> Godling CYOA
>  by AkumaKami64
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Godling Awakens
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

How long have you been here? In this numb yet peaceful void? You can't remember. There hadn't been any desire to leave, and you truthfully can't be sure how aware you were up until this point. For something has intruded into your nihilistic sanctuary: First vibrations, followed by distant voices. Many voices, a cacophony of sobbing and yelling as a chill washed through your being. And for the first time in your existence, you wake up.

You open your eyes.

You see a world, or at least a fraction of it. A mass of land blanketed in snow and ice. Yet despite looking down from a great height, you perceive different places in great, overwhelming details.

"So cold...so hungry..."

"Help us! Please, anyone?!"

"No, no! Get away! We don't have anything, just leave us alone!"

"Mommy? Daddy? Come on, we have to go!...Mom? Dad?"

"I can't believe we're actually eating this..."

"When will this end?"

"What did we do to deserve this?"

"If she doesn't give it up willingly, we won't have a choice..."

"No one is going to save us!"

Creatures freezing, starving, dying, killing, and praying for help; you feel as if you're drowning in their sorrows as information rushed into your mind from some unknown abyss…ponies, griffins, hippogriffs, kirins, windigos, disharmony, snow, ice, magic, frozen, death, salvation, protection.

Help.

"You could use some help yourself."

The voice isn't something you hear so much as feel. Your very essence jumps. Instead of moving, it is your perception that changes. Upon the land you now witness great figures of colors dominating the land scape in a brilliant yet strange lightshow: A vibrant pale-purple beyond the southern horizon, a clashing of pulsing and passionate pink with pure darkness in the coldest north, twins of silver and gold in the mainland, a green fire in the south and a decadent black and green shadow creeping in the in the west. All these and many more, but which spoke to you?

"Up here."

You freeze. You can't be sure if you look up or if He makes you look up. In the end, you stare upwards and take in the terrifying form of a great serpent made of...a thousand impossible things jump to mind. The shadow of wind, the rain of cotton candy, the singing of tea, the fluidity of glass, the breath of a pineapple. It was everything that could and couldn't be. It was...

"Chaos, and no need for flattery," He answered with a grin that you could smell somehow as he circled closer to you. "Don't fret little Godling. You're young, new, and confused. As boring as sense and rules are, I thought something like you could use a little help," he informed playfully. You're uncertain, but in no place to refuse. "You're a Godling, a very young god. Maybe you were just born out of the needs of those frail mortals below or maybe you used to be a mortal yourself? That's not important," he explained with a dismissive wave that felt like polka dots. "A new age is coming about, little one, brought on by the desperation of mortals seeking protection. We're all vying for their attention and worship," Chaos elaborated with a chuckle as you suddenly felt worried. "Oh, don't fret. I'm already out of everyone's league; I have no need or desire to swat a child. No, actually, I'm going to give you some advice."

Advice?

Chaos gave a nod that felt like a wave of monkeys. "You see that land down there?" he prompted, motioning to the vast landscape with a tall mountain at the center. You answered yes, hoping he could sense your reply. He did. "Don't come there. The Sun and Moon sisters, I, and some other Godling are already aiming for this, among the others. Too many big fish."

Peering down, you could indeed see a tiny glimmer of prismatic light in the midst of the land. But what were you to do then?

"You're young and, no offense, weak. You don't even have an avatar to take on. But don't worry, that can change with time and a gaggle of worshippers. All you need to do is find some survivors and help them escape this frozen nightmare. They're all so desperate for help that they'll latch onto to anyone that delivers," Chaos explained with dark mirth. His eyes glowed eerily as you felt more, clearer information flood your mind. "That should give you a head start on your options and what to do. Just be careful who you pick and don't wait too long. Winter is leaving."

With that, Chaos left, descending as an unseen twister of change, leaving you to decide your own fate.

Throughout the land, your perception changed once more. This time, by your own will. Now you looked up survivors of twelves races and saw the advantages of each:

The powerful races could be the easiest choices to make, strong in one form of power or another: 
The militant Pegasi ruling over weather with a long experience in warfare.
The mighty Dragons with mighty forms and fiery breath leave them needless of most other weapons.
The greedy Griffins are competitive and fierce, both with their money and in battle.
The proud Yaks, possessing some of the greatest physical might in the world, not to mention they survived this winter with the least casualties.

Yet the more advanced and otherwise prosperous ones are not to be overlooked: 
The vain Unicorns gifted with a powerful innate access to the arcane and stockpiled in gems.
The sturdy Diamond Dogs whose ability to hunt and scour for resources is rarely bested.
The solitary Hippogriffs, who can go theoretically anywhere thanks to their mystic pearl. 
The cursed Kirins, who possess lost treasures of bygone ages.

Though there was something to be said for the more populous of these creatures: 
The staunch Earth Ponies, natural born experts of farming the land and build strong homes.
The clever Changelings, the masters of hiding from and infiltrating their enemies.
The wise Deer, who live in perfect unison with nature, wielding and healing it.
The fragile Breezies, whose most unique magic allows them to dwell in realms hidden from most.

But when considering who to save, it isn't just about the species, but the location; this great winter has forced pockets of races to scatter across all lands in search of survival. While it would certainly be advantageous to pick a race's homeland to get the largest bulk of survivors, benefits might be found for starting in each land.

Pegasta, the current Cloud-fortress of the Pegasi.
The Dragonlands, the ancient nesting grounds of the Dragons.
Griffinstone, a relatively young nation at this point.
Yakiyak, the homeland of the Yaks, which is more and more abandoned by the year.

Unicornia, the seat of power of the High Kings and Queens of Unicorns.
The Crystal Empire, a realm that has played host to many mixing of species, allegedly carved by the ancient Diamond Dogs of the Old World.
Mount Aris, a spot of land stabbing from the sea that has been a natural home to the hippogriffs.
Kirin Grove: Not even the Kirin themselves know how long they've lived here.

Terratha, the largest of all Earth Ponies cities, who held out the longest in this storm with their excellent management of stockpiled food.
The Badlands, a dry realm that was often a homeland to monsters and criminals, now where the winter hit the least- which isn't saying much in the end.
The Everfree, a mystical, perhaps even sentient forest of many unique creatures that only a few, such as the Deer, have the ability to find coexistence within.
Mount Canter, a center point of magic in these lands, long used by the Breezies to boost their magic and access their hidden homes with ease.

No matter how much you might want to save more, you can only pick one creature and start in only one location.

Species: 
A. Pegasus 
B. Dragons 
C. Yaks 
D. Griffins 
E. Unicorn 
F. Diamond Dogs 
G. Hippogriffs 
H. Kirin 
I. Earth Pony 
J. Changelings 
K. Deer 
L. Breezies

Starting Location:
A. Pegasta(Cloudsdale)
B. The Dragonlands 
C. Griffinstone 
D. Yakiyak(North of Yakistan)
E. Unicornia(East of Vanhoover)
F. The Crystal Empire 
G. Mount Aris 
H. Kirin Grove(South of Dragonlands)
I. Terratha(Near Neighgra Falls)
J. The Badlands(Changelings)
K. Everfree(Deer)
L. Mount Canter(Breezies)
> Where to Start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have your doubts about this endeavor from the start, but high risk and high rewards are undeniably linked.

Of all the races in the land, your spirit reaches out to the Kirin: Rare creatures that could be mistaken for a Unicorn subspecies, possessing both fur and scales with a certain potential for magic. Even more so, an ancient curse upon their kind became their own salvation, their anger turning them into fiery counterparts to their normal selves. And it is so easy to conjure rage for the cold, the windigos and for Death itself.

No, the Kirin were not where your doubts lied, but in your chosen location.

The Crystal Empire. Even with your innate, godly ability to simply know certain things, you couldn't even begin to comprehend the history of this place. It had changed from hoof to claw more times than can be reasonably counted. Sometimes peacefully, others not. It was and is a symbol of power and hope. A beacon in the unnatural storm of the Frozen North. The Windigos have been simply more of the same for those within the Crystal Empire, with the Crystal Heart holding them back as easily as it does the storm. Naturally, it became a rallying point for various creatures to gather to, trying to live in and around the crystalline city. But there is always opportunity in disaster.

As your essence becomes more and more tied with the Kirins, you come to understand the present crisis more clearly through them.
Sombra, self-proclaimed King of the Crystal Empire, had used this chance to seize power from Princess Amora, current Keeper of the Heart. Revealing his nature as an Umbra-Pony, the dark tyrant used his power to weaken the seal holding his kind beneath the city. Even with Princess Amora losing, the Crystal Heart instinctively fought against Sombra and the dark ponies, aiding the soldiers and civilians that managed to resist him.

Pony or otherwise, all those foreign to the Crystal Empire scrambled to decide what to do. Many tried to aid Amora, and a desperate few even allied themselves to Sombra. But most were rushing to find enough supplies to try and find somewhere else to seek shelter in the white tartartus that seemed to blanket the whole world- from a mortal's perspective. Survival was a priority that most couldn't afford to ignore. And you weren't excluded from that.

With yourself becoming spiritually tied to these Kirins, you realized that you could influence them subconsciously. Not control or manipulate, you were far too young for that. But they could feel a general sense of what you desired, especially those that already desired it. Hence, those not already at the Crystal Empire already felt the pull drawing them to there, to you.

Staying was not an option long term. Food and room was growing scarce, even with many fleeing from this war between Love and Darkness. And you felt as one with your chosen race, for they were as uncertain as you. You could wash your limbs of this situation, take what you could and lead the Kirin someplace safe. safer than this by any means.

Or you could get involved with this conflict. But aiding one would doubtless make an enemy of another. You are young and of very questionable potency. Throwing your weight this early could be the very end of you, you know. And with you, possibly the Kirins as well. Assuming victory, Amora would undoubtedly grant you whatever assistance the Empire could spare to help you on your travels. Sombra was obsessed with enslaving all that he could, but this conflict was taking a toll on him.

Rewards were a gamble with Sombra.
Survival was a gamble with Amora.

With indecision coursing through you, you gaze outwards, southwards. You can see them, some of the lights, the other gods. The Sun and the Moon, as Chaos called the sister lights, were obviously trying to aid their own creatures. You could even sense that other godling, even more of a speck than you. They couldn't help. And Chaos? He was somewhere down there, doing something, but you could never guess what.

None of them could help either side. The Crystal Empire, both Sombra and Amora, were on their own. As were you.

Looking down upon your Kirins, camped as far from the city as possible while still inside the protective bubble of the Crystal Heart, you could tell that no matter what, some would stay. But you could push a majority to follow you through an unknowing proxy.

And among them, you discovered three of significant potential in terms of charisma, among other things.

Shaded Gold, one of the greatest hunters among the migrating Kirin. While not exactly omnivores, their Nirik forms do allow the Kirin to safely consume meat. Disregarding that, they have always had the need for Hunters, brave and skilled Kirin to protect their home and kind from enemies. Be they wild beasts or rival creatures. Shaded is uniquely gifted in the use of his Nirik form as he has learned to suppress the flames and use the dark coloring to enhance his stealth.

However, he has become amongst the most jaded and cynical of the Kirin, his honesty far outweighing his kindness. The idea of siding with Sombra is not unappealing to him. Nor is the idea of just taking the city for themselves, if Sombra proves treacherous or ungrateful to their aid. His reputation as a great hunter and defender of other Kirin has earned him enough respect to attempt such a thing, with the right motivation.

He also symbolically represents the Kirin that have embraced their Curse and see it as a gift instead.

Frozen Meadow, a life long forager that knows all the secrets to finding edible plants even in these hard times. Normally foragers work to reap the spoils of nature while simultaneously nurturing it. While not as potent as Deer, Kirins are more directly connected to plants in general than Earth Ponies. Frozen is famous for not only her near peerless ability to track plant-based food, but also for milking a few fruits out of otherwise barren plants. However, long term use of this is not only fatal to the plants, but to herself. It is widely believed, even by herself, that this has led to her being infertile.
Frozen is often considered the Chieftess in all but name, and has made great efforts to keep peace between the traveling Kirins and survivors of other races. While she has a genuine appreciation for all Shaded Gold has done for all Kirins, she is truly saddened and disapproving of how heavy his heart has become. Sombra and his ilk are obviously evil and she believes it wise to help stop them here before they grow too powerful to be stopped without massive bloodshed.

Like the Kirin of old and many still today, Frozen believes that their Nirik forms are a curse.

Last but not least is Quick Blade, a young but observant young Kirin. He was of the generation that knew very little or nothing at all of the world before the Windigo Winter, leaving his views less influenced by better days but also without him being jaded or saddened by recent events or failure. He has simply took everything as a learning experience. While not possessing the skill of Shaded or talent of Frozen, he does possess a practical wisdom about him, and- practically by accident- formed a maverick group of Kirins that search for new and inventive uses of their abilities. From using their Nirik flames to melt snow and purify water, to using magic to make a rope out of grass.

The opinion of Quick is very mixed. While his ability to just emotionally shrug off most failures has left a sometimes-reluctant admiration in his fellow Kirins, it is underpinned by a clear inexperience that often renders him naive, sometimes even reckless in his ventures. Due to this, Quick is often oblivious to how much sway he has, but not in this: He doesn't consider himself heartless, but he believes they must do what is best for themselves. And, practically speaking, the Crystal Empire has never truly 'fallen'. It has always just shrunk, grown, and traded ownership. This is technically just another notch in its long history. Now would be the time to leave before getting caught up in the whirlwind of this clash.

Quick is of the small but growing number of fringe Kirin that see their Nirik forms as neither curse nor gift, merely a part of themselves they've been suppressing out of fear.

You can sense these three intently. They are all loyal to their own kind and even if their desired path isn't taken, they will follow the group rather than abandoning it. And while there will always be different opinions on the Nirik form, a leader's opinion will gain some traction no doubt. But in time, you have no doubt you can steer the majority away from that opinion. For now, it is best not to let that rule your judgement.

For now, you must choose a mortal. Not to lead the Kirins in any official or indefinite sense yet, but to sway them on the path you believe they need to take: 
A. Shaded Gold
B. Frozen Meadow
C. Quick Blade
> Where to Go
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opportunism and Altruism are fantastic sentiments to consider, but not at such risk with your still paltry power. The Heart was old and Sombra was potent. Best to play it safe at this stage.

Your essence wraps around the young Quick Blade, feeding his thoughts: that this place was no longer safe, they should leave, this wasn't their fight.

The Kirin exodus from the Crystal Empire begins not with a rallying cry or a great speech. It starts in the simplest of fashions: Quick Blade stands, telling his friends and family it is time to leave. Without word, they began to follow his lead. And others followed theirs, and more were prompted by them. Shaded Gold and Frozen Meadow both took notice of the event, but despite their differing desires to remain, your will managed to hold their tongue. It was obvious most Kirin had no desire to fight in this instance: for a tyrant they didn't trust or a home that wasn't their own.

That said, they had their own parts to play.

Quick Blade may have got the ball rolling, but Shaded and Frozen knew a way to make their next migration easier. And so, as Quick Blade and others gathered around maps to contemplate where to move, Frozen Meadows came to them. The neutral Kirin expected some form of lecture or disapproval, but instead received a request to spread word of the plan.

The Crystal Empire had a small field filled with a rare, new technology that the empire had monopolized: Airships. Originally meant for transporting passengers and cargo, the Great Winter had prompted the empire to refit them for war. But Sombra and Amora had both deliberately gone out of their way to deny each other the chance to use the aerial devices before they could take off.

In theory, there were enough to transport all of them easily, and the balloon-ships were enchanted to be able to weather the storm. Again, in theory.

It was a bit dangerous, but it was one danger Quick Blade felt better taking than getting involved in the war. And he knew plenty of Kirin that had books from the Empire's libraries before the war had broken out. Between that and some guesswork, they could figure out how to work the ships.

And so the Kirin prepared, packing up their supplies and salvaging anything of value as they waited for a chance. It came quick, a rather potent battle at night. Masked by darkness and the chaos of the battle, Shaded Gold and the hunters snuck into the airfield, knocking out or killing all the soldiers keeping watch over it, regardless of what side they were on. With time bought, the Kirin scrambled to load themselves into the ships. But time only lasted so long.

By the time either side knew of the airfield being taken, the Kirin had confidently deduced how to control the ships, for the most part. Amora, hearing that it had been the refugees, ordered her soldiers to ignore them and push the attack on Sombra's forces. But Sombra grew enraged, sending off a shadow pony and a small force of slave-soldiers to deal with the interlopers.

Quick Blade's ship was the first to become airborne, but remained stationary as he watched the others taking off. And here he bore witness to Shaded Gold and the hunters doing battle with an Umbra, a monstrous pony of smoke and shadow, and the enslaved warriors. The proud leader of the hunters did all he could keep them back, but there were too many, and the Crystal Ponies, side regardless, possessed armor that was hard to damage and weapons that could pierce most hides.

After a fellow hunter sacrificed himself, trying to force Shaded to retreat, the Nirik-embracer reluctantly withdraw with the rest of the hunters, jumping onto a ship just before it took off.

Just in time too, as Quick Blade had managed to figure out how to use the Arcane Cannons on the ship. While the aim was poor, the shot managed to distract the umbra and cover Shaded's escape.

Quick Blade scowled as he looked down at the airfield, now illuminated by flames. Two ships had crashed into each other and another's balloon had exploded. There was no way to land and grab the survivors without risking more or all of them being shot down

A final forth had almost been shot down by the umbra, but had been blocked by a young-adult dragon of all things, to everyone's surprise. Including your own! But you weren't about question the help as its fire pinned down the shadow pony until the Kirin in the airships had finally risen too high for their enemies to strike, the roaring flames killing it and its mind controlled underlings.

With Sombra's rage almost palpable, even at a distance, the airships made for the storm. All company braced as the wind and cold bombarded the shields created by enchanted crystals. They held, but the entirety of the hulls were shuddering. Quick Blade almost feared they had made a mistake until your unexpected and draconic ally made itself known again, roaring loudly as it flew about the ships before flying upwards, roaring streams of fire before flying out of view. It shot down, repeating the acts, prompting Frozen Meadow and Shaded Gold to realize what was going on.

You could feel Quick Blade's frustration as he heard the calls to rise higher, and quickly, not believing he hadn't picked up on that. It wasn't enough to prompt his Nirik form, but he did snort smoke for a moment. Soon, all the airships found their ways higher and higher until finally...

They were above the storm. And everyone stared in awe at the beauty of the clear star-bright sky, lit by the full moon as the light bounced off the endless sea of clouds below.

You felt your spirit uncoil, relaxing as relief spread through you. The worst of that was over. Of the twenty-two airships the Kirin had stolen, only three had been stopped at the airfield and, by a miracle even to you, none in the storm. Only a few hundred lost instead of one or two thousands.

As the Kirin sailed relatively without aim for the first night, you felt a surge of power rush through you. They didn't know you yet, but there were many prayers of thanks to "whatever god" had helped them.

It just occurred to you that you'd need a name or title for the Kirin to address you by eventually, but you stowed that aside for later. Right now, you had something very, very important to worry about.

Using planks to carefully cross between ships, the Kirin began conferring with the more navigational inclined to decide where to go. With the ships, they had more options in terms of distance, but that just made choosing harder. After the events of the Crystal Empire, a common desire to try and find an unoccupied territory spread with ease.

You however, while not all-knowing, are aware of six locations you know to be ideal. However, with so many minds and opinions in play, you did not have the ability to suppress all of them and push them to only one option. All you could do was keep their attention on these six targets and allow them to pick between them.

"Shaded, even if Colossal Rest exists, why would we settle in the Frozen North when we just left the Crystal Empire?" Frozen asked in exasperation as they convened in the captain's quarters of Frozen's ship.

"No, I've been here, it's real. It's secluded and easily defendable, and it's actually just outside the effects of the Frozen North. It is still winter year round there, but it is close and safe," Shaded defended with a firm scowl.

"And it's in spitting distance if we ever decide to invade the empire?" Quick Blade pointed out with a knowing look. Shaded shrugged in admittance as Frozen shook her head in distaste. "I don't entirely disagree with the sentiment, but if we want defense, I've found a spot more to the east and with less of a cold-factor. A narrow river valley hidden by tall cliffs called the Hidden Mirror Valley. It's far north of the griffins, hard to spot, and hard to attack," Quick explained.

"Isn't that Bugbear territory?" Shaded pointed out with a scrunched brow.

"FAR North," Quick stressed to clarify. "It's a bit of a journey, even with these ships."

"Still, a river at least deals with our need for water," Frozen acknowledged as she studied the map. "There is a great swampland, or rather the Grand Swamp, in the south west. Our ancestors once made journeys to it as a coming of age event and for spiritual quests. Its wildlife might make it a bit dangerous, but it'd be much like the Grove in a lot of respects. And while easy to find, it is a giant marsh so..."

"It'd be difficult to navigate and find us in there. A decent safeguard," Shaded allowed. "Though, we have no idea if any other creatures have moved in there, and it's been over a hundred years since we traveled to the Grand Swamp. If it's plentiful you want, there is a waterfall my father told me about as a young one. It's far east of the Grove, but the journey there should be safest, to our current knowledge. Beautiful crystal clear waters, and a large cliff side with hidden cave networks behind the falls. He called it Peaches Falls, since there use to be a lot of them there, but most of the trees were gone by the time he visited it the third time. Theoretically, we could start in the caves and build either further into them or outside the falls."

"Or, you know, both," Quick Blade pointed out with a hum as his eyes went eastward as well. "There is a weird place I keep hearing about east of Griffon stone. Twisted Towers, a strange formation these towering structures of spirals paths. No one knows if it's natural or not, but all accounts and maps make the surrounding out to have plenty of room for farms, and they have some defensive applications, I'm sure."

"Why are all your choices so far away?" Frozen asked rhetorically. "If we're going for space...I admit I thought this was a myth, but even many in the Crystal Empire spoke or wrote about a flowing plains called the Grass Sea if you head north of the Frozen North, and keep going until the Frozen North ends."

"...How far is that?" Shaded questioned uncertainly.

"Longer than we'd like, shorter than you'd think," Frozen answered with a sigh. "This is too big a decision for just us to make, we need to know what the navigators and others think..."

A. Colossal Rest: Ideal for defending and only a short distance away, but very cold year round and sparse in resources.

B. Hidden Valley: Ideal for defending and hard to find, but very far and geographical isolation will make it hard to get aid or leave if it becomes needed.

C. Grand Swamp: Ideal for resources and hard to find, but filled with a lot of dangerous wildlife and vegetation.

D. Peaches Fall: Ideal for resources and one of the safest paths, but fair chance it may have been taken over one or more other creatures, including other Kirin.

E. Twisting Towers: Ideal for population and one of the safest paths, but it is unknown how valuable a place these towers actually are.

F. Grass Sea: Ideal for population and only a short distance away, but is hard to defend due to being completely wide open and also geographically isolated.
> The Bedrocks of a Society
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Kirins charted their course, you took this time to get to know your creatures, in a manner of speaking. Your being, your spirit is all about them and with them. One Kirin was around the story circle, another was peering at a babe that survived the great winter while another was staring out over the horizon in contemplation.

They do not know you yet, but you are beginning to know them. As a god should, that much you believe you have right.

You know that Quick Blade has an emotional immaturity that, occasionally, gives him tunnel vision. That it makes him passionate and driven. That it is the cause of his inability to comprehend how much sway he has at times.

You know that Shaded Gold was jaded even before the windigos came. That those years of hunting dangerous beasts and the rare invaders had left him cynical about any way to prosper that didn't involve force. That he is no true warmonger, but is haunted by the idea that the death of his fellows hunters might one day be for nothing.

You know that Frozen Meadow is afraid, but not of death, but to hope. That she welcomed her barrenness when she believed it cruel to bring a child into this world. That she dreads the thought that all this hardship will make them into something worse than the windigos.

Even more, you know the pain of the father that lost his child in the storms, the joy of brothers separated long ago and reunited by this journey, of the aunt that discovers she still has a niece in the world, and the sweet love the living have for both those saved and the bitter love for the lost.

But most of all, you feel their hope and know it is yours.

As you grow in power, you find your influence has to. You cannot take physical form any time soon, unless you're wrong, but you can do small things; like making a Kirin turn to see something in the corner of their eye that was never there.

A trick you are very happy to have, in retrospect.

"Windigos!"

A Kirin cries out as the specters of winter neighed loudly, a herd of them rising up to attack the airships.

You know there is little concern, but still you watch in interest as the battle happens. Of course, it is more akin to diverting a river. The frosty ghosts bash against the shields of crystalline magic, but find no purchase to break through. And while the arcane cannons cannot kill the creatures, they certainly do drive them off, even cause them pain if you are sensing them properly.

Still, the conflict is long yet dull…which is a good thing. You sense that without these ships, or even with those of lesser quality and defenses, such a conflict would have gone dire for the Kirins. The dragon, a young adult in most respects, took great aims in her attempts to turn the magical foes to steam. To no avail, but it did ward them off more.

That was something you had to remember: These Kirin were your chosen, but not the only race to join in this exodus. There were many, in fact: Griffons, Hippogriffs, all kinds of ponies, and more. They were the minorities far and wide, but they were there, and you mustn't forget that.

The dragon you knew intimately, for lack of a better word. Her name was Thicket, and she had taken to resting on different ships when those not needed for steering the ship went below deck, giving her space to safely rest. And between her breaks from flying, she spoke to those that were curious of her. After all, why would a dragon join them?

Dragons were resilient creatures, but even their fires could not fight off primordial chills forever. Full grown and newborn dragons alike would fall into a deep, death-like sleep when the winter overwhelmed them until warmth revived them once more. The elders hibernated by slowly feeding on their own mass and magic over time. While baby dragons and eggs needed exceptionally little to survive compared to other young, some would still never awaken from their slumber.

But ones like her were both too young and too old, forsaken to endure the cold and risk a death far before their time. And Thicket had grown weary of watching others wasting away as frost took hold. When the Kirins seized the ships, she saw a race making a break for it, to find a place away from all this. She took a chance and here she was.

And here she was indeed. Feisty and strong, and loyal even to non-dragons; plus, honestly, less hotheaded than you expected. And she was open to you, just as the Kirins were, so there was potential there. A dragon would be valuable, short and long term, if she didn't split from the group eventually. But that wasn't here or there. You had more immediate issues to consider, that would be the bedrock going forward.

It was something you had hardly considered up until this point, but there is a great deal of malleability to the Kirin as a society. You cannot introduce entirely new concepts, but you don't have to. In this time of survival and new beginning, with the prospect of heading to a new home, it brings many to question how they should live, what things they should take up and abandon, look deeper into and expand upon.

Just as with the decision to leave the Crystal Empire, you can influence them to embrace one side more than the other, quieting those on the other side. But while you have discovered six overarching subjects, you find you can only bring yourself to effectively influence four of them. And while the importance of some is obvious, even you are not sure what the boons and consequences of some choices will eventually be.

The topic that caught your attention the most was that of magic. Those without it simply assumed that magic is magic is magic. But while there are many different ways to classify the different forms of magic, there are two fundamental difference paths to the arcane arts: External Magics and Internal Magics.

Internal Magic is the most common and the easiest for most mortals to use, as it was to draw on one's own personal mana supply and mold it into spells. As an inherently magical raise, Kirins already knew the basis of Internal Magic, but were hardly committed to it.

External Magic was the opposite, drawing on mana foreign to someone. Be it from or through an object, or the latent magic in the surroundings, this magic was far harder to learn and control, but it was something that anyone could learn, in theory. More importantly, in exchange for its difficulties and risks, it was potentially far more powerful than Internal Magic.

The question after that became a talk of Supremacy. Not of race or ideals, but of Supremacy of Physical or Supremacy of the Metaphysical…a very intricate topic that you weren't even sure of the answer to. Or, perhaps, the answer was as each individual god willed it to be. In this world, both logics were sound. While of little apparent worth, it was ultimately how your Kirins would view and make sense of the world, and you.

Supremacy of the Physical was the ideal that the physical world was the base of the Metaphysical, that nature and matter ultimately ruled over minds and magic.

Supremacy of the Metaphysical, on the other hoof, argued that mind and magic ruled over nature and matter-that reality was ultimate a construct of the mind.

Beyond these were more obvious societal issues. Such as the question of hierarchy, or lack thereof. Kirins long had very little in terms of "classes." There was the chiefs, the elders, and the seniors of any given occupation. Beyond that, not many other gaps existed. But things change rather easily, and being exposed to many different creatures and cultures had influenced Kirins all into considering how they would do things in the future. If they would have a Flat or Steep Society, as they were calling them.

A Flat Society aspired to distributing power and gains to all members of the group, to make everyone as equal as possible. While enabling freedom, it did eliminate the drive to succeed in many.

A Steep Society was more common, they knew. While others gained more power than others, the implied desire was to reward the best as they rose through the ranks of society.

It was rather curious and perplexing to think about that, knowing that you'd be above and beyond them regardless of which form their society took. But the Flat-Steep discussion had lead and mixed into another more often than not-the idea of Societal Roles. While none were yet discussing the idea of a bloodline based caste systems, there was the question if one should stick to and perfect their given craft or change roles, Solid against Flowing.

A Solid Society meant all were expected to stay to their roles and play their part unless extreme circumstances arrived, of course. While this could lessen the strain of society as a whole, it couldn't guarantee the same for the individuals.

A Flowing Society allowed others to change their role as often as they desired, but this did not guarantee they would do well at their desired role, nor that there would be one to fill the role they left behind. Less strain on your creatures who were more hopeful about their futures, but doubtless a strain on society at times.

There was some irony here, you were sure, given that you were born into your role and could never change it even if you desired…which you didn't think you could, but the irony remained. But just as the topic of one's right to change their occupation came up, so did rights in general. It was mainly something in the back of their minds for now, but something you found curious to ponder on. Rights were things that all those considered a citizen should have, but the question you wondered is if those Rights were Temporal or Immutable

Temporal Rights, as you referred to them, were the point of placing rights and fundamental laws as a product of time and circumstances. Meaning that, over short and long periods, they could and even should be changed to fit new times and circumstances. While the mindset allowed for great adaption in times of need, you knew there was an issue with that. If Rights were the foundations of a society, then changing them moved and shook everything.

Immutable, however, implied that the rights and fundamental laws were permanent and inalienable to a member of society. And, in theory, meant to represent how your Kirins believed the world should be on some level. While upholding those rights would be difficult in troubling times, and make adjusting to some situations more challenging than needed, it gave them a greater sense of unity as a nation, of belonging-Something to be proud of and even another thing to fight for.

And all of this lead to a question that...you really could never understand the importance of, due to your nature, but could grasp that it was important to them. Individuals existed inside of Societies. This point is obvious, just as grass is green and stars are in the sky. But the question becomes, does Individuality exist because of Society or does Society exist because of Individuality? While it was a given that creatures could live solitary lives, the underlining meaning was obvious the more one stared at the question.

If Individuality exists because of Society, than that means that individuals are a product of nature, rules, and norms that a given being grows up around and lives by.

If Society exists because of Individuality, that implies that a being ultimately is who they are. They can be influenced by society, made better or worse, but they cannot be truly created or changed by it. Rather, individuals are the ultimate shapers of the society around them.

The Group vs The One, The Many vs The Few. You wondered how many mortals and gods even looked at that question and thought the answer was obvious. It isn't. Personally, you're not sure you like either answer, or if this even needs an answer.

In the end, you can only influence four of these debates and obviously each debate could only have one answer. The other two, answers regardless, would be rendered unimportant to think about in this future society that your kirins will found, even if more shall join.

Your gaze turns outwards and wide, seeing your destination. Luckily, you have time to consider and get things rolling in the debates. It was still a long journey to the Grand Swamp.
> Foundation of Godhood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have to admit, when you see the Grand Swamp for the first time, it is uniquely beautiful to you in a way few mortals could comprehend. The entire realm is brimming with an ancient, natural and copious amount of life and death. It is like staring at kaleidoscopic stars, softly flaring and waning like a dance or a symphony. You feel like a child seeing a rainbow the first time, but many Kirin have reactions similar to yours. It has been so long since they have seen a place untouched by the ever creeping chill of the windigos and this canopy is so thick that the jungle floor can rarely be seen. Not to mention that truly huge trees, floral mountains almost, that dotted above the rest of the treeline.

More than that, the blood of the Kirin know this place and it reminds their hearts of home. It takes a bit of scouting and patience, but they eventually find a large enough clearing to land the ships. And as more of their hooves touch the fertile ground, you feel yourself, your very essence flowing out through the forest. Yet it does not accept you so easily. Of this, you are not surprised. This place is truly primordial, it would take great time for any god to truly make it their own, even a god of life.

Which brought up an issue you know you will have to address very, VERY soon.

What are you, you really?

You take a precautionary sweep over every creature under your protection. While you can't control the forest or had enough time to understand just what or even who dwells within it, you can sense that everything in there is too spooked to try attacking just yet, if anything even wants to. Frozen Meadows and Shaded Gold are already doing their parts, organizing groups of Hunters and Harvesters to scout the immediate area around the clearings for anything edible or dangerous. Quick Blade is helping others begin to set up temporary camps for the time being. Thicket's sheer presence will hopefully ward off and neutralize anything that tries to sneak up on your future worshipers. For now, they are all relaxing and enjoying true warmth for the moment.

With this, you take a chance to contemplate your own existence. In what you shall become.

As you have grown this past month, you have come to understand more about Gods in general, and some choices you have to make.

The most important thing that you have learned was the six over arching domains that all gods started their roots in: Life and Death, Heart and Mind, Material and Spiritual. And each one of those were more complicated than a mortal might initially believe.

Life and Death were both the most straight forward, but had far more depth to them than just their namesakes.

To be a God of Death, to draw strength from each mortal end, is to be a God of Fate. To influence the paths of mortal lives and know their potential futures. And to give your more devoted worshipers similar abilities. It is to be a God of Soulless Things, of the dead that still move. It is even possible for your followers to linger as spirits.

To be a God of Life, to be given new power with every mortal birth, is to be a God of Nature. For you and all that follow you to be friends to beasts and plants alike. To heal wounds so quickly that often only age may bring death to your followers. But it is also to be a God of Struggling, for as the windigos prove, life can be so utterly fragile. But it is in that struggle that you and your chosen might revitalize what was broken.

Next up, the more personal domains of Heart and Mind. Without either in the world, sapience is merely sentience. Awareness without Feeling or Feeling without Awareness.

To be a God of Heart is not merely about Love, but about Passion and other emotions. To strive out of pure desire. To give deeper meaning to things, to inspire feelings for no logical reason. To be a God of Art, by whom the greatest of expression might not only be made...but, for a time, give life to Art and even Dreams.

To be a God of Mind, however, is to favor reason. To cultivate the mortal capacity to understand and learn, to discover new ways of doing things. It is to be a God of Craft, to inspire your followers to invent tools and ideas in pursuit of progress. And, potentially, to create even mockeries of life: nonliving, but not undead entities of metal and stone: Golems.

And the final two, the hardest to grasp for mortals are Material and Spiritual ...and you can sense that these two have been claimed in their highest by a pair of gods. One of whom you know. 

To be a God of Spiritual, to call the heavens your true home, is to be a God of Order. To not only inspire peace and lawfulness in all your lands, but to allow your followers to enforce it when needed. To resist unneeded and dangerous change, to find a place for all things. And to cause all in your dominion to sway to a more idealized state, that is to be a God of Harmony.

To be a God of Material, is to claim the mortal realm as your truest home, to embrace its rebellious nature to both mortals and gods alike. It is to become change itself, to be the embodiment of a paradox. It is to have the power to destabilize and adapt to any situation. To be a deity of disasters, to make your foes question the very reality they face. That is what it means to be a God of Chaos. A God of Discord.

You shudder, somehow certain that a certain god you cannot see is chuckling, wherever he is.

Still, while gods can expand beyond these definitions, their domains are always and eternally a part of them, unto a god's very destruction.

Which brings you to the first and foremost decision you must make: Your potential peer or peers as Gods of these Kirins. Following that, which of the six overarching domains would you be tied to, to define yourself as a god. For pantheons mainly came in four flavors, with some deviations and exceptions, and those four flavors determine how many domains you shall be limited to.

The first was obvious. Rule alone, be a Monotheistic. Or henotheistic, if other lesser gods joined in. The main idea being that you rule alone, wholly and fully as the highest god for your followers. This was certainly appealing, and for good reason. Doing so would give you access to all six domains, but there was the risk of spreading yourself too thin in doing so. For it would take time and energy to make use of each domain to their maximum potential, if you so choose to.

The second was to rule with one other: A Duality, a "twin" in a non-literal sense. To do so would mean to rule with one who covers all you do not: For each domain you shall rule, they will be of the opposite. To allow one to be strong in everything the other is weak. To have a clear and clean divide between all matters of Life and Death, Material and Spiritual, Heart and Mind.

The third was interesting and, if nothing else, efficient. A Trinity, to have a god ruling over both domains in each sets. Fpr instance, to rule over Life and Death, giving and taking lives with each limb. To grant equal, non-conflicting authority and attention to each of the two opposite realms of power.

The final could be the most and least tempting: a Pantheon, true Polytheism. To share your authority with five others, for every dominion to have its own individual god to manage and oversee it. Certainly a way to keep all areas covered, and to have many peers to watch your back, but it would make cooperation and consensus difficult.

It was a deep and difficult things to consider. To share your divine rule in such a way was to run the risk of resentment and rebellion between not only each other, but your cultists. To rule alone was to risk defeat by lack of comrades. But your own personal power was not the only thing to consider. You would eventually have a religion, a church of sorts among your followers. Not only that, you had to consider the prospect of an avatar, among other things. You only had so much power to work with and shape yourself and your followers.

And this was the first step. Just as the Kirins considered the bedrock of their new society, you were now considering the first stone to be truly placed at the foundation of your godhood.

To Rule Alone or To Rule With Others?

To Risk it all on yourself? 
To Risk it all on other gods?
Would you be end up bringing others into the fold or even raising some among your mortal followers to a divine, equal level?

Not only that, but...the subject of the Death domain had made you wonder, what happened to the souls of the Kirin already lost? Was there another god, native to their homelands that claimed them? Or did some other divinity claims the ones left behind? Worse, were they just lost and alone, unable to move on?

It was something you'd have to look into one day, but you did know this much: The souls of those that died escaping the Crystal Empire were yours, if only briefly. They were...waiting on you, for lack of a better term. Not truly awake, but in an unaware state as their souls clung to yours. This made you realize that you needed to pick an afterlife for them. Creating one was surprisingly easy, almost any god could do it. Even those without the Death domain were empowered enough by the passing of their followers to 
support one.

Trouble was, you weren't...well versed in this subject, yet. You only had knew of two afterlife systems currently, and only because almost every god used these two.

The first was simple and took care of itself: Reincarnation! Your followers would be reborn upon death, and while it was mostly operating on its own accord, you could take direct control to ensure certain souls were reborn where, when, and to whom you wanted. While risking the notion of Kirin Supremacy, you could even ensure your non-Kirin followers could be reborn as Kirin. Thoughts for later.

The other was popular just for its use as an incentive, or as something to fear: An afterlife as an actual place, a plane or planes for your spirits to dwell in. A chunk of the heavens, fashioned to your design and welcome to all those you deem worthy. Of course, this also allowed you to create...alternate locations. Underworlds to house the average soul belonging to you. Not paradise, but not terrible. Dull at worse. And, of course, you can have a realm to punish your truly unworthy followers and captured souls of enemies. You liked the rewarding one, but were unsure how to feel about the other two.

But you hesitate greatly as you believe you know why these two are picked the most often. If you are in anyway normal for a Godling, than others likely picked these as they are the first two options to have available. But you know better.
You sense there are more forms of afterlives. Not many, but some. The souls of your dead were waiting, but was there a reason they could not wait longer?

These subjects weighed heavy on your mind and heart as you watched the Kirins go about their lives, unaware of you in their encampment.

Mostly unaware, at least. You have found more than a few staring at you. Most were children. What did they see, you wonder? Or was there even anything definite to see about your being yet? Still, some were adults, squinting their eyes at something that wasn't there. Interestingly, Shaded, Frozen, and Quick were NOT among those that saw you, and you had watched them to be sure. You'd have to take note of those that seemed attuned to you. When you got around to revealing yourself to them, you'd likely need them.

Still, you reminded yourself not to think too far off to delay making a decision. So, the grand questions were, what kind of god did you wish to be? And did want to grant your followers an afterlife or reincarnation? Or wait and see what else you could grant them?
> The Gift and the Missing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You come to your conclusion, and close all senses to the world as you turn inwards, looking deeper than yourself and into the very essence of the divine domains. As a god, no matter how young, you are the link between these powers and reality. More specifically, the link between them and your followers. You focus your will over your Kirin's spheres and bring them into three separate, binary orbits. Three sets of opposites, paired into a trifecta of strange dances.

You do not choose what dance shall be yours yet. You have to contemplate just how you're going to recruit two other gods. You could always uplift some of your followers, or even...not create new gods, but...you were born out of the need for a new god, the need for help in the face of the windigos. Your could use that need to inspire your brethren to arise...but that would mean raising and teaching two other godlings, and you were less than a year old! Of course, you could always try the old fashioned way and...breed a godling to rule as your son or daughter. The only problems were that A. You didn't have a body yet and B...You hadn't even figured out what sex you were yet.

You could join up with some. There were other young godlings, but the only one you knew of for sure was in the lands Chaos recommended you stay away from...And given that one's rather strong pull on Harmony, you were sure it would be less than thrilled with being a God of Material AND Spiritual. There were plenty of your peers with little in terms of followers. But would that be too much? As a junior, you'd likely be taking a more subordinate role. And the only one you were on any speaking terms with was-

"Well, aren't you becoming interesting."

You'd like to say that He's less intimidating. That you sensed His arrival. That, if you had a body, you might not have released your bowels just now.

You'd like to say that.

Your senses return to normal and He is here. He is standing amongst your followers, smiling coyly, like a slithering monkey's drum. They are as blind to Him as they are you. But wherever His tail sways, you can feel and see that His presence is felt. Glares, arguments, even a minor brawl. "Interesting choices," He muses, heedless of the disturbance His very being caused.

You narrowed your gaze at Chaos, wondering why He was here. Along with a hundred other things about Him. You stare at Him warily, inquiring as politely as possible what He is doing here?

"Oh, no reason," He answered insincerely, picking at His claws which, strangely, sounded like the pleasant melody of a thousand chirping birds. "Very nice work with the Airships, and you even got a dragon out of it!" He praised, clapping like a hyena flies. "Good thing too. It would have been...interesting, if unpleasant if you had chosen to take part in that war," He mused thoughtfully.

You tilt your head and feel your mind assaulted by two separate streams of images. One was your Kirins siding with Sombra, the other with Amora. Both showed the different battles, culminating in...your death. You die in both scenarios. There were slivers, showing how you might have survived by fusing with the Crystal Heart, or bonding with Amora or Sombra, or even a Kirin. But they were slim branches on a large trunk. Your death was the most likely outcome. Death, but not your end.

Chaos smiles and you shiver.

The images converge and continued, showing Chaos Himself emerging. He was doing...would have done...something to the spiritual equivalent of your corpse. Your very being shudders in revulsion as you saw yourself rise as not a god of death, but a truly Undead God. An anomaly...an abomination...something that, to your knowledge is a very rare event once thought impossible.

Chaos chuckles, making you understand. He was impossible, raising a god was not outside His abilities. "In fairness, Amora would have probably found a way to restore you in the Pro-Crystal version, maybe," Chaos commented idly. While undesirable, you feel you should at least be happy to know Chaos would have prevented you from having such a short life.

That thought dragged you back to the mystery of Chaos. Why would He help you at all? Far bigger questions were how was He this powerful or where were His followers? Things you were growing very concerned about the answers of. Also...How did Chaos NOT have a physical avatar? He was overwhelmingly powerful, but He remained in the same incorporeal state that you were. Was He...unable to?

He rose an eyebrow at you, at your very telegraphed thoughts, and you knew that was wrong. He was like this by choice. For now.

"Anyway, I'm just here to leave you and your followers a little gift. You'll be needing it soon," He said playfully as He flew and coiled past you, his talons dipping to touch the ground. You narrowed your eyes, knowing something was there, and it hadn't been before. What it was, you didn't know, but it could be nothing simple. "Got to say, I'm loving the trinity thing you're going to have," Chaos mused, looking truly and honestly curious now. "Believe it or not, not a lot of Godlings pick that one. I would have, if I hadn't picked...well, I think you know," He remarked with a smirk of your mother's yodeling.

Wait, you didn't have a mother!

But He was correct. You didn't need any more knowledge to know that Chaos was probably a Mono that specialized in Material.

You narrowed your gaze as Chaos looked into the eyes of a Kirin. One you knew to be a friend of Quick Blade. "External and Metaphysical magic? Pity, they'll be missing out on the mannequins, but I suppose the puppets will be extra good," He mused humorously, knowing you wouldn't understand what he was referencing. "But I do very much approve of the Flowing-Steeps," He remarked before scowling flatly. "Those ponies are the more solid types."

Ponies? Did He mean Pegasi, Unicorns, or Earth Pon-

"All of them," He answered with an eye roll, His arms folded. Well, that answered that, you suppose. Still, were they His followers or just something he had to deal with? "Well, it's been fun, Little Godling, but I am a busy God," Chaos quipped as he began to soar off. Before you can even contemplate asking Him a parting question, the God of Discord vanished as His body moved behind a group of Kirin, His form disappearing as each inch left your sight.

You have very uncertain feelings about Him, but you weren't exactly willing to step on the toes of the biggest fish in the pond.

It has taken you the better part of two days to fully form your existence to be of one of the three conflicting pairs, to be one of a future trinity. Just from your surroundings, you're tempted to take Life and Death. Those two forces are obviously in abundance in the Grand Swamp, but you hold off for now.

In that time, little has happened, but it is a little that is of importance. You settled down to a campfire. It is here you find Shaded Gold with a group of hunters. Specifically, ones that often led hunting groups.

"Cragadiles, horned toads, ophiotaurui, centiwasps," Hollow Wind spoke up, his voice wary but relieved as he leaned on a spear. "Fairly bog standard for us, even if it's more diverse than I'm used to. It'll be dangerous for the first year or two, but once we set up, the wildlife will eventually learn to stay away from us."

Shaded Gold nodded absently. "And there have been no signs of anything thinking and speaking?" he asked, staring intently at the fire.

"Besides the occasional bufogren? No, not really," Melon Chilly answered as she ate a red berry.

The Leader of the Hunters scowled with a mild glare at her. "No, or not really?" he questioned in a hard tone.

Melon swallowed nervously on her food. "None, Shaded," she corrected, slowly eating another. "The harvesters found a lot of stuff that isn't poisonous, so, that's also good news.

Shaded hummed, looking back to the fire. "One group hasn't came back yet," he noted idly.

And this was what had your attention.

"We're in a new land, Shaded. Every year before the windigos, at least one greenhorn got lost on their first patrol," Hollow reminded without concern, getting nods and murmurs of agreement.

"And they're only a few hours late," Melon remarked dismissively. "We never worried before Moonpeak."

Shaded sat there, seemingly satisfied with their points. But you weren't. And neither was someone else. "Drunk on peace already?"

Everyone, even you, turned to look at the new arrival in the form of Quick Blade. Most of the hunters scowled while Shaded just looked back at the flames. "You do know this is a Hunters Only meeting, right?" Melon asked awkwardly.

"I'm fully aware of your in-hut meetings, yes," Quick answered with his typical bluntness.

He raised an eyebrow as several of the hunters stood, glaring at him...until a flame blazed, and it wasn't the camp fire.

Shaded Gold was every bit his namesake, the large tips of his fires a dark shade of gold, his eyes bright with a controlled rage. And, just as suddenly, it vanished, staring in calm disappointment at the stunned group. "Sit down and shut up. I invited him," he informed flatly.

They all promptly obeyed, except for Quick, standing nearby while eyeing the head hunter curiously. "Why exactly am I here?" the thinker-Kirin inquired, the hunters a bit annoyed with his lack of fear in the face of Shaded's obvious ire.

"Because when everyone is either agreeing or disagreeing with me, I think I need to get an outside opinion," Shaded answered with a grumble. "What do you make of this missing group?"

"I think you're a paranoid flankhole that is at risk for becoming a, what was the word? Pyromaniac," Quick Blade answered in the bluntest voice possible, making even you wince a bit.

"Watch your tone you ignorant little-!" Hollow started, only to be silence by Shaded's eyes and horn glowing. "But Shaded, he-"

"Is completely right, and that's not an insult. I think," Shaded retorted calmly, raising an eyebrow at his fellow member of the Kirin Trinity. You just now realized each of the three were going to probably prefer one god over the other two. "I'm assuming Pyromaniac means I use fire too much?"

"Basically," Quick Blade answered with a shrug.

"So you think there is nothing to worry about?" Shaded questioned with a frown.

"Buck no. I think your friends are forgetting that this isn't the grove," Quick answered honestly, looking a bit surprised that Shaded got that impression. "I was saying that as my reason for why you should ignore them."

"You have a weird way of encouraging others, Quick," Shaded stated with an amused snort.

"I don't do encouragement, I do facts," Quick Blade corrected, glancing off to the tree line. "Fact is, if I was living in this place and some strangers just arrived, I'd pick a small group off to learn about them too. Disregarding sapient creatures? It's doubtful everyone in a group was entirely too adventurous to risk getting lost this early. So if I had to guess, either something captured them, or is trying to. With eating or interrogating them being equally possible intents. Unless it's both, in which case..."

Shaded nodded to himself. "Thank you."

"For what?" Quick asked with a head tilt.

"For proving I'm not completely crazy yet," Shaded elaborated as he stood up, giving a hard look to his fellow hunters. "I'll be back by dawn. Mess with Quick Blade and you'll be practice-hunting with me, and you will NOT be the hunter," he promised as he stomped off with his spear.

"Are you just hoping he'll get killed out there or something?" Melon accused with a scowl as they all gave him variations of sour looks and death-glares.

Quick Blade tilted his head. "Why would I want that? Shaded Gold's death would probably doom us all," he stated honestly. The hunters all looked taken back by that, but had no response. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk with Frozen Meadow about looking into making a well here.

Note to yourself, make sure they tried to dig where Chaos left his "gift".

Quick Blade wasn't wrong, you knew. Shaded was important in the immediate sense, keeping the hunters together and stable, as a well trained defense against future enemies. Frozen Meadow was the mid-term component, for prolonged survival and occupation depended on food and medicine. Quick Blade was NOT the long-term, he was the all around-term, finding new solutions to all manner of issues. If there was a long term part to their survival, you'd suppose it'd be you.

And that is why your spirit flung after Shaded's form, moving with him to the dark and nightly dangers of the Grand Swamp. You intended to help him, but you had to figure out how.

The most immediate but rash option was to just become a God of Life and Death, right now. Doing so would give you better access to the forest and know if the group was dead, and how. But that was permanent. There would be no way to switch to being a God of Heart and Mind or a God of Material and Spiritual.

You were going to think of shorter titles for those. Gods of Renewal, Balance, and Soul? Unimportant for now. What was important was, while the most effective, it was the most costly in a sense.

Option two, was more basic. You were connected to every Kirin here, and those with them of other races to varying extents. While still young, you could use that to try and find them if they were still alive and, hopefully, steer Shaded towards them.

Option three, something you could do was...in a manner, bless him. It wouldn't improve him physically, but it would give him a sixth sense. Which would be you noticing things around him that he didn't or couldn't on his own. Didn't really help towards the goal, but it was something.

Option four was the opposite of the third in a manner. Even without being a God of Life and Death, you could still manipulate and infuse yourself with the forest, one area at a time. It'd be tiring, but it'd allow you to scan through the place along with or separate from the Head Hunter, maybe even divert a few surprises when you could.

Alternatively, for fifth, you could do absolutely nothing. Not exactly the greatest option, but it was there. On the upside, Shaded was one of the best, if not the very best of the hunters. It'd be hard for anything to take him down and, even then it'd have to catch him before he escaped back to the camp.

But there was...something  else you could do. You really weren't sure what it was or what it would do, but it was something you knew could do that could help, somehow. By You, this was annoying. There was some...thing at the edge of your awareness. You didn't know how or when it got there, just that it was linked to you and would, for lack of a better term, obey you. Which, in other words, translated to a mystery option. Lovely. For all you knew this could smite half the forest...Okay, you doubted that, because if that was something most Godlings could do, the world would be charred over already.

Still, the only upside was that you were almost positive this was not something Chaos did to you or gave you. It felt...natural, normal. But you were still so young and new to this, you just couldn't grasp the knowledge to give you the answers.
> The First Servant
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, in for a Minor, in for a Major.

You bring your focus and attention onto this mysterious thing extending from your being and channel yourself and your power into it. It grows and expands, until you become very alarmed as you realize that A, this thing seems to be divine in nature and B, most importantly, it is becoming self aware!

Did you just make another Godling?!

You become completely still and silent, in all ways, as the entity....hatches, in a sense. It is....strange. One moment it is like an ethereal Kirin, then a vaguely equine mass of fire, now a great beast, and something....mortals have no proper adjective for the final shape. Something unearthly, almost eldritch. Almost like Chaos in some sense, but more....consistent in its strangeness.

You set aside your thoughts on that as this creation of yours, still ever shifting in form, looks around slowly before looking up at you.

And you see perfect obedience reflected in them.

"Master," it greets in a voice of reverence, bowing to you submissively.

You stare, your shock compounding itself as you come to understand. Forcing this being into existence had forced your mind to unlock the knowledge of what it is: A Servant. YOUR Servant.

Often called Angels or Demons, they are semi-divine creatures that exist solely to serve their gods in any and all fashions. Which wasn't unexpected as they are literally made from a god's essence. Luckily, they would regenerate even if they were killed, so you didn't have to worry about losing a piece of yourself entirely. Even better, they could use lesser versions of your powers and miracles! Their existence allowed them to move between the spiritual and physical world much easier than a god could. Which meant you could manifest them here. Or this one, at least. He...she...it was all you could make for now. Thankfully, that number would grow some over time, and eventually cap around the triple digit mark.

"How may I serve, Master?" it asked with a head tilt.

Okay, you'd deal with the finer details of WHO this Servant was later. Right now, you had to keep track of Shaded Gold. Servant wordlessly followed behind you as you came to the Hunter's location once more. He had only just entered the swamp proper, observing everything even when he didn't appear to be.

You were both relieved and uneasy about the lack of activity, but that gave you a moment to try and....process what you needed to do, to know.

Every God or Pantheon only had one type of servants, who could be customized to do anything:

The Elementals, and you could only pick one element, who were defined by their given nature....almost assuredly fire at this point. For some reason, Elementals were naturally talented at crafting, better than a mortal could do without a divine blessing. Interesting, powerful and potent, but probably a bit of a risk summoning one in a swamp.

The Akins, those that resembled a god's favored race, albeit a more idealized version of them. While not the physically mightiest, they had above average powers over magic and could interact with mortals the easiest. Which would make this revealing thing a lot easier, especially since the Akin were natural leaders, even more so in war time.

The Ferals who took on more monstrous appearances of a wild creature or monster, giving them incredible physical might without sacrificing mana. Their natural ability was more of a feature, being much larger than a creature of that type would normally be. The only downsides were the large size delaying their transit between the aether and the mortal realm, albeit briefly, and....their animalistic nature made them poor servants for non-violent tasks.

Then there were the Eldritch, who you were unbelievably and frustratingly tempted by despite them reminding you of Chaos: Yes, they were otherworldly. Yes, they were physically weak. And yes, they were probably the ones that had the hardest time interacting with mortals. BUT.....they slipped between planes easily, they were the best in terms of magical power, and, by You, their natural talent! They were the guardians, the Guiders! Those that sought out the souls of your dead followers if they were unable to find their way to whatever afterlife you granted them: often the chance result of dying in far off lands or the potential intentional outcome of being slayed by another god's servant.

Note to self, don't be an unintentional flankhole by accidentally blocking another god's faithful passing on. Unless you really want to or have to be a flankhole.

You calm down, reminding yourself that you CAN grant that ability to any of the other three servants in time, just that Eldritch had it as part of their very being, like how the Eldritch could be great leaders like the Akin inherently were.

You glance at Your Servant, who is staring at you ever patiently. You direct It, still genderless in its unfinished state, towards Shaded. "You wish me to protect him as he searches, Master? With respect, I can aid him in locating your lost faithful if you complete me," It suggested, and you can sense its pure desire to be of use to you.

You conceded that point, but you aren't certain what Shaded may or may not be facing. Because whatever, if anything, that he has to fight here is something your followers will likely being dealing with long term. The servile entity falls silent, focusing your shared attention on Shaded's quest.

Just from the Hunter's surface thoughts and feelings, you knew he believed this was about the place where the party should have been. Something you confirmed if only to yourself, feeling that Kirin had passed here and never returned. It looked like the rest of the swamp so far. Plenty of plants and giant trees, patches of mud, and a large overturned trunk nearby.

Shaded stopped at the base of the over-sized stump, and bowed his head low to the ground, sniffing before shaking his head. "Poison, but not deadly," he murmured to himself as he used his magic to pull something off the floor. It looked like the skin of some large, berry-like plant that had popped like a balloon. You liked it even less than Shaded. It wasn't divine, but there was some trace of magic about it. Life magic, nature magic. Which, ironically, meant it wasn't natural. Magically enhanced and engineered to be some kind of gas bomb.

Not a god, but skilled none the less.

"No blood," Shaded continued as he scanned the area. None of you perceived any clues of a fight. "Ambush," he concluded grimly.

"Master," Servant called, floating up on the stump, at least three times the height of a Kirin. You glance to Shaded, who is already following drag marks up the stump's slope, before heading up to your servant. The broken trunk has a hollow path within in, making a convenient and hidden bridge. But in the ring of the stump were pudgy berries, half the size of an apple, clearly filled with something unpleasant. There were also more normal plants, mainly bananas. But the real give away was the foliage used as make shift camouflage.

You felt Shaded reach the last of the marks and knew he was coming to the same conclusion you had. Something intelligent had setup an outpost here.

He promptly sat down, leaned on his spear, and feigned a long, tired sigh. You knew it was an act, for whoever was watching. If they hadn't been observing him before, Shaded and you had no doubt they were now.

Unlike Shaded, you knew something he didn't. It was the only reason you hadn't rushed into making Servant into one type of another: Whatever was watching them wasn't a sapient creature. It was smarter than most animals, but it was still just an animal.

Shaded sprang to the side as a creature leapt down, trying to attack him. Shaded responded in kind by using the pole of the spear to knock the foe back, the tip leaving a a small wound.

You and Shaded both pause only briefly to take this creature in. It is primate based, but small, just below Shaded's haunches. Its head was rather large on its body, and it had hands and feet both suited for gripping and grabbing, along with a rather sturdy tail. But the most catching detail was that this creature seemed to be made out of wood and plants. Bark for skin, moss for fur, and little plants about its back and head. From the wound on its chest dripped tree sap.

It left out a rather large, howling screech as it lashed out at Shaded, its arms extending and enlarging as masses of vines.

You dub this creature a Vineky, and plant that thought in the back of Shaded's mind for when he tells this story. The hunter, in turn, merely scowled and lit himself ablaze. The Vineky screamed in animalistic pain even as the flames died out before they could spread. The beast backed away fearfully, sprouting vines from its tail to fling itself back into the trees and run off.

"That thing might have caught them, but it wasn't the one who planned this or took them away," Shaded concluded as he watched the faint shadow of the Vineky scurrying through the trees. "And it'll probably be back soon with backup..."

As the hunter debated what to do, exactly, so did you as you turned towards Servant, who was standing next to the contemplative Shaded. You had to make a decision, and it was one that you wouldn't be making yet if you had a choice. Because these wouldn't just be your servants, but the servants of the Kirin Trinity. While there could be some variance on abilities, your fellow gods would be stuck with whichever type you picked here and now.

Did you take Feral Servants, who would be right at home in the Grand Swamp and fight the battles your Kirin couldn't on their own?

Did you take the Akin Servants, who could mingle and connect with your followers the easiest, spreading your word directly at times?

Did you take the Elemental Servants, who would act as living forces of nature under your command, and craft wonders?

Did you take the Eldritch Servants, who could wield magic like the greatest of mages, could slip between realms with ease, and gather the lost fallen?

You look towards Shaded, who was already making his way down the path within the tree trunk. You didn't have long to figure out what to do, you knew that much. Because your Hunter would find his quarry soon if they didn't find him first.
> The Treequines
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps it was the expediency of their transition between worlds, maybe it was their potential as mages, or possibly even just the safety it would grant your followers in death. Either way, despite some initial hesitation, you elect to make your servant into an Eldritch type. You watch with admitted fascination as Servant morphed and twisted into a body that mortals would struggle to describe.

The body was like a serpentine jellyfish, with the translucent skin revealing its internal body. It was filled with a blue substance that produced an eerie glow as bolts of magic danced through its length, like lightning in slow motion. All along its body were many short, insect legs, arranged like a millipede's. The head was like that of a shell-less nautilus, with a host of thin yet lengthy tentacles about its beak-like maw, but with twelve eyes: three on each of the upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right. All twelve were like hollowed stubs that twitched about to stare at one with a physically hollowed slit. The tail was...not there, the creature appearing to continually move from where it was emerging, as if it became a ghost at that end.

In the very center of it was a black...spine of sorts. One that moved with a ripple through it when it spoke. "Master, I am formed," Servant said, apparently happy with its completed self as the many legs danced against the air. You had to admit, whereas Chaos was overwhelming, your servant was more...not exactly beautiful, but awe-inspiring was a word you felt comfortable using.

All the same, you nodded to Servant before turning to keep your attention on the hunting Hunter. By this point, Shaded Gold had taken to the trees, leaping from branch to branch. It was a much quieter way to travel than one might expect, if one knew how to land properly by judging both the distance and the intended branch. But one misstep risked falling at worse and at best drawing a lot of attention to one's self. It was something only someone as skilled and experienced as Shaded should try out here, deep in unknown and hostile territory.

Turning you focus briefly back to camp, you deduced that Shaded was at least a mile away from the clearing, probably more. And, by the looks of it, Frozen Meadow and Quick Blade were getting a group ready to come searching for Shaded if he took too long. And that group included Thicket, which was good: If this DID turn into the first battle with the natives, the Kirin would need their heavy hitter. And if worst came to worst, AKA Shaded Gold dying out here, you could use Servant to order in the cavalry, hopefully.

You needed to give Servant a name, for your own sake if nothing else, which also highlighted your own need for one. But that could wait, this couldn't.

You come to a halt even as Shaded continued on, looking off to the side with surprise. Unless you are a hundred and ten percent wrong, you just found your missing Kirin. You call to Servant, whose form phased through physical matter without care, just as you could. "Yes, Master?" it answered dutifully. You give directions to grab Shaded's attention towards where you could sense his comrades. "As you will, Master," Servant responded with far more resolve than needed.

You observed your creation at work, its unseen body curling around the Kirin as it did something you found quite clever. Servant forced its magic into the physical world while remaining in the spiritual world. It wasn't much, but it was enough to cause Shaded to stop in alarm. And setting off his instincts from the right angle got his senses exactly where you wanted them to be: The softest flicker of light smoke in the distance, an even thicker and more distinct smell in the air of things both fruity and foul, and...

Something you both just noticed. The trees were...more in this direction. Not more as in the swamp was denser, but as in the plants themselves were thicker, and covered in more vines and moss. Which really didn't make sense. No matter how in tune with nature a race was, the flora should lessen towards their settlements and outposts, not increase. Unless they were completely primitive without civilization, maybe?

Servant released itself from Shaded, but remained close to him, sensing your wariness from the bond between servant and god. The Leader of the Hunters moved forward again, at a much more cautious pace, keeping to the lowest branches to avoid ambushes from above. You scowl, perceiving how boggy it was becoming below. Sneaking about down there would be hard without leaving evidence, if it came to that for Shaded.

Said hunter slowed his pace the closer he came to the light, noticing how the vines became thick and tangled the further he went. Not to mention little scuffs and dents in the bark, obviously a sign that some creatures frequented this location, sapient or not.

Being what you are, you are not bound by the same rules of distance and senses that Shaded is. With an idle command to Servant to keep an eye upon the Kirin, you pressed forward and reach the clearing and found...a mixture of things that you did and did not expect.

The group of Kirin were here, all five of them. And better yet, unharmed! But they were unguarded, or so it appeared. You were positive their captors were nearby, but none of your divine senses were screaming "trap" to you. However, they were bound with vines at the hooves, and a sap-like substance covered their horns. You examined it, sensing it was...not magic proof, per say, but magic resistant. Which, like this, was as good a magic-blocker. Still, even odder than all of that was, despite being bound and unguarded, they seemed to be well taken care of: they had been given food if the leftovers on the ground was anything to go by and they were laying upon logs around a camp fire. If not for the swamp's humidity this night, you'd expect them to be covered in blankets.

But...now that you thought about it, this scene still didn't add up. While the horn was important for magic, Kirin didn't need it to take on their Nirik forms. Could they have just been too worried about burning the whole area down in the fight, or causing an explosion?

Too many questions. Questions you could look into their minds for if your focus wasn't also on Shaded's approach and figuring out where in your undecided name were the natives lurking about? That was your one inherit disadvantage in this marsh. There was so much life, too much! Being so new to it, it was hard to find a sapient life form if you didn't actually know what you were looking for.

Your entire being twitched and jerked as you felt...something stir in the swamp. No, not stir. React. To you. The longer your direct attention lingered in one spot, the more your presence grew in it. While nothing divine, strictly, these beings had some form of sense for gods and such.

Which gave you a very wonderful, crazy idea.

You looked up towards where Shaded was watching and studying the site for traps that you knew didn't exist. Unknown to him, Servant was next to him, half floating and half curled around the branch. Servant, sensing your intent, cocked its eldritch head in confusion, but followed your desire all the same.

Just before Shaded was about to embark down, Servant flexed a bit of its own magical power, just enough to put Shaded on edge and give him pause. You, meanwhile, decided to flex massively.

Immature yet potent waves of your divine power washed over the spiritual side of the given area. The prisoners began to stir, your young bond with them already giving them the vaguest awareness of you. But they weren't your target.

All at once, the swamp came alive. Literally, in fact.

From the trees and swamp they rose, creatures of pure plant life given a form that imitated the life of more flesh and blood variety. You sensed Shaded's alarm, but ignored it for now as at least two dozen of these natives made their appearance. What caught your attention was the lack of fear from the prisoners at their captor's arrival.

Their forms shifted and differed, but they had the same general shapes and themes about them: They had the vaguest of equine forms. Some were too long or too tall, others too rounded in the wrong ways or scrawny in others, but the shape was definitely there. Their barrels were made of, or at least covered in, tree bark. A few even had branches and leaves upon their backsides. Their legs and necks consisted partially of twigs and sticks, filled with a semi-translucent, green material. Their faces appeared to be like a Kirin or pony, but the texture was like that of a fruit skin, and framed by manes of leaves.

They moved into the campsite, looking about with both curiosity and caution. They couldn't see you, but their eyes did linger on your spot sometimes. A lot of things made sense to you now. These...Treequines were by definition in tune to plant life. Generations of them living here probably not only gave them a sense for the forest itself and the divine, but there might actually be a proto-godling formed from the ages of Treequines living and dying here. Something to look into later. For now, you had a situation to control and possibly diffuse.

You can tell just by knowing who Shaded is that he will go for a surprise leap to catch the Treequines off guard and attempt to free his comrades. From here your options are limited.

You could keep Servant on standby, jumping in when and if Shaded is in need of back up. After all, Shaded had skill, instinct, and his Nirik form, but the Treequines had the homeland advantage, numbers and hostages.

Conversely, Servant could emerge immediately before Shaded has a chance to attack, and make the first blow itself, possibly settling the issue before Shaded even needed to be involved.

Of course, given Servant's ability to appear nigh instantly in the material world, it was possible to join the fray right when Shaded made the first move, forming a more unified front- assuming Shaded didn't assume Servant was an enemy from the get go.

But...was there another way? Something else you could try? After all, no one was hurt yet. Did a show of force need to be a show of death? After all, Servant wasn't just your warrior, but in many ways, your messenger...