unusability rather than outright destruction. That's not to say it was light, and the Flooded Ikea was transformed into a Fiery Inferno, and the Welkin Wisteria dried up and became the Withered Wicker, and aside from that, many good angels working in the Coral Labyrinth were lost to the impact and secondary effects. The fourth plague. (+Creatia; +Materia)

Aur and Yalini snuck up on and ambushed Yitterbium seeking to disrupt its next scheme (or so they thought), but the lord of the howling gates was well prepared. With a wave of its protrusions, scraps of flesh left on Aur's cloak came to life and drew it up tight to choke them! Aur thrashed about trying to remove it while still stopping the attempted creation of the latest in a series of chaos stars while Yalini cautiously tried to sever the tissues so easily puppeted by the Emperor of Flesh. The Bird of Light and World Guardian together put a decent showing and landed a few hits, but Aur was ultimately forced to withdraw after narrowly shedding the now thoroughly shredded cursed wombat pelt of choking, taking heavy damage in the process. The ensuing rain of wombat fur imbued with the killing light has resulted in premature deaths for a great many land creatures, who present with strange, glowing lung tumors. The fifth plague. (-Creatia; -Materia)

Aur was too badly wounded to retrieve any gody parts; thus did Yitterbium gave of all of its remaining organs to forge a new Sun, fading in the process to a shadowless memory and shifting the balance of the unlit world strongly in favor of order. The sixth plague. (Yitterbium: -Yitterbium; Uthak' Vulkun: +Yitterbium).


Uthak' Vulkun, the Hungering Star of Chaos, which burned dark and chaotic, rose in the sky, and in those places where the sun shone through the clouds at all, this has had terrifying effects on sanity. The seventh plague.

The two suns orbited uneasily at first before Uthak' Vulkin charged the Grand Wine and unceremoniously recapitulated the fate of its precursor(s). After ominous yet plaintive and insistent rippling about the Grand Wine's surface, Uthak' Vulkin was subsumed into the Thirsting Star of Wine.


Yet Yitterbium could not rest even having given of itself in full. Mortally wounded and on death's door witout any of its organs, Yitterbium was left neither able to die nor to do anything else either. The sheer rage emanating from the carcass of the one who forged the Hungering Star of Chaos, who once sat atop the world smiting and forging suns with wild abandon and now lies a warped pile of festering creatia, seems to be interacting strangely with dying life-forms on the Last Shape. The eighth plague.

The Neobel Eka, likewise, found themselves trapped in a state not quite living and not quite dead and unable to do much of anything, but in contrast to the strangeness surrounding Yitterbium's corpse, the Neobel Eka's tormented remains seem somewhat inert in this lens. It appears the Department of Death has yet to succeed in its mission at this time, and it isn't certain what can be done about the rapid accumulation of dead gods. Phantom legal scholars suggest that the title of Wine of Life can no longer be held by a legally dead wine.

To those who have had to deal with the nest of red tape that was the Winespring office complex, one silver lining of all this destruction is that said departments are not currently in any position to obstruct any god. On the other hand, this excludes the space-based Department of Mortal Affairs, which remains free to obstruct rampaging divinities (to the extent its budget can manage, anyway).

Neobel Eka v. Emperor of Flesh

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The appointed time for the matter of Neobel Eka v. Emperor of Flesh came around at some point after both their deaths/accession to death-like states. With neither party having deigned to maintain a status resembling life, a personal court, a host of angels, or any servants whatsoever, the court has assigned Loathsome-And-Detestable-Is-The-Succulent-Light-Of-Dishonesty Annan, Gestator, as the plaintiff's attorney, and Nobility-Is-Always-Obliged Waham, Esq., Grigoo, as the defendant's attorney. With Neobel Eka and Yitterbium (but puzzingly not Gongon) excluded from consideration for being parties on this matter, Yalini, Calamos Gladius, Gongon, ANTHEM-314 and Sornlun have been called up to serve as the jury for this case and will receive a token compensation of 1 Feeble Act each for their services. The ninth plague.

No. 06-239619

Argued and Submitted Remembrance 4, 182393 -- Font of Wine, Winespring.

Filed Remembrance 18, 182393

Nobility-Is-Always-Obliged Waham, Gestator, for defendants-appellants.

Loathsome-And-Detestable-Is-The-Light-Of-Dishonesty Annan, Grigoo, for plaintiff-appellee.

Before: Florid-Head-of-Chalken-Hair Pogate, Deific Judge of the First Circle.

In the matter of Neobel Eka v. Emperor of Flesh, the plaintiff alleged that the defendant unlawfully adopted the title of "Emperor of Flesh," leading to confusion and potential economic harm to flesh-creators and flesh-vassals.

Annan drew attention to the lack of life and followers created by the defendant.

Waham pointed out the series of suns vandalized to destruction. In one incident, the plaintiff and--shockingly--a member of the jury were allegedly directly responsible for negligent sunslaughter (which, while possibly not a crime, put the plaintiff's actions in a less favorable light).

From their pouches, Annan produced as evidence a family of half-dead Bloodbags, a collection of Pustules, an arrangement of Flowering Vines, a colony of Blood Worms, and even a stand of Evenheard Corn, which, the attorney stressed, was made from the ear of a foreign quasi-divine object.

Waham in turn questioned how much any of that could compare to the creation of vast fleshy suns, to which Annan responded by asking the Bloodbags how many suns they'd known (0-1 depending on home depth) and reading off an itemized list of the expenses involved in each of the parties' respective projects and their projected impacts on the world. Waham challenged the use of the Bloodbags as evidence for the defendant's case given the neglect their very creator had shown them as they struggled to eke out a living in a hostile sea. Annan countered by noting the scale of the difficulties inflicted on all mortals by the defendant's insistence on creating a sun leading up to the ongoing rampage just outside the courtroom.

Next, Waham gave birth to meteorites borne of the shattered Star of Chaos in its time as the Chaos Asteroids over Annan's objections that the provenance of the meteorites could not be confirmed given their method of storage/presentation. Waham drew attention to the charred flesh deeply tied into the underlying chaosstuff and bone. Annan again pointed to the plaintiff's astounding lack of flora, fauna, and mortals, calling attention to the vast number of struggling Bloodbags for every sun that has ever existed. Waham managed to produce a collection of skybone trinkets collected from coastal Aurlourans, arguing that bone, too, was flesh. This inspired vigorous debate on the range of materials that could reasonably be called flesh, and it was ultimately determined that the definition was restricted to bone with marrow or flesh still present. Annan questioned the relevance of skybone as an example of plaintiff-created flesh when its appearance so clearly coincided with the destruction of the plaintiff's property. To this, Waham threatened a countersuit over the ongoing destruction of the plaintiff's solar property.

With both sides' attorneys having presented their evidence or some legally acceptable facisimile thereof to the court, the attorneys made their closing arguments:

       eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
ANNAN: "THE EVIDENCE IS CLEEEEAAAAAR. THE TRUE EMPEROR OF FLESH IS NEEEEOBEL EKA, WHO HAS CREEAAAATED AND SHARED FLESH TO THE WORLD."
       eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
WAHAM: "THHHHe plaintiff-ff's evidenc-ce is-s anyth-thing but. GiVVVVing the WHHHine of-f LiFFFFe th-this-s unearned title s-sets-s a dang-gerous-s preCCedent. Do not allow th-this-s naked power grab to proCCCCeed."

The jury made up of Yalini, Calamos Gladius, Gongon, ANTHEM-314, and Sornlun is now invited to deliberate amongst themselves on the question of whether Neobel Eka's team presented sufficient evidence to justify the seizure of the title of Emperor of Flesh from Yitterbium and present their verdict privately within half a season.

Should jurors fail to return a verdict on the matter, the injuror Greasier-May-My-Palms-Be Thestone, who can be reached in person at the Mortal Affairs office in Workspace 1 or contacted via Form BRI-83ME, will be brought in to bring the case to a speedy conclusion.

---

The Honorable Florid-Head-of-Chalken-Hair Pogate has dismissed the Neobel Eka's suit over the Star of Chaos without prejudice but found Gongon to have enough standing to sue the Neobel Eka and has scheduled a corresponding trial on the matter for the next court session in half a season's time despite the rapid dissolution of Gongon's current legal team. Jury selection has begun for this upcoming case such that Gongon and the Neobel Eka's respective legal teams may each dismiss up to one god from inclusion in the pool of juries with reasonable justification. Key pieces at stake in this trial would include the title of Emperor of Flesh and time-based restraining orders intended to limit Gongon's divine acts.

---

Grim Remembrance

---

Transmitted from the Heavenly Signal Tower

Cold, desiccated revenants thirsty for libations or release from undying deathlessness shambled and hopped jerkily about the open plains of the Lost Lands. To say that this Remembrance--the first of its kind!-- was not going well would be an understatement. Sja-Mem, grain speaker for a sizable clan of the prairies and foothills, had long looked forward to the gentle season of recovery foretold by her predecessors going back to the grandparents of her grandparents, but nothing was as expected or predicted. Worse still, nasty whispers were starting to spread about her profession's culpability in the matter. The shepherds in particular were caught plotting to demand the exile of all who continued to use plant magic, and nothing was done of this save a brief rebuke and a fine of two heads of cattle. Between her clan's metal magic being too weak to make much of a difference against the waves of thirsting revenants and the scheming of shepherds, Sja-Mem has stayed in and around her tent guarded by her closest, most trusted relatives hoping that the season of the Indomitable Boar will bring about a more favorable reversal of fortune.

Palate Cleanser

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Luka has created the Rabbit Hat, which constantly creates cute but delicious little rabbits (Luka: -1 Skull Act, -1 Hat Act).

The Department of Punishment is proud to report that it has completed its task of scourging the sea.

Mortal Affairs

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In light of Precious-Is-The-Fledgling's-Breath Stomil's recent death and/or disappearance, Secretary-General Grigalass has stepped up to head the Department of Mortal Affairs. Key items on her agenda are first a focus on the establishment of cohesive mortal civilization, second the founding and spread of all cults (be they founded on love, fear, awe, or harmony), and third the initiation and maintenance of regular divine-mortal communications with growth into a bureau equal to any divinity all on its own a long-term goal. In the interest of accomplishing the first goal, limited magic subsidies have been narrowly approved for the Sorns and Luns, whom a DMA field committee deemed most likely to survive. The Department of Punishmnt meekly protests this spending on unworthy creatures, but the loss of their offices has damaged their ability to respond to unambiguously pro-mortal policies, and internal opposition by clerks alarmed by an increase in department expenditures may end up stopping this project even without their help.

The Boiled Basin

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The boiling of the Bloodwine Broodwaters with no timely replacement hit the Bloodbags and birds of Liniom the hardest, and it has been some time since a significant Bloodbag presence has been spotted anywhere. As for the birds of Liniom, the resulting landscape of skulls and mountains towering over exposed sea floor has rendered the birds' previous fascination with sailing moot, and some rethinking of priorities is in order. As well, the nascent cults forming in their lands haven't been too affected by recent events and are poised to formalize in the coming season.


The Aurlouran birds are everywhere beset by the shivering dead, and a number of clans have not been seen since the cataclysmic boiling of the oceans. Of course, the redistribution of moisture has served a number of tribes well, and with the formation of a large and beautiful lake, one has made major changes in the direction of permanent settlement. Fascinations have shifted for these groups of mortals.

The Aurlouran tribes weren't as directly affected by the boiling of the Broodwaters, but they're beset on all sides by the shivering dead, and it's still the case that a number of the clans of the coastal lowlands haven't been seen since the cataclysm. Of course, the redistribution of moisture isn't without its upsides, and the formation of a large and beautiful lake at the stable edge of the Mountains of y7rulspowTvwA7ZAfDkpPQ== has seen a number of local clans moving in the direction of permanent settlement. It's not the worst time to be an Aurlouran bird at the cusp of civilization.


As for the Sorns and Luns, little of consequence has changed for them even with the cataclysm. Under Yalini's subtle influence, they've begun focusing on death rites, a number of which seem to be excellent at suppressing revenants. The improvements to their magic thanks to the DMA's interest has also helped them considerably, and they, too, are rapidly approaching the development of a coherent civilization.

The Light of Civilization

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Someone is coming!

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A purple thing that should not be is on a sedate, lesionly course to the ontosphere.

Life...uh, is finding ways

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The buildup of Creatia and ongoing star wars have made it difficult to track new animal migrations.

Correspondences

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Jury summons!

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Yalini, Calamos Gladius, Gongon, ANTHEM-314 and Sornlun have been called as jurors in Neobel Eka v. Emperor of Flesh!

---

Grandma Sophia's Legendary Omenlette
Recipe:

Ingredients:
 - 12 eggs
 - 2 fablespoons extra famished gluttony oil (can be substituted with wrath oil for a spicy kick)
 - Seasonal vegetables
 - Insult and pepper, to taste
 - 1 fablespoon cooking vine

Tools:
 - Summer or spring-seasoned skillet
 - Heat source
 - Spatula
 - Whisk

Instructions:

1. Put a fablespoon of oil into the skillet on medium heat
2. Interact with the eggs and have the fertilized ones fight their way out of their eggs. (The egg is the world, and the ones who wish to be born must first destroy a world.)
3. Break the remaining eggs into the skillet.
2. Iä! Iä! Iä Breakfasturge Anzoth!
3. Whisk the eggs at high heat.
4. Sprinkle seasonal vegetables and cooking vine into skillet.
5. Fold omenlettes into seven rose shapes.
-1. Hop into Breakfasturge's skillet.
0. Flip pancakes often.
1. While pancakes are cooking, create a god for the birds to fly to. That god's name is 7. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready. The omenlette is ready.
8. Serve hot and insult and pepper to taste.

Evergreen grass of Auloura called Tinir and Auloons aren't recorded

Fixed

B

He Girt-in-Green grants Mantios great might in squad combat.