Gob

Gob
Title	Hand of God
Hometown	Tirnog
Current Residence	Tirnog
Gender	Male
Race	Ancient God (Toad)
Emblem	Toad
Affiliations	Primacy Maple Alliance The Adversary Archelon Melian (formerly)
Minions	Cledd (butler)
Enemies	Gerand Darmoor Gerand Darmoor Apostles Melian Jupiter Overseers Adversaries
Status	Alive
Name (Other Servers)
ChinaMS	呱呱波 (Guāguā bō)

Gob, also known as the Hand of God, is an Ancient God and expert engineer.

Story

The Ancient War

In the beginning, the Primordial God made 365 creations with 365 laws. From these 365 creations that made up the world, powerful beings appeared that would one day be known as the Ancient Gods. Amongst them was Gob, a small toad-like creature with a penchant for engineering. Unlike many of the other Ancient Gods, Gob did not subjugate and rule over mortals, instead using his divine power to develop powerful and useful machines, for which he earned the nickname 'Hand of God'. Gob was close friends with another god named Archelon, an immense turtle-like creature who had long been curious about the human heart. In order to help his friend live alongside mortals, Gob created a robotic form for Archelon, transferring his consciousness into the machine, after which his physical form fell asleep beneath the Arcus desert. In order to protect Archelon's slumbering body, Gob constructed a massive fortress, along with superweapons in the form of large robots. Gob used his divine power to create these robots, thereby making them invulnerable to any attack which did not contain the power of higher beings. These pieces of magical technology were linked to Archelon's robotic body, allowing him to control them. Eventually, the Primordial God - unable to abide the chaos in the universe - created the Overseers to establish order in the universe. To this end, the Overseers tasked the elders of Grandis with creating beings known as the Adversaries. Imbued with the divine power of relics known as the Godspheres, the Adversaries began a war to defeat the Ancient Gods. Despite being a god, Gob was physically quite weak and unfit for combat, because of which he instead created a dimensional toad called Tirnog, which had an inner dimension contained within its stomach. Gob was able to survive the Ancient War by hiding inside Tirnog as the Adversaries successfully defeated the other gods.

As the war raged on, Gob took on a disciple named Melian, an Ancient God who resented many of her fellow gods for the chaos and destruction that they spread across the world. Over the course of the conflict, Gob began noticing that the Erdas of the gods were disappearing from the universe as the gods slaughtered each other. In order to find a solution, Gob created an underground workshop deep beneath the Arcus desert called Geardock. After Geardock was completed, Gob proudly told Melian that with such a powerful security system, no intruder could enter and threaten them. He then gave Melian a control device that allowed her to command the machines of Geardock in case of an emergency. Melian glumly noted that Geardock was quite gloomy and noted that hiding underground was a rather ungodly decision. Gob asked her whether fighting and boasting one's power was the only way that one could prove themselves to be godly, to which Melian replied that she thought that the war between immortals was meaningless as well, though she pointed out that the Adversaries had now appeared in the mix, and that it ought to be their duty as gods to fight them. When Gob asked Melian whether she was calling him a coward, she quicky replied that she hadn't meant to imply that. Nevertheless, Gob told Melian that he agreed with her, as they had no choice but to do something now that the Overseers had decided to put the gods to sleep by sending their agents. However, he pointed out that they couldn't deal with the Adversaries with the weapons that he had created alone, to which Melian asked whether that meant that they were going to hide in Geardock and ignore the war altogether. Gob clarified that it meant that they needed to plan for the future and asked Melian whether she would truly go out and fight the Adversaries when it was certain that she would be defeated and sealed away.

At Melian's silence, Gob told her that by leaving Geardock, their options were either to be killed by the other immortals or sealed away by the Adversaries. Though he believed it to be a meaningless choice, he invited Melian to leave if she felt so certain in her decision. After a pause, Melian conceded and told Gob that she couldn't leave, as she had chosen to study under him in order to learn everything that he knew. Gob then told her that there was a far more important reason than the Adversaries why he had chosen to move his workshop underground. He explained that the immortals were slowly beginning to die and asked Melian whether she knew what it meant for an immortal being to perish. Melian replied that it meant that their world would become less chaotic, to which Gob told her that he wasn't joking around. However, Melian insisted that she was being serious, explaining that there were too many immortals in the world who caused endless chaos. She then told Gob that it was her belief that only the strongest, wisest, and most noble gods should live, while all the rest ought to disappear. Upon hearing her words, Gob admitted that the Adversaries in the outside world likely felt the same way, to which Melian added that she hated all her fellow gods. However, Gob told Melian that the solution wasn't so simple, explaining that the immortals possessed incomparably more energy than mortals. He then asked Melian what would happen if such vast quantities of Erda vanished from the universe altogether. He noted that while the Erdas of mortals reincarnated in the cycle of life and death through the Erda Flow, the gods didn't share the same fate, meaning that the death of the immortals would create a universal imbalance that would be impossible to predict or handle. He then speculated that it was perhaps for that reason why the Overseers had wanted their Adversaries to seal the gods away in eternal slumber, rather than killing them outright. Melian realized that Gob was right that the Adversaries hadn't actually killed any of the gods and asked whether the problem with killing immortals was related to the machine that Gob had once shown her. Gob confirmed her suspicions and explained that he had created the Erda Condenser in order to coagulate the divine Erdas generated from the death of the immortals, thereby preventing them from disappearing from the world. Melian then asked Gob what he planned to do with the Erdas of the gods, to which Gob explained that they would need to develop another machine in order to melt down the divine Erdas, for which he decided to show Melian the furnace that he had designed for such a purpose. Gob showed Melian the furnace that he had created - Kronos - which the pair began developing to work alongside the Erda Condenser. However, despite their best efforts, they were unable to find a way to capture the Erdas of the gods as they died, for which Gob abandoned his experiment as a failure, though Melian nevertheless remained obsessed with finding a way to make it work, despite Gob's discouragement.

Jupiter's Alliance

In the latter half of the war, the Ancient God Jupiter sent out an invitation to all the gods, hoping to unite them together against the Adversaries. In order to discuss Jupiter's invitation, Gob arranged a meeting with several different gods: Noctis, Prague, Keira, Enki, Mitra, Garuda, Archelon, and Melian. While the others confirmed their attendance, however, Mitra ignored the invitation altogether. At the meeting, Gob expressed his surprise that everyone who had agreed to attend had actually shown up, to which Archelon noted that he would go wherever his friends did. Keira explained that she had agreed to attend because it was Gob who had invited her, adding that she would rather hear him out than Jupiter. However, she pointed out Archelon's robot body and asked Gob whether he had created it. Archelon explained that it was his new body that allowed him to walk on two feet, to which Gob told Keira not to worry about him. Noctis then noted that it was interesting to see so many immortals gathered together in one place and wondered when they had all gotten so weak. Though Prague reminded her that it wouldn't hurt to simply be aware about the ongoing situation, Noctis scoffed and asked how it would help them to be aware about all the immortals who ran and hid like weaklings. Garuda then noted that even Noctis had shown up to the meeting, which made him realize that Mitra really wouldn't be attending. Noctis asked Garuda whether he was afraid and invited him to run away, adding that it would be amusing to see the great gods shrinking like cowards. As Garuda began retorting in anger, Gob attempted to diffuse the situation and asked everyone to calm down and hear him out. Prague agreed and reminded Noctis that Luce hadn't wanted her to attend the meeting simply to fight. Gob then went ahead and began summarizing the situation, explaining that the immortals had originally began fighting amongst themselves with their own strength and laws in order to realize their own personal goals. However, it was only when the Adversaries had appeared in the world that the immortals had realized that there were beings on a higher level than them: the Overseers.

With the Overseers actively interfering in the world, the immortals had started another war in order to ensure their own survival. However, Gob noted that the immortals were not united in their goals, with many being sealed away in slumber at the hands of the Adversaries' immense power. He reminded them that they had all received an invitation from Jupiter, adding that he had recently learned that Jupiter already had a great number of followers. Because of this, the only immortals left were either those who had gone into hiding, disappeared completely, or those like Mitra who refused to communicate. With the war against the Adversaries soon reaching its climax, Gob told them that they all had a decision to make, which was why he had gathered them all to discuss whether they should join Jupiter's alliance or find another option. Noctis admitted that while the Overseers' puppets were strong, she didn't think that the situation was precarious enough to warrant an entire meeting about them. Noting that Noctis had already defeated countless Adversaries, Gob asked her whether that was her assessment about the situation, though Keira pointed out that not all immortals were as powerful as her. Noctis retorted by asking whether that meant their solution was to band together when the immortals had only just been killing each other not too long ago. Prague pointed out that Jupiter had already boasted the strongest force amongst the immortals, and that they were now uniting more immortals together against their common enemy. However, he asked whether they could truly make an alliance with Jupiter and remain on equal footing with him, pointing out that Jupiter could simply be using them and aiming to lead them into a trap for his own gain.

Upon hearing Prague's words, Noctis declared that she refused to entrust her sister's safety to anyone else, to which Gob – realizing that their opinions were all dissenting – proposed attempting to negotiate with the Adversaries through dialogue. However, both Prague and Garuda dismissed Gob's idea as a joke, claiming that the Adversaries had already defeated far too many immortals to make a truce now. Gob replied by saying that he had expected such a reaction, causing Prague to ask him whether he truly believed that the immortals had no chance of winning the war. Gob confirmed Prague's accusation and told him that the immortals were going to lose, whether or not they worked together or alone, adding that Noctis would be no different. Noctis and Keira were both intrigued and asked Gob why he believed so, to which Gob explained that he had come to that conclusion after attempting to make weapons and methods to amplify his power in order to face the Adversaries. However, he noted that it was clear that their power had limits in the end, though Noctis retorted that those limits were Gob's, not hers. Nevertheless, Garuda pointed out that Gob's problem wasn't just exclusive to him, while Keira added that they could surely find a different way by working together. Noctis laughed that she had no need to join forces, adding that whoever threatened her or Luce would be soundly defeated. She then went as far as declaring that she would pull down the Overseers themselves to the material world if that was what it took to destroy them. She then told the other gods that though she didn't need them as allies, she would nevertheless welcome them if they chose to serve under her, much to Garuda's annoyance. Suddenly, Melian spoke up and told Gob that she had a way to win if only he would leave things to her. However, Gob scolded her and instructed her to remain silent, adding that he wouldn't tolerate her nonsense, even if she was his disciple. Prague was intrigued by Melian's comment and noted that it seemed as though Gob had been up to something interesting, to which Gob merely remained silent. Noctis then noted that the discussion seemed to be over, as the other gods' choices were to either join Jupiter or hide their power and flee. Realizing that negotiations had fallen sideways, Keira thanked Gob for arranging the meeting, though she told him that she wouldn't be joining him, adding that she would find another way to protect those who followed her. Gob realized that in the end, all the gods would follow their own paths, to which Archelon replied that he was perfectly suited to do so in his new body. Meanwhile, Garuda declared that he would follow Jupiter, believing that it would be better than fighting alone.

Expelling Melian

Some time after the meeting, Gob found Melian near Kronos and scolded her for coming back there once again, reminding her that he had already told her that he had pulled the plug on the Kronos project. However, Melian excitedly told Gob that she had figured out a way to use Kronos, though Gob pointed out that she herself had agreed that the Erdas of the gods would disappear immediately after death, making it impossible for the Erda Condenser to capture them. With a sinister look on her face, Melian declared that if the Erdas of the gods disappeared immediately upon death, then they simply needed to put the gods themselves inside Kronos before they died, thereby ensuring that their Erdas could be processed by Kronos as their physical bodies were melted down in the lava. Though Gob called Melian's plan insane, Melian noted that her solution was exactly what Gob wanted, as the Erdas of the gods could be used to create a being capable of destroying the Adversaries once and for all. She noted that while their current experiment would create nothing more than an unintelligent entity without an ego, further research could refine it into something even greater. However, Gob interrupted Melian and immediately expelled her from his tutelage and from Geardock itself. Though an angry Melian told Gob to stop making bad jokes, Gob told her that he was being dead serious, adding that keeping her from working on Kronos was the last act of kindness he could give her. When Melian continued furiously protesting, Gob told her that no matter how much he sympathized with her sad past, he refused to entertain her absurd ideology of killing the gods. Though Melian believed that she had done exactly what he wanted, Gob retorted that using the Erdas of already-dead gods to make an entity to fight the Adversaries was completely different from murdering gods and melting them down. When Melian refused to leave, Gob summoned his war machines and ordered them to escort Melian out of Geardock forever. Following this, Gob abandoned Geardock and returned to Tirnog.

Fall of Tallahart

After the gods of Tallahart betrayed Noctis and stole her power, they were unable to handle her immense strength, leading to Tallahart's fall at the hands of the Adversaries. In the aftermath of the battle, Gob arrived at the ruins of the city, where he found Prague wounded in the field of battle. Gob asked Prague whether he was alright, explaining that he had heard that the Adversaries had laid siege to Tallahart. He noted that he had thought that Noctis could hold out longer, but upon seeing Prague's uncomfortable silence, Gob realized that the true enemy had come from within Tallahart itself. He then mocked Prague by claiming that he shouldn't have run away like a coward if he had truly stolen Noctis's power, to which Prague angrily retorted that he wouldn't hear such words from someone who was hiding away from the war. Gob replied that he wanted to make sure that the one-sided conflict finally came to a close, noting how no other gods had survived the battle. Just then, however, a wounded Jupiter arrived at the scene and told them that there were still those who remained. Gob noted that Jupiter seemed worse for wear and realized that even, who had led so many immortals, couldn't handle the Adversaries. Jupiter laughed bleakly and agreed that none of them could handle the monsters that the Overseers had created, adding that the Adversaries had crushed them so easily that none of the immortals had stood a chance against them. He noted that immortal beings such as them had fallen at the hands of mere mortals, gesturing to the battlefield and claiming that the age of the immortals was coming to a close.

Gob replied that such an ending had always been destined, as the immortals had been fighting amongst themselves for far too long. He pointed out that even before the Overseers had intervened, the immortals had been slaying each other, and that such a catastrophe had been inevitable, though he lamented that he had never expected it to end so bleakly. Jupiter lamented that he had gotten it wrong from the start, believing that the crisis could have been averted if the immortals had allied together when the war had first begun. Prague then interrupted and reminded them that the Adversaries would soon return and finish what they had started, for which he urged Jupiter and Gob to return to Tallahart and recuperate so that they could plan their counterattack. However, Gob refused to join Prague, claiming that he had work to do and adding that after expelling his disciple, Melian, he had no choice but to do it all alone. Jupiter also refused to go with Prague, explaining that if he was going to go down, he would rather do so fighting on the graves of the other immortals. After the fall of Tallahart, Gob remained secluded in Tirnog as Jupiter and the remaining gods were sealed away by the Adversaries. Following the end of the war, the Overseers created the Transcendents in order to suppress the Ancient Gods, thereby ensuring that the gods who had fallen into slumber would remain asleep for eternity. Though Archelon's physical body had long since fallen asleep beneath the deserts of Grandis, the power of the Transcendents suppressed his abilities as an Ancient God. Archelon's robotic body became merely a normal robot, without any of Archelon's memories as a god. However, Gob kept a screw from Archelon's robot form safe until the day that the Ancient Gods would reawaken.

Attacked by Darmoor

Over the ages, Archelon's fortress, which stood atop where his physical body had fallen asleep underground - was converted into a hotel called Hotel Arcus. The hotel was created specifically for the Seekers - adventurers who sought ancient artifacts across Grandis. During this time, Archelon worked at the hotel and aided the hotel owners to serve the Seekers, along with many smaller robots who had originally been created as part of the ancient underground fortress. Over time, however, the Seekers stopped coming to Hotel Arcus and many people who lived in the town slowly began to leave. Around the time that the Interdimensional Portal on Maple World reappeared, Archelon worked for the father of Rusty, a young boy who helped around the hotel as a mechanic. Archelon grew close to Rusty and would frequently visit the drive-in theater near the hotel, where they would watch the same M-Force movie on loop. During this time, Gob left his hideout and hid Archelon's screw somewhere in Arcus, creating a map in order to lead to its location. He then sought out Archelon at the drive-in theater, where he overheard Archelon asking Rusty to define 'captain' and told Archelon that a captain was 'a defender of justice who protected people'. After introducing himself to Rusty, Gob told him that Archelon used to be impressive in the 'old days' and explained that he had returned because he had believed that it was time, though he now realized that he would need to wait a while longer. Gob then gave Rusty a treasure map and explained that there was nothing more precious in the world to Archelon, whom he called their 'screw-loose friend', hinting at the fact that the map led to the screw that would be able to link Archelon's robot form to his physical body once again. On his way back to Tirnog, however, Gob was attacked by Gerand Darmoor, who used a draining crystal to drain Gob's power. Though Gob was able to escape, a large amount of his divine power was stolen by Darmoor, leaving him weak and vulnerable.

Alliance with the Primacy

Realizing that Darmoor was stealing the power of the gods, Gob hoped to find powerful allies who could protect him from Darmoor and the High Flora. Though Gob heard rumors about the Maple Alliance in Maple World, he ultimately decided that it would be too risky to reveal himself as an Ancient God to an unknown organization that had an Adversary - the ancient enemy of the gods - as their weapon. Because of this, Gob instead began a long and difficult search that ultimately led him to discover the Primacy, a militia that stood against the High Flora. After seeking them out, Gob offered them a deal to use Tirnog as their safe and hidden base in exchange for their protection against Darmoor. Though the Primacy agreed, Gob quickly found that the Primacy was quite unruly and often disregarded his words, despite him being the owner of the hideout. Nevertheless, Gob was able to supply them with specialized weapons that could help them neutralize the powerful magic of their enemies.

Meeting Cosim

During one of the Primacy's missions, Ailene - the Primacy's sniper - shot down Cosim, a member of the Angler family. However, Gob - intrigued by Cosim's inner machinery - decided to examine and repair Cosim, who soon awoke to find Gob standing over him. Gob - realizing that neither of them could reveal their real names - decided to instead introduce himself by his nickname, the Hand of God, claiming that such a title was no exaggeration after he had managed to single-handedly repair a machine as curious as Cosim. Cosim then asked Gob whether he was part of the Primacy, to which Gob replied that he had forged an alliance with them. Cosim noted that he and the Primacy were enemies, to which Gob explained that he already knew, and that he had merely been curious about Cosim's internal structure, which was why he had fixed him. At Cosim's confusion, Gob clarified that Cosim's base structure was robotic, yet with mechanical replacements for organic parts, as though they had once been human parts which had been modified into cybernetic equivalents. He explained that though he had come across people who had replaced certain parts with machinery, he had never seen anyone who had been replaced fully into a cyborg, as it didn't make sense to do so just for the end result to essentially be a robot. Gob also added that what was more unusual was the fact that Cosim had a tracking chip placed inside of him, much to Cosim's surprise. Noting that Cosim was from the Angler Company, the Hand of God wondered whether this was how the Company founder treated his creations. However, Cosim angrily refused to believe Gob, claiming that his father had no need to place such a device on him when he trusted him completely. However, Gob's words would later cause Cosim to realize the truth about his father, prompting him to turn on his family.

Extradimensional Visitors

Meeting the Alliance

Soon after the alliance with the Primacy, the convergence of Maple World and Grandis caused a disruption to the dimensional machine that powered Tirnog, as the fusion of the two dimensions disrupted the coordinates of his own pocket dimension, which existed between the two worlds. Around this time, the Apostle Baldrix was able to follow the Primacy as they retreated back to Tirnog and used his powerful magic to open a portal through which the High Flora army was able to invade. Though the Primacy was able to repel the invasion, they sustained many casualties, with the dimensional machine breaking down from the battle. With Tirnog vulnerable, Gob and the Primacy decided to find allies who could help them repair the broken machine, which was creating random portals across the fused worlds. To minimize the risk of the Flora finding them, Gob was able to limit the radius of the portals' appearances to Maple World, hoping that the Maple Alliance would be able to help them. As a result, the Adversary and Grendel the Really Old's two apprentices - Lily and Elwin - were able to discover the portal, which brought them inside Tirnog. They began marveling at how the dimension seemed quite unlike Maple World or Grandis, though the Adversary noted to themselves that it seemed vaguely familiar. As Elwin began talking about the creature which had swallowed them, describing it as a frog, Kelly - the Primacy's mechanic - approached them and laughed that frogs weren't reptiles, and that even a desert native like herself knew as much. Alongside her, Gob noted that it appeared as though the mages of the present day didn't seem to study biology much. He added that not just anyone could become a mage back in his day, and that the outside world appeared to have changed quite a bit since then. Elwin was quite shocked to see Gob, to which Kelly laughed and asked whether Maple World didn't have talking animals. Lily then demanded to know who they were and why they had created the dimensional crack, to which Gob assured her that they weren't her enemies. He asked them to hear him out, after which he instructed his robotic butler, Cledd, to take them back. Though suspicious, the group decided that the strangers didn't appear hostile, and so they followed Gob and his allies to a nearby dimensional machine. Gob explained that the machine was a gateway and a coordinate device that held the location of the dimension that he had created. A surprised Elwin asked Gob how he had created a dimension of his own, pointing out that the machine appeared to be broken and emitting smoke. Gob explained that, to be more precise, the dimension existed within the stomach of the dimensional toad, which he had created, whom he had named Tirnog. However, he added that things hadn't been going very well because of Darmoor. At the group's surprise, Gob introduced himself and revealed himself to be an Ancient God, though he added that his friends sometimes called him by his nickname: the Hand of God.

Though Elwin couldn't believe that such a small toad could be a god, Lily admonished her brother and reminded him that, according to the Alliance's reports, not all gods were large beings. She then hesitantly asked the girl next to Gob whether she was also an Ancient God, to which the girl laughed and explained that she was just an ordinary human named Kelly who hailed from the deserts of Grandis, though she added that she and her allies currently resided inside Tirnog. Lily then asked Kelly which allies she had been referring to, to which Kelly replied that while Grandis was using all sorts of titles to refer to them, they were a militia who had come together with one purpose, though she added that she would introduce them later, as she was the only member currently at the hideout. Elwin asked Kelly whether her militia was fighting alongside the Ancient Gods, though Gob clarified that the militia was merely in an alliance with him, as they were serving as his bodyguards in exchange for him allowing them to use his dimension as a hideout. Gob explained that he was currently quite weak, and that he would easily be attacked by Darmoor - who was seeking the power of the Ancient Gods - if he were to leave his dimension, for which he needed the militia's protection. The Adversary noted to themselves that they didn't sense much power within Gob, which seemed to line up with his story. However, Lily asked Gob why he had created the portal in Maple World if he was secluding himself within Tirnog, to which Gob revealed that his dimensional machine was broken, resulting in portals randomly appearing in the outside world.

Kelly added that they had been able to contain the location of the portals' appearances to within a certain radius, and that they had attempted to limit that radius to a location where they could find allies to ask for assistance in repairing the broken machine. Though the Adversary and the others were hesitant, Lily realized that they had no choice, as the dimensional collapse of Tirnog would cause adverse effects in Maple World as well. Gob then promised that he would help the Alliance make it worth their while in addition to keeping Maple World safe by helping them with their mission to obtain the power of the Ancient Gods. After they agreed to help, Lily asked Gob why the machine had broken down in the first place. Gob explained that there were two reasons for it – the first being that the convergence of Maple World and Grandis had disrupted the coordinates of his dimension, which existed between the two worlds, and the second being that the High Flora army had invaded and broken the machine some time ago. Elwin and Lily were both surprised and asked where the militia had been during the attack, as they were meant to have been serving as Gob's bodyguards. Kelly explained that most of the militia was currently out on missions in Grandis, though she then hesitated and trailed off while explaining what had happened during the High Flora attack. Gob then noted that it was because Kelly's militia had picked a fight too aggressively and had been pursued back to the hideout as a result, to which Elwin fearfully realized that the Apostles could appear at any moment if they knew about the location of the dimension. However, Gob assured him that he wasn't as careless as that, as it was only the militia that made such mistakes, to which Kelly laughed embarrassedly before leaving to continue on repairs. Lily then asked Gob what the purpose of Kelly's militia was if they were picking fights with the High Flora. Gob explained that the militia had vowed to destroy Darmoor in order to regain their freedom, and that they were known as the Primacy - the usurpers of freedom - all across Grandis. Though the group was shocked to learn that they were at the Primacy's hideout, Gob decided that the time for questions was over and suggested that they speak with the Primacy directly later on if they still had more.

Gob's Check-Up

Soon after, as repairs on the dimensional machine proceeded, Gob approached the Adversary and asked them for a favor, explaining that he wished to analyze their body. At the Adversary's hesitancy, Gob promised them that he wasn't intending to use them for an experiment, though he added that he wouldn't mind taking them apart to study them. He then quickly promised that he was joking, noting that they must be cautious around him because of the Ancient Gods' reputation as selfish and strange beings. However, he proclaimed that he wasn't just an Ancient God, but a scholar as well, and that he was quite serious about his research. Gob then took the Adversary to a check-up machine, where he analyzed their body and noted with interest the status of the World Heart, which contained the power of the Ancient Gods. He then explained that their body was in perfect condition, laughing that he would have been in trouble during the Ancient War if he had been forced to fight an Adversary like them. Upon seeing the Adversary's interest in his story, Gob revealed that he had survived the Ancient War by creating Tirnog and hiding away inside him during the onset of the war, as intellectuals such as himself were unsuited for combat. However, he revealed that he had gotten careless and left the dimension momentarily while returning something to an old friend, which was when he had been attacked by Gerand Darmoor and had much of his power stolen.

Having finished his story and his analysis, Gob told the Adversary that both their body and the World Heart were stable, and that there was little chance of any adverse effects to using the divine power which they had taken. However, Gob explained that it was normally impossible for one to handle the power of the gods without being a god themselves. Though he admitted that it was possible to use the power of the Ancient Gods without side effects if one were a Transcendent, he noted that the Adversary wasn't one. Nevertheless, he admitted that they weren't simply an ordinary mortal, as they were an Adversary who wielded a Godsphere in the form of the World Heart, which was why they were in a stable state even after absorbing the power of the gods. Despite this, he warned them to keep looking within and maintain caution, as he believed that something dangerous could happen otherwise. Gob then explained that the Alliance's goal to take the power of the Ancient Gods would invariably place them in conflict with the Primacy, which was why Iker was on such high alert, though he admitted that it would be beneficial if the Primacy and the Alliance could unite. The Adversary asked Gob whether he knew much about the Primacy, to which he replied that they had been through a lot together. He then began explaining the story of how they had first met, revealing that it hadn't been that long since they had first joined forces. He explained that after Darmoor had attacked him, he had gone into hiding to recover, though Darmoor's influence had continued to grow over that time, with the convergence of Maple World and Grandis occurring soon afterwards, as well as the Ancient Gods reawakening.

Realizing that he was not safe operating alone, Gob had gone in search of allies who could stand against Darmoor, despite there being very few capable of doing so. When the Adversary asked why he hadn't approached the Maple Alliance, Gob explained that it had been too risky for an Ancient God such as himself to seek out an unknown organization with a godslayer as their weapon. Instead, he explained that he had found the Primacy after a long and difficult search, where he had discovered them fighting against the High Flora army. Despite not being united by race, weaponry, or physical condition, the Primacy had fought with great strength, making them both wild and unique. At that moment, he had revealed himself to them and made a deal to give them access to his hideout in exchange for their protection, adding that an alliance between mortals and an Ancient God was quite something. However, Gob explained that the Primacy was quite unruly and often disregarded his words, despite him being the owner of the hideout. He then told the Adversary to speak with the Primacy directly if they had further questions, adding that Kelly had been looking for them.

Soon after, Gob contacted the Adversary and informed them that repairs on the broken machine were nearly complete. The Adversary returned inside Tirnog, where Elwin and Lily were overseeing the final touches on the machine with Gob, who thanked them for speeding up the process with their help. As Elwin began rejoicing that Maple World would no longer face dimensional collapse, Gob admitted that he had actually exaggerated the truth in order to get their help, as Maple World had never truly been in danger of being destroyed. Lily then noted that the Primacy seemed to be quite busy and asked whether they were planning to embark on another mission. As Gob hesitantly attempted to avoid answering, a hologram of Tirnog appeared and began to holographically lick them, with Gob explaining that Tirnog wanted to thank them for their help. Gob then told the Adversary that while he could confirm that the Primacy was about to go on a new mission, he couldn't talk about the details much, for which he suggested that they speak with Kelly instead. The Adversary then met with Kelly and the Primacy, who revealed that they were about to embark on their next mission to the Grave of the Gods.

Morning Star Banquet

After the mission to Tallahart, Gob contacted the Adversary and asked them to meet him inside Tirnog, explaining that the Primacy had important information to share with them before they headed out for their next mission. The Adversary traveled to Gob's hideout, where the Primacy greeted them and noted that it had been a while. Iker then skipped to the point and asked the Adversary whether they wanted to infiltrate Gerand Darmoor's villa with the Primacy. At the Adversary's confusion, Khafdi explained that the High Flora capital of Aboris held the Morning Star Banquet at the God-King's villa to celebrate the new year. He added that though Darmoor himself disliked the banquets and never attended, many of his subordinates did. As the Apostles would be attending the upcoming banquet, Khafdi believed that it was a good opportunity to gather information about Darmoor and his Apostles. He explained that the Primacy had already managed to steal several invitations to the banquet and offered one to the Adversary so that they could infiltrate the event as well. The Adversary noted that infiltrating the banquet sounded quite dangerous, to which Khafdi replied that it wasn't as dangerous as they were thinking, as the sheer scale of the event meant that there would be more holes in security. He also added that the High Flora's arrogance meant that they would never expect anyone to dare move against them in their own capital, especially since the banquet would also be attended by other races under High Flora subjugation.

The Adversary asked whether the Primacy was also planning to infiltrate the banquet, which Khafdi confirmed, explaining that many of its members had faces unknown to the High Flora, and that the Adversary might be able to rendezvous with them at the event. The Adversary then asked Khafdi why they were making such an offer, to which he explained that the Primacy had decided that working with the Alliance was in their best interest, adding that after having seen their skills for himself, he was certain that they would be able to fight their way out on their own in the worst case. He also noted that even if the mission were to fail, the success of even one person would make the outcome worthwhile. Though the Adversary thought to themselves that it sounded like a good opportunity to learn more about the Apostles, they nevertheless pointed out that their own face was highly recognizable to the enemy, which would make infiltration difficult. Gob then reassured the Adversary that the special illusionary device which he had made would create the perfect disguise for them, explaining that the illusion would fit over them like clothing, making it so that anyone who saw them would instead see a completely different person. As he had built the device in a completely unique way, he assured them that not even the best mages or engineers would be able to detect it. Though he admitted that a Transcendent like Darmoor might be able to see through it, he added that it wouldn't make a difference, as Darmoor wouldn't be attending the banquet anyway. However, he warned the Adversary that the disguise only hid their appearance, and that using their abilities would instantly get them caught.

Gob then asked the Adversary whether they would help the Primacy out on the mission, adding that he would install the device right away if they agreed. As the Adversary paused to consider it, Iker told them that he didn't care if they refused as long as they made a decision quickly, as the banquet would begin very soon. Thinking it over, the Adversary realized that agreeing to join the mission would give them a chance to infiltrate Aboris, a place which they had never been to before. The Adversary also realized that they had a chance to get close to the Apostles, which was too great an opportunity to miss. They noted to themselves that Gob's illusory device had been created with Ancient God technology, and with Gob's engineering skills earning him the nickname “Hand of God”, the Adversary decided to trust in the mission and agreed to work with the Primacy. As Gob set to work on installing the device, Khafdi asked him to provide the Adversary with a communicator so that they could stay in touch during the mission.

Soon after, the Adversary arrived at the God-King's villa in Aboris, having enabled Gob's illusory device. The Adversary then began wondering whether Gob's device was working properly, as they hadn't noticed any change in their appearance. Just then, Gob spoke to them through the communicator and assured them that the device was working fine, explaining that he had configured it so that they wouldn't be able to see their disguised appearance, as it would make things difficult if the device prevented them from checking on their condition in the event that they got hurt. Just as he offered to explain in more detail, Khafdi told him that now wasn't the time for him to be spouting off his theories, to which Gob told the Adversary that he would be more than interested in discussing it later inside Tirnog. Nevertheless, he reassured them once again that the device was working just fine. Gob explained that to others, they would appear as a High Flora commoner, and that their low status in the High Flora caste system meant that they would be able to pull off their cover as a servant in the banquet hall. However, he warned them that he hadn't changed their voice, for which he cautioned them to change the way they spoke as much as possible in order to maintain their cover.

Jupiter's Call

Soon after the Morning Star Banquet, the Adversary met with the phantom of Prague, an Ancient God of Tallahart who had fallen in the Ancient War. With the Adversary having picked up a strange message from another Ancient God, Prague offered to reveal the identity of that god in exchange for gathering certain relics for him. Prague instructed them to bring the items to the brazier at the center of the city, where he agreed to fulfill the terms of their contract. However, he then revealed that there was something that he would do first, laughing at the Adversary's naivety as he attempted to draw out the power of the items in order to restore his body. Suddenly, however, the three items disappeared as Gob appeared alongside Tirnog, who swallowed them as Prague watched in shock. Gob noted that his gut instinct had been correct, noting to the Adversary that they had almost gotten into big trouble. The Adversary was surprised to see Gob outside his hideout, with Prague recognizing Gob and demanding to know why he had come. Gob told Prague not to underestimate his intel, noting that the three items which the Adversary had brought were likely batteries of sorts that could replenish Prague's strength. He noted that though Prague had cleverly hidden himself in an illusion and erased all traces of his divine power, Prague's attempts still couldn't fool him. He then told the Adversary that Prague likely would have regained his body if Gob hadn't stepped in, to which Prague furiously denounced Gob as a coward. However, Gob merely asked Prague who he was calling a coward when he was stuck and unable to do anything before noting that Prague should stop acting out foolishly and simply rest. As Prague demanded to know why Gob was taking the side of an Adversary, Gob simply ordered Tirnog to swallow Prague, to which Tirnog opened a dimensional portal that sucked him in.

Gob then turned to the Adversary and noted that it was his first time in Tallahart before realizing that they had no idea what was happening. He then decided to explain and revealed that he had been keeping an eye on them for some time, as he had been worried that something might happen. The Adversary asked him whether he was talking about Prague, to which Gob laughed and explained that he hadn't been worried about Prague, who would have posed no threat even if his body had been restored, as most of his power was now in the Adversary's possession inside the World Heart. He revealed that the real reason why he had been watching them was because he had also received the same message that they had gotten in the crystal ball from the mysterious Ancient God. Gob explained that the Ancient God had been trying to send out messages to other powerful gods, and that the Adversary – who had the power of the Ancient Gods – had inadvertently received the message, likening it to them receiving a radio transmission. The Adversary asked Gob whether he knew the identity of the sender, to which Gob laughed that he, as the Hand of God, would know for sure, revealing that the god who had sent the message was named Jupiter. However, he explained that, unlike Prague, Jupiter was quite a nuisance and a troublemaker. Gob told the Adversary that in the past, Jupiter was a powerful god who had led many other powerful gods, and that he was now working to regain his power and influence by uniting the few remaining Ancient Gods still left.

He then speculated that Jupiter's target was Gerand Darmoor, believing that Jupiter wouldn't sit idly and allow Darmoor to claim his godly power. Gob revealed that Jupiter had even tried to recruit him, though he added that he was far more interested in the Adversary and the Primacy than Jupiter's alliance. He explained that he had been worried that something strange would happen, which was why he had been keeping an eye on the Adversary, adding that though nothing had happened yet, they should still keep their guards up. Because of this, Gob decided that he would keep a copy of Tirnog in Tallahart and inform the Primacy to expect the Adversary to enter the hideout whenever they needed something. He then told the Adversary that he needed to return to Tirnog, as he wasn't in any condition to be leaving the hideout any more than he already had, though he promised to inform them if he learned about anything else. Before he left, however, he suggested that they inform the Alliance about Jupiter and his message. After Gob left, the Adversary contacted Neinheart and informed him about what they had learned. Neinheart was shocked to learn about the alliance of Ancient Gods opposing Darmoor and realized that their presence was a major variable, as there was no telling how they would affect the Alliance, even if they were Darmoor's enemies. He then resolved to investigate the alliance of gods with Carlisle before noting that the Adversary ought to also consider making a deal with Gob to become allies, similar to his deal with the Primacy, as Gob's knowledge and status as a reliable Ancient God would make him an indispensable ally. With access to the Primacy hideout, Neinheart told the Adversary that he would arrange for another meeting in the future before promising to contact them with new information soon.

Battle of Geardock

Kidnapped by Melian

Some time after Jupiter sent out his message, Gob was contacted by Melian, who had asked him to meet in the Arcus desert. Though Gob did not wish to see his old student again, he remained curious as to why she had contacted him after ages of silence. Before leaving Tirnog, he met with Kelly and asked her whether she was able to control Tirnog on her own. Though Kelly admitted that Tirnog sometimes disobeyed her, she explained that she could get things under control with the help of Gob's robots. Gob marveled at Kelly's ability to control systems without even fully understanding their internal structure, claiming that he had never met anyone like her before. Kelly noted that all of Gob's machines operated in a similar way, adding that though she still had a long way to go in fully understanding everything, she at least had a handle on it. Gob then asked her to watch Tirnog for him, explaining that he was setting off to meet someone that he really didn't want to see. Soon after, Gob arrived at the meeting spot and discovered Melian waiting for him. Gob curtly asked Melian what she had to tell him, to which she replied that she hadn't thought that he'd come to see her so easily after how long it had been. She then began asking Gob how he was, though Gob cut her off and asked her whether she had really asked to meet for a social call. He explained that he had only come out of curiosity to see what she wanted from him after so many ages, to which Melian replied that she had thought that he had come out of affection for his old student. Gob asked her whether she still believed there to be any sort of feeling between them, to which Melian noted that he was just as harsh as ever. Gob asked Melian to hurry up and get to her point before asking whether she was still trying to go on about ‘it', adding that he wouldn't sit and listen if she insisted on talking nonsense. After a pause, Melian admitted that she felt guilty about what she was about to do, though she then smiled sinisterly and told Gob that he was right when he had said that there was no sentimentality left between them. She then activated her control device and summoned several robots that surrounded Gob. As they advanced on him, Gob asked Melian what she was doing, to which Melian laughed and told Gob that she needed him, adding that she was still his one and only disciple.

Return to Geardock

Soon after, a wounded Gob awoke in Geardock and found that Jupiter had taken control of his old workshop with Melian's help. Gob demanded to know what Jupiter was doing, to which Jupiter asked Gob why he hadn't answered his call. Gob replied that he had no intention of siding with him, claiming that Jupiter stood no chance of winning the war that he was about to begin. Though Jupiter noted that he wasn't trying to start a war, he nevertheless asked Gob why he believed that they would lose. Gob replied by asking Jupiter why he was gathering the Ancient Gods together if he didn't intend to fight, noting that it was obvious that Jupiter was trying to get revenge on Gerand Darmoor. He then asked Jupiter what else he would call immortal beings trying to annihilate each other if not war. However, Jupiter retorted that the fight against the Transcendent of Life was inevitable for Darmoor to fall, and that someone had to start it. He asked Gob whether he truly believed that Darmoor would stop hunting them down if they sat by and did nothing. Gob agreed that while someone had to stop Darmoor, it wouldn't be Jupiter, warning him that not even uniting the Ancient Gods together would be enough to defeat the Transcendent. Jupiter then asked Gob who, if not him, would kill the Transcendent before laughing and asking whether Gob himself would do it. Gob explained that it wasn't him or Jupiter or any of the gods who would defeat Darmoor. Jupiter asked Gob who he had in mind, noting that it surely couldn't be any of the mortals whom Gob had sided with. Gob admitted that while he wasn't sure who would kill the Transcendent, he believed that the Adversary of the new age stood a chance against Darmoor.

Jupiter was taken aback and asked Gob whether he truly meant to say that one servant of the Overseers would turn on another. However, Gob revealed that the Adversary didn't serve the Overseers, and that they had already slain one fallen Transcendent and saved the world. He added that Jupiter would be amazed by what the mortals that he looked down upon could accomplish, adding that he himself was also quite amazed as well. After a pause, Jupiter asked whether there was truly such an Adversary in the world who had killed a Transcendent, noting that such a being was yet another threat to all immortals. As he turned away, Jupiter told Gob that Melian had voiced her concerns when he had sent out his call to all the Ancient Gods, believing that he shouldn't have invited Gob when she was certain that he would refuse to side with them. Though he had once thought differently, Jupiter realized that Melian had been ultimately been right. He noted that they had all been cast down as gods by the Overseers' servants, with their names long forgotten and their power stolen and used by common mortals. He declared that the supreme beings who had once been revered as gods had disappeared, leaving them as only ghosts of a forgotten past, and yet he noted that Gob still didn't seem angry about such an ignobility. Realizing that he would never appeal to Gob through ideology, Jupiter instead ordered him to activate Kronos, promising to release him if he did. Gob was shocked that Jupiter knew about Kronos and realized that Melian must have told him about it. He angrily demanded to know whether Gob even knew what Kronos was, revealing that it was a furnace that used the divine Erdas of the gods as its fuel. However, he explained that Kronos was useless on its own without the Erda Condenser that he had built as its counterpart, adding that the Erda Condenser was stored in a place that Jupiter could never reach. However, Jupiter simply told Gob not to worry, as the preparations had already been made.

Gob asked Jupiter what he meant by preparations already being made, to which Jupiter revealed that after he had delivered his speech to all the gods whom he had summoned to Geardock, he had used his mechanical arm that Melian had created for him to trap the gods inside force fields, declaring that he and the world would remember the sacrifices made by the gods before melting them down in Kronos. Aghast, Gob asked Jupiter how he could have killed all the followers who had believed in him, to which Jupiter simply declared that they had made a noble sacrifice. He then noted that while Melian had been able to help him through the preparations, he needed Gob to cooperate for the fusion process. Gob angrily reminded Jupiter that he had wanted to fight Gerand Darmoor in the first place to ensure the survival of all the gods, and that he stood to gain nothing by defeating Darmoor at the cost of his friends' lives. However, Jupiter told Gob that everything had been decided for the gods' sake and for their glory, for which he ordered Gob once again to activate Kronos. Nevertheless, Gob refused and told Jupiter that he had no idea just how dangerous Kronos was. He explained that Kronos had been designed to use the Erdas of deceased gods, and that operating it by throwing in materials that it hadn't been built to process meant that it would be impossible to predict what kind of entity that such a fusion process would create. Gob warned that such a being would consume Jupiter and asked whether he was truly willing to sacrifice himself just for the sake of power. However, Jupiter replied that it wasn't a question of gaining power, but for achieving his goal, and that he would do anything it took in order to do so.

Activating Kronos

Realizing that Jupiter had gone completely mad, Gob noted that he had expected someone just like him to show up and misuse Kronos, which was why he had made it impossible for anyone except himself to activate the furnace. He declared that he would never go along with Jupiter's plan, adding that he would never have expelled Melian in the first place if he had wanted to. Upon hearing Gob's words, Jupiter suddenly realized that Melian was the key to changing Gob's mind. He noted that Melian, his first and only disciple, had spent countless years by his side, and that Gob – even now – still considered her to be precious to him. For this reason, he threatened to sacrifice Melian into Kronos if Gob refused to comply with his demands. Just then, the Adversary - who had come to Geardock with the Primacy to rescue him - arrived at Kronos to stop Jupiter, though Melian immediately teleported before them in order to stop them. Meanwhile, Jupiter told Gob to choose, to which Gob asked him how he could threaten Melian when she was his greatest ally. Jupiter replied that Melian herself had wanted to see Kronos in action more than anyone else, and that she would be happy to sacrifice herself for it. When Gob refused to choose, however, Jupiter used his mechanical arm to trap Melian in a force field and dangled her over the furnace. As he threatened to throw her into the lava, Gob finally relented and reluctantly activated Kronos.

Upon seeing this, however, Jupiter laughed and told Gob that his choice had been no different from that of a mortal. He noted that if Gob was truly a god, then he would have made a decision that went with his own will, rather than going along with someone else. In disgust, Jupiter threw Melian into Kronos, declaring that his choice as a god would be to gain the power to stand against the Transcendent of Life. As Melian was melted in the lava, Jupiter claimed that the gods were, and still were, beings who had lost everything, which was why he was making such a choice. As a volatile, unstable purple entity created from the Erda of the gods emerged from Kronos, Jupiter claimed that if he had such power, even the Transcendent himself would be brought to his knees. Upon fusing with the entity, Jupiter immediately fought against the Adversary with his new abilities. After a fierce battle, however, the Adversary managed to defeat Jupiter, who seethed in rage that even after acquiring such immense power, he had still been unable to defeat even a single mortal. Unable to contain the power of the entity, the Adversary and Gob watched in shock as it devoured Jupiter and made his power its own, leaving behind only his mechanical arm. As the Adversary approached, Gob warned them to stay back, noting that he had thought that something like that would happen. He explained that the entity was far too dangerous and told them that they needed to seal it within Kronos as quickly as possible. Suddenly, however, the World Heart reacted independently to the vast quantity of divine power and began absorbing the entity inside itself.

Gob immediately yelled for them to get the World Heart under control, warning them that it was too dangerous for it to absorb the entity's power. With the Adversary unable to control the World Heart, however, Gob quickly brought out the Erda Condenser and absorbed the entity into it, coagulating its power into a purple crystal. Just then, Z arrived with Tiny and the Primacy, who were relieved to see that both the Adversary and Gob were safe. After the Adversary explained what had happened, Gob thanked the Primacy for coming after him and asked whether bringing the Adversary along had been Kelly's idea. Ailene told Gob that with both Iker and Khafdi injured from their last mission, they had wanted to bring the Adversary along in case there was any danger. Gob then revealed that Jupiter had kidnapped him to force him to activate Kronos, to which Ailene noted that she had thought that he had gotten trapped in his own workshop while looking for something, causing Gob to angrily echo Kelly's earlier words that such a thing couldn't possibly have happened. The Adversary then asked Gob what the machine he had summoned was, to which Gob explained that it was the Erda Condenser that he had built to operate alongside Kronos. He noted that while it was nothing compared to the World Heart, it was capable of binding the Erda together as a cohesive force, making it impossible to fuse the entity with a living body or utilize its power through a medium. As the entity's power was wildly unstable from the fusion process being done incorrectly, Gob believed that it was too dangerous to absorb it into the World Heart, and so they would need to refine that power in order to safely assimilate it. As he knew more about Kronos than anyone, Gob volunteered to conduct the research, promising to surrender all of the entity's power to the Adversary once he finished.

NPC

Tallahart

Grave of the Gods

Gob
Location	Grave of the Gods

Tirnog Interior

Gob
Location	Tirnog Interior

Gallery

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  NPC Portrait of Gob
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  NPC Portrait of Gob