145 The Wheels of Destiny (1/2)
[Alert: A Dark Destiny
Your influence over the domain of fate and your ties to dwarves were so significant that even as an echo of the god you once were, you deserve to know what you are about to be told. Prepare yourself, vestige of Morehammer, for what you are about to learn and the decisions you make based on that knowledge will influence the destinies of entire worlds.
A newborn deity is about to set in motion events that may permanently alter the destiny of the dwarven species. Althos, a lesser deity who has acquired a plethora of dark powers, is aiding a powerful dark-dwarf in her insatiable, insane quest for vengeance against her sister. He has given her considerable power, and even now then they are on their way to accomplish her goals.
Althos knows not the long-standing and possibly permanent consequences of what may come from aiding the dark-dwarf, Ava. Even his particular version of the system is not fully aware of what may happen if he continues on his current path. He does not yet possess influence over the domain of fate so his particular version of the system is infantile in its knowledge.
Althos is now within the island that the humans of Torus call ”Puerto-Rico”. He and Ava are minutes away from accomplishing their goals. In minutes Ava may believe she has achieved her vengeance against Aoife, her sister. And if she comes to believe that, then odds are there is no going back.
You once fought to prevent the emergence of a god of dark-dwarves. As valiant and as persistent as your efforts were, they may turn out to be for naught unless you act now. If you do not use what remains of your power to intervene and lay-low the machinations of this alien god, the dwarven race may begin down a path like that of the elves or the unicorns, one that permanently divides them.
Vestige of the once-mighty Morehammer... Will you act? Will you save your people, from the ignorant clutches of a newborn god of corruption and ambition? Are you willing to sacrifice what remains of your might, if it means your people get to continue to be united?]
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One of the greatest secrets Atlantis' Emerald Palace contained was a number of utterly impenetrable barriers deep within its darkest and most obscure reaches. These barriers were composed of incredibly potent divine energy, pure power that prevented anyone from bypassing them. The secrets these barriers contained were not known to mortals, and even most versions of the system were ignorant of the true natures of the treasures these barriers protected.
Past the third and final barrier laid a small nave, a rectangular chamber once intended to house members of a congregation during services dedicated to the ancient chief of the dwarven gods: Morehammer. It was here that a solitary, strange, and ethereal being wandered eternally.
This mysterious entity had the superficial appearance of a powerfully built, armed, and armored dwarf. He wore armor made of golden-colored and gleaming metal and had on a helm that was covered in images of hammers both for construction and for war. This dwarf stood a bit under one and a half meters tall and had long brown hair that spilled freely out of his helm and down to his back.
He had a tense look on his face. He was deep in thought.
”What do I do here?” He asked himself. He was mentally scanning through his still considerable list of powers, but he was finding none that he could use to warn anyone of the danger to the future that was going on elsewhere.
After the vestige spent a few moments searching through the hundreds of powers he possessed, he realized that the system may indeed have been correct when it cryptically suggested that he may need to sacrifice what remained of his might to intervene and save his people from a dreadful destiny. And Morehammer, or at least what remained of Morehammer after the true deity was slain half a million years ago, thought about whether or not he would do that. While he did so he closed his eyes.
”Has the time finally come to begin to end my eternal existence? Is it finally time for me to cease to exist?” The vestige asked. A number of emotions were audible within his voice. Fear, excitement, curiosity, and even a twinge of hope would have been audible to anyone who was able to hear him. But no one did.
Perhaps the worst part of the vestige's eternal existence was his inability to be heard by anyone else. The vestige was utterly alone and so deep within the bowels of the palace the dwarves had built that no one could hear him. And as a vestige, many common godly powers were lost to him such as the ability to establish mental links or to communicate with mortals through dreams. If he truly wanted too he could sacrifice his own might to use these abilities, but doing so would permanently weaken him.
Morehammer's echo smiled as he realized, after considering his situation, that it was time to begin to hasten the end of his eternal existence. In life the dwarven god had been a valiant hero who went to great lengths to protect his people. In death, he figured he ought to do the same. He came to this realization with the blinding speed that was possible only for a god or their echo.
”For the sake of my creations... I shall finally begin to move again.” The vestige declared. There was joy in his voice.
”I shall not abandon even a single daughter of mine to the darkness of an ignorant, newborn god.” The phantom of a deity declared. His eyes were beginning to glow as he spoke. The vestige sighed after he finished speaking, and began readying himself for what was to come.
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