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

[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."

[the_fires_deep]

The goddess looks amused. "That's good to know, but not quite the topic I had in mind." She coughs, and then continues in her goddess voice. "I'm a preservation goddess visiting Zenikiel's domain. My power lets me preserve things for a longer period of time by touching them. I like your elevator and think it's worth preserving. May I?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Er..." He looks suddenly nervous. "You're a preservation goddess. I apologize for my hesitation. We lost an elevator to an earthquake goddess a while ago, she didn't like how much mining we do here. I will gratefully accept your gift of preservation. Would you mind telling me where your domain is? If I ever visit there, I will be sure to leave an offering."

[the_fires_deep]

"No apology necessary, I understand why you would be hesitant. My domain is far to the south - past Cartalomir's domain, if you know of him. No offerings necessary, but thank you for the thought." She goes and pokes the various elevator bits to be preserved. Poke poke poke poke. "I can also preserve you, if you like. This effectively gives you an extra ten years of healthy life."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I would be grateful for that as well."

Zenikiel whispers in her ear, "Tisvetaia, you are possibly the most selfless diety I have ever heard of. I find the attitude strange."

[the_fires_deep]

"Certainly." Poke! "Have a lovely day."

She waves an informal goodbye, and walks off to where there are no mortals to reply to Zenikiel.

"I'm not actually selfless," she says. "I am comfortable. You're not one of my closer neighbors, so helping you and your followers out doesn't create more competition for myself. I am already busy dealing with a decay god near my borders, picking a fight with another god would likely get me killed. I have every reason to foster good relations with you and your followers, because from what I've seen you are reasonable and practical, and often those are traits our peers lack. I can possibly import some of the things your followers make to my domain, and improve the quality of life there, something I always work for. It's a good idea for me to be here in the first place, because I hate being blindsided and therefore would like to learn about you and what you're like. And since I'm already here, why shouldn't I help mortals? I am efficient."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I suppose you are. Would you mind if one of my manifestations visited your domain? I am rather insular, but I don't like the sound of a powerful decay god and I want to learn more about your conflict with him in case he might threaten me some day. My offer to create tools for you or build something useful in your domain or elsewhere still stands, these things are the focus of my powers."

[the_fires_deep]

"You may visit my domain, provided that you do not cause trouble or break things. I don't believe you would, but it needed to be said. I'll likely take you up on the tools or useful item, but I believe I need to get a better idea of what you're capable of before I decide on something to ask for.

"I don't think you need to worry about the decay god," because she is going to kill him, "he isn't the type to bother other gods. His strategy was to aim for mortals that had no divine protection, and frighten them into submission. It's clever, but nasty."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I have a particular creation I would invite you to see. I had hoped my followers would find it a useful example, but it seems to be too difficult for them to build and maintain without excessive assistance from me. Flight is an attractive opportunity for trade, but birds must exert great effort to stay aloft. Trying to solve this problem, I created a flying ship. Unfortunately, my powers cannot easily affect weather and the ship cannot safely leave my domain. If you want to see it, visit the temple in the crossroads town two days' walk to the north from here."

[the_fires_deep]

"A flying ship? ... Interesting. I would love to see it."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

He gives more detailed directions to the correct temple, then turns the bulk of his attention elsewhere.

[the_fires_deep]

And Tisvetaia follows the directions to the temple. On her way there, she preserves all interesting machinery and tools she comes across, and reveals herself as a goddess several times in the process. Somehow she mysteriously forgets to tell the mortals her name. But she does not forget to offer to preserve them, and in some cases, their close family as well. Then when she reaches the temple, she preserves that, too.

Now, where is this flying ship?

[rockeye_stonetoe]

The flying ship is floating in midair on the edge of town, tied by thick ropes to a stone pillar taller than four or five houses stacked on top of each other. There is a sort of crane on the front end of the ship, which two of Zenikiel's acolytes are using to load bundles of some sort of cargo up into the ship.

A manifestation of Zenikiel enters the temple and greets her when she is done preserving it. The manifestation is, perhaps, smaller than she would have expected. It doesn't quite look like a child, but it does look like a very short man wearing a leather apron, thick boots, and a toolbelt. "How would you like to take a trip in world's first (as far as I know) flying ship? The ship is on a schedule, though - I have an arrangement with a nearby mountain god to help our mortals trade crafts back and forth."

[the_fires_deep]

"I would love to," says Tisvetaia, smiling. "What's the schedule?"

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"It's on a nine day cycle. It spends six days visiting two mountain towns in his domain before returning here, and then it waits for three days while undergoing maintenance and repairs."

[the_fires_deep]

"That's not too bad. Will the mountain god be offended at a goddess showing up on a flying ship?"