Near the lava, it's warm enough that it would no longer be unwise to sleep without protection. They're going to eat a little bit more of the food, and then brush away the remaining snow and lie down.

It's very uncomfortable, but they're very tired, so they fall asleep quickly, even though the sun is still in the sky. They might be far enough north or south that the sun doesn't set in winter. They don't even get disturbed by the volcanic eruptions happening near them, though part of that is the knowledge that Korrado and Damianos have control over Theirdomains – they do not fear stray chunks of lava hitting them.

Korrado will have his volcanoes erupt, to help with warming and making the mountain chain – He's trying to work with the existing mountain and make a slightly curved line – and also to render the soils of the valley more fertile.

Damianos works to keep the heat in, and also try and grow plants in the little patches. It doesn't work very well, because the other parts of Him are Very Far Away and He can't transport plants from His already existing territory to here the way He normally would. Instead, He digs down and gathers ancient seeds buried in the permafrost and tries to grow them.

He has no idea whether it will work. Or whether they'll produce fruits and vegetables that are edible. He hopes so.

Their aim is to enclose a roughly circular area about seventy thousand square miles in size, about the size of Oklahoma or Florida, though at the current rate it would take several years to achieve. They're splitting Their attention between preparing for the long term, while making sure that Their acolytes have the resources to Not Die.

The acolytes will not get much sleep. After the landscape starts changing it's only a couple of hours before airplanes are coming through.

"PEOPLE ARE COMING PEOPLE ARE COMING"

He has no idea what the flying thing is!!!

The moment the first airplane starts passing through Korrado's new volcanoes (or at this stage, lava-y hills), the rate of landscape change will slow almost to a halt. The two gods will redirect their attention towards tracking the airplanes and readying themselves to protect their acolytes.

What is it now...

He looks up. Ah.

Feliya startles awake and brushes snow off her cloak, picking up her walking stick.

What do the airplanes do?

They fly overhead in a coordinated pattern, and then they... turn around and leave, actually.

Okay...

"Are You close enough to reach them? Or are they too high?"

"I can do it if I stretch. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"They're looking at us. I think we should look at them. We'll pray and get You more energy."

"Very well."

Gods can sense everything in their territory. What they're gated on is attention. The airplane does count, since it's flying low enough.

What is inside the airplanes?

Feliya and Rendon will do another round of fervent praying. Probably they should give offerings too, but that may not be the best idea right now.

Inside each airplane is two people with hair in various shades of grey. They're not human, though they're close.

"Confirm visual description, over."

"Visual is of volcanic activity yielding excess mountains, elevated lake, unexpected rivers, and tentatively two persons on the ground. Over."

Huh. They have grey hair but none of them look old. Also, they have fearsome technology. He wants it.

Korrado will relay what they say to the acolytes.

"Welp, they've spotted us. I'm thinking about whether or not we should pre-empt contact. My intuition is that it's not divinely occupied but it's mundanely occupied."

"I agree. They don't seem to be actively hostile. Contacting them now lets us set the conversation on our own terms. But it might also startle them, especially if You are going to be speaking to them while they're inside their own vessel."

"I will continue monitoring them, but will not initiate contact. Meanwhile, the two of you should hide."

Korrado will shift the terrain to make a small, shallow cave for them to hide in. Really he should have done this earlier – it also provides them shelter. Oh well. At least now they will not be visible from the air.

The greys in the planes note the terrain shift.

The planes go away. More planes show up.

What are they talking about? Are they merely observing the terrain, or are they planning on doing something?

This one is going to drop a parachuter in a lavaless area.

He will alert the acolytes and Continue Observing.

The parachuter discards the parachute and starts tromping around, looking at things and pointing devices at them.

"We should figure out strategy. Both martial and diplomatic."

"We should. Alright. Here's what we know.

They are very technologically advanced. This place is divinely unclaimed but might be mundanely claimed. Korrado has said He didn't get any sort of god influence or trail from them. No blessings from other gods on any of them.

They might be one of those peoples that choose to live in godforsaken territories.

They're not...trying to contact the gods doing this. When it's very obviously gods doing this. That's informative but I don't know what of."

"Are the flying machines made of metal?"