Pity domains don't have doorbells

[the_fires_deep]

Tisvetaia thinks it's a good thing that she doesn't get tired from walking. Or tired at all, really. She has enough trouble getting her bodies everywhere that they need to be, without the trouble of sleep and exhaustion and hunger and thirst becoming an issue. Mortals manage just fine, but that's more because they have no choice in the matter. They get tired, they need food, they need water, they need sleep. They can't tirelessly walk to the edges of the world.

Pity. You meet such interesting people.

Flying or running would be faster. She does, in fact, have several bird manifestations, flying at top speed everywhere they can reach. If it were a perfect world, she could aim for perfect efficiency, throw all of her energy into being birds, send them out in every direction she could manage. Lengthen the lives of every mortal she could touch, tell death to sit down and shut up, never have that issue that gods have where all of their peers want to kill them and all of their charges die far too soon. But it is not a perfect world, and doing that would probably get her killed. Worse, she suspects she'd become like some of her neighbors - so self absorbed in her chosen mission that she'd forget the important factor. Mortals. So, she is somewhat inefficient.

If a god practices, they can sound like a mortal. If a god practices, they can feign all of the little problems that come with being mortal. If a god practices, they can fool others into thinking they too are mortals. Another god could sense her in an instant, but mortals have no such ability. So, if she's careful, she can walk among towns and see what they're actually like. What problems they actually face, what sorts of solutions solve them, what their honest opinions are, what they want when they're not cowering before her and shoving a mountain of offerings at her.

This is usually how she spends time with this body, but sometimes she sends it off to do odd jobs.

In this case, the odd job is: go introduce yourself to one of your divine neighbors. She knows barely anything more than his name - Zenikiel. She dislikes knowing barely anything about her divine neighbors. It's time to go fix that.

Comments

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Zenekiel's domain is rumored to consist of a series of plateaus with a few steep cliffs leading to river valleys. He is supposedly a god of trade, craftsmenship, and industry. Mortals she asks along the way describe Zenikiel as a practical god. They say that he's not exactly friendly, but he only smites thieves, violent criminals, and those who are extremely wasteful or negligent. Apparently his favorite offerings are tools, useful materials like wood or iron, and clever puzzles.

[the_fires_deep]

Interesting.

Trade, craftsmanship and industry are all good things, if done well. She can work with practical but neutral, she thinks. And if she can't, she can politely extract herself from the situation, and it's better to know that there is a problem now instead of having an acolyte show up on her doorstep talking about how she will rue the day she began. At least it sounds like she won't lose her manifestation if she goes to say hello.

Just walking right into his domain seems very rude, when she's a goddess and not an acolyte, so she doesn't. She stops at the edge, where his voice could carry to her if he talked.

"Hello," she calls.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Zenikiel's voice rings out. "Hello. Who might you be?"

[the_fires_deep]

"Tisvetaia, I'm a preservation goddess. Here to say hello."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Hello." He sounds faintly amused. "I approve of preservation in general, good work lasts, as do good tools. Do you say hello to all foreign gods?"

[the_fires_deep]

"When it seems like I might get blasted by a god's acolyte, I take the hint and stay far away," she replies, dry. "But typically, yes, I try to. I'm also perfectly happy to leave, if you'd like."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I hesitate to let other gods and foreign acolytes pass through my domain freely. It is better to screen them away before they make trouble, instead of after. But if you have sense I see no problem with it. Would you tell me a little about what you do before I make such a sweeping invitation?"

[the_fires_deep]

"With my power I can preserve things I touch for a certain span of time. Keeping it from decaying from the state it is in when I touched it. Mostly my focus has been on mortals - I can keep them from dying of old age indefinitely, if I touch them once every ten years. I can do the same with animals and some materials, too, but with materials it's less useful."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"If you pass through my domain, do not break anything. I doubt you would have, but it must be said. Please preserve any temples or shrines you visit. If you would like something built or a useful tool in return, I will grant a reasonable request."

[the_fires_deep]

"I swear not to break anything but in self defense or defense of another's life while in your domain, and agree to preserve any temples and shrines I come across. Thank you for your reasonableness and implied hospitality." She smiles a bit. "May I enter?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"You may. It will be interesting to host a polite goddess, for once."

[the_fires_deep]

"I will try to leave a good impression." Into the domain she goes. "Did you previously host rude deities?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Yes. In particular, a certain god of celebration who I thought would enjoy the food produced here damaged the workplaces of some of my worshipers, then tried to send an acolyte to destroy one of my temples when I removed him from my domain. I have hope you will not follow a similar course of action."

[the_fires_deep]

"That is not at all the sort of thing I would ever do," she snorts.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"And I am glad for it. Please enjoy your visit. If you meet peaceful people elsewhere who might like to trade for the things my worshipers produce, I would appreciate it if you told them where to find my domain."

[the_fires_deep]

She nods. "Thank you. I will steer them your way."

Hmm, to offer to immortalize his followers or to not offer? Choices, choices.

"... I similarly try to preserve all mortals I can. I see no reason as to why they can't also be yours. Barring unfriendliness or the mortal not consenting."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"If the mortal in question consents to it, I see no problem."

[the_fires_deep]

The goddess smiles warmly.

(Victory.)

That seems to be the end of that conversation. Is that the end of that conversation?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

It is.

[the_fires_deep]

Fine by her.



She was using her goddess voice when talking to Zenikiel, but forces herself back to a mortal voice when a guest in his domain. The only time she'd start loudly announcing herself while in another god's domain the way other gods tend to is when she's actively trying to kill them. She is not actively trying to kill Zenikiel. She pretends to be a mortal. She is very good at it.

She's curious and inquisitive and intelligent, and she carefully preserves the first shrine she comes to. And then the second. And then the next temple she comes across. And while she does that, she talks to people, and she explores, and she tries to see what his domain's like.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Most mortals live near the river valleys, at the top of the cliffs, or in houses carved out of the sides. The bottom of the valleys is the most fertile and water-rich land, but there is only so much of it, so it is almost entirely given over to farming. The roads are constructed with stone, as are the signs, and both are well-maintained.

There are lots of cleverly applied ways to move people and things up and down. Apart from stairs, one of the most common seems to be pairing things going down with an equal weight of things going up, but there are also constructions where animals turn a giant wheel that somehow pulls water from the river to the top of the cliffs.

The towns she visits all have lively market squares, and each town has at least one or two unique offerings. The first has very fine sandals, the second offers an array of spices, and so on. Most goods there are durable and well-crafted, favoring practicality over decoration. The most common boasts and insults are about the quality of one's work. Metal items seem to be especially popular offerings, and among food, meat is the favored offering.

The plateaus are not completely devoid of resources, though. She passes several mines, quarries, and clay pits. There is vegetation and wildlife there as well, just not as rich as in the valleys. Zenikiel seems to be watching her, occasionally making comments such as, "I'm especially proud of the clever crane they used to build that windmill." But he doesn't reveal her to the mortals.

[the_fires_deep]

Tisvetaia would be shocked and somewhat appalled if he wasn't watching her. If a strange god or goddess came to visit, she'd watch them like a hawk. She isn't bothered by him doing the same.

Plus, it gives her the chance to ask questions. Which she does.

Then she goes and preserves the items she asked about. Some of the things she can sneakily preserve by subterfuge and 'accidentally' brushing over key components with a finger. Some of the things... Not so much. It's not as if skilled craftsmen are going to let random foreign women poke their delicate constructions. The first time this happens, she considers her options.

She goes away where mortals can't hear her, then asks, "Do you mind if I reveal myself as a goddess in your domain in the interests of preserving that lovely elevator?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Silence for a long time, almost five minutes. Finally, "As long as you make it clear that you are just a visitor here, and not necessarily my ally, you may reveal yourself to individuals or small groups. I ask that you not create unnecessary spectacle."

[the_fires_deep]

"Agreed. To both parts."

She returns to the elevator, finds the person manning the elevator, and asks in her mortal voice, "May I speak with you, please?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Sure thing! We charge by weight or by floor area, whichever one ends up higher."