57 Ch. 57 Gods of Azarath
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"Great people of Azarath, we have an important announcement to make to you all. We request the presence of our Chosen at the Heaven Bearer Mountain." A soft male voice resounded around the planet.
-Thessia, Capital City of the Asari Matriarchy
Ilium is a beautiful city of pristine white stone buildings with smooth designs, shaped through the magic and talents gifted upon them by their Father, the only male worshiped by the Asari for his gift of life and guidance. Thanks to him, they learnt how to shape the world and find beauty in it.
Unlike many of blossoming cultures on their world, the Asari had grown quite fast in terms of technology and magic, resulting in a pristine metropolis of towering white buildings, centers of learning and an acceptance of balance between nature and progress. That also why one could see flying vehicles making their way through the white towers, floating platforms with homes on them, and even great projected screens with multiple different pieces on.
And near the center of this metropolis was a great monastery in honor of the gods which have gifted the world and themselves life, while also sharing their knowledge and wisdom.
Inside this temple were the Asari who willingly dedicate their lives in learning the words passed down by the gods. To welcome them once they walk amongst the people. To record the miracles they bestow on them all.
In fact, the first things on see's upon entering the monastery would be the creation of the world, depicted by the greatest of Asari artists, guided by the goddess of Art, Knowledge and Inventions, Lea Vincial (Different names up here).
The Creation was made as a set of murals, on the right was the creation of the world and the left was the birth of their own race.
Said Creation showed that their Father had found a dead world, filled with red sand and rocks, devoid of life. But, He saw potential in this dead world, so he planted a seed of life and brought forth Oceans to support it, birthing the great mothers of life: Tiamat and Eywa.
Together, these three sewed life throughout the world. Tiamat, the great goddess of the Primordial Waters, Life and Motherhood, brought forth aquatic life and dragons. Eywa, great goddess of Primordial Earth, Life and Nature, brought forth the two extremes of our world, the Guides, who speak for nature and speak for the gods on less important matters and the Faunus, those with the highest population and closest appearance to the gods. And finally, the great Father, Azaroth, great god of Creation, Time, Space, Power, Soul, Rule and Wisdom, brought into this world the Asari and Qunari by gifting each with different parts of his powers.
The left mural continued to show a summary of Asari history from their creation.
Their Father took great care for his first 'Daughters' to learn the gifts he bestowed onto them and so they would understand the responsibilities which come with them. He patiently taught them how to shape the world, travel through it, live in it and eventually thrive in it.
Soon the Asari began to grow in numbers under the guidance of their Father, as he showed them that the world had so much more for them to understand and learn than what he would give them. But the Father is kind as he slowly guided the Asari to discover the wonders of magic and the great feats one could accomplish through pure knowledge and ingenuity.
Their Father was not alone to guide the Asari.
The goddess of Warriors, Wisdom and Fate, Scáthal and the Goddess of the Hunt, Lightning and Battlefields, Manal, both taught the Asari important truths regarding battle, survival and war.
Other goddesses such as Ereshial, the protectress of the dead, souls and afterlife, taught the Asari to not fear death, but to respect it as the gods would welcome the good and extraordinary into their blessed lands as a reward until they were ready to move on. Only the wicked and cruel need fear death, for she is a kind mother welcoming us to rest after an arduous journey, not a sadistic mistress awaiting to trick us into her grasps.
So much more was represented on these walls. From acts and blessings of the various gods, to the great heroines blessed or guided by them, finally to the calamities they have caused as warnings and punishments for the few great sacrileges performed by the Asari.
There was a reason the gods were also feared, not just respected and loved. Chief among them was the most loyal servant of the Father, Medusal, goddess of retribution, servitude and monsters, who balances injustice and manages the punishments of the sacrilegious against the gods. Alongside her was the daughter of the Father and the Great Goddess Tiamat, Milimal, goddess of destruction, strength and dragons, for the ones deemed irredeemable. Jeannal, goddess of flames, vengeance and innocence, who shall 'cleanse' the world of those causing suffering under the guise of righteousness. And finally Mokal, goddess of darkness, Shadows and Blood, for those hidding in her domains
And in the center of this monastery, was the Hall of Descent. The room where the currently appointed Guides resided next to the Great Goddess Eywa's Mother Tree.
The room itself was as if a piece of nature was meticulously planted and cultivated within the pristine white walls, with an open roof to let the warmth of the Father's son shine down and nourish the life within.
And currently, within the room, stood 6 women.
Two were women with very pale green skin, pointed ears, and ethereal beauty.
One of the two had a mature body covered by a natural one piece dress, long, shimmering emerald hair and sparkling red eyes.
The other had a much younger appearance due to her immature body, sporting a leaf skirt and shirt. Her face was cute and her curly dark green hair was wild with a pair of energetic yellow eyes looking at those present.
These two were the Guides on duty within the Asari.
Around them were 4 Asaris, the race created of the mind and powers of the Father.
They each had mature and curvaceous bodies covered by high quality but simple white robes. Something all Asari wore in the presence of the Mother Tree.
It was quite common to be a natural beauty for any race to behold among Asari, even though it had led to various issues and still does at times, thanks to it.
What was different from the other races of their world however, was that they all had blue skin, a set of semi-flexible, cartilage-based scalp-crests that grow into shape, and were completely mono-gendered. And somehow they still were capable of enchanting men and women.
But these four specific Asari weren't just attractive, they were the most important figures of the Asari at this time. The Matriarchs who oversee the Matriarchy, Monasteries, Military and Academies.
"As you've all heard, the Creators have called for a gathering of chosen warriors and saints." The mature Guide calmly said from her seated position on a root of the Mother Tree.
"We are already preparing our Saint for the journey Lady Hessa." The Monastery Matriarch respectfully replied to the mature Guide.
"That's great! I hope the gods aren't calling for something bad though. T'soni is still pretty young." The 'immature' Guide said with some worry.
"Worry not Quiss. The Earth Mother has said this was a glad occasion. The gods simply desire to call on their Chosen for a very special purpose." The mature one responded as she fondly passed her hand through her companion.
"Hessa! Don't mess with my hair!" The smaller Quiss said as she moved away to 'fix' her hair.
"Fufu~" Was Hessa's amused reply.
"Have they said what purpose this is Lady Hessa?" Asked the Matriarch in charge of the military. "I do not feel wholly comfortable having Samara out of reach."
"Worry not Matriarch Rila. The two other major races are also sending their pair of Chosen, meaning all will be in a similar situation. And regardless, none would dare create any issues for now." Hessa calmly answered with certainty.
"Then I guess that settles things, but the Guides were not requested to participate Lady Hessa?" The Matriarch of the Academies asked curiously.
"Our elders have already informed us of the matter and it has been deemed that our race will have a different role during this time. One we cannot reveal until the return of the six chosen by the gods." Hessa answered once more.
"Why didn't they tell me?" Complained Quiss with a pout.
"Because you are still only a young one. This information was limited to the Earth Mother's daughters, the Elders and the Envoys." Hessa told her young ward and student patiently.
"No fair." The smaller Guide replied.
"Understood. I'll arrange for a proper escort for Samara and Saint T'soni." Matriarch Rila finally said.
"Remember that only the chosen were asked to go to the mountain and that the rest will have to wait outside of it." Hessa told the military woman, to which she nodded before the meeting was adjourned.
-Par Vollen, Capital city of the Qunari States
Par Vollen, or better known as the Impenetrable City, was the center of Qunari culture. The large, grey-to bronze-skinned and horned men and women of this race, forged its defenses over generations using the gifts and craftsmanship passed onto them by the gods.
It had the greatest walls in existence, unbreakable from magic, might nor any other powers beyond that of the gods.
There had been an incident in the pass when a Qunari lord had boasted a bit too much and the draconic goddess of destruction, Milith, shattered the wall with her bare fist.
Regardless, inside these walls was a thriving society build on honor, discipline and dedication, as each Qunari strives to discover what they could contribute best to their kin. Failing in ones efforts was never truly discouraged, only giving up on discovering where your true path lay was.
As a result, although they were less artistic or 'pretty' than Asari cities, Qunari ones were built as if every part was a fortress. Every building was built to last against everything, with a large part of the city actually being underground due to the great number of subterranean forges constructed to take advantage of the planet core's heat.
It was a good thing Qunari were part dragon and heat resistant, because much of the city exuded high levels of it.
There was only one towering building in Par Vollen, the Dragon nest. A grand construct with dozens of large openings, built to sustain the weight and power of dragons. The place where Qunari dragon riders kept their partners while within the city and was where some of the most honored Qunari lived.
However, unlike what one might think, the Qunari were not simple brutes. They simply valued simpler, more direct lives and found satisfaction in their lives differently.
But this did not mean they were not intelligent nor dismissive. They had schools dedicated to many fields, training centers, excellent support systems for those finding their paths, and still welcomed trade from others races as long as they respected the law.
And at the center of this massive, fortress-like, city, was two things: the grand citadel, where Qunari leadership resides and guided the people, next to the temple housing their Mother Tree, where the priestesses and Guides resided to help the leadership.
The citadel was a building entirely made of dark, refined steel, meticulously assembled to essentially protect the source of all magical defenses for the city. And the temple was the center of magical learning as well as for 'worship'. It was also the only 'fragile' point in the city due to the Qunari doing there best to ensure the Mother Tree would have enough 'nature' to thrive and properly maintain its connection to the gods.
Inside the temple was actually a set up familiar to the Asari, with murals on the walls depicting the gods and Qunari. Although more tribal in nature as the Qunari weren't exactly in tune with their artistic sides when it wasn't related to metalwork or combat.
This was actually why many depictions showed their Creator, Azaroth, displaying feats of great power or strength as the world obeyed his will. How the Draconic Goddess of Life and Primordial Water created the mighty dragons and blessed the Qunari for their bond with them.
They greatly respected the warrior goddesses such as Scáth, Milith, Manath, Diath, Quezeth, Alterath, Musath, Jenneth and Meduth. (Like with the Asari -al name end for gods, Qunari do -th. Basically put something that only the gods can have to end their names.)
Of course one of the most revered gods amongst the Qunari was Murath, god of the forge, while one of the most feared was Medeth, goddess of sorcery and witchcraft. The latter was still respected of course, but Qunari witches were likely the only group even the dragon riders did not dare to challenge in combat.
Qunari might have a resistance to normal magic, but the witchcraft taught by Medeth did not care for such things and could bring even the strongest to there knees.
Regardless, deep inside this temple, pass the murals depicting grand battles, mythic events, and lessons for those seeking knowledge, a very similar meeting to the Asari one was occurring.
Within the Mother Tree's chamber was the two Guides, one a lean but muscular man wearing a leaf loincloth, and the other a buxom woman dressed with bikini-like plants. Both had the usual Guide characteristics of pale green skin and hair, with pointed ears.
In front of the duo were five esteemed individuals from the Qunari: The City Lord, War Lord, Dragon Lord, Temple Lord and Forge Lord.
Technically the Temple and Forge Lords were Ladies, but the titles didn't really care for gender since it didn't matter much in the Qunari States.
Heck, due to their dragon sides, most children start showing signs of independence much sooner than other races and mothers aren't even needed for milk due to new born Qunari already having sufficiently developed teeth, jaws and bodies to eat soft food.
"Well, why are we even here? Just send the two to the gods and let me get back to my forge." An irritated Forge Lord said as she tapped her foot.
She was wearing next to nothing, a red dragon leather Bandeaukini with a loincloth at the bottom, displaying her proud chiseled body from intense forging. She had short black hair and a curved pair of goat-like horns.
"Relax Kutera, it's just a formality before we send out Hissrad and Adaar. The Guides wanted to make sure that when questions are asked we can at least answer some." The City Lord calmly responded.
He was actually one of the rarer hornless, with bronze-like skin, smaller frame than average, long red hair braided tightly, and a pleasant enough appearance. He wore loose black robes with golden dragon symbols do show his position.
The City Lord was mainly a bureaucratic position and this younger Qunari was exceptionally good at it. He was quite respected thanks to his numerous contributions.
"Piss off Alri." Was the brusque response.
"Now, now Kutera. No need to be so mean to your husband~." Teased the female Guide.
"He likes it mean." Was Kutera's reply as she had a wild smirk on her face.
"Ha! I knew the pansy was lying about rutting you sideways!" The War Lord barked with great amusement.
He was a very large man, even larger than normal Qunari standards, with short white hair, a long braided white beard, body packed with bulging muscles, and was only sporting pants because he wasn't allowed his armor nor weapons in the temple.
"*Sigh* Lets get back on topic shall we?" The male guide finally said as the glaring Kutera temporarily moved on from her husband and the War Lord quieted down. "Basically each Great Race will send their two current Chosen to the gods. Us Guides have been given a different task, which will be revealed later. During this time there are to be no hostilities and the gods have promised that no harm shall come to the Chosen."
"Bah. I'd be more worried about Hissrad and Adaar hurting others." The War Lord responded as he felt quite confident. "Well, if Hissrad wasn't surprisingly good at using his head and Adaar being quite the Lord material for the Dragon, Temple and War sectors herself."
"Regardless, Kutera please ready their arms as a priority order and War Lord Jaraas, have an escort ready even if just for appearances sake." City Lord Alri said to those present.
"You will have two dragons beside Adaar's." The generally quiet Dragon Lord said.
He smaller than only the War Lord in this chamber, with a bald head showing some burn marks, large black horns, muscled body concealed under dragon leather gear to protect himself from the unruly dragons he manages.
"That would be appreciated Dragon Lord Bastan." Alri responded gratefully.
"That's that then. Send me their stuff. If it's crap I'll give them something better." Kutera said with her grumpy expression before leaving. "Not letting them meet the gods with shit work."
All those present hadn't really needed to meet in person for this and they all knew what had to be done after hearing the words of the gods anyway, so they didn't really care about Kutera's departure and the abrupt end to the meeting. Even the Guides were already more than used to the way Qunari functioned, so they were happy with everything going as they were requested.
"Good luck handling that spitfire tonight! Bwahahaha!" The War Lord teased the City Lord as he left as well.
"You're the one who got me in trouble you bastard!" The poor City Lord yelled back.
"Teehee~. You know, if you got her favorites ready by the time she's done you could substantially reduce your troubles." The female Guide suggested.
"Thank you Lady Tiss!!" The man cried out as he rushed to do just that.
"I shall take my leave to make sure Chosen Adaar has not tried to escape to the gods already." The Temple Lord said with a bow to the Guides before being on her way.
The Dragon Lord soon followed in silence.
-Vytal, Religious Capital of the Faunus Kingdoms
Now, unlike the Asari and Qunari leaderships, the Faunus Kingdoms were much more divided.
In fact, they were the closest to humans in terms of cultural development, just with slight shifts based on certain types of animalistic features and the magical and technological advances the gods helped them achieve. For example the aquatic mammal, reptilian and the fish Faunus developed their own major Kingdom and developed underwater cities, like the avian Faunus created their own home within floating islands. But as a result they are also the ones most frequently starting conflicts.
It's a good thing the gods have actually made sure to closely manage them or things might have devolved into true, all-out, wars, usually sending mediators or alternative solutions to at least keep everyone from becoming hostile against one another.
The gods did not truly mind war or conflict, as is evident by the goddess of war and strategy, Altera. The goddess of warriors, wisdom and fate, Scáthach. The goddess of the sword, loyalty and dedication, Musashi. And the goddess of battles, command and sky, Diana.
What they didn't like was the suffering of the innocent caught up in the wars. The cycles of hatred which wars create. How the greedy and cruel use war to their advantage and lengthen the suffering of others while causing more and more deaths. That is when the goddesses Medusa and Jeanne come out to play, punishing those who harm the innocent.
So the four Faunus Kingdoms, Mistral, Menagerie, Vacuo and Vale, have done their best to at least keep things as constructive as possible between themselves.
The religious capital of Vytal was actually one of the only things all four major Faunus Kingdoms shared. It was their neutral ground and the one place no one would attack.
It was the holiest place for all Faunus. Their birthplace according to their scriptures and all other evidence.
Said cathedral was quite beautiful, in a different way that from Asari architecture, with grand arches and stained glass of deities. And in front stood the Earth Mother's statue, meticulously crafted to show her splendeur. The statue displayed the motherly body of the goddess, with large, perfectly shaped breasts, wide, child-bearing hips, and welcoming body which was ready to sooth her children's woes, only covered by a light white dress barely covering her natural state. It was also painted exquisitely to show her tanned, reddish skin, long, loosely braided black hair, and warm, leaf green eyes. She was named the representation of a 'mother' and 'woman' by many.
The spot where their cathedral stood, was where the second largest Mother Tree on the planet was, only after the home of the Guides. Its giant self only minutely obstructed from view at its base were the building was.
This was where the Great Goddess of Earth and life, Eywa, gave birth to their people alongside the Creator God, Azaroth, based on their apparences but also given various advantages to help them thrive in the world better.
They might not have the great bodily or spiritual abilities of the Qunari nor magical and mental abilities of the Asari, but the Faunus made up for it through their substantially higher numbers, their drive and potential. Of course very few ever reach their true potential, but they all have it.
But today wasn't exactly a day to discuss theology nor racial advantages. It was a discussion regarding the fact that no one would be permitted to act until their Chosen, the largest trump cards for any race, returned safely.
Chosen were named that for a reason after all. And each was blessed by the gods and held incredible potential and talent. Currently, Vale and Menagerie held the two Faunus Chosen, giving them an advantage over the other two for this generation, but both were quite young and still needed much growth.
And to discuss the summoning of the gods, the four kings and two chosen gathered at the Vytal Cathedral to speak with the true Guides of the Faunus. The pair in each of their kingdoms were the subordinates of the one truly assigned to the Faunus as a whole, hence these two knew much more about the situation.
So at the center of the Cathedral, where the great roots of the Mother Tree met the earth, there stood the two Guides of the Faunus along with the Head Priest of the Eywan church.
The first Guide was a male with a calm disposition, handsome face, long pale green hair, pointed ears and sported a plant made toga.
Beside him was a younger female Guide with short dark green hair, an adorably innocent vibe, and was wearing a leafy dress.
And accompanying them was the Head Priest, a wrinkly old turtle Faunus who had been part of the Church for over a century. He was wearing a gilded red robe symbolizing the nourishing red Earth of the Mother Goddess Eywa, with a purple shoulder covering to represent her Husband, Creator God Azaroth, and held a simple wooden staff crafted by the gods from the first Mother Tree.
"Welcome Kings of Faunus kind. It is good to see that current events have not muddled your faith and reason." The male Guide said peacefully.
"Hmph. Although I don't like it, this is more important than teaching that pompous ass a lesson." The Lion King of the Vacuo replied as he point to the Snow Bear King of Menagerie.
The Lion King was tall and very well muscled. He had tanned skin, a golden mane of hair with two lion ears, wore a set of light and loose white robes and had a lion's tail.
"You just don't like that my daughter became the chosen Saint and that we won the last tournament." The Snow Bear King replied with a teasing grin.
The Snow Bear King was actually the largest of those present. His physique let him stand over many. He also had short white hair with bear ears, a rough face sporting a well groomed beard, and had a set of warm white coats on.
"Father…" Said Saint and princess exasperatedly complained at her father butting heads with another king again.
She was much smaller than her father, with a slim physique she inherited from her mother, a white tiger Faunus, but she had her father's pure white hair kept long and in a ponytail, and had a stripped white tiger tail hanging from under her pale blue battle skirt.
"Hey Weiss! How have been!" A red blur shouted excitedly before hugging said Saint.
Said blur was the Chosen Warrior. A young, excitable and cute girl with near black red hair which lighted at the tips, a pair of clear and pure silver eyes, wore a frilly red and black skirt with black leggings and combat boots, but her two most notable features were her red hooded cloak and the pair of red wings hidden under it from her evolved heritage of a Phoenix.
Weiss was also an evolved Faunus, as we every Faunus Chosen, being a Byako Faunus.
"Hello Ruby." Weiss replied with a small smile she couldn't suppress in her adorable junior's presence. "I have been well."
"That's great! I saw your match against that shadow cat Faunus from Vacuo the other day! It was awesome! You were like *Swish Swish* *Slash* Deflect, and then *Swah*! Winning like you were the goddess Scáthach!" Ruby excitedly narrated with exaggerated gestures, much to Weiss' amusement.
"Thank you for the praise Ruby. But I am nowhere near the skill and grace of said goddess. I can only hope to emulate her and hopefully be worthy of her continued patronage." Weiss calmly replied as she fondly patted the girl in front of her.
"Ruby, I think that's enough for now. You can talk with Saint Schnee during your journey to the Home of the Gods." Interrupted the tired looking Crow King.
"Sorry uncle Qrow!" Ruby replied. "Talk to you later Weiss!"
The energetic girl quickly returned to her uncle's side.
Said uncle, the Crow King, was the ruler of Mistral. He was a slim man with short, spiky black hair, black eyes, light stubble, a pair of black feathered wings on his back, and sported dark grey robes with his Kingdom's heraldry.
"Now that greetings have been exchanged, we shall begin with your questions." The male Guide said.
"Right, so the gods just want to see the Chosen or is something big happening?" The Lion King asked first.
"From what I have been informed of, there are two major goals: a few important pieces of news and a journey to widen their minds.
What the news is and what the gods mean regarding the goal of the journey are a mystery to us, and our people have a different task at hand regardless." The Guide smoothly answered.
"So we just have to make sure the two get there?" The Crow King asked for clarification.
"Yup!" The younger female Guide answered with a smile.
"Then I'm sending my army. No way my little girl is traveling all that way on her own." The Snow Bear King declared.
"Father!" An embarrassed and outraged at those words.
"Stop being so stupid." The Lion King told the larger man. "Just send an honor guard so the Asari and Qunari won't take it badly, just like they'd do."
"Why you!" The Bear King growled.
"Enough of that!" Weiss declared as she grasped her fathers ear and brought him down into submission.
"Ow ow ow!" The now pleading Bear King cried out from his daughter's iron fingers.
She might be smaller, but her status as an evolved Faunus more than made up for it. Not like the Bear King would resist his daughter anyway. He cares for her too much.
"Let's just ignore the fool." The Killer Whale King said as he spoke for the first time. "We each send a few elites who don't dislike each other and make sure to not keep the gods waiting too much."
He was surprisingly small for a whale type Faunus, but looks could be deceiving at times.
The king had a body made for swimming and fighting, white black and white shoulder length hair, wearing a dark blue, skin tight outfit fit for water or land, and had a large tail displaying his status as a Killer Whale.
"Sounds good to me." The tired looking Crow King replied with a nod. "I'll send my other niece along to make sure Ruby doesn't fly off on her own."
"Booooo~." Ruby exclaimed in protest before being dragged away by her uncle to get ready.
She was putting up some token struggles, but that was mostly to display her not liking the fact that she was going to be babysat during the trip instead of getting to enjoy it her way.
"An apt suggestion. If that is all, we shall adjourn our little gathering." The male Guide said as the other Kings nodded in acceptance.
As long as they knew what was generally going on they were fine with such a quick meeting. It wasn't like it was exactly difficult to come and go thanks to teleportation magic and the portals available throughout the world. This meeting was mostly to clear some doubts and to see what actions they would take to ensure the Chosen reached the gods safely.
So with everything decided, the Crow King dragged his niece away, the princess Saint dragged her father, and the other two kings simply took their leaves.
"I look forward to the revelations given to us this time." The Church Head said in an aged voice as he looked at the Mother Tree.
"Wasn't the last time something like happened when the Age of New Gods began?" The younger Guide curiously asked as she remembered her lessons.
"Indeed little one." The old turtle Faunus answered as he pat her head.
"We can only wait." The male Guide added as he too looked at the Mother Tree before looking at the sky above.
-Heaven Bearer Mountain (Olympus Mons), Godly plane
Within the great crater at the peak of the mountain lay the home of the gods. A veritable paradise of life with untouchable nature, flowing waters which could breath life in even those on the brink of death, shinning flowers with miraculous effects, divine beasts of the gods peacefully wandering around and magic flowing almost visibly in the air.
At the center was the true dwellings of the gods, where each had an area representing their godhood, a temple, a school, an arena, a workshop, and many other buildings, with a surprisingly homely building at the center, in front of a grand palace constructed from
Godly stones and metals.
Most would think the palace would be the home of the gods, but for all their powers, they preferred to live as a family and maintain close bonds even if they had some conflicts or opposing divinities inside the smaller home.
"Wooooow!! Look at this place! It's so pretty!" Ruby shouted in awe as she shook Weiss.
"I would see it much better if you stopped shaking me!" The princess replied hurriedly.
"*Chuckle* A bit calm, but I'm pretty curious about that arena over there." Hissrad, the Chosen warrior of the Qunari said as he hid the awe in his eyes
He was quite a bit on the larger side of his people, with great amounts of muscles, pale grey skin, strong jaw with black stubble, and a pair of very large horns mildly resembling a bull's. He preferred to not wear much up body armor and wielded a double-headed war axe strapped to his back.
"No need to act so tough mister Iron Bull." The Qunari Saint Adaar, a surprisingly beautiful woman with dark grey skin, bountiful body covered in flattering black pants and a partially opened white dragon leather jacket, with long white braided hair and slightly curved black horns.
"I am tough." Hissrad harrumphed as he crossed his arms.
"It's even prettier than the scriptures." The Asari Saint T'soni exclaimed under her breath.
She was quite young for an Asari, even at 32 there were still traces of baby fat on her blue face. T'soni was wearing a pure white robe over her developing body and held a matching staff holding an azure crystal.
"As wonderful as I remember when Lady Scáthal brought me here." Samara, the Chosen warrior of her people sighed in nostalgia as she sported a tight, red, dragon leather outfit over her cyan skin.
"You've been here before Lady Samara?" T'soni questioned with starry eyes before Ruby joined with even sparklier eyes once she heard that.
"Fufu~. Indeed young ones. Before I was even a fledgling warrior, without any path, Lady Scáthal came to me and brought me here ,with the Father's permission, in order to help me discover it." Samara answered with soft eyes. "It was horrendously difficult training, but also one of self-discovery. It shaped me and made me the woman I am today."
"Heh! Better than the beatings I got from Milith!" Hissrad boisterously responded.
"Ha! So you still remember that lesson from when you were a rambunctious brat!" A youthful voice cheerfully said as the heads of the six chosen spun to find a lithe teenager with long pink twin-tails sitting in the sky above them, shocking them at the sudden appearance of one of the most short tempered goddesses.
"Heh heh. Hey Lady Milith, how are you today?" Hissrad nervously asked as some traumatic memories resurfaced.
"Like you can talk about being rambunctious Flatagator." An enchanting sliver haired woman with blood red eyes responded with smugness in her voice and smirk.
"Whatever fruit bat." Milim scoffed.
"Now girls, were aren't here to fight. Father sent us to greet our guests." A handsome young man with tanned skin and spiky white hair said as stood between the two.
"Lord Kal!" Weiss exclaimed as she blushed and bowed.
"Hello Weiss. I've told you before that there is no need to bow between friends." The god of stars and agriculture gently told her with a smile as he took the blushing young woman's hand to raise her.
"R-right." She shyly avoided the heterochromatic eyes gently looking at her.
"Ho ho hoooo? What do I spy~? Nora is going to love this when I tell her." Ruby teasingly said with a cat-like grin.
"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed in pure embarrassment due to having forgotten about her surroundings once her godly crush showed up.
"*Chuckle* Welcome everyone. As you likely know, I am Kal, first son of Azaroth. I am here to guide you to the meeting." Kal said to those present.
"Lord Kal, what is this about?" T'soni carefully asked out of pure curiosity.
"Well, a few new goddesses have ascended and some of father's long term designs are coming together, which involves all of you." Kal answered before gesturing for everyone to follow.
"New goddesses! Like the last age?" T'soni asked in shock from the revelation.
The rest of the chosen were equally shocked, even if the more experienced ones were able to conceal it well.
The Age of the New Gods brought unprecedented prosperity to their world as the gods shared their knowledge and wisdom, helping them all grow by leaps and bounds. If they once again walked amongst them like before, they may face new golden ages.
"A bit, but not nearly as exaggerated. We will be around a bit more often though." Kal answered, calming the Chosen as they began walking on the hallowed lands.
The younger ones like T'soni and Ruby were quite energetic as they asked many questions from the patient godly prince. Moka, Milim and Weiss were somewhat silently discussing some matters, Hissrad did his best to not catch the attention of the source of his trauma, meanwhile Adaar and Samara enjoyed the beautiful sights around them which was only possibly rivaled by the Basin of Life.
Once they reached the official home of the gods, a new set of questions assaulted their godly guides. The most prominent being:
"Why are the buildings so old fashioned?" Ruby wondered aloud.
It was a valid point. Asari, Qunari and even Faunus cities looked far more advanced, and much of their knowledge was passed down by the gods, so why have they not used it for themselves?
"Ah, that's mostly because we prefer simpler lives when only together. It helps keep us grounded and allows for more intimate relationships as we interact with each more.
We could easily create servants to wait for us, but father prefers to keep it simple. Even Medusa, who is adamant enough, only stayed a servant due to developing a divinity for servitude." Kal answered simply. "Although if you want to see the true level of our knowledge, we could give you a tour of Da Vinci's or Medea's workshops."
"I'm good." Hissrad replied a bit nervously at the latter's mention.
"I would love to see the depths of Lady Medeth and Da Vinth's abilities." Adaar said with a degree of desire.
She was a devout follower of magic and learning, hence of Medeth and Da Vinth, so visiting those workshops would be a dream come true.
"Well I doubt you'd see the depth, but they do love teaching their crafts. Plus Medea has wanted to take in a few students in for quite some time." The star god answered with a smile as he thought of Medea pouting at his father for permission.
Adaar nearly squealed at those words.
"Lord Kal, are the other goddesses also looking for apprentices?" Samara asked with great intensity.
"Most of them are usually quite happy with being able to teach, it's just that father decreed that the world needed some time to develop on its own as to not become wholly dependent on us. We are here to guide and protect you, not decided every aspect of your lives after all." Kal answered rather seriously. "But, father has also said that we would be permitted to accept a small number of students to teach our crafts soon."
"Is Lady Scáthal going to be participating in this?" The Asari almost desperately asked.
It was a little known fact among the Asari that Samara, the most powerful Chosen warrior of the Asari in millennia, was a homeless orphan as a girl. It was only due to the Scáthal's decision to teach the girl personally that she grew to the heights she reached today. As such, to Samara, the goddess is the closest thing to a mother she truly had, and her time amongst the gods has always been part of her fondest memories.
Thus, after so long, over three centuries, she longed to see her again. To talk to her calm and accepting mother figure. To hopefully have made her proud with the life she had lived after leaving.
"I believe she is. Scáthach always welcomes warriors after all." Kal answered knowingly as he remembered the days where the girl was young.
And as everyone talked about the news of a new age, they reached the palace, and walked passed it.
"Um, Lord Kal? Are we not going into the palace?" Weiss shyly asked due to things taking a weird turn.
"Father wanted things to be informal, so everyone is invited to our home to enjoy dinner together." The god revealed.
"Haha! I will be able to brag that I've eaten the food of the gods!" Hissrad celebrated with a hearty laugh.
"If you can take it anyway." Milim commented with a mischievous smile.
"What do you mean Lady Milimal?" T'soni asked curiously.
"Most people who aren't used to the food usually can't handle how delicious it is." Milim casually answered.
"Some people simply lose themselves in the heavenly flavors. Others lose control of their bodies from their senses being overwhelmed. Some have their bodies shut down from deliciousness. And the most embarrassing reaction would be for those who experience such pleasure that they reach orgasm." Moka further explained with a playful look in her eyes.
"That is true. Do be careful with the alcohol as well. It is strong even for gods after all." Kal then added a warning before they entered the large homely building.
The five of the chosen were looking around almost greedily as they tried to take in the home of the gods, the last one looking around nostalgically. But to their surprise, it was a warm and cozy place devoid of immeasurably precious materials or ostentatiousness. Beside the extended space inside, everything was rather normal to them.
They soon came upon the dinning room where the gods where all waiting at a large table, chatting peaceful together about various topic. The six recognized many present, with Samara's eyes tearing up a bit at the sight of Scáthach, while the rest were confused with the shorter woman with long, black twin-tails sitting on the Creator god's lap, while the two Mother Goddesses sat beside him in complete acceptance, and the two fox-like faunus women sitting at the table.
"Hello and welcome to our humble home." Azaroth said as his sparkling green eyes lit up. "Samara, it is a pleasure to have you with us again my dear. I am sure you will have much to speak of to Scáthach."
"Grandpa Az!" Ruby shouted in surprise and happiness as she turned into a hugging rocket.
"Ruby! Hahaha! How have you been dear girl?" The creator god merrily asked the girl as he caught her with one arm, now spinning to energetic girls as the twin-tailed one giggled in amusement.
"Why didn't you tell me you were a god?!" The cute girl asked loudly.
"Haha! Surprise!" Was her answer as the god grinned at her.
"No wonder uncle Qrow could never find you!" Ruby exclaimed at her sudden revelation. "He was really freaked out that someone could always show up and leave without anyone beside me and Yang knowing."
"It was fun messing with that overprotective crow. He needs to learn to relax a bit." The god answered at they shared smiles. "Anyway, Ruby, and everyone, part of why you are here is to introduce a few people.
The first is my first wife, Serafall, goddess of Ice, Love and Happiness."
"Hello everyone~! Nice to meet you all!" The newly revealed goddess cheerfully said before turning to her sharer of lap. "And you, you're so cute! Come here!"
She then brought Ruby to her surprisingly large bosom for her size, making the poor girls flail in search of oxygen.
"Sera, the girl needs to breath." Azaroth commented with an amused smile.
"Oh." She exclaimed as she let the young girl go, making her breath greedily.
"*Pant pant*I this i saw grandma." Ruby commented as she wearily stared at the dangerous breasts.
"Hehe~. Sorry. I was a bit to excited to finally meet you all." The goddess said apologetically.
"*Chuckle* As you see, she is a cheerful person. The other two to be introduced are Yasaka and Tamamo, the new goddesses of the sun and moon, as well as a few other things." The Creator god then introduced as he pointed to the two fox-eared women.
"Fufu~ I am Yasaka, mate of Azaroth, goddess of the Sun, Ki and Culture. A pleasure to met you all." The bodacious blonde politely introduced herself with a graceful bow.
"Hello~! I am her elder sister Tamamo, goddess of the Moon, Curses and Mischief. I hope we can all have a lot of fun in the future~." The brown-eared and pink haired fox woman then said cheerfully.
""It is an honor to meet you Lady Goddesses."" Weiss and T'soni said nearly at the same time.
"Heya!" Ruby cheerfully greeted due to never really fearing the gods because Azaroth had been telling her funny and interesting stories since she was a young girl.
He had said he was interested in how pure and strong her soul was, then started caring for her like his own little niece, but she kept calling him grandpa because he once said he was much older than her dad and uncle, so he started treating her like a granddaughter.
Samara was a bit too preoccupied acting like a little girl with an amused Scáthach who looked at her fondly, while Hissrad was looking a bit nervous around Tamamo who began teasing him because of that. The only different one was Adaar.
"Lord Azaroth, I thought the Earth and Sea Mother Goddesses were your wives, so how is a newly ascended goddesses your first one?" She boldly asked, causing the chosen to freeze and become worried that she may have stepped out of bounds.
"That's pretty easy, but it does go back a long time for you all." Azaroth began explaining patiently as he understood the shocks his wife's arrival would create with established religious beliefs. "You see, long before I ascended and gained enough strength to shape this world alongside Aywa and Tiamat, I married Serafall and served as a lord among our people while she was the chief diplomat. We met during a war, became friends and married out of love."
"You were not born a god?!?" Exclaimed a shocked T'soni.
"No, I wasn't. Neither were most here either. We all grew and obtained various opportunities to reach our current levels. Something each being on this planet technically also has a chance to achieve. In fact, every Chosen in history were those we believed had the highest chances of creating their own divinities in various fields, so we tried to give them a hand." The Creator God answered as this revelation rocked the Chosen again.
"You believe we can reach the realm of Gods?" Weiss quietly repeated in disbelief.
"Of course. And it would be quite gratifying should it happen, but unfortunately it hasn't. This is actually part of why we summoned you all today, but I'll get back on my story first." Was the answer. "Anyway, our people weren't exactly 'good' most of the time so I had my dominion become and independent state while I gathered talented individuals to improve things by my side. This is how the many goddesses around me slowly gathered before they ascended as well.
Eventually we all grew in strength, I then had a journey in which I met Eywa. The original world she had breathed life into had been taken by invaders while she was very weak, then they continually poisoned the world until I saved her and cleansed them. We then reached an agreement to create our own world where we could have all our people thrive freely, thus we began our work here, in shaping what Eywa later named Azarath. Our dream.
Things progressed well was we began shaping the world and breathing life into it, but it was also difficult to do so with only us as we were still much weaker than now. The solution was to bring in help, which came in the form of a goddess who had lost everything, Tiamat. With her, the three of us managed to make much greater progress and true life began blooming on the world.
It was then, that together, we began creating the living beings of this world and finally our greatest creations: the Guides, Faunus, Asari and Qunari.
You all know your histories from there. But as this happened, our world of origin flowed at a much slower pace, hence the ascension of the others took time. But eventually, everyone ascended and began traveling this world we had created to help develop it, to teach our people and bring them ever higher as we once did.
Serafall, Yasaka and Tamamo, had many things to prepare before they could fully ascend, hence why even though the first two are actually my first women, they are the latest to join us."
This pre-history and revelation about the creation of their world and themselves as they knew it was intense for the six present.
Heck, Ruby seemed to have steam coming out of her ears.
"While this may answer some existential questions for many, it isn't something to dwell on too much since it simply does not matters." Eywa gently said to the six, making them focus again.
"Honestly, I wished to have my children simply have full lives they can enjoy. We did not create them to serve 'a purpose', but so they can 'live'." Tiamat added as some less pleasant memories were remembered.
"There was also the fact that many of the gods I have met or am aware of are all flawed in many ways and caused far more 'bad' by intervening too much or by trying to assert their 'dominance' on mortals or other gods. We wanted to do better." Azaroth then said as many things flashed through his deep eyes flashing with wisdom and knowledge the six could not imagine.
"Let's not get too serious, ok~? This was supposed to be a welcome feast and for some fun, not only serious stuff." Serafall said as she caressed her husband's face.
"Right you are. Let's relax our minds and bodies with some food." The Creator god declared as the feast appeared with an enthralling smile along with it, causing the six to instantly focus on the food.
"Haha! That is correct, let us feast and welcome our guests!" Diana and Musashi agreed as the gods began eating without much care for being too 'proper', causing the Chosen to pause a moment before nearby gods gestured for them to eat.
Honestly, as much as this visit has been a series of mind boggling revelations after another, none of the Chosen could even think after taking a bite of the food before them.
Samara managed to recover quickly thanks to her past experiences here and Ruby had received many treats from Azaroth since a young age, resulting in some tolerance and a quicker recovery as well, but the rest either blanked out or their bodies automatically sought out more of the food as their minds couldn't do it.
It took a few hours for all the Chosen to recover. In the meantime Samara was having one of the best days of her life as she simply talked with Scáthach and Ruby was being entertained by her godly grandpa.
"Alright, now that everyone has recovered, for the most part anyway, time to talk about a few things which actually involves the six of you." Azaroth began as they all began paying proper attention. "I have revealed that I was a lord before becoming a god, and that I had my people under me in my original world.
I have also told each of you our hopes for our Chosen, which has remained unfulfilled.
And so, we have decided to begin a long coming plan of mine, to bring the first people who followed me to this world as a new race and to assist in the creation of the first gods born from the life we created."
"You wish for us to become gods!?" The stunned T'soni gaped.
"How could we achieve godhood when all before us failed?" Questioned the more rational Adaar.
"By doing two things, taking a more direct approach in you strength and by taking you on a journey to our original world." Answered Azaroth seriously. "We hope that this place could offer enough stimuli and different opportunities which will allow you to grow further. And once you're ready, we will know and help your divine sparks to ignite into full godhood."
"I'm in." Grunted Hissrad with an excited smirk.
"Me too! Me too! I also want to spend more time with Sera!" Ruby followed up with as high an energy level as ever.
"I shall not fall behind." Weiss declared with rosy cheeks as she took 'subtle' peeks at her godly crush.
"I don't think any would miss such an opportunity." Adaar stated with a confident grin.
"I-if the great Father thinks I can reach godhood, then I will not let him down!" T'soni declared a bit nervously.
"I shall not fail to live up to your expectations." Samara calmly said with great determination.
"Haha! That's good!" The creator god responded looking quite pleased. "Now let's get you started on your lessons."
"Eh?" Ruby said as her energy suddenly dropped. "Did you say lessons grandpa? Like learning?"
"Yup~!" Said godly grandpa playfully answered as he grasped the girl by the back of her clothes a moment before she tried to escape at top speed.
"Nooooooooo!!!! You can't do this to you adorable granddaughter! Please have mercy grandpa Az!" The girl pleaded as she was dragged away by said grandpa.
"Nope~!" The answer came out as the god sported a very amused smile.
"Weiss! Save meeeeeee!" She cried out, only to see her white haired senior in a praying motion.
"May you Rest In Peace." Weiss simply said solemnly.
"You traitor!!" Ruby yelled before disappearing in another room.
"Should we be worried for her?" T'soni hesitantly asked Weiss as the closest person to her.
"Oh don't worry about her. She just can't stand studying and always makes a big fuss when it comes to it." Weiss answered with a flick of her hair. "All she has is her precious scythe and cookies in that head of hers."
"Ok then." The young Asari replied in understanding.
Of course, the remaining ones couldn't imagine that they would also come to dread the level of training offered by the gods they worshipped soon enough.
_______________________________________
EXTRA AUTHOR NOTE:
Well this was something different.
I basically tried to introduce Mars, or as it is known to the locals, Azarath in honor of the Creator God Azaroth.
Give a view of the three major civilizations on the planet by initiating one of Lith's major steps to the planet's growth, the level of strength he can call upon if shit goes monumentally sideways, and to slowly introduce the 'new' races he has created and will introduce into the world.
He does plan to essentially have cross planet trade and travel, so people need to start getting used to the Asari, Qunari and Faunus at one point and they need to experience the cultures of Earth.
Now as for some people who would likely wonder if a giant ass time skip just happened, the answer is no.
Mars was under an accelerated time, and Lith can create Spatio Temporal copies of people, so he used his abilities to have said copies interact with the world to grow as gods and to properly establish Lith's peerage and surrounding goddesses as true gods on Mars/Azarath.
He only involved Serafall, Yasaka and Tamamo once they were ready and he could properly conceal their godhood from the world.
As for the world itself, the city names are just taken from their respective origins for ease and dropped known and loved characters to move things along. T'soni and Samara from Mass Effect, Hissrad (Iron Bull) from Dragon Age, and Weiss and Ruby from RWBY.
The rest is basically how I could imagine their various cultures develop based on their creations and how Lith's pantheon would guide them.
Asari focused more on magic and technology, while caring more about aesthetics due their natural predispositions. Couldn't really be much aside a Matriarchy being an all female race, and I thought them being the most advanced tech and magic wise would be good.
Qunari would focus more on function and manual/physical crafts thanks to their own natural gifts. While I believe their society would be incredibly equalitarian gender wise and race wise as long as one follows their laws in their lands. I also thought having them be the forging masters and making them dragon riders would be pretty cool.
And the Faunus grew the closest to humans in a fantasy/sci-fi world as they developed kingdoms partially based on animalistic features, but were carefully watched to make sure it wouldn't devolve in racism or cycles of hatred. They would be the largest sources of conflict, at times drawing the other two races in.
As for the gods/goddesses mentioned, not everyone could be mentioned or is treated as importantly from one race to another, while the different names were just because the various races have their own languages. There is also different divinities focused on depending on who worships a god. Lith could be seen more as a god of Space/Time by the Asari, Power and Creation, while the Faunus could choose Rule and Wisdom.
Also, did anybody realize I basically gave him divinities for all 5 infinity stones? Creation can kind of equal Reality when mixed with everything else I think. I thought it would fit considering his [Space/Time] abilities, his depth of abilities and knowledge regarding Souls, his role in Creating the world as it is, and his fixation on getting stronger and his Power either physically or magical.
The rest come from his roles as a leader and a few more minor ones should pop up from his Sacred Gear.
As for the mentioned Divinities, these aren't everything linked to everyone, just the major ones thought about when those specific races look at those specific gods.
Anyway, if you guys are still lost, questions can be asked.
Hope you all enjoyed this different kind of chapter, even if it could be a bit repetitive.
