Thrag had shown great ability in persuasion, he had made the conversion of the goblin village significantly easier. Leaning his head on the backrest of his dark throne, the devil closed his eyes as he pondered in thought, reviewing everything that had taken place in this Primordial Seed. He had concocted a scheme that allowed for the birth of his apostle, an apostle that had against all odds beaten several beings that should have had the skills to put her down. But they didn't. How could beings without control over their fate hope to thwart the plans of a being such as him, a devil that had long grasped a hold of the fickle thing that called itself fate? His path was already determined and would remain unhindered even by those who sat at the top, the Primordials, they could only hope to be corrupted and brought into the ranks of his faith.
With this thought in mind, purple orbs revealed themselves to the shadowy space that had become the devil's abode, their gaze was focused upon the endless black sky, searching for something, before they shifted towards the Observation Screen. An old goblin walking around with a skull filled with blood could be seen, this pawn held great importance to the devil's plans. His apostle possessed great strength, however, with this strength came an unquenchable thirst for blood and battle, it was the very nature of the Asuras. This nature of hers made the conquest of lands many times easier, but inversely it made the conquest of hearts much harder. The devil was sure that Faye would have managed to convert the goblins after some time, but he needed efficiency.
This is where the First Priest came in. His gentle demeanour made him someone that people would have an easier time trusting, with the addition of his persuasion skill, the result was rapid conversion. Though it could be argued that the goblins already held a significant amount of trust for the old goblin, the devil was sure that Thrag would make a fine preacher, after all, it would take a master manipulator to know what was needed to easily gain the trust of others. The question of the First Priest's skills would be answered once the conquest of the Forest of Aeternitas began, for now, the devil would only watch and plan. And when the time came, he would enact his plans and propel his civilisation further along the path to the top.
Red eyes calmly watched as groups of goblins worked to smooth down the surfaces of three poles. These poles had been fashioned from the tree that a group had felled earlier, with the tree being large enough to produce three poles of about 10 metres. One of these poles would be used in the ritual that would take place, whilst the other two were going to be used in areas that they were going to take over. Since the plan was to rapidly take over as many tribes as possible, it was best to have the tools necessary to expand the territory. Faye turned her head towards the ritual circle she had been working on, her gaze slowly hovering over the series of intricate markings that smoothly connected to the next set. At the centre of the ritual circle was a hole, it was slightly wider than the length of the Asura's torso, as for its purpose? This would be revealed once the ritual began.
"Lady Apostle"
The demoness turned towards the newly inducted priest, who bowed before, the admiration and respect apparent in this action. It was clear that he wasn't merely doing this to stroke her ego, Thrag's faith in the Lord of Corruption had reached such a high, that he felt genuine respect for his Lord's apostle. For but a moment, surprise flashed in the Apostle of Corruption's eyes before she gave a nod of approval, the goblin had originally been adorned in bones from various creatures along with markings painted on with blood. This was the attire of the Shaman of the Blood God, but he long shed that title along with that appearance. Now he was draped in a ragged, black cloak with the blood markings having been washed away along with his previous identity. He was now Thrag, the First Priest of Corruption.
"Your new appearance suits you well, now you truly look like a servant of corruption", the Asura's raspy voice showered compliments upon Thrag, the latter deepening his bow as a show of gratitude. "Now tell me", the demoness continued, "What is it that you wish to tell me?". Having received permission to talk, the priest promptly replied, "The preparations are complete, the blood has been collected and the poles are now ready". Nodding her head, Faye turned back towards the ritual circle and began to walk towards it whilst uttering three words.
"Let us begin"
Despite having been practically whispered, the words resounded in the ears of every goblin in the village, causing them to spring into action. A group of goblin warriors picked up one of the poles and brought it towards the ritual circle whilst Thrag joined the Faye at the circle itself, making sure to position himself a few steps behind her. The old goblin still carried the skull in his hands, the blood contained within being an important ingredient in the ritual that was about to take place. As a crowd began to form around the area, those carrying the pole had already arrived at the circle and were now carefully slotting it into the hole that sat at the centre of all the markings. Once they were sure that the pole was secure within the hole, the warrior goblins moved back and joined the crowd, apprehension and excitement apparent in their eyes as they readied themselves for the spectacle that was to take place.
Holding out her hand towards the priest who stood behind her, Faye reminded herself of the steps of the ritual before crouching in front of the ritual circle as a skull was placed into her hand. The markings hadn't just been drawn onto the ground, they had been carved into the earth, allowing the blood that the demoness now poured from the skull to flow through the markings. The ritual circle was very quickly filled with red but Faye didn't stop pouring, this action confused the goblins behind her as they were sure that the markings would overflow. However, this premonition of theirs did not come to pass, instead, their jaws dropped as they watched the blood crawling up the pole. As the final drops of blood dripped into the ritual circle, the demoness threw away the skull before standing up once again. Her eyes were focused on the pole before her with the utmost concentration, she could not make a mistake.
The goblins watched with bated breath, the concentration of the apostle of their new Lord, made them realise that this was an important point in the ritual. As soon as the first line of blood had reached the top of the pole, the Asura roused her aura; a blood-red gauntlet formed around her right hand. Using one of the claws, she drew a cut across the palm of her left hand and placed it firmly against the pole.
The second the blood of the apostle made contact with the pole, a mixture of purple and red energy exploded out of the pole, enveloping the area with colours.