They Are Awake

They Are Awake:

A request by HeliosMegistos. Not an intentional adaptation of Theocracy Empires of Abomination (HeliosMegistos made up the scenario under his own power) but will inevitably have influences from it. WARNING! Will include interpretations of ancient deities that are being specifically altered to accommodate the premise.

In this world the Third Crusade goes a little differently. Richard III deciding to attack Egypt in order to isolate Saladin from the heartland of his empire, directs his crusade against the Egyptians. The Crusaders cut a swathe of destruction down the Nile but end up engaged by the majority of the Egyptian forces outside Giza. Siege artillery are employed by the Crusaders who are now on the defensive and try to use their engines to demoralise the Egyptians. A stray rock then flies off course, as such weapons often do, and hits the Great Pyramid.

In that instant a great fiery light erupts out from the pyramid and engulfs the surrounding area. Ungodly screams fill the air as the light covers the battling armies and spreads onto the Nile. From there it coalesces into various semi-human forms.

Those who survived the arrival of these creatures heard them announce a great proclamation in every tongue at once that they were the rulers of this land and that they would reclaim it from the false lords and gods that had intruded on their domain. They revealed their identities to all who lived on the river, speaking in whispers that carried on the waters of the Nile. They were the gods of the old kingdom. The pantheon of Egypt. The power of the gods spread up and down the river and then branched out into the surrounding area. People were subjugated as the gods and the myriad creatures of ancient myth and legend emerged from the mysterious and unfathomable realm they had hidden within long ago.

Whilst the news of what had happened in Egypt moved slowly other beings felt the return of the Egyptian Pantheon to the mortal plane much more quickly. Around the world ancient deities that had slept for countless millennia woke up once again and moved to reclaim what they saw as the rightful supremacy. A battle that had been fought in a long forgotten age was resumed.

The myriad deities of the new world battled one another, resurrecting or subjugating the lesser supernatural entities that had also emerged with them. The humans of the lands that they had long ago claimed as their own were broken and enslaved by the gods who saw the mortals as their rightful prizes, tied to the lands that they claimed. In ages past a great battle for supremacy had been fought in the days when mankind crafted with flint and bone and had yet to build cities, having only just discovered agriculture. Their presence, powers and conflicts were ingrained in the psyches of humanity and persisted long after the ancient gods fled away to other realms as their war exhausted them. This war immediately resumed and the advances mankind had already made by this point helped exacerbate this conflict. Every pantheon immediately set about reworking their conquests into what they desired.

By 2014 the world has a semi-stable status quo. Many lesser pantheons have fallen whilst the strongest grow stronger on the souls of their thralls who become ever more numerous.

The Kingdom of Kemet, the kingdom of the Nile and realm of the Egyptian pantheon, is a notable and well regarded power, especially in Northern Africa. Though several deities have been lost in the conflict the majority of the pantheon have survived and continue to rule (or misrule) as they see fit. Kemet is supposedly controlled by a Pharaoh as the Egyptian deities mould the world to maintain the Maat that the pantheon uphold. The Pharaoh is a mortal man but upon his coronation he is infused with the heka of Ra and several other gods. This power then immediately mutates the Pharaoh into a shining humanoid figure of golden sunlight and solar radiation whose thought processes immediately become as alien as those of the gods. The government is then tasked with maintaining the Maat whilst also expanding Kemet so that their rivals may be beaten.

The people of Egypt are all slaves to an oppressive hierarchy that defines your position in society as defined by the Maat. After centuries of this a caste system has developed amongst the people of Egypt. Should they fail to meet the requirements of their role they cast into the desert for Seth who curses them into eternal slavery to him and sets them to work for his own purposes. Vast cities stretch along the bank of the great River Nile that yearly swells with water at a regular rate, feeding the endless rows of farms that border the river and are in turn bordered by the cities. Immense monuments dominate the cityscape, depicting the gods and Pharaohs. These statues are often carved into shapes that strain the eyes of those who view, the alien dimensions of the gods proving harmful to humans even if only a portrait is being shown. The cities are divided into districts that clearly define the station of their inhabitants. The rich, powerful and other favourites of the gods live in beautiful verdant regions where affluence and divine patronage are obvious. Everyone else will inevitably be thrown into more crude apartments where the sturdiness of their dwellings often depends on how good they are at construction.

The gods of Kemet demand supplication and will go to great lengths to remind their people of their power. As the highest in the hierarchy and the embodiments of the Maat, they expect obedience and worship from the people. As embodiments of all factors of nature and existence (with a few exceptions but they don't really matter), they demand sacrifice in return for these natural functions, affecting the weather patterns in order to maintain control over their kingdom. Vast temples the size of cities host the gods and also serve as gateways to the enormous necropolises that often eclipse individual cities of the living in size. Here the sacrifices are mummified alive and then thrown into the mass tombs where they will then die and their souls be devoured by the expectant gods. Each necropolis is personalised with statues, carvings and epitaphs of the appropriate god adorning the monuments of the necropolis he feeds from.

Ra, the living nuclear fusion reaction, framed by great golden horns, who glowers over the entirety of Kemet during the day, is the ruler of the gods and the ultimate king of Kemet. He rules with an iron fist from a shimmering barge that skims over the clouds of the entirety of Kemet at all times. At night his barge disappears and even his fellow gods do not know where he disappears to. All gods are subordinate to him and his travels allow him to constantly enforce his rule, allowing him to reach all ends of the Kemet and remind the other Egyptian gods just exactly who is the true ruler of Kemet.

Osiris rules over life and death and his necropolis reflects that, decorated with desiccated plant-life who’s' white stalks still manage to produce blooms and fruits when the god feeds. To mortals he appears as a giant humanoid covered in mummification bandages. Beneath the crumbling dry bandages is peeling and rotten green skin that is constantly sloughing off only to immediately be regenerated. He is the judge of the pantheon and he decides the righteousness and worthiness of mortals. It is not uncommon, especially in the regions dedicated to him, for people he considers unworthy to die, their souls savagely ripped from their bodies by the image of a great tamarind branch.

Osiris' sister-wife Isis rules over their given regions beside him. Isis' realm constantly blooms, creating an entangled jungle of verdant and savage greenery. Death is not possible in the realm of Isis, only perpetual growth. Plants writhe and crawl over one another as the magic of Isis sustains them, continuing the endless battle for sunlight and water. People in Isis' realm are also incapable of dying and are forced to grow. Only those who have lived too long in her realm and grown into giant, distended masses of squirming flesh are sacrificed to her. People throughout Kemet pray to Isis for help and she lovingly answers them, giving them new life and vigour until they too grow into the bloated figures that afflict her own realm. She appears as a giant female human, crowned by a great golden throne that grows out of her head and also seems to run down her spine and shoulders. Above the throne is great shining globe of writhing fire, framed by twin golden horns, not unlike the image of Ra.

Set is lord of the more arid regions of the Kemet and is enraged by his perceived exile. Set appears as a disgusting amalgam of creatures, with the body of a man, the head of some foul canine beast and and large flat topped horns. Ra often travels his domains the most, constantly beating him down to remind him of his subordinate position. Set's followers are those who have been banished from other regions of Kemet. His followers are desiccated monstrosities, drained of fluid and sent to walk the deserts until Set calls upon them.

Nephthys is forced to reside close to her brother-husband Set. To the mortals of her morbid domain of necrotic architecture, she appears as a tall female humanoid wrapped in funerary bandages, with a horn like spire coming from the crown of her head that is tipped with a bowl like structure. Great feathery wings spread from her back and allow her to soar over her dominion. Like those of her sister Isis, the people of her realm are grey beings that never die. However whilst Isis' people bloat and distend with time the people of Nephthys grow thin and gaunt. Her priests wrap themselves in rotting bandages and stitch headdresses to their scalps that resemble the crown of their goddess.

Thoth may serve Ra but the god of wisdom remains an ever reclusive figure and chose not to claim any regions for himself. Instead he travels the world, hiding himself from sight and observing all around him. He knows and sees all but at the same time finds so many things, especially the truth of other deities, hidden from his sight and understanding. Now his only motive now is learn everything. Occasionally, for reasons unfathomable to all but himself, he will reveal himself to others. He appears as a tall human with pitch black skin and the shrunken head of a bird with a thin distended beak and missing eyes. The empty sockets in his head bore into everything, discerning their secrets so that Thoth may understand. Knowledge does not ensure intelligence and intelligence does not ensure wisdom. Only when one has understanding are they truly wise and Thoth intends to absolutely understand everything.

Horus does not maintain much of a realm for himself. Instead he travels throughout Kemet, forever soaring over the skies. The only lands he does not visit are Set's for he despises the lord of the desert above all others. To those who witness him he is a grotesque combination of human and falcon body parts, configured in such a manner that should make it impossible for him to fly. One of his eyes burns with a sickly fire whilst the other is lit by a ghostly glow that seems to exude visible wisps beyond his eye-socket. Though he is fed by necropolises consecrated to him he enjoys hunting people he believes are worthy prey. He does not discriminate based on the station of the mortal or lesser supernatural being. All he cares about is the satisfaction of the hunt.

Sekhmet has always fought with the rest of the pantheon to ensure she had control of the most conflicted border regions. Her disturbing lithe and leonine form can always be found stalking the borderlands, looking for where the endless fighting is thickest. She is a savage monstrosity and though she is just as capable of strategy she adores tearing into opponents with claw and fang. Every roar unleashes a writhing sandstorm that strips enemies flesh from their bones and the light of the solar disk that adorns her head burns everything its light touches.

Hathor is by far the most benign, her opinion of humans ranging from adoration to indifference. Her realm is as verdant and lush as Isis' but is not caught in a perpetual and deathless battle for sustenance. In her land what would be deserts bloom and rivers of miraculous ichor flow that infuse plant and animal with virility. Women thrive in her realm and though they are expected to birth children frequently in every other regard they are the leaders of Hathor's realm. Men are relegated to warriors and labourers though they too are invigorated by the power of Hathor, living with a boundless euphoria that dulls any objections they might have. Hathor's realms are by far the most bountiful and often export both crops and people to the rest of the Kingdom. Hathor, like Isis, appears as female humanoid, crowned with a ball of sunlight framed by golden horns. Her skin is also coated in feathers that form a rich plumage. At certain moments she will also appear to her followers as immense cow-beast with a distended jaw and bloated udders, constantly oozing the milky ichor that fills the rivers.

Bast can often be found alongside her parallel, Sekhmet. The feline goddess doesn't bother to maintain any personal domains and instead prefers to roam throughout Kemet. Her travels allow her to ward the influence of outsiders away from Kemet. She slips through the shadows of every city in the kingdom, watching all and punishing those who she considers an agent of evil. When she moves her humanoid form becomes increasingly feral, growing fur-like spines and gradually mutating into a demonic feline with every step.

Other lesser gods continue to inhabit Kemet and occupy themselves with lesser cities, are fed by lesser necropolises and attend to less significant duties. Other more important gods simply do not involve themselves with the affairs of the rest of the pantheon such as Ptah's workshop kingdom where slaves toil to produce tools and weapons for the rest of the kingdom or Anubis' fields of souls where the dead till ashen soil to coax bone-white stalks from the ground. Other strange creatures such as the immense Wadjet serpents, grotesque scorpion-men and savage anubites lope or crawl across the landscape. Phoenix birds burn entire regions around their fiery nests, exploding in great plumes of fire when their age proves too great and then rising again as newborns from the ashes of their victims. Giant horned scarabs erupt from the ground and strike the unwary, prompting settlements to leave bowls of water to help detect their presence. Finally the hieracosphinxes will lope about the cities, attacking those they believe are threats to the kingdom or have invited the displeasure of the gods.

Kemet's ancient enemy in their perpetual war for the Mediterranean is the Olympiad. The Olympian pantheon rose to power very quickly, dominating their old territories with ruthless efficiency. They then immediately set about trying to take more, engaging in conflicts with everyone around them.

The Kingdom of Grand Aechaea is a land of constant debauchery and conflict, almost verging on open anarchy. The learning of Ancient Greece is not kept alive here for the Olympians are wanton creatures and care only for the fulfilment of their own desires and lusts. Though Kemet remains a barrier in much of the Mediterranean they have had much better luck against the Celtic pantheon and have managed to grind the Aesir's advances to a halt in the Alps. Beautiful cities have been built for the Olympiad do still expect certain standards, especially when it comes to their own monuments. Only one thing truly matters in Aechaea. Experience. Nearly anything is available in Aechaea and as long as an individual is able to avoid the repercussions of their actions, nearly anything is accepted by the Olympiad. Only open rebellion is punished though the Olympiad will not take kindly to mortals interrupting or delaying something they want, like the organising of a war or the building of a monument.

The people of Aechaea live very uncertain lives. The Olympiad are wanton and spontaneous beings and will force their whims on the populace however and whenever they want to. Nothing is certain since what an individual possesses one day may go missing the next, stolen by humans, gods or the myriad horrors that skulk across the land. Houses are fortified as much as these often rickety structures can afford to be as people attempt to defend their meagre possessions and their wretched lives. Monstrosities constantly wander the streets and rural lands, stealing people away to eat, rape or do worse to them. At the same time there are also no limits, Criminality is almost unheard of as officially there are no crimes (except for sacrilege, blasphemy and disobedience towards the gods of course). Of course this doesn't stop the Furies from hounding people who possess a modicum of guilt and have been unfortunate enough to attract their hungry attention. Many are driven to suicide by the foul creatures. Only the armed forces can expect any consistency. Here your meals are regular, your training regimens are scheduled and you can expect to live in fortified compounds that are kept orderly by military discipline. You are also permitted to abuse your social inferiors and are immune to many of the monsters the Olympiad command (there are still exceptions and don't ever expect the Gods to spare you if you upset them).

Demigods are a regular sight in Aechaea. The Olympiad are licentious and see no reason to consider things like consent or boundaries important. Women and men throughout Aechaea can often expect to suddenly be visited by the Olympiad who appear in a variety of disguises and then proceed to roughly violate them, often causing severe injury or causing damage due to the incompatibility of their often inhuman disguises (being raped by bulls, swans and showers of golden radiation are not pleasant experiences). The demigods born from these unions are twisted creatures. Stuck somewhere between mortal and divine these beings are granted miraculous gifts that their brains often cannot process or comprehend. Alien perspectives overload minds unable to handle so much incomprehensible information and super strength proves too much to handle as individuals destroy everything and everyone around them. Such demigods appear healthy and perfect but will often die young as the unnatural energies that permeate their bodies cause numerous cancers and other degenerative afflictions.

Zeus is the overlord of all Aechaea and he makes it very apparent. He rules with a lightning wreathed fist and regularly makes examples of people in a variety of fashions to remind his subjects he is in charge. His defining characteristic is his lust. Countless deformed demigods have been conceived by him and are often doted upon, for a while anyway. He appears as a towering human male that is constantly surrounded by ambient electricity. His eyes are empty sockets filled with electric blue energy. The air ionises at his presence and his passing has often led to areas violently detonating, especially if he is struck by a sudden mood swing.

Hera, as Zeus' wife and queen of the gods, often makes her presence and primacy felt as well. Though she has produced few demigods she is responsible for an unnatural fertility that the population of Aechaea experience. Though she is as wilful and hysterical as the rest of the Olympiad she has an especial hatred for adulterers and similar traitors. She appears as a tall, shining and majestic woman. However whilst her skin is as clear and as smooth as porcelain her hands are constantly bleeding at the wrist. This blood causes whatever it falls upon to expand, grow and propagate.

Hermes is the most active god, even amongst the Olympiad. He constantly moves across Aechaea, either performing a task set by Zeus or seeking some form of stimulation. He is by far one of the worst calamities that a resident of Aechaea fears. Hermes is prone to causing disasters for his own entertainment, viewing mass slaughters and catastrophes as little more than tricks that he happily causes whenever he wishes. When he is standing still he appears as an unnaturally tall young man seen carrying a caduceus wherever he goes. What he is normally witnessed as is a flare of light that whips across the skies like a bolt of lightning, leaving after-impressions and wisps of cosmic radiation. The people who can expect a little leniency from him when he visits are artists and performers, at least as long as they are able to entertain him before he leaves.

Ares is never far from the front-lines in the wars against the Olympiad's countless enemies. The sight of a bronze skinned giant, covered in gore and wielding an immense axe that forever bleeds and exudes foul energies, is one that the soldiers of other nations fear. Despite his metallic skin he is a finely crafted nude figure, almost like the countless bronze statues that adorn the major structures of Aechaea. The only clothing he wears is a great cape made of the skins of those he has personally slain in combat. It is a garment that is continuously growing larger with every battle. Ares is the god of slaughter and no-one, not even Zeus, dares keep him from his work for he is the most useful asset in Aechaea's vast armies. His mere presence drives enemies into indiscriminate bloodlust and emboldens his own soldiers to new heights of butchery. There is no finesse in the way he conducts war either, only thoughtless violence that can match even the cruellest of the Aesir.

Aphrodite is the most beautiful of the Olympiad and at the same time the most disgusting. Aphrodite rules over a realm of desire and self-gratification and has numerous cults dedicated to her and the particulars of her rule spread throughout Aechaea. Those who are invited into her immense pleasure palace are given every opportunity to visit her personal quarters. Those who see her view her as an impossibly beautiful woman, her appearance constantly shifting to exhibit the traits each individual viewer associates with sexual attraction. What she truly looks like is amorphous and ever shifting to accommodate her mortal subjects' countless desires. She then inspires them to heights of debauchery that often prove to be indescribable and often so dangerous that they maim or kill her followers. Nothing is sacred in Aphrodite's realm and neither is it denied for Aphrodite indulges herself just as much as her followers and her tastes are beyond anything a mortal could hope to comprehend.

Apollo, much like Hermes, never stays in any one place. Apollo is a shining beacon of dread for the people of Aechaea for his presence is a sickly one. He appears as a golden youth armed with a bow and countless arrows that branch from his shoulders like wings. However, more often than not, he takes the form of a shining ball of sunlight that whips around the skies at tremendous speeds. The radiation he leaks seeps into the lands he passes over, inflicting many unfortunate bystanders with terrible cancers and other sicknesses. One means for people to survive is to bear his children. Apollo is almost as prolific a progenitor as Zeus and has produced countless demigods. Those women that take his fancy and are impregnated by him will often be spared the sickness that all others feel in his presence.

Artemis is just as feared as her twin. Her realms are the wild areas of Aechaea and the particular ones she visits regularly are jealously guarded. Where Apollo is golden, Artemis is dark, a cold shadow following her at all times and concealing her from her prey. She constantly moves through Aechaea, seeking new targets to test her skills against. She is almost always seen near the borders, especially on the front-lines of war. She sees the conflict as a perfect opportunity to test her skills and seeks only the largest, strongest or most difficult opponents. Foul nymphs, dryads and other spirits that take the guises of bloodthirsty and warped deer congregate around her, sensing the desire for blood and the wanton cruelty that the goddess exudes. Those she impales with her arrows twist and reshape themselves into fleshy figures reminiscent of the cypress trees she associates herself with, their screaming faces stretched over the bony trunk.

Athena is a slightly more welcome sight in Aechaea. The land she governs, whilst totalitarian and autocratic, are well run and efficient. Though the laws are harsh and enforced with draconian ruthlessness, the people under Athena's rule can expect consistency and stability. Unfortunately the people under Athena's rule often do not want to obey her or live under her repressive system of control and organisation. Athena is always called to govern rebellious territories, commanding occupational forces to systematically hunt down and destroy resistance. Her strategies are flawless and she expects her subordinates to execute them perfectly. Those who fail her are made examples of. Those who see her always see a young woman covered in bronze armour and filled with an inner light of cruel balefire. Wherever she goes great flocks of silver eyed owls follow her. They are her eyes and are spread throughout the territories she is given to discover the secrets of her enemies.

Demeter's realm is one of extremes. The goddess of agriculture always ensures that her land blooms in spring and summer and when it does it is uncontrollable. Immense fields and orchards experience rampant growth, producing fruits and grains of unnatural size. Farm animals swell to ridiculous proportions as well under her power. All are then harvested by the armies of slaves that are expected to then process it and prepare it to be transported throughout Aechaea. However in winter and autumn the land freezes over and all within feel the freezing cold fury of Demeter as her memories of Persephone leave her in an inconsolable and irrational state of grief. Demeter appears to her subjects as a matronly woman her eyes bear a crushing weight that feels like those who witness her are staring into an infinite abyss of torment and suffering.

Dionysus realm almost rivals Aphrodite's for licentiousness and indulgence. The god of wine is a creature of boundless appetite and demands tributes of food, drink and company, taking whatever he desires should they fail to supplicate him with their gifts. Dionysus appears as a young man whose body is almost completely wreathed in coils of ivy and grape vines. They appear to grow from out of various orifices embedded into his shining skin. These vines leak wine and ethanol at all times. The smell of these secretions drive everyone around him into madness. Everyone in his presence will eventually collapse into drunken stupors or orgies that eventually turn violent as inhibitions are stripped away. Centaurs, satyrs and similar beastmen flock to his realm, only to ravage the people mercilessly as they too succumb to his intoxicating influence.

The lame god Hephasteus retains the smallest realm. His domain is sequestered within Mt Etna which is now covered in immense foundries and forges. It is here that the metallic bulk of the smithing god can be found. Hephasteus is an iron giant of complex machinery that constantly whirs and shifts with his moods. He is an incredibly temperamental god and many forges have been wrecked by his sudden mood swings. However he is also one of the finest craftsmen in existence and a meticulous builder. Everything he creates is perfect and the compare of anything made by mortals. He supplies the Olympiad with their finest equipment and has created countless machines for their war effort. His living armour, built to reflect Zeus' myrmidon, are his current project and are being sought after by both Ares and Athena.

Hades is the most reclusive of the Olympiad and prefers to ignore the machinations of the others. His realm is morbid but stable because it is composed almost entirely of the dead. In his shadowy demesne the shades of the dead wander back and forth in mindlessness. Hades himself is a shadowy figure, appearing as a tall humanoid but deflated in comparison to any other Olympian. His features are sunken and his skin is a shimmering grey that pulls in the light around it. His consort Persephone is, by comparison, an unbearably bright entity who causes unbearable pain to the shades with her presence.

Poseidon is one of the more active of the Olympiad. Though his torso, head and arms are those of a human male his legs are a horses and a tail extends from below his waist. His hair and beard writhe as if submerged in water at all times, even when he is in the open air and a shimmering trident is forever affixed to his right hand, as if it were a part of his body. His movements cause disaster wherever he goes. When swimming he generates immense waves that crash against the nearby shores, obliterating nearly anything they catch. On land his temper shakes the earth, sometimes collapsing entire settlements into sink-holes or shaking cities apart. His actions and tantrums draw the ire of the other gods but he does not care, even when they lash out at him.

Other, lesser, members of the Olympiad also roam Aechaea at whim, enacting their own plans and bringing disaster onto those unfortunate to come across them. Countless monsters were also returned to the mortal world by the Olympiad. Foul beastmen like the centaurs and satyrs roam Aechaea in packs, entering cities, drinking themselves into rages and then ravaging the city around them. Minotaurs are bred in labyrinthine pits, starved and then unleashed on enemies in bloodthirsty hordes. Cyclops from Hephasteus' forges will often be chained, adorned in heavy plate and then then sent into battle where their immense armoured fists crush countless foes. Harpies flock above Aechaea's armies before descending on the battlefields to rip and tear with wild abandon. Lamia, gorgons and sirens live in more seclusive habitats, preying on the people of Aechaea when they wish but every now and then the gods will compel them to war as well. However by far the most effective weapon in Aechaea's armies are the myrmidon. These tall humanoids are encased in a thick chitinous exoskeleton that evokes the marble statuary of Classical Greece. Their natural armour depicts a heroically proportioned warrior adorned in the armour of a hoplite. They are sublime soldiers and the greatest weapon in Aechaea's arsenals.

The Aesir descended on Northern Europe shortly after the Olympiad began their rampage in the south. Their expansion was savage and bloody with each god trying to outdo one another in butchery. Many people did surrender and for their subjugation they were enslaved. Midgard was made a new realm for the gods of the Norse and they set about turning it into a realm fit for Ragnarok.

Midgard almost matches Grand Aechaea for their sheer anarchy. However where Aechaea is defined by their near chaotic indulgences, Midgard is defined by its near chaotic violence. The land of the Aesir is a land ruled by the strong. Every leader must endure constant challenges from potential usurpers. Duelling is a constant fact of life and only one of many means by which someone can attain the possessions of another. Those who are not warriors are thralls and it is they who provide labour for every other task in Midgard. Life for a thrall is brutal and often short as the warrior class are encouraged to abuse them in order to show their own strength. The only way for a thrall to escape bondage is to kill a freeman warrior (usually his master) and prove he is strong enough to keep the freedom he has taken. The priests of the Aesir are also warriors and are holy men only due to the fact that they can draw the god's attention more than any others in Midgard.

Midgard is a wild and largely untended land. The freemen are just as eager hunters as they are fighters and the wilderness provides them with all sorts of game to prey upon. Warriors who die can expect to be rewarded in Valhalla. Once they are considered worthy they are inducted into the ranks of the Einherjar, the elite of Midgard, and can experience an eternity of military training and combat, all other desires beyond a lust for violence and discipline removed from them. The cities of Midgard are rather ad hoc affairs, almost constructed at random. Every building is as fortified as the owner can afford and often houses the thralls and other followers if it large enough. The temples to the gods are the most well built and maintained of all of Midgard's structures, matched only by the immense foundries that supply weapons to the armies of Midgard. Unattached thralls are moved from place to place, depending on the demand for labour. The monsters the Aesir have enthralled are barely controlled and will often rampage through inhabited areas, often prompting retaliation from the population or even the Aesir if they feel insulted by the attacks.

Those who draw the attention of the Aesir can be expected to be invigorated by their power, strengthening them. Their bodies begin to shift as the fury of the gods grows within them as time goes by. Eventually, should the gods keep their eye on the warrior he will begin to transform, growing teeth, claws, thick armoured fur and eventually turning into massive bloodthirsty beasts that desire only violence in the name of the gods.

Odin is a harsh god. He does not tolerate weakness and only ever rewards the strongest of his realm. Might makes right in his mind and the weak therefore deserve nothing from him. His own strength is more than great enough to retain his control over his fellow Aesir as well as they can be as bloodthirsty as any berserker. As god of vision and prophecy he sees all within Midgrad and can even perceive hidden things beyond his border. This allows him to root out his enemies before they are able to strike him. The ravens are his eyes and rove across his empire in great packs that spy on all the many people of Midgrad. Odin himself appears as an aged man. He possesses eight limbs and can travel throughout his realm instantaneously. His eight grasping probosci all clutch weaponry or have ravens alighted upon them. One of his eyes is missing and a great void fills the socket that pulls in the light from around it, etching shadowy lines across Odin's face.

Thor, the son of Odin, is one the mightiest warriors of Midgard and its greatest scourge. He is a bloodthirsty fighter who constantly seeks out challenges both within Midgard's border and beyond. His fights are immensely destructive as his presence disrupts the air and generates massive storms. Great warriors always surround him and seek to impress him by fighting at his size, weathering his corrosive and dangerous presence in order to elevate their status. He appears as an immense male humanoid. However his skin appears gnarled and twisted, like the bark of a tree. It is stronger than steel and almost impossible to penetrate. The powerful hammer Mjolnir is forever clutched in his claw like hands and exudes an aura of thunderous destruction.

Loki is only marginally associated with the Aesir by this point. Despite being a Jotun and thus supposed to appear as an immense creature covered in thick, ice covered, white hair, he is a shapeless being. He appears as whatever he wishes and creeps throughout Midgard and beyond in a myriad of disguises. Loki requires constant stimulation with a lust for experience that rivals the Olympiad. He is responsible for all manner of horrific disasters, killing thousands through accidents that lead to cities collapsing into anarchy as people turn on one another. He has released monsters into the wild that still stalk the land and hunt innocents as they wish.

Freyja is one of the more preferred of the Aesir. The people in her realm can expect to have lives of prosperity in lands with rich crops, woodlands and high birth rates. However the people of Freyja's domain are also subjected to the often violent whims of their passionate ruler. Freyja appears as a tall and disturbingly lithe female humanoid. A ring of gold is fused to her neck, just below her chin, which shines with the light of the sun and blinds those who see it. Her back is coated in great black feathers that ruffle and writhe in a breeze of their own whilst a huge creature, covered in spines, fur, horns and tusks constantly remains in her presence. Freyja is just as bloodthirsty as the rest of the Aesir, seeking humans to either kill or rape depending on her mood.

Skadi is another Norse deity that doesn’t like to actually remain in her domains. She instead roams around the border regions and the wild areas of Midgard. In winter she is almost omnipresent throughout Midgard and is seen everywhere, sliding along the ground as an ethereal icy creature. She lives on to shed blood, seeking the most deadly prey to hunt, whether on or off the battlefields. She appears as a tall female humanoid with disturbingly pale blue skin and hair that appears like strands of ice. Her feet are fused with elongated sheaths of ice that allow her to slide along the ground at impossible speeds. A bow is constantly in her hands which she uses to fire supernatural arrows with unerring accuracy.

Heimdall, the gatekeeper of the Aesir, is one of the more reclusive Aesir and is rarely seen by mortals. He is the eyes and ears of the Norse pantheon and guards their borders on behalf of his liege lord Odin. Espousing the bloodlust of his kin, Heimdall instead focuses his passions on guarding the realm. He is alien in his desire to know everything that goes on in Midgard. He is shapeless and formless, existing in the shadows and winds around al beings. At times he can be seen, appearing as a being of metal who's skin is moulded into the shape of armour.

Tyr, like so many of his kin, is a bloodthirsty warrior, seeking combat endlessly. His regions are composed of barracks, foundries and fighting pits where warriors are trained and honed, many of them dying or being crippled in the process. All weapons produced in his realm have his rune carved onto them and many warriors from his realm will cover their bodies in tattoos and brands of his rune or even carve them into their flesh in order to gain his favour. Tyr also demands frequent sacrifice from his followers and is offered tributes of mead and the flesh of those who have died in his realm. Tyr himself has crafted his body into that of a perfect warrior. He appears as a tall and impossibly strong male humanoid however the only thing marring his inhuman perfection is his left hand which is missing, reduced to a stump and constantly bleeding out.

Other Aesir maintain their own realms but their power is less significant than the others. They too provide warriors for Odin but they often craft them in ways they deem appropriate or aesthetically pleasing. Baldr is a being that transfixes all other beings with his beauty and is invulnerable to nearly all forms of harm. Bragi indulges his people in constant revelry that never end, wasting people away through exhaustion.

Then there are the monsters. The dwarves have been shackled to their anvils, forced to churn out weapons formed of mystical metals that mortals cannot hope to even conceive let alone craft. Trolls have been broken and harnessed for war with armour strapped to them to make their stony hides all the more difficult to penetrate. Larger trolls will even have what are essentially metal castle turrets strapped to their backs and crewed by the bravest Midgardian warriors. The disturbing spawn of Fenrir and Jormungardr have also been chained and are frequently released on battlefields to savage their opponents. The most terrifying weapon in the Aesir's arsenal are the Einherjar. Odin and his eerie Valkyries have gathered their fallen warriors and turned them into undead creatures that feed only on blood and slaughter. When they are slain the Valkyries gather them once again, repair their weapons and armour and return them to battle. As proficient with their weapons as they were in life, the Einherjar are a terrifying sight to any of Midgard's opponents.

China received one the most bizarre arrivals. The arrival of the ancient gods of the Chinese people was comparatively calm as the emperors of the competing dynasties were struck down by Tian. The Jade Emperor rose up and broke the people of China with his presence. He presided over his new empire's fate, declaring that his word was law and that the world would now be subjected to his judgement by the will Tian. From there the most terrible empire on Earth was built.

China is a land of one god and innumerable gods at the same time. Though Tian is the supreme deity of the land the realm of All Under Heaven is subjected to the supreme authority of the Jade Emperor and his hyper-efficient autocracy. Life in All Under Heaven is regimented, oppressive, militant and incredibly well organised. Efficiency and obedience are the most common feature of All Under Heaven with the government managing everything down tot he smallest possible detail. The single largest bureaucracy in the world ensures that the will of the Jade Emperor is enforced. The government is labyrinthine and maddeningly complex. Countless departments manage every aspect of living in the empire, from the economy to the personal lives of the citizenry. Everything is scheduled and any deviation from the instructions is punished by the equally massive law enforcement forces of All Under Heaven.

Life for a citizen of All Under Heaven can be either boring or interesting, depending on the decree of the Jade Emperor. Everything about their lives is regulated, from the moment they are woken to the moment they go to sleep. Even the dreams they have will be manipulated if possible. Government agencies which are just as closely monitored are made to decide the peoples' decisions for them, directing every action they take in life. This has made All Under Heaven a plan of tightly knit order and harmony with planned cities, orderly farms and mines and specially designated areas for wildlife. There are no wild regions in All Under Heaven. Even the uninhabited areas are visited constantly to be organised. Trees are replanted so that they are spaced evenly, weeds are culled and animals are confined to specific areas. The punishments for deviation are both swift and harsh. Even if the criminal is unaware of what they have done they can expect the agents of the Jade Emperor to bear down on them without warning, slaughter them mercilessly and then leave them to be cleaned up by the designated public cleaners.

Since everything in All Under Heaven is regulated people can often expect everything to arrive on time. Meals are always the same but they are regular as is the pay people obtain for their work. At the same time the things they can spend their money on are strictly regulated as are the times they are expected t go shopping. Markets are orderly affairs with stalls in the same position, items displayed in the same fashions and customers arriving at regular intervals and buying the same predetermined items.

The Jade Emperor resides in the Forbidden City which now dominates the surrounding landscape and supports the army of officials and bureaucrats that assist in his management of All Under Heaven. The Jade Emperor is an immense figure, roughly in the shape of a stately and aristocratic male humanoid. His body is composed entirely of jade and gold and shines with an inner light that is both blinding and soothing. His entire body exudes authority that can cow anyone in his presence. His mind is an alien place that perceives things only in the manner in which he believes they must interact. Any deviation from the harmony he envisions is literally painful and the constant irritation of his perception of the world is infuriating.

The Jade Emperor is attended by countless minor deities that he forcibly keeps close in the Forbidden City. They preside over certain aspects of life in All Under Heaven and given responsibility for the concepts and duties they represent. Dragons move freely throughout All Under Heaven, dispensing gifts and death as they wish and always demanding respect and tribute. They have command over the waters of All Under Heaven and are the only ones who decide an aspect of life in All Under Heaven regardless of what the Jade Emperor demands. The Jiangshi, ancestors of the people of All Under Heaven roam the lands they once called home. These souls are subservient to the Jade Emperor in totality and torment their descendants with their Emperor's decrees. In death they enforce his will and inform his agents should there be any dissidence or deviance from his plans. At other times they are called upon to put down rebellion or fight his enemies. Countless minor creatures of Chinese mythology also roam the land at the Jade Emperor's behest. They too are his enforcers. Xiezhi are the finest informers and judges of All Under Heaven and bloodily gore those who consciously or unconsciously harbour disharmonious thoughts. Jiufeng are chained and then released in war to tear apart enemy forces, grabbing nine at a time with their numerous fanged beaks.

Despite the totality of the Jade Emperor's autocracy there are still forces of chaos that disregard his rule and attack his order from within his borders. The Four Fiends stalk the lands as intangible shadows, infesting the minds of the people of All Under Heaven and driving them to commit rebellion. In certain areas they have created absolute anarchy by infecting not only the human populace but the supernatural monstrosities that monitor them as well, prompting violent retribution and subjugation. The most disruptive influence in All Under Heaven is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. He is a capricious trickster who enjoys nothing more than causing disorder. He appears to those who are able to see him like a grotesque humanoid being covered in hair. His body is built in an unnatural fashion that defies conventional mobility and has the ability to dissolve and rebuild itself into any shape and being though they always possess the monkey tail of the original body. Every one of his hairs is able to turn into a complete replica of the original and allows him to spread his chaos and cruel anarchy throughout All Under Heaven and beyond. At times he has saved All Under Heaven from invasion simply by blundering into the path of an invading army and deciding to have fun with the invaders.

The last of the greater kingdoms of the deities is the Kingdom of Heaven. The followers of the Abrahamic faiths were struck into incredulity by the arrival of countless pagan gods who overran their homelands and destroyed Rome, Constantinople and Mecca. However barely a few years after the other gods had arrived the light of God descended upon the survivors and offered them both punishment for their sins and salvation from damnation at the same time.

Yahweh's rule is contradictory and bizarre. His commandments form the basis for the Kingdom's government and through them the people of the Kingdom know with surety how they should live. However numerous interpretations still exist and at times it appears as if Yahweh advocates for these competing ideas of his word all at the same time. However there is one thing that all of the myriad followers of Yahweh understand. The finest way to serve god is through supplication and conquest. Yahweh does not care about the existence of the other pantheons but the idea of mortals worshipping them infuriates him in ways humans could never understand. Yahweh loves his children and he is their father. However he has also made it obvious that they must be punished should they be led astray and that it is the responsibility of his favoured children to show them the right path.

The Kingdom of Heaven may vary on what exactly is the word of god but there are some universal tenants. Subjugation to Yahweh's laws is expected and required. Religious devotion is taken to disturbing levels of zeal with armies of worshippers offering endless prayers and hymns in golden temples the size of cities. The Kingdom is incredibly cosmopolitan as they have conquered and settled places around the world, overrunning other regions with the bloodthirsty fanaticism of crusaders who know their god is literally watching over them and judging their devotion to his missions. The Kingdom has no true king though there are several kings, emperors and caliphs here and there. Instead the priests rule on behalf of Yahweh who is the father and true ruler of men. The clergy, no matter what interpretation they follow, are the actual rulers, subverting all other politicians whenever Yahweh sends them a decree.

Yahweh is a strange entity. Divided into three (or is he?) and yet still one being his alien mind is constantly shifting and changing between numerous personalities and temperaments. The people of the Kingdom of Heaven know without a doubt that he loves them because his essence (may be the Holy Spirit, may not) fills their bodies and minds at all times. However Yahweh is also wrathful, lashing out at both his followers and his enemies with all of his terrible power. With both the ruling priests and the essence of their god reminding them of their sins the people of the Kingdom of Heaven accept whatever punishment Yahweh gives them, understanding that no matter what they have done they must be at fault. Flagellants, preachers, zealots and inquisitors walk the Kingdom of Heaven freely, whipping the populaces they visit into frenzies of zeal. The armies of the Kingdom are constantly being filled by new crusaders and jihadists seeking to prove their devotion through righteous slaughter. A vast Inquisition as varied as the 'church' of the Kingdom also police the lands under Yahweh's sway, purging the wicked, hunting untamed abominations and assisting missionaries in their conversion of recently conquered heathens.

Yahweh himself has many forms but unlike the other gods he does not maintain a permanent physical presence. Instead he lives within the souls of his followers, growing stronger with every new convert. Those who witness his form see a great bush or tree, reaching high into the heavens that is wreathed in blue flames that flare and ebb as Yahweh speaks in a voice that penetrates the very essence and soul of the listener. At other times he takes the form of an old man of alternating or indeterminate race that is wrapped in a white robe. However the presence of this figure is still immense and cows whoever he visits. When he is wrathful the bush will disappear from his incarnate form but the fire will remain, transforming into the Blade of Heaven, a great pillar of fire and light that turns those it touches into unnatural salt and ash that cannot be broken apart, eroded or dissolved.

Gods power manifests in a variety of ways. His wrath is immensely powerful and cruel, subjecting people to fire from the heavens, plagues, pillars of salt and armies of vengeful angels. At other times his power simply protects people, heals his followers and drives off enemies with his divine grace. Thus the armies of the Kingdom of Heaven with have alternating support with soldiers being shielded from harm by the power of Yahweh only for it suddenly be dropped as great tongues of flame descend upon the battlefield and are followed by swarms of locusts, storms of burning hail and legions of blazing angelic warriors.

Other lesser pantheons and deities also spread their power across the world. Many of them have been destroyed or subjugated by stronger entities but others have managed to not only survive but thrive. The victims for the most part have been those in the less populated regions where fewer followers left them weaker.

The Celtic mythology were horribly truncated and were driven from the lands they had resurrected in. With the British Isles lost to them they fled to their old homelands on the continent. There they found themselves assailed by the Christians they had fled as well as the Aesir, the Olympiad and even the Egyptian pantheon for a while. The Dagda is the leading presence in the few territories they have been able to hold onto. He is an immense giant of muscle and flesh with a swollen deformed arm sheathed in unbreakable bone. The Morrigan on the other hand has espoused a human form and instead flies over battlefield as a bird-like figure composed of shadows as sharp as steel that tear enemies apart. At other times she looks like a wolf of equal savagery and ethereal appearance. Epona has also survived and rides over the land, fused with her horse in a disgusting combination of rider and mount, causing every living thing she passes over to swell and burst as they disgorge swarms of squirming spawn. Giant and cannibalistic Fomorians and gracefully predatory Tuatha de Danann have been enslaved to serve the Celtic gods and take their sadistic despair out on those they fight. However the Wild Hunt is about to commence and will soon cut a swathe through Europe that will leave nothing but destruction and death in its wake.

The Aztecs like all Amerindian pantheons suffered losses when the gods of Europe extended their reaches over the Atlantic. However as they had one of the more advanced indigenous civilizations, the Aztecs did a better job of holding off the colonial powers. The Aztec deities are bloodthirsty monsters, demanding constant sacrifice from their followers. They feed daily to increase their powers so that they can one day rise up and defeat their foreign enemies. Quetzalcoatl has taken command of the Aztec Pantheon. His wisdom and intelligence have made him a terrifying strategist who has defied the armies of the Kingdom of Heaven through brutality and tactical brilliance. He resides in a massive pyramid, in a pit where victims are thrown to him. The great feathered wyrm that is his physical form will then shout decrees and commands from the depths of this pit to the armies of scribes that transcribe them and send them out to the other surviving cities. Other major gods include the savage and bloodthirsty Xipe-Totec who appears as a flayed giant, dripping with blood and with the heads of his victims sewn into his exposed musculature. Tlazolteotl often wanders the border regions between her lands and the Kingdom of Heaven, inciting the people to sin so that they inevitably end up punished by Yahweh for their transgressions. Slimy and water-logged ahuizotl can be found swimming the waters of the remaining Aztec lands, attacking intruders with their teeth and the primitive weapons that are chained to their hands and tails. In especially desperate times the beaten, chained and mutilated Quinametzin are unleashed to take out their grief and anger on the Aztecs' enemies.

The Inca people suffered as all Amerindians did and thus their gods faltered as well. However the organisational skills of the Incas and the rugged terrain of their empire allowed them to rally with the powers of their reduced deities. Into presides over the remnants of the Inca. He is a living ball of light, fire, radiation and molten gold, all of which flows over one another in a series of blasphemous patterns. He receives sacrifices in the form of children who are clubbed to death annually in order to feed his power. Countless insubstantial Apu exist within the Inca remnants. These entities may not manifest in a noticeable presence but the mountains of the Inca lands have been see to move and intruders and invaders have often disappeared in their peaks. The indescribably terrifying form of Supay also stalks the Inca lands, receiving sacrifice in return for leaving settlements alone. Of course this will occasionally fail to stop his rampages that often leaving nothing but gore and destruction in their wake.

India is a mess of feuding states, each one ruled over by an individual god. However there are some overarching deities who have managed to establish some kind of hegemony. Shiva is the most obvious. This foul ashen giant wanders across the subcontinent with a twisted trident in one hand and the skull of Brahma fused to another. His head appears human until it reaches the crown where it warps into a crescent shape that stabs at the sky. Underneath this obscene crest is a third unblinking eye that covers his forehead. Vishnu appears as a sickly blue giant with four arms that are all tipped by probosci that take the fleshy approximations of a mace, conch shell, discus and lotus on each arm respectively. Slime coated Naga squirm up from the wetlands and waterways to drag unsuspecting victims down into the water. Yaksha sadistically manipulate the very environment around them to torture and torment those who intrude on their lands. Blessed Daevas can be found wandering the countryside, driven by the supernatural forces that possess them to obey the whims of the gods. Foul and anger filled Asuras are the most terrible creatures on the battlefield as they are compelled by the pantheons that have enslaved them to commit unspeakable atrocities on those the Hindu pantheon consider their enemies.

Countless truncated deities from the Middle East have crawled their way from Mesopotamia and other lands. They war with one another and the surrounding deities for the scraps of land that have been left by the destruction. Fiery Anu and his star-spawn warriors are the most powerful and have craved an empire along the Tigris and Euphrates. The golden, ever twisting and reshaping form of Verethragna dominates Persia, having finally subjugated Mithras and even Ahura Mazda. His lands have been turned into a giant military camp in preparation for the war that will never end for even if he faces an opponent stronger then he is he will simply drag out the fight in order to ensure he will not lose. Allah descended upon Arabia but he was not the deity the people remembered. Instead he turned out to be the incarnation of the ancient god, the supreme deity from before Islam and then went on to subjugate the people of the peninsula.

Other deities and entities haunt the world, warring with one another whilst subjecting those unfortunate enough to be under their sway to their horrific and monomaniacal rule. Others have been beaten by stronger deities and reduced to slaves, especially now that the age of colonialism has seen the world largely divided between several major powers.

The gods do not look that kindly on technological advancement, viewing it as an intrusion on their own domains, and therefore like to keep their slaves ignorant. Technology has still not reached the gunpowder age and literacy is very rare outside of the aristocracy, priestly classes and the residents of the domains of certain gods. Knights and similar specialised heavily armed warriors rule the battlefields of the world, supported by great armies of poorly equipped peasant levies or professional soldiers in a few cases. A printing press of sorts has been developed in the Kingdom of Heaven that has made printing the scriptures much easier. Some people in the other lands have also adopted them in order to reproduce grimoires and other supernatural texts. Gods associated with crafting usually nurture some creativity in order to expand their foundries and produce more weapons for their war efforts. However the combination of magic and tools are increasingly common and certain powerful but temperamental devices have been made. Blessed or cursed weapons, armour and other items are also common.

Magic, sorcery and enchantment in some fashion are commonplace. The supernatural powers of the gods and the many creatures they have brought to the world have been passed down to certain mortals in some fashion or another. These powers are not natural and certainly not healthy. Wizards, witches and sorcerers are insane or sickly individuals that wield more power than their bodies can safely contain. They are both revered and ostracised as their abilities make them feared by others but their inherent madness leads to them being isolated.

The gods may have returned but other things are starting to stir as well after centuries straining against their bonds. In the empty realm where the gods had slept are other things. Ancient things. Chained, beaten and tortured, the many enemies of the gods have been struggling to escape the moment they realised their jailers had left. The many opponents, the giants, the demons, the titans, the myriad foul evils of the world are all preparing for their restraints to finally break. The Pit will open, the final battle will begin and the world as it has always been known will end.