. Austinian lowered his eyes, glowering at the Blackness before him. "Yours are as bad as mine. They easily slip from their tasks."
. Kwainin smiled, "That is bad?"
. Necrucifer nodded, "Very bad. Before long, they will be praising my name
in prayers, and yours by action."
. Austinian nodded slowly. "I have never agreed with your tactics, but, they so easily forget their place," he clasped his hands together, leaning his chin against them thoughtfully, "they are too disrespectful of our wills."
. Devion chuckled quietly. "What do you expect? We reward them with vague promises and never punish them." He shrugged. "I would like to see them surprised by us once in a while. Instead you three give us rules to follow that are more restricting than their own."
. "What does that mean?" Kwainin frowned.
. Devion threw his head back laughing, "They kill each other for no reason at all, for sport. If I did that, you would all set upon me. Why should they follow what WE agree to, there is so little that will happen if they disobey."
. Necrucifer grinned. "You are right. We should surprise them once in a while. Make them remember their commitments. We've been silent far too long."

. The Gods argued long into the night. Each had his own opinion, but in the end they agreed. As dawn broke over Algoron the three Gods took up station forming a large triangle. Devion sat smiling in the center.
"They'll never expect this. Who will start?"
. Austinian raised his hands out to his sides, great arcs of lightning jumping from his glowing fingertips. Necrucifer drew in a breath of the morning air and pursing his lips blew icy wind out. The frigid wind mixed with the lightning, swirling the bolts around the center of the triangle. Kwainin lifted one hand and cast blue flame into the wind. It danced in the current of icy air entangling around the lightning bolts. Devion rose, cackling and raised his hands over- head. Gathering the wind, flame and lightning between his palms he paused, looking at the others then thrust his hands down to the earth.
. The elements collided with the ground driving into the surface, causing a deep fissure. A great tremor began, first localized to the crack, then spreading as a chasm widened from the crack. From deep within the chasm water gushed from underground springs and filled the widening gorge.
. The gods withdrew to the air above the heaving land. They watched the great split in the earth travel north and south. The great forests along the gorge fell. Struck by lightning they burst into flames and were swept into the churning water that overflowed the gorge. Devion pointed to a grove of trees that stood unscathed. Raising a single finger Necrucifer sent a blast of fire into its center. The grove exploded inward.
. Kwainin concentrated on a Tower that stood near Althainia. Within it, the mages scrambled, falling over each other as they tried to escape the wrath of the angry Gods. Kwainin pressed his hands together tightly and interior passages collapsed, rendering them impassable and dividing the great Tower into three.
. Devion chuckled, then nodded to Kwainin, "That will keep them busy a while."

(continued)