ARTIO

the plant master

The gentle rustle of ivy and leaves was subtle, quiet, somehow hidden against the backdrop of activity. The towering figure of Master Artio slipped up to the edge of the clearing, and her glowing green eyes widened as she saw Dawa's orb lying beside her Divine.

One by one, the Gembounds touched--unknowing--the single thing in the caves that could reverse the curse... that could reach back through time itself and unwind the damage that had been done. Artio's lip twitched delicately--even threatened to curl--before she drew herself upright, and shifted her cold gaze to Nemean.

Had she even warned them what would happen..?

Visions would assault them. And the curse-... it would impart itself upon them, instead. Better them than her Divine, but still...

---

Each Gembound who touched the orb, who felt the agony tear through their bodies, would experience a vision. The swamp would fall away, to be replaced by orb-lit forests, the bright song of birds loud in the trees. And as they emerged from the vision, they would find themselves... changed.

Maximus felt the swamp slip away, and saw a gathering of beautiful, tree-like women sitting idly on the rocks beside a pristine lake. They were laughing, teeth flashing; one was picking red petals from a flower. Another bit into a fruit, and a butterfly flitted past. Each were clad in vines and ivy, and all seemed wholly at ease.

Ampelio saw a vision of night: the mist tinted blue, the soft sound of the nocturnal insects soothing. They would see Artio sliding through the distant trees, the train of ivy and flowers rustling softly across the carpet of dry leaves. A dozen Hallowed Callers flitted past, and down, to roost upon her branchlike arms. The scent of flowers filled their nostrils.

Madhukar's vision was one of bright clarity: two of the leaf-clad women, kneeling by a bare black patch of forest floor. They were smiling, talking, though their soft voices were lost as if to a dream. Their bark-covered arms swept a patch of forest clear, and both began to pull seeds from pouches at their hips, delicately sliding them beneath the earth.

Fahl saw one of these beautiful foliage-clad women standing by the lake, the early morning light still dark. Fog clung to the surface, and far out over the water, something moved. He would likely recognize the sleek curl of Aquarian's body arching out and then back in, a smooth and glistening line of scaled muscle. Water cascaded down his sides, and the sounds of the woman--singing--rang out over the water toward him.

Brandle saw one of the dryad-women walking, scattering with one hand, in a trail behind her, fluffy seeds that took to the air and drifted in her path. She was moving away, into the distance down a narrow trail--and behind her, with a soft and sinister buzz, Nemean zipped into view--quietly pursuing.

Imp was greeted with a vision of horror: the same dryad-woman that Brandle had seen, a look of terror on her face as bark crawled up her form, thickening, twisting her into a towering tree. The forest around her began to dim and die as she did, the plants that she had grown already decaying into muck.

Dragon saw a tall, brightly-clad figure, taller than the rest, striding hurriedly for where the Divine now stood. It was an empty grove: and as the dryad reached it, she turned. She spun this way and that, staring in dawning horror at the new trees that ringed the grove--each a dryad frozen into tree form. As she took a breath to scream, a distinctive buzzing filled the air...

---

Artio's very voice was what broke the yawning silence that followed the last touch of skin to orb. "So you've actually come." There was venom in it, frozen into brittle, stabbing ice. "I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to."

And as Nemean turned to flee, scrambling from Bebby's back, Artio made an almost idle gesture with one hand.

Vines shot out from all directions, snaring Master Nemean's tiny form. Thorns threatened to prick her skin, and she screamed, then cut it short, teeth gritted. Before she could speak, Artio continued. She strode out into the open, now, and her voice was seething. "Oh, please, do stay awhile. I have someone here who wants to see you."

Gembounds who have touched the orb will find themselves, after their vision fades, changed in some way. This change will occur rapidly, and may--depending on the alteration--be somewhat painful. Players may choose any one of the following effects:

• Bark-like skin, either entirely or in patches--this will limit flexibility, but increase protection
• Thorny protrusions on some or all of the body
• Pelage (fur, hair, feathers) now resembles moss or leaves, or grows moss/leaves within; the character (element allowing) will be granted the spell Host (claim in Update Me)
• Eyes change color to a glowing, plant-like green
• Limbs (you may choose how many/which) take on branch/twig-like structure, longer and thinner at the extremities, like roots; the character is granted the spell Absorb Nutrients (claim in Update Me)
• Pelage (skin, scales, hair, feathers, etc.) takes on a greenish sheen, and the character is granted the spell Photosynthesis (claim in Update Me)
• The character's color (either entirely or in patches) change to a rugged brown; the character is granted the spell Digest (claim in Update Me)
• The character gains patches of light or bright floral colors, and also gains a sweet, flower-like scent.
• The character grows a crown of branches, with or without leaves or other plant growth, in any shape the player chooses (antlers, just branches, wreath, etc.!)


In addition, the following spell has been unlocked:

Barkskin - Medium Intensity Defensive. By focusing plant growth on specific parts of their body, the caster grows a protective layer of bark that may deflect physical blows and some forms of magic. Experienced users are able to cover over half of their body. This covering will begin to fall off after a few minutes, unless it is maintained.

This spell will be awarded to all who directly aided in restoring the Divine.

The crashing of foliage quickly approaching through the depths of Cetus's rotten forests was a far cry from the delicate tread with which Artio had approached.

Farina appeared in a flash of sickly colors, her eyes blazing, her mouth like a forest of little knives. Vice-grip claws--each larger than any Gembound present--sheared the air in horrid slashes as she forced her way into the little clearing.

"YOUUUUUU," she hissed, her voice bubbling, her tone absolutely seething.

Master Nemean--caught in the tangle of vines--stared at Farina's approach. "...Heeeeey!" she tried, and flinched when the enormous set of pincers clapped shut mere feet from her tiny body. "Whoa, hey, don't do anything hasty now! I was just coming to see you, you know, with-!"

A second clack silenced her, and she gulped, looking to the Gembounds.

"A little help here, guys?" she requested, grinning with wild fear.

ARTIO

the plant master

Artio held a single hand up to warn the Gembounds off, her gaze flashing in cold anger, remaining fixed upon Nemean.

"Do not interfere. If you want to continue to help me, go to the other trees here, the other ones like her. Perhaps if you work together, you might restore more than my Divine. -Nemean. Tell me-... Where do your loyalties lie? Why have you done this?"

Artio's voice rose, a storm in it, like a torrent of leaves ripping by in a harsh wind. "Why have you done ALL OF THIS?"

Unnoticed, behind her, there was a gentle crack.

The bark of the Divine began to split. Eons of rotted wood crumbled, and began to fall away, the writhing trunk seeming almost to open... and a light began to shine forth.

@Bebby @Madhukar @Maximus @Skein @Ampelio @Fahl @Brandle @Imp (Dragon)

At first, Porkchop made no move to touch the unbearable pain ball, even though Nemean claimed it would break the curse. Hadn't he already done enough by winning the ball from an unwinnable game, after all? Why should he invite himself to more work that would likely be arduous, painful, and dangerous?

And at first, that did in fact look to be the wisest decision. Look at all those hapless volunteers who did touch the ball, screwing up their faces with pain and getting various minor tree-curses shifted onto them, after all! Porkchop, on the other hand, could just sit back and watch them, secure in his existing contributions.

But then a giant crab with massive, crushing pincers and gnashing, knife-like teeth came crashing through the forest, and Artio's voice rose with fierce anger, and the biggest tree began to glow, and, well--

Maybe Porkchop should do something to further ingratiate himself with these powerful beings after all.

Hastily retreating away from the confrontation, Porkchop lurched for the Pain Orb. He'd just touch it for a microsecond, touch a tree, make a show of doing something to help.

Maybe that would get him into the good graces of whatever being was breaking through the bark of the Divine.

A vision flashed in their mind of a scene they'd never witnessed before. A memory? Certainly not one of theirs', though they welcomed it all the same. It was a pleasant memory, after all, one that soothed them through the aches that still remained.

Max opened their eyes to find themselves changed. The flowers they wore in their mane were no longer just picked and woven, they were growing from thin, vine-like branches now wrapped around their antlers. There were all sorts of colors, including white, pink, and blue.

But they could marvel over themselves later, right now they had to get away from Nemean, Artio, and most importantly, Farina. At least with her they didn't have to worry about being recognized, though that might not matter, what with them having an oilstone sticking out of their face for all to see.

They turned away, only to see the glow from the tree. They cocked their head and approached, ears perked forward and eyes wide.

”Hello?” they asked quietly, reaching out a hand to touch the edge of the crack. ”D-Divine? Is that you?”

Maximus looked back at the squabbling Masters (were they even Masters?) before holding out a hand, hopefully to help the Divine, should she need it.

Max is trying to see who's coming out of the tree and to offer a helping hand if she needs help shgjskg

After the pain that'd shot through him and now was taking its sweet time to leave his body for good, Fahl was unsurprisingly not the most attentive to surroundings. If not for Imp blundering his way into the orb, the iguana would've continued standing at the small distance he'd retreated from the Divine, head lowered while nursing the frazzled mess his nerves had been left as. The scream was what caught his attention, the sound of alarm unmistakable as to who it belonged to. Courting whiplash, his neck snapped back and eyes darted for the source.

"Imp." Despite having been too consumed by his hurt to notice the other's previously expressed concern, the tone mirrored it to a remarkable degree. "Are you...?"

The swampland seemed to shift, waters receding. Trees encroached upon him, their statures growing greater and prouder than he could ever recall as dense forest swallowed up his question. Lakeshore and a woman replaced his teacher, her voice far more pleasant than the raucous swears he was used to. Nemean disappeared, engulfed by the far less annoying and more awe-inspiring Aquarian. The mighty serpent slipped through the waves of the lake, the woman's song that stirred the air one reserved for him.

Fahl found himself at a loss for words. The sudden change of scenery could've been at fault, shock tearing speech from his grasp, but the fresh pain blooming around him was the likelier culprit. It gathered at his throat, draped over his back, and spread down his tail until the fins at the end dispersed it. Pressure built under scales, threatening to rip them loose from the flesh they were moored to. Though the urge to cry out was strong, not even a whimper passed his lips, body altogether too paralyzed for even an involuntary response to the situation he was enduring.

Once he blinked and exited the trance, the differences to his body were not immediately apparent to him as they had not settled in places easily caught by the eye. They'd be noticed as he turned to where Artio made her entrance, followed by Farina's burning wrath: although his scales had not separated from him, they'd bulged out and curled into points, protective thorns whose pricks promised a sting even worse than their dramatic emergence.

"Help?" Fahl echoed, scornful. "For what."

All pretenses of civility toward Nemean discarded, Artio's command was the single thread that kept him from surging forward for an attack. It tied his jaw almost shut, heat flickering just barely past teeth as he held back the angry huff that would expand its reach.

The corner of an eye caught the glow of the tree the group had touched, but he did not redirect his gaze. Let everyone else worry about the one they'd suffered for in order to help. He would rather make sure that the sadist in their midst didn't find an opportunity to weasel her way out of retribution.

Imp wasn't exactly a pillar of morality, but the shit he saw in that brief vision pissed him right off. This forest had once been beautiful, and Nemean had wrecked its shit-?

"What the fuck," he whispered as he pulled away. At least it'd been nice to 'see' again, even if only briefly. Soon, though, he thought.

He was unaware of the pink hues spreading over his body, tinting his feathers in floral iridescence; he was aware of the odor of flowers suddenly sweet around him. He turned his head this way and that, sniffing. "Who's making that stink?" he asked, wrinkling up his nose.

Before that thought could go any further, shit had hit the fan. Imp wasn't exactly party to seeing what was going on, but hearing it was easy enough even without his giant bat's ears. The sudden presence of Artio made him grin--and the crashing and hissing of Farina, doubly so. Bloodthirst lit his face as he wing-walked, scurrying, toward Nemean's begging. And when Fahl spoke up--his voice thick with scorn--Imp's teeth bared in a reptilian semblance of a grin.

"That's right, you fucking asshole--why? We aren't gonna help. Burn her!" Imp cried, overly enthusiastic now, hopping up and down atop the edges of his wings. "Burn Nemean! Burn the Betrayer! -Or, uh, drown her! Or whatever!" (These guys were plant and water magic, after all; maybe burning wasn't their go-to. Imp didn't really care.)

At Artio's urging he dutifully shoved the pink ball up to the nearest twisted tree (asking his father for some guidance); the agony repeated, and Imp hissed and gibbered, scrabbling at the dirt.

Imp's being affected by floral colors & scents. Poor bastard.

Dragon couldn't make much sense of the vision as it hit him, but he watched nonetheless, dutifully silent. The pain then faded, and he pulled away--feeling, if only barely, the thickening of skin at his back. The ancient alligator was already armored, there; the bark-like skin growing would only strengthen that some slight amount, perhaps preventing claws and fangs from so easily penetrating it.

His mind swam back to the current in time for him to see Farina crashing in--Artio already present, Nemean ensnared in thorny branches. He watched, and rumbled his quiet pleasure, otherwise silent.

He hoped that Aquarian would be pleased, whatever happened here today.

When Imp requested it, he guided his son to another tree; he did not help with this one, himself, his attention too riveted on the confrontation.

ARTIO

the plant master

"ENOUGH!" boomed Farina. By her side, Artio stood staring down her nose with cold disdain at Nemean, struggling in her thorny vines.

"I wonder what we should do with you," she hummed, and stepped closer to the oceanfaring Master. She reached out one arm, laying her delicate, branchlike hands on Farina's carapace. "You've caused so much suffering..." she murmured.

The bark of the Divine was splitting, splintering, falling away in enormous cracks and shudders. Artio did not look at it: her eyes remained fixed, narrowed, on Nemean. "What punishment could possibly be enough for aeons of being boiled alive-? For condeming my people to this?"

Nemean coughed. "Okay, but Farina's was just a crab j--AHH-!" Her protest was interrupted by the tightening of the vines, at nothing more than a delicate flick of one of Artio's fingers.

"I think... perhaps death. Or--no! Do you know what would be delightful-? Aeons of torment!" Artio smiled thinly. "Perhaps we can bind you into the bark of a tiny tree, and squeeze, and squeeze, and... squeeze," she suggested, twirling her hand in the air. The vines tightened tighter, like a coiling snake; Nemean's gasping face went dark as she struggled to catch her breath. "Of course, we could always release you for an apology, an oath to serve, but I don't trust you--do you, dear? -Do you trust her?" Artio turned to Farina.

Farina, who glowered, utterly motionless with the threat of incredible violence, at Nemean. "Let the little Gembound choose," she suggested, in a low and hateful hiss. She knew them--oh, she knew them; random bits of Chaos who were already champing at the bit to slaughter the little fairy. "Let them choose."

Artio studied her for a moment, then turned to the Gembounds present, and smiled. "Very well. What say you; what fate should 'Master' Nemean face-?"

---

Behind her--at last--the bark of the Divine fully shattered. From it stepped forth a towering, beautiful creature: one not unlike Artio, with skin of bark and hair of leaves. She stumbled down, and then slowly unfurled herself to her full height, as though she were just now blooming. She looked around, drawing herself up, and though she did not yet speak, the sense of power that emanated from her was strong. Swathes of light and life washed out from her feet, and all at once... the forest of Cetus began to heal.



The mud began to purify into water; the marshy ground solidified to rich soil. Leaves and grass, even flowers, began to sprout in carpets at her feet--and in a broad area around the shattered tree, the mist cleared almost completely, so that golden light filtered down through budding branches.

Artio turned, and smiled at her gently. "It's good to have you back, my child," she said.

Wordless, desperate, the Divine turned and gestured to the nearest twisted tree--the one that two of the Gembounds had touched. It glowed, very faintly. Artio glanced to it, and nodded. "They cannot save them all, nor can I. Doing so would... destroy us, I think. Turn us into what you just were. But perhaps-... they can save this one. If any of you have anything left to give..?" Artio asked, looking toward the Gembounds.

A large area of Cetus around the Divine is becoming purified, returning to a sunlit, verdant state. This will take several cycles to complete, and the rest of Cetus will remain a swamp.

Another tree's trapped inhabitant might yet be restored; more could, given time, but it is possible that too many attempts to revive the cursed dryads will continue to gradually turn the Gembounds attempting it into trees.

---

Gembounds who have touched the orb a second time may choose a second effect from the list. For reference:

• Bark-like skin, either entirely or in patches--this will limit flexibility, but increase protection
• Thorny protrusions on some or all of the body
• Pelage (fur, hair, feathers) now resembles moss or leaves, or grows moss/leaves within; the character (element allowing) will be granted the spell Host (claim in Update Me)
• Eyes change color to a glowing, plant-like green
• Limbs (you may choose how many/which) take on branch/twig-like structure, longer and thinner at the extremities, like roots; the character is granted the spell Absorb Nutrients (claim in Update Me)
• Pelage (skin, scales, hair, feathers, etc.) takes on a greenish sheen, and the character is granted the spell Photosynthesis (claim in Update Me)
• The character's color (either entirely or in patches) change to a rugged brown; the character is granted the spell Digest (claim in Update Me)
• The character gains patches of light or bright floral colors, and also gains a sweet, flower-like scent.
• The character grows a crown of branches, with or without leaves or other plant growth, in any shape the player chooses (antlers, just branches, wreath, etc.!)

@Bebby @Madhukar @Maximus @Skein @Ampelio @Fahl @Brandle @Imp (Dragon)

Maximus timidly approached the three, eyes down and jaw working nervously. They knew the oilstone in their mouth might gain them unwanted attention, but as much as they didn't like Nemean, they didn't exactly want her... dead. Although from what they heard, she'd boiled Farina?

”A servant. Not in the way that the Masters are servants, but as a lowly aid, maybe. Lower than the gembounds, to teach a lesson of ego,” Maximus said. ”If such a thing could be done, she could be cursed to always do what she's told, no matter the request.”

They ducked their head into a meek bow before returning to the orb to try another attempt at reviving the other trees, swallowing nervously. They hated pain, but they were willing to endure if it meant someone would be free.

This time as they reached for the orb and touched the bark of another tree, their fur would lighten on their nose, hands, and feet, turning almost pure white. A flowery aroma cloaked them even as they choked back their cries of pain, hunching over before yanking their hand back.

"I still say burn her," Imp answered cheerfully. "Or give me her eyes! -AND give me her eyes!" he amended.

He heard Maximus shuffling around nearby--and the stink of flowers only grew stronger. "Oh, shit, that's you?" he asked--and sneezed--unaware that it was both of them.

He pulled back from the tree that they'd been touching, and though Imp didn't know it, there was a faint gleam of green from his now-empty eye sockets. Right on cue, though, he turned to Farina and Artio. "Speaking of which-..." he asked, then hesitated--"What about my eyes?"

Farina was meant to give him new eyes, if he agreed to help to catch Nemean--and he had. Now he waited, sudden nervousness (and the threat of very real anger in the wings) flickered through him: would she keep her word?