Mithraists hated game night.
The gods of order, sun and medicine don't quite remember how these gatherings began. But he knew how they always ended: He patched up a new cosmic mess.
This time, Sibley hosted their party. She carved out a large room in her flat kingdom of Arcadia, an open space covered with moss and columnar trees. A giant mushroom serves as a game table, surrounded by fungal thrones, while bioluminescent plants and fireflies provide dim light. The place was truly a scene of natural paradise; even as a god of civilization who was more at home in a city than in a forest, Mithras felt relieved.
The scene reminded the god of his time with the Ninth Legion, defending Britain from the Caledonians. He was a worse man then, fighting to conquer the people of Earth out of misplaced loyalty to a country.
Mithras appeared in the room in the form of the Sun King and found Cybele and Icingrim already present. His friend Leone, the noble goddess, then teleported over, a golden knight as fair and beautiful as daylight.
"Welcome, my dears," Cybele greeted them, her skin and face hidden beneath a hooded cloak of woven moss. As the goddess of pleasure, anyone who sees her naked face can't help but...well...please themselves. Just hearing her melodious voice makes mortals feel low.
"Hello!" Isegrim, the hunter god
g
im) was a white deer with bladed horns, who somehow managed to sit on the throne and put his hooves on the table. "My friends, you look terrible!"
"We had a tough day," Leone said exhaustedly. As a mortal, she had been a squire to Mithras, and the two remained friends after she conquered Valhalla. Although Cybele keeps trying to push them toward some kind of romance, Phoebe sees their relationship as mentor and student.
"So the angel's swing back and forth is real—"
"We will not talk about it," interrupted Mithras, who grew furious at the mention of the matter. Come to think of it, he ordered his paladins and priests to never harm angels except in self-defense...how could he turn a blind eye to their corruption for so long? "I was hoping to relax, not open new wounds ."
"Well, I won't go into details." The goddess invited them to take a seat, because the last person to be invited had arrived.
Se
g, the goddess of seas, dreams and alcoholism, had collapsed. She is a mermaid from the East with black octopus tentacles on her legs. Her short black hair is messy and her black eyes are wrinkled. She seems to have just walked out of a noisy party. She wears only a blue bra and a purple flower in her hair; her arms and neck are covered in predatory and obscene tattoos.
She is the only goddess they should ban from this table and Leone reminds them why Se
g sat down, holding a bottle of wine in his left hand. "No drinking allowed at the dinner table."
"This is whiskey!" protested the student.
"You can only play when you are sober," Mithras reminded her sternly. "No one wants another flood."
"It was an accident, okay! Spare me!" The goddess pursed her hands and held her whiskey tightly. "Just one bottle!"
"One, take your time," said Sibley, more forgiving than the others. "Otherwise I will kick you out of this meeting early."
"When did you become such a pain in the ass?" Mori muttered as Sebri placed O'Fremont's map on the mushroom table. Mithras looked sadly at the game board of Outremund.
Centuries ago, when the system was new and there were few gods, Mithras directly ruled the first mortal empire as the god-emperor. He protected a small city from raiding, helped it form alliances with other settlements, and slowly united the slaves of the fairies into a powerful nation that covered much of the Mistral continent. Mithraic Empire.
Mithras himself never intended to rule it forever. His role is to serve as the guiding hand of civilization to the new people, whether they be humans, elves, dwarves, or orcs. In time, he might be able to completely break his predecessor's reign over Overmond and prevent future tragedies. During that time, most mortals worshiped him and even called him the "One God."
Due to his own arrogance, he did not foresee that the terrifying trio would ascend to godhood together. They challenged Mithras' supremacy and even killed him; when he was resurrected in Valhalla a year later, his empire had fallen apart.
An age of chaos ensues, with the Old Gods and the New Gods vying directly for control of Overmund. Gods of chaos arose during those turbulent times, from the Moonmen to Sabra the World-Eater. Since the supreme power of the Hall of Valor is resurrected one year and one day after the death of the incarnation of the god, no one can have the upper hand for long.
After years of disastrous battles, Cybele, the second oldest god after Dis, brokered a gentlemen's agreement among her fellow gods; arguing that they limited themselves by their portfolios, claims, and worship to influence the world. The war exhausted everyone, so the gods agreed to make peace with them.
Finally, isolated and helpless, even Sabra succumbed. The Insect God knew that his ambition would cause the other gods to unite against him, so he fought a long war. If anything, patience makes him more sinister.
Over time, Gadmani managed to restore the western and northern borders of its predecessor, but it remained a shadow of the old empire. The nightmare land of vampires, especially, remains a sore spot for the God of Law. Gadmani had always been a favorite of Leone, while Mithras was mainly concentrated further east in the Yongri Empire, where his church had great influence. The country was not performing as well as he had hoped, surrounded by hostile forces and mired in political corruption. Will this meeting change the status quo?
A die fell from the sky onto the table, no one was surprised.
"I'm out!" Dice shouted. Whenever they start a game, the God of Gamblers always manages to land on the gaming table. The gods found it easier to contain a living disaster in order to control damage than to let it spread unchecked. "I'm out!"
"As usual, I want last," Mithras asked politely, ignoring the dice.
"At the bottom?" replied Sibley.
Why did she always talk like she was about to say something nasty? As far as Mithras knew, Cybele didn't even mean it. The ascended [Paladin] just nodded, and the forest goddess began the meeting.
"Today we continue our long-running campaign: Crusaders Realms Edition," begins Cybele, as game director. "We will each play as a chosen nation and lead them. The campaign ends when the entire world is in a state of peace or destruction. And before you ask Leone, a nation taking over Overmond still counts as a victory condition. "
"I'm out!"
"Isn't Shesha with us?" Issingrim asked, ignoring the grumpy die. She frequently attended their meetings, pitting her Nagastan against Mithra's own Eternal Empire.
"She said she had an appointment with Camilla and one of her lovers." Leon clenched his fists after hearing this. "Because this matter involves someone dear to my heart, I offer to take her place."
"Get out of my way!"
"She also told me that this meeting would shed light on previous issues."
"Can they really upgrade now?" Mithra asked immediately after hearing the rumor. If this is true, then the era of gaming is over.
Memories of his own abduction to Overmond returned. He still remembers leading his legion of hundreds to survey the barbarians raiding the British coast, hoping to get home before noon. Only they weren't pirates, but tyrants from another world looking for slaves to torture.
King Baraul was then only the size of a man, but as cruel as ever.
The five years the Mithras spent as slaves to their predecessors were a blur, a nightmare of screaming and carnage. He couldn't even remember his original Roman name, erasing it one lash at a time. When the Paladin finally escapes after learning about the class system, he vows to protect the mortals of the world from the evil he has experienced.
"I can't say yet," replied Cybele, for Sabra had obscured the activities of the fairies. She rolled the dice four times, once for each god except Mithras. "Leone, Isengrim, myself, the monk, and finally Mithras. Since the dice has no motherland, let him be our dice."
Of course, no one would roll the dice if it were possible, but the possibility currently satisfies the gods of chaos.
Mithras played the role of the Yongri Empire, the easternmost country of the Mistral Continent, while Leone influenced Gadmani. Monk oversees the Emerald Empire, her birthplace, while Isengrim rules over the vast plains of Beastland. Sibley herself usually manages the wild Dark Forest, but she had a dispute with her predecessor, but in this meeting she will manage Shesha's Nagastan business empire.
"The former Merlin plague spread eastward, killing thousands across mainland Serbia. The Imperial Empire built coastal walls to prevent infection, while the Jade Empire and Nagastan did their best to contain the disease. To the west, the Serb Empire The El Dorado of Burra..." Cybele spat out the word almost contemptuously, "gone." Destroyed. destroy. collapsed. A
ihil——"
"We got it, Seth."
Elsewhere, after the V&V Empire declared war on them, the former rallied their armies and the Dragons established colonies in the New World. Leon, what are you going to do?"
"I declare war on the V&V Empire"
"What?!" Issingrin protested: "Impossible, there are my followers there!"
"Leone, jihad is not the only solution to all problems," Sibley tried to reassure her.
"I hate to be a conformist and not a Mithraic, but you need a reason to start a holy war," Se
g complained. "The nobility of Dudu always thinks that the law applies to others..."
"They ruined paradise!" Leon said angrily. "Heaven! Insurance fraud!"
"Leone, I too have a personal feeling for this fiasco," Mithras said to his former squire. Corruption always angers the God of Law. "I swear I will take out the wrath of the Old Testament on the responsible angels. But mortals have only exposed existing, institutional problems in the governance of heaven. The wonderful afterlife should not be for sale."
Heaven needed to be reformed and returned to its original, humbler roots, and Mithras himself would help spearhead that reform. In his experience, most angels mean well, but their system has corrupted them; only by changing their system itself can the forces of good be back on the path to salvation.
"They destroyed one island and almost sunk another," Leone noted. "That dragon and his human companions are a living scourge. Nor can I tolerate a nation of demons, undead, and terrors from space arming themselves beside the gardens of peace. Isengrim, of all gods , you should support me."
"Why should I support a war that involves my beloved worshipers?" protested the Hunter God.
"You should respect the hunt," Leone quoted from Isengrim's own scripture. "Hunting is done to feed or thin the herd, but never for profit or pleasure, and never for extermination." Except for demons and undead. Demons and undead can be hunted for pleasure and profit, and destroyed. "
"Oh, yes, I said that." Bai Lu nodded. The focus is on the can. Not required. These two monsters have no ecological niche other than sucking the blood of living humans, so I don't begrudge my admirers for hunting them. "
"Therefore, you should see nothing wrong with culling the population of this so-called V&V empire."
"I disagree," Issingham replied firmly. "Because they have been working so far to bring life back to the deserts that Sabra chose to leave behind, they have established a community where all species can coexist. I fully support this initiative."
"We cannot put an entire species into one box or another," Mithras said, and Leone frowned at him.
"Even an ex?" she asked the tough question.
"Even they," Mithras said firmly. "Everyone should be judged on their own merit. Humans, dragons, fairies, demons, angels. That's justice. Victor Dalton is doomed to hell for his deplorable actions, but his followers should not Punished for his evil deeds.”
"They broke up the slave trade in the New World," Se
g argued. The Mermaid Goddess is very attached to the concept of freedom, although not to rival the brutal anarchy of the Death Clown. "How could you want to fight a slave liberator?"
"V&V also destroyed that despicable insult to nature called El Dorado," Sibelli defended the pair. “The disruption they bring, while worrisome, is ultimately outweighed by the benefits.”
"There are still two monster countries ready to go to war," Se
g said. "You should focus on the other person, Ms. Asshole."
This caused Leone to pause, and the knight-goddess glanced at Prydan. Their witchers have raided the shores of Gadmani and are rampaging elsewhere in the world for unknown purposes.
"Very good," she said. "But I'll save the case for jihad for later. Well..."
The Knight Goddess hesitated to attack Pladen, but she decided not to attack for the time being. The First Men barricaded themselves in fortresses, and it would have been wiser to leave their armies at home to protect their borders from the savage hunters and the V&V Empire. Instead, the god chose diplomacy.
"I ask my church to provide a matchmaking relationship between Prince Dimitri of Gadmani and the Tsar's Witch Queen; and between Princess Melville of Gadmani and Prince Comneus of the Yongri Empire, for the purpose Political alliances are formed through marriage.”
"Is Duke Dimitri no longer following Kia?" Sibley asked, sounding very disappointed. She worked hard behind the scenes to arrange these two.
"He gave up after she went to the V&V Empire," Leone replied, leaving the now-ascended fairy to ponder the implications. "I want Gadmani to grow stronger through diplomacy and grace. With much of the reconstruction from the Century of War completed and supported by the Age of Discovery, I now initiate an artistic renaissance across the kingdom. Gadmani conquers the continent Not by force, but by culture. It’s my turn.”
As usual, Eisengrim led his flock in Overmund, asking them to push further into the border. The White Hart has risen to prominence in protecting small communities from the depredations of monsters and wild beasts, with little interest in the larger country. In his mind, small, inconspicuous victories are more important than big events.
"I'll also have my (Elven Hunter) move to Gadmani, just in case," Isengrim said as he concluded the round. "It's your turn, my dear Cybele."
The satyr glanced at Overmond's map and then snapped her fingers. A huge wooden board rose from the ground to her side, covered with drawings. Mithras recognized his chosen Kia Bekele, Victo
Dalto
and countless other faces; crimson links connect the two photos together, like Vai
queue
K
ightsba
e and a pile of obscene gold.
"What are you doing?" Leon called everyone present, and then Sibelly took a feather in his hand.
"Now that the Kea-Dimitri has sunk, I need to update my human relationship board." The goddess scratched the back of her hood with her free hand. "Who can I introduce her to..."
"JoliKia!"Se
g immediately jumped at the chance to launch her favorite combination. "A love that transcends species!"
"They're cute together, but..." Sibley didn't seem to like the idea. "I don't know...it's missing something..."
"I'll get out!" Little Dice insisted: "Get me off the romantic route!"
"Kia deserves the best," Mithras said. His wife has made a great contribution to this world and he will do his best to make her happy. "Are there not attractive, dashing young men and women with whom she could develop a satisfying relationship?"
"We should let her make her own choice," Leone replied. "She's still young, give her time to find herself without help."
"I've tried everything," complained Sibley. "How many men and women did I send to her during and after the Century War? Most found her too impressive and unapproachable, few did, like Dimitri, she never quit!"
"Maybe she's not interested in a relationship?" suggested Leon, who herself just liked adventure. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"Is Djokovic still alive?" Eisengrim asked, interested in the matter. Sibley nodded. "Very well. I will defend this couple with my life."
"I'm not giving up on Kia's case," Sibelli insisted. "I can't see anyone replacing Dimitri though."
"What a newbie."
The death clown's voice made Mithras restless. He glanced to his left and saw the assassin grinning at him from behind in the corner.
"Are you here to play or to fight, murderer?" Leone asked with cold professionalism, while Mithras just stared silently at his opponent. It took all my willpower not to knock the feathered demon down.
"Oh, no, don't mind me, I'm just here to defend my championship honor." The clown whistled and stole Sibeli's feathers. "Cybi, you don't see the easy solution."
The Forest Goddess remained silent and the Crime God began editing her match board.
"You just have to put every woman on your board," Death Rigoletto redraws all the pairings until they all blend into one face. "With my favorite, Victor Dalton"
"Even the Kachin Independence Army?" Sibley asked.
"Except Kia," Deathclown clarified. "That's the genius part. With no other choice, every man on your board will, like Helen of Troy, set his sights on her until one succeeds in winning her heart."
"That's..." Sibley mused. "Innovation..."
Ise
g
"I have no objection as long as ChocoVic remains a true couple," im said.
"As long as I live, there will never be a harem on this table!" Mithras said angrily. He knew that Death's Fool was only doing that to disturb the Sun God through his Chosen One.
The Joker chuckled at his opponent. "Hey, Mithras. Didn't you hear?"
The eyes of the God of Justice turned into supernovae.
"Dead angels go to hell!"
Mithras summoned a pillar of divine fire to smite his loathsome nemesis, but Deathclown cackled like a maniac and disappeared. "Why does he keep sneaking into our playroom?" Se
g asked doubtfully.
"He is the god of thieves and spies," Mithras answered, clasping his fingers together to restrain his righteous fury. "Ignore him. He's a nuisance. If you give him the cold shoulder, he'll go away."
To his dismay, Sibley remained fascinated by the altered chessboard. "What he said makes sense——"
"No harem," Mithras rejected the offer. "Shall we return to Outremund?" You must guide Nagastan. "
Sibley put the relationship board away, muttering all the way. "For Nagastan...as the plague continues, I will encourage mortals to confine themselves to their homes and do nothing; priests and mages will cast [curing disease] spells, while alchemists and other craftsmen will work on cures. "
"Wouldn't it be better to isolate all the patients in one place?" Lyon. "And not everyone?"
"Everyone in the family is a hero," Sibley replied wisely. “Every sofa is a battlefield.”
Mithras had intuition, it was just an excuse to encourage mating at home, but keep it to yourself.
It was going to be his turn soon, and he had already thought about what to do. Leone had a point; a new war was about to break out. Not between nations, but between humans.
Humanity was exhausted after centuries of war, but the events of the past year told him that the power of the fairy lords was rapidly rising. Maybe it's time to gather his Radiant Crusaders and get ready. The V&V Empire may be causing trouble, but the Sun Gods believe they will be a bulwark against the faerie forces; they need all the help they can get.
That is, of course, if Odmund survives the next round.
Each god glanced at Se in tense silence
A glance at g made her extremely annoyed. "Why are you looking at me like I ate a baby?"
As the god of truth, Mithras was compelled to tell the truth. "We're waiting for you to screw up."
"You're not going to try to sink Atlantis again, are you?" Sibelly asked, as the worshipers were there. The recent roll of the dice also caused earthquakes there, and while the continent survived, it was still fragile.
"What-what, of course not!"
"Imperial Empire?" Lyon. "Western Islands?"
"What, just because I was drunk and caused a flood—"
"Four times," Mithras corrected her. "You did it four times."
"You're just jealous that I have the upper hand in the Age of Discovery!" Se
g protested angrily and threw the open bottle angrily. "Mortals will finally cross the seven seas in my sacred name——"
Leon panicked first. "Your whiskey!"
Se
The wine from g's bottle was poured into the Pacific Ocean, and the sacred alcohol filled everything.
"Oh, beep beep, oh beep beep, I'm beeping!" the sea goddess apologized and pushed the bottle away, but it was too late. A large swath of alcohol spread across the sea. "I, I created an ocean of whiskey!"
Mithras sighed, knowing he would mitigate this disaster on his next turn.
Another round of wasted time keeping the world intact…
