Bastard Son

Bastard Son soaring through the nearly infinite cosmos.

*Note: This information was collected via interviews between The Sod and Gabriella Way*

A planetary amalgamate flies freely through the galaxy, seemingly ignorant of the gravity of other large space objects. Despite its disconnect from any star, the planet illuminates itself brightly with constant and incredible bioluminescence. The darkness of nearby space is lifted with the glow of the hundreds of colors of the wildlife. But, what stands out most is the monolithic throne on the north pole of the planet. It shines a vibrant, green light for hundreds of miles on the surface of the planet. And, in it lies the only intelligent life form on this colorful bulb. That life form, with pitch-black skin and a right-hand that radiates blue light, has named itself The Sod. A bright, red print of a left hand shows itself on The Sod’s face as it looks to the sky. Its smoldering, white bodysuit stretches as it forms a cobalt fist upwards, directly towards the High-Warlock.

## History

### Pre-Slumber

When the High-Warlock was birthed from Aeterna, countless solar systems were destroyed and displaced. One such solar system, whose name is unknown but posthumously named The Hive, was populated with countless intelligent, carefree creatures. That all changed when they watched their beloved star be consumed in front of their very eyes. All of the endorphins being funneled into them via photosynthesis were snuffed out, converting all of their positive emotions to negative ones. Every soon-to-be dead soul felt an immense, burning rage at whatever was crawling out of the ether. Together, they vowed to get revenge on the High-Warlock, which they called "The Bastard", by whatever means necessary. This vow brought every destroyed soul together to form a singular, collective being. It contained all of the best traits of every being that made up its entirety. Before it lost consciousness, it used its new, immeasurable power to take every displaced planet that was flying from The Bastard and haphazardly form a super-planet. For hundreds of thousands of years, the super-planet floated aimlessly through the galaxy as The Hive's fused souls slept.

#### First Post-Interview Journal by Gabriella

*At this point in the interview, I hadn't gotten over the uncanny feeling that I was being looked right through, despite The Sod's lack of eyes and every other notable facial feature. Or maybe, it wasn't that I was being looked through but directly into. The depths of my soul being investigated is both a curious and terrifying idea equally. I wonder what it saw? In moments, I wish I had such an ability. It's admirable, really. Then, I'd be able to get an idea on what's going on in that unreadable head.*

*Its tone wasn't particularly helpful either. It drifted between a stark monotone and rocketing aggression. Though, the aggression never felt pointed at her, but rather past her and into the darkness. Perhaps that was a side-effect of being looked through. Or just maybe, it was trying to kill The High-Warlock with its distant rage. Either way, I'm extremely excited to learn more. Hopefully, I'll survive my next sleep cycle. There's no night here since the planet doesn't rotate, but The Sod said it would be perfectly okay to let me camp out. I suppose it saw that I had no malintent.*

*I do have two additional things to share. After we finished our interview, it had to tend to something on a different part of the planet, giving me enough time to illustrate the throne that it seems to rest on for most of its days. I also have a particularly notable quote to share from this interview. Both will be seen below.*

*"The Bastard thought nothing as it slaughtered BILLIONS of INNOCENT lives! Those children whose futures were as bright as the star he consumed. There is no excuse for that. Now, all of that anguish resides within us. We hold all that was lost within a single body. A body refined and built for unlimited, unadulterated power. Decided through millennia of deliberation and democracy. For one simple purpose: there will be no judge, no jury; only an executioner."*

### Intra-Slumber

The Sod didn’t begin to dream until nearly a millennium had passed. Then, as the planet careened through space, its sleep became restless and disturbed. It saw countless worlds brought to chaos and ruin over and over again. In the moment, The Sod assumed it was all just a vision. But slowly, it began to realize that this was reality. The power it held was greater than it had thought possible. Near omniscience grazed its sleep and fueled the fire that burned its soul. At every corner of the universe, there was suffering, both deserved and undeserved. Yet, some of those who deserved suffering seemed to avoid it effortlessly. They had to be punished by someone. But, The Sod was not that someone. It focused on the only fugitive it could picture. The titanic outline of The Bastard encapsulated its consciousness, baring down a wicked smile. For endless, indistinguishable years, The Bastard taunted The Sod and attempted to drive it mad with its unchanging gaze, but the combined ability of billions of souls fought off the insanity.

Its nightmare came to an end and soon it attempted to design an infinite number of ways to destroy The Bastard, attempting to locate a weakness. With each failed experiment, The Sod evolved further and further. Infallible perfection capable of achieving what was necessary neared. Just as it reached the cusp of understanding true victory against The Bastard, it startled awake unceremoniously. Staring into the endless stars on the unturning planet named Bastard Son, The Sod made distant eye contact with The Bastard for the first time in more than one billion years.

#### Second Post-Interview Journal by Gabriella

*I've begun to understand more. I've seen THEM. The Sod isn't an it, it-or rather they- are a they. They aren't a singular being created from the decisions of a collective: they ARE the decisions of the collective. I met eyes with each individual soul over what felt like millions of years of conversation. At least, that's what I've comprehended. I have a feeling I've only truly spoken to the collective. I may have to dive a bit deeper in order to understand each individual decision more.*

*On a brighter side, I survived the night! The creatures here seemed to avoid me from a distance that allowed me to see them but not to truly interact with them. I hope to learn more about the life on this planet in our next few interviews. Everything here is so interesting and there being no true "ages" to this planet just adds another layer of curiosity, along with the abnormal construction of the planet. The lack of rotation makes gravity feel particularly heavy and odd; the orbit seems to fluctuate in speed and shape. I can't quite put my finger on it. Hopefully, I'll be able to report more soon enough.*

### Post-Slumber

When The Sod found the end of its stasis, it found that the planet always faced towards The Bastard. The horizon was gray, barren, and uninteresting. A perfectly smooth surface spanned the thousands of kilometers of its circumference. Like a smog, depression smothered it due to the lost knowledge of The Bastard’s death and dull ambience of Bastard Son. It wandered for a few short decades, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it as it walked.

After many isolated years, The Sod realized it didn’t have to be the only one walking the stone features of the planet. It curled its open fist and the elements bent to its will, raising the ground around it and bringing it out of the gravity of Bastard Son. A massive chunk of the planet dismounted from its restraints, being manipulated into another sentient creature. With each clutch of the fist and wave of the hand, a new aspect of its first child took form. Her elongated body, covered in slime, extended into six, nearly planet-length tentacles. Almost as a moon, her form beamed a pale light as she gurgled a roar into the eternal darkness. There, she orbited the planet aimlessly for a year before swimming away from her parent.

In that time, The Sod continued to create and shape a prolific planet, melding the ideal conditions. Dust and dirt swirled into luminescent flora and fauna of untracked number. Each living being embodied a dream it once had, bordering near a perfect genome. It worked tirelessly until, simply, it grew bored. Moments passed after its last creation before the throne rose from the ground and The Sod dropped into place, watching the planet that it had spent all of its moments on.

#### Third Post-Interview Journal by Gabriella

*This interview was truly a massive, incredible breakthrough. I can't begin to describe how close I am to greatness here. I think with one, final push I'll become more than I ever have been before. I've been able to understand the magnitude of this situation further as well. I'm in the presence of someone who could be seen as a god. They are a creator of life: sentient life. But, for some reason, they seemed to avoid creating highly intelligent life. Perhaps, an upspoken rule within their council that stops them from taking such an intense action, or maybe its a lack of ability. There's no real way to know without specifically asking. I might make a point of asking.*

*The Sod seems to have started to gain an iota of extra trust in me. I think maybe they see something beyond my current physical self. I've not noted everything they've said, but certain phrases or tidbits of information lead me to the most positive of conclusions. I believe they even invited me to a ceremony of sorts sometime in the next few days. What ceremony takes place with only one person? That's the question I hope to answer. They certainly know how to peak my interests. It always feels like they give me just enough to be satisfied but still want much much more. Tonight, I'll sleep completely out in the open. For, tomorrow, I roam with the wild!*

## Living Creatures and Species

### Animals

**Junbit:** A medium-sized, scaled creature with a quadrisected jaw soured through the sky. It's canine-like legs landed on the ground in a sprint before coming to an intense stop, front paws gripping the ground as it snapped at its prey.

### Plants

#### Fourth Post-Interview Journal by Gabriella

*This world is so beautiful. Every plant, every animal, every body of water; they all work together in harmony. Despite their innate hunting of each other, they need each other. The living things make the planet breathe and the natural beauty is something beyond anything a society could create. Preserving history and, more importantly, preserving life is the most respectable job one could have. The Sod sits on this planet and preserves. They could fly and conquer galaxies. But instead, they choose to sit on their throne and tend to their preverbal garden. All for the purpose of spite.*

*This is what the High-Warlock does. That BASTARD devours the lives of species after species for no purpose but hungry. A selfish, Sinister beast that consumes stands in the middle of a plantation of life. And those who worship this bastard are worse than him on his own. They see all of its destruction and wrath and their first thought isn't hatred but jealously. The long for a fraction of his power. You know what I say? Fuck that.*

*The Bastard has run from battle and that means he can feel fear. If he can feel fear, that means someone needs to be the one to scare him. I reckon that nonexistence stimulates his fear. So, if we need someone to send a chill up his spine, then I will be the one. Or rather, WE will be the one. I make an oath to take the quest of vengeance into my own hands.*