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« on: November 22, 2010, 07:49:44 pm »
Phera sighed, leaning on one arm of the marble throne and looking down through a small hole in the clouds. Her newly-created Angels were physical beings, after all, and they would take time to track down her siblings- time she used to collect her thoughts about what she was about to ask them to do.
They were to form an alliance, and a centralized seat for their power, on the concern that those siblings of theirs that would abuse their mother's creation would seek to do the same- but at the same time, virtually guaranteeing that they would do so. In effect, they would draw the battle lines. Was it really the best course of action? Could there not be some other, better way? One of them was a God of War- if they were to combat him, had he not, in principle, already won? After all, no peace could be attained through conflict.
...No, she decided; this was the best way, and, perhaps, even the only way- it's why she had sent out for those whom she did: to fight those for whom fighting was the end, they must seek to lay down a foundation of peace and order, so that their mortal charges could resist the dark temptations of those kin.
And those souls who were beyond all hope of salvation- she noted with a grimace- must be purged.
An unusual phenomenon shook Phera from her reverie; a distant spark on the landscape indicative of a great fire, larger than she knew of any mortal to build. It was not of her creation, she knew- the volcano to which she had guided the wayward Northren was far, far to the north of the area where she gazed; the plains near the city of Dordrath. The spark was near a forest, but no storm brewed in the sky that could have set vegetation ablaze. Perturbed, she cast her divine sight down towards the area.
What she saw was not a single great pyre- rather, one of the villages of Man had been set ablaze by an invading force, including one of her own temples.
Under any other circumstances, she might have found this last fact amusingly ironic.
The battle itself appeared to be over, however, and the invaders- humanlike creatures with attributes of the sea- all but routed... But a new threat loomed over the village; atop a nearby hill, a strange, shadowy beast loosed an unnatural cry, and it's pack swarmed down towards the village.
"Lady Phera, we have returned."
She turned in her seat, as most, though not all, of the Duties set down on the plain of cloud, escorting Gods.
"Hmm... four? Four will have to do then; if the others show up, we'll catch them up on the details."
Shooting a quick glance back down at the village, she noticed that this second skirmish had ended almost as quickly as it began. She sighed, and frowned. Things were accelerating.
Phera stood, and raised her voice to address her siblings,
"Greetings, brothers! I apologize for summoning you here on such short notice, but we have matters of dire importance to discuss. I am Phera, the flame that brings light to the heavens and warmth to the earth. Please, be seated."
