Destiny now lies in the hands of...

[Ebiris]

"Hold it... hold it!" Alicia's face is a grimace as she fights the inevitable and loses, their creation gone as if it never were.

This better not be an omen for Creation itself.

In its wake she deflates, hearing the guardian's words and wearily but undeniably picking herself back up again in their wake. "Death we dealt in spades for the first part of your test. It's something we're exceptionally good at," she says, dignified as she can be while nude in the Beyond, her words carrying a mixture of pride and regret for what she excels at.

"But there has to be more. Creation... doesn't need a reason," she concludes. "The whole was made for a purpose, in search of an answer. What we just created? It had no purpose, it was made just because. The sheer joy of existence is enough. It needs no justification nor excuse."

[Anastasia]

Antenora sinks against your side, head bowed in a moment of mourning.  A moment of simple togetherness as she sends to you, 'One day will will make that vision a reality.'

"We exist," Antenora says, "We stand against the emptiness and say no, we exist. We need no reason, no purpose to our creation. That we exist is enough."

The Guardian's laughter dies down in time and then he speaks. "Jormugandr creates life," he observes, "Endless life that never ends, renewed each dawn."

Around you everything ripples and you find yourself back on the beach. Here the faux-Jormugandr lies, extending into the ocean with just his head resting above the waters. His eyes are closed as he says, "You're remarkable - just as the Incarnation desired for the ones to claim this seed, I believe."

[Ebiris]

She hopes those fleeting souls didn't feel pain in their brief existence. A quiet nod is given to Antenora before they're once again on the beach, facing that enormous serpent maw.

"Thank you," she says, looking up at him. "I hope we can use it well. And I hope one day the Incarnation will return and permit you more than simply exile as thanks for your own work. The one from the bottom of the infinite staircase, she left Creation after awarding the seed. If you can find her, perhaps it won't be so lonely a wait."

[Anastasia]

"Then until then," The Guardian agrees, as it appears before you. A divine seed, radiant and magnificent with power. "Take it and my duty in this Creation comes to an end."

[Ebiris]

With this, Marie and Latha and Jessica can rise up to become proper demigods.

Or Alicia could gobble it all up and go straight to lesser power, but the thought doesn't even occur!

"We are grateful for you testing us," she says, carefully picking up the seed. Then... "Ah, before you go, what about all the things we were wearing before we went through your portal?"

[Anastasia]

"Yes, we would like that back. We aren't all Syala." Antenora says, politely.

Syala smiles at this, "I don't mind the view," she opines, "But I would like my hammer back."

The Guardian is gone - but in his wake your gear plops down onto the sand, intact and untouched.

[Ebiris]

Alicia hands the seed to Syala so she can get dressed and recover all her things. "Lets hasten back to Sylica. As before I'm hesitant to handle an object like this unused for long lest someone take it from us," she says, hurrying along.

[Anastasia]

Antenora does the same, the two of you soon garbed. The moment you all are, equipment recovered? You're back in Sylica.

Go ahead.

[Ebiris]

With Alicia's avatar able to keep everyone there updated on what was happening, that means Marie, Latha, and Jessica are all waiting for them. Given this may soon become a somewhat regular occurrence, she's even set up a suitably grandiose and portentous location for it!

So the six deities of Sylica congregate inside a temple atop the Opal Mountain, the light surrounding it blinding to any who might seek to wander too close. It's exposed otherwise, pillars and plinths marked with the holy symbols of each of them - or blank where one hasn't been determined yet.

Alicia's rather simple one of a black dimpled octagon with a white outlined circle in the middle, embodying the queen piece in chess.

Syala's red heart symbol embraced in the curling branches of a tree.

Antenora's monochrome outstretched hand from above clutching one from below bound in chains.

Marie has already decided upon her symbol which now has place here. A trio of purple orbs leaving white trails behind them, the middle larger than the two above and below and adorned with a set of white and black butterfly wings.

And Sylica's symbol itself. A river reaching up towards a mountain with six stars surrounding it.

There are no seats or tables here, merely a gleaming white marble floor to stand on surrounded by the totems of their realm. "Here it is," Alicia says, gesturing to what Syala holds. "You three have already passed the point of no return. So take this, and join us as true deities pledged to protect not just this realm, but all the realms of Creation."

[Anastasia]

There is silence as Syala watches, a fond smile on her face. She lets Alicia talk, content to watch.

Antenora smiles at all of them, lingering a moment on Marie and meeting her eyes.

"It's time. For tomorrow," Jessica steps forward first, "Let's not delay this long, we can celebrate and reflect later. We've all already begun this journey, we can't stop now."

With her is Latha, "No matter what our journey ahead reveals, we've begun a new stage of it."

Jessica and then Latha rest their hands on it, waiting for Marie.

[Ebiris]

Marie smiles back at Antenora when their eyes meet before she steps in after Jessica and Latha. "We've all come so far together, and I know we still have so much more we can do. And I'll be here for all of it as Sylica's beloved whimsical goddess of the heavens," she promises as her hand joins those of the other two quasi-deities on the godseed, sharing its bounty between them.

[Anastasia]

And thus together the divine seed is drawn on. As one the three become brighter, radiance ignored and realized at long last.

In that moment all seems more as the realm resonates, as another step forward towards the inevitable conflict comes closer.

Jessica, Latha and Marie all gain divine rank 1. This requires some considerable DM work. To begin with, what domains will Marie take?

[Ebiris]

She'll get good and chaos as her freebies for the matching alignment. And she'll take magic, trickery, and luck for her base three domains. She's also going to use the extra domain salient ability a bunch to add force, illusion, and celestial to the mix.

Only leaves her with two SDAs but that gives her a strong theme to work with among her domains.

[Anastasia]

Power.

For Marie is another level altogether. If the first seed was awakening, this is stepping out into the morning sunshine. She feels so much come to her, connections and meaning and potential realizing in one moment of perfect growth.

For Jessica she seems to fade into the shadows even more, yet is sharper and more noticeable now. More hidden and more vibrant at once, a trail of dust around her feet, as if dust from an old country road.

Latha simply shines, shines more and more and more yet. Was that feeling of the morning sun from her. She is so bright that only your newly augmented eyes allow Marie to see her and so much more, so much around her, all coming in with one tremendous rush.

[Ebiris]

Alicia watches the three grow with pride at how strong her friends and her realm are becoming.

Admittedly more champions would be nice further down the scale but at the top Sylica's looking good.

"Ahhh," Marie says, blinking slowly and then looking at all the others around. Six deities all in one place. "Now what?" she asks.

"Now?" Alicia asks. "So much. You all need to grow your faiths, we need to find more of the god seeds, we still have enemies aplenty and this mass apotheosis will draw hungry and jealous eyes our way. Also you three need to make your avatars, we can use Zaphkiel's gift to do so immediately but they'll still have to be kept hidden except for dire circumstances."