Side Story - Ferio 1: Trouble Brewing

 AN: Imma sip my Brew.

The Goddess of Life and Light looked down at the magical projection in front of her. It shifted between worlds where she had influence, highlighting the areas she held the most control over.

Her mother's reemergence had shaken more than just Verenier. That was especially true for worlds that had only followed the Gods recently – forcibly – removed from the Pantheon. Most of them had instantly plummeted down into dark ages their people did not understand, leaving them open for other deities to grab.

She had of course taken advantage of that as well, quickly taking over the most advanced and populous worlds of Vigil and Inanis. The depravity of the mortals on those worlds had been shocking, even when she should have expected it.

Ferio had known Vigil and Inanis for most of her life, and they had always been wicked. That Aperio had even made them deities in the first place was still something she did not understand. But that goes for most of them…

A sigh escaped her as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Why did she let this happen? She could not believe that the Repens Nabu had managed to actually kill Aperio on their own. Her mother had fought stronger Gods than them before, and had had little trouble dealing with them. As she should. Having made all there is, none should have even come close to matching her abilities.

And yet she feels stronger than before… The Goddess of Life and Light shook her head and focused back on the projection in front of her, moving a few markers — each representing an army of her followers — to a different realm.

Another mental message from her mother arrived and was promptly ignored. Aperio had seemingly put them on a timer, the regularity with which they came almost leading Ferio to believe she had remembered how to build more of her overly complex machines. But I would have felt that.

Every time Aperio regained some of her memories, the entire Pantheon could feel it. Reality itself seemed almost… pleased at the prospect of the All-Mother remembering who she was.

In a way, it made sense. Aperio was everything, or at least connected to it. Her mother had explained to her once, how reality was nothing more than an intricately woven net of her mana. Ferio knew there was more to it than that, but she did not truly care to know how her mother had made the world. Or understand it.

With a sigh, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, a gesture of her hand opening the door to let Diana in. "Yes?" she asked, not looking up from the map.

The woman hesitated for a moment before she closed the small distance that separated the two of them. "We have received multiple reports that your mother's temple has appeared above Ebenlowe," she said. "Ediscio and Mayeia have already announced that they will visit her."

Ferio turned around at the words, raising an eyebrow. "Did she really? She made an entire dimension to store the thing and all its variants in. I'd thought that it could not exist in the mortal realm." But then, she is somehow stronger than before… I should ask her how that even works.

With the beginnings of a headache forming, the Goddess of Life and Light pinched the bridge of her nose and summoned to glasses filled with a golden liquid. Wordlessly she offered one to her priestess, who took it after a moment of hesitation.

"We have known each other for a decade, Diana," Ferio said, taking a sip of her din'sa. "I know you like what they make in Din, no need to be shy."

The reason for the Human's hesitation was that the beverage in question was usually prohibitively expensive. Dwarves made good things, but usually you had to pay an arm and a leg to get it — a fact many attributed to their small size and a desire to close the gap.

"Thank you, my Lady," Diana said after a moment, taking a seat at the otherwise empty table. She took a sip as she closed her eyes, tasting the drink in content silence.

Ferio smiled slightly as she directed her attention back to the map. Diana was her [High Priestess] for a reason, but she always put work first, something the Goddess of Life and Light could not let happen in good conscience.

She wanted people to enjoy life; live it to its fullest. Something Diana always seemed to need a little encouragement to do. The woman was overly protective, a trait Ferio found both endearing and worrisome.

On the one hand, Diana could not protect her from anything that could actually harm her. She would only hurt herself trying. But on the other hand, it showed that the mortal cared, something that was not really a given.

Most people that worshipped her did not really care. Not about her, anyway. For most, Gods and Goddesses were an abstract concept, having never seen them or even felt their influence. That was especially true on newer worlds where the mana was so thin that the divines could not even manifest. Or even contact someone.

"Have there been any more arrivals from the newer worlds?" Ferio asked, a touch of her magic changing the projection over the desk to display a large list of names. "The last one I know of picked Mayeia, but with mother's return, things are bound to escalate."

"If there were any, the other Emissaries did not want to share that information with me," Diana said, holding the half empty glass of din'sa in her hands. "Perhaps you should ask the All-Mother herself?"

Ferio sighed at the question. It might be irrational, but she was furious at herself at the anger she felt at Aperio's inaction and seeming unwillingness to even try to help herself. She was in no way ready to talk to her mother again.

At least that Elf seems to help her. She was not particularly fond of the fact that a mere mortal was helping Aperio, but it was as clear as day that there was more at play between the two. Ferio might not approve of it, but neither would she interfere. Aperio had let her be with who she wanted, and not extending the same freedom would be wrong.

"Probably," Ferio sighed. "I had just thought there would be more. Mother's presence is usually destabilising." Maybe the increase in observable power was to stop that from happening?

With a slight shake of her head, the Goddess of Life and Light brought the map of her realms back up. The death of Vigil and Inanis had been surprisingly good for her, but even better for Epemirial.

The Goddess of Duty and Loss had taken over multiple worlds that had been entirely devoted to Vigil or Inanis before their demise, increasing her power beyond most others of the Pantheon.

Ferio herself was, thanks to her heritage, not as dependent on followers as the others, but it still did not sit well with her that one of the Elder Gods had amassed so much more power than the rest. Not that I can do much about it… Or am different.

She would be a fool to not use the opportunity her mother's actions had created; gaining followers was still important. A thought caused a few more markers to appear — a few more mortals committed to a battle in her name. Someday I will have to explain all of this to mother…

That was one of the main reasons she had been avoiding contact lately. Explaining the 'war' that had been going on between the divines would most assuredly cause her to strip all of them from their status, consequences be damned. Maybe even me.

Ferio might not trick the mortals following her to go into battle — she was very clear about where they would go and what would happen — but she doubted Aperio would approve of the practice now. That she had specifically added a part to the System that governed the [War in Heaven] likely did not matter to her anymore. If anything, it would make her angry at herself for allowing something like it to exist.

She finished the remainder of her drink in a single swig. It would not do anything to her, mortal spirits far too weak to affect her divine constitution, but she still liked din'sa — even if she only got it to share with Diana.

A wave of her hand dismissed the projection and ignited the candles on the chandelier that hung high above the large wooden table. The blue light of the System's magic was quickly replaced by the comforting glow of the small suns that burned atop her waxen followers.

"Will you ever take a [Veilwalker] as a patron?" Diana asked, cradling her glass as she took careful sips of the dwindling remainder of din'sa every now and then. "I want to meet one. Hear of their worlds."

"We don't pick them," the Goddess of Life and Light replied. "We make an offer and they choose. The only time we 'get to pick' is when someone walks the Veil not by the System's bidding, but by accident. And even then, the mortals are usually not inclined to work with us so they end up dead one way or another."

"They kill them?" Diana asked, her voice raising a few octaves in pitch. "How?"

"Usually they fall victim to a monster or starve before they reach a city," Ferio replied. "If they do not and are still not desired by the pantheon, an assassin is usually sent. Killing a [Veilwalker] is harder than it sounds, however. If they make it out of wherever they appeared, the System has usually given them something that enabled them to do so."

She paused to take a swig of her magically refilled glass, the pink-ish liquid within actually burning slightly as it went down her throat. It had been called many names through the ages, but the name that had stuck was simply 'Brew'. Named after the God that invented it, and still made it to this day.

"Those who walk the Veil are not afforded the same protections as a mortal that stays on their own world," Ferio continued after the pleasant tingle of Brew had spread through her body. "Usually I would have waited a while longer to explain this to you, but you have shown yourself to be worthy."

"Thank you," Diana said quietly. She had only held the position as [High Priestess] for a little over a decade now, and at just past forty she was the youngest one Ferio had chosen for the job. "I am honoured."

The Goddess of Life and Light shook her head at the words. "It is more of a burden than an honour.

"But," she continued, taking another sip of Brew and shifting in her chair that now sported some cushions. "It is important to know nonetheless.

"It might not seem like it, but the Pantheon used to follow a few basic rules that mother set forth and used the System to enforce. One of those rules was the treatment of mortals by the Pantheon."

A small expenditure of mana caused an overly decorated, gold and silver System window to appear in front of Diana, displaying the rules the Pantheon had to follow. "You will notice that it says that Gods and Goddess are not allowed to kill — or be responsible for — the death of unaffiliated mortals.

"You probably also ask yourself how that can be a rule if non-believers are often killed on Verenier," she continued after a moment of silence so her priestess could read. "The simple answer is that Verenier is excluded from these rules and is a special place for the Pantheon, which is why everyone wants to hold it." Not that they can take it from mother's grasp now.

Historically, Aperio had only ever held one world. Verenier. During her lengthy absence, nobody in the Pantheon managed to figure out why, or at least if they did they were unwilling to share. Roots should know, but the tree cared little for the other divines, always telling them that he was an Administrator and not a God.

Others of the Pantheon were welcome to visit her world, even bring their people, but they had to adhere to her rules. Some had violated them and killed Chellien, something that still stung Ferio even if it had happened eons ago. They were dead now, of course, their very souls crushed by the All-Mother.

"What makes it special?" Diana asked, slowly reaching towards the bottle of din'sa Ferio had placed on the table. "It is my home, and I would very much like to know why the divines are fighting for it."

"It is that mother held it and actively defended it," Ferio replied, holding up her hand to stop any questions. "No, she did not tell me why. All I know is that she likes this world while she doesn't care about others."

"Another question then, if I may?" The Goddess of Life and Light motioned for her priestess to continue, finishing the last of her Brew before refilling the glass. "What did you mean by 'unaffiliated mortal'?"

"Any mortal not actively joining the army of a divine," Ferio replied. "Not something that happens on Verenier. And not something you will be able to talk about either, but" —a wave of her hand brought the System's projection back up— "it is commonplace on other worlds. Mortals rally to our cause and we lead them to battle so we may take the world from another God.

"We also used to take over new worlds," she continued, the projection above the table shifting between the ones she controlled. "But that stopped when mother disappeared. Without her, there was no way for magic to develop in the new worlds — no way for the Pantheon to bring their messengers."

Diana stared blankly at her Goddess for a few moments, her mouth opening and closing as she failed to voice her thoughts. Ferio merely sighed, sagging deeper into her chair.

"It used to be less violent. Diskrye managed the worlds and distributed them to the members of the Pantheon," Ferio said after a moment of silence. "If a dispute arose that could not be settled with words, it would make a new realm for a fight between the involved parties. But that also stopped when mother disappeared. Either Diskrye lost interest in the matter, or it was no longer able to."

The Goddess of Life and Light sighed. Just thinking about all the death gave her a headache. The way things were conflicting with her Domain practically forced her to try and stop it. With a wave of her hand, the projection disappeared and she stood up.

"But if I tell mother of this, it would only get worse," Ferio mumbled to herself, motioning for Diana to follow her as she moved towards the large doors that led deeper into her temple. "Come, it is time to perform your rites."