| [Mercurio] |
| Human, Male, Merchant |
| Location: The Glass-Canyon |
A merchant on the road and his caravan pass through a tunnel that is claimed to take them into a new canyon that was carved out by the gods themselves. A lofty claim, to be sure. However, it is one that is impossible to deny once seen in person. The walls of the canyon have a very smooth and crystalline appearance, shimmering and sparkling with a light that seems to come from another plane.
He and the fellows of his caravan are unable to prevent themselves from experiencing the fear of the power of divinity as they enter the way. They’ve obviously have never seen anything like this before, and the sight of it is perhaps too much for the minds of simple men, who spend their days dabbling in the trade of goods and wares.
They raise their eyes along the walls of the canyon, carved straight through a solid mountain that spires to the sky, and are awestruck by the strangeness and beauty of the imprisoning lane they’re venturing through. It’s like being between two sheets of glass. The sunlight shines down from above, catching on the reflective crystals at the top of the mountain and bounding down the sheen of the glassy walls all the way to the humble stones down at their feet with heavenly radiance.
“Wow…” is the only thing uttered, as they stand there in silence, admiring the works of heaven.
He isn’t a pious man, but the hairs standing on end on the back of his neck signal that even he is able to perceive the gods' presence everywhere about them, as well as their might and majesty. He is a great merchant and salesman and has made a fortune in his lifetime, yet even he, in the presence of the works of God, has the sudden understanding that he is entirely unimportant and inconsequential.
He’s nothing.
He’s just a man with a cart.
This crushing blow to his and their egos does not, however, dampen their inquisitive and exploratory human spirits. They are interested in conducting business on the other end of this canyon. To go the other way would take months. This new passage is a blessing of untold proportions.
The merchant lowers his head as he walks forward, into what must be a wild temple, as the caravan continues to move.
| [Salzeck] |
| Elf, Male, Fisherman |
| Location: New Spring River |
The old fisherman paddles his boat down the river, filled with dread, awe, and joy all at the same time as he experiences it for the first time. New waters are always dangerous, even for a seasoned man like himself. A few months ago, there was no river running through the area; now, thanks to the gods and their mysterious powers, there is now a river flowing through the land.
Sometimes it’s just that simple, isn’t it?
He looks around himself as his small raft moves along the gentle current of the hardened bank. The fisherman is overcome with feelings of amazement and reverence as he makes his way along the twisting stream. He has never witnessed anything even like to this in his entire life, and he can hardly believe that he is currently present and able to witness it for himself. Sure, he’s seen people make an odd pond now and then. Sometimes, some overly ambitious casters will make a crater that fills with rainwater later on, but this…
It is unlike any other river that he has ever seen, with water so transparent that it shimmers and sparkles in the sunlight. The air is filled with the delicious and aromatic fragrance of flowers and herbs that have begun to thrive in the rich, ash-laden soil, and the banks are surrounded by verdant grass that is lush and green.
Fish swim alongside his raft, entire schools of them moving through the transparent waters together with him.
The man doesn’t bother trying to catch them. Instead, he just sits on his boat and floats along with one of them.
He lifts his gaze, looking to the sky, as he realizes that he, like the fish, is entirely dependent on the gracious mercy of those sitting above him on the next layer. He’s above the fish, who are in the water. However, the gods in the heavens above are above him, who is merely on the water.
The old man simply drifts for a time.
| [Gottlieb] |
“Any news on the goblins?” asks Gottlieb.
| [Response] |
| - Ever since the reprimand strike after the farm incident, they seem to have withdrawn back to the forests. |
“Good,” replies the man, looking over the monitors. “What about tensions between the nations?” he asks. “Actually…” Gottlieb narrows his eyes, looking at the screen. “Do we even know where their borders are, Kai?”
| [Response] |
| - After careful observation, I have determined that the following regions are defined as follows. Fortifications are taking place in many key nodes; however, the borders currently remain open. |
A series of lines and curves appears on the screen, overlaying itself onto the video feed in real time to quite literally draw the borders on his screen. “Nice,” he says. “Good. If they’re trading, they’re not fighting,” he says. Gottlieb rubs his chin, running his fingers through his beard hair as he thinks. “Maybe we should make it more literal,” he says.
Gottlieb grabs the controls to the gun, setting it to a low frequency and then aiming at at the border section, near two large, neighboring nations.
He presses the trigger.
The gun hums, Rotwald shrieks, jumping out of her nest up above near the coils as the station roars to life, and a moment later, a pulse shoots out of the station and down towards the surface. Gottlieb drags the laser along the lines on the screen, cutting the actual border into the ground between the two nations.
Perhaps having an easier defined ‘my side’ and ‘your side’ will keep them settled in from getting any funny ideas.
| [Response] |
| - While an interesting concept, I would suggest not further segregating competing nations into ‘mine’ and ‘theirs’, as it may backfire. Instead, Orbital Gunner Gottlieb is to excavate canals in the following locations to allow for easier commerce and cultural exchange. |
Several nodes light up on the screen. “Please, Kai,” says Gottlieb. “They’re all adults down there; they’ll be fine,” he says.
“Does that even make any sense?” asks Grunheide, looking his way. “Adults kill each other the most.”
“— The human god has spoken!” says Gottlieb, pressing the trigger and carving a new shipping canal through what was once a pristine and beautiful wild-land on a long peninsula.
Grunheide watches the screen. “Isn’t all of that salt-water flowing in from the ocean going to devastate the local ecology?” she asks, watching as the river violently fills itself with salty water from the ocean, steam rising into the air as the melting rock is hit by ocean water.
“The local ecology is going to have bigger problems when the sun goes out anyway,” says Gottlieb. He thumps a fist against his chest. “I gotta watch out for my dudes.”
“Your what?” she asks. Grunheide sighs. “Look, I’m just saying that you’re taking a very human centric perspective on this,” says the goblin.
Gottlieb turns his head, looking her way. The man silently shrugs. “Yeah?” he asks, not sure what her point is.
“What about the goblins?” she asks. “Goblins love forests and places that you keep destroying.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “The goblins lost their chance when they killed my favorite farmers,” says Gottlieb. The man sighs, shaking his head. “Paw never got to see his little girl grow up.” Gottlieb lowers his head. She was a good farmer.
“Those guys are dead,” says Grunheide. “The goblins, I mean. They were bad goblins.” He looks back up at her. “It’s not fair that all goblins have to suffer because of those few bad eggs,” she argues, crossing her arms. “Goblins are really a kind and industrious people. It’s the humans who don’t like us that make it impossible for us to thrive.”
Gottlieb scratches his beard. “Pretty sure you sold me out at the first chance you got, Grun,” he says, tapping his head. “The human god remembers.”
“Pure survival instincts,” she replies. “It’s nothing personal.”
He narrows his eyes. “What do you want, Grun?” asks Gottlieb.
She shrugs. “How about we help the goblins out too?” she asks. “If we’re redesigning the world, shouldn’t it be better for everybody and not just for humans?” The goblin looks at him, finishing pleading her case.
Gottlieb denies his immediate instinct to reject her out of principle, turning to look at the other crew-members and then back to Kai.
| [Response] |
| - The mission of the orbital weapon’s platform is to ensure the safety and survival of humanity.
Anything else is a non-priority. |
“Welp, you heard Kai,” says Gottlieb, shrugging. “My hands are tied.”
Grunheide groans, flopping back down onto her chair and crossing her arms.
| [Mercurio] |
| Human, Male, Merchant |
| Location: The Glass-Canyon |
A merchant on the road and his caravan pass through a tunnel that is claimed to take them into a new canyon that was carved out by the gods themselves. A lofty claim, to be sure. However, it is one that is impossible to deny once seen in person. The walls of the canyon have a very smooth and crystalline appearance, shimmering and sparkling with a light that seems to come from another plane.
He and the fellows of his caravan are unable to prevent themselves from experiencing the fear of the power of divinity as they enter the way. They’ve obviously have never seen anything like this before, and the sight of it is perhaps too much for the minds of simple men, who spend their days dabbling in the trade of goods and wares.
They raise their eyes along the walls of the canyon, carved straight through a solid mountain that spires to the sky, and are awestruck by the strangeness and beauty of the imprisoning lane they’re venturing through. It’s like being between two sheets of glass. The sunlight shines down from above, catching on the reflective crystals at the top of the mountain and bounding down the sheen of the glassy walls all the way to the humble stones down at their feet with heavenly radiance.
“Wow…” is the only thing uttered, as they stand there in silence, admiring the works of heaven.
He isn’t a pious man, but the hairs standing on end on the back of his neck signal that even he is able to perceive the gods' presence everywhere about them, as well as their might and majesty. He is a great merchant and salesman and has made a fortune in his lifetime, yet even he, in the presence of the works of God, has the sudden understanding that he is entirely unimportant and inconsequential.
He’s nothing.
He’s just a man with a cart.
This crushing blow to his and their egos does not, however, dampen their inquisitive and exploratory human spirits. They are interested in conducting business on the other end of this canyon. To go the other way would take months. This new passage is a blessing of untold proportions.
The merchant lowers his head as he walks forward, into what must be a wild temple, as the caravan continues to move.
| [Salzeck] |
| Elf, Male, Fisherman |
| Location: New Spring River |
The old fisherman paddles his boat down the river, filled with dread, awe, and joy all at the same time as he experiences it for the first time. New waters are always dangerous, even for a seasoned man like himself. A few months ago, there was no river running through the area; now, thanks to the gods and their mysterious powers, there is now a river flowing through the land.
Sometimes it’s just that simple, isn’t it?
He looks around himself as his small raft moves along the gentle current of the hardened bank. The fisherman is overcome with feelings of amazement and reverence as he makes his way along the twisting stream. He has never witnessed anything even like to this in his entire life, and he can hardly believe that he is currently present and able to witness it for himself. Sure, he’s seen people make an odd pond now and then. Sometimes, some overly ambitious casters will make a crater that fills with rainwater later on, but this…
It is unlike any other river that he has ever seen, with water so transparent that it shimmers and sparkles in the sunlight. The air is filled with the delicious and aromatic fragrance of flowers and herbs that have begun to thrive in the rich, ash-laden soil, and the banks are surrounded by verdant grass that is lush and green.
Fish swim alongside his raft, entire schools of them moving through the transparent waters together with him.
The man doesn’t bother trying to catch them. Instead, he just sits on his boat and floats along with one of them.
He lifts his gaze, looking to the sky, as he realizes that he, like the fish, is entirely dependent on the gracious mercy of those sitting above him on the next layer. He’s above the fish, who are in the water. However, the gods in the heavens above are above him, who is merely on the water.
The old man simply drifts for a time.
| [Gottlieb] |
“Any news on the goblins?” asks Gottlieb.
| [Response] |
| - Ever since the reprimand strike after the farm incident, they seem to have withdrawn back to the forests. |
“Good,” replies the man, looking over the monitors. “What about tensions between the nations?” he asks. “Actually…” Gottlieb narrows his eyes, looking at the screen. “Do we even know where their borders are, Kai?”
| [Response] |
| - After careful observation, I have determined that the following regions are defined as follows. Fortifications are taking place in many key nodes; however, the borders currently remain open. |
A series of lines and curves appears on the screen, overlaying itself onto the video feed in real time to quite literally draw the borders on his screen. “Nice,” he says. “Good. If they’re trading, they’re not fighting,” he says. Gottlieb rubs his chin, running his fingers through his beard hair as he thinks. “Maybe we should make it more literal,” he says.
Gottlieb grabs the controls to the gun, setting it to a low frequency and then aiming at at the border section, near two large, neighboring nations.
He presses the trigger.
The gun hums, Rotwald shrieks, jumping out of her nest up above near the coils as the station roars to life, and a moment later, a pulse shoots out of the station and down towards the surface. Gottlieb drags the laser along the lines on the screen, cutting the actual border into the ground between the two nations.
Perhaps having an easier defined ‘my side’ and ‘your side’ will keep them settled in from getting any funny ideas.
| [Response] |
| - While an interesting concept, I would suggest not further segregating competing nations into ‘mine’ and ‘theirs’, as it may backfire. Instead, Orbital Gunner Gottlieb is to excavate canals in the following locations to allow for easier commerce and cultural exchange. |
Several nodes light up on the screen. “Please, Kai,” says Gottlieb. “They’re all adults down there; they’ll be fine,” he says.
“Does that even make any sense?” asks Grunheide, looking his way. “Adults kill each other the most.”
“— The human god has spoken!” says Gottlieb, pressing the trigger and carving a new shipping canal through what was once a pristine and beautiful wild-land on a long peninsula.
Grunheide watches the screen. “Isn’t all of that salt-water flowing in from the ocean going to devastate the local ecology?” she asks, watching as the river violently fills itself with salty water from the ocean, steam rising into the air as the melting rock is hit by ocean water.
“The local ecology is going to have bigger problems when the sun goes out anyway,” says Gottlieb. He thumps a fist against his chest. “I gotta watch out for my dudes.”
“Your what?” she asks. Grunheide sighs. “Look, I’m just saying that you’re taking a very human centric perspective on this,” says the goblin.
Gottlieb turns his head, looking her way. The man silently shrugs. “Yeah?” he asks, not sure what her point is.
“What about the goblins?” she asks. “Goblins love forests and places that you keep destroying.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “The goblins lost their chance when they killed my favorite farmers,” says Gottlieb. The man sighs, shaking his head. “Paw never got to see his little girl grow up.” Gottlieb lowers his head. She was a good farmer.
“Those guys are dead,” says Grunheide. “The goblins, I mean. They were bad goblins.” He looks back up at her. “It’s not fair that all goblins have to suffer because of those few bad eggs,” she argues, crossing her arms. “Goblins are really a kind and industrious people. It’s the humans who don’t like us that make it impossible for us to thrive.”
Gottlieb scratches his beard. “Pretty sure you sold me out at the first chance you got, Grun,” he says, tapping his head. “The human god remembers.”
“Pure survival instincts,” she replies. “It’s nothing personal.”
He narrows his eyes. “What do you want, Grun?” asks Gottlieb.
She shrugs. “How about we help the goblins out too?” she asks. “If we’re redesigning the world, shouldn’t it be better for everybody and not just for humans?” The goblin looks at him, finishing pleading her case.
Gottlieb denies his immediate instinct to reject her out of principle, turning to look at the other crew-members and then back to Kai.
| [Response] |
| - The mission of the orbital weapon’s platform is to ensure the safety and survival of humanity.
Anything else is a non-priority. |
“Welp, you heard Kai,” says Gottlieb, shrugging. “My hands are tied.”
Grunheide groans, flopping back down onto her chair and crossing her arms.
