Jackal Among Snakes

The god of flesh and blood, Chiteng, filled the role of a god of fertility primarily. Men were intended to pray for virility. Women were intended to pray to prevent their children from being disabled physically or mentally—specifically, they prayed that the flesh and blood of their children was sculpted to be both beautiful and strong. Supposedly he made the figures of all men and women. All the elven gods took sacrifices, but Chiteng supposedly used the bodies to craft their children inside their wombs.

When Argrave looked back from where they’d come, he could see the shore no longer. Soon enough, the blocky throne of ivory came into view past the fog. It had been difficult to see from so far away, but there was a small white harbor leading to an entrance with a door well familiar to Argrave. The whale swam up alongside it, planting its broad head against the smooth stone. Argrave and Orion stepped up onto it. When they looked back at the whale, it sunk into the deep and disappeared before their eyes. Argrave wondered what else was lurking beneath in the deep beside that whale—the player could never swim in there. He didn’t care to find out now.

When he looked upwards, Chiteng peered down at the two of them. He seemed to exert pressure with his gaze alone that almost made Argrave want to drop to his knees. Perhaps it was just his size, but maybe there was something more to divinity than mere power. Argrave felt entirely a fraud calling himself ‘king.’ But he did call himself king, and that came with certain responsibilities. So, he had to begin.

“Are you interested in an early victory in the struggle to come?” Argrave asked boldly. Though he felt intimidated standing closer to the divine figure, the fact he had been brought here suggested there was some leeway he might have.

The god leaned forward until he hunched, placing his arms atop his knees. He said nothing, but only stared at the two of them, waiting and watching. Orion shifted uneasily, and Argrave gave him a glance, pleading that he would do nothing to provoke Chiteng.

Argrave looked back up at Chiteng. “I was able to reach you because Gerechtigkeit is targeting the region, specifically. He’s bearing pressure upon the Bloodwoods strong enough that an ancient god has been able to enact its will on the land itself. This has destabilized the situation tremendously, and if left unchallenged, the forest itself will die—the forest that you and your family made for the elves.”

Chiteng tilted his head from one side to the other, still listening.

speaking slowly and clearly so that his nervousness did not cause him to stutter. “Whoever it is clearly has no interest in cooperation—they intend to destroy the forest to make way for their domain. I can give you an advantage in this situation. With my presence on the mortal realm, I can facilitate

out, the harbor they stood upon shook. The great god leaned back on his throne and laid his head back, chuckling. Slowly the laughter faded away, and taking its place was the constant sound of deep horn calls pushing out from

elder god,” Argrave finally started to speak again. “But if someone sticks their hand through a hole, they only have themselves to blame when their limb receives an injury from those already present. And if you think me incapable of actually doing what I claim to be capable of… know that

all the mirth drained from his elven face. His hand clenched around the armrest of his throne, and then his lips parted, saying two words that echoed across the entire

“Kirel Qircassia.”

when he heard that name. Anneliese and Argrave had come to the conclusion that it was an elder god behind all of the trouble in the Bloodwoods—nothing else could come close to that kind of power. They were wrong, as it turned out. It wasn’t an ancient god.

Gerechtigkeit. It was a stage of opportunism for the gods, true enough. But just as some people sought protection under Argrave, some gods sought protection under other gods. Kirel was the self-proclaimed eldest god, who allegedly had been through

had to fight together against Gerechtigkeit and all outside threats. Infighting was strictly forbidden. Beyond that, they were free to do as they pleased. It was nothing more than a defensive coalition. When its founder and enforcer was Kirel, a force in and of

persisted for many of the cycles of judgement. Argrave didn’t think he was wrong in claiming what he’d claimed—that the elven gods, working in tandem with true presence in the mortal realm—could expel Kirel. Making some roots overturn the earth and suck up saltwater was potent, relatively speaking… but it was a drop in

the ocean of blood. There was no problem with Argrave’s plan. The problems would come later. The problems would come when things really got bad, and when the full force of the Qircassian Coalition had come to recognize Argrave and his godly allies as those who had cut off the grasping hand of their founding member. The gods had long

usually could. Even if he had been prepared for this… persuading Chiteng? Persuading all of the elven pantheon to go after the heaviest hitter? Even if he told the elven gods that he knew both their favorite color and who they had a crush on, his knowledge about Heroes of Berendar paled before the overwhelming might of the Qircassian Coalition. Knowing how a gun worked didn’t stop him from getting shot—it just told him to

on another continent, Argrave reflected. If he’s here… when the time comes, all his crony godlings will come and make Berendar their territory. If I know that’s coming, I can prepare better. I can position us to take the least of the impact. We’ll… have to submit to them. If we’re lucky, we’ll be dealt a good hand. Maybe I can influence the way things shake out. For now, we have to fortify Vasquer for the collapse of the

a total defeat settled over

that, when faced with one tragedy, turned it into five or six by weakness of will. Self-pity